[previous page]

[continued]

Though the administrators and proponents of ebonics are generally black, these proposals fuel attitudes that some wouldn’t hesitate to call as racist, if they were presented by whites.

Of course, perception of blacks being pandemically helpless, incompetent, or mentally deficient is not, in any way indicative of true reality. Black people are capable of high achievement in any area that they commit their minds and hearts to. This applies to intellectual pursuits as well as physical ones. However, a disturbing trend has "enveloped" the whole of society today; i.e., the trend to follow what appear to be "paths of least resistance" toward given goals. Ebonics is perhaps the latest example and effect of this trend.

In the ebonics debate, certain black people have grown up speaking what amounts to a form of "Olde English" that was taught to slaves. However, continuing another trend of what amounts to linguistic contrarianism, these groups, (some with "gangsta" or outlaw sympathies) have  "embraced" it as "their own" dialect. As such, they are basically eschewing the speaking of proper English as being unnecessary.

The response by admittedly exasperated educators, has been to put a new spin in the issue, by suggesting that an implicit learning disability exists among the ebonics speakers. They are asking for more tolerance, remedial education, and of course, funding to help "correct" the problem. Therein lies the extortion, and the problem.

The situation with ebonics came to a head recently when the Oakland (California), and Los Angeles Unified School Districts drafted resolutions to "recognize" ebonics as a  linguistic and cultural factor within their predominant student communities. They have proposed an initiative to encourage teachers to take what amounts to a "kinder and gentler" position on the practice. While affirming that proper English remains their teaching goal for the students, they have suggested that ebonics be considered a "legitimate" intermediate step in that direction. This is not a wise approach.

Establishing ebonics as an "official base camp" for reaching the goal of proper English, takes the educators — which means teachers, parents and the students themselves — off the hook with respect to jointly establishing the necessity of speaking proper English, and ensuring that it be done.

Proper English becomes a "Land of Oz" that ebonics speakers will, or may eventually reach. If for some reason, the students do not embrace English, they are under the mistaken illusion that we will understand because teachers have encouraged everyone to accept such speakers as they are, and as they speak. This way, the teachers cannot be blamed for not doing their jobs, i.e., of encouraging the expansion of children’s vocabulary and linguistic abilities. Parents cannot be blamed for not insisting that proper English be spoken in their households by speaking it themselves. And the kids remain out of the conversation, expected as it were, to do as we say, but not as we do. The insidious point is that the kids themselves, generally black kids, are thereby stigmatized when the lower linguistic standard is acquiesced to.

Next page