# Has there ever truly been a genius who had a thick, stereotypical Southern accent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 12, 2024, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437 "2024-05-12T04:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/41 "2024-05-13T17:57:50Z")
> [@TJEckleburg](#): > > Genius with a thick New York accent: Can’t think of one off the top of my head, but New York City has way more smart and creative people than most of the South. Already mentioned: Richard Feynman. I’ve seen him talk, and can confirm he had a thick New York accent. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/42 "2024-05-13T17:58:36Z")
> [@TJEckleburg](#): > > Genius with a thick Irish accent: Garth Ennis, creator of Preacher graphic novel series > > Genius with a thick Boston accent: Any number of people, I’m sure, who pock their cahhh in Hovad Yod, if you know what I mean. 😀 > > Genius with a thick New York accent: Can’t think of one off the top of my head, but New York City has way more smart and creative people than most of the South. > > … > Genius with a thick Australian accent: Australia was founded by what some might consider the bottom of the British gene pool (criminals and ruffians) Oh wow, dude. I don’t think you and I are gonna agree on what comprises “genius,” given your jaunt into eugenics and your promotion of a graphic novel artist as a bona fide genius, apparently above people like William Faulkner (or, y’know, James Joyce). I mean, Preacher is great and all, but _really_? ---
**Author:** ![TJEckleburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ebca7d/32.png) [@TJEckleburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJEckleburg)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/43 "2024-05-13T18:06:16Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > and your promotion of a graphic novel artist as a bona fide genius, apparently above people like William Faulkner (or, y’know, James Joyce). I mean, Preacher is great and all, but _really_? Ennis was 25 when Preacher first hit stands and 30 when he completed the masterpiece. I most _definitely_ consider him a genius. But good job mentioning Joyce, that is a perfectly great answer to “Geniuses with thick Irish accents.” I never said William Faulkner wasn’t a genius, and in fact when people started mentioning him as a genius with a thick Southern accent, I went on Youtube and watched an interview with him. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/44 "2024-05-13T18:11:13Z")
If you’re recognizing Faulkner as a genius, then we just have left: -The troublesome eugenics attitudes about Australians; -The implication that Harvard students/profs have Boston accents AND are geniuses; -The blithe attitude that NYC has “way more smart and creative people than most of the South,” which is simultaneously provincial and (I’d argue) steeped in racist and classist assumptions; and -The lack of awareness of California accents. As I said, I don’t think we’re gonna be much in agreement here. But that’s okay. I’ve known plenty of Southerners who exploit anti-Southern condescension to their advantage. When people underestimate you, it makes it easy and fun to outmaneuver them. Edit: although I’m curious as to your thoughts about Martin Luther King, Jr. There’s a good case that his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most famous speech ever given in English, and it was to a significant degree extemporized. Edit2: [Old thread about I Have a Dream.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-users-how-familiar-are-you-with-this-speech/619440/64) ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/45 "2024-05-13T18:23:57Z")
> [@TJEckleburg](#): > > Ennis was 25 when Preacher first hit stands and 30 when he completed the masterpiece. I most _definitely_ consider him a genius. Very good. Your OP kind of poisoned the well a bit with examples of DaVinci, Einstein, and Picasso. I presume that in your opinion, Ennis not being a household name like DaVinci, etc., does not dampen your appreciation of his work? If we can agree to this kind of reckoning of “genius” – the kind you afford Ennis – others can perhaps contribute more meaningfully to your OP. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/46 "2024-05-13T19:05:02Z")
So I was snarkier than I should’ve been, and I apologize for that. To take the issues more seriously, I think the question itself betrays some unpleasant prejudices that have been around for at least a couple of millennia, dating back to Romans who disparaged country folk as “pagans” (dwellers in a country district) and “villains” (dwellers in a village), and going through Shay’s Rebellion when farmers were disenfranchised by the city folk. While there’s a case that the Civil War is the cause of anti-Southern prejudice, I don’t think it’s a very strong case. First, the prejudice doesn’t exclude Black Southerners. On the contrary, Black Southerners tend to be overlooked entirely by people disparaging the South, which is itself a form of racism. Second, when Southerners do shed their accents, it’s disproportionately the wealthier Southerners who do so–exactly the descendants of the slaveowners to whom prejudice might more reasonably attach. The sense that people with Southern accents are stupid bigots is class prejudice and anti-rural prejudice. It’s ridiculous to think that people from a certain region would be “way [less] smart and creative,” but plenty of people hold that idea. I hope you’ll rid yourself of the idea. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/47 "2024-05-13T20:05:58Z")
