And Again...

Is there really a certain way to act or dress that is classified as normal… or is it more of normal to us as robots of society who can’t see anything that’s different because our hard drive crashes and the only way of fixing the crash is to isolate the person trying to be different... In society people are socially out-casted because of what they wear, how they act, the things they do. But are we truly allowed to judge the people that are our peers. I mean is it really our place to say… our place for our opinion on what they like. A big problem as a child I had was the fact that I wanted to go to the military, ever since I was in third grade. In my school my choice was not socially accepted. I got laughed at many times by the girls in my middle school and elementary school because the military to them was classified as a man’s job. So for me to feel accepted and a part the girls I changed my future profession to a wedding planner; I mean what is more girly than a wedding planner, nothing, and yes this got me in to the crowd but as I grew older and noticed how much I loved what I wanted to do I finally accepted my difference and at the end of 8^th grade I told my parents I did want to go to the military and that was my little moment of social acceptance because of course I believe that no one should be judged because you never know someone until you’ve walked there path. This is a big problem especially among us teenagers this out-casting leads to suicide, depression, and even self-neglect which is not okay. What are we all monsters, can we all not live in a place together and be different or as mentioned in one of my favorite songs “America the brave still fears what we don’t know “and its true we fear what we aren’t exposed to on a regular basis but why, why can’t we just except the new thing and move on.

Stop it Weirdo...

 

In life following the social order is something that is viewed as the “right” thing to do. In life some people live to follow the social order and then there are the people who self willingly isolate themselves, choosing not to follow that “right” thing. This is something that is dealt with throughout our whole life whether it’s an adult following the social norm of buying a computer that’s very expensive or a little kid having to sit down for circle time. There is one time where it’s the hardest to make your decision of following social order or not… and that when we are teenagers in high school. At this time we are just finding who we are and where we belong and it doesn’t help that if we do choose to follow the path of individuality we get judged for doing so. It happens especially here at Brien Mcmahon. When someone sees another person not wear the “normal’ clothes they just talk about them behind their back. This just becomes a repeated thing that will always stick with that person that chooses to be different. But can anyone really define normal? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary normal is defined as according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle. Is there really a certain way to act or dress that is classified as normal… or is it more of normal to us as robots of society who can’t see anything that’s different because our hard drive crashes and the only way of fixing the crash is to isolate the person trying to be different. I have to say I have been a person that isolates the person but now I’ve come to realize that life is about making yourself happy no matter what other people may say, so what’s the point of me judging someone and expect not to get judged in return…. That’s what isn’t a part of social order, that is what makes us individuals that should get isolated.

Damn Right I Support It.

            I think it’s only fair that I write this blog on something I have thought is a controversial issue. Same-sex Marriages.  This is a topic not brought up by many. Why? You might ask. It’s viewed as awkward, weird, not the social norm. This issue is not only controversial but I believe it’s a problem with the equality in the United States. The legality of Same-sex marriages first became an issue in 342 A.D. when they were outlawed in the Roman Empire by a Christian Roman Emperor. The issue began being raised in the 70s after the APA voted in conference that homosexuality was a sexual orientation not a mental illness. Also in that decade, the state of California made all its laws gender-neutral, causing some to believe that there was now a loophole for same-sex marriage. In the 1990s, the issue of possible legalization was again raised in Hawaii, causing the Congress to pass the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. There are several reasons of why same-sex marriage is looked at as a problem, but probably the main reason is, many religious sects believe that homosexuality is a sin and/or a perversion and therefore two homosexual people who want to get married are trying to get special privileges based on a sinful lifestyle. Many people have worked towards the end of this issue. Many have spoken on the issue, including countless politicians, religious leaders and celebrities from the entertainment industry. Included among these is poet Maya Angelou who made personal telephone calls to New York State Senators asking them to vote in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in that state. . It’s unfair that 14 states have legal same-sex marriage, 35 have banned same-sex marriage and 1 has no law banning or legalizing it. I believe that all states should be equal and allow same-sex marriage. Like the song Same Love by Mackelmore says. “No freedom till we are equal, Damn right I support it.” This whole song is based on same-sex marriage, he dedicated it to his uncle who had to suffer his whole life with not being treated the same. Macklemore is very serious about this issue and I think everybody should because no freedom till we are equal. Damn Right.

Come on let me go out...

Dear Mom and Dad,

 I am writing this letter to you because as we all know I want to go out this Friday. I feel as if I should be able to go out because of many reasons. To be honest I’m such a good student. I do all my work and get good grades. All my grades are either at or where they are supposed to be. I gave you my tracker the other day and you guys congratulated me. I also do a lot of work around the house, I help Isaac get his homework done, and I help Tatiana whenever she needs help, I was the dishes, clean the bathroom, clean my room and wash my clothes. What more could you ask for?  I do everything I’m told unlike my sister Tatiana who is like a wall. We talk to her and nothing happens, I’m so much better. If you don’t let me go out I will not help around the house anymore, I’ll be rude to my teachers and to my brother and sister. I will go anyways if you don’t let me you guys have no choice. I’m old enough to make my own decisions and I know what’s best for me. And if you say I can’t come back home I know you guys won’t hold to your word. You guy can’t just kick me out of the house I’m a minor and there is no way of kicking me out. This is just so stupid how you guys never let me go out but you guys were allowed to go anywhere as kids and me it takes lightning to strike the house to be able to go out for one day. In my defense I never make stupid decisions either I’m a good girl and I’m that way because you guys have taught me how to be that way as I have grown up. You know who you daughter is and what decisions I will make so in that case I should be allowed to go on Friday and have a little fun.

Love,

Johanna Arias

The Arts? Or waste of time?

