"Don't Let What You Can't Do Stop You From Doing What You Can"
The above quote is from one of my favorite coaches of all time, former UCLA basketball coach, ''The Wizard of Westwood" John Wooden. I talk a lot about him throughout the year because he's kind of a hero of mine, even though, usually, I claim not to have any.
This quote, one of his more well known ones, got me thinking about the state of the world we live in, and how one day soon, it will be up to all of you to fix it. No pressure. :( But, if you even glance at the TV when the news is on, you know I speak truth.
We're in bad shape, and I am seriously doubting the world's so-called political leaders have a clue how to go about reversing the damage.
But, that's what I think is so great about kids. Your potential is limitless, your perspectives are fresh, and your souls aren't yet weary (I truly hope). All that simply means--if the world is going to change, it will be because you guys changed it.
Let's start with what you think is wrong. Maybe you think it's racism, maybe you think it's a propensity for violence, maybe you think it's ignorance, maybe you think it's sexism or poverty, or the fact that we've had the same 2-party political system for the past 200 years. Talk a little about what you think is truly wrong with the world. Think macro or microcosm (society at large, or Oakcrest society), and really tear into what needs to be changed and what, we, the adults in the room, did wrong. How could you, would you, should you, do it better or simply differently?
What you're doing is more than a blog posts, pumpkins. It's more than an assignment, more than a Genesis entry--this is your world and eventually your lives. Both of those things matter. Show me how much.
<3
This quote, one of his more well known ones, got me thinking about the state of the world we live in, and how one day soon, it will be up to all of you to fix it. No pressure. :( But, if you even glance at the TV when the news is on, you know I speak truth.
We're in bad shape, and I am seriously doubting the world's so-called political leaders have a clue how to go about reversing the damage.
But, that's what I think is so great about kids. Your potential is limitless, your perspectives are fresh, and your souls aren't yet weary (I truly hope). All that simply means--if the world is going to change, it will be because you guys changed it.
Let's start with what you think is wrong. Maybe you think it's racism, maybe you think it's a propensity for violence, maybe you think it's ignorance, maybe you think it's sexism or poverty, or the fact that we've had the same 2-party political system for the past 200 years. Talk a little about what you think is truly wrong with the world. Think macro or microcosm (society at large, or Oakcrest society), and really tear into what needs to be changed and what, we, the adults in the room, did wrong. How could you, would you, should you, do it better or simply differently?
What you're doing is more than a blog posts, pumpkins. It's more than an assignment, more than a Genesis entry--this is your world and eventually your lives. Both of those things matter. Show me how much.
<3
I personally really love that you asked us this question, I feel like we do not address the problems of the world enough and it’s time we did. All of our parents had the opportunity to change our world and make it a better place but they did not. They left it up to jus to fix all of their mistakes and make the world a better place for ourselves and our future children. I can’t speak for everyone but our world right now is brutal and just so awful. Everyone is full of hatred and everyone only focuses on the negatives of our world. The society is bad, the environment is even worse as of right now we only have 12 years to get our shit together and take better care of it and that’s really scary to me. I want to leave this world knowing that my children and grandchildren are going to be safe and live a good life, but a lot of people take these kinds of things as a joke. I know the next few things I am about to say are basic and always said but nobody actually ever does it. We need to recycle and reduce our waste and just try to take better care of our world but not just the world, we need to take better care of ourselves as well. Our world is full of overweight people, people who leave their trash everywheres, and they don’t give a shit about what they do. We have such negative minded people in our world and it’s tearing us apart. If our world is still as bad as it is today in the next 8 years I will be extremely scared bringing a child into it. I’m not really into politics like what so ever so I can’t really go into detail about this but I think our political leaders are awful, they’re all full of themselves and get away with being shitty people because of a title. Almost every single one of them only think about themselves and not the people who live in the world they are running. It’s also crazy to me that someone gets to run the country and almost every time they end up being such stupid and awful Presidents. Our justice system is bullshit too, the cops are brutal and again just because they have the title they think they get away with everything they do. I am not saying I hate cops or that they are pigs like 90% of the kids at Oakcrest say because I actually support cops but I don’t support the ones that go around killing innocent people and let their own personal opinions impact how they handle people on the job. The cops don’t focus on the bad people, the ones who go around killing, raping other’s or anything like that, they focus on the ones who do drugs and small stupid shit. Everyone messes up in their lifetime, and arresting someone for drugs is literally the most idiotic thing in my opinion because those people are just going to do it again anyways it’s their choice if they want to do it they are going to. Earlier this summer my little sister friend who lives only a few houses down was almost kidnapped by a creepy man who lives right down the street and was released from prison the next day, and wrote on facebook and I quote “I was doing her a favor.” then there was a restraining order filed that he ignored and came back again and watched her and my little sister and then was sent to jail but fun fact he wasn’t even supposed to be released the first time! There are just so many different problems in our world and honestly it’s going to be hard to change this all but I truly do hope that as time goes on the world just becomes a better and happier place.
