"Don't talk black - you're not black"

[MoistJoist]

Said very proudly by a parent to her DS (upon his picking up slang from boys at school) as "it's not his culture".

AIBU to wonder WTF is "talking black"?! I had no idea that all black people were some homogenous cultural mass with a singular way of expressing themselves.

[WorraLiberty]

All the white kids speak in what we call 'jafake-an' round here (West London). Makes me cringe and all the black kids I know find it hilarious!!


Same round here, except a lot of the black kids talk 'Jafake-an' too, but try to convince people it's because they are black, that they talk that way.

Ridiculous really, since some of their parents are extremely well spoken

In the street they'll say things like "Wh-appen blad?"

Then their parents will come round the corner and they'll say, "Hello Mummy/Daddy"....

Makes me laugh every time

[MistressDeeCee]

What WorraLiberty said. Jafakery is sooo naff...

[edam]

Moist - I laugh at white, middle class kids talking street because it's so fake. It's the disconnect between who they are and what they are pretending to be that's funny.

Nothing to do with sneering at black kids, or indeed at anyone talking street if they come from somewhere where that's the dominant mode of speech. It's just as daft as if teenagers from St Albans were trying to talk Brummie if somehow a broad Brummie accent was perceived as cool.

I can see why you were offended by the woman but equally I don't think she meant to be disparaging.

[NotDead]

it is weird how the 'street' accent in london including amongst black third generation Jamaican sounds more like white kids doing a fake jamaican accent in the 80s. The lLondon street accent when compared with genuine jamaican English sound s floor flat and false by comparison. .

[NotDead]

blood...