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Language expert gives incredible speech to high school students using only Gen Alpha slang

“Keep cooking, stay goated, never be mid.”

By

Cecily Knobler

high school kids laughing, Xiaomanyc 小马在纽约, linguist, speech, teaching
Xiaomanyc gives a speech to Alpha Gen for Language Week – Photo credit: YouTube, Canva

With nearly 10 million subscribers/followers—and over one billion views across social media platforms—you may know Xiaomanyc 小马在纽约. He’s a linguist who is so curious and immersed in other languages, he finds meaning in being able to speak to different cultures with depth.

His given name is Arieh Smith, and he’s a 30-something New Yorker with an astonishing gift for communication. In short, he’s a polyglot. According to Euronews they describe the “polyglot” as, of course, some fluent in French, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese, but also “dabbles in Yoruba, Navajo, Fuzhounese, Wolof, and Hindi.”

He also speaks Portuguese, Yiddish (he’s of Jewish Ashkenazi descent), Tamil, and Telugu alongside other Chinese dialects at a “conversational level.” He even shocked some Dubliners by speaking Gaeilge that some native Irish didn’t understand.

In fact, here he is “surprising strangers in every language.”

In an interview with Euro News Travel, he shares why learning Mandarin at an early age meant so much to him:

“I think the reason why I continued studying it to the extent that I did was… I got very positive feedback from Chinese people, very early on.”

The idea that he is able to connect with so many worldwide is meaningful to him. But it’s equally important to those with whom he’s connecting—especially in cultures where a language might be dying out.

“I think people want their culture to be seen and heard. If you know how to say something in their language — or if you even know that their country, culture, and food exist — it’s a sign of respect and people really appreciate that.”

If one can cross cultural and linguistic boundaries, why not generational ones too? When asked to speak at Westtown High School, he was up for the challenge. From his YouTube description:

“I was invited… as a language expert about the importance of learning languages, in front of a full auditorium of high school and middle school students. But instead of just telling the students why language matters… I decided to show them.”

Dressed as a “nerdy professor,” complete with bowtie and horn-rimmed glasses, he begins while the enthusiastic middle and high school kids restlessly listen. “A huge W to be vibing here at Westtown High School for Languages Week. But Chat, Chat, let’s lock in. Bro came prepared.”

The students begin to erupt with laughter.

He continues, “Now I know it’s giving delulu for this chewby goober to speak in such Skibidi brain rot.”

Now the audience seems totally sold.

“But if you’ll bear with me, I’ll put the fries in the bag in just a second. I do actually have a message here.” (And then under his breath, he adds, “Type s–t.”)

“No cap, I was dead ass pressed about learning this language, but I had to absorb the drip so I wouldn’t get aired by your generation. High key, people think Gen Alpha slang is just memes and brain rot. But on God, it’s giving a linguistic glow-up core, happening IRL.”

“Every time you drop a GYAT or ‘it’s giving,’ you’re legit patching the English language DLC with fresh updates. Literally shifting the English meta. Language evolves because you’re constantly cooking new ways to pass the vibe check. And honestly, your memes finna hit as the textbook vocab of tomorrow. Bet.”

alpha generation, slang, linguistics, words, language
A woman says Giphy, CocoJuice GIF

“And this is exactly why learning language hits different. Just like your casual Pookie talk could soon be the dictionary definition, picking up another language gives you front-row seats to how people around the world give the deets. It’s like unlocking infinite drip. Allowing you to catch dubs across cultures, connect deeper with the squad and stan new perspectives that would otherwise leave you ghosted.

Languages aren’t just sus grammar rules, fam. They’re the ultimate Rizz for becoming a real one everywhere you pull up. It’s the GigaChad energy for me.

So knowing languages isn’t mid. But it’s not just a flex either. It’s an infinite money glitch that slaps. People finna get pressed saying languages are chopped or too hard. Don’t listen, Bestie, they’re just salty because their language game is dog water. Being multilingual is OD. Letting you stan cultures, vibe with international fam, and utterly Mog your career. No cap, speaking another language lets you go off, turning you into an absolute conversation Rizzler.

So yeah Chat, that’s the sauce. Keep cooking, stay goated, never be mid. And FR, study hard and go Rizz up that knowledge.”

rizz, gen alpha, slang, language, lingustics
A penguin winks Giphy, GIF by Pudgy Penguins

The crowd applauds uproariously. Just as if they were a small, tribal group hanging on to their traditional and unique way of communication, these kids seemed to enjoy being seen and understood. Also, they got a huge laugh out of a seminar they might have otherwise found boring. Bet.

