On June 17, 2015, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley got an up-close-and-personal lesson in how bigotry can lead people to do the unthinkable.
A memorial outside the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.
Nine black men and women were murdered at the Emanuel AME church in Charleston in one of the worst hate crimes in the state's history.
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
A subsequent investigation found that the alleged shooter, Dylann Roof, was an ardent white supremacist who frequented neo-Nazi websites and worshipped the Confederate flag.
The events of that day left Haley with no illusions about how dangerous Donald Trump's "divisive" rhetoric really is.
Gov. Nikki Haley. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.
Since Trump began running for president in 2015, he has proposed banning Muslims from entering the United States, called Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals, openly demeaned women, and refused to disavow his white supremacist supporters.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Haley stressed her personal experience in her warning that words like Trump's can have terrible, real-world consequences.
"I know what that rhetoric can do. I saw it happen," the South Carolina governor said.
Haley told the AP that, as one of two leading candidates for president of the United States, the businessman has a responsibility to the country to adopt a more civil tone.
The governor's statement is an important acknowledgement from a prominent Republican that Trump is playing with fire...
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.
...and not just because Trump has already openly called for violence against people who oppose him (on more than one occasion).
A Muslim woman protests Donald Trump in New York City. Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images.
He may not personally condone — or call for — racist, misogynist violence, but can he truly be sure that a troubled few among his millions of followers won't feel empowered to take matters into their own hands?
Haley's apparent misgivings about Trump's rhetoric didn't stop her from endorsing him.
And, of course, Trump supporters aren't the only group who have perpetrated mob violence against their opponents in the course of this campaign.
But the governor's blunt warning shouldn't be ignored.
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.
If hateful words buried in obscure corners of the internet can inspire terrible cruelty and brutality, imagine what they could do coming from the mouth of the president of the United States.
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."