We have had discussions in our house about whether imitating accents is racist or not. I think we all agree that there are certain instances when someone is intentionally doing it to mock others, and that is never okay. But, what about when it is done just for fun?
No one blinks an eye when someone imitates a British accent, at least in the United States, it might be a different case in other places in the world. So, why is it not okay to imitate an Indian, Chinese, or Jamaican accent? If the Superbowl commercial had a guy walking around talking in a British accent, would anyone even comment? And, the follow up question, in that case, would anyone notice that there were no black people in the commercial?
One of my daughter's loves to walk around the house imitating all sorts of accents. Yet, she is the first one to condemn others for doing the same in school. For the most part, there is a distinction. She is imitating almost as a form of flattery. She likes the way certain accents sound. Others do it, particularly at school, to poke fun at certain ethnic groups. But, do her good intentions make her behavior okay, while it's not okay for others?
And, is there a difference between imitating, say, a British accent, and imitating one associated with a certain ethnicity?
Any thoughts? Discuss.
What struck me about that ad was that although they didn't play the song, I couldn't help but think about "Don't Worry, Be Happy" -- which has that accent. I think the association is meant to be there. This seems like good intentions to me. I'd be interested to hear what a Jamaican person thinks, but to me this is completely inoffensive.
ReplyDeleteAs I'm sure you know, Ron frequently does an "OUTRAGEOUS" French accent which no doubt contributed largely to his children's decision to take Spanish instead of French. I'm sure a French person would not find it nearly as hilarious as we do. I've certainly heard plenty of derisive comments on the Southern accent. *shrug* It's not a big deal in my opinion.
Read an article on line today that many Jamaicans in Jamaica thought the ad was celebrating their positive attitude towards life. A homage really. That they thought the commercial could only help tourism.
ReplyDeleteI saw the ad and thought it was cute. The incongruity of that accent coming out of that "whiter than sour cream" face was part of the humor.
BTW, I do many an accent myself because I like a certain turn of phrase. Certain things do sound best in the original Klingon. Should I only be limited to Slavic’s ones because of my outside appearance?
Elaine
What was the intent of the commercial? What was accent trying to say? To me the commercial aim was "If you ride in a Volkswagon, you'll be a laid back and happy in like many people in Jamaica are because they live in a tropical paradise."
ReplyDeleteNot sure how this is a bad thing. Of course, I used to love, Love, LOVE Richard Pryor's white business man accent. But it wasn't done in a mean way.
Elaine
Folks should just lighten up and not look for the bad in everything. The bad will announce itself when it arrives.
ReplyDelete