Self-indulgent insolence
Let's start with: What is vocal fry?
The above clip, from Loudermilk, is five years old. And it got a lot of discussion at the time. I completely agree with the Loudermilk character (Ron Livingston) that people do not talk this way. It is an affectation.
I never watched the Loudermilk show, but since seeing this clip on Youtube, I have noticed vocal fry everywhere. And it is grating. But worse than that, it is so obviously fake.
And this discussion predates Loudermilk. Naomi Wolf was talking about this issue nine years ago.
My question for Eliana Johnson is: Why would anyone pretend to talk this way? And why would Kelly, or anyone else, take someone who does speak in this manner seriously? No matter what one may say about the substance of Johnson's comments, it is extremely difficult to take her seriously. Just listen to the two guests, and decide which of the two sounds more serious and believable. Who sounds authentic? And which of the three women might you trust?
No, Johnson is not as bad as the gal in Loudermilk's coffee shop. She is smart enough to tone it down a bit. But like Elizabeth Holmes, if we cannot trust her voice, how can we trust anything she says?
One final point on The Megyn Kelly Show; as I most often do, I listened to the podcast while out walking. So I was not watching the three women on a screen. I am sure this makes the vocal fry all the more pronounced and noticeable. To find a good television host, Roger Ailes used to recommend that producers turn the sound off and just watch. To really notice vocal fry, my recommendation is to turn the video off and just listen. It hits you like a brick.
I once thought that these women are trying to sound like Katharine Hepburn. And of course, failing miserably. But if there's any truth in this, perhaps they are trying to sound smart and refined and sophisticated like Hepburn. But it sounds so fake that the result is the opposite.
But I no longer believe this is the reason for vocal fry.
Listen to this particularly egregious example from Fashionably Divorced. Just watch (listen) to ANY of her videos. I'm sorry, but it's disgusting. Or, just listen to NPR. On this Youtube NPR compilation (without video), one recent comment is that vocal fry communicates condescension. Now this sounds completely true to me. Maybe it's not an attempt to sound refined and sophisticated, but rather an attempt to convey genuine contempt for your listeners. Without doubt the Loudermilk barista has contempt for her customers. Fashionably Divorced conveys condescension and smugness with every syllable.
And Lord, nothing shouts smug like vocal fry on NPR.
Upspeak is another irritating habit that women sometimes glom onto. Also annoying; but I personally do not find it anywhere as annoying as fry. Upspeak seems to come from a lack of confidence rather than the self-indulgent insolence of vocal fry.
Whether she is on the radio or standing right in front of you, how should one deal with this self-indulgent insolence? How should we deal with that level of smugness and condescension? My advice is don't deal with it. Find a new coffee ship, turn the radio off, swipe left on the video, and if she is standing right in front of you, walk away.
Do not tolerate the insolence.
Update, Tuesday, 13 August 2024
From the very next Megyn Kelly Show:
Once you hear it, it's hard to un-hear it.