Atlanta Magazine: ATL Metro Neighborhood Bumper Stickers (Alpharetta: crimes, assess)

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by DTL3000

...Not only were the Kirkwood and Vinings stickers not funny, they are honestly walking a thin line of potential racism that it would make sense for a magazine with a broad readership in the city of Atlanta to just completely avoid. Are either of those statements terribly offense to me? No. But they are what I'd consider bone-headed.

Though Atlanta Magazine is not necessarily "hipster," the article below relates very well to the problem/issue with some of the bumper stickers:

Hipster Racism – this ain't livin'

[DTL3000]

Ehhh, that article has a point but it does the same thing it accuses these racist hipsters of doing. It generalizes and stereotypes with statements like "most of their contact with people of colour comes in the form of the service personnel serving them their food, cleaning their wine bars, and picking their organic produce." It classifies all hipsters as white people with trust funds and that's just not the case.

It's a bit self-righteous is all I'm saying and I'm the last person to defend hipsters. I'm not seeing this "hipster racism" the author is referring to pervading the media.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by DTL3000

Ehhh, that article has a point but it does the same thing it accuses these racist hipsters of doing. It generalizes and stereotypes with statements like "most of their contact with people of colour comes in the form of the service personnel serving them their food, cleaning their wine bars, and picking their organic produce." It classifies all hipsters as white people with trust funds and that's just not the case.

It's a bit self-righteous is all I'm saying and I'm the last person to defend hipsters. I'm not seeing this "hipster racism" the author is referring to pervading the media.

Sarah Silverman.

[DTL3000]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Sarah Silverman.

Good point. But she is offensive on just about every front. At least she's consistent I guess.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by DTL3000

Good point. But she is offensive on just about every front. At least she's consistent I guess.

You're defending her, Brother DTL3000???

[son-house]

Originally Posted by K-SawDude

No. Very few linguists would claim that "We be ______" (called the habitual "be") is considered standard. It's still a highly stigmatized variant that occurs in certain dialects, in particular African-American English (AAE). But keep in mind that AAE is a dialect increasingly spoken by non-African Americans, so that's likely why you're hearing it more and more.

Because of its stigma as "bad English" (which doesn't have any linguistic basis, btw--just social evaluation/prejudice), it's also commonly uttered by those who aren't speaking it but rather parodying it. And the funny thing is, most people who say it don't really know what it means. "He be late" and "He's late" are NOT identical constructions.

Supremely well-played.

Very valuable lessons therein. Lessons that too few are aware of.

[ATLHRLGUY]

Originally Posted by K-SawDude

No. Very few linguists would claim that "We be ______" (called the habitual "be") is considered standard. It's still a highly stigmatized variant that occurs in certain dialects, in particular African-American English (AAE). But keep in mind that AAE is a dialect increasingly spoken by non-African Americans, so that's likely why you're hearing it more and more.

Because of its stigma as "bad English" (which doesn't have any linguistic basis, btw--just social evaluation/prejudice), it's also commonly uttered by those who aren't speaking it but rather parodying it. And the funny thing is, most people who say it don't really know what it means. "He be late" and "He's late" are NOT identical constructions.

I agree.


This is just a part of a larger context of how mainstream America has historically and continues to be infatuated with the creative talents of AA be it music, style, lingo etc. but seems to ignore for the most part the context and dire conditions from which this creativity flows.

[Ga Jerk]

Back in the day when I worked at Fire Station 19 in VA-HI there was a bumper sticker that was popular.

I "Heart" Virginia Highlands

There was an old dude with a rundown house that was in a constant state of "restoration". He did not get along with the new folks in the neighborhood. He had this bumper sticker on his ratty old truck:
I "Heart" Virginia Highlands, It's The People I Can't Stand! .

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by arjay57

It was my impression that "We be ______" had settled in as a standard colloquialism. It started out as a sort of urban patois but after several decades of common usage everybody started saying it.

I never hear that phrase in normal conversation. Except in a mocking sense, I guess.

[BringBackCobain]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Good points, and sorry I misspoke. I didn't mean to say this was standard English in the formal sense, but rather a commonly accepted colloquial usage.

I realize "be" once carried negative stigma but it became so common over the last 30 years that those connotations seemed to me to have faded. That was my perception at least.

But you are right -- I may be unconscious parodying, although that is certainly not my intent. I believe I initially picked it up from a longtime African American friend and of course I heard it many other places. At one point I may even have thought of this in a slightly negative way but over time it just became a part of how we communicated with each other.

However, now that I think about it, he and I use it mainly in familiar conversation with each other. We both probably "clean it up" in more formal settings or around people we don't know.

Aren't you a 60-something white guy? What are you trying to prove by speaking in jive?