Content
Of all the celebrities/famous people listed as having a stutter, there is little mention of how severe the stutter was/is, or how old they when they learned to fully control it - if it was even a real problem to begin with. A relatively high percentage (~5%) of all children stutter and simply grow out of it. At least we have some exceptional cases like King George VI, with various footage and accounts of his severity, age, treatment, and even an entire high budget movie made that us PWS (People Who Stutter) can immediately relate to. On the other hand, fluent and extremely articulate speakers like Samuel L. Jackson, Joe Biden, Mike Rowe, and Steve Harvey, listed as 'former stutterers', show nearly non-existent signs of blocks or struggle during live events and interviews. Either they were all part of the childhood group who were set to naturally grow out of it with some light therapy, or they all possess an extraordinary ability to control their stutter nearly 100% well through adulthood with no signs of relapse. It would be very beneficial for the stuttering community and the world to see these celebrities and role models in their prime struggle through a real block, and still demonstrate that society accepts (the opposite being a common fear of many PWS) and perhaps admires these people. This message is far more effective than presenting them as magical unicorns that beat stuttering by generic stereotypical yet inefficient techniques such as 'talking lots', 'learn to relax', or 'hard work'.