What's Said And What's Done

"ManKind Initiative", a British charity for male victims of domestic violence, created a video to display two different scenarios in the United Kingdom. The video shows the contrast between how people react to abusive males toward women, and abusive females toward men. Check out the video right here.

When the boyfriend grabbed and yelled at his girlfriend, people immediately reacted. Not only did they reprimand the man, but they advised the woman to call the police and encouraged her that she "doesn't have to put up" with his behavior. Bystanders might have thought that the boyfriend was using his aggression on his girlfriend, and therefore, the woman didn't deserve what she received. This is a complete contrast with the reaction of the people when the woman was the abuser. The girlfriend hits and yells at her boyfriend as well, but no one helped the man, and people were clearly laughing at him. The bystanders probably thought the man was merely getting picked on by his girlfriend or that the boyfriend did something to deserve the treatment. This leads to my question: Why are people more prone to stop male abusers than woman abusers?  

Although this was a fake scenario the reaction of the people were all real. Some also think that people in the U.S. might have acted differently, but I believe that the reaction of Americans would be very similar to those of the British. I believe this because the idea of male dominance is evident regardless of which country a person is in. In history, women have always been looked at as weaker than men, so I think that often times people react immediately to the male abuser because they don't think that the woman can defend herself. "Desertphile" comments under the video, acknowledging that he himself would not react if he saw a woman abusing a man and understands that it should be not different, but because the victim is a man, "he has more options for ending the abuse". I believe that by "options", the commenter means more power. Society gives men this expectation to be stronger than women, and for that reason, I think that people were laughing at the man because it's embarrassing for a man to get bullied by a woman.

What would Americans say if they heard a man was a victim to domestic violence vs. a woman like in this video? Does that differ with what you think Americans would actually do if they witnessed this situation? Why or why not?

Not Always A Happy Ending

I was reading a blogpost called "I'm An Upper-Middle Class White Girl, But I'm Not Entitled" whose author talks about the sorority girl stereotype and how she and others should not be negatively stereotyped under that labeled. I think that this blogger has a right to stand up for herself, but I have mixed feelings about some of her comments. Check out the blog post by clicking right here. 

I definitely agree with "RecruitmentChairTSM"that girls should not be judged by others just because she's in a sorority. I acknowledge that Greek communities are known for partying, but they also raise a lot of money for the partners and foundations that they support. For example, greeksforgood.org is an organized website where Greek Houses can track their earnings for their foundations. I also like how she understands that in reality, appearance does matter in society. A lot of people will judge a person or stereotype him or her based on that person's clothing and belongings. For example, there are obvious apparel and behavior do's and don't's for a job interview. 

One thing that I do disagree with though, is that the blogger says that a "Daddy's credit card...doesn't exist". Yes, maybe she worked hard to get to her current point in life, and she works for most of her spending money, but I think that she doesn't acknowledge that money that her parents most likely payed for most, if not all, of her college tuition. I understand that she wants to show her independence and hard work, like many other people who come to America. The idea of the American Dream is something that many people strive to accomplish. 

Although this sorority girl might not have lived the typical scenario of the American Dream, the same concept is there: striving towards excellence from hard work. "RecruitmentChairTSM" wrote this blogpost to defend her own story of the American Dream. She believes that she is "not entitled" or does not deserve the stereotypes that people face on her because of the effort she has used to get to where she is now. It's like because she has become successful and worked hard, there must be a happy ending, but is this true? Is there such thing as a "happy ending" with the American Dream? How do people view or talk about the American Dream? Do Americans aspire to fulfill the American Dream? Why or why not?

Social Class On A Bus

A couple of days ago I took my high school's shuttle bus to get to it's other campus. We usually have a specific group of buses and drivers for campus transportation, but this time, it was a bus from a Chicago Public School. I will not disclose the name of the school, but note that the bus was very different from my school's bus from the Northshore suburbs. Before getting onto the bus, I immediately saw a sign that said "This is a crime and drug free bus". I had never seen a sign like that on any of my high school's shuttle buses before. When I got onto the bus, I noticed that there were at least 3 security cameras. The bus driver also yelled throughout the bus, "I don't care if you guys have 3 to a seat; you can do whatever!"

Just the difference in the buses show that the experience at school is different for a student in the Northshore and in Chicago. Having the sign on that bus shows that they need to remind students of what a school bus should not have. Having a security camera on a school bus is not typically strange, but having three shows that there is a safety issue on the CPS buses. Again, there is a sense of carelessness, when that driver told students to risk their safety by breaking the bus rules, when New Trier's bus drivers are pretty strict. Even the way New Trier calls it a shuttle bus, and CPS schools call it a school bus shows a difference in social class. New Trier's buses aren't even shuttle buses, but we call them that anyway. Why is that? 