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  • Philosophy expert shares the 300-year-old rule to tell if someone is a good or bad person
    Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and a scene at a restaurant. – Photo credit: via Canva/Photos and G.Meiners/Wikimedia Commons
    , , , ,

    Philosophy expert shares the 300-year-old rule to tell if someone is a good or bad person

    It was true then, and it’s even more true now.

    Tod Perry

    Upworthy Staff

    What makes a ‘good person’ is hard to quantify, but sometimes, you just know it when you see it. But that’s the problem, you can’t always see it. Have you ever met somebody new and wondered if they were a good person with a mischievous streak or a bad person who can turn on the charm and behave occasionally? Determining someone’s true moral character is important, especially if you start dating them or have a business relationship. It is crucial to get to the core of who they are and know whether they can be trusted.

    Popular TikTok philosopher and Substack writer Juan de Medeiros recently shared a great way to determine whether someone is good or bad. His rubric for judging someone’s moral character comes from a quote commonly attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German poet, playwright, novelist, and intellectual known for works like Faust and The Sorrows of Young Werther.

    How can you tell if someone is a good or a bad person?

    “Here’s a pretty good indicator that somebody is a bad person and vice versa, how you can spot a good one. And this goes back to a simple rule, a moral aphorism by Goethe in which he writes, ‘Never trust someone who is unkind to those who can do nothing for him,’” de Medeiros shared in a TikTok video with over 45,000 views.

    “Never trust someone who is unkind to those who can do nothing for him.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

    @julianphilosophy

    Good vs. bad #good #bad #wisdom

    ♬ original sound – Julian de Medeiros

    De Medeiros then provided real-world ways to determine whether the person you have questions about is good or bad. “A bad person is unfriendly to strangers, to the elderly, to children, to service staff, to anybody they’re not trying to impress,” he said. At the same time, the good person treats people equally, no matter what they can do for him. They’re good for goodness sake, not to get anything out of it.

    “A good person carries grace within them and shares it freely with abundance. A good person treats other people as they would like to be treated as well. And it doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter what your status is, they will treat you and see you as their equal,” de Medeiros said.

    What is ‘The Waiter Rule’?

    Goethe’s quote echoes the common red/green flag test that many people have on dates. Sure, it’s important if your date is courteous and treats you well on the date, but you really want to watch how they interact with the server. The rule is often called “The Waiter Rule,” outlined by William Swanson. Swanson, the former chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company, wrote in his book, 33 Unwritten Rules of Management, “A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter—or to others—is not a nice person.” Boxer Muhammad Ali is also known for saying something similar: “I don’t trust anyone who’s nice to me but rude to the waiter. Because they would treat me the same way if I were in that position.”

    Rudeness toward the waitstaff also indicates that the person isn’t very smart. It’s not wise to be rude to someone who is in charge of your meal for the night.

    Conversely, a good person is kind to others without looking for anything in return because they want to spread joy and believe that others deserve respect. You are what you do, not what you think or believe, and when someone treats others with goodness, it’s a clear indicator of the type of person they are.

    In the end, we are all a mixed bag of behaviors and attitudes, and even the most perfect of us has a devil on their shoulder telling them that it’s okay to occasionally get into a bit of mischief. However, when it comes down to determining someone’s core character, how they treat those who can do nothing for them says everything.

     

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

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  • A man at a bar bought a rude stranger a drink and used it as a brilliant lesson about consent
    An uncomfortable woman is approached by a man at a bar – Photo credit: Canva
    ,

    A man at a bar bought a rude stranger a drink and used it as a brilliant lesson about consent

    “One person noticed. That was enough.”

    Adam Albright-Hanna

    The situation was familiar enough to be exhausting. A man at a bar had bought a woman a drink. She didn’t want to go home with him. He apparently felt those two things were in conflict.

    “You are not going to come home with me?” he said, audibly frustrated. When she said no, he pushed back: “But I bought you a drink.” She got up and walked away.

    A TikTok user who goes by @tripptokk10 was standing nearby when this happened, already at the bar ordering his own drink. He watched the woman leave, looked at the man still standing there working through his grievance, and made a decision. He ordered two shots.

    @tripptokk10

    But I bought you a drink??? #men #respectingboundaries #barconversations #fyp #foryoupage

    ♬ original sound – Tripp

    “I slide it over to him,” he explained in his TikTok video, posted December 20, 2025. They took the shots together. Then he leaned in and made his point: “So are you going to come home with me or what?”

