How our educational system is broken and a solution

In the video that we most recently saw that was based on the educational system within the United States we learned many things that we ourselves could not believe were going on in our educational system despite of it being a main focus in our country. All this time I thought that no public school was different based on teachings but as I continued to watch the video I noticed and it was even said so in the video that schools in areas that are full of poverty tend to be pretty bad. The reason I say bad is because the students that attend those schools do not necessarily score good on tests but the people to blame for that is indeed the teachers because of their surroundings and pay could possibly be an issue. In the wealthier and middle class areas we were able to see that school is better and that the teachers that teach there are better than in impoverished areas. But combining those two together they make our educational system look bad as a whole and that is why they say that it is broken because of the fact that it is quite unfair. People are taught differently depending on their surroundings. In general though we are not that advanced and doing good as we should in our educational system because we are ranked pretty low in numerous categories and many developing countries are on top of us which is not where we should be since we are a leading nation. If you look at the fact that it isn't training people to be intelligent and skilled who can do more than just follow orders that happens outside of the public school system by and large. If you look at the problems with school violence, low academic standards, lack of response to demands of the local public, etc. then the American public school system is very broken. There can be solutions to all of these things and one that I think that should really be taken into consideration is paying teachers more because if they are paid more than they could possibly teach better since they know they are being rewarded for it.

AF: Wow, these guys are legit

Not changing the way i think YO

 The movie "Food Inc." attempts to make us understand where the food we purchase at the grocery store really comes from. In no way or form am i saying that the way they treat animals in this movie is acceptable but To be honest i can give a crap where my food comes from as long as its safe to eat. Yes, i understand these animals are being mistreated and what not but it is food we are talking about. We need to eat and receive our proteins to live a healthy fulfilling life. After my sister watched this movie she stopped eating beef. At first i thought she wouldn't hang but she dealt with it for almost 2 years. Now besides the fact that she is a huge drama queen she sincerely felt touched by the way the animals were being treated. And that's where i come in and we are completely different. Just because YOU stopped eating meat doesn't mean the food industry will stop so why exactly are you holding yourself back form eating something you like but don't like where its coming from? It must be be a personal thing because if you're trying to improve the way these huge companies run then i wish you nothing but luck. Change in the food industries do need to be done but i don't think it will happen anytime soon. 

AF: On NPR today>>the rise of fake meat

Everybody recognizes that our meat consumption is just not sustainable.  So is fake meat the answer?  Will the food scientists come to the rescue?  If we can make meat in the lab, then gee, that frees up lots of land water, feed, and cleans up the environmental problems inherent in feed lot life.

Corn is our biggest enemy

We all know that as of now we are injecting our food to make it grow faster. Has anyone ever asked themselves why we inject our food supply and use all these toxins on our crops. Well the answer to why we Genetically Modified Organisms in our food is to be able to keep up with the demand of the consumer which is us. Genetically modified organisms is something we consume in almost everything that we eat and if anyone has ever done research on genetically modified organisms would know that they are not necessarily healthy towards our health. We, along with many other nations have turned into over producers of corn which is grown vastly all over the united states. When we watched food inc. we were able to see for ourselves that we do indeed overproduce corn and we have so many leftover that we need to find a use for it so we turn it into high fructose corn syrup and if not we feed it to our beef cattle. Corn is not a good thing to feed to the cattle because it just increases the growth of e. coli and they cant even digest it properly like us. High fructose corn syrup is not healthy for us either. High fructose corn syrup has been linked to the growing rate of obesity that ever since has been doubling for adults and worst of all has been tripling for children which in turn have increase the rate of diseases such as diabetes type 2. Just as it has increased the rate of diabetes it has been proven that our bodies don’t really know how to break down the high fructose corn syrup so that just turns into fat and is a great factor to the major health issues that have and are evolving. there is no such thing as industrial farming anymore because all of our food is no longer grown naturally without chemicals, toxins or pesticide. Processed foods have taken over the foods that we used to once consume.

Sprang breakk

Tomorrow at 12:16 pm, I will be care free and virtually stress free. Although most people feel as if this is the most laxed year of our entire education, I have to say that this is one of the, if not the most, strenuous year for me. I have had to deal with the struggle and stress of applying to colleges and waiting for their responses, I have two ap classes, so there is the challenge of upcoming exams as well. I have taken on more responsibilities as well such as having to care for my sister a majority of the time I am at home. Another significant strenuous detail of my senior year are the expenses of he school activities and what not. I, as well as a majority of the senior class have to pay for grad nite, prom, homecoming, formal, sports activities and banquets, and all of these finances can hinder ones ability to think free and clear about the future. I hope as the rest of the semester continues, I can worry less about what is behind me and look forward to what is to come.

Keeping the place clean.

When it comes to food, keeping food places clean is REALLY important. When it comes to the factories to the kitchen of a restaurant or fast food place the place should be clean and spotless. Always make sure you check what letter they are which should always be an A. No one wants to eat somewhere were its lower than an A because that just shows that the employees don't take care of the place and don't clean up after themselves, just imagine how they care of the food they just served you? The workers should be making sure the food isn't expired, putting it where it belongs also if it wasn't left out all night long. From experience I found mold in my egg sandwich when I went out to eat, which is so disgusting. This just shows that no one took or will take care of other foods. My point is that I really think the kitchens and foods should be taken care of SERIOUSLY. Cleaning pans, cutting boards, knifes etc, after every use. Kitchens should be cleaned and sanitized every single day, food poisoning occurs every single day due to the quality of the food and also not having the place clean. Bacteria adds up over time and can get people really ill which affects about 3 million people each year.

