Currently, it is illegal for gay and lesbian couples to be lawfully married. The majority of Americans disapprove of homosexual marriages because they have conservative views of marriage being only between a man and a woman. If all men are created equal, than everyone including gay and lesbian couples should have the right to marry. Marriage is a commitment for two individuals to live together as domestic partners and having legal recognition there are many benefits that follow. People have negative views on gay marriages, because of religious beliefs, but by law religion should be separate from the state. Everyone has the right to pursue happiness, and because this law on marriage is disregarding the gay community I refuse to legally marry until there is a change.
Gay marriage is not legalized today in the U.S., because there is oppression taking place on the gay community. The conservatives in our society wants to limit this minority from their rights, because it is a reminder to the gay community that they are a lesser than human than those of us who are heterosexuals. There are many benefits for society if everyone legally has the right to get married, because there will be more people making decisions that will make them happy and satisfied. If everyone is granted with this right, it does not make a negative impact on society but a positive one. While the majority of the people are heterosexuals, why should this group of people make decisions for the homosexuals? A preference in a person’s partner does not determine superiority or inferiority, it is their own personal choice that should not be judged. People who are against the rights for homosexuals are clearly close minded, because a marriage between a gay couple should not affect the quality of others’ life. There should be a change because clearly this minority’s best interest is not taken into consideration.
In Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, he explains how generally people have the tendency to follow the majority’s favor ,
“After all, the practical reason why, when the power is once in the hands of the people, a majority are permitted, and for a long period continue, to rule not because they are most likely to be in the right, nor because this seems fairest to the minority, but because they are physically the strongest”.
This is similar to what is going on with the legal action on gay marriages. For centuries marriage has been only conducted between a man and a woman, and although we live in a time now where we all understand that every individual is granted with equal human rights, the government enforcing this law still wants to keep control over this minority. I have read news articles on how people rally, protest, and march, but I do not understand why it is taking this country so long to legalize this entitlement. We cannot be stuck in our old ways, because by doing so we are not making a difference in our community. By standing up an voicing our opinion, we will make a difference. Thoreau wrote, “For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done for ever”. Meaning, a small act of rebellion at first will not make a significant difference, but it is a beginning on a possible impact on society.
Although I am too young to think about marriage, I do not see myself getting married when I have friends and neighbors who are not given the same freedom I have. Refusing marriage is a form of protesting, but in order to make a change it is also important to be active in protests and petitions. I have volunteered several times for GLAAD, which is a non-profit gay and lesbian organization and their purpose is to promote a better image on the gay community. They are actively involved in gaining rights and respect for the community and this is my start of trying to make a difference.
Gay couples should not settle with commitment ceremonies, they deserve the right to be legally together. There are many other countries that have already made a transition from the old ways, and our country should join in on the wagon. Everyone should set aside their homophobic views and face the fact that we are all created equal and deserve the same rights.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Health Care - It is a Right
It's been real guys. Check out my e-portfolio if you want. http://betty513.googlepages.com/
Betty Liang
EWRT 1A
August 9, 2007
Final in-class essay
Health Care - It is a Right
Good health is fundamental to human life. If one does not have fame or fortune, one may still have health as a foundation to build a life on. However, in this money-driven day and age, access to adequate health care seems more like a privilege rather than a right. Having worked at a county hospital before, I have seen the pain and hopelessness of the uninsured who desperately need aid but are denied time and again due to financial reasons. It is imperative that those who have the means to reach out to the less fortunate of our population do so, as moral and caring members of society. I propose that this country institute universal health care so that everyone will have a right to see the doctor without having to worry about the financial burden. I challenge those who are willing to support this cause to stop going to Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) to seek care and to write to those in power to advocate this change.
The sheer volume of uninsured people in this nation and the ineffective way in which our current health care system address this problem only creates a vicious cycle of hospitals shutting down and even more in need of urgent care. As of 2005, the number of uninsured people in American already exceeded 47 million, about 16 percent of our country’s population. Most of the people without health insurance live this way because they cannot afford to pay out of pocket, or they work at jobs that do not provide these types of benefits for their employees. Most HMOs such as Kaiser Permanente do not admit uninsured patients because the company will not be reimbursed for its medical services by any insurance group. Thus, these patients are left with untreated medical conditions which are only exacerbated by a lack of professional care. However, there is a way in the system in which our uninsured population may receive care. They go to emergency rooms of county hospitals. In these overcrowded and busy areas, uninsured patients can go and receive treatment, no questions asked. The result is that the county hospital absorbs all medical costs to treat these patients. In the past years, many county hospitals in Los Angeles have closed down due to seeing too many patients, and not receiving any pay back. With this last possible means for uninsured people to receive care gone, they are once again left to their own devices when it comes to seeking treatment for illnesses.
Emergency rooms closing down across the country clearly illustrates the problem the United States faces in dealing with the distribution of health care to the uninsured population. As we can witness in other areas of society, those in power will continually seek more power. In America, this power many times manifests itself in the form of money. Large corporations will not help those in need if there is nothing to gain from it. That is why it is up to us, America’s next generation of leaders to take a stand and fight for what is just and for what this nation stands for. It is hard for us, as a relatively privileged and closed-off group of people to understand the gravity of this issue. But can you imagine being the parent of a little girl who is being denied a CAT scan to check for a brain tumor, because your wages from working the graveyard shift as a janitor at a private university cannot pay for this crucial service? Imagine being the kindly nurse behind the reception desk at a hospital who has to tell a young man plagued by pneumonia that you cannot do anything for him today, maybe he should try somewhere else? This is not what living in the United States is about. Life will always be a struggle, but for people to have to struggle even to maintain health, the very element life is dependent on, is pathetic.
Universal health care is an idea that scares many, and if implemented would bring about change very slowly, as the entire medical system of this country must be revamped. With universal health care, every body would be granted at least some minimal standard of care. It becomes our moral duty to further our country in upholding “liberty and justice for all” by advocating positive change that will allow exactly that for all of its people. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison” (Thoreau 355). We cannot sit idly on the sidelines when people are in need of our support. By remaining inactive, we ultimately condemn those in need and even ourselves to living in a world that slips farther and farther away from what our forefathers envisioned. We cannot simply wait for change to occur. Remember, often times the changes that need to be made are under the influence of those with power and money whose interests may differ vastly from those who would benefit from the change. If we wait for these parties to take action, we may as well go to the grave still waiting.
We must collectively, as a group find strength to help the uninsured people of our world who are as deserving of health care as the rest of us are. Look for doctors with private practices who are open to caring for the uninsured and make them your place of choice for receiving care, rather than large corporations. This way, you not only directly support an individual with similar interests as yourself, you also make a strong statement to the greater community, that all health care providers should follow such an example. Change often occurs on a small scale first, so write to your local policy makers about what an injustice it is to deny people of their right to health care. With enough volume of letters, your voice will be heard and perhaps inspire others. We owe it to ourselves, those around us, and our future generations to take a stand and right any injustices that still exist in our world. Fighting for health care for all is something I am passionate about and will make a part of my future. I hope I have motivated some of you to at least think about this issue, if not act upon it as well.
References:
Thoreau, Henry David. “Civil Disobedience.” 75 Reading Across the Curriculum. Chris Anson. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. 345-366
Betty Liang
EWRT 1A
August 9, 2007
Final in-class essay
Health Care - It is a Right
Good health is fundamental to human life. If one does not have fame or fortune, one may still have health as a foundation to build a life on. However, in this money-driven day and age, access to adequate health care seems more like a privilege rather than a right. Having worked at a county hospital before, I have seen the pain and hopelessness of the uninsured who desperately need aid but are denied time and again due to financial reasons. It is imperative that those who have the means to reach out to the less fortunate of our population do so, as moral and caring members of society. I propose that this country institute universal health care so that everyone will have a right to see the doctor without having to worry about the financial burden. I challenge those who are willing to support this cause to stop going to Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) to seek care and to write to those in power to advocate this change.
