How to speak MAN: Intro to the Language

     "Man" is much like any new language.  At the beginning, you get excited because you recognize certain words and you start paying attention to the context so you can learn more.  You pick up as much as you can about the language, though you aren't fully studying the culture...yet.  Maybe, you watch native television hoping to learn more...like...Sportscenter and Spike TV, and read in the language...like...articles in Men's Health or blogs written by men...You do what you can in the focus of getting fluent.

  
     With the intermediate level comes the first chance for frustration.  You're slightly versed in Man...you can tell time, have a basic conversation, and in dire situations, you may be able to communicate some simpler messages.  This is when the language becomes more work than play...when you realize its not as easy as you first suspected...and quite possibly, this is the level at which you start to hear basic Man-speakers and think to your self how stupid they sound.  You're getting somewhere...

     There are a few women who become fluent at speaking Man.  They can have full conversation with men and get their points across succinctly and can fully understand the nuances of man-speech.  Depending on the location of these woman, there is a good chance they have picked up on distinct dialects within Man-speech, such as the following:  Sports-Lover, Nigga, Street, Soft-Ass, Bitchass, and Dumbass. Men recognize these women and appreciate the dedication that she must have employed in which to respect the communication of their language.  Much like any culture, Men understand that to speak the language of their culture, is a sign that one is interested beyond a superficial glance, and usually treat fluent speakers with some level of high-esteem within the community.   At this point, you can read certain women's tweets and blogs, or hear their advice and go "This bitch has NO clue what the fuck she is talking about when it comes to men."  You may also be asked to translate for your less than clued-in homegirls...You get asked to give advice on men...but, there are still more complex situations on which you can't speak. 

     A more exclusive few are the Native Speakers.   Native speakers of Man not only know the nuances of the language and most of its dialects, they are very aware of the CULTURE of men.  Culture, in a basic understanding is "The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization, or group."  Learning the culture and being a native speaker is almost exclusively attained by nearly complete immersion within the group for an extended period of time.  Native speakers are not regarded with the need for much protection...men forget that these women are not Natives...and treat them with the same standards as them for knowing how to maneuver within the community of Man.  For example:  If you go to Tijuana, Mexico and sound exactly like you grew up there, members of the community will expect you to also know which streets you don't walk down and at what time, just like them.  You don't get sympathy for breaking rules BECAUSE "You should know better."  Same with women who speak Man like a Man.

Lewis Edward Boykin, Sr.  05/22/1941-11/03/2011

      I was raised by a good guy.  My father had his demons...but...when my mother (who my father brought to the US from his tour in Korea) couldn't take being with him anymore she left for Guam (where she was sold into slavery...but...that's more for my OTHER blog) with 3 kids.  I was only 3, my sister was 10, and my brother was 11...and he raised us as a single parent...but...my pops was INFAMOUS for his mack game...MAAAAAAAN...Pops had heauxs LITERALLY all over the world...married...single...rich...not rich...young as hell and not so young.  He enrolled me in Man Language 101 before I could even speak English...from listening to his phone conversations from HIS side only, to just...conversations period.  This is the man to whom I owe my ability to write this blog. Rest In Peace, Pops...