Introduction:
Hey Guys, we haven't talked in a hot minute, but today I'm here to educate you on AAVE.
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+ Any hate comments will either be deleted or left up to show the world how much of an asshole you truly are <3
+ You can ask questions but try your best to be respectful and considerate! I will try my best to answer.
+ I suggest instead of just listening to one person, you go out and do your own research, mainly asking and listening to what black people have to say about this topic because different people might have different opinions. Listening to black people is the BARE minimum you can do.
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What is AAVE?
AAVE stands for African American Vernacular English and it's defined as a dialect of English spoken primarily by black people. A more causal synonym is "Black Slang".
And recently these years, AAVE has become in great use online. Many people, regardless of race, use words such as:
lit
gurl
yas
finna
ate
basic
beef
bestie
bussin
cap
ghetto
period
tea
shawty
thicc
and Yuh
This is different from slurs being reclaimed by black people because these words weren't created by white ppl and aren't derogatory.
AAVE has a deep deep place in black history, dating back as a way of communication for slaves from many different backgrounds and languages.
Why Non-black People are Discouraged From Using AAVE:
Non-black people using AAVE is considered a form of cultural appropriation, whether done with ill intentions or not.
Cultural Appropriation In General-
What's bad about Non-black people using AAVE and just cultural appropriation, in general, is that minorities are insulted, prosecuted, and killed GREATLY for looking or talking a certain way and indulging in their culture. Then all of a sudden, BOOM, the ways they talk, the things they do, and the way they look are trends and sometimes even fetishes to the exact same people who were HARMING them for it. Suddenly everyone is copying this minority and getting praise without having to face the prejudice and blatant racism that the minorities did.
Therefore It is SUPER disrespectful ESPECIALLY if you do It incorrectly.
Cultural APPRECIATION is very different because you've done your research and you know the history behind any traditions and you do it correctly and respectfully. You are informing others about the culture and its beauty. While Appropriation can be done with almost anything, Appreciation is usually with clothing, traditions, languages, practices, art, and customs.
Here's an easy example for you guys...
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This is Elise
Elise wears glasses because she needs to, Elise likes wearing ponytails every day.
People without glasses and people without ponytails torment Elise every day. They pull her hair and take her glasses. One time they yank a whole piece of her hair out. Another time they broke her glasses. Why? Because she was different than them and they weren't used to seeing a girl with ponytails and glasses.
"Holy Cow, she sure looks ugly with those glasses," they spoke.
"Ugh a ponytail, can't see put her hair down any once in a while? What is it dirty? Does she have lice?" they tormented.
"Maybe you'd be better liked if you did something about those glasses, bitch!" they yelled.
Elise wasn't accepted into coding club because she had glasses, the club president hated people with glasses, couldn't they get their eyes fixed?
Elise NEEDED her glasses so she kept them. And no matter what the others saidi, she loved wearing her hair in a ponytail.
One day she had enough, she got rid of her glasses and let her hair down. She walked around the school, excited to be accepted for once.
"OMFG, she actually did it. Damn she needed friends that bad."
"She looks so weird being normal."
"HA LOOK AT HER KNOCK OVER STUFF, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR GLASSES SWEETHEART? TRYING TOO HARD TO FIT IN!!! What a fucking pick me."
It was even worse than before.
So she went back to using her glasses and wearing ponytails. She endured all the bullying.
One day a girl came up to Elise, "Hi! I love your hair so much, it looks so pretty! Do you think you could show me how to style my hair like that?"
Elise felt glad that finally someone liked her hair! So as soon as she could she taught the girl all the ways she knew how to make ponytails. The girl listened and asked Elise a whole bunch of questions.
"Your glasses are so cool too! I wanna start wearing them."
Elise explained nicely to the girl that she only wore glasses because she needed them and if the girl wore the glasses wore them, she would make her dizzy and ruin her own vision.
"Oh okay, so I won't wear them!"
Elise got the girl sunglasses instead.
"I look great THANK U!"
The girl went on the day after to show everyone her amazing ponytail. (CULTURAL APPRECIATION)
Many months later, people started wearing fake glasses and getting rid of their contacts. People also started wearing ponytails and showing them off to others, glasses and ponytails were now all the rage.
At first Elise was upset because it felt slightly unfair, but regardless she was excited to finally be accepted and praised for her style.
She reaches school and immedately gets insulted. She was hurt and upset.
"Why are they still bullying me? I thought my style was popular now...Solone uses it, she's super popular, she doesn't even need glasses! No one talks shit to her! THIS IS SO STUPID!"
She storms out of the school. (CULTURAL APPROPRIATION)
Soon enough glasses and ponytails stopped being popular and Elise went back to her sad life.
The End.
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I hope you guys liked the story and understood what I'm trying to show.
AAVE Cultural Appropriation Specifically-
Many black people have been riddiculed for their way of speaking. They've been rejected jobs. Been thrown in jail because the way they talk is "suspicious". They've been mocked and told that they're dumb or silly for speaking AAVE, sometimes even worse. And than non-black people take words like "simp" or "ratchet" and turn them into 'new words to use to sound cooler' without even knowing what they actually mean or come from.
And even worse, AAVE words are starting to be mocked AGAIN by people, using "bestie" or "bussin" ironically or in a satire way because they think the words sounds silly now that the trend of using them unironically is over.
But a lot of these words are now so popular in media that it's going to be impossible for black people to reclaim them or get people to stop saying them. So now saying words like "slay" and "cap" isn't really considered bad bc they aren't degratory and too many non-black people have inbedded them into their vocabulary now.
It is still advised to stay away from AAVE, though some words are considered okay to use and not as bad as others. As long as you know the proper meaning and history, your fine. The easiest way to be sure is this:
The awkwarder it sounds to hear a white person say it, the less it should be said.
Conclusion:
Here are some links you can use:
1. www.alligator.org/article/2020/09/a-tale-of-two-englishes-the-role-of-african-american-vernacular-english-in-schools#:~:text=Using%20African%20American%20Vernacular%20English%20as%20a%20Black,aren't%20understood%20and%20sometimes%20even%20ridiculed%20by%20teachers.?msclkid=fc09b2dfc5c711ec8ffe3b26a62b51f3
2. www.yourtango.com/2020336351/what-aave-why-white-people-shouldnt-use-flippantly?msclkid=0365d3c6c5ca11ecb1427fbea3d1274c
3. aaveglossary.carrd.co/?msclkid=05471055c5d711ec8f1da51db0c54b86
4. www.hawaii.edu/satocenter/langnet/definitions/aave.html?msclkid=0547b2d6c5d711ec908984e70be9a394
Thank you for spending your time reading this. It truly shows how hard you work to be a good person. Thank you <333333 this is very appericated. I hope you have a wonderful day and GOODBYEEE!!!
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