Solving City Problems

12/17/2015

During the Gilded Age, corruption was a huge part of society. City governments would become extremely corrupt because politicians began to take bribes that desperate job-seekers offered. This corruption was what caused citizens to want to reform their government. These reformers formed a group call the Progressives and anyone who was in that group was a Progressive, obviously. This group was very successful in making changes to improve American life between 1898 and 1917. This period was then called the Progressive Era. During this time, 1901 specifically, Theodore Roosevelt became President. TR was a strong supporter of Progressive ideas. The Progressives were necessary because they helped America to get back on its feet with acts like the Pure Food and Drug Act which makes it mandatory for the ingredients of food and drugs to be labeled on the package.

Some problems in society still exist today such as the lack of employment, lack of access to healthcare, lack of access to education, racism, sexism, homophobia, gun violence, and mental illness. This is just to name a few, so as you can see, though America may seem great, there are some serious problems that need to be fixed and a lot of them have to do with getting over yourself and accepting the diversity of this country. We are all different and we need to, instead of discriminating against each other, we need to work together and accept each other's differences. I know this kind of sounds like I'm auditioning for a beauty pageant, but I'm just speaking from the heart.

So, what is a problem in society that you're passionate about? How do you think you can solve it? Comment and tell me what you think. Remember that this can be a problem in America in general or just in your neighborhood. Any who, have fun! I can't wait to see what y'all got to say. Peace!

59 Comments

Gavin

12/17/2015 11:34:18 am

A problem with society today is homelessness. Too many of our valued citizens litter the streets. And yet, twenty four percent of cities have made it a crime to share food with the homeless. It would take about half of a percent of the United States' budget to end national homelessness, yet government only spends one seventh of that - approximately eight hundredths of a percent of their budget per year. Besides that, it actually costs less to house all the homeless than to keep them in shelters. I believe we have a duty to help our fellow citizens onto their feet, so please take a short trip to Crossroads or Amos house and make a donation or do service hours.

Gavin

12/17/2015 11:57:15 am

Adding on-
As little as 60 percent of homeless people may be situated in emergency shelters. 2 in 5 people lay in the harsh conditions of the streets and alleys, be it sunny, rainy or snowy or anything else. 25 percent of the homeless are children under 12. 10 percent are teens, and 67 percent of all homeless are sheltered as individuals without family or friends. How would you feel, sitting down on the cement in the rain without your parents or guardians close by?

Emmanuel P.

12/17/2015 11:48:56 am

Something that I’m passionate about in society today is domestic violence. I’m passionate about this topic because I always hear some sort of domestic violence happening whenever I watch the news (which is rarely) and also while watching or following news about the NFL. I know that some of the well known sports leagues have changed their policies in regards to someone committing some sort of domestic violence. For example, the NBA have made some adjustments to their domestic violence policies, stating that any form of domestic violence automatically results in a minimum 10-game suspension.
I think I can solve this problem by trying to spread awareness. Not just in America, but to the whole world. I could give the examples of celebrities/athletes committing domestic violence, to show that it’s not just regular people that commit domestic violence also, they could be your favorite athletes/celebrities that you may look up to. Just because they’re famous doesn’t mean that they can do things that other people can’t do. One way I could do that is to possibly use social media as a platform to spread the word and show the people about the cautions/consequences when committing domestic violence. To add on, I would also talk about the factors that come into play in domestic violence cases. Social media isn’t the only thing that I will use to resolve this problem. I will also spread the word about domestic violence by telling my relatives/friends about this very serious issue.

Emmanuel P.

12/17/2015 11:59:04 am

To add on #BeSmart #BeLoyalToYourPartner and #AppreciateThat

Anthony R

12/17/2015 11:50:44 am

A problem in our society that I am passionate about is war and terrorism. This is because it doesn’t lead to anything good and worth mention. It leads to sadness, destruction, death, and worst of all more war and violence. We are living in a time where anything could happen and wars could spark in an hour. It is sad to say it but innocent lives have died for the United States and for every other country. Terrorism is when people that don’t value life do something to give a state of panic around the world. In the Paris attacks that occurred a few weeks ago, there were a total of 150 deaths, and so this caused France to attack Syria and kill more than 200,000 people and also a lot injured. France had the right to be angry but I believe they went too far. Terrorism is a crazy thing to explain same as to stop it. There is no real way to stop terrorism and wars, but one way that we could prevent it is by not participating in it. Many people say ATTACK such and such country, but if we don’t attack then there will be no reason for them to attack us. Another way we could stop these issues is by signing some type of compromise with other countries to stop this violence from where it begins.

Melissa E.

12/17/2015 11:53:06 am

A problem in society that I’m passionate about is the amount of homelessness there is and how no one is doing anything to reduce it. It’s honestly so surreal to drive out everyday into the city, and see a long line of homeless people cowering out on the streets just simply waiting for when their next meal is. It’s rare to drive out to Providence and not see at least one homeless person at the intersect of a highway asking for spare change. People look down upon homeless people like they're some kind of criminal but in reality, most of them probably made just one mistake. Homeless people aren't aliens that come from a different planet nor do they deserve to be neglected from everyday life. We need to help homeless people.

I believe a way we can reduce the amount of homeless people is by providing them a base to be able to start over. In Providence, there's always the sound of the construction of new buildings being built. Rather than continuously building up a new store department, why not build some facilities where homeless people are able to be sheltered 24/7 and are able to get the correct education of how to start their lives again? Though Providence is already home to 17 homeless shelters, I feel as though we should improve on that. If homeless people were able to be provided with a kick start to starting their life over, I'm sure most would oblige. If homeless people feel as though people actually do care about them, they won't feel as hopeless and be motivated to get back on their feet again. We should build up apartment buildings solely dedicated to housing homeless people until they're able to get a job and move out. Some homeless people just need a way to be able to be encouraged to begin their life again.

