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MOST people who came to the US as "free people"; their kids almost always spoke proper English and I talking about Blacks too. American Blacks with that "Ebonics" jive talk: their families have been here before the US existed so they've had plenty of time to drop it.
Most of us use slang but adults can usually understand it.
You just mentioned the difference between American Blacks and immigrants. They choose to come as free people. Black Americans are the descendants of people who didn't come as free people. There is the part of the different, not the whole difference, but part of it. They were here before the USA existed, but were here as slaves. African immigrants were also educated under the British system and are coming to the USA by choice and as free people. Their culture is intact and they are coming with a different mentality.
It would be a good idea to drop it as a way to assimilate. However, first one has to get to the roots of why many American Blacks speak Ebonics. If you can get to the root of the problem, you can solve the problem. If you can find a way to change the mentality, there is the solution. Yes, it it important to change. It is also important to know the roots of certain behavior, so that one knows where to start changing. Change has to start somewhere.
It would be important to look at the regional differences. In 1900, 90 percent of the Black population lived in the Deep South. I would imagine the dialect in the South among Blacks would be similar to poor Whites in the South, with a few differences, but similar. 30 percent of Whites in the USA lived in the South. The South, compared to the rest of the nation, lagged behind in education, in other aspects. It was poorer, less industrialized and had a higher crime rate than the rest of the nation. English spoken in the South has its roots in Elizabethan English spoken by the Scotch-Irish. The more educated you are, the more likely that you are going to speak something closer to standard English. Whenever people migrate, whatever culture they take with them, it will be much closer to the original. English spoken in England changed, but it remained closer to the original Elizabethan English in the South and evolved its own way in the South. It was in the early to mid 20th century that many African-Americans migrated to northern urban centers like Chicago, New York, Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Philadelphia,etc. There was also migration to some western cities like Oakland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle,etc. I would imagine that Blacks who didn't originate from the South would speak differently than Blacks from the South. In fact, when Blacks from the South migrated to Oakland,CA, Black residents who had roots in Oakland didn't get along with southern Blacks. A culture clash, even between Blacks themselves. The same happened when southern Whites from Appalachia migrated to Chicago, many White residents had a problem with the new migrants. In fact: http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Ma...eat-Migration/
The dialect migrated to northern cities. Due to policies keeping Blacks from living in certain neighborhoods, concentrating the population, and the dialect. Fast forward to the 1960s and the Black Power movement. Things start changing. There is a movement to decide what was "authentically Black" and this included the dialect. Some of these changes came out of the feeling that Blacks would never be fully included in the mainstream American society, so the idea was "we'll form our own culture, forget about assimilation".
Last edited by green_mariner; 06-11-2012 at 10:20 AM..
I'm guessing by the way you described your location, you live in the greater Pittsburgh area. My guess(and this is only a guess) is that many of the educated Black residents who once lived in Pittsburgh left, possibly to Atlanta, Philadelphia, or to other cities. Same thing has happened in Milwaukee with the educated Black population. I also look at the fact that Pittsburgh(and Milwaukee)have the highest Black unemployment rates in the USA. Those who can get jobs often leave. The people who stay, well, many are not as well educated, aren't unemployed, and often do behave horribly. This kind of behavior happens in Atlanta, but given alot of educated Blacks move to this area, I don't see such behavior the majority of the time.
I can't do much with what I have. I can only do my best individually. Part of why I ask about what would help me as an individual. I just want to be able to go places and let my personal merit be more important. And there are Blacks who are calling out the horrible behavior you described. Bill Cosby is among them. Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams do so as well. This is the thing. The people who do listen are the ones who have always listened. The persons who don't listen(aka, the "flash mobs") are the ones who never listened in the first place. I can't do anything is there are people who won't listen.
I live in New Kensington, in a section called Parnassus, 20 mi north east of the Burgh. I would guess the area is about 35% black, with a large housing project about 9 blocks from my apartment and does not effect me in any way. I have had no problems and can leave my door open and go to the store and no one bothers it. The problem seems to be in areas like the local Sheetz store where I see the behavior I described and I don't get it. Why do they behave this way? It seems truly uncivilized to me. I think you are right when you touch on education and I believe it is the only solution.
Geez. What a load of patronizing bullsh*t. Sitting there telling another grown ass man what to do. Unreal.
Do you have anything positive to add to the conversation or are you going to continue to be smart azz? We are trying to have a civil conversation for a change instead of playing the blame game, and you keep trying to throw a wrench into the gears.I Don't get it
Do you have anything positive to add to the conversation or are you going to continue to be smart azz? We are trying to have a civil conversation for a change instead of playing the blame game, and you keep trying to throw a wrench into the gears.I Don't get it
You with your condescending e-pat on the head to another man in some congratulatory gesture as if he was seeking your approval....and you giving it as if you're some giant on a hill.
And worse, telling a black man what he should go out and do.
Thank God for the internet, huh? Where fantasies come true.
You with your condescending e-pat on the head to another man in some congratulatory gesture as if he was seeking your approval....and you giving it as if you're some giant on a hill.
And worse, telling a black man what he should go out and do.
Thank God for the internet, huh? Where fantasies come true.
Uh; we're all the same species, like house cats. Just different colors, hair, size and build.
Tho till Blacks really take care of business; they'll get called out IF they act stupid. Racist or not: out of a 100, many more Black dudes do get in trouble than out of a 100 white dudes.
Uh; we're all the same species, like house cats. Just different colors, hair, size and build.
Tho till Blacks really take care of business; they'll get called out IF they act stupid. Racist or not: out of a 100, many more Black dudes do get in trouble than out of a 100 white dudes.
Why not do the same for the stupidity in every ethnicity?
Uh; we're all the same species, like house cats. Just different colors, hair, size and build.
Tho till Blacks really take care of business; they'll get called out IF they act stupid. Racist or not: out of a 100, many more Black dudes do get in trouble than out of a 100 white dudes.
You won't call me or anyone else out under any circumstances except for blah blah nonsense on the net. Please. Get a grip.
LOL @ you calling someone out. This dude^.
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