Topical Issues In Language

Hi guys,
I'm back once again and today I'm asking and answering the question "Should slang be banned?" I mean, this question is a controversial one and poses a lot of questions in itself, but I will be talking through my opinions and reasons for in this blog post today.
 
To help me make my decision and get more opinions and ideas on the topic I watched, read and listened to the following:
 
http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-slang-be-banned-in-schools
 
This is a page I found on the internet while researching the topic. I thought it was interesting to read a few other people's opinions on the matter of banning slang. It was also interesting to note that some of these are school children in which the slang ban would be a current issue for them in school and it would be even more interesting to investigate what areas slang is more spoken in and what schools were/are affected.

http://eastnorfolklanguage.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/should-slang-be-banned.html
 
We watched a video in class of a 5-minute debate between Lindsay Johns and Michael Rosen about the exact topic of banning slang, both sides gave some compelling ideas onto the table and each had a comeback for every issue that came up. Lindsay Johns had the opinion that when someone speaks showing their educated, literate and polysyllabic language from the Oxford Dictionary, it's more powerful than slang. He continues his point telling Rosen that "99%" of people in power do not convey street slang. I can understand his way of thinking, when walking into an interview or meeting; work, education or general, it's never 'professional' to converse with abbreviations, monosyllabic and newly invented words, originating from the streets of London for example. If an employer had to choose between someone speaking average street slang and another candidate conversing with elongated, educated and elevated language as they had been taught to speak it through their schooling and upbringing, which one do you think the employer would choose?
 
However, against the slang ban is Michael Rosen who refers to powerful people for example David Cameron speaking a different type of slang; "Eaton Slang", in which he learnt from an extremely expensive and educational private school. By saying this, Rosen demonstrates that slang is just a cultural specification of language depending on what social group you are in, perhaps not to do with intellect and academia all of the time, just quick and easy language some feel more comfortable with. He also tells Johns that there is no evidence that slang prevents anyone from doing well, he says it would be more beneficial to study slang and to educate people on why not to use it and let them make their own decisions based on their intuition than to ban slang. People that speak the language of slang could be able to show that they are bi-dialectal meaning they would be able to switch from slang to formal when they feel like they needed to. I believe that giving people the choice of free speech is extremely important in democratic countries to avoid fights and discrimination between groups. Maybe slang decreases chances of getting the job in an interview but is there true evidence, facts and statistics to prove this? Maybe not.
 
In my opinion language should be free speech, how and when someone feels the need for it. However, there are exceptions, for example using taboo language around people who you don't often associate with isn't a great idea, especially young children. I don't feel like it's any one person's right to influence someone else's child into speaking slang unless the parents were happy with that as youth pick up language quickly.  Although, in an interview not using slang is extremely beneficial most of the time due to the interviewer being able to tell that you have come in, sat down, made an effort to look smart and think smart and provide the best display of your intelligence and education when conversing. By doing this, the speaker will be able to show that they can change their language to when they feel right, demonstrating a higher understanding of language in general instead of sticking with monotone words all of the time. Banning slang would be devastating on the educational systems too, for example the school that banned some slang terms from the classroom will most likely get the response of rebellion and children not enjoying school as much as they believe they are being constantly monitored for their language and being taught how to speak correctly.

In conclusion, as I have mentioned before many times, is the 'correct' way of language really the right way? Or just the way that someone has made to be the 'correct' way and everyone just followed them and their ideas? I don't think we should all conform to using the same type of language, and for that reason I don't think we should ban slang! From speaking, reading and writing we all are different. I think being different should be appreciated, admired and it lets the world think who stands out from the crowd and who follows. Yes, speaking slang is not great and does not show off education unlike sophisticated and elaborately exaggerated articulation would do in some situations but it does express ourselves. Yet I neither think that slang should be in conversation all of the time, there needs to be a balance of language.