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  • A teacher asked 7th graders the worst part of the 80s, and their answers have us howling
    Teacher asks 7th graders about the 80s. Their answers have us howling.
    ,

    A teacher asked 7th graders the worst part of the 80s, and their answers have us howling

    “I think it’s the Great Depression.”

    Jacalyn Wetzel

    Upworthy Staff

    Gen Zers joke that their parents were born in the 1900s as a way to teasingly make it seem like their parents are much older than they actually are. But the kids coming up behind them are either really good at sarcasm or they actually believe the 80s were more like the 1780s.

    A 7th grade teacher asked her class full of Gen Alphas what they thought the worst part of the 80s was, and no one was prepared for their answers.

    When most people think about the 80s, they think of big hair teased and sprayed to the gods. Bright colors, roller skates, and people walking around with giant boomboxes on their shoulders (as if everyone wanted to hear their music choices) are also at the top of the list for things that represent the 80s. But when thinking of the worst part of that decade, the lack of things like GPS, cell phones, and search engines would probably be at the top of that list.

    Gen Alpha; Gen Z; millennials; life in 80s; 80s life; 1980s; Oregon trail generation
    Retro vibes with bold colors and music! #80sFashion Photo credit: Canva

    Their answers were not what anyone expected

    Gen Alpha has other ideas about the worst part of the 80s. If you lived through that decade, you may want to remove your hat so you can scratch your head. The teacher who goes by Meliciousmo on social media uploaded the prompt and her students’ answers on TikTok, giving viewers a chuckle.

    One kid answers the prompt with, “No electricity. No good food.” It’s starting out pretty questionably, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt by assuming his family watches a lot of Little House on the Prairie and his centuries are mixed up. The next kid’s response will probably nail it.

    Well, maybe not. Through a few spelling errors, the response explains that the worst part about the 80s is that they didn’t have cars. Yes, this sweet summer child surmised that life was tough because cars didn’t exist, so walking everywhere or riding a horse and buggy was imperative. Obviously, this is false, because there were cars in the 80s. They had seatbelts in them for decoration, and kids would slide across the backseat when their dad turned a corner too fast as their mom reflexively extended a stiff arm to stop them from flying out of the car.

    A few kids actually nailed it

    Clearly, some of the students were exposed to either 80s movies or TV shows because a couple of answers were spot on. One student wrote that running out of hairspray was the worst thing about the 80s, while another said, “People listening to other people’s phone calls.” Yikes. They’re right. There were no cell phones, so there were no Bluetooth devices, so everyone was privy to your private conversation. Another child said nothing was bad about the 80s because “they had cool clothes, music, people, and hair.” Those are big facts, kid.

    But other suggestions included having to walk through rivers because of the lack of buses. (And for what it’s worth, “the Cold War” is actually a pretty accurate answer.)

    The viewers had thoughts about this too

    One person writes, “There’s[sic] like 3 kids who know the 1980s are not the same as the 1780s. LOL.”

    Another laughs, “Gosh I’m still tired from walking through all the rivers to school.”

    Someone else thinks the generational gap between parents has something to do with it, “Some of these are spot on…some think we’re over 100 years old! You can tell who has Gen X parents and who has Millennial parents!”

    Book It pizza party anyone? (Or was that the 90s?) Either way, someone is proposing that iconic classic, writing, “Ok so some good ones, shoulder pads, people listening in to phone calls and hair spary[sic] are all legit. Give those kids a classic 80s pizza paety[sic]!! As for WW2, no tv, cars, and the great depression. Well those kids need a new history book lol.”

    Another person adds a pressure that only those who were adults in the 80s could appreciate, saying, “I didn’t even grow up in the 80s and I KNOW it was writing a check at the grocery store with four people behind you and the person behind you had a full belt. The pressure must have been CRIPPLING.”

    This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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  • Episcopal priest beautifully explains patriotism vs. nationalism and what sets them apart
    Two people hold an American flag while standing in a field.
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    Episcopal priest beautifully explains patriotism vs. nationalism and what sets them apart

    So what is the difference?

    Annie Reneau

    Upworthy Staff

    Patriotism can feel like a loaded term sometimes, as the meaning can range in people’s minds from a basic love of country to a fierce loyalty one is willing to die for. What constitutes “country” can also impact how we perceive of patriotism, as there’s a difference between the land, the people, the ideals, and the current government.

