Brawly Likes to Brawl
Member
This is why representation matters, if these types of stories were shared more often, we'd be seeing less of those reactions.
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Americans of Chinese heritage with southern accents living in the Mississippi Delta
- Thread starter Orkidea
- Start date
This is why representation matters, if these types of stories were shared more often, we'd be seeing less of those reactions.
lightskintwin
Banned
Not race, ethnicity plays a part due to speaking a different language, which is why there's so many different accents to a language. However interaction and assimilation will eventually as early as the 1st generation will lead to conforming to the social norms of speaking it in that area, region, or city.
Vital Tundra
Member
I honestly need to do some research because I find this kind of stuff really interesting.
blummer102
Member
Good video but it shouldn't be as surprising as it is to that many people. There are Chinese immigrants all over the planet speaking all kinds of languages with all kinds of accents. The idea that Asian Americans can only have standard American accents or foreign-sounding ones is basically due to ignorance and a lack of representation in the media. Which is why it's good to travel, meet new folk and expand your world.
That said, it happens the other way around too. Here are some white people who grew up in Hong Kong speaking really good Cantonese.
That said, it happens the other way around too. Here are some white people who grew up in Hong Kong speaking really good Cantonese.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Even after my posts in this thread, it seems my overly sarcastic post missed the mark.
Thelonelykoopa
Member
Funny enough Accents in America is one of my courses next semester in college.
We would see a lot less of these reactions if people simply KNEW on average that there were sizable Chinese communities in the Mississippi Delta period. Most of the replies aren't because people are shocked that someone can have an accent... Like do you really think these people haven't seen Idris Elba or someone before? The shock comes from seeing that population in an area that people didnt actually KNOW had a chinese american community at all to begin with.
Theres a reason why the first sentence of the video description says:
There's a rather unknown community of Chinese-Americans who've lived in the Mississippi Delta for more than a hundred years.
The bolded is the part garnering the shock, not the fact that a human being can have an accent. I find it really ridiculous that this has to be explained to grown folks, but whatever. In any case, the first step to making sure these sort of stories are shared more is to not shit all over the people that take the time to watch and learn from them IMO.
lightskintwin
Banned
I mean you can look up how African American Vernacular English was created, which ironically has a lot in common with Southern Vernacular English, although it veers off into it's own thing where it doesn't have a lot in common with Southern Vernacular English and how it's evolved differently in different cities, areas, and regions and how some of it ends up disseminating into Mainstream American use.
I figured you were being sarcastic, but given people's views; it can be hard to tell. LOL
I can't tell if you're fucking around or are actually serious.
Living the Dream
Member
As a white southerner; this is fucking with my mind.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
If you try really hard I'm confident you can crack the case.
Fixed2BeBroken
Member
what are you talking? alot of the posts ARE people shocked seeing chinese people with the accent. a few were shocked about the community existing there, but alot of the shocked ones were talking about how it was weird seeig that or their experiences of an asian american with a very location specific accent and the accent throwing them off because they are asian. did you not even read the posts? lol
I mean look at the post almost right after yours...
lightskintwin
Banned
But I do think it's rooted in people not knowing the community existed there and how long they've been there in the first place.
Seductivpancakes
Member
You honestly want people to enjoy the melting pot when the response is to said melting pot are "oh hey didn't expect minorities to be like other Americans"
And the only person really worked up is you, typing in caps.
HisImperialMajesty
Member
Chinese Exclusion Act? Japanese Internment? Even today, there is widespread discrimination against Asians in terms of university acceptances and job prospects (Palantir).
Did you even watch the video? One of the women interviewed says that even today, despite her family having been in the area for over a century, they still get treated like outsiders. She talks about how growing up, her family had to live in the back of their store, because the Chinese were not allowed to own property. Come on man.
It's really saddening to see the ignorance that people have when it comes to Asians, even on GAF.
Seductivpancakes
Member
Obviously some of the surprised reactions isn't as bad as straight up " where are you really from?", but it sure as hell hits home.
I don't think people who are surprised by this are racist.
I think it's just an interesting race-accent combo that 99% of people are never exposed to, that's why it's interesting.
When it comes to the Southern accent, 99% of people are only exposed to white people speaking with that accent. And it's mostly stereotypically, in movies that take place in the south. Even black people in the south don't speak with a Southern drawl do they? (Forgive me if they do, I don't remember)
So it's interesting to most people that any person of color (black, Mexican, Asian, whatever) speaks with a Southern accent, although it totally makes sense if you think about it. Most people have just never thought about it, that's why it's a pleasant surprise.
blummer102
Member
China Mac is the truth, I wish Vlad would get him back on the couch for another interview. Wish he would make some more music too.
Speaking of dudes like China Mac, this whole thread reminds me of the reaction when Jin blew up and people were tripping that a Chinese dude could rap and was on Freestyle Friday.
Fixed2BeBroken
Member
how sway? thought that fool was locked up again.
elrechazado
Banned
I've heard you can find Americans of African heritage with southern accents, Vietnamese who speak like California valley girls, and Scandinavian heritaged people with east Texas accents. CRAZY
lightskintwin
Banned
Yo, this is a perfect period piece setting for a predominately cast Asian American film. It could be damn near any genre too.
How often do Asian actors get to play Southern American rural country folk?
How often do Asian actors get to play Southern American rural country folk?
Gentleman Jack
Member
Today I learned Southern Chinese American Food is a thing and now I refuse to die until I've had some.
Fixed2BeBroken
Member
lightskintwin
Banned
Byung-hun Lee wasn't playing a Southern American rural country folk but a Korean immigrant assassin.
