Mornin Bitches
A cursing, foul mouth old ladies take on the present world!!! Filled with her opinions, views on current events, and special guest appearances!
Mornin Bitches
Sharing the Unspoken: A History Teacher's Journey Against Bias and Censorship
Have you ever felt like the butt of a joke for something as personal as your physical appearance? Our guest, Ryan, a seasoned history teacher, opens up about his experiences with body-shaming and the emotional toll it took on him. We exchange heartfelt tales of being victims of such bullying and emphasize the need for recognition and acceptance of our unique features, which may hold fascinating ancestral narratives.
As we segue into Ryan's experiences teaching US history, we tread on some controversial ground including racism, the LGBTQ movement, and the civil rights movement. We reflect on potent figures like Diane Feinstein and Ruth Bader Ginsburg while examining the diverse political perspectives in Ryan's family. With a troubling rise in hate and intolerance, we underscore the importance of kindness and civility, even discussing Ryan's inspiring work on TikTok spreading positivity. A pressing concern today, book banning in schools, is also at the forefront of our conversation. Join us as we connect this alarming trend to historical instances of censorship and voice our apprehensions about the silencing of crucial discussions like slavery and LGBTQ relationships.
MORNIN BITCHES PODCAST
I love you. Because you are you, I can sing again, ryan Kelly and my favorite teacher on tick tock. Oh my God, hi Ryan.
Speaker 2:Hi Tick Tock Bubby how are you this morning?
Speaker 1:I'm great.
Speaker 2:Am I your first teacher on the podcast?
Speaker 1:Yes, oh, you are my first teacher.
Speaker 2:I hope it brings back good memories.
Speaker 1:From when I was a teacher or when I was a student.
Speaker 2:Well either, but as a student I because you know, I know it can be a little uh, looking back on school sometimes can be like but I'm honored to be the first teacher on here and hopefully because I know you love teachers, because I watch your tick tock. So thank you for giving us a shout out. We appreciate it.
Speaker 1:We sure are. You're a doll. The teachers are my dolls, the others are my bitches.
Speaker 2:I've been called both, so it's okay.
Speaker 1:Oh, so how long have you been teaching, ryan?
Speaker 2:I have been teaching for 18 years. I started when I was 22 and I have been in the same school and classroom ever since.
Speaker 1:Wow, oh, my God Like. So what do you teach?
Speaker 2:I teach US history and, um, you know my classroom. I can look at any part of my room and have a memory. I've been in there so long I'm actually oh, this happened there. This happened there. This kid sat there. Oh, your brother sat over here. You know what's going to happen one day tick, tock, buggies. I'm going to start having people's kids, and then that's when I'm going to be like, oh, I'm getting old. Oh I had your son in class. Oh my God 18 years.
Speaker 1:You know, 18 is the lucky number for Jews. It means high. Oh, so that's a lucky number.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll be like oh hello, oh, I had your mom in class, oh gosh.
Speaker 1:So are you a high school teacher? I am, I'm a high school teacher. Okay, so I was cut to the chase because we're going to say Ryan and I met on TikTok the right Ryan and tick tock buggie and we talked about how I remember our first tick tock was like somebody making fun of your nose. Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:I get that a lot, that was like I get a nose job.
Speaker 1:What's wrong with your nose, why can't you have a better nose? And I really responded to the ridicule and the making fun of it just drew me right in, like I'm going to defend this person forever and that's how we met.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I still appreciate that. That was super sweet of you and I know that you hate bullying and I know in some of your videos you mentioned some of that you dealt with when you were young and you know and what's unfortunate about it is it's grown adults who think they have the right to talk. Terrible about my nose and it's caused me a lot of sensitivity and vulnerability because throughout elementary school, middle school and high hell adulthood people have always wanted to come from my nose and it's hereditary. My grandmother has the same nose. She's full blooded Italian. My great grandparents immigrated from Genoa.
Speaker 2:So I mean it's not. It's something that I'm kind of proud of now as I've gotten older and can reflect on a little more that you know this is a proud Roman nose.
Speaker 1:Obviously, you could have had a nose job anytime you wanted, right.
Speaker 2:Right, and it crossed my mind a few times. But you know, this is who I am and you know. And if you think about it, it's actually really uneducated, because we don't choose our noses, we don't choose the shape of our eyes, we don't choose our ear, you know. We don't choose our skin color, we don't choose our orientation, and especially, to go after a nose or some type of physical feature is just completely it doesn't make any sense. Now, if somebody's mean to you and then you come after them, that's a choice. You don't get noses. They should be. That should be off the table.
