Monday, December 1, 2014

Social Justice Project


Tay Thi Nguyen and How Her Back Story is Very Unfair For Her
(Citation of the article: Kristof, Nicholas. "Graduate of the Year." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 May 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/opinion/sunday/kristof-graduate-of-the-year.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%221%22%3A%22RI%3A8%22%7D&_r=0>.)
Tay Thi Nguyen fought to get to middle school, battled her way to high school, conquered her way to college, and is on her journey to getting her masters degree. As a child living in the Mekong Deta, Nguyen had a poor childhood, and had a mother who was persistent that she drop out of school and become a house maid to raise some money. Nguyen’s mother burned her schoolbooks in the eighth grade, and burned them again when Nguyen was a senior in high school. Nguyen borrowed books from others and studied all day and night. She believed that a good education would help her in the future. When Nguyen took her entrance exam for college, her mother told her that she hoped she failed it. Nguyen did fantastic on it and spent all of her free time that wasn’t spent studying earning money for college. She needed everything she could get money wise. Nguyen worked at different stores all day and all night. Nguyen starved herself to save money for college; she spent only $3.50 per week! But, in the long run, college was a great decision for Nguyen and she is going to be an English teacher when she grows up and she will be earning the most money out of everyone in her family!
It is unjust that Nguyen’s parents, specifically her mother, are getting in the way of letting Nguyen have a good education and a better life. This is an example of injustice because Nguyen’s parents aren’t being fair with their daughter and are abusing her and her wants. Education is beneficial and Nguyen’s parents won’t accept that, which is frustrating for Nguyen. Her parents didn’t help her whatsoever; she paid for her own meals and didn’t eat at home! It’s not fair that having different opinions can affect the relationship between two people, and it’s especially unfair that Nguyen’s parents won’t actually listen to Nguyen’s opinions, and they are hating on what she is doing.
This article has made me think a lot about teenagers today. Many of them don’t have a passion to learn in the way that Nguyen does. We don’t encourage ourselves to keep studying all morning and all night, we don’t starve ourselves to pay for school. This shows that someone’s background has a big affect on their education and the way they perceive education. Because most teenagers in Brooklyn don’t have parents holding them back from getting the education they need, kids aren’t begging their parents to go to school, in fact, it’s almost the opposite. Going to school in New York City is a requirement, parents don’t have a say in if there children can miss out on an education because an education here is very important. Also, many of our parents are rather supportive. My mother encourages me to keep playing soccer and to keep doing art. She also encourages me to keep learning, to keep prospering. 

Observing my School/Neighborhood and Seeing What is Unfair
Things that may be unfair to peoples’ human rights that I see when observing my school are…
  • People being ignored by their peers, causing them to feel like they aren’t acknowledged.
  • More athletic kids hogging the ball in a game of basketball and the less athletic kids not getting a chance to touch the ball.
  • People judging others by their external appearance.

Things that may be unfair to peoples’ human rights that I see when observing my neighborhood are…
  • People with less money sitting on crates outside, in all types of weather, begging for money.
  • Someone robbing another person of their belongings and running away.
  • Children yelling rudely to their parents 
  • Parents yelling harshly to their children
When I go to school each day, I see clumps of friends, both big and small. On the outskirts of some of those clumps are kids who are listening to the conversation their peers are having, but not being allowed to join it because there peers hardly know they’re there. Making anyone feel as if they are unwanted or unacknowledged in a mean way is unfair towards the person and is against my human rights. 
Every single person deserves to be noticed in a good way. Being ignored hurts people, though some may not show it. It is important to let everyone in a clump of people contribute their ideas to the conversation. Also, small gestures of saying “hi” and asking each person what they want to say, if they have anything to say. But ignoring is inhuman and rude. Every person is human and should be treated like one to. 