Alani R.

12/17/2015 11:53:20 am

The problem in the world that I'm most passionate about is animal abuse. One million animals are abused and die each year because of abuse. “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way.”

Two places that I know where animals are violently killed and eaten are in Yulin, China and Shinjuku, Tokyo. 40,000 dogs and 10,000 cats are slaughtered during the Annual Yulin Dog-Eating Festival each year, and that many are electrocuted, burned, and skinned alive. The reason why they eat these animals is because dog meat is prized as a nutritious wintertime plate that doctors prescribe to treat things such as impotence and poor circulation. These dogs are either strays or abductees. One of the nightspots in Tokyo is the Shinjuku district; it’s home to a series of restaurants that cook up disgusting animal-based delicacies. The menu items include soft-shelled turtle, pig testicles, snake liquor, and grilled salamander. However, probably the hardest dish to look at, let alone eat, is the signature dish of the Asadachi restaurant, bullfrog sashimi. It’s served on ice with a little soy sauce and a lemon slice. The frog’s wide eyes stare at the diner while its remains are served in a clear broth. What makes the dish so unique the frog’s contracting nerves and muscles, which gives the impression that the amphibian is still alive.

More than 50 million animals are violently killed for use in fashion every year. These animals are either killed for their fur by gassing, electrocution, or neck breaking. Each year, the Canadian government gives hunters the go to kill hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals. During the slaughter, baby seals are shot or repeatedly clubbed. Sealers strike the animals with clubs and hakapiks (metal-hook–tipped clubs) and drag the seals, who are usually still conscious, across the ice. Hunters toss dead and dying seals into heaps and leave their carcasses to rot on the ice because there is no market for seal meat. Many of the seals that are killed are only 3 months or younger!

So these are three of the many examples of why I believe animal abuse is a big problem in our society.

Isabella R.

12/17/2015 11:57:22 am

I obviously agree 100%! Animals don't deserved to be killed, and the statistics from the Yulin dog festival are always terrible and inhumane. I also think the use of the seals for fur is terrible and a big problem that the world needs to fix!!!!

Olivia F.

12/17/2015 12:00:28 pm

Great response! I agree with you Alani because animal abuse is a huge problem in society. It's really depressing to hear how violent people are in this world to animals. Society needs to find ways to help animals because you don't see humans being killed for nutrition. It isn't fair or right. Well done!

Alani R.

12/17/2015 12:00:57 pm

What we can do to help is to join or donate to anti-animal abuse organizations, report animal cruelty, go vegetarian or vegan, avoid products tested on animals, adopt an animal, or teach children to respect animals. 2.7 million animals are euthanized each year, if they are not adopted. Studies also show that people who are cruel to animals are also cruel to adults.

Adrian F.

12/17/2015 01:57:16 pm

I agree, way too many animals are being abused and it needs to stop. Good job!

Isabella R.

12/17/2015 11:53:30 am

Our American society today is filled with problems, from the people who live in Amerecia, to the American neighborhoods, to politics, and to people of different social status’s and race. All of society’s problem’s generally anger me, but I really believe one of America’s problem that has an easy solution is pollution. Today’s young generation carelessly leave trash on the street, throw cigarette butts on the ground, fill their car engines with terrible gases and fumes that ruin our atmosphere, and spray toxins into the air. It’s not just today’s society, but all generations are committers of polluting the world.

Back in the industrial revolution as you probably know, factories would dump out all their waste into rivers. These rivers are still dealing with the damage they faced back in the 1800s today. I first found out about this in fourth grade when we did an art project about Mashapog pond. I can’t remember all the details because it happened so long ago, but toxins and chemicals were put in the water there from a factory that shut down. Today people try and fish from there but the animals living in that pond have mutated from the chemicals and are not safe to eat. In fourth grade we built fences to put around one area of the pond to inform people about all the pollution in the pond and how dangerous it is. I find this really sad because nature is one of the most beautiful things in the world, and as always humans (American’s especially) have had to go and ruin a perfectly good source of water and life for animals.

I previously said pollution is an easy problem to solve. I still think that it is. It will take 30 seconds to pick up a piece of trash off the ground. It won’t hurt to not use your car as much because of all the gases. Also we have already learned our lessons in these ponds and now some places like the Red Shed Bike Shop are trying to clean out these ponds and take some of the bad stuff out of the water. Not polluting can actually be fun believe it or not. You can get tons of your friends together on a weekend and go out and clean one area of your neighborhood. Polluting is a silly problem, and does not have to happen if today’s society would get up and do something about it.

I think another huge problem with our society is people not thinking the problem’s will affect them. Not having a good environment may not affect you now but I think it will eventually catch up to you. www.theworldcounts.org said that “Diseases such as amoebiasis, typhoid and hookworm are caused by polluted drinking water.” and they also said water polluted by chemicals can lead to diseases like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and death. So I think helping to stop pollution is a good idea, because it can affect you. It is important to at least make an effort, small or big it begin to get rid of pollution. (Also just as a side note, http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/How-Does-Pollution-Affect-Humans is a really cool site that you should check out!) That is what I am passionate about when it comes to society’s problems!

Shalom K.

12/17/2015 11:54:00 am

A problem in society that i am passionate about is racism. Even though it’s been reduced, there is still a significant amount of racism that still exists today. The worst part about it is that people who we are supposed to look up to and view as leaders are sometimes the worst people who cause it. For example there are people like Donald Trump who are idiots because they have insane plans to get rid of hispanics and other races that just want to make a living in America. I don’t understand how you can have America with the influence of every race that wants to be a part of it. A man with enough money as Donald Trump, should be inspiring others to make a difference with people who aspire to come her.
There is also racism on a slightly bigger scale with social media and teen’s views on beauty. When you look into magazines, white people or models are all you see. Where are the Black women?The Hispanic women? We tell people to be themselves and be proud of who they are and what they come from yet when it’s time to be represented we show them images of what the world wants. We can easily solve these problems by showing everyone they matter. We can show everyone that the kids from the inner city are just as important as the wealthy on the outskirts of town. #WhereTheyAtTho? #RacismIsBad #Equality #BlackLivesMatter

Emmanuel P.

