Standard English exist because not everyone in the world who uses English is a native speaker of English.  According to a group of English writing instructors it is racist to expect that in formal academic writing expecting standard English is racist.    In this one scientist opinion that is factually incorrect. 

The Case For Standard English

NOT all students are native speakers of English. Therefore, in FORMAL WRITING for classes or academic papers, or for business or for anything that might be read by a diverse audience damn right you better write in an intelligible manner.

People who write and speak in various dialects from the midlands of the UK, Wales, India, or White southerners also have to conform to that. Why would US Black people be any different? How would any of us like to have an East Indian tell us to give them a Chit... which they say like Sh sound?


English is spoken in all sorts of ways and it is elitist if not racist to monitor that outside of a class in which how something is pronounced is important.  For example communication, speechmaking, theatre, or in aviation clear communication across language barriers and cultural barriers is of paramount importance.  Anywhere that speaking in a way that is too local and dialectical may mean that people can’t understand formal written grammar should be enforced.

The point is to be well understood by others who may not be like yourself.   

For example, a pilot seeking clearance to land or take off had better be fluent in so called “Aviation English” even if they can’t converse in the language.  You sure want your pilot to speak correctly and write clearly in his log don’t you.  They all go to school  for that.  They do that all over the world.

Ok so who/what is racist? Too Many StarTrek fans. 

Here is a relatively harmless example as the targets are fictional characters.

Look at how StarTrek fandom happens to react to any spinoff where a Black person is the central figure.  They eventually come around, as did with  Deep Space 9.  Look back at the old USENET postings from  the late 90's and be prepared for so many dog whistles. 

Star Trek “fans” who have no idea about Star Trek who dislike Discovery, Deep Space 9, or Lower Decks for the cardinal sin of having more than one significant Black character.  Back in the day real fans would say they didn’t like that Ben Sisko was venerated as “the Emmissary” by a religious people.  They didn’t like that Michael Burnham was a 1st officer  bercause “she didn’t earn it”.  Like fictional characters ever earn it. 

Now on YouTube you’ll see channels like Midnights Edge who hate Ensign Mariner and want to see her “put in her place”.     Others will say that when she refers to another character as "street smart" that she is implying that she is therefore "uneducated".  Inspite of being an officer who would've had to graduate from the same academy as everyone else, having been promoted to a high level before being busted down, and being a litteral battle scarred veteran.    Yet she's a Mary Sue who  is overpowered and needs to be "put in her place" .  That’s racist… but also harmless ultimately.  

A presumption of incompetence, followed by anger when we show competence, also happens to real life actual Black women in positions of authority. As an old joke my  father once told me he heard went what do they called a N-word with a PhD.... and N-Word. 

 

Discrimination is thinking someone must be inferior because of who they are, or stigmatizing the  culture  of people who have different racial features for no reason other than it is the culture  of those physically people.   Racism, byu which I mean racial discrimination is being hostile towards people due to  that.  

The most pathetic form of racist is being butt hurt over fictional characters being members of a currently oppressed group and not being oppressed in  the fiction.    Funny that in 2020 young techologically literate people are acting just like the cutlure depicted in "Deep Space 9 Episode Far Beyond The Stars".

Racism is thinking that members of a currently oppressed group should not be expected to mee the same standards as anyone else.   i.e. expecting Black people to Shuck and jive and call that academic is racist.

Racism is failing to  hold members of an oppressed group to the same standards, while not giving them the same slack often given to the dominant group.   

Equal opportunity but greater more exacting standards is just as bad as lower standards with lower opportunity. 

For the curious balanced not racist critiques of Star Trek Lower Decks which are not at all SJW fawning see channels like Lore Reloaded, or the Nitpicking Nerd.   Lore has great knowledge of Star Trek, and Nitpicking Nerd is the Yakov Smirnoff of Trek fandom. 

Expectations of Incompetence from minorities, enables Resentment of minorities who are competent.  Merely being competent is seen as being "uppity" and in need of being taken down a peg.  

The Racism of Lower Expectations. 

What the illustrious professors of writing have in common with the Star Trek fans referenced above is that both groups expect less from a Black person.  

Both groups likely look upon a Black person who speaks or writes more or less correct formal English in formal situations negatively. 

One group says that such a character needs to be put in their place, the other justifies with academic authority what that place is.  

 Thanks but no thanks.   I may not write perfectly down to the placement of every comma, but I can certainly run a spell check, proof read, and correct errors as I find like anyone else. 

Not liking people because of their spoken language, or skin color etc IS racist... having a standard way of written communication for formal situations is not.    

For the record though, being an online forum grammar police as a way of "winning" an online argument, argumentum ad grammarium, is bad logic.