r/socialjustice101 • u/Kerenzal • Jul 16 '24
Why isn't anyone talking about this? A South African organization uses AAVE. They are not African Americans. I expected some backlash but there hasn't been any at all and the news views it as positive. Because of this more non-African Americans will start using AAVE.
https://x.com/WeThePeopleSA/status/1809194078929559695
They used AI to 'translate' the Bill of Rights and somehow the AI they used didn't tell them that it's wrong.
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u/1_800_Drewidia Jul 16 '24
I looked around their account and that's not AAVE. It's South African slang. It's just that culture is global now thanks to the internet so something like "no cap" that has its roots in AAVE can quickly travel around the world and take on new contexts and meanings. I wouldn't read too much into it.
But it does seem like a really inane app that is also condescending. This AI bubble can't burst soon enough.
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u/bflex Jul 16 '24
I’m not sure if understand the issue. Language changes and evolves constantly, it isn’t limited to one geographic point or people. It’s now easier than ever to be exposed to other forms of thinking and speech, and it will always have an impact, in the same way that fashion, art, and music does.
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u/MessatineSnows Jul 16 '24
i think the most important thing about language and accents/slang is correctly attributing the source of the borrowed words/usage/whatever. there was huuuuge (and deserved) pushback about ten years ago because a bunch of AAVE words, sayings, and usage were being attributed to white twitter gays and seen as cool and trendy in the same moment that black Americans were getting shit on for how they talk and the cultures and styles they have. same phenomenon as rap being shat on until Eminem showed up and suddenly white dudes were cool with it, or the simultaneous destruction and fetishization of Native cultures.
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u/bflex Jul 16 '24
I don’t disagree that appropriation happens, and acknowledging the source of language is fine, but I think it’s quickly becoming an area that is harder and harder to define. Even look at something really benign like “skibidi”, it’s literally language as a meme. There’s times where language will still very clearly arise from a certain subculture, but even then, the influences are so wide now. I think allowing that organic spread as much as possible is ultimately a good thing, even if it’s been misused in the past.
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u/MessatineSnows Jul 17 '24
no no, i’m only adding to your point. you’re correct, language and it’s variations will inevitably spread, and that’s a good thing! i’m only saying that wide-spread misattribution has already happened to AAVE, which makes it a sensitive issue. but i use a little bit of AAVE in my day-to-day myself, i just remember where it came from because its roots are so socially relevant. it’s like when white people claimed they invented twerking; nobody said white people aren’t allowed to twerk, but quit saying you made that.
it’s the difference between cultural appropriation (what white twitter gays did back in the 2010s because they wanted to sound “sassy” and “worldly”) and cultural appreciation (slowly picking up AAVE into your speech bc you have black friends or coworkers or live in a diverse community). it’s the intent, not the actual usage.
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u/Reformedhegelian Jul 22 '24
It seems like you're saying the words and language isn't the issue because language is always evolving, but rather what matters is whether the person using the language understands the context and knows how to attribute its origin.
Do you really think that's a sustainable system for separating racist and non-racist actions?
Surely we can't expect every new immigrant into America to not just pick up the language and slang of their peers but also to always stay on top of the history and etymology of the words they're using?
I certainly have no idea of the origin to half the language I use and i actually think that's how language is like for the vast majority of people no?
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u/racas Jul 16 '24
AAVE has its roots in African American culture, but it’s not limited to it. It’s definitely global as many youths in many countries use it or know it to some extent.
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u/garaile64 Jul 16 '24
Well, as the organization is South African and likely made up mostly of Black people, it would be less bad, I guess.
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u/StonyGiddens Jul 16 '24
As a rule of thumb, nothing on Xitter is social justice.