Now, I know what I said, and I meant every word of it. But then, I got this comment to a post,
“das wiked. som kid in ma clas did dat. evry1 freaked, even da teacha!it waz jokes, yo.lol. Buh… she went 2 ur web, got da secret n printed it n gave it 2 us 2day! Da fun onli lasted 4 2 days, nofair, yo! N it dusnt wrk onma computa. Wat a rip off , man.”
and I started thinking . . .
Because that post is so popular with the younger crowd, I get quite a few comments like this. Most of them are only a few words and don’t really add anything so I delete them.
Think about that for a second.
Somebody takes the time to enter a comment, and what do I do? I delete it. Whatever time and effort was spent was completely wasted. I don’t believe what was said/written was worth anything. The language causes me to make a judgment; my credibility filters go up, and I do something even worse than ignore the message. I delete it entirely so nobody else ever gets a chance to read it.
Think about that for a second.
So, having said what I said here, now I should also say this: The language you use has the power to (as The Shadow puts it) cloud men’s minds. It can make you look like a genius, or it can make you look dumb. It can make you shine in a glorious starburst of light, or it can make you invisible.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Why should you care what other people think? Parents and teachers are always telling you not to care so much about what other people think. Right? You know you’re not dumb. Your friends know you’re not dumb. I know you’re not dumb. So what gives?
Maybe nothing. But sometimes, maybe something. Sometimes it’s good for people to know how smart, how cool, how utterly unique and special you really are. And it’s good to shine a little light on that.
Like it or not, fair or not, the language you use creates in others just as much of an impression as your clothes, your hair, your body odor, your breath, that bit of salad in your teeth, or that booger you didn’t know was hanging out of your nose .
Sorry. But it does.
And here’s what most people don’t understand about the whole thing (neither kids nor hoity-toity adults):
It Totally Depends On Your Audience.
You’re not going to wear a suit to simply chum around with your pals. Why not? Because it won’t be comfortable. You won’t as easily be able to catch some phat flying squirrel air.
So here’s the secret: It all depends on you. What do you want?
Want to hang out at the skate park? You’d better learn the dialect. Want to get a good paying job, maybe buy a house and have a little freedom someday? You’d better learn the dialect.
You know. It’s the whole “when in Rome” thing.
The dialect your teachers are trying to teach you (like it or not) is simply the dialect of money and power in today’s society. Simply put: the people that can communicate fluently in this dialect have access to the vault.
That’s right.
You want all the things money and power can buy? The dialect (the language) is the key to the first door.
Are there other keys and other doors? Yes. But if you don’t get past the first one, you can’t get to the next. It depends on what you want. Just like in a video game. Want to get to the next level in the game? Well first you need the right tools/weapons/battery packs/knowledge/skill.
The written dialect your teachers are pushing is one of those tools/weapons/battery packs/bits of knowledge/skills.
But remember, it’s really just all about what you want. Some people are happy playing the game at one level forever. But I’ll guarantee you this—after awhile, it gets a little boring.
So, ready to pick up a couple of those tools? Maybe a key or two? It’s just around the corner.
If you’re adventurous enough, that is.
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15 responses so far ↓
1 kenzielee // Mar 10, 2007 at 1:47 am
Chris, one major aspect of your writing is you not only make a point, but you also manage to make a point in a humorous, witty manner. Thanks!
Thank you Kenzie. You always say such nice things.
Chris
2 tobeme // Mar 10, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Chris,
Excellent article. Language is so important and as you pointed out, it is all about the audience. In my position I have conducted over 400 job interviews in the last 3 years. I can tell you that much of my decision was made on how the interviewee communicated with me and the panel.
You must be able to use the language correctly for each enviroment that you are in.
I hope many will read this and understand the importance of the lesson here.
Mark,
The concept of language and audience is an interesting one isn’t it? Thank you for adding your perspective as a person on the other side of the desk in the interview process. I’ve done quite a bit of interviewing myself from my experience in industry and now last year I was on an interview commitee to hire a teacher. There really is nothing like a slip of the tongue or pen to draw attention to your faults.
