British man just going to see exactly what accent will let him get away with
VANCOUVER, B.C.—By the age of 26, Colin Vaillancourt of Leeds, England realized that he had a special ability. People would let this bloke say anything. Literally, anything. All because of his inability to pronounce letter "h."
"I first realized it when I incorrectly assumed my co-worker Sheila was pregnant," explains Vaillancourt. "Back home, that wouldn't fly. But here? She laughed it off and said 'oh you Australians.'"
But his case isn't special.
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Researchers at the Accent Effectiveness Institute say the phenomenon goes back centuries, where someone with a different way of speaking would be treated well. This visitor might bring crucial knowledge from a foreign land, or at the very least teach you some new way of referring to your genitalia.
"It's the reason why people put up with horrific things from the Brits," explains accent expert Andrew McGrath. "Like how people still find Hugh Grant charming or the fact that Coronation Street continues to exist."
However, the impact on Vaillancourt's life is starting to show.
"Once I discovered I had this power, I had to see just how far I could take it. It was like a high that I had to chase. I would start every conversation by remarking that the person looked tired," says Vaillancourt. "If that didn't garner a reaction, I'd just see how many times in a row I could drop the c-bomb before people caught on."
But now, Vaillancourt says the allure has worn off, and he's starting to get worried how much people are getting away with. "It's equivalent to letting someone with an incredibly fragile ego run a country that has 4,500 warheads," says Vaillancourt.
"And no one is stupid enough to do that."
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