Many viewers watching Thursday night’s GOP debate might have let their white privilege goggles obscure the racist comments directed toward President Obama, but they are very likely to find at least two or three “think pieces” on the Internet tomorrow morning (actually, at least one popular liberal blog has posted its article already) pointing out the offenders and their remarks. We know that Gov. Chris Christie has referred to the president as a “petulant child” before, but apparently it’s a racist habit he and the other candidates need to examine.

@daveweigel child= boy. How hard is that to understand? — LiberalPaul (@LiberalPaul) January 15, 2016

https://twitter.com/evakalikoff/status/687846209424330752

"Boy," "child"–the insults hurled at Obama from the Republican candidates tonight are flat-out, undiluted, zero-respect racism. — James Wolcott (@JamesWolcott) January 15, 2016

And the references that President Obama is a child do not sit well with me. They are this close to calling him "boy".

Coded words. — Midwin Charles (@MidwinCharles) January 15, 2016

Two different candidates for President called Obama a "boy" during this debate and I can hear that dog whistle clear as day. #GOPdebate — S. Alexander Smith (@The_SAlexander) January 15, 2016

GOP candidates call Obama a "child" & over & over. Might as well call him "boy". Racially coded language is in the messaging. #GOPDebate — Judy Carter (@justjudycarter) January 15, 2016

Comparing Pres. Obama to a child smells too much like the racist use of the term "boy" against adult black men. #GOPDebate — Madison (@Madison_Dyann) January 15, 2016

Cool that more than one of the GOP candidates called Obama a "child." I think the word they were wishing they could say is "boy" #GOPDebate — Moshe Kasher (@moshekasher) January 15, 2016

Someone explain to me why referring to Obama as a "child" is altogether different from calling him "boy"? — Joel D. Anderson (@byjoelanderson) January 15, 2016

Both Christie and Cruz have called Obama a "child" tonight – waiting for someone to call him "boy". #GOPDebate — Steven Mazie (@stevenmazie) January 15, 2016

They keep calling Obama a child. What they really mean is "boy." #GOPDebate — Craig Isley (@ceye) January 15, 2016

The whole repetitive President Obama is "a child"/boy thing is pretty 1950s racist, no? — Matt DeRienzo (@mattderienzo) January 15, 2016

Christie: Obama is “boy.” Cruz, Obama is “child.” C’mon guys. — James Fallows (@JamesFallows) January 15, 2016

Christie calls Obama, "a petulant child." If he had he courage of his convictions, he'd just call him Boy. — ANNE LAMOTT (@ANNELAMOTT) January 15, 2016

WHOA!

Marco Rubio called Barack Obama a boy!!

SHEEEEIIIIIIITTTT I did pick the right night to skip the klan fest #GOPDebate — Baba Adeptus (@adept2u) January 15, 2016

Chris Christie, calls Obama a "petulent child", narrowly misses calling him "boy." — Megan Carpentier (@megancarpentier) January 15, 2016

.@donnabrazile so basically Christie called the black president of the US a boy — Bryan Gamble (@BVGamble) January 15, 2016

I can't hear anything else. President Obama called a boy. — SherylTee (@sheryltee_) January 15, 2016

Number of candidates calling the President "boy" or "child" is pretty terrifying. — Hugh Atkin (@hmatkin) January 15, 2016

https://twitter.com/_KingMalcolm/status/687841778553204736

We forget — which candidate on stage tonight has a spouse who told Ted Kennedy that “a few years ago, this guy [Obama] would have been getting us coffee”? Didn’t America decide that was just a compliment about the remarkable upward trajectory of the president’s career?