I hate the fact that not only do you have to write out speech balloons that show characters from the American South speaking phonetically...
Seriously, does Rogue actually think "Ah" every single time she she thinks "I"?!? Does anyone?
It's not as though we don't have plenty of other X-Men who doubtless have accents--Kurt, Piotr, Ororo, just off the top of my head--but does Marvel feel the need to phonetically spell out their accents? No, we never hear Nightcrawler say (or think) "ve haff to go to der store." Nope, we'll just get an occasional Claremontian drop of a German word into an other perfect English word/thought balloon.
Also note the relative rarity of "phonetic accents" for other Americans--Boston, Chicago, Gotham, whatever--they are all allowed to speak "normally." Does Kitty Pryde ever get to speak with a Chicago accent (Ditka!!)?
So why the "special" treatment for Southerners? Why only them, and not Russians, or Kree, or Inhumans, or Latverians, or Minnesotans?
A) Marvel believes the reader is too stupid to remember that Rogue and Gambit et. al. are southern unless they constantly rub our noses it in.
B) Stereotypes are OK for southerners, especially when written by non-southern writers. Why give them the same respect we'd give German/Russian/African characters? The foreigners may be able to learn perfect English, but not people below the Mason-Dixon line!
C) Southerners are all just dumb hicks, anyway. Who cares how we make them look?
I'm from Michigan, so I really have no dog in this fight. But it is kind of lazy and borderline offensive, Marvel. Back off.
Deep breath.
Geez, that kind of came outta nowhere. The reason I really wanted to run that is, it's a house ad in this week's Marvels, and it's (one of?) the covers for Rogue & Gambit #1.
Now, I'm doubtful that those thought balloons will end up on the final cover. But I think it's significant is that someone in Marvel's marketing believes that thought balloons are not only appropriate in comics, but a better way to sell comics than multi-colored, turgidly written self-narrative captions.
So keep fighting the fight for thought balloons. But, can we do it without the "Ah's" and the "Dis's"?
This Alabama boy couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteSorry ... "This Ayell-uh-bamma bwah co'n't uhgree moah."
On the same note: why, in the egalitarian respect-for-all future of STAR TREK, does the one racist aboard the Enterprise have to be from the South? "You green-blooded point-eared ..." Just say the "n" word, Bones, you know you want to.
"So why the "special" treatment for Southerners? Why only them, and not Russians, or Kree, or Inhumans, or Latverians, or Minnesotans?"
ReplyDeleteWell, speaking as someone from Northern Ireland, with scots ancestry, I cringe whenever I see someone like Sean Cassidy or Moira MacTaggert turn up.
As a fellow "Alabama Boy" I second Prof. Chronotis statement.
ReplyDeleteIt's not so much offensive to me as it is laughable.
Gambit is bad enough with the faux Cajun patois, but at least that's a very regionally specific example.
Rogue, who represents a broader "Southern" accent sounds like she stepped out of Gone With the Wind or some such. Do people really think we all talk like that?
I don't mind a little "regional flavor" being sprinkled into a character speech, but damn,back off a bit on the heavy handed southerness.
Warren, the plurality of white Southerners are of Scots or Irish descent, and much has been written about how we Southerners keep cultural aspects from those far away pastures. There must be some connection.
ReplyDeleteSnell, thanks for coming to our defense! We rarely get such consideration.