Anyone else newly averse to southern accent

[Delarage]

and its proliferation in T.V. commercials....

Wal-Mart, Applebees, etc. I can't stand it anymore.

[jody]

1. If y’all don’t like a Southern accent, don’t listen!

:spank: :hi:

[InvisibleBallots]

42. damned southerners keep shoving their accent down my throat!

:eyes:

[jody]

54. I believe it's your ears not your throat that could be affected.

:hi:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. I've been that way since Shrub came on the scene

with his phony Texas accent. I have a good ear and can take on an accent when I want to. When I first moved south, I had taken on a Southern accent because, believe it or not, I was told in a job evalutaion that people didn't like my northern accent. After Shrub, I decided I had to be true to my legacy, and I went back to my Northern accent, which, ironically, used to be the standard Middle American accent that broadcasters learned.

[American Tragedy]

15. It was my understanding that actors and broadcasters in the old days

used that pretentious 'Mid-Atlantic' accent, which seemed to be an artificial combination of American and British speech. You'll notice it in a lot of old movies and radio broadcasts.

[Shopaholic]

35. I'm southern. I'm a Democrat. I have a southern accent. . .

please don't hate me because I do!

[American Tragedy]

36. So do I!

I'm the last person likely to hate you!

[norml]

3. I do imitations of them when they come on the radio.

I can't help.

[kentuck]

4. I wish I was from Brooklyn or New England where people don't have accents

Geesh!

[foo_bar]

5. vhat Brooklyn accent?

[Bucky]

24. We got a accent heah in Brewklynn? Fuggeddaboudit! Youse gots da accents!

Actually, what I'm starting to notice is that there's a distinct California accent (no, not Valley Girl or Surfer Dude accents). It's a bit throaty and a bit raspy, and real subtle. But I can usually spot a native Californian from a few sentences now.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[Delarage]

9. Ick.

Although I think this is a recent thing with me (post-Shrub's appointment). But now it seems to be on T.V. a lot and I immediately assume the people speaking are either redneck fundamentalists or are being used to equate southerners with good ol' family values.

[Name removed]

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[Dirty Hippie]

7. Well honey...

Ah jus caint help the way I tawk.

[Sirveri]

8. I like southern accents I think.

Makes me want to fuck them. Can't tell if I should tack over onto the end of that sentance or not.

[flygal]

10. What is with those walmart ads?

Those have never made me want to shop there. Now Target - those are dangerous to me. I love those ads!

[American Tragedy]

11. A thick New England accent tends to sound a bit grating to my ears

and I don't mean like John Kerry, whose accent is pretty subtle. I'm talking about like, really heavy Boston accents, or perhaps parts of Maine.

Incidentally, I don't mean to offend anybody in saying that. It's all subjective. I'm from the South, and I can definitely understand that our Northern friends might find pronunciations here rather unappealing.

[luaneryder]

12. No problem with the accent

but I'm southern. What I don't like are ads, with any accent, or obviously affected ones like that idiot from Crawford.

[tsuki]

17. Australians trying to speak with a southern accent put me off "Cold

Mountain." They sounded so phoney.

[ZRB]

45. As an Aussie I totally conquer.

[pop goes the weasel]

13. yeah

Those darn Mexicans and their south-of-the-border accents! Why, don't they know how ignorant they sound? And the audacity of commercial enterprises to try to appeal to them by featuring people speaking with their accents in radio and television advertisements!

OK, sarcasm aside, I was under the impression that people shouldn't parade their personal prejudices. Maybe I was wrong and should start complaining about the commercials and TV shows and movies that feature those annoying New Yawk accents and vapid Californian accents. Or maybe I should just realize that my personal preferences aren't everybody's personal preferences, and keep my yap shut.

(In case anyone is not sure, I like Mexican accents and appreciate their emergence in popular American media. I grew up in San Antonio, and have heard bigots complain about them just the way you are complaining about Southern accents. Really, you need to get over it; it reflects badly on you.)

[American Tragedy]

18. I didn't think Californians really had a distinctive accent.

I've never detected it in my Californian relatives. They just sound like standard Midwestern.

[Royal Observer]

20. People from California

speak softly. Those from Pennsylvania, shout.

[American Tragedy]

25. lol, actually Pennsylvanians do sound different to me

and it apparently goes both ways, since several of them remarked on how 'slowly' I talked.

[Bucky]

28. So, can we assume from most of the replies in this thread that

... regional chauvinism and divisive parochial prejudices don't go over too well in this forum? Cause I was about to start insulting Delawareans and Manitobans, but I don't want to get out of line, here.

[Jesus H. Christ]

31. People with accents are dumb.

Why is it that everybody who speaks English differently than me has an accent!?

[Piperay]

39. I'm a native Californian

I don't have an accent. ;-)

[Delarage]

48. Personal preferences

"Or maybe I should just realize that my personal preferences aren't everybody's personal preferences, and keep my yap shut."