Fixed2BeBroken
Member
closest thing i could find
tonysidaway
Member
Navid in Still Game comes to mind as an easily accessible example. He's played by an actor with a similar background, born to Indian parents who brought him from London to Glasgow at a very young age.
https://youtu.be/WFrt9F82vcc
lightskintwin
Banned
Bruh, could you imagine a period piece love story or rom com set here with Asian American leads or an Asian American male with a White or Black girl filled with blues and country music.
mugurumakensei
Member
Go into areas outside of major metro areas and I can tell you they do. Also met some Hispanic people in rural areas with an accent. You have to really get out of the cities to find them though. People who grew up near a major metro area such as myself don't really have the stereotypical southern drawl. Only in a few words does any accent come through.
HisImperialMajesty
Member
There are Chinese people literally in every town in the US now. They live differently, speak differently, have different subcultures, but they share one thing: as an Asian American, you're always an outsider to an extent. You're not a "real" American. One of the ladies in that video quite eloquently articulates that point.
I was also very interested to learn about this community, which I did not know about before. Let's not be facetious; a large amount of these comments were not about the community though, they were about the accent. What are we SUPPOSED to sound like? Is it really that surprising that when children grow up and go to school in an area, they adopt the speech patterns intrinsic to the area?
I'm reminded of an encounter I had with an elderly gentleman. He asked me what my name was, and I responded "HisImperialMajesty". He looked genuinely surprised, and joked that he was expecting more of a "Wang Chung", and laughed. Really, that's the name I'm SUPPOSED to have? Am I SUPPOSED to speak English in a certain way too?
tonysidaway
Member
I'm utterly amazed to find gaffers typing in caps. This place is _such_ a melting pot!
Lets not be facetious, but lets certainly make some huge assumptions right? Lets put it this way, there are MANY comments in the thread that specifically referenced the community in fact. But very few if any that said or dog whistled a straight up "What are we SUPPOSED to sound like".
Thought experiment here: It's very commonly known that there are many black people that grow up in the UK and have english accents. So no one really says anything when Chiwetel Ejiofor speaks. Do you honestly think that this thread has the exact same reactions if the sizable Chinese community in Clarksdale, MS was as well known as black people living and being raised in London is?
Or is it likely that the lack of knowledge concerning these communities in these areas typically (and inaccurately) depicted as being racially homogeneous plays a part in people's reaction when learning that the area is more diverse than they expected.
Sure. You might be right; everyone who in any way learned something new when they saw the video is basically lowkey racist and pulling a "You ain't supposed to talk that way!". But I'm guessing both based on my history and interaction with the community here, and a little faith in humanity that you may have made that leap a little too fast.
Brawly Likes to Brawl
Member
I would watch it.
Chinese American here. My mom was born and raised in Chicago, as was I. We speak no Chinese. When I got sent to boarding school out east when I was 16, people remarked I had a Chicago accent. Which, in retrospect, was a very forward way of identifying me. I was not grouped in with students from Korea, for example. It wasn't till I got out to LA, I really felt foreign or grouped in with people who spoke English as a second language.
lightskintwin
Banned
This is why we need an Asian American media industry, even if it's a small one, that's invested in telling all of these necessary, diverse, and rich American stories about the Asian American experience.
Sorry, but... Asian American here too, and, y'know, I just can't see it the same way.
This is a rare combination. This specific accent with Asian American people just doesn't happen very often. The rarity makes it a novelty. That's all it is, alright?
I mean, I sure didn't have a "they aren't American" reaction to hearing that accent, that'd be ridiculous. I reacted to it pretty much the same way I react to someone (anyone) having a Queen's English accent - with curiosity and interest. That's all there is to it.
Fixed2BeBroken
Member
just cause you ain't woke dont mean others don't have to be. other people echoed similar sentiments to what I posted so obviously it's not just a sole perspective. get woke
If people treated people like people instead of tribes and groups we wouldn't see these reactions. Also as there are very few of them still living in the south its hard to be that angry at the people taken aback by them. I mean this thread exists tells how this forum reacts.
blummer102
Member
I think as an Asian American you're more likely to simply see it as an interesting novelty but I'm sure there are actual people out there who watched this video and were like "woahhh they don't sound Asian" or something like that. Which is why I'm glad this video got made and people are talking about it and expanding their minds.
As an aside, I have several Asian American friends who went overseas and were totally surprised to find Australian Asians or British Asians who didn't speak with an American accent. I think media representation (or lack thereof) has really forced a lot of Americans to subconsciously create boxes in their minds of how people should look and sound, and it's always good when those boxes get broken.
how sway? thought that fool was locked up again.[/QUOTE]"]
Dunno if he got locked up again, far as I know he's still out there. Lol China Mac can be corny for sure but I first heard him back in the early 2000s and got a certain fondness for the dude.
Just because we're multicultural doesn't mean we're living in integrated communities. Hell, even cities like NYC and LA are highly segregated.
Pretty much this.
CrocMother
Banned
I loved how in the video she said "it's fried rice... With a lot of bacon"
Seductivpancakes
Member
We actually already use bacon in fried rice in NYC. It's not that common, but I've had it.
Well, I have no problems saying that shit was new to me. I definitely wasn't taught about Chinese immigrants and their place in history in the south, and seeing an older Chinese speak with a southern drawl was cool as hell.
And can we talk more about southern Chinese food please? Why the hell isn't this more of a thing???
And can we talk more about southern Chinese food please? Why the hell isn't this more of a thing???