2 things I need 2 watch 4 the rest of my life: my weight and my classism

A reminder (as if anyone needed one) that we in the profession always need to keep on top of our class biases and prejudices: Spungen at bobvis patiently explains to us why American working-class speech, or as Spungen labels it, Prole Twang, is so shameful and grating that even your own indigent clients can't bear to hear it. Spungen also helpfully tells us what our clients want. Hint: it's a mistake to relate to them.

Instead of saying a few foul words here, I will send out a salute to my own public defender and legal services colleagues who grew up prole and proud (Chuck in Ohio, this includes you!), and make some recommendations for further reading: "On Being Poor" by John Scalzi, and Joe Bageant's "Let's Dump Prepackaged Class Identities." Yes, let's.