    And then there’s nationalism, which may sound like the same thing but isn’t. So what’s the difference? Episcopal priest Joseph Yoo shared his thoughts on what separates patriotism from nationalism, and people are appreciating having the key differences laid out so clearly.

    “Patriotism is love,” Yoo begins. “It’s gratitude. It’s saying, ‘I care about my country enough to tell the truth about it, to celebrate what’s good and work to fix what’s broken.”

    “Nationalism, that’s idolatry,” he continues. “It says my nation is the nation above critique, above others, God’s favorite. And once you slap God’s seal of approval on your own flag, congratulations, you’ve just made your country a ‘golden calf.’“

    He explained that patriotism results in activism like that of John Lewis crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge to demand that the country live up to its professed ideals. Nationalism results in tragedies like the January 6th invasion of the Capitol, where Confederate flags and crosses were seen in the same mob.

    “Patriotism says, ‘I love my family enough to admit when we’ve messed up, and I will help us grow,” Yoo says. “Nationalism says, ‘My family is perfect, everyone else is trash, and if you disagree you are out.’”

    “One is honest love. The other is toxic possession,” he says. “One builds. One bullies.”

    Yoo concluded with a biblical point: “Jesus never called us to worship a flag, only to love our neighbor.”

    Why the distinction actually matters

    It’s important to differentiate between patriotism and nationalism because the latter has become a bit of a lightning rod in the political discourse. Some use it as a pejorative term, while others have embraced it as something totally acceptable or even positive. When the definitions are muddied, it causes confusion.

    Of course, Yoo is not the sole authority on what these words mean, but his thoughts are aligned with what the neutral arbiters of definitions say they mean.

    Here is what the dictionaries actually say

    Dictionary.com has an entire page discussing the terms, defining patriotism as “devoted love, support, and defense of one’s country; national loyalty,” and nationalism as “the policy or doctrine of asserting the interests of one’s own nation viewed as separate from the interests of other nations or the common interests of all nations,” ultimately leading to how the two words are used:

    Patriotism generally has a positive connotation. It’s used for various positive sentiments, attitudes, and actions involving loving one’s country and serving the great good of all its people.

    Nationalism generally has a negative connotation. It’s used for political ideologies and movements that involve a more extreme and exclusionary love of one’s country, at the expense of foreigners, immigrants, and even people in a country who aren’t believed to belong in some way, often racial and religious grounds.

    flags, countries, world, patriotism, nationalism
    Love of one’s country is nice. But there’s a difference between patriotism and nationalism. Photo credit: Canva

    Britannica also has a whole page about the two words, with this basic synopsis of the differences:

    “Patriotism is a feeling of attachment and commitment to a country, nation, or political community, and its conception has roots tracing back to Greek and Roman antiquity. It is associated with the love of law and common liberty, the search for the common good, and the duty to behave justly toward one’s country. Nationalism, on the other hand, is a more modern ideology that emerged in the 18th century, focusing on the individual’s loyalty and devotion to the nation-state, often surpassing other individual or group interests.”

    What some famous voices have said about it

    And then there are some famous takes on patriotism:

    “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
    – James Baldwin

    “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.”
    – Mark Twain

    “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”
    – Theodore Roosevelt

    “The difference between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility, but the second a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to war.”

    – Sydney J. Harris

    There’s nothing wrong with loving your country, but anything taken to excess and exclusion isn’t healthy. Nationalism is excessive and exclusive in its very nature, and while patriotism can be weaponized, when kept in check it’s what keeps people striving to make their homelands the best that they can be for everyone who lives there.

    This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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  • Astronaut shares the profound ‘big lie’ he realized after seeing the Earth from space
    Photo credit: via Rubén Moreno Montolíu/Flickr – Our home, from space.
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    Astronaut shares the profound ‘big lie’ he realized after seeing the Earth from space

    This change in perspective could change humanity.

    Tod Perry

    Upworthy Staff

    Sixty-five years ago, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to make it into space and the first to experience what scientists now call the “overview effect.” This change occurs when people see the world from far above and notice that it’s a place where “borders are invisible, where racial, religious and economic strife are nowhere to be seen.”

    The overview effect makes man’s squabbles with one another seem incredibly petty and presents the planet as it truly is, one interconnected organism.

