TikTok Ban Update + A Slang Breakdown for the Moms📱
LISTEN HERE
The Ten News: Season 4, Episode 40
Today on The Ten News:📱Pam and Ryan have an update on the TikTok Ban and why the U.S. government wants to ban the social media app. 💜 A brief history behind of Mother's Day here in the U.S. 🙊 Plus, Ten'er Everett joins us to explain today's slang to all of the moms out there from terms like 'let them cook' to 'rizz'. 📖 And, on the trivia throne: can you pick out which word is NOT in the Merriam-Webster dictionary?
Get Connected
🫶 Help fund The Ten News by donating today!
✔️ Subscribe to our Ten News-letter!
📱 Follow the show on Instagram: @thetennews
📧 Email us at hello@thetennews.com if you have any questions or want to submit audio!
🖱️ Visit thetennews.com for additional resources, our online store, the Ten'ers Club, and more!
TRANSCRIPT:
INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO
<SFX door slams>
<clock sounds>
PAM: Ryan…what in the world are you doing to our studio clocks?
RYAN: I am SAVING us some time…trying to get ahead of this Tik Tok ban!
PAM: What are you talking about? The TikTok ban has nothing to do with–
RYAN: So, I'm hearing about this TikTok ban, right? And I start panicking, thinking the government’s got something against clocks! So, I am, trying to fix all the clocks in the studio before they get banned!
PAM: That’s not what the TikTok ban is doing…I can break it down for you, if you wanna start the show.
RYAN: I am the very concerned, Ryan Willard.
PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland. It’s Thursday, May 9th.
RYAN: This is the Ten News.
INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO
RYAN: Ok, so if the TikTok ban doesn’t mean clocks, then it must have something to do with TikTok, the social media app. Remind me, why would the U.S. government want to ban a social media app. I mean, don’t the Senators like learning random dances and funny memes?
PAM: Well, some of them might. But Ryan, the U.S. government has been talking about banning TikTok for a while now, and it looks like it might actually happen. See, TikTok is owned by a company based in China, and some people are worried that the Chinese government could get access to information from people who use TikTok. So, Congress approved a plan that would give TikTok's owner about a year to sell the app to someone else. If they don't sell it, then TikTok might get banned in the U.S. That bill went to President Biden and he signed it into law.
RYAN: Whoa, that sounds serious! But what does that mean for kids who love using TikTok?
PAM: Good question, Ryan! If TikTok gets banned, it won't just disappear from your phone right away. It would disappear from Apple and Google’s app stores, meaning you wouldn’t be able to download it…or download it again if you delete it. And you won't get any updates or fixes for bugs or security problems. Over time, it might not work as well, and it could even become a risk for your phone's security. It also could stick around if another company buys it. The only problem is, ByteDance, TikTok’s owner, has said they don’t want to sell.
RYAN: That doesn't sound good! Is there anything users can do to keep using TikTok if it gets banned?
PAM: Well, some people might try to find ways around the ban, like using special apps or tricks to hide where they are. But that might not work for everyone, and it could be tricky. And if there are legal challenges to the TikTok ban, which there almost certainly will be, the debate over a ban could be even longer. Maybe even years longer.
RYAN: Is this happening anywhere else?
Pam: Funny you should ask! TikTok was one of India's most popular apps – until it was banned in 2020. Almost overnight, TikTok was gone. But the accounts and videos of Indian TikTok are still online.
RYAN: Interesting! Should we be worried about using TikTok right now?
PAM: It's always good to be careful about what you share online, no matter what app you're using. Some people are worried that TikTok could share information about its users with the Chinese government, but TikTok says it hasn't done that and won't do it in the future. Just remember to be smart about what you post and who you talk to online, and you should be okay.
RYAN: Thanks, Pamela! Now, I’ve got to get back to these clocks
PAM: <Sighs>
PAM: Mother’s Day here in the US is on Sunday, May 12th. Mother’s Day began in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe, a pacifist, suffragette and the writer of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” suggested it to be a day where mothers rally for peace. For the next several years she would hold a Mother’s Day Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. And then in 1908, Anna Jarvis started a campaign for a nation wide mother’s day, to honor her late mother. And in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother’s Day as a national holiday.
EVERETT: Yo Ryan, what’re you getting your mom for Mother’s Day?
RYAN: Oh man, I forgot that was coming up… I have this cool Kaws shirt I could give her. It’s DRIPPINING.
EVERETT: I don’t think you’re using that word right. My Mom said drippinning too and I was like, ummmm Mom, please stop.
RYAN: What if…for Mother’s Day, we define the latest slang, so our mother’s can understand us?
EVERETT: Oh my mom would love that! But, your slang is pretty mid…
RYAN: Like medieval?
EVERETT: Nope, not medieval. Alright Ry, all the mom’s out there and ummm, any other grownups listening…I’m going to break down, What Kids Are Saying in 2024.
EVERETT: Okay first word, is MID. Mid means kinda average, but in a negative way.
RYAN: So if I asked you, how was that macaroni and cheese?
EVERETT: I might say, to be honest, it’s kinda mid. I’m not feeling it.
RYAN: Since we’re on food, what about the whole eating and cooking terms?
EVERETT: If I say let them cook, it means to give someone space to do what they’re good at, cause I wanna see.
