In the reading “E-Racing difference in E-space: Black female subjectivity and the Web-based portfolio” Knadler talks about how e-spaces free people to create new identities and speak out based on how others are interacting threw electronic interchange (Kandler 237). The author is trying to explain how important it is for people to be able to express themselves in their own ways. The Internet is an easy way for people to be themselves; people may not feel as though they need to be as proper or as polite when they are communicating with others their own age and with their same backgrounds.
Also, Knadler talks about how important online communication is because the user’s sense of self is freed from social and discursive constraints and it allows for the hidden or repressed self to come out (Knadler 239). He mentions that students may conform to some degree of white norms but at the same time these students may never feel completely free to just be themselves in white environments and online blogging and web pages can provide a place for blacks to express themselves with a style of speech that doesn’t have to self-consciously fit into white standards (Kandler 243).
This is related to the website that I found and the blog postings that I mentioned because people are free to say what they want and give their opinions about certain situations without any consequences. The postings that I found on BET.com were a perfect opportunity for people of the same backgrounds or even different backgrounds to share their experiences and their opinions about a certain situation. The website is not monitored by an adult or professor making it easy for people to show their full personalities and use the language of their choice. Online people don’t feel so restricted as to what they can and cannot say unlike how they would feel if they were in a classroom or speaking with an adult. Also, when being online people aren’t able to know exactly who is speaking which leaves out the complications of age, race, gender, or class. This makes it easier for people to speak their minds without the fear of being judged by their peers. The site that I have discussed and many other websites provides a place for blacks to feel comfortable and speak using their own language. The website that I discussed shows that electronic interchange is a place where students/teens are not afraid to say what they think and feel and argue their own opinions.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
DW2a "Ghetto Handbook"
The blog website that I found was on the BET.com website. There was an article posted about a police officer who created and distributed a handbook of Ebonics. He made the handbook in order to provide other officers with the language of African Americans. The police officer called the eight-page guide ”The Ghetto Handbook” and it sparked an outrage in the black community. The handbook was said to have mocked African Americans. It gave definitions for words that are used in Ebonics, such as, foty, which is a 40 oz. bottle of beer and hood rat, which is meant for a scummy girl. The book was described as being able to teach anybody to speak as though they had just came out of the hood. The officer’s punishment is to be a short suspension and to attend sensitivity training. The discussion board was asked if they thought this was enough punishment for the cop who distributed the booklet. The blog website provided an opportunity for people to write in their thoughts and comments about the topic and get feedback as well.
I found it very interesting how different everybody’s views were and how people took different sides. Mona writes “No I do not think that the punishment is severe enough. He/she needs to be fired and made to make a public apology. Enough is enough. Black people are as equal as any other race. It saddens me that blacks are always the ones considered to be ignorant, what does this say about others?”. And the opposite view was taken by AJ who wrote “You can’t be mad at anybody for this incident. Only people you can blame is our own race. If we weren’t so ignorant that we would make up our own language people wouldn’t’ have to decipher what we are saying. It just shows how much we don’t care for education in the black community. We need to stop using this language anyway”. Someone then argued back at AJ, Black Pride writes, “AJ, making up a language is far from ignorant. The problem comes when black people speak only Ebonics and can’t speak Standard English. I don’t know what black people live around you, but we do care about education very much. If “other” people cant decipher what we say too bad for them because the language wasn’t meant for them in the first place.”
Even though the website targets African Americans it still allows people of any race to share their opinions. The website doesn’t seem to be censored, people can say whatever they way and not have to worry about repercussions. People can express themselves and not be afraid of what they say or how they say it. There were fifty-eight responses to this posted article on the first day and forty-seven on the second day, it was a very heated topic and it is nice to know that there is a place for people to speak their minds and vent their feelings.
I found it very interesting how different everybody’s views were and how people took different sides. Mona writes “No I do not think that the punishment is severe enough. He/she needs to be fired and made to make a public apology. Enough is enough. Black people are as equal as any other race. It saddens me that blacks are always the ones considered to be ignorant, what does this say about others?”. And the opposite view was taken by AJ who wrote “You can’t be mad at anybody for this incident. Only people you can blame is our own race. If we weren’t so ignorant that we would make up our own language people wouldn’t’ have to decipher what we are saying. It just shows how much we don’t care for education in the black community. We need to stop using this language anyway”. Someone then argued back at AJ, Black Pride writes, “AJ, making up a language is far from ignorant. The problem comes when black people speak only Ebonics and can’t speak Standard English. I don’t know what black people live around you, but we do care about education very much. If “other” people cant decipher what we say too bad for them because the language wasn’t meant for them in the first place.”
