Solving City Problems

1/11/2018

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, xenophobia, gun violence, and lack of care and understanding for the mentally ill. 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!

103 Comments

Tyler G.

1/11/2018 03:52:21 pm

One problem in society that I am passionate about is body shaming. I feel like people can never be the perfect weight and size for people to be happy. If someone weighs more than another, that doesn't mean they are too heavy and need to lose weight. After someone loses weight, too, then there is still a problem. People will say they are too skinny and need to eat. Even if you didn't like the way someone looked because of their weight that doesn't mean that you should speak that to them. I don't understand why people feel the need to bring people down like that. It bothers me. I haven't really experienced body shaming before, but I have seen it happen. I have a family that used to be very skinny, and gained weight and now she looks beautiful. She has the body shape that people pay to get. Her family doesn't think so though. Her family now tells her that she's too fat and needs to lose weight. She has gotten sick of hearing it and now wants to lose weight because of it. Me and my sister push her not to because she is beautiful. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Jaileen V.

1/11/2018 03:55:36 pm

I believe that people should really stop making fun of others for their body cause it could cause like really big problems with the person's mental health.

Natalie C.

1/11/2018 05:59:11 pm

I agree with this. No one should be pressured to change the way they look. Even though no one is perfect, everyone is still beautiful in their own way.

Jannessa Y.

1/11/2018 07:59:40 pm

I agree that bodyshaming is unnecessary and a problem. I have experienced bodyshaming before, and have always laughed it off, yet it gets at me anyways.

Aryana S.

1/11/2018 07:57:42 pm

This is something I agree with greatly. Everybody should be comfortable with how they look like, and not worrying about what others think about them. When we watch some show or something, they always try to send the message that you are perfect the way you are. However, when there are commercials, it's all about weight loss. They put before and after pictures as if the person was ugly before and after they lost weight they were somehowconsidered beautiful.

jaden

1/11/2018 10:13:41 pm

I really agree with this, I have been body shammed and so this is a topic i feel strongly about aswell

Erica

1/12/2018 10:37:41 am

Exactly ! I totally agree. You shouldn't have to dress a certain way, or be a certain way in order to please others. The only person you should be trying to please is yourself.

Jaileen V.

1/11/2018 03:52:59 pm

What makes me mad about the world we are living in now is the amount of power some people have and what they do with it. It could also tie in to social norms and gender norms. People with power believe that they have the whole country in the palm of their hands. Of course some people respect their power and try not to do much with it, but others take it entirely out of context. For example domestic violence. In my case it was the man who took his authority out of control. When you look at domestic violence, you always think that the man has been abusing the woman. Why do most people think that? Well because of how our society view men and women. Men are supposed to be strong, tall, and have an aura of danger. While women can't protect themselves, and are weak and small. I hate this the most about our world. Why must men always be the stronger ones, and why must women be the weaker ones. Of course with our societies changing rapidly, there are much more millennial views on things. Such as gender norms and how we can change our sexuality and gender based on who we want to be in lives. People believe that if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, you are defying the way of their being. And that somehow, you being gay is the reason why they can't walk around peacefully. That's not true and I don't know why people believe that. Well it all comes down to who is in power. Let's say the person in power is a homophobe, well everyone is going to start thinking that homosexuals are bad and evil. Why? Well that's because the person who has power gets to influence others into thinking what they want. And if someone were to read what I have just written they might think, oh just a rebellious teen wanting to rebel against the society. Sure in some cases that might be the truth, but in other cases its speaking your mind. We have the right to speak out what we believe is true. Then again it all comes to the people who are in power. They can use their power to influence others that we are not doing what we believe. It's kind of like when you are trying to buy a bag. If you want a real bag you might think that the more expensive one is the real deal. That's what people in power try to do. They can put out ideas that are so ridiculous, but you believe them because they have more money and power and are thus much more wiser. When in reality they just want your money and you can get the same ideas from a person on the street. But will you believe that person whose begging for money? No way. Why? Because they don't have money nor power and thus their opinion is invaluable. It bothers me that if you are a nobody, no one will listen to what you have to say and will even ignore you. While if you are a celebrity or someone with power, that automatically makes you wiser than anyone else. Honestly the only way to get someone in power to stop influencing others is that everyone gets their own way of thinking. They can't just depend on the person in power to decide for them. The wife shouldn't let her husband decide what she does. The girl shouldn't be so dependent on the guy to give her what she wants. They should all decide for themselves. The world is rapidly changing, but I'm not saying that you should change with it. I'm just saying that you need to learn to tolerate that people are doing what they want with their lives. They are not trying to hurt you or offend you. They are just doing what they believe they have freedom to do. I myself would try to make people think for themselves. People shouldn't try to be influenced by people who are higher up. I want to have people change their ideas based on what they want and not others. I want people to not use the power against the masses.

James N.

1/11/2018 05:52:44 pm

I thoroughly agree with just about everything you said-- especially the stuff pertaining to the often unfair distribution of power. With all that's going on right now, sometimes I wish that I could say or do something important, but that's just not the way our society is designed to work. The few will have power and wield it as they want, while the rest sit in the dark longing for a chance to speak their minds.

Chris D.

1/11/2018 07:22:16 pm

This was a really good post, and I agree that people with power often abuse it and that this is a very serious problem, and can be very dangerous in some cases, especially when that power is coupled with an ignorance of the topic. It is as James Baldwin once said, "It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have."
However, I think that the stereotype of women being weaker than men has stemmed from long ago, when physical strength was all that mattered, and the fact that men are simply made to be more muscular. Later this went on to mean that they would have the power, and eventually it came to be that men were the ones with power, position, and wealth. I do not think that this is correct, in fact there are many things that women all around me are phenomenal at, and far surpass what I myself am capable of.
Also, I do not believe that it is simply that people only listen to people that are famous, or that power determines how heard you are, but I do think that when someone is famous, they tend to have greater opportunity to reach a larger and more diverse audience. This in turn leads to what they say being regarded by more people. I think that not many people listen to the person on the street not solely because they do not value their opinion, but also because they have no chance to reach many others.

Natalie C.

1/11/2018 05:55:34 pm

One thing that I happen to dislike greatly is the amount of negativity in this world. Whether it's about where someone is from, how someone looks, sounds, acts, etc., I have just never understood why people feel the need to be negative to others. It bothers me, knowing that while there are people out in the world surrounded by family and friends, and are enjoying themselves, there are also people who are treated unfairly and feel that they don't belong in this world. If a child lost their parents and asked others for help, there could be people willing to help, and their could be people who choose to ignore them completely, telling them to be quiet and move out of the way. There could also be people who choose kidnap them with bad intentions. Another thing that bothers me is how people are constantly being judged. If someone is dressed differently, acts different, or looks different than others, then they are immediately judged. If people feel insecure about themselves, then being judged just makes it even worse. People should love who they are, and know that they are also loved by others. There are too many people trying to look and act exactly as "good-looking" celebrities look and act. Whenever someone famous is considered good-looking, everyone else wants to look like them too, expecting to get the same attention as them, and get compliments from others. People do not have to change who they are just so that they can fit in with everyone else. That is wrong. Everyone should be accepted, not judged, for who they are. Too many people are treated unfairly because of who they are, and it needs to be stopped. There are both good and bad people in this world, and it makes me unhappy to know that not everyone is treated the way they wish to be treated.

