Thursday, October 21, 2010

Teen Pregnancy

Krystale Bradley


It used to be that most girls dream of growing up, marrying the perfect man, having kids and living happily ever after. Unfortunately these dreams don’t always turn into reality. In this decade, it is not unusual for teenage girls to get pregnant before they graduate high school. In an article by Marina Khidekel, she states "750, 00 teen girls a year get pregnant." For some it's just a mistake of not having protection, but for some it was on purpose. What could possibly make a teenage girl want to take on the responsibility of raising a child?

According to Khidekel, “Thirty-one percent of teen girls say TV shows & movies make them want to have a baby." We have all heard of, and probably seen; hit TV shows such as The Secret Life of The American Teenager and Teen Mom. These shows are about teen girls who get pregnant while still in high school and the different situations they face. Girl’s watch these shows and see how easy and glamorous they make being a teen mom appear. Some do show the rough times of being a teen mom but as Khidekel pointed out “in the end these shows are entertainment and it can be easy to gloss over the facts. The teen mom life is not as easy as it seems and most teen girls have to learn this the hard way.”

"Of course, you're the one with the power to make your own choices and you have family and friends and a million other factors influencing your decisions- but when you see so much teen sex and pregnancy everywhere it starts to seem normal" states Khidekel. TV shows and movies aren’t the only thing influencing teen girls, but they do consume a big part in it. It’s not all bad, but a lot of the shows don’t give the accurate and important facts the young teens girls need to know.

Many teen think that they can juggle being a teen mom plus school but they soon find out it’s not that it’s very hard to do without a lot of help. "The majority of girls who have had a baby before the age of 18 don’t graduate high school." (Khidekel) They end up dropping out and working a dead-end job just to try and support their child. Some get lucky and have parents and friends to help them stay in school while working but not everyone is that lucky. "80% of fathers don’t stay with the teen mother of their babies." (Khidekel) So many young girls become teenage single mothers."Teen pregnancy is the major contributor to poverty, single parenthood and limited features fir adolescents and their children, that why it’s so significant to attend to the problem now and not later."

Many people ask themselves why some girls want to get pregnant at such a young age? Well different girls do it for different reasons and to them it makes sense. Some reasons are “The girls want someone to love and love them back; they think it will be "cute", want to grow up faster, don’t have anything constructive to focus on." After they actually have the babies they realize these were senseless reason to want to become a teen mother.

"They're either not educated enough or voluntarily ignoring the fact that birthing and raising a child is not as easy and will not make their lives more fun." Most parents just assume that they have raised that child to make the right choice and just ignore the fact that their kid could be choosing not to. It is the parent’s responsibility to talk to their child about teen sex and the facts about being a teen mother. That way the teen knows the consequences and will make them think twice before doing something they will regret like getting pregnant on purpose. I’m not saying anything bad about teens that have had kids because I’ve had friends become teen mom during high school and they take care of their child, have a job and continue going to school. I’m saying young teens should know and understand the truth about being a teen mom before deciding to do something that can alter their whole life.

Presidential Race


    The 44th president of the United States....was unexpected. The 44th president is Barack Hussein Obama, the first African American president ever elected. This was unexpected considering our nation’s history of slavery and discrimination. Many questions came to mind when he was elected. How strongly does race still influence our society? If he makes a mistake will he be hated more because he is African American?  What motivated voters to turn out in such large numbers?

    San Francisco Chronicle blogger, Willie Brown seems to have the answer to one of these questions. In one of his blogs he compared President Obama to Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play in major league baseball. Brown states "Obama hardly brought up race at all during the campaign, arguing that his candidacy has nothing to do with being black. Jackie Robinson didn’t get into the majors because he was black- he has there because he was a great ball player. Barack Obama won't get elected because he is black, he will get elected because he is a brilliant politician."

    President Obama's platform for the 2008 election was not based on the color of his skin. His high priorities are health-care for all, ending the war Iraq and Social Security reform. Obama pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and he supports implementing a cap-and-trade program to reduce these greenhouse gas emissions. He opposes gay marriages and supports civil unions. Nothing in his platform has anything to do with the color of his skin.

    Suzanne Goldenberg made a good point when she said "Americans placed their faith in Barack Obama today. Turning their backs on a past of slavery and segregation and electing the first African-American to the US presidency." Everyone knows that the United States has a past of slavery and segregation. What some don't realize is that discrimination against African-Americans still exists today. It may not be as noticeable as is was in the past but it is still present. This makes me question why people did or didn’t vote for him. 