12/17/2015 11:57:38 am

I agree that racism is a big problem in our society. I also don't agree with Donald Trump's views on trying to make our country "better."

Shad W

12/17/2015 11:04:39 pm

I agree Shalom, Racism is a big problem. You have some nice strong wording and you also had some strong examples.

Olivia F.

12/17/2015 11:54:30 am

There are many problems in society that need to be fixed. One problem that I am passionate about is texting while driving. There are billboards, commercials, and advertisements, to warn Americans that it's bad, and it could lead to injuries. Have you seen the girl texting while driving commercial? They have those for a reason. Not to sell beauty products, but to remind society that you need to be safe on the road.

One reason why I chose this was because MY OWN PARENTS text while driving. I always ask, "Why are texting while driving? You could get us into a car crash." You know what they're response is? "I have been driving longer than you have been alive. I know what I am doing." Well, I wonder if they know they are breaking the law everyday. A lot of people text while drive, but they say they know what they are doing. While you look down at your phone, in a split second, you could look up and see a car's bumper crashed into yours. It's very serious, and many people do it.

I am not a police officer, lawyer, or the president, but everyone can do something about this. On my part, I want to have more commercials and billboards about the danger of texting while driving. People need to reminded constantly about the dangers of texting and driving. Even if a person had their license for x amount of years, that doesn't change the fact that anyone 16 or older, can get in a car accident because of texting while driving. This is one of the examples of distracting driving. Looking out the window, texting, or making a phone call are ways to get distracted from the road.

According to RI Car Accidents Lawyers, 80% of all crashes are caused by driver inattention within 3 seconds of the accident. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), texting and driving increases your risk of crashing by 2,300%. Adults in America will often blame youths for the texting and driving epidemic, but they actually learn that it is okay from adults. According to 77% of all teens, adults who tell them not to text, email or look at their phones while they drive, do it themselves; the same percentage of teens that are fully confident in their ability to safely text and drive. The correlation between these two statistics makes it clear that adult behaviors are a primary source of this illogical reasoning by teens.

Texting while driving is as illegal as running a red light or speeding in most states. But guess what, society breaks laws everyday, and that's a problem. I know almost everyone can agree that this is a huge problem that needs to be solved. Texting while driving causes: 1,600,000 accidents per year (National Safety Council), 330,000 injuries per year (Harvard Center for Risk Analysis Study), 11 teen deaths EVERY DAY (Ins. Institute for Hwy Safety Fatality Facts), nearly 25% of ALL car accidents.

I hope you guys have learned something, and hope to remind your parents that texting while driving is very bad...and illegal.

Justin E

12/17/2015 11:59:15 am

The problem that I think we should solve in America is police brutality because police kill many innocent people and the police are still found guilty. Many big cases have occurred in the United States. Black males are 2 times as likely to be shot by a police officer. More than 920 people have been killed by police so far in 2015. For every 1000 people killed, only 1 officer is convicted of a crime. This is a huge problem. When you see a cop now a days you don’t feel safe, you would feel scared. Cops are supposed to use their weapons for a good cause not a bad cause. It’s even worse how they say that cop is not guilty when in footage you can see that cop literally show the male/female. THis can be stopped by finding a way to make cops think before they do something. We can put body cameras on cops as a solution!

Melissa E.

12/17/2015 08:16:17 pm

It was really interesting to read about all of the statistics of police brutality. I was extremely shocked when you said that black males are 2 times as likely to get shot by a police officer. It just isn't right. Nice blog!

Willa G

12/17/2015 12:01:31 pm

One thing that bothers me is the way that employers are allowed to treat their employees. One thing is the fact that an employee can be fired for no reason at all. One case that I read said that a boss fired a woman on an assumption that she proved was wrong. The jury ruled in her favor but the California Court of Appeal reversed the verdict because she was an at-will employee. Employers can also fire at-will employees with no former notice. They will just be out of a job and that's that. There is no time to find another job before they are laid off. A lot of these people have a family or others to take care of.
Another thing is the inequality that happens. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects against layoffs fro race, national origin, sex, pregnancy, and religion and there are other laws that protect against layoffs for disabilities or age. But you can still be laid off for being gay or lesbian in 29 states. I think this is a huge problem that needs to be dealt with . There is a huge problem with bosses have too much power and inequality in the workplace mostly in big companies like Walmart or otherwise.

Grace J

12/17/2015 01:39:10 pm

I did my LA project on discrimination on LGBT discrimination, so I learned about them being discriminated in the workplace. I agree that the current LGBT employment laws need to be changed, but after reading your post, I now realize that employment laws in general need to be changed, not just for gay people. I've also heard about how Walmart treats its workers before, and that is the reason my mom doesn't shop there. I think you did a really good job and opened up my eyes to even more employment discrimination that occurs.

Daybue H.

12/17/2015 01:30:18 pm

A problem that I'm very passionate about is the abundance of shade that is thrown around. In my neighborhood and in society everybody hates on somebody else. For example, my older cousin Ricky Ledo got drafted into the NBA and when people found out they were saying that he should've never went and that he's not even good enough to play at a pro level. Also my cousin Kealen Ives , who is a basketball player at Rider Division 1 college, was always told that he was too small. Everybody in the area used to say that he was only good because he plays in RI and there's no tall people. It seems that humans can never just be happy for somebody , if they aren't living right they want to talk about the people who are doing better in a pessimistic way.The only way to help this situation is for people to just stop hating and get their own lives on the right track before they talk about other people. There's no need to throw shade if you know the person, just be happy for them, especially if you come from the same background. We need positive energy to succeed, no negative energy should be allowed, and I think that everybody just needs to keep their 2 cents unless they are going to help make a dollar.