ReplyDeleteWhen you said that it’s up to us to fix this terrible world we’re living in, that really put everything into perspective. It really is crazy that in just a few years, it’s our decisions that will impact the world. This world is full of pure hate and you can’t ever please anyone. You cannot be yourself without being judged by someone. You cannot do what you love. You cannot be happy without making someone else unhappy. The biggest problems of this world are not only that, but also racism and sexism. Racism has obviously been apart of this world for many years now, and that’s something that will never stop, because there are people that will always have those views. The people that have those views are entitled to whatever opinion they want, but that opinion is very, very stupid. Everyone is equal and deserves every chance that one another gets, no matter what color their skin is or what kind of background they come from. There will always be diversity in the world and that’s something that needs to be accepted. By putting one another down because we’re different from each other will not help anything. Sexism is also very prevalent in this time, because there are views that men are superior to women. The thought that men are superior to women may also be a cause to the situation of rape in this world. Men have always had the advantage to women ever since the beginning, when women could not own property or vote. Now, it has to do with the fact that men get paid more than women, even if it’s the same job and they have the same experience or degree in education. Despite people saying that men and women are equal, there will always be a barrier blocking us from achieving equality, in both sexism and racism. These are both very major issues and issues that no matter how much we try to solve them, will never be solved. There will always be people out there that will always be sexist or racist. We cannot get rid of all of those people. These views are 100% taught from a young age, not developed. Parents teach their kids these things, even if they don’t realize. Kids soak up so much information when they’re little and pick up every little thing that a parent does or says. The adults put these views in younger people’s heads without even realizing sometimes. You are always taught from a young age, “mind your manners” or “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” and the views of big topics such as racism or sexism are nothing different. I feel as if we could change this by teaching children or young people the importance of these issues. We have to teach them that it is not okay to push people around because of their gender or their race. Everyone is equal and deserves nothing less than another. We need to step up and realize that we are the ones putting thoughts such as these in young people’s heads. We can fix this, at least a little bit, together.
ReplyDeleteThis world we live in is massive yet compact. With 4200 different religions and 195 unique countries, all with different styles of living. The world is extremely diverse yet most of us have a similar way of thinking. How people accuse a victim for their style of clothing and what they wear is something that upsets me. It’s somthing I will defend with my life. Someone shouldn’t think “oh hey she’s wearing a short skirt, i think I’m going to rape her today.” That shouldn’t happen, however it does. One in 4 women have been sexually abused in the United States. Put that into persepective: there’s about 23 people in our class, out of those people there’s 14 girls, that means there is about 3 girls in the class who have been potentially sexually assaulted. Another thing that I don’t understand, is how people litter, how some don’t even believe in climate change. I’m telling you the world is on its road to doom. Some humans are SICk. Why don’t you care about your home? YOUR planet? There is only ONE! Others don’t understand that. I have a friend and she tells me all the time that she doesn’t care. This bothers me to the level of potentially hurting someone. I’m so passionate about keeping my home clean. It’s so disheartening you know by the year 2025 the amount that we will be producing garbage will double from 3.5 million tons A DAY to 6million tons a day. That’s right around the corner. Then in 2100 it will rise up to 11millon tons a day. If you don’t think that’s insane then I don’t know what to do. How can I make people care? How can I make other people realize that this is going on? For OUR sakes. A week ago there was a sperm whale that was washed up in a beach in Spain, in the whale about 64 pounds (if I remember right) of trash was found. The whale basically starved to death because our bodies can’t really break down trash so what ends up happening is that they get a sense of fullness so they don’t think they’re ever hungry. The trash just sits in their bodies. Another big topic for me is dreamers and what was happening with the camps down south. I am a immigrant, I was not born here. I do believe someone should (not just here) legally migrate to a country. I understand what it’s like to be poor, to look at your fridge and see nothing. I understand what it’s like to see your dad almost get shot to death. I get it. Life is hard. But we all have to get around it. You can’t be lazy when you are in those types of situations. I understand that sometimes it’s tough especially when you are in a abusive relationship. Although you have to figure out a way out. That’s with anything. For some people that’s illegally moving to another country. It still doesn’t make it right. Like guys technology exists, use it to your advantage. Just like how the government uses us. I’m going to end this here because for me this could be an never ending rant. I have so much to say. But this is how I’m ending it: If we don’t change now, I fear that the world will end in our lifetimes. I mean that kind of metaphorically.