The sheer volume of uninsured people in this nation and the ineffective way in which our current health care system address this problem only creates a vicious cycle of hospitals shutting down and even more in need of urgent care. As of 2005, the number of uninsured people in American already exceeded 47 million, about 16 percent of our country’s population. Most of the people without health insurance live this way because they cannot afford to pay out of pocket, or they work at jobs that do not provide these types of benefits for their employees. Most HMOs such as Kaiser Permanente do not admit uninsured patients because the company will not be reimbursed for its medical services by any insurance group. Thus, these patients are left with untreated medical conditions which are only exacerbated by a lack of professional care. However, there is a way in the system in which our uninsured population may receive care. They go to emergency rooms of county hospitals. In these overcrowded and busy areas, uninsured patients can go and receive treatment, no questions asked. The result is that the county hospital absorbs all medical costs to treat these patients. In the past years, many county hospitals in Los Angeles have closed down due to seeing too many patients, and not receiving any pay back. With this last possible means for uninsured people to receive care gone, they are once again left to their own devices when it comes to seeking treatment for illnesses.
Emergency rooms closing down across the country clearly illustrates the problem the United States faces in dealing with the distribution of health care to the uninsured population. As we can witness in other areas of society, those in power will continually seek more power. In America, this power many times manifests itself in the form of money. Large corporations will not help those in need if there is nothing to gain from it. That is why it is up to us, America’s next generation of leaders to take a stand and fight for what is just and for what this nation stands for. It is hard for us, as a relatively privileged and closed-off group of people to understand the gravity of this issue. But can you imagine being the parent of a little girl who is being denied a CAT scan to check for a brain tumor, because your wages from working the graveyard shift as a janitor at a private university cannot pay for this crucial service? Imagine being the kindly nurse behind the reception desk at a hospital who has to tell a young man plagued by pneumonia that you cannot do anything for him today, maybe he should try somewhere else? This is not what living in the United States is about. Life will always be a struggle, but for people to have to struggle even to maintain health, the very element life is dependent on, is pathetic.
Universal health care is an idea that scares many, and if implemented would bring about change very slowly, as the entire medical system of this country must be revamped. With universal health care, every body would be granted at least some minimal standard of care. It becomes our moral duty to further our country in upholding “liberty and justice for all” by advocating positive change that will allow exactly that for all of its people. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison” (Thoreau 355). We cannot sit idly on the sidelines when people are in need of our support. By remaining inactive, we ultimately condemn those in need and even ourselves to living in a world that slips farther and farther away from what our forefathers envisioned. We cannot simply wait for change to occur. Remember, often times the changes that need to be made are under the influence of those with power and money whose interests may differ vastly from those who would benefit from the change. If we wait for these parties to take action, we may as well go to the grave still waiting.
We must collectively, as a group find strength to help the uninsured people of our world who are as deserving of health care as the rest of us are. Look for doctors with private practices who are open to caring for the uninsured and make them your place of choice for receiving care, rather than large corporations. This way, you not only directly support an individual with similar interests as yourself, you also make a strong statement to the greater community, that all health care providers should follow such an example. Change often occurs on a small scale first, so write to your local policy makers about what an injustice it is to deny people of their right to health care. With enough volume of letters, your voice will be heard and perhaps inspire others. We owe it to ourselves, those around us, and our future generations to take a stand and right any injustices that still exist in our world. Fighting for health care for all is something I am passionate about and will make a part of my future. I hope I have motivated some of you to at least think about this issue, if not act upon it as well.
References:
Thoreau, Henry David. “Civil Disobedience.” 75 Reading Across the Curriculum. Chris Anson. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. 345-366
Final: Daily Problem
I could say that we live in a free, peaceful, and perfect world. Nevertheless, do we really live in a perfect world? What injustice do I have conviction? I personal think that racism is still a big problem today, rather its direct or indirect. I believe racism comes from hatred and power over one group to another. Even though people believe that racism has died down since the histories, but we could still see indirect racism in media, education, or from career.
Media has the biggest influence on modern society. We get news and information through media such as Internet, television, newspapers, or magazine. Advertisement has its power to persuade everyone to buy certain products. It could easily brainwash someone’s thought and idea. For example, first week of the class, we talked about the Tommy Hilfiger ad. When I saw the ad, all I could think of was a cute girl sitting down. However, when Maxwell stated that it could mean racism, I thought to myself, it could really portray as racism. Since we all know that Tommy is racist toward Asian, it brainwashes us to think that Tommy made this ad to show his racism thoughts. Maxwell stated that just because the girl was African American, and she was spreading her legs apart, it could also mean that she is “easy” girl. This shows how power of one group is showing racism indirectly.
I know you might think that this is ironic, because school is the place where they teach you to think on your own, and its suppose to help think “better” ideas. Teachers have one of the biggest influences on every student. How teachers act or say could influence person’s life. For example, when I was in high school, my favorite teacher of all times, P.E. teacher was racist. He was racist towards Hispanics. When we were running a mile, there was one Hispanic person; he was the fastest runner in our class. However, my teacher somewhat jokingly said, “you know why your so fast? Because you had to run away from border police!” it was funny at the moment, but I realized that what he said was just wrong.
Lastly, in our readings “how to tame a wild tongue” by Anzaldua, he stated “if you want to be American, speak ‘American” (Anzaldua). If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong.” This is a great example that proves and shows direct racism. For example, I know a co-worker, Gabriel, which he personally heard this from our manager at work. One day after work, Gabriel decided to buy me a beer. First thing that really disturbed me was when we were at Safeway buying beers. He only had a Mexican I.D. with him, and the cashier gave him hard time by saying that he needs a Californian I.D. or passport. Obviously, my co-worker did not have them and it took about ten minutes to convince the cashier that he was over 21 years old. Later on, we started drinking in a parking lot front of our work, and he told me that he was illegal immigrant to United States and he have been living in U.S. for about five years now. I remember one story he told me and I cannot forget this story. He was telling me a story about a new co-worker that could not speak English because he just came from Mexico. Since he could not speak English, Gabriel had to ask questions for the new worker. However, the manager told Gabriel, “If he wants to speak to me, tells him to come and speak to me. You do not have to speak for him. If he wants to work here, he has to speak English.” Manager also added, “it’s not my problem that he can’t speak English. If he doesn’t like it, tell him to go back to Mexico where he belongs.” This event shows clearly that racism is still around, and this has to stop.
In conclusion, my actual thoughts and actions of racism are still influenced in United States. It might not be showed directly, but we could clearly see indirect racism. My point is that racism is still around our daily life, and we have to stop this chamber before it becomes worldly problems. All I can say is, “problem is solved when we start seeing African American or Asian American president.”
Work Cited
Anzaldua “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” 75 Readings across the curriculum.
Ed. Emily Barrosse. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Media has the biggest influence on modern society. We get news and information through media such as Internet, television, newspapers, or magazine. Advertisement has its power to persuade everyone to buy certain products. It could easily brainwash someone’s thought and idea. For example, first week of the class, we talked about the Tommy Hilfiger ad. When I saw the ad, all I could think of was a cute girl sitting down. However, when Maxwell stated that it could mean racism, I thought to myself, it could really portray as racism. Since we all know that Tommy is racist toward Asian, it brainwashes us to think that Tommy made this ad to show his racism thoughts. Maxwell stated that just because the girl was African American, and she was spreading her legs apart, it could also mean that she is “easy” girl. This shows how power of one group is showing racism indirectly.
