The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is most notable as a
challenge to racism and the racist institution of slavery, but the novel
also takes aim at a whole field of social problems: child abuse,
homelessness, crime, war, lack of education, poverty, lawlessness, etc.
For this blog post, write about a social problem that you care about
and have strong opinions about. Describe the problem as you see it, and
explain your stand on the issue and why it matters to you.
P.S.
This blog post will not only help your grade for first quarter but it
will also set you up for an upcoming assignment (called the "ironic
paper"), so it is particularly useful.
A social issue that I have a strong opinion about is war. War is one of our society's biggest flaws. Because of war many people are killed, injured, and scarred mentally and physically for something that could be worked out in a non-violent manner. At this point in time is astounding that we still are using bombs and guns to resolve difficult and complex situations. Another problem indirectly connected to war is how much the United States spends on it’s military defense. The US spends about 27% of income tax on the military. Also, the United States spends more money on our military than all other developed countries combined. With other problems going on in the United States, I think the money being spent on the military defense could be directed towards something better, for example, education. There are other important flaws in our country that need to be fixed and funded more, but the military is not one of them.
ReplyDeleteA topic that I have strong opinions about is about public schools providing extra non-academic services to students. I think that schools should stop providing extra services like free meals and counseling and so on. I feel like subjects like health class too are inappropriate for school. Schools nowadays are under pressure to "close the gap" and help "kids at risk". I think schools need to stick with strict academics like the core subjects and some elective here and there. Schools are basically coming close to raising students in my opinion.Schools serve as therapists, chefs, doctors (think of all the flu shots and back screenings), police, and parents now, not just school. I've heard counterarguments that say that some families aren't good for kids, but I think that having the school fill in those missing roles lets absentee families get away with their irresponsibility and shirked duties. Schools should take a firm stance and say that families either do their job of raising their kids, because school won't and will call CPS. I think that the whole reason schools are taking on the duties of parents and others is politically motivated as there is a push to close the gap between students at risk and normal students. Also, schools nag students to get good grades because the school will get in trouble for not "closing the achievement gap". Students should be the ones responsible for their own grades and learning, and if they fail, it's their own fault. Overall, schools should stick to academics only, and individual students should get extra services elsewhere. Schools are becoming more of welfare institutions than places of learning. I think even though the problem is about school, it reflects on society as I'm talking about government run public school. Overreaching schools are a social problem that not many think about. I see it Monday through Friday, for 9 months.
ReplyDeleteA social problem I care and have strong opinions about is child abuse. This is a horrible thing that comes in different forms, and happens universally. Abuse scars someone for the rest of their life, and it doesn’t matter how strong they are, especially when most abuse is directed towards children. Abusing children shouldn’t be acceptable in any way, shape, or form, but while it can be hidden with mindfulness, people who can help to fix these situations don’t know about what’s going on. One of the most intense and mind-blowing things about child abuse is how broad the factors of it are. Child abuse could be obvious or unknown, physical, verbal, or both, could be happening to a very young child, or sometimes adolescents, could be going on for any random period of time, drawn to different extents, and is always unique to it’s own situation. A situation like this also will almost always call for something more, and bigger. The older person wouldn’t be taking out anger on a smaller person if they didn’t have a reason to. These explanations can range from being an alcoholic to having mental illness to anger fuming inside of them from anything else, just enough for them to hurt someone else. It’s unfortunate that children who are still learning about life and how to live go through this and that there isn’t an efficient solution that society can use to fix it. I think this problem can matter a lot for many reasons, and these are mostly based on the fact of hurting children, over and over again. It is essential that younger people are taught correctly, and understand life and what is appropriate. When they are shown something, it will stick with them, especially if it happens over and over again, and they are the people who will make up society in only a matter of years.
