Jordan’s criticism of the following sentence reflects how it is intended. Meaning, even though it is worded one way, it means something completely other when. Words have a significant impact on meaning and how it is communicated. “Standard (white) English,” as discussed in the text, is forceful and political. Such things can be conveyed in one way, but the underlying meaning is obscured. The Vietnam War is brought up as an example of the US being selfless. When it wasn’t exactly like that, it meant placing their needs and best interests ahead of our own. In the United States, which is where word play comes in, they were not being selfless; in reality, they were assisting in the process.
I believe she means that the real issue isn’t whether black or white English people are more powerful in America. She claims that all of the white people in power in the country speak the same standard white English. White English is regarded as “standard,” whereas black English is regarded as “broken” or “not real English.” I’m not sure why there’s a distinction made between white and black English when white individuals aren’t deemed to be speaking appropriate English while conversing with a British person. In America, black people are seen as second-class citizens whereas white people are regarded as the most important. All of this, I feel, boils down to money. You only have a limited amount of time.