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t touch base with this question. After watching every season of dynasty available on Netflix i can come to the conclusion that people in power don’t give a shit. They do things that will benefit themselves only, whether that’s waking up at 2am or if it’s becoming president. Don’t really know. However this is how we can change the world. Make your voice be heard. Anywhere. For me it’s in SEA club. I’m the “chairperson” or president of the education and outreach part of the club. This year what we’re doing different is that we are speaking to faculty about how we shouldn’t be mixing the trash. When I found out they did that last year, I almost lost it. So I’m making sure it doesn’t happen this year, whether I have to do it alone or not. For the past three years I haven been speaking to almost all science classes on recycling. This year I got to make the PowerPoint, I worded everything hopefully in ways that is easy to understand. I even included a short video. So that’s what I’m doing different on a micro level. I hope to one day to not only be speaking to classes but maybe the community. A way that I’ve considered doing in the future is environmental law. But I’m not certain. And it’s not just these things everything counts. Even if it’s a water bottle or a can, recycle it. The little things matter, not just in relationships, but in every other aspect of life too .
ReplyDeleteWhen someone asks "What is truly wrong with the world" many things come to mind. Despite all the different things that come to mind, the main thing I believe that is wrong with the world I'd of course people. I assure you that in everyone's comment they will most likely put something that people have attributed to. But to get more specific abusive people are what is wrong with today's world. People who are physically and mentally abusive. People who need to put someone down to make themselves better. People who have to tear one down in order to achieve something aren't just being competitive, they are being cruel or mean. Many girls are fake and stab each other in the back. This makes every other person not sure who they can trust and not sure who is a genuine friend or is just there for popularity. Some people in the world try and tell you that you are not good enough which is wrong because if you think you can do something you should try, instead of listening to what someone else has said. People are just not good and don't care for others like we should. There are thief, murders, rapists in this world that effect the lives of everyone. Most people are not innocent, some are more guilty of bad than others, but we are still all guilty. My post is kind of unorganized, but that is because there is so bad in the world I don't know where to starts and how to say it all.
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ReplyDeleteIt’s so hard to believe that one day really soon, we will be the determined factor on how the world will be and how we live in it. Our decisions will impact the world. From stories that my parents both have told me about the world they grew up in, I always thought it was so different compared to how the world is now. But then I grew up, and although there are some differences, there are also plenty of similarities. For one thing, diversity will always be present in the world, but that’s something that just has to be accepted. There is a tremendous amount of hatred in this world I can’t even bare to explain. Nobody can do anything right nowadays to make someone completely happy, there’s always some kind of issue. Sexism has always been a problem in this world. There are beliefs that men are more superior than women, which is most likely the main reason rape tends to occur. Rape is a major thing that is constantly reappearing on the news. Younger women especially have been getting taken advantage of in this situation and it needs to be stopped. Sexism has always existed since the start; when women didn’t have the right to vote. To add on to that, racism is another huge problem that I believe always existed and always will. How people discriminate and treat others based on their skin color just blows my mind. Nobody should feel out of place because of the skin they live in, matter of fact, it should be embraced. There’s isn’t a race that is superior than another race. People claim that everyone has equality now, but that is 100% not true. Everyone truly needs to be treated equal and deserves the same chances that is presented to others. Now, violence is dramatically growing in the world. Everything on the news is so evil and cruel. From shootings to sexual assaults, violence is over ruling kindness. All of these things need to be changed. Everyone needs to feel sheltered, wanted, and equality in this world. Some things adults did wrong was teach younger children about it. Some adults do it on purpose because they want their children to believe what they believe, but other adults tend to teach younger children without even noticing. If everyone comes together as a whole, we can teach every generation coming up the importance of all these subjects. We can slowly put an end to this altogether, and if not altogether, at least more than it was. We need to at least try because with the political leaders we have now, nobody is making an effort.
