Now I’m probbably going to be called an “Uncle Tom” or “White Washed” because of ths new post… But so the F^#% what. I see a growing problem in our community. That problem is the black journalist/TV reporter?correspondent/Talk Show Host ect, ect, ect… Who simply cannot speak proper english, or even clearly for that matter. I have seen more blacks with horrible, horrible lisps and bad grammar then I care to even mention. I loathe men like Tavis Smiley, and Women such as Melissa Harris-Perry who continue to perpetuate the stereotype that blacks cannot speak clearly and with proper annunciation. I minored in phonetics in college and honestly it’s shameful the way we are portrayed on television. Even when a black man or woman is supposed to be in a position of intelligent influence, we are made to believe that the best we have to offer is some gap toothed sylvester the cat sounding buffoon. I for 
one speak properly at all times when I amin a professional environment and find it absolutely offensive when I hear people who are slack jawed and can’t put together complete sentences.
Now some of you may say that “Thats just our culture” I for one say that intelligence and innovation are our culture, and not doing things improperly. I have noticed way too many times that the general poplus has declared these phonetically challenged individuals as “BLACK VOICES” and I am appalled. I am a master of communication, and so should the people who bring us the news and who are representative of our voice. Although I have seen Bryant Gumbell accused of being “White Washed” over the years, and learned that he is actually one of the most militant black men in our country.
So that argument about being less black because you speak a certian way is a bunch of BS. It proves that whites see us in a certain light… And we show our selves this way to hold on to a culture of ignorance and sloppy speech that was forced on us. We were beaten for speaking properly, and now thier beatings have made our “Slave” speech into our cultural venacular. It truly saddens me. Do you see anderson cooper with a lisp? Peter Jennings? Dan Rather? … No! Only when it comes to us. So… Now that I have opened the flood gates… Let’s see who drowns. The slack jawed… Or the linguists? Thoughts?
A lisp can be an effect of a medical condition, there’s a large difference between a lisp and bad grammar. My friend ( Who’s black) has a speech impediment that gave him a lisp. I ask that you make sure to make the difference clear
There is a difference…. However should they be on TV as spokes people? Or even on he news as anchors? That’s my issue. It’s like asking a person with horrible boils to be a face model, or a person with no legs and wheel chair doing a nike running commercial? I’m just saying it’s not the best foot forward. Especially if they are supposed to represent us. Would you put someone up for the world to see saying “This is us.” When they have a speech impediment? I don’t believe you would.
There are a couple of grammatical errors in your reply also.
I am afraid that Leon Collins suffers from the ailment known as” I am so insecure as an African American and concerned about what White People think, that I obsess over how other people whom I do not know speak”. Black people on television, radio and in the media do not represent all Black people., they represent themselves. The cure for your ailment is for you to speak in the manner that you choose and not concern yourself about others/ You should also realize and accept that White people who dislike and judge other African Americans as inferior will continue to do so regardless of how well they speak or don’t speak.
Insecure? Really? So because I decided to master the language that bth you and I speak… I’m insecure? Please do better than that. Let’s look at it from a language perspective. Do you see any spanish speaking people say “This is the way I speak spanish… So just accept it!” The answer to that is no. They recognize that their spanish is lacking and look to improve it. You may feel that being mediocre is ok, but I do not. It makes me sad that a person won’t even learn to improve they way they speak their 1st language. It is simply a lack of thirst for knowledge.and masterhood of communication.
Excuse me again, please Master, there are a couple more grammatical errors in this reply as well.
Castilian Spanish pronunciation comes from the lisp the ruling King of Spain had. Rather than pronounce Spanish like every one else ( PR, Cuba, S. America) Spain chose incorrect pronunciation so as not to offend the King. The language you speak is the colonizer’s language, you should also study the language of your ancestry to help you understand the origins of their speech and dialect, Respectfully, Dr. A..
you are right…white people that don’t like black people will always find a reason not to like black people. so why should we make it easier for them by sounding like idiots? Remove race from the picture…its not ok for ANYONE to be on television, radio, or in any other form of media, and sound like they have a poor handle of the English language. The cure for the ailment is not to ignore it. The cure is to educate yourself and those around you so EVERYONE can be better for it. Not attacking you in any way Mrs. Miller-Holmes
Your insecurity is evident by your statement: ” I see a growing problem in our community. That problem is the black journalist/TV reporter?correspondent/Talk Show Host ect, ect, ect… Who simply cannot speak proper english, or even clearly for that matter. I have seen more blacks with horrible, horrible lisps and bad grammar then I care to even mention. I loathe men like Tavis Smiley, and Women such as Melissa Harris-Perry who continue to perpetuate the stereotype that blacks cannot speak clearly and with proper annunciation” Why would you loathe the way other African Americans speak because of the way they are perceived by others (perpetuating stereotypes that Blacks cannot speak clearly). Instead why don’t you love yourself a little more. Please understand that if every African American spoke absolutely perfection diction at all times that stereotype would persists or some other would replace it. I love you and I did not mean any disrespect I simply do not see this the way that you do.
