You know how most of the actors in old movies speak with a weird accent? The “mid-Atlantic” accent of the early 20th century was an attempt to create an Anglo-American version of the theatre’s “Received Pronunciation” of British English. That contrived dialect gave actors and actresses a common upper-crust way of speaking in movies that largely kept them from having to try to mimic real accents. The trouble is that the "mid-Atlantic" dialect didn't prevent bad accents in movies.
Bad accents in movies or television shows can be distracting. Years ago, I wrote about how Hollywood gets lazy when it comes to Southern accents. It’s a sore spot for me as well as for plenty of other Southerners. But what might be worse is when Democrats co-opt bad Southern accents to pander to voters.
On Tuesday, Kamala Harris went to Atlanta for a rally. After a performance by Megan Thee Stallion (which is probably enough reason not to vote for Kamala), Harris gave a speech. In one clip, she feigned one of the worst Southern accents imaginable. Collin Rugg transcribed the statement on X as, "You all helped us in 2020, and we gon' do it again in twenty twenty fouah." But hearing is believing:
JUST IN: VP Kamala Harris unveils her new southern accent in Atlanta, Georgia.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 30, 2024
"You all helped us in 2020, and we gon' do it again in twenty twenty fouah."
Harris also bragged about her track record on illegal immigration.
"I will proudly put my record against his any day of… pic.twitter.com/pe4yeQlNvJ
Granted, this was an audience that was going to lap up everything Harris said with rapturous applause, but why did she think it was necessary to cop an accent that was so bad that it would lose her auditions in Hollywood? It’s the most condescending thing a Democrat can do to turn on the bad accent to try to curry favor with Southerners.
Flashback: Hollywood's Terrible Southern Accent Syndrome
Kamala isn’t the first Democrat to go this route, and I’m sure she won’t be the last. We’ll never forget Hillary Clinton and how she not only went fake Southern but threw a fake black patois into one appearance in Selma, Ala., on the campaign trail in 2007.
Clinton quoted the spiritual “I Don’t Feel Noways Tired,” which was fine on its own. But she twanged it up unconvincingly, which is weird since one would think she heard plenty of genuine Southerners speak when she was first lady of Arkansas.
Hillary adopted a fake Southern drawl again when she ran in 2016. She’s not the only Democrat to try to sound black, either. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) faced criticism for using a “blaccent” when speaking to black voters. Barack Obama has tried fake Southern accents and exaggerated black accents throughout his career.
On the other hand, when genuine Southerners who happen to be conservative speak, the left accuses them of using fake accents. Members of the media have attacked Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) for faking their accents, just to name two examples.
Why do Democrats think they have to condescend to Southerners like they do? It's hard to imagine anyone saying, "She talks like me for 30 seconds. I should vote for her" — other than Democrat voters who have already made up their minds.
Take it from a Southerner: these fake, pandering accents that Democrats use to score cheap political points are deeply offensive. If you can't get people to vote for you based on the merits of your positions, getting cute and copping fake accents isn't going to help. Not that any of these Democrats will listen to me.
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