- Drivers who stop in the middle of the road with free-flowing traffic to let me (also in my car, sitting comfortably in a turning lane) turn in front of them, but they block traffic, don’t realise I can’t see the cars coming in the lane outside them, encourage risky manoeuvres (either by me because they won’t move out of my way, or by others who are inconvenienced by them), and then make me feel guilty because I get irritated when they’re just trying to be helpful.
- Hearing someone described as a “self-confessed feminist” as if feminist is a dirty word, when it is, in fact, a recognition of past and present injustices and a desire to change that, a badge of courage and insight and hope for the future, and is nothing that needs to be confessed.
- Going to a movie only to discover that the main character has an American accent, when it is not required for the story line (but only for marketing in the US); recent examples included Benedict Cumberbatch (an English actor) in Dr Strange (whether the character is from the US or not is irrelevant to the story), and Emily Blunt (also English) in Girl on a Train (based on an English book, set in England). Are North Americans so unaccustomed to foreign accents that the use of one will seriously affect how well a movie might fare at the box office?
- I saw a book on sale recently with the title Inside of a dog.
- Long-term bloggers who never ever return comments or engage in community discussions; it’s all about them, their numbers, their profile, and of course, selling their books.
- In urban areas, birds are apparently 14% louder (than a previous study sometime some years ago I assume) to drown out city noises, and though I love that birds can adapt, I feel sad that they need to.
- The combination of ageism and sexism.
A few annoying things
May 22, 2017 by Mali
I could relate to a few out there. Loved your honest take this Monday 🙂
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Yes!; Yes!; Why indeed? Especially when I think most Americans are completely enamoured of English accents!; Sorry, I still smile at that G. Marx line.; I get that but am not truly following such people.; Interesting and yes, sad.; Yes!!!!!
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Oh the accent thing drives me crazy (I do think it is specifically for the American market as opposed to the North American market- Canadians wouldn’t be bothered, especially since we tend to find British accents sexy). We’ve had a couple of good musicals completely ruined because of inconsistent accents (Billy Elliot, Priscilla), and we’re equally annoyed with it in films. The new live action Beauty and the Beast is a hot mess. Why does Belle have a British accent and her father has an American one? I know it’s set in France, but if we’re going to pretend all the characters are really speaking in French then at least try to standardize the accent!
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As a science teacher I am fascinated by the birds being louder in urban areas. I’m always amazed at animals ability to evolve in order to thrive. And I agree, it is sad that they have to sing and communicate louder in order to be heard above all the noise we humans have made.
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I am so with you on the driving thing. I wish everyone would just follow traffic laws because THAT would be polite. But I’m going to have to disagree on Doctor Strange. Doctor Strange is an American doctor. A beloved character with a long established past and storyline stretching decades. It was terrible enough to see Benedict Cumberbatch slip into that role — he was so not right for that part and it really hurt my heart because Doctor Strange is one of my favourite characters — but if he had been British, it would have been even more bizarre. As is, it looked like it was set in California, and everyone knows that Doctor Strange lives in New York. Can you tell that I’m a tad sensitive about this one?
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>the main character has an American accent
That seems to be a theme across American media. I’m a fan of professional wrestling, and till date, WWE frequently uses the “evil foreigner” gimmick, as if speaking a second language or having a different accent/religion/skin color is a crime.
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I was so thoroughly confused by Emily Blunt in The Girl on the Train! I was all…isn’t this supposed to be British? Why does she sound like that? And why did they change the setting? NONE OF THIS MAKES ANY SENSE!!!! But it was fine – I didn’t like the book much either. I thought it would make a better movie, though.
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Oooh, this is a good idea for a blog post; I may steal it. 😉 I too get annoyed when locations & accents are co-opted to appeal to an American audience.
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