Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Home › Groups › Ed 250: Literacies and Education ›

Conversation with Dad

JBacchus's picture
Submitted by JBacchus on Wed, 03/28/2012 - 12:46pm

I just wanted to share a conversation that I had with my dad (actually through texting in the beginning of class).

Me: VA sad about your pictures "Papa Bacchus is baller yo"

Dad: I have no idea what "baller yo" means. Hope it is good :)

Me: "baller, yo" - baller is a really cool envied (kind of best of best) guy and "yo" provides emphasis

Dad: :)

Me: Baller is kind a synonym for pimp. It's a man who has reached success and wealth, or a thug who has made it to the top (comliments of urbandictionary.com)

Dad: I am so pleased you know this stuff.

Me: Important knowledge . Today's literacy! (As I sit in my literacies and education class)

Dad: I prefer Keats.

Groups:

Comments

JBacchus's picture

Emily, I'm not even sure he

Submitted by JBacchus on Thu, 04/05/2012 - 10:37am.

Emily, I'm not even sure he would view it as "compromising", whether he realized it or not. I say this because I'm not even sure he would say that "baller" deserves it's own literacy/definition. I think he'd consider it slang, but not in the way of slang having its own literacy...maybe in the way of slang as a lesser literacy.

JBacchus's picture

generational literacies

Submitted by JBacchus on Thu, 04/05/2012 - 10:35am.

Alice, I think it shows the struggle between generations and literacy - how to explain or define one's own literacy. I remember writing this when I equated a baller to a pimp and I thought "but his definition of a pimp isn't what's used now - so I went to urban dicationary" How can we mediate (not sure if I like this word here) these two literacies into one that we can use for communication? How was I supposed to explain what my friend was saying in his own literacy - is there even a word(s) that can be used to define 'baller' in his own literacy?

et502's picture

resistance?

Submitted by et502 on Tue, 04/03/2012 - 1:02pm.

thanks for sharing this conversation - I really enjoyed reading it. 

I think it's interesting that your dad seems to be resisting 'Today's literacy' (the Keats reference), while at the same time is subscribing to the technology (using a cell phone, texting) and thus, is participating in today's discourse... is he compromising without being aware of it?

alesnick's picture

What is being revised?

Submitted by alesnick on Mon, 04/02/2012 - 8:30am.

I appreciate this tale of some start-of-class, intergenerational texts!  What is it essentially about?  How language changes in the hands of the young?  The function of canonical literature in setting certain "standards?" 

Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities

Scanning electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2

Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities has 50 remote-ready activities, which work for either your classroom or remote teaching.

Narrative is determined not by a desire to narrate but by a desire to exchange. (Roland Barthes, S/Z)

What's New? Subscribe to Serendip Studio

Recent Group Comments