dare to ask: the million dollar question and the two bit answer(s)
Phillip Milano writes a column called “Dare to Ask,” which runs in The Florida Times-Union‘s Life section. A recent entry:
Dogmatic is an apt and diplomatic word, one that shouldn’t engender knee-jerk reactions. Unfortunately, the six replies posted all demonstrate that she’s right.
And of course, she’s wrong, too.
Language subordination and gate-keeping is practiced by people of all colors, ethnicities and backgrounds. It may well be that white people lead the pack, but I can’t think of a way you’d measure something like that.
And finally: good grammar. The idea of good and bad grammar creeps in everywhere. Even in the middle of a reasonable (but not often asked) question about language use. But I admit: if you strike ‘good’ from this noun phrase, the meaning is unclear. Does it mean “People who don’t or won’t use those grammatical constructions favored by schools are not stupid”? Clumsy, but less ambiguous. How about “Why do (white) people believe that not talking like them is an indication of low intelligence?” Still pretty clumsy, but closer to what I think is the underlying question. I wonder how this wording would change the responses.