Law-Rel B

12/17/2015 01:34:32 pm

I agree I think that people should not hate on other people for their accomplishments. I think the only reason that someone should talk negatively about someone else is due to their bad actions.

Paul E.

12/17/2015 01:38:12 pm

Ricky is a good guy, and good a basketball player. He even beat John Wall if you've seen the clip. Otherwise I like your points on the shade being thrown, and also that you mentioned Ricky. Just a quick comment, you should have mentioned the teams he has been on, and how much he's been getting paid. Also the D-League teams that he was on, and is on, to help promote that he is good enough though not everyone thinks so. Your last line also is good.

Paul E.

12/17/2015 01:39:53 pm

Also you should have talked about the people he has played against like John Wall, and maybe Kobe to further show that he was good enough, unlike the others.

Raymond D.

12/17/2015 01:46:13 pm

What you have said is true and I think you have been very thoughtful in your blog. I like how you used your neighborhood to explain your train of thought about this topic.

Justin E

12/17/2015 08:59:32 pm

Very good blog! I agree 100% with you because there is so much haters now a days

Niamiah J

12/17/2015 11:11:36 pm

I totally agree Daybue. When people throw shade it shows a sign of jealousy and hatred. Just because someone might not agree with what others do doesn't mean they have to be rude and throw shade. It's very disrespectful. If they care so much they should come up and talk to you personally.

Law-Rel B

12/17/2015 01:31:20 pm

I think that a big problem all over the world is rape. I say this because when someone gets raped they are often not the same anymore. Also getting raped is also takes away a piece of someone that they feel that they might never get back. Also people have a hard time trusting other people after they get raped, I think that is because they have a high sense of security afterwards. I find that often more women than men get raped in not only in America, but all around the world.

I don't that women should live with the constant fear that they might get raped. If we go way back and look at some history women never really had a choice when it came to decisions about their own lives. So in the 21st century they have control of their own lives, but when someone forces them to have sex. It's like they have no respect for women and basically taking control of their lives once more.

I think something that we could do is find a way to make sure that women are protected when they go somewhere. For example in some countries where rape is commonly known of happening. They have created something that allows the women to insert into their vagina. It is something that is shaped like a cone and has these little barb wire spikes on the inside. This is so if a men tries to rape them the mans penis would be injured due to the barb wire spikes. Also the only way that they can remove them is if they go to the hospital. This also informs the nurses and doctors that they have tried to rape someone. I think that this is something that should be accessible to women all around the global. All though we only hear about the cases where women get raped. There are also some cases where men get raped. I think there should be something as well that could protect men to make sure that they don't get raped as well.

Paul E.

12/17/2015 01:32:21 pm

A problem in our society/world that I am passionate about is the lack of opportunity to get health care. Coming from a family of people that work in the medical field, I hear about this stuff a lot. I feel that health care should be provided to everyone for a rate that they can afford. Like rich people pay more and those with not as much money pay less. So that way it balances out, and everyone can stay healthy. I feel that this is very important because everyone should get health care, whether they have to pay a little bit or a lot. It would then be easier to, "focus on other things in life, like your family or your business," from a commercial. That could also be one less thing to worry about since there is so much going on in everyone's life and so many other big bills to pay.

To successfully achieve this goal, I would donate to charities that support this when I'm older and have more money to spend, so that some people would at least have health insurance.

Daybue H.

12/17/2015 01:34:55 pm

I feel you on this topic because this is a major issue and some families really struggle with this. Its great that you would take it into your own hands and try to help out the community in this way.

Grace J

12/17/2015 01:34:21 pm

I think that one problem in society that I am passionate about is mental illness and dementia. Mental illnesses are mental or behavioral patterns that causes either suffering or poor ability to function in regular day life. Believe it or not, 18.2% of Americans each year suffer from some sort of mental illness, such as depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental problems, such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

The reason that I am really passionate about this is because I have seen personally the effects that mental illnesses and other mental problems on people and how it changes people's lives. For example, my uncle, who has bipolar disorder, has had a very difficult life because of his condition. He used to have a very stable job and be wealthy, but then he lost all of his money and his job. For 10 + years he lived off of my grandparent's money, and lived either in an apartment without electricity or sometimes with no where to stay at all. My mother says that she remembers him being problematic when he was in high school, but since she is so much younger than him does not know really what he was like as a child. Now, he does have a job and lives in a small apartment and is currently on medication. Hopefully, he will continue on this path.

Another example I have with mental problems is my grandma. Even though dementia is technically not a mental illness, I still want to talk about it because it is still a mental problem that has really changed my life and her own. My grandma was diagnosed with dementia about 5 years ago. This was because she kept on forgetting her words, she knew what she wanted to say but she couldn't say it. Now, she forgets her words a lot more often, and forgets many people's names; she uses my name, my mom and my aunt's name interchangeably for all three of us. She can no longer handle shopping, paying the bills, cooking, and other simple everyday tasks. This now has to be done by my grandfather, along with my mom and my sister who help out as well. My grandparents moved from their house that they lived in ever since my mom was born to a smaller one because my grandfather couldn't handle everything alone. They also used to go to Florida every winter and live there for half the year, but now they stay in RI. These may seem like little things, but as my grandmother's dementia gets worse, I am sure many bigger things will have to change.

