i'll see you emo fags later...

April 28, 2006 11:55 PM

REST IN PEACE: EmoKid21Ohio & Emogirl Good riddance! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!
posted by loquacious (51 comments total)

40,000 of anything on the internet is not really a big deal.
posted by delmoi at 12:13 AM on April 29, 2006

hahah, hearing a british person try to do an American Accent is helarious.
posted by delmoi at 12:14 AM on April 29, 2006

This is one of the funniest things I have seen in a very long time. Good work fake emo people.
posted by aburd at 12:17 AM on April 29, 2006

from one of the comments on the video aburd linked too:

Maybe that bird had THE BIRD FLU!!!!!!!!!
posted by delmoi at 12:28 AM on April 29, 2006

If I can do two separate accents for cockney and posh, brits better bloody well distinguish their californian accents from their ohios.
posted by Tlogmer at 12:42 AM on April 29, 2006

As a brit I can say that in all honesty the only accents we can identify are: Generic American, Racist Southern American. Thank you for your time, y'all.
posted by Meccabilly at 12:50 AM on April 29, 2006

mecca, when my brit friend tried to speak with an american accent, he ended up sounding like an ancient plantation owner. Guess that's just how it works.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 1:53 AM on April 29, 2006

aaahahahaha, in this video he tries to prove he's American by waving around a social security card, then a tax form "wrapped in cellophane" and then an Illinois license plate, which he calls a "number plate".
posted by delmoi at 2:12 AM on April 29, 2006

Was the emo girl accent that bad?

English being a second language to me the only american accents I can identify are indeed evil southern racist (my source is Hollywood cinema) and californian stoner.

But I never notice for instance particularly upper class american accent. Although that should be used a lot in cinema.
What's that like? A bit more british?
posted by jouke at 2:13 AM on April 29, 2006

ahaha, delmoi. Even I can hear he regularly slips in too clipped brittish.

And using the wrong words is pretty funny indeed.
posted by jouke at 2:20 AM on April 29, 2006

So wait, are these girls Americans doing a British accent then?

If so the less attractive one is doing a really good job.
posted by delmoi at 2:27 AM on April 29, 2006

But I never notice for instance particularly upper class American accent. Although that should be used a lot in cinema.

There's no such thing as an "upper class" American accent, there's northern and southern basically with a few 'enclaves' on the east coast with their own accents (like Brooklyn, Boston, northern Minnesota, etc).
posted by delmoi at 2:30 AM on April 29, 2006

Really... I'd never have thought. I'd expected the desire for status differentiation to be a universal drive expressed in every language.

And none of these regional accents, like Bostononian for instance, has the connotation 'upper class'?

British upper class is regional too I think (oxford, cambridge etc).
posted by jouke at 2:40 AM on April 29, 2006

There most certainly are upper-class American accents. Around here, that would include people who've lived on Beacon Hill all their lives. John Kerry has a fair approximation of that one. I know some New Yorkers have a toney accent, and I'd bet most other cities do, too. Maybe not Houston.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:05 AM on April 29, 2006

Detroit has an "upper-class" accent... oh, wait, never mind...

and...as for the faux emo kids.. good for them...they had fun, we had fun, they ended it..now we can all go fishing or something...
posted by HuronBob at 4:43 AM on April 29, 2006

Thurston Howell III had an upper-class American accent.
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:13 AM on April 29, 2006

slips in too clipped brittish.

And using the wrong words is pretty funny indeed.

indeed!
posted by quonsar at 5:16 AM on April 29, 2006

oh god. *suicide*
posted by carsonb at 5:36 AM on April 29, 2006

I loved it. I love those emo kids, man.

"Upper class" isn't exactly the terminology for the US, but you could probably class accents as more or less likely to tar you as stupid. That's an unfortunate thing about accents; they really only denote a region, but if you haven't managed to moderate it or tone it down it's presumed that your education level is low.

From what I understand, professionally speaking the goal is to have a telecaster's accent, which, ironically, sounds pretty Canadian.
posted by Hildegarde at 5:44 AM on April 29, 2006

NPR: American Accent Undergoing Great Vowel Shift

PBS: Do You Speak American?

Growing up in the Midwest, I always heard that the Midwestern "lack of accent" was ideal for newscasters.