I know you might think that this is ironic, because school is the place where they teach you to think on your own, and its suppose to help think “better” ideas. Teachers have one of the biggest influences on every student. How teachers act or say could influence person’s life. For example, when I was in high school, my favorite teacher of all times, P.E. teacher was racist. He was racist towards Hispanics. When we were running a mile, there was one Hispanic person; he was the fastest runner in our class. However, my teacher somewhat jokingly said, “you know why your so fast? Because you had to run away from border police!” it was funny at the moment, but I realized that what he said was just wrong.
Lastly, in our readings “how to tame a wild tongue” by Anzaldua, he stated “if you want to be American, speak ‘American” (Anzaldua). If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong.” This is a great example that proves and shows direct racism. For example, I know a co-worker, Gabriel, which he personally heard this from our manager at work. One day after work, Gabriel decided to buy me a beer. First thing that really disturbed me was when we were at Safeway buying beers. He only had a Mexican I.D. with him, and the cashier gave him hard time by saying that he needs a Californian I.D. or passport. Obviously, my co-worker did not have them and it took about ten minutes to convince the cashier that he was over 21 years old. Later on, we started drinking in a parking lot front of our work, and he told me that he was illegal immigrant to United States and he have been living in U.S. for about five years now. I remember one story he told me and I cannot forget this story. He was telling me a story about a new co-worker that could not speak English because he just came from Mexico. Since he could not speak English, Gabriel had to ask questions for the new worker. However, the manager told Gabriel, “If he wants to speak to me, tells him to come and speak to me. You do not have to speak for him. If he wants to work here, he has to speak English.” Manager also added, “it’s not my problem that he can’t speak English. If he doesn’t like it, tell him to go back to Mexico where he belongs.” This event shows clearly that racism is still around, and this has to stop.
In conclusion, my actual thoughts and actions of racism are still influenced in United States. It might not be showed directly, but we could clearly see indirect racism. My point is that racism is still around our daily life, and we have to stop this chamber before it becomes worldly problems. All I can say is, “problem is solved when we start seeing African American or Asian American president.”
Work Cited
Anzaldua “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” 75 Readings across the curriculum.
Ed. Emily Barrosse. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008.
The Need for Change.
The Need For Change
Racism and discrimination are a part of our lives that have caused nothing but endless problems in our society. Living in America as a minority, I have been discriminated against many times because of my outer skin color and my culture. The pain that one suffers from racial discrimination is one of the worst mental pains one will experience and if racism does not come to an end, then the world will never be able to join as one and live in a peaceful society. Our world is one that is diverse with so many different nationalities and cultures but the problem occurs when people cannot come to an appreciation or at least an acceptance of a culture. Racism must come to an end immediately and it is only possible if we as people of this earth, rise up against the racist groups in our society and fight until racism is no more.
Almost every human being has experienced racism at some point in their lives. You may have been a direct victim of racism or a spectator of a person being criticized due to their race but either way, racism has affected people all over the world. I personally have been a victim of racism and the agony that comes from it is one that is unbearable. Words such as “chink” or “rice picker” are ones that have been thrown at me but those are just the minute forms of racism. The worst form of racism I have experienced is being excluded from a group due to the color of my skin.
I was just a young boy living in England when I first experienced racism first hand. I had never been exposed to the concept of racism and so was quite unaware at first of what was going on but soon it hit me. I was being bullied and made fun of because I looked different from the other children in the classroom. I looked around the classroom and found that everyone looked different from me except just one boy. I came to know this boy very well for he was my only friend in the classroom and we both realized that we were not “fit” to join the other classmates during play time. We looked different but that was it. That was what excluded us from the rest of the children and even at such a young age of 5, these British children found ways to humiliate us. During recess, toys would not be shared and some would even laugh at us making facial expressions to try and exaggerate the “Asian” look. The teachers would try to tell those children that not sharing the toys with us was wrong but never did they actually approach the children about racism. The teachers probably thought we were too young to be exposed to such content but I believe that racism should be a topic taught to children as soon as they are old enough to think for themselves.
There is never a positive outcome when dealing with racism. Racism offers no gain to society and therefore must be eliminated. The problem that lies with eliminating racism is that some people have lived their whole lives believing that racism is perfectly fine and that a certain race is obviously higher on the hierarchy compared to others. This thought was one of founding bases of the United States of America but is one that clearly should not be in our lives today. Our world has moved past those stages and in order for our world to move forward, racism must come to an end.
The problems we face with racism today are different from the ones that Martin Luther King experienced. King experienced discrimination such as not being allowed to go to certain public restaurants or sit in certain places and those are now things in the past. Today, we face problems with verbal and physical fights that break out due to the differences some people see in each other’s race and only cause cultures to constantly clash. Martin Luther King said in his letter to the clergymen, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” One incident with racism that occurs on one side of the country can encourage racism to break out in other parts of country which only leads to the spread of racism. Racism must be eliminated as a whole in order to have racism be eliminated, the people of the world must act and fight together.
One may say that racism is a form of freedom and a person has a right to be racist if they wish to be but freedom should not give people the power to bring negativity to the world. We must bring it to the attention of the leaders in our country that racism is an offense that should in all seriousness, be considered illegal. Racism should be a crime and the government needs to take action in order for this to take place. The government may not take this very seriously but if people rise up and are able to prove that racism really is a problem in our society. Until we, the people of this world, bring it to attention to the higher people in power, the world will remain full of hate and discrimination towards one another.
Protests and rallying are all great forms of fighting for a cause but in this case, these forms do not seem to have much effect for there have been endless rallies and protests whereon positive outcome is reached. Protests and rallies may just end up with more battles between the authorities and the people so therefore we must find another form of action. One that I believe has a great amount of strength is the use of the media we have available to us today. Making a statement through a television show, writing letters to the local mayors and senators, calling radio stations to have your voice be heard are all great ways of taking action. Physical fighting and marching on the streets only cause mayhem and is an ineffective way for our government to take notice. Writing and speaking out are ways that can really move the people in power and allow them to finally realize that making racism is a logical choice.
Looking at our world today, it seems that many people are affected by racism but not enough people care to take action against it. It is only a matter of time before the next generation of humans will be exposed to racism and therefore, racism must come to an end immediately. We must rise up and inform the people and the leaders of the world that racism should not be accepted at all in society and must be made illegal. There is no grey area for racism and any form of racism whether it be teasing or physically torturing, should not be allowed. The task of eliminating racism lies in the hands of us, the people, and it is up to us if we want to make a change in this world for the better.
Works Cited.
King Jr., Martin L. "Letter From Birmingham City Jail." 16 Apr. 1963.
Racism and discrimination are a part of our lives that have caused nothing but endless problems in our society. Living in America as a minority, I have been discriminated against many times because of my outer skin color and my culture. The pain that one suffers from racial discrimination is one of the worst mental pains one will experience and if racism does not come to an end, then the world will never be able to join as one and live in a peaceful society. Our world is one that is diverse with so many different nationalities and cultures but the problem occurs when people cannot come to an appreciation or at least an acceptance of a culture. Racism must come to an end immediately and it is only possible if we as people of this earth, rise up against the racist groups in our society and fight until racism is no more.