Seeing all of these problems involving mental illness and mental problems around my own family really make me want to help. One thing I think that can be done is to have medication easier to access for people with mental illnesses. My uncle suffered for so many years because he didn't take his medication, but now that he is, he is doing much better. I think another thing that we can do is offer more support to people with mental illnesses and problems. My uncle and my grandma have my family to help them get through this, but many people are not so fortunate. I think that by providing more support and more help to people with mental illnesses it will help a lot of people, and make the world a better place.

Aliyah Paulino

12/17/2015 01:37:57 pm

Great job! Your topic was a really good one, and I liked how you even included personal stories. It shows how much you are passionate about this serious topic!

Tiffanie P.

12/17/2015 01:53:31 pm

Grace, I liked that you put your own personal feeling into this and liked how you put statistics and different information.

Ronald W.

12/17/2015 01:34:47 pm

One of the major problems with America is the large homeless problem that is growing every year. There are 3.5 million people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States. About 9 percent of homeless adults- 57,849 - are veterans. These numbers come from point-in-time counts, which are conducted, community by community, on a single night in January every other year. After veterans risk their own life to protect their country they have to come home with all the tragedy in their head and eventually become homeless. Homelessness has grown 13% this year in New York and is only growing. There are many different ways we can help stop this issue. In Utah they have almost completely got rid of chronic homeless. Utah supplied homeless with apartments that are mostly paid for by the government they just have to pay a small portion of rent. Also seeing as many chronic homeless have an addiction they also give them a way to get clean so they don’t end up back on the street. See there has always been a simple solution we just have to step up and put in the work to help the homeless. In america there are 18,600,000 vacant homes in the United States. Enough for every homeless person to have six! If there are that many vacant homes why can’t we end the homeless problem. It has been too long nobody in america should be homeless after all of these examples. This is why homelessness is one of the biggest issues in the United States.

Aliyah Paulino

12/17/2015 01:36:02 pm

There are many problems in society but one that has affected many is... world hunger. People take advantage of the food that they get and they do not worry about people who don't get any at all. There are people who probably eat a piece of bread a day because they could not find anything else in their pantry, cabinents, refrigerator, etc.

1 out of every 9 people are affected by hunger everyday, which is about 795 million people all over the world. This affects their daily lives which in turn affects their entire lives. However, there are organizations like No Kid Hungry which you have probably seen when watching Food Network. That organization helps children all over the world who have not had a proper meal in days, and sometimes even weeks. People locally are donating to food pantry's also. Community Prep is an example of a place that is giving back to the community and helping to end world hunger. We have gotten over 2000 cans donated which helps hundreds of people.

Hunger also poses as a big issue for people in the future. "Will it ever get better?" and "What can I do to help?" are questions that people ask when adressed with this serious topic. A way that other people can do to help solve this is not waste food. Instead, if you know that a family member or yourself is not going to consume something, donate to the CP food drive or just give it to any person in general that is in need. Even one canned food item makes a difference to a family or person that needs one, and cannot afford to get one.

That is what I am passionate about when it comes to something that poses as a huge problem for today's society!

Wolfgang C.

12/17/2015 01:52:19 pm

I think this is a very important issue. I think people do take advantages of the food they have. It is very important to living that people can eat and I think that people who can't desperately need help.

Raymond D.

12/17/2015 01:43:23 pm

To be honest, I think that a problem in society that I am passionate about is racial profiling. All races have something unique that classifies them from other races. But, some people just use that to target other races in positive or negative way, mostly negative. The race that suffers the most from this is are african-americans. I have heard a lot about how african-americans can just walk in a store and then the owner can just tell them to leave or that they are closed. When a black man is just walking down the street they can be mistaken by being up to no good, like going to sell drugs, having a gun, or going to kill someone. Police brutality is a major factor of this. Men that are african-americans can be minding their own business and then a policeman comes up and starts to severely brutalized the man for some crime that he did not commit. This has resulted in many different deaths such as Eric Garner, who was choked to death by a policeman, Tamir Rice, who was shot in two seconds for having a fake gun that he was not even playing with. This situation is very big, but I think that is a big as domestic violence. That topic is the reason why we have so many broken families, or to be families. Many women have died from this and I think they don’t really do anything. Maybe the husband has just been drinking too much or is high and gets very angry that they take out on their friend, girlfriend, or wife. What we can do to solve all of these problems is by learning how to work together as a community and learn to love one another, no matter what race they are, or if you are angry. We are all humans and we all suffer the most common life problems so we can all look out for each other.

Paul E.

12/17/2015 01:46:27 pm

Good, but you should have shared things that we might not have known about. Like cases that maybe didn't make the news, but still affected people in the area. Otherwise good job.

Wolfgang C.

12/17/2015 01:46:39 pm

A problem I think should be solved is lack of employment and poverty. Employment and economy has been a problem for a long time. People have been always been separated by income and have always been discriminated due to their income, especially if they are unemployed. The unemployment rate in the U.S. is 5.5%. This doesn’t seem like a lot of people until you consider some of our competitors like China(4.1%), England(5%), and Japan(3.6%) are all lower.This is not just a problem for these people who essentially can’t live anymore, but is a hinderance to the economy as less money is being made and spent. These people can’t contribute much and that is why they are discriminated against. People think they are useless and dumb so they make fun of them because they have very little money. I think this could be solved by adjusting the national minimum wage slightly(States can go above this amount but not below this amount) so that people can always be okay. There should also be a free insurance that helps people in case they lose their job or house. Both of these solutions make sure that it is very rare and hard for people to lose houses and jobs, and so that if this happens they are covered for a time so they can get back to where they were.

Tiffanie P.