Eat to Live, Not Live to Eat

A serious issue within the US that we're all aware of is the alarming obesity ratio within the population.  Studies have shown that as many as 1/3 of the citizens in the US are considered obese compared to the rest.  This is primarily due to our very poor diets and calorie rich foods that we constantly consume.  The US is considered to be one of the top countries in fat, sugar, and oils consumption due to the fact that we have so many unhealthy foods and snacks on the market.  And sometimes, we can't help but buy the fattier foods because we live in a country where fruits and water are more expensive than chocolates and soda.  For the poorer families in the United States, they want to keep both their finances in somewhat stable condition while keeping their families fed at the same time, thus leaving them little choice in the decision of what to buy at the grocery store.  Another interesting topic that America places near top for is the annual meat consumption per person.  The US has an outstanding meat consumption rate, for the average citizen could consume around 71 lbs of red meat and about 54 lbs of poultry per year.  With little to no vegetables to compensate for the alarming amounts of meat consumed per person, we are left with a carnivore society that would rather have a fatty marbled steak than a fresh crunchy salad.  I'm not saying that every person in the US should go vegan or go on a no trans-fat diet at , but we should at least try to think about what we are putting in our stomachs.  Adjusting the ratio of meat/vegetable consumption could work as a start, but we should also take into consideration that we should start to eat what we need, not eat what we want.  Overeating is still a thing, and just because you may eat mostly vegetables in your diet, it can still lead to a very bloated body.  Next time you go to the supermarket, try to aim for the more proportionate and healthy foods on the shelves.  You may hate it now, but the future you who doesn't have to ride everywhere on a scooter will thank you later.

Meat Is Not The Problem We Are

        Meat is not the problem we are, we are the ones who are currently demanding such vast amounts of cows, pigs, and chickens to be slain for our consumption. Meat is in itself a wonderful gift from God, the animals we kill to obtain it vary greatly. However it is very good for us, we need certain nutrients and proteins from them and I for one like to live. The animals are not to be blamed obviously but we are, or at least more directly the corporations that mass slaughter and "grow" these animals are. We can change the way that animals are seen and treated by not purchasing from the large companies. I know it may be extremely difficult to not buy those delicious chicken nuggets or even those beef tacos in the frozen food section but those are the unhealthy meats because they are chalk full of chemicals and are mostly corn fed and genetically modified. We can instead purchase better tasting and better for us meat from farmers markets and whole markets! Sprouts is one such local establishment and they sell just about every sort of meat you could want and the good thing is that it is all healthy and GMO free. Thats right GMO free. Try and make a difference and buy from your local farmer market today and get the best meat you could ever hope for!

the dangers of meats

Reasons to stop consuming so much meat:

Stop Cruelty to Animals
On today's factory farms, animals are crammed by the thousands into filthy windowless sheds, wire cages, gestation crates and other confinement systems. These animals will never raise families, root in the soil, build nests or do anything that is natural and important to them.

Prolong Your Life
Vegetarians live six to 10 years longer on average than meat-eaters do. Healthy vegetarian diets support a lifetime of good health and provide protection against numerous diseases and the three biggest killers – heart disease, cancer and strokes.

 Avoid the World's Number One Killer
The risk of developing heart disease among meat-eaters is 50 per cent higher than it is among vegetarians. Drs Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn have used a vegan diet to prevent and reverse heart disease. Dr Esselstyn's book documents their 100 per cent success with unclogging people's arteries and reversing heart disease.

Reduce Your Risk of Cancer
According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, "Vegetarians are about 40 percent less likely to get cancer than non-vegetarians, regardless of other risks such as smoking, body size, and socioeconomic status".

     Meat can be very dangerous especially because of our ignorance about how it's processed. Meat comes along with many diseases. Studies show links between diet and cancer, one of the most noticeable findings was that people who avoided meat were much less likely to develop a disease. Heavy meat consumption increases your risk of dying from all causes, including heart disease and cancer, according to a federal study conducted by the National Cancer Institute and featured in Archives of Internal Medicine. Farmers increase animal's growth with steroid hormones, which are used in beef cattle and sheep. They include estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Since every type of meat is from the female animal, the meat contains synthetic female hormones that are given to the animals in order to make them develop faster and bigger. By consuming synthetic hormones from an animal, the human's hormonal balance becomes disrupted. This leads to several health conditions.

Changing my mind

After all of this discussion about food, whether it is the abuse of the animals or simply how unhealthy it all is, it is changing my mind. Today I went to Wendy's and got a hamburger and even though I was starving, before I took that final bite I paused for a moment and thought where it was my meat came from, how many miles it must have traveled, how long the cow lived, how the cow died, and what was the cow feeling before and as it died. I actually looked at my burger with sorrow due to the fact that these are all questions that are unanswered. I can feel myself responding differently to foods that I know in which the animal suffered. I got disgusted looking at scrambled eggs the other day and now I know that it isn't just me who is changing. My dear friend and colleugue, Adara, has told me that she felt something similar to that. Then again I know she loves her burgers when she is hungry. I am leaning towards eating more healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables but if I do eat meat, I make sure it is organically grown.

Will this plan Benefit or worsen?

After reading Mark Brittman's article "Bad Food? Tax it, and Subsidize Vegetables" I found it quite brilliant yet risky. His idea is to tax all the unhealthy foods so that better health is increased and decreases the diseases that junk food causes. Taxing them would also generate billions of dollars annually. I found this to be very beneficial because it will benefit both the people's health and the economy. The only issue would be that it may cause conflicts between the food industry as well as the low income families. Today diseases have been increasing dramatically such as diabetes, heart attacks etc. and yet we have done nothing about it. You would think we would need to make a big change as a result but we have not. That is why Brittman has come up with this idea to discourage bad eating habits. We are suppose to be helping but it seems as if no change has been been and it feels careless to the people. If anything they are only caring about the profits being made instead of our health. But according to Brittman, this change will make a high increase in profit. If we decide to tax unhealthy junk food, would it really benefit us? or will it make a terrible commotion as in protests etc? Will it hurt the low income dramatically? or will this be the next huge beneficial change? I would say we should go for it and see what changes it can make. The more decreases we find in diseases, the better.

All this food talk is making me hungry

Just like the title says, all this food talk is making me hungry; however, after watching food Inc. a while back kind of makes me loose the appetite a bit. For quite some time I’ve been aware that our so called “farms” aren’t what we once imagined it to be but instead something more of a nightmare. Even after knowing the truth I’m still discussed and surprised each time I watch these types of documentaries. It’s quite frustrating because I want to help make a difference in the food company but at the same time that steak on my plate calls my name and I’m pretty sure you know who I will end up choosing. Like most people I know, giving up meat is just too hard of task for me, even if it’s just for a short period of time just to send a message to the meat industry. To go even further, for anyone else who is Catholic we are aware that we aren’t supposed to eat meat on Fridays because of lent but even then it’s quite tempting. If even religion can’t stop me then what can? What can possibly work for me to help make a point and still eat meat? I know that the farmers market and some places can sell you meat is an option but it still seems like quite a hassle to make into a weekly routine. Then again, stepping up to change isn’t an easy task now is it? 