Almost every human being has experienced racism at some point in their lives. You may have been a direct victim of racism or a spectator of a person being criticized due to their race but either way, racism has affected people all over the world. I personally have been a victim of racism and the agony that comes from it is one that is unbearable. Words such as “chink” or “rice picker” are ones that have been thrown at me but those are just the minute forms of racism. The worst form of racism I have experienced is being excluded from a group due to the color of my skin.
I was just a young boy living in England when I first experienced racism first hand. I had never been exposed to the concept of racism and so was quite unaware at first of what was going on but soon it hit me. I was being bullied and made fun of because I looked different from the other children in the classroom. I looked around the classroom and found that everyone looked different from me except just one boy. I came to know this boy very well for he was my only friend in the classroom and we both realized that we were not “fit” to join the other classmates during play time. We looked different but that was it. That was what excluded us from the rest of the children and even at such a young age of 5, these British children found ways to humiliate us. During recess, toys would not be shared and some would even laugh at us making facial expressions to try and exaggerate the “Asian” look. The teachers would try to tell those children that not sharing the toys with us was wrong but never did they actually approach the children about racism. The teachers probably thought we were too young to be exposed to such content but I believe that racism should be a topic taught to children as soon as they are old enough to think for themselves.
There is never a positive outcome when dealing with racism. Racism offers no gain to society and therefore must be eliminated. The problem that lies with eliminating racism is that some people have lived their whole lives believing that racism is perfectly fine and that a certain race is obviously higher on the hierarchy compared to others. This thought was one of founding bases of the United States of America but is one that clearly should not be in our lives today. Our world has moved past those stages and in order for our world to move forward, racism must come to an end.
The problems we face with racism today are different from the ones that Martin Luther King experienced. King experienced discrimination such as not being allowed to go to certain public restaurants or sit in certain places and those are now things in the past. Today, we face problems with verbal and physical fights that break out due to the differences some people see in each other’s race and only cause cultures to constantly clash. Martin Luther King said in his letter to the clergymen, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” One incident with racism that occurs on one side of the country can encourage racism to break out in other parts of country which only leads to the spread of racism. Racism must be eliminated as a whole in order to have racism be eliminated, the people of the world must act and fight together.
One may say that racism is a form of freedom and a person has a right to be racist if they wish to be but freedom should not give people the power to bring negativity to the world. We must bring it to the attention of the leaders in our country that racism is an offense that should in all seriousness, be considered illegal. Racism should be a crime and the government needs to take action in order for this to take place. The government may not take this very seriously but if people rise up and are able to prove that racism really is a problem in our society. Until we, the people of this world, bring it to attention to the higher people in power, the world will remain full of hate and discrimination towards one another.
Protests and rallying are all great forms of fighting for a cause but in this case, these forms do not seem to have much effect for there have been endless rallies and protests whereon positive outcome is reached. Protests and rallies may just end up with more battles between the authorities and the people so therefore we must find another form of action. One that I believe has a great amount of strength is the use of the media we have available to us today. Making a statement through a television show, writing letters to the local mayors and senators, calling radio stations to have your voice be heard are all great ways of taking action. Physical fighting and marching on the streets only cause mayhem and is an ineffective way for our government to take notice. Writing and speaking out are ways that can really move the people in power and allow them to finally realize that making racism is a logical choice.
Looking at our world today, it seems that many people are affected by racism but not enough people care to take action against it. It is only a matter of time before the next generation of humans will be exposed to racism and therefore, racism must come to an end immediately. We must rise up and inform the people and the leaders of the world that racism should not be accepted at all in society and must be made illegal. There is no grey area for racism and any form of racism whether it be teasing or physically torturing, should not be allowed. The task of eliminating racism lies in the hands of us, the people, and it is up to us if we want to make a change in this world for the better.
Works Cited.
King Jr., Martin L. "Letter From Birmingham City Jail." 16 Apr. 1963.
Final-Corrupted Values
“The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it” (Thoreau 345). In full detail, Thoreau explains that government might be behind all concerning issues. I thought to myself, wow this is true especially in our society now. Most people need to take action and speak out before put down in society. There are many reasons the society today are publicly interrupted such as serious privacy protection and the freedom of choices.
In society, there are many protected rights such as cameras on the corner of the street, investigators who will try to retrieve many information from you, detectives, or even maybe in casino places. Whatever it is, the privacy is protected way too much for most people. For instance, as my family and I are enjoying our stay at the MGM grand hotel at Las Vegas Nevada, I felt very uncomfortable. Being 21 years old, I saw dome cameras in each slot machines. I felt that every move I take, I am being watched. One day, for fun, I decided to one of the slot machines. The security guards then rushed at me and took me to an isolated room. I didn’t know what exactly was going on until one of the security guards told me that I looked under-aged. Soon after I gave and told them my identity, they released me. Although, I was not under 21, I felt that my privacy has been invaded for the wrong purposes. This shows that privacy in society is handed way too seriously.
Another example, in which privacy is way too serious the time when I was at Longs Drugs. As I was shopping for a mothers day card, there were many mirrors slanted and embedded onto the wall. The mirrors were so detectable that you could see yourself almost a mile away. Although the mirrors were there to prevent someone from theft usage, I felt that my privacy was going down the drain. Each move I take, I felt that I was being watched in a mysterious way. Overall, this shows how one’s privacy is ultimately taken away.
Not only most peoples privacy are handled way too serious, but freedom of choices also. As a child hanging out with friends, I remember when I was sitting in my front porch playing my toys. All of a sudden, my friend came over and ask if he could play with my toys, I told him in a nice way that I had to go inside to eat dinner. Then my friend said, “It’s a free country”. Apparently that phrase, “it’s a free country”, shocked me, I knew he was right. As I grew older and wiser, I knew that this country wasn’t free after all. For instance, when I obtained my license a little over a few years ago, I thought I would be hanging out with my friend all night and going from places to place, but my freedom was all locked up. The government is smart nowadays to have teenagers out in the streets late out at night but takes their freedom away from them. This shows how freedom is taken away in society.
Law enforcements are strict nowadays to many people. Although serving law enforcement is a great idea to the society, there are many under-aged teenagers who are being arrested. One fine night, my friend, James and a couple of his friends were at a school hanging out in his car. James and their friends just wanted to hang out and talk about memories and future careers. As James and his friends were talking about their future goals, they see this light flashing on and off continuously. Later did they knew, it was the police. Although James and his friends didn’t have any alcohol or dugs in his car, the police still went ahead and arrested of him and was all sent home. In addition, James was also fined for no reason. Overall, this explains how freedom is handed way too serious.
Whether you see many cameras or mirrors above you, you are being watched. As you obtain your license or hanging late out night, your rights are demolished. Whatever it is your privacy and freedom are ruining your life. As you can see, society plays a role to having an intolerable freedom of choice and a handled privacy. I believe that our laws are way too strict to abide. Although I am stilling abiding by the laws handed from the government, I will still be myself. Before any action is made, I will stop and think, “am I safe anymore?”.
Work Cited
Thoreau. “Meaning of a Word.” 75 Readings across the curriculum.
PS: It was a pleasure meeting you guys. This past 6 weeks of summer english was fun if it weren't for all of you guys. Thanks.
-Sherwin
Here is my webpage. Enjoy ^_^
http://s2kfreak.googlepages.com/home
In society, there are many protected rights such as cameras on the corner of the street, investigators who will try to retrieve many information from you, detectives, or even maybe in casino places. Whatever it is, the privacy is protected way too much for most people. For instance, as my family and I are enjoying our stay at the MGM grand hotel at Las Vegas Nevada, I felt very uncomfortable. Being 21 years old, I saw dome cameras in each slot machines. I felt that every move I take, I am being watched. One day, for fun, I decided to one of the slot machines. The security guards then rushed at me and took me to an isolated room. I didn’t know what exactly was going on until one of the security guards told me that I looked under-aged. Soon after I gave and told them my identity, they released me. Although, I was not under 21, I felt that my privacy has been invaded for the wrong purposes. This shows that privacy in society is handed way too seriously.
