How Franchesca Ramsey is tackling social issues one short, funny video at a time
Franchesca Ramsey (aka chescaleigh), a blogger, YouTuber, and comedian best known for her viral video “Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls, recently teamed up with MTV News to launch a new series called Decoded.
Each episode of the series - featured on the MTV News YouTube Channel - tackles social issues in short, “digestible,” millennial-geared segments that find the balance between serious and funny. Think Daily Show meets NowThis News. Episodes so far have included “Are Fried Chicken & Watermelon Racist?” (the first of the series, which has already amassed 145,000 views), “Can You Change Your Race?,” and “Why Do Cops Hate this Phone?”
While addressing important issues, Ramsey and MTV are attempting to reach young people via the mediums and formats that speak to them best.
“What makes our show different is it's a mix of sketch and vlogs,” Ramsey told Found Remote. “We use humor to talk about certain subjects, but I also talk directly to the audience and interact with them. Even though we occasionally tackle trending stories, we're not traditional news. We’re not breaking stories or reporting. Instead the show takes a funny and straightforward look at topics that people might be confused about and "decodes" them to make them easier to understand.”
Millennials also seek interaction and providing feedback, and Ramsey at the end of episodes provides a prompt, inviting viewers to post in the comments section. One can only imagine the types of comments posted on videos about race, but Ramsey isn’t discouraged.
“The goal of the show is to get people thinking about these issues, so getting them to comment is probably the easiest way,” Ramsey said. “It sounds basic, but if you don't ask for comments, some people won't say anything at all. Overall our comments have been pretty positive and even the not so nice ones really aren't that bad. (Just read the comments on "Shit White Girls Say...to Black Girls" they're horrendous!).”
Below, “Are Fried Chicken & Watermelon Racist?” New episodes premiere each Wednesday through August.