Northern minds may not be as open as they would like to be

Rachel Malone

DM staff columnist

Before leaving for Vermont I was told by no less than 10 people, "Oh, you're going to go live with those damn Yankees. They'll think you talk funny." After a deep sigh and rolling of my eyes, my response was always, "Yes, but I'm sure it won't be a problem."

After reflecting on their comments, I pushed them aside and was ready to tackle Vermont.

I moved to Vermont with the understanding that things would be different. I always imaged that once I escaped the South I wouldn't be combating prejudice, people would be accepting of others and differences would be put aside.

I arrived here ready to be accepted. With my deep southern drawl and a different appearance than the grunge look, I thought I would be accepted into the culture without a question. I never imagined I would be the one in question.

Many times, I go into restaurants with my roommate, who is from Holly Springs, and we begin to talk. Often people stare, gawk and even point. I have been asked on more than one occasion by a waiter, "Where ya'll from?" in his best New England accent, and it makes me want to cringe.

But the ultimate insult happened Thursday. As a reporter working for a newspaper, I must call officials in the area all the time. Thursday, after speaking with a secretary on the phone, she hung up on me because she thought I was a dumb southern gal who was playing a trick on the mayor.

The secretary said to me, "Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but I know you don't work for that paper." And with that, I heard the dial tone.

Wow! What a humbling experience. I've learned to say in the most cordial way possible, "Just because I speak slowly doesn't mean I'm stupid."

For those of you who have never heard me speak, I think most would agree that while I do have a bit of an accent it's nothing abnormal in the South.

But here in Vermont, many think I'm from Mars. New Englanders pride themselves on acceptance and open-mindedness. And granted, they do a great job of accepting each other, but in this land of acceptance, their attitudes about my accent reflect something completely different. However, I will not change my accent or try to cover it up. I will continue to speak and perhaps open someone's mind to the idea that someone who speaks slowly can have a coherent idea. Dialect is something unique to a region. Dialect is more than a way of pronunciation, it is an art form just as blues and classical music are.

With the infiltration of television and other universal mediums, we must hold on to dialects which make the South unique, if we don't, then we will have lost something great.

Rachel Malone, a senior journalism major from Pocahontas, Ark., is currently an intern at a Vermont newspaper.