I’m going straight to the point. Today, 20 children were killed. This is 3 days after a mall shooting. July 20th, a cinema became the site of a massacre, where 12 people died and 58 others were injured. It’s time the United States has some gun control! I’m not saying completely ban them, I know far too many people who like to go hunting who would be sad campers. I am simply stating that we need to check a persons history very thoroughly and what is going on in their life now and their mentality before handing them a gun (if they recently dropped out or have a suddenly started doing poorly in school, or quit their job, here’s an idea, their life and mentality could be crumbling, these are classic red flags that they need help ASAP) . It only makes sense. The issue isn’t just going to disappear, there will only be more premature death if we don’t stop this nonsense. What really baffles me is the fact some people (even my own dad) don’t think gun control needs to be any stricter. What will it take? We cannot allow this to become worse. The United States has enough blood and violence on it’s hands. I beg that we open our eyes and see the facts. Look at our crimes and death rate… My heart goes out to the parents of those 20 babies, and to anyone else who has had a loved one die senselessly. This didn’t have to happen, I’m deeply saddened that it did. My greatest hope is that we can heal, and learn. It’s time to put aside some “Liberty” for Safety.
Society: Bullying, Harassment, Alienation
Sorry, the lunch meat status will have to wait. I have something else that I think should be addressed. A poem I wrote a while back, I will allow to open the topic:
In Class I hear their laughing
In Class I hear them lie
In Class I take the mental beatings
In Class I refuse cry
Online I see the taunting
Online I see the names
Online I see the Flaunting
and on myself, I put the blame
~~~Aileen
Bullying, Harassment, Alienation… All these things as an individual, I have endured. They are not necessary, they are not just part of growing up, they are serious problems with increasingly serious effects. Why do young children feel the need to be above other children? why do teenagers feel the need to be above others? I think this has to do with the media in some cases. I think we need to, we really really need to address bullying head on. We have rules about bullying but how well are they really being enforced? most people don’t understand that talking about people, alienating them, and constant “Teasing” aka harassing them is considered bullying. We always see the physical, but what about the mental? We should be teaching children/teens about the different types of bullying. People need to see the results. Something that really scares me, Religion and its connection with Alienation, Bullying, and Harassment. I am not bashing Religion, I am bashing on using religion as “justification” for being horrible towards someone. My religious views I keep hidden from other students because I know, I have seen with my own eyes, how people treat those with different religious beliefs. So many other things people are bullied over, most commonly is how others dress/act. If someone is different, talks funny, talks often, seems happily confident, or dresses comfortably, the flood gates are opened. Overall I think the best thing we can do is educate what bullying is, what causes it, include stricter laws against it, and finally… Learn to accept and enjoy DIVERSITY! Stay odd my friends, High School ends.
School Control: Soda
Today a boy in one of my classes had a soda on his desk, and it sparked the conversation: Our School’s Policies on Soft drinks. As students our accessible vending machines are not on until after lunch, and “Vending machines must contain at least 50% water and no/low calorie options”. I love the idea of informing the public about nutrition, though I have to wonder, are the restrictions all about money? Phrases like “Schools are prohibited from selling/providing any food or meal that is in competition with the scheduled school meal”, and “Schools may not schedule sales immediately before or after meals that would compete with the meal service. If such sales should occur, all income generated must be deposited into the Child Nutrition account.” lead me to believe there are alternative reasons for restrictions on what we as students can consume. If caught selling soda’s I’ve read of many cases where the school is fined $15,000 dollars, a bit excessive don’t ya think? Making the option available for healthier alternatives sounds great, and I believe should be encouraged. As a high school student however, I believe we should be given some choices and real information, not restrictions, we will be making decisions for our self very soon. Maybe things like the quality of lunch meat should be a higher priority considering we don’t have the choice to choose the meat (my post tomorrow will be on school lunch meat and it’s poor quality).
nasbe.org/healthy_schools/hs/bytopics.php?topicid=3115 (National Association of State Board of Eduation)
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/Default.htm (food and nutrition services)
Introduction From Me.
I am Aileen. I am a student. I am an observer. I am a learner. I am a thinker.
I am making this blog to share my views on things going on in the world around me. To share my thoughts/opinions on things like what I see on the news, things I see at school, things I see within Society. I will warn now that I am open-minded, and will take the pro side on things like the legalization of same sex marriage, women’s rights, and going green. If these things will offend you, this may not be the blog for you (unless you are seeking to see a different view then your own). I also will say: I dislike bullying, harassment, and/or anything else that may alienate someone or make them feel inferior.That being said I will have open comments on everything I post, and I do not mind the discussion of different opinions, however trolling will NOT be tolerated. I will try and post every few days.
Thoughtsfromtheteenagemind 