Kamala Harris has caused a stir in the presidential campaign for using “fake accents,” which experts say is the result of a lack of self-confidence.
Harris, who was born in California and spent part of her childhood in Canada, has been accused of adopting a Midwestern, Southern and even French accent, depending on who her audience is.
And just today, social media exploded after a video emerged of the vice president appearing to speak with a Spanish accent during a speech at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual Leadership Conference
Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert, who practices in New York, says there are two main reasons why people change their accents. In psychological circles, this is known as “mirroring” or the “chameleon effect.”
Vice President Kamala Harris has recently been criticized for claims that she puts on a “fake accent” when speaking at events where people of color are present. Experts suggested that the change could be a result of her feeling insecure
The latest ‘fake accent’ surprised Americans.
Harris appeared to say “I love you back” in a Spanish accent to a group of her supporters on Wednesday.
Some do it out of empathy, so that others will find them trustworthy and to show that they want to experience the emotions of another.
Others adopt a different accent to fit in, because they feel left out of the group and want to conform.
Alpert told DailyMail.com that he believes this is the case with Harris.
“Using a fake accent could also be because she feels insecure in dealing with a certain group and feels like she needs to adjust her basic tone of voice to be accepted. To some extent, this is a natural and normal way of interacting with people we see as different from ourselves,” Alpert said.
‘There’s a chance she feels like she doesn’t belong, so she compensates by pushing her accent to the extreme.
“I think Harris is trying to gain acceptance among these different demographics. But again, I think it’s counterproductive.”
Harris has been accused of tailoring her accent to suit certain groups, as well as tailoring her policy positions to what is popular at the time.
In 2020, at the height of the George Floyd protests, Harris supported the “defund the police” movement in an interview with the hosts of the Ebro in the Morning show.
This was a far cry from when she ran for California Attorney General in 2010. Her commercial production mimicked the suspense of an episode of Law and Order.
“Our justice system needs a drastic overhaul,” Harris said as she walked confidently with the police officers, her hair blowing in the wind as a helicopter flew overhead.
She has also said she would stop Donald Trump’s border wall project, once calling it a “medieval vanity project” and a “waste of taxpayer money.”
But in August, Harris reportedly suddenly promised to sign a bill that would free up hundreds of millions of dollars to continue construction of a wall along the southern border, a report found.
Harris was a strong supporter of the Green New Deal in 2019, which calls for government policies to address climate change. This year, however, she has renounced any previous claims that she was against fracking in a bid to win the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Harris appeared to say “I love you too” in a Spanish accent during a speech at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual Leadership Conference
Harris drew criticism in July 2024 when she adopted a languid Southern drawl at a rally in Georgia
Years before he ran as the Democratic nominee, the vice president was criticized for delivering “The Plan” with a French slant during a speech to scientists in Paris
While her policy changes have been widely criticized in recent years, her “fake accent” has received more attention in recent months and is seen as superficial by some Americans.
“By changing her accent, she could be seen as fake or manipulative and ultimately it could undermine the public’s trust if she feels like she’s not being genuine,” Alpert said.
“Authenticity is essential to building meaningful relationships with voters. If people perceive the accent as disingenuous, it could damage Harris’ credibility.”
‘In Harris’ attempt to appeal to a specific group, he risks alienating other audiences.
‘If her change of accent is seen as flattery or insincerity, it could turn people off, who might see it as a superficial attempt to fit in, rather than a genuine expression of solidarity.’
Harris is not the only person to have given a different speech. Many Americans have done so, and some experts believe there is a social aspect to the chameleon effect: unconsciously mimicking the physical actions of another human being.
Dr. Nan Wise, a licensed psychotherapist who appeared on The Today Show, said, “When you talk to kids, you sound different, right?
‘When you talk to old people, you start to sound different. And even when you talk to people who are not native speakers, you automatically adapt.’
Dr. Wise also noted that Harris’ strange accent is something that “we humans do automatically, a kind of imitation, but it happens unconsciously.”
“Humans are highly social animals and part of this adaptation has to do with the way we are programmed to make connections and inadvertently mimic aspects of our social environment,” she explained.
However, a Study 2021 Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that codeswitching is a deliberate behavior.
Dr. Wise also claimed that Harris’s accent made him appear trustworthy, but Alpert suggested that it could actually do the opposite.
“By changing her accent, she could be seen as fake or manipulative and ultimately that could undermine the public’s trust if she is made to feel like she is not being genuine,” he said.
“Authenticity is essential to building meaningful relationships with voters. If people perceive the accent as disingenuous, it could damage Harris’ credibility.”
Harris put on the “fake accent” during a press conference on September 17, when he spoke to reporters from the National Association of Black Journalists.
Harris spoke this month at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 53rd Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner, where she was criticized for “code-switching”
Code-switching, when someone switches languages during a conversation, is not a new phenomenon for Harris. She spoke with a languid, Southern drawl at a rally in Georgia in July 2024.
But years earlier, in 2021, she was accused of having a distinctive French accent when speaking to scientists at the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
The vice president is half Jamaican and half Indian and spent her childhood in San Francisco and Canada.
Danielle Wade, a licensed clinical social worker, wrote in MedicalNewsToday: ‘Some see it as negative, because it can reinforce stereotypes.’
But she noted that this behavior “can be a way of maintaining someone’s identity and culture.”
Harris isn’t the first presidential candidate to change her speech, as Hillary Clinton came under fire for similar behavior during her 2015 campaign in Columbia, South Carolina.
Clinton, who grew up in Chicago, spoke with a Southern accent at a meeting of minority women entrepreneurs.
According to Dr. Yalda Safai, a psychiatrist in New York City, Clinton has long tried to fake an accent to appear recognizable, but “it just feels completely flat” to American voters.
Alpert, on the other hand, explained that people have more respect for politicians who know themselves better.
“I think Bill Clinton was a master at that,” he continued.
“I thought he just connected with everyone he spoke to, from highly educated New Yorkers to poor people. He always seemed to stay true to himself and was widely accepted.
“I think the same goes for Donald Trump. We all know the description, the blue collar billionaire. He just says what he thinks and is consistent in different speeches and with different audiences.”