ReplyDeleteEverything in the world is slowly changing more and more. Whatever happens now, the fate is in our hands. It is up to our generation to fix the problems that are occurring throughout our time alive. I believe that in this world there are so many issues that needs to be address, but sadly they aren’t being addressed because nobody really cares. There is so many things that should be done to stop these hatred acts. One thing that is always present is racism. People judge each other because of their skin. They think that certain races are better than others, however they are all the same. Nobody deserves to be hated on or judged for because of the way they look. It really blows my mind to see so many people being outcasted just because of color. People believe that they are more superior just based on how they look. People look up to the motto that everybody be treated equal, but in our society that is all a lie. Sexual assault is also a big problem. Society doesn’t address this topic as seriously as it should be addressed. SO many don’t understand how big this problem has become. Women are at risk anywhere they go. They struggle and understand how fearsome it is to go anywhere without being a target. It scares me because it puts fear into my brain that I am a target and there is nothing I can do about it. I think that one of the biggest things that scare me is that I become a target because of how I look and how I dress. Sexism is also another big part of society that isn’t addressed often. I think that no matter how often it is addressed, the problem will never be solved. Men believe that they have superior rights over women and it’s something that will never be fixed. I think that people out there are taught that women aren’t as superior as men and that men will always be on top. I think all of these issues that are going on will never be fixed. As much as we try to stop and change the issue, there is still some part of the world that will never fully remove these issues occurring all around us. The older generation say that it is up to us to change whatever is wrong, however I don’t think the younger generation really cares about what the heck is going around them either.
ReplyDeleteI would love to say "wow the world is great" but lets be honest here, theres just so many things wrong. Im not just talking about "our" world I am talking about the other states and countries that are struggling and suffering. There are a lot of things wrong with the world, people just arent kind, people are ignorant, there is racism, war, and we lack equality whether its between woman or men or between races. I know there are other issues in the world but these are always on my mind. I've always been super optimistic about the world one day being okay and not being bad but as time goes by I feel myself losing hope because there are just too many people who are just not on the same page. What WE can do even to just help a tiny bit is to literally be nicer to one another and have empathy for one another. I know its so basic but in my opinion thats just important because mostly everything that's wrong with this world is all because we lack kindness toward eachother. I'm not talking about being those people who are like "spread the love" and then five second later they're belittling someone. I am talking about genuinely being a nice person because its really not that hard and its an easy start. I think what most adults did wrong is not raise their children right, some kids grown up in a household where they are taught to hate but their parents wont label it as hate they will label it as "the right thing" and this will confuse those children who think that they need to be on their parents side. I was told things that I completely disagree with by some family members when I was younger and I was lucky to know in my gut when I was little that those things that I was told and told to act like, was just all wrong. Adults aren't the only ones at fault but the adults who are parents should raise their children to know what is right and what is wrong and they should know that themselves first.
ReplyDeleteToday is a work in progress for the future. Generations are passing by and the world is slowly deteriorating. What is wrong has meaning and always has; racism. Racism is not only demoralizing but it causes a horrific amount of violence. To be completely honest, the group I’m targeting is white middle aged or older adults. But let me clarify, not all middle aged white men and women are racist obviously. However, I feel as though adults are so ignorant to their comments and actions, I mean...look at our orange of a president… Anyways. Todays generations of kids aren’t angels don’t get me wrong, but speaking for the majority who don’t juul 24/7, we speak from our hearts. We are “woke” as you like to say haha, to real world issues. Well, there was some backstory but let’s get back to my point, and some examples. Racism is a major contribution to today's violence. Most of the police stigma and violence is birthed from racism. It’s because someones skin color was more important than the beat of their heart, their family, their future. Look at social media, 8/10 you will scroll pass some kind of racist joke no one will call out because… “it’s funny”,”don’t be so serious”,”who cares”. Well it matters and always has. Believe it or not racism affects work lives, home lives, when some people walk out their door to leave for the day. I truly believe all the contributions to racism are what makes today hopeless to many eyes. The Violence, the ignorance, the immorality affects political views too. The generations today give hope, maybe somehow we can overcome the racism and violence. To grow up in a time where the majority of your age mostly agrees with your perception of things is relieving in a way. But who knows what will happen, I think we’ll get better, politically with time and different views.
