AfroerotiK

Erotic provocateur, racially-influenced humanist, relentless champion for the oppressed, and facilitator for social change, Scottie Lowe is the brain child, creative genius and the blood, sweat, and tears behind AfroerotiK. Intended to be part academic, part educational, and part sensual, she, yes SHE gave birth to the website to provide people of African descent a place to escape the narrow-mined, stereotypical, limiting and oft-times degrading beliefs that abound about our sexuality. No, not all Black men are driven by lust by white flesh or to create babies and walk away. No, not all Black women are promiscuous welfare queens. And as hard as it may be to believe, no, not all gay Black men are feminine, down low, or HIV positive. Scottie is putting everything on the table to discuss, debate, and dismantle stereotypes in a healthy exchange of ideas. She hopes to provide a more holistic, informed, and enlightened discussion of Black sexuality and dreams of helping couples be more open, honest, and adventurous in their relationships.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

I "Be Like" Confused



I feel stupid asking these sorts of questions constantly but I really need someone to explain to me the objection Black people have to using correct grammar.  Is it because it's too many words to use and they feel that they can communicate more effectively by completely eliminating parts of speech so as to be more concise?  Is it because speaking correct English conforms to a European standard and to be "really" Black is to rebel against the slave master's language by butchering his language?  Black people embrace every other thing the slave master beat into us: his religion, his standards of beauty, his social mores, but I’m supposed to believe that we are rallying against prepositions and dangling particles because the white man gave it to us?   

I've heard the argument that Black people are simply replicating the patterns of speech from West Africa and even ancient KMT but that's absurd.  We don't replicate anything else from Africa, why only speech patterns.  And maybe I’m the only one who can see the obvious but it seems clear to me and anyone with half a brain that Black peopel are clearly replicating the speech patterns of the slave, not the West African.  Is there some moral objection to speaking correctly I'm unaware of?  I'm really confused why conjugating verbs seems to be so offensive for Black people.  I don't want to assume it's only because the educational system has handicapped us to be inarticulate.   I know that schools in Black neighborhoods aren’t held to the same standards as those in rich, white neighborhoods but it CAN'T be because we don't know that they are speaking incorrectly because everyone has a television and access to  . . . . Oh wait . . . I think I just partially answered my own question.  Almost every Black TV show, movie, and certainly every Black song on the radio butchers the English language beyond recognition to some sort of ghetto code so it's very likely that people just don't comprehend that they are not speaking correctly; they believe that they are using the English language in its correct usage. 

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm super Black.  I'm Blackety, Black, Black, Power-to-the-People, Raise-Your-Fist-in-Defiance, Red, Black, and Green, Black.  Not once have I ever considered my correct usage of the English language anything other than an effective tool for communication. I don't think, and maybe I'm wrong but it doesn't make sense to me, that using multi-syllabic vocabulary words makes me a sellout.  I use the correct tools when I garden.  I use the correct tools when I sew. I don't think that using a Frisbee and a can of sterno will enable to make a gourmet meal because those aren't the proper utensils. I use the correct tools when I speak and when I write so that I might be able to effectively communicate my thoughts and feelings to others.  It seems to me that the Black community is wallowing in butchering the English language and proud to do so because they . . . I'm not sure why they are so intent on slaughtering the English language, thus the formulation of my question.  Communication is the foundation for the way we interact with people and it appears to me that Black folk are content with third grade linguistics and not much more. 

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