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ReplyDeleteA social problem that I care about and have a strong opinion towards is child abuse. Child abuse is a very disturbing problem that unfortunately a large number of children have to face because of their irresponsible guardians. Child abuse is disgusting, taking anger out on an innocent child, or taking it out on anyone is unacceptable. Not only could it physically hurt and damage a child’s body, but it could also mentally change who they are as a person and how they see the world. The child would grow up with different fears and possibly depression at a young age. Because of this, the child could be dreading each day of their life because they are afraid of their next beating. Children are supposed to enjoy their lives, everyday and they should not have anything to worry about being abused by an adult figure. To guilt a child into thinking they are the problem and the reason for being beat is immature and not okay what so ever. If you’re the adult you need to take pride in being a parent or guardian and teach the child what is right, rather than beating them physically and mentally because you, yourself have real problems that need to be worked out and eliminated from your life. In all honesty, if a person beats a child whether he or she is related to them or not they need to be punished. In my opinion the abuser should not just be punished with jail time, they should also be beaten him/herself, because I have no sympathy or pity for that person no matter their family background or past/present living circumstances. Child abuse is gross and should be taken very seriously.
ReplyDeleteOne social problem that I care and have a strong opinion about is homelessness. It's such a major problem all over the world and that horrifies me. When people normally think of homelessness, the first thing that comes to mind is bums that sit on the corner, not the struggles of every day life those “bums” go through. People don’t think about the families, their feelings, or their story of how they got there. They aren’t happy about it either, I promise. If you go into any big city, or highly populated area, you'll see homeless people roaming around, or sitting on the ground, or wandering aimlessly with the lost look in their eyes. I know there's many reasons for homelessness, such as not being able to pay bills, divorce, running away...but does that mean they deserve to not have a home to go to at night? It's a sad sad world that when you type in "homeless" the first two results are "statistics" and "facts" instead of shelters. There is an estimated 100 MILLION people who are homeless around the world, yet we never hear about this. In the United States alone, it is estimated that there are about 3.5 million homeless people. This includes adults, teens, and children. 1.37 million of that statistic are homeless teens, just under the age of 18. But, is that all they really are? Just a large statistic? The increase of homelessness has exploded in the past century, tearing families apart and ruining the chances for education. Intelligent minds can be stuck behind kids who just can’t afford an education, the right nourishment, and a safe home. Imagine the knowledge that could be unlocked if we could just give a homeless youth a chance by letting them go to school. Nowadays, everyone thinks of school as a chore, not realizing how spoiled and privaliged we actually are. We need to stop taking everything for granted, and learn to value everything that we are given. Like a warm bed, a family, and a roof over our heads. It is believed that there are 18,600,000 VACANT houses in the United States alone. This means that every homeless person, every single person, could have SIX houses to THEMSELVES. That hits hard, doesn’t it? My own Dad, who works in Cambridge as a firefighter, sees first-hand, every day, the effects of poverty and homelessness in not only old people and adults but teens and children. He told me that most of the homeless people that he has met, have had one type of mental illness or another. Hard too imagine, let alone grasp as something that people have to go through daily. Homelessness impacts me on an emotional level because I’ve watched the struggles of not being able to pay bills, and I’ve seen people evicted from their houses, being forced to live on the street, and basically have their entire life ruined due to not being able to get a paycheck in time. The struggles others face every day should be taken into account before we walk by another homeless person asking for extra change, it may not mean a lot to you, but it could help to change their lives.
