Talking white” is a concept I have dealt with my entire life, but “talking white” does not exist. There is just the difference between standard English and different dialects. What is apparent is the prejudice between the two, from both black and white people. White people look at a black person, who speaks fluidly and with enunciation, and attributes it to intelligence and the idea that they can be smart and black. This thought process often brings forth the comment of how “well spoken” that person is. For students who attend a predominantly white high school, attending honors classes can be alienating because of this stereotype forced upon them. “A lot of white kids look at them [Black Students], basically, ‘You're not supposed to be smart and black, so why are you here?’” Black people tend to have a different view point on the subject of black people “acting white.” Black people have less of a problem with academic achievement of other black students, but more with that student’s behavior.
““acting white” accusations were least common at the most segregated schools, a finding echoed by a 2006 study from Harvard economist Roland Fryer, who found “no evidence at all that getting good grades adversely affects students’ popularity” in predominantly black schools.”
Black people do not feel threatened by the success of other black people. It predominately comes from white people who feel attacked when a black person seems to be succeeding.
Proper English is just an idea. There is no such thing as a correct way to speak a language. The only part necessary for speaking a language is that both parties understand. There are different dialects all over the country and each one would debate that theirs is the correct form of English. The fact that white people are attributed with speaking the correct form of the language is another systematic way to put white people above minorities. Some black people feel that they are only allowed to speak a certain way or they are ignoring their culture. This limits them in a way that is unnecessary. White people who question a black person’s intelligence when they seem to be extremely “well spoken” have a pre-conception of black people; they assume that their accent is correlated with their intelligence. Segregation of the education system perpetuates this prejudice because the black people who attend a predominately white high school feel the need to prove their blackness because so many people tell them they are not fitting the preconceived stereotype of what a black person should be. The question of how black and white people talk and then the subsequent confusion when the races do not match their stereotypes is the representation of one of the many ways that non-white people are systematically weeded out. The right way to speak is not the white way because there is no right way.
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Pledged: Logan Griffin
Logan, this is a thought-provoking article displaying the politics of respectability young, intelligent black students are subjected to. Attending a predominant white high school myself, I too endured the backhanded compliments of my white peers and teachers. It seems that folks think blackness and intelligence are not synonymous. Although they may mean well, it pushes an idea that black children's worth is dependent upon other's conceptions of their intelligence. More than anything, it denies black children a space to be themselves. Blackness is multifaceted and we are all represented by the convergence of different identities. Blackness and intelligence are not mutually exclusive, so it is important to allow black people to be themselves.
ReplyDeleteThank you
Being labeled as someone who talks "White" is something I have also had to deal with the majority of my life. What's always hurt the most is that those comments come from other Black people; a White person has never said that to me, maybe they think it in their head but I'm not sure. While I've attended majority Black schools my whole life, I went to an all Black middle school for a year, and that was the first time that I heard someone label me in that way. I agree with both Logan and Cody, talking "White" is not a thing.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I have a friend who would be categorized as someone who talks "White", and a professor here at Rhodes told her that she did not have to speak that way, and that she was allowed to speak in ebonics if she needed to feel more comfortable.