Speaker 1:Well, I think any Physical appearance should be off the table. But people who make fun of like, you know, like with me, the mean girls were always making fun of me. I'm very little person, you know, so I may have a big personality, probably for that reason, but I'm five feet, so I'm tiny. When people see me in person, oh my god, I thought you would be too old. And I go no, honey, I'm little, just fine by me, you know. They say good things come in small packages, I don't know whatever. But yeah, so that really bothers when me, when people Make fun of other people here.
Speaker 1:But here's a sidebar, funny, funny note last year I have been working as the noni at the lender, which is it, I guess, in Italian, we, you know everybody's grandma. And at the end of my run there, a person who I shall be remain nameless, but Said to me when I was having dinner with them, you know, looked at my nose and go, you are Jewish. Go, yes, Well, you don't have a Jewish nose. Then I said well, what is the Jewish nose? You know a big nose. And I went no, I don't have a Jewish. Did you get a nose job? No, I didn't get a nose job, so I felt like that was very offensive to me. Of course, working in this company, I couldn't say anything regarding that, but you know that would be something. If I didn't really care about some of the people in this company, I probably would have sued, because that's definitely you know. It's that that's ready for a lawsuit.
Speaker 2:So I just consider the source.
Speaker 1:Okay, they don't know, because a stepfather had a big nose. He happened to be Jewish, so you know, like my stepfather's big. Now I can know not everybody and not every Jew has a big nose. Okay, so that's the reality of that, but that's a whole other story and I've been asked I have.
Speaker 2:When I was in college, I went to Indiana University, which is a huge school, you know, 60 70,000 students and we have a A sizable Jewish population, and it wasn't the, the Jewish students that I become friends with, who would ask. It was just Non-Jews. You know, chris, I assume Christians or whatever. Are you Jewish? No, I'm not, I'm Catholic. But you know, where do people, where do people think they have? What in bold is people to think they can ask the? I would never ask somebody those questions.
Speaker 1:I think it's because of like the character, the character in Oliver, where the, you know, like the patriarch of the thieves, he was supposed to be Jewish and he had a gigantic nose and like it, you know, david Copperfield, basically that character and that's what people imagine, like Jews have big noses and like, you know, and they want to take and they have all the money and they want to take your money. So that's, I think, david Copperfield, that you know, I think that's where that all I Started. But let's talk about and which is very important to me you know, growing up we never had to ban. There was never anything like banned books, you know, and there was never anything about what teachers should teach or anything like that. But now, low and behold, all of a sudden, like in different states, books are being banned. What do you think about that, ryan?
Speaker 2:Oh Well, first of all, the phrase book banning makes me cringe because I think of, historically, the Nazis having these huge book burning parties, you know, right outside of a synagogue or something. I mean it was just awful. So you know the whole censorship thing. But so I start with the baseline of not every book should be in a school library. I understand that there should not be, you know, adult material. You can get at adult bookstore there. You know it shouldn't be no holds bar where anything can come in, of course.
Speaker 2:But when you start limiting like oh well, this is talking about, this is a book about a teenage LGBTQ relationship and you ban that, that I have a problem with. Or if you start banning books about slavery because we don't want to. Slavery is offensive. Yes, slavery is offensive, it's horrible, but you don't ban it, you don't not talk about it, those types of issues. Or even, I mean I'll even agree that books about religion shouldn't be banned from public schools if they're done for an academic reason. You know we shouldn't be having Bible study in public schools, but those should remain. I, you know, back in the 90s I can remember parents trying to ban Harry Potter, for wizardry wizardry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I read that. Yeah, people, parents were trying to ban Harry Potter. No, I don't think books should be banned beyond those that are just completely age inappropriate, of a sexual nature. But besides that, you know, books that promote racism. Or now, I don't mean books that books can discuss racism absolutely I mean to kill a mockingbird, discuss racism but books that promote, you know, white supremacist type of book or something like that should be banned. But besides that, I just don't like to get into the business of picking and selecting what can and can't be read, because once you start doing that, you could have a whole generation that's just completely ignorant on topics you know.
Speaker 1:Mm, so you teach US history, which was probably my favorite subject in school. I love United States history and some you know I loved it so much. That was something I was fascinated and still am fascinated. So what type of subjects, what do you teach there in that in your classes?
Speaker 2:So we teach the first semester. We teach about the nation's founding and you know the ideals it's built on and how those ideals weren't upheld sometimes, especially with women and minorities. But also you know anti, a lot of anti-Catholic feeling and anti-Semitism. And then the second semester, we focus and I tend to be more excited about the second semester. We talk about the Great Depression and the two World Wars and the civil rights movement and I'm happy to say the LGBTQ movement is covered each and every year now by me, without you know, when I first started teaching I was even a little nervous and I hate to say that, but nowadays you know I teach about Stonewall and I teach about the Maddachine Society. You know all of those things and you know I'll do it without hesitation and if they wanna, let me go for that. Then I'm a competent adult. I can find something else to do Because I'm not gonna not do that.
