Interesting finding relating to the skaters' dialogue

[Flayer]

I don't think I'm alone on this, because I've seen others make the same comment. The dialogue Joe, Benny, and Norrie used was awful. Stephen King has always been great at character development and writing dialogue, and here he managed to pull off the other unusual characters' speech patterns well: Big Jim's "cotton-picking" and "rhymes-with-witch," Junior's deluded ravings, Lester Coggin's religious ravings, Chef's deluded religious ravings. But I couldn't take the three teenagers seriously at all. I'm a teenager. I talk to many other teenagers on a regular basis. None of them say things like these three at all.

I'm not posting just to rant about that. I have a connection I found when I was looking through The Regulators today. It's when Johnny Marinville is thinking about how he almost recognizes the MotoKops but doesn't quite. He thinks they're from a kid's TV show, and he was thinking about how he was a children's author but never watched their shows or anything, and felt like that was for the better, with regards to his writing.

Now I'm wondering, given that Stephen King usually writes himself a lot into his writer heroes, is this actually a belief of his? Does he actually feel that he's benefiting the way he writes child and teenage characters by purposefully not getting into their culture? I'm wondering what kind of argument would actually justify that idea at all. It's illogical and to me as a teenager I also feel that it's kind of arrogant.

So do you think that has anything to do with how caricatured, ridiculous, and out-of-date the skater kids' speech was in Under the Dome?

[rose key]

First let me say that your comments were very well thought out, and very well written. Are you sure you're a teenager? (HAHA just kidding...)
I can't answer your question, but I'm sure he doesn't purposely not get into teenage culture. I don't know, maybe there's a group or a click of kids up in a small town in Maine that DO speak like that. All I know is, that once, while deeply involved in the whole "Scarecrow Joe" thing I texted my 16 year old to "chillax dude", and she called me a weirdo.

[wally wonder]

what is their culture? i've always thought it was a hoot that sk, however old he is now, 19 i think, seemed more up-to-date w/what is happening pop culture-wise than most folk in his age bracket (19). i wish you'd give us something more to go on. sure, we've all read the book, but i don't know what you're talking about. a page number would help. flippin' through, i hear joe say, 'whew. scary dude.' 340 like that? i'm gonna assume you must mean slang expressions they use? cause, otherwise... okay, here on 506, benny says, 'col, mrs. mcclatchey...give me five, mother of my soul-brother.' a bit later he begins to say it again. mrs m says benny sometimes you tire me ouit. he smiles sadly and says my mom says the exact same thing. dunno 'bout anyone else, but i think every teenager in the world has said that. so's anyway, whutchewmean?

[Sigmund]

Take a chill pill dude. Be a kool Kat. Steve-a-rino is the cat's pajamas. He didn't mean to dis ya. He is phat and all that (and a bag a chips). I think he is cool and groovy mayhaps sometimes a little heavy and he is way over thirty but I think he can be trusted.

[REDRUM617]

I'm a teenager as well and do not talk like that. Though, keep in mind that it's a work of fiction. Even if kids don't speak like that in real life, they can under the dome, as SK controls every aspects of their lives. If he wants them to use the "skate lingo", he'll do it.

Granted, SK isn't a teenager anymore, I found his use of modern-day vernacular was quite interesting as well as funny. It really added to the characters. Just my two cents though.

[Bryan James]

I agree with the original poster, but pretend that Adam Sandler wrote the Sk8 kid parts. How would THAT have turned out?

King's version immediately become acceptable.

~BJS

[Mrs.]

I have to agree with Bluey Lunger on this one. I really don't understand where you're coming from with your post. I would love to see some examples to why you think the teens seems forced and out-of-date.. I've read the book (I loved it!), and I never noticed any awkward dialogue. Where I grew up all the teenagers, depending on their interests, were in circle of friends that all had their own lingu. So is there really a right or a wrong? Aren't most teenage "groups" very different from one another?