    The logic was the same. The conclusion was absurd. That was exactly the point.

    In the video, filmed casually at home in a robe and bonnet, he explained what he was responding to: “This one’s for the boys who think buying a woman a drink at the bar means that she should go home with you. No, it doesn’t. She doesn’t know you.”

    A man stares at a woman at a bar.
    A man stares at a woman at a bar. Photo Credit: Canva

    The same creator posted a second video about another night, different bar, same basic dynamic. This time a man had approached one of his female friends, put his hands on her shoulders without asking, and kept going despite her visibly trying to shrug him off. When she tried to walk away, he reached for her hand. The TikTok user stepped in and told him to back off.

    What happened next is the part that stayed with people. The man started apologizing, directing the apology not at the woman he’d been grabbing, but at the guy who’d intervened. “You didn’t do anything to me,” the creator told him. “You were harassing her.”

    The man’s response: “I respect you so much.”

    He described how confused and frustrated he felt in that moment. “Go apologize to her and change your behavior,” he said in the video, “because an apology without changed behavior is just a manipulation tactic.”

    That line hit harder than the shot glass moment for a lot of viewers. The dynamic he was describing, where a man harms a woman and then seeks absolution from another man rather than the person he actually hurt, is one that gets talked about in academic gender studies literature but rarely gets explained so plainly in a 60-second video in a bathrobe.

    Neither incident is complicated. Nobody got arrested, nobody threw a punch, nobody did anything that required a news alert. What spread was simpler than that: one person noticed something wrong, said something proportionate, and kept his head on straight when the whole thing got weird. Apparently that’s still worth talking about.

    This article originally appeared earlier this year.

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  • Why the iconic Boston accent is disappearing as the pronunciation of ‘R’ makes a comeback
    Why the infamous Boston accent is disappearing as the pronunciation of "R" makes a comeback. – Photo credit: Canva
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    Why the iconic Boston accent is disappearing as the pronunciation of ‘R’ makes a comeback

    ​The Bostonian accent is becoming a rarity in the city.

    Jacalyn Wetzel

    Accents are regional in America. Two people can be from the same state but live hours apart, resulting in wildly different accents. The same is true for Massachusetts. People living in Cambridge don’t have the same accent as those living in Boston.

    The South Boston accent is so iconic that it has captured the hearts of people who have never even been there. This is likely due to a few famous Bostonians. Mark Wahlberg and his brothers, as well as the best-friend duo of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, are all from Boston. They’ve let their native Boston accent shine on the big screen more than once, helping cement the accent’s popularity.

    Boston, South Boston, Boston accent, regional accent decline, losing Boston accent
    Boston, Massachusetts. Photo credit: Canva

    But sadly, the endearing way Bostonians drop their “R” for the “ah” sound is fading, and fast. In a few short decades, people may not understand why someone would teasingly ask a Bostonian to say “car keys.” The famous “park the car in the Harvard Yard” line won’t hit the same. All Rs will be present and accounted for.

    Where’s the Boston accent going?

    So what’s happening with the accent that many Americans like attempting to mimic? The simple answer: humans migrate. We’ve been migrating since standing upright became a thing. Sure, we don’t migrate to follow food sources anymore, but we do follow jobs, social safety-net programs, and educational opportunities. As people from other states and countries move into Boston, and Bostonians move out, the accent becomes a casualty.

    Boston, South Boston, Boston accent, regional accent decline, losing Boston accent
    A group of people take a selfie. Photo credit: Canva

    Katherine Loftus, a native Bostonian and mom of two school-aged children, is a little sad about the accent disappearing. Her young children don’t have the iconic accent and tease her a bit for not pronouncing her Rs.

    “It might sound funny because it’s almost sort of this surface level, like, ‘what’s the big deal if your kids don’t have the accent that you have,’ but I have to admit that there’s a real sadness to the fact that they don’t have it at all,” she tells The Boston Globe. “There’s something for me that I’m very proud of that I sound like my dad, that I sound like my grandparents, that I sound like when you hear me, you know who I am.”

    According to linguist Ezra Wyschogrod, the mesmerizing South Boston accent has already reached its peak. He explains that there’s a trend toward the homogenization of American speech as people move more frequently. The City of Boston Planning Department reports that there are currently more than 100 different languages spoken in Boston. Additionally, more than 285,000 Boston residents are multilingual.

