The recent massacre in Connecticut on Friday has been everywhere - from Newspapers to social media to nearly every television channel. It started with "I can't believe this," then "be thankful for your family and the time you have together." Now, it's become a debate over gun control. But are guns really the problem? This is one of the many recent domestic attacks that have taken place in the past decade, the general consensus that school shootings began with the Columbine massacre in 1999, the Red Lake massacre in 2005, the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, and even the Colorado movie theater massacre early this year should be counted (though it didn't take place in a school, it was still a domestic act of violence resulting in a major loss of lives). Everyone is either blaming guns or re-quoting "guns don't kill people; people kill people."
I firmly believe in the power of education, and that with knowledge comes acceptance. We may not know why these people committed these terrible acts, but perhaps it was synonymous with the reason our suicide rates are so high right now. People are going through issues that they haven't been taught how to handle, whether it's discrimination based on sexuality, victimized by bullying, depression or psychotic disorders, or anything else; no matter whether it is any of these reasons, or something else, these aren't things we are taught about in school. They teach us to be nice to everyone and to help our friends who are sad, but they don't teach us what to do when we're the victims. Most of these issues are taboo to talk about, even to our closest friends.
Maybe the problem in our culture is guns, maybe it's a lack of education; maybe it's even both. But no matter what has caused these tragedies, thousands of people are personally affected. They bring our nation together to mourn for the victims and reach out to their families, to appreciate our own families and recall that our time on earth is short. We shouldn't need something like this for us all to agree.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Tragedy brings us together
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Why does it matter?
You ask someone if they know a certain person. They say, "yes, the name. Describe them." How do you respond?
Age. Gender. Height. Weight. Skin color. Hair color. Eye color. Everyone is labeled in each of these categories, and it's how most people describe each other. But why is this stuff the most important? Using this to describe someone doesn't really narrow down who it could be - millions of people could have the same combinations of this description. What really separates us from each other is our personalities and actions. Unless someone doesn't know who a person is by your physical description, you would describe their personality or an action they're known for (and most often negatively). Maybe you say someone is a teenage female, 5' 6", thin, white, with brown hair and blue eyes. That description would fit many high school girls, so it's not until you describe someone as obnoxious or quiet, or athletic or humanitarian, that it starts to make major differentiations.
So why do we start with something that isn't effective? Why do physical attributes matter in descriptions, when personality and actions are what really differentiate people?
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Subtle Addiction; Burning Stereotype
I know I talk about stereotypes a lot, but they're definitely a huge part of my life and American culture.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Time Is Everything
I have to wake up by a certain time to get to work. I have to clock-in to work by a certain time. I have to set up the gym for my first class by a certain time. I have to start my first class at a certain time. I have to warmup and rotate my class at a certain time. I have to finish my class at a certain time. I have to bring in the next class at a certain time. I have to leave work at a certain time. I have to work on my homework for only a certain amount of time (due to my concussion). I have to be asleep by a certain time in order to wake up by a certain time.
I have a type-A personality, I have to schedule my life so I don't forget to do anything. I don't have a problem with everything being scheduled and timed; I'm completely lost without it.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
'MURICA
- There's massive fighting on the Gaza Strip between Israelis and Palestinians
- Iran has 2800 centrifuges to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons
- Iraq released a militant who is accused of killing US soldiers
- Japan's Prime Minister has decided for parliament elections in mid-December, without the approval of his party, in an attempt to get the political parties to work together
- China has a whole cabinet of new leaders
- There was another explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico
- Over $5,000,000 has been collected for the victims of the Aurora, Colorado massacre
And what's the top news story in America this week?
- Hostess is going out of business. No more Twinkies.
Leia Mais…
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Leotards
I've been trying to find a new leotard for months - I know what brand I want and what size I need. The problem, however, is that leotards come in a small color scale. Nearly every pattern that isn't animal print or obnoxious is pink. PINK. Looking at GK Elite's leotards, how is a teen gymnast who doesn't like pink supposed to find a leotard she likes?