Even here in the blogsphere, sometimes I’ll get a condescending comment when someone catches a mistake I’ve made. It’s embarassing (especially as a language teacher), but at least in this arena (blogs), consequenses usually aren’t too serious. But I’m thankful for readers who point these things out. You’d better believe I make the corrections pronto-puff.
Over 400 interviews in the last 3 years? For how many positions? Oofda! That averages out to something like an interview every 3 days.
You’re an interesting fellow. I’m going to email you soon to pick your brain a bit.
Thanks again for participating here!
Chris
3 Joy // Apr 4, 2007 at 1:20 pm
I should be working now, but I am reading this instead. I am onj a school computer. I think they missed your site when they censored all the good sites on the planet. Don’t tell them.
Joy,
I won’t if you won’t.
Thanks for stopping and leaving a comment!
Chris
4 lollie pop // Apr 5, 2007 at 5:03 pm
yes here i am agian, i feel like im the only one that doesn’t, well like this.
IT IS NOT FAIR TO JUDGE PEOPLE
no matter what you say, or how you jazz it up, your still judging, thats almost as bad as being racist. Because your judging. And ill have you know, when i read the one pirticular comment, i read it as if i was this comment, so what if they used a lil slang, itsa still ain’t gonna mattar, i mean shr, itsa lil difrnt, but who cares. They still took the time to leave you a comment, (that by the way if you aren’t inntellegent enough understand slang) was complementing you
5 chris // Apr 23, 2007 at 11:45 pm
dear chris,
you made a good point im a student in the 5th grade and im getting in a lot of trouble because my body language and my physical language and i read this article i figured that my mom buys these clothes that she dosen`t want me to were and now i know why its all in the way you are dressed and talk
6 Gunnar // Jun 5, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Excellent article.
Lollie pop, though, needs to realize that everyone judges someone at some point.
Everyone.
He says that you judge people. What was that bit in his last sentence? That you aren’t “intellegent enough understand slang [sic]“?
Hrmmm…
7 Wolf Halton // Aug 4, 2007 at 5:55 pm
What you talk like is not who you are. That being said, how you talk is just like what hat you wear or how you comb your hair. People who don’t know that how you talk is not who you are will make lightening-fast decisions about you based on what they can see and hear (or read). It is a game, you are playing a character, and winning is about getting what you want out of life. I am burdened with a lot of edjycation and so can pass almost everywhere. Nobody can avoid having an impression of others. Some people are thinking about how I spelled education 2 sentences ago, and they are getting an impression of me. If I were talking to you, I am likely to get one of you as well. I am not judging you in the perjorative sense, and I am not dissin you. I am saying that you have immense power to control the impression you give to the world.
Play with it. Dress up in your full funeral dress, like what you wear to your gramma’s formal events. Now go to a fancy mall store and see how they treat you as you shop. Don’t talk much. Just respectfully ask about something you are looking for. Tennis shoes or something. Remember this is an experiment in acting a character.
Then the next day, or a couple of days later, go in your regular school or after-school clothes. Watch for differences in how you are treated.
Consider which way you liked better.
Have fun
8 big teeth beaver // Oct 10, 2007 at 8:57 pm
every one is write so this girl jude does not work she stinks doesnt work at all she should be fired see yahl comment me
chirs,lolli pop and every body else comment me back peace
9 big teeth beaver // Oct 10, 2007 at 8:58 pm
hey why cant i say bad things
10 big teeth beaver // Oct 10, 2007 at 9:00 pm
peace out
11 Lord of the Pit // Oct 23, 2007 at 3:40 am
Lollipop, you don’t have to be intelligent to understand slang. In my opinion, chatspeak and slang are the moron’s ways of saying “I never learnt to type”.
Don’t like something? Then don’t comment. People can have their views, and you cannot force your views onto other people.
Chris, nice article! I agree completely with what you are saying. I also find that what you wear affects the way you act. Staying in your pyjamas all day (I find), has a negative impact on the way you act and think. Dressing up nicely even if you arn’t going out gives you alot more energy. It’s a mental thing.