ReplyDeleteA social problem that I care about and have strong opinions about is homelessness. Homelessness is one of the top 10 social issues in the world. The political focus of this is self-sufficiency. Among the world’s many homeless people, about 30% of them are found to be single adults while about 50% of them are adults with families with children. Out of all the homeless people; 35% are families with children, 23% are U.S military veterans, 25% are children under the age of 18, 30% have experienced domestic violence, 20-25% suffer from mental illness. As many as 3.5 million Americans are homeless each year. Of these, more than 1 million are children. It is a very large issue and is in fact caused by tragic life occurrences; global conflict, disappearing jobs, divorce and family disputes, natural disasters, skyrocketing education costs, loss of loved ones, alcoholism and use of drugs, domestic violence and increasing poverty in America. Other impairments such as depression, untreated mental illness, post traumatic stress disorder, and physical disabilities are also responsible for a big portion of the homeless. Many factors push people into living on the street. Acknowledging these can help encourage the end of homelessness in America. Today, the rapid, unexpected loss of jobs has caused great disturbance among families and has added to the number of people without a roof over their heads. Some beg because they cannot work, some beg because they do not want to work. In either case, it hurts when I see homeless people. I get confused on whether to help them or ignore them. If I ignore them, how can I go home not feeling guilty? Some homeless are in desperate situations but others are simply too lazy to work or spend all their money on alcohol/drugs. I want to do more to help the people around me then just to smile and nod as I walk by. I think the government should put more work into helping the homeless population. The government is for the people, not just those who have made the best decisions and made no mistakes. Our country has enough resources that none of its citizens should be without a home. They may have made mistakes and may not be completely sane or have job skills, but they are human, and many just need a helping hand or a second chance. It is the governments duty to help them. Homelessness impacts me in an emotional matter. It breaks my heart seeing homeless people around so often. I notice it most in big cities such as Boston, walking by numerous people, mostly elderly, asking for change. I wish I could do more to help instead of just sit around and feel bad.
ReplyDeleteOne social problem that bothers me is Michelle Obama’s quest to slim down obesity. During Obama’s presidency, Michelle has managed to change portion sizes and in some places, remove vending machines. This whole campaign is absurd because the government is basically labeling every teenager in the country obese and without common sense. If I ever had the bravery to eat school lunch, I would easily starve by the last block of the day. The portion sizes are not enough to supply students the energy to last through the rest of the afternoon. How are students supposed to function through exhausting classes with a lunch that is really a small snack? Also, if a student isn't going to pack a lunch but not buy school lunch, then they would probably just bring more unhealthy snacks. The fact alone that vending machines have been taken away, takes away our own choices of what to eat. It’s bad enough that citizens have to spend the majority of their childhood in a government controlled school, how could they take away what we chose to eat? Frankly, the government shouldn't interfere with the lives of the obese, because in reality its their choice. A persons body image is their responsibility and they should chose how to portray themselves not the government. In the long run, the government has wasted precious money and time that could be used in more pressing problems.
ReplyDeleteA social problem I have a strong opinion about is war. While I do understand why we are at war I think it is extremely unnecessary and a humongous waste of time and resources. We are the smartest species on earth yet we go to war with each other. You don't live forever, why waste your time on earth fighting in some meaningless war. Imagine how much more advanced we would be as a society if we didn't spend so much time on money and war. In 2011 the U.s spent 20% of its budget on defense, that's about 718 billion dollars, which is more than what was spent on medicare. Think of all the homeless this money could provide food, water, and shelter for. Not to mention all the funding for research it could provide to create a cleaner more green earth for us all to live on. As well as funding for space travel which could push the frontiers of the human race even further, instead we are using this money to kill each other. It is estimated that at the very least,108 million people died in wars in the twentieth century. You think we would have learned by now. Any of these people could have been the next Einstein or Isac Newton, but instead got their lives stripped from them in war. While it is true that sometimes it feels as if war is necessary and it is what gave America its freedom, if you put your mind to it and work hard, with a little bit of time, almost anything can be achieved non-violently. If we don't soon realize this war could be the end of us all someday with the growing risk of a full blown nuclear war.
ReplyDeleteA social issue that I feel very strongly about is war. Not only does it take millions of lives, but it also causes so many to be wounded in ways that can never be fully healed. This includes how one perceives or enjoys life mentally, or a physical impairment such as losing a leg or arm. But beyond individuals, war can create a feud between peoples for countless generations, producing discrimination, derogatory behavior, and violence. Often times war can create a lingering fear among people as well as poverty and economical destruction. However, the saddest part of it all is that people in power often do not try to work out confrontation diplomatically and are too quick to violence. They think so little of others and the essence of life that they rush to guns and bombs instead of reaching compromise. This bothers me so much because people in my family have risked their lives to protect our country, and if people could just try harder to work things out without violence less people could feel the pain of losing a loved one. War is a terrible part of our world, and I believe that our leaders need to strive harder to reach compromise.
