12-year-old Julianne Speyer was attending a Fourth of July parade in Chesterland, Ohio, when something caught her ear.
Speyer heard a parade announcer introduce the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in very different — and sexist — ways. The young resident of nearby Russell Township then described the experience in a letter published on July 19 in the Geauga County Maple Leaf newspaper.
"My name is Julianne Speyer," her letter began. "I am 12 years old and I would like to inform you of how offended and disappointed I am by the announcer of the Chesterland 4th of July parade's comment about the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts."
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images.
"The announcer labeled the Boy Scouts as 'future leaders of America,'" she continued, "and he said the Girls Scouts were 'just having fun.'"
Um, this is 2018, right? Painting boys' scouting work as leadership and girls' as frivolity is ridiculous — especially considering the fact that Girl Scouts keeps kicking serious leadership butt.
Speyer eloquently explained her feelings about the announcement and why it was problematic.
"I found this comment very sexist and patronizing," Speyer wrote. "I would appreciate it if you would help me to let other people know how much this kind of thing happens and how bad it is. I feel it is an insult to both girls and women of all ages. This kind of thing happens way too much and it is not OK at all."
With pleasure, Julianne. #girlscouts#boyscouts #girlpower(Geauga County Maple Leaf, Thursday, July 19th 2018 Vol. 25 No. 29, p. 7)
Posted by Christina Znidarsic on Tuesday, July 24, 2018
This girl is only 12 and she's schooling an entire newspaper's readership on language that demeans young women. She's also speaking truth to power, and doing so publicly.
You. Go. Girl.
Her action shows us exactly what a future leader looks like.
For a pre-teen to recognize when language promotes inequality is impressive. But for her to take the initiative to call out that language in a public space, to frankly — but respectfully — explain how those words are not acceptable, and to enlist those with more power to aid her in shedding light on the issue? It's nothing short of inspiring.
"I have always been taught that if you think something is unjust, change it," Speyer wrote. "So, this is how I am making a change."
So many in this generation of young people know what's up, and they appear to be primed and ready to challenge outdated norms. Our future is in good hands, folks.
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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."