What are peoples views/stereotypes of people from MA? (Boston: universities, restaurants)

[ryanms3030]

Spent 29 years in and around Boston and been in Los Angeles for 10 years. The constant stereotype I get is rude, sarcastic and racist. Not necessarily about me but that's the general opinion I hear about people from MA

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by theh

I get the accent thing ALL THE TIME as well in California. I even grew up in eastern Mass and don't have an accent. I just tell them "I got lucky". And for some reason everyone here has some bizarre belief that Massachusetts is the tundra year-round. Before I moved, I was in California near the end of APRIL last year trying to find a place to live and soooo many people decided I must be enjoying the California warmth. It was actually warmer in Massachusetts than California the entire time I was there.

Another major stereotype is Sox fans. I always get asked if I'm a Sox fan. I really don't care about the Sox, however, I admit to being a terrible New Englander.

I'm among those who whine about the lack of Dunkin's, but I knew a few Californian transplants back home and they all used to complain constantly about the lack of In-N-Outs, so I suppose it's fair.

I tell people I don't have a Boston accent because I was properly educated

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by ryanms3030

I tell people I don't have a Boston accent because I was properly educated

I'm from the part of Massachusetts where everyone talks like celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. I wasn't allowed to have the local accent. I speak "newscaster". I'm in high tech and do tons of business travel. If I'm in some corporate conference room and the "where are you from" thing comes up, I ask people to guess. I usually get California or Seattle. People pretty much never get Massachusetts and would certainly never guess "Southcoast". My mom grew up with a Pennsylvania Dutch accent that is a German/English dialect. She went to Penn and the preppie girls teased her about it so she bought English language records and broke her accent. I had that drilled into me from a very young age. You don't speak the local accent.

I do have vocabulary words that give it away. If I know I'm speaking to a local, I'll use "bubbler" for water fountain, "rotary" for traffic circle, "bang a u-ie" for making a U turn, I buy alcohol at "the Packie", and a long list of other things. If I'm talking to someone from elsewhere in the country, I don't use those words and phrases.

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

I'm from the part of Massachusetts where everyone talks like celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. I wasn't allowed to have the local accent. I speak "newscaster". I'm in high tech and do tons of business travel. If I'm in some corporate conference room and the "where are you from" thing comes up, I ask people to guess. I usually get California or Seattle. People pretty much never get Massachusetts and would certainly never guess "Southcoast". My mom grew up with a Pennsylvania Dutch accent that is a German/English dialect. She went to Penn and the preppie girls teased her about it so she bought English language records and broke her accent. I had that drilled into me from a very young age. You don't speak the local accent.

I do have vocabulary words that give it away. If I know I'm speaking to a local, I'll use "bubbler" for water fountain, "rotary" for traffic circle, "bang a u-ie" for making a U turn, I buy alcohol at "the Packie", and a long list of other things. If I'm talking to someone from elsewhere in the country, I don't use those words and phrases.

I half joke about educated part but I do mostly associate the stereotypical Boston accent with white trash. I grew up in Framingham and I don't know a single person that has a strong Boston accent. But I have family in Billerica and Westford who definitely have noticeable accents

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by ryanms3030

I half joke about educated part but I do mostly associate the stereotypical Boston accent with white trash. I grew up in Framingham and I don't know a single person that has a strong Boston accent. But I have family in Billerica and Westford who definitely have noticeable accents

WESTFORD? if that's a white trash town, then you must really not think highly of Massachusetts. Maybe the rest of Greater Lowell, but not Westford.

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

WESTFORD? if that's a white trash town, then you must really not think highly of Massachusetts. Maybe the rest of Greater Lowell, but not Westford.

I meant that it is a nice town and I'm confused why my cousins that grew up there have strong Boston accents.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

WESTFORD? if that's a white trash town, then you must really not think highly of Massachusetts. Maybe the rest of Greater Lowell, but not Westford.

There are still plenty of townies in Westford. It will take at least another 20 years before they are gone.

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by robr2

There are still plenty of townies in Westford. It will take at least another 20 years before they are gone.

my family has been there for 30+ years. Maybe they are townies...hmm

[massnative71]

Pretty pathetic that one would feel the need to "hide" their accent. I always thought it was one of the things that made this country great, with all the local variations. Personally I don't have much of one, but I certainly don't go out of my way to "lose it" (what is there). To equate a certain accent with "white trash" is ignorant and foolish, and downright false as well. I see now where the real problem in education today is. Just sad...

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Pretty pathetic that one would feel the need to "hide" their accent. I always thought it was one of the things that made this country great, with all the local variations. Personally I don't have much of one, but I certainly don't go out of my way to "lose it" (what is there). To equate a certain accent with "white trash" is ignorant and foolish, and downright false as well. I see now where the real problem in education today is. Just sad...

I don't have to hide the accent because I don't have it. I grew up and spent 29 years in Eastern MA and nobody outside of New England would ever guess that by the way I talk. So the point is why do some people have an obnoxious accent and others don't when they grow up and learn the English language in the same place?