# Fundie Baby Voice **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 11, 2024, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700 "2024-03-11T12:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/61 "2024-03-15T23:18:57Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > Maybe she was channeling Jackie Kennedy. I was going to mention that. When Mrs Kennedy gave a nationally televised tour of the White House, her breathy voice was absurd to my ears. But she was the epitome of the pretty, well dressed, wonderful hostess wife, who demurred to her husband’s desires and aspirations. An idealized 50’s (into early 60’s) housewife. To modern sensibilities, it’s disturbing. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ft1wgQ0VYrc/hqdefault.jpg "Jackie's White House Tour") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft1wgQ0VYrc) Clearly, Britt reflects that a significant voting block doesn’t have those modern sensibilities. When they want to make America great _again_, they are harking back to that earlier age. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/62 "2024-03-16T00:02:08Z")
As I understand it, even back then plenty of viewers asked the networks, “What’s up with the First Lady’s weird voice?” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/63 "2024-03-16T00:41:52Z")
> [@Jihi](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > She went far enough to become a laughing stock. A more experienced politician would try to thread the needle. ⁢ > > Serious question. What would “threading the needle” even look like here? ⁢ What I imagined when I wrote that was a woman who would sound strong in how she talked, but would give little dogwhistles to being a good housewife and doing things in the kitchen. She wouldn’t use the weird voice or the exaggerated mannerisms, and would be in a homey looking location in her house, rather than directly in the kitchen. Though, when I started writing this, I started thinking of other politicians, and I think it would probably be akin to Sarah Palin, just without seeming like an idiot. Palin has both the “take charge” attitude while playing the homey housewife personality as well. Basically, the goal is to seem both submissive housewife AND strong woman. Someone who would go on the strong attack, but would also acquiesce to Trump as his VP. Because I do very much think she is shooting for that spot. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/64 "2024-03-16T00:44:18Z")
I think it was linked above, but here is the main video I saw doing the rounds. It’s very weird, since she’s obviously making a promo for her speech. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ie-h63RNR4I/maxresdefault.jpg "Listen to the difference between Alabama Senator Katie Britt’s natural voice and her speech voice.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie-h63RNR4I) And, honestly, I do hear a bit of Sarah Palin in there. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/65 "2024-03-16T00:45:01Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > When Mrs Kennedy gave a nationally televised tour of the White House, her breathy voice was absurd to my ears. She does the forced smile, too; and even a sideways, eyelash batting coquettish look. I don’t think I saw that at the time; and I don’t know whether I would have noticed her mannerisms if I did. Though I do remember, even as a child, thinking it was weird when women singers held a forced smile no matter what they were singing – and thinking that it might also mess up their singing to have to hold their mouths that way. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/66 "2024-03-16T01:01:47Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And, honestly, I do hear a bit of Sarah Palin in there. Thank you for responding. I was struggling to imagine what that would look like. Something akin to Sarah Palin, but badly missing the mark, makes a lot of sense. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/67 "2024-03-16T01:47:49Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > > For a few women it is their natural speaking voice; at least the high pitch, though probably not the extra breathiness (at least, unless they’re actually short of breath). > > And in the case of Kristen Chenowith, it’s not an affectation. First of all, she’s tiny so it’s believable, and second of all that woman is not passive and mousy, rather the opposite. She’s very assertive (not in an asshole way or anything, just the opposite of passive I guess). See this clip: > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBUS0UJ-AwU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBUS0UJ-AwU) > > She has that kind of voice but absolutely none of the _attitude_ that you see from the likes of Katie Britt or Kelly Johnson. To me, that’s the biggest sign that it’s a natural voice and not an act (or something taught/brainwashed into a person). I was going to say something similar. She’s 4’11” at best and probably around 90 lbs. And she’s from Oklahoma. Her voice is the high pitched twang of a tiny southern woman. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/68 "2024-03-16T02:02:46Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I think her target was MAGA and otherwise misogynist men. Or, according to the source article, one misogynistic MAGA man in particular, Donald J Trump, from whom she might hope to finagle a VP spot. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/69 "2024-03-16T02:40:52Z")