    In a compelling interview with Big Think, former NASA astronaut, author, humanitarian and CEO of ispace-U.S. Ron Garan explains how, if more of us developed this planetary perspective, we could fix much of what ails humanity and the planet.

    Garan has spent 178 days in space and traveled more than 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits. From high above, he realized that the planet is a lot more fragile than he thought.

    What Garan saw from up there changed everything

    “When I looked out the window of the International Space Station, I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of lightning storms, I saw dancing curtains of auroras that seemed so close it was as if we could reach out and touch them. And I saw the unbelievable thinness of our planet’s atmosphere. In that moment, I was hit with the sobering realization that that paper-thin layer keeps every living thing on our planet alive,” Garan said in the video.

    “I saw an iridescent biosphere teeming with life,” he continues. “I didn’t see the economy. But since our human-made systems treat everything, including the very life-support systems of our planet, as the wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy, it’s obvious from the vantage point of space that we’re living a lie.”

    It was at that moment he realized that humanity needs to reevaluate its priorities.

    “We need to move from thinking ‘economy, society, planet’ to ‘planet, society, economy.’ That’s when we’re going to continue our evolutionary process,” he added.

    earth, planet earth, home, humanity, overview effect
    The earth is in our hands. Canva Photos.

    Garan says that we are paying a very “high price” as a civilization for our inability to develop a more planetary perspective and that it’s a big reason why we’re failing to solve many of our problems. Even though our economic activity may improve quality of life on one end, it’s also disastrous for the planet that sustains our lives.

    It’s like cutting off our nose to spite our face.

    He wasn’t the only one moved by the view

    Actor William Shatner, who spent years playing the iconic Captain James T. Kirk on the original Star Trek series, had a similar experience to Garan’s when he went to space for real in October 2021:

    “It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered,” Shatner wrote. “The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna … things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind.”

    “We’re not going to have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality,” Garan said.

    And yet Garan still has hope for us

    However dire the situation looks from the surface of Earth, the astronaut has hope that we can collectively evolve in consciousness and wake up and embrace a larger reality. “And when we can evolve beyond a two-dimensional ‘us versus them’ mindset, and embrace the true multi-dimensional reality of the universe that we live in, that’s when we’re going to no longer be floating in darkness … and it’s a future that we would all want to be a part of. That’s our true calling.”

    This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

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  • Mother with Alzheimer’s who lost her speech harmonizes with daughter in beautiful videos
    Photo credit: Ester Wiesnerova, Canva – Ester and her mother Marina sing in the car.
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    Mother with Alzheimer’s who lost her speech harmonizes with daughter in beautiful videos

    “Music is how I communicate with my mom these days. I’ve never been more grateful for it.”

    Cecily Knobler

    Like for many of us, having connected moments with her mother are timeless and special for musician Ester Wiesnerova. She’s incredibly vulnerable about her mom (whose real name is Maria but is mostly referred to as Marina) and her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. The disease moves bit by bit, fading her memory and ability to find words. But in a silver-lined twist, Wiesnerova found that she and mother are still able to bond through music.

    In clips making the rounds on social media, Wiesnerova shares moments where she is able to harmonize with her mom through various songs. At the top of one of her videos, she notes, “The power of music is incredible.” One look at these clips, and it’s clear that’s true.

    In an Instagram Reel posted on Mother’s Day, we see the pair joyfully singing in a car. The chyron across the clip reads, “Alzheimer’s took her words. But she still sings a full chorus – by heart in her second language in harmony with me.” As they lean in, each with sunglasses atop their heads, they smile while crooning “Guantanamera” in Spanish. (The song, with lyrics by Cuban poet José Martí, is a patriotic folk tune celebrating the “people.”)

    Wiesnerova comments, “Music is how I communicate with my mom these days. I’ve never been more grateful for it.” So many in the comment section agree, with one even claiming, “This is the most beautiful video ever.” Another notes how Marina seems lit up by the music: “Her eyes are sparkling.”

    In a second Instagram clip marked “Part 2,” Wiesnerova ups the ante. The chyron reads, “Alzheimer’s took my mom’s words. But she still sings. In harmony. In a foreign language.” This time the two sing the traditional Hebrew song “Hava Nagila.” She writes, “I’m starting a song. Will she join in?”