Another example, in which privacy is way too serious the time when I was at Longs Drugs. As I was shopping for a mothers day card, there were many mirrors slanted and embedded onto the wall. The mirrors were so detectable that you could see yourself almost a mile away. Although the mirrors were there to prevent someone from theft usage, I felt that my privacy was going down the drain. Each move I take, I felt that I was being watched in a mysterious way. Overall, this shows how one’s privacy is ultimately taken away.
Not only most peoples privacy are handled way too serious, but freedom of choices also. As a child hanging out with friends, I remember when I was sitting in my front porch playing my toys. All of a sudden, my friend came over and ask if he could play with my toys, I told him in a nice way that I had to go inside to eat dinner. Then my friend said, “It’s a free country”. Apparently that phrase, “it’s a free country”, shocked me, I knew he was right. As I grew older and wiser, I knew that this country wasn’t free after all. For instance, when I obtained my license a little over a few years ago, I thought I would be hanging out with my friend all night and going from places to place, but my freedom was all locked up. The government is smart nowadays to have teenagers out in the streets late out at night but takes their freedom away from them. This shows how freedom is taken away in society.
Law enforcements are strict nowadays to many people. Although serving law enforcement is a great idea to the society, there are many under-aged teenagers who are being arrested. One fine night, my friend, James and a couple of his friends were at a school hanging out in his car. James and their friends just wanted to hang out and talk about memories and future careers. As James and his friends were talking about their future goals, they see this light flashing on and off continuously. Later did they knew, it was the police. Although James and his friends didn’t have any alcohol or dugs in his car, the police still went ahead and arrested of him and was all sent home. In addition, James was also fined for no reason. Overall, this explains how freedom is handed way too serious.
Whether you see many cameras or mirrors above you, you are being watched. As you obtain your license or hanging late out night, your rights are demolished. Whatever it is your privacy and freedom are ruining your life. As you can see, society plays a role to having an intolerable freedom of choice and a handled privacy. I believe that our laws are way too strict to abide. Although I am stilling abiding by the laws handed from the government, I will still be myself. Before any action is made, I will stop and think, “am I safe anymore?”.
Work Cited
Thoreau. “Meaning of a Word.” 75 Readings across the curriculum.
PS: It was a pleasure meeting you guys. This past 6 weeks of summer english was fun if it weren't for all of you guys. Thanks.
-Sherwin
Here is my webpage. Enjoy ^_^
http://s2kfreak.googlepages.com/home
Consumer's Evil Empire - Final
Where we choose to shop is an integral part of daily life. Our shopping experiences lead us to favor and dislike certain brands and retailers. Today, we are seeing the expansion of major big box retailers; stores that sell a wide array of goods for every reach of daily life. The biggest of them all is Wal-Mart. Each Wal-Mart Supercenter is a concrete monstrosity selling food, electronic gadgets, personal (and animal) care and cleaning products, furniture, auto parts, even clothes. These stores really have become one-stop shopping centers. Many of us admire these places because they have revolutionized shopping. No longer do we need to drive around town picking up each item we need. Just head on down to Wal-Mart. Despite these positive features, one must realize that Wal-Mart and retailers like them are overpowering our nation. Their prices are so low that they drive competitors out of business, they compensate employees poorly and do not pay proper benefits, and most of all they are supporting our throwaway society. We need to see through the prices and realize that we are not saving in the end.
Wal-Mart has approximately 3,400 stores in the US, with an average store size of 165,000 square feet. In 2005, Wal-Mart recorded 312 billion dollars in sales from their more than 6,200 facilities across the globe (Wiki). These numbers indicate that Wal-Mart is a major factor in our retail world, and that they continue to expand become an unavoidable force. As each new Supercenter opens with claims of new jobs and a big positive impact on the local economy, we seldom realize the true effect of these stores. Each store does offer a great number of jobs, but they do not answer at what expense the jobs come. A new store is going to have a huge impact on the local economy, but the impact will not be as impressive as Wal-Mart claims. Each new store will put a handful of local retailers out of business, further increasing unemployment. These small retailers are unable to compete with the sheer scale of Wal-Mart. Buying in bulk always lowers prices, and buying bulk to stock over 6,000 stores means prices hit rock bottom. No mom-and-pop retailer can compete with these low prices, and thus forced out of business. Therefore, while Wal-Mart claims new jobs, the now unemployed workers of the town will fill many of these positions. Is that a positive effect on the community?
As these employees shift allegiance from their own businesses to Wal-Mart, they miss their onetime benefits most have come to enjoy. To avoid having to pay benefits, Wal-Mart creates schedules to limit the hours of their employees. Anything below 32 hours a week, they consider part-time, and as a part time employee, an employer is not required to pay benefits. Therefore, Wal-Mart knowingly creates thousands of part time positions to further neglect their employees and their towns.
You could imagine Wal-Mart as the elementary school bully going up against the small underdeveloped kid. The bully comes from a wealthy family and has no need for anything else, but that bully still has the desire to make others miserable. He is going to go out and punch every kid in the face to get his or her lunch money. He does not care where the kids come from, nor whether they have much or not; he knocks them out without discrimination. He is never punished because his parents are major contributors to the school, and if the administration were to punish him, their funding would fall and they would not be able to continue running their upstanding institution.
If we were to parallel this example to our country, we find it very true. Wal-Mart does have everything they need, but they continue to expand. They go after helpless towns that cannot fight, and when picked upon stand no chance. Our government is the administration; one that is afraid to act upon the corporation because the tax revenue the government gains from them is a major chunk of our budget. If the administration were to impose higher taxes on Wal-Mart, our administration would cease to exist by the next election because of the influence Wal-Mart and their leaders have in influencing our policy. So, what is the solution?
“’Why didn’t you give the new administration time to act?’ The only answer I can give to this inquiry is that the new administration must be prodded about as much as the outgoing one before it acts” (369). While Martin Luther King Jr. was referencing the administration to their opposition to change during the Civil Rights movement, we find ourselves in a similar, but much less violent position. We ask: how can we take down this giant? The solution is to stop feeding it. For many this is a difficult task because they themselves are on Wal-Mart's pay roll, and their reduced wages makes them dependent on the always-low prices. What we must realize is that while the prices are low, the impact Wal-Mart has had on our quality of life is huge. If we are able to hold off on the luxuries and scale back to save our income, we can overcome the claims of a Wal-Mart. For those of us with sufficient income, the answer is simple: Do not shop at Wal-Mart. If you would like to step your convictions a step further, you can boycott the many brands Wal-Mart carries. This may be a difficult stand, but if we are able to cut down their bottom line, they will see that there ways are not working. If we cut them down far enough, their influence on our politics will decrease because our revenue from their bottom line will not have as much of a profound effect on our bottom line. If we step away from their smiling yellow face, maybe we can then bring our own smiles back.
These boycotts start with regular people like you and I. If we can work together and change our shopping habits, we can change how we do business America. I myself have never purchased an item from Wal-Mart. I have visited a few of their stores on occasion, but that was for entertainment and to fulfill an assignment. I have seen how unhappy the shoppers and employees are, letting me know that no one is truly happy with what Wal-Mart has done. In any situation where you feel there is an injustice, you must revolt and rise up against your foe. Together we can make a difference.
Works Cited
“Wal-Mart” Wikipedia. 30 July 2007.