    “A lot of one’s dialect, and even one’s language, gets codified at very young ages amongst peer groups, and there are much less peer groups in Boston where you have all the kids that are all Boston kids,” Wyschogrod tells The Boston Globe. “New accents form all the time, and for all we know, whatever new mix that Boston is, there could be some new accent that everyone just starts noticing.”

    Bostonians didn’t always have the iconic accent

    It turns out the missing R is something that only started around 100 years ago. Now, that pesky consonant is returning after a brief centennial hiatus. Wyschogrod doesn’t want people to worry. No one is revoking anyone’s Boston card if they don’t drop their Rs.

    “There was this interesting period where we were R-less, and now we’re back to this R-full speech,” Wyschogrod reveals. “We were distinctly New England before that. We were distinctly New England during this R-less period, and we’re going to be distinctly New England after.”

    The South Boston accent isn’t the only one getting the boot. As people do what they’ve been doing since the dawn of time—move—dialect is evolving. Today reports that multiple studies have shown that the “Southern twang, the Texas drawl, and even the beloved Brooklynese are all slowly changing.”

    Marjorie Feinstein-Whittaker, a speech and communications consultant, explains to Today that while the Boston accent might fade, it isn’t going to disappear completely.

    “I don’t think the accent is ever going away, honestly, but I do think it’s changing,” she says. “Our lives are much more varied than they used to be.”

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  • How to live more productively by understanding your distinct ‘time personality’
    A person planning with a calendar (left) and a person running late (right). – Photo credit: Canva
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    How to live more productively by understanding your distinct ‘time personality’

    Are you time anxious? Or time blind?

    Heather Wake

    It’s true that we all have the same 24 hours in a day. But it’s our own personal relationship to those 24 hours that greatly determines what that day looks like.

    Time is one of those things that is both a constant in our collective reality, and yet highly subjective to the individual. It’s why one person hears “We need to be there 6:30” and translates that to “We need to be out the door in fifteen minutes,” and another person translates it as “Oh, I have plenty of time to change my clothes, walk the dogs, listen to a podcast, and clean out that junk drawer!” And of course, these two individuals will be spouses. It is universal law. 

    It would seem that—much like how knowing whether you’re an introvert, extrovert, or somewhere in between can help you navigate social settings—knowing your MO when it comes to time management can really help make your day flow a lot smoother. 

    That’s where the four “time personalities” come in. 

    In an article for Verywell Mind, experts Kristin Anderson, LCSW, and Dr. Ryan Sultan, explained that most of us fall somewhere on a spectrum between “very rigid” and “very flexible.” There are, of course, various factors that dictate why we might fall into a certain spot—including neurodiversity, age, and other aspects of our overall personality. But regardless, knowing the gifts and challenges of our go-to time management settings can greatly affect how we “function.”

    See which one below seems to resonate the most. 

    The 4 Time Personalities

    1. The Time Optimist

      The never-ending mantra, or perhaps the “famous last words,” of this personality is “I’ve got plenty of time!” regardless of what the clock says.

      Because of this, Sultan says time optimists “don’t really feel pressure under a time crunch.” They truly believe they can fit multiple tasks into a short amount of time and don’t easily account for potential delays, which leads to chronic tardiness. 

      “They’re ones who leave for a dinner reservation with just enough time to get there, as long as there’s no traffic and they hit every green light,” said Sultan. 

      Folks who consider themselves time optimists might benefit from exploring the “double it rule,” which has you automatically double the amount of time you think it’ll take to get somewhere or complete a task. 

      2. Time Anxious

      Unlike time optimists, “time anxious” personalities feel an enormous amount of pressure, assuming “everything that can go wrong, will go wrong (e.g., traffic, delays, getting lost on the way).” Therefore, they attempt to ease this tension by showing up to things incredibly early. 

      Dealing with time anxiety involves many of the same tools to handle everyday anxiety, such as grounding techniques (5-4-3-2-1 technique, deep breathing), cognitive restructuring (challenging perfectionism, setting realistic goals), and structured planning (using calendars/apps, setting “worry time”). These strategies help shift focus from the future to the present, reducing the fear of wasted time. And maybe, just maybe, the time anxious can experiment with being fashionably late to low-pressure situations. 

      3. Time Bender

      For time benders, the whole concept of time is merely subjective. Where time optimists overestimate what they can accomplish within a certain amount of time, time benders create entirely different time rules for themselves. “Being 10 minutes late basically counts as on time,” Anderson uses as an example. 

