“The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, ‘It’s a girl.’” This quote, by Shirley Chisholm, is discouraging because it’s true, especially in some countries. Ever since the fourteenth and fifteenth amendment, it seems that people have overlooked women’s rights. Sadly, some countries overlook women’s rights altogether.
“Despite many successes in empowering women, numerous issues still exist in all areas of life, ranging from cultural, political to the economic.” It has been stated that gender discrimination affects girls and women throughout their lifetime. For example, women often work just as hard as men yet are paid less. Women and girls are often the ones that suffer the most hardship. Gender equality furthers the cause of child survival and development for all society, so the importance of women’s rights and gender equality should not be underestimated.
In comparison to women’s oppression in many countries, I am proud to live in the United States where women have stood up for what they believe in and have become an example for younger girls like me to have that same courage as they did. Many women like Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton have done that exact thing. However, even though we have our rights here, others should have the right to fight for theirs also. Some may think that women’s rights are better than they used to be, like it is in the U.S., but there are women all over the world that are still crying out for help as they are forced to do and be someone they are not.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
thINK 2: Shopping Can Be Dangerous.
Black Friday is the best day to find discounts on small and large items. According to a survey talked about on the site below, the weekend after Thanksgiving has the best shopping deals. This was perceived by 61 percent. 86 percent of these consumers believed that the best deals were found on Black Friday. 33 percent felt the best deals were on Cyber Monday while 17 percent voted for the Saturday following Black Friday.
Every year, many hear about the insane chaos of the accidents that happen by just shopping. I found many sites that have tips on how to shop and think wisely about pricings and deals along the way. Many people will think about Black Friday shopping deals, but before you get excited about it, police have warnings for you. There are numerous tips on how to be safe when it comes to Black Friday shopping.
I have already heard that many are waiting in lines right now to be the first to get into stores and buy the big screen TV’s and much more for the cheapest price of the year. Many will also get up at three or four in the morning and start shopping for Christmas. I, on the other hand, will be sleeping in on Friday for as long as I can. My family has never been a big fan of shopping on Black Friday and we don’t plan to start now. However, this year, I will have to get up a little earlier than usual to come back from Missouri to cheer on the pioneers as they battle against Greenwood in the semi-finals to see who will go on to state.
http://web-self-service.tmcnet.com/topics/mobile-answers/articles/118327-black-friday-shopping-survey-reveals-best-deals-thanksgiving.htm
Every year, many hear about the insane chaos of the accidents that happen by just shopping. I found many sites that have tips on how to shop and think wisely about pricings and deals along the way. Many people will think about Black Friday shopping deals, but before you get excited about it, police have warnings for you. There are numerous tips on how to be safe when it comes to Black Friday shopping.
I have already heard that many are waiting in lines right now to be the first to get into stores and buy the big screen TV’s and much more for the cheapest price of the year. Many will also get up at three or four in the morning and start shopping for Christmas. I, on the other hand, will be sleeping in on Friday for as long as I can. My family has never been a big fan of shopping on Black Friday and we don’t plan to start now. However, this year, I will have to get up a little earlier than usual to come back from Missouri to cheer on the pioneers as they battle against Greenwood in the semi-finals to see who will go on to state.
http://web-self-service.tmcnet.com/topics/mobile-answers/articles/118327-black-friday-shopping-survey-reveals-best-deals-thanksgiving.htm
Monday, November 8, 2010
thINK 1: Survey. Shmurvey. Nobody takes those seriously.
Last week, my 2B AP English 12 class had to fill out a 150 question drug and violence survey. As you probably can imagine, there was a lot of groaning and complaining.
When I was younger, we took these surveys and I remember some kids in my class would fill out the worst possible answers even though they weren't bad kids. Laughing all the way to the end of the survey, they would get to the question: "How honest were you in filling out this survey?" Of course you know they are going to mark the choice "very honest." So with this said, why take these surveys? I know there are some kids that do answer the questions honestly, but the survey and end statistics are a joke in the end because some weren’t honest.
So how can you get these questions answered privately with honest answers? The answer: You really can’t. Unless... there was a one-on-one session with each student in every school in Arkansas, but that is highly unrealistic.
I, personally, think that the survey is not very efficient. The questions get answered truthfully and not truthfully, but what can the survey and statistics do about the problems that arise in kids anyway? Kids that are making bad choices are still going to make bad choices because of their peers and maybe even their parents. There has been and always will be pressure on kids to just be included in the world. A survey is not going to fix anything.
