Aw Geez...Here We Go Again...

You might want to grab your copy of Merriam-Websters for this one... Frank Gray (J-G) had an interesting article in Sunday's paper about how WORDS are taken to task quicker than ACTIONS these days. I found it enlightening to say the least. Even Noah Webster here seems POed at this.

Today, people are just so damned "touchy"...about WORDS. We have the *n* word, which cannot be uttered by ANYONE other than a black person without having the Rains of Ranchapur wash your sinful ass from the face of the planet! . That to me is pile of horse-hockey. People show me what they "wish" to be called by their actions first, and THEN by their words. And in most every case, their words WILL mirror their actions, so it becomes a no-brainer as to what my assessment of them will likely be. When you utter just ONE sentence, you speak volumes to others, and will be treated accordingly. Remember years ago when some coach made an "offhand" remark saying that black atthletes were "physically-endowed" for the sport (or something approximating that)? That coach (or announcer) caught more FLAK than the 8th Air Force over Dresden! You just can't say that about them (however true it actually has been proven to be)...!

Now get ready, because we have (yet) ANOTHER word that some blacks are finding "offensive"...and the word is...ARTICULATE.

ARTICULATE: Adj - INTELLIGIBLE : able to speak ; expressing oneself readily, clearly, or effectively.

I've been called articulate many times, and not once did I feel the need to take it as an affront, insult, or debasement of my intellect. But it now seems that if you call an articulate *black* person well...articulate, you're just being a condescending whitey. Parts of the black community are jumping all over our President for stating in a recent interview that Senator Barack Obama is ARTICULATE. Joe Biden was recently chastened for calling him "clean" (again, taken totally out of context). Well, for cripes sake, he IS articulate! Just listen to the manner in which he speaks. He talks TO people, not AT people. There's a huge difference. And we KNOW he bathes regualrly....Geezus, will you people stop with all this nonsense!

George Washington Carver was articulate. Frederick Douglass was articulate. Martin Luther King, Jr. was articulate.

Larry Elder IS articulate, and so is John McWhorter, Colin Powell, Bill Cosby, Condoleeza Rice, Juan Williams, William Raspberry, Will Smith, Montel WIlliams, Oprah Winfrey....the list is damn near endless.

((However, I can't with good conscience place SNOOP DOGG in the same category...must be all that pot smoking slurring his speech and killing off brain cells - plus ebonics aka lazy english, is not just another form of the language, and disqualifies itself on it's own "merits"...WORD up))

These are people of substance, color aside. They have risen above stereotypes, fought the system biases, and have succeeded. And you don't have to be a "celeb" to be in this group...the same can be said for common, everyday people, as well as the many friends I had throughout my school years, and my professional life. There is no degradation going on when I state that all of these people (or any others that demonstrate such like proficiencies in life) are ARTICULATE. They speak well, carry themselves with confidence and self-assurance. They treat others fairly, and want to be treated in kind. Seems like a good scenario from where I sit...so what's the damn problem?

Well, there isn't any..at least none worth mentioning. Any so-called "problem" is a mere contrivance, drummed up so some loons can thump their chests and play that old race card. People (today as well as in years gone by) will judge you by the way you SPEAK as much as the way you present yourself (by dress, cleanliness, mannerisms, body language, etc.)..that's a given. Again, we call it human nature. Don't know of many slovenly people (living in some sort of squalor) that cuss every other word, who are taken seriously, do you? Much of this is by choice or design.

But this constant, self-fostering misplaced attempt at perpetuation of racism by those with a radical axe to grind, is simply appalling. I say let your actions and words determine how others will view you. And if by that I mean get a good education, don't be afraid of a dictionary, don't dress like a pile of thrice-worn clothes, and treat others with a level of respect that you feel YOU deserve...yeah, that'll work.

I just shudder to think what fringe group(s) might get pissed at ME if I dare to try to call a black person (in today's world) ERUDITE...or (heaven forbid) PHILANTHROPIC!!!

Is it OK to call you "Well-Learned"?
What about "Brilliantly Intelligent"?
How about "Highly Skilled? "Highly Motivated"? "Highly Educated"?
What about "Above Reproach"?
Is "Intellectually Succinct" all right?

You people BETTER pick something you LIKE, because there are too many people out there walking on eggs when approaching you and engaging you in common social intercourse for fear of "offending" you when THEY open their mouths.. And I'm sure NOT being talked to will piss you off soon enough as well.

I just say grow the hell up, and get more concerned about your homicide rates. Take the damn COMPLIMENT, know that people think highly of you, and get on with your lives!