Dylan Stableford ‘s article titled “Was the Associated Press transcription of Obama’s CBC speech ‘racist’?” begins with the premises that “by most accounts , President Obama gave a fiery speech at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual awards dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, telling blacks to ” quit crying and complaining ” and support him in the fight for jobs, according to the Associated Press.” His premises could not have been further from the truth. The speech was given in front of the Congressional Black Caucus but it was the same wording used in several other stops that day and was not particularly directed any specific group. Don’t take my word for it, do a little research on his travels and other speeches given that day and prior days.
Mr. Stableford goes on the brief us that “on MSNBC, the African-American author Karen Hunter complained the news service transcribed Obama’s speech without cleaning it up as other outlets did–specifically including the “dropped g’s.” Hunter called the AP’s version “inherently racist,” sparring with New Republic contributing editor and noted linguistics expert John McWhorter, who argued the g-less version “is actually the correct one,” noting that the president’s victory in the 2008 election was due, in part, to how effortlessly “he can switch into that [black] dialect.” While much respect should be given to both points of view, one thing seems amiss in this tale. There is no such thing as [black] dialect or [blaccent] or African-American linguistics. The dropping of the “gs” is a southern thing and always have been. Take a few minutes to closely listen to those who hail from that part of the country and you will hear specific differences between the ways we pronounce some of our words compared to those same words being pronounced by someone from the northern part of this nation.
The differences does not make one ignorant or less than those who supposedly posses the correct pronunciation. What may sound ignorant to one may be just fine to another. The same can be said for so may other instances where there may be a difference of opinions. African-American rappers use the “N” word like its okay yet no serious pressure to end this trend is coming from my African-American community while many in my community gets seriously tied up in knots when they see a Confederate Flag flying. If you wish others to reap respect and be treat fairly, you must first sow respect and fair treatment. That’s just my opinion and I could be wrong.