Yoeslyn A.

1/11/2018 06:27:01 pm

I agree so much on both sides of what you said. There is a lot of negativity in this world, especially upon others. It upsets me that people even get satisfaction out of doing a horrible act. On the other point of your argument, it does seem as though people might just be afraid to show their true selves, only because they fear being judged. A lot of people feel that they need to be fake in order to fit in, but that especially is not the case.

Nia H.

1/11/2018 09:14:01 pm

I entirely agree with you. The world can use a major decrease in negativity. I liked the things that you said to back up your thinking and I think that this was great to read.

Benjamin M.

1/11/2018 10:06:41 pm

I completely agree with you that it is horrible that this world has so much negativity. Also tang people are judged based on how they look, act, and sound. Great job!👍🏼

Aliyah

1/12/2018 04:47:05 am

I agree that there is too much negativity in the world, Nice job Natalie.

James N.

1/11/2018 06:12:41 pm

There are so many things I could say for this. I could talk about the current political state of things, I could talk about racism and homophobia, I could talk about the stubborn refusal to accept climate change as a real, growing threat. However, few of these really have yet to personally affect me. My life is calm and comfortable, without real struggle or turmoil. So therefore, I feel like I would be kind of cheating if I were to write about any of these things. I know and understand very well that many other people have had their whole lives consumed by them, but I cannot say with complete and utter truth that this applies to me. What I hate, completely, personally, and very emotionally about the world is that I have no power to speak my mind and actually bring change-- and when I try to, my opinions and ideas are tossed aside, made fun of, deemed unimportant.

Because really, I'm nobody.

In 100 years, will people still remember my name? Not likely. I am just another inconsequential whisp of humanity, stuck in time, whose sole purpose is to observe the unfolding of history. The best I can do is build for myself a pleasant life, surround myself with good, hardworking people, try and enjoy myself. But what I've learned is that the only people who ever have a say are those with a couple million followers on social media. Few actually care who I am, and few will care who I was when I am gone.

Because really, I'm nobody.

Max J.

1/11/2018 06:56:05 pm

This is an interesting insight for sure. But life goes on. And we have to accept the fact that as a matter of fact, we won't be anybody. So we have to make the most of it, and try to make ourselves a somebody to the people around us.

Jannessa Y.

1/11/2018 08:22:08 pm

While that may be correct, you can still try to make your opinions heard. Just because it seems like no one is listening doesn't mean you should give up on making your thoughts heard. As Max said, you aren't truly a nobody because you must be a somebody to someone (I am not implying that you in particular have given up, but am speaking to a general audience).

Julian G.

1/11/2018 09:03:37 pm

Listen, I see your point, and I understand that this is something meaningful to you. Obviously, in a world of 7.5 billion people, we feel insignificant, remote. I think everyone does, at some point. However, I disagree with you when saying that you are nothing. How can you say that you are nothing and that no one will remember your name in 100 years if you haven't lived those 100 years out until it's end. And even then, most people don't really realize what they have done for the world until they no longer have their place in it. Steve Jobs was a college dropout and an orphan, who probably spent a lot of time thinking like this. Now, I'm going to assume you know who he is, and probably some of us even wrote on the blog with devices fueled by his ingenuity and drive.

In addition, how could it be possible to say that you can not make a difference with what you think? There will always be opposition, true, we all deal with that just by lifting our feet away from the ground. But take a look at Donald Trump. His words will be remembered (and, frankly, puzzled over) for a long time. And he's no "stable genius," either. He's a buffoon who can't tell a golf course in Florida from the White House, and I have confident that every person at Community Prep is smarter than him. But he's made a big difference. Now, I know that, in a lot of our opinions, it's not a good difference, but let's look at it simply. He is a man who deals with opposition, and changes things, overcoming his opposition. Everybody can do that.

So no, you are not nobody. No one is.

Sam H

1/11/2018 09:05:40 pm

I agree. I should probably say more, but I just agree completely with everything you said here.

Yoeslyn

1/11/2018 06:22:39 pm

One problem in society that I am passionate about is our jail system. Either a sentence is too long or too little. I understand that the court needs to go according to the action, and not by the entire story, but there are certain things that go beyond the line. In court, one may be sentenced for 2 years for simple self defense. But yet another might be sentenced to 6 months for rape or sexual assault. I feel that there should be no acceptions for specific acts, and more leniency and consideration towards those who act in self defense. Another problem with the jail system is how they put people, who did not even partake in a crime, in jail. They could be completely innocent, they could've not even known about a shootout or another indecent. Yes, they hung out with those people, but that has no justification whether they were or were not associated with that crime. They could have even just met those people the day of the crime. Lastly, I think we should keep close eyes on those on parole. Many of them just go back to their old habits. You cannot always rely on a promise. Obviously they're in there for a good reason. So, security should be on the lookout constantly and pay attention to their parolees. The jail system could change in numerous ways. There could be a stronger support in the interrogating process, to be able to fully prove if one actually deserves to be put in jail, or even on trial. Also, they need to set restrictions on how long a selected sentence is, based off of the intensity of the crime.

Chris D.

1/11/2018 06:55:58 pm

I agree with many of the things that we have said, however, I would caution against speaking out against a system such as our prison system, because while it may not be perfect, there is certainly a reason that it is in place. I think that trials and crimes have many different angles and sides to them, and that a certain crime, while seemingly simple on paper, can be incredibly complex and complicated. Criminals that were acting in self-defense may have "fought back" after instigating the conflict, and kept on attacking long after it was necessary. All crimes are different, people have different motives, different reasons, and act differently, complicating many crimes and twisting what happened.
You had many good points that I wholeheartedly agree with, but always consider someone's perspective, point of view, and reasons. Many times, situations that are straight forward are in fact quite confusing and twisted.

Tako P.

1/11/2018 07:39:04 pm

There is reason for it, but it is certainly unnecessary. The private prison system is messed. The fact is, regardless of the crime or complications, people should be incarcerated for less time. The prison industry is worth 4.8 billion dollars. The profits are for keeping people who commit minor crimes for way longer than they need to be there.
Studies have shown that jailing people does zero to stop crime. The places with the lowest crime rates have processes other than prison to deal with crime. Like Sweden. A lot of incarceration is also due to racist causes, like a black person getting a longer sentence than a white person. *See my Post* So I'm basically saying what Max said.

Max J.

1/11/2018 07:02:40 pm

Are people always in jail for good reasons though? Because in many cases, people are behind bars for things that they should really just go to rehab for. This is especially the case with drugs. People that do them shouldn't be locked up. We as a country should try to help them with their habits instead of putting them in jail. There is also the fact of private prisons. People make money of others being and jail, and they take advantage of that. I agree with all of your other points, though.

Tako P.

1/11/2018 07:05:21 pm

One problem that I think is really bad is racism. I think it one of the things that is more pressing for our society, because it is the hardest to "solve". Racism is so deeply imprinted on everyone's brain's and we don't even realize it. It is something more visual about someone, you can't really tell somene's sexuality by just looking at them, but you can see their skin tone.

Racism comes in many forms. There is racism between a group. For example, many cultures that range from tan to dark skin are heavily racist towards darker tones. Just the general culture of this is big, too.

