The Origin of Rizz

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to frankly Speaking, your weekly destination for insight and inspiration,
with your host, Frank Morangos. Frankly Speaking is sponsored by
a Heppa four two one Chapter of North Miami in
partnership with the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of North Miami.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Welcome to another broadcast of Frankly Speaking. As superproducer Brian
Mudd indicated, I am your host, Frank Morangos, and for
the next thirty minutes, I promise to provide you with
frank talk and a lively interview concerning the influence of
the ancient Hellenic ideals, values and faith on our contemporary culture.
To do my part to help make America Greek again. Today,

(00:49):
I want to examine the concept known as riz as.
The term itself was recently included in the list of
Top sixty gen Z slang words for twenty twenty five,
and is the ability to attract another person through style, charm,
or attractiveness. The word riz is a shortened version of
the word charisma, used as a verb. To riz up

(01:10):
means to have the ability to attract an influence. As
a noun, a rizzler is an individual who possesses or
employs a great deal of riz. Apart from being recognized
for its frequency of use among today's gen zers, the
word riz was initially selected in twenty twenty three by
Oxford Dictionary as the word of the year. The Oxford

(01:31):
University Press regularly monitors the corpus of the English language
to see which words or phrases are new, have changed
their meaning, or have gone viral. The Dictionary describes the
aim of their annual selection process as a discovery of
a word or expression that reflects the past twelve months
in some way, has potential as a term of lasting

(01:54):
cultural significance, or provides a snapshot of social history. Oxford's
previous annual selections have included climate emergency in twenty nineteen
VAS twenty twenty one, Goblin mode in twenty twenty two.
Previous semi finalists included swifty fans of Taylor, swift prompt

(02:16):
an AI instruction, and situationship an informal, romantic or sexual relationship.
According to numerous social media sites, the usage of riz
has spread like wildfire in twenty twenty five, and predict
that the expression's utility will continue to increase by fifteen
percent each year. It might come as a surprise to

(02:37):
learn that the word riz is derived from the ancient
Greek word kadis or hatisma, from which we get the
word charism. Hatisma can be understood in four ways, philosophically, spiritually, sociologically,
and culturally. According to the Classical Greek Dictionary, the philosophical
meaning of katisma was first introduced by the ancient Greek

(03:00):
philosophers such as Aristotle, who assigned to it the esthetic
attributes of beauty, kindness, gratitude, charm, good will, and attractiveness.
The second use and meaning of the word gadisma may
be attributed to the New Testament writer of Saint Paul
of Tarsus, who spiritualized the term in his writings by
connecting it to God given gifts of wisdom, faith, prophecy, healing,

(03:24):
and miracles. What is interesting is that Saint Paul added
the concept of generosity to his long list of spiritual
gifts that also included love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty,
self control, and chastity. Approach from a more modern understanding

(03:45):
that khadis or hadisma of generosity was introduced as the
ris of liberality of UN's charity to the needs of others,
unlike its philosophical or spiritual convention. We can trace the
third conception of the word kadisman to Max Weber, the
well known German sociologist, historian, and political economists, who used

(04:05):
the term to characterize a leader's persuasive abilities. Weber defined
a leader as someone whose personality was endowed with exceptional
influential qualities. Weber borrowed the religious implications of the term,
then extended it to use in secular settings. For Weber,
katisma charism imbued an individual or institution with an extraordinary

(04:29):
degree of sociological authority and influence. The fourth and final
function of the word charism is evidenced in the term
riz that is now being used to express fame, stardom, attractiveness, success,
and even seduction in the context of actors, athletes, socialites, musicians, models,

(04:50):
and social influencers. Gen Ziers defined this contemporary manifestation of
katisma as a compelling attractiveness or a charm that can
inspire devotion in others. In addition, Wikipedia suggests that the
word also describes elusive, even undefinable personality traits that may
include grace, exuberance, mystique, positive energy, extreme charm, and personal magnetism.

