BS: Racial No-nos

Subject: RE: BS: Racial No-nos
From: Azizi
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 03:40 AM

Given that it's 3:35AM and I've got to be at work at 8AM this morning, though I'd love to respond to Shambles' post, I'm gonna wait until later to do so...

{See how complicated the subject of dialect is..."I'm gonna" is fine in most informal conversation but "I'se gonna" is a no no}.


Later!

Azizi


BTW: typo correction from one of my earlier posts to this thread:
apologista=apologist

Subject: RE: BS: Racial No-nos
From: Azizi
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 03:34 AM

More on the subject of African American slavery dialect-

I believe that African Americans for the most part aren't purists when it comes to singing spirituals.

Although I've seen spirituals written in real heavy duty dialect from slavery days {full of 'des' and 'dose'}, I submit that we don't sing those songs that way.

Subject: RE: BS: Racial No-nos
From: Azizi
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 03:26 AM

More on racial no no #2

The recent controversy with the inclusion of "Pick A Bale Of Cotton" in a school recital seems to have focused on two facts:

-the association of cotton picking with Black American slavery [notwithstanding the fact that some enslaved Black people never picked cotton, and nonwithstanding the fact that some White people still have memories of picking cotton]

-the song's uptempo tune seems to minimize the backbreaking work associated with picking cotton, and play into the widely grinning Stepin Fetchit pickinniny stereotype promoted by slavery apologista.

I want to speak to the second point and suggest that the "Oh Lordy!" phrase in the refrain "Oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton/Oh Lordy! pick a bale a day" is what turns me off.

I see this as an example of Black slave dialect or old downhome expressions that-if included in songs-are liable to get contemporary Black folks riled up.

Someone on that "Pick A Bale Of Cotton" thread reminded me that African American R&B singer Little Richard had a hit song "Lordy Miss Claudy" [in the late 1950s?]. I believe another African American R&B singer Lloyd Price also recorded this song {Lordy Miss Clawdy} maybe before Little Richard did. But that was then, and this is now. After all the 1950s is more than 50 years ago.

And-in my opinion, those "Lordy! Lordy!" expressions are likely to be interpreted as being too country [with "country" rightly or wrongly being seen as less than "citified].

Songs that explore the country hick vs sophisticated city resident are a whole nother area of consideration for folklorists. But for the purpose of this thread what I'm suggesting is that it's not only songs and literature that is written in Black slavery dialect but it's also the inclusion of certain Black "downhome" expressions that can get a person in trouble.

Subject: RE: BS: Racial No-nos
From: Cluin
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 03:16 AM

What about use of the word White?

Subject: RE: BS: Racial No-nos
From: The Shambles
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 02:45 AM

I hope you will accept that what may the case in the USA will not be so anywhere else. In the UK - it is still thought marginally OK to call a any footballer a cunt or indeed any black footballer a cunt but certainly a 'racial no no) to call them a black cunt.

You would hope I you accept that the word black refers quite legitimately to a colour and that its use could also cause offence to someone. Also that any word could cause offence to someone.

For this reason - is it being proposed that we all pretend that some words have never been invented or used? Or is it better to try educate us all to true the history of these words and why they may unitentionally offend some others?

Could it be that by taking such issue with the use now of mainly the words themselves - you provide the very ammunition for those who would still chose to use them to intentionally offend and worse?

Perhaps there are worse things than the possibilty of uninentionally offending another by the careless use of a word?

Subject: RE: BS: Racial No-nos
From: Azizi
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 02:33 AM

Racial no no

2. Use of African American slave dialect [such as that used by the
   African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar]in most public settings
   except in the context of higher level educational discussions &
   study of history and culture and even there, I would suggest that
   Whites or non-Whites tred carefully and make your purpose for
   including this creative work or folkloric material clear.


BTW, by "higher level educational discussions & study", I'm talking
about in depth discussions & studies that are more than superficial, short overviews that are engaged in by children [of average intelligence] who are 5th grade and older {I'm admittedly being arbitrary in the grade I select}.

Subject: RE: BS: Racial No-nos
From: Azizi
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 02:21 AM

Racial no-nos

1. the use of the N-word in most public settings
   {especially those with children} except in the context of
   higher level educational discussions & study of history and
   culture and even there, tred carefully making your purposes clear.

Outside of historical & cultural study and discussion, it seems to me, that folk songs that include the "N word" such as "Run N---g Run, the Pateroller Catch You" are toxic unless another word is substituted for the "N word" {though I admit that changing the title to "Run Children Run..." and not explaining the background of the song means that an opportunity is lost to teach about the realities of slave conditions in the American South}.

Subject: BS: Racial No-nos
From: Azizi
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 02:10 AM

It's my guess that the music instructor who recently made the news because he or she included the song "Pick A Bale Of Cotton" in the school's folk music recital hadn't a clue that the lone Black student in that school's recital or anybody else [including the parents of that student] would be offended by that song.

But, as an African American, I consider the choice of that song in 2005 and in the context it was presented as a "racial no-no". As I am defining it here, a "racial no no" is something that a White person says or does that is likely to cause trouble for him or her with African Americans or other people of color and/or other people who are concerned about racial political correctness.

There is no doubt in my mind that racial correctness goes both [many] ways. However, my purpose for talking about racial no nos in this thread is to suggest that there may be things that White people say or do that can get them in trouble with African American people.

I purposely used the referent "African American" because in my opinion the referent "Black" is too wide a term. While there may be extensive overlapping, it seems to me that what African Americans may consider a racial no no may have been in the past and may still be now acceptable or a minor issue for other Black people {meaning, Black people from other nations and other cultures in other parts of the world}.

It seems to me that "context rules" when your talking about what is or is not culturally competent. And "context" includes who, what, where, when, how, and why.

What was cultural appropriate for African Americans-non-African Americans in the past may be be a racial no no now.

Of course, what we [African Americans] do & say to each other may get us into trouble with each other depending on who we are and what we do or say and how we do or say it.

But I'm more concerned in this thread with the fact that White people may honestly not have a clue that some of the things they say and do might be culturally incompetent [which is another way of saying "politically incorrect"] with regards to race.

Some people here could care less. Others may totally disagree.

But there may be some people who are curious about what is likely to be a turn off to African Americans [in other words, what tick us off, or what get us on a set].

These are my opinions. I acknowledge from the onset that there will be people who mildly or vehemently disagree with the subject of cultural competency itself or with the examples of racial no no that I cite.

Needless to say, I'm interested in reading others' comments about this topic.

****

Note: PC-where is thy sting?-Pick A Bale Of Cotton Ban is the thread that prompted this one.