Some years ago, I was working as a sports-talk host when the program director called me in. “I thought you said you’re from South Philly,” he said. “I am,” I replied. “Well, you don’t sound like it.” That moment still bothers me all these years later. The program director wasn’t complimenting me. He obviously believed that all South Philadelphians talk a certain way.

A decent part of the audience the station was trying to attract were sports-loving males from South Philly. The program director was annoyed that here I was a South Philly guy and I wasn’t playing to that segment of the audience. The point was that I had spent four years at Temple University in the communications curriculum. The announcing classes helped me rid myself of any regional accents. Never mind I was from South Philly. This buffoon expected a “youse” out of me every now and then. Assumptions about our speech are the least of the stereotyping.