Organic food better for us?

I feel as though food has gotten out of hand over the course of years with things like genetically modified food, federally regulated food, and the sustainability of that food. Nowadays most food is genetically modified so the food will grow faster and be bigger. The food that is out in the supermarkets goes through all of these processes of management. These big businesses have control over the food that is shipped out and put in the store that now its much cheaper to buy to buy the food that are made with all of these artificially ingredients than it is to buy out of the farmers market.  I wonder if organic food can feed the world and would our society be better off if organic food was cheaper and easier to come by than genetically modified food? We seen this happen recently in our school. During club’s day the school clubs were only able to sell healthy food that meet with certain requirements and as a result not much people bought food during club’s day.

Dollar menu or disaster?

Why is it that burgers and 30 fl. oz. sweet tea drinks are $1 but salads and waters cost at least $3? The way these fast food industries work is mind-boggling. Healthier foods should cost less than greasy bacon burgers, large cups of Coca-Cola and sweet teas. It's sad because at least one-quarter of American adults eat fast food everyday. Majority of times it's because they are too tired too cook or they can't afford to go to the store and buy all the food products in order to make a homemade meal. Huffington post says "About 45 percent of people in the U.S. have reported not being able to cover their basic living expenses, including food, shelter and transportation." In a way it's almost convenient to have a dollar menu for those who can scrape up enough change to buy a simple meal, but in the long run it ends up resulting in a thousand dollar hospital bill.
No one is considering that even though this "meat" may be cheaper there has to be a reason why. Just like when you go to a store there is a reason why certain things are on sale. Because these burgers, tacos, burritos, and chicken sandwiches are $1 that should raise suspicion as to how its made, what's in it, or more so how that animal is killed. Even though I understand that when these industries have Dollar menus it attracts customers, and eventually that money will add up. But what about the quality of the meat? We could or might be eating either some type of suspicious meat mixed of horse a** and cow neck or meat filled with excessive amounts of chemicals dangerous to the humankind, that could possibly cause cancer, birth defects, and other dangerous body issues. Not every one is educated about what they eat or how its created, but rather how it taste, which in my opinion, somewhat proves us to be a narrow minded nation. In order for this to stop we have to change it. There are plenty of ways. We cans simply stop eating at these fast food industries or maybe even start a food donation center for those who can't afford food. The possibilities are endless.

A Light Rant

this units essay does need lots of thinking into food. I do not think I have ever thought about food this much up until now. i mean i have thought about where has food come from but not to the point of actually researching the web daily to find more information and ideas. Good thing this week is almost over I'm quite positives most of my peers are leaving Friday which makes the due date for the final draft tomorrow April 2nd. I wanted to add about having this much work in our class, today Mrs.Fletcher shared with me the faces people make because of the work this class requires. I will not lie i did do that to, only because i really was not use to having that much work piled on me in a long time. Plus, who doesn't have senioritis? All i want to point out is the fact that college is coming up and work will become much harder for us. My fellow peers, we are surpassing the teenage life into young Adulthood which means we should not complain when Bosses or teachers give you a work load to do. Think of it as a gesture of life giving you what you can accomplish everyday. Spring break is right around the corner and we'll all have time the relax for a little while, unless you have Mr.Geddy's Video project!'

Veggie Libel Laws

This was a topic that I was going to choose for my essay until I realized that there was not much information on it, but it's perfect for a blog. Veggie Libel laws were created in order to hold meat consumers accountable for criticizing the meat companies. I think that this is the most unfair law made, and I also feel as though it does go against the first amendment. This is because we are punished for our freedom of speech. Meat companies claim that the reason we should be punished is because we are affecting their profits. Actually, if people are criticizing a meat company it is to get others to realize the different outbreaks and harmful diseases that these meat companies causes. I feel like everyone should have the right to know what they are eating, how it is being made, and what types of bacteria may or may not be infesting their meat. Activists has been trying for years and years to change this law and to get it declared unconstitutional. The problem with this is that it costs SO much money to go against these different companies, and more than often, this is what prevents so many people to fight back. Oprah was once sued for her criticism, but she had millions of dollars which is what gained her win in court.  The government should actually take a step back and look at how much these companies has affected our country physically. Simple changes can be made in order to make sure that our country is healthy and not being killed by the bacteria growing and crawling in our meat.

Foodies Kill Their Food

Recently I watched a Buzzfeed video on Youtube, titled Foodies Kill There Food, and basically it showed 3 people who volunteered go out on a farm and kill and prepare their own chicken. They wanted to see how different the farmer's lives are, when it comes to selling and preparing poultry not only for the public but also for themselves. And for the most part the reaction of each person wasn't too surprising. They had to grab the chicken, slit there throats, remove the feathers, take out the insides, and cook it. Pretty much what every farmer does on a daily or weekly basis, so to them it's nothing new, but it was so interesting to see how the people react to preparing a meal completely from scratch. Each volunteer seemed so sensitive. When it was time to slit chicken's throats two of them actually cried, and that made me wonder how I would have reacted to that, or if I even would have been able to do that. I feel like until you do something drastic like that, only then you would appreciate what you eat.

After watching the video, I was fully sure that my decision to be a vegan was a good choice. Meats and dairy products are so bad for you. If you eliminate all animal products from your diet, you can cut out all dietary cholesterol levels which is fat made by the liver out of fatty foods that we eat. Ever since I made this decision to have a vegan lifestyle, I've honestly felt so much more energized. I used to sleep about 8 hours a night and still feel super tired the next day but now, I only sleep around 6 hours a night since I have zero period but I feel so much more energized the next day. A vegan lifestyle also saves the environment a lot of energy. For example, A study at Cornell revealed that chicken meat production consumes energy in a 4:1 ratio and beef cattle production requires an energy input to protein output ratio of 54:1. Cattle consumes 16 times more grain than they produce as meat, so we have 16 times as much energy to just grow those crops that we waste on livestock. We also save a lot of water by not eating animal products. A pound of potatoes takes 99.6% less water to produce than a pound of beef and 97% less than a pound of chicken. If showering was given up, it would save less water than what’s required to make a single pound of beef because a year’s worth of showers is 5200 gallons of water and it takes 5214 gallons to produce the one pound of beef. Now I'm not here to force people to change their views or anything because I don't want to be annoying like other vegans do but it's just something to think about.

