Ms Rachel

It's Open with Ilana Glazer

In this episode of It's Open, Ilana Glazer interviews YouTube sensation Ms. Rachel about her role as a global children's rights advocate. Th

Key takeaways

• Ms. Rachel discusses her commitment to advocating for all children, regardless of nationality or religion.
• The hosts discuss the humanitarian impact of blockades in Gaza on children with pre-existing medical conditions.

Main topics

• Children's Human Rights
• Neurodivergence and Mental Health

Notable quotes

I care about all kids and if I lose everything... It's just the right thing to do.

Conclusion

A moving dialogue that connects personal vulnerability with global adv

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) Welcome back to season two of It's Open. I wore this today and it's like what I wore on the first episode of last season. Kind of not thinking about it, but I wanted to wear a bright and colorful outfit for our guest today, Ms. Speaker 2 (0:12) Rachel. Speaker 1 (0:15) Rachel Acurzo is a friend of mine and we have an emerging friendship and we're really excited about it, as you'll see. But I just got to shout out this business woman and children's rights advocate and educator. Holy shit. Ms. Rachel has 21, over 21 million subscribers on YouTube and over 17 billion views on her videos. Is that incredible? People need her. They rely on her. And she has a safe space for parents to let her children be without them watching. If you need to, whatever, prepare dinner or wash whatever, wash a pot and pan, you can put your kid in front of Ms. Rachel and feel good about the choice. Oh, my God. And that's like on kid level. But on grown-up level, she is so fun and wondrous and full of wonder and awe. And, man, she just speaks up for people. fan and as a, you know, consumer to know that someone that big, that famous, that powerful in the business world actually gives a shit about human rights and really genuinely believes all people are equal, all children are equal. Someone who genuinely follows their faith. She gives me so much faith. So I'm so excited to be back with season two and to inaugurate this season with Ms. Rachel. So come on in. It's open. Speaker 1 (1:45) We're recording today the day that Ed Sheeran dropped Macklemore from his... Speaker 1 (1:50) concert tour because Macklemore spoke up for Palestinian human rights. And you're saying that you've been in a position before where you have such a huge business, a huge following. People literally rely on you, Rachel, for your art. They really do. You said that you've been in a situation where people are like, well, then we're not going to work with you if you speak up for human rights. And you're like, okay, then fine. And then they're like, oh, wait, just kidding. We love money. And so then they worked with you. And you feel like Ed Sheeran. had this, could have had this opportunity. Yeah. Speaker 2 (2:21) Because like, what are they going to Speaker 1 (2:22) say? Speaker 2 (2:23) Return the tickets? Like they're not going to really do that. Speaker 1 (2:26) Return all the tickets because you agree that Macklemore can speak his mind, freedom of speech. And he's speaking up for human rights. Yeah. Speaker 2 (2:37) I mean, during a genocide that targets children and. We all know what's happening, and it's been ruled a genocide by all the human rights, big human rights organizations. I've read two genocide reports by the UN commissions, and the last report was that they target kids. And just knowing that information, I'm always so confused why we can't say that Palestinians should be free. We all want to be free. Nobody should live in apartheid. Nobody should not be able to leave. where they're from. Nobody should be trapped. Nobody should have different rights than others. Like, I just don't understand. Speaker 2 (3:20) And it's so important to say genocide right now because saying it will help move the world hopefully to stop it. Speaker 1 (3:27) That's right. I Speaker 2 (3:28) felt like kids have given me this platform and they kind of chose me in a way because they feel the genuine love and care and why would I abandon them and be like, I only care about kids who look like this or kids who are from this place. I wanted to be like, I care about all kids and if I lose everything. Speaker 2 (3:48) It's just the right thing to do. And if everyone speaks out, then people won't lose things. We have to be like, you can't bully us into not saying people deserve to live and don't deserve to be bombed. And the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history, we all, and the kids are living in tents. They're living amongst rats. You don't bomb all the hospitals and all the schools and the homes and then. What really just breaks me is so many kids are dying from medical conditions that are easily treatable. Speaker 1 (4:24) And Speaker 2 (4:24) I've seen a mom lose one child and then the other child has this thing with the liver or I can't exactly remember what it is. But like she's seeing her other child now die of the same thing. They're both treatable. And I just I don't get why we don't have that empathy. Like what if that was me and I was living in that? What would I want a celebrity to do? Like, why don't we put ourselves in their position? And Speaker 1 (4:49) really, if everybody spoke up, everyone would be in less danger. Yeah. Speaker 2 (4:53) You Speaker 1 (4:54) know what I mean? Speaker 2 (4:54) It genuinely Speaker 1 (4:55) helps whether you have a big platform or not. It makes everyone safer to speak up and makes the people who are being targeted of a genocide safer. Speaker 2 (5:06) Yeah, because we want to be like, we see everyone's humanity, whether you're... Speaker 2 (5:14) whether you're Palestinian, whether you're like we, everybody is human and deserves human rights and kindness and respect. And then we move on from there. And that's great for everyone. Speaker 1 (5:28) Do you, have you heard of this thing that like the whatever hate machine that wants to call itself the manosphere, the empathy trap. Speaker 2 (5:39) I might go on. I've heard that empathy was like not good anymore and people shouldn't be empathetic. And I was like, no, empathy is beautiful and strong and wonderful. Yeah, Speaker 1 (5:50) that's right. And we need Speaker 2 (5:51) to make empathy. something that everybody teaches their children and that I mean being a Christian it's it's like love your neighbor as yourself the golden rule the whole thing is to love every neighbor and Jesus explained that it's not people that just are your religion and it's not people that are just not it's not people that aren't marginalized it's everyone and it's just so bizarre to see Speaker 2 (6:18) people being like well not that part of the bible you know like i'm trying to have compassion for i try to have compassion for everyone and get to the root of like why do you hate one religion or one group of people because i'm like i think if you've ever met a bunch of people in that group you wouldn't because i think so i'm like do you just need to meet a bunch of people and we I just don't understand. I'm constantly like frustrated, I think, and just like, why, why, why? And I believe that we're all connected and woven together and that if I attack you and I'm cruel to you, like that's actually hurting me too. And it's also just wrong. So just do the right thing. But it's also like. I believe we're all connected. I don't think, like, does Ed and do other celebrities realize that the whole world has woken up and doesn't want this? I mean, I didn't realize at the time when I first spoke out and I got, like, 2,000 emails saying, like, that I'm horrible. I got scared, and, like, then the other things kept happening, and... Speaker 2 (7:44) I got scared and I but I yeah so I so then so I was confused and I thought I thought I was really hated and I walked out and I was like really I was doing a speech at NYU and I was like I'm gonna get booed everyone hates me now I'm scared to like be out in public because I'm so hated and then people were coming up to me and they were just bawling and saying like thank you We're talking about Gaza. And I was like, oh, of course. And then it kept happening. And of course, a lot of people in the Jewish community were saying that, like, thank you. And when I had that thing where I was an org, that's, well, it was said I should be investigated by, the New York Post called me and was like, do you know that? Speaker 2 (8:40) somebody, there's a letter to the Department of Justice saying you should be investigated for being paid by Hamas. And when Speaker 1 (8:47) that whole thing happened, Speaker 2 (8:49) actually two Jewish women and two Palestinian women, like we all got on a call and they just like, they just helped me so much because I actually was, I was scared. I was scared. If Speaker 1 (9:00) it weren't so destructive, it would be a Veep storyline. It's such a cartoonish joke. You were on the government's website, right? I'm remembering now. You're like adorable, beautiful, Ms. Rachel face and them trying to paint you. I'm sorry to laugh. I'm just like, so it's so I'm flabbergasted as an anti-Semite. It's a fucking joke. Thank Speaker 2 (9:21) you so much. It's a joke and everybody knows it. And also to the point of, Speaker 1 (9:25) it's a joke. It's a sick joke and twisted, but. Everyone knows it's a stupid, sick joke. And also to the point of like celebrities not speaking up or whatever, it's like they're not brave yet, but they can become brave. But the public is becoming so fucked over by this inordinate income disparity, right? Speaker 2 (9:50) And Speaker 1 (9:50) everybody's money, everybody's like affordability, like. Everything costs a million dollars, whatever. So the public now that they're being hit day to day realizes like this is just a sham, you know, this is a sham. And some celebrity selling me something but not standing up for my basic needs. I really have faith in people. I really believe that most people are mostly good. I Speaker 2 (10:12) love that. I Speaker 1 (10:13) really believe it. I Speaker 2 (10:15) love that. And Speaker 1 (10:16) I really think that most. People are like, this is just whack. Like, yeah, I get like wanting escapism, but if you can't speak up for like a child deserving health care for, you know, some forget how easy or hard it is. Like kids don't deserve to be bombed and to die. And we all are seeing a genocide on our phones. I Speaker 2 (10:35) heard myself on the news. Speaker 1 (10:37) I Speaker 2 (10:37) went on. Oh, I can't remember what show it was. Was it PBS NewsHour? One of those shows. And I said, oh, Speaker 1 (10:44) you went on to speak. Speaker 2 (10:46) Yeah, and I was like, there's milk during the blocking of food and milk. Right, Speaker 1 (10:51) right, Speaker 2 (10:51) right. Israel blocking Speaker 1 (10:53) just basic needs getting to Palestine. Yeah, and I went on, and I was Speaker 2 (10:56) like, okay, so I think it was PBS NewsHour, or I think it was Democracy Now!, but I was like, so there's milk a few miles away from starving babies, and the milk... needs to get to the starving babies. And I'm like, how am I going on the news and begging for starving babies to get milk that's miles away? And like, how am I the authority on like that babies should have milk and not starve to death? And how is that a thing? Like, I just kept hearing myself talk and being like, how am I saying these words? Like, and then when kids were starving, Speaker 2 (11:32) And they had preexisting conditions. And then that caused them to starve first because like they had one girl died of a wheat allergy. And it just, I saw her, she was like, she just couldn't eat wheat. And she died of celiac. And she starved to death slowly of celiac. And I just still remember like seeing her dad. at her grave and and knowing that that they had begged online too for her to get um treatment and there was another girl actually named Rahaf as well who had something similar it was something with weed or protein and um she was starving and I saw her and she was like I can't stand up to pray anymore like I miss standing up I I miss brushing my hair her hair had all fallen out and the PCRF and I We were saying, please help this girl. Please help this girl. And we did all get her evacuated. And she's a normal weight now. And so they were like, these people went on and were like, see, Miss Rachel, these people had a preexisting condition. That's why they're starving. Are you going to apologize for saying that they're starving? And I'm like, no, they should have medical care. And babies did starve to death. I think it was seven babies starved to death during that blockade. But I was like, there was a kid with CF. Speaker 2 (12:51) cystic fibrosis. And he was starving to death. And there's pictures of his ribs. And it was like just horrific. And he got out through the PCRF. And he is a normal weight now. And there's pictures of him a normal weight. So he was starving because of the blockade and blocking medicine and food. And people were like this big gotcha moment that this New York Times child whose spine was showing that he had a pre-existing condition. And I was like, do you hear yourself? You're saying it's okay for kids with disabilities to starve? Like, it's crazy. Speaker 1 (13:23) They're starving right Speaker 2 (13:24) now. The mental gymnastics is so Speaker 1 (13:25) crazy.