26th February 2007, 6:52 PM
Ryan Wrote:One instance is as such: My normal accent is that found in the northeast Pennsylvania area, sharp and harsh though not quite New York or Jersey. I have enough voice control and experience that I can use a convincing southern accent. I've found that some people are much less friendly when I speak normally than when I fake the southern thing, sometimes the very same people.
People here are much, much more openly racist. I've never heard the word 'nigger' used so openly and so freely in public as I have here. Ironically, the few black people that I have come into contact with here are considerably more friendly than those in Richmond.
I've also noticed, especially on the job, that people here seem much more inclined to argue, insult, and act generally rude towards me. Considering my job, a certain level of that is expected, but the frequency has been much greater here.
Wow, open racism? Where are you again? I'd expect that in Georgia from the stories I've heard (anecdote is the plural of data! :D), but wow... Certainly I haven't seen issues with that here. How "southern" an accent do you need to fake? Do they talk in the sort of drawl that drops half the words and mushes the rest into two syllables, like "Melpya?" for "May I help you?". Do you often find yourself having to ask them to repeat themselves or rephrase what they just said, much to their annoyance? Not quite boston eh? That's also an accent that seems to destroy whatever unfortunate word it comes across. Though, I will add that the "in your face" attitude that at least a few of those with that accent has always rubbed me the wrong way, as in very rude. The sort of thing where they ask a question in a very demanding tone and then start asking you why you haven't answered in the 5 milliseconds they actually gave you to speak.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)