When I was younger, we took these surveys and I remember some kids in my class would fill out the worst possible answers even though they weren't bad kids. Laughing all the way to the end of the survey, they would get to the question: "How honest were you in filling out this survey?" Of course you know they are going to mark the choice "very honest." So with this said, why take these surveys? I know there are some kids that do answer the questions honestly, but the survey and end statistics are a joke in the end because some weren’t honest.
So how can you get these questions answered privately with honest answers? The answer: You really can’t. Unless... there was a one-on-one session with each student in every school in Arkansas, but that is highly unrealistic.
I, personally, think that the survey is not very efficient. The questions get answered truthfully and not truthfully, but what can the survey and statistics do about the problems that arise in kids anyway? Kids that are making bad choices are still going to make bad choices because of their peers and maybe even their parents. There has been and always will be pressure on kids to just be included in the world. A survey is not going to fix anything.
Monday, October 11, 2010
thINK Journal 3: Managing time.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.impactlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/childand-tv.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.impactlab.net/2008/11/20/childhood-obesity-and-fast-food-commercials-linked/&usg=__4kT7eFnLXwOy15h2pGwUj8OwNjQ=&h=384&w=512&sz=14&hl=en&start=4&sig2=yNLvXpByZZ3sI_ULVb6r8A&zoom=1&tbnid=a4d_lWiScMANQM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=150&ei=6cm3TKWXN4-0ngeu1tDkCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dadvirtisements%2Bfor%2Bchildren%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D838%26bih%3D388%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C364&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=545&vpy=83&dur=6147&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=151&ty=203&oei=pcm3TMTvBoOclgf-p6iNCQ&esq=13&page=2&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:4&biw=838&bih=388
As I was searching for something to write about for my last journal for the nine weeks, I came across the advertisement that is cited above.
Even though the advertisement has no words, the point comes across clear. When I was little, I was amazed by the TV and I used to watch my favorite movies and shows all the time. My younger cousins, especially when they were toddlers, would not listen to me or my family members when they needed to get their attention. You would have to say their names multiple times for them to listen. This shows how much a distraction TV is, starting at a young age. When I was in Junior High, I would come home and watch TV for two hours, even when I had loads of homework to do. I remember getting into trouble all the time for not getting my work done.
So what can we do to stop this problem? We can make sure that our kids have a time limit on the TV, or at least have their homework, chores, etc. done by the time they watch shows. Not only is it important for there to be limit, but also monitoring. Kids need to be watching appropriate shows and that can only be taken care of by the parents.
Not only does TV take away valuable time, but it also can hurt a person’s eyes if they are too close like the boy in the picture. So let’s not only manage our time, but protect our eyes also.
As I was searching for something to write about for my last journal for the nine weeks, I came across the advertisement that is cited above.
Even though the advertisement has no words, the point comes across clear. When I was little, I was amazed by the TV and I used to watch my favorite movies and shows all the time. My younger cousins, especially when they were toddlers, would not listen to me or my family members when they needed to get their attention. You would have to say their names multiple times for them to listen. This shows how much a distraction TV is, starting at a young age. When I was in Junior High, I would come home and watch TV for two hours, even when I had loads of homework to do. I remember getting into trouble all the time for not getting my work done.
So what can we do to stop this problem? We can make sure that our kids have a time limit on the TV, or at least have their homework, chores, etc. done by the time they watch shows. Not only is it important for there to be limit, but also monitoring. Kids need to be watching appropriate shows and that can only be taken care of by the parents.
Not only does TV take away valuable time, but it also can hurt a person’s eyes if they are too close like the boy in the picture. So let’s not only manage our time, but protect our eyes also.
thINK Journal 2: Don't lie.
http://nymag.com/news/features/43893/
The article, "Learning to Lie," found above in the New York Times has very excellent research and information on lies and how and when they start happening.
Many children are found innocent when they are young, but naturally, they are learning how to become good liars. Around three years old, kids will start lying about things that even their parents see them do. Around four years old, they start learning how to become good liars which “is a strong sign that he/she has brains.” Reading this article, I found that even though we think “truthfulness is a young child’s virtue,” it’s really “lying that becomes more of the advanced skill.” While these statements were hard to believe, they made sense. A child has to recognize the truth in order to lie, and make it a good lie at that.
