When I’m interviewing professional candidates for organization-critical, high-visibility positions, I expect those interactions to be dynamic and of the highest caliber (and that includes articulation and enunciation). Why, then, am I no longer surprised when an applicant I can tell to be black (by name, alma mater, associations listed on the résumé, or–believe it or not–voice/use-of-voice) says the dreaded “aks” instead of “ask”? Or “wiff” instead of “with”?
This sort of thing is a real pet peeve of mine, no matter who does it. The White Guy implies that he thinks the question may be minstrelsy, but he gives it a straight answer anyway. No matter the source, it’s a good point – if you want to be taken seriously, you’d better communicate well.