And if someone ate, that means they gave an exceptional performance.
RYAN: So, neither of those has to do with actual food?
EVERETT: No, not really.
RYAN: Got it. What about DRIP?
DRIP. Drip is usually about clothes, but it means stylish, awesome or very cool.
RYAN: So if I said, yooo Everett, I’m loving your drip right now. Would that work?
EVERETT: Yup! And then there’s Rizz, which is short for charismatic. It means to have smooth game. And a rizzler is someone with a lot of rizz.
RYAN: So I’d say… Ryan Reynolds has got a lot of rizz.
EVERETT: No cap.
RYAN: No cap? Like Tracy Kaplan?
EVERETT: No, Tracy Kaplan is Kap with a K. When it’s cap with a C, it’s a lie. So when I say no cap, it means no lie.
RYAN: I haven’t played enough video games today. No cap.
EVERETT: Perfect. If you haven’t played enough video games, you should pull up.
RYAN: I can’t do a pull up, my arm strength is pretty mid.
EVERETT: If I tell you to pull up, it’s an invite, or it means you’re arriving.
RYAN: Got it. I think I know some gamer terms… A dub or a W is a win. An L is a loss. An Opp is an opponent or an enemy. Sus means suspicious. And if something is S-Tier, that means special tier, something that’s better than almost everything else.
EVERETT: Lowkey… I’m a little shook.
RYAN: That’s a good thing, right?
EVERETT: Yeah, shook means surprised. I’m surprised you knew all those.
RYAN: What about gas and slaps and hitting different?
EVERETT: If something is gas, it’s cool or dope. And if something slaps, it means it’s good. And if something hits different, it memes it’s special or unique, like nothing you’ve seen before.
RYAN: Like in Avengers Endgame, when the Avengers arrived through Dr. Strange’s portals, that moment just hit different.
EVERETT: EXACTLY! Or like, for me, AJR just hits different. They’ve got so many bops.
RYAN: Bop?
EVERETT: A bop is a great song! I think you’re good Ry, you passed the vibe check. And you understood the assignment.
RYAN: Wait, are we doing homework right now?
EVERETT: Luckily, no. Passing the vibe check means you’re cool. And if you understood the assignment, it means you went above and beyond and did a great job.
RYAN: Ahhh, thanks E! I think all the Mom’s and grownups out there will appreciate this vocab list. Oh, you should give your Mom a mother’s day shoutout!
RYAN: Thanks for helping out Everett! You should stop by the Trivia Room, I know Owen would love to see you.
<Music out >
<SFX Trivia Room door opens>
<SFX shiny sparkly magical>
OWEN: Welcome to the Trivia Room!
EVERETT: O-diggity, my man! What’s good?
OWEN: Whatup Everett! Lots, little, all at the same time.
EVERETT: Yeah, I needed to get away from the grown ups for a minute. You know?
OWEN: Why do you think I’m always in here? Wanna do some trivia?
EVERETT: BET!
OWEN: I liked your segment on slang, and I know my Mom will definitely appreciate it. But I’m going to throw you a curveball today…which of these slang words is NOT in the Merriam-Webster dictionary? Is it:
Hangry
Mid
Cray or
Goated
OWEN: The answer is…<SFX drumroll> C! Cray does not appear in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. The other ones do! Hangry is defined as being irritable or angry because of hunger. Mid has been in the dictionary but they added another definition to it as occupying a middle position. And goated means, considered to be the greatest of all time.
OWEN: Thanks for playing Everett!
EVERETT : Thanks for having me Owen!
OWEN: Ten’ers, if you have a great trivia question or want to sit on the Trivia Throne, leave us a message at 877-TEN-NEWS and we might have you on the show!
<sfx shimmer/shine fades and door closes>
RYAN: No cap, I’m glad Everett pulled up. That dude’s a rizzler and he understood the assignment. I’ve got an S-Tier vocabulary now, so it feels like a dub. I think I’m ready for a glow up.
PAM: I understand what you said Ry, but I do not know how to respond.
RYAN: C’mon Pam…
PAM: Well I’m shook that it took you this long to figure it all out, but you ate. Ok, this is getting cringe…. You ready to give Ten News Snaps to one of our listeners?
RYAN: Bet. But first, here’s a quick note for the grownups.
RYAN: Time for Ten News Snaps! <Grand fanfare SFX>
PAM: A Ten’er named Cocobean4714 said, “Very good!!! I love it!”
And Lillyana L said “You are Asome I listed to it every day and I even have to steal my moms ear pods but I just love listening.”
RYAN: Thank you Cocobean and Lillyana! And Lillyana, maybe you and your mom can share her ear pods and listen together for Mother’s Day! Our episodes drop on Thursdays and if you want some bonus content, you could join the Ten’ers Club on our website. And to our grownups, if you want to help support the Ten News, you can make a tax-deductible donation at the link in our show notes. The whole team thanks you for your support!
PAM: “The Ten News” is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.
RYAN: The Ten News creative team is passing the vibe check saluting all the amazing mothers out there and includes Tracey Crooks, Logan DeYoung, Corinne Catibayan, and Carson Potter. Big thanks to Everett and Owen for contributing to this episode.
PAM: Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan.
RYAN: I’m Ryan Willard.
PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland, thanks for listening to The Ten News.
