Why do people hate the Southern accents? (hospital, compare)

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by happ

Sadly, I think the "southern accent" is connected to people many Americans consider to be unintelligent and racist. People like President Bush give the "southern" accent a bad name & when a person speaks with a southern accent others view him/her as dumb. This, of-course, is not true. Personally I love listening to a Southern woman but find that a man with a "Texas" accent very unappealing.

I think most people can tell the difference in a southern accent coming from a well-rounded, intelligent individual as opposed to one coming from an uneducated racist.

[BudinAk]

Originally Posted by blueva

Notice I said "accents" - because theres not just one but Lord knows how many..

I mean, really. They arent THAT bad. Compare them to NY, NJ, or a nasal Chicago twang (aka Shrilary Clinton) then they sound almost musical!

Whats wrong with haveing a very soft Southern drawl? It can actually soften the harshest of English words


I heard a story once- Im not sure where from. This man HATED Southerners and Southern accents. He was having chest pains and called 911, when a woman with a very calming Southern voice answered the phone. She talked him through things and he got the hospital. He later said the sweet sound of her Southern voice kept him calm and collected- he TOTALLY changed his mind about the Southern accents.

I wasn't aware that anybody hated southern accents...I kinda like them myself. In fact, I up and married a southerner...gal from Florida....

Bud

[senoritacharlene]

Originally Posted by happ

Sadly, I think the "southern accent" is connected to people many Americans consider to be unintelligent and racist. People like President Bush give the "southern" accent a bad name & when a person speaks with a southern accent others view him/her as dumb. This, of-course, is not true. Personally I love listening to a Southern woman but find that a man with a "Texas" accent very unappealing.

I LOVE men with a Texan accent!

[NCN]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

I know, I lived in TN.

Im sorry, but I just dont find the southern accent attractive on women, no matter if theyre from backwoods Alabama or "my-crap-dont-stink" Savannah, I just dont like it. My opinion.

Give me an English accent on a woman anyday!

You just showed your ignorance. An expert on Southern accents once said that in the mountains of North Carolina he had run into pure Shakespearean English. The same thing is true on the Outer Banks. The areas were so isolated that they kept their English accent. The Southern accent you are talking about not liking is probably Scotch Irish mixed with English.

[X-Greensboro Resident]

I really like a Southern accent. My favorite is the accent from the Carolinas. Southern accents are very sincere sounding and cool in my opinion. My Mrs. is from NC and has an awesome Southern accent!!

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by blueva

Notice I said "accents" - because theres not just one but Lord knows how many..

I mean, really. They arent THAT bad. Compare them to NY, NJ, or a nasal Chicago twang (aka Shrilary Clinton) then they sound almost musical!

Whats wrong with haveing a very soft Southern drawl?

People don't like what they're not used to hearing. Tell me the last TV (meaning they are in your home at least once a week) show drama (not sitcoms where they make fun of people and exaggerate accents) you've watched where the regular characters had, for example, southern accents. Now compare that to a NY accent. The Law and Order shows alone have that base covered.

When I moved to Maryland from NY, I couldn't get over the accents of the people from the Baltimore area. Plus, they speak faster than NYers. But I got used to it after a year of hearing it regularly. When I moved from MD to Tennessee, I had trouble understanding what people were saying on some of the local TV commercials but after a year of hearing it, I got used to it.

Now, for example, how many people from the northeast have moved south vs how many people from the South have moved North? People who live up north are just not used to hearing Southerners -- not in their towns, not on TV.

[Geography Freak]

Originally Posted by LauraC

People don't like what they're not used to hearing. Tell me the last TV (meaning they are in your home at least once a week) show drama (not sitcoms where they make fun of people and exaggerate accents) you've watched where the regular characters had, for example, southern accents. Now compare that to a NY accent. The Law and Order shows alone have that base covered.

Funny you should mention that - I was thinking the same recently. I'm drifting off-topic here but how many TV series can you name that were set in the South (only Miami, which is not really "Southern" anyway). Only the Dukes of Hazzard, and that was a cliche fest anyway. The only films set in the South present it as a foreign country, whether it's a hell populated by redneck mutants (Deliverance), some sort of rural Arcadia (Green Fried Tomatos), or some corrupt swamp populated by polite yet duplicitous lawyers in white suits (pretty much any legal thriller set in the South, especially in New Orleans), but you never see a medical drama or cop show or teenage sitcom set in the South, something with normal people doing their job and living a normal life. That only goes to re-inforce Southern stereotypes. I guess the fact that the entertainment industry is based in California and NYC has something to do with this.

[R_fluty41230]

im not trying to be rude ,but what is the difference between the 2 i really dont have a clue????

[EastSideMKE]

People hate Southern accents because the speakers sound very uneducated. It's hard to take somebody seriously when they talk like Forrest Gump.

[ToughLuv]

My accent it the best, because its almost non-existent..it's possibly Southern-Lite..but you would have to really hear me talk alot to catch..If it wasnt for my ex-gf from New Jersey..I wouldnt have even known..