Negro Dialect=Ebonics
Speaking Articulate=you talk white (or so i’ve been told.)

Why apologize if that’s how you feel? Why should I or anyone accept an apology from a man who spoke what was in his heart? And hell, every Black man and woman with a limited amount of common sense knows he is 100% correct!

God, we’re so emotionally-thin skinned in this country…a nation of crybabies!!!

who cares! let me know when Obama do something for us in the bottom then ill care, but i will not hold breath for it.

Isn’t it sad that he probably thought of every possible way to say this without offending anyone and still someone managed to find a way to be offended? Honestly, what he said is a reality. Had President Obama made the exact speeches that he’d made, had the exact same policies, the exact same plans, but sounded like the brothas sitting around the table playing spades, he wouldn’t have made it past Iowa. Let’s be real and stop finding silly reasons to be so sensitive. Its not like the man lied.

That’s what a lot of people thought…Harry Reid speaks the truth. Being biracial and having been raised by white people, Obama is as “white” as a person claiming to be “black” gets. Marrying an (American) Negro is the closest Obama will get to the (American) Negro experience. Black (American Negro) Republicans, even though many of them may be ideologically and culturally aligned with white America in most ways, are usually still Negro enough to remind white people that they are black at times. Obama, on the otherhand, has not had opportunities to adopt (American) Negro attributes more than any non-black man who marries a black (American Negro) woman. So, all they have is his skin color, which might be the same as their own mulatto grandchildren.

Harry Reid is speaking his truth, as well as America’s truth, but to expound on his point: Obama’s light-skin is almost irrelevant. Being able to speak and write the “king’s English” without a dialect that is reminiscent of one’s African-American heritage is one of the key components in getting your foot in the white man’s door. If Obama’s complexion was a deeper shade of brown (i.e., Martin Luther King or Jesse Jackson), he would have still been accepted and elevated to presidency. On a list of positive attributes about President Obama, eloquent oratory skills almost always appear in the top three of elements that separate him from “mortal man”. Having the ability to speak and write English properly will not only get you into the White House, but it will get you the 6 and 7 figure jobs and put you in a position of power in Corporate America. First impressions are lasting impressions. One of the first things that a person will judge you by is the way you speak.
My dad gave me a book when I was in Junior High School called “Black English” by J.L. Dillard. Dillard points out that most educated blacks are bi-dialectal, being able to switch with ease from the “king’s English” when in white settings to a dialect that is in line with the black community. Angela Davis – one time leader of the Black Panthers –exemplifies this extraordinary gift that blacks have to be able to transition from one dialect to another. Angela was a PHD and spoke perfect grammatical English, but when addressing African-American audiences, she purposely and skillfully converted her speech patterns, verbiage and dialect to coincide with what she deemed appropriate to her black audience. (That’s what Harry Reid meant when he said “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”)
I am not offended by this truth because it is just that – THE TRUTH…
I’m just saying…

I don’t think talking right makes you White; if you want to suvive in this cruel world, you had to adapt to the english language, not just sticking to “Wookin To Nub”…..

Most of these postings are saying what every person in America knows and practices when dealing cross culturally. When I’m in rural Alaska my speech pattern adapts to the language of the village, in the dirty south I talk kuntree, at a GLBT bar I speak gay, in the company of women it’s chit chat chatter and with men…that’s different too. What’s the point? This isn’t news; we all do it.

Harry Reid was simply making the same observations that the rest of the country was. Why apologize? How is this even offensive?

As jazzwatch noted, proper articulation of the English language shouldn’t have the connotations of a white character.

Right, wrong or indifferent, Harry Reid was expressing the same thoughts that most were pondering when assessing the possibility of Barack Obama being elected. Fact is, in this country, whites continue to be less threatened and thus more likely to consider black candidates who look, sound, act and who hold the same moral values and life experiences as themselves. Given this, being of a lighter complexion, and speaking in a dialect that reflects their own, many whites were/are more willing to accept candidates such Barack Obama, Colin Powell, Harold Ford, etc. Until this country deals with its issues regarding race, pretending that race is not a driving factor in the decision-making process is simply naive.

