Inspired by another thread. Is accent mocking ever OK ?

[toddymummy]

This one has always bothered me. Being from mixed European heritage, but not having an accent myself- I have found myself the subject of accent/ gesture mocking many times.

It doesn't happen as much anymore as it used to,say 10-15 years ago, but it does occasionally happen.

Is it ever OK ? People mock all kinds of accents- Irish, Scottish, Welsh, French, Italian, German.

It really bugs me, especially if it's done repeatedly and especially if it's done at work.

AIBU ?

Am French. I would not care tbh, as long as it was not all the time because then it gets tedious.

No it isn’t ever ok.
It’s xenophobic bullying behaviour.

I probably wouldn't do it at work, because I'm not normally making jokes at work! In my circle of friends, we all do it to each other. We're a mix of European / American / English / Asian (eastern) so there's lots of different accents.

If someone else outside of the friend group said they had an issue with it I wouldn't do it with them, but in our friend group we're all okay with it. Horses for courses I guess!

Not sure, my party trick is switching on my broad Norfolk accent (grew up there, don’t have the accent but can do a brilliant imitation)

I do it with love because I love Norfolk but it’s a very strange and amusing accent that most people can’t imitate.

I think it's quite situational then perhaps ? If people do it all the time, it can get annoying. The occasional mock, isn't too bad perhaps.

I don't understand when anyone says they don't have an accent!
Unless they're a robot, everyone has an accent.
And no, mocking someone for their accent isn't acceptable.

I wouldn't mock someone's accent. There are too many stereotypes associated with accents that people have had to spend their whole life listening to "banter" about.

How does anyone “not have an accent”?
I don’t know when any mocking would be ok tbh.

@DropYourSword

I don't understand when anyone says they don't have an accent! Unless they're a robot, everyone has an accent. And no, mocking someone for their accent isn't acceptable.

Cross post!

I have a Northern accent but my DH and kids are very Southern as we live in the SE. They regularly take the piss out of how I pronounce certain words, but it's done in good humour and I mock them all back for sounding posh! If I was in a different situation, say at work or with someone I didn't know well, I doubt I'd appreciate it. Context is important.

Hmm I don’t know, there are aspects of any accent that are fun to hear. Including my own, but I’m used to it, isn’t it the difference in pronunciation that is new/fun rather than some racists angle?

Humans are programmed to behave like each other, that’s how someone can change their accent when living somewhere, they start talking like the people around them. That starts with one word/phrase.

@WheelieBinPrincess

Not sure, my party trick is switching on my broad Norfolk accent (grew up there, don’t have the accent but can do a brilliant imitation)

I do it with love because I love Norfolk but it’s a very strange and amusing accent that most people can’t imitate.

What is so 'strange and amusing' about a Norfolk accent compared to your own accent?

You sound like my witless uncle who thinks the fact of me being Scottish is a cause for hilarity. There is nothing strange or amusing about any accent, except to very narrow minded people who think anyone who doesn't speak like them 'talks funny'.

Watching with interest because I’m very close to falling out with my DSis about this. They live in the SE England but all her extended family live in Scotland. She (and my teen/young adult nieces, encouraged by her) think it’s hilarious to imitate our “Scottish” accents - they lump all Scottish accents together as apparently we all sound the same . I’ve pointed out that they have accents to our ears, but apparently they don’t. It’s childish, pathetic behaviour.

I'm from Essex and it doesn't bother me too much when people mock the accent with things like 'IF yOu kNoW WhAt I MeAn bAbEs!'.

I wouldn't do it to other people with different accents though.

@HeadNorth horses for courses.

Clearly you got out of bed on the wrong side.

It’s not my only party trick 😂

it's immature at best.

All about context. I mock my 'foreign' grandma's accent every now and again in a silly, loving way, same way you would take the mickey out of anyone's voice, I do the same with my posh sounding English father's accent.

I wouldn't do that accent to mock an entire country for example, e.g. Apu from the Simpsons.

It IS an amusing accent, the inflections and the drawn out vowels. Great local dialect too.

It’s ok not to find all the same things funny though, I’m sure I’m in no way like your witless uncle, I’m sorry he makes fun of you, @HeadNorth

I think it's not exactly peak wittiness. It's okay between mates and family that are okay with it, it's not something you should do with people you don't know, are in a professional setting with, or have made it clear that they find this particular brand of humour tedious, if not offensive.

DH is french so gets this from his friends often, he doesn't mind if it's done in good humour but some people don't know when to stop and it gets tedious and irritating. My accent is less noticeable but occasionally I've had someone imitate me and laugh which I've found rude. I just stare at them in stunned silence. But it happens so very rarely that it's not an issue for me.

Meh, I'm a Geordie and even my own kids mock my accent.

Read my name

I think it's OK if you are absolutely certain that neither party will be offended. DH and I both joke around about each other's accents, and neither of us are bothered by this... it's just a bit of fun. However, I would never do this if I wasn't completely certain of the other person's reaction!

@toddymummy

This one has always bothered me. Being from mixed European heritage, but not having an accent myself- I have found myself the subject of accent/ gesture mocking many times.

It doesn't happen as much anymore as it used to,say 10-15 years ago, but it does occasionally happen.

Is it ever OK ? People mock all kinds of accents- Irish, Scottish, Welsh, French, Italian, German.

It really bugs me, especially if it's done repeatedly and especially if it's done at work.

AIBU ?

OP you say you don’t have an accent but of course you do. To anyone who is not where you are from you will sound different therefore you will have a regional accent.

So if I was to mock your English/Welsh/Irish/wherever you live sounding voice would that be ok? The answer would be no as it’s unkind in my opinion, regardless of the relationship we had

It happens to me very often when I travel down south, especially the SE. I'm Scottish and it's infuriating to have my sentences repeated back to me with dreadful attempts at a Scottish accent. I'm often called "Lassie" or "Jock" and if I hear one more "och aye the noo", someone's getting smacked!!

@mbosnz

I think it's not exactly peak wittiness. It's okay between mates and family that are okay with it, it's not something you should do with people you don't know, are in a professional setting with, or have made it clear that they find this particular brand of humour tedious, if not offensive.

Just make sure they are ok with it, and not getting riled or offended by it but keeping quiet because they don’t want an argument. My DSis probably thinks I’m ok about it because I haven’t said outright that she and her children are being an offensive, although I have raised an eyebrow and made a few comments about it, because as far as they’re concerned it’s all a huge laugh, they mean no offence, and we should just see the funny side of it. Ock eye the noo