As the children grow older, they start lying about situations that could get them into serious trouble. “For two decades, parents have rated ‘honesty’ as the trait they most want in their children.” This shows how much trouble parents have at home with trying to fix this problem and that something needs to be changed. Many say that trust and honesty are essential in relationships and that lying is wrong, yet most of them lie. If people say that lying is wrong and then go and lie, then where does that leave them? There has to be discipline for themselves and kids. If there is not discipline, how will we know when someone as close as our friends or family are telling the truth or not?
The article, "Learning to Lie," found above in the New York Times has very excellent research and information on lies and how and when they start happening.
Many children are found innocent when they are young, but naturally, they are learning how to become good liars. Around three years old, kids will start lying about things that even their parents see them do. Around four years old, they start learning how to become good liars which “is a strong sign that he/she has brains.” Reading this article, I found that even though we think “truthfulness is a young child’s virtue,” it’s really “lying that becomes more of the advanced skill.” While these statements were hard to believe, they made sense. A child has to recognize the truth in order to lie, and make it a good lie at that.
As the children grow older, they start lying about situations that could get them into serious trouble. “For two decades, parents have rated ‘honesty’ as the trait they most want in their children.” This shows how much trouble parents have at home with trying to fix this problem and that something needs to be changed. Many say that trust and honesty are essential in relationships and that lying is wrong, yet most of them lie. If people say that lying is wrong and then go and lie, then where does that leave them? There has to be discipline for themselves and kids. If there is not discipline, how will we know when someone as close as our friends or family are telling the truth or not?
thINK Journal 1: Girl Power Isn't All About Looks
http://demo.fb.se/e/girlpower/retouch/retouch/index.html
Right when I saw the cover of this magazine (site listed above), I knew it would be perfect to write about. Reading the side comments about what is in the magazine almost made me mad. Girl power is not just about looks and how you can be the impossible "perfect."
The comments "Look like the stars in Hollywood, large imperfections that can easily be retouched, and how I became perfect" is what makes the insecurities of girls start to boil, and that's just on the front cover! TV, magazines, and more make girls today feel like they have to be skinny, fit, and fashionable. Yes, it is important to take care of a person's body and be healthy, but not to the point where they are miserable trying to look like the latest size zero fashion models.
If a survey was taken, I would predict that more than half would say that they are insecure about their bodies. So many people are caught up in looks that they do not look past the makeup and see the real girl inside. We should not judge people, me included, by what they are wearing or how they fix their hair. What is going to matter in the end? Definitely not fashion, my friends.
The comment “Look like the stars in Hollywood” is almost impossible because they don’t even look like that. We have so much technology today that it is hard not to fix every imperfection. In all honesty, I catch myself wishing I could be cute and look like Selena Gomez, but then, I sometimes wonder what stars would look like without all the cosmetic help and fame.
Right when I saw the cover of this magazine (site listed above), I knew it would be perfect to write about. Reading the side comments about what is in the magazine almost made me mad. Girl power is not just about looks and how you can be the impossible "perfect."
The comments "Look like the stars in Hollywood, large imperfections that can easily be retouched, and how I became perfect" is what makes the insecurities of girls start to boil, and that's just on the front cover! TV, magazines, and more make girls today feel like they have to be skinny, fit, and fashionable. Yes, it is important to take care of a person's body and be healthy, but not to the point where they are miserable trying to look like the latest size zero fashion models.
If a survey was taken, I would predict that more than half would say that they are insecure about their bodies. So many people are caught up in looks that they do not look past the makeup and see the real girl inside. We should not judge people, me included, by what they are wearing or how they fix their hair. What is going to matter in the end? Definitely not fashion, my friends.
The comment “Look like the stars in Hollywood” is almost impossible because they don’t even look like that. We have so much technology today that it is hard not to fix every imperfection. In all honesty, I catch myself wishing I could be cute and look like Selena Gomez, but then, I sometimes wonder what stars would look like without all the cosmetic help and fame.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Inking My Thinking Through Independent Reading
Independent reading book: "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman
(Information is what has been read so far.)
Quester: Richard Mayhew
A place to go: London
Reason to go there: He got a job.
Challenges and trials (so far): Had to make the decision of whether or not to save the girl on the street that was injured. He did and it ruined his relationship with his fiance.
Real reason to go there: Not entirely sure yet.
(Information is what has been read so far.)
Quester: Richard Mayhew
A place to go: London
Reason to go there: He got a job.
Challenges and trials (so far): Had to make the decision of whether or not to save the girl on the street that was injured. He did and it ruined his relationship with his fiance.
Real reason to go there: Not entirely sure yet.
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