Globally, women are demanding their voices be heard.
International Women's Day is March 8 annually, and it marks pretty much the only time all year when we officially celebrate all the "social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women" while also reflecting on the fact that all of us need to work toward "accelerating gender parity" on a global scale.
Because gender parity doesn’t exist — and that’s not just an opinion. It’s a fact that’s been researched and confirmed over and over.
According to the World Economic Forum, for instance, the gender wage gap won’t close until 2133. That’s over 100 years from now.
International Women’s Day started as a protest for better pay and the right to vote, but it has evolved into something much bigger — and with the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements gathering more and more momentum, this day may be more important in 2018 than ever.
Of course, as if on cue, a number of men have been up in arms online because they feel this day is "sexist."
On Twitter, men (who have magically forgotten that Google will quickly provide the answer to any question in the world) are chiming in to ask "Why no International Men’s Day?" and smugly pointing out that the world would be up in arms if such a holiday was even suggested, much less celebrated.
Guess what, though: Despite the fact that International Men’s Day — like Heterosexual Pride Month and White History Month — are celebrated on a daily basis, International Men’s Day really does exist; it’s Nov. 19. There’s a website and everything. (If you need a head start, 2018’s theme is "Positive Male Role Models.")
Image via International Mens Day.
Fortunately, for all the guys out there who didn’t know this, English comedian and playwright Richard Herring (you may have seen him on BBC) is doing the hard work of educating the outraged. And he’s raising money for the domestic violence charity Refuge at the same time.
Herring’s been calling out Twitter dudes on International Women's Day for years. But in a viral Twitter thread March 8, he went above and beyond.
He started out early — just as soon as the thousands of men (and some women) who’ve come up with this very original question woke up and reached for their phones — and grew increasingly more incensed as the day progressed. Here are just a few examples of how he responded to the many, many dudes who asked "When's International Men's Day?"
Aside from raising money for charity, Herring is sending two important messages.
First, International Men’s Day (absurdly, if you ask me) does exist. So questions about its absence from the calendar are performative rather than genuine.
Second, the fact remains that apparently women can’t enjoy even one day of solidarity without men asking "What about us, though?" It's an important comment on how few people consider the history, context, and real-life implications of the movement.
It's a striking reminder of how far we have yet to go.
Women join a protest march on International Women's Day 2018 in Manila, Philippines. Photo by Jes Aznar/Getty Images.
The reality is that International Women’s Day isn’t sending the message that men don’t matter. It's that women matter, too.
Nobody wants to take away from International Men’s Day. It’s on the calendar! And we are all free to celebrate when the time comes, I guess. Herring’s humorous tweets are pointed, but they’re not about shame.
Here's what they are about, though: Around the world, women are leading marches, protesting inequality with one-day "domestic" boycotts, and engaging in activism in the face of oppressive regimes. In Manila, The New York Times reports, women gathered to denounce President Rodrigo Duterte, who’s earned the reputation of being among "the worst violators of women’s rights in Asia." In India, women marched on parliament to demand an end to "domestic violence, sexual attacks, and discrimination in jobs and wages." And in Afghanistan, women marched for better education and protection from violence.
Of course, for those in positions of privilege, equality will feel like oppression. It’d do well for all of us to reflect on that as we work to dismantle systems of oppression and work toward fighting for equality among the genders.
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.