Five things that make me crankier than usual
#1 - People who are stupid and proud of it.
#2 - People who crack their knuckles & pretend it feels good.
#3 - Creationists, the latest soulmate of the Flat-Earth Society
#4 - Ebonics, which is actually nothing more than baby talk that nobody
related to the child was smart enough, educated enough or caring enough
to correct.
#5 - Open casket funerals
posted by CP at 12:45 AM
2 Comments:
Actually, "ebonics" or African American Vernacular Dialect is not "baby talk", it is a complex, rule-governed, linguistic system, and, according to most people in Linguistics and related fields, should recognized by teachers. This does not mean that teachers should allow their students to use the dialect in the classroom, or in their papers, rather it means that teachers should recognize and value the importance of the "home language".
Many of my students speak this way, and we have discussions throughout the year on why it is important to know standard English as well as "home talk". Standard English is the language of money, and if you intend to see any of that money, you need to learn to speak the language. Most students understand this pretty quickly and are adept at doing what is known as "code switching" when they are with people outside the family or neighborhood.
interesting comment on ebonics. i think it's the first real comment i've ever heard that explains both sides really eloquently.
however, i'm here to say: that...
1. i think that open casket funerals help some people to have closure. i'm originally from wisconsin, and there's more of them there than in more urban places. that is, i think it's a small town thing or whatever. i think it's about acknowledging the form -- seeing that the person is no longer there. because, if you've been, you know that the soul is the spirit and life of the person. once you've seen a body without that, you know that the body is just a shell, the vehicle that carries that spirit around while it's here on earth. and i think there's something grounding about seeing that confirmed or something. i don't know.
2. also, i crack my knuckles. my neck. my back. my wrists. and it DOES feel good. granted, it doesn't last long. the relief i get from it is very fleeting, but it does satisfy a release from tension/pain for a brief moment, and it's worth doing. and doing again.
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