GMO's are Goooooooooooooood

Recently, I have been quite immersed in the topic of GMO's thanks to our beloved research paper. In my paper, I took a very unbiased standpoint due to the fact that I really didn't know very much on the issue itself; but as I read more and more, I began taking the side of supporting the use of GMO's. This is because I began generalizing the entire debate into the most simplistic ways possible. To me, I saw it as the side that supports  GMO's is composed majoritarily of scientists, government officials, business entrepreneurs, and others who believe in the advancement of technology, while those who are against it are mostly farmer, health experts, or people who had been negatively affected by this new method of mass food production. To generalize even further, the supporters of GM foods are more liberal, and those against are conservative. Maybe it's just the fact that I was raised in a very liberal California, or even just the fact being that I'm a science nerd, but either way I feel GMO's are worth the sacrifices they require us to make. Yes it sucks for farmers, but I really don't feel farming is a profession people should be pursuing nowadays. Further, I feel that with enough research, GM foods could be modified further to solve the problems they are causing us now. Also, even though GMO's are costing society a chunk of money, I see it as an investment into something that could greatly benefit us in the future and apply to a much wider range of uses. All in all, I am a supporter of GMO's.

What Keeps Us Alive Could Also Kill Us

Food is an essential part of our lives. It's a necessity, but recently has become more of a want. Some of the different foods that are offered for sale are a bit extra; we don't necessarily need a double cheeseburger with extra fixings to survive. What we really need are the essential food groups: fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein, etc. But lately we've been abusing that power.

When we were watching Food Inc., I'm sure that most of us were a bit sad when finding out that Kevin died from E. Coli after eating a burger from Jack in the Box. The thing about fast food is that it's not necessary to keep us alive; fast food is easy, cheap, and accessible, which is why most people are drawn to it. One particular scene that appalled me was when the different meat were placed together in one machine, and it was weird to think that our burgers could be made out of multiple kinds of cows instead of one. Precautions need to be done in order to ensure the safety of our food supply, which is where the topic of my research paper comes in.

What keeps us alive--food--could also kill us. Some illnesses could be caused by food: E. coli, salmonella, listeria, etc. What I researched is that foodborne illnesses and deaths are nearly 100% preventable. But why don't we take the extra step to ensure that? Because it would cost money instead of make money. A few more regulations and inspectors couldn't hurt, but it slows down the process. In Food Inc., we saw the type of factory line that processed the food. With all that manpower, processing takes a shorter time for a cheaper wage. It's all about the money. Just as long as profit is being made, the government has nothing to worry about.

Lies.

After watching Food Inc., my whole mindset on what I wanted to feed myself and my family completely changed. I realize that the foods I normally eat are no where near healthy for my present and future body. The movie made me want to change the way I eat completely after seeing first hand how the animals and vegetables I eat are treated. Chickens and cows are injected with hormones to help them grow much larger than they're supposed to at a much faster rate. How is it possible that these hormones are no where near safe for the chicken or cow, but are safe for us to eat? I'm not saying that I'm going to become a complete vegan because I think that's going a little too far from just watching this movie, but i do think that as a society, we need to look at what we're going to eat and see exactly where it's coming from before just blindly eating it.

The other day I was talking to my mom about becoming a pescetarian and my brother chimed in and teased me for wanting to do something that would in turn greatly improve my health because it's different and weird. Why has society become so judgmental when it comes to food?  Why has organic food become something that only posh and hippy people buy? Why is it looked down upon to have healthy foods that are a bit more expensive but without all the preservatives that are in many of the foods sold in a normal grocery store? I feel that society needs to take a step back and think of what they should be turning their head towards and what they should be buying more often.

E-coli Story

I want to share a story with you guys. A couple of years ago my sister got very sick and we had no idea why, later we come to find out that she had e-coli. The doctors decided that she got it from an animal, the strange part was that she didn't eat any meat that day. But what she did do was go into the petting zoo and played with some of the animals. Luckily her immune system was strong enough to keep her alive, but for a month or so she was stuck in the hospital with this terrible disease. All of her inside organs started to become weak and she lost several pounds due to the lack of food she was consuming. For awhile after that we had to help her out with simple tasks until she was then again able to do them on her own. I am sharing this with you because it is heavily related to the subject we have been discussing in class and it is a scary thing that I have witnessed and I don't want anyone else to have to go through what she went through. So be careful of what you touch and what you eat and be aware of the meats that you are putting into your bodies. Save your health.

Random rant about highschool

All of this work in Ms Fletcher's class is stressful. It is getting closer and closer to graduation and everyone is ready to move on with their lives. I am trying hard to get my work done and focus and just finish strong, but it is so hard. Sometimes I feel like why am I still in highschool and I've already got accepted into colleges already. These school days are haunting me. I think instead of complaining I just need to get the work done fast and not procrastinate. On the other hand, I am getting to school on time now!! I can't wait to graduate. I still need to fix some things on my essay and finish vocabulary, and annotate my articles. All of this work is due this week, but I can do it. Finishing strong is what I plan to do.

food inc.

In class we watched Food inc. It really made me realize the foods we eat and how they effect our lives. Typically when you eat well you feel well. What's sad is what the animals we kill in order to get the food we need. I mean obviously this has been going on for forever going way back. People used to kill buffalo to make clothes out of it and get food and other things they need. Does the life the animal lived before we killed it effect us? Now-a-days the workers inject the chickens and make them bigger theirselves. I think we should care what is in our food and the producers should tell us also. Referring back to Food inc. a little boy named Kevin died from ecoli and that's really a bummer. After that someone lost their child and they start blaming everyone. The restaurant should have been more aware and the meat distributor also. Everyone is really at fault here. Kevin could have ate something else that day. My grandparents way of eating is way different than mine and its sad. My grandparents don't eat all that fast food all the time like I do. They tend to eat more home cooked meals. I think if everyone just ate a little bit healthier and became aware of what they were eating things would get a little better.

Is it our fault...

The biggest question that is always flopped around is, if the FDA is doing or even involved enough on our food? Or if they are being to controlling with what we eat?

In my opinion , I believe the FDA should actually be more involved for the beginning till the end. They should have stricter rules for pesticides and chemicals. They should be more involved when they check the animal for any disease before allowing industries to purchase meats.