Then there is racism that is just ignorance. I know many examples of people that are either unaware of their privilege, or just pretend it doesn't exist. These people are the main reason racism still exist, because they are racist, they just don't consider themselves to be. The truth is, every white person, whether aware of it or not, is racist.

Another type of racism that is really messed up is systematic racism. I find it curious that there are far more incarcerated black people than white, when the crime rate is about the same. Perhaps, the white people could afford to bribe someone to get their kid out of trouble. But how could they afford that? Perhaps their job is a very high up one. Perhaps they were given that job over a just as capable black worker simply because they were white.

Solving racism is the tricky part. In order for racism to disappear, people need to accept that they are racist in the first place. After that, they need to understand why they feel that way, and remember that it isn't there fault. Then slowly, work towards logically learning about issues and take opportunities to talk to people that usually you wouldn't.

*Disclaimer* Saying that all white people are racist is not a personal attack on your character, it is just the result of years of oppression and propaganda

Max J.

1/11/2018 07:48:20 pm

I agree with everything that you said here, except one point. I don't care if it's not an attack on character, or anything like that. Saying all white people are racist is a completely ridiculous statement in my eyes. While I see what you are saying, I really think you are off the mark. Many people have subconscious racism, and I would say that it makes up a very large group of people. b to say that all white people are racist, is in fact, an insult to many peoples character. There has been years of oppression and propaganda. And it was all due to white people. But to sat that very white person in the world has somehow contributed to that is completely false in my opinion. You are saying that all of your white classmates at CP are racist, that all of the white people that you've ever known are racist, and all the white people you have seen walking down the street are racist. I'm sorry, but I don't think that this s the case. And let me ask you, just as a question, do you include yourself in this list of people that are racist or not? I would be very interested see what your view on yourself is.

*Disclaimer* This is just my opinion on this issue. And to me, racism is one of the most serious problems we have in our society. But to say that all white people are racist is an extreme in my opinion .

Max J.

1/11/2018 07:51:06 pm

Also just want you to know that i'm not trying to attack you personally on this.

Max J.

1/11/2018 08:01:29 pm

I also want to make one more edit. In no way am I denying that fact that white people have more opportunities, and more favoritism in the workforce, with the police, and just in everyday life in general. I am just saying that calling every white person in the world racist just seems to be an extreme.

Tako P.

1/11/2018 08:21:55 pm

I never said that all white people are actively contributing to racism. I simply pointed out that the vast majority of white people have underlying bias, being unaware of this is what leads to what has happened in our society.

Max J.

1/11/2018 08:44:49 pm

Yes, I see what you are saying. But by saying that all white people are racist, you are eluding to the idea that indeed, all whites contribute to racism. If you had said Underlying bias and majority, I would have agreed. But all is an extreme. (In my opinion.)

Tako P.

1/11/2018 08:51:44 pm

About if I consider myself racist: There isn't really a way for me to experience what is like to be black, and I usually pass for like something not black? But I still am not white. So yes, being light skinnedish, I contribute to racism. I benefit from the system that favors lighter skin tones.

Josh.B

1/11/2018 09:01:56 pm

Yes, I agree with you Max. Not every white person is racist. The world is a corrupt place. There are some racist people from almost, if not every culture. You can't target one race when in fact all races seem to be getting targeted.

Tako P.

1/11/2018 09:07:40 pm

If we look at the word, ‘racism’, we see that it is made up of ‘race’ and the suffix ‘-ism’. This suffix is used to denote a system which, at least in the western world, is a system of white supremacy.
Every white person is racist in that they benefit from this system.

Tako P.

1/11/2018 09:09:18 pm

Rather than arguing lets all work towards equal rights.

Luke K.

1/11/2018 08:01:53 pm

Agreeing with max, "the truth is, every white person, whether aware of it or not, is racist." Is completely ridiculous. When you say that, you are calling your mom racist, and you are implying that she hates your dad, even if it is on a subconscious level. You think that Mr. Corley or Miss. Bench are racist. Does this also mean that the second a white baby is born they are instantly racist? To me that is ridiculous.

Tako P.

1/11/2018 08:27:05 pm

I am not calling my mother racist. Or saying that she hates my father on every level. My mother is fully aware that even though she is married to my father, she doesn't really understand his experience, and is therefore prone to bias. You are misinterpreting my comment. Please educate yourself.

Sam H

1/11/2018 08:27:18 pm

I agree that they are not racist necessarily; however Tako was right in that every white person has an aura of privilege that will be with them and help them no matter their life situation. One of the biggest problems with racism in America, and the world, is that many white people cannot come to grips with the fact that because of their they have the chance to be treated better. White people are not inherently racist; however everyday members of white society go on with their day with their aura of privilege. Failing to recognize that, as many white people do, is contributing to the system of racism. As a white person, I realize that my skin offers me privileges others may not have, and that this is contributing to the system of racism whether I like that or not. Racism in America will only truly lose its vast scope when white people recognize their privileges and work to make society more balanced.

Tako P.

1/11/2018 08:40:54 pm

Racism isn't just being actively racist. It is also just benefiting from a racist structure in society.

Sam H

1/11/2018 08:42:27 pm

This is what people fail to realize, and, consequently, is why racism remains so prominent in society.

Luke K.

1/11/2018 09:03:10 pm

So by saying that benefiting from a racist structure makes your racist does that mean that people benefiting from affirmative action and programs to help colored minorities are racist?

Sam H

1/11/2018 09:14:42 pm

No, because those programs aren't contributing negatively to racism; they are helping it.

White people benefit from racism throughout society itself, on every level

Adrian M

1/11/2018 09:17:26 pm

Yeah I totally agree with you. I didn’t mention anything in my reply about the lady being white which she was but I hope you that my reply makes it seem like I’m saying that. I don’t think it is but just in case.

Sam H

1/11/2018 09:18:08 pm

Helping, that is, working to fight it.

Chris D.

1/11/2018 08:19:51 pm

I agree with Max and Luke. I think that while trying to show how big of a problem racism is, you inadvertently used the racist stereotype of all white people being racist, providing a very personal and meaningful example to your point about how racism being an unconscious thing.

Sam H

1/11/2018 08:32:51 pm

While I see what you are getting at, it is not a racist stereotype; it is merely a stereotype. In the state that America is in today, it is impossible to be racist to a white person. You can say something offensive to a white person about their race, but if a white person were to do so to a black person it would be racism, as the race in power would be using the other race as a way to target the person of that race.

Sam H

1/11/2018 08:35:08 pm

That is to say, it is not a racist stereotype to whites the way saying all Asian names are like Ching Chong (which is an awful and untrue stereotype which I hate to bring up but fits this example); it is not a comment disparaging the white person of their race. It is just a stereotype.

Sam H

1/11/2018 08:36:25 pm

***the way saying all Asian names are like Ching Chong (again, awful and untrue) is a racist stereotype

Tako P.

1/11/2018 08:38:04 pm

Arguing about whether or not most people have racist is besides the point. That is what is wrong with society. Rather than looking at the fact that millions of people are being oppressed you are focused on the fact that someone pointed out a group on it's racist tendencies, small or big. When people are able to admit and see their privilege, only then will racism be able to be eradicated.

Max J.

1/11/2018 08:40:26 pm

I agree with Sam in the fact that indeed, whites have an aura of privilege. I do also think that a key to ending racism is white people realizing that this is indeed the case. I still disagree with the statement "All white people are racist."