Going through pages and pages of leotards, I've never found one that was less than $70 that I liked (and I'm not spending that much on a leotard, ever). Between the animal print, America colors, just plain ugly, leotards are one of the hardest things for me to shop for.
Why does GK Elite, along with other leotard companies within the gymnastics world, insist on the abundance of pink leotards? At the gym where I work, nearly every girl has a pink leotard because that's all she can find - and half of them don't even like pink! I think the abundance of pink leotards will last perpetually because gymnasts aren't willing to stand up to their leotard companies. Looking at competitive gymnasts, next to no one has a pink leotard representing their team colors, especially the highly competitive gyms.
The sport of gymnastics is highly stereotyped - girls must be dainty and perfect in order to be successful. As a sport that's already stereotyped enough, why should we be forced to wear pink leotards, a stereotypically female color?
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Maharaja
Last night was my first Indian dinner. I'd never had indian food before, besides some really terrible curry a few summers ago and too spicy vegetable samosas. I didn't really know how it would go, but it was for my best friend's birthday dinner (honestly, I thought I was going to end up going to McDonald's right after for some fries and a sweet potato pie). She ordered garlic naan bread and vegetable samosas, and they were both delicious, so I was super excited for the main course. When it came, I could only eat spinach & potato stuff or chickpea stuff with rice - the spinach & potato on top of the rice was so good. It didn't taste like curry at all, so I had a few spoons of it with my rice.
I decided to look up "Maharaja." I found that its a Sanskrit word that translates to "great king." When India was colonized by Great Britain, the rulers of its states were known as "Rajas" ("kings"), and those with significant power were given the title "Maharaja." Before this time, the word "Maharaja" had not really been used. Great Britain used their power to give specific kings a more regal title to gain their allegiance; Great Britain used the power of language to create allies... and eventually ruined India.
Its amazing how people and culture can be so greatly influenced through language.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
OGD - Obsessive Grades Disorder
It seems like every period someone's asking me questions for their stat class surveys. I've been asked questions from "Which schedule do you like the best?" to "Do you feel like you get enough energy from school lunches?" Today, I was asked questions about classes, grades, and how I spend my time.
Before she started questioning me, she told me that the questions were personal and that I can stop answering them whenever. This made me a bit weary of the survey, but I knew she needed many people's answers, and if its an invasive survey she won't get any, so I decided to continue.
The first question she asked was what classes I'm taking and what phases they are, and for a copy of my schedule so she could verify my answers. She started her apologizing (which continued throughout the survey), but I didn't see what the big deal was about my schedule.
Then she asked what grades I had in my classes, and her apologizing increased substantially. I really didn't see what the big deal was - my grades aren't very good, but I really don't see why grades matter. Grades are just a number imposed by someone who thinks they know everything to see how much of their knowledge you share. Why does society try to give a quantitative number to something so qualitative? We're raised from Kindergarten to try to get an A in everything we do: You didn't color inside the lines? B-; You forgot the "±" sign after you took the square root? B+; you missed a half-note in your recital? C. Our society, as well as many others around the world, is obsessed with grades, and it does no good for students or the future. Its easy to procrastinate for a test then cram at the last minute and get an A, but the knowledge is immediately forgotten after the test to make room for the next information to cram. Why should it matter if everyone in the school has a high GPA, but no one actually retains the knowledge?
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Cell phone culture: How cultural differences affect mobile use
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/27/tech/mobile-culture-usage/index.html?iref=allsearch
Though this article is a few weeks old, I've been mulling it over to try to find the right way to phrase my reaction. At first, everything in the article made sense - why wouldn't Americans be different than other cultures, especially when it comes to cell phone use? But the information at the very end confused me: "Texting was initially slow to take off in America....mobile internet has been slow on the uptake there as digital media tablets are becoming popular ways of going online." I didn't really understand this part. I can't even remember when people didn't text: my best friend got a Nokia phone in 5th grade and she could text (though no one else our age had a cell phone).