Then I left the Midwest and realized how strong the Chicago or Minneapolis or Kansas City accents really are.
posted by GrammarMoses at 6:30 AM on April 29, 2006

Well, I think both of them made a fair stab at sounding American. Certainly better than many of our professional actors manage. Having said that, the number of Americans who can manage a truly convincing Brit accent is even smaller.

But yes, I noticed amusing slips with both of them. Emogirl's accent lapsed a few times, and there was a bit where emokid21ohio said "get on" instead of "get along". Plenty of clues. But come on, it was pretty funny.
posted by Decani at 6:44 AM on April 29, 2006

Locust Valley Lockjaw was/is a distinctly American upper class accent. It's pretty much like Thurston Howell's.
posted by ltracey at 7:07 AM on April 29, 2006

First, there are many accents in the United States. As is, while there is no one "upper class" accent, there are a few regional accents associated with wealthy folks, like the one Itracey mentioned above. I've always thought that Prince Charles' accent was closer to some American upper crust accents than to most other British accents.
posted by Atreides at 7:15 AM on April 29, 2006

Um, what's an "emo?"
posted by Zinger at 7:23 AM on April 29, 2006

Emo (an abbreviation of "emotionally-driven Hardcore punk") is a term now broadly used to describe almost any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that expresses emotions beyond traditional punk's limited emotional palette of alienation and rage. It is also used to describe fans of this genre, most commonly teenagers. (e.g., emo kid). The actual term "emo" originated in the mid-1980s D.C. scene, with the band Rites of Spring, as well as bands such as Fugazi, Moss Icon, and Antioch Arrow. ...

Dear God, Zinger. Google is your friend. Honestly.
posted by Hildegarde at 7:30 AM on April 29, 2006

In older Hollywood films most of the actors tend to speak in what I'd define as an "upper-class" American accent (i.e. in that irritating Maddona-esque faux British style)
posted by Sullenshady at 7:39 AM on April 29, 2006

Meant to be ironic, Hildegarde, as in who cares?
posted by Zinger at 7:48 AM on April 29, 2006

Is it just me, or do they sound even more pathetic and self-absorbed when they are not pretending?
posted by KirkJobSluder at 7:48 AM on April 29, 2006

I don't get it. Are birds still dying?
posted by Afroblanco at 7:51 AM on April 29, 2006

Kitty Carlisle
posted by Jikido at 7:58 AM on April 29, 2006

No, afro—turns out they were actually just British birds who were faking.
posted by cortex at 8:01 AM on April 29, 2006

Sooo the irony is Zinger is an emo?
posted by Jikido at 8:02 AM on April 29, 2006

Metafilter: The less attractive one is doing a really good job.
posted by TonyRobots at 8:09 AM on April 29, 2006

I don't get it. Are birds still dying?

No, afro—turns out they were actually just British birds who were faking.

My brain is never sure whether to interpret these as referencing feathered animals or women.
posted by ludwig_van at 8:12 AM on April 29, 2006

Further proof that everything funny on the Internets comes from Something Awful...
posted by nmiell at 8:19 AM on April 29, 2006

Thanks, Grammarmoses, for linking that NPR piece; as a Brit living in NYC facing a daily battle to get my vowels understood, I found it fascinating.
posted by nowonmai at 8:24 AM on April 29, 2006

Julia Childs had the definitive upper-class American accent.
posted by soiled cowboy at 1:47 PM on April 29, 2006

In older Hollywood films most of the actors tend to speak in what I'd define as an "upper-class" American accent (i.e. in that irritating Maddona-esque faux British style)

That's the style of the mid-20th century elocution course, which is why it was favored by Hollywood actors, sometimes called "Mid-Atlantic," because it's imagined to be the accent people would speak midway between the United States and England.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:54 PM on April 29, 2006

EmoKid shares a tell with a lot of Brits doing American accents on TV: overemphasizing 'r' sounds. I've noticed much of the time 'r's even get added to the ends of words without them ("ide'er" for "idea"), which happens in some genuine American accents, but not the drawls being attempted.
posted by evil holiday magic at 2:19 PM on April 29, 2006

Well, you try doing a mancunian accent and see how you fare.
posted by Astro Zombie at 3:10 PM on April 29, 2006

I think the stereotypical upper-class WASP accent is a bit of an anachronism. You won't hear any Bill Gates or Warren Buffetts using this accent. But am I imagining remnants of it in Philip Seymour Hoffman?