    After just a few seconds, a text pops up on the video: “It worked! Wait to hear her sing gorgeous harmonies. So nice to hear her voice again.” She then asks Marina if “she wants to harmonize.” Indeed, she does. Wiesnerova gives her mother the starting pitch, and once again, pure glee spreads across both of their faces. She writes, “Finding a way to connect with her and smile means so much.”

    Neuropsychology researchers continue to find the special link between dementia and music. In a piece posted to the Northwestern Medicine site, they quote neurologist Borna Bonakdarpour, MD, who they state “combines his love of music with research on how musical intervention affects the brain of people with dementia.”

    Bonakdarpour shares, “When we use musical intervention, we’re looking for areas and networks in the brain that are intact to serve as bridges and help the areas that are not working well. Singing, for example, can be a bridge to communicating better through language. The rhythmic nature of music can help people walk better.”

    This can be equally beneficial for caregivers and family members. He states, “People with Alzheimer’s may come alive again when they hear music. Some start dancing alone or with their caregivers, which is a very big deal. Caregivers find the person lost to them in the context of music.”

    Anna Maria Matziorinis and Stefan Koelsch of the Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen in Bergen, Norway, co-authored a 2022 study entitled, “The Promise of Music Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease.” In it, they also note how important music can be for these patients, writing, “Musical memory is partially spared in patients with AD, despite severe deficits in episodic (and partly semantic) memory. AD patients can learn new songs, encode novel verbal information, and react emotionally to music.”

    Upworthy had the chance to chat with Wiesnerova about the lovely bond she maintains with her mom. She shares that it was in early 2023 when she got her diagnosis. “Singing and playing the piano together is something that was always very natural for us—that’s what we did together. She was a piano teacher and songwriter her whole life, I’m a singer and composer. When she got diagnosed, we just kept doing what we always did together. First she would play and I would sing.”

    music therapy, music, Ester Wiesnerova, Marina Wiesnerova
    Marina Wiesnerova and sunflowers. Photo Credit: Ester Wiesnerova

    She explained that even as Marina’s ability to speak was fading, she still maintains the power of music. “Even as her capacity to speak and understand language was going down, her musical abilities very much stayed. She even responds to verbal cues as long as they’re music-related. Like if I say, sing quieter, articulate more, or harmonize with me, she usually does it. But then if I ask her where she is right now or what my name is, she doesn’t respond. It’s fascinating.”

    As for their relationship, they’ve always been close. “My whole life we’ve been very close—true best friends. We shared everything. She was also the only person in my family who encouraged my music career. Slowly losing her to the illness has been very difficult, as I was slowly adjusting to this new version of her and learning to love who she is now. And learning to find my ground when the person who grounded me is slowly disappearing. I am writing an album about this process to be released next year.”

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  • Man’s raw truth about why he hasn’t gotten over his mom’s death hits home: ‘I don’t want to.’
    Photo credit: Canva – A man lying in bed in a state of grief.
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    Man’s raw truth about why he hasn’t gotten over his mom’s death hits home: ‘I don’t want to.’

    His mother raised him alone on a secretary’s salary.

    Annie Reneau

    Losing a loved one is arguably one of the hardest human experiences, but also one of the most universal. Few of us will go through life untouched by grief, but some losses hit harder than others, even when we know they are coming. For instance, most people expect their parents will die before they do, but that doesn’t make the loss any easier when it happens.

    One man’s raw embrace of grief after losing his mother is resonating with people everywhere.

    “You said you’re a middle-aged man who hasn’t gotten over the loss of his mother,” Steven Bartlett, host of The Diary of a CEO podcast, said to guest Scott Galloway, a New York University marketing professor. “Is there a way to?”

    “I don’t want to,” replied Galloway, wiping away his tears.

    Grief isn’t a bug, but a feature

    “I think the receipts for love is grief,” Galloway said. “I hope my boys feel the same way about me. It hasn’t gotten in the way of my life. It makes me be more bold with my emotions. I used to see it as a problem. I went to grief counseling. Now I see it not as a bug, but as a feature. And so what I would tell every young person is I hope they have a lot of joy in their life. I also hope they have a decent amount of grief, because that means they have people they love immensely.”

