There has been an obvious sharing of cultural slang, especially the usage of Black colloquialisms in mainstream American slang. Some of these are shear crap and insulting besides. I see nothing aesthetically or socially appealing about the word “nigger”, for example, when tossed around casually or seriously, by anyone of any color or background. This is not a PC stance, the word just sounds ugly to me … self-deprecating when Blacks use it, and reminds me of ignorant, laughable KKK cronies when others use it. Even if it sounded beautiful, by now it’s like eating too much of one thing. I’ve heard it so much just in music alone, that if I never heard it again I’d still be able to sleep at night. The phrases “self-love” and “self-esteem” are just as high on my cringe-o-meter, partially for the same reason.

But then there are colorful prose that have spilled over from the Black community into mainstream usage. They may not be grammatically correct in the sense of the Queen’s English, but sometimes they’re just fun:

It’s hot up in here.

While the juxtoposition of “up” and “in” breaks rules here, it arouses a sense of unbridled claustrophobia. It’s like you got raised up, then shoved inside an oven, or something equally hot. It’s a moving statement. It moves in two directions. It lifts you up, then shoves you in.

She stole your man? Well now that’s just jacked up.

It is! I can feel it!

Let me stop here to say I don’t believe in “ebonics” (Black slang as a language). Apparently Black American slang has legally been recognized as a language separate from English in at least one state. Now maybe this impression has been reinforced by the fact that subtitles are now often used in movies that feature interviews featuring Black, undereducated people. It’s laughable - you can understand just about all of them if you unplug at least one ear. Fact is, Black slang is no more separate from the English language, than, say, Shakespearean English, which is also filled with colorful metaphors and prose.

There are a few sometimes short substitutes for hater I guess: teacher, parent, mom, dad ... 

- R