(05:18):
In the final analysis, the word chorism implies an extraordinary,
if not magical, understanding of an intangible phenomenon. Over time, whoever,
the association between coroism and extra human capabilities became largely
obsolete except among strong religious people. Today, numerous authors have
suggested that riz is not innate or a gift of

(05:40):
grace bestowed by God, but something that with the right
coaching in the right books, can actually be developed. For example,
in her book The Charism Myth, Olivia Fox Cabaine discusses
the concept of charism and outlines how an individual can
become more charismatic by developing three characteristic traits that she
calls one presence, two power, and three warmth. According to

(06:05):
the author, presences being in the moment and giving an
individual full attention. When an individual can convince another that
they are fully present. She suggests even a five minute
conversation can create a wow effect, as well as an
emotional connection of warmth and sensitivity. The third trait of power,
on the other hand, as many aliases as examples, Kabain

(06:28):
highlights the charismatic qualities of power displayed by leaders such
as the Dali Lama, Bill Gates, Oprah, and even Stephen Jobs.
Apart from developing and then exhibiting these three characteristic traits,
Kabain suggests that influential individuals can be clustered into four
categories of hadisma. Number one focused charisma individuals who listen

(06:52):
attentively and make others feel respected and heard. The second
is called visionary charism, individuals who have complete conviction in
an idea or cause and inspire others to follow. Kindness charism.
The third is individuals who create warmth and emotional connection
with others. In the fourth, authority charism, individuals with power

(07:14):
and status. Apart from contemporary actors, entertainers, political and business
rizzers who fall into one or more of Kabaine's categories,
I would suggest that the late Charlie Kirk to the list,
as he too was an individual who reflected the RIZ
of confidence, professionalism, kindness, and authority. I would argue, however,

(07:35):
that Kirk's capabilities were supernatural, God given and not acquired
through personal coaching, habit or leadership workbook exercises. Kirk's RIZ
was best understood along the lines of Saint Paul's notion
of spiritual gifts that combine the grace of Khadis of
authenticity and genuine vulnerability with the power and authority of

(07:56):
truth in a more humorous vain. One of the most
powerful social rizzlers today is a third grader named Christian
Joseph from New Jersey. He gained viral fame on TikTok
for his spunky personality. Christian first gained attention in twenty
twenty three when a video of him wearing a black
panther hallowing costume went viral. As a result, he was

(08:20):
nicknamed the Rizzler for his signature riz face in viral
videos with his father, His distinctive expression, during which he
raises one eyebrow and sucks in his cheeks, has been
one of the reasons for his increased popularity. Even the
Costco guys Big Justice in aj, a father and son
team from Boca Raton, Florida, who visited the Costco warehouse

(08:43):
store and rate different items online, reached out to Christian's
father and met with him in New Jersey, where they
began collaborating on content. Their unlikely friendship grew, leading to
the Rizzler being featured in various skits with the Costco Guys,
which propelled him to popularity even further. Since then, the
Rizzler has gained a massive social media following, with fans

(09:08):
drawn to his charming personality and adorable presence. His fame
extended beyond TikTok and the Costco Guys, leading to the
appearance on national television shows and amazingly even made an
appearance at a major event at Madison Square Garden. The
Rizzler's rapid rise to fame, however, has rightly sparked discussions

(09:29):
about the ethics of the child influencer culture and the
potential pressures on young content creators. While Christian's fame is
significant and continues the conversation about balancing his public persona
with the right to a private, genuine childhood, we need
the need for greater child protection in the digital age.