ReplyDeleteA social problem that I have strong opinions about is the issue of students being given too much homework and stress. This is a big problem because students are getting way too much homework which is making them very stressed. For example I have many hours of homework a night and I am sometimes up to as late as 12 or 1. I have sports from after school until about 5 and by the time I get home I am hungry, tired, I still have to take a shower, and do all of my hours of homework. Since I have to stay up late I (along with many other students are not getting the right amount of sleep) I wake up exhausted and I am very tired for school. I think that it is essential to have homework, but when students are getting an hour to a half an hour of homework in each class it is not really helping them. I even researched this topic to find a Duke study showed that too much homework can be counter-productive for students at all levels. An example I found in this article was the “10-minute rule” which is adding 10 minutes of homework as students move on from grade to grade (an example would be a fourth grader getting forty minutes of homework and a high school student getting two hours) in which for high school students, we see that more homework was not associated with higher achievement. This shows that the amount of homework is not helping them greatly, and is causing too much stress in students busy lives.
ReplyDeleteA social problem that I care about and have a strong opinion on is society's view on women. In todays culture women get a bad reputation. People, especially women are constantly judged on how they look. It's extremely unnecessary for people to base their opinions on someone on what they look like. If a women feels comfortable wearing something that shows off body who are you to tell her she can’t. Dress codes in schools are put in place because teenage boys become too “distracted” by young women's bodies. Instead of teaching the boys to not dehumanize and objectify girls bodies, society tells them it’s the woman's fault by what she puts on her body. The school officials are telling the girls that their bodies are too distracting for education and therefore less important than the boys education. Instead of teaching girls math or literature, schools are enforcing arbitrary and sexist rules that teach them to be ashamed of their bodies. They are not teaching women to be modest they are teaching them to be ashamed. Women have come a long way but there is still much improvement to do. Society also blames young women for the rising teen pregnancy rate. Rather than addressing the issue of unintended pregnancy like ensuring greater access to sexual health resources, society focuses on blaming individual young women for making bad decisions. They ignore boys’ equal role in practicing safe sex. Society, as a whole often sees women as objects for men's pleasure, As if a womens only goal in life is to seek male attention and approval. Women don’t wear something to get unasked for attention and comments, they wear it to feel good about themselves. Society thinks womens ultimate goal is to be married, have children, and stay at home. Women are capable of much more than staying in the kitchen. But it is more than acceptable for a woman to want to stay home with her children. Other women shouldn’t look down on each other for being a stay at home mother. This touches on the subject of girl on girl hate. Women should be building each other up, not tearing each other down. It's pathetic when a girl rags on another for petty things, So much better things could be done than hating on each other. Over all, everyone should stop the unnecessary hate. These issues are important to me because I believe in gender equality. As a feminist, I think everyone, no matter of religion, race or gender should be equal to one another. In my unrealistic opinion, I think everyone should be a feminist. Men also suffer from prejudices and can benefit from feminism. All in all, I not only feel strongly about societies irrational views on women but also gender equality for all.
ReplyDeleteA big issue in today’s society that concerns me is gender equality. For years, gender equality has been an issue, but in the past couple of months I feel as if it has been a popular subject. As I grow up, I think more and more about this matter, and I definitely see more about it. What really brought me to the idea of Gender equality was various videos that surfaced on the internet that discriminate against men or women or, in other words, making it seem as if one gender is more superior to the other. One video I witnessed was a little experiment. In the video, a woman explains that she walked down the streets of New York City for 10 hours. During those 10 hours, she wore completely appropriate clothes which included a crew neck T-shirt, and jeans. What I witnessed during the video appalled me. For those 10 hours, over 100 comments were made to her that included things like, “What’s up beautiful? Have a nice day”, and,” You should acknowledge someone for saying you're beautiful! You should say thank you more. For real?”. This video is a good example of how we sometimes treat the other sex with disrespect. Everyone deserves equal respect. Another thing that upsets me is the fact that women make 79 cents off every dollar men make. Black woman get 63 cents, and latino women make 54 cents off the dollar. Politicians promise to resolve this issue and to have equal pay for equal work. It has yet to happen. Who really knows how long this will take? I hope, for everyone's sake, that this problem gets resolved in the near future. Women are not the central theme of Gender-equality either. Men are also involved in it. Many people believe Gender equality concerns mainly women. It does not. It requires the ideas and movements of men and women together. Men face this booming dilemma. Men have issues in domestic duties and care-giving. Usually men are the ones at work making more money that their female counterpart, who is probably a stay at home mother. Whats wrong with The roles being reversed? Apparently, in todays society, it is looked upon as different, and sometimes embarrassing. I see absolutely no problem with it. It does not matter who makes more money in the household. All of these issues, and more, are a big problem in our country, and around the globe. Do I think we will ever reach absolute gender equality? No. I do think, though, that we can get pretty close to it.