<>.
King Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. 1963. Anson, Chris. 75 Readings Across the Curriculum An Anthology. Boston: Mc Graw Hill. 2008. 366-383.
Its been a fun six weeks. I'll see you all around.
Wal-Mart has approximately 3,400 stores in the US, with an average store size of 165,000 square feet. In 2005, Wal-Mart recorded 312 billion dollars in sales from their more than 6,200 facilities across the globe (Wiki). These numbers indicate that Wal-Mart is a major factor in our retail world, and that they continue to expand become an unavoidable force. As each new Supercenter opens with claims of new jobs and a big positive impact on the local economy, we seldom realize the true effect of these stores. Each store does offer a great number of jobs, but they do not answer at what expense the jobs come. A new store is going to have a huge impact on the local economy, but the impact will not be as impressive as Wal-Mart claims. Each new store will put a handful of local retailers out of business, further increasing unemployment. These small retailers are unable to compete with the sheer scale of Wal-Mart. Buying in bulk always lowers prices, and buying bulk to stock over 6,000 stores means prices hit rock bottom. No mom-and-pop retailer can compete with these low prices, and thus forced out of business. Therefore, while Wal-Mart claims new jobs, the now unemployed workers of the town will fill many of these positions. Is that a positive effect on the community?
As these employees shift allegiance from their own businesses to Wal-Mart, they miss their onetime benefits most have come to enjoy. To avoid having to pay benefits, Wal-Mart creates schedules to limit the hours of their employees. Anything below 32 hours a week, they consider part-time, and as a part time employee, an employer is not required to pay benefits. Therefore, Wal-Mart knowingly creates thousands of part time positions to further neglect their employees and their towns.
You could imagine Wal-Mart as the elementary school bully going up against the small underdeveloped kid. The bully comes from a wealthy family and has no need for anything else, but that bully still has the desire to make others miserable. He is going to go out and punch every kid in the face to get his or her lunch money. He does not care where the kids come from, nor whether they have much or not; he knocks them out without discrimination. He is never punished because his parents are major contributors to the school, and if the administration were to punish him, their funding would fall and they would not be able to continue running their upstanding institution.
If we were to parallel this example to our country, we find it very true. Wal-Mart does have everything they need, but they continue to expand. They go after helpless towns that cannot fight, and when picked upon stand no chance. Our government is the administration; one that is afraid to act upon the corporation because the tax revenue the government gains from them is a major chunk of our budget. If the administration were to impose higher taxes on Wal-Mart, our administration would cease to exist by the next election because of the influence Wal-Mart and their leaders have in influencing our policy. So, what is the solution?
“’Why didn’t you give the new administration time to act?’ The only answer I can give to this inquiry is that the new administration must be prodded about as much as the outgoing one before it acts” (369). While Martin Luther King Jr. was referencing the administration to their opposition to change during the Civil Rights movement, we find ourselves in a similar, but much less violent position. We ask: how can we take down this giant? The solution is to stop feeding it. For many this is a difficult task because they themselves are on Wal-Mart's pay roll, and their reduced wages makes them dependent on the always-low prices. What we must realize is that while the prices are low, the impact Wal-Mart has had on our quality of life is huge. If we are able to hold off on the luxuries and scale back to save our income, we can overcome the claims of a Wal-Mart. For those of us with sufficient income, the answer is simple: Do not shop at Wal-Mart. If you would like to step your convictions a step further, you can boycott the many brands Wal-Mart carries. This may be a difficult stand, but if we are able to cut down their bottom line, they will see that there ways are not working. If we cut them down far enough, their influence on our politics will decrease because our revenue from their bottom line will not have as much of a profound effect on our bottom line. If we step away from their smiling yellow face, maybe we can then bring our own smiles back.
These boycotts start with regular people like you and I. If we can work together and change our shopping habits, we can change how we do business America. I myself have never purchased an item from Wal-Mart. I have visited a few of their stores on occasion, but that was for entertainment and to fulfill an assignment. I have seen how unhappy the shoppers and employees are, letting me know that no one is truly happy with what Wal-Mart has done. In any situation where you feel there is an injustice, you must revolt and rise up against your foe. Together we can make a difference.
Works Cited
“Wal-Mart” Wikipedia. 30 July 2007.
<>.
King Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. 1963. Anson, Chris. 75 Readings Across the Curriculum An Anthology. Boston: Mc Graw Hill. 2008. 366-383.
Its been a fun six weeks. I'll see you all around.
e-portfolio
my e-porfolio is pretty much done. i just need to add the final and then woohoo :]
http://www.geocities.com/vix2anx/coverpage.html
ENJOY! it's been a great quarter with all of you.
http://www.geocities.com/vix2anx/coverpage.html
ENJOY! it's been a great quarter with all of you.
Final: A Fight for Equality
Through decades in our American History, injustice and inequality have become an issue in our nation. Although Civil Rights have been enforced, people still feel discriminated and threatened because of their skin color, gender and/or age. Every man or woman is created equal and should be given equal opportunities regardless of their outer appearance. I strongly believe in equality and believe that no one has the right to judge or exploit another person and take away their rights as a human. We, as people, should not tolerate this hostility but rather speak out against those who see other’s negatively by making sure that no one is discriminated upon.
When applying for a job, most places claim that they are an Equal Opportunity Employer, thus meaning that everyone who applied for the job had an equal chance of getting the job. However, as a person who is a minority turns in their application to a place, I personally see some racial discrimination. Back at my old job at Starbucks, an African-American girl turned in her application. Right of the bat, my former co-worker already started to assume her personality and background just because she was African-American. If Starbucks, as a company, agrees and claims that they are an Equal Opportunity Employer, the managers and shift supervisors should make sure that all the employees follow this lead. Discrimination at work is unacceptable and to work at a place that guarantee’s no racial discrimination should take into consideration that this discrimination is not allowed. Before a person is hired, a training process to prevent such inequality should be taught. This broadens and brings out these types of issues. I do not understand how anyone could judge a person just by his or her outer appearance and believe that this topic in all environments should be stopped.
Martin Luther King stepped out of his comfort zone to help discrimination against African-American’s to be stopped. He stood out as a leader to have such hostility and inequality diminished before them. Even after all his hard work to bring peace, currently racism still exists. Regardless of the Civil Rights Movement and bringing equality, physical appearance is already of cause of how they are portrayed by society. In Gloria Naylor’s essay, Meaning of a Word, she speaks of how racism is still shown silently which can cause tension between two different cultural groups. “If the word was to disappear totally from the mouths of even the most liberal of white society, no one in that room was naïve enough to believe it would disappear from white minds” (Naylor 64). Injustice and inequality is shown daily but to think of such things is still just a bad. I believe we should look past the color of a person’s skin and deeper into their personality to see what they are truly like.
We are living in a country that sits on diversity. Many immigrants traveled to the United States to gain freedom, leave religious oppression, and hope for a better life. By coming to America, for some it was their chance to get the freedom that their country did not give. To escape from the harsh conditions of their past life and to come to the United States with racism shown to them is an infringement of their rights as humans. We are all trying to live our lives and to be shown inequality at the same time is asking for too much.
Racism in any circumstance is unnecessary and degrading. It is a threat to the freedom that our country promises and is unjust. A person should be able to not get discriminated, verbally or physically, due to their outer appearance and skin color. This is still an issue and we should take into consideration the feelings of those who are being discriminated. Trying to break this discrimination would help our country unite and bring the equality that Martin Luther King tried so hard to fight for.
Works Cited
Naylor, Gloria. “Meaning of a Word.” 75 Readings across the curriculum. Chris Anson. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. 61-64.
