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Do you hear or experience coded language in your daily life? What is really being said?
Fernando, 17
Growing up as a Mexican-American citizen, I have been the target of coded language in my life. In Middle School the word ‘beaner’ was popular, many of the kids around me would use it. As I would be called ‘illegal’ or ‘wetback,’ I could only think of the ignorance of those individuals. Hearing those words had a direct impact on me in the way I view other people’s language.
I feel like racial progress is being prevented not only from both minority and majority communities. I can only ask myself, what kind of America will my kids come to live in?
Jesus, 18
I hear coded language in my community. People will be talking trash about others but disguising it with their words. The coded language can make a conversation seem normal but taking into account the real meaning and intention of key words, the secret definition can change everything.
Lisbeth, 17
I hear alot of coded language. I think coded language is used as a way to be cool or as a way to get your point across without making a big deal. Sometimes it’s meant to be positive and other times not. For example, I hear ‘turn up’ all the time. It’s code that can mean drinking or smoking, but without coming out and saying it. ‘Catch fades’ can mean to fight. They’re not all negative, words like ‘fly’ and ‘swag’ are positive examples of coded language that is around me.
Deborah, 17
I experience coded language all around me. Just by replacing a word to mean something else is coded language. For example, instead of people saying outright that they want to fight, someone might replace that with ‘catching my fade.’ What Sherman is saying about the word ‘thug’ and its relation to the n-word shows that while people may be cautious and careful on what they say, what they really mean can still be offensive and hurtful.
Maria, 17
I do experience coded language, especially when people describe others they have an irrational dislike towards. For example, when people describe homosexuals they describe males as ‘fruity’ or ‘soft’ and females as ‘masculine’ or ‘tough.’ This reinforces society’s view of how homosexuals and LGBT people should act or be, when they are often so much more than that. Also when introducing a friend from the LGBT community, some introduce people as their ‘gay’ friend, implying that they are somehow different than their other friends.
Natalie, 17
In my community words such as ‘thug’ and ‘gangsta’ aren’t really used as what they mean in the dictionary, as negatives. They are often seen by young people as good things or something cool to look up to. To older people, these may be things they fear their child may become. In my life, I’ve sometimes been labeled as a ‘gangster’ because of where I live or the language I speak or the way I choose to dress.