Should high school students be required to take an art? In my school a graduating credit that is required is an Art, well for the singers, dancers, artists, and instrument players that's a piece of cake. But then there is me... the girl who sings in the shower and pretends to sound amazing but the moment that water is turned off its like nails on the chalk board. I as a junior haven't completed my required credit. I really don't want to do it next year but I have to. In my life I don't plan on doing anything in the arts so i don't believe that I should be required to waste my class on something I don't need. I rather spend time on something that helps me get closer to my goal of becoming a physician. I believe that it shouldn't be required  it should be optional, I understand where the required credit come for Computer Literacy because as a growing technology era we should  learn the basics of using a computer and being efficient in typing, we would you it in our daily lives either as physicians to dancers. I mean lets really look at what we can learn from the arts if we want to be a physician? Choir teaches you how to sing... Band is for the people who play instruments... Art is for the ones who can draw and I can't to save my life...  Maybe culinary arts because it teaches you to follow procedure but in reality you don't have to because in cooking you can add and remove what you'd like as opposed to having to follow the set procedure in chemistry or in biology. So think about we have to take a class that for some of us doesn't change anything or doesn't affect our lives when we could be taking the class that could help us get one step closer to being what we want to be in life. I leave it for you to think whether your part of the lucky artistic people or not, Should high school students be required to take an art? 

That Really Special Thing to Me

There is a class in the school not understood by many. What class is that you may ask; although it seems obvious. This certain class happens to be my favorite class. NJROTC (Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps). This class is misunderstood for many reasons, the uniform, the curriculum, the teachers and mainly the purpose. This class is just like any other class you come in. You sit down. You listen to your teacher. You do the work, and the outcome is your grade. Does that not sound familiar? Of course it does, but this class does distinct itself from the others. This class is an opportunity  to change your life. That is if you allow it to do so. People come day in and day out... "I hate this class" "This class is stupid." "This uniform is gay." Well that uniform is the same uniform that the men and women that are fighting for our freedom. Of course if these people come in here they will never, ever be able to like that class with the mindset that they have. I say this because I was once one of those people. Its because of these people that this class is so misunderstood. If your not open minded then where will you get in life? Will you ever try new things? An example would be myself I got to ROTC and said the day I walked into the class and automatically said I hated it not knowing the first thing about it. Later my mom just told me to try it to be OPEN-MINDED so I did. Now I'm the XO of my unit (second in charge) and i love the class and wouldn't change it for the world. Its important that when people get to this class not to shut it out just because you have to wear a uniform on Wednesdays, always look at the brighter sides of thing. It will save you loads of looking at your closet wondering what you are going to wear. This is mainly for the people who have heard many scuttlebutt's (nautical term for rumors) about the class so the they know that the class is just a class with many opportunities to better yourself.

Letters

Do you have that one thing that hits home? That one thing that changed your life and you knew it the moment you held it in your hands? Well, I did. Ohhh... where to start? It all started as a third grader in my girl scout troop, my troop leader decided that we were going to write letters to soldiers, I was freaking out inside. What was a going to say? I didn't know but all I knew was that this had to be the best letters of my life. My short lived life of 11 years which I thought at that time was so much. I knew that these letters weren't just letters they would make a day, a year, and maybe just maybe a lifetime. I thought to myself what is a third grader going to write that is going to affect the life of a grown man. So I wrote my letters, all my might went into them. When they got sent out I waited day after day for the reply. No one else really cared but me I cared, I cared a lot I felt as if everyday my heart was going to burst out, and finally that mighty day came that my troop leader handed out the letters to whom they belonged. She handed me the two letters that belonged to me. I felt as if I was the luckiest little girl in the world to be holding in my had the patience of a soldier, to write to me. I opened them and read them. Never did I ever think that some simple little letters could change me. From that day on I always have said that I wanted to go to the military to hopefully write a letter like the one I received as a child that can change a little girls mind or make her day or even receive a letter when I hopefully am in the military that will remind me of this glorious moment I had as a child. These letter I hold them near and dear to my heart they are the reason I am what I am today and I carry these letters everyday with me, never do I go out with out them they are my most prized possession they keep my head held high and remind me of the sacrifice that some people make for our freedom. If you ever want to ask me where are my letters I will pull them out and show them to you no questions asked they are just always with me.

Immigrants

Every morning they stand their waiting. Waiting for someone to come and help them but are they really only waiting for someone to come along and offer a petty job that will last only for one day. Are they waiting for the hope of a better life a better future for their kids? Sometimes even I think that will never come because of the way that they are view called talked about. Immigrants. What comes to your mind when you say that word? The usual illegal, poor, always running, Hispanics, etc. For me when I hear that word I think someone in need of help, desperate for a better future. They wake up every morning and pray that they will be look at differently less like a nobody and more like somebody that can do something. But why did they get this name? How are they any different than the very immigrants that founded the wonderful country? The men who built America Carganie, Rockefeller, and Ford, were they not sons of immigrants or grandchildren of immigrants how are they any different. Sometimes we don’t even know if the person we talk to every day is an immigrant so why is that when it is discovered everything changes. Is it because America the brave is scared of something it doesn’t know. They walk around like nothing is wrong but in reality they are scared that the next day they won’t be able to be here and strive for the better life that they want or long for. They are scared that just one day someone will come and just remove them from the place they now call home the place they have worked so hard to be in. So many things come up in politics about these people yes they are people but nothing is ever settled and why is it that it is so unsettling yes I understand we risk the security of our country but look at the things that happen even with the people that aren’t immigrants. I just believe that everyone deserves a chance and the ability to look for a better future than what they had.

 

The Kite Runner favorite passage