…or a ‘First Lady-ship’… ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/70 "2024-03-16T03:53:51Z")
That’s a very real possibility, we haven’t seen or heard anything about what’s her name in quite a while. Last I heard of her, she was selling her hat. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/71 "2024-03-16T12:03:51Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I am an American woman, damn it. I didn’t read the article so I don’t know who wrote it, but I think that’s the point. Not to them you’re not. You’re not a _real_ American. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/72 "2024-03-16T14:25:24Z")
Which is why it’s so dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/73 "2024-03-16T14:56:58Z")
I believe “fundie baby voice” got coined by Jess Piper in a Tiktok video [reposted by her on Twitter](https://twitter.com/i/status/1720927778155995512). IMO it’s the best description of that phenomenon. In that interpretation, FBV is mainly for men. It signals “I am submissive, I will not challenge you.” I think Katie Britt was doing something different than FBV, I think she was signaling more to women than men. “I’m like you, I hear you, get on board with me.” Of course her presentation was very much tradwife, but I would call her delivery more in the vein of evangelical melodrama. The pseudo-whisper also adds a whiff of cult-hypnotic vibe, much like when Tulsi Gabbard stares directly into the camera and nods her head while she’s speaking. There’s a non-verbal persuasion element to it. So while Britt was definitely catering to some trad aesthetic and a bit of cult signaling, I think it’s different from what Piper calls the fundamentalist baby voice. It sounds loosely similar, but it’s got a different intent, different obvious, subtly different delivery. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/74 "2024-03-16T15:40:45Z")
The whisper part sounded like when someone is on the phone with 911, but doesn’t want anyone else to hear. Maybe someone should check on her. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/75 "2024-03-16T19:10:14Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Maybe someone should check on her. Have we checked to see if she was blinking in Morse Code? Or maybe it was the weird pauses that were the code. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/76 "2024-03-18T00:24:13Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > I think her target was MAGA and otherwise misogynist men. > > Or, according to the source article, one misogynistic MAGA man in particular, Donald J Trump, from whom she might hope to finagle a VP spot. I don’t think she would turn it down. This does go against how she campaigned to become Senator. She touted herself as being tough and a fighter. In ads they used her man-mountain of a husband to tell people how tough she is. That might make Trump hesitant to make her the VP nominee. He would be scared to be creepy towards her, > **[Britt campaign releases first digital ad starring husband Wesley- 'Katie...](https://yellowhammernews.com/britt-campaign-releases-first-digital-ad-starring-husband-wesley-katie-doesnt-have-an-ounce-of-quit-in-her/)** > > U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt on Thursday released her campaign's first digital advertisement featuring her husband. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/77 "2024-03-18T01:57:34Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > Maybe she was channeling Jackie Kennedy. After listening to the Jackie Kennedy example posted by moriarty, it’s obvious that the two sound nothing alike. Jackie is speaking very calmly and evenly. Serenely, even. A highly polished and elegant manner. Katie is speaking very unevenly, her voice going all over the place, sounding strained and scarcely under control. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/78 "2024-03-18T11:09:51Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Is arlo\_guthrie hard code, as in it’s always required? Nope, ‘quote’ with no ‘=’ will get you a non-attributed quote box: > [@](#): > > like this ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/79 "2024-03-18T11:23:48Z")
More on personal experience with the Fundie Baby Voice > **[Once upon a time I spoke in Fundie Baby Voice, now I roar!](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/3/16/2229849/-Once-upon-a-time-I-spoke-in-Fundie-Baby-Voice-now-I-roar?utm_campaign=trending)** > > In the South, some call it “nice, nasty” or the “bless your heart” syndrome, a penchant for couching insults in edible saccharine gift wrap. The insidious nature of this kind of passive-aggressive tactic leaves those attacked without recourse,... ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700/80 "2024-03-18T23:02:05Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > > [@bobot](#): > > > > Is arlo\_guthrie hard code, as in it’s always required? ⁢ > > Nope, ‘quote’ with no ‘=’ will get you a non-attributed quote box: > > > [@](#): > > > > like this ⁢ Sure, but if you don’t need attribution, it’s often easier to just put a '`> `’ before each paragraph, like this: ``` > Jesus wept. > > And do did John. ``` > Jesus wept. > > And so did John. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fundie-baby-voice/998700.md?page=3)