OST Full Show: Sister Helen Prejean, Stereotypes Around Southern Accents

Southern accents are inexplicably linked to a sense of culture, identity and community. They can also summon stereotypes about intelligence and education, something writer Laura Relyea found when her family moved from Charlotte to Chicago when she was young.

Relyea explored her relationship to her own North Carolina drawl on a recent episode of "The Bitter Southerner Podcast." Her story of losing and finding her way back to her accent resonated with listeners all over Georgia. She joined "On Second Thought" to discuss how accents form a pillar of Southern identity.

"The Beverly Hillbillies" introduced audiences to the Clampett family in the 1960s and helped popularize the stereotype of the "Dumb Southerner." The myth persists today, wrapped up with ideas about tolerance, race and intelligence.

Marie T. Cochran, director of the Affrilachia Artist Project, joined "On Second Thought" to dig into this idea and her experiences growing up in Appalachia. Chuck Reece, host of "The Bitter Southerner Podcast," also joined the conversation.

For decades, Sister Helen Prejean has been a prominent opponent of the death penalty. She started her prison ministry in the 1980s, serving as a spiritual advisor to those on death row. She chronicled her experiences in the 1993 book, "Dead Man Walking." It was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie, a play and an opera.

The Atlanta Opera performs "Dead Man Walking" starting Feb. 2. It tells the story of Prejean and her relationship with death row inmate Joseph De Rocher. Prejean stopped by "On Second Thought" to discuss her ministry, the opera and the power of radical empathy.