Tako P.

1/11/2018 08:42:32 pm

As I said before: Racism isn't just being actively racist. It is also just benefiting from a racist structure in society.

Max J.

1/11/2018 08:53:24 pm

Sorry if this is the same post twice, I don't see it in the blog so i'm doing it again. I actually agree with what Tako and Sam are saying now that I hear the point they made about the racist structure in society, as well as the fact that in a way, arguing about it isn't going to get us anywhere. We should indeed look at the people that are being oppressed instead of just arguing that not all white people are part of the problem.

Chris D.

1/11/2018 09:08:15 pm

Racism is the prejudice or discrimination based on one's race. A racist comment is a negative comment based on one's race, such as saying that all people of a certain race are racist. However, I am starting to see what you are getting at with white people benefiting from a racist society.

Sam H

1/11/2018 09:12:38 pm

While these are effects of racism, racism is the belief of superiority of one race over another, and goes much further than prejudice. If everyone in society were to say "all whites are racist," would you say that white people suffer from racism?

Josh. B

1/11/2018 09:04:50 pm

Calling all white people racist is offensive to white people that aren't racist because this is not true.

Sam H

1/11/2018 09:09:25 pm

It is not offensive, because it is true. They are not "racist" the way you might think, but they benefit from a racist society and thus contribute to racism. White people need to recognize this and try to fix it.

Julian G.

1/11/2018 09:13:38 pm

May I just point out that this argument is a microcosm of the racism debate in America. We are arguing for the same thing, saying similar things, and getting hitched up on the unimportant details of other argument.

That said, I see both points. While the word "racist" is definitely too strong for this situation, it's simply a poor choice of words. It is sort of true; there almost always exists an underlying bias, for all things. I think it is more a fear of the "unknown." Society makes the known into the unknown knowingly, and twists everything using propaganda and by focusing on negativity, shifting our collective memory and altering our reactions. Just be careful what we all say next time.

Jaileen V.

1/12/2018 11:04:24 am

I honestly don't understand why we people are so oblivious to the fact that Tako is not calling you out. They are saying that it is a kind of subconscious thing. You are a white male, obviously you are going to have a higher privilege than others. In all just depends on the amount of privilege and white supremacy in the world we are living. What everyone said its just a great way to show that even teens of our age are so aware of things. This also shows how america is as a society with many debates and not really anyone understanding the other person

Jaileen V.

1/12/2018 11:10:34 am

But of course I just say this hypothetically and in general white males have a higher privilege than most people.

Luke K.

1/12/2018 11:04:15 am

Things have been said that should not have said, and I would like to sincerely apologies to anyone I may have offended, mostly Tako. I had a severe lapse of judgement and I hope that anyone reading this can find it in their heart to forgive me.

Sincerest apologies, Luke

Luke K.

1/12/2018 11:05:15 am

Correction in the first sentence I mean to say should not have been sent

Aiden M.

1/11/2018 07:25:43 pm

Personally what I hate/dislike about the world the most is that if someone is "different", whether it be something they can control or not, people immediately do one of to things. Be extra violent towards them, or be afraid of them. While I know that most people now a days just grew up a different way and aren't willing to accept change, it doesn't give them an excuse. The only reason for you to be afraid or violent is if you have a legit reason for it. (For example a war or something of a similar extent) However, when things like drive by shootings and public attacks happen for basicly no reason, you know it's out of hand. And this is another problem we have, we let things grow and we ignore it unroll we are forced to look. Us Americans have, sadly, a tendency to let things be ignored as minor problems. Allowing them to grow as more major problems, such as racism, homophobia, Islamophobia, etc. Etc. While, mournfully, we don't really have a way to "end" or "fix" the majority of problems I mentioned. We can help. How, I don't know. But if our people and our government put our heads together, I'm sure we would figure something out.

Chris D.

1/11/2018 08:23:58 pm

I completely agree with what you said Aiden. I think that people being different is not something that we should fear or hate, but something that we should welcome, and cherish. Differences create an environment of diversity, and together, sharing cultures and traditions, we can become a stronger community; a better community.

Aiden M.

1/11/2018 09:48:23 pm

Thank you. Good to know I made my point clear to someone. Also I wasn't thinking about that at the time but I agree on your idea about sharing cultures and religions. Nice thinking

Max J.

1/11/2018 07:32:33 pm

One problem I have with society is gender roles and norms. Now, wile I don't suffer the worst from it, it is an issue I am very passionate about and would like to talk about. The first point I would like to touch on is the way that women are downplayed in the workplace. In many cases, if a man and woman are competing for a job ,and seem to have the same credentials and skill level, the male will very often be favored over the woman. Even if the woman seems better overall
for the position and what it entails, the male would often still be favored just because of their gender. This makes absolutely no sense to me. There is no reason that a man would do the job better than a woman, unless if he was actually better at the job. Not only that, but when they do get the job, they are often payed less than doing the same job as a male counterpart. And not just that, they are often respected a lo less or get sexually harassed on the job. This could happen to anyone, but it happens an extreme amount more to women. Then there are things that people think tie into gender such as height and looks. If you are a male, you are often supposed to being strong and tall. I ma not one of those things, and will most likely never be one of those things. But does that make me less of a "man"? To a lot of people, the answer would be yes. They would say i'm softer feminine, which is ridiculous. Why are females the ones that are soft? Why can't we just express ourselves for while we are? It just seems like to me that just because a person is a man or a woman, and thy are not the perfect fit of the description that we see in the media today, we get made fun of and bullied for it. And to me, that is not ok.

Tako P.

1/11/2018 08:54:16 pm

Gender norms are really messed up, like they embed them into us from the minute we literally are born, and they buy us either a blue or pink blanket.

Max J.

1/11/2018 08:56:21 pm

Yea that's absolutely true. Iv'e never even thought about that.

Keanu

1/11/2018 07:44:19 pm

Personally I agreed a lot that you said especially when you talk about the people in one group being racist to darker ones. Even though I've never seen this my mom tells me that in Cape Verde the light skin ones are really mean to the darker one's and call them names.

David R

1/11/2018 08:17:25 pm

Something I am passionate about is our Justice system. You can't give someone life in prison for selling some weed but a couple years for murder. Speaking of certain crimes getting more jail time than more severe ones, there is no excuse for judges to give someone a bigger sentence for a crime because of their religion or race than someone who committed the same crime but is a more appealing religion or race to the judge than the other person. Whenever this happens, there should be a group of officials who analyzes what happened during the hearings and the difference between the people who committed that same crime. It happens all the time. Some sentences are also very very long considering the crime, and others too short. Also, when you look at the stats there are more false accusations that keep innocent people in prison for decades than the amount of times I've opened my phone, and that's saying something. We also have a poor system when it comes to police accused of an unnecessary conduct. Police are highly favored at time and very bad crimes are ruled as "justified." Apologizing isn't enough, the officer must be given some sort of punishment for performing a bad act. Our justice system is simply corrupt and makes too many mistakes and bad judgment. It needs to be fixed or people will continue to suffer despite being innocent of any crime, and continue to receive harsh sentences even when not necessary.

Shawn Z.