(09:51):
In the final analysis, like anything else, riz may be
used for either positive or negative intentions. In the positive column,
I would include the ability to form connections and improve social, professional,
even faith based opportunities. On the other hand, we should
all be careful in guard against the risk of allowing
the superficial charm of rizzlers to manipulate us, to manipulate

(10:15):
truth and the possibility for genuine connections. Yes, RIZ makes
a person more attractive and may facilitate the start of
new relationships. Having RIZ can boost a person's confidence in
their social interactions, making them feel more secure in everyday life.
It can help and informed connections with people hold their attention,

(10:36):
leading to deeper and more authentic relationships over time. Risk
can be powerfully magnetic, even magical. However, risk can also
be based on superficial charm that leads to quick, fleeting
encounters rather than the genuine, long term connections. Intense hatisma
can blind people to negative traits in others, such as entitlement, selfishness,

(11:00):
or manipulative behavior. RIZ can be risky when used to
engenter quick excitement rather than a desire for deeper commitment
and the acceptance of truth. But overall, whether we like
it or not, the charism of RIZ is much more
than a word. As one gen Zier influencer recently said,
RIZ is here to stay. When we return, I will

(11:22):
be joined by Demetrius Kanzevalos on the show. He is
an ordained bishop of the Orthodox Church, and as you
will see He is a faith based social risler.

Speaker 3 (11:39):
We thank the AHEPA four twenty one North Miami chapter
for their sponsorship of Frankly speaking, they promote the ancient
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excellence through community service and volunteerism. They offer scholarships annually
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(12:02):
hurricane relief efforts, and the local Annunciation GOC. If you're
interested in donating to help support these efforts, email a
HEPPA four twenty one Northmiami at gmail dot com.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
I'm thrilled to welcome Demetrius Canzavlos on the show today.
He is a bishop and a social activist, a rizzler
really in the Greek Orthodox Church. Ordained a deacon in
nineteen eighty nine, a priest in nineteen ninety two. He
was appointed chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Chicago
and elevated to the rank of bishop in two thousand
and six. The Chicago Sun Times in two thousand and

(12:40):
three selected him as one of the twelve people to
watch you're Grace. Welcome to Frankly speaking, it's a pleasure
and a privilege to have you on the show.

Speaker 4 (12:48):
Thank you so much, Frank. It's a pleasure to be
with you. And that sometimes article was great, but I'm
glad you said people to watch and not be watched.

Speaker 2 (13:01):
Well. Your ministry was quite remarkable. You've been an extraordinary individual,
your service extraordinary really as a faith based rizzler. That's
been the topic of the conversation on my show today,
rizzler meeting someone with charisma. It's a term that is
being used now among the young people to describe someone

(13:23):
who has great influence. And you have definitely had great influence.
And I'm having you on the show not only because
you're my friend and we've been friends for many, many years,
and I've watched your ministry, but recently you published a book,
Grace Unbound, The Sacred Activism of an Orthodox Bishop. I

(13:44):
have the opportunity to read it, and I was extremely
impressed with it, and I thought you'd be a perfect
individual to have on this show, especially when talking about
being an activist, a social activist in the Orthodox Church,
because too often Orthodoxy is known for its work but
not so much for its social activism.

Speaker 4 (14:04):
That's very true, even though throughout our history, as you know,
social activism is part and parcel of the businessing Empire,
all the way from Basil Basil Great, who started the
first organized philanthropic outreach to the marginalized with his Homes
for the widows and orphans and beating the Hungary and

(14:27):
everything that we're trying to do today really was the
part and parcel of the businessing Empire and was championed
by another Bishop of Saint actually Basil the Great and
others at the time. It's not really breaking with our tradition,
even though people think it is. I think it's the
continuation of our tradition, and we're reclaiming that that history.

(14:51):
And people need to know that Orthodoxy is not just
smells and bells and ritual which is beautiful, but we
all think it's use of being more concerned with other
worldliness and not to hear and now, and I think
to here and now is very important.

Speaker 2 (15:06):
Yeah, well, well, well said Saint Basil was a disruptor,
and I think you were a disruptor, especially at the
time of AIDS. Walk us through a little bit about
how that all happened, because in your book it actually
says that when you met two individuals who are suffering,
it really changed your life in many ways.

Speaker 4 (15:24):
The first one was Bob orhad Alimos. He called the
metropolis the desioses of the time, and our secretary referred
to me and he said that he wants a priest
to come visit him. He's HIV positive or actually had
football and aids. That was the terminology at the time,
and that was nineteen ninety two, early nineties, ninety one

(15:46):
and ninety two.

