Walker Smith

800966792
UWRT 1102
Professor Kashtan
Literacy
A lot of my everyday life is spent communicating in some form or another.

Whether that be with technology, face to face, or nonverbal, communication

is what makes us human and separates us from animals. Communication

also has a large effect on culture and identity, and how we associate with

people and groups unfamiliar to us. For example, my father was raised in

Pennsylvania, and to this day we still have family living up there. The first

time I can remember taking a trip, it was a bit of a culture shock. Everyone

spoke different, acted different, and there was less diversity that I was

accustomed to. I was also bombarded by people over my slight southern

accent that I had growing up. Southern accents carry a mostly negative

connotation, and I would be looked down upon for word choices. I cannot

even name how many adults tried to correct me from saying yall. This is a

good illustration of how differently the region and culture you grow up in

changes the way you ask and speak. There are incredibly rich and

complicated cultures found all around America, and each one brings along its

own rhetoric, slang, and method of speaking.

Notions of American identity are different to each person. Where and when

you were raised, who were your parents, and other factors make it so there is

no a single way to define Americanness. I would say I deploy my American

identify everyday through communication, through my use of region specific

slang, choice of syntax, accent, body language, the list goes on and on. As I

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Walker Smith
800966792
UWRT 1102
Professor Kashtan
mentioned above, one of the most persuasive and controversial words I use

on a day to day basis is yall. The use of this word is almost entirely used in

southern regions of America, and is a perfect example of how communication

can differ depending on the region you were raised in. I have been to many

regions around the country, as well as out of the country, and the only time I

have ever heard yall is at home, in the south. Broadening the point, and as I

mentioned above, southern accents carry a mostly negative connotation.

Having a southern accent also carries the idea that the speaker is of a lower

intelligence, or is more barbaric than their northern counter parts. I will admit

that even I discriminate against southern accents. When I visit friends in

more rural parts of North Carolina, if someone has a very deep or thick

southern accent, its hard to resist the urge to think of them as lesser. This is

even more confusing considering that I have grown up in the south and have

a slight accent myself. It does a good job of highlighting how certain ideas

and stereotypes have been adopted to the mainstream, and how hard it is to

remove the stigma for even something as simple as a southern accent.

Often, newscasters or others looking to break into the professional world will

consult with a speech therapist to help them remove all traces of the accent.

In my opinion, I believe that politics, and political parties are very ingrained

into American identity. People have begun identifying themselves by their

own political parties, and using those ideals to discriminate and justify hate

against people who do not share them. The south is notoriously conservative,

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Walker Smith
800966792
UWRT 1102
Professor Kashtan
and has accumulated a very checkered and bloody history as it regards

discrimination. Now while conservatism certainly does not endorse

discrimination or racism, it does endorse ideas of nationalism. People will

twist these ideas in order to serve their own agenda, and discriminate

against people they think lesser of. A great example is from the recent

election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. This election, in my

opinion, really has divided the country. It has become republican vs.

democrat, and the politicians in charge have done nothing to dispel the

hostility. Take a look at any of the presidential debates, and you find that

very little time in spent on policy or problem solving. The majority of it was

spent with each candidate personally attacking each other and their

respective positions. These attacking campaigns have diffused to each

candidates fan base, to the point of trump supporters being attacked for

wearing hats, and white supremacists using Trump as a justification for their

way of life.

I think another big part of American identity is aggression and power, and

this is found in our combative communication and body language. Nowhere

is this clearer than on twitter. Many people use the platform to personally

attack others with differing opinions, or simply to start fights. Americans love

a good fight, and a simple google search returns millions of results proving

my point. I am guilty of having rather combative communication, both verbal

and nonverbal. Sometimes I am quick to anger, or am simply looking to pick

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Walker Smith
800966792
UWRT 1102
Professor Kashtan
a fight. Body language is a majority of communication, and in America we

are taught to be very aggressive with how we stand, hold our selves, and

argue.