Speaker 1:People are so afraid because I taught art for five years. My mother pushed me into being a teacher oh, you're vague. So I taught high school the first year, which I love, but then they got. I got a job in middle school, which was, oh my God, that was a tough one. They just started switching to middle school. That was a tough road to hoe for me because I think I'm the kind of person that doesn't like to follow rules. No, no, right, no. So being a teacher and following rules and lesson plans and all that kind of stuff absolutely drove me crazy. You know Like I used to paint murals on the side people's you know, in people's homes, just to side to make a little some side cash. And I decided my first class was all the kids going to be painting on the wall murals and they freaked out when they found it.
Speaker 2:Like why?
Speaker 1:didn't you do it or ask us a what? Oh god, if I have to ask to have to do some sort of art or do something, done it's. It was like horrible for me, but for four years I did it. For four more years, I don't know how. It was not my chosen career. You know, mother chose my career for me, basically not not do acting. Oh no, you're too little, you're too sensitive, you're too, you're too, you're too. You can't go into acting. Your heart will get broken.
Speaker 2:Oh, well, that's a whole discussion. Back then a lot of women were told you know, to be teachers or secretaries or, you know, if you really wanted to do, you know, maybe a nurse. But besides that, I mean heck, ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of 10 women to get into Harvard Law School. It was ridiculous. Wow great movie, by the way, that they did about her right before she passed.
Speaker 1:Oh, I loved her. Oh, what did you know it was I? I'm sorry that she didn't retire. I know that she wanted to push forward and hopefully she, you know get through her cancer, but it probably would have been behoove her to do it so that we could have had a different supreme court, I know, I mean, that's you know, that's the ego.
Speaker 1:For me it's like I'm gonna make it, I'm getting through this cancer, even though it's pancreatic cancer. I'm gonna make it and we'd like to think we could. But that's just. Sometimes that cancer, especially that reality, is a whole different thing. So you know, it's the same thing I think about with Diane Feinstein at 90, who can't even oh I know, you know and you know all know I'm a liberal Democrat.
Speaker 1:I mean, there's no hiding it. I never have hidden it. I don't want to hide. Probably the only one in my family who is that is that me. I'm the only one. And you know I don't know about my son and daughter and I don't talk to them. But family on the east coast, forget about it. You know they are Trumpers all the way and I'm like wow great.
Speaker 1:So you know I have to push that aside, but yeah, so I just think it's difficult to you, know, to be in this world and I don't care.
Speaker 2:My philosophies are very important to me and my beliefs are very important to me, and the LGBTQ plus community is probably the most important thing to me on my platform right and you know not to go down the rabbit hole with her, but if she would have left towards the end of Obama you know she sold the whole garlic saga she probably thought, well, if I leave, they won't allow a vote anyway, because it didn't allow a vote for the other one. So, and then Trump came in and she probably thought I don't want to leave now because he's gonna get some someone in there. And then, unfortunately, she passed before the president was inaugurated.
Speaker 1:I know just so. That's what you know. So the kids love your classes.
Speaker 2:I think so. I think so it's. I sometimes worry because I'm you know, the students stay the same age every year. I have 16 17 year olds, typically 15, 16, 17 year olds.
Speaker 2:Well, I don't stay the same age every year right you know, every year, I wish every year I get a little older and I'm and I've said this before, I'm always worried that I'm gonna get to the point where, you know, I can't relate to them as easy as I have. It's been effortless in the past and you know they're gonna look at me and I hate to say this, but they're gonna look at me as that's the old teacher. He needs to retire. You know that I don't think it that way.
Speaker 1:Come on, you're eternally young. Get out of here because he needs to retire now. They love you, have tenure you. Oh yeah, yeah, I had it too, but oh well, and so that's. I mean, don't worry about whether how you look or you think you that's the old teacher. You know Everything. Old is new again. Remember that song. That's true, yes, I really do believe that you know that everything. Oh this new again. Now I know you're married. Yes, how long have you guys been married?
Speaker 2:So Ron and I have been married. Well, let me say we we met in 2005. We lived on in the same apartment complex right off campus.
Speaker 1:Mmm.
Speaker 2:So you know it's a fairly common story. We met, you know, we met in college and the summer before our senior year of college we met and I Just he was I didn't. I've been on a few dates before and I always felt I Just didn't 100% trust them. I felt like it was a show. They weren't wholeheartedly, they just didn't feel like a completely genuine person to me, like that. I could just be myself and you know I think, oh gosh, are they gonna call me back? What do they think of me? Oh, did I say the wrong thing? That's not fun.