1/11/2018 08:23:45 pm

A big problem in society today is the way power is used. People like Kim Jong Un for example. There are people in North Korea who are suffering from what he does, their lives are horrible, and what does he do? He doesn't allow anyone to leave the country, and he spends way to much money on nuclear research, when the country itself could use the money. There are also the people in the U.S using their power, doing things that the public clearly don't appreciate.

Aiden M.

1/11/2018 10:19:32 pm

Totally agreed. Money should go to the people who need it not want it.

Keanu

1/11/2018 08:27:06 pm

Something that really bothers me is police brutality against black people. As a black a person hearing about all these things that police have done to young black kids my age makes me think what if that was me. Personally i think that this is a hard one because sometimes things just happen but others are just unacceptable. I think the only way to deal with it is to punish policed when there is enough evidence to persecute them and take their gun and badge.

Julian G.

1/11/2018 08:39:04 pm

You know, I honestly think nothing is wrong with the world... except for sarcasm, of course. Okay, I'm kidding. In all seriousness, though, there are so very many things that are wrong with the world, at least from my perspective. Some of it comes in an orange package, and some of it not, but honestly, the world is a trying to juggle more balls than it has people. If we try and solve one thing at a time, then we end up dropping another ball. Luckily, we have a lot of people working on a lot of problems at once. In the other direction, however, we also have a lot of other people trying to stop those people. Okay, I'm getting a bit of track, but seriously, ask what's wrong with the world, and what do you expect?
On to my actual topic. I think that I will attempt to address the issue of Islamophobia. Now, I have never been affected by this really, aside from the few crazy people who have been rude towards my dad simply because of his Middle Eastern accent (epwhich was wrong in many levels), so I don't really have much experience with this, but I knew that I would just ramble with anything else. Now, most of what Islamophobia is is an irrational fear of people who follow the Islamic religion, mostly brought by the misrepresentation of the news and media. Some people think that every Muslim is a terrorist, and are afraid and violent towards them. This view is brought mainly by misrepresentation of the media and our very own President. The news stations and other media outlets report many terrorist attacks led by extremist Muslims, and make a very big negative deal of it. This casts a negative light on the whole Islamic religion, which is the second-biggest in the world, with 1.3 billion followers. The President also talks terribly of them, banning travel from countries with high populations of Muslims, and calling them all terrorists.
In reality, they are all very wrong. Most terrorists are simply Islamic extremists or Muslims driven to extremity by the extreme violence of their countries and the absurdity of the way they are treated by other countries. The way that we are going about this is all wrong. In fact, according to some research, 140,000 terrorists attacks were carried out worldwide, by anyone, from 1980 to 2005. Now, even if every single person that did that were Muslim, that is still only 140,000 out of 1.3 billion people (I'm sorry, I don't know what they defined as a terrorist attack.) Now, consider these other stats: 600,000 people died of heart disease and obesity in one year in the U.S., another 600,000 die of drug use each year, and another 35,000 people die of gun use each year. In addition, all of these statistics are in America, in a one year stretch. So remind me again of why we focus on the 0.01% of Muslims (that's the maximum that it could be, if one was in golfed in every terrorist attack) that almost certainly did not all take part in the 140,000 attacks in 25 years? Now, I'm not saying that terrorism is not an issue, but really? If 0.01% percent of a square is rounded, then is it now a circle? Didn't think so. Anyway, thanks for reading this...

Gosh, and I tried not to ramble, too.

Julian G.

1/11/2018 08:40:57 pm

Sorry, I meant involved, not in golfed.

Aryana S.

1/11/2018 09:15:43 pm

Julian, I agree with 100% of what you have said about how Muslims are targeted for being terrorists. I dislike when the President calls out Muslims for being terrorists. He has such a position of power, he really influences many people of America to think this as well. I think the math that you used really proved the thought of all Muslims being terrorists wrong.

Josh. B

1/11/2018 08:48:54 pm

Something that I don't like about the world is that people continue to show discrimination towards the LGBTQ community. People are still discriminating even after all the awareness and pride. Gay once meant happy. Now it means homosexual. When people say "that's gay", or "your gay", it is almost like they are saying that dumb or your stupid, which is pretty insulting to the LGBTQ community. When I was once in a public school, before Community Prep, I would often hear kids saying "your gay to one another." Even if the kids including I were very young we should all know enough that, that is rude, disrespectful, and completely unnecessary. From my experience on social media and past schools, some people think that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, is a bad thing or something that one should be ashamed of, but really there is nothing wrong with being oneself. Making fun of or discriminating someone who is gay can really affect them a lot. It can make them look at themselves in a different way, and can lead to suicidal thoughts. You shouldn't make fun of someone only to respect them, but also because it is the right and natural thing to do. I think that possible solutions to this problem would be if the LGBTQ community changes or the world changes. It is pretty obvious that the world should change, for the better. People should wake up and finally realize, that we are all human, and have different interests. The world would really boring if we were all the same.

Jaychele-Nicole S.

1/11/2018 10:05:18 pm

l completely agree with you. Being gay or even he word gay itself has become an insult. Members of the LGBTQ+ community already face challenges within themselves and their families, and discrimination is the last thing they need. People in America are still adapting to the new way of living life. It’s 2018, and people still have not adapted to different sexualities other than straight.

Annie S.

1/11/2018 08:58:50 pm

I think that I big problem in society is lacking the chance to speak up about mental health. Whether it be because they don't know how people will react, if people will judge them for it, not wanting to be defined by it, or something else. I'm not just talking about mental health though there are plenty of things that people should be able to talk about openly without judgment but because of the actions of past generations, stereotypes, and the internet sending different messages the topics are hidden away or not able to be sent properly. I think that self respect is sometimes one of those things. It is talked about but at the same time beauty standards, expectations, and other peoples thoughts are forced into minds even if they don't realize it. It gets stuck in your head but those aren't even the only things.

Sam H

1/11/2018 09:04:30 pm

I agree; the stigma around mental health because it makes you "weak" is a huge issue. This is especially so because depression and addiction are mental health issues, and often not identified as such. Or if they are, denied to be because mental health issues make you "weak."

Luke K.

1/11/2018 08:59:16 pm

The issue that I want to focus on is racism, I think it is unfair that jobs and opportunitys are more freely given to white people, and not people of color. It really aggravates me to see people openly showing hatred towards another human being because of the color of their skin. I find it stupid that people are able to hate others just from coming from a different place. About how to solve it, I don't see any way that people could be stopped from having racist thoughts. Maybe parents could expose kids to multiple cultures from a young age and that would cause people to be more accepting of other cultures. We could defiantly crack down on unfair incarceration and hiring, maybe that could help

Julian G.

1/11/2018 09:19:38 pm

Yes, exposure is definitely an answer. However, to completely eliminate racial stereotypes in America, all of society would need to be taken down and redone. As much as we can try to erase, we will always leave a blotch left. Sadly, we don't have any rewrites left.

Jannessa Y.

1/11/2018 08:59:40 pm

One problem I am passionate about in society is rape culture. Rape culture is a social attitude that essentially normalizes and trivializes sexual harassment and abuse. It is definitely not a normal or trivial matter. When someone is raped, they lose their dignity, respect for themselves, security in their life, and overall confidence. It can destroy them substantially in mental ways. Getting raped can happen to anyone.

