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Conversation with Dad

JBacchus's picture
Submitted by JBacchus on Wed, 03/28/2012 - 11:46am

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.

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JBacchus's picture

Emily, I'm not even sure he

Submitted by JBacchus on Thu, 04/05/2012 - 9:37am.

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 - 9:35am.

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 - 12:02pm.

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 - 7:30am.

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?" 

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