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How many times have you heard someone on this group b***h about "Ghetto" slang? Well, this isn't the ONLY slang out there that is messing with the literacy rate!

I am curious what others think, opinions of religion, race, creed, and etc aside please, of these and others:

"Wiccan/Witch" dialects
"Gamer" dialects
"Midieval" dialects
"Goth" dialects
"Christian" dialects
"Middle Eastern" dialects
"Asian" dialects

*** vague groupings here for lack of 12 hours to type out every single sub-group. And take into consideration I am NOT pointing to races or people here, or religious opinion, but those who use these slang dialects, for whatever reason. (aka, those born Asian, and raised in a place or family with such dialects, aside)

It is, again in my none too humble opinion, this very roleplaying that is making people less literate in many respects. They are so busy being something else that they rarely take the time to do something for themselves, or others. How many times have I heard "I don't need no better Education, cause I'm a Redneck Mutha F**kr!" or "They didn't have those things in the Middle Ages.....so I don't need them either!" TOO MANY. People are so busy playing when they could just sit down and read a book, or stop worrying about their fanciful language and style to sit down and LIVE IN THE NOW.

I have been in and out of the "community" for "paganism" for over a decade now, and I've heard it used so many times I can't count! Bear with me here, I am going to try and do this without making direct insult to those who practice it as a religion (which isn't my gripe at all here)

- You can call me "Shadow Raven Wind Dancer", as this be my true soul's name given unto me many centuries ago. I was born into the birth name of Mary Beth Jones. I must now go to the market to get the fairies some bird seed lest they begin haunting my furred children betwixt the shadows again. -

I know plenty of people into paganism, and pagan religions, and most would not know their choice unless they asked about the more obvious things like occasional jewelry, or a t-shirt, or etc. They act and sound just like everyone else, with perfect English skills. But I also know more people than I can count that talk with fictional accents to sound more medieval usually, or who dress completely in some "more witchy looking manner" or who feel a desire to talk in "medieval sounding tongues" or etc. Religious choice aside, this, in my opinion, is just as bad as someone dressing in sagging jeans that show their a** crack and talking in ghetto talk just to look and sound "cool".

I think most people who use mock-dialects do it for attention. I believe it gives them a sense of empowerment when people look at them funny, or stare, or ask them why they do it. Personally, I believe that whomever they are, or however they believe is their right within reason, but should not be forced upon others. If they want to act some way and talk and write differently, fine, be creative, but be reasonable, English papers and homework and job applications etc are NOT places to do it. And the constant use of these things brings down and degrades the English language literacy skills, then in turn also makes them look silly.

I don't see too many people with fake accents. sweatdrop Only when I role play. As long as I can understand what people say though, it doesn't bother me too much. If they want to act like rednecks, why should I care?

Well, yes, it's very annoying, but don't you think that we, with our English, bother people of different racial orientations that speak their dialet perfectly. neutral