A very thoughtful response Jim, and I love your use of "nay"!
 
 
> My students, at a two-year commuter regional campus of a major state
> university, want and overtly ask for such a coherent presentation.   We
> often discuss, and they indeed recognize and understand, that their personal
> language use is acceptable (and "correct") for them at home, among their
> friends and family.  But they also know that such language use, particularly
> if they come from a home or environment that values and carries on rich
> ethnic and racial traditions, won't help them pay the rent as effectively as
> other language uses.  They want to learn the language of the group Terry
> refers to as the "ruling class."  I work to help them learn it and use it
> effectively.
>
> I suppose we could work with them to subtly overthrow the "ruling class,"
> but what would take its place?  Certainly another ruling class.  One need
> only look at the many political experiments with Marxism and Communism in
> this century alone to see that the classes that do the replacing are often,
> nay usually, more oppressive than the ones they replaced.
 
. . .
 
 
> What is our job?  Is it, as Johanna says, to make good citizens?  If so,
> those citizens should learn to understand the workings of our country and
> its many different peoples, all of whom strive to be one people.  Sooner or
> later, in that striving, there needs to be some sort of agreed upon standard
> that is used for common practices of "doing business."
>
 
> Jim Dubinsky
> Visiting Instructor
> Miami University
> [log in to unmask]
> http://miavx1.muohio.edu/~jdubinsky
> H:  (513) 887-6719/ W: (513) 785-3142
>