[Rudey]

Originally posted by IvySpice
Rudey, IMHO, it's a matter of clarity.

I do alumni interviewing for my alma mater, and I often have reason to point out that one applicant is a more effective and erudite speaker than another. But the word articulate, in particular, has become loaded because of the way it's been abused in the past. If I interview a black student who I think is the next Franklin Roosevelt, I'm going to praise his verbal skills in my evaluation, but I'll pick another way to say it. Why? Because otherwise, there's a very good chance that I'm going to be misunderstood. I'm NOT condescending to him, so I won't use language that's often used to express racial condescension.

There are a lot of otherwise neutral words and phrases ("boy"; "my best friend is ____"; etc.) that can take on poisonous meanings in the wrong context. If you want to make your meaning clear, it's best to choose different words.

Funny how to be articulate, you can't use that word.

-Rudey