    “You can never tell your parents how much you love them too much,” he continued. “Forgive them, and…my mom died slowly, which was bad for her, but it was good for me because nothing went unsaid. I miss my mom terribly. I’m a middle-aged man who hasn’t gotten over the death of his mother. Light of my life. Raised me on her own. Secretary’s salary. Gave me confidence. Everything.”

    Do we really need to “get past” the loss of a loved one?

    Galloway’s honesty about not wanting to get over his mom’s death hit home for a lot of people. So often, grief gets treated as a problem to fix, rather than an integral part of the human experience. Counseling can help when grief interferes with someone’s daily life, of course. But the idea that we need to “get over” or “get past” the loss of a loved one doesn’t make sense for a lot of people, as evidenced by the Instagram comments:

    “Profound grief has not hindered my life. I welcome the tears. Heart forever broken but still beating.”

    “My mom passed away 10 years ago and the pain can be unbearable. This is a beautiful way to frame this as ‘Receipts for love is Grief’ 🥹 I needed to hear this 🙏🏾 Thanks for sharing Scott.”

    “Lost my mum 3 years ago and miss her everyday – the reason the way I am is because of her and I can never thank her enough – single mother warrior queen. ❤️”

    “Exactly what I say when people tell me I need to get over losing my mom 🥹❤️ thank you.”

    grief, loss, grave
    Grief can last a lifetime. Photo credit: Canva

    “I’ve never ever gotten over my mother passing nor will I ever and I am pleased to watch this video as I know I’m not alone. 💔”

    “We need more of this type of conversation – BE BOLD WITH YOUR EMOTIONS! ♥️ People run away and hide from grief, pain and the uncomfortable – grief really is the receipts for LOVE ❤️ Grief doesn’t need fixing, just honour 🤍”

    “I wonder at what point did humanity veer so off course that we started seeing grief as a problem. Thank you for this conversation! Grief is here because love was here first! ❤️”

    “Grief is healthy. And we’re not supposed to ‘get over’ the loss of loved ones, in my opinion, we learn to love them and honor them differently.”

    “This is exactly how I feel about my dad. What a beautiful way of looking at grief.”

    Grief is evidence of love, and in Galloway’s case, the evidence clearly speaks for itself. What a beautiful tribute to his mother and a relatable approach to processing a profound loss.

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  • Want to appear more approachable? The surprising color to wear is orange.
    Photo credit: Canva – The best colors to wear to appear more approachable.
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    Want to appear more approachable? The surprising color to wear is orange.

    Give off warm, inviting vibes with these hues.

    Emily Shiffer

    Meeting new people is never easy, especially when it comes to making friends as an adult. From engaging conversations to body language, a lot goes into nailing a good first impression.

    And thanks to color psychology, your wardrobe also matters. Specifically, the colors you choose to wear can also impact how people perceive you.

    “Research in color psychology consistently shows that colors influence first impressions, emotional responses, and social perception,” therapist Sonia Panchyshyn tells Upworthy.

    Krista Walker, LCSW, J.D., and clinical director at The Ohana, adds “Research has found that people tend to form quick impressions based on color and other visual cues. The brain tends to associate certain colors with environmental or emotional cues.”

    The color that conveys approachability

    If you want to appear more approachable to others, there is one color you should try wearing: orange.

    “Warm tones like orange are often associated with friendliness, energy, and openness, which can make someone appear more approachable,” says Panchyshyn.

    A 2025 review on colors and emotion confirmed that light colors are associated with more positive emotions than dark colors. Orange was specifically linked with “positive, high arousal emotions.”

    In another study, orange was correlated with increased energy and attention levels.

    “Orange tends to communicate friendliness, warmth and energy. It’s associated with social connection. This can make a person appear more inviting,” says Walker.

    Additional colors for approachability

    If orange just isn’t your color, there are a couple more hues worth trying.

    Blue

    As communication expert Vanessa Van Edwards previously shared, she chose to wear blue to come off as more “confident, knowledgeable and calm” for her viral TED Talk, which she notes helped her feel “more calm and more calm to the audience.”

    Walker also tells Upworthy, “Blue is connected with emotional safety and trust. This may make the person seem more approachable.”

    Green

    Green is also an approachable color to try.

    “So much research shows that green reminds us of a lush spring. So, if you want to be seen as fresh and new, try green,” says Edwards.

    Susan Albers, PsyD, a psychologist for Cleveland Clinic, also explained, “Studies on the psychology of the color green indicate that it tends to trigger a sense of calmness and relaxation. This is because green is the dominant color in nature.”

