DW2b

For this portion of the assignment I chose to use Lisa Nakamura’s passages from “Cybertypes: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity on the internet to the information I found on “The Source”. In her writing Nakamura states that “lack of access to the internet- often found along raced, classed, and still, to a narrowing extent, gendered lines- continues to cut particular bodies out of various histories in the making,”( Nakamura, 397). These views seem to be shared by the writers and editors at “The Source”. It has been realized that all types of distributions need to be utilized so that those that are being discriminated against are not left out of the loop. Through the use of their printed publication, website database, television advertising, and event promotion and sponsorship “The Source” is trying to break down this barrier. Through all of these media types AAVE is utilized in an attempt to connect and relate the information in a way that will create interest and concern among its audience. One example of this comes from review of one of the publication’s blog posters who goes by the name of “The Prodigy”. In his article he talks about the recent election of President Obama and states, “YOU DAMN RIGHT, I QUESTION AND CHALLENGE OBAMA. I GOT POST TRAUMATIC SYNDROME FROM THE GENOCIDE, RACISM, POVERTY, TRICKERY AND SLAVERY THAT MY RACE OF PEOPLE HAD TO ENDURE. MY QUESTIONS AND CHALLENGES AREN’T IGNORANCE, IT’S INTELLIGENCE,” (www.thesource.com). He feels this statement is necessary because of many Americans blind embrace of Obama without asking what he truly stands for. In the way that he presents his case he makes a statement that is both thought provoking and persuasive. “The Source” uses articles similar to this one in all of its publications in an attempt to influence its audience no matter how they access the information.

DW2a

For this assignment I chose to analyze the online version of “The Source” magazine. Found online at www.thesource.com, this website features current event information as well as background information on historical events and figures that have had an impact in the U.S. and around the world. It proclaims itself as “the preeminent brand of hip-hop journalism,” (The Source). In 2008 the magazine celebrated its 20^th year of circulation. The first thing I noticed when opening the site was the large background of the page that read “Black History Month”, also there were a number of advertisements and links to other web pages in support of newly elected president Barack Obama. As a highlight for the day, the site has chosen to spotlight Richard Pryor for his “balls out approach to comedy” (The Source). Also on the front page there are two distinct articles that discuss the recent situation involving Chris Brown and Rhianna. The website also displays links to upcoming parties and events sponsored by "The Source". The Source Awards, which are held yearly, have become a major contribution to the music industry, and serve as an excellent promotion for the magazine and its supporters through strong preformances and presentations. On the bottom of the webpage there are a number of links to political stories, covering topics from Obama's cabinet appointees to the arrest of Obama's brother.From the sample cover of the magazine shown as well as the cover stories on the web page it can be assumed that this publication is targeted towards African American youth, in the attempts to keep them updated and informed on important current events as well as notable historical events.

DW1b

Before we began to discuss the topic of dialect discrimination in class I had no idea what a widespread effect it had across the U.S. In Smitherman’s essay “From Ghetto Lady to Critical Linguist we are shown a number of examples where this discrimination directly affected her life as she was growing up in various areas of the U.S. Being born in the south, she was unaware of her accent until it was pointed by her new teachers in the north. Simply because of her dialect, she was held back in her new schools. I found it particularly interesting that in order to get around this handicap Smitherman just stopped talking in class altogether. It is hard to imagine that an approach like that would be effective in primary school today, where such an emphasis is placed on developing the speaking patterns of the youth. When I was in elementary school we had a new student move to Midland from Brazil. He didn’t speak a word of English when he started, but through standardized testing he was placed in the same grade as he would have been back in Brazil. You could tell that he was scared the first day coming in, but the teacher did her best to accommodate him and make him feel welcome. The next day he already had a tutor with him trying to teach him some English so that he could understand all the aspects of the class. It was interesting to me that while trying to learn Standard English Smitherman forced herself to memorize specific pronunciations and phrases to try and show a fluency in the dialect. After a few months of tutoring, our new friend from Brazil used to do the exact same thing. He would often try to talk about McDonalds or mention the name of a cartoon show in an attempt to fit in with us. I understand that a lot has changed since the time when Smitherman went through school, but it is amazing to me that an American student speaking an English dialect would be given more grief in school than a foreigner who didn’t even know what English was. The city in which i come from was not a very diverse place, and I suppose I never realized how easy it was to judge someone solely on the way they speak until I met such an