Who is Taylor Mali?

[michcapish]

Thank you bodiddley for drawing my attention to this New York-based school teacher-cum-performance poet. See http://www.livepoets.com/Poet.aspx?id=45.

As linked by bodiddley, this is the poem:

Totally like whatever, you know?In case you hadn't noticed

Comments

[rancor4real]

I've been preaching this for years and to those with whom I've discussed it, the only declarative sentence I've heard is, "You think you know everything!"

[michcapish]

"You think you know everything!" is a lame cop-out.

I really like this poem, specially the bit on:

it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.

[blackestsheep]

i tried to get him to speak at the afterschool program i worked with in detroit... i wanted the kids to see that stereo types are BS... we couldn't get the timing together... i got much respect for this dude...

[michcapish]

shame.

but yeah, i've not heard of him before. but googled him and found out more. :) i just loved this poem. simple, funny and has a clear message.

[bf9k]

There's actually a term for that annoying raising of the voice at the end of sentences. It's called "up-speak."

Like, you know?

[michcapish]

us aussies do that even without the 'you know'.

so a statement like:

"I'm going to a party tonight with Ed and Jo."

becomes

"I'm going to a party tonight with Ed and Jo???"

i only became aware of this when someone pointed it out to me???

[bf9k]

We Kanos do it without the you-know too?

I just added the "you-know", because the other sentence was a bit long to add a question mark at the end, and have it make sense?

It doesn't seem to work so well with long sentences?

Of course, it sounds silly all the time?

[pink_idiocy]

ay ako talagang prangka ako. walang "you know." hehe.

in the book " the element of style," and sabi walain na raw yung "i think" (and the like) because it weakens the sentence:

weak: I think you are pretty.

strong: You are pretty.

Di ba?