--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think Americans still can't help but…" description: "\"I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to do by a British accent. T..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/john-oliver-2975_accents_i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-r_67967.png" --- # I think Americans still can't help but respond to the… ![“I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to do by a British accent. That's why so many infomercials have British people.” quote by John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/john-oliver-2975_accents_i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-r_67967.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/john-oliver-2975_accents_i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-r_67967.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/john-oliver-2975_accents_i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-r_67967.png) > “I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to do by a British accent. That's why so many infomercials have British people.” [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote observes a cultural fascination in the U.S. with British accents, suggesting they convey authority and credibility, especially in persuasive media like infomercials. **In simple terms:** British accents are perceived as authoritative in America. Key Takeaway Accent can influence perceived expertise. Themes cultural perception authority bias media influence accent stereotypes cross-cultural appeal Mood amused observational wry Type observation cultural critique When to use this quote - advertising targeting U.S. consumers - TV infomercials - product demos - political speeches - branding campaigns Key Concepts perception of authority accent as branding media persuasion Practical Applications - leveraging accent in marketing - using voice talent for credibility Questions to Reflect On - Why do certain accents command more trust? - How does accent affect consumer decisions? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [British people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british-people/) [Deep down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-down/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [Infomercials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infomercials/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [I always say Los Angeles is the place where British people come to exceed their worth. It's quite true of everything: The British accent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-cartwright/i-always-say-los-angeles-is-the-place-where-british-people-come-to/) [Ryan Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-cartwright/) > [I'm not really much of an actor, so when I started on 'The Daily Show,' I was just trying to adopt the faux authority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-m-not-really-much-of-an-actor-so-when-i-started-on-the-daily-show-i/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [British people would die for their right to drink themselves to death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/british-people-would-die-for-their-right-to-drink-themselves-to-death/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [No one's on at my time but infomercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-daly/no-one-s-on-at-my-time-but-infomercials/) [Carson Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-daly/) > [I'm like a bumper car. When I did an infomercial I was fodder for every TV comedy show. I couldn't get a job. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cher/i-m-like-a-bumper-car-when-i-did-an-infomercial-i-was-fodder-for/) [Cher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cher/) > [Writing is 90% procrastination. It is a matter of doing everything you can to avoid writing, until it is about four in the morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudnick/writing-is-90-procrastination-it-is-a-matter-of-doing-everything-you/) [Paul Rudnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudnick/) > [I like infomercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-ullman/i-like-infomercials/) [Tracey Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-ullman/) > [Reality TV is a totally different animal than the infomercial world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-harrington/reality-tv-is-a-totally-different-animal-than-the-infomercial-world/) [Kevin Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-harrington/) > [Big night of television tonight for Barack Obama. Earlier tonight, Barack Obama aired a half-hour infomercial to attract more voters. Yeah. Yeah, and apparently,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/big-night-of-television-tonight-for-barack-obama-earlier-tonight/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [As a writer, I need an enormous amount of time alone. Writing is 90 percent procrastination: reading magazines, eating cereal out of the box,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudnick/as-a-writer-i-need-an-enormous-amount-of-time-alone-writing-is-90/) [Paul Rudnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudnick/) > [“What are you watching?” “Infomercials,” I said. Bryce laughed and wiped his hands on his pajama pants before grabbing the house phone off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micalea-smeltzer/what-are-you-watching-infomercials-i-said-bryce-laughed-and-wiped-his/) [Micalea Smeltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micalea-smeltzer/) > [Writing is 90 percent procrastination: reading magazines, eating cereal out of the box, watching infomercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudnick/writing-is-90-percent-procrastination-reading-magazines-eating-cereal/) [Paul Rudnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudnick/) > [“There is a cookie trail of all my interests lodged in some digital sphere which will one day consolidate the collected data of six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lincoln-fenn/there-is-a-cookie-trail-of-all-my-interests-lodged-in-some-digital/) [J. Lincoln Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lincoln-fenn/) > [I left Mexico for artistic survival. If I had stayed, I would have been forced by the government, who control the movie business, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-cuaron/i-left-mexico-for-artistic-survival-if-i-had-stayed-i-would-have-been/) [Alfonso Cuaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfonso-cuaron/) > [I looked at game show hosting as the bottom of the totem pole, one step away from infomercials. I never watched them myself. However,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-carey/i-looked-at-game-show-hosting-as-the-bottom-of-the-totem-pole-one/) [Drew Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-carey/) ## More by John Oliver > [I've always been interested in socially political, or overtly political, comedy. And I guess I've always liked to channel some kind of personal element…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-socially-political-or-overtly/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I knew I was going to go into the field and make fun of people to their faces. I knew what I was getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-knew-i-was-going-to-go-into-the-field-and-make-fun-of-people-to/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Once you learn how to make people laugh, then you get to choose exactly how you want to make them laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/once-you-learn-how-to-make-people-laugh-then-you-get-to-choose/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [When you see people say crazy things on our show, they mean this stuff,and that's easy to forget: They're not joking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/when-you-see-people-say-crazy-things-on-our-show-they-mean-this-stuff/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I think I'm just a summer fling that people will soon forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-i-m-just-a-summer-fling-that-people-will-soon-forget/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I guess the tone of jokes is often, at best, irreverent, but it always comes from a place of deep love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-guess-the-tone-of-jokes-is-often-at-best-irreverent-but-it-always/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I'm always interested in audience interaction. Not so much aggressive audience interaction - I'm genuinely interested in how people see things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-m-always-interested-in-audience-interaction-not-so-much-aggressive/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I do one accent - my own. I can make it louder or quieter. That is the sum total of my vocal range. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-do-one-accent-my-own-i-can-make-it-louder-or-quieter-that-is-the/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [If you work on a comedy show, your basic form of communication is teasing. That's generally how we speak to each other: you communicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/if-you-work-on-a-comedy-show-your-basic-form-of-communication-is/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I know I'd be an absolutely horrendous politician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-know-i-d-be-an-absolutely-horrendous-politician/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Anybody who claims to be excited for April Fools' Day is probably a sociopath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/anybody-who-claims-to-be-excited-for-april-fools-day-is-probably-a/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Pumpkin spice lattes are egg nog for morning people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/pumpkin-spice-lattes-are-egg-nog-for-morning-people/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I've made so many people angry that they kind of blur into one unpleasant memory of people staring at you with somewhere between passive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-ve-made-so-many-people-angry-that-they-kind-of-blur-into-one/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Armando Iannucci is one of my heroes. As I was growing up, he was probably the most influential comic voice that I had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/armando-iannucci-is-one-of-my-heroes-as-i-was-growing-up-he-was/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [If your name is Sepp, at the bare minimum you’ve strangled someone in a bar fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/if-your-name-is-sepp-at-the-bare-minimum-you-ve-strangled-someone-in/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) [Explore all 143 John Oliver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) ## More Accents quotes > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [“It's not my accent, but my brevity makes me stylish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/it-s-not-my-accent-but-my-brevity-makes-me-stylish/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [You can't live in a dialect without tremendous work. Like any muscle, accents and voices and languages are all formed out of the muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lake-bell/you-can-t-live-in-a-dialect-without-tremendous-work-like-any-muscle/) [Lake Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lake-bell/) > [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I don't think you see a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder, for example. And even with the accents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stevenson/i-don-t-think-you-see-a-pirate-with-a-parrot-on-his-shoulder-for/) [Ray Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stevenson/) > [I'm a Yente and I have a terrible accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/i-m-a-yente-and-i-have-a-terrible-accent/) [Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/) > [In bed watching Family Guy. Love this show.! So hilarious! Stewie is my favorite :) love his accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/in-bed-watching-family-guy-love-this-show-so-hilarious-stewie-is-my/) [Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/) > [American accents often sound much more confident than British ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/american-accents-often-sound-much-more-confident-than-british-ones/) [Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/) > [At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/at-this-point-two-elderly-security-guards-in-parkas-the-guys-who/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Much of my playing is rhythmic and choppy; I use a lot of double stops. The wah just accents all those stops and chops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-hammett/much-of-my-playing-is-rhythmic-and-choppy-i-use-a-lot-of-double-stops/) [Kirk Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-hammett/) > [“The accent of one's birthplace persists in the mind and heart as much as in speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-rouchefoucauld/the-accent-of-one-s-birthplace-persists-in-the-mind-and-heart-as-much/) La Rouchefoucauld > [Years later, when I was working as a trolley wally in a supermarket, I tackled the boredom by talking to the customers in as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/years-later-when-i-was-working-as-a-trolley-wally-in-a-supermarket-i/) [Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/) > [I live in L.A. so I worry my kids aren't that connected to Britain, I suppose I don't want them to become American kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mckidd/i-live-in-l-a-so-i-worry-my-kids-aren-t-that-connected-to-britain-i/) [Kevin McKidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mckidd/) > [I found out later on that was not true, that life drawing tells you a great deal about rhythm, about the structure of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-found-out-later-on-that-was-not-true-that-life-drawing-tells-you-a/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) [Browse all 749 Accents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to do by a British accent. That's why so many infomercials have British people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Oliver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accents" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/john-oliver-2975_accents_i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-r_67967.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/john-oliver-2975_accents_i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-r_67967.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/john-oliver-2975_accents_i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-r_67967.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long…” — John Oliver", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Oliver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think Americans still can't help...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```