We think the FDA is controlling on what foods we are controlling because of obesity . In reality we are free to consume whatever we want. Its not like they come up to us and hand us a salad. Yes, we have restrictions at school on what we could sell on campus because of Michelle Obama. Thanks Michelle Obama. But, how many of us actually follow the rules. I doubt any of actually meet the calories that is recommended to meet. Some of us actually go over the recommended amount. The FDA is just there to give us a guide on “what” we should eat . They are there to inform us on food items that are good for our health. But, its our choice in the end of how we take their advise. We talk about obesity like its the FDA fault in reality its the peoples fault. We buy the food. We consume it. The FDA doesn’t have any bad intentions for us.

"Middle Man"

After watching the video , I felt horrible consuming any meats after seeing how the cows and chicken were being treated. I know like everyone else, we said we were going to stop eating all animal make but, then a few minutes later we all went back to our ways eating whatever we want and not thinking about where our meal came from. We all forget about how our meal got to us. We don’t think about the process of it until we see a movie reminding us about what we are actually consuming. It opens our eyes and we start to wonder about the whole process. 

Steps…

1. Nurturing the animal: They feed the cows the cheapest food in order to save money . We’ve been taught since we were little that cows eat grass. Yet, they are feed corn because it is affordable and makes them fat.
2. Pesticides and Chemicals: In factors they check for any chemicals or pesticides that will be harmful for us to consume.
3. The killing: Framers sell their cow and chicken and they are shipped of to factors to be killed and are put through torture.
4. Pack/Travel: Our food is packed and shipped off to travel throughout the world in order to get to its destination “markets” the traveling can take days and hours until it arrives. The food takes a whole journey before being but up for sell.
5. Purchase: We go to the store and buy our meal. But we don't think of how long the food has been their. From the beginning till our home. It took many days to get to were its at and has been exposed.  We don't realize it but our food is just being taken for a joy ride . We only see it as our meal. Delicious looking food.

If we started going to farmers market we would be able to cut the middle man of the whole process. We would actually learn more about our food and what we are actually consuming. The food that is being sold at the farmers market is picked daily . 

Just check the factories

     In FOOD INC. it talked about how there are many more consequences to advancing technology and being able to modify our foods. By using more pesticides, foods that the animals shouldn't be eating causing cows to be at risk catching e coli and standing in their own filth. I thought it was very sad when the lady was telling the story about her son and how he died because he ate a burger with e coli and died in days and it was sad because he was only like 2 or 3 and I thought of my nephews and niece, having them get sick and die because of something they ate. We trust that what we eat is checked and not worry about getting sick. I just think it is unfair because so many people lost their lives just by eating food and how they can be any age because the food isn't checked properly.The agencies that are meant to check on the farms and factories are being controlled by the people who own those factories. Instead of all the technology making foods safer and better to eat they are making it worse. The bigger the factories the more pathogens are just everywhere and is spread very fast. Now we have less slaughter houses but that are producing more than they ever have many years ago when they first started and when they had many more houses. All of the meat we eat is a mixture of different cows and it's pretty risky because they don't know if or what cow was sick. It's crazy that we aren't doing more to find out where our food is made and the working conditions of not only workers but also the animals.

Growing Corn

     One of the things that I was surprised by was how much corn is produced. We produce so much that they have to think of other ways they can use the corn and sell it to make a profit. They are encouraged to produce as much corn as possible yet they don't know what to do with it. While watching FOOD INC. I was really shocked to see that corn was in diapers, syrup, ketchup, and even batteries!  By breaking down the corn they came up with many uses for what the corn was composed of. They also began using it as food for the animals they farm like in the fish farms where the fish are being taught how to eat the corn. It is also being fed to cows and I remember there was a farmer who was mad because he doesn't think the cows should be eating that, they are cows and they were meant to eat grass and release the waste back to the earth to help the grass continue to grow and help the environment. The other guy said that the farmers started feeding the cows corn because it was cheap and made the cow fatter quicker.The corn was so cheap that it was even able to lower the cost of the meat because farmers started feeding their animals corn as feed and it was less expensive as apposed to what cows are normally supposed to be eating. I just don't understand how they would tell the farmers to grow as much as they can and they would find a use for it, because what if corn was useless and they didn't find much to do with it. The would have produced a lot of corn just for it to go to waste and if the corn is so cheap and why are so many people in the world starving and we are choosing to feed animals corn instead of helping distribute it around the world.

FOOD: Double Taxation

Food, there is no doubt that we all love it. Come on. Would we be alive if it weren’t for food? However, after this whole segment on food politics, I am beginning to second guess this divine enjoyment. Food as we think we know it is not what we think at all. The hidden actions about food that are taken behind our backs is absolutely appalling and disturbing to say the least. I was reading an article somewhere that sated that food allergies in children has increased tremendously over the last few decades. Our health is declining at a tremendous speed as well. There is a saying that what goes inside is reflected on the outside and I believe that in the case of what we are eating, bad health is the result. Although we choose the food we buy, it seems as if though the food that is most beneficial to our health also happens to be the most expensive. Low income families are not able to buy the healthy food and resort to junk food and fast food that deteriorate their health. I would think for a country that looks out for the good of its citizens, the USA would be the first to do something about this unfairness. It looks to me like our government is using the people to make money and they can care less about our health.

For the most part it seems as if the government does not care about our health, but they do things like the clubs day restrictions, it make me wonder that they might actually care. We had our first clubs day of the year last week and everybody was in an uproar because of the strict guidelines. I was amongst the loudest protester. However, to some extent, I was contradicting myself. I supported a healthy lifestyle, yet I was complaining when the government finally decided to do something about it. Now I realize that yes, I am in full support of Michele Obama and her call for a healthier America. People are getting too sick over preventable causes. I do solely believe that it is not something we just leave up to the government. It is a collective agreement. If we demand healthier food and stop buying as much junk food, the food “trolls” will have no choice but to provide healthier food for us. Take control of your food and health and do not let anyone decide for you how you should eat. It’s funny but not really how after providing us with junk that make us sick, the government turns around and collects more money from us after all of the multiple hospital visits. Hmm, maybe, just maybe, there is a connection.

Why do the guidelines for what we're supposed to eat change so often?