The biggest misconception in this world is that speaking proper english is vital to success. There is another language that is far more important. Its universal and if mastered, your options are limitless. For this new decade, we need to place the emphasis on Mathematics. Even if you master English, “they” cam and will easily change the rules on us, placing importance on some other criteria. However, once Math is mastered, NO ONE can manipulate you, even CIA operatives who are disguised as missionaries!

1GrayGal- Again, VERY eloquently versed. Especially that part about race being a factor in the decision making processes of this world…All of the “We Shall Overcome”, “There is Only One Race, Human Race” type of people NEED to read your statement…The NON racist, black/african-american person is the IGNORANT person…Eyes wide shut…

@_A_ you right with that comment if had mastered math i’d be in a much better position than I am right now. And let’s face it had a republican said that ya’ll would be all over his @SS callin him a KKKraker and sh!t.

i think that reed was just poiting out obvious facts. but the only reason white people gave hime a chance was because of his skin complexion. to be on the truth side obama is more cocasion american then black american due to the fact that his mom was white american and his dad was from africa, he never became a us citizen. and obama was raised by his white grandma, so white people were like, hey he is as much white as black so lets give hime a chance. like i said before, no parents thats african american, u parent thats white american, and one dad from africa, u do the math..

@sub-Negro, if we as a people mastered math, we wouldn’t be subjected to all this foolishness of trying to figure out how to gain acceptance. Even though Reed didn’t offend me by his comments, but it does say, that no matter how bright and accomplished you are, if you speak with this “negro dialect” then you can only go so far. Make no mistake people, he is not even talking about something as extreme as Ebonics. Keep in mind, dialect doesn’t mean speaking or not speaking properly. Its about patterns of speech. So not only must we speak proper English, but it also has to be done in a way that the ruling class feels comfortable. This is way too much pressure to put on our children, no? Damn, wouldn’t it be easier to teach children Calculus and Geometry than it would to not have a black dialect? How do you do that exactly? By totally shunning them from any and everything black? I wonder if we even comprehend the underlying message to this statement. And for us who understand what Reid means and agree with him, do we do that, because we (myself included) have accepted that as a fact of life? White Supremacy is so deep and subtle, that we don’t even realize when we are giving in to it!

I took Calc 1, 2, and 3 in college and so far its only helped me with a physics class. I know how important it is, but math alone does not a successful person make. You also need to have a good grasp of the English language, adequate writing ability, common sense (which is pretty important), and a good work ethic.

_A_, I just returned from a wonderful cruise to several islands comprising your beautiful country (well… Freeport was kinda bleh…). Anyways, my point is that I’m too level-headed right now to bite on your comments (you know what I’m talking about). So you can keep on tossing the line, but I’m not gonna take the bait.

Also, engineers are masters of math, and I’m pretty sure I can manipulate some of them…

** Yawn ***

Was he wrong with his analysis, had Obama been blue-black in skin color or had a black a certain black cadence in oratory pronunciations he probably wouldn’t be president. Obama utilized both his white side and his blackness in campaigning to his advantage. Repblicans are going to get blue in the face trying to make that statement an issue in the black community.

Has the Chinese mastered English? How about the Russian? Do they waste time trying to master English? Only reason why you feel that way LakerDude19 is because its the language spoken by those who rule presently. According to the economist Jim Rodgers, people better learn how to speak Mandarin. He believes that so much, that he is raising his daughters there so they can learn the language. His theory is, they will be the top national economy in about 20 years. Math is the root of economics, building, manufacturing etc. Math=Life. This is why they have written the African influence and contributions to math out of the history books and attributed its continuation to the Greeks. This is to keep us uninspired and uninterested while others master this language. The world rulers at the very least have a sound understanding of mathematics. Its doubtful you could manipulate anyone into anything, just my opinion. And even if you could manipulate an engineer or two in some capacity, you could NEVER manipulate enough of them to build a society for you while you simultaneously oppressed them. Oh and next time you’re in Freeport, holla at me so we can have these discussions face to face.

It’s just another distraction based on race to keep us from looking at real issues. Reid said nothing about anyones math skills. Next!

