We Real Cool

For this week, the article I chose to read was “We Real Cool.” Within the article, there is mention of how literacy is partially determined by culture described as “coolness.” It is not unknown that white culture differs from black culture. Throughout history, African Americans have been close with one another due to the segregation that occurred in our country, while the white culture is said to have had “white privilege.” Because of times being different now, blacks have been, looking through observation, known to show the “coolness” through their dress and language. Within Kirkland and Jackson’s research, they came to the conclusion that there are four possible reasons as to why blacks take on their “coolness.”

Throughout their research, they observed the way that the students of different cultures talk to one another. Being in an interracial relationship myself, I can 100% see the difference in how African Americans talk to one another. When I spend time with my boyfriend’s family, their dialect with each other is different than how my family would talk to each other. In my high school, we had that group of “cool kids” as Kirkland and Jackson described. Even though the different cultures are all speaking the same language, sometimes the way people speak is different than others.