[Mandi]

First, there is no such thing as ‘African-American Vernacular English.’ To proport such a myth as a valid explanation of anything only serves to perpetuate the stereotypes that keep people in this country from ‘the right to pursue happiness.’ I know both educated and uneducated blacks and whites, and I have noticed that the majority of differences in speech are due to region first and lack of education second. I don’t know any educated blacks who mispronounce words, or rather, pronounce them differently than whites in the same region, but if you think you do, perhaps you should listen closer to their white counterparts before judging their speech.

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Name : Mandi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 21, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Mandi]

I don’t use the word and have never been called one by anyone who did not want my fist to connect with their face. It is a degrading and demoralizing word. I don’t think the use of the word by blacks is as widespread as you think it is. The only blacks I know who use it are of two kinds: 1) They are selfish, narrow-minded and have little respect for other humans, so they don’t mind using words that are dehumanizing to anyone , or 2) They grew up in lower economic communities and were influenced by the large commercialism of the rap industry. People in the rap industry use it because it shocks, sensationalizes and turns a buck. And because most people in America know more about the media representation of blacks than they do about actual black people, this is what they perceive to be. But “don’t believe the hype.”

User Detail :  

Name : Mandi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 21, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Mandi]

I don’t know in what context you heard about this “resposibility for white privilege,” and I’m not really sure I understand what you’re talking about. In general, however, whites should understand how their actions create and perpetuate dscrimination in this country and take steps to rectify it. That means not standing by watching something happen just because it doesn’t affect you personally. It means being aware of your own racial steroetypes and endeavoring to change them or not allowing them to adversely affect others. It means not assuming that white is the default race.

User Detail :  

Name : Mandi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 21, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Mandi]

In a few cases, it might be true that a black American doesn’t like an African because they remind them of where they came from. However, I’ve had this discussion before with black Americans and Africans, and it seems that a lot of the time, something else is going on. Every race/culture/ethnicity has intra-ethnic competition, and this is a form of it. Some Africans believe black Americans think they are better than Africans because they grew up in a rich country. Some black Americans think that Africans think they are better than black Americans because black Americans have “watered down” ethnicity. And so begins the hostility.

User Detail :  

Name : Mandi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 21, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Mandi]

I think most people probably should know by now that ‘ebonics’ doesn’t exist any more than the tooth fairy. Some person, who probably thought they were clever, made the term up in an attempt to get other people to think they were clever. The only language that black Americans speak is American English, the same one everyone else does. There are differences in the way that Americans all over the country speak, generally due to varying education levels and regional colloquialisms, not racial differences. There are of course slang words that are used in black communities more often than in white ones, but the situation is easily reversible. Moreover, if you take two people; one black, one white; of the same region and same educational/socioecomonic level, more often than not they will use all the same words. Thus, I would urge people who consider themselves to be of at least average intelligence to stop dignifying this term; it only perpetuates a gross stereotype that makes you look as dumb as the person who coined it.

User Detail :  

Name : Mandi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 21, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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