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To: Chancellor Palpatine
I noticed no one ridicules the accents of Dr. Walter Williams (who does not speak ebonics), Dr. Thomas Sowell (who does not speak ebonics), or even Sec. of State Colin Powell. No one doubts their credentials either.

There is an ongoing struggle between those who see value in formal English, and those who don't.

Those who value it were taught formal English in school, possibly also by parents at home, and taught to believe that lazy or sloppy English is something not to spoken lest others get the impression that you are uneducated, uncultured. Formal English was reinforced as "good." Lazy English was reinforced as "bad." They go on to use formal English at work and find that precision in communication is necessary. That accounts for the attitude of some that university degrees held by those who speak like the negro characters out of "Amos and Andy" are suspect.

Those who don't value formal English simply weren't taught the same way as those who do. Non-formal English was spoken at home, possibly at school too by most of the staff, was not reinforced one way or the other as either good or bad. It just was. Now out in the cruel world, they face rejection of the way they speak by those who were taught formally.

Williams has pointed out that the government run public schools have done a great disservice to all students but especially to blacks. If the KKK wanted to keep blacks down, they couldn't have come up with a better plan than the public schools which don't make the students speak formal English, and don't teach the basics.

The future of anyone who fails to learn to speak and write formal or standard English is at peril. It is just that simple. It is not racism because white illiterates are at peril too for the same reason. It happens that this time, it is not a white person's colloquialisms that are being made fun of.
78 posted on 10/23/2002 3:39:40 PM PDT by Jason_b
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To: Jason_b
....public schools have done a great disservice to all students but especially to blacks. If the KKK wanted to keep blacks down, they couldn't have come up with a better plan than the public schools which don't make the students speak formal English, and don't teach the basics.

Who you tawkin' to mutha fu*ka?

Chipanzees have a better vocabulary.

80 posted on 10/23/2002 4:21:08 PM PDT by stboz
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