    What happens if he messes up or doesn’t do a good job? Will Americans focus more on how he messed up or will voters just say it’s because he is African American?  If the first African American president fails how long will it be before another African American is elected? 
    He stated “To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn-I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help and I will be your president too." He understands that not everyone supports him. he doesn’t know why but he is not letting that bother him. He is telling them that even though they don’t support him and he didn’t in their vote he needs their help to succeed. He needs to hear what they want and believe in so he can do his best to be a good president.

    Obama understands that to some people his race is an issue but he is not letting that stop him or bring him down. So he is going to do his job to the best of his ability to make changes for the better. So even though the United Sates had a past history of slavery and segregation it's appears we are trying to move past the mistakes of our ancestors. This presidential election was just another step in the right direction and hopefully will mean good things are to come in the future.

Gender Roles

                                                   By: Krystale Bradley


Have you ever heard one of the women in the kitchen or respect the hand joke? To some individuals they may seem funny and harmless but to women such jokes are degrading and hurtful. The jokes are implying that women are only good to cook and should obey men. Then you hear guys tell their friends to “be a man” or “to suck it up” when they feel like breaking down. It makes men feel like they always have to be strong and can never show weakness. Who taught them to think this way? And why?
The gender roles have been passed down from generation to generation. While many people have out grown that way of thinking, majority of people are still stuck in the past and refuse to think that times have changed. Whether parents believe it or not they teach their kids these “roles” without even realizing it. Kids don’t just learn it from their parents; TV, books and magazines are influences as well. An example is when children hear fairy tales they are often about a big strong man rescuing a helpless woman in need. This shows them boys are strong and girls are too weak to defend themselves. On the older TV shows and movies the loving father goes off to work at his job to support his family. While the woman stays home take care of the children, cook and clean. Even though it’s not as major as it used to be it is still exist.
It’s harder for women to gain respect when they have successful jobs because men think that the women aren’t good enough for this job. On the other hand it’s hard for men to get jobs such as nurses because most people think that men should have a job that requires more physical labor. When people do things that jeopardize gender roles they are sometimes picked on and degraded. These gender roles keep us stuck in this box because we feel limited by our gender.
A good example of men being judged is the movie “Daddy Day Care”, about two dads who get fired from their jobs and have to be stay at home dads. One of the fathers decides that he wants to start his own daycare. When people come to sign up they see the daycare will be run by two men and then they reconsidered their choice to sign up. They feel like men aren’t capable to do what women do and can’t take care of young children. This is based on the stereotypical gender roles that women are the caretakers and men are the workers.
I’m sure plenty of men have been told the phrase “be a man!’.  Many men hear this when they cry or try to talk about how they are feeling. They are told that real men don’t cry and don’t express their feelings because is make them vulnerable and weak. Females hear the phrase “be careful or don’t hurt yourself”, which makes them feel like they aren’t strong or smart enough to take care of themselves.
I personally believe that people shouldn’t be limited of what they can do by their gender. People these days are stepping out of the box and doing what they want. Women are becoming cops, firefighters and are joining the military. Men are becoming nurses, fashion designers and singers. It’s these people, who stand outside the box that are making it easier for society to see the change in gender roles. I believe that as times begin to change, the gender roles will be done away with. To make this happen, people need to start teaching their children that they are capable of doing anything they set their mind to no matter what their gender.

Conformity

By: Krystale Bradley


"Do not follow where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." What Ralph Emerson is trying to say is don’t follow everyone but instead make your own decisions based on what you believe in. If you do this then you will live your own life and create your own path and leave a trail for people to see. Many people in this world just follow the path and let everyone control how they live their lives. They think it will be easier to just give in and go along with the world than put up with being excluded. This is known as conforming, changing your beliefs and values to get acceptance from others.

"Don't think you’re on the right road just because it’s a well-beaten path." Just because it’s what everyone else is doing, doesn’t mean its right for you many people believe that their way of living is the right way to live. In reality everyone is looked down on by someone. Everyone is different in some way, shape or form. Some people get caught up in being liked by the so called "popular" or "pretty" crowd. They give up everything they have always believed in and let other people choose what they wear, say and do.

Is losing yourself really worth the perks of fitting in? If you are doing things that don't make you happy, then you’re not going to be happy with yourself. You can’t truly be happy if you aren’t even happy with yourself. People think they are helping themselves self by not getting ridiculed but in reality it’s hurting them. You are who you are and people that understand that are the people that need to be around.

In high school there is a lot of pressure to conform. If you walk into a high school, you will notice that there are many cliques of people. These groups are people who believe in and dress the same way. Young girls are very vulnerable and self-conscious in high school. They crave the desire to be wanted and liked by the so called "popular" crowd. Many girls, who aren’t in this crowd, will do anything to be accepted by them. For example girls will cut their hair, drink at parties or try to lose weight.

