Dilemma of the Southern Drawl

I agree with Lenny that there exists this stereotype that suggests that those with a Southern accent are dimwitted, slow, and unsophisticated. Even the legendary singer Johnny Cash acknowledged this stereotype in his song "Southern Accents," which you can listen to below:



Cash was raised in Dyess, Arkansas, but spent most of his adult life in the southeastern United States. Due to his upbringing and due to the time he spent in the American South, Cash developed a characteristic southern accent. In defense of his accent and the accent of his people, Cash wrote "Southern Accent". The song begins with the following stanza:

"There's a southern accent,
Where I come from.
The young'uns call it country,
The Yankees call it dumb.
I got my own way of talkin',
But everything is done,
With a southern accent,
Where I come from."

Here Johnny Cash reveals how he is aware that people assume he is a country bumpkin or that he is an imbecile due to the slowness of the Southern dialect. Cash also asserts his "I don't give a damn" response to the critiques of his accent. For his lifestyle and his locale, the Southern accent is appropriate, and Cash doesn't care what Yankees or youth may say.

I agree with Johnny Cash's indifferent stance towards the stereotypes. He shows that people should be proud of who they are and how they speak. Southerners shouldn't feel inferior due to their accent.