Interview with Eileen Rahmey
Me: What are some good things about our world today?
Eileen: Our world has really advanced from how it used to be. We have become a lot more accepting. Gay people are allowed to marry in many states in the U.S., women have so many more job opportunities than they used to, and they are getting paid much better amounts than they were a few decades ago. People with mental illnesses can get a lot more help because there are so many amazing doctors, therapists, and medications available to help them. Also, the technological advancements our world has made are unbelievable. I am able to call, text, and video chat with my cell phone, but when I was a kid all we had are wire phones that didn’t have text or video chat. In addition, the education systems have gotten a lot better and people are learning so much more!
Me: It’s really amazing how far we’ve come! But, not everything is perfect, just like our world isn’t perfect. So, on this note, what are some unfair things about our world today?
Eileen: My least favorite thing about this world is the terrorism. In many countries, there are wars because people are different from each other. I hate how people are thinking, “this person is not the same as me, therefore, I must kill this person.” It’s horrible to know that people can’t respect other people existing beside their own kind. Additionally, there is much disrespect when I go around Brooklyn. Many drivers don’t know what it means to slow down, and many bikers bike very close to where are the cars are driving. There have been multiple accidents in which people are either getting injured or loosing their lives because of the drivers who are not being considerate of the pedestrians. Also, people sometimes accidentally do something wrong to another person, causing an unnecessary, heated argument between the two people. An apology is the answer, not a fight. However, disrespect has been taken to much more inappropriate levels as well. People have posted personal pictures of others, such as Jennifer Lawrence, and invading their privacy. These criminals have abused social media and made a huge deal out of these pictures by focusing what’s on the outside and not about what’s on the inside. Plus, it’s just insulting to make private things public. 
Me: I certainly agree with your thoughts. Are there any more things you would like to share about our world today?
Eileen: I believe that we can keep improving our world. We can do so by being mindful of how we treat others. There is hope, and we can keep learning how to be more respectful of others. The way we act around others is the key to how our world will continue. The key to a peaceful world is peaceful people.

When interviewing Eileen Rahmey, who is my mother, I found her thoughts very interesting. Firstly, I think what she has to say about our world in general is very true. We have advanced and we continue to advance. Our technology is great and it will only get better. People who need help will get it. However, Eileen is very right about disrespect. Disrespect is a huge issue that we as people have faced since human nature has started to exist. I think that Eileen brings up a very genuine point when she says that peaceful, respectful, and nice people are what will allow our world to flourish. 
The things Eileen said that are unfair about our world mostly have to do with not being kind. If enough people are kind, then the percentage of bad and unfair things in our world will dramatically decrease, which will make our world not only a better place but a happier and more fair one too. Plus, being kind and nice towards others doesn’t mean you have to like them. Every single person dislikes at least one other person, and that’s just human nature! It’s the way we treat that person/people that will shape our world and how it continues to be. Overall, my mother, Eileen, brings up a very good point about our actions towards others, and I agree with what she has to say. I concur that the way we treat others is partially why our world is plummeting in some areas.

The Death in Ferguson and Responding to What Reporters Say About It
On August 9th, 2014, officer Darren Wilson shot and killed 18 year old African-American Michael Brown. Brown and his friend, Dorian Johnson, were walking in the middle of the street in Ferguson, Missouri, when Wilson forced Johnson and Brown off the street and onto the sidewalk. Brown and Johnson refused, as they were close to the destination, but Wilson wouldn’t out up with it, and he fought with Brown. Brown ran away from Wilson, but then ran back for an unknown reason. Then, Wilson shot Brown, killing him. Johnson is still alive.
There have been so many new broadcasts about the shooting at Ferguson. If I was officer Darren Wilson, and the broadcaster was talking about me, this is how I would respond:
(this is me pretending to me Darren Wilson, and I am talking for him in the first person)
After August 9th, 2014, people started riots and marches because I killed Brown. People hate me, and don’t get me wrong, I’m really sorry Brown died, and I’m guilty for it. The thing is, I didn’t feel safe around Brown, I thought something bad would happen to me. People were protesting because they thought I killed him because he was black. They think that if the other person was white then I wouldn’t have fired. I’m being accused of this, and all I can say is that I felt unsafe, I was scared. 
Recently, I resigned from being a police officer. I did this because I thought it would be best for me. I don’t want another person to be hurt from me, I don’t want to hurt anyone else. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. 
(This is now me talking, and it is not a first person account of Darren Wilson)
Being in the situation Wilson was in, and still is in, must be horrible. The fact that Michael Brown died in the first place is truly devastating, but also the guilt that Wilson feels is really a lot. Wilson is probably thinking about it everyday. The guilt and sadness Wilson is feeling must be unbelievable. If it weren’t for his death, none of the riots would’ve happened, and WIlson wouldn’t have to have resign from being a police officer. 
But, the situation Wilson is in also opens his eyes to a different world. Wilson is now feeling strong emotions he’s probably never felt before, or at least not with these circumstances. Killing someone, no matter who, usually makes the killer feel terrible and remorseful. Wilson now knows what it’s like to kill someone, and it’s heartbreaking for him. But he now feels the pain of other people who have accidentally killed other, innocent people. 
Wilson is feeling a lot of emotions, and the way people are responding to the shooting make it worse for him. Many people aren’t taking into consideration how Wilson feels. It’s definitely important to get the point across that killing Brown was unnecessary, but everyone makes mistakes, and some mistakes are much, much bigger than others. Wilson is getting so much hate, too much. Fighting is not the answer. I agree that is isn’t just that Wilson is getting no punishment because killing someone really crosses the line, but he’s human and he has feelings. Wilson is allowed to feel unsafe at times, he is allowed to feel sad. Killing isn’t the answer, and it especially wasn’t in this case but people don’t know Wilson’s whole story and they should listen to it. Being in Wilson’s situation is probably horrible and scary because some of the emotions he is feeling are probably haunting him and causing him to feel extremely uneasy. 

