What Toby Keith said was racist. I was raised by a black father and a black mother, both college professors and throughout my childhood I had people say, first to my parents and then, as I got older, to me how 'articulate' and 'intelligent sounding' I was. It's racist when the likes of a Jessie Jackson says it, it's racist when the likes of a Noam Chomsky says it, and it's racist when the likes of Toby Keith says it.
So, one more time, just so everyone here on HuffPo can understand this and then go offline and tell your friends and family:
1> THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TALKING WHITE. THERE IS GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT ENGLISH AND THEN THERE'S EVERYTHING ELSE.
2> Being educated, intelligent and articulate is NOT, let me repeat that, NOT just for whites or Asians. Black and brown-skinned people can be and ARE educated, intelligent and articulate. It is NOT 'acting white' to read for pleasure, to think deeply about matters and to attempt to articulate them in an erudite fashion.
3> While there is no shame in being uneducated it is not something to stand up and be proud of either. While being educated and intelligent does not make you a better human being, it is nothing to be ashamed of either.
Got it? Good.
Cheers
LF
About Barack Obama
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