ReplyDeletePersonally i think a big problem in the United states is the wealth gap. Although i believe that the wealthy people who work hard should get the money they deserve, I don't think that our system of pure capitalism is the best option. With poverty comes a bunch of other problems. With poverty comes crime, competition, drugs, less access to services such as education and healthcare. The poor have less advantages than the rich. Obviously not everyone will start off with the same advantages as everyone else but as of right now most poor people can never overcome their poverty. When a family is too poor to support themselves, they may turn to stealing. They can get caught, and their children have no parents to raise them. This being said they are likely to repeat the same process. It's a vicious cycle. I think we need to provide free healthcare and reduce the cost of college education. Even with that this may not fix poverty it is for sure the right direction rather than focusing on who donald trump is sleeping wit
ReplyDeleteWow Bunje these questions just keep getting better and better. To put it bluntly the world sucks. For some reason people don’t wanna educate themselves on the simple things. Like how someone should dress for a high school thanksgiving themed football game, dressing as Native Americans is not the wave. Ignorance is ONE of societies most annoying and easily fixable problems. It’s as easy as doing research, being open to getting educated. Yet there are still people who don’t know the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Halloween is my favorite Holiday, except when I see people doing black face at a friggin Halloween party. Personally I think the “i didn’t know” excuse is bull and overdone at this point, social media is too prevalent in our lives for that. And there’s something called the internet. If you are asking yourself if what you are doing could offend someone then you probably shouldn’t be doing it. I know some people might pull a “what if” this and “what if” that, and I get it, there are some things that many people feel aren’t offensive to them. And it’s true, some native people might not find the sexualization of their culture, shown through a Halloween costume, to be offensive. And that’s fine no one can tell someone what they find offensive and what they don’t. Anyway, moral of the story is to just stay woke (not in the teen internet slang way).
ReplyDeleteNo matter how we improve our world, people will always find fault with it. There's no such thing as a perfect society, as that is known as a utopian society and we all saw how well that went: The Giver, Hunger Games, etc. Every generation adds something to this world whether it be bad or good and we humans tend to focus on the bad. Frankly, we, as a society, have made huge steps in the right direction in the last 20 to 30 years. Technologically, we have become more efficient in every aspect, finding more ways to improve the lives of people through advancements in science and engineering. The best way I can describe our society right now is as if we have made leaps in technology and improving our materialistic lives, but have regressed tremendously in terms of ethical responsibilities and moral ideologies. As I write this blog, I mean to write about society itself, but I keep our dysfunctional government in the back of my mind. The American presidency has turned into a horse race and a title rather than a civic duty. Racism perseveres in dark pockets of the world. Poverty and food shortage are prevalent issues in developing countries, especially ones with large populations. And to put it simply, we aren't uniting as a people as we are split on a plethora of social issues. However, I truly believe all of these problems can be solved if we educate ourselves. We lack education as a society, and not as in cold hard facts or random trivia. We lack awareness and the ability to think sagaciously. People taking a few moments to think before they say, or act out of kindness rather than hate would change this world dramatically.
ReplyDeleteThe "adults in the room" didn't do anything wrong, they just didn't do enough. And that was the same situation for every generation before and will be the same for every generation to come. It's never enough for us because we are always striving to do our best. This world will change for the better when we as individuals change for the better.
