Downfalls of Feminism

I'm sick of people thinking that it is alright to tear others down in order to strengthen their own arguments. What happened to supporting yourself, but not at the expense of others?

Has Social Media Made Us Less Social?

One night when I was surfing Facebook, Snap-Chat, Instagram, etc., I realized how much it actually controlled my life. You don't even realize until you think about how much you are actually using them. After surveying some people that I knew and also didn't know, it came to my attention that this is a real issue. So I proposed a changed frame of reference to not rely on social media as much. This would allow us to build stronger bonds and relationships with those around us in route to building a better world. Enjoy!

Intolerant of Intolerance

As I continued to think about my topic of political correctness and the way it affects our society, I discussed with some acquaintances about what they think the main cause of or problem with being politically correct is. Based on my last blog post, I believe that political correctness is being taken to an extreme and is encroaching on personal freedoms of speech and expression, and can be used as a crutch by certain groups or political parties.

The feedback I received from people varied. Several had my same viewpoints. Two people felt that political correctness is useful in society to prevent minorities from feeling isolated, and that the pros of what political correctness is trying to accomplish outweigh the cons that we see today. However, I feel that the idea of being politically correct is being hugely abused.

After discussing this over with the people I chose, it seems that politically correctness comes from this feeling of entitlement that our generation seems to have. This leads to pride which causes people to feel very offended by something if you say it in "the wrong way." Our society is trying to prevent intolerance but is thereby being intolerant of others for their ideas that may seem intolerant. It's one big irony. One of my acquaintances expressed how political correctness is an "insidious form of censorship which only serves to push the limits of societal norms further away from that which we know to be right because we might be perceived as being mean."

So how do we change this? How do we make sure that people aren't saying harmful things or creating stereotypes, but not get our panties all up in a wad when someone has a difference of opinion, or a political party is pushing for a certain standard. And the truth is, I'm still working on that. As of right now, I don't know if there is a tangible way to cool the fire everyone is stirring up that is political correctness. It is an ideal our society needs to reach as a whole. But we could start by drawing a line. Don't make Paula Dean grovel for forgiveness because she said the "N-word" 20 years ago when it wasn't considered a bad word. That was 20 years ago. Let the past be the past. We need to look to the future. We need to teach at young age the idea of truth mixed with tact. Speak the truth in a tactful way. As my friend stated, "My conclusion is that people should strive to be straightforward yet tactful in all instances. That is how Jesus Christ taught and we should inevitably follow his example."

Credibility on the Internet

While the amount of money and time put into shopping sight unseen had increased with the introduction of internet vendors, the thought behind the spending has not, and this is a problem. Someone in the late 1800s ordering a stove from the Sears catalog could depend on the reputation of the company in a way that someway putting their credit card information into an obscure website cannot, and yet they make the purchases with the same amount of trust. Studies have shown that 88% percent of online shoppers will trust a review like they would trust the recommendation of a friend.

An Irrational, Incurable Disease

“This political correctness just continues to spread. It’s like a disease. It’s like an incurable disease. It’s just spreading and it’s irrational.”

Rush Limbaugh’s quote rings true as we look at our government, our schools, our society, and realize how the idea of being politically correct permeates our civilization and the way we communicate with others. In 2013, a college student in California was asked to take off a cross she was wearing at school because it might offend other people. Students are not allowed to pray at public schools because it could be deemed insulting. The Obama administration has banned government agencies from referring or linking terrorism to Islam – for fear that it might offend someone.

Being politically correct is all about dancing around a subject so we don’t step on someone’s toes. Our society has taken on this idea that we can never hurt anyone’s feelings, even if something is the truth. We even see this ideology infiltrating all the way down to children in our school systems. In Massachusetts, a school principal cancelled Honor Night in order to avoid hurting the student’s feelings who weren’t getting an award. He was creating an idea that there are no winners or losers.

As Limbaugh put it, political correctness is spreading and is irrational. It encroaches on personal freedoms of rights, such as freedom of speech and expression. Praying in schools may offend non-Christians. But what about the Christian’s right to wear a cross necklace, pray, or worship as he pleases, and share that belief with others? Not only does the dogma of needing to be politically correct all the time encroach on personal rights, it also eliminates the drive and motivation necessary for healthy competition in schools and in the work place.

We need to change our frame of mind. We should not have to always worry that we will lose a job if we mention our religion. I am entitled to my religion just as much as someone is entitled to not claim a religion. We need to not have to apologize for saying the word “thug” because it might offend people of the non-Caucasian race. By constantly worrying about being politically correct, we are letting government, and general authorities in our society control how we think. We need to stand for our rights, our beliefs, our hard work, and what is true. Not just say whatever sounds “politically correct.”