12/17/2015 01:49:19 pm

One of the problems I am passionate about is Domestic Violence but I was informed that we couldn't right about what we talked about in L.A so, the next problem I have about the world is the public schools system.
Wolfgang gave a great presentation on this and I realized that I also agree with everything that he said. Due to the fact that private schools are more expensive they receive less students, so these students get individual help which can help them connect with a teacher and also do well in school. Because the public schools are free and they are more locally found then many private schools, they always have many students in their schools. This causes for about 22-26 students in each class. There is no room for personal attachment to a teacher let alone any one-on-one help in class or after school. Today kids that have been in public schools all their lives don't see the necessity for staying after school or having a connection with a teacher, but all these things are actually very important. Having a connection with a teacher can help with trust issues and just having someone you trust talk to, especially if there is something going on at home. Staying after school, I have noticed, has given me more motivation to do better on my homework, test and quizzes. I think every student should have an equal chance to succeed in this world with a good understanding of basic education but yet some don't even have that now and they are older than me. One of my cousins have been in the public school system all of his life and when it got hard there was nobody there to help him with it because his parents were always fighting and being cool with a teacher wasn't “cool” ,and it still isn’t necessarily “cool”, so he decided that when it was hard he just wasn’t going to do it. Now he is in high school and he still needs help with reading, spelling, and doing basic math.

I really do feel strongly about this topic because I feel that your financial standards should not affect the quality of education you receive. This is just one of the many problems that I feel strongly about in the world. Thank you!

Shadrach W

12/17/2015 01:49:25 pm

One thing that I am really passionate about is the level of education kids at public schools get. This is a problem because kids that go to private schools are no smarter, lower income kids shouldn’t be penalized for their family’s wealth, and we would be nowhere without education.

Why is it that kids in private schools are helped and taught more than the kids in public schools, is it because they are smarter? I say no, I think it is because some teachers can’t see the full value in every child. And because of this most of the public school teachers don’t care. Not to say they are all like that but a lot of them are. We need to make efforts to change this, not in five years, notin two years. We need to make efforts tomorrow. We can speak to people about the issue, raise money, even just a small little poster that you hang up in your school. Any little bit helps. Another reason the level of education in public schools needs to change is because kids should not be forced to receive a poor education based on their parents income. Instead these kids should be helped so they can have a better life than their parents. We can raise money for public schools, ask for donations, and again speak to people about the topic. The final reason we need to fix this issue is because without education we would be nowhere. And there are more kids in public schools then there are kids in private schools, so why not try and educate the majority?

Kayla P.

12/17/2015 01:49:49 pm

Racism, distribution of wealth and stereotyping are all part of a bigger problem known as inequality. I’d like to start by saying that everyone has been racist or has racist thoughts, and I don’t have a problem with that. My problem with racism is the way people go about it. You can laugh and joke with your friends but once you start discriminating and being disrespectful towards others because of race it’s a problem. Everyone should know that I am black, and someone who didn’t know me would easily be able to tell. Especially this one white lady in Apple, apparently to her not only was I black, I was a thief. She was in front of me in line then looked back at me and moved her purse closer to her as if I was going to steal something from her. I wanted to say mean things to her but I was with my mom so I said it in my head and gave her a dirty look. Racism also goes hand in hand with stereotypes because if you don’t like one race you’ll begin to assume the worst about them. However stereotyping is one in it’s own. An example of stereotyping is saying that all white people are rich, all black people are poor, all people from the middle east are terrorists, asians are smart, etc. With race comes wealth and your place in society. If you are a white born male life is going to be very easy for you, if you are a black born male life is going to be like hell for you. There usually is no in between, either you got it or you don’t. When someone tells me that they are electing someone because that person is promising more jobs and that person wants to get rid of homelessness it makes me sick. Here’s why, there are more than enough jobs in America and there are more than enough homes in America. So why is it that not everybody has a job or house? I have no idea but I think it’s greed, people in this country are so greedy and I feel like they don’t really grasp what it means to be homeless. If you give more than you take and you fight for what you believe and you have empathy for others, the cruel world we live in would be that much more perfect, because everyone that takes a home would give two homes. To me you can’t change someone’s heart unless they want to change and the people that are selling the houses aren’t about to give them away for free. The last thing I want to say is the world is like a drive thru, you go to the restaurant you order what you can afford and then the person asks “anything else”, and you want everything on the menu but you can barely afford what you’re already ordering. A simple example of this would be you’re black and you want to be successful and wealthy but you can’t get out of your current situation because you don’t have the means to do so but it’s not your fault, it’s the world’s fault. So you drive off with no education or anything because you couldn’t afford it.

Adrian F.

12/17/2015 01:54:24 pm

I think that the biggest problem in our society today is pollution. The reason I think pollution is the biggest problem is because it affects everyone even though we might not think about it too often. People are leaving cups, bottles, cigarettes, and other trash items on the street. These can go into rivers, the ocean, and other bodies of water. Many animals can mistake these items for food and then die from eating them. Also pollution from the cars go into the atmosphere, and they are weakening the ozone layer. So the UV rays are more dangerous because now they are more powerful due to the ozone layer being destroyed by smog. Since it is in the atmosphere. We are breathing it in which isn't good for our health. Those are the reasons why I think pollution is the biggest problem in our society.

Makayla R.

12/17/2015 01:59:23 pm

I completely agree. I also believe that pollution is a very important problem and your points were very valid.

Makayla R.

