She couldn't believe it. Dr. Hannah Fry, the famed mathematician, was begging people not to leave her talk. She spent years building up her credentials, putting her name and face out there on countless TV shows and lectures, writing highly lauded articles and books all after earning her PhD in fluid dynamics at the University College London... and it fell apart the instant anyone heard her newfound vocal fry.
"You can seeeeee, thaaaaaaat low risk coupllllles have more positive? Interactions."
This was basic. Basic! This slide came right out of her book "The Mathematics of Love," once well-received at her 2014 TED Talk. Yet the more she spoke, the dumber she sounded. People were shaking their heads. Walking out the doors. Playing with their phones.
"Who scheduled this bimbo?" she overheard. Despite the man's lower volume, it carried far in the emptying auditorium, echoing off walls and in her brain. A clever brain. One of the brightest! But it sure didn't sound like it.
It started with her public speaking lessons. To maximize her potential as a presenter, she signed up for a program called SpeakEasy. Exercises were meant to help her become more persuasive, engaging, and insightful to the layperson. What she didn't know was how the strange vocal fry lessons meant to 'broaden her range' got hacked in by a former student she flunked in one of her classes. How the rapidfire barrage of sessions altered her mental tics and vocal cords, pushing her past the point of no return long before she realized she crossed it.
When she discovered what he did, she tried to report it and got laughed out. Out of the dean's office. Out of the police station. Off the phone with SpeakEasy support. None of them believed the ditzy redhead, no matter how many complicated words she used to try to sound smarter. With her options spent, she decided to move forward with her life hoping she could thrive in spite of her humiliating vocal fry. She could at least set an example and prove to her female students that brains beat stereotypes every time. Or so she thought, but judging by today's performance...
Suddenly, her earpiece produced a sharp whine, then a crackling. As soon as she heard the voice, she knew it was him.
"Hey dumbass," he said. "How's your lecture going? Bad I hope."
To Dr. Hannah Fry, she was pausing to collect herself and assess what she could do to handle the menace. To everyone else, the bimbo on stage lost her train of thought mid-lecture. Maybe she'd pick it up again in a second or two. Or five. Or five hundred. Whenever her tiny mind could sort itself out really. An audible groan went up when Hannah reached the fifteen second mark without a peep.
"Securityyyyy?" she finally said. "There's this guy? He won't stop calling me dumb and I can't think."
"Great work, genius! It only took you forever and a day to come up with that one. Maybe you should show everyone your tits to keep their interest next time you try to think."
"Yeah, suuuuure. I'll show my boobs cause I loooove attention."
His laughter on the other end signaled something wrong. Very wrong. Then it registered. She looked up, bewildered and horrified, as her own words bounced from speakers to walls to her. Everyone just heard her offer to flash them. With no hint of sarcasm.
Reblogged
Sent!
This blog contains adult content. In order to view it freely, please log in or register
and confirm you are 18 years or older
Hannah Fry's Vocal Fry - pt 1
"Come on, people. This is reeeeally important."
She couldn't believe it. Dr. Hannah Fry, the famed mathematician, was begging people not to leave her talk. She spent years building up her credentials, putting her name and face out there on countless TV shows and lectures, writing highly lauded articles and books all after earning her PhD in fluid dynamics at the University College London... and it fell apart the instant anyone heard her newfound vocal fry.
"You can seeeeee, thaaaaaaat low risk coupllllles have more positive? Interactions."
This was basic. Basic! This slide came right out of her book "The Mathematics of Love," once well-received at her 2014 TED Talk. Yet the more she spoke, the dumber she sounded. People were shaking their heads. Walking out the doors. Playing with their phones.
"Who scheduled this bimbo?" she overheard. Despite the man's lower volume, it carried far in the emptying auditorium, echoing off walls and in her brain. A clever brain. One of the brightest! But it sure didn't sound like it.
It started with her public speaking lessons. To maximize her potential as a presenter, she signed up for a program called SpeakEasy. Exercises were meant to help her become more persuasive, engaging, and insightful to the layperson. What she didn't know was how the strange vocal fry lessons meant to 'broaden her range' got hacked in by a former student she flunked in one of her classes. How the rapidfire barrage of sessions altered her mental tics and vocal cords, pushing her past the point of no return long before she realized she crossed it.
When she discovered what he did, she tried to report it and got laughed out. Out of the dean's office. Out of the police station. Off the phone with SpeakEasy support. None of them believed the ditzy redhead, no matter how many complicated words she used to try to sound smarter. With her options spent, she decided to move forward with her life hoping she could thrive in spite of her humiliating vocal fry. She could at least set an example and prove to her female students that brains beat stereotypes every time. Or so she thought, but judging by today's performance...
Suddenly, her earpiece produced a sharp whine, then a crackling. As soon as she heard the voice, she knew it was him.
"Hey dumbass," he said. "How's your lecture going? Bad I hope."
To Dr. Hannah Fry, she was pausing to collect herself and assess what she could do to handle the menace. To everyone else, the bimbo on stage lost her train of thought mid-lecture. Maybe she'd pick it up again in a second or two. Or five. Or five hundred. Whenever her tiny mind could sort itself out really. An audible groan went up when Hannah reached the fifteen second mark without a peep.
"Securityyyyy?" she finally said. "There's this guy? He won't stop calling me dumb and I can't think."
"Great work, genius! It only took you forever and a day to come up with that one. Maybe you should show everyone your tits to keep their interest next time you try to think."
"Yeah, suuuuure. I'll show my boobs cause I loooove attention."
His laughter on the other end signaled something wrong. Very wrong. Then it registered. She looked up, bewildered and horrified, as her own words bounced from speakers to walls to her. Everyone just heard her offer to flash them. With no hint of sarcasm.