When Is It Enough?

With the development and wide-spread access to television, the internet, cell-phones, and social media the spread of pornographic images has exploded to infinite proportions!  Social science research has proven that pornographic images have a negative effect on the future relationships children and adolescents develop with others.  Increasingly we are seeing that teenagers, and even young children, who have repeatedly viewed vivid sexual materials have difficulty forming meaningful relationships.  Too often those who view pornography see others as objects instead of people.  

Changing education paradigms

The title is borrowed from Sir Kenneth Robinson, an English author, speaker and international adviser on education. He has great ideas about changing education which resonate strongly with me. I believe that schools tend to smother creativity in order to “educate” us and this needs to be changed.

I began to think about the common core and how that is structured to make sure all students are at the same level, learning all the same things. Who is to say that is the right way? Who is in charge of making these decisions? It is the Council of Chief State School Officers. You can read about them at http://www.ccsso.org/who_we_are.html

Their promise is that their officers are “committed to creating a public education system that prepares every child for lifelong learning, work, and citizenship… by addressing and increasing the capacity to produce students ready to succeed as productive members of society.” What I find interesting is their use of the word “produce” which means to “make or manufacture from components or raw material.” It seems as though they have a goal to produce a certain type of citizens that they want. But who is to say that their way is the right one? What determines a successful person?

There is a story from the 1930s about a young girl who couldn't focus in school. All her teachers and thus her mother assumed she must have a learning disability. So her mother took her to the doctor. He ran some tests and then came to a conclusion. He told the young girl that he needed to step out of the room and talk with her mother. He turned on some music and left the room. He and the mother watched the girl through a two way mirror as she began to move around and dance to the music. The doctor looked at the mother and told her that nothing was wrong with her daughter, she is just a dancer. That young girl was Gillian Lynn, who went on to become a famous ballet dancer and choreographer. Nowadays she would have been diagnosed with ADHD and been given some meds to help her “focus” in the classroom. We need to stand up for our educational liberties and take away some of the authority from the people who claim that they know how to “produce” successful and productive citizens.

Should Seniority be Sacked?

A few years ago, I remember reading a news article about the school district I grew up in, the Clark County School District. The district needed to “surplus” (read: layoffs) about 1,000 teachers to meet their budget for the upcoming year. The layoffs were not surprising; the teachers they let go were. Clark County had honored six new teachers with a “New Teacher of the Year” award. Half of those teachers were let go a few weeks later. The following year, the district let go 419 teachers, but only thirty-eight were fired because of performance issues. The rest were let go because they did not have seniority, just like a majority of the 1,000 teachers the year previous.

CCSD members protesting layoffs. (From the Las Vegas Sun)

Work Hard, Play Hard

When was the last time you played? The last time you simply ignored your responsibilities and enjoyed yourself? As a child, play comes easily and consumes most of our time. Even if it’s not classified as “play,” spending quality time on leisure activities has been highly valued for centuries. In days of old, people often spent time on leisure activities and they saw the value of art, literature, and discovery.

When America was formed though, the focus quickly turned from the value of play to the value of work. In America, if you work hard, you have a greater chance to “become something”. As an adult, play takes us away from work and is seen as a hindrance in our progression towards success. Taking time to enjoy yourself is seen as selfish and irresponsible. Why play if you knew that a few more hours of work would put you ahead of the rest? So what do we do? We work ourselves straight to our graves. Compared to the world, American’s enjoy the least amount of vacation and we are suffering because of it.

A year ago, I was trying to relax while watching TV when a car ad popped up. The character was rambling about how American’s were superior to the world because our drive for work and excellence was going to take us places. Oddly enough, I was saddened. Why are we working so hard if we are never going to take the time to enjoy our progress? There will always be time for work. Maybe instead of becoming overwhelmed by our responsibilities, we should take the time to love the world we are in for a change. So put down the homework. Close your notebooks. Turn of the TV. Set down your phone. Just go play. 

What is an American really?

The majority of people look at illegal immigration as something bad.  The negativity isn’t just reserved to those who are actually illegal immigrants however.  Some even go so far to generalize all Hispanic people as illegal immigrants, flagrant disrespecters of the law, and all class of criminals.  This discrimination has had its affect on many laws and general practices respecting people of Hispanic descent.  I’ve lived in Mexico and I’ve learned that many of the people there regard western United States as still part of Mexico since it was wrongfully ‘taken’ from them by the U.S. as part of the ‘booty of war’.  All these negative feelings are broiled into one big general dislike of each other’s culture and lawfulness.