What makes me angry is that the victim gets blamed sometimes and the rapist is excused for their disgusting actions. It is decided that the victim was asking for it maybe because of the way they were dressed or that they were drunk, but neither of those things should symbolize consent. There should always be willing and absolute consent granted when something as valuable as your own body is going to be used in that way. When males get raped, they may not be taken seriously because they are stereotyped to want it, which should not happen. When females get raped, it is because they were asking for it or are stereotyped to welcome such advances, which also isn’t accurate. Anyone who gets raped should be taken seriously because it is a negative, life altering event.

People should be able to have self control and prevent themselves from carrying out such vile actions. To protect oneself from rape, they must be vigilant. Those who have been raped must speak up to get the support they need, even though it may be difficult. To even prevent rape in the first place, everyone should be taught about respect, boundaries, and consent.

Jannessa Y.

1/11/2018 09:10:45 pm

I would also like to add that although I have never experienced any sexual harrasment of any sort, I know people my own age and younger that have. This bothers me a lot.

Sam H

1/11/2018 09:00:39 pm

As a white male, I have not been affected by problems such as sexism or racism. While I have been affected by racial roles in society, and gender roles in society, both of these are not necessarily affecting me in a negative way. However, I am well aware of, and have witnessed, firsthand or through the media, the ways racism and sexism truly can make one's life much more different.

And it's not fair.

It's completely unfair that I should be treated better because of the color of my skin or my gender. As a boy, I have witnessed or experienced the "boys can't be weak, must be tall, must have a job, etc. etc," but there is no comparison. Women are treated worse. Blacks are treated worse, Latinos or Latinas are treated worse, Asians are treated worse. Unfortunately, it's as simple as that. I believe that all in a position of power given to them by their gender and/or race are required to stand up for those that do not find themselves in this position. It may not be this way for everything, but in the case of racism and sexism, standing idle as a white or a male is contributing to the problem in a negative way.

Aryana S.

1/11/2018 09:07:40 pm

The main issue I am going to be talking about is racism. This is something that really concerns in me in America, because it is a serious issue. Racism really bothers me because it makes no sense whatsoever. Obviously many people in America, and around the world disagree with that statement. Honestly, what's wrong with someone that looks different than you? I'm pretty sure that nobody in this world looks the same as you, talks the way you do, or believes in the same things you do. It's impossible for someone to share every single quality with you. I think it is wrong for someone to label someone for their appearance, or anything different in general.
It's the things such as calling someone out for something about their culture or the way they talk. I have two examples:

This first one is my aunt being called out for wearing a hijab in public. However, this is not in America, but Germany. The reason I am giving this example is because I want to show that racism happens everywhere. I'm sure my aunt has not been the only person to be called out like this, but there are many others in America as well facing this same situation. My aunt was wearing a hijab on the streets of Germany when a man called her out for it. In English he started yelling, "Go back to your country" and some swear words too. My aunt just tried to ignore the very ignorant comments and continued her walk. I mean things like this happen often and we need to put a stop to it.

The other example is not something I saw in person, but a video of a man being racist towards someone who wasn't speaking English. This man was speaking Spanish to his mom, when a man also came and started to yell at him saying that he had to talk in English. He continued saying that if he was going to stay in America he has to talk English, and many other horrible things. My point is that just because of how he spoke to his mother, he was called out for doing so. He was called out for being "different".

Racism can be stopped if people became educated about different cultures, and different situations people go through. People who are being racist obviously don't know what they are saying about a particular group of people, because what they believe in or how they look shouldn't affect anything about their personalities.

Another step to end racism is to not tolerate it on social media. A lot of people are posting things about people who are considered different in their eyes. I mean, if you see anything like that you should be reporting the person, so their account can be reviewed by the social media. The sooner you get racist comments off of these accounts, less people will be influenced by them. Instead they will learn about the good.

One step at a time, hopefully, we will eventually end racism and make everyone come together!

Kellin E

1/11/2018 09:31:46 pm

I️ completely agree with you when you say that if we try to stop the use of racism on like social media then maybe others won’t be influenced so much that they keep doing it. I️ also felt very sad about what happened to your Aunt, but by ignoring the ignorant comments, she did a good job and was very brave in the situation.

Nia H.

1/11/2018 09:11:07 pm

In my opinion, I feel that one of the most serious problems that we face in this society is police brutality and gun violence. Over the last few years, I have witnessed multiple news reports, radio stations, a magazine articles that have brought up the topic of innocent people getting injured or hurt from attacks that just happen randomly.

The reason that I think that this is a big problem is because it's wrong for people to wake up and have to worry if they are going to make it to tomorrow.

In my perspective, I don't really think that there is anything anyone can do about it because no matter how many people are against it, it's going to happen again. But the most that we can do is spread awareness by doing things such as doing fundraisers or peaceful protests to show our support and intolerance for this topic.

Ela H.

1/11/2018 09:11:17 pm

I am very passionate about body standards/body shaming. Your body is what everyone sees. Now a days the is a surgery for everything. Your nose, your eyes, your neck, you ears. Society has one look for only two genders, that everyone is supposedly supposed to look like. If you don't, then apparently you’re not good enough or pretty/ handsome. Society shouldn't decide how we feel in our bodies, but sometimes it does. It okay if your a male and your not extremely muscular or a female and obsessively thin. Even if you don’t identify as neither,you don’t have specific guidelines.Because society doesn’t know how to cope with people who have a different idea of beauty. Everyone bodies are designed differently. You have the right to love yourself. If you don’t like the way you look,then change it, the healthy way and don’t cut corners. But if you're changing it for someone or to fit society standards, then don’t. Society is teaching us to to hate our bodies and to look like every other model, instead society should teach us to love ourselves, each other and our differences. Society has no idea how many lives that have been ruined by being stuck in a mindset that causes depression,eating disorders, and suicidal youth. This is problem that needs to be addressed,discussed,and concluded.

Adrian M

1/11/2018 09:13:24 pm

One problem with society that I personally dislike the most is racism. Mostly because I’ve gone through it many times before but also because it is everywhere. Racism has been a thing for a very long time. Racism goes back over 140 years to where there was slavery. The most recent time that I have seen racism in person was at the Mansions trip we went to a few weeks ago. Some of you already know this but when Noah left his cash at the front desk, he left his change. Me thinking since Noah is almost outside already I’ll jus give it to him. At the time the lady hasn’t seen what I looked like because I had my hoodie over my head. When I reached my hand out and said I’ll give it to him, she turned to me and was about to drop the money in my hands. Now I don’t know if it was because I was so ashy that she thought I was lighter but when she looked up she had seen a tan skinned boy and just walked to Noah who was across the room. I didn’t really take any offense to it but the fact that racism has been going on for so long and has had many things that needed to be change, there’s still so much that needs changing.

Sam H

1/11/2018 09:19:34 pm

It's terrible that people are like this, and it's terrible that it's so common. It is definitely a huge problem.

Kellin E

1/11/2018 09:24:53 pm

One problemt that I️ have with society is racism. Jobs are mostly given to white people and not people of color. Many people who come to the U.S come here for the better opportunities that are offered but in reality the decision on whether or not you can get a specific job is on your skin and background. Most of the time the most important thing is your skin to many jobs. You either have to be this or that or this and that to get a job. I️ don’t understand why many jobs just care about what color skin you are. It’s as if they want to have this certain image and if you are someone of color then you might ruin it. Backgrounds, I️ think is another important thing when looking for a job or just new opportunites. When applying to a job, the one who is thinking of hiring you looks at what you have done before to see if you have any skills that might be helpful when doing this job. But some just want to see where you are from and what color skin you are so they could choose whether or not to hire you because of who you are or where your from.