Speaker 2 (15:47):
So you're a air a priest at this time.

Speaker 4 (15:49):
I was a priest at this point, yes, working as
a registrar. Really not quite chancer yet and actually a
deep in there. It became a priest in ninety two,
so I was still a deacon for a couple of months.
And he said his priest wouldn't visit him, because I
asked him, why are you calling those dioceses. His priest
won't visit me is why. Obviously the priest was scared.

(16:12):
He didn't know he's an immigrant, was an immigrant priest,
and was frightened. So I said, oh, come, and I
had no clue. I mean, I knew some I had
knowledge of HIV age and how it was transmitted, but
I didn't know how to minister. So it was like
baptism by fire. I get to the house and met him,
and it was it was an extraordinary experience. He was

(16:35):
he said, he you know, he was a straight man,
and he used to deliver mattresses.

Speaker 2 (16:39):
He was.

Speaker 4 (16:40):
I mean, this is a frail man looking in front,
looking at me right now. And everything was covered in plastic,
and the family was afraid. He was ostracized and until
the example of our tradition really opened him up because
I greeted him, I kissed him on both cheeks. His
parents were mortified. We sat down, we talked, and he communed,

(17:05):
and again his family was shocked. And then at the
end I did the same thing and embraced him. So
that opened the door for them to be able to
do the same with their son. At that point, they
weren't touching him. They kept him away. They were from
and in a separate room. Even it was it was
terribly lonely and not you know, fear and ignorance really

(17:30):
builds those walls of separation that we don't need to do.

Speaker 2 (17:34):
So what propelled you? What propelled you influenced you to
do that. Was there something in your upbringing, your family
that always.

Speaker 4 (17:46):
They were always involved with helping and I out forget
my mother's mother and my grandmother was sending packages and
packages to Grees to take care of the villagers and
at a time when they didn't have anything, and so
that helped, of course, and we always wanted to help,
but I think this was different. This was people were afraid,

(18:07):
and every and even with Communion, they were afraid. But
getting yourself educated and attending things that normally a Greek
Orthodox priests wouldn't attend, going to people's home. There was
a program called Test Positive Aware GPA, and it was
a bunch of people gathered who were positive and in

(18:29):
an apartment. Here they were gaged right by who knows
what they were. They were talking about condom use and
how to appropriately put it on, and you know it
was ordinarily would have been uncomfortable, but I did not
wear a collar. I went in and at the end,
when we were talking about ourselves who we are, I
told them who I was. They were surprised but happy,
and that made me feel good because here I am

(18:53):
from a tradition that ordinarily doesn't embrace what it should embrace,
but because of fear and ridicule, even imprejudice. So having
outside the community embrace you and say thank you, this
is good. You want to continue?

Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yes? What was the response? Do you remember the response
of the formal church, the formal Orthodox Church to you, I'll.

Speaker 4 (19:20):
Never if I'll never forget it. You know. Schopenhauer says
that truth passes through three dynamics. The first it's persecuted,
Secondly it's ridiculed, and thirdly it's accepted as self evident.
And the ministry to people with HV and age went
exactly through that. At first, people were saying, these are

(19:45):
disposable people, their margins. They're not people we want in
our parishes. They're almost like leopards. And it was like,
don't you people listen to the gospel lessons about Christ
healing the lepers and touching those who were considered unclean.
So luckily I had a bishop of Metropolitan who was
very compassionate and you know him.

Speaker 2 (20:05):
Yes, blessed memory. Yeah, he actually married my wife and I, oh.

Speaker 4 (20:10):
I wonder. He is a gentleman and he always wanted
to learn more and he encouraged he encouraged me, says
this is wrong, so I'll never forget the first presentation.
I had a wonderful Ukrainian physician. She was in her forties,
Claudia Liberty, and she holds two patents to HIV inhibitors.