There is much wrong in the world, that is no doubt. Things have been and are continuously being done incorrectly which simply perpetuate these problems. I believe that, although most of these problems already have "solutions", it is inherently apparent that more could and should be done. The problems we have in our society will not be solved by more restrictions and laws. What needs to be done is a change of culture and honestly I'm not sure if my generation is really going down the right road. More and more I see tolerance for things such as crime, incorrect knowledge, and a desire to only satisfy the political agenda of an individual. The conscience of man has, simply put, gone down the shitter. We are no longer a nation of free thinkers. We use our voices to silence the voices of others. Our political ideologies, more so than ever, define who we are. All of this is disgusting. We have become a nation of politics, a new civil war is brewing between both sides. I know too many adults; fully grown, responsible adults, that have lost friends because their political ideologies contrast one another. Is it now that our idea's of government more so influences us then our character? Are we so blind to the brainwashing done by the media that we no longer have questions and desire only answers? Culturally, this is a problem. People no longer wish to agree or compromise and these generations that are supposed to change us for the better are only worsening this. This is fact. No longer can we speak freely without fear of being attacked. The freedom of speech we so greatly value is being drowned out by oppressive radicals from all sides. Culturally, we need change. It saddens me to see every protest or rally turn violent, it saddens me to see that no longer is there a respect for authority,
ReplyDeleteand that our country has strayed away from order and has spiraled in to chaos. What do we need to fix this? Cultural reform. No longer shall we sympathize with criminals, tolerate injustices, and blame other for the consequences of our actions. Our country lacks a desire for accurate knowledge and would rather have quick facts. It is going to take a mass movement to do this all and I'm not sure if that is going to happen. But only time will tell.
Yes it up to us to fix some part of the world that we live in. Our world continues to become worse and worse. And we really can’t do anything like right now but as we grow up, we’re going to have a voice and we can change what happenens in our world. And with your president doing hurrendous job it will make things even harder for a revival and make “America great again”. Racism is a big topic that needs to change immedialety. It has been a controvisal topic for decades and this could be a reason why America is being held back. Some people just don't like who others are and what they represent. And the older age could even do anything to stop it racism has been a thing since the beginning of time. To be honest no one can do anything about racism it happened and it will continue to happen sadly, it happened for a reason and it really sucks that i can’t do anything. But another topic some what related to racism but close to my heart is immigration and immigrants. I was watching a news chancel called “univisoin” and they were talking about how trump is going to build a wall and that blah blah blah. And just listen to it and i realize how sick people are like why? Why? Like what are we doing thats so wrong. We want what everyone else wants, to live the so called “American dream”. Some of us came for the same reason the colonist from England came; for religious freedom and to make money nothing else. And i know i'm all over the place but this topic just gets me so MAD! And to have my parents worried about all of this is just crazy and to have a plan if anything were to happened to them is just even more wild. On tv it talks about how aw we need to kick them out they cause problems and their rapists and so on is so dumb like their are so many people who just came to america for peace, bad things were happening to Mexico when people started to migrate. My parents have been here for almost 30 years and have nothing, no criminal record they don't do drugs they don't drink they don't do anything. But it be the drug addicts and the people who get DUI’s all the time are the ones who recieve papers it’s so stupid. The system is broken. I would so fix this and i really want to be this when i grow up. So theirs people who say yes or no if you can get your papers like that simple and they get paid pretty well. And i know of this because my aunt and my uncle have went to those people and they said no to them and like them they have been here for over 30 years and don't have no record. The system is broken.
