"What's that about?"

In the same way that I might be drawn to look at an auto accident as I drive by it, I sort of wonder how it started. If you watch American TV I think it is impossible to not eventually notice how many Americans now pronounce "str" as "shtr" (see list above).

I originally thought it came into the culture via pro athlete worship -- it's a very "ebonic" pronunciation. But that just isn't a satisfactory explanation -- too many do it all across the culture. Out miss-pronouncer-in-chief does it -- "it will take true shtrength and curge!".

There are things that slip into a culture unawares -- a fascinating phenomenon. For instance, fashion is almost always traceable to some popular figure -- a movie star, athlete, or other public figure does something a certain way and suddenly everyone is doing it...

...but I remember reading in the late '80s or early '90s that "big hair" had no such precedent. Though you couldn't go to a small town in the US and not find a large number of the girls wearing big hair, there was no popular precedent -- no Farrah, no Dorothy Hammil(sp) setting the trend. It just happened and spread. Spontaneous bad taste.