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Equality

New podcast is an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities facing the disabled community

Made by P&G Studios and Harder Than You Think, the team behind Netflix's documentary Rising Phoenix.

New podcast is an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities facing the disabled community
Via Equal Too

Sophie Morgan

True

Over the past few years, there has been an incredible rise in global consciousness about social justice. But there's been one exceptionally large group that's been mostly absent from the conversation, people with disabilities.

The World Health Organization estimates there are 1.2 billion people with disabilities across the globe, which accounts for 15% of the total human population.

"To truly create an accessible and equitable world, a place where everyone feels safe and has the courage to be themselves, we have work to do," Sophie Morgan, British Television Presenter, and disability advocate says on the first episode of the "Equal Too" podcast. "We have to change the law. Transform culture. Rebuild our cities. Increase visibility. And to do so we must empower everyone to be involved."

As activists such as Morgan work to change public consciousness surrounding the issues facing 1.2 billion people with disabilities, they face a major question. What are the biggest challenges and what work is needed to drive equality?


To address these pressing concerns, Harder Than You Think, the team behind the Emmy-award winning Netflix documentary Rising Phoenix, and P&G Studios launched "Equal Too: Achieving Disability Equality" a 6-part podcast that aims to answer these pressing questions by talking to disability activists, athletes, politicians, and those working to make the world more accessible.

What's unique about this podcast is that 61% of its team of producers, guests, and contributors identify as disabled.

The podcast recently wrapped up its sixth and final episode so now is a great time to binge-listen to this compelling podcast that attempts to create a cohesive agenda for people with disabilities in the wake of one of the most successful Paralympic Games to date.

The show is hosted by Morgan who sustained a T6 spinal cord injury in a traffic accident in 2003, resulting in paralysis from the chest down.

Morgan was a lead host for Channel 4's Paralympics coverage.

Throughout the six episodes, Morgan took a look back at the history and the legacy of the Paralympic movement and the impact it's had on host cities and beyond. She also spoke with actress Jameela Jamil ("The Good Place") who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a group of disorders that affect connective tissue, about ableism in Hollywood.

"For someone who maybe has just found that they have a disability, that someone they love does, or they want to be an ally for people with disabilities, this is a perfect series for you," Jamil says. "It's full of very real conversations, but they're incredibly entertaining, too."

Morgan also had a conversation with Keely Cat Wells who runs a talent agency for disabled talent and Yoshihiko Kawauchi, an architect and wheelchair user who advised Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 on venue construction.

After six episodes, the show's co-producer, Sinead Burke, is proud that she and Morgan were able to achieve the show's ultimate goal of inclusivity.

"I think it's been so brilliant to have six different threads of conversations under the umbrella of disability," she said on episode 6, "The Decade Ahead." "When we began this podcast we had lots of conversations back and forth about who the audience was. Was it non-disabled people? Was it disabled people? Or was it allies? Was it athletes? One of the things we've been really considerate around is making sure that across these six episodes that we appeal to listen to amplify and bring questions to each of those audiences."

Morgan boiled the far-reaching effort down to one big takeaway. People with disabilities need greater representation in the places where decisions are being made.

"I feel that the next part of this journey to take that giant leap forward, not slowly incremental changes, we need to see disabled people in decision-making roles," she said in episode 6.

"We need to see disabled people across the board because then we don't need to present our argument for why you need to be represented or why you should be in the room," she added. "Somebody will get it already. The paradigm shift will happen organically."

To be a part of the new push towards equality for the 15% of humanity living with a disability, listen to 'Equal Too: Achieving Disability Equality' now on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts.

via Edith Lemay/NatGeo

Mia, Leo, Colin, and Laurent Pelletier pose on top of their camper van in front of adouble rainbow while in Mongolia.

True

“Blink,” a new film by National Geographic Documentary Films shows how a family with four children, three of whom are going blind, embraces life in the face of an uncertain future. It’s a testament to the resilience of the Lemay-Pelletier family but also a reminder for all of us to seize the day because all our futures are uncertain.