ReplyDeleteIt does not matter what subject is being focused on. No matter the issue, they may all be inspected in the same way. All issues form by ignorance, at least when referring to the world. It is to my understanding that if people did not allow certain words to come out of their mouths, the results would not have been made. This is a very similar circumstance to the “butterfly effect”. Where it states that a hurricane can literally be configured by the flap of a butterflies wings. In the same way, a short phrase out of someone’s mouth can take effect into the rest of their lives. People do not consider, for the most part at least, what they say and what it means. To themselves what they are trying to portray may not be what is received. An example being, someone joking around with a friend making a racist comment in class, and thinking nothing of it. The person they were directing the comment to took no offense to the comment made-as the person intended. But, a student across the room who overheard it did. Situations such as this occur consistently. All of the time. This is mainly because misinterpretation is inevitable. Therefore, there is only one logical way to avoid it. To clarify, no that is not ever speaking for the rest of your life. It is simply being cautious. Whether that be taking a second glance around the room to make sure that no one could possibly take the comment personally, or even consider whether it’s worth making the comment at all. The overall rule is-well, an old time favorite. Think before you speak. Something we have all most certainly been taught, but I suppose it’s one of those things like geometry that few of us take with us. The point is to take into consideration, lots of consideration, your surroundings. This can be applied to political leaders as well. People who are supposed to have it together, and be “pros” at this. Well.. they can slip up too. We can take a look at Trump, a wonderful example. An overview of just a few of his comments are well over exemplary. But, just looking at one will be enough. Here’s a very popular baffling comment of his, “I've said if Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her.” This goes without an explanation of how wrong this is...especially coming from our president. But, it is even more extraordinary that he had the audacity to announce it to thousands of people.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to list what is wrong with this world we live in, the list would go on forever. I would talk about racism, sexism, homophobia, how we live in a patriarchal society, women's rights, sexual assault, police brutality, stigmas associated with mental illnesses, and several other topics, which will unfortunately, probably never go away. But, what I think is TRULY wrong with the world that could be fixed is simple: caring about others. Currently, people have little to no regard about how the people in their life are feeling. Over the years I have formed bonds with the most amazing people, who taught me how to not only care about other people, but to also care for myself. Whether it be talking to my therapist, my bestfriends, my teacher, or my parents, about how I feel, good or bad, relieves weight off my shoulders I didn't know I had. I have learned that genuinely caring about others, gives a sense of reassurance. I have learned that people express that they care for you differently. My friends show how much they care about me by sending long, heartfelt paragraphs about how much they love me. My teachers show they care about me by being understanding and helping me if I am struggling. My parents show they care about me by never letting me give up, and supporting me through everything. Yes, while I would love to fix racist mindsets, help woman achieve equality, and stop homophobic slurs, caring about others is the first step in doing so.
ReplyDeleteI think as an American we are heading in the wrong direction. One of the best parts of being American is freedom of speech and protest and recently people have been punished for exercising that right. The obvious example is Colin Kaepernick who exercised his right to protest and has been punished for it by not receiving a job offer. Now most people who are against what Kaepernick did would just blame it on his skill level which is just false he is more than capable of playing in the NFL. The reason America is so great is because of the Bill of Rights and recently when a right has been exercised which may not agree with what someone else believes in it is frowned upon and shamed. If America continues to move in that direction than we are in big trouble because than we would no longer be the land of the free. Another problem I think we have as a nation is a lot of people are quick to play the victim card and say “They aren’t where they want to be because of their upbringing or their sex or their race.” To me that’s just using excuses, one thing America does right is it provides everyone with opportunity. When I say that understand that not all opportunity is fair but as we have been taught since we were kids lifes not fair. Even though you may have grown up as a black women in a single parent household in Atlanta, doesn’t mean you can’t go on and do something great with your life. Yes the white kid who grew up with two parents and had tons of money will have a head start on you but that doesn't mean you still cant race. There’s a quote from Rocky 2 which I think gets my point across “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Basically this quote is saying life is hard but you gotta keep on moving forward.
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with the culture of the modern day music industry, and how can it be applied to today’s society? Nowadays, there is little to no feeling to music. It’s all forced out out of the brains of mainstream artists and song producers without giving a unique twist to it. Fortune and fame are the drive behind today’s entertainment and it’s draining. You hear the same songs on the radio day and night about the same old thing. The only meaning behind one of these top hits is to make a quick buck. As quoted by one of my most favorite artists, Jamie Hewlett, “The ego is a very dangerous thing”. When the only reason you buy an album or go to a concert is because of how society views it, there is no meaning to it.
ReplyDeleteIdolizing an artist is the opposite of what music should be. Shouldn’t it be enjoyed for the message it gives rather than the person who gave it? One of my favorite bands, Gorillaz, is a perfect example of truly enjoying the music for what it is. The band consists of four characters who are not in the physical world. They were created after frustration that the faces of the music industry were losing substance. When you think of them, you don’t think of the people behind the music. You listen to the music and hear what it has to say. There is no one genre to specify their music and there are many collaborators behind each album they put out, so their sound is always being reinvented. Another credible band is Daft Punk. They portray themselves as robots so their faces cannot be worshiped. The point of this is to make listeners think for themselves and enjoy what they want instead of letting people driven by wealth dictate where they spend their money.