As a human, you are inevitably a part of some sort of society, which comes along with a form of government that controls many things but among those things that are controlled the most essential to us is food. Our food isn't necessarily spoon fed to us in the portions they decide to give us at certain times; however, there are guidelines for what they believe we should eat. But are these guidelines really accurate ? Apparently not , well in the case of the U.S. that is. Our guidelines here in America change every five years , Just this year in fact we have received new guidelines. But why are these guidelines changing so often ? Its understood that things evolve with science but honestly how many things did you guys find inaccurate before ? Also they expect you to follow these guidelines to be healthy but they aren't even sure of them . I mean EVERY FIVE YEARS ?! if I were to live until i'm 100 i'd have changed my diet based on the guidelines 20 times ! Is that honestly a way to keep our bodies healthy, with constant changes in nutrition ? I mean other countries have kept their guidelines predominantly the same since it was created .. why are they able to understand and feed themselves properly and America cannot ? Aren't we the Superpower country ? Come on America we need to do better!

Why do we let someone else control what goes into our bodies?

In Wendell Berry's article The Pleasures of Eating he argues a point that really sticks out to me. He talks about how in food politics we let others control the foods we eat. But why do we do that? Why in this free country do we let someone else control what goes into our bodies? Mostly because we don't have time to cook our own food or are just flat out too lazy. Berry also discusses how food is an "agricultural act" and how people see it as farming, so they feel as if they aren't or can't be participants. All society is concerned about is that they have something showing up on their plates, not worrying about where it is actually coming from. Berry explains that "food wears as much makeup as the actors." 

I feel this to be a major problem because our health is at risk because of all the preservatives that are put into the food that we are consuming. The way to fix this problem, according to Berry, is to prepare our own food, start our own garden, and learn about food and what is healthy and what us not. Berry says, "learn as much as you can, by direct observation and experience if possible, of the life histories of the food species." 

My topic is cutting down meat consumption and how it would affect our health. And during my research a favorite piece I found was a Ted Talk by Graham Hill. He talks about vegetarianism and how eating meat only a couple days a week or less will make a huge impact on our economy. Ten billion animals are raised each year for meat consumption, this creates more emissions than all transportation combined. Eating one hamburger a day increases risk of dying by a third and beef uses one hundred times more water than vegetables. He calls this method of only eating meat a couple times a week as being a "weekday vegetarian" and swapping some of the dark meat for light meat such as chicken. 

Basically what I am trying to say is that America should be taught what is put into their food, and should then be aware of what they are eating. I am suggesting that we should change our eating habits and eat things that are only one ingredient and cut down on our meat consumption in order to save some animals, land, water, and especially to save our health. 

Are We Eating Right?

Food today is all fating and made out of fake ingredients, nothing is really made of real produce from real farms anymore. Organic might be an option that we have today, but there really isn't much of a selection over the fating junk food that is on every intersection corner these days. Hunger is one of humans biggest problems, a single person can eat up to three to four pounds of food daily. Since people eat a lot of food in a day, farms/"factories" have to keep up with the daily demands of food. Production at these "factories" have been increased exponentially to the point where we can grow a chick to a chicken in about six weeks, this is four faster than the normal growth rate of a chicken. Today society has become so depended on fast food, that it's has become a problem, most people today will choose McDonald's over a healthy meal at home because it is faster and is on their way to work. People need to think more about their eating life style over getting to work on time, we only have one life, one body in this world, and are you going to destroy it by eating McDonald's all the time. The next time you think about choosing fast food over a healthy meal reconsider and choose a healthy meal it will let you live longer and have more energy for the day, so go out and buy some fresh produce at your local farms market. It's good to eat healthy.

AF: Food Politics Resources

You have articles by food giants (Pollan, Bittman, Waters, Berry)!  Read them.  Understand them.  Look for other things they wrote.

Look at the research database, Proquest.   When you access from home, your username/password is bellflower/bellflower.  If that doesn't work, try capitalizing Bellflower.   You are looking for SIRS Knowledge Source --> SIRS Issue Researcher  -->  Food and Nutrition or Food Safety.

Try Google Scholar.

Look at the "Chew on This" series at TED.

Look at a national magazine like The Atlantic Monthly, and search for "food."  Try this at the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal.

AF: Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a very common assignment in college, and it is just what it sounds like it would be: your researched sources documented in MLA form, followed by a single paragraph of summary.  They are actually pretty simple and very useful.  Once, I had to do one of these with 17-20 sources.  You are doing five sources.  Even though it is only five, it will take you some time to do all of that reading and writing, so get to work.

The payoff:  if you do a good job with this, the substance of your paper will be pretty well figured out.  That's a huge chunk.

Here is a document to look at.

Here's an explanation on the Purdue OWL.

Note that the examples at the Purdue OWL have summaries that are several paragraphs long.

And here's the slide show I showed in class.

AF: Try this. This might work better

Access the LGC Self Evaluation document here.

AF: LGC Evaluation DUE MARCH 13: Download, print, complete and turn in.

AF: Verna Myers: How to overcome biases

This is what passion looks and sounds like.  

Blog Closed for Language, Gender, Culture

Thank you for all of the posts and comments, everyone.  The blog is closed until The Politics of Food gets underway.

Family Influences

In class, whether yesterday or today, someone read their essay and they spoke about how some children grow up and are automatically taught to presume gender roles based off of their sex. For instance, a man should be doing all the yard work, and house repairs, while the woman cleans and cooks. 90 percent of the time most of our religious views, opinions and etc. are influenced by our parents. Therefore this intrigued me because they had a very good point. I grew up like that where my male cousins got to do all the manly chores and I was always stuck in the kitchen helping my grandmother cook and clean. And she would always tell me that if I was no good at cooking and cleaning no one would marry me. I always thought that was funny because I never quite understood why the man and woman can’t work together instead of working separately and having set jobs. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I understood that a thing such as gender roles were real. I had this friend and when we would hang out he would always expect me to clean up after him. One day he was helping me assemble my moms new television stand and he did not understand how to do it. I began to read the directions, which he refused to do and attempted to explain how to assemble the stand. He then proceeded to tell me that he knew what he was doing and that I should go make him a sandwich. I instantly copped an attitude and it wasn't because I felt like he was being disrespectful. But more so because he wouldn't allow me to help him when he didn't even know what he was doing and I didn't really make that good of a sandwich anyway.

So in my opinion, in school and at a young age we should be teaching these students preferably males, that we are all equal human beings. Just because males have a bigger build and are stronger than some of us females does not mean that we are prohibited from doing anything. Its not fair that women are not treated as fair as men, and this needs to be stopped.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Thanks Fletcher !