Edith Lemay and Sébastien Pelletier are the parents of Mia, a 13-year-old girl, and three boys: Léo, 11, Colin, 9, and Laurent, 7. Over the last six years, they’ve learned that Mia and the two youngest boys have retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disease in which the cells of the retina slowly die. As the disease progresses, the person develops “tunnel vision” that shrinks until very little vision remains.

The diagnosis devastated the parents. "The hardest part with the diagnosis was inaction. There's nothing they can do about it. There's no treatment,” Edith says in the film.


However, even though the parents couldn’t affect the progress of the disease, they could give their children’s senses an epic experience that would benefit them for a lifetime.

“We don’t know how fast it’s going to go, but we expect them to be completely blind by mid-life,” said the parents. Mia’s impairment advisor suggested they fill her visual memory with pictures from books. “I thought, I’m not going to show her an elephant in a book; I’m going to take her to see a real elephant,” Edith explains in the film. “And I’m going to fill her visual memory with the best, most beautiful images I can.”

The Pelletier family (from left): Mia, Sebastien, Colin, Edith Lemay, Laurent and Leo inKuujjuaq, Canada.via National Geographic/Katie Orlinsky

This realization led to an inspiring year-long journey across 24 countries, during which every family member experienced something on their bucket list. Mia swam with dolphins, Edith rode a hot-air balloon in Cappadocia, and Léo saw elephants on safari.

Colin realized his dream of sleeping on a moving train while Sébastien saw the historic site of Angkor Wat.

“We were focusing on sights,” explains Pelletier. “We were also focusing a lot on fauna and flora. We’ve seen incredible animals in Africa but also elsewhere. So we were really trying to make them see things that they wouldn’t have seen at home and have the most incredible experiences.”

Cameras followed the family for 76 days as they traveled to far-flung locales, including Namibia, Mongolia, Egypt, Laos, Nepal and Turkey. Along the way, the family made friends with local people and wildlife. In a heartbreaking scene, the boys wept as the family had to leave behind a dog named Bella he befriended in the mountains of Nepal.

But the film isn't just about the wonders of nature and family camaraderie. The family's trip becomes a “nightmare” when they are trapped in a cable car suspended hundreds of feet above the Ecuadorian forest for over 10 hours.

annapurna range, blink, nat geoLeo, Laurent, Edith, Colin, Mia, and Sebastien look out at the mountains in the Annapurna range.via MRC/Jean-Sébastien Francoeur

As expected, NatGeo’s cinematographers beautifully capture the family's journey, and in the case of “Blink,” this majestic vision is of even greater importance. In some of the film's quietest moments, we see the children taking in the world's wonders, from the vast White Desert in Egypt to a fearless butterfly in Nepal, with the full knowledge that their sight will fail one day.

Along the way, the family took as many pictures as possible to reinforce the memories they made on their adventure. “Maybe they’ll be able to look at the photographs and the pictures and they will bring back those stories, those memories, of the family together,” Edith says.

But the film is about more than travel adventures and the pain of grief; ultimately, it’s about family.

“By balancing [the parents’ grief] with a more innocent and joyous tale of childlike wonder and discovery, we felt we could go beyond a mere catalog of locations and capture something universal,” the directors Edmund Stenson and Daniel Roher, said in a statement. “Keeping our camera at kid-height and intimately close to the family, we aimed to immerse the audience in the observational realities of their daily life, as well as the subtle relationships between each of them. This is a film built on looks, gestures and tiny details—the very fabric of our relationships with one another.”

Ultimately, “Blink” is a great film to see with your loved ones because it’s a beautiful reminder to appreciate the wonders of our world, the gift of our senses and the beauty of family.

The film will open in over 150 theaters in the U.S. and Canada beginning Oct. 4 and will debut on National Geographic Channel and stream on Disney+ and Hulu later this year. Visit the “Blink” website for more information.

via TheEllenShow / YouTube

Mark Wahlberg on "The Ellen Show."

Actor Mark Wahlberg recently attended a daddy-daughter dance with his 10-year-old, Grace. Sadly, Grace had no interest in seeing her father strutting his stuff on the dance floor.

"I didn't get one dance," Wahlberg told Ellen DeGeneres. "And I told her we were going to do the whole big circle and I was going to go off. And she said, 'Dad, if you embarrass me, I will never talk to you again.' But what she did do is she hung out with me."

No matter who your dad is, especially if you're a 10-year-old-girl, you have zero desire to see him dance in front of your friends.

But the parents at the dance probably would have had a blast seeing Wahlberg bust out some of his old-school '90s Marky Mark moves.

However, Wahlberg couldn't help but leave his mark on the music being played at the dance.


Let's not forget, he didn't get famous for his acting but for showing off his abs in the "Good Vibrations" video.

Being that Wahlberg's time as a pop star was three decades ago, he couldn't believe it when he heard the music being played at the dance.

"[Grace] sat there on the edge of the stage, by the DJ. And then I'm sitting there with one other dad and I'm like, 'This is not an edited version of this song. There are explicit lyrics being played at a school dance for girls and I'm like no good,'" he said.

"I told the DJ and he's like, 'Oh, I thought it was.' I said, 'What are you doing?' I'm hearing F-bombs and this and that's not okay," Wahlberg said.

He's right. There's no place for music with explicit lyrics at a dance for 10-year-old children.

Wahlberg says the DJ didn't know he wasn't playing the edited version, but it's probably more likely that he didn't even realize the song was a problem. Pop music these days is filled with a numbing amount of violent and misogynistic lyrics.

A recent study from the University of Missouri found that nearly one-third of pop songs contain lyrics that degrade or demean women by portraying them as submissive or sexually objectified.

Currently, three of the top five songs on the Billboard Top 40 contain the word "bitch." One of them is sung in Korean.

It's odd that Americans have become more sensitive to misogyny in pop culture in films, television, and comedy, but still have a huge cultural blind-spot when it comes to music.

That's not a good thing, especially when pop music is marketed to teenagers.

"We know that music has a strong impact on young people and how they view their role in society," said Cynthia Frisby, a professor in the Missouri School of Journalism.

"Unlike rap or hip-hop, pop music tends to have a bubbly, uplifting sound that is meant to draw listeners in," Frisby continued. "But that can be problematic if the lyrics beneath the sound are promoting violence and misogynistic behavior."

Let's face it, pop stars are role models. Their examples show young people what to wear and how to behave. That's not to say that kids will blindly follow someone just because they like their music. But it has an undeniable effect.

Wahlberg, and any parent who monitors what their kids are listening to, deserve credit for protecting the minds and hearts of their kids.

Frisby has some great advice for parents concerned about negative imagery in pop music.

"Ask your daughters and sons what songs they like to listen to and have conversations about how the songs might impact their identity," Frisby said.

"For example, many songs might make young girls feel like they have to look and act provocative in order to get a boy to like them, when that isn't necessarily the case. If children and teens understand that what they are hearing isn't healthy behavior, then they might be more likely to challenge what they hear on the radio."

He's right. There's no place for music with explicit lyrics at a dance for 10-year-old children.

Wahlberg says the DJ didn't know he wasn't playing the edited version, but it's probably more likely that he didn't even realize the song was a problem. Pop music these days is filled with a numbing amount of violent and misogynistic lyrics.

A recent study from the University of Missouri found that nearly one-third of pop songs contain lyrics that degrade or demean women by portraying them as submissive or sexually objectified.

Currently, three of the top five songs on the Billboard Top 40 contain the word "bitch." One of them is sung in Korean.

It's odd that Americans have become more sensitive to misogyny in pop culture in films, television, and comedy, but still have a huge cultural blind-spot when it comes to music.

That's not a good thing, especially when pop music is marketed to teenagers.

"We know that music has a strong impact on young people and how they view their role in society," said Cynthia Frisby, a professor in the Missouri School of Journalism.

"Unlike rap or hip-hop, pop music tends to have a bubbly, uplifting sound that is meant to draw listeners in," Frisby continued. "But that can be problematic if the lyrics beneath the sound are promoting violence and misogynistic behavior."

Let's face it, pop stars are role models. Their examples show young people what to wear and how to behave. That's not to say that kids will blindly follow someone just because they like their music. But it has an undeniable effect.

Wahlberg, and any parent who monitors what their kids are listening to, deserve credit for protecting the minds and hearts of their kids.

Frisby has some great advice for parents concerned about negative imagery in pop music.

"Ask your daughters and sons what songs they like to listen to and have conversations about how the songs might impact their identity," Frisby said.

"For example, many songs might make young girls feel like they have to look and act provocative in order to get a boy to like them, when that isn't necessarily the case. If children and teens understand that what they are hearing isn't healthy behavior, then they might be more likely to challenge what they hear on the radio."


This article originally appeared on 03.03.20

There can actually be some advantages to starting college later.

Recently a 31-year-old wondered if they were making a “stupid” decision for wanting to start college, and sought the opinions of strangers online.

In a post made to Reddit, they shared how they had been working retail and dealing with self esteem issues since they were 19, and felt like maybe, just maybe going to school could help them reach their full potential and give them a “purpose.”

However, they also shared that they currently lived with their parents, who warned them that college would be “wasting time and going into debt.” Hence the dilemma.


So this person asked the community, point blank: “Is this a bad decision?” and got a flood of support from well wishers and fellow later bloomers reminding him of the power of embracing second chances. It was a pretty amazing display of humanity for being a plethora of Reddit comments.

Many who had been in similar situations argued that the life experience gained will only help with this person’s studies.


“I’m in skool rn @ your age and it’s actually super easy, you’ll be surprised how things make much more sense with a bit of life experience under your belt. Good luck, you’ll have fun,” one person wrote.

Another added, “Same. I am 34 and started a little over a year ago. I think I am in a much much better position for it now! I am mature, and I am a lot more focused than 18 year old me would have been. It isn’t “easy” at any age. But you’ll be surprised at how much easier it will be than you think it will be now.”

“I graduated at 42. Feels great. Nice to have a lived life of variety and waited to really find my calling. There’s no ultimatum on improving yourself,” said another,

Even those who hadn’t experienced this personally could share stories of loved ones who had–and succeeded.

“My Dad got his university degree after he retired. He previously only had a Grade 8 education. I was proud of him and I’m proud of you OP,” one person wrote.

Another said, “My anecdotal story. My second year in college, a 30-year old man (who was divorced, and had two kids) enrolled as a freshman. They put him as a roommate with someone in the suite I was in. He had been a coal miner for 12 years are was tired of being "covered up", which was his term for being in three cave-ins. He was actually a really cool guy and despite being clearly older, fit in well. And, very long story short, I heard he just retired as the second-in-command in the state's department of energy. So, using his degree, he had a good career in energy policy that spanned over 30 years. So, my answer is no, you are not a loser.”

One person pointed out how starting from this clean slate, however late, might actually be easier than trying to pivot from a career that's already established.

“So many people are stuck in jobs or on career paths that just don't really suit them (me included). I find it all very disappointing, and deeply dissatisfying, and changing paths is honestly very difficult once you're in the daily grind and have responsibilities,” they wrote.

Still another reminded the OP that learning is an integral part of life, no matter what age you are.

“I have always kept learning, and still learn new things and new ways. After I graduated, I continued off and on to pick up new ways. When you quit learning, you might as well crawl in your casket. I'm older and continue, I do not want to get put in a care home and told to watch some insipid show. No, always continue learning. Good for you.”