So, what do we do with that information? How can we stop these cliché music industries from using us and getting what they want? As Gorillaz once stated, “reject false icons”. We should respect and appreciate the arts without dedicating our lives to them or wasting our fresh perspectives on them. Our generation isn’t too far gone into adoration to not be able to escape from the grasp of stingy industries. If we take the time to think about where music comes from and what it means, the world would be a better place for all of us.
There are a lot of things wrong in society today. I am not going to blame the older generation fully because we as kids also have a small role in how the society is. Racism and Sexism are a big problem in today's society. It is crazy to me that slavery ended such a long time ago yet lots of people try to hurt others and bring other people down because of who they are and where they are from. In our world today people aren't as caring to one another as they should be. Lots of people like to bring others down to make themselves look better to their peers. That is the main problem. Even the most minuscule flaws are pointed out nowadays and that is not the way we should be looking at one another. There are lots of people who are gay, bisexual, and many other things that many people think is very abnormal. They think it is weird or disgusting and judge those people. I look at it this way, if they are happy it doesn't matter, let them live the life they want to live and so be it. They don't need your approval to be happy so just let it go. These days kids who are not as fortunate as others are looked down upon because they don't have money, homes, nice clothes, etc, but that has nothing to do with their personality. As long as your heart is big enough to dream about anything you want to achieve in life, you are on the right track no matter how poor or unfortunate you are. There are many people in this world that are raised, taught, and given different things just from birth. We need more accepting people in our world and if we can acquire more of those types of people then our society's future will shine brighter than ever.
ReplyDeleteI feel like everybody at this point in life knows what is wrong with the world. There’s so many things I could talk about but I’d be here typing for a while. One thing that is wrong with the world that should be changed is ignorance. Lots of people love to say that in today’s world people are way too sensitive about things, and even though that may be true in some cases in others it’s not. For example, dressing up as a certain race. Many find dressing as Native Americans for thanksgiving harmless and “having fun in celebration of a holiday”. If you truly know the story behind the natives and pilgrims then this is not the mindset you should have. Dressing up as any type of race is just not okay and I feel like no one really understands that. Dressing up in flannels with a teardrop under your eye and being “thugs” or “cholos”, wearing mustaches and sombreros, wearing traditional clothing of a region or culture is not “dressing up for fun”. It’s just offensive and racist and it just baffles me that people don’t care to find out why and if someone is offended they’re automatically labeled as sensitive and told to get over it. Another problem in the world is the fact that women need to do so many things to protect themselves from being assaulted instead of men being told NOT TO ASSAULT WOMEN. Ever since I was young my mom has let me know of how dangerous men can be and how to defend myself. I shouldn’t have to be told as a 9 year old girl that if I’m home alone, I can’t open the door for the delivery guy because he can come in and rape me and I won’t be able to stop it. I shouldn’t have to be scared if I’m walking alone past a group of men or going on a run and passing men. I think it’s unfair there’s so many post all over social media warning women about getting into their cars at night in a parking lot and how to defend themselves. And on top of that if they are assaulted, they get blamed because of what they were wearing or what they were doing. Men should be the ones being given a lesson that they way someone’s dressed or acting does not give consent. On top of these two very disturbing issues is racism. Racism is still very much alive which is just insane. The fact that a race can be superior to others does not make sense to me at all. Racism is especially alive in the criminal justice system. But that’s a discussion for another day. Overall, the world is just messed up and needs to be changed in sooo many ways. I can’t even get into all of those ways today but I hope that before I die, I can help make changes and shape this world into the place it should be. It’s kind of nerve wracking that it will be up to my generation to fix these problems one day but I truly believe it’s possible. Once everybody is educated on the right subjects and know the deep truths about all these problems I hope they will want to make a difference in the world and change it for the better. I feel as though lots of people are aware of these problems and are in positions that can do something about it but they just sit on the sidelines and watch it all happen. But I have faith in my generation that things will get better and even if it’s not with our generation we will pass this information down and these facts and inform our children of what needs to be changed and what needs to happen to make this world the best it can be.
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