Date: Wed, 23 Mar 1994 13:03:07 CST From: Dennis Baron Subject: Re: for the record In Message Wed, 23 Mar 1994 10:08:06 CST, Mike Picone writes: >Just for the record, I heard another instance of NPR anti-Southern >bias this morning on the radio. Kokie Roberts was referring to some >federal legislator (whose name I didn't catch) when she said that he >"mumbled in a Mississippi drawl that nobody understands." I will bet >money that the person in question was a white Southerner, for she would >never have permitted herself such a derogatory remark if it had been >otherwise. In fact, the insult is all the greater because of the exaggeration, >for even if someone of another ethnic group conceivably spoke a divergent >variety of English or an "accented" variety that impeded comprehension, such >a remark would be considered inappropriate. Yet in this case it is not >credible that the variety of English she is referring to is actually >unintelligible to her or anyone else, but she did not hesitate to use >exaggeration to make a negative insinuation based on linguistic habits. > >Mike Picone >University of Alabama I heard that too, Mike. It was about the chair of the House appropriations committee, whose name I've forgotten, the one who hadn't missed a vote in umpteen years and is now ill and whose name I think begins with H. I was struck by Roberts' bias as well. I think it warrants a reply. NPR gives out its email address, but I always miss it as I'm either driving or cooking while I listen to the news. Has anyone jotted it down? Dennis -- debaron[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]uiuc.edu (\ 217-333-2392 \'\ fax: 217-333-4321 Dennis Baron \'\ ____________ Department of English / '| ()___________) University of Illinois \ '/ \ ~~~~~~~~~ \ 608 South Wright St. \ \ ~~~~~~~~~ \ Urbana, IL 61801 ==). \ __________\ (__) ()___________)