-Lord of the Pit
Thanks Lord,
Well said. I agree with you about the dress thing. I use this concept on days when I just don’t have as much energy to get to school. I’ll make an extra effort to dress up a bit. It helps.
Thanks for the visit and the comment.
Chris
12 Belle // Nov 15, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Dear Chris,
First of all I’m just going to have to say that you are the most inspirational person I’ve ever come across in the whole blogging community - fullstop. I don’t blog a lot; even when I did in my previous ‘transitional phases’ I was whining about my life, and how things used to be, and how everyone hates me, yadda yadda yadda…
I spent about two hours on your site through googling ‘peteranswers’ (what you found out was great by the way; I was almost freaked out until I discovered how peeved Pete was at my lack of faith and decided to find the truth behind that obvious internet prank). This article was just too good for me to pass up commenting. Once again, your thinking baffled me- in a good way. It was as witty as it was wise.
I’m in college in my own country after years of studying in an international environment overseas and came to a bit of a problem with my English lecturer, being the usual me in pointing out mistakes, disagreeing on her opinions in things where the others wouldn’t speak up… stuff like that. Long story cut short she held a grudge on me and as a result, my final CGPA was barely above the required due to the gap in the grade I got in the English exam compared to the other subjects. As I have written, you’d see that I blame the lecturer- or more precisely her ‘grudge’ on me- until a few moments ago.
Your piece just made me think back on my actions; and for once Selfish Me is thinking: maybe, just MAYBE, she’s not the one to blame. I have been warned by many close relatives and friends of how differently some teachers perceived the opinions of their students here compared to the environment that I was used to- and I chose to stay the extroverted, opinionated person that I was anyway, being as stubborn as ever. I should’ve realised all along that it was coming. In this case, I should’ve been more reserved and acted more clueless in her classes in order to gain her respect. Your article made me realize that ‘When in Rome’ thing with further depth, while at the same time refreshening my outlook on what I deem as ‘being sheep’. In a way I guess it’s better to be in the flock sometimes.
Sorry if I came out off-topic, but I just had to thank you for your instantaneous soothing effect on my otherwise restless conscience, whatever the cost! Keep writing, keep up the amazing work =)
p/s: I honestly wish I had a teacher like you at some point in my life!
13 lolliepop // Dec 11, 2007 at 12:03 pm
well dear “lord of the pit”
i understand people have there own views thats fine wit me.
but i think judging people at all is a bad thing to do
and i use slang and i dont appriecate you calling me a “moron
14 sara // Jun 5, 2008 at 12:08 pm
chris with this article i have to agree with lollie pop and say you are being a little judmental . i mean you have your point but the “younger crowd” as you put it have a new way of saying things and i can say this cause i am only 19 and i just got out of school and now in college that there is NO one who talks like that and i have traveled all over the US. so i do think maybe you should stop and think about every thing you had just said…. thats if you know what you said.
15 Miss anonymous // Mar 10, 2009 at 12:42 am
Lollipop: Like someone else has mentioned, everyone is judgemental. At some point in your life, you’re bound to see someone and think “Oh, that must be a punk” or “She’s wearing a harvard shirt… She must be smart” You may not even notice it, or remember it, but you’ve judged atleast ONE person. True, judging is wrong. But hey, we’re human afterall, it’s in our nature.
I don’t know about you, but when someone sends me a random friend request saying: “heey, wana b frndz?” I assume the person is an illiretrate teenager and decline the freind request.
Oh, and there’s a diffrence between using slang and talking like a moron. In case you aren’t “inntellegent” enough to understand common sense.
Sara: Oh, really now? I’m 13, and I am just as justified as you to criticize my generation’s IQ.
BTW, I believe you haven’t read the blog right. Stop and think? Isn’t that what he just did? >_>
Have a nice day, you two ^_^
Oh, and Chris, I just discovered your blogs like, minitues ago… And I love it :>
Thanks Miss, stop by often!
Chris
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