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John McWhorter

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Educator

The Resume

    (October 6, 1965- )
    Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Birth name is John Hamilton McWhorter V
    American Linguist
    Specializes in creole languages, sociolects, and Black English
    Professor of linguistics at Columbia University
    Author of 'Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America (2000),' 'The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language (2002),' 'Defining Creole (2005),' 'Language Interrupted: Signs of Non-Native Acquisition in Standard Language Grammars (2007),' 'Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English (2008),' 'Linguistic Simplicity and Complexity: Why Do Languages Undress? (2011),' ': The Language Hoax: Why the World Looks the Same in Any Language (2014),' and 'Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America (2021)'
    Contributor for The Atlantic and New York Times

Why he might be annoying:

    He sometimes comes off as condescending (he speaks very slowly).
    He tends to take knee-jerk positions that align with the Right, but insists he's not a conservative.
    He makes the confusing argument that anti-racism is as harmful as racism itself.
    He said on NPR that the word 'Thug' was becoming code for the 'N-word' but excused President Obama and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake using the word in the same interview.
    He got into it with Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin on The View over his previously characterizing America as a 'post racial society' (November 30, 2021).
    He said: 'I have loved dinosaurs since I was a child. There’s nothing Black about that.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He is brutally honest.
    He is fluent in three languages.
    He defies political categorization.
    He was bullied for being studious as a kid.
    He has made the argument that affirmative action should be based on class rather than race.
    His understanding of linguistics makes for fascinating talks.
    He read Jussie Smollett for filth on Don Lemon's CNN show.
    He criticized Robin DiAngelo and her book 'White Fragility,' arguing that it 'openly infantilized Black people' and 'simply dehumanized us.'
    He defended Dave Chappelle when he faced backlash from the LGBT community over his Netflix comedy special.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying