Uncanceled- Generation Z: Recent Episodes
Ella Hendelman and Noah Hendelman
In Uncanceled two Generation Z siblings, Ella and Noah Hendelman, explore the various implications of cancel culture in our educational systems and society. Why do students feel the need to increasingly self-censor in academic climates that pride themselves on being bastions of free expression and freedom of thought? Reasonable people sacrifice their moral standards to be part of the dominant narrative of the moment. In Uncanceled, we meet Gen Z guests who have personal stakes in the conversation.
Rising junior at the University Of Washington, Leah Scott is a black woman who also happens to be a conservative. Leah candidly admits that her confluence of identities is something most people don’t know how to react to. Through finding the balance between black conservatism and liberalism, Leah manages to forge her own identity path. She hesitates to subscribe to mainstream ideology from either side and has endured some social consequences because of it, especially within her leadership in NAACP and BSU groups. While some may be shocked by her opinions on BLM, safe spaces, affinity groups, and what it means to be a “racist,” her arguments are well-thought-out and more than within reason. Leah’s understanding of cancel culture is best reflected within her own metaphor: “It’s like a fishing net; sometimes you catch fish, and sometimes you catch trash.”
We’re all tired of catching trash.
In this episode, we hear firsthand what it means to be “canceled.” G Simmons, a liberal from rural South Carolina, and Spencer Ridd, a conservative from Seattle, share their experiences as outliers and targets of anger and hate within their respective communities. While G and Spencer have very different political and cultural beliefs, their stories are oddly similar. Many assume that cancel culture is a product of only liberal communities, but G’s experience with self-censorship and fear is nearly identical to Spencer's. In a thought-provoking discussion, we discuss the First Amendment across state lines.
The argument of many woke liberals--even ourselves-- is that gender is a spectrum. In other words, a growing number of people welcome this new language around gender, and recognize true identity is not necessarily the sex you were assigned at birth. However, with the increased visibility of trans people -- especially among youth -- in recent years, it has been a culture shock for many well-meaning people who have genuine questions. Devon Benaroya, a transgender male, is a rising freshman at American University. As a leader and activist, he seeks open dialogue about trans issues and demystifies what it means to be transgender. He shares his personal experiences navigating his identity in a world with many unaccepting people. We discuss hot-button topics like trans athletes in sports, the misdoings of cis people, and question whether...once again...have we gone too far?
Kaylee Morris is a liberal young environmentalist-activist who meets all the parameters of "woke"-ness for our Generation Z. Although, after arriving at the liberal arts college, Pitzer College, the epicenter of social activism, she was shocked at how performative this environment really was. In this episode of Uncanceled, we explore how performative activism manifests in academic institutions like Pitzer, where students pride themselves on wanting to make a difference. Kaylee shares her fear of speaking up about issues that concern her, afraid that the social cost she will face will be too high. The big question we ponder: Are we fighting for a cause, or just to fight?
In this introductory episode of Uncanceled, we, Noah and Ella Hendelman a sibling duo, introduce ourselves and explain the genesis of the podcast. We discuss the political, cultural, and societal landscape of Generation Z. We briefly introduce some of the guests and topics we will discuss in future episodes, as we touch on our personal interests in analyzing the societal implications of cancel culture. Stay tuned for more episodes and voices coming soon.