Popular Twitch variety streamer Pokimane has apologized to fans for using AAVE in what appeared to be a mocking way. She reached out to fans on Twitter today at around 4am in a very late-night tweet.
AAVE, or African American Vernacular English, is a term widely used for the African American dialect widely spoken by people of color in the United States. It has a long history of being usurped by other cultures, usually in a way that mocks the culture or its original intent. And in Pokimane's Twitch stream from yesterday, she "overused" AAVE to the point that some of her Black fans thought she was mocking them.
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In the early morning Tweet, Pokimane, who is one of Twitch's top female streamers, said she wanted to "apologize if I overused aave in my twitch title today," and that the variety streamer did not mean the title in a "mocking way whatsoever." This came after the streamer's live title was "on God frfr? It’s bussin bussin in here" and included two 100 emojis and two fire emojis. Pokimane stated in her Tweets that she wasn't aware that these commonly used slang terms were AAVE, and that she in no way intended to mock the African American community with her use of the dialect.
While some fans came back with support, others chose to mock the streamer for being too "woke." Some fans insisted that the streamer needed to "do better" while others insisted that they were going to downgrade their subscription to the streamer for the apology. Others thanked her for being aware that that seemingly "mocking" title was hurtful to some, and for taking the time out of her day to give a sincere apology was a good thing. As usual, social media was almost completely split on whether the apology was necessary or not, as they have been with other Twitch controversies, even including the recent change to Twitch ToS that banned blackface and other hurtful images.
Whether or not fans agree with the apology, it's hard to deny that the use of AAVE is seen differently depending on who is using it. While Pokimane's Twitch title might seem "trendy" or "cute" because the slang has recently come into frequent use on social media, it is regularly mocked by non-Blacks when used by folks of color. Not to mention that Black Americans who use AAVE in their day-to-day speech have been mocked for being "uneducated" for the way they speak. Regardless of whether Pokimane intended to mock the language or was just copying words she'd seen others use, AAVE is an important part of modern African Americans' lives, and her apology was in good form.
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Source: Dexerto
