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Episode #44

Accent Bias

00:11:29 minutes long
audio file size: 16.2 mb

In this episode, I’m sharing with you an article written by a Nigerian born queer writer based in Toronto. She wrote about the challenges and discrimination that a person with an accent faces.

‘Accent Bias’ article by Kimberly Ehigiator: https://medium.com/@kimberlyjoe/accent-bias-75b566ab5da4

Here’s another related episode on How to Talk About Social Justice In English: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/43/

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6 Responses

    1. I consider the problem of accent is a two-side-move road. From one side the natives should be more patient toward the non-natives. And this is question of general culture and education. But users of English as a second language would be not bad to improve their sounding more pleasant way. Certainly, accent can’t be standardized like physical measures but as people we should go towards one to other. I can’t assess real grade of the problem from my sand box, but I seem author defends one side the conflict.

  1. Homero,

    I’m definitely never felt like a superior person and I don’t want to feel like that.
    And no, it’s not about education lack I have, it’s all about my life experience.
    It’s not that I’m defending any kind of discrimination – as a nature of things when some employer prefers to have easy-understandable employees instead of trying to get what they say every single hour. You can do nothing with people’s nature, simple as that.

    Now, right here in this very podcast, Hadar is teaching a lot about the correct pronunciation. Why should she teach everybody the proper “colonial” pronunciation instead of just provide this almost religious “accept-the-differences” idea?

    You can’t make everybody act unnaturally, people are really different in every single aspect of their life, and not only with their accents. Every person has their own history, background and temperament and you can’t expect from everybody such utopic “accept-the-differences” behavior.
    What can we do? Learn and discuss, improve our professional level and interpersonal skills instead of complaining all our life about the unfair and disrespectful way we’ve been treated.

    And hey, one who wants to be offended will always find a reason. There are always a lot of such people around. Usually, they are not “different” – they are miserable.

    Good luck.
    Envee

  2. Hi Hadar,

    I think this text is completely stupid and non-relevant.
    Really? “Colonial” again??? People just don’t know who yet to blame. The author was born in Toronto, Canada, grown up in super tolerant society and she is blaming the old enemy – white colonialists and racists who are always in charge for everything.

    This is a great text for all these brain-washed millenials, but you? Don’t you have any bullshit filter in your head? Come on, you are smart enough for this crap.

    I mean, please, don’t spread such stupid texts.

    Thank you,
    Envee

    1. Hi Envee, What is stupid here is your your entire statement. Where is the author from or where she was born has nothing to do with article content, you dont have to be a dolphin to write about dolphins. Accent bias and other unconscious biases are real and do dictate how we see, act and react to others. I do encourage you to read about unconscious bias before saying to anyone don’t spread stupidity or the silly narrative of ” oh come on, you know better, xxx” yes i know better , hence am sharing this to spread the awareness.

    2. Hi Envee, If you want to discuss or complain about something, do it right, polity and properly or do you need to offend and curse the others so you can feel yourself as a superior person?? That only shows a lack of education honestly. Anyway, what the author of the article said, is true, of course, we cannot generalize all the people but the discrimination is there. Only when we can accept the differences we have and treat others the same way you want to be treated it is when things will start to change.

      Post note: Your great miss Hadar, thank you for the effort you put to teach and help us in our way to improve our English skills :D.

      God bless you.
      Homero.

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