Dune, Fundie Baby Voice, and Antebellum Era Slavery

Vocal manipulation uses sound to influence you

I had a reel go viral this week. Viral means “a social media post exponentially grows in popularity, being viewed, shared, liked, or commented on by thousands or even millions of social media users in a very short period.” — Buffer.com

As of this writing, one of my posts on the childlike “Fundie baby voice” is at 4.5 million views and still climbing. It’s been up less than 48 hours and attracted nearly 10k new followers. That kind of growth happens when TikTok puts a post on the “for you” recommendation page and it’s often reflective of keyword content with overlap. In this case, “the voice” of Christian Fundamentalism mashed up with “the voice” of the Bene Gesseret in the movie franchise, Dune, and “the fundie baby voice” used by Katie Britt.

@tialevingswriterSo often viewers will catch my slip back into using what’s being called “fundie baby voice.” While sometimes it’s intentional, because I’m demonstrating how I was taught, a lot of times it’s not. It’s my trauma resurfacing. Because the vocal suppression to force women to sound like earnest, seductive children is an abuse in evangelical fundamentalism. Women are taught to hide their emotional range and our voices are denied. Men are taught women who sound like little girls are seggually attractive. Recovery and retaining has taken years. So it’s frustrating when I unintentionally slip. It usually points to activated trauma, which definitely feel now as the life I worked so hard to escape is now leading in our mainstream. I hoped our government was safe, that educated, intelligent, constitutionally guided logic would prevail. But the fundamentalists have had their eye on dominion for a long time, and although they’re complementarian, with an authoritarian umbrella of so-called protection, there’s a host of women using their groomed baby voices against other women. Enter Katie Britt. Amy Coney Barrett. Kelly Johnson. And more evangelical women of the nationalist sects. To get more on what it’s really like to live in Christian fundamentalism grab my free FUNDIE CHEATSHEET, link in bio @tialevingswriter Preorder A WELL-TRAINED WIFE anywhere books are sold. #fundiebabyvoice #katiebritt #voicetraining #keepsweet #childlike #exevangelical #exmo #exmormon #fundies #shinyhappypeople #religioustrauma #primaryvoice #bookofmormonmusical #michelleduggar #duggars #gaslighting #manipulation #persuasion #tradwives

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

When I first realized my reel was attracting Dune fans, I laughed. My Dad and I have joked about lines from Dune since I was a kid. (For he IS the Cuisinart’s Hatrack!) Commenters offered insight into author Frank Herbert’s homophobia and religious trauma, and I realized the mashup makes sense. Vocal modification is manipulation—of the speaker and the intended audience. If Herbert experienced both, it’s not a stretch to think he’d express it through his art. I saw the second installment of the new version on Saturday, squirming uncomfortably to realize that by rooting for the Fremen, I’m rooting for the fundamentalists in the story.

Commenters also added a list of other places they’ve heard the voice: Paris Hilton, Ree Drummond, Gypsie Rose Blanchard, customer service calls, southern belles.

That got me thinking about slavery.