    Red

    According to Edwards, if you want to be seen as “high energy,” try red.

    “When people are passionate, when they’re feeling excited, they often blush. So red is the most high-energy color,” she shares.

    Light pink

    Color analyst and founder of Your Color Style Jen Thoden explained that “blushing” colors (light pinks) give an “approachable, friendly vibe.”

    She explains that in professional settings when you may be wearing a navy suit (“which can be unapproachable, maybe a little bit more serious, a little bit more authoritative”), pairing it with a light pink can help you appear “a little friendlier and soften the look.”

    And as a reminder, clothing color is not the only factor that contributes to approachability.

    “Other things to seem more approachable besides color include eye contact, a genuine smile, and relaxed shoulders,” Walker tells Upworthy. “Overall, people are generally more approachable when they feel confident and comfortable compared to what color they are wearing.”

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  • Mom draws all over her toilet to teach her kids a lesson on cleanliness
    Photo credit: via Canva and Tod Perry – A confused child and a toilet with artwork.
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    Mom draws all over her toilet to teach her kids a lesson on cleanliness

    It may seem a little odd, but it’s pretty brilliant.

    Tod Perry

    Teaching kids how to clean up after themselves is one of the hardest things to do as a parent…mainly because it’s difficult to make taking out the trash or washing the dishes exciting.

    Jayne Ann Osborne, the creator behind MommingonPurpose, deserves love from parents everywhere because she took an incredibly icky chore, cleaning the toilet, and turned it into an activity her kids enjoyed. “Ready to teach your kids how to level up their toilet cleaning skills? You’re just a dry-erase marker game away!” Osborne opens her video.

    To teach her kids how to clean the toilet, Osborne first disinfected it herself, so her young kids wouldn’t be exposed to any germs. Then, she drew all over it with a dry-erase marker that wipes off easily with a wet rag. She told her kids that all the marks on the toilet were germs and that they all had to be wiped away. 

    Mom has a fun way of teaching her kids to clean the toilet

    “By scrubbing the dry-erase marker off, they are learning all the nooks and crannies of the toilet in a way that is fun, challenging, and memorable. Without the ick,” she captions the video.

    The dry-erase marker game works well because it teaches multiple lessons. Firstly, there are many hidden spots on a toilet that need cleaning and may not be noticed at first glance. Secondly, a toilet should be thoroughly cleaned because germs have many places to hide. After the job was complete, she gave her kids a prize depending on how well they wiped away all the evil germs.

    germs, bacteria, cleanliness, disease, microscopic bacteria
    Microscopic bacteria. Credit: TrueCreatives/Canva

    Be careful when drawing on the lid

    Osborne does have a big note for everyone who tries this at home: “Keep a little isopropyl alcohol handy in case the dry-erase marker scribbles leave anything behind.”

    Editor’s note: I tried this on my own toilet, and it took a little soap and water to get the dry-erase marker off the plastic toilet lid. It doesn’t wipe down as easily as porcelain. 

    toilet, gloves, cleaning backroom, cleanser, antibacterial cleanser
    Someone cleaning a toilet. Credit: PixelShot/Canva

    Shifrah Combiths, a writer at Apartment Therapy, tried the toilet game and made sure her children understood the importance of cleaning the entire bowl. “The kids were exuberant about wiping off the marker, and we had to make sure they didn’t scrub the toilet tank lid too hard. My husband was worried it might crack! I also let them discover and wipe down all the marker lines as they found them, but I made sure after they were done, to explain to them that when cleaning a dirty toilet for real, it’s very important to start with the cleanest areas on the toilet and then work their way to the dirtiest. Of course, this only teaches them about the outside and lid of the toilet and not the bowl, but it’s still a useful lesson,” Combiths wrote.

    Combiths also had a little difficulty getting the marker off the toilet lid. “The marker wiped perfectly clean from the porcelain surfaces of the toilet, but left marks behind on the plastic lid. Osborne recommends using isopropyl alcohol if this happens, and a Magic Eraser got most of it off in our case,” she wrote.

    Osborne’s toilet-cleaning hack is a great way to teach kids how to clean one of the dirtiest and trickiest parts of the house, but she also has a great lesson for parents. With a little creativity and a sense of humor, just about anything can be made to be fun, even cleaning the toilet.

