Mocking minority voices on social media: A cultural problem

Screenshot 2025-10-07 091728 — Many TikTok channels produce video clips imitating "men men's voices". Screenshot

Many people believe that the “idea” of the “men men voice” trend originated from a video clip of an ethnic minority girl sharing her difficulties while working in an industrial park in the city in Kinh language with a distinctive intonation. The girl said she was treated poorly, and said that she would rather stay home and “eat sour men men”.

The video clip quickly became a trend on TikTok, but what is worth pondering is the reaction of the crowd, instead of sympathizing and sharing with a young worker facing injustice and discrimination, they joined together to imitate her voice, adding "silly" expressions, exaggerating the intonation, creating a series of humorous parody videos. From there, the "trend" of imitating "men men voices" was born.

On TikTok, Facebook, YouTube... there are thousands of "men men voice" video clips, with all kinds of "content creation": "men men voice" speaking challenge, singing in "men men voice", popularizing elementary "men men voice" for beginners, 9.0 speaking "men men voice" test, teaching foreigners to speak "men men voice"...

Most participants took the position of the majority, laughing at differences without realizing that they were contributing to the creation of prejudice. This is not a local phenomenon but evidence of a mechanism of linguistic power: the dominant group’s voice becomes the norm, while the minority’s voice is easily turned into an object of ridicule.

Screenshot 2025-10-22 at 21.57.36 — A clip imitating "men men's voice" on TikTok attracted more than 10.9 thousand views. Screenshot

This phenomenon is not new if viewed in a broader context, from comedy stages, dramas to video clip products on the internet, many times the audience has witnessed the image of ethnic minorities being portrayed through awkward speech, "unusual" dress, and "naive" behavior.

Many social media content creators also follow that path by turning customs and language into ingredients for laughter. A typical example that has caused public outrage is the case of YouTube channel A Hy TV with many sketches that are considered to defame and insult the honor and dignity of ethnic minorities, which the Ethnic Committee has requested the management agency to intervene to handle. In essence, such products are not just "entertainment" but are acts of exploiting the cultural expressions of disadvantaged groups in exchange for views.

The pronunciation of ethnic minorities when speaking the common language is the result of a history of language contact, a unique phonemic system, different rhythms and tones; it is evidence of bilingualism, demonstrating the ability to adapt to language, not evidence of "poor understanding". Imitating accents, distorting tones or separating a native noun (for example "men men") from its original meaning to turn it into a derogatory adjective is a process of language transformation to serve the goal of belittling the subject. From a broader perspective, this behavior is a manifestation of discrimination based on accent, leading to feelings of discrimination and psychological trauma in the person being imitated, making them lose confidence and even affecting their job opportunities, education ...

The consequences of ridicule do not stop at personal feelings. There is also the risk of losing voice. When voice is seen as a joke, the risk of many messages that ethnic minorities want to convey is easily overwhelmed by the laughter of the crowd. Speakers are no longer listened to seriously, listeners lack the respect to consider. In the long run, this can cause the younger generation of ethnic minorities to seek to hide their linguistic identity, forcing themselves to speak "standardly" to avoid discrimination. Linguistic diversity is therefore at risk of being erased, when characteristic tones and rhythms gradually disappear in the effort to integrate through assimilation.

On a social level, accent-shaming deepens the divide between “us” and “them.” Majority members feel safe laughing at differences, while minorities feel an additional layer of shame. Worse, in the age of social media, a single parody video can go viral, racking up millions of views, faster than any counter-argument or educational effort. Stereotypes that seemed to have faded are revived and replicated under the guise of harmless entertainment.

So what should we do? First of all, content creators must have social and cultural responsibilities. They need to understand that laughter cannot be built on demeaning others. There are many ways to make people laugh while still being civilized and humane. Next, management agencies must resolutely handle cases of taking advantage of ethnic cultural characteristics to defame, disparage, and make fun of. At the same time, the press and media channels need to proactively spread positive stories, affirming the value of linguistic and cultural diversity. Most importantly, it is necessary to create opportunities for ethnic minorities to speak up, tell their stories in their own voices, and be listened to with respect.

Voice is not only a means of communication, but also a living heritage of a community. It carries history, memory, knowledge and pride. Turning that voice into a laughingstock is not only an insult to the individual, but also to an entire culture. Condemning the act of mockery is not an excessive harshness, but a necessary step to build a fair society that respects diversity. Only when a country knows how to listen to and appreciate all voices can it truly be rich in culture, and can it affirm civility in the way people behave with each other.

Source: https://baonghean.vn/gieu-nhai-giong-noi-thieu-so-tren-mang-xa-hoi-van-nan-van-hoa-10308708.html