Article
The article, "Obama's Immigration Action Addresses 'Huge' Uncertainty for Many Students" by Stacy Treicher Khadaroo, is about Obama's immigration reform policy. The article addresses the choice of students to come out of the shadow or stay in hiding. I believe that the fact that their are so many students in our education system who are afraid of admitting that they are undocumented immigrants because they are afraid of deportation is incredibly unfair. In the early 1900's the U.S. accepted thousands of immigrants from Europe, and the as a country, we would not be the same without them. But now that the immigrants are coming from Mexico and Central and South America, people are against immigration. I believe that there should be an equivalent of Ellis Island mad along the border of U.S. and Texas which would have the U.S. continue to be a nation of immigrants. In my life, I think about how so there are so many people too set in their ways to reach out to others and they want everything to stay the same, and will try to go out of my way to be more accepting of others.
School/Neighborhood observations
• Homeless people asking for money on the street.
• Two drug addicts who spend time near my school.
• An alcoholic who hides his flask and is always drinking next to the nearby deli.
• Domestic violence (I don't see it but I know it's out there).
• Untreated mental illness.
The issue I would like to talk about is homelessness. I feel that it is wrong for the government to put money into criminalizing the homeless, such as making it illegal for people to sleep in public or in cars, as many cities and states have done, while they could be putting money into shelters and programs to help people get back on their feet. There are so many people, particularly children, who are homeless through no fault of their own. Whether they were abandoned, kicked out of their home because of their sexuality, or their whole family lost their home but the rest found a place to stay. I feel that there is so much that people can do to help, but they stick up their noses and walk away. Anyone can volunteer for a soup kitchen, donate money to programs and shelters, or do something as simple as giving your spare change to someone on the streets or buying them a bagel or coffee. It's important for people not too ignore the homeless and those in poverty, otherwise there will just end up being more and more people in need.
An interview with my mom, Vicki Sher, about what is good and what is unfair about our world.
What is good about our world?
There is so much that is beautiful. Nature for instance is constantly arrestingly beautiful and up lifting. I can be moved by the smallest moment, a cloud over a hilltop, or a bigger thing like a huge waterfall. And music, and poetry, and sports-what the mind and body can do are amazing. I'm amazed at the human spirit and capacity to make things, or do things that have never been made or done before. A recent football catch by a rookie named Beckham was such an achievement, and as impressive as any scientific, or artistic achievement to me.
What is unfair about our world?
Hard to choose just one thing. Obviously torture, poverty, discrimination, mental illness, and the willful ignorance of those in power, and their reluctance to make changes. But maybe all of these are examples of stubbornness and the weakness that is part of human nature, a fear of others.
The point is, humans are the true beauty of the world as well as the main cause of grief. We, as humans, are almost never content with what we have. This is what brings out the best and worst of us. We always want to have more and to be better. Even if we are happy with what we have, if given the opportunity, we would get more. The best of human nature is shown when someone strives to achieve something and then succeed or even fail but put their best effort in and beat expectations. The worst comes out when people strive for something, but end up hurting others, intentionally or unintentionally, in the process. There are people who are too focused in making money for themselves to see the people's lives they're destroying. Then there are people that feel that the world they were given is unfair and they want to make a change but the way they do this involves intentionally hurting others, physically, economically and emotionally. In life I feel that it's important to strive to both make yourself happy, but in doing so help others achieve their goals.
News
On November 24, I watched the news coverage of the results of Darren Wilson's indictment and the protests and president's speech that followed. A newscaster was talking about hearing gunshots when President Barack Obama gave his speech urging for "peaceful protests." Sadly enough, along side his speech, the riots were escalating and images of tear gas and smashed police car windows were shown, along with the cameraman being threatened by a protester who had just smashed a car window.
