From my experience, with substitute teaching in the local district, the odds that this child writes well are extremely low.
Y’all is how it’s usually spelled but I don’t know if it has an ‘official’ spelling. He also supports that word. His favorite though, I believe, is simply ‘yous’. I think they use that in the lake states.
Am I the only one who sees the irony in this sentence?
See, this is why I find you (and VC03, to be honest) such fascinating posters - there’s a kernel of truth wrapped up in your idiocy. Yes! I agree, congratulating kids for managing to stay out of a gang is setting the bar way too low!
Now, what’s your evidence that merely staying out of a gang is the only thing *this *kid has accomplished? How do you have any idea of what his report card says, or what other extracurriculars he’s involved in, or if he’s collecting cans for the homeless shelter while volunteering at the old folks’ home on the weekend? You don’t. You have no fucking clue what he’s like, other than the language he speaks in a relaxed social setting isn’t exactly like yours. That’s what makes you a racist, or maybe classist (in this particular case, anyhow.) Not that you think he should aspire to more than not being in a gang, but because you *assume *that’s all he’s accomplished.
ETA: “he in a basketball league” is rather…“ghetto”, isn’t it?
I willing to admit that I overreacted last night. My post was too harsh and probably wrecked my message. But it really pisses me off that these children are treated as if the best that can be expected from them is to not become gang members. How do you know that these children would not enjoy a policy debate league? They are never offered any like that. Nothing is expected from them in school. They can hand in a paper that is barely in English and still get full credit because all the teacher hopes the students will do in make an attempt.
These children should be ashamed and we should be ashamed that we do not demand more from them.
Maybe they were just fans of Futurama. The kid who spoke to you was just talking like that construction worker - “I’ve learned a lessons about oggling cans that I won’t soons forgets!”
Did any of the other kids announce himself as Scruffy by any chance?
Really, I don’t understand all the outrage from other posters here, and I think it’s just people taking an opportunity to pile on someone because they know they can. If someone had posted a story about the stupid John Deere hat wearing hicks talking incomprehisibly out in front of Wal-Mart, everyone would be chiming in with stupid hick stories of their own.
Given how roundly I’ve (and others have) been taken to task for using the terms “white trash” and “trailer trash” around here, I don’t think so, no.
Well that’s big of you to say so. When you put it that way you have a point.
Not likely. Two (of the many) subjects that are pretty much guaranteed to start a fight here are “My dialect is better than yours,” and “Let’s make fun of Southern stereotypes.”
Could you please explain what your reaction might be, and why it would be different?
I’ll give him half a point. The other half comes when he explains why this particular kid selling candy outside the Wal-Mart illustrates the failings of the local school system.
I think mocking a child for being ghetto or a hick is pretty much frowned upon. If he had said an adult said the garbled quote, I’m sure most would have agreed with them, but picking on kids is kinda low, unless they were over 12 or so.
And 2.5, you’re a teacher! Go out there and offer them some grammar help 
This thread seems to be moving along just fine: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=461439
I have already explained why I do not like the basketball programs. As for chess teams, I probably would not have thought that much about it if it was a suburban chess team. If it a chess team from the ghetto, I would have thought it was a step in the right direction.
Oh, good lord, I’m not wading through 5 pages of prescriptivist bullshit. You’re going to have to be a little more, uh, “pacific”.
On the first page I do see a reference to the South in the OP and a chastising for it in post 45. Other than that, I see a lot of meta-regional griping.
<aside>That’s just brilliant! 
<end aside>
Pussy. If it’d been me, my horror would have been such that I’d’ve run immediately into the Walmart, found the powertools section and began grinding drill bits into my eye sockets in hopes of clogging my tear ducts before my waterfalls of tears caused dehydration.
(this is why I miss VCO3)
You know he never said that the kid was black, just ghetto. Maybe he ran into a jewish youth from the 1940’s with a speech impediment and a love of basketball.
You racist dicks.
You honestly don’t see a difference between raising money (selling lightbulbs or chocolate or crack-- ok, maybe not that last one) for a chess team (suburbs or not) and a basketball team?
Bell’s right, garygnu. Basketball players make brilliant businessmen, while chess players are racist, psychotic dicks.