Regarding New Zealand: Nobel physics laureate Ernest Rutherford. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/48 "2024-05-13T20:12:42Z")
I agree with this. I think the OP has offensive views of southern people. I’m personally offended. My Old Granny would say “Dearie, I’ve forgotten more than you’ll ever know” She had a very thick southern accent and was a veritable genius. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/49 "2024-05-13T20:21:54Z")
Would Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, the world’s second-largest tech company, count as a genius? I’d argue he’s gotta be pretty darn smart, although I haven’t seen his MENSA entry application. He was born in Mobile, Alabama, and still has a pronounced Southern accent. > [@TJEckleburg](#): > > However, despite not being the cultural center of the US/ world like NYC or Seattle is, even the cold isolated Midwest North of the US is generally less ignorant, close-minded, and inbred than the Deep South. Well, bless your heart. The ignorance of the OP is pretty staggering, honestly. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/50 "2024-05-13T20:27:30Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I think the OP has offensive views of southern people. > I’m personally offended. I’m not from the South, but yeah, the answer to this question is an obvious yes. It would piss me off if people dismissed my intelligence because of my accent. ---
**Author:** ![TJEckleburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ebca7d/32.png) [@TJEckleburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJEckleburg)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/51 "2024-05-13T20:40:26Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > When people underestimate you, it makes it easy and fun to outmaneuver them. “How do you know that my dimwitted inexperience isn’t merely a subtle form of manipulation, used to lower people’s expectations, thereby enhancing my ability to effectively manuever within any given situation?”- Dewey Riley (David Arquette), _Scream 2_ > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > the question itself betrays some unpleasant prejudices that have been around for at least a couple of millennia I will admit it: I _am_ biased against American Southerners. My mother was a Virginian, and I grew up near the North Carolina border (Virginia Beach) and participated in Boy Scouts. 90% of stereotypes exist for a reason, I.e. have at least a grain of truth to them (if not, in certain rare cases, much more than a grain), and the stereotype of Southerners (especially Far South/Deep South) being uneducated, close-minded, more-likely-to-believe-in-invisible-God/angels-than-in-microscopic-Covid-bacteria, violent, unimaginative, disdainful of all weird/mind-blowing ideas like evolution or relativity or superhero comics, crooked, xenophobic, and just plain _nasty/rude_- well, let me tell you, I’ve been to prisons out in Appalachia, and the guards were all those things and more, and there are plenty of other Southerners I’ve encountered, some of whom were nice/laid back/or even fun to party with but many of whom are just as bad as any stereotype. I’m almost done reading _Confederates In the Attic_ (1998), and the author, a white Jewish man with glasses, does give the South a fair shake in his book. He talks to a guy who worked for a TV repair/engineering company who points out that the representatives of other TV repair companies used to dismiss his tech outfit for having Southern drawls and being in the South, but eventually these Northerners came to recognize his warehouse division as being one of the best in the business, and even began regularly turning to them for advice on the hardest questions. He talks to another guy, a rebel artist, who points out that the Redneck is the only racial minority it’s still okay to kick around. Fascinating thing this artist said: in his movie Pulp Fiction, Tarantino turns every stereotype on its’ head (the successful mob boss is black and married a gorgeous young white woman, a hitman is white and friends with a black hitman, a violent unremorseful boxer is white and dates a French girl, the drug dealer is a suburban yuppie), but the only stereotype he allows to remain is that of Zed and Maynard, the racist rapist Neo-Confederate murderers with no souls. Ironic note: I actually believe the South had many good