      These are the curious, creative souls who thrive under pressure and easily lose track of time when they reach a flow state, or bounce from inspiring task to inspiring task.

      To help curb time-bending tendencies, a good option could be the “Pomodoro Technique,” which has you working in focused, 25-minute bursts followed by short breaks to maintain high energy and concentration. 

      “Time blindness” might sound very close to “time optimism” and “time bending,” but the former is associated with an actual inability to perceive the passage of time. That’s why Anderson and Sultan explained that this category is frequently found in those with ADHD or executive function issues.  

      4. Time Blind

      “It’s not that these folks don’t care about being late or making other people wait,” said Anderson. “Without external reminders or cues, it’s easy for them to lose track of how long things take, which makes sticking to a schedule more challenging.”

      Sultan added, “Their brains actually have a difficult time registering and processing temporal information, causing impairments in working memory, executive functioning, and temporal discounting.” 

      Though time blindness might be more deeply ingrained than the other three personalities, there are several proven tools that can help—from simple, tried-and-true methods like visual/audio timers (think hourglasses and analog clocks) to apps designed to help strengthen time estimation. And of course, these tools aren’t exclusively beneficial to those with bona fide time blindness. Optimists and benders can try them out as well. 

      Once you better understand how you uniquely navigate time, you’re better able to (a) incorporate strategies that help you work within your limitations and (b) give yourself a little grace. Perhaps that last part is most important.

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    1. An Eastern European asked Americans why they’re so ‘nice and cordial.’ The replies were totally wholesome.
      Americans are considered friendly and cordial by Europeans. – Photo credit: Canva
      ,

      An Eastern European asked Americans why they’re so ‘nice and cordial.’ The replies were totally wholesome.

      “I’ve just found this so refreshing.”

      Emily Shiffer

      Europeans have always had hot takes on Americans and American culture. From portion sizes to garbage disposals to widely available air conditioning, there are plenty of things America has to offer that Europe just doesn’t.

      And when it comes to demeanor, it’s hard for Europeans to deny that Americans have a warmer presence. A 2025 survey by Upgraded Points asked 2,200 Europeans from 22 different countries for their opinions on Americans. In it, 64% reported that they found Americans friendly.

      On Reddit, an Eastern European who experienced American friendliness firsthand asked Americans why they are “nice and cordial.”

      An Eastern European’s take on Americans

      The Eastern European explained that they had been living in the United States for a few years, and shared what most interactions with Americans have been like.

      “I’ve noticed that common courtesies are much more, well, common, here in the US,” they wrote. “Examples like small talk by cashiers, moving men, etc. Even most people make witty responses, like they’re actually listening to what I said. I’ve said a few times, ‘Oh, I’m just watching Netflix over the weekend.’ And they’ll mention or recommend shows they’ve watched.”

      They went on to explain that it happens often and, seemingly, from a place of authenticity.

      @maraleebell

      Replying to @Tea Time I 100% get why some people say American friendliness feels fake 😨 … and why others say it’s real!

      ♬ original sound – Maralee Bell

      “They also always ask how I am, asking about my weekend plans, holding open the door for several people, and more,” they shared. “It just seems ingrained from an early age. And a lot of it seems genuine, very rarely forced.”

      The post ended, “I’ve just found this so refreshing as someone who’s from a region in the world where people don’t even make eye contact with you. This is seriously an underrated part of American culture in my opinion.”

      Americans respond

      Americans shared their wholesome replies as to why they are genuinely nice and cordial:

      “It’s fun to be nice to people, because it makes you feel happier inside.”

      “I dunno. Just how I was raised. I find it difficult to not be nice to strangers cause like why do I want to cause trouble and make a scene? All it does is hinder my day and cause more issues. Takes more effort to be mean than to just.. Not be.”

      “I read once that cultures with big melting pots of ethnicities (USA, Brazil) tend to be more outwardly friendly with smiles and body language as there were large portions of times when the country was largely immigrants that wouldn’t understand each others language so they’d smile at strangers because they couldn’t speak their language, and then that remained embedded in the culture. It was a convincing argument.”

      “I mean… another way to look at it is, ‘why wouldn’t you be?’ An ex-girlfriend of mine once said, ‘if you can’t find the joy in the small things in life, you’ll never be happy with any other successes.’ So when you meet someone, ask about them, smile, gas them up, make them happy. Those endorphins are contagious.”

      “Cordiality is how a nation of immigrants helps create social cohesion. Cordiality is a public practice of democracy. Cordiality is an implicit way of acknowledging equal standing under the law. We will see how long it lasts now.”