What social class do you think an average student would be in if they rode in the "shuttle bus" and the "school bus"? Also think about the stereotypes that downtown city schools have compared to suburban schools. More importantly, where have these stereotypes come from? Some people believe that you can tell what social class a person is by their dialect, what they have, and their possessions. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?

A Perspective Other Than Your Own

Peer editing is a common practice in high school classrooms, but I think many students take it for granted. I know that personally I didn't really think much about the process, but I have realized how helpful it can be for the writer. After having a fellow classmate edit my Junior Theme, I understood how she viewed the paper from her perspective in contrast to my perspective. Some ways in which I phrased a sentence was not clear enough for her, and she also gave me suggestions as to what I could do to make it clearer. You can use your editor's suggestions or combine their thoughts with your own to create something even better. 

I think that the core of peer editing is to understand different viewpoints that are different than your own. This is an important idea in America today because being able to look at something with different perspectives is a vital skill in the workplace as well as in general. Because technology and ideas are always transforming and improving, we have to be able to think out of our comfort zone. That is why articles and ideas go through a process of being reviewed by multiple editors and higher officials in companies. That is why I believe building a strong foundation on peer editing in middle and high schools would be beneficial to students. 

To read more, here is a great article that goes in depth about peer editing and its benefits.  

That One Word

If you're ever confused about when to use the word "retarded",
refer to this chart called "When is it okay to use the word retarded?" 

Are you ever uncomfortable when you're in a conversation with someone and they say that one word that you can't stand? That one word for me, is the word "retarded". Above is a clever chart made by the Military Special Needs Network for people to understand when it is okay to use the word "retarded". The word "retarded" derives from the term "mental retardation". Click on the link to see Merriam Webster's definition of the term. To sum it up, mental retardation is an intellectual disability that causes a person to learn and develop concepts slower than others. 

A recent article from Polymic gives a brief glimpse of why many Americans have an issue with the word "retarded". People today tend to use the word to describe something with a negative connotation, like calling something stupid. 

 Over time, the medical term, "mental retardation", has changed to a negative slur, "retarded". I believe that American language is always changing, but right now, the type of slang that we use is becoming more negative. A person's choice of words can show others their beliefs and attitudes toward a certain topic or group of people. Therefore, I think that when people use the word "retarded", it shows America's past discriminatory attitude toward people with disabilities. I say "past" attitude because Americans are becoming more sensitive towards the word because of the increasing numbers of people with disabilities. A 2012 report from the U.S. Census Bureau that said, "About 56.7 million people --19 percent of the population--had a disability in 2010". Even though I would say that many Americans are aware of how offensive the term can be, people still use the term in their everyday lingo. 

So think about the words that you use and the context that you use them in. Why do you use those words? What is that one word for you? Why do you think Americans today, use that word? How is American language changing? What is causing these changes? What does our language say about American history and the history we are currently making?

So when is it okay to say the word "retarded"? Never.

The First Family

President Xi Jingping and his wife greeting the First Lady, Malia Obama, and Sasha Obama.

Both of President Barack Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha, attended their mother, the First Lady, to a week-long trip to China. There, they met China's president, Xi Jingping, and his wife Peng Liyuan. Press in the U.S. as well as in China, were shocked at the fact that Xi's daughter, Xi Mingze, didn't greet the Obamas with her parents. Xi Mingze was back home with her parents for Spring Break, so why didn't she greet the Obamas? 

It is believed that Xi Mingze is 21 years old and is studying at Harvard University under a pseudonym. President Xi Jingping and his wife have hid Xi Mingze from their people for a long time, and I wonder why. Click here to read more about the situation.

Another article confirmed that Xi Mingze did have dinner with the women of the Obama family, but I am most surprised about how she didn't greet the family in public. I think that presidents and their families, whether in the U.S. or China, have a duty to represent their family in a positive way. In a way, the First Family also represent their own country. I just don't understand what all the secrecy is about. 

What I find interesting though is the contrast between how Xi Jingping has/allows her daughter to hide from the public, while it is natural for Obama's daughters to be seen everywhere. America's people are constantly seeing pictures and posts from celebrities as well as . This leads me to the question: Why are famous figures in the U.S. so open to being in public? What does this say about America's customs and values? How do they differ from other countries in the world?

The Bling Ring

Although "The Bling Ring" isn't a well known movie, I decided to take my chances by watching it this weekend. It's based on a real group of teens who were convicted of robbing California homes, many being those of celebrities, during 2008-2009. I didn't expect the remark that one character in the movie, Marc, made on America's society and people. If you want more information about "The Bling Ring" movie as well as the real group, click here. 

During an interview, a journalist asked Marc why he continued to steal, even though he knew it was morally wrong. Marc acknowledged that he would have rather been famous for a good deed, but he said that "America has this sick fascination with the Bonnie and Clyde kind of thing." I was surprised by Marc's comment about Americans. If you don't know who Bonnie and Clyde were, they were American robbers from the South who stole from and killed people and stores during the Great Depression. To read further about Bonnie and Clyde and what they did, click here.

