One of the most famous St. Patrick's Day parades in the world just made history.
This was more than 20 years in the making.
St. Patrick's Day is kind of a big deal in Boston.
It's basically Boston Christmas. Except for Christmas, of course, which is also Boston Christmas. Oh, and Patriot's Day, which is also really popular, 'cause the Sox play at 11 a.m.
The point is, Boston really likes St. Patrick's Day.
For most people, St. Patrick's Day is basically a slightly greener version of the Fourth of July or Thanksgiving — a time to go outside and put on a weird hat and march around in the street. But it turns out, there's actually kindofa sortofa religious component to it.
(Yup. Pretty Catholic.)
And nowhere is this truer than in Boston, with its large Irish Catholic population.
Ever year the Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade is organized by the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, who see the annual march, in part, as a chance to express their faith. But hey, St. Patrick's Day parades are a really good time, so lots of people wanted to join in the fun, including LGBTQ groups.
But for years, when LGBTQ groups in Boston would come to the veterans council and be like...
The veterans council would be like...
This back and forth went on for a long time.
There was even a Supreme Court case about it in the '90s.
(Yup. Pretty Supreme Court-y.)
And the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the veterans council, saying that since they were a private group, they could discriminate if they wanted. Which was a huge downer.
But times change. Seasons turn. Clocks get set forward an hour. There's a time to plant, a time to reap, and the circles and the ages, etc., etc.
And this year, without a big fuss, without fanfare, without even a long-winded explanation, the veterans council took a look in the mirror and thought...
"In 1995, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on gay and lesbian groups, citing free speech rights. The organisers had argued that it violated their Roman Catholic doctrine.
But the Veterans Council changed its position and its commander, Brian Mahoney, is quoted as saying 'who am I to judge?' when asked about the issue of sexual orientation." — BBC
So last weekend, two LGBT groups — OutVets and Boston Pride — marched in the parade. That's one more than marched in New York this year.
As you can see, it went wicked well. And there were lollipops.
It may not be a huge leap forward just yet, but this is how progress is made. One step at a time.
In a weird hat.
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."