Oh wow. That is completely inaccurate reading of the phrase.
“Making it plain” means speaking directly and forcefully. Not speaking in a cover-your-ass-you’ll-never-get-the-truth-out-of-me kind of way. Not “dumbing down.” The majority of Black folks I interact with are nationally prominent scholars… or scholars in training. I don’t think I could actively “dumb down” my language anyway, because in my field (education) we are trained to make or work accessible to people from across many disciplines… sociologists, economists, historians, psychologists… so we cut the jargon (unless we’re writing for other educators, of course).
It’s more of content, tone, cadence, and engaging my fellow speaker. Not everybody is down like this, and I can fairly accurately gauge if I can “make it plain” with a group of folks, pretty quickly and easily.
Except for the fact that black people do put others down for using big words or getting good grades. My own family made my son cry for using a big word. My daughter purposely tanked for half a year at school because of this.
It happens. And, like Hippy, I like to go upside people’s heads when they do this. I don’t like to pretend that my own experiences are something the white media made up.
which brings me back to my confusion, because I think I have witnessed what you experienced . . . .which until your post, I concluded was a misunderstanding
Ok. I totally respect that. I don’t like the media of any color to pretend that there is an epidemic of blacks disparaging blacks for being smart.
I don’t doubt for a moment that is happened to your son. I am only promising you that it has happened to little white Johnny also. It is not a black thing at all.
And I will tread lightly here…
If your daughter really purposely failed tests and sabotaged her school work because she thought her black peers would reject her for her good grades…I would probably take some time to consult with her if there are other things going on that may be causing her problems getting along with other black kids in school.
Um, no. Squash that noise. And let me say, I don’t care what white kids do it to. When the teasing causes these kind of problems with mine, I don’t go looking for excuses for the kids doing the teasing. Smack them upside their heads. This is stupid behavior. Don’t tolerate it.
No. She was teased because she was percieved as ‘white’. Professor Whitey is what they called her. Why do you think she was being teased about? Her tonal qualities?
You don’t have to care what white kids do. (though it wouldn’t hurt if we all cared what all kids do). But you should be concerned if there is propaganda being pushed that black kids have a culture that discourages learning, and white kids don’t have that culture. I am concerned about that because it is exactly the kind of propaganda that breeds disrespect for a people.
Biggirl…you *do * understand that being told that this happens when it doesn’t causes *our own * little brothers and sisters to disrespect themselves, right?
We must not let myths abound unchecked. It is not the way to fight ignorance.
But it freakin happens! Holy shit! It happens a lot! When our little brothers and sisters disrespect themselves YOU SMACK THEM UPSIDE THEIR HEADS. You tell them this is stupid and destructive behavior. Don’t do it.
My most vivid recollection was a class where the teacher would announce who got the highest scores on each quiz. When it was one of the white kid, there was no response; when it was him, he was teased for it. The two jokes I remember clearly were someone he should change his lunch table (lunch tables were pretty much segregated), and another one where someone said we had “two and a half” white players on the football team, the “half” being this guy. As I said, he was not a nerd or a social outcast; he was just quiet, hardworking and very smart.
Sorry I didn’t finish that story. When I told them that there was no way they were going to get an A unless they participated in discussions, they said they understood that; I said something to the effect that “so it’s not ‘black’ to get an A?”, and they did not disagree.
You can split hairs on whether that’s a disinclination to get an A, or a disinclination to be a nerd, but ISTM you end up splitting hairs: the bottom line is that these two kids had internalized a message that they were somehow racially disloyal if they did not obey some sort of behavioral code, even when meant acting in ways that were obviously not in their best interests. That’s a pretty messed-up deal there.
When I say it doesn’t happen, I refer to a specific Myth.
The myth that it happens as a staple of black culture.
I know that it happens, but I would like very much to kill the myth that it happens as a rule with black youth, and not with other cultures.
If we let this propaganda continue to be pushed, our kids will begin to believe it.
When I was a kid, the media propaganda convinced me of many things that education, hard work, reflection, and a pursuit of knowledge was able to disspell.
But if I had not worked hard to learn the truth, I may be walking around here with blue contacts, hating my own beautiful brown eyes, to name just one bit of propaganda I had to overcome.
I don’t mean to bicker with you…I realize I am reacting strongly. It is only because I am convinced that attacking misinformation is the best thing for everyone.
It is misinformation that blacks are more likely to put eachother down and call eachother ‘whitey’ for being smart.
People of every race and culture will have some that teases others for being smart…it is not a ‘black thing’ though.
So when this Myth with a capital 'M" actually happens, the response should be to remind everyone involved that what is happening is something made up by the media. Oh, and, don’t call people on their own destructive behavior but try to understand why they are acting like assholes and-- um— heal them or something?
When our little brothers and sisters act in a way that is bad for them you correct that behavior.