12/17/2015 01:54:31 pm

I believe that there are many problems in the world that are important to discuss. A problem in society that I feel strongly about is racial profiling. Racial profiling is the act of suspicion of crime based on somebody's race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin by the law enforcement officials. The reason why I chose this problem is because I believe that it is relevant and important. Over the years, racial profiling has lead to other serious situations such police brutality and fatality. Police brutality is act of verbal and physical abuse towards the population. Only this year, police officers have killed 1100 people. Tamir Rice was 12-year-old boy who was shot by a Cleveland police officer on November 22, 2014. It was reported that he had a 'pistol' in his hand. However, it was also reported multiple times that the pistol was 'probably fake' and they couldn't tell if it was a real weapon or not. Within only a few seconds of arriving, Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback shot Tamir Rice dead without the slightest of hesitation.The gun turned out to be fake. Not only was there no hesitation but there was any verification in regards to the gun being real or not. In conclusion, I believe that racial profiling is one of the most important problems to talk about in the world today.

Gianna G.

12/17/2015 08:45:22 pm

I agree that racial profiling is a very big problem in society. I like how you gave some examples of when racial profiling and this is an overall great response.

Dante D.

12/17/2015 01:55:56 pm

Public schooling. Yes that's what I've decided to be upset and passionate about. "Really, Dante? Public schooling?" is what you may be asking but yes. Public schooling. Many of the public schools in America don't provide an ideal education or even possess a safe environment for students to go and learn in. When students in public schools take standardized tests, say the SSAT for example, their scores are usually significantly lower than those students who attend private schools. Some public school students simply don't get enough of what they need to become successful later in life. If they don't have what they need, they can't get into a good high school and then they can't go to a good college(if they even decide to go to college) and then it'll be hard to find a job to make money and allow you to keep living with a home. Also, public schools have a much less safer environment than those of religious or private schools. We all know how many fights can break out in public schools and we've all heard about public school shootings on the news. Public schools allow for more bullying of other students and that can cause some vulnerable students to then be manipulated by others at school while nobody else notices. More bullying can lead to depression as well and depression can actually spread to others in a room just because of the immense negative energy that a person is giving off. The rate of self-harming might also grow because of the unsafe environments of public schools. Bad public schooling can lead to many other issues in the future and I want to speak out about this topic to inform others and hopefully open up their eyes.

The reason why I'm passionate about this topic is because this topic can jump-start some of the other issues that we're spoken about in these comments. An obvious example being the problem about homelessness. I want to help solve this problem so we can prevent any other problems that come later in a student's future. I think that as the next generation, we can start to change schools by using their budgets for effective productivity instead of only trying to find "good" teachers. We should be motivating schools to use their money for finding better education for students. We should be focusing on making environments safer for students to stay in. We should be be focusing on what specific students need so public schools and provide for each of their students.

Renina W.

12/17/2015 06:02:23 pm

This is really good Dante you hit on many issues besides the fact that its not fair to the kids there in public schools. I found this truly interesting, and I completely agree.

Renina W.

12/17/2015 05:54:34 pm

I don't like discrimination against the LGBTQ. To many people this isn't a huge issue, and I get that, but I don't get why people will fight until their death to perfect the equality between blacks and white. Why is it that no one will fight for the LGBTQ. There is no difference between me and someone who is gay or trans.
One they are discriminated every where. A gay man and his partner can be denied service at hotels, restaurants, etc. In the last 5 years people have been fired due to their sexual preference, so imagine this your boss fires you due to your lifestyle, but not only that your landlord can evict for the SAME reason. All of those factors can fall into a snowball effect and you may become homeless tying into other issues. Now you may be thinking that's blowing it out of proportion, but honestly we'll never know.
Secondly, social media plays a big role in being in the community. On social media being open it can lead to bullying,but being open in the real world can lead to self hate as well. What I mean by that is in our society for example gay men are looked at as very feminine, and like a girl, but if you are gay man and the complete opposite, you wouldn't want to be open in our society. And same for females as well.
Lastly I don't think it's fair that today as the new generation we are not helping the LGBTQ community. They are out there working and fighting for their own rights, but we are no where to be found! And that's what I feel passionate about.

Xzayah B.

12/17/2015 11:07:14 pm

I totally agree with you and your response. It was also put together very well. Good job Renina!

Xzayah B.

12/17/2015 07:16:05 pm

One thing that bothers me the most in our nation and in Rhode Island is homelessness. The congress estimated that there are 1.56 million people, or one in every 200 Americans that are homeless. There are about 4,450 people that are homeless in Rhode Island. One thing we could do to stop homelessness is to build more shelters. Most shelters are old, run down, dirty buildings, which is why most homeless people prefer to live on the street. Some homeless people don’t like to go to shelters because shelters are dangerous places, they're full of drugs and drug dealers, people will steal your shoes, and there's bedbugs and body lice. I think people should build newer, cleaner, and safer shelters for homeless people. Also if you want to sleep in a shelter for the night, you have to be there for a certain time. However, you have to be waiting in line a few hours before to try to get in the shelter. They have to be in line a few hours before because there's so many people that no one is guaranteed a spot in the shelter. If more shelter were built, more homeless people would have the opportunity to stay at a shelter instead of living on the streets.

Alaijah P.

12/17/2015 09:19:29 pm

I agree strongly. We shouldn't let other human beings suffer while we are high and dry. Nice response.

Gianna G.

12/17/2015 08:39:59 pm

A problem in society that I am passionate about is the distribution of wealth. In this society, people are given way more money than is actually needed and some have more money than they know what to do with. How is it that, when everyone can simply have the amount of money that they need, it has to be unfair? As of now, it is the way society works. The division of wealth is extremely unfair and, although people have been trying to help make it as fair as they can, it seems to have always been unfair one way or another. It is crazy to see that people on the streets with no food, could be doing just fine if the people that were making more money per year, than they actually need. Some jobs earn more than others, some things are more expensive than others. It’s just the way things work. So, what can we do to actually try and help this? Yes, there are charities to help the poor, and I’m sure they’ve made a difference at one time or another. But, in my opinion, the problem solely lies with the wealthy. Poor class people can try their very hardest and still not make it out of their situation, yet it’s the complete opposite for the wealthy. As long as they keep letting the poor class stay the way they are, then everything will be fine. So, what we can do is try to get to the wealthier people and have them understand that they’re the ones who need to do a little extra to help the poor. Another thing that is completely surreal about this topic is the fact that, as long as this has been going on, I have never heard of anything that drastic trying to help these people. I’ve only ever heard of worse and worse things happening to the poor class and better things happening to the wealthy. As much as I do make it seem like this is all of the wealthy’s fault, it’s not. It’s the corrupt way that money is spent and given away. That is a problem in society that I am passionate about.