When applying for a job, most places claim that they are an Equal Opportunity Employer, thus meaning that everyone who applied for the job had an equal chance of getting the job. However, as a person who is a minority turns in their application to a place, I personally see some racial discrimination. Back at my old job at Starbucks, an African-American girl turned in her application. Right of the bat, my former co-worker already started to assume her personality and background just because she was African-American. If Starbucks, as a company, agrees and claims that they are an Equal Opportunity Employer, the managers and shift supervisors should make sure that all the employees follow this lead. Discrimination at work is unacceptable and to work at a place that guarantee’s no racial discrimination should take into consideration that this discrimination is not allowed. Before a person is hired, a training process to prevent such inequality should be taught. This broadens and brings out these types of issues. I do not understand how anyone could judge a person just by his or her outer appearance and believe that this topic in all environments should be stopped.
Martin Luther King stepped out of his comfort zone to help discrimination against African-American’s to be stopped. He stood out as a leader to have such hostility and inequality diminished before them. Even after all his hard work to bring peace, currently racism still exists. Regardless of the Civil Rights Movement and bringing equality, physical appearance is already of cause of how they are portrayed by society. In Gloria Naylor’s essay, Meaning of a Word, she speaks of how racism is still shown silently which can cause tension between two different cultural groups. “If the word was to disappear totally from the mouths of even the most liberal of white society, no one in that room was naïve enough to believe it would disappear from white minds” (Naylor 64). Injustice and inequality is shown daily but to think of such things is still just a bad. I believe we should look past the color of a person’s skin and deeper into their personality to see what they are truly like.
We are living in a country that sits on diversity. Many immigrants traveled to the United States to gain freedom, leave religious oppression, and hope for a better life. By coming to America, for some it was their chance to get the freedom that their country did not give. To escape from the harsh conditions of their past life and to come to the United States with racism shown to them is an infringement of their rights as humans. We are all trying to live our lives and to be shown inequality at the same time is asking for too much.
Racism in any circumstance is unnecessary and degrading. It is a threat to the freedom that our country promises and is unjust. A person should be able to not get discriminated, verbally or physically, due to their outer appearance and skin color. This is still an issue and we should take into consideration the feelings of those who are being discriminated. Trying to break this discrimination would help our country unite and bring the equality that Martin Luther King tried so hard to fight for.
Works Cited
Naylor, Gloria. “Meaning of a Word.” 75 Readings across the curriculum. Chris Anson. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. 61-64.
Final Essay-Sam always finishes first and how he intends to change the world.
As always, society is not perfect, with its flaws and gapping wounds that demand to be filled. What cause am I willing to champion, what injustice must be changed? Of all the causes I could think of my final choice is atheism, but more importantly the spread of reason. The best way to think of my goal is that you hold your statements and thoughts to the same standards as you hold against others when you are tying to determine if they are true. I want to be able to think for themselves, to be able to question things they assume to be true. Atheism is the easiest was to do this and the best example; it is rare to find a cause that its opponent have no good reasons. Where else can both sides fight the good fight with absolute conviction the opposing, side is wrong and absolutely no grounds for compromise. However, there are others doing these things so I will concentrate on something else, something political. I will try to get politicians to not only speak the truth, but also admit to what is unsaid.
It is not a goal that easily to accomplish. Although protesting for a specific idea or plan of action is easy to imagine, how do you get people to admit that they are hiding something? How do you change “the system”? Why do I continue to write about things like this instead of focusing on peace, or equality, or abortion? The reason is simple; there are so many other people involved in those areas that I would change the balance one way or another if I joined a side. I pick a battle I can fight, not alone, but in such a way as to make a difference. In addition, hanging around politicians provides a lot more air conditioning then protesting in the streets.
Getting people to admit that they are hiding things is hard to do. You might not know what I am talking about if you do not pay attention. What I mean is whenever Bush gives a speech he says “the war in Iraq”, not “the war I started and never could explain”. If politicians were more honest, things might not be better, but they would be clearer. So how do you get people to speak clearer? You work on the media. It reports what politicians say and its spin, whether, slavishly subservient or sarcastically mocking, influences how people see candidates for office. If lying gets them mocked and makes their position indefensible then they will stop doing it in, or at least in ways which they can’t be caught. So getting reporters to be less “fair, balanced, and partisan” would be a good way to go. However the reason that reporters don’t do things controversial, like constantly second guessing political decisions (In today’s news politicians raised the minimum wage yet again. When asked if they were ever planning to tie the rates to inflation they were aghast. “How will we get the base motivated?”) is that it is just not done. Their purpose is to raise stock prices by getting viewers to watch. So we keep on jumping from problem to problem. Fortunately, this one link can be changed. If you own a news station, you can control its content. Money is power in today’s society and while mass action may work for other people, I think that this is more effective. The peace marches of the 60s and 70s have not prevented our nation from going to war almost immediately after Vietnam, the teaching of evolution has had to fight a continuous struggle for the last fifty years, in order to be taught and the pendulum on abortion seems to be swinging back towards criminalization after 30 years of fighting. Each cause has millions on both sides, fighting to sculpt language and ideas in order that they may prevail. I want to be able to fight a winnable battle. Although I do not think independent media will exist for posterity, I do believe it will introduce doubt and make people think. Why fight countless battles against people who will oppose you tooth and nail, when it is so much easier just to change one thing and roll up all the conflicts simultaneously. Although war is weakly based on religion (more often on nationalism), abortion and evolution are usually against opponents fighting on religious grounds, who have shut down their minds (how should we punish those who break the law? How shall we deal with doctors who fail because we refused to let them understand?). I know that reason is the most corrosive counter to faith and it is an even better counter toward other forms of credulity, hopefully blunting peoples gullibility to the sort of promises politicians routinely proffer. Of course, buying a media outlet and using it to express your views is hard going, but Rupert Murdoch has shown it can be done and used to advance a worthy cause: himself. I simply aim significantly lower because I have no idea how hard it is and I wish to aim for what is possible. Protesting will not change the world because it is easy to simply ignore or quash, but using a system against itself is much more satisfying and more effective because a system cannot question its own parts and working. Getting people to think, to question and to doubt is the only way change can happen. Protest can make people realize people just like them endorse it or by change to get to realize the difference is not so bad. However, for objections that are grounded in neither logic nor morality, but faith neither change can work because a person with faith can simply refuse to believe you. You must help them change their minds before you can change their opinions and their politics. Telling someone who mindless supports and idea logical reasons they are wrong is like nailing Jell-O to a wall. There is not any point. You have to solidify that Jell-O and get them to think using reason; it isn’t enough to get them to agree with you, they must understand why and they must know if what they are agreeing to is right or wrong, not because they are told to, but because they are wrong. Already there are shows and sites that illustrate what is wrong with politics, but in general they lean to the left or extremely humorous. I want to start a source that people agree with, that gets them to use logic to support ideas they agree with, but that ends up using that logic for other uses. When they here other arguments using the same logic, I don’t want them to think “I don’t agree, it must be wrong”, but rather “wait, that is what I would say, maybe they are right…” It is a great goal to get people to agree with you on an issue, but it is an even better one to have them come to the same conclusion independently (It shows you didn’t screw up in your reasoning). In the mean time I will try more humble approaches, because teaching people how to think is infinitely better then teaching them what to think.
It is not a goal that easily to accomplish. Although protesting for a specific idea or plan of action is easy to imagine, how do you get people to admit that they are hiding something? How do you change “the system”? Why do I continue to write about things like this instead of focusing on peace, or equality, or abortion? The reason is simple; there are so many other people involved in those areas that I would change the balance one way or another if I joined a side. I pick a battle I can fight, not alone, but in such a way as to make a difference. In addition, hanging around politicians provides a lot more air conditioning then protesting in the streets.
