Viral kids' librarian responds to being bullied online and it's a lesson in kind clapbacks
“I hope they experience kindness. I hope they experience joy.”
Librarian's response to online bullying is a beautiful lesson.
No one enjoys being made fun of. It can be difficult to manage no matter how old you are, but the internet has brought teasing and bullying to a whole new level. People no longer have to see their bullies face-to-face, and instead of maybe someone turning a few of their friends against you, it's a few hundred or few thousand joining in on the teasing.
In this digital age, people are still trying to learn new ways to deal with finding themselves on the receiving end of online bullies. Mychal, a librarian who has become a viral sensation for his unique way of excitedly telling people about the library, recently found out he was the subject of online bullies. He had no idea anyone was teasing him until followers started doing mental health check-ins to make sure he was okay.
Once he found out why his community was reaching out with concern, the librarian decided to address the situation head on and in the process he gave a masterclass in kindness.
Mychal reveals that the offending post is on "Twitter," (now known as X) and some comments are so bad that he refused to repeat them. He also advised that his followers not look at the comments under the thread due to their inappropriate, harmful nature. According to the librarian, people mocked the way he spoke, his mannerisms and more. But instead of angrily responding, Mychal reminded his followers that sometimes people have bad days.
"I am talking about this because I want people to remember that sometimes people have their worst day and they are really struggling in life," Mychal says. "Sometimes what that results in is they say very mean, very cruel things about other people, which is not okay. It's not okay to say mean, cruel things about people."
He further explains that he is reminding himself along with others that sometimes people are saying mean things because that's what they feel about themselves. Mychal went on to wish the bullies kindness and joy in their lives to top off his lesson in handling internet bullies. While being on the receiving end of bullying does hurt, it's people like Mychal that let others know they're not alone. Commenters were quick to remind the librarian of the same.
@mychal3ts Quite a few people messaged me “mental health check” before I became aware of that Twitter thread, and I just want to say, “THANK YOU!” 💚 #BookTok #LibraryTikTok #Storytime
"Obviously they're not kind library friends. Sending love, Mychal. You're great.," one person writes.
In a three-part comment, one viewer wanted Mychal to know just how much he was appreciated. "Mychal, I'm not even kidding but every single time you come onto my for you page, you make my day. I love when I see you on my page because you just make me feel so genuinely safe. You are such a sweet, wonderful, and truly beautiful person, and I'm sorry that some people are so miserable that they feel the need to bring you down. But I just want you to know that you are deeply appreciated. By me, and by all the other people who look forward to seeing your content every day, I can't even express to you or properly thank you for what you've done for me and others."
Clearly the community Mychal has built is amazing, and no matter what the bullies say, his followers are there with enough positive affirmations to last a lifetime. Keep being you, Mychal. It's obvious that your voice is needed.
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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."