(20:33):
At the time, at forty years old, she spoke to
our clergy and one of the senior priests got up
and said, do you realize you're speaking to the Greek
Orthodox clergy of the Metropolis of Chicago, And she said, yes, father,
I know very well. I'm speaking to and metropolitanapolis of
the back of the room. This is all in my book.
By the way, he should have encountered it, says, father,

(20:55):
the doctor's telling us how to save our children's lives.
How don't you sit down and learn, Because she was
talking about, yes, abstinence is the only way to be
sure that you're not going to get HIV. But she said,
we don't. We were We know the reality and they're
going to have sex, so let's teach them how to
protect themselves. And it was why it was wise counsel.

(21:17):
And he didn't want to hear it, but he came
around then he did. He very much came around and
supported and after after that encounter and watching it grow,
people started inviting the task Force, the Bishop's Task Force
on A's which was what we established after Bob. And
we were going from parish to parish, and I learned

(21:38):
so much of our about our people, about myself, about myself.
The one story that stands out is that going to
immigrant parish. He used to break up into small groups
and each one of us I had a physician, social
worker and myself all our Orthodox and it was very dynamic.

(21:59):
And then we break up into groups and I saw
like a curmudgeon, a man that was just look really,
I was crossed, and I was judging him and saying, oh,
I hope I don't get him in my small group.
Well I got him in my schollar groups. Luck would
have it. And there was another Greek American middle aged
who was asking questions about how it's contracted, and this

(22:20):
is wrong, and how do we you know the gaze
this the crotch of the Greek man stood up and said, listen,
that's with a heavy accent. I don't care home sexual,
no home sensual, homosexual, homosexual. Our children are dying. What
are we going to do?

Speaker 2 (22:39):
They're good for him.

Speaker 4 (22:41):
He's good for him and bad for me because I
judge this man as being against me. But I learned
that you can't judge that. And the older generation seemed
much more accepting because I think they went through a
lot more.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
Yes, yes, they did the wars.

Speaker 4 (22:54):
And diseases, and they did and understood that this is
a disease.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
Who is the second man that influenced you?

Speaker 4 (23:03):
The second man was the man on death row, Andrew Cocrals.
Andrew Cociras was accused of heinous crimes. He was part
of a thing called the Ripper Gang in Chicago in
the eighties, and I was in a seminary at the time,
so I don't remember much about it firsthand. He was
accused of horrific crimes, and he was not what you
would call a choir boy. Another Greek Orthodox woman, an

(23:26):
immigrant lady, very pious, asked me to go see him
and see what I can do. His execution was coming up,
said oh jeez. So I went and I visited him,
and I was expecting what the newspapers described as this
monster right, and he was shorter to muor polite. He
sat down. I told him, you know, his church cares

(23:48):
about him. You're not alone. You're still a precious child
of God, no matter what. Now, did he do some
horrible things in his life, Yeah, did he deserve the
death I don't know. I don't believe anybody does. But
more importantly, I don't think he was guilty of the
crime he was convicted of because so many because there
were three other men that were involved in this group,

(24:10):
and the three one was his brother. Even his brother
is now out on parole. He served his time, so
all four of them got different sentences. Only Andrew was
put to death, and that just shows the capriciousness of
the death penalty. So we couldn't save him. We tried
and tried and tried, and it was a devastating blow.

(24:31):
But a letter came, a card he sent me, came
two days after his execution, which was very ominous, and
he had prayed for me and hoped that by his
execution all executions would end in the state of Illinois.
And you know, it took eleven years, but he was
the last person executed and we did abolish a death government.

Speaker 2 (24:50):
Congratulations, with God's grace, the two of you wanted to
do that. We're coming to the end of the interview you, Grayson. Oh,
need to have you back on because there's so much
in the book that I want to talk to you about,
especially chapter two you talk about your family. But I
want to ask before we finish, and I can't recommend
your book more highly to anybody who's listening. A fantastic book,

(25:13):
Grace Unbound Again the Sacred Activism of an Orthodox Bishop.
I want to ask you about the cover. Every author
chooses a cover very carefully, so talk to us about
the choice of cover and what and what you're trying
to accomplish through it.