      “Yeah, I think that equality is such an American value that we have it engrained to smile and be cordial to strangers as a way of affirming a lack of class boundaries. I’ve spent lots of time with people from caste/servant/enormous-poverty-divide countries lately and some details in lack of respect to strangers have been really astoundingly off-putting.”

      “Because it costs nothing and makes people happy. I didn’t know why this is an American thing, but I particularly enjoy bullsh*t smalltalk and my German wife thinks I’m insane.”

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    2. Brazilian pianist covers Guns N’ Roses with the weirdest instrument of all: rubber chickens
      Rubber chickens are an underrated instrument. – Photo credit: @lordvinheteiro on TikTok
      , ,

      Brazilian pianist covers Guns N’ Roses with the weirdest instrument of all: rubber chickens

      Sweet Cluck O’ Mine

      Erik Barnes

      There are many ways to pay tribute to a music artist through a cover of one of their songs. Some honor their inspiration by playing their hit song in a different genre of music. Others cover the song through different instrumentation or key changes. Then there’s the guy who performs his cover with rubber chickens.

      The professional pianist known as Lord Vinheteiro has gotten attention on TikTok by performing Guns N’ Roses’ song “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Only, instead of the vocal stylings of Axl Rose, Vinheteiro sings the song through the squeaky voices of rubber chickens of varying sizes. And he nails it.

      @lordvinheteiro

      Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’Roses sweetchildomine gunsnroses rubberchickens chickens chicken vinheteiro lordvinheteiro

      ♬ som original – Lord Vinheteiro – Lord Vinheteiro

      Commenters were equal parts impressed and amused:

      “How does one tune a rubber chicken?”

      “Next year’s Super Bowl show! UNRIVALED!!!”

      “If you close your eyes, it sounds just like Axl Rose.”

      “This is what the internet was invented for.”

      “I don’t care what y’all say… THIS IS TALENT.”

      “Simply awesome, Maestro!”

      “As a middle school science teacher would you mind if I showed this video to my students? We’re studying sound waves and this is a perfect example of frequency and pitch.”

      “Needed this smile. Thank you.”

      “Clucking brilliant.”

      Who is this rubber chicken maestro?

      Lord Vinheteiro, the professional name of Brazilian musician Fabrício André Bernard Di Paolo, has entertained the Internet since 2008. He gained attention through his expert piano skills—where he’s playing theme songs from cartoons or playing the piano at a distance with strings. All the while, Vinheteiro adds to the absurdity by looking directly into the camera with an expressionless face.

      Prior to his career as a YouTube content creator and music teacher, Paolo worked in construction. His videos grew in popularity in his native Brazil before gaining traction worldwide. Until recently, he showcased his classical music prowess by playing video game themes and other pop-culture favorites. In 2025, he began expanding his musical talent by incorporating rubber chickens into his content.

      While still showcasing his impressive piano skills, he frequently shows off his rubber chicken singing abilities using chickens of various sizes. Impressively, Paolo is able to hit the proper tone and pitch with expert grip and timing. This feat has earned him millions of views on rubber chicken versions of a wide variety of songs, from System of a Down’s “Chop Suey!” to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and even the “Imperial March” theme from Star Wars.

      If you are amused and fascinated by Lord Vinheteiro’s work, check out his social media for more. It may be piano and rubber chickens for now, but it’ll be interesting to see which instrument he masters next.

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    3. Drummer creates amazing cover videos from wheelchair with innovative mouth-trigger kick pedal
      A drummer creates inspiring cover videos from his wheelchair with help from a mouth-trigger kick pedal. – Photo credit: Screenshots via Jesse Avi on Instagram
      ,

      Drummer creates amazing cover videos from wheelchair with innovative mouth-trigger kick pedal

      “I had to analyze my playing from the ground up—literally.”

      Ryan Reed

      Drummer Jesse Avi has racked up millions of social media views with his precise, tasteful cover videos. But these clips are also fascinating and motivational on a deeper level: Avi, who uses the handle “The Slightly Different Drummer,” performs them all from his wheelchair, operating the kick drum with a pedal triggered by his mouth. 

      Avi has been posting his covers—everything from modern soul music (Silk Sonic’s “Smokin Out the Window”) to early ’80s power pop (Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl”)—since December 2025. But he truly reached social media virality the following month by tackling Incubus’ 1999 alt-metal classic “Pardon Me.” It’s a killer rendition, nailing José Pasillas’ deft snare rolls, cathartic crash cymbals, and powerful kick grooves. Both drummers and non-musicians responded, with the clip reaching over a million views on Instagram alone. 