To be honest, I think that what Marc said is very true. I interpreted what he said as, "Americans are strangely interested in hearing about crazy stories or people in the news, and no one admits it because it's unacceptable in society". On the news, most announcements are sad or scary; when do we really get to hear about the good in society? Many people, especially teens, love hearing about celebrity gossip, but why is that? Why is it that celebrities get away with pulling crazy stunts, while the "average person" is looked at al psychotic when they do the same?

How did you interpret Marc's quote? What does it say about America's values and culture? What are your thoughts about what he said? 

Humans of the United States

While I was scrolling through my news feed on Facebook, I saw that a lot of my friends were liking pictures from the "Humans of New York" Facebook page. I checked out the page and was presently surprised with what I came across. "Humans of New York" is a catalogue of pictures of people who live in NYC. Not only are there pictures in the catalogue, but there are short stories or quotes beside the photo from the people in the scene. Some of the things said by the inhabitants are not what you would expect after looking at the photo, making the blog so interesting to read. The honesty of the quotes and the expressions of the everyday people remind the audience that their story is real life. 

I recommend liking the "Humans of New York" page on Facebook by clicking on this link, following their blog by clicking here, or picking up the catalogue, created by Brandon Stanton.

After looking through the HONY blog, I realized that each post was unique. The quotes under each picture share a piece of the story of the person in that photo. I felt a sense of unity with the people in the blog. Although I have never met the people in the blog and are our stories aren't the same, I realized that we all live through different hardships. There is definitely unity in the U.S. when we need each other. We mourn together when we see suffering or loss in one part of the country and commend others when we see nobility or progress in another. The events that happen in our lives make us who we are today, and I believe that each person in the United States, with their stories, make up our nation's story. 

So my question is: What is America's story? If there was a picture of the U.S., what would be the snippet under the photo? Looking back at the past, what do you think made up America's history, and how do the lives of the American people affect the history that is being made right now?

In Your Element

A picture of IU Bloomington's gates.

My family and I started planning for Spring Break, and this year, there's one thing that they're focused on: College visits. When narrowing down what college a person wants to attend, there are many factors that help the student make a final choice:  I believe that the environment of the school is a key factor in the process. 

I would argue that the environment and area of a college is an important factor because people have a certain comfort level that they want to maintain. When deciding on colleges, students are encouraged to branch out and look at colleges into other parts of the country or even in the world. I think that this contradicts with the tendency that a lot of students choose to go to college near their home. 

Fox Business agrees with the fact that a college's surroundings majorly influence a student's decision. One of their articles says that a pro for staying in state is that "students have the option to go home more often since it doesn’t involve a plane or train ticket, or a long drive." This goes back to the comfort level I was talking about before. Even if a student did go to a college on the other side of the country, the type of people and lifestyle can be similar. I'm not saying we should all take crazy risks and go places totally out of our element. I'm just wondering why we put such boundaries on ourselves when we make decisions.

Did you consider a school's environment when picking a college/place to live? Are you considering it right now? How would you define America's comfort level? How have Americans been influenced by American society when making decisions? 

Man and Wife, Black and White

My uncle, Peter, got married over the weekend to his new wife, Anna, and although Peter and Anna are both Asian, their wedding led me to think about interracial marriage. Some questions that posed in my mind were: What if Anna was Caucasian? Is interracial marriage more common than marriage between people of the same race? 

I did a little research and found that the Pew Research Center did a study of interracial marriages in 2010. Of the 2,096,000 marriages in 2010, about 275,500 were interracial, and 192,850 of those interracial marriages had a Caucasian partner. I found it interesting when The New Observer stated "White Americans are statistically the least likely to marry outside of their race, although because of their numbers, are involved in...interracial marriages more than any other group." Why are White Americans "least likely" to marry outside of their race? 

Most people would agree that interracial marriage has increased tremendously throughout history. A 2013 GALLUP poll says that 87% of the 4,373 Americans surveyed approve of interracial marriage. This is a huge jump from the 4% that approved in 1958. 

A sociology professor at Cornell University says that "The rise in interracial marriage indicates that race relations have improved over the past quarter century."

What are your thoughts on this quote? Do you think that relations between different races in the U.S. have really improved? Why or why not? What do you think about interracial marriage in general? Approve or disapprove? 

