A Public Service Announcement
May. 9th, 2007 07:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cinema_babeTo all my Caucasian friends, LJ and RL
I haven't encountered this in anyone under 40 or so; I'm going to assume it's a generational thing but I'm going to pass this along to all of you anyway.
Telling a black person that they "speak well" or "are very articulate" is *not* a complement. Please note that I said that it is *not* a complement. That statement makes it seem that it's some sort of surprise to the white person when a black person opens their mouth and it doesn't sound like James Brown. It's a bit like saying to a Jewish person, "Gee, you're so generous!" A complement with a racist insult hidden inside.
This happened to me (again) last night, someone made a point to approach me and tell me how articulate and well spoken I was. I just said, "As opposed to what?" I am a (fairly) well educated college graduate. I talk the way my mother does because she taught me how to talk. My Nana spoke like this; my siblings talk like I do. Jesus Christ on a Pogo Stick, what was this person expecting me to sound like? Never mind I probably don't want to know.
I've heard someone say it about Colon Powell, I've heard it said about Barak Obama and Sidney Portier and Hallie Berry and pretty much any black person who doesn't speak like a thug rapper.
The concept of the "Bigotry of Low Expectations" has been hijacked by certain segments of the political arena and the part about that which sucks is that it truly does exist and is a more pervasive and insidious then blatant cross burning.
It happens more often than you might imagine.
"You speak so well": Just. Don't. Say. It.
(You know if you're Asian, Hispanic, Black or whatever, please don't say it either. Thanks)
We now return you to your normally scheduled wackiness.
I haven't encountered this in anyone under 40 or so; I'm going to assume it's a generational thing but I'm going to pass this along to all of you anyway.
Telling a black person that they "speak well" or "are very articulate" is *not* a complement. Please note that I said that it is *not* a complement. That statement makes it seem that it's some sort of surprise to the white person when a black person opens their mouth and it doesn't sound like James Brown. It's a bit like saying to a Jewish person, "Gee, you're so generous!" A complement with a racist insult hidden inside.
This happened to me (again) last night, someone made a point to approach me and tell me how articulate and well spoken I was. I just said, "As opposed to what?" I am a (fairly) well educated college graduate. I talk the way my mother does because she taught me how to talk. My Nana spoke like this; my siblings talk like I do. Jesus Christ on a Pogo Stick, what was this person expecting me to sound like? Never mind I probably don't want to know.
I've heard someone say it about Colon Powell, I've heard it said about Barak Obama and Sidney Portier and Hallie Berry and pretty much any black person who doesn't speak like a thug rapper.
The concept of the "Bigotry of Low Expectations" has been hijacked by certain segments of the political arena and the part about that which sucks is that it truly does exist and is a more pervasive and insidious then blatant cross burning.
It happens more often than you might imagine.
"You speak so well": Just. Don't. Say. It.
(You know if you're Asian, Hispanic, Black or whatever, please don't say it either. Thanks)
We now return you to your normally scheduled wackiness.
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no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 09:11 pm (UTC)I'm a cynic, I assume that people say stupid things to other people all the time. A member of my family said something similar about the diction of a white person who came from the Deep South. I was absolutely mortified. I could have addressed this broadly, I just chose to couch it in terms of something that has, and still does, happen to me.
The point is well taken about political figures and actors, good oration is a part of their livelihood. However the attitude that irks me is when people are impressed with the skill of a public speaker because of their race, not their ability to orate.