Friday, February 25, 2005
Accent-uating the negative
Have you noticed a strange phenomenon in New Zealand associated with the American accent? Any American who visits here and preaches or speaks seriously on a topic (particularly from a conservative perspective) is immediately suspect. His or her accent acts as an immediate barrier. We cannot consider the idea for the accent. Yet nightly on television, we happily accept the preaching of a dozen American movies and sitcoms, without giving the slightest critique to the attitudes and values we are taking in, and slowly adopting as our own.
Have you noticed a strange phenomenon in New Zealand associated with the American accent? Any American who visits here and preaches or speaks seriously on a topic (particularly from a conservative perspective) is immediately suspect. His or her accent acts as an immediate barrier. We cannot consider the idea for the accent. Yet nightly on television, we happily accept the preaching of a dozen American movies and sitcoms, without giving the slightest critique to the attitudes and values we are taking in, and slowly adopting as our own.