Speaker 2:So he, I didn't feel that way with him and so we continued to date and then when we graduated, we moved in together here, in Indian app here in Indianapolis, and From 2006 until 2016 we lived together and then we built, built our house together in 2011 and Then in 2016 we got married. So we we don't typically use the 2016 anniversary date. We use the July 26, 2005 and.
Speaker 2:The reason we didn't get married. Well, first of all, we couldn't get married. Let's just say that we couldn't get married legally. We could not get married. And Then, once it was legal, um, in 2014 and I believe was 2014, we got married. Shortly thereafter. Hmm, we wanted to save up so we could have a wedding that we wanted, and we did have it at our home. We had it in our backyard, we had a DJ, we had catering, we had seating, we had, you know, the whole table pieces, the whole nine yards, and it was a really great experience. So we've been together for 18 years.
Speaker 2:Right we survived. We've survived a lot. We've seen a lot of relationships come and go among our friends, many of whom are straight. My mom, my dad, always says you know my dad, my mom and dad are divorced and so on, and my dad, my dad, always jokes and says you all are more normal than any of the rest of us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I get, I'm together with my husband. It'll be well. We're married 20 years. But this October, end of October, it'll be 21 years that we know each other and the ups and downs of you know, of marriage or, like you know, it's like a roller coaster sometimes yeah, it's up, then it do that, it's down.
Speaker 2:You know that kind of thing for one thing I've learned, one thing I've learned that's helped my relationship is you don't have to say everything that's on your mind.
Speaker 1:That's a good thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah you know I, as I get older, I just learn it's not worth it, not only with my husband, but just my colleagues, my parents, just Because my I used to be just knee-jerk reaction, just oh, I said it and now it's no, I'm not gonna say that's not worth it, yeah yeah, restraint of Right, that expression. What's that?
Speaker 1:restraint of pen and tongue. No, I have a Expression. It's like you don't. You don't need to like, say the first thing that comes out of your mind, and if you're sending something on an email or a text, don't send it. Think before you send it. So restrain yourself.
Speaker 2:Right, absolutely. So that comes with age.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you think I don't know about that sometimes with me, right, hey? So if you want anybody to know anything about you, you know what are some of your interests.
Speaker 2:Well, one, I have to say, is, since I've started, tiktok is writing. I would love to be at a circle table writing a sitcom. I would love it. I would love it. A lot of my content is written by me. Some of them have 3-4 million views. I wrote those. The one I wrote about gays are going to destroy America. I had all these things in my house Basically to show how normal we are. I have this lawn mower and evil gays are going to mow away family values. I have bird seed out my bird feeder. That is queer seed. All the birds will be gay. It did so well. It was such a boost of encouragement. I thought you know what I wrote that. I wrote that Millions of people around the world loved it. It was not an ego stroke. I can do this. I can do this.
Speaker 1:I can do this. I was not a fan of anything you want to do or be.
Speaker 2:I know I really have enjoyed comedy, slash, satire writing. That has been a lot of fun. I encourage people to write, ryan, if they want to check out anything that I have. I would love to be like an SNL writer or a sitcom writer or a late show, even though we are all on strike right now, right. That Jimmy Fallon piece was not exactly. There was a piece about him lately.
Speaker 1:Andrew Barrymore.
Speaker 2:I saw that that is something I have really enjoyed At my age. It is like ugh. Some of my videos I try to act really serious or play a conservative or play a do-gooder or whatever the case might be. I have had a few who say did you used to act? Were you ever on plays? I am like no, no, no, never, ever Nothing. My friend Grace, she is like Ryan, you have got to try something someday. I just don't know where I get started, oh God.
Speaker 2:Especially at starting at my age, oh my God, at any age.
Speaker 1:That is a whole other thing. I am going to wrap it up. Is there anything you want anybody to know, because they will come in and listen to, hopefully, my Spotify. Listen to you, listen to me. What do you want the world to know?
Speaker 2:What I would like the world to know is that we have got to get back to kindness and some civility. That is all. I don't mean for that to come off like I am a government teacher. We have gotten to the point where people in the media say anything they want to to anybody. People are so hateful. I just think if everybody could just try for 24 hours to be kind. 24 hours, that is all I ask. Don't insult somebody, don't have really awful thoughts about somebody. Just for one day. Just compliment somebody, say something nice to somebody, because I think even in my lifetime the ability to just be a kind person, a decent person, it is just not there anymore. I hate to say that. I hate to say that.
Speaker 1:I am sorry. I am echoing what you said, because what the world really needs now is love, sweet love. Yes, all right, ryan Kili and the right Ryan on TikTok, check him out. Thank you so much for coming into morning. Thank you, dear, so much work you doing you. Thanks to all of you I love you, baby, I love you.