     This unit has really been a big eye opener. This unit has made me realize that so many things play a part in the way we think. Since we are babies we are already being labeled with colors, blue is for boys and pink is for girls. Although im sure parents don't intentionally mean to teach sexism they do but only because that's just how they grew up and what they were taught, but we can change that. I for one want to influence my nephews and niece to always strive to be the best and treat people equally. I want to teach them not to judge someone by how they look but to define them by the actions they make, and not be stereotypical. Everything around us sends subliminal messages on what genders should act and be in society and anything out of the norm is shun and looked down upon. This unit has made me realize that we can be the one who breaks the cycle and not try to create a perfect society because no one is perfect and no one person is the same, similar maybe but not the same. Everyone is their own individual with thoughts of their own. I just wanted to thank Mrs. Fletcher for having us read those articles and have us collaborate on that group essay and each get the opportunity to share what we think. I thought it was pretty cool and something I never expected to do. I personally didn't think it was going to be fun or easy but it was and I enjoyed doing it.

judgement

I believe judgement is a huge thing because it is dealt with in our everyday lives. I mainly deal with this at school but it occurs online, at home, in public, etc. I myself am very shy and I've been this way for as long as I can remember. I'm shy not because i want too but because since elementary I had to deal with mean kids and immature teens judging me. I don't think bullying and judgement is the same but I see how they can be somewhat similar. Bullying is teasing people and giving them a hard time but judgement in my term means assumptions about a person. Judgement for example was assuming things they don't exactly know is true but choose to believe it anyway. High school was the worst where i had realized everything and everyone is based on judging others. If someone made a mistake that made them "dumb" and will automatically be spoken of by groups or the internet. If a girl is "unpopular" and has a different personality than others people would automatically assume she's "weird." If a girl is seen with a group of guys, she's a "hoe/slut" etc. If a teacher is mean to students they are seen as "lonely" the list goes on. We live in a society filled with assumptions and judgement. When will anyone let people be and mind their own selves? The only way this can be resolved is for everyone to stop making assumptions of others when they don't know what they deal with on a daily basis.

Family influencing gender roles

     Something that sort of bugs me when my grandma comes to visit. Don't get me wrong I love her and she is nice and all but there are some occasions we have different opinions, especially when it comes to gender roles. She is a bit closed minded and don't see that times have changed and things aren't what they were before.
     One thing my grandma always tells me is to always have the house neat and help my mom with all the house work even though I always do. She tells me to cook and etc,because she says that it is what I need to do because I am a girl. A man is supposed to provide for us by being finalcially stable and going to work so we can stay home. She is constantly telling me that no man likes a girl who is independent and the faster I learn to cook and learn to keep my place as a girl the better chances I have for someone to want to marry me.
     She says I was brought onto earth to have babies and listen to my husband. I constantly tell her I don't want to have any kids and I want to travel and because I don't want kids she calls me useless because that's why I was brought to this earth. It upsets me because my mom was always independent and never needed my dad's help and always found a way to get through tough situations, showing me that I don't need to depend on a man or anyone. My mom and sister work and we all help around the house and get things done.
     When one of my uncles comes over he is always making his wife get him food, drinks and etc. I don't like that because even if he is sitting next to the drinks he will yell for my aunt when shes attending to the children just to bring him a soda. My mom also gets upset and tells him god gave him hands and feet and he is grown to get his own things, he just rolls his eyes and gets it himself.
     I think that family can strongly influence you from a young age because they are teaching you how to behave and whats appropriate and what is not. They teach you the basics meanwhile indirectly teaching you how a male and female are to act,

Sexism

There are many reasons why we are treated unfairly and one of the reasons being is due to sexism. Women have to put up with a lot of criticism and deal with superstition others have amongst them. I was raised with just my mother so she played the role of both a man and women in the house. Men think all women are good for are cleaning, and doing "feminine" things such as painting nails, shopping, etc which is true but they don't realize we are also very intelligent and can do just as same what men can do. I always see the way guys treat girls as if they are much more powerful than we are. This isn't true for all boys/men but a majority of the male believe women are incapable of doing male roles or having their level of intelligence. When I mention the term "sexism" it can be meant in different ways such as being taught at school that "rape" should be more of a concern to women because its more common but its sexist to say that men are mainly the reasons of this happening. Just because you are a man and are capable of doing this doesn't mean all "men" rape or in general that they do. Sexism occurs between both man and a women for example a couple with a baby. The baby needs to get their diaper changed and automatically the man gives the baby to the women because thats a "women" role. Or it may be the other way around, that the women automatically takes the baby for a diaper change because she believes a "man" is incapable of doing women roles. Sexism occurs even when we don't think it is or realize. In my opinion, i believe sexism will truly not go away completely anytime soon because it occurs everywhere at anytime whether its o the streets, or job sexism discrimination, at home etc.

Assuming...

"Phylosophe" by Judith Butler really just proves how everyone just assumes about people they don't even know. Believing what other people say about others who always don't even know the person their judging. In the article Butler talks about how a man walking down the street the town he lived in  and people would make fun of the way he walked. They said he walked "feminine" and call him a "swish". Later on when he was walking down the street some boys approached him and fought him. This guy has nothing against these boys who fought him, he was living his life, how did he affect these men? After fighting him, they ended up throwing him over the bridge and killed this innocent man who was just minding his own business and didn't even know these boys. I'm sure these boys didn't even know this guy at all, they just assumed he was gay basically because of the way he "walked" It just shows how people can be so low. Your really killing someone because of the way they walked?
Again, instead of just assuming something about someone or believing what other people say doesn't mean you have to follow along. People never have time to get to know someone and just decide to assume stuff about them based on what they wear, how they talk or dress. Society now just follows what others say, blind from the truth basically and decide to just assume.

Not good enough.

   After reading "The Barbershop" by Ashanti Young made me realize that you'll never be good enough because of the way you act by the way you look, talk, etc. instead of people accepting who you are, they always find the little things to not make you feel included. In the article it explains how Young was at the barbershop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he says he looks different compared to all the other black men there. "That's part of why I was at the barbershop and to get that fresh bald fade, one of the trendy hallmarks of black masculinity." which explains that he wants to fit in with the other black men because he feels left out and knows he's different compared to the black men.
Young is so concerned on who he is and what he does. He feels as if his performance (racial) are being judged. His 'linguistic performance is similar to theirs (barbershop) but not his racial performance, again which he is so concerned about. When Young said he's not "ghetto enough for the ghetto" also for the "white folks" shows your never good enough for anything in this world to be honest. Now if you don't do this or scared to do something your not "cool" enough. No matter how hard you try you'll "never" fit in.