The mobile internet comment also confused me. Nearly everyone has a SmartPhone or an iPhone, or some other phone with internet access; hardly anyone can't go on the internet on their cell phones. I also don't know that many people who own a tablet - all of our tablets with internet access seem to be relatively new, especially when compared to how long internet has been available on cell phones. The first iPhone came out at the beginning of 2007; the iPad wasn't released until 3 years later in the beginning of 2010 (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#iPad). These have been the most popular internet-capable phones and tablets in America and have led the markets, but there was still a large period of time when the iPhone gained popularity and its internet access drew in more consumers.
The majority of the article compare cultures based on how they view cell phone use. It seems that Italy and Spain are very similar, Japan is the opposite, and America is somewhere in between. We have a unique view of cell phone use that keeps us in constant communication with each other, and usually disregarding how other people around us feel about our cell phone use in their presence.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Ginger Problems
Stereotypes are everywhere and based on everything from ethnicity to accent to style. Some might be true or proven, but most aren't. Like the stereotype that began a few years ago: gingers don't have souls.
South Park is known for airing controversial episodes with raunchy and racial topics. So when South Park aired its 136th episode in November of 2005, why did it begin a new-wave of thinking towards people with red hair, that gingers don't have souls? Could it be that prior to this episode, there was nothing really against people with red hair? Or people with red hair were still people with souls before this episode? Now, it seems as though everyone has accepted this made-up stereotype.
On a weekly basis, someone makes a comment about my hair, asking if its natural, if its always been this color, if I've ever dyed my hair. These questions are fine; its when people ask if I have a soul or how many souls I've stolen that week that's annoying (I don't even know where stealing souls comes from).
I was in 5th grade when the episode aired, and that's when I started changing my hair color regularly. The past few months are the longest I've had my "natural" hair color, and the questioning is still annoying.
Clearly, I have a soul, like everyone else, and no hair color prevents that.
I'm judged based on a false, nonsensical stereotype; and that's why I don't think stereotypes are funny.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_Kids
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Music Culture
If you took away school, work, and sleep, music would be my life. Literally. I've spent the past 15 years teaching myself instruments: starting with piano at 2 1/2 years old, then keyboard (totally different from piano), organ, bass guitar, electric/acoustic guitars (yes - I play them differently, too), ukulele, banjo, and violin. Not only do I love playing music and performing, but I listen to music almost constantly. From Beethoven to Wiz Khalifa, I have almost every genre on my iPod - and over 8000 songs.
Music is a sacred culture - it isn't based on where you live or what language you speak or what you look like. Anyone who has taken Spanish has heard Juanes at least 5 billion times. You might not know that "Tengo La Camisa Negra" is really about Juanes losing his love, not a black shirt, but that doesn't matter: its still a catchy song that nearly everyone loves. Juanes is Colombian, but that doesn't stop Americans, and other people around the world, from listening to his music. Music has a subculture that spans beyond the normal cultural limits: it goes beyond language, location, population, etc. This expansion makes it sacred, and shouldn't be a basis for judgement.
So now where do I fit when people judge music? Everyone can look at someone else and assume what music he or she listens to based on what they look like, what they're wearing, and even how they talk. This might be true sometimes, but where do the people who don't actually have a favorite genre fall? They're still judged to fit into a certain type, and when they not only listen to this music but many others, why is the one judging so flabberghasted?
Why are music listeners stereotyped? Are people so desperate to judge each other that they must resort to music type? Leia Mais…
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Coffee Addict Problems
I literally spend too much time at Starbucks. The baristas all know my name and what I get, I have a "usual" parking spot, I have a "usual" table, and I only have a few more drinks before I reach Gold Level on my Starbucks Rewards account. And I know the other "usuals" too - the 30 year old sunglass guy, the senior citizen who brings his own coffee and gets a venti water, and the Republican poet who got in a fist fight with Bo Biden.
I can't go to Starbucks without someone talking to me. Literally. I'm usually there for anywhere between 3 and 6 hours, and at least one person will start talking to me. The first time it happened was because of what I was wearing - the Republican poet asked me why I'm "grunge" and I said it was the first clean thing I found this morning. He then talked for an hour about his poetry and that he doesn't like slam poetry but "all the kids today" do, and he got in a fist fight with Bo Biden when Biden tried to campaign on his lawn, and I should read all his poetry because its written for people like me.