Isn't that what this site is for? We dislike Bush, so we gather to share our dislike of Bush. I dislike Southern accents (probably because they remind me of Bush, or slavery, or whatever and also probably because they seem too prevalent in commercials on T.V.).

But helpful reminders of good people with Southern accents (Carter, some of y'all, etc.) have helped me moderate my views. I no longer "can't stand." Now I "am immediately suspicious, with slightly negative undertones." Call me a flip-flopper.

[pop goes the weasel]

55. disliking bush is not a personal preference

A personal preference is whether you like chocolate or vanilla--it is merely a matter of taste. I would hope that your dislike of bush is based on more than taste.

Because I am a native Texan, I know better than to associate bush's accent with a particular viewpoint. I know people with far more pronounced Texan accents (of all regions) than he can ever be coached into having who are ardent supporters of the Constitution and vitally concerned with the health and welfare of their fellow man.

I'm glad this thread is helping you unlearn your prejudice. I hope you will come to enjoy diversity in accents as deeply as you do the other variations among Americans that make the United States a vibrant nation.

[ernstbass]

14. I love a sweet soft smooth southern accent

[Bigmack]

19. Since LBJ...

"Mah fellow Ammurikans, Ah kum to yew tanite with a hevvah hort."

Ever hear a Southerner say: "Ahm heah to speek to y'all 'bout nucular fission."? Or "... that there Fibonacci progression."?

No... Well, you're not going to, either!

[lpbk2713]

22. Jimmy Carter was a nuclear sub skipper

and arguably one of the most intelligent presidents we have ever had. Ever heard him speak? He's one hell of a contrast to the shit-for-brains we have now.

[jody]

23. Carter was not a sub skipper, he was engineering officer on a nuclear sub

[Bucky]

26. I believe he reports he served on the nuculer subs,

I'm not sure of the difference

[jody]

32. A sub skipper is its captain, probably an 06, i.e. rank of Captain in

Carter's day. Carter was probably a 03 or Navy Lt. at that time.

Carter as were other officers was handpicked by Admiral Rickover and only the elite among Navy officers were selected.

[lpbk2713]

29. I stand corrected, Carter was not a skipper.

Link: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/ssn-23.htm

The point I wanted to make was that at one time or another the topic of "nuclear fission" would surely have come up in Jimmy Carter's life. Even moreso if as you say he was the Engineering Officer on a nuke boat.

[Royal Observer]

33. I believe you will find out

that he was a nuclear sub designer.

[Silverhair]

43. Carter was REJECTED for service on nuclear subs.

He never had anything to do with them, until as POTUS he was CIC. Nor was he ever a nuclear designer.

Sorry, but them's the facts.

[jody]

46. Carter served on two non-nuclear subs, SS-391 and USS K-1 (SSK-1)

The first nuclear sub, the NAUTILUS, was launched on January 21, 1954 but Carter was discharged four months earlier on 9 Oct 1953. Carter was not rejected for nuclear sub duty, in fact he was accepted for instruction to become an engineering officer for a nuclear power plant on a sub.

Jimmy Carter`s Naval Service

* 05 JUN 1946 - 8 AUG 1946 -- Commissioned Ensign, USN. Routine post-USNA graduation assignments- indoctrinational training with service type aircraft - leave and transit to first duty station.

* 8 AUG 1946 - 23 JUL 1947 -- Duty aboard USS Wyoming (E-AG17). Billets Held: Deck Division Officer, Radar Officer, CIC Officer Qualifications: OOD in Port, JOOD underway. Remarks: Detached from Wyoming at ship's decommissioning.

* 23 JUL 1947 - 14 JUN 1948 -- Duty aboard USS Mississippi (E-AG128). Billets Held: Training and Education Officer Qualifications: OOD underway and in port, CIC watch Officer Remarks: During this tour of duty, Carter was a candidate for a Rhodes Scholarship.

* 14 JUN 1948 - 17 DEC 1948 -- Duty under instruction at the Officer's course, USN Submarine School, Submarine Base, New London

* 17? DEC 1948 - 01 FEB 1951 -- Duty aboard USS Pomfret (SS-391) Billets Held: Communications Officer, Electronics Officer, Sonar Officer, Gunnery Officer, First Lieutenant, Electrical Officer, Supply Officer Qualifications: 4 Feb 1950 Qualified in Submarine

* 05 JUNE 1949 -- Promoted to Lieutenant (j.g.)

* 01 FEB 1951 - 10 NOV 1951 -- Duty with Shipbuilding and Naval Inspector of Ordnance, Groton, CT as prospective Engineering Officer of the USS K-1 during precommissioning fitting out of the submarine.