Alaijah P.

12/17/2015 09:15:35 pm

A problem in society that i feel passionate about, is racism. Now the reason why I feel passionate about this topic, is because we’re all the same, on the inside. So why should be treated differently because of how we look on the outside. What’s the point in hating someone else because they look different when, in reality we’re all the same on the inside. Once we get over the fact that we look different then the world will be a better place. I believe that you shouldn’t accuse someone just because of their race. I also believe we all need a wakeup call and we all should realize we are all the same. All this racial profiling is not healthy for our society and if it keeps going on then our society could possibly fall apart. Many people are now afraid of the police because of racial profiling. This world should be a safe and happy place, not a place where people will be made fun of because of how they look. It is really sad, that some people don’t even want to leave their house because they are afraid something might happen because they are a different color.

Niamiah J

12/17/2015 11:02:58 pm

A problem that bothers me in the world is racism. Ever since Africans were shipped to this country they were dehumanized for the color of their skin. They were called animal like names and treated in animal like ways. From 1619 to 1865 Africans were enslaved, brutalized, abused, and many forms of cruelty. They were freed due to the 13th amendment but another challenge came to be. Discrimination didn’t stop there. African Americans continued to be discriminated due to the color of their skin. They couldn’t do things that the whites could do such as: use the same bathroom, use the same fountain, go to the same school, and many other forms of segregation. Activists such as Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and many others had to step up and fight for their rights. They put everything in their power to show the world that we are equal. In present day discrimination isn’t as bad as it used to be but it is still around. People get shot by people who should protect them just for the color of their skin. They are looked at as unemployed, uneducated, and poor because their ancestors have not had the ability to be as educated as the other races. They are also looked at as thieves. One day I was walking in the grocery store and an old white woman took her purse and held it near her. That got me upset because I know I’m not a thief but people still hold on to their old beliefs. Racism is a problem that bothers me because people still believe that African Americans can never be equal due to the color of their skin. It’s a shame how us humans can never be equal because we always have to look at the skin before the character.

Mathieu

1/15/2016 11:45:29 am

A problem I think that needs to be solved would be child labor. This is a huge problem because people are forcing kids to work for nothing at all. They do the work and the “boss” gets paid. I remember the book in sixth grade “Boys without names” and it was about a boy named Gopal who was drugged and kidnapped to work. Even in real life kids are working in sweatshops. The clothes you are wearing right now were probably made in a sweatshop. It isn’t right to force kids to do something they don’t want to.

Mathieu M

1/15/2016 11:51:56 am

We can fix this problem by banning it. And if anyone is found doing this act, they can be sentenced to life in prison or put to work like they were doing to kids.

Hugo G.

1/15/2016 11:55:23 am

A problem in society I’m passionate about is discrimination and Police Brutality because I have faced these problems first hand or have witnessed it and I don’t want anyone to have to face these problems. America has a serious backstory with discrimination and Police Brutality and it has not ended. For example, Compton, California in the 80’s was so bad that police did raids at night to check if anyone was hiding drugs. Officers were stopping young teenagers because they “looked suspicious”. Riots against police were happening everyday and people were dying every day or getting thrown into jail for a crime they didn’t commit. This discrimination was mostly happening towards African-Americans and their were even groups that formed just to discriminate on black people. For example, the KKK. They killed black people and thought America is a land only for whites. They killed African-Americans for their belief and thought it was okay to do so.

Furthermore, the rate of Police Brutality has been going up lately and no one seems to be doing something about it. The officers are getting away with the crimes. They use excessive force on the victim and end up injuring them or even killing them. The cases are usually an officer or multiple officers using excessive force and kill an African-American(s). The family of the victim end up suffering while the officer ends up keeping his/her job. There have been over 3030 deaths from Police Brutality since 2013 and about twice that is how many people have gotten injured. About every 8 hours a citizen is killed by an officer. This problem just keeps escalating and no one is doing anything about it except give money to the family and that doesn’t do anything because that money can’t bring back the dead.

To solve this I think we could change the protocols for police all over the U.S. We could implement the police body camera system so we always know what happened and know who’s lying about what happened and also fire any officer no matter his or her rank if they abuse their power.This is what I think we could do to solve the problem of Police Brutality.

Jesse L.

3/14/2016 06:33:42 pm

A problem in society that I want to fix is homelessness. There are many homeless people in RI and a lot of them go to a place in Providence called The Salvation Army and Amos house, which are homeless shelters and the Salvation Army collects used clothes for homeless people. There is also a shelter called Crossroads Rhode Island. Every time I pass by one of these places and I see the homeless people and how much they are struggling it makes me mad that they are not getting any real help. What I would do to change the amount of homeless people is get homeless people more jobs and search for jobs for the homeless people. I would also try and get rehab centers to take in homeless people so that if they became homeless because of addiction or they can’t escape homelessness because of addiction, they would be able to get help with that. Another thing I would do to change the amount of homeless people is try and get more homeless people to be educated if they haven’t been already. This may not be an easy thing to do because there are so many homeless people in America but if it could be done I think it would help reduce the amount homeless people. One last thing I think that would help is making more charities and donation organizations for homeless people. That is what makes me mad about the world and what I would do to try and solve it.

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