Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/06/28/watch-paris-hiltons-masterful-code-switch-on-the-us-congress-floor-video.html
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My mother was an English teacher, and growing up, she always spoke in this very proper, formal American with a slight hint of Texas accent. And if we said ain’t or any other kind of technically grammatically wrong word or phrase, she would correct us every time. Then, when I was in high school, we went to some family reunion of hers and I saw her around her aunts and uncles for the first time in my life (my mom’s parents died when I was a baby, and their siblings didn’t live close to us). Holy shit, I thought someone had replaced my mother. Suddenly, she had this super thick East Texas accent and sounded like the reddest Texas redneck ever. It freaked me out, especially when I realized that she didn’t even realize she did it. And yeah, she would speak to her aunt and sound like that, and then turn and tell me something and it was right back to the very prim and proper English. It was so weird. Code switching is interesting.
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I’ve been off the Plains for decades, but my drawl increases proportionately with respect to how close to large yellow metal I am.
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I don’t think this is as nefarious as is being implied by the BB post. It may simply be that, once over the first few happy pleasantries which she expressed in a higher register intended to be friendly, she dropped the cozy mannerisms and went into full business mode.
We all do this, e.g. during meetings: we exchange happy greetings, maybe crack a joke or two, and then settle in to business with a different tone of voice.
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Acid trip in the 1950’s ruined a lot of lives.
The following is just some weird stuff.
Chuck got off booze by using LSD given to him by researchers at UCLA, funded by the CIA as part of the prjoect MKULTRA.
He went on to start a cult that splintered into several torture camps for kids, for fun and profit.
If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would claim there was a connection between those two things. But I’m not saying that the extras in THX 1138 were CIA cultists…
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I do this kind of code switching (particularly in social situations) all the time without really intending to. If I’m talking to US Southerners I start adopting a bit of a drawl. When I am in the NorthEast - New Jersey, Boston or Maine comes out. When I’m in Ireland, a bit of a lilt starts. In Scotland, it’s a bit of a brogue. I don’t intend it, but I can’t help it. It’s some sort of intrinsic mimicry.
Somewhat interestingly, this doesn’t happen in professional circumstances; then I keep a very neutral US Midwestern accent. It also never happens with others whose native language is not English.
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I worked in Malaysia with a manager who was Malaysian born, educated in England, and lived in Singapore. His code-shift was seamless: leaning in with a hand on the listener’s shoulder when talking to Malays, standing close but stiff and upright when talking to Malaysian or Singaporean Chinese, and at least five feet away when talking to white people. The language, accent, slang, and hand movements would all shift instantly and never stumbled. I was in awe.
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In 2008, Hilton was the first presidential candidate I ever heard clearly and coherently articulate what today we would describe as an “All-of-the-above” energy policy. And she did it wearing a bikini.
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I don’t think the post implies that there’s anything nefarious here. If anything, the line “Her presentations are moving and pointed, but this week, we must also applaud her masterful code-switch” shows admiration for how she handled herself.
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Yeah, I didn’t pick up on any negativity in the post, implied or explicit, so I’m not sure what’s supposed to be nefarious.
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It’s not nefarious but it is not ‘code switching’ - it’s just tone of speech suited to the subject matter, as you correctly point out.
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I think the algos want Paris trending so they’re carpet bombing us with weird things about her nobody asked for.
This is code switching? What’s the code?
In linguistics, code -switching or language alternation occurs when a speaker alternates between two or more languages, or language varieties.
She had a nasal tone when she complimented a lady on a shallow thing and then let her voice lower because she knows people won’t take a person seriously if they have a bimbo voice like the one she practically trademarked and made sure other women will get harassed over.
Anyway let’s get back to hyperfocusing on a woman’s voice and making up words that aren’t what they are to talk about it. Next article is going tell me she wears contact lenses and wigs, I guess, and the headline will read “Hilton’s Transition Shocks America!”
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If it was a switch, she didn’t switch far enough. “Impordant” ugh…
Trapped In Treatment is a new docu-style podcast series from Paris Hilton, London Audio, iHeartMedia, and Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Telepictures, that will examine and expose the dark secrets of the “Troubled Teen Industry.” Beginning with Provo Canyon School, each season will focus on the story of one youth treatment facility, its survivors, and the traumatizing abuse at the hands of their captors. Hosted by Caroline Cole and Rebecca Mellinger, Trapped in Treatment weaves together personal accounts with historical detail and expert opinions to shine a light on what really happens at behavior modification centers and how this billion-dollar industry has flourished for so long.
Paris Hilton has made it her mission to empower survivors of the ‘Troubled Teen Industry’ and use her global platform to make sure no more youth suffer at the hands of these systemically abusive institutions. Paris’ YouTube Originals documentary. This is Paris has been seen by 50M viewers in which she details the physical and psychological abuse she experienced as a teenager at numerous residential treatment programs within the ‘Troubled Teen Industry.’ Her advocacy has resulted in mass public awareness of the ‘Troubled Teen Industry,’ policy change at the state level, philanthropic initiatives, and media projects including Trapped in Treatment. She is currently supporting the passage of the Federal Accountability for Congregate Care Act.
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I wasn’t familiar with what code-switching is and had to look it up. I had the same view initially that she had just changed her tone, but according to the Wikipedias, “In popular usage and in sociolinguistic study, the term code-switching is frequently used to refer to switching among dialects, styles or registers.” Her speech significantly changed register so I think it would count as code-switching.
It really is! It kind of makes me wish I had studied linguistics.
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Code switching can even be between two completely different languages within a single sentence. The language capabilities of the human brain are amazing.
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Thanks. I didn’t watch her testimony but I did read about it and what I read was important and harrowing. She is doing great work by exposing this abusive industry and its practices.
I have massive respect for her doing this. Code switching cool and all but the actual things she is talking about are the bigger story for me.
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Not sure it’s implying that at all?
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TIL today: Paris Hilton isn’t the vapid woman I’d thought based upon her initial rise to fame for being famous (and wealthy).
I’m sorry to learn that she went through the experiences she did but heartened to learn about her efforts to fix the problems.
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