Getting people to admit that they are hiding things is hard to do. You might not know what I am talking about if you do not pay attention. What I mean is whenever Bush gives a speech he says “the war in Iraq”, not “the war I started and never could explain”. If politicians were more honest, things might not be better, but they would be clearer. So how do you get people to speak clearer? You work on the media. It reports what politicians say and its spin, whether, slavishly subservient or sarcastically mocking, influences how people see candidates for office. If lying gets them mocked and makes their position indefensible then they will stop doing it in, or at least in ways which they can’t be caught. So getting reporters to be less “fair, balanced, and partisan” would be a good way to go. However the reason that reporters don’t do things controversial, like constantly second guessing political decisions (In today’s news politicians raised the minimum wage yet again. When asked if they were ever planning to tie the rates to inflation they were aghast. “How will we get the base motivated?”) is that it is just not done. Their purpose is to raise stock prices by getting viewers to watch. So we keep on jumping from problem to problem. Fortunately, this one link can be changed. If you own a news station, you can control its content. Money is power in today’s society and while mass action may work for other people, I think that this is more effective. The peace marches of the 60s and 70s have not prevented our nation from going to war almost immediately after Vietnam, the teaching of evolution has had to fight a continuous struggle for the last fifty years, in order to be taught and the pendulum on abortion seems to be swinging back towards criminalization after 30 years of fighting. Each cause has millions on both sides, fighting to sculpt language and ideas in order that they may prevail. I want to be able to fight a winnable battle. Although I do not think independent media will exist for posterity, I do believe it will introduce doubt and make people think. Why fight countless battles against people who will oppose you tooth and nail, when it is so much easier just to change one thing and roll up all the conflicts simultaneously. Although war is weakly based on religion (more often on nationalism), abortion and evolution are usually against opponents fighting on religious grounds, who have shut down their minds (how should we punish those who break the law? How shall we deal with doctors who fail because we refused to let them understand?). I know that reason is the most corrosive counter to faith and it is an even better counter toward other forms of credulity, hopefully blunting peoples gullibility to the sort of promises politicians routinely proffer. Of course, buying a media outlet and using it to express your views is hard going, but Rupert Murdoch has shown it can be done and used to advance a worthy cause: himself. I simply aim significantly lower because I have no idea how hard it is and I wish to aim for what is possible. Protesting will not change the world because it is easy to simply ignore or quash, but using a system against itself is much more satisfying and more effective because a system cannot question its own parts and working. Getting people to think, to question and to doubt is the only way change can happen. Protest can make people realize people just like them endorse it or by change to get to realize the difference is not so bad. However, for objections that are grounded in neither logic nor morality, but faith neither change can work because a person with faith can simply refuse to believe you. You must help them change their minds before you can change their opinions and their politics. Telling someone who mindless supports and idea logical reasons they are wrong is like nailing Jell-O to a wall. There is not any point. You have to solidify that Jell-O and get them to think using reason; it isn’t enough to get them to agree with you, they must understand why and they must know if what they are agreeing to is right or wrong, not because they are told to, but because they are wrong. Already there are shows and sites that illustrate what is wrong with politics, but in general they lean to the left or extremely humorous. I want to start a source that people agree with, that gets them to use logic to support ideas they agree with, but that ends up using that logic for other uses. When they here other arguments using the same logic, I don’t want them to think “I don’t agree, it must be wrong”, but rather “wait, that is what I would say, maybe they are right…” It is a great goal to get people to agree with you on an issue, but it is an even better one to have them come to the same conclusion independently (It shows you didn’t screw up in your reasoning). In the mean time I will try more humble approaches, because teaching people how to think is infinitely better then teaching them what to think.
Final
Teenage pregnancy has become an increasingly prevalent issue in our society today. Many parents and politicians are responding to this dilemma by trying to gain full control of the sexual rights of our young adults. As seen in California, propositions have been imposed to prevent pregnant teens from seeking private abortions; parents are petitioning for consent and want to have the power to decide against their child’s abortion. In other states, such as many in the Midwest, young women must obtain the consent of their families and wait through a grace period. Teen pregnancy may be on the rise, but it is important for parents and politicians to recognize the sexual rights and privacy that young women are entitled to; parents would provide a disservice to their teens if they seek to eliminate the rights of their children to their own bodies.
Taking away a teenager’s ability to consent to their own abortion is dangerous. Many girls who fall into the issue of teenage pregnancy may come from broken families, and confiding their pregnancy to a family member may bring about abuse. They may also face other issues of disownment and abandonment during a time where support is essential and necessary. Also, young teens may resort to the alternative of illegal abortion to avoid obtaining parental consent; these procedures are not medically approved and life-threatening.
Implicating a grace period also discourages a young woman to seek an abortion. Seeing as many teens attend school, hold jobs, and have no access to direct transportation, several may become disheartened in obtaining an abortion that is both legal and safe. By limiting the options and abilities of a teenager in terminating her pregnancy, teens will have no outlets and freedom in their sexual health.
In several instances, many pregnancies are detrimental to the health of a young teen. Situations such as these call for immediate and mandatory abortion. Many parents may hold beliefs against abortion, so obtaining parental consent would not benefit a young teen whose life is threatened by pregnancy. In these types of medical circumstances, a teenager should be entitled to the rights of her own body. She should have the ability to make a personal decision relating to her own life and death.
As said by Martin Luther King, Jr., “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Like those who have fought in the past for something they believed in, parents and young teens across the country should fight for teenage sexual rights to abortion. Write to council members, petition, and protest. Taking away the sexual rights of a young female is oppressive. Every woman should have the right to make decisions to their own body regardless of their age; no one else understands the body and mind of a woman besides the woman herself.
Taking away a teenager’s ability to consent to their own abortion is dangerous. Many girls who fall into the issue of teenage pregnancy may come from broken families, and confiding their pregnancy to a family member may bring about abuse. They may also face other issues of disownment and abandonment during a time where support is essential and necessary. Also, young teens may resort to the alternative of illegal abortion to avoid obtaining parental consent; these procedures are not medically approved and life-threatening.
Implicating a grace period also discourages a young woman to seek an abortion. Seeing as many teens attend school, hold jobs, and have no access to direct transportation, several may become disheartened in obtaining an abortion that is both legal and safe. By limiting the options and abilities of a teenager in terminating her pregnancy, teens will have no outlets and freedom in their sexual health.
In several instances, many pregnancies are detrimental to the health of a young teen. Situations such as these call for immediate and mandatory abortion. Many parents may hold beliefs against abortion, so obtaining parental consent would not benefit a young teen whose life is threatened by pregnancy. In these types of medical circumstances, a teenager should be entitled to the rights of her own body. She should have the ability to make a personal decision relating to her own life and death.
As said by Martin Luther King, Jr., “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Like those who have fought in the past for something they believed in, parents and young teens across the country should fight for teenage sexual rights to abortion. Write to council members, petition, and protest. Taking away the sexual rights of a young female is oppressive. Every woman should have the right to make decisions to their own body regardless of their age; no one else understands the body and mind of a woman besides the woman herself.
E-Portfolio
Hey guys, here is my e-portfolio: http://zerocaster.googlepages.com/. Still working on the last essay and a few links but the rest is pretty much done
Here is my e-portfolio...
Here is my e-Portfolio. Check it out if you want...
http://madeinkorea23.googlepages.com
http://madeinkorea23.googlepages.com
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