ReplyDeleteA social problem that I think needs to be changed is the homework load most students get around America. I think some homework is a good thing but too much can make students very stressed and tired. Students who are more stressed and tired tend to do much worse than students who are not. The amount of homework students get now a days take a couple hours and with extra curricular activities and other things students seem to be going to bed much later.With school starting at 7:00 you need a good night sleep but with the amount of homework they receive it is hard to do so. I do think it is important to receive homework because it gives you extra practice and it also keeps you remembering the subject but I do think there should be a reasonable amount. To me about 30 minutes of homework is enough. I do not think students should get more than 2 hours of homework. It is unfair and it may also discourage students to participate in extracurricular activities like sports and clubs. Students need to be in after school activities because it gives students the physical activity they need and these activities are also a great way to make friends. Giving to much homework may lead a kid to steer away from participating in these activities which isn’t good for their health. Personally I do not get too much homework but there are those nights where I do and it does stress me out. After school I usually stay after and do extra curricular activities and when I get home Itis already late and I see myself going to bed at a late hour. Then the next day I am usually tired which affects my ability to learn. Most students feel the same way and I think a decrease in homework would make the lives of students a lot more easier.
ReplyDeleteA social issue that I have strong opinions about is the controversy over the Casino Bill in Massachusetts. I believe that casinos should absolutely be allowed in our states for several reasons. One reason that this would be a positive thing in Massachusetts is because it would bring hundreds, if not thousands of jobs to our state. With a casino, multiple restaurants, guest services, hotels, gift shops and parking, so many jobs would become available. Another reason this would benefit Massachusetts and be a good idea is because the people who own the casinos would invest money into fixing up the area of the casinos and improving them. In places like Springfield, which was devastated by a tornado several years ago, the target for casino locations would take place and cause improvements in fixing roads, infrastructures and more. Another reason that this would be a positive thing is because we wouldn’t be losing income to states like Connecticut and Rhode Island. These states are benefitting because people from Massachusetts travel there to spend their money at Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun and Twin Rivers. Not only does this money come from gambling, it also will be spent in restaurants, bars, theaters, concerts, parking, lodging and other things that come with the casino experience. This idea will not encourage or prevent gambling. No matter what, people are always going to gamble. The only thing this will do is give them easier access to gambling. The only thing that this would do to Massachusetts is benefit it, there’s no way it could cause any harm. If anything it would help because of all of the opportunities it would bring to residents of our state. All and all, I believe that casinos should be allowed in Massachusetts for many reasons.
ReplyDeleteA social issue that I feel strongly about is domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is never okay no matter the situation. Domestic abuse often occurs due to other problems such as money struggles and alcohol abuse. These stressors can be the cause of domestic abuse, but that doesn’t mean they’re what’s continuing it. Domestic abuse may continue for years after it starts and most likely won’t stop unless someone gets help. Some people may not want to get help though, over fear of what their abuser might do if they found out someone called the police or a help line. This has to stop, no one should have to live in fear of their partner, spouse, or anyone else in a home environment. Many abuser are likely to abuse again even if they have stopped for a while. The sad thing is, we can’t truly ever stop domestic abuse because many people try to hide the fact that they are being abused and often do a very good job at it. Domestic abuse has to stop.
ReplyDelete-Benjamin Hunter