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Without assigning labels, what about their advice falls short in your opinion? The article uses the term “black English” (I might otherwise use the term “slang
by subpixel 8y ago
Without assigning labels, what about their advice falls short in your opinion?
The article uses the term “black English” (I might otherwise use the term “slang”) and I think the advice “don’t speak slang to people who, so that you might more likely achieve your own objectives, you ought to be showing utmost respect” is pretty solid.
- JshWright 8y agoThe article very specifically addresses the distinction between Black English and "slang". I also strongly disagree with the notion that someone's _rights_ should be tied to whether or not a cop feels they were sufficiently respectful.
- code_duck 8y agoThe reality is that as a white person, if I am sufficiently disrespectful to a police officer, I am liable to get beat severely or arrested. In a confrontation with the police, there is a chance that I might be unfairly killed. The issue with the race is that this happens at twice the rate to black people. The issue is NOT that it never happens to white people – is that the rate is disproportionate. My opinion is that police should never kill citizens by choice, and that the issue is really more of a citizen power versus police than white versus black.
- subpixel 8y agoThe article mentions that what it calls "Black English" has been compared humorously to slang. I believe there is a lot of room for debate and discussion between mocking a way of speaking on the one hand and designating it a separate language on the other. As for respect. Respect matters because laws are enforced by people. When you're in an exchange with a cop or a judge how things go for you are tied to both the letter of the law _and_ the laws of human nature. We live in meatspace.
- code_duck 8y agoThe article delineates the difference between this dialect and slang. That’s kind of a key point. Really, it acts as if people are speaking completely separate languages. So, imagine if I was arrested in Mexico and I could speak English and Spanish, but insisted on speaking English and then complained that the court personnel misunderstood me.
- gizmo686 8y agoYes. You should absolutely insist on speaking English in that circumstance. Get or let the Mexican court furnish a translator for you.
- code_duck 8y agoWhy would that be? I didn’t specify any difference in my skills at speaking English or Spanish. Are you saying there’s an advantage in addressing the court in a foreign language?