Ok, I have a question. When TOA (or anyone for that matter) used intonation as an example for "talking white," some people got bent out of shape. Is it not true that some (not all) white people do have an accent that is different from our own? Most of their sentences end on an up note, where as ours are down. Y'all know what I'm talking about. Would it be any different if when I went down south I spoke with a southern accent? Or if I went to Boston and spoke with an east coast accent? Why do people take offense when someone uses the phrase "talking white?" If that's all you know, then ok. But if you only do it when around certain people, that's an issue.
I don't know. Sometimes I wonder. We try to be so inclusive that sometimes many of us overlook the obvious. White people speak differently from us, on average. I just don't understand why we walk on eggshells with this type of stuff. Yet the minute we hear someone with a southern accent (if you're up north), we ask them, where are you from? No offense taken. When it involves race, it's a whole different ball game.
By the way, I don't think that people who talk with a different intonation than me are Uncle Toms. I thought I would clarify that since my post really had nothing to do with the original topic.
[This message has been edited by Ideal08 (edited April 12, 2001).]