Interview with Izzy Shamah
Me: Izzy, I think that you change the world everyday for the better. What steps are you taking to make this world a much better place?
Izzy: At my school, there is a club called Students Opposing Starvations, S.O.S. Every week, we have a meeting and we talk about social issues, especially starvation, that are happening in our world today. We have fund raisers that allow us to get money and buy clothing and food that we give out to the homeless in New York City during midnight runs. Every Wednesday, we volunteer at a soup kitchen, and we give out food to the homeless that live in our town, which is Nyack, New York.
Me: That’s awesome! Going to New York City is really a long commute as well! How does it make you feel when you do fantastic deeds for your community and when you help the people around you?
Izzy: It makes me feel like a better person because I am solving smaller fractions of a larger issue, but fractions are still parts of the whole, and each fraction counts.
Me: I definitely agree. Is there any moment in particular that made you feel very good and shows how you contribute to our world?
Izzy: Once during a midnight run in New York City, a man came up to me and the rest of S.O.S and thanked us for giving out food and clothes and for being such great people by taking the time out of our days to help the less fortunate. In that moment, I realized that the people we are helping are very in need, and what we are doing is truly a good thing. It also made me feel that what we were doing really had an impact, even if it was a small one.
Me: I think it’s great that you’re involved with such a great club at your school!

When interviewing my cousin, Izzy Shamah, I realized that it doesn’t take much to help others and the world. Very small actions, such as recycling plastic and paper, can add up and have a giant impact on our world. Also, Izzy taught me that there are many people who may be less fortunate, but they have very big hearts, and they are so appreciative of the people that help them and treat them like people. Being part of the S.O.S, or any organization that helps people/the world, is such a good deed and really shapes a persons personality. Izzy is a very kind person who puts others before herself in many situations, and I think that her being part of the S.O.S has been part of what has molded her into such a good person. 
Additionally, hearing what Izzy has to say has shown me that even helping people in general, such as your parents or friends, still impacts the world and helps it. For instance, helping my mom with the dishes one night after I have finished my homework is a kind gesture because it gives my mom more times to work on her papers for her job, and it gives her time to relax. When Izzy gave the less fortunate some clothes and food, they got some time to just chill out and not panic about their meal for the night because its right their in front of them. 
Thirdly, I think that what Izzy does is proof that Eileen’s ideas are believable. Izzy said that helping others makes her feel good and makes others feel good. People are constantly thanking Izzy and the rest of S.O.S for their caring deeds and for thinking about them. Eileen believes in being considerate towards others, and that’s exactly what Izzy is doing.

“Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé and how it Expresses a Significant Issue About Social Issues
Mama said, you're a pretty girl
What's in your head it doesn't matter
Brush your hair, fix your teeth
What you wear is all that matters
Just another stage
Pageant the pain away
This time I'm gonna take the crown
Without falling down, down
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery
Blonder hair, flat chest
TV says bigger is better
South beach, sugar free
Vogue says
Thinner is better
Just another stage
Pageant the pain away
This time I'm gonna take the crown
Without falling down, down, down
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery
Ain't no doctor or therapeutic that can take the pain away
The pain's inside
And nobody frees you from your body
It's the soul that needs surgery
It's my soul that needs surgery
Plastic smiles and denial can only take you so far
And you break when the paper signs you in the dark
You left a shattered mirror
And the shards of a beautiful girl
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery
When you're alone all by yourself
And you're lying in your bed
Reflection stares right into you
Are you happy with yourself
It's just a way to masquerade
The illusion has been shed
Are you happy with yourself
Are you happy with yourself
Yes
The lyrics of “Pretty Hurts”, by Beyoncé, talk about how society tells women that their external appearance is everything, and that what society is telling women is ruining women’s lives, devastating them, and making them destroy themselves in order to conform to what society expects from them. The lines, “ Plastic smiles and denial can only take you so far. And you break when the paper signs you in the dark. You left a shattered mirror. And the shards of a beautiful girl.”, show how women are not only hurting themselves for the approval of society, but they are hiding their feelings and not doing anything about what they feel they need to live up to in order for people to think they are beautiful. 
Later in the song, Beyoncé discussed that, deep down, women are happy with the real them, but this is when no one is around to see them. “When you're alone all by yourself. And you're lying in your bed. Reflection stares right into you. Are you happy with yourself. It's just a way to masquerade. The illusion has been shed. Are you happy with yourself. Are you happy with yourself. Yes.” This stanza illustrates how women really hate society’s message about what they believe is true beauty, but at the same time, they live up to it because they really want to be beautiful, and many don’t know that true beauty is the personality of a person. Makeup is a masquerade, or disguise, for women that cover up their true beauty because society doesn’t believe in a person’s true, beautiful self. The illusion that Beyoncé talks about in her lyrics is what society makes women do to live up to their version of beauty. When the illusion is gone, that means a woman is herself, and she is not doing anything that makes her more beautiful in society’s eyes. 
The last line of the song, which is the word “yes”, actually determines what the song is about and how people react to it. If the “yes” was replaced with a “no”, then it would be much more upsetting because it would show that society has took over all chance of a woman loving her true self. The word “yes” shows just the opposite. It shows how women do love themselves for who they are, not for their masquerade made of makeup and their illusion full of society’s beliefs. If Beyoncé asked me if I would change that last word to “no”, “maybe” or leave it blank, I would say neither of those things. I think that the word “yes” shows that women are more than what society says we they are. Women are delighted to be themselves, but it’s society that tells them otherwise, and society says to women that there are requirements that they need to live up to. However, women would only need to live up to those standards if they cared what other people thought of them. Clearly, society is butting into a women’s chances of loving herself by destroying her vision of beauty. The lines “Perfection is the disease of a nation. Pretty hurts.”, portrays how society wants perfection and how even just being pretty hurts because of the abundance of things women need to live up to. Another stanza, which is, “Blonder hair, flat chest. TV says bigger is better South beach, sugar free. Vogue says. Thinner is better.”, talks about how reading magazines and watching TV depict women who do what society tells them, and that this makes other women feel bad about how TV and magazines are also giving this message because they are under society’s detrimental spell. 
Defining a women for her looks is not okay, and Beyoncé is telling us this through her lyrics of “Pretty Hurts”. A women who lives up to society’s standards of looking beautiful is in actual pain, both physical and mental, to a women. The things society tells a women to do to look beautiful really hurt. Instead of making a women listen to society, Beyoncé is telling us to let each woman be themselves, for every woman will learn to love themselves. The title “Pretty Hurts” is true and accurate to how society is telling a woman what beauty is to them. Being pretty wouldn’t actually hurt if society wasn’t involved in affecting how a woman presents herself. A woman’s real self isn’t just pretty, it’s beautiful, and it doesn’t hurt, either. 
“Awkward” and How Hollywood Portrays Each Character in the Movie
