An open letter to my many friends:

Recently I have been noticing an increasing social trend. People modifying their language to say "Frands.**" I have heard four people who are close to me say it in three days now. Maybe this has gone on to this level for a long time, and I haven't noticed it. If so I am sorry to all for my lack of attention.

To my brothers, sisters, and siblings, I have many friends who actually say "frands" because that is how they actually speak, so it hurts my heart any time you all use that term to be "funny." I love you all, but making fun of people's speech, even if with good intention, is not a productive way for us to conduct ourselves. Bring class and educational statuses into our language to try and be "hip" or "cool" is not okay. I love you all very much, but it hurts me when you do that. It feels as if you are making fun of my other friends. Friends who grew up in cash poor neighborhoods, where the communities had less access to educational privilege, and thus they naturally speak with dialects such as "frands." They do not do this because they aren't smart. Some of my friends who says "frands" naturally are some of the most intelligent people I know. So it hurts my heart to see my friends trying to imitate them as some kind of fun activity.

I bring this up, this discussion of class, language, and educational privilege, this privilege check, because I love you all. And because I love you all, it hurts me to see this happening. And it hurts me to see someones natural dialect be considered some version of entertainment or comedy.

Out of love I make this plea. Can my friends who do not use the term because it is a part of your actual dialect please end their use of the term "frands."

Much love, peace, and solidarity.



** "Frands" means "Friends."