Linguistic Profiling

[AKAtude]

I heard this on the ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings tonight and thought I would share.

A black man (in San Francisco, I believe) was searching for an apartment. He called the apartment manager and left several messages, but never received a return call. He figured that he was being discriminated against because the manager could tell by his voice that he is black. He then asked a white friend to call and leave a message. The friend's call was returned promptly.

The black man then contacted the fair housing authority. A black and white employees called and left messages. The black employees never got return phone calls, but the white employees did. So, the black man decided to sue and his case will be heard beginning next week.

The segment included an interview with a linguist and his students who study different voice patterns. It also included audio of two people speaking and asked viewers to guess the race of each person. I guessed correctly that the first person was a black woman. The second was a Latino male. I thought he was black.

Now, I'm sure most of us have heard or been told "you sound white". I remember last year while I was at work I was speaking with a gentleman on the telephone from my hometown. While making small talk, I mentioned that my mom's maiden name was the same as his last name. I said something like you never know, we could be related. He sarcasticly said I don't think so. I asked why, and he said because he is black. I said well so am I. He was quite embarrassed and apologized.

In any event, the report discussed how this could be compared to racial profiling. The problem is how does someone successfully prove they have been discriminated against because of their voice.

[Poplife]

I have had similar things happen to me. People can't seem to hide the surprise when they see me.

[ClassyLady]

I hate this. When I'm on the phone conducting my business, I speak in a professional manner. Because of this, people think that I am white or that I want to be. Just because I know that there is a time and place for everything.

I used to be a telemarketer a few years ago. And, a lot of my black coworkers would change their sales pitch when they thought that the person they were calling might be black. A lot of the time it worked. If the person on the other end did turn out to be black, they were normally a little nicer to you if they thought you were black too.

[Steeltrap]

Ahh, linguistic profiling.

I am a newspaper reporter for a business journal. I mainly deal with white folx in my professional life.

So, good diction and proper grammar are important. When I was younger, however, I got the good ol' "You're so articulate, ST."

Irritating.

I grew up in a house where if I spoke in Ebonics, my mother would correct me and fast. Mama ST, who spent her first 12 years in segregated South Carolina schools (she's in her 70s), does not tolerate that.

Even now, she will put me on blast: "Your father and I didn't pay $XX,XXX for your college education to hear you talk like that."

[tickledpink]

I've had similar experiences. I've intentionally called places (for reservations, arrangements, additional information, etc) with a "southern accent" to see what kind of response I'd get (this was about 7 years ago) after receiving little to no assistance prior. As Soror AKATUDE can tell you, not too many African Americans have my name, so people tend not to know what to expect when they reach me. Unfortunately, people are very ignorant. All I will say is this, the reception is definately different.

[prayerfull]

This really gets me, because I've dealt with this since I was young. When I was in grade school and high school, I was always the only black kid at the school. These little white kids would always say that I was "OK" since I didn't "talk or act" like "those black people". I was always like "WTF???" I even had one girl tell me that she was "AFRAID of BLACK people until she met ME" - "WTF????"

Then in high school, our little school had this radio station. So the few of us black people that were there hosted this show called Super Soul Sunday. The show was heard all around the county and was pretty popular to listen to. So anyway, I used to get calls from girls asking me "what color are you - you don't sound black - who do you think you are doing this radio show" - - blah, blah. Well, that really ticked me off. In fact, this one girl called me up at my show and tried to really trip with me because I didn't sound "black". Well, the story goes...I called her a "B" on the air, and the next week, she came up to my school after a basketball game and wanted to fight me. Mind you, I knew nothing about fighting and got my behind whupped. It's kind of funny because my "now husband" is the one who came and pulled that girl off of me.

So anyway back to my point - I get the same comments now even amongst co-workers - "Oh, you aren't like black people - you carry yourself so professionally - blah, blah" - And I'm still like "WTF?????"

Fact of the matter is that I was raised very well, had an excellent education, and a mother who, still to this day, corrects me if my grammar and/or articulation is wrong. I see nothing wrong with it and I won't apologize for it.

[NinjaPoodle]

I deal with this just about every day. I work in a medical office. I speak to new patients on the phone and then when they come into the office, the typical response is " Oh, YOU'RE the person I spoke to on the phone?"

The other thing I get very often is being mistaken for someone else (on the phone). This I don't mind so much, but it's when people ASSUME I'm caucasian and then give that shocked attitude(after they see me) and then make some crack like " Well, you sound so EDUCATED "

Don't even get me started on the events of my childhood....
Ninja Poodle

[NinjaPoodle]

If anyone is interested in the story, here is the link to ABC News.

