He did much better than I would have at his age

How does extending a compliment become a controversy?[/align]

Saying a black man is well spoken is often seen as a backhanded compliment. If a white kid said the exact same comments that Saffold said NO ONE would say "Very well spoken". He's using sentences with vocabulary and substance that someone half his age would be able to speak. The fact was the poster on the previous page relates "know what I'm saying" a typical black slang term, with speakly poorly shows his expectation for a bad speaker. The kid can speak, I don't see what's impressive about it. How is he supposed to sound? Like a bumbling idiot? That's not the norm, so comparing a poor speaker to an average speaker is like calling the Jets a good football team because the Texans are bad.

It's not as much as a race issue as a respect issue, don't patronize the kid by applauding when he shows he can speak like a normal person. I've dealt with this on a personal level and while the person giving the compliment means well (or so they think) I can guarantee you the kid would feel insulted to hear that.

Why do I have such a freaking headache?

P.S. I'm white and I don't talk too good.

(02-24-2014 08:39 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Why do I have such a freaking headache?

Learning tends to do that to some people. Take a nap.

(02-24-2014 07:02 PM)HUSKIEFOOTBALLFAN Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 06:48 PM)PrideinthePack Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 06:45 PM)HUSKIEFOOTBALLFAN Wrote:  He was well spoken. He handled the interview very well. There are plenty of people way older than him that don't do interviews as well as he does.

Please don't tell me this is age discrimination.

He speaks like a normal kid.

"Its been crazy. I've been dreaming about this since 9th grade year. I mean me and my friends come in, doing, doing it amazing."

"I knew during the season that was the place for me because that's the place where I wanted to go. And my brother...I have a brother up there who I kinda like look up to so it was a good, it was a good job for me, the situation.

"Yeah he must have said he recruited me."

"Right away I want to come in and compete for a starting job and try to become a true freshman and do what I can do to help my team win right away."

Nothing of merit there.

As opposed to how many college and pro players say something like this.

"umm, umm, Its been crazy, you know. umm, I've been dreaming umm about this since 9th grade year you know what I mean. Like I mean you know, me and my friends come in, umm doing, doing it ahhh amazing you know."

I didn't say he'd win the Nobel prize for journalism, he just handled the interview better than others his age and older. He handled it as he should have done which is way more than I can say for many others.

Ah thank you so much 'PrideinthePack' for being the politically correct police and above all an expert on race and how other races speak and for being able to point this out to everyone. These are certainly things that I never knew.

Of course the example I gave with the italics above clearly was only how non-whites speak. Because we all know that only whites never use 'umm', 'ahhh', 'you know what I mean', 'like', etc. when speaking in public and all whites of course are all born with this natural ability. I've heard so many pro athletes use these during interviews.

Of course it never occurred to you that these are the most common speech mistakes that ALL people make. The fact the Ezra who is a high school senior did a great job in avoiding these errors that others including college educated professionals and pro athletes make all of the time is somehow a backhanded compliment is beyond me.

I'll remember your wisdom the next time I listen to an interview and hear 'umm', 'ahhh', 'you know what I mean', 'like', etc.. I'll close my eyes but be able to picture who's speaking based on what I've learned from you about how other races speak.

How you turned this into a race issue is unbelievable!

Don't mention it. Glad I could help.

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

-MLK

People would compliment Chandler on speaking. I don't see what all the fuss is about.

Love seeing the guys that truly want to be at NIU. Great attitude

Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

(02-24-2014 11:00 PM)huskie1stdown Wrote:  People would compliment Chandler on speaking. I don't see what all the fuss is about.

Well, Chandler is from Indiana. Do those people also compliment folks from Illinois?

Projecting confidence goes a long way to make someone listening or watching an interview forget about the ummms, ahhhhs, and y'knows (my personal big three fillers)

It takes a lot of time to get comfortable just pausing as you talk to collect your words. Even then the fillers get in. And oddly, just as many people will hold those pauses to collect against a person IMO.

I got blasted like this when I posted my reaction to Jameis Winston's words. AND I AM black!!! I correct my students vocabulary OFTEN and I have no problem doing that. I dont EXPECT these kids (my students) to speak well in public at all but I WILL say I expect most of these high profile athletes to do so. Colleges and Professional teams have people to help these guys with public speaking. HS kids may/may not. So it goes..............

There's a difference between not being able to speak English clearly, and having to pause, or say "um" in your response while thinking of how to respond, which I would consider natural for anyone not used to public speaking.

(02-25-2014 03:09 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  There's a difference between not being able to speak English clearly, and having to pause, or say "um" in your response while thinking of how to respond, which I would consider natural for anyone not used to public speaking.

Ha! Good point!

(02-24-2014 05:09 PM)PrideinthePack Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 05:05 PM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 04:59 PM)PrideinthePack Wrote:  I have. What about her?

There are white people on the show that aren't very articulate.

I know. I don't see what that has to do with my post though. I was not inferring that white people are incapable of not speaking well.

Maybe he wasn't inferring that black people are incapable of speaking well...

Thanks for speaking for him.