Dolly Parton declines Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination, says she hasn't 'earned the right'

Dolly Parton is winning people's hearts yet again with her humility and class.
Few famous folks are as universally beloved as Dolly Parton. Somehow, she has managed to attract the admiration and respect of people across ages, races, regions, political persuasions and musical tastes. Even people who don't particularly like country music [raises hand] love Dolly.
Considering how much of a joke people made of her in her younger years, her broad appeal is impressive. It's also super simple. Dolly Parton is a genuinely good human being. She is generous, she is kind, she handles herself with class when people try to mess with her, and she continually does good deeds without boasting. Don't let the facade of the big hair and makeup fool you—Dolly Parton is as real as they come.
Now, once again, Dolly is winning hearts with her humility after being nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Dolly was first nominated to the honor in February, joining the likes of Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Rage Against the Machine, Lionel Richie and Dionne Warwick as potential inductees. But in posts on Facebook and Twitter, she shared that she "must respectfully bow out" of the running and explained why.
pic.twitter.com/Z6LKfWtlxg— Dolly Parton (@Dolly Parton) 1647268386
She wrote:
"Dolly here! Even though I am extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I don't feel that I have earned that right. I really do not want votes to be split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out. I do hope that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will understand and be willing to consider me again - if I'm ever worthy. This has, however, inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock 'n' roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do! My husband is a total rock 'n' roll freak, and has always encouraged me to do one. I wish all of the nominees good luck and thank you again for the compliment. Rock on!"
So not only does the 76-year-old country star think she hasn't earned a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she also doesn't want her name to split the vote for those she feels do deserve the nomination.
People have responded with praise for Dolly's character. Even Dictionary.com weighed in, saying she defined the word "humility."
See also: humble, altruistic, benevolent, kind, and selfless— Bitchy Witch \ud83e\uddd9\ud83c\udffc\u200d\u2640\ufe0f \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Bitchy Witch \ud83e\uddd9\ud83c\udffc\u200d\u2640\ufe0f \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1647276017
People also disagreed with her claim that she doesn't deserve the nomination, basically saying that her awesomeness as a human being qualifies her for any and every hall of fame.
Dolly should be in the 'how to behave like a decent human being hall of fame'— Ardywyn \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ardywyn \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1647272428
Nailed it.
Nailed it.— Will Ratliffe (@Will Ratliffe) 1647276390
Even within the question of "Is she really rock 'n' roll, though?" people shared differing opinions. While she is a country music singer, her songwriting has crossed genres, and other musicians whose music is not purely rock 'n' roll have already been inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
If Johnny Cash, Bob Marley and loads of R&B groups (all rock-adjacent, I\u2019d argue) can get in, surely so should Ms. Parton!— Dan Saltzstein (@Dan Saltzstein) 1647272264
The Rock Hall is about the attitude, culture, and spirit that goes into music. It's not the genre. It's the essence of Rock, and Dolly certainly is Rock. She's her own person, shrugs the expectations of stardom, and then uses her talents to change lives.— Matt Gullatta (@Matt Gullatta) 1647275064
We can quibble about the technicalities of what counts as rock 'n' roll all day long, but it doesn't really matter because Dolly has spoken. She may not be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this time around, but she's definitely been inducted into the America's Most Beloved Celebrities of All Time Hall of Fame.
Keep being Dolly, Dolly. You've already won the hearts of people everywhere and that's what counts the most.
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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."