Is Applejack's Southern characterisation offensive?

[NavelColt 22,883]

Nah. I find people's offend-ability offensive. People need to stop looking for ill-intent in shit and be able to enjoy the regular things, and even have the character to laugh at the little jokes and prods that make fun of old stereotypes. You know, like the 80's and 90's.

[Espurr 449]

Some people in Texas get offended and some don't. That's the beauty of it. Texas is so big that everyone is going to have a different idea. Not all people in Texas have accent either. I think there's not reason to be offended there anyways. Maybe only people with accents will be offended? I dunno. But you can't think that one person's opinion will be the same for everyone.

[Tetrakemy 221]

So, they were offended because Applejack has a typical southerner accent, wears a type of hat that many southerners actually do wear and is synonymous with southerners because it is where its invented and worn. And she has a big emphasis on her honesty, kindness and loves her family very very much! 

 

....how...in equestria is that offensive!?

[veryoriginalponyname 121]

If she was dumb she might be considered offensive. As it turns out, she's one of the sharper members of the mane 6.

[Blazebolt 122]

I like AJ's hat it's a very nice. I also like how she Quickly puts it on during the  canterlot wedding when no pony is looking.

[CC_Maud_Pie 6,431]

All I can say is, some Southerners are offended while others or not. It's their opinion and they have the right to be offended. To me, Applejack is portrayed more like a hard-working American that lives on the countryside that tries to start a family business rather than strictly a Southerner.

 

Applejack's Southern accent though, isn't how everybody in the South sounds like. There isn't one universal Southern accent if you ask me. Applejack's accent is one that is found in thick versions of it and one that you're more likely to see in Film and TV than in real life.

[Blazebolt 122]

I don't know why she considered offensive. she reminds me of someone I met long ago.

I met a lovely young women who reminds me of AJ ,she was kind, strong and honest. though she could be a bit stubborn but she was the nicest person you could ever meet.

[Justin_Case001 4,933]

Southern?  I don't get all this "southern" stuff.  I thought AJ was suppose to be western.  She's a cowgirl.  That's western.  But, whatever.  Applejack is great.  Those who are offended deserve to be offended.

[Discordian 6,020]

Southern?  I don't get all this "southern" stuff.  I thought AJ was suppose to be western.  She's a cowgirl.  That's western.  But, whatever.  Applejack is great.  Those who are offended deserve to be offended.

That's probably more accurate overall considering her own relatives are pioneers in the desert interacting with the indigenous buffalo herds. Her immediate family just happened to be one of the groups that settled in a single area.

[Stellafera 3,836]

Applejack's Southern accent though, isn't how everybody in the South sounds like. There isn't one universal Southern accent if you ask me. Applejack's accent is one that is found in thick versions of it and one that you're more likely to see in Film and TV than in real life.

 

I don't know about that in terms of it being rare in real life. I live near Dallas (and am aware that AJ's accent is definitely not Texan), but there's definitely people even in a relatively suburban area who have very thick accents. In a town like Ponyville? Definitely plausible, since the "thick or not" split tends to run along "closer to town vs. more rural" lines.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,879]

Texan here, lifelong thus far. AJ's accent sounds a bit more North of here, probably like, Arkansas/Kansas/Missouri, but I see absolutely nothing offensive about this character.

 

Where I'm from, it's not uncommon to see Cowboy hats at formal events, so she could be dressing dapper for all we know Not really offensive at all, if you ask me. I find it kinda cool, actually

[honk friend 1,987]

as someone from texas, my stereotypical view of other texans is mexicans and hardcore conservative gun-owning white folks, the southerner stereotype is what i think of when i think of georgia.

 

her characterization isn't anything to get offended about, in fact that's a stupid thing to get offended about.

[Jeric 46,880]

Texan here, lifelong thus far. AJ's accent sounds a bit more North of here, probably like, Arkansas/Kansas/Missouri, but I see absolutely nothing offensive about this character.

 

Yep, even though AJ's accent (and some of the other elements of her speech) have been tweaked over the course of the series to make a bit more distinct from Dashie at times ... but she has this odd middling version of a Missouri and Oklahoma accent. Her emotions and her singing are what seems to switch more one way or another. The dialect is another story though, especially Granny Smith. They say phrases that are common in Oklahoma or Kansas and some that are generic. I actually like that since Granny was part of a migratory family before Celestia gave the Apples the parcel of land we know as Sweet Apple Acres.

 

 Applebloom ... kids are odd with accents. They over emphasize so much that a child does tend to have a thicker accent that they grow out of. She can basically be placed in more regions than Granny or AJ. Could be Ozarks, could be part Appalachian, with a touch of Kentucky and Kansas. Honestly, AB is all over the place. 

 

Mig Mac, slight drawl. Has only a few actual lines so hard to Hoshi Sato this one. 

 

---

 

So basically, the Apples represent a wide cross section of southern interests ... whether intentional or not. Pretty good for three Canadians and a bunch or writers from California.

 

 

 = Non-regional muted southern accent

= Season 1 - muted Missouri, Oklahoma. Season 2 + - thicker version

 = Youth southern frankenstein - IDK ... Appalachian with some Ozarks?

= Oklahoma, Mountain Missouri. 

 

 

---

 

Obviously the dialect, slang, and activities that the Apples have been seen doing over the years are an amalgam of rural Americana. I say Americana and not Southern, because ... Pennsylvania and New York have huge orchards and they feel just like the Apples.