And some simply came in to offer encouragement, like this person, who wrote, “I just want to chime in that you are absolutely crushing it in life. Throw everything you can into this. Truly rooting for you. I hope I read your ‘I did it’ story in five or so years.”

Tips for Going to College after 30

There can be many reasons for people 25, 30, 40, and beyond to pursue higher education—be it to boost employment prospects or just to continue being lifelong learners. Sure, it might be daunting, but the most worthwhile things usually are. Here are a few things that can help make that process a smoother one.

Make a solid plan

This is just about researching different schools and programs. Hone in on WHY you want a degree, what kinds of opportunities you hope will come from it, how much time you can commit, will you be going in-person or online, etc. A clearly defined, realistic plan that includes specific timelines, milestones, and even little rewards helps keep you on track and motivated.

And remember you don’t have to do this portion alone. There are often career guides that can help. Speaking of which…

Take Advantage of Student Support Services & Resources

Most colleges offer resources like financial aid advisors, academic advisors, tutoring, technical support, on-campus childcare centers, and writing and career centers that can be very helpful. It’s also worth noting that many programs that accept transfer credits or work credits, so that you can leverage on your previous life experience.

Stay organized

Odds are, you will be multitasking schoolwork along with various other adulting tasks. That’s why things like calendars, to-do apps, or even accountability groups are imperative. Plus, you’ll want to find which note taking system works best for you, because it’s definitely not a one-size-fits all approach.. Also, never underestimate the power of designated study space.

Manage stress

Nobody wants to burn out. It might seem impossible to eat well, exercise, get a good night’s sleep and find time to relax when you have so many demands, but even the smallest amounts of consistent self care will give you more energy to put out in the long run.

Commit and Celebrate!

Participate in class, ask questions, tell friends and family of your milestones. A) because you’ll be able to look back and really have memories, beyond just academic accomplishment and b) because you deserve it.

via Wikimedia Commons

Generation X, people born between 1965 and 1979, are America's goofy middle children sandwiched between the much larger Baby Boomer and Millennial generations. Gen X prides itself on being individualistic, nonconformists committed to a D.I.Y. ethic whether that means writing a punk 'zine or launching a tech start-up.

(If you just asked yourself "What's a 'zine?" you're clearly not a member of Gen X.)

It's a generation marked by an aloof cool where any personal slight can be written off with a "whatever" that's deathly afraid of taking anything too seriously. It's a generation that was so put off by the corporate, commercial culture of the '80s it rebelled by wearing second-hand clothes and ironically embracing low-brow '70s culture.



It's the generation of hip-hop, Tiger Woods, Quentin Tarrantino, the re-birth of punk rock, John Cusak movies, and Atari.

A big reason Gen X is so self-reliant is that it's the generation hardest hit by divorce. According to a 2004 marketing study it "went through its all-important, formative years as one of the least parented, least nurtured generations in U.S. history."

Gen X was the first generation that experienced both parents working outside the home. But, unfortunately, at the same time, childcare centers and afterschool programs had not yet emerged to a significant extent.

Now, the "Coolest Generation" finds itself somewhere between 42 and 56 and is hitting middle age. Unfortunately, that means it's now the most stressed generation in America. Although, in true Gen X fashion, many refuse to let anyone see they're stressed.

An extensive study by Penn State showed that stress began to hit Gen X sometime in the last decade. The 2012 study discovered that Gen X had an average stress level of 5.8 (out of ten) while Millennials (3.4) and Baby Boomers (4.4) were a lot calmer.

A study from earlier this month shows that the trend hasn't changed. In 2021, 22% of Gen Xers admitted to daily struggles with stress followed by Millenials (17%), Gen Z (14%), and Baby Boomers (8%).

A big reason for the stress is having to take care of multiple generations. Many Gen Xers have to care for their aging parents as well as their children who are just starting to make their way in the world.