I truly don’t see how loving myself equates into speaking a language improperly. Myself… Is educated… Myself… has studied phonetics… Myself is a master of communication. I love me. Again this is a weak excuse for not wanting to learn the proper way to do something. You accept this false culture, that has been given to us so that we believe that we were stupid and slow (slave mentality)? Truly pathetic.That was what slave masters did to keep slaved dumb and of a slave mind. Fredrick Douglas didn’t take beating after beating for us to still speak in the way of slaves. He and all those who broke the mold of education and knowledge would be ashamed of your assessment. Again… No excuse for not speaking properly..
There were some very brilliant slaves who were categorized by Darwinism and other false measure in order that those who complied or imitated the colonizers best were viewed as superior. It is among the biggest lies ever perpetuated, respectfully Dr. A.
while I disagree with the example of the lisp, as there are prominent whites with lisps that are on television, the basic premise you make is one that I FULLY agree with. there is absolutely no reason as to why we should condone stupidity. and that is exactly what this is. its not ignorance, because we know better. as time goes on, we slowly run out of the excuses that our ancestors had. our ancestors spoke the way they did because they were denied education. as you said, our ancestors were beaten if they spoke in a manner that would give the impression that they were educated. nowadays, no matter how poor the school system you may be in, there are other areas where you can get help in something this simple. if you can go on Facebook, or World Star Hip Hop, you could take that same energy and access the many websites that are educational, such as Luminosity, WebMath, or TalkEnglish. Yes, on large scale, the system is against us. However, we have to stop being so sensitive when people point out what we do wrong. If I say someone is not being professional, then that makes me uppity. Or that means I am trying to be white. No, that means I am trying to do right by my family, and pull up as many of us with me as I can. thank you for your article. I know people may take shots at you for it, but that is because they are afraid to confront the reality that the tactics of keeping us uneducated has taken a hold of THEM. And instead of fighting back and educating themselves, they have embraced it and a perverted culture around the idea of being LESS then what we truly are.
There are a couple of spelling and grammatical errors in your article. Must be in the editing.
Hmmmm, how about that……whenever we point the finger at someone there are always four of our own fingers, pointing back at us.
The proper word is “enunciation,” not “annunciation.”
It is too bad that many of us are so colonized we believe that only the colonizer’s language has value and is the measure for perfection or intelligence. I am an educator in higher education and I do not agree with your point of view. If I did most of my students who have something of value to say would fail in communication,. We all have ancestry, DNA, social norms within our culture that made us who we are. The colonizer’s language, phoentics, is NOT the only one of value. I have PhD colleagues who insist on speaking in their own dialect for genuineness. Sometimes we can be so over educated in a colonial system we can forget the values that matter most.
Did you know that Castilian Spanish evolved from and is based on the lisp the reigning king had? The country chose to speak with that lisp rather than highlight the rulers’s lisp
Frankly, I have NO respect for “black bashing” when there is so much more worthy commentary that would create a circle of unity, harmony and friendship. It suggests there is a need to feel superior in a group where you never are, never, never ever. It does not matter what we accomplish, how ‘intelligent’ we are (by whose standards). What matters most is what we can do to help others, what we leave and how people speak of us when we depart this Earth. I hope they say of me, she did not master speaking but she mastered life, she mastered how to treat people, she was a master of good repute. No one is an island of greatness, no matter how accomplished. We are all in this together. “Do not create enemies where they do not exist: in the shadows of your mind” Anonymous
Seeing as how English is not our original language, I could care less how I sound to you or others. I guarantee you will understand everything I try to convey!
The problem with our community is not journalist or reporters. It has more to do judgmental, capitulating Negroes comparing other Blacks by their ability to assimilate into this society. I for one have no desire to be White or even perceived as such. I’m fine in my own skin, in my own dialect.
I speak with a list and a Southern drawl yet I’m a public speaker but you wouldn’t recognize me because imI not progressive (white) enough for you to pay attention to.
Do you edit your posts before you hit send? If you don’t
you should.
Religion has always been opinionated, who says there language is right, who wrote the Bible, who wrote the dictionary, what Creed are you, I beg the difference……