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Most newscasters have a very bland neutral accent, no flavor to their voice at all. It's like listening to the automated voice on my answering machine.
I feel badly ragging on the South because I know that all the large cities are so much different than the Bible-belt mentality. Houston\ San Antonio\ Austin\ Dallas\ New Orleans\ Atlanta\ Miami\ Charlotte etc are Democratic in large numbers. But the old South isn't pretty & why Americans continue to ridicule ignorance.
I feel badly ragging on the South because I know that all the large cities are so much different than the Bible-belt mentality. Houston\ San Antonio\ Austin\ Dallas\ New Orleans\ Atlanta\ Miami\ Charlotte etc are Democratic in large numbers. But the old South isn't pretty & why Americans continue to ridicule ignorance.
Rural California isn't any better than the "old South"...keep that in mind as you're ragging on the South.
I feel badly ragging on the South because I know that all the large cities are so much different than the Bible-belt mentality. Houston\ San Antonio\ Austin\ Dallas\ New Orleans\ Atlanta\ Miami\ Charlotte etc are Democratic in large numbers. But the old South isn't pretty & why Americans continue to ridicule ignorance.
Just because someone is from the rural South doesn't make them old south or ignorant. I was born and raised in rural Mississippi, and believe in equality regardless of race or religion, and my views are more Libertarian in nature. I don't judge people or make fun of people who are different, because I realize there are many different people and cultures in the world. If more people felt this way, maybe this thread wouldn't exist.
Racism and intolerance exist everywhere, but don't judge an entire region or group of people based on a few.
Just because someone is from the rural South doesn't make them old south or ignorant. I was born and raised in rural Mississippi, and believe in equality regardless of race or religion, and my views are more Libertarian in nature. I don't judge people or make fun of people who are different, because I realize there are many different people and cultures in the world. If more people felt this way, maybe this thread wouldn't exist.
Racism and intolerance exist everywhere, but don't judge an entire region or group of people based on a few.
jhadorn, I have had a fair ammount of experiences with california sur (look at my confederate flag thread) he won't change his opinion. He thinks the rural south is hell on earth and he wants to vandalize monuments, when it comes to cities I'm pretty sure he is wrong on places like New Orleans.
And I'm with you JH, racism exists everywhere but you can't pigeonhole a whole region of the U.S. for it.
We aren't in agreement...when I stated "accents are usually not noticable in the media" I was talking about any accents - not just southern ones. I don't see any noticable accents being common in national media.
I would have to watch a few hours of ESPN to come up with names...I won't do that just to prove you wrong. By the way, I'm not talking about the stereotypical heavy-country-southern accent, but about a normal southern accent. There's a big difference.
But, northern accents are noticed by myself and many others. ESPN has tons of people with northern accents and none with southern accents. Northeast, midwest and nuetral are common, southern is not.
For example, ESPN of course hires southern people, but they don't have southern accents. The perfect example of this off of my head is Eric Andrews and Lee Corso. Both are from Florida, but don't have any trace of a southern accent IMO.
But, northern accents are noticed by myself and many others. ESPN has tons of people with northern accents and none with southern accents. Northeast, midwest and nuetral are common, southern is not.
For example, ESPN of course hires southern people, but they don't have southern accents. The perfect example of this off of my head is Eric Andrews and Lee Corso. Both are from Florida, but don't have any trace of a southern accent IMO.
I am in the process of doing a bit of independent research on just why a "Southern accent" (which by and large broadly encompasses that spoken from Virginia to Texas) is perceived as being "backward"...
Of course, to backtrack, I can't claim this to be original research, as it has been a subject/topic for quite a while. It is a phenomenon that -- as a distant cousin of mine in Mississippi by way of Alabama -- once summarized by saying once she opens her mouth around northerners, that her "percieved IQ plummet 20 points!" LOL
First time I went up North with my ex...ther kin (great people, by the way) would actually ASK me to "say something". They thought my accent was "cute" and "neat". I felt like a freak on display..yet strangely enough, would conciously "thicken" my Texas twang just to play the role! Go figure! LOL
*AHEM*
Anyway, I remember when being part of the journalism program when I was in college, I had a lot of contact with those who majored in "Mass Communications." One of the required courses was "Voice and Diction". It was never said in so many words, but the idea was that if one wanted to enter the field of broadcast media/journalism, then a "Southern accent" is a big hinderance. Thus, the point of the class was to dilute it...
The prof of the class was a native Texan who I got to be good friends with. We went out and had a few beers one afternoon and I brought up the subject. His reply went along the lines of "if you want to be a good used car salesman in Texas or Alabama or Tennessee, then a native accent will be an asset. If you want to be a radio or TV personality outside the South and want to be taken seriously? Then you better lose it. I don't like it any more than you do...but it is concrete fact..."
Thankfully, I don't have a desire to be a broadcast journalist. Therefore, I will -- in the words of the famous Alabama song -- speak my SOUTHERN English just as natural as a I please
I really don't think most of my fellow Southerners care what people in other parts of the country think. Do people in the northeast care what Southerners think about them? I doubt it. Why worry about crap like that?
I feel badly ragging on the South because I know that all the large cities are so much different than the Bible-belt mentality. Houston\ San Antonio\ Austin\ Dallas\ New Orleans\ Atlanta\ Miami\ Charlotte etc are Democratic in large numbers. But the old South isn't pretty & why Americans continue to ridicule ignorance.
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I feel badly ragging on the South because I know that all the large cities are so much different than the Bible-belt mentality. Houston\ San Antonio\ Austin\ Dallas\ New Orleans\ Atlanta\ Miami\ Charlotte etc are Democratic in large numbers.
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And? As if there is something wrong with the Bible-Belt mentality? By the way, I'm a socially conservative Democrat and I find your post very elitist in tenor.
Oh right, all liberals are the most progressive folks on the planet. I think not...some of the most intolerant folks I've ever met are extremist Dems.
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I think not...some of the most intolerant folks I've ever met are extremist Dems.