Sam H

1/11/2018 09:27:48 pm

It's almost as though somebody who isn't white has to work twice as hard to get the job over someone that is, and it's completely unfair. You can't judge how qualified somebody is by their skin color.

Benjamin M.

1/11/2018 09:41:15 pm

There are many things to dislike about out world. One that especially bothers me is that the world never at peace. This is because d many different things. There is a lot of sdiscrimination against a certain races, religions, cultures, and many more. It really bothers me that people are discriminated for their color of their skin, what they believe in, and many other unnecessary things. I believe that everybody should be treated equally. Country's are constantly fighting against each other for different things, such as money, tools, and many other things. Overall I don't like the idea of the world not at peace because at any moment something may happen because country's are against each other and they harm each other which is unessecary and needs to be fixed. Country'a are bombed, and many inocent people are killed and I believe that this is wrong and shouldn't happen. But, after all there is a lot of fixing to do and this world is far from perfect.

Jaychele-Nicole S.

1/11/2018 09:59:51 pm

As the years pass, social media has began to desensitize us. We are now developing “thicker skin”. This is a vary thing because it means that either people had to go through something in order to get that “thicker skin”, or that this “thicker skin” makes anything fair game. This how derogatory terms are began, and eventually they pick up speed. America is becoming more and more aggressive. We have changed words around so now they had a different meaning, for example the “n-word”. America seems to be the only country that tends to just throw that word around. Throwing around words that used to keep people oppressed is not ok, even if it has a “new meaning”. In conclusion, America has been forced to “toughen up” and some people are feeling the effects from that, such as; bullying or body shaming.

Jaden H.

1/11/2018 10:09:12 pm

A problem in society that I am passionate about is the modern day school system. I feel like this might be one of the biggest problems in the world in my eyes. Albert Eisenstein once said " Everybody is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live it's whole life thinking it is stupid." When I found this quote it really got me thinking how the school system really makes a teacher stand in front of a group of kids and teach them the same thing in the same way when in that group of kids there are going to be kids that have different strengths and different needs. There are many kids that can relate to the fish. Think about it this way, If a doctor prescribed the same medicine to everyone, people would get terribly sick and it wouldn't work for everyone. Same for the school system. Over the years there has been many things that have changed in the world like a phone now vs then or a car now vs then. When you imagine this its like a huge difference but if you think about a classroom now and then not much would have changed. Usually the teachers get blamed for all of this but teachers have one of the most important jobs on the planet and they are often underrated compared to doctors.They work in this system that doesn't have many options so they really don't have a choice. I came across a video, talking about this modern day schooling and I was really inspired by it and I was angry, I had a lot of different emotions twords the short video. So I think that this is something that has to change. Nowadays we can customize things like social media pages so I think that we need to make an effort to tweak this school system that teachers have to stand by.

Chris D.

1/11/2018 10:26:55 pm

I personally think that one of the most dangerous problems with our society is one that is very hidden and lies underneath the surface of life, deep in the subconscious yet still a large part of our lives. This problem is Relativism. It states that there are no absolute truths, that nothing is true for everybody. The problem with relativism is that it completely takes away all sense of right and wrong.
If there are no absolute truths, than killing someone may not be wrong to me. What if, to me, rape is not a bad thing. What if, to me, using a nuclear weapon isn’t wrong. Destroying millions of lives, tearing apart families, and causing such pain is morally acceptable to me. I can do whatever I want because to me, what I want to do isn’t wrong.
This is the true extent of relativism. It is a sick and gross way to try to bypass the law of moral boundaries. There are things in the world that are wrong. There are things out there that are sick, that are vile, and that, under no circumstances, no way shape or form, may be considered acceptable. Murdering someone, for example is horrible. There can be an reason for killing someone, if it is a kill or be killed, but even then, many people have given up their lives and not defended themselves, letting their lives be taken. However, murder: the premeditated taking of a life, out of rage, hate, jealousy, or fear, is unacceptable.
It may be presented as something else, as a kind of freedom or liberty, but it isn’t. Relativism takes away all order and restraint. Relativism is evil.

Wilder R.

1/11/2018 11:46:55 pm

Something that bothers me the most about this society is the Privilege lots of people have. People and especially kids and teens just take privilege for granted. They believe that they have the worst life but at the same time they do not think of other people. There is other people who can't even contain a small apartment. There is people in the world worrying if they would have a meal at all for the day or possibly even the week which sounds horrible. I myself have said that I have the worst life but even if my parents don't have the newest car or buy me the new shoes or fancy clothes they still have me here and they give me food every single day and they give me a private education that not everyone can get just to name a couple. I believe that people should rethink before they say something. Some people want the new IPhone x or the IPhone 8 but there are some people who can't even afford food. Yes my parents had to work all day and night just to have food at the table and yes they had to do whatever they could just so we could go to school. That's what I call privilege. To have my parents with me and wanting to give me a great education . I am just at school not worrying about anything while my parents are probably at a store with the worker not letting them purchase something just because they are Spanish. Sure they can't speak English that well or they are tan and darker but that gives them the same right as any other person here . I have lots of privilege just for being able to learn English and not have to worry to get my own food, pay my own phone bill, or even just passing by someone who you know could judge you if they knew you were Guatemalan. It sometimes just angers me to see people complain about the smallest thing and that they can't get 100 dollars from their parents and instead they got 10. I would be very happy with those 10 dollars but I wouldn't really like receiving money from my parents because they work so hard for the family but especially their kids. I have so much privilege being a Latino bisexual teenager, but there are just some kids who have lots of things that they wouldn't have to work for ever in their lives and complain about not getting something. I just want people to understand that we should all be treated equally and no matter if I am white or black or Hispanic or Gay, Straight, or Bisexual doesn't mean we should all not have that special right .

Karime L.

1/12/2018 12:10:55 am

One problem in today's society in which I feel is a big issue is racial injustice. I understand people will always have their own opinions about race. Either some think that all people are equal or may believe that one race is superior than all the other ones. As much as I don't respect or agree with the idea that one race is better than all the other races, I can not change someone's feelings about something they feel so passionately about. People can feel however they wish, no matter how others around them feel. They can have their own opinions about race. However, the bigger issue is when people use their own personal racial beliefs and use it to discriminate and oppress another race. Black people are often sentenced longer jail time than their white counterparts for similar crimes. One example is Brock Turner and Brian Banks. Brock was an athlete at Stanford and was 20 when was convicted of raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. Brian was 16 when he was accused of raping a girl. He was tried as an adult and got 5 years in prison, while Brock only received 3 months. The difference? Brock is a white male, while Brian is black. This isn't the only example of racial injustice and it won't be the last. However, that doesn't make it okay, nor is it an excuse. One person spent more time than you'd spend in high school, while the other spent a summer in jail. To make matters worse, Brian hadn't even actually raped the girl and still had to spend his time branded as a sex offender. There are other examples of racial injustice like police shooting unarmed black people because saying "I am not armed." just isn't enough. Racial injustice has impacted our society today way more than it should. It is time for people to put their own personal beliefs away when they are supposed to do their job. There are many people who have died for no reason due to people's biased and stereotypical behavior. The only solution, stop letting your racism and negative opinions for certain people get in the way of your job.