      “This is inspiring”

      Here are some of the top comments: 

      “Dude you are LOCKED IN 🤘”

      “Is the trigger for the kick in your mouth this is AMAZING 💪🏻

      “Hell yeah button 👉🏻”

      “For any non drummers, please know this is incredibly tight playing”

      “Pardon me sir but this is amazing !!!!”

      “Nothing stopping you!!! 🔥🔥🔥”

      “Im about to have a major spine surgery and i have a fear of losing mobility in my legs after and nor being able to drum. This gave me hope even if the worst comes to pass. This is inspiring”

      “Obsessed with rhythm”

      Avi tells Upworthy he started playing drums around age 10, “obsessed with rhythm.” When he first saw the video for Hanson’s 1997 pop hit “MMMBop” on MTV, he found himself locking in on the drummer, Zac Hanson. “Something about the power and control behind the kit pulled me in, and the fact that it was just kids playing blew my mind,” he says.

      Soon enough, he was “banging on pillows” and quickly found himself behind an actual kit. But after a spinal cord injury at age 13, he stopped playing for several years—and when he started back, he couldn’t continue with the traditional drum setup.

      “At first, that was frustrating—because muscle memory and habit are huge parts of drumming,” he recalls. “But I also realized that if I wanted to keep playing at the level I expected from myself, I’d have to rethink things instead of resisting the change. In a lot of ways, it made me more creative. I had to analyze my playing from the ground up—literally. It forced me to become more intentional, more disciplined, and more technical about how I move around the kit. What could’ve been a limitation ended up reshaping my style and making me a more thoughtful drummer.”

      “I needed to retrain my brain”

      A major breakthrough came on July 5, 2005, after glimpsing a Def Leppard show at New Jersey’s FirstEnergy Park, where he worked as a dishwasher.

      “I’ll never forget it,” he says. “On my break, I was able to watch the band perform a few songs, and I was amazed at how Rick Allen, their drummer with one arm, could play so smoothy and perfectly. I drove home that night thinking to myself, ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’ Keep in mind, no YouTube or online videos were around for me to really watch him perform. So I spent the next few days [experimenting] with this pedal that I took from an electronic drum set I got for Christmas a few years earlier.”

      At first, Avi tried sticking the pedal under his arm, but it would fall right out. He tried sitting on it, but that proved too uncomfortable. After putting the device in his mouth, he found he could play simple beats.

      “It was hard, and I needed to retrain my brain that biting down is the kick drum now, not my leg,” he says. “Within a week, I was playing daily, and it never really stopped from there. I always continued to play on and off—sometimes I wouldn’t play for a year or so, and then I’d play for three years straight. As of recently I have been playing more, and it’s been a great feeling.”

      The technical side of his playing is pretty inventive: Avi bites down on the trigger every time he wants to hear a kick drum, which sends a signal to his “drum brain”—a Roland TD-3—and then into the Yamaha EAD10 drum module to create the kick sound.

      His videos have sparked a range of responses: both pro and casual musicians sharing their feedback, drummers asking technical questions, and people sharing how the videos inspired them.

      “I can tell you this: There are plenty of good people on this Earth,” Avi says. “I have really had some amazing comments and DMs from people all over the world. It’s incredible. The response has honestly been one of the most meaningful parts of sharing my videos. I’ve had everyday drummers reach out, and even a few professional players, letting me know they connected with what I’m doing. That’s something I don’t take lightly.” 

      “It’s been especially powerful hearing that something as simple as me playing and being consistent has inspired other people—whether that’s pushing through their own challenges or just picking up the sticks again,” he adds. “At the end of the day, drumming is such a tight-knit community. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing arenas or in your garage—we all understand the language of rhythm. Being able to connect with other musicians through that has been one of the biggest unexpected rewards.” 

      “I almost melted into the floor”

      So what makes the Incubus video so special? Even Avi isn’t sure, but maybe it’s due to the power of the song itself.

      “When I recorded that video, I honestly didn’t think it would do what it did,” he says with a laugh. “With everything going on in the world right now, the song has its own identity, right? Like, it starts tight. Then it gradually expands—more energy, more intensity, more space. When it hits the chorus, it feels like release. Not chaos but a release. It doesn’t say ‘I’m mad at the world.’ It’s more like ‘I’m overwhelmed, and I’m trying to understand it.’ I think people really connect with that.”

