Pop and African Americans

[Victoria Neufeldt]

It's not just a matter of being called upon to speak for one's race or other
identifiable group, but also being repeatedly made an object of special
scrutiny -- however scientifically motivated -- among one's peers.  Far from
making the questionee feel valued and "special", it can wear thin quite
quickly if that person is the only one (or one of a small group) regularly
singled out in such a way. "We value your strange customs ..."  No wonder
the student said it made her feel weird!

Victoria
Merriam-Webster, Inc. P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102
Tel: 413-734-3134  ext 124
Fax: 413-827-7262

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
> Of Frank Abate
> Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2000 12:03 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Pop and African Americans
>
>
> Natalie's story below reminds me of recent discussions I've had
> re the "n-word", and the apparent fact that it is used among
> black people when speaking about other blacks, and is not
> necessarily derogatory when so used.  Can anyone confirm this?
>
> Of course, outside the specific context of one's own environment,
> the "n-word" is highly inflammatory, perhaps the most dangerous
> word in English.
>
> The PS is also revealing of the too-frequent assumption that one
> individual can/should speak for a whole race, which is never true
> (or a whole gender, etc.).  This seems to me an often overlooked
> point, and merits emphasis, whether the topic is language,
> politics, whatever.
>
> Frank Abate