I was born and raised in Houston - still have a little accent. It is amazing to me that some people seem to associate stupidity with an accent :-)
People can think what they want. As President Bush has proved, it is sometimes an advantage to be 'misunderestimated'.
I dunno. I've certainly come to expect stupidity from anyone with a "Kennedy accent" (or should that be "Bahs-ton" accent).
"I was born and raised in Houston - still have a little accent. It is amazing to me that some people seem to associate stupidity with an accent :-)"
I am from Nashville originally and was always amazed at the number of people who came to Nashville to make it "BIG" in the music industry. My cousin and wife both worked in the music/advertising industry in Nashville and constantly told me stories of people who thought they could gull the slow talking Southerners but got taken to the cleaners themselves. "just sign right here darlin' and we'll make you famous".
Houston is in Texas. Texas is not part of the South. Texas is simply Texas. You guys got your own whole thing going on there and you should be proud of it.
But it is amazing about people's reactions to my accent from Alabama with these people in Vegas. If I get that reaction from someone I automatically assume they are bigots with a superiority complex. And I'm not too shy to let them know I think that as well. ;-)
I am a Houstonian and nothing sounds more ignorant to me than a Brooklyn NY accent, so it goes both ways.
Don't lose the accent,It'll keep'um honest and guessing.