"Who-Dey" Is Offensive?!

[BFritz21]

We've officially hit rock bottom. Now this writer, who happens to be white, is calling "Who-Dey" racist because of the "dey" is in Ebonics.

I've grown up all my life in Cincinnati and never tied it to Ebonics; in fact, in never even crossed my mind! If people were acting a certain way when they said it that would portray a certain way of living that was making fun of, or even copying, black people, then I might understand, but it's just our chant and is more of a cheerful song than anything. I don't know of anyone that has ever even considered it as something from the black culture.

Here's the article:

Quote:Who Dey! As recently pointed out by an Enquirer feature (“Who Dey?” Dec. 6), the phrase is an adjective, a noun, a pronoun, a verb, an adverb, and even a beer! What a lot of people don’t like to discuss, however, is that the phrase might also be just a little bit racist – a detail made even more burdensome given the context of our current culture wars (where even attempting to have such a conversation can lead to ideologically loaded accusations of “political correctness” gone awry).

To really get at the origins of Who Dey, one needs to think of the whole Who Dey chant, paying close attention to the other words: “Who dey think gonna beat dem Bengals?” Do you see what words I’m talking about? Maybe this becomes more obvious when we consider the nearly identical chant from the New Orleans Saints: “Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?”

Look for the d-words: “dey,” “dat,” “dem.” What are they doing in there? The words should actually be “they,” “that,” and “them” (though, admittedly, “Who They” doesn’t quite have the same appeal). Though I studied linguistics and African American literature in college, I’m pretty sure most of us need no background in either of those things to see the relationship here: dey, dat, and dem are versions of they, that, and them typically found in Black English, or Gullah, or Creole English, or Ebonics, or any number of English dialects tracing their roots back to African language. Our beloved chant imitates Black English.

The history is easier to trace in New Orleans, where the phrase “Who Dat” was a mainstay of minstrel shows since at least 1898. In fact, when the Saints won the Super Bowl in 2010, the New Yorker ran an article entitled “The Strange Case of Who Dat,” addressing the issue head-on, acknowledging the phrase’s history in minstrel shows while also concluding it’s not racist to say at football games. I’ll leave those kinds of conclusions for the reader to decide.

Even the Enquirer’s story seems subconsciously to dance around the edge of this issue - once again as demonstrated through interesting word choice – even if we (as collective Cincinnatians) are not ready to address the topic straight away. In her feature, reporter Carol Motsinger wrote that the phrase “would fit right into the pews of a church. It’s call-and-response.”

“Call-and-response,” for those who remember their history (especially their music history), comes from African culture and was brought to the New World during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. “Who Dey” does invoke a sense of call-and-response, and that’s because it is a phrase that approximates Black English, likely tracing it’s roots back to New Orleans and minstrel shows at the turn of the 20th century.

That minstrel shows were an embodiment of racism is obvious to everyone these days. But is it appropriate for a stadium filled with mostly white people (some of whom consume lots of alcohol and paint their bodies black and orange) to chant “Who Dey”? I’ll leave that for readers to consider. Whatever your conclusions, history is history, and we should remember it when we can – which is what disappoints me the most in The Enquirer’s recent feature on this piece of potentially troublesome Bengals trivia.

What a joke.

[Se ky bengal]

Just more PC crap. WHO DEY

[Bengalholic]

Quote:But is it appropriate for a stadium filled with mostly white people (some of whom consume lots of alcohol and paint their bodies black and orange) to chant “Who Dey”?

At the same time, he fails to mention that the majority of players who are chanting it in the locker room are African-American...a point which conveniently alluded him.  

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

People seem to be offended by everything nowadays...

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(12-08-2015, 08:07 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: At the same time, he fails to mention that the majority of players who are chanting it in the locker room are African-American...a point which conveniently alluded him.  

Spot on as usual.

[Devils Advocate]

French-Creole, Cokny Engish, Jamaican English and every stereotypical foreign accent all pronounce dem words da same.

That article is click bait and ignorant.