[~SadisticFluttershy~ 779]

I'll be honest here.

 

Myself am from Texas. Do I find her offensive? No, not really. I adore AJ tbh.

 

She's a hard working pony with a loving family who stick together no matter what. That's how southern families should be.

 

She's kind of like me, hard working, stubborn, caring and loving and take pride in what they do.

I wish her southern accent was a bit more authentic.

 

At my last job, my boss was from Kentucky. His accent was authentic. He sounded like he was from Alabama or Tennessee rather than Kentucky.

[ShadowPhoenix 153]

Nope.

 

But I felt that they dodged the point during Simple Ways, which caused it to be my least favourite episode of Season 4. I do not think Rarity's impassioned attempts to impress Trenderhoof, causing her to lose sight of her own character to be as fatal as the flaw of her grossly exaggerated impersonation of Applejack. It was as if she was insinuating that Applejack normally behaved like a country hick, was perpetually unhygienic and completely lacked any civility. The Aesop would have been better if she had at least apologised to Applejack for stretching the stereotype, thus making it in a way, offensive.

 

However, Applejack's Southern characterization is not offensive so long as we remember that the show does not take place on Earth. It is merely an idiosyncrasy that is simply part of her established character. We need to acknowledge the fact that Applejack goes far beyond being an apple farmer but instead emulating the Element of Honesty, having great familial ties, being a great elder sister and possessing considerable wisdom and outlook after years on the farm. That to me, is what makes Applejack's character work, not because the writers relegated the typical Southern stereotype (our preconceived notion) to the "roustabout" of the Mane 6.

 

If I've lost anyone, it means I love Applejack's Southern mannerisms and accent.

[Tao 8,891]

People just get offended looking in a mirror

it seems now a days....

 

I don't think AJ accent is bad,  it adds a bit

to her cannon while also Rare has one and it

seems these two ponies the only ponies

with any kind of type of accent of the mane

six and all....

[Overtoniscation 10]

Nah, it's a very over-the-top accent, but the character itself is in no way offensive.

[Yellow Diamond 7,578]

Although AJ's character plays off of some Southern tropes, she's not a caricature of people from the American South -- no more than Twilight could be considered a caricature of intellectuals. All of Applejack's Southern mannerisms are invoked affectionately, and she's so well-mannered, friendly, and dependable that I find it next to impossible to believe Lauren Faust and the writers had (or have) any intention of using her as a way to insult people from the South. She is also a fleshed out character that possesses a unique, identifiable personality. If her characterization was overly dependent on stereotypes, we would be incapable of distinguishing her in any meaningful way. Obviously such is not the case.

[sweetolebob18 728]

Speaking as a Damn Yankee, WE don't find AJ offensive

Edited January 12, 2015 by sweetolebob18

[Miles 2,513]

Alright.  Here's the deal.  

*Disclaimer: I did not read many responses to the OP, but you'll soon see why.*

First off, I have to do this... Sorry Jeric...
 

 

 

I know more than a handful of AJ fans on this site that are in 'southern' US States and they are not offended at all. 

*Buzzer noise*

"Southern" does not necessarily mean "country" - and "country" does not necessarily mean "southern."

Applejack depicts a "country" accent that could be from a variety of different areas, not just southern states.  Applejack is country, no ifs ands or buts about it.

I think of all people, I should know.

Why?

I live in a very country area.  Fulton County, IL.  Yes, that's in Central Illinois.  Not the south.

This is a video from our Fulton County Fair Grounds:

Note: The driver was okay.

Now...

I ask that you pardon the occasional curse word in the video, and take from this two things:

1. Indeed, I do live in a very country area.

2. The accent of the people you can hear... (are country... not southern).

---

And as if that weren't enough...

Eeyup.

So, take it from me, a genuine country boy.  

Applejack's accent is not in the least bit offensive.  There are so many different versions of country accents from different areas... there is no reason for any country brony to be offended by her accent or dialect.  To be quite honest, it truly sounds legitimate to me.

So, @@Pony.inc...  You say your friend from Texas got offended?  Tell me.  Since when were the outskirts of Ponyville a part of Texas?

---

I apologize for my crude bluntness.  But if ever a time more worthy to express my country roots on a pony forum... it's now.

Respectfully,
Miles

 

[Judgement 445]

Nah. I live in Texas and sometimes when I go to a sit-down restaurant I see plenty of families that wear cowboy/cowgirl hats. I mean, what's there to be offended about? It's not like they are saying people from the south are dumb or anything.

[SilverStarApple 850]

Go to tumblr if you want to be offended about pointless stuff...

#TURNDOWN4WAT

 

*Bass drops as camera shakes*

 

But in all seriousness, Applejack is awesome. Kind, honest, loves family and hard work, isn't obsessed with fancy stuff, and one of the best ponies in the Apple Family, possibly even the best one? Anyone who'd be offended by having a similar voice to her is dumb. Dumb, dumb, squirrlz is dumb. *Reference*

[Ridley Wolf 291]

She's honest, hardworking, and puts her family first.

 

I don't how that could offend anyone.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Ridley Wolf

[Pony.inc 38]

I interviewed more country residents, but none of them were offended. My friend isn't in the wrong, he has an opinion, but one that most of us wouldn't agree with, including me.

[MechanicalDoom 300]

I usually don't like southern accents, but I love Applejack's. I really like her morals as well. She could have been portrayed much worse, although that mathematics statement she made in one episode might offend some people.