A fake letter from Superman about the very real struggle we all face when we love someone.
If Superman had the heart of a poet, I imagine he'd write like this. This may get nerdy, but if you stick around to the video toward the bottom, you'll see something really awesome, I promise.
When you think of Superman, what comes to mind?
For me, this image is burrowed in my head.
Classy hero, am I right?
He's brave. He's humble. He's patient. He's noble. He's helpful. He's basically a perfect hero.
He reminds us of our potential.
He gives us hope.
And what is his biggest weakness?
Arbitrary plot device of doom! Via "Superman: The Movie."
No. It's not kryptonite. That's too easy.
Kryptonite is basically a lazy way for writers to find a way to make him look like he has a chance to lose. There's nothing special about it. None of us gets magically weakened by rocks.
His weakness is far more human than some green rock.
That's not why we relate to him. No, his weakness is far more substantive.
In "Superman: The Movie," he lost his temper.
So, Mr. Perfect isn't as calm as we thought. Via Giphy.
Why? Because Lois Lane died. He let his emotions get the best of him. He spun the earth backward on it's axis to reverse time he was so angry. He cheated death for selfish reasons.
In "Superman III," he gets really depressed and goes on a drinking binge.
Superman can fly but can't handle his liquor? Via Giphy.
Why? The pressure of humans relying on him got to be too much. He didn't want to disappoint them. So, he did what any human would do and wallowed in self-pity for a while. And then, he acted out. Like many of us would. (Don't ever watch this movie. You'll thank me later.)
What if you had to choose between saving the world and saving the person you love?
When it comes time to choose, Superman is just like the rest of us. Imagine if Superman didn't bottle all that up. Imagine if he shared his vulnerability and said what he really felt. It'd probably sound like this:
Heart. Punch.
Hurts, right? Via Tumblr.
It's his humanity that is his greatest weakness.
But, you know what?
It is also his greatest strength.
Shane Koyczan, the amazing poet behind this and other really powerful poems, had this to say about the poem on his YouTube page (emphasis mine):
"I grew up in the era where Clark Kent still couldn't tell Lois Lane how he felt about her. I liked that era. I liked that I could find an equality in our inability to tell those we love how deeply we feel for them ... it made me feel that I was somehow on par with Superman... I liked the idea that Clark Kent might be scared of rejection...
I have no delusions about being anyone's Superman ... it's always terrifying to put your heart out there... There's never any guarantee that your heart will be accepted ... let alone returned in working order, but I'll risk the hurt for the right person and I'm hoping I've found her.
Pictured here: You being unafraid of rejection. The guy in black is your fear of rejection. It's a cheap metaphor, I know, but I spent all my metaphor money trying to convince my wife to like me. It paid off. Via Giphy.
Don't let rejection be your kryptonite. Grab your courage and say something.
Everyone has been, or will be, in that same position at some point. Risk the hurt. Find them.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.