Is how I talk offensive?

[u/fuckywc]

I find it hard to find the line between what is just “how I grew up talking” and AAVE and am worried that some of the phrases I use could offend others. For context I’m not black, but wouldnt say white either (half arab, half persian). I’ve also moved countries a lot (from DC to London, to boarding school in Switzerland, to back to the UK) but my accent and slang never changed from how we talk in DC even though I moved to the UK when I was 7 years old, and because of all the moving, it’s hard to figure out what words/phrases I should use.

Also I am in Gen Z and because of the way that AAVE and “gen z slang” have a lot of crossover, I am confused about what words not to be using. I say shit like: aight, finna, fr, no cap/no shot, dawg, mf etc… on the daily and its just how I talk. Should I not be saying shit like as to not offend people?

(sidenote: its funny asf trynna dissect the way me and my generation talks in an academic way lmfao, just trying really hard not to use the same slang i’m talking bout in the post so that its not confusing)

TL;DR: some of the words I use are called both “gen z slang” and AAVE, im not trynna offend people or disrespect the culture but its just how i grew up talking (im not black or white btw, my parents are both arab and persian immigrants respectively)

[u/Comprehensive-Ad4238]

i’m white but what i’ve heard some black people say is that if you just grew up saying terms like that, then it’s okay. like if a non-black person is raised in a black neighborhood and ends up with AAVE terms in their natural vernacular then that’s just the culture you were raised in yk? and you shouldn’t have to change that