The Struggle to Understand

   Lately, as I have been getting further into my junior theme book, Are Men Necessary? by Maureen Dowd and finding many articles and resources for my research, I've come to realize that I don't really understand what we will be doing in our papers. I thought we were supposed to leave our opinion out of the matter entirely, but then Doc O'C told me that I should definitely infuse my paper with my ideas and thoughts. I also don't know if the purpose of our paper is to answer the "why" question we are posing, or just pose the question, explain all sides of the issue, then leave it up to the reader to answer it. There is one thing that I'm clear on- I need to talk to Bolos or Doc O'C immediately.

Junior Theme X-treme

   As we venture into the world of junior theme topics and ideas, I'm starting to learn about what I'm really fascinated by in life. I'm beginning to learn what I want to change about the world. And as this project parallels the growth of my college search, I think junior theme, like college, will help me learn about myself. At first, when I decided to focus on feminism and/or sexism for my theme, I was afraid of what people would think. Lately I have been hearing all over the place that high-schoolers "hate" feminists. They think of these so-called "feminists" as overly-aggressive, over-dramatic, and sometimes (ignorantly), lesbians. Well I've also decided that I don't care. I'm going to research this because I am truly passionate about the American issue of inequality between genders. I think it's a problem that we still haven't had a female president in office, and I honestly don't care if people think of me negatively for feeling this way. Those people will grow up in ignorance of women and the power they can yield if we allow them to.

Racism Still Exists

   Last weekend I went to Boca Raton, Florida to visit my grandparents. Every time we visit, we go to the same place every morning for "brunch"- the Bagel Tree. The Bagel Tree is an old-folks haven and the perfect stereotype of a Jewish deli. True, the memories and minds of old people may not be as sharp as ours as teenagers, but if you stick around to talk to one, you'll find that they are much wiser than us. They have a wealth of experiences that young people should try to learn from.
  I have to say that I never noticed before how ignorant some older people can be about race due to the fact that they grew up in a time when racism was perfectly normal. While on my visit there, I heard one woman say, "That neighborhood used to be so wonderful. Now it's filled with blacks." This shocked me, until it became clear that that woman was not the only racist around.
   Some very good friends of our grandparents are an adorable couple named Freddie and Mel. Much to my enjoyment, Freddie is the woman and Mel is the man. As I sat across from them at the Bagel Tree, it somehow came up that I have been studying race in American Studies. Freddie and Mel began to share stories of their younger years in which racism was clearly prevalent, and they told these stories in sheer disappointment of society. It was nice to know that some older people did recognize how unjust racism was and is. One story that Mel told was that he used to hang around on the beach with his friends and every night at 8 o'clock policemen would walk along the shore kicking black people off the beach. Not only were they kicked out, but they were forced to walk along the wet, dirty, gutters rather than walking on the sidewalk. This occurred around the time of Reconstruction, Mel said.
   Although racism is not as blatant as it was before, I believe it still exists in our subconscious. We still judge people based on skin color. We still mistrust people due to race. But if we can be aware and admit it still exists, maybe we can have a future free of racism altogether.

I'm Sorry if My Free Speech Offends You

   Today, I was on comcast.net and this headline popped out at me: "School Boots Girl for Red Hair." My jaw dropped in recognition of what a blatant violation of the First Amendment that this is. In the video (link) on comcast, I found that a 12-year old girl decided to get red highlights in her hair, but was sent home from her school in Texas because the highlights were "distracting" and violated the school rules. If highlights were truly distracting in a school setting, no one would get anything done at New Trier. I think it is ridiculous that they would not let her return to school until she dyed it back to her natural color- who are they to say what personal choices you make if they don't harm other people? In the end, Stephanie dyed her whole head an auburn-ish brown to match the highlights but darken them, and has yet to find out if even that is good enough for the school.

Bring Out the Girls

     Has anyone noticed that only 29% of family films contain female speaking characters? Has anyone noticed that 24% of these female characters are sexualized through their attire? These statistics, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune, could be influencing young girls' self-esteem as they grow up. Why, when creators of movies and heads of studios meet about the main characters of a family film, don't they ask, "Could this role be female?" rather than just "Could this role be African American, Asian, etc.?" Of course varying races is a great way to teach kids about the many ethnicities that make up our world, but why not also teach them that females and males are equal? Or are they?
     Our nation prides itself on how far we've come in bringing about equality for all races, genders, and sexualities in comparison to the past. But how far have we really come if the only non-sexualized, female lead in a family film that comes to mind is Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story?

Who is Free Speech Hurting?

   When is Free Speech harmful? What is crossing the line? These are the questions being asked within the context of a recent case (link) involving alleged "cyberbullying" of a boy to his teacher via facebook. High school student, Donny Tobolski, posted a rude comment about his teacher on facebook, calling him a "fat ass who should stop eating fast food, and is a douche bag." The boy then suffered the consequence of one day of suspension for "cyberbullying" his teacher. This being a violation of Donny's right to Free Speech, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) quickly stepped in and asked that the principal erase his suspension. Had Donny posted this comment from a computer at his school, or during school hours, it would have fallen under one of the school's rules about abusive language in school, but he did this at home after school. Therefore, the ACLU made it clear that it was a violation of his rights to suspend him even for one day.
   Yet in this case we must think about the victim of the hurtful comment- the teacher. While free speech is ultimately a beneficial thing for citizens of the Untied States, it can also be very harmful. When does free speech become a bad thing?

Bye, Bye French Fry

   Jokes have already started to be cracked about the new federal government- issued limitations on fat and sodium in school cafeterias. People say that french fries and tater tots will be the new weed: students will smuggle them in and trade with each other in sketchy hallways. These restrictions will soon be, and already have been in some schools, instigated nation-wide. All students will be affected by it, whether it's for good, or if it's for bad.
   In an article (link) on the Time Magazine website, it is reported that the  US Department of Agriculture discovered that "17% of all children are obese. Not just overweight: obese." This is a truly present issue in the US, which is why the USDA created the Healthy, Hungry-Free Kids Act, which was signed by President Obama. While their intentions are good, should the USDA have the freedom to take away kids' choices of what to eat? When is it crossing the line for the government to make decisions about our lives?
   Many people are not happy about these new restrictions, and it's not just unhealthy-eaters that go to these schools. Many teachers and faculty members are upset because food is a big money-maker and incentive in schools. Whether it's a bake sale for a charity, a pizza party as a reward for a class, or a vending machine that some kids use on a daily basis, this will all be changed, and in some faculty's opinions, not for the better. People are now wondering how students will react to these changes. Will they take the bait and start to change their daily nutrition and eating habits, or will food in school cafeterias suddenly become a complete waste of money?
   For me, the biggest question is- does this act go against our right to free speech as it is stated in the First Amendment? Encouraging healthier options is one thing, but telling kids what to eat and taking away what has always been available to them is entirely another.