I never suggested that he did. I was merely trying to offer a real and viable way to deal with the sentiment that he and many in this country hold. Subconsciously, that will have some in our community wanting to strip themselves of this “black dialect”. My point is, if we were to master math (like we once did prior to our enslavement) we wouldn’t have to worry about someone else setting and changing the rules, we could finally be in a position of self determination. Perhaps your heart is not in that spirit. That’s fine!

They all should step down. They are all racists.

Excuse me _A_, I didn’t feel the need to clarify, but I was speaking about how as Americans it is important to learn the english language in order to be successful. Obviously different languages would pertain to different countries…

Okay and just so I totally don’t bash your island… Freeport had its good side. Like Lucanya (sp?) National Park, Paradise Cove (even though they cancelled our snorkelling excursion due to cold weather), and that neat little road that runs along the coast of the eastern side of the island. I just didn’t appreciate the way that the tourist and industrial aspects are jammed into one single port. I also didn’t understand why there were 3 burger kings in a two mile radius, or how I managed to get lost on Grand Bahama Highway twice. It was fun driving on the left side of the road, though.

Unless you are a cement or fishing mogul, I would move to Nassau and get a job at Atlantis if I were you. I wouldn’t mind living there.

But as I said before, math is not some magical key that unlocks countless opportunities. It is simply another important piece of hardware that should be hanging from your belt of knowledge.

Sorry i guess i am realistic, but I don’t think he should step down because everyone makes inappropriate comment especially Mr Steele. It isn’t like that haven’t been said and to go a step further i have heard black people say something as equally similar. I see with politicians let the voters sort it out.

“Truth is not always popular, but it is always right.”

[...] RELATED: Steele Says Reid Should Resign Over Racial Obama Comment [...]

Its like we’re stepping back in time with all the focus on racism, thought we were suppose to move forwad looks like we’re back in the 60′s again. Talk about time warp smh at society and free of free speech.

race is not a color its just a word – http://www.swaggtalk100.net

come visit

Basically He said the man is not black enough wow I’m almost humored

What Reid said was basically that White America would vote for a lightskin Black whom didn’t have a negro dialect. Some of you people are so dang stupid. the dumbing of America is happening at an alarming rate. It’s not a condemnation towards Obama but Whites for not providing equal opportunity to Blacks despite our differences. I’m not defending Reid only deciphering the statement that is now being used to divide the Democratic party. It’s all a plot and that’s all it is.

As I said about this before…Senator Reids comments were only controversial because he told the damn truth. He is NOT racist, but America is (read opinion blog)

Cosigned Kingzkwan,

most Blacks are so eager to offer half-assed opinions without reading the story (if they can read) or knowing facts. That’s why Blacks get caught up in so much violent bullsh*t

Steele should fire Limbaugh as the Republican/conservative mouthpiece before worrying about the Democratic Party’s issues. Clean his own house first.

@Pantherg08…So let me get this straight..correct me if im wrong…You’re saying that because Obama was raised by his ‘white’ side of the family, he is more white than ‘black’? (DISCLAIMER: I dont consider the dude ‘black like me’ anyway but im just sayin.). So for example, you are obviously a black guy, lets say you had a child with an, ohhhh lets say mexican chick and your child spends MOST of the time with their mother…Does that now mean that YOUR 23 choromosomes begin to fade away because you arent in the childs life OR the child wasnt raised by YOUR side of the family?? No im not nit picking…I would really like to know if that is your perception…

Oh and for the record…Reid should NOT resign or step down because of his comment…EVERYONE makes a racially charged comment at one point or another in life…Reid’s just happened to be media scrutinized as opposed to the millions of other comments that are made in private…IF that’s the case then ALL of them need to resign…and if no one asked Bush to resign for all the bullshyt he did over 8 years…then why in hell should a comment be just cause…Steele needs to ‘set his azz down’..

Califemme, I don’t think Steele honestly thinks that Reid should resign, I think he’s just using a really good poker face. His game plan seems to be based on the fact that if a republican had said the same thing, all of the democrats would be calling for that man’s resignation.

[...] Steele Says Reid Should Resign Over Racial Obama Comment TAGS: Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Roland Martin Share with friends! [...]

ahh,mike go back to posing

This Dude Harry Reid just said what all White people think. Hell some Black people stereotype light skin and Dark skin Blacks. The negro dialect statement is what was used inapropriately…he should have just said “slang”. Richard Steele should step down because he is a “TOKEN” anyways. it was Too ironic to make a Black man the head of the Republican Party just days after President Obama took office. Sounds fishy to me….

