The Power Bloggers

So I’m going to share something with all of you. Something pretty embarrassing, and the only explanation of why I’m sharing this with you is that I can’t think of anything else to write. A few days ago, strictly for fun, I began talking in a British accent. It started out small; I’d drop in a few “quite’s” here and there and substitute a “bloody hell” instead of a good, old-fashioned, American “fuck.” And I’d only do it for a few minuets at a time.

But as time went on I began to use Brit speak more and more until I got to the point were I couldn’t stop it. It had taken on a life of its own. I had to start making a conscious decision to use my “natural” voice, sometimes even getting back into the groove by chanting “American” in a deep, husky, redneck voice.

And yet it keeps coming back. I don’t really know what to do. Now when I’m in a high stress situation it pops right up, as if I’ve forgotten to cover up the accent I’ve never actually had. How are you supposed to explain to someone that you’re accent has no real origin or region of belonging, but is in fact just a synthetic product entirely based on stereotypes?

I’ve never even been to England (the fake accent shows it), and the most exposure I’ve had to the dialect is through Coupling and Monty Python. For anyone who’s seen the Friends episode where Ross teaches a new class with an entirely fabricated English accent, you realize this is a hard habit to break, a habit that can only lead to trouble. And apparently trouble is right where I’m headed.

And again, sorry about the lateness, hopefully this is the last time I’ll have to move and reset up an internet connection.

-Viv