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Pop Culture

Chance the Rapper shares how 'kind' Martin Short gave up his seat on a flight to his daughter

He didn’t know who Chance was. He was just being nice.

martin short, chance the rapper, airline seats
via Wikimedia Commons

A dapper Martin Short photographed in 2021

“The Voice” judge Chance the Rapper had a touching moment on a flight on Sunday, February 26, when a kind man gave up his seat so he could sit next to his 7-year-old daughter Kensli. The unexpected thing was that the man who gave up his seat was none other than comedy legend and star of “Only Murders in the Building,” Martin Short.

Chance shared his story on Twitter, where it received nearly 300,000 likes.


“So I just got on this plane with my daughter, and found out our seats weren’t next to each other. I really ain’t wanna inconvenience anyone by asking them to swap seats, but before I could say anything this kind older gentleman offered his seat to Kensli so we could sit together,” Chance wrote.

“We both said thank you and as he stands up, I realize it’s THE Martin Short!! So cool and Kensli freaked out cause she’s obsessed with The Santa Clause 3. What an awesome person! SHOUTOUT TO JACK FROST,” Chance continued.

The fact that a 7-year-old is familiar with Martin Short’s work is a tribute to his incredible longevity and how he’s played roles that are memorable for people of every generation.

Chance doesn’t think it was a favor between celebrities because he doesn’t think Short knows who he is.

The “All We Got” rapper also joked that his daughter was really just trying to get her screenplay, a “¡Three Amigos!” sequel, called “The Four Amigos,” in front of Short. Strangely, according to director John Landis, there has never been serious talk of a “¡Three Amigos!” sequel because the first one wasn’t a big hit at the box office.

Writer Alan Zweibel (“Saturday Night Live," “It’s Garry Shandling's Show”) wasn’t surprised at his friend Martin Short’s generosity.

Others thought that Short was just acting like a Canadian.

On a deeper level, some criticized the airline for the situation happening in the first place. These days, airlines are nickel-and-diming people for everything, from checking luggage to early boarding to selecting a seat. Seat selection fees make it more difficult and expensive for families to sit together.

Seat selection on some flights can cost as much as $50.

People are so annoyed with these excessive tacked-on fees that the Biden Administration is urging Congress to pass the "Junk Fee Prevention Act,” which would make it free for families to sit with their young children on airplanes.

"We'll make cable internet and cellphone companies stop charging you up to $200 or more when you decide to switch to another provider," Biden said in the State of the Union Address. "And we'll prohibit airlines from charging up to $50 roundtrip for families just to sit together."

Although airlines run on slim margins, that’ll probably just force them to raise the price of airfare for everyone.

Ultimately, it’s nice to know that Martin Short, whose public persona is so affable, is the same when he thinks that the public isn’t watching.

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This change in perspective could change humanity.

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Sixty-one years ago, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to make it into space and probably 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.”

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Why, it feels like it was only yesterday when dating apps were the shiny new trend in the singles world. However, with life becoming increasingly more virtual, many people are looking to become less dominated by screens. As a result, folks are once again hoping to find love from an authentic connection IRL. Swiping just isn’t as romantic (or cutting edge) as it used to be.

That’s where the Pear ring comes in. Self dubbed as the “world’s biggest social experiment,” this $25 brightly colored blue ring offers something classic, with a twist. Basically, folks wear it out to signal they’re single and ready to mingle. Almost like the opposite of an engagement ring, really.
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Wife cooks nachos for 'picky' husband who refused to eat her salmon. But she has a point.

Should she be cooking two meals?

via TheMamaBrianna/TikTok

Brianna Greenfield makes nachos for her husband.

A viral video showing a woman preparing nachos for her "picky" spouse after he refused to eat the salmon dinner she cooked has sparked a contentious debate on TikTok. The video was shared on April 26 by Brianna Greenfield (@themamabrianna on TikTok) and has since earned over 2.5 million views.

Brianna is a mother of two who lives in Iowa.

The video starts with Brianna grating a massive hunk of cheese with a caption that reads: “My husband didn’t eat the dinner that I made…So let’s make him some nachos.”

“If I don’t feed him, he literally won’t eat,” she wrote. “This used to irritate me. Now I just blame his mother for never making him try salmon,” Greenfield wrote. The video features Meghan Trainor’s single “Mother” playing in the background.

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New study shows spanking hurts kids' mental health and is less effective at teaching lessons

Why is it wrong to hit an adult or an animal but OK to spank a child?

Photo by Kat J on Unsplash

Yet another study shows that spanking isn't good for kids.

Whether to spank your child or not is one of the oldest debates among parents. Many live by the age-old wisdom that to “spare the rod” is to “spoil the child,” while others believe it’s wrong to resort to violence to punish a child when so many alternatives exist.

It also begs the question: If it's wrong to hit your spouse or pet, why is it acceptable to hit a defenseless child?

The 2021 American Family Study found that support for spanking has declined in the U.S. over the past few years. In 2015, 54% either somewhat or strongly agreed with the practice, but that number dropped to 47% in 2021. Thirty-five percent of respondents disagree with the practice and 18% neither agree nor disagree.

A new research study from the Parent and Family Research Alliance in Australia led by Professor Sophie Havighurst and Professor Daryl Higgins from Australian Catholic University makes a strong case that people should stop using corporal punishment to discipline their kids. The study “Corporal punishment of children in Australia: The evidence-based case for legislative reform” analyzed countless studies on the topic and found spanking ineffective and harmful.

The study was published to urge lawmakers to make corporal punishment in Australia illegal. Sixty-five states across the world have made corporal punishment illegal, protecting 14% of the world’s children.

The study defined corporal punishment of children as using physical force to cause pain, but not injury, to correct or control a child’s behavior.

The most startling meta-analysis published in the study found that "only 1 out of 111 statistically significant effect sizes was associated with a link between 'spanking' and a positive child outcome," while 110 were found to be associated with adverse outcomes.

The one positive outcome was in a 1972 study of children of the U.S. military living in West Germany that found those spanked showed less amphetamine and opiate use as adults.

However, the remaining 110 significant results found that spanking had adverse effects, including: “reducing trust and connection with those they are closest to, lower self-esteem, more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems including aggression, mental health difficulties, and increased risk for later substance abuse, antisocial behavior, and violence.”

A meta-analysis found that when children are spanked, they are less likely to internalize the moral implications of the behaviors that led them to be disciplined. It also found that non-physical discipline was more effective at teaching “alternative behaviors,” “developing a child’s conscience,” and advancing their “emotional development.”

Another meta-analysis cited in the story found that corporal punishment in childhood was associated with mental health problems, low self-esteem and antisocial behavior.

In the end, the studies show that corporal punishment is counter-productive when it comes to raising healthy, happy children. But it will take much more than a study to get people to reconsider their views of corporal punishment because they are deeply rooted in many cultural traditions.

Looking for some non-physical alternatives to discipline your child? Here’s a great place to start from WebMD.

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Heroic train conductor spots and saves 3-year-old autistic, nonverbal boy lost on tracks

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An MTA employee rescues a 3-year-old child on the tracks.

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That “object” was a 3-year-old boy.

Kennedy sent an emergency call out to all trains in the area, catching the attention of a northbound conductor, Shawn Loughran, and a trainee. Loughran slowed down his train as he approached the child, who was straddling the electrified third rail.

When the train screeched to a halt, Assistant Conductor Marcus Higgins didn't waste a second. Leaping down the tracks, he sprinted 40 yards ahead of the train, scooping up the young child like a guardian angel.

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