Even though the website targets African Americans it still allows people of any race to share their opinions. The website doesn’t seem to be censored, people can say whatever they way and not have to worry about repercussions. People can express themselves and not be afraid of what they say or how they say it. There were fifty-eight responses to this posted article on the first day and forty-seven on the second day, it was a very heated topic and it is nice to know that there is a place for people to speak their minds and vent their feelings.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
DW1b
“Many of us feel free to make judgments about others because of the ways that they use language. We make assumptions based on the way that people speak and write, presuming to know about their intelligence, their competence, their motives, and their morality.”
This passage was from the reading in Myth Education: Rational And Strategies for Teaching Against Linguistic Prejudice by Leah A. Zuidema and is stating that many people judge others quickly depending on their way of speech or their accent. If people speak slowly we tend to think that they are not very intelligent or if people speak quickly and abruptly we may think that they are rude. The words that people use can mean very different things depending on how they are said. Depending on how people use language we think we can predict how they think, feel, and act, as if we knew them. Granted, usually, the better your language skills the better we understand what is trying to be said, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re more intelligent than others.
I think that I can relate this to my relationship with my previous roommate. Just because Paula and I didn’t understand each other didn’t mean that I was smarter than her and that she was smarter than me. I misunderstood many things that Paula was trying say and I also misunderstood how she felt just because we have very different dialogues. Some things she said sounded inappropriate and rude, which I’m sure were unintentional. I remember a time, a few weeks after school had started or maybe even a month, when Paula turned to me and asked me if I thought differently of other races. At first I didn’t understand what she meant by the question, was she asking if I didn’t like her? If I didn’t like people of other orientation? Or if I was flat out prejudice against non-Caucasian people? I was questioning why she had asked me that question simply because I didn’t understand her. I assumed that she was thinking that I was prejudice, which was confusing in the sense that I had been living with her. I felt that her motive was hurtful, I took it in a very negative way, which I’m sure she wasn’t purposely trying to hurt my feelings. Today, I still don’t quite understand what was being asked or even if I had answered her properly. Based on that statement I made a judgment on how Paula felt about me when I didn’t even fully understand what was being said. Unfortunately we all make assumptions about what people say not knowing what is behind their thought.
From my experience I realize and understand that you cannot make judgments or assumptions about how people speak or write. You cannot presume to know what their motives are or how intelligent they may be. When we engage in conversation with another person we need to try to think about what they are saying and not how they are saying it.
This passage was from the reading in Myth Education: Rational And Strategies for Teaching Against Linguistic Prejudice by Leah A. Zuidema and is stating that many people judge others quickly depending on their way of speech or their accent. If people speak slowly we tend to think that they are not very intelligent or if people speak quickly and abruptly we may think that they are rude. The words that people use can mean very different things depending on how they are said. Depending on how people use language we think we can predict how they think, feel, and act, as if we knew them. Granted, usually, the better your language skills the better we understand what is trying to be said, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re more intelligent than others.
I think that I can relate this to my relationship with my previous roommate. Just because Paula and I didn’t understand each other didn’t mean that I was smarter than her and that she was smarter than me. I misunderstood many things that Paula was trying say and I also misunderstood how she felt just because we have very different dialogues. Some things she said sounded inappropriate and rude, which I’m sure were unintentional. I remember a time, a few weeks after school had started or maybe even a month, when Paula turned to me and asked me if I thought differently of other races. At first I didn’t understand what she meant by the question, was she asking if I didn’t like her? If I didn’t like people of other orientation? Or if I was flat out prejudice against non-Caucasian people? I was questioning why she had asked me that question simply because I didn’t understand her. I assumed that she was thinking that I was prejudice, which was confusing in the sense that I had been living with her. I felt that her motive was hurtful, I took it in a very negative way, which I’m sure she wasn’t purposely trying to hurt my feelings. Today, I still don’t quite understand what was being asked or even if I had answered her properly. Based on that statement I made a judgment on how Paula felt about me when I didn’t even fully understand what was being said. Unfortunately we all make assumptions about what people say not knowing what is behind their thought.
From my experience I realize and understand that you cannot make judgments or assumptions about how people speak or write. You cannot presume to know what their motives are or how intelligent they may be. When we engage in conversation with another person we need to try to think about what they are saying and not how they are saying it.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Developing Work 1a
A type of relationship is usually described by the interaction or communication between two people. Relationships come in a variety of contexts, such as family, friends, work, or school. People in a relationship usually share their thoughts and feelings or tend to influence each other. Expectations of a relationship will also influence the communication. A parent child relationship will usually consist of love and unconditional acceptance therefore the communication between families is usually relaxed and casual.
My language at home is very much different from my language at school. My family knows me well and probably understands me more than anyone else. When I am at home I am most comfortable and I don’t have to watch what I can and cannot say. For example, I sometimes call my step dad grandpa just to joke with him and make him feel old, but he knows my personality well enough to understand that I am only kidding. Someone who does not know me and who is not actually a grandpa might take that offensively.
When I am around my friends I talk pretty much the same way that I do at home. I might say a few things that I wouldn’t want my parents to hear, but nothing ecstatic. Sometimes with my family I am a little more blunt and straight to the point then I am with my friends.
