Some in-words are code phrases which directly assert or deny group membership. ''Carnies'' speak of someone being "with it" or not, i.e., part of the carnival performer community (used in [[Stranger in a Strange Land]]). Some are used only to assert membership. A typical usage among American blacks is to refer to fellow blacks as "brother" or "sister" but not to apply these terms to whites or other ethnic groups. | Some in-words are code phrases which directly assert or deny group membership. ''Carnies'' speak of someone being "with it" or not, i.e., part of the carnival performer community (used in [[Stranger in a Strange Land]]). Some are used only to assert membership. A typical usage among American blacks is to refer to fellow blacks as "brother" or "sister" but not to apply these terms to whites or other ethnic groups. |