Robert L. Terrell

One of the most interesting recent developments in public life here in the United States is the emergence of whites who speak Ebonics, which is a variant of standard, mainstream English, heretofore spoken almost exclusively by African Americans. The ramifications are interesting and important. More than anything else, they are proof that the social, cultural and political barriers that have historically been used to maintain racial segregation, and other forms of domestic apartheid, are melting.

Historically, those barriers were so effective that in almost every section of the nation African Americans and whites developed overlapping, but notably different speaking patterns. Thus, up until recent times it was relatively easy to determine whether a person was black or white simply by listening to his or her speech.
But this is becoming increasingly difficult to do because a rapidly growing percentage of the population has developed linguistic propensities that make it difficult to impossible to determine racial identity solely on the basis of speech. The transition is most noticeable in the area of popular culture, and this is particularly the case with music. Many of the nation’s most popular white musicians have adopted the argot and ethos of Ebonics to such an extent that they are sometimes mistaken for being black by black people. But the phenomenon is not restricted to music and entertainment.

Thus, it is not unusual these days to encounter whites who speak better Ebonics than many blacks.  But that is not the most important aspect of the cultural morphing process underway in virtually every section of the nation. From my perspective, one of the most important and notable aspects of this process is the fact that an amazing number of whites who have adopted significant dimensions of the perspective, attitude and mental set of African Americans, those who reside in urban areas in particular.

Unfortunately, sometimes this gets whites in trouble because their words and behavior are confusing, and frequently extremely upsetting, to those who never considered the possibility of their emergence. For example, Don Imus, the discredited radio shock jock was obviously speaking Ebonics when he uttered his “nappy headed hos” quip.  I suspect that Imus thought, before otherwise being taken to task, that he was simply rappin’ like any other brother from the hood. The problem is that he is not a brother from the hood. Rather, he is an aging white man, who obviously had not acquired sufficient street credibility to receive the benefit of the doubt when his comment/rap was accused of being racist.

I am certain that the late Richard Pryor could have said the same thing, and received a fundamentally different response from all concerned. The same would hold true for Red Foxx, Moms Mably, Adele Givens, and probably Chris Rock. In addition to being comedians, each of them is an African American. The white female television golf analyst who was recently punished with a two-week suspension for saying that the only way that Tiger Woods’ opponents can beat him is to “take him into an alley and lynch him” may well have been expressing an Ebonics inspired perspective. Unfortunately, many of those who took exception to the remark assumed it was evidence of poor taste, or racism. Tiger, who apparently shares friendly relations with the analyst, did not take the comment that way. Nor has he complained.

I am wondering whether the woman has close black friends, and whether banter she was exposed to in such company may have entered her consciousness such that she was not so much speaking as a white female as much as she was speaking as a white person who also speaks in accordance with black/Ebonic sensibilities? I say this because it is abundantly obvious to me that the only way Tiger’s opponents are going to beat him any time soon is to figuratively take him into an alley and figuratively lynch him. Otherwise, they have no hope.

The brotha be that good