“Awkward”, which is a TV series aired by MTV, is about a teenager named Jenna Hamilton who lives a very rocky life coming in contact with all these awkward situations. Her life is very complicated as she had a secret relationship with Matty Mckibbin, who is a very popular and athletic guy in Jenna’s grade, and then a public relationship with Matty’s best friend, Jack Rosatti. Jenna relies on her best friends, Tamara and Ming, and her guidance counselor, Val,  to help her through her crisis’s and guide her towards a fresh start.
By watching “Awkward”, more specifically season 1 of “Awkward”, it is evident that Hollywood portrays the “perfect” female teenager as someone who is popular, pretty, fashionable, and has a good reputation. By looking at the way Jenna progresses through the season, we can see that she is not Hollywood’s dream girl because of how she always runs into bad situations with her enemy, Sadie Saxton, and how she puts herself into bad situations. Additionally, Jenna’s mother is always criticizing the way Jenna presents herself with her clothes and her hairstyles. She is constantly giving Jenna advice and offering her to go to the mall to get new clothes. Sadie’s best friend, Lissa Miller, however, meets Hollywood’s representation of the “perfect” female very closely. She has a genuinely good reputation as a nice person, she dresses very fashionably, she is a blond Christian, and many guys like her. The only standard that Lissa doesn’t meet is the smartness level the “perfect” Hollywood girl needs to meet. Lissa is rather dumb and catches onto things very slowly. Hollywood’s “perfect” male is similar to the female. He must be popular, buff, attractive, clean, and nice. The character Matty meets all of these standards, and this is why he privately dated Jenna, so that he wouldn’t ruin his reputation by being seen with someone who already doesn’t have a good reputation. The way Hollywood presents their “perfect” males and females are what they expect to be “normal” in the real world. Hollywood expects there to be a world of Matty’s and Jake’s flooding the U.S. They don’t want any Jenna’s, rather they want Lissa’s to be the population of the girls in the U.S. 
In addition, every single one of Hollywood’s dream characters is white, including people like Jenna who aren’t Hollywood’s dream characters. Hollywood expects there to be a world of white people, and that all cool kids and popular kids are white. The ones who aren’t as popular are still white, however. This shows how Hollywood isn’t very open to diversity. The most diverse they have gotten in season 1 of “Awkward” is by creating the character of Ming, who is Chinese, but the rest of the cast is white. Also, Awkward takes place in Palos Hills, California, so the characters are living in nice houses, surrounded by Palm Trees, and almost all characters have their own cars, and just a lot of money in general. The way Jenna’s mom pampers her, by re-doing her entire room and getting her a flat screen TV for her birthday, shows how much money each of the characters has. 
Each of the teenage characters on “Awkward” have a mother AND a father, but they don’t seem to have siblings. At no point does it show any of the main, teenage characters with a sibling(s). Hollywood’s perfect family makes it so that the child will be spoiled, and they will be the only one to be spoiled by both of their parents. 
The way “Awkward” portrays the characters are not accurate to people in the real world. It makes me feel sad that Hollywood doesn’t appreciate characters like Jenna and Tamara as much because they have amazing personalities, but they don’t get as treated as Lissa, even though Lissa is a very good person as well. Plus, there aren’t a bunch of Lissa’s in the world to begin with because every single person is different, and this is a fact Hollywood needs to accept. Every teenager has a different back story. I think that Hollywood does a fantastic job of showing this, but what makes it all terrible is the way they treat the character throughout the TV show. Lissa is constantly being rewarded for being Lissa while someone such as Tamara doesn’t get as many happy things in her life. Hollywood needs to respect that everyone is different and that our differences shouldn’t determine how people are treated. 
The way Hollywood presents their dream characters really makes me thinks about who meets their standards. The answer is no one. No one can be exactly who Hollywood wants them to be because Hollywood expects perfection, but not even Hollywood can get perfection. That’s why they love popular, beautiful girls like Lissa and attractive, athletic jocks like Matty and Jake, because they are as close to Hollywood perfection as possible. 
As “Awkward” keeps airing, they keep perpetuating the stereotypes. In season 2, Matty starts going out with a girl who looks like Lissa, but she is also smart. If anything, the stereotypes get worse because Hollywood keeps thinking of a more perfect person to use as someone everyone should be like. In season 4, a new girl, named Eva, moves to Palos Hills and joins Palos Hills High School. She is blond, extremely in style, nice, and she becomes popular. In the middle of the 4th season, she begins to date Matty, which shows how the stereotypes keep perpetuating. Hollywood even creates their dream couple, and they want a bunch of Eva and Matty’s to exist as well.

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