The girls and guys that are a part of these crowds are vicious and rude to the people they think don’t fit into their group. They will judge anyone on, appearance, music interest and etc. They believe that everyone should be like than or want to be. They aren’t the only people who do this. The other groups of people do this as well. The hardest thing in high school is discovering who you are and sticking to it.
                     

If everyone decides not to conform then isn’t that a sense of conforming. They are conforming not to conform. So technically whatever you choose to do is still conforming. What you have to decide now is if what you want to choose is worth it. Why conform to be who someone else wants you to be? The best choice is to conform not to conform. At least you are sticking up for your beliefs and values. Comprising yourself will satisfy other people but not everyone. No matter how many times you change there is still going to be someone who doesn’t like it. So, just be who you are happy being and try your best to get along with people who don’t share your values. 

"Those you stand for nothing will fall for anything". If you don’t stand up for who you are and what you believe in then you will fall for anything that someone tells you. That’s why the most important thing to do is not to conform to what someone tells you to do but to stand up for yourself. In the end you will be so much happier you did even if it means getting ridiculed.

As a society we need to understand that everyone is different and that not a bad thing. Think of how boring the world would be if everyone was exactly alike. You have to conform one way or another. The two choices are, conform not to conform or conform to everyone else standards. Which one will you choose?

Stress and What It Does to Your Body

By: Krystale Bradley


Senior project, extracurricular activities, school, scholarships and applying for college. All of these things add up to one word: STRESS! As young adults we know what it’s like to be stressed. People handle stress differently and you can tell that it affects them emotionally. What people don't know, and what I didn't know until I read a recent article on WebMD by Amal Chakraburtty, is that stress also affects individuals physically and mentally.

I'm sure you’re wondering how stress can affect people physically. The truth is it just depends on the type of stress you are encountering. Three types of stress are eustress, acute stress, or chronic stress. Each type of stress is classified based on how it affects you mentally and emotionally. Eustress is the stress that keeps you alert and aware of danger. The second type is acute stress which can be positive or negative but it only last for a very short length of time. The final type is Chronic Stress; it’s the stress that seems to keep dragging continuously. Normal stress symptoms are headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain and problems sleeping. The more serious health problems such as depression, ulcers, sexual dysfunction, obesity and hair loss are cause when you are exposed to too much chronic stress. Chronic stress is a severe type of stress that tends to overwhelm you.

85 percent of teens experience some type of stress at a young age. The more they are exposed to it, the more severe it affects them. It’s hard for teens to deal with stress during high school. Teens turn to alcohol, tobacco and/or drugs to help lessen the stress. When teens use these items it makes stress become harmful. The more stress they encounter, the more tempting it becomes to turn to these things for help. This in the end will make the effects of stress even more severe.

It is important for teens to know and understand how to deal with their stress in a safe way. There are different ways to cope and handle stress for different people. A few ways include: Using stress in a positive way or to do something productive, whether it’s doing house work of cleaning out your car. Physical activities, it can help you use your energy in a safe way. Get sleep, sleep is an important to being alert and feeling refreshed. Yoga, which helps calm your nerves and helps you relax. Doing something for someone else, it takes your mind off of your own problems to help someone with theirs. If you have an abundant amount of assignments for school, prioritize them, get the important ones done first and then work your way down the list. These ways are so simple and they can help you lessen your load of stress.

Many things in life you can’t control so there is no sense in worrying about them. No matter your age, job, family, or etc you’re going to have to deal with stress. You can’t avoid and you can’t run away from it. You have to learn how to deal with it and move on. As long as you can’t handle stress in a positive way, it won’t control your life.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Book Review: “Meridian” by Amber Kizer

By: Kayla Carrico
           
            “My name is Meridian Sozu. I am a Fenestra. I have always shared my world with the dead and the dying. But I really didn’t understand what that meant until I turned sixteen and glimpsed my own mortality…” – Meridian
            Meridian is the story of a sixteen year old girl who has grown up with death following her everywhere she goes. On her sixteenth birthday she witnesses a deadly car crash. From then on her life is changed forever.
            After the crash Meridian’s parents send her to live with her great-aunt in Colorado. She is told it will be safer for her and her family this way. While living with her great aunt and Tens, her protector, in Colorado, Meridian learns that she is a Fenestra or the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead.
            In this story you will follow Meridian as she tries to learn her gifts and discover who she really is. This is a very different story that shows us that even when you think you’re alone and that you’re the only person who sees things as you do, you’re not. There is someone out there who understands you; you just have to find them and maybe you will find yourself on the way.
            I thought that Meridian is a very interesting book. Amber Kizer wrote a book that fits a very popular genre; however, she made it original in her writing. It is a supernatural book but she took a popular idea like death and made it something entirely her own. I would recommend this book to anyone and I think they would enjoy it.