A coworker of mine years ago once said of James Earl Jones’s voice, “When he says ‘This…is CNN,’ you think to yourself, ‘Oh my GOD, it is, why did I never think about that??!?”
There’s something I want you to about James Earl Jones: he was a person who stuttered.
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He said: “I was a stutterer. I couldn't talk. So my first year of school was my first mute year, and then those mute years continued until I got to high school.“ “It wasn’t that I stopped talking, it’s that I resolved that talking was too difficult.”
So what cured him? Wrong question: “I’m still a stutterer. But we all find a way to mask it.”
Interview video here: https://achievement.org/achiever/james-earl-jones/#interview
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This is James Earl frigging Jones. •The• voice. Stuttered. His whole life. Poetry and acting helped him speak.
We judge people impulsively and •incredibly• harshly by how they speak: a stutter, an accent, a dialect, how they make a certain sound, how they sound.
In honor of James Earl Jones, let’s all just try to find that judgement within ourselves, grab it with both hands, and yank it out. I know I’ll try.
/end
P.S. Some quick advice if you’re talking to a person who stutters:
Relax. Be patient. Don’t rush them. Don’t be anxious for them. Don’t “help” them by completing their word for them. (It’s NOT helpful!) If a stutter starts, let them find their own way through it. Chill. You’re good. It’s all good. Show them you’re listening and attentive, and you don’t mind them taking the time they need. Give them your patience, your attention, and your acceptance.
(The above is paraphrased from my speech-language pathologist spouse, who I would like you to know kicks a whole lot of ass)
@inthehands I don't suppose your spouse has their own Mastodon account I could follow? (kidding / not kidding)
@kzeta
Nah, she’s way too busy (and maybe too wise) to spend her time on social media like all of us fools here! But if she ever makes one, I’ll make sure you’re the first to know.
@inthehands can't say I blame her for that! I look forward to hearing more of her wise words through your account though