Re: us white boys, Raul and speech

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: : : I agree with what you wrote below John. Especially the JUST HAVING FUN part. I just wanted to mention some things about this. I agree w you about 'white bread'. I know in some ways when we post we might appear the biggest gringos out there. It's O.K. since I don't mind being white. I think white people rock! And far from what people say, WHITE people DO have soul. However,we've allowed ourselves to be caricatured as 'not being able to jump' for so long, or as 'not having rhythm' for so long. I think one problem is that the people who make such ignorant statements about white folk don't know alot about people in general. I think underneath we are more alike than we wish to know. I think that the key is in trying to understand others. : : : : : : Now I may be mostly white, but I am far from white bread. I can handle just about any dialect I've run into-- when spoken. The problem is that when typing there is no inflection which is linguistically what makes dialects understandable. I've never seen a book on dialectic grammer, so it's not like there is any convention on the spelling. Personally, I did get "fasho" for the record. But I'm as guilty as anyone for typing without checking what i type. I transpose letters all the time. : : : We must never assume that those who speak or write according to proper english are unable to understand the other slang. And the reverse is true, we must never assume that accents or dialects reflect anything about intelligence. I was raised in backwoods Florida around some of the thickest black and spanish dialects around. believe me it has nothing to with race or culture. : : thanks! you two just most eloquently expanded on a point i felt coming on! actually, i think my whole point really has to do with how people accept or don't accept one another by the way they write, talk, dress, etc. etc. : : ...which flows into another related subject i was hoping to get some input from you guys on. "cool" is a word that's been around, oh, some 50 years now and has seen it's share of misconceptions along the way. nevertheless, it's withstood the comings and goings of other slang throughout the decades. ok, here's what i think: "cool" moves on and is a mindset you either have or you don't. you really can't learn how to become "cool", however you CAN be influenced in a positive or negative way by others. although sometimes we superficially think so, it's really not about how a person writes, talks, dresses, etc. etc. etc., but rather the way they think. i've known many people in my life whose tastes in music, clothing and general interests were not mine. however, they were really cool people and we learned a lot from each other. : : so, what do ya think? : I think "cool" origniated from the 50's style aloof rebel image, you know the whole James Dean thing. He had a very "cool" personality, as opposed to "warm" which would be outgoing and friendly. But overthe years the word has been carried into so many connotations that now it really just means whatever a person finds likable. Stylistically it still seems to carry a bit of the James Dean thing, like mismatched colors and untrendy fits are usually "not cool" but then again there's the whole geek-rock set who are into the "stupid cool" which basically means they have taen whatever was "not cool" (or trendy) and made it their own standard in a rebellious sort of statement. : I love how words get changed in living language. How about the term "keepin' it real" I still haven't figured out where it came from and what it's original meaning was. Now it means something kind of like "being cool" it really has nothing to do with reality or being truthful. My closest guess is that is stems from "being true to one's self" as in "not putting on aires" But somehow the urban genre that adopted it has taken it to mean acting like they act, or dressing like they dress. And by extension the phrase is now dispersing into the suburban middle class and you hear it on macaroni commercials. How does a new macaroni with fun shapes "keep it real"? : Ultimately style is just that, style, and shouldn' create divisions among people. But I think it's popularity and people's obsession with it has to do with an instinctive urge to identify with one's own. Humans are by nature, pack animals. We function in tribes. Of course in such large societies like we have now, people don't really recognize it as such, but it is there. We gather with people who are like us in some way. And even diverse groups are always held together by some commonality. Example: churches with very mixed styles are held together by common beliefs. But deep down we still want to be able to identify friends from enemies, tribesmen from outsiders, so we become like our friends. If not in dress, at least in social attitudes. A prime example in our circle is the speech pattern shared by Sali, Sara Dyal, Phil, and even me when I am around them too much(I've heard others do it too) . I'm talking about the one where they emphasize jocular phrases by keeping their jaw tight and teeth together. (I'd have to demonstrate.) : Anyway this tribal mentality subconsiously sets us at ease with others who we percieve to identify with. Like my long hair makes me more acceptable to environmental people at work and into other categories depending on the context, and by the same token sets me into those category by those on the outside. I don't think this is something to be denied. I think we should embrace it and create for ourselves tribal identities that speak Truth and Goodness to those on the outside. Just as you can look at a long haired, tye-died & berkenstock wearing person and make conclusions about what they think and how they act, I would love to be able to look at someone and say, "hey there goes one of those kind, generous, accepting, followers of the Way who will dilligently defend the hurting and hopeless."

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