reasons to secede from the Union, and that the North was unfair to the South and took massive economic advantage of it, and that the South, had it won, would probably have freed the slaves in a few decades after giving themselves time to industrialize the way the North already had (even Confederate President Jefferson Davis believed in freeing the slaves, so they say). Now, here’s why I started this thread: I generally dislike Southerners and avoid them and see them as inferior, but I very much want to know a list of Southerners Who Were Truly Brilliant And Overcame The (Sad But Often True) Stereotypes About The American South. These Southerners should (but probably won’t) serve as an aspirational model for what so many millions of others in the land of Dixie should strive to be more like. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/52 "2024-05-13T20:52:38Z")
Okay, you’ve gone a bit too far. I find your bias has no basis in reality. Enough. Sometimes it’s hard to have an intelligent conversation with certain people because, not because of their weird accent, because of their offensive beliefs. Time ol’Beck took a hot foot outta ha’ar! Before she forgets her raisin’ ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/53 "2024-05-13T20:58:05Z")
> [@TJEckleburg](#): > > 90% of stereotypes exist for a reason, I.e. have at least a grain of truth to them (if not, in certain rare cases, much more than a grain) This is exactly what folks say when they want to defend their holding to stereotypes. You’re not the first one to use this as a defense, but it’s _never_ persuasive. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/54 "2024-05-13T21:04:06Z")
> [@TJEckleburg](#): > > I generally dislike Southerners and avoid them and see them as inferior, but I very much want to know a list of Southerners Who Were Truly Brilliant And Overcame The (Sad But Often True) Stereotypes About The American South. These Southerners should (but probably won’t) serve as an aspirational model for what so many millions of others in the land of Dixie should strive to be more like. “I don’t like you for any quantifiable reason, but if you were more like (insert a single example of any race / ethnicity / culture), then you’d be okay.” Are we supposed to take you seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/55 "2024-05-13T21:05:06Z")
Moderating: > [@TJEckleburg](#): > > However, despite not being the cultural center of the US/ world like NYC or Seattle is, even the cold isolated Midwest North of the US is generally less ignorant, close-minded, and inbred than the Deep South. > [@TJEckleburg](#): > > These Southerners should (but probably won’t) serve as an aspirational model for what so many millions of others in the land of Dixie should strive to be more like. These are plainly offensive stereotypes. You’re taking an opportunity to be a jerk, trollish and overtly offensive to a large segment of the country and this message board. I’m amazed it’s taken this long for this thread to be reported. Since you haven’t received a satisfactory answer to the rude questions you’ve posed, it’s time to stop asking. I believe your goal isn’t to get an answer at all but instead to provoke and inflame passions in others. Stop now. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/56 "2024-05-13T21:12:13Z")
Does musical genius count? If so, there have been several. Van Cliburn comes to mind but he was more Texas accent than southern. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/57 "2024-05-13T21:14:44Z")
The only reason I didn’t report it earlier is because I thought it was a joke. I can take good natured ribbing. But that one post was way over the line. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/58 "2024-05-13T21:39:07Z")
I am completely unaccustomed to anyone taking anti-southern bigotry seriously, so it didn’t even occur to me to report it. I am happily surprised at the moderation. I realize that when someone admits that they are biased against a group, the only reasonable response is to wish them luck in the work they need to do on themselves to overcome their bias and prejudice. But the OP doesn’t sound like they’re ready to do that work yet. Which is sad for them, and inconsequential for anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/59 "2024-05-13T21:41:51Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > I would certainly consider Taylor to be as least as intelligent as Zuckerberg, who you list as being nearly genius-level smart. Good god no.Taylor is someone who bends his considerable intellect towards belief in impossible things. His accent is irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437/60 "2024-05-13T21:50:26Z")
[Sen. Sam Ervin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Ervin) comes to mind. I recall a political cartoon of yesteryear, with Nixon watching the Watergate Committee, with the caption reading, “Simple country lawyer, my ass!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437.md?page=4)