Note: this article was originally published November 1, 2017
Last Halloween, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a picture of his daughter Chloe dressed up for Halloween.
I’m going to take half of Chloe’s candy tonight & give it to some kid who sat at home. It’s never to early to teach… https://t.co/NvjIwEiiQl— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.) 1509490408.0
"I'm going to take half of Chloe's candy tonight & give it to some kid who sat at home," the president's son wrote in the tweet. "It's never to early to teach her about socialism."
Yikes. (And to think — didn't Trump Jr. learn his lesson the last time he tweeted about candy?)
Trump Jr.'s tweet backfired. Fast.
Trump's tweet ignores about a million factors to consider when comparing the politics of trick-or-treating to socialism (I can't believe I just had to write that sentence). Much of the internet was happy to inform Jr. what exactly his tweet got wrong.
For starters, just ... why? Why take a completely innocent thing like trick-or-treating and make it "ugly and divisive"?
J.K. Rowling pointed out the Trumps probably aren't the best people to be criticizing free handouts.
Fill her bucket with old candy left by her great-grandfather, then explain that she has more because she's smarter… https://t.co/jCh5CQsnbz— J.K. Rowling (@J.K. Rowling) 1509526119.0
Others used the tweet to point out Trump Jr.'s hypocrisy on other issues, like his father's tax plan.
@DonaldJTrumpJr Take 80% of her candy and give it to the top 1% of trick or treaters. You know like your dads' tax plan.— Monteqzuma (@Monteqzuma) 1509497453.0
Keith Olberman was one of the many users who noted trick-or-treating, in and of itself, certainly isn't, um ... a capitalistic concept.
Wait - where did she GET the candy, Dondi? Wasn’t it given to her, piece by piece, by members of the community? https://t.co/ouq2Gpcubz— Keith Olbermann (@Keith Olbermann) 1509496187.0
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said what many of us were thinking in a simple six-word tweet. You can practically feel the facepalm through the screen.
The first family, ladies and gentlemen. https://t.co/uwgThc3OI5— Chris Murphy (@Chris Murphy) 1509495720.0
But at the heart of the criticism aimed at Trump Jr. was his tweet's lack of empathy and compassion for others.
@DonaldJTrumpJr When I was sick on Halloween when I was 6 and had to stay home, my brother gave me half his candy.… https://t.co/fPEWydUA6k— Raise this Wounded World (@Raise this Wounded World) 1509494164.0
After all, most kids who don't trick-or-treat aren't staying in because they choose to.
@DonaldJTrumpJr Perhaps that child stayed bc he had cancer, was disabled, was in foster care or parents couldn’t af… https://t.co/2jOPHe2xnM— enoughalready (@enoughalready) 1509535004.0
My Upworthy colleague Eric March explained that, growing up, his parents did have him give away his candy to those less fortunate and, even as a kid, he "was happy about it."
When I asked Eric about his tweet, he told me he often shared his candy with local nursing homes (where his mom worked), gave it away in donation drives, or shared it with other kids at his Cub Scout meetings.
Not to mention, sharing is something we usually want to teach kids. Right?
There are plenty of lessons to be taught on Halloween. Selfishness isn't one of them.
@DonaldJTrumpJr I think sharing with those that are less fortunate than you is a universal human value. Perhaps you could try her that.— Chris B. (@Chris B.) 1509493448.0
Sharing your Halloween candy is something to feel good about — not frown upon.
There are many reasons kids don't go trick-or-treating: various disabilities, food allergies, illnesses, safety concerns (just to name a few). Halloween seems like an ideal time to teach kids about the privileges of trick-or-treating and encourage them to split up their bag of sweets with a classmate or neighbor who might not be able to venture out on Oct. 31. After all, selfishness is what's truly spooky this time of year.
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.