Were as, a teacher student relationship is more professional. At school I talk very different. When I am talking with an adult or a teacher I try to show more respect. When I first meet someone I want to make a good impression and if I talked the way I talk at home I might sound rude or disrespectful, unintentionally. Before I show my true self I want to get to know a person and learn what they expect from me. When I am writing a paper for school I try to sound professional and I try to write the way I believe the teacher expects me to write, which is usually using the proper Standard English I have always been taught.
I want people to respond to me in a positive manner, I want to feel confident and good about the way I communicate with people. I wouldn’t want to offend anybody by using my language from home when I am talking to someone that I hardly know, especially a teacher or a classmate. Unfortunately, I had a problem communicating with my roommate during first semester. Even though we were relatively the same age, going to the same school, and living in the same country, our cultural differences made if difficult to understand each other. When we would misunderstand one another we often would think the others motives were not reasonable, often rude or mean. I began to realize I couldn’t be so casual with her, even though we were friends I needed to be direct and clear when I was speaking with her. This made it very difficult for our friendship to build. The communication between us redefined our relationship, I lost the expectation of becoming good friends and I just wanted to work on having a clear understanding between one another.
The next time I am disappointed with someone’s response to something I have said I am going to ask myself if they misunderstood me or maybe misinterpreted me. Understanding the miscommunication may avoid hurt feelings or conflicts.
My language at home is very much different from my language at school. My family knows me well and probably understands me more than anyone else. When I am at home I am most comfortable and I don’t have to watch what I can and cannot say. For example, I sometimes call my step dad grandpa just to joke with him and make him feel old, but he knows my personality well enough to understand that I am only kidding. Someone who does not know me and who is not actually a grandpa might take that offensively.
When I am around my friends I talk pretty much the same way that I do at home. I might say a few things that I wouldn’t want my parents to hear, but nothing ecstatic. Sometimes with my family I am a little more blunt and straight to the point then I am with my friends.
Were as, a teacher student relationship is more professional. At school I talk very different. When I am talking with an adult or a teacher I try to show more respect. When I first meet someone I want to make a good impression and if I talked the way I talk at home I might sound rude or disrespectful, unintentionally. Before I show my true self I want to get to know a person and learn what they expect from me. When I am writing a paper for school I try to sound professional and I try to write the way I believe the teacher expects me to write, which is usually using the proper Standard English I have always been taught.
I want people to respond to me in a positive manner, I want to feel confident and good about the way I communicate with people. I wouldn’t want to offend anybody by using my language from home when I am talking to someone that I hardly know, especially a teacher or a classmate. Unfortunately, I had a problem communicating with my roommate during first semester. Even though we were relatively the same age, going to the same school, and living in the same country, our cultural differences made if difficult to understand each other. When we would misunderstand one another we often would think the others motives were not reasonable, often rude or mean. I began to realize I couldn’t be so casual with her, even though we were friends I needed to be direct and clear when I was speaking with her. This made it very difficult for our friendship to build. The communication between us redefined our relationship, I lost the expectation of becoming good friends and I just wanted to work on having a clear understanding between one another.
The next time I am disappointed with someone’s response to something I have said I am going to ask myself if they misunderstood me or maybe misinterpreted me. Understanding the miscommunication may avoid hurt feelings or conflicts.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
IAR Analysis It Bees Dat Way Sometime
What is invention?
- Research black American speech and white American speech
- Research the history of black English and how it has changed of the centuries
- Identify the American black language, and provide examples
- Listen to black speakers and interview black English speakers
- Te writer's had to learn how to speak and use black English in different situations
What is being invented?
- Practices and uses of black English
- Black English is a form of speech
- Black English is similar to White English
- All language changes over time
- Mistakes that were made while trying to conform Africanized patterns to Americanized patterns
- How to use black English correctly
What is being arranged?
- Africanized language in relationship to black English
- Black English in relationship to white English
- History of black English to grammer
- Grammer to how black English uses, the, with, be, be with do, been, done, and s’ in relationship to white English
- Pronunciation and dialouges to creation of black English
- Creation of black English to the poem
What is arrangement?
- Explanations of black English and why it is important to understand
- Examples, and Statements
- Comparing and contrasting
- General to specific
- The author doesn't really cite anything because she mostly uses her own facts and findings
What is being revised?
- Change people’s views on black English, it is just another way of speaking
- Give people more knowledge of black English and help them understand how it works
- Trying to provide more knowledge of Africanized and black English compared with white English
- Helping people to understand that when using black English, just like white English, one small thing can change an entire sentence and the entire sentences meaning
- Show people that black English is a language and does have boundaries
What is revision?
- Examples of how the black English is used
- Examples of black English compared with white English
- Cites of scholars
- Researches of black English statements compared with white English statements
- Having examples of data from life situations and logged conversations
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)