Speaker 4 (25:29):
Well, it's a very famous bridge over the Chicago River
in Chicago, of course, and it goes from one entry
of the other end is a modern building and I
have a Greek Orthodox monk or bishop in it, crossing
this bridge into a light. I wanted to show how,
as I began the interview, how our church from antiquity,

(25:50):
which really hasn't changed, is modern, is embracing the culture
and is reclaiming our heritage and walking into the new
light Christ and bringing that healing message to a new world.
So it's the old world meeting the new world. It
was more of an ascent coming from one end which
is rather dark into that light as you saw, and crossing.

Speaker 2 (26:13):
That's actually looking at the book as we speak.

Speaker 4 (26:16):
Yeah, and that was I really enjoyed doing that. I
worked with my publisher, It's Roman and Littlefield, which is
an imprint of Bloomsbury, and they were very respectful and
exceedingly happy with me, and I was happy to them.
So they or I told them what I wanted. We
had a couple of designs and that's the one that
came up. It's a local picture, so it speaks to

(26:39):
chicagoan's and I think it was well done, very appropriate.
I like it.

Speaker 2 (26:44):
I like it as well because I'm going to read,
if I may, from your epilogue the last paragraph, because
I think the last paragraph connects beautifully with the cover.
It says, and I'm quoting you, through struggles, triumphs, and sacrifices,
and by putting love into action, we can find the
most excellent way. Thus all may become true agents of change.

(27:06):
It is daunting, and yet and then you finish with
three dots, And yet how would you end that?

Speaker 4 (27:13):
And yet we continue, We can go on.

Speaker 2 (27:16):
That's what I thought you would say. So, your grace,
thank you very much for being on Frankly speaking, it
was a pleasure and definitely we'll have you back on.
We can talk a little bit more about your book
and your life as a rizzler and a social activist
of the Orthodoxy.

Speaker 4 (27:30):
Like that word. I love that word.

Speaker 2 (27:33):
Thank you Gods, thank you for joining me this afternoon
on Frankly speaking. But before concluding today's broadcast, they want
to briefly discuss the Greek root for the English word charism.
As I mentioned in today's monologue, the word riz is
a slang derivative of the English word charism, which initially

(27:54):
originates from the Greek word katis, meaning grace, favor, or gift.
The ancient Greeks initially used the word to refer to
favors or gifts freely given by the gods. The Chrits,
known as the Graces in Roman mythology, were minor goddesses.
In Greek mythology, they are often described as the daughters
of Zeus, who personified charm, beauty, and grace. During the

(28:18):
years of early Christianity, the apostle Paul used the word
hadisma to refer to spiritual gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit,
such as prophecy, or healing. The modern understanding of charism,
on the other hand, was developed by sociologist Max Weber
in the twentieth century, who defined it as a quality
of an individual's personality that sets them apart from others,

(28:39):
giving them exceptional powers or qualities, allowing them to be
treated as a leader. If we have seen the English
word charism as the most direct root, originally referring to
spiritual gifts, but now commonly used for personal magnetism and charm,
the word charismatic is the adjective describing a person or
thing that as charism or is gifted with the extraordinary

(29:00):
leadership qualities. And finally, while not directly from the Greek
word gadis, in every form the English word charity is
related to the shares of a seismatic field of goodwill
in giving. So, as mister Gusportocalis insisted in my big
fat Greek wedding, there you go, give me a word,
any word, and I will show you that the root

(29:21):
of that word is Greek. Thank you for joining me
today on Frankly Speaking, a show that seeks to provide
frank talk and lively interviews about the influence of ancient
Hellenic ideals, values, and faith on our contemporary culture to
help make America Greek again. If you would like to
share a question or suggest a future guest or topic,
I'd love to hear from you at frank frank Talk

(29:42):
radio dot com