Oh No She Didn’t! WaPo Commentator Mocks “Countrified” People
Let me just say right off the bat–I have a thick Southern accent. I have traveled extensively throughout the country and invariably I will be openly mocked, made fun of, and, on one occasion, I have actually had to ask someone to “interpret” for me in a “Yankee” restaurant because they claimed they couldn’t understand me. (Honestly, I couldn’t understand them either!)
Normally, I laugh along. I know that I am “open game” wherever I go for ill-mannered, rude people to speak condescendingly to me based solely on my way of talking. Of course, there was that one time that I turned around and told a “supposedly” conservative woman– who had spent the better part of an hour attempting to imitate every word that came out of my mouth (whether I was speaking directly to her or to someone else) that obviously she must be a bigot against people from the South. I have to admit, the look on her face was priceless.
Evidently, she’s not the only one who feels that it is perfectly acceptable to malign an entire group of people based solely on their accents. And, I’m not laughing.
Miss WaPo herself, Kathleen Parker, objected to an ad by Americans for Prosperity because it featured “countrified characters” to explain the confusing nature of Obamacare. As she so eloquently stated on Meet the Press:
Again, let me repeat what she said: “…And by the way, I think you could find someone who doesn’t have a southern accent who is confused by this act. Because we always seem to find a character who seems a little countrified, who can’t just fathom. You know, there are plenty of smart, sophisticated people, who are equally hazy about what is really going on…”
Ms. Elitist Parker, bless your heart. You are as bigoted as they come. According to you and countless others, an accent supposedly implies a lack of intelligence and sophistication. Although I am tempted to defend the gracious, kind, hardworking, intelligent citizens found throughout the South that you clearly hold so much disdain for–I won’t.
I will, however, give you a word of advice. Get over yourself.
