Helen,

You bring up some interesting points. I find myself valuing other accents in people, but not Southern ones. I think when I was very young I thought all the people around me were stupid. (I still think some of those people are, but I realize now it isn't because of their geographic location) That is why I decided to homogenize my speach. It was a way for me to disassociate myself from them.

I usually find other accents quite charming, and can understand why one might feel that way toward Southerners. I certainly wouldn't like to see the wonderful variants of speech lost to media.

Your comic book reference reminds me of something I once heard. Most American television is written to a 6th grade intelegence level. I suppose that might be why I almost never watch television other than the discovery channel or other similar channels.