Charles Schulz wrote to a young fan about faith in democracy in 1970. It still hits hard.
'Certainly all any of us can do is follow our own conscience and retain faith in our democracy.'

"Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz had some powerful thoughts about democracy.
The U.S. has just voted in the 2022 midterm elections, with millions of Americans participating in one of the great gifts of democracy. Our free and fair elections are foundational to the success of our democratic experiment, but unfortunately, unfounded claims of widespread election fraud have served to shake that foundation to its core and tragically deepen divisions among the American citizenry.
That's one reason a letter written by "Peanuts" comic creator Charles Schulz exactly 52 years ago is resonating with many.
According to KQED, a fifth grade class at a Beverly Hills elementary school had been given an assignment to write a letter to a person they admired and ask them, "What makes a good citizen?" A 10-year-old named Joel Lipton sent his letter to Schulz, and the comic writer responded.
The letter Lipton received from Schulz was dated November 9, 1970, was typed on Schulz's letterhead and included a cartoon of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. The sentiments in the letter may be brief, but they feel just as relevant today as they were back then.
Schulz wrote:
Dear Joel,
I think it is more difficult these days to define what makes a good citizen then [sic] it has ever been before. Certainly all any of us can do is follow our own conscience and retain faith in our democracy. Sometimes it is the very people who cry out the loudest in favor of getting back to what they call ‘American Virtues’ who lack this faith in our country. I believe that our greatest strength lies always in the protection of our smallest minorities.
Sincerely yours,
Charles M. Schulz
\u201cOn this day in 1970, Charles Schulz replied to a 10-year-old kid who had asked \u201cWhat makes a good citizen?"\u201d— Letters of Note (@Letters of Note) 1667991745
Indeed it is difficult to define what makes a "good citizen" these days, as the measures we use for such a judgment are subjective and Americans have a hard time agreeing on what goodness even means. Schulz's advice to follow our consciences and retain faith in our democracy is solid, as it feels as if faith in democracy has taken a beating on all sides of the political spectrum.
His point about those who cry out for "American Virtues" speaks to what life in America was like in 1970—Richard Nixon was president, a backlash to the civil rights reckoning of the 1960s was underway and a new conservative populism lamenting the loss of "traditional values" was rising—but it feels just as true today.
Schulz's comment about protecting minorities was reflective of his own values. The "Peanuts" comic made some social ripples when Franklin, the comic's first Black character, was introduced in 1968. According to NPR, Schulz had been hesitant about creating a Black character as he worried that it might seem condescending, but with some input from Black Americans on how to write the character, he successfully brought Franklin into the "Peanuts" world. Portraying interracial friendship as normal led to protests from Southern segregationists, but Schulz kept writing him into the comic strip.
It's been 52 years since Schulz wrote that letter, and it's remarkable how prescient it feels today. May we all strive to be good citizens by following our consciences, keeping our faith in democracy and always protecting the marginalized minorities among us.
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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."