(09-17-2020, 11:34 PM)NightskyeB4Dawn Wrote: Maybe because no matter where I went, I was the odd one out, but I learned to adapt very quickly. You are right that the accent was a dead give away, so I learned to pick up the local accent in just a few hours.
A trait that I still have to this day, that I have to fight to keep in check. A few seconds talking with someone and I start to adopted their accent. Unchecked I will have it down pack and almost flawless.
It saved me a lot of grieve as a child, but it can be kind of embarrassing as an adult.
Make no mistake - I have often used it to my advantage, There have been times when I intentionally thickened my accent, diction, and vocabulary and caused folks to associate me with the stereotypical "dumb hillbilly" that they knew nothing of, and had only heard about , thereby causing them to underestimate my intellect.
That usually worked out pretty well for me, and many a Flatlander has found themselves flat on their asses wondering what just hit 'em after their attempt at an intellectual entanglement with me.
it might not be fair, but the only "fair" fight is the one I win. I prefer to think of it as "strategy".
On the other hand, I've had Hispanics laugh and tell me I speak Spanish with a hillbilly accent, and @"BIAD" had a hard time sorting out my speech even when I tried to smooth it up and be more understandable rather than less.
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Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’