I have no idea what it feels like to be a minority in this country where despite the progress we've accomplished, there is still much racism and stereotyping. Among the police, whether it be "stop and frisk" or shooting under questionable circumstances, racial profiling is a problem. I try to put myself in the shoes of the protesters and see how frustrating it must be to feel that the very same people who are meant to protect you, are out to get you. Had Michael Brown been a white preppy boy and the other circumstances been the same, would Wilson had shot him? I sincerely doubt it. On the other hand, I feel that the protesters are going too far. Smashing car windows will not make a change, while peacefully protesting might. Also, the news coverage seemed to be provoking the protesters instead of condemning them, which Obama referenced in his speech when he spoke about the protests making "good TV." As a country, we've come so far, but there is still so much that needs to be done to end the racial divide.
Interview with someone who you feel makes the world a better place
Is there any one person who you feel that you made a really important impact on their life?
Yes, possibly-I don't want to take credit. There was a defendant in my court, who in my opinion clearly needed drug treatment. She refused treatment. Her attorney asked me if I might make a jail offer to her. I said, I would give her one year jail, which is the maximum- in other words I wasn't making an offer to her because I wanted her to go to treatment. I looked through her rap sheet, and I noticed that there was a long period of time without any arrests. So I brought that up, and asked her what happened, what led to her getting addicted again because I saw that she knew how to live a crime free life. She burst into tears and told me about a crime that she was a victim of. She said she'd been in drug treatment before and was willing to try it again. And that was the breakthrough, she decided to give it another shot. I'm waiting to see how she does in treatment but at least she's trying again, which is better than jail.
My dad, John Hecht, works in the domestic violence and prostitution part of in the Brooklyn judiciary system. Often times he sees prostitutes who are the victims and aren't criminals. In this case he was able to convince a prostitute to go back to drug treatment and hopefully get her life back on track. Also, not only did my dad help her drug problem but he also dealt with her prostitution case. This story, as well as other similar ones, inspire me to keep trying when I see someone who refuses help. There are so many people who want help, who need help, but are too afraid to ask.
Song
Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People
Robert's got a quick hand.
He'll look around the room, he won't tell you his plan.
He's got a rolled cigarette hanging out his mouth, he's a cowboy kid.
Yeah, he found a six shooter gun in his dad's closet hidden with a box of fun things.
I don't even know what but he's coming for you, yeah, he's coming for you.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run faster than my bullet.
Daddy works a long day.
He be coming home late, he's coming home late.
And he's bringing me a dark surprise.
'Cause dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice.
I've waited for a long time.
Yeah, the sleight of my hand is now a quick-pull trigger.
I reason with my cigarette
And say, "Your hair's on fire, you must've lost your wits, yeah."
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run faster than my bullet.
Ru-ru-run, run, run, run
I believe this song is about a kid who feels isolated and lost and wants shoot the kids with the nicer shoes. The first verse is in the third person while the rest is in first person, which makes me wonder whether Robert is a school shooter and the speaker is influenced by Robert and decides to shoot the richer, most likely more popular kids in an imitation shooting. The speaker also seems to have a hard life at home with a father who is often not there for him, but the speaker still is waiting for him for dinner. The song is meant to put the listener into the shoes of what it feels like to think that there is no one out there for you and mindset of a school shooter. This song brought out the ideas that there are people that need to be reached out to, that need someone to help them not feel so isolated.
TV
One of my favorite TV shows is Freaks and Geeks from 1999. This is one of the few shows that I feel realistically and respectfully shows teen life. In Freaks and Geeks, not all of the main characters are good looking and rich unlike many shows where everyone has perfect features. However, one thing that annoys me about the show is that all of the major characters, and most of the minor, are white. For a show that is prided as one of the few shows that is fair towards teens and it lacks any racial diversity.
However, some people may find this show less offensive than Glee, a current popular show, another show that doesn't depict teens as perfect children. On the outside looks like an incredibly diverse show, but is filled with incredibly offensive stereotypes. These include, the dumb blonde with a negative GPA, the Jewish girl who considers getting a nose job, the gay boy with a great fashion sense, the sassy overweight black girl, and the two overachieving asians, one of which gets an "Asian F" more commonly known as an A-. It angers me that often shows have no people of color, or have incredibly stereotyped ones, when in the real world very few fall into their stereotypes. Because these stereotypes are constantly reinforced in TVs, movies, video games and commercials, people begin to make assumptions about others in their life.
No comments:
Post a Comment