      “I could also be totally wrong,” he adds. “I don’t know what the algorithm was doing that day, but it sure reached a lot of people. It was crazy. I went from 12 Instagram followers to four thousand the next day. José Pasillas and [Incubus singer] Brandon Boyd both liked the video on Instagram, and I almost melted into the floor. I couldn’t believe it.”

      It’s one powerful moment of many for The Slightly Different Drummer, who’s inspired to keep pushing himself. 

      “I’ve been playing for over 20 years now, and what’s kept me going is that there’s always another level to reach,” he says. “Drumming isn’t just something I do—it’s part of who I am. It’s how I express myself, how I challenge myself, and honestly, how I connect with people.”

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    4. A Millennial dad ordered his Gen Alpha daughter a ‘Skip-It’ toy from the ’90s and playfully ribs her for struggling
      Comedian Anthony Rodia bought his Gen Alpha daughter the '90s toy Skip-It. – Photo credit: Instagram
      ,

      A Millennial dad ordered his Gen Alpha daughter a ‘Skip-It’ toy from the ’90s and playfully ribs her for struggling

      “It’s not that hard cuz we weren’t playing with iPads back then—we were outside!”

      Emily Shiffer

      Millennials grew up in the analog ’90s—a very different childhood than today’s plugged-in Gen Alpha.

      For Millennials who spent hours playing outside, there was one toy that bruised shins and nearly broke ankles: the Skip-It. Millennial comedian Anthony Rodia decided to introduce his Gen Alpha daughter to it.

      In a hilarious video shared with his followers on Instagram, Rodia documents his 10-year-old daughter trying her best to catch a rhythm while playing with the iconic ’90s toy. Rodia explains that he ordered one for her to test out from Amazon, and it leads to lots of laughs for them both.

      From the start, his daughter has a hard time getting into the groove. Rodia immediately starts ribbing her, playfully chirping, “What’s the matter? Our toys are a little too difficult for ya? A little harder than just being on your iPad?”

      She continues to swing the Skip-It around with no success, cracking up at the camera as her dad films and laughs. “Try to play with a toy we had when we were kids. You can’t even do a Skip-It!” he says as the Skip-It slides off her ankle and smashes into him.

      In the next clip, Rodia gives the Skip-It a try and immediately nails it. He jokes to his daughter, “It’s not that hard cuz we weren’t playing with iPads back then—we were outside! Playing with dangerous toys!”

      He shows off his Skip-It skills, folding his arms and even closing his eyes.

      Viewers respond

      In the comments, Rodia addressed viewers who thought he was being a little too tough on his daughter.

      “It’s crazy how many people are getting butt hurt that I’m breaking my daughter’s chops 😂😂😂😂 yet my 10 year old daughter is laughing about it,” he wrote. “If there was no banter in my house growing up, there was something wrong! Update: she kept trying and now mastered it 🤣🤷🏻‍♂️👍🏼.”

      Others loved the joyful interaction and the nostalgia it brought back:

      “This is just a healthy father/daughter dynamic,” one person wrote. “This is how my dad and I talk to each other. Love that man. Got plans to play videogames with him later tonight. He’s 73 years old.”

      Another wrote, “Lmao I had this and a pogo stick 😂.” And another Millennial added, “Now have her put on rollerblades and have her go down a hill at 90 mph with no pads or helmet! 🤣 how did we survive?”

      Millennials on Reddit also chimed in. “Get her a Bop-It next,” one commented. Another wrote, “This also makes me think of Razor scooters when you’d try to spin the bottom around and it’d whack you hard in your shins.”

      History of the Skip-It

      The Skip-It, as it was known in the 1990s, was actually inspired by earlier versions that launched in the 1960s. According to The Retroist, the earliest version was released by Canadian toy company Twinpak, which called it the Footsie. Another Canadian company, Reliable Toys, also had a similar version, named Skip-it (with a lowercase “i”).

      An American version, called the Jingle Jump, launched a few years later, but the Canadian design was deemed superior.

      Ultimately, the Skip-It Millennials grew to know and love was launched by Tiger Electronics in 1989 after the rights were purchased from American toy company the Paul E. Price Company. Thanks to Skip-It commercials on kids’ TV network Nickelodeon, the Skip-It craze exploded.

      In 2011, TIME magazine included the Skip-It on its list of the “All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys.”

      Clearly, the Skip-It is a beloved toy that’s still bringing smiles decades later.

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