Gen X may have aged its way into the most stressful part of its life, but things could be a lot worse. There's no group of people better equipped to deal with stress. When executives at Nike studied Gen X it found the generation's hallmarks are "flexibility," "innovation," and "adaptability." "They have developed strong survival skills and the ability to handle anything that comes their way," the study says.

Gen Xers may think that's just a bunch of corporate B.S. However, it's true. Gen X grew up during the AIDS epidemic, the end of the Cold War, the Challenger disaster, the late '80s and early '90s crime wave, 9/11, the Great Recession, COVID-19, and managed to survive after "My So-Called Life" was canceled.

We've survived tough times and we'll make it through these as well. Just got to follow the advice of Gen X's poet laureate, Tupac Shakur: "And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up, but please, you got to keep your head up."

We can also look forward to grabbing a big box of popcorn and enjoying the massive Millennial meltdown that happens when they hit middle age. It's not going to be pretty.


This article originally appeared on 4.8.21

Bob Van Dillen saves woman stranded in her car.

In the 5 days since Hurricane Helene made landfall on the southeastern coast of the U.S., over 120 people have died from the tremendous winds and flooding. Although the devastation has been tragic, there have also been beautiful acts of heroism to give us all a glimmer of hope in the wake of destruction.

On Friday, September 27, FOX Weather Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen was broadcasting from Peach Tree Creek in Atlanta, Georgia. He and his crew heard a woman screaming while doing a live TV set up in the pre-dawn hours. She had driven into a flooded area and her car was rapidly filling with water.

"I just put the microphone down and called 911," he told Fox Weather. "I know that those guys are swamped, so we waited about five minutes. She was getting panicked a little bit more because the water was coming up a little bit higher."


After realizing the emergency services probably wouldn’t make it in time. He took matters into his own hands and waded into the chest-deep water to help the woman escape her car. "She was in there, she was still strapped into her car and the water was actually rising and getting up into the car itself, so she was about, almost neck deep submerged in her own car,” Van DIllen later told FOX News.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

"She would have drowned," host Janice Dean said.

"You know, I don’t know," Van Dillen humbly replied. "I told her, ‘OK, undo your seatbelt,’ she undid her seatbelt. I said, ‘Let me have your phone, let me have your bags,’ then put [her] on my back and we walked in… she’s fine, she was in shock," Van Dillen said. The 6-foot-1 weatherman then carried her back through the water to safety.

When the woman reached safety, Van Dillen gave her a warm shirt and put her in a car while she waited for a firetruck and her husband to arrive. When the husband arrived at the rescue scene, he hugged Van Dillen, shook his hand and thanked him repeatedly.

Van Dillen's crew caught the heroic deed on tape, but the weatherman didn’t want to be the center of attention, so he kept trying to refocus the story on the storm's devastation.

"Her husband picked her up, and she's all good," Van Dillen said. "But the story now turns not on me, but it turns to how much flooding we've seen. I mean … amazing amounts coming in."

He even downplayed the bravery of his rescue. "You know how it is. I was concerned that one, maybe there was a nice swift current, but the current really wasn’t that bad. But, the water temperature I was afraid of, too. The water temperature is probably about 80 [degrees]. So, all of those things were working pretty nicely, so, that being said, the water came up to about my chest," Van Dillen told Fox News.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Initial reports showed that the first 3 days of the hurricane were the wettest in Atlanta in 104 years and a flash flood emergency warning was declared for the first time in the city’s history. George Governor Brian Kemp says that Helene’s damage will far exceed Hurricane Michael's in 2018. "It has been unlike any other storm I think we've ever faced because of the size of the wind field that this storm brought through and how it literally is affecting 159 counties, not just 20 or 30 counties in south Georgia," Kemp said according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Shakespeare slaps in Gen Z slang.