* 10 NOV 1951 - 16 OCT 1952 -- Duty aboard USS K-1(SSK-1) Billets Held: Executive Officer, Engineering Officer, Operations Officer, Gunnery Officer, Electronics Repair Officer Qualifications: Qualified for Command of Submarine Remarks: Submarine was new construction, first vessel of its class

* 01 JUNE 1952 -- Promoted to Lieutenant

* 16 OCT 1952 - 08 OCT 1953 -- Duty with US Atomic Energy Commission (Division of Reactor Development, Schenectady Operations Office) From 3 NOV 1952 to 1 MAR 1953 he served on temporary duty with Naval Reactors Branch, US Atomic Energy Commission, Washington, D.C. "assisting in the design and development of nuclear propulsion plants for naval vessels." From 1 MAR 1953 to 8 OCT 1953 he was under instruction to become an engineering officer for a nuclear power plant. He also assisted in setting up on-the-job training for the enlisted men being instructed in nuclear propulsion for the USS Seawolf (SSN575).

* 9 OCT 1953 -- Honorably discharged at Headquarters, 3rd Naval District. Discharge was at Carter's request. Total service: 7 years, 4 months, 8 days

* 10 OCT 1953 -- Appointed to US Naval Reserve and placed on inactive duty.

* 7 DEC 1961 -- Transferred to retired reserve with rank of Lieutenant at his own request, but without pay and allowances in accordance with Title X, U.S.C. section 1376 (a).

[ShaneGR]

21. I like southern accents...

Of course, I don't let my anger at Republicans translate into hatred for everyday people either.

[Solly Mack]

27. You're just too precious.

[Boosterman]

30. Not really very southern but I believe the phrase is

"kiss my grits"

j/k and happy holidays :)

[Boosterman]

34. I rarely let my southern accent creep in

because I think I sound like a hick. Girls can sound kinda sexy though if they get the drawl right.

[Greylyn58]

37. I Was Born In the South

and my accent is authentic, which is more than I can say for Shrub who puts on more southern or less depending on his mood.

Having said that, I dislike hearing fake southern accents from anyone...unless they are good at it. :)

Shrub's accent is a fake, much like everything else about him.

[Cuban_Liberal]

38. I haven't noticed any accent. Have any of y'all noticed any accent?

;)

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

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[ZombieNixon]

41. I hate phoney southern accents.

*coughcoughhrrmhmbushcoughhkkkcough* but I find girls with slight *real* southern accents incredibly sexy. If it's Bush who has put you off southerners, realize that he's a complete phoney trying to pass off as a good ol' boy. I lived in MD (an almost southern state) for the first ten years of my life, I've been out in NM for seven years, but I still have a slight, incredibly subtle hemi-dem-semi-quasi-southern-mid-atlantic edge in my voice.

[gorbal]

44. I guess I don't have that problem

Perhaps getting rid of TV helps. The last southern accent I heard was that of Buill Moyers on Democracy NOw today. Great piece on him by the way.

[Heimdallr]

47. Damn it! This is regional dialtecticism! Have you no shame, bigot? ;-)

Kidding. Nothing better than a southern accent, esp. when attached to an attractive woman in Levi's cut-offs and cowboy boots.

[neebob]

49. I hadn't noticed

and if I were you, I'd be asking myself why I have a problem with it. Would it bother you if a lot of TV commercials suddenly had people with, say, a New England accent? Minnesota? New York? Utah? What's the difference? Just about everyone from a state other than your own has some kind of accent or way of speaking that's different from what you're used to.

[Penguin31]

50. Been trying to lose mine for the last year or so...

...I'm a lot better at talking without it than I was...Still tends to come out when angry though.

[Carson]

51. "Southerners sing when they speak." --Mark Twain

I love my and other Southerner's accents. I can tell just by listening which part of the South one lives. My own state has different accents from region to region, and sometimes, county to county.

I personally find the bland, no-accent somewhat boring. I can't tell a Californian from an Arizonian.

I also love the idioms and analogies Southerners use to spice up their speech.

A close friend of mine from Seattle once remarked on how I tended to "de-accent" a bit when speaking to him. He told me that he found my accent to be very appealing ("sexy" was the word actually used) and not to change for him. Since then, I talk the way I talk, no matter the company.

[Bridget Burke]

52. More "region-bashing" from a poster from NOWHERE!

Oddly, you neglected to add your home state to your profile. Please enlighten us so we may realize in which state the English language is pronounced to perfection.

There are many Southern accents. Some, in fact, grate on my ears; others are quite pleasing. In fact, there's more than one Texas accent; Deep South can be heard in East Texas, but things change as you move West--or down along the Border. Bush Jr has always sounded like a half-bright frat boy to me; his fake "Texan-ness" comes & goes. (I've lived in Texas most of my life; my roots are elsewhere & I've been informed my accent is not overly-Texan.)

[DemBones DemBones]

53. Commercials are one of the places you still hear accents,

the news media have rooted them out. It's kind of sad that newscasters in Atlanta sound like just like newscasters in NYC. In fact, there are newscasters on NYC stations today who were on the air in Atlanta a few years ago! (With Direct TV I can watch local news from California, NYC, or Atlanta, though they all sound the same.)