Links to all the articles can be found here:
The New Observer, GALLUP, NY Daily News

"Home"Less Veterans

Political Cartoon about Homeless Veterans  

Studies from the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness show that more than 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year, and 23% of these people are military veterans. Phoenix, Arizona has reached an amazing achievement, becoming the first city to reduce the number of chronically homeless veterans living in the city to zero. A 56 year old veteran named Robert Stone fell into alcoholism and a failing heart after serving at California naval bases for 3 years. He said “I’m coming up on nine months sober, and a big part of it is because I have a roof over my head” (Santos). The government has made it a top priority to get U.S. veterans off the streets by 2015.  To read more about Phoenix’s plan click here, and to read more about the government’s opinion on homeless veterans click here.

You may ask why the government has made this a top priority. Why not focus on the national debt or crime rates in major cities? The simple answer is that the veterans deserve a better life than homelessness. They have spent many years serving in the military, protecting and supporting the nation from behind closed doors. People who have dedicated their lives to protect their "home" should not be "home"less.

After reading this article I thought about Jane Addams, the creator of the Hull House. The Hull House was the first homeless shelter built in Chicago, IL and considered one of the most influential settlement houses in the nation. The idea of homeless shelters have passed down from 1889 to 2013. I find it ironic that the Hull House was directed toward immigrants coming into the U.S., but now, it is the defenders of our country who need this basic assistance. 

How do you think Jane Addams would react to this turn of events? What does this issue of homelessness REALLY say about U.S.'s military spending and care for its citizens?

The Data Leak

Right after Christmas, 4.6 million people received a special gift from a group of hackers. 4.6 million people had their usernames, phone numbers, and their region area displayed on http://www.snapchatdb.info/. The last two digits of the phone numbers had an "x", but anyone can figure out the numbers with trials of combinations. To see if your information was leaked, click here. Unfortunately, even if you delete your snapchat, your phone number still remains on the list. Some people wonder why this leak hurts anyone at all, but by having the information of the snapchatter, hackers can use that information to get into other accounts connected to that phone number. For example, Google accounts, Facebook, and other sources of social media connected to that number can be accessed. Read this article for more information about this leak. To read more about the dangers of this leak, click here.

After hearing about the leak I checked to see if I was on the list: and I was. I took down my phone number from all my other social media accounts. This leak made me think about the security of my information on all my social media accounts. Chris Gayomali of "The Week" writes: 

     Snapchat is a messaging service that destroys pictures after they are sent. It is very popular. The company prides itself on security and privacy, and maintaining the trust of its users is paramount to its success.

Knowing that even Snapchat, a company that "prides itself on security and privacy" got hacked, worries me about the amount of security Americans have in all their accounts, from snapchat to the bank.

How much security do you think Americans really have? Do we have full control over our own accounts? If not, will we ever?

The Rest of the 7.0%

A couple of days ago, my mom and I went to our local Dominick’s to pick up some snacks for school. We were surprised with the number of people that were waiting in line. The usual number of people at Dominick’s was almost doubled that day. Customers filled baskets, and some even filled carts. Apparently, Dominick’s is closing and announced their store closure sale. With almost everything 50% off, many people in the community took the closing as an opportunity to spend less money on essentials we could stack up on. My instinct was the same. I am guilty of this as well, but a lot people used the closing as an excuse to buy items they didn’t even need. Many customers were happy an excited about the great sale, but when I thought about the situation more, I realized that this closure was actually very bad for some people. Dominick’s is being replaced with Mariano’s in late December, and I thought about all the people that are losing their jobs because of this closing.

The article from the link above says “Dominick’s employee Teresa Torres, who has landed a job at Jewel-Osco, was out taking advantage of the sale Friday. Her cart was filled to the brim.” So what about the employees that don’t have a set job after Dominick’s closes? Do you think they’re happy shopping in the sale? The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that in the U.S., 2009 had the greatest unemployment rate, averaging at around 9.5-10.0%. Since then, the unemployment rate in the U.S. has steadily decreased, and the unemployment rate during November of this year was 7.0%. It’s great that the unemployment rate is decreasing, but what about the rest of the 7.0% that is unemployed? How low do you think the unemployment can ever drop? Does America need a specific percentage of people to be unemployed?

Digging Deeper into History

Figure 1: A photo of the 400,000-year-old thigh bone.

Taken by Javier Trueba, Madrid Scientific Films

Scientists recently discovered a 400,000-year-old thigh bone in Spain that has brought up new questions of the origin of humans. A cave that scientists have discovered multiple fossils from called “Sima de los Huesos”, was where the fossil was found. It was assumed the DNA found in the bone would be related to the Neanderthals, but the DNA turned out to be similar to that of the Denisovans. Read more about the discovery by clicking on this link.

After reading about this article, I started to think about the world's history. Every day, scientists are putting forth their best efforts to make history a bit clearer: specifically in this case, uncovering the origin of humans. There will always be missing pieces to history, and I believe that many of our findings will not be completely accurate. So, why do people try to find answers to history, and how do we know if our knowledge of history is correct? I also wonder if our version of history is affected by personal interpretations. 

Leave your thoughts and comments below!