To me, William F. Buckley just sounds straight-up British, and I think I remember he was actually raised and educated in London.
posted by dgaicun at 4:22 PM on April 29, 2006

Well, you try doing a mancunian accent and see how you fare.

Meee'ow.
posted by evil holiday magic at 4:52 PM on April 29, 2006

Accent or not, this is a great stunt.

We should be all jealous of not being able to think up a fast and hilarious one and to be featured all over the place.

Congrats Jaymee, you are the best of the whole Internet thingy.

:-)
posted by bru at 5:29 PM on April 29, 2006

Is this something I'd have to have a computer to understand?
posted by mrgrimm at 6:18 PM on April 29, 2006

You won't hear any Bill Gates or Warren Buffetts using this accent. But am I imagining remnants of it in Philip Seymour Hoffman?

Is it possible that you're confusing class and wealth? They aren't equivalent.


That's an unfortunate thing about accents; they really only denote a region

No, they don't. A kid from Concord, MA who went through the public school system is not going to wind up with the same accent as a neighbor who went to Concord Academy.


posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:16 PM on April 29, 2006

And what's with that gay man accent? What part of the country do they all come from?
posted by Astro Zombie at 8:45 PM on April 29, 2006

It was a frustrated and defensive wannabe actor accent.
posted by evil holiday magic at 10:51 PM on April 29, 2006

Haha, Astro Zombie.

But actually that's interesting too. Some gays in the Netherlands talk in an accent that I'd call extreme refined upper-class (in contrast too bully upper class).

So what do those people sound like in the US?
British? Like William F. Buckley? (good link dgaicun).

Locust Valley Lockjaw is interesting. Katherine Hepburn definitely sounded upper class and definitely not British. It was great to hear Kate Blanchett speak like her in Aviator.
posted by jouke at 2:12 AM on April 30, 2006

I'd like to stand up as apparently the only Brit so overexposed to American TV and film that I can distinguish, with almost 100% accuracy, Boston, New York with a fair shot at spotting Jersey, Chicago, Texas, Missisippi, New England, California (with a better-than-chance rate of spotting Valley), Alaska, and anywhere with Norwegian influence. Major credit to, respectively:
Cheers, the Die Hard franchise, Kevin Smith, John Hughes, God knows how many cowboy movies, the Southern Gothic movement and Crossroads, Steven King, pretty much every major crap hollywood blockbuster, Northern Exposure and Garrison Keillor.
I suppose I think of Valley as upper class, but is that something I've just picked up from Clueless?
So much crap media, so little time...
posted by endgamer at 1:47 PM on April 30, 2006

Kirth Gerson: No, they don't. A kid from Concord, MA who went through the public school system is not going to wind up with the same accent as a neighbor who went to Concord Academy.

Worse than that, language serves to mark class and subculture affiliation within schools. Somewhere in my files, I have an interesting article by a linguist who documents that the subculture a person belonged to in a California school could be identified in part by their acceptance or rejection of "valley girl" vowel shifts.

Bucholz. 1999. "Why Be Normal?': Language and Identity Practices in a Community of Nerd Girls. Language and Society (28) 2. pp. 203--223.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 9:39 AM on May 1, 2006

Is it possible that you're confusing class and wealth? They aren't equivalent.

No, what I was saying is that the days of wealth have eclipsed class (as nebulous as these concepts are), effectively dissipating any former hereditary "culture of the rich" (including developed accents and such):

To return to the 400 richest Americans, perhaps the most salient feature of the Forbes list is its changing membership. At death, fortunes tend to be divided, and most descendants don't inherit enough to stay on the list. While the current 400 includes members of the Pritzker, Hearst, and Walton families, they already have fifty-nine children, most of whom will end up rich but much less so than their parents. Back in 1982, the list had thirteen Rockefellers and no fewer than thirty-three du Ponts. By 2005, only two Rockefellers remained, and all the du Ponts were gone. Indeed, 1982 and 2005 come across as very different eras. The earlier year was strong on family scions; most of the places they once held are now occupied by self-made men and women, among them Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Whitman, and Martha Stewart.

posted by dgaicun at 8:34 AM on May 5, 2006