[treee]

I think the author whiffed on this one. If anything, it would be appropriating (which I would argue is an not inherently racist thing to do) black culture and even that particular argument falls short because our team is full of black people who embrace the saying.

[Joelist]

Dude needs to read his history. We were using "who dey" a.k.a "Hudey" before the Aints started using "who dat". One refers to (among other local goodies) beer and "who dat" is a term for their local minstrel shows and also a local high school cheer.

[Fresno B]

I personally wouldn't mind if we got rid of that god awful slogan.

[3wt]

(12-08-2015, 09:09 PM)Fresno B Wrote: I personally wouldn't mind if we got rid of that god awful slogan.

LOL, I never liked the chant...   but found myself shamelessly screaming it at the Rams game.

[Baby Hawk]

(12-08-2015, 09:09 PM)Fresno B Wrote: I personally wouldn't mind if we got rid of that god awful slogan.

I like the chant.  It is very positive to the point of being the essence of Homerism.  Which is legit as a team chant.  
 

[GreenCornBengal]

"Da" Bears.... ebonics I swear

Guy who wrote this is a turd.

[West Union KennyG]

All the people who say things like this and attack names like Redskins and Chiefs have a right to their opinions. Just as I have a right to call them morons for said opinions and ignore it.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(12-08-2015, 09:27 PM)West Union KennyG Wrote: All the people who say things like this and attack names like Redskins and Chiefs have a right to their opinions.  Just as I have a right to call them morons for said opinions and ignore it.

Very true Kenny.

[Fresno B]

(12-08-2015, 09:20 PM)Baby Hawk Wrote: I like the chant.  It is very positive to the point of being the essence of Homerism.  Which is legit as a team chant.  
 

It sounds 1980ish to me. I think we need something more catchy and up to date. Those ebonics are offensive to some people. Who invented this and why?

[*PhilHos*]

(12-08-2015, 07:55 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: We've officially hit rock bottom.  Now this writer, who happens to be white, is calling "Who-Dey" racist because of the "dey" is in Ebonics.

I've grown up all my life in Cincinnati and never tied it to Ebonics; in fact, in never even crossed my mind!  If people were acting a certain way when they said it that would portray a certain way of living that was making fun of, or even copying, black people, then I might understand, but it's just our chant and is more of a cheerful song than anything.  I don't know of anyone that has ever even considered it as something from the black culture.

Here's the article:


What a joke.

The author misses on the most important point: it's racist/offensive if it's derogatory towards someone because of their race. How does "Who Dey" belittle blacks or whatever ethnicity? It's not making fun of anyone, it's not belittling an ethnicity's ability to speak, it's not putting down anything.

Who Dey is about as racist as all the white characters are in The Waterboy.

Without looking, I bet you anything the author of this article is white.

[JADefense]

(12-08-2015, 09:30 PM)Fresno B Wrote: It sounds 1980ish to me. I think we need something more catchy and up to date. Those ebonics are offensive to some people. Who invented this and why?

What????

Seriously, what???????

[Baby Hawk]

(12-08-2015, 09:30 PM)Fresno B Wrote: It sounds 1980ish to me. I think we need something more catchy and up to date. Those ebonics are offensive to some people. Who invented this and why?

It is offensive when someone mocks someone else's speech.  I have never heard anybody use the WhoDey chant in that way. 

BTW, I liked the 80's.

[BengalChris]

(12-08-2015, 07:55 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: We've officially hit rock bottom.  Now this writer, who happens to be white, is calling "Who-Dey" racist because of the "dey" is in Ebonics.

I've grown up all my life in Cincinnati and never tied it to Ebonics; in fact, in never even crossed my mind!  If people were acting a certain way when they said it that would portray a certain way of living that was making fun of, or even copying, black people, then I might understand, but it's just our chant and is more of a cheerful song than anything.  I don't know of anyone that has ever even considered it as something from the black culture.

Here's the article:


What a joke.

I generally find that those who claim that so-and-so or such-and-such is racist are the real racists in our society. Just ignore them. It's an error to give them any credibility.

[StoneTheCrow]

Where am I going, and why am I in this hand basket?