High schoolers have been studying Shakespeare plays for generations, grappling with the bard's language as they learn to appreciate his brilliance. The further we get away from Shakespearean English, though, the more challenging it is for young people to understand it, giving teachers the formidable task of helping their students relate to 400-year-old English.

What better way to prep them for it than to translate Shakespeare's storylines into their language?

That's what comedian Richard Franks did by summarizing "Romeo and Juliet" entirely in Gen Z slang, and teachers are praising him for it. Watch him leave no crumbs:



From Juliet seeing Romeo as "an absolute snack" to the Capulets and the Montagues "beefing hard" to "it's giving bruh, just check your messages" when Romeo mistakenly believes Juliet's really dead, it's modern translation perfection.

It's meant to be comedy, but it has real educational value

English teachers in the comments were thrilled to find a fun, engaging way to introduce "Romeo and Juliet" to their students:

"As an English teacher, this is going into my lesson on R&J with Year 9 next week. 💥"

"I'm humiliating year 10 with this first thing Monday morning."

"This is brilliant. I had a professor who would sit on the edge of his desk and tell us all about The Canterbury Tales. Just the major highlights, some interesting background and then say go read it. They are such hilarious raunchy tales that everyone went off, struggled through the Middle English and read it. I was an English teacher and this is how you keep them engaged. Amazing."

"I have spent 40 years working with high school in college students, editing, papers, grading papers, and this honest goodness is the best explanation of Romeo and Juliet I have ever heard. I am laughing tears.😂😂"

"As someone who has majored in Shakespeare, this is downright hilarious 🤣"


A lesson in Shakespeare, but also a lesson in Gen Z slang

People are also loving Franks' skit as much for the Gen Z slang lesson as the other way around:

"This is beyond brilliant because it works two ways: kids can understand Shakespeare, and olds can understand kids. The level of your intelligence and comedic genius is off the charts!"

"You think you're teaching Gen Z Shakespeare. But really you're teaching Gen X modern slang. Thank you for your service."

"As a 52 year young Olds, I actually finally understood some of the new young slang taken in the context of the play recap!"

"YAAASSS!!! 😂 My knowledge of Shakespeare was translating the Gen Z lingo for me 😅"

"This is the best break down of Romeo and Juliet I've ever heard...And I'm Gen X 😂."

This is not Franks' first foray into translating Shakespeare into Gen Z. He also has a Macbeth breakdown that's equally brilliant:

Arguably, that one's even more impressive as "Macbeth" is a harder plot to follow in many ways than "Romeo and Juliet."

As one commenter wrote, "This is brilliant - and beyond the humor, it is a fascinating study of language. Shakespeare as written is not really anything close to any kind of modern English at all, and even many familiar words had different meanings or usages/connotations. But the story itself, if we can manage to understand it at its core, is tragic and brilliant. Language is constantly evolving—if he were alive today, I bet Shakespeare would get an enormous kick out of this.👏👏👏"

Shakespeare probably would have loved this

Several commenters shared that they thought Shakespeare would enjoy this, and considering the way he played with language, invented words and used slang himself in his writing, they may be right. Language is ever-evolving, but few people in history have had more of a direct impact on the English language than Shakespeare. As much as English has changed since the late 1500s, there are many words widely believed to be created or first used by Shakespeare that we use regularly today, including "lonely," "rant," "obscene," "gossip" and more.

So Gen Z's distortion or invention of words to communicate is right up Shakespeare's alley. The famous poet and playwright didn't just invent words but created phrases we use today as well. "Breaking the ice" and "heart of gold" are Shakespeare's babies, so Gen Z phrases like "main character energy" are basically giving Shakespeare vibes.

From an educational standpoint, Franks' videos are great for illustrating how ideas can be expressed in various ways, even when people speak the same language, in addition to helping hook young people into Shakespeare's stories by putting the plot into terms they relate to. What a fun jumping off point for a lesson on Shakespeare, all from the mind of a comedian. Shakespeare would surely be proud.

You can follow Richard Franks on Instagram for more comedy.