Normally, strangers don't talk to or trust each other. You don't just walk up to someone at the mall and start talking about your life and asking them questions about theirs, and you wouldn't leave your belongings sitting out in the middle of the food court. But Starbucks is different: something about the atmosphere makes it okay to ask about other people's lives, to get life advice, and to leave your Mac on the table. I would never go into Barnes and Noble and ask people if they're having a good day. That'd be creepy. But at Starbucks its okay.
I don't know what makes Starbucks so different, but I love being a part of something so odd. Our little group of "Starbucks regulars" is probably the weirdest sub-community ever, but its still great.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Gym Culture
Nearly everyone has heard of Abby Lee Miller, the head dance instructor of Abby Lee Dance Company, where the show Dance Moms is filmed. The moms on this show are known for going crazy. Whether protecting their daughters, defending themselves, or attacking each other, the mothers of the show are willing to do anything to help their daughter(s) succeed in the next audition, become a professional dancer, or win the weekend's competition. And America eats up their fiery tempers. Not only does the show consistently contribute to a Trending Topic on Twitter, its talked about in the media on channels other than Lifetime.
The gym where I work has 2 locations: our main gym in Newport, and our satellite gym in Peoples Plaza. Our Newport gym is over 3 times the floor size of our tiny Peoples Plaza gym, and has a lobby with viewing windows, offices, a birthday party room, a team room, and a dance room. Our Peoples Plaza gym is one big room with chain corals keeping parents off the floor: there's no division between parents and the class, putting so much more pressure on teachers by the parents. Knowing that parents will readily criticize you if things aren't done as they seem fit, will try to instruct their child during the class, or will distract their child is one of the most stressful parts of being a gymnastics teacher, especially to younger children who are still developing their skills and who are still completely attached to their parents.
Take the mothers on Dance Moms, multiply the five of them by 15, multiply their "Tiger Mom" instincts by 3, and that's our Gymnastics Moms. There are at least 75 competitive gymnasts training in our gym as I write this, but no moms. It had to be written into their contracts that the competitive team moms can't stay during their child's practices, due to their distractive nature and apparent lack of self-restraint. We've had parents run into the gym when their child falls off a beam, perfectly fine; but the mother seems to think that every fall will hurt her child. In the gymnastics culture, these moms are oh-so-common and oh-so-burdensome. How do these moms expect their children to succeed when every fall is "dangerous"? This behavior discourages children from being willing to try something new that may seem scary at first - their self-confidence is diminished in a sport where physical skill counts for only 25% of the battle and mental skill counts for 75%?
My work makes my life like Dance Moms: crazy mothers and crazy ideas in a crazy culture.
Friday, September 7, 2012
"Cultural sensitivity key to U.S. role in Afghanistan" - what cultural sensitivity?
Honestly, CNN, what are you doing? What is this cultural sensitivity you speak of? Everyone knows that foreign soldiers hardly ever care about the people of the country they're invading, with hardly any exceptions, including the current war in Afghanistan. The current war is hardly the beginning of cultural insensitivity.
And then I read the article.
The title is completely misleading. The article isn't about the current (or past) cultural sensitivity, but the need for future cultural sensitivity. But it seems that teaching this is an impossible task. How can you educate soldiers about the complex culture of any of the countries they're "defending their country from"? The respect that will be required for this will give them a connection with the people; and this will create a connection with the people that will quite possibly hinder their mental training in other areas. Soldiers are taught to do as their told, not questioning it or using their own morals to judge the actions. When a connection is created with the people, the soldier will bring their own morals in and will not be willing to mistreat the people.
According to the article, the current cultural advisors to the military have hardly even experienced the culture - they were educated in the US. Even if these advisors spent some time immersed in another culture, it would still not know all there is to know. If the US government were to employ people born and raised in the culture in question, the expertise would be so much greater and more accurate. The idea that having US born-and-raised citizens advising our country about the cultures of other countries, in order to help us and our interactions with foreign countries, is a little scary.