Episode 40: Young Seattleites Say Code Switching Is A Tough Habit To Break

There’s no such thing as a normal you. Do you talk to your boss the same way you talk to your dog? Probably not. This is called code switching.

Inspired by NPR’s Code Switch, hosts Kadian Vanloo and Antonia Dorn share stories about why and how youth code switch:

• Tamil is the mother tongue for both Ananya Shankar and her cousin, RadioActive's Kamna Shastri. But when Ananya visits the United States for the first time, Kamna notices her cousin only speaks to her in English.
• RadioActive's Riley Guttman lives on Mercer Island where the African-American population is just over one percent. His black friend notices that when he walks in on a group of white friends, the conversation tends to change — and not how you might think.

Speaking of race, affirmative action was under scrutiny at the Supreme Court of the United States this week. It's been illegal in Washington state since 1998, but people still have opinions about it. RadioActive's Yafiet Bezabih asked Seattleites what they think.

Thanks to RadioActive's Ann Kane for coordinating this program.

RadioActive is KUOW's youth radio program, and all the stories here are produced by young people age 16-21. Listen to RadioActive stories, subscribe to the RadioActive podcast and stay in touch on Facebook.