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  • Why college graduates are booing out-of-touch commencement speakers off the stage

    Photo Credit: Canva Photos

    Gen Z is done pretending to look up to millionaires and billionaires.
    ,

    Why college graduates are booing out-of-touch commencement speakers off the stage

    Gen Z faces stiff challenges post-graduation. They’re up for the fight.

    Evan Porter

    Gen Z takes a lot of criticism. They’re called antisocial, emotionally immature, and phone-obsessed. They’re even called lazy.

    But there’s one thing you can’t deny about Gen Z: that, as a whole, they’re done pretending they’re willing to just go along with the status quo. Young people are challenging everything, from pop culture to work culture, and nothing reflects the tide they’re working to change better than this year’s graduation ceremonies.

    2026 commencement speakers totally miss the mark with young grads

    First up was Gloria Caulfield, Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Tavistock Development Company. She spoke at a commencement ceremony at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and got off to a rough start when she proclaimed, “The rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution.”

    A shower of boos from graduating students began raining down on her. It took Caulfield off guard and, after a chuckle, she needed a moment to gather her thoughts. “OK, I struck a chord. May I finish?”

    “Only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives,” she continued. For this, the students cheered. As the speech went on, the boos only grew louder every time Caulfield mentioned the exciting capabilities of AI. She was visibly flustered by the response.

    Ex-Google CEO fares even worse in controversial address

    Then there was Eric Schmidt, who delivered remarks to graduates at the University of Arizona.

    The 71-year-old tech billionaire, and former CEO of Google, was already in the students’ poor graces due to recent allegations of sexual abuse. When he, too, began extolling the exciting virtues of artificial intelligence, the stadium full of grads let him have it.

    In part of his monologue, he said: “There is a fear in your generation that… the machines are coming, the jobs are evaporating, that the climate is breaking, that politics is fractured, and that you are inheriting a mess that you did not create.”

    He then blamed social media for amplifying the fear and uncertainty, and advocated for young people to help shape artificial intelligence in order to solve these problems—to yet another chorus of boos.

    Schmidt and Caulfield did not appear to get the memo that Gen Z is not thrilled with AI, overall. Though a good number of young people do admit to using it from time to time, negative sentiment among Gen Zers has risen sharply in recent years.

    Many feel anxious or even flat-out angry about the advancements of artificial intelligence. To them, it’s not an exciting tool to boost the bottom line the way it is for CEOs and VPs. It’s a real threat to their futures. In that sense, the speeches from this year’s commencement speakers have been shockingly tone deaf.

    Best-selling author booed for criticizing younger generations

    Jonathan Haidt, the massively best-selling author behind The Anxious Generation, has been a leading voice in the movement to protect kids from phones, social media, and technology; and to give them more independence as they grow up.

    He’s even gone so far as to call Gen Z coddled, soft, and fragile. Haidt has also attacked universities, claiming they insulate students from challenging ideas with ‘safe spaces and trigger warnings,’ and been vocally against diversity and inclusion initiatives.

    It turns out, Gen Z graduates weren’t super excited to hear him speak at their graduation. They let him know exactly how they felt with loud boos during his address at NYU graduation.

    The boos represent a fascinating shift

    Multi-millionaires and billionaires used to represent the pinnacle of the American Dream. Tech CEOs and Silicon Valley bigshots have been popular choices at commencement ceremonies for years. They’re able to speak as people who “made it” and reached ultimate success.

    But young people aren’t falling for it. Gen Z is not impressed with wealth. They’re acutely aware of the growing wealth gap between the older generations and themselves. They don’t face an easy path coming out of school, with huge inflation, stagnant wages, skyrocketing house prices, and growing personal debt.

    AI, for whatever positive advances it has made, has largely been a main driver of layoffs that have put more money into the pockets of the 1%. It’s hard to blame young people for not wanting to listen to a billionaire lecture them on the importance of hard work, or for not wanting to cheer a technology that might make their dream job obsolete.

    You also have to respect that Gen Z isn’t willing to sit there politely and clap for a man who called them coddled and emotionally fragile.

    As they prepare to embark into the next phase of adulthood, Gen Z faces tough—seemingly impossible—challenges. But if these viral moments have taught us anything, it’s that the kids will go down swinging.

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