Aliyah

1/12/2018 04:41:31 am

Just one thing? I could talk about a lot! Gender norms. Just because your a girl or boy doesn't mean that you have to do "girl" or "boy" things. If your a girl, it doesn't mean you have to like the color pink, wear a skirt, or dress. I believe that you can wear anything you want. Just because you are a boy or girl, doesn't mean you have to do the things that everyone thinks they do.
Body shaming. This one really bugs me. Why do people have to judge you because of your weight? It's none of their business! It only makes people, and me for a while, change things about themselves. Start going on diets, exercising, and not loving them self. For example, There is this new-ish challenge called the "skinny enough challenge." The object of it is to see if a dollar bill wraps around your wrist. If it does, your considered "skinny enough." The whole base of that is to discriminate "fat" people. Wrapping the dollar around your wrist doesn't measure fat, it measures bone. So if your bones, in my case, are big, obviously you're not "skinny enough," because the dollar won't wrap all the way around. There have been a LOT more from a4 waist challenge where girls show off my hiding their waist behind a piece of printer paper to show off their waist size. To placing coins on their collar bones to show off their thinness. And now to the "Iphone 6 challenge" where girls balance an Iphone 6 on their knees to show off their skinny-ness. That is idiotic. Why judge someone else? Worry about your own self.
Over the years, I've noticed that these dumb challenges mostly involve girl and not so much boys. Why? Why is it that girls always judge them self and criticize others at their imperfections, and not boys? I will never know.

"White lives matter." This group was a response to the "Black lives matter," however, it completely ignores the problem. The problem was that blacks were getting killed, pulled over, and arrested for no reason at all(most of the time). Now people have responded with "All lives matter." Yes, all lives matter, but that wasn't the reason for the Black Lives Matter movement, which some people apparently misunderstood.

Bullying. I still don't under why people do it. Sometimes, things happen at home, okay, but you don't have to make people feel like crap so that they feel better. But other people use it as a way to feel superior to anyone else. Make them seem like their on a higher level than everyone else. And then the victim ends up hurting them self and the others around them. They might start doing self-harm, not eating, or if worst comes to worst, suicide.

The negativity of the news. This one is kind of big. If you watch the news, you’ll see that they only show the negative things that happened that day or past week. But you never see any good things. So why? I think it’s to attract people so that they watch the news. We are so drawn to negative things in the world because we’ve been desensitized over the years. I think that is a huge problem, if they put uplifting things the news, I don’t think people will watch it because it’s “boring,” and that’s a huge problem.

Price of school. This one is kind of big. I don’t understand why we have to pay for an education. If they just want to make money, Okay, I guess, but why is it so high? $30,000 for ONE year of high school and college? Really? I think it should be way lower or even none at all so that everyone gets a chance to go to school, and an opportunity to get an education.

Social media taking over our society. Whether it's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Tinder, Youtube, or Vine, we're constantly checking for updates, looking at our notifications, posting, and scrolling through our feeds during any minute of free time. It not so much a bad thing, it does keep us connected, but this addiction is causing serious damage. Instead of meeting face-to-face, people will now just send a text message via Snapchat, Instagram, etc. Also knowing what your friends are doing 24/7 makes it less likely for messaging back-and-forth, because you already know. I’m not saying that social media is a bad thing, it allows you to keep up with the news and everything around you, but the fact that we are so addicted to it, is kind of heart breaking.

Donald Trump being our 45th President. Pretty self explanatory.

I could go on and on about the things that make me mad in society. But I think the biggest problem that makes me mad is that these problems exist in the 21st century. We’ve come a long way, but we still have a lot of work to do.

Erica

1/12/2018 08:15:47 am

In every form of media, from magazines to social sites, displays a standard of beauty. What they believe is the right way to look. They have pictures of young, beautiful models on the covers for all the world to see, this includes children. By creating these advertisements, it causes most people to have low self esteem, and low self confidence. They look up to these people, as their role models and goals. Girls around my age yearn for the feeling of being as “Beautiful” as these models are. As a community we’re endlessly surrounded by technology. We’re being constantly reminded that we have to be a certain way, instead of being who they truly are.
I believe that instead of having the typical white European model on every cover, we should diversitize the people that we have on camera, by include people of different race, size, etc. This would let us teens feel as though we don’t have to look or be a certain way in order to be considered as beautiful in society. If I had the power to do so, I would try to change most model policies, and allow people of all different characteristics to be included in the modeling career.

Karena P.

1/12/2018 08:17:55 am

One problem I have about the world is that people say things like your body isn’t fit for this or fit for that so you should go fix the way you look. Whenever people say things like that I think about why they did and how they will feel if they were in that person's shoes. To bully someone about their size I think that it is very rude. Although they might be smaller than you there is a possibility they can be better than you and stinger than you. They could be shorter and you’re taller but that doesn’t mean that you can bully them.
But people just don’t bully others because of their height but also of their size weight wise. You shouldn’t talk about someone’s weight. When doing that you are bullying them. They could think that maybe they are too big and something is wrong with them. That can cause them o go home look in the mirror and try to do something bad to themselves. They will think negatively and will prolly want to even kill themselves. So maybe before talking about someone else look at yourself and look at the way they reacted. They can try to do something to you and that will not be good. But really I do not think there is a way to stop this. Everyone acts differently. There is no way of stopping bullying in general. Either way there would be At Least one person that will keep it going at some point. But I do think that people should stop talking about people's heights, weights, etc. Just stop talking about people's body’s in general, not everyone is perfect so if you bully someone else just think about yourself but you probably are just as bad in a different way. No one is perfect just keep that in mind.

Noah S.

1/12/2018 08:26:01 am

One of the major problems that I have seen is the selfishness of the upper class. Now, many rich people are quite generous, and do great things for society, but the ways that things like our taxes work is clearly designed in a way that the rich are allowed to get richer. In fact, most attempts at success will require a preemptive sum of money to start off, which very few people have. People who ended up in a high financial position would pass their money to their children, who could use it to get richer, who could give that to their kids, etc. This also made it far more difficult to start up a business when there was already a large number of people already rich in the industry. Like we have talked about, the free enterprise system doesn't let the government favor certain businesses, but money will always be the best tool to boost success, which does not leave an equal playing field. Many people don't want to become entrepreneurs, so this won't effect them, but businesses and how they run have an effect on all of us even if it is not a direct connection.

stephanie

1/12/2018 11:04:50 am

i think that the most severe problem in society is corrupt ad messed up in many ways. one that is gender norms and gender equality. i think that this isn't "boy" thing or a "girl" thing. i recently had a argument with my younger sister. we were just watching some random football player on YouTube, and the guy had long hair, she said to me "why does he have long hair?" in response i answered because he can. to that she answered "but hes a guy" (realize that this is a 6 years old girl) and i answered "so?" lastly she answered "but it weird" . i realized that kids are thought how things are "normal" or "not normal" this shows people are thought the norm early on and is hard to change later

Kevin G Class of 2017

2/27/2018 05:15:33 pm

Hello Mr. Husband, I remember doing this last year and I miss it. I hope I can go back to your class and learn new things..... as long as I don't take any test/quiz.

Solving City Problems

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