ya’ll better keep them accents

I’ve always heard the term “globalization” tossed around on those radio talk shows on NPR or the WAMU, and I always knew some things about it.

It is coming,

it’s big,

and people just didn’t know what they are going to do about it.

That’s about the extent of my knowledge of globalization. And even though, truthfully, I’m only on page 91 of The World Is Flat, what I’ve read about the past couple of days reminds me of a recent experience.

So my dumpy little emachines desktop that’s sitting pretty my home right now (50 long miles away, thank god), was going through a rough patch and I called the Geek Squad. So I’m talking to the “geek” who’s been assigned to me, and as he’s explaining how I can get my computer screen from spastically flickering, I, of course, am not paying attention.

At least to what he’s telling me to do. I was paying attention to his accent. Well, more like his lack of. But actually, there was a tinge of some accent that which I could not have placed my finger on at that moment. So, I, out to stupidly reveal my inattentiveness, ask my geek, “Where are you located?”

A short pause ensues, and in a timid manner, geek starts to apologize profusely. “I’m so sorry ma’am, could you not understand me? I apologize, sometimes my accent gets the best of me.”

What? “Oh no, I was just curious, that’s all,” I reply, trying to sound as sugary nice as possible. Geek then follows to admit that he’s calling from the Dominican Republic.

Anyways, the outsourcing’s not the part of the anecdote that’s bugging me. What is bugging me is that he seemed to be almost ashamed? Wow. According to some of Thomas Friedman’s research, when other countries are hiring employees to work the hotlines or solicit marketing phone calls, they are given extensive training in a sort of, deaccentification. Yes I did just make a word up. Actually, I think what Friedman called it was “accent neutralization.”

But, really. I mean, how narrow-minded must we (as Americans) be if our employees in nations far away feel as though the only way of pleasing us is to pretend to be like us? Whatever happened to a nation who supported the cultivation of diversity? We should be totally fine with accents. But as Friedman writes, “these kids are [eager] to escape the lower end of the middle class and move up. If a little accent modification is the price they have to pay to jump a rung of the ladder, then so be it.” If I’ve learned anything from my father who’s a PhD in economics, it’s that if there’s a demand, there will be a supply. So therefore, there must be a demand for American accents from our part, no?

Anyway, I’m kind of just thinking out loud here and I need to review my math notes. Not that I’ll really be paying attention anyway.