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Ok, there’s a ton of confusion out there about AAVE and who can and cannot use it. This will be an educational thread. And let me start off by saying that the only opinions on this that matters are the opinions of african americans
It is called African American Vernacular English, after all. If something is deemed offensive or not offensive, that is entirely up to each individual black person.
This thread is what is problematic about nb people using it. I don’t speak for all black people, but this is a general consensus that a lot of black people come to. You may disagree as a black american, and thats fine! If you are not black, this is your space to learn, not speak.
AAVE was born out of many black people forced into this country (the United States) against our will and forming a combined language since a ton of our ancestors came from different cultures. It came out of a mixture of dialects and separate languages.
Of course, the common denominator was English and evolved over time, as language does. And yes, AAVE is an actual language. It can be studied. It can be practiced. Not all black people use it, not all people who speak it are black.
So, using AAVE when that isn’t your natural language is offensive & adds in to digital blackface. It’s almost a mockery of black people in an online space. Lots of people pick and choose parts of black culture they want to emulate, without caring about black struggles
Are nonblack people who use AAVE in normal, day to day life, offensive? That is up to black people only to decide. What about people who only online use AAVE, but only to seem cool? That is highly offensive to a lot. Again, only black people can decide for themselves though
Over time, AAVE has integrated into pop culture, much like a lot of black culture. It may be hard to identify which terms are just internet slang and what is AAVE, but simple google searches can help!
Is every single nonblack person who uses AAVE racist? No. Most people don’t know about it; they’re simply ignorant on the topic. However, if you are being told that what you’re doing is offensive to a black person, you should stop.
The topic of AAVE is not new. It is, however, being brought up a lot more. It is good to be educated, but it is also not on the shoulders of the oppressed to always educate others in the outgroup. I am doing this as a favor; not a requirement.
Please take this information and share it. Words like sis, period, chile, mf, asf, etc are all AAVE. Inform others when you see it that they are using aave, and have a candid conversation on it.
And do not be on the defensive if a black person tells you that you using AAVE is offensive to them. Just apologize and try not to use it any longer. That’s all! It’s easy.
I hope this helped clear some things up. The main take away is this: if you aren’t black, this isn’t your space to talk over black people. If a black person isn’t offended that’s on them. If a black person is offended, that’s on them.
Some informative links: https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/cultural-appropriation-drag-slang-aave
https://medium.com/@RGothoskar/aave-and-nbpoc-why-these-two-acronyms-do-not-go-together-51e6445943cc
