I found an article discussing a cry for help from the DEA for help interpreting Ebonics. Apparently the DEA is looking for people to be able to translate Ebonics to proper English. They need these translations to be able to listen in on wire taps on potential drug dealers. The issue here is not that they need help “decoding” the language; this issue is how they address and call the language. Because the cry for help was asking for Ebonics speakers, many people have become offended by the term. Many believe this is stereotyping of African Americans. Just because they are African American or speak some Ebonics, doesn’t mean they will understand drug dealers. As quoted in the article, many people don’t understand the terminology the drug dealers use.
The author of this article suggests if the DEA would have come up with a different term other than Ebonics, then there would be no story here. But the because of this blunder many people have become very upset.
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