NO NO NO NO NO!!! FIRST OF ALL OBAMA IS NOT A LIGHT SKINNED AFRICAN AMERICAN. HE MIXED! THERE ARE FULL LIGHT SKINNED AFRICAN AMERICANS!!!IT PROVES THAT IF OBAMA WAS FULLY BLACK/DARKER HE WOULD NOT BE IN OFFICE SOME OF YALL NEED 2 GET THAT THROUGH YALL HEADS! WHAT THE F**K IS NEGRO DIALECT??????????????????????? NEGRO DIALECT EXISTS BECAUSE WE HAD 2 LEARN THEY DAMN LANGUAGE FIRST OF ALL AND THEY DIDNT EVEN WANT US TO GO TO SCHOOL WITH THEM 2 LEARN HOW TO SPEAK THEY LANGUAGE!!!! NOW I DONT THINK I WANT HIM TO HAVE TO RESIGN BUT HE NEED TO BE PUT IN CHECK THOUGH CUZ SOMETHING ISN’T RIGHT. THEN AGAIN HE SAID IT CUZ HE KNEW HE CAN GET AWAY WITH IT.

AND WHAT THE F**K THEY CONSIDER MICHELLE AND THEM KIDS BLACKER THAN OBAMA HELLLL NAW I COULDNT STAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!!!!! ANNNNNNNDDDDDDDDD WHAT THE F**K IS STAR SANTIAGA -O WHATEVA TALKING ABOUT??????? IS THAT BROAD EVEN BLACK

Like he Queen said: U-N-I-T-Y or at east its suppose to be like that however we’re more further part than ever these days

http://www.swaggtalk100.net

opps type o

This was just another Kracker.telling the truth of every kracker of his generation why get mad at these pecks unchanging stupidity..

@Kineshia

The only thing worse than your horrible grammer and abuse of caps lock…is your buffoonery. Not all Blacks are darkskinned OR African American. Do you even read these articles or do you scheme through the “pretty pictures”. Obviously you did with my profile, because you wouldn’t have made an ass-clown out of yourself by questioning my race.

And then Black people wonder why comments are made such as Senator Reids are made. Look at how Black people still feed into that color scheme bullsh*t

*smdh*

*skim

lakerdude- Have to agree with you…and once again Steele needs to set his azz down somewhere…

I am trippin though off the quote Reid made…”He (Reid) was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts”. That says A LOT when a so called black person speaks properly/appropriately and someone is ‘wowed’ by it. I dont think Reid gets out much…

[...] Steele Says Reid Should Resign Over Racial Obama Comment TAGS: polls, race Share with friends! [...]

As many time as bothe reid and Steele have opened their mouths and inserted their feet in there, neither has much to say. You read their comments without a name attached and most of the time you wouldn’t know which one way yapping to the moon. Both should just sit down and be silent for, well lets make it easy, for one week. I bet neither one could make it. I guess it’s true, that ignorance is bliss and what’s more it makes for good publicity.

This is not news.. I heard about this last week..

Steele,Steele,Steele, boy dont you know them white folks just be using yo black ass? they dont give a hoot bout you they just got yo ass out there rootin fo them and fightin gainst the Obama administration cuz they hate his black ass and yo black ass too? but they got you convinced that somehow dey agenda fit in wit yours.How can that be when they fightin gainst healthcare that can help millions of black folks or maybe you so uncle tom till you dont give a damn,just so long as they give you yo daily ration of fried chicken watermelon and collard greens you can care less bout yo own.boy you need to go sit yo black ass down and stop all dis uncle tommin,sell out and tap dancin aint you seen the movie Malcom X and Bamboozle? SO why you gotta be so ignant. dem republican boys just lected yo ass right after Obama won so dey can pretend like dey care bout black folks and look more acceptin of others when dey really dont give a damn .boy aint you got good common sense? did you need a job dat bad? if I had a known you need a job i woulda tell car wash willie bout you and he woulda hook you up but naw you gotta sit right there listen to dem white folks who just usin yo black ass.you really ought to quit