Youth and social imitation: mimicry inspires mimicry
Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 01:21AM 
I was watching this little dude perform earlier today in Washington Square Park. I don't know what track he was singing (it was something from the classic rock era) but I could tell he was capturing the original artist's emotion and passion with incredible accuracy. I'm quite sure it was something he grew up listening to, through his parents or otherwise. He reminded me that young kids with this kind of musical talent are perfect examples for how much we humans mimic each other. I'm very certain he will continue absorbing inspiration from all around him until his music soon becomes a unique expression of who he is, synthesizing all his experiences into one coherent work of art.
Later I went over to a rag-tag group of performers who had drawn a crowd with their old-timey jazz music. Seeing that a small pre-toddler girl had come up to them with interest, I got into an open area where some people had started swing dancing and started dancing myself. Sticking my tongue out playfully, I got her to start moving her arms and rotating her hips a bit. Although no picture, I was quite pleased with myself. Mimicry is one of my favorite behaviors to observe.
[btw I frequently stick my tongue out at little kids, generally just to watch them do it back. I'm very sure I picked it from watching someone.]