“’Do you’ certainly sallies forth from black vernacular, even if the nature of its mundane parts makes its origin Google-­proof”

“Do you” certainly sallies forth from black vernacular, even if the nature of its mundane parts makes its origin Google-­proof. The phrase is affection conferred by another person: a “+1,” wrapped inside a fav, tucked inside a like. “Game recognizes game” reflects love of oneself, a kiss upon a mirror. It fixes the observed in his or her place while flattering the speaker: “I’m calling you out for possessing a particular set of skills” (in lovemaking, basketball or macramé), for I, too, am blessed with those very same skills. It takes one to know one.

Colson Whitehead, “Note to Self”, The New York Times Magazine (5 April 2015), 14-15.