Ninja Poodle

http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/w...ing011206.html

[kitten03]

Well I have had similar experiences like tickledpink

Neither my name or my voice sounds "black" so people are always shocked when they see me. Even members of my own family have told me that "I'm not black". What is more interesting than the reaction of white people is the reaction of blacks to intelligent proper English speaking Black people. IMHO, Sometimes i get the feeling that their reactions can be twice as ignorant than "others"

[SoTrue1920]

I've had a couple of funny experiences this way.

About...oh... 13 years ago while working for a temp agency, I was placed in the customer service/credit department at a major department store in th Southeastern US. I had to speak to a customer who went on a rant about the terrible service she'd gotten in that department previously because all the "n****ers" were so rude to her. When clued her in, you could have smelled smoke from her backpedaling so fast.

Then once when I was working as a telemarketer (dang, I had some terrible jobs when I was in college) for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I had a woman tell me that she didn't want to subscribe to the paper because it was full of ads, and when it wasn't full of ads, the only stories in the paper were about "n***ers and queers". Unfortunately our calls were monitored, so I couldn't say anything back... but I sent her a subscription anyway.

Most recently, I called a hair salon in Vancouver to inquire about the method they used to start dreadlocks. The first word out of the woman's mouth was "beeswax". I told her that wasn't acceptable, and she recommended that I come in so they could see my hair grade. When I walked in she told me that the only reason she said they used beeswax to start locs was because I sounded white on the phone.

[avalanche08]

Well, I had a similar experience at school at my beautiful institution of higher learning, Southern Methodist University- Dallas, TX (yes, I am calling them out ). I was calling one of the departments to get some information on a class I was interested in taking. The woman who answered my call had to do some research on my question, so she asked for my name and number to call me back. I gave it to her and she called back later. Now, my name is "different", but not obviously a black name. I would say more ethnic, but not something one would automatically equate with someone being black. Anyway, when she called back she obviuosly couldn't remember how to pronounce my name and mistakingly asked to speak to "Aiesha". I of course corrected her and gave her the proper pronunciation of my name. She responded in a joking manner saying, "Oh, you're right- I guess Aiesha would be someone black, HA Ha Ha". I didn't comment until the end of our conversation. At that time, I said, "Oh, by the way, I'm black"- she started stuttering and stammering and of course, apologizing. After we got off the phone, she even called back a second time to apologize.

Of course, this incident pissed me off, so I called to report her. I don't think anything ever got done, except maybe a complaint in her file. SMU is a majority white school, but that was ridiculous. This incident occurred prior to me becoming a member of Allllpha Kappa Allllpha, otherwise, I think the chapter would have been pretty hot too!!! My mom was like, "Maybe we can sue and get some money taken off of your tuition!!!" LOL!!! But what could you really do?????

Soror Avalanche08
SSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEE--- ---WWWWWWEEEEE

[tickledpink]

This may be a little off of the subject, but I need to vent...

I hate, absolutely hate it when someone with a different accent or dialect is trying to speak (i.e. Mexicans, Africans...) and Americans (black, white, whomever) interrupts them and says "I can't understand anything you're saying!" For some reason, I've heard this quite a bit over the past few days. To me, that is rude and insensitive and comes across as the insult that I think it was intended to be. Whatever happened to "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" On Wednesday, I heard a "sista" say it and I wanted to fly off the handle. If someone of a different ethnicity said that to us we'd be ready to fight. Then today, I heard a caucasion woman say it to someone, and I still wanted to bash her.....

Oh well. I'm finished with my ranting and raving... carry on...

[Professor]

Well - this is very interesting! To the AKA that calls my house and always states "you sound just like a white boy" not mention when my frat Brother answered my telephone and she thought it was me and later stated you both sound like white boys -I hope you will read this article.

[PotentialPledge]

This is my life story. I grew up in DC and all throughout elementary, middle and high school people said I sound "white". Some people equated that with "I wanted to be white" or "That Im better than them." It really made me upse, because I felt like an outsider with my own people. Anyways im on to happier days. Im at college and this issue has never come up.

[nikki1920]

I thought it was just ME!!!!! I ALWAYS get told that and it is down right annoying. I can speak "ebonically" when I want to, but when it comes to school or business, best believe I speak one thing only---ENGLISH!!!!!