Gender roles are being outgrown

Transsexuality and things that are similar to it are actual, real things, which are helping gender roles to become obsolete in society. Yes, a person may be "biologically" one sex, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee their gender identification. While it is a little bit of a sore subject for some, I feel as though leaving it there would do it no help. It is a very important issue and very disturbing in many people’s lives as it serves as an obstacle in majority of the people’s lives. There are transsexuals, transvestites, and many other classifications to consider. Simply saying "he is a man" or "she is a woman" because of physical biology gets to a point where it is closed minded and disrespectful to a person's sense of self. Because of these different means of classifications, the "gender roles" and their importance are fading out. Many of these people have simply outgrown these roles, and are helping society as a whole to accomplish this as well. I think the idea of gender roles just holds people back and places everyone into a box. Children are put into certain clothes and pushed toward certain colors and toys based on their gender, adults are expected to do certain things based on their gender, and it makes no sense. We live in a new world where there should be nothing scandalous about a little girl who likes playing with toy cars or a boy who wants to be a nurse. Women are able to be the money makers and men stay at home parents, and we should not allow gender roles to constrict us. The reason that men believe that they have to be providers is due to the fact that they were raised to believe that there are many factors that support that such as family life and media messages, and same go to women they are taught that they are weak. The world needs a reality check men and women are both capable of doing the same things.

Are Gender roles Important to you?

I believe gender roles are not important to society as once thought. Just because your gender, doesn't mean that you should have someone else making your decisions for you, without your say. Just because you’re a women, your expected to stay home and sacrifice in the long run what is your health and happiness. While since men are the "money makers" and they are supposed to be the head of the household no matter what. It's like gender segregation. It's a old ideal that I believe is flat out wrong. Today, our roles in society are more lenient than that of the past. Women are defined by who they are, not by who they are suppose to be. Roles are determined by hard work and perseverance. Any gender can accomplish whatever they want to if they set their minds to it. Today, women are capable of doing jobs that only men were thought to be able to do. Jobs that include science exploration, engineering, and business. Women are even joining the army! In a world where the man has always been superior, women are speaking out. They are saying, "No." For once, women are supporting themselves and reaching their dreams. Today, everyone can have the best of both roles and still be themselves. Gender roles in society can limit people. In other societies, women are unable to follow their dreams because of gender roles. They need to stay home, cooking and cleaning, and can't receive an education. Men are the ones who are supposed to work and get an education to support the family. Our society is much better at recognizing women and men as being equal. Women don't need to marry and take care of a house, and men don't need to support women. Men and women are able to go to college and get an education. People are not judged by their gender. They can be known for who they are.

Virtual Gender Equality?

In more video games today, females are no longer portrayed the "Damsel in Distress" but more as their own heroes of the franchise.  Today, they are given their own roles as strong, independent characters who don't rely on a male character to do their job for them.  Before, the main character in a game would always have to be a male, for video games were always a sort of "boyish" thing to interact with and it would often appeal to a male demographic.  Having a male as a character would allow the majority of the players, who are male, to somehow relate to him, as if this connection between same genders would give them a sort of indescribable immersion with the character.  However, this changed when the lead character of the game Metroid, had turned out to be a girl the entire time.  This baffled many players at the time due to the assumption that underneath all that bulky power armor lied a man, when instead they were introduced to a woman, thus changing the course of the female roles in video games to this date.  This introduced the concept that not every woman is shouting for help at the top of a tower, this small plot twist was the inspiration for many female video game leads.  For example, take the popular titles such as  Mass Effect or Dragon Age, both are considered to be some of the best Western RPG franchises available, you are given the option to make your character male or female.  Now some may think "I want to play as a male, because they're obviously stronger.", however this is not the case.  Even if you were to choose the female character, you would receive no major twist in the plot line due to the fact that you are female, they are equal no matter what you choose.  They are both outstanding in the categories of character development, narrative, and strength or willpower.  Personally, I would have to say that the female counterpart does a much better job bringing out the true essence of what a hero in a video game is supposed to be like.  Despite being compiled of different pixels and coding, these virtual women are seen as some of the most influential beings in the gaming community, and that is something to be proud of.

Gender Roles

Here in western society, we have an image of what the ideal male and female are supposed to be, the man should have a headstrong attitude, well muscled body, and a fine chiseled face.  Women should have a sleek body, have very good manners, yet should be strong willed enough to hold their own when pushed against the wall.  However, this image does differ across different countries and such.  Some countries have small differences between the two genders, while others may have reversed roles between the two, where the lines between feminism and masculinity are faded to an extent.  Such occurrences are happening across the globe due to the ages bringing new opinions on the ideas of gender roles.  For instance, within Asia, more specifically South Korea, a huge boom of a fashion trend has caused many boys to change their outlook on what a man should look like.  This phase is caused by the recent boom in K-Pop industry, where many male members are very "feminine" and still attract much attention from the masses.  This change in image from this trend has caused the general view in Asian boys to be more "herbivore" other than the "carnivore" counterpart that has appealed to them for so long.  This change has also affected many women as well, for they are now being given more ambition to go for the male role in a relationship.  Women are being given more liberty from their original "housemaid" roles in Asia and becoming more open about their rights, for they are now becoming more independent than before.  They are achieving the "carnivore" role that the male counterparts have mostly left behind and are setting the trend for women across Asia, despite their involvement in the K-Pop industry which emphasizes their image on being more "sexy".  This goes to show that gender roles are always varying across the globe, though this is not the case for many other countries, this is a step forward to break the bond between two genders, man and woman.

Is That a Man or a Woman?

A few weeks ago when we first started the unit on gender, language and culture, Ms. Fletcher showed us video of Judith Butler. Before the video began, it was paused and all I saw was a sharp face, short cropped hair. My first thought was that the person on the screen was a man, then Ms. Fletcher said that it was a woman. I was very confused because the person looked like man from the angle that I saw him in. I said that it did not look like a woman and someone from my table asked what a woman looked like. In my head I said a woman. Mind you, all I saw was a boyish haircut and a sharp face before I made my conclusions. When hen the video started, I was able to see that Judith butler had on earrings and had a