# 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:** 1\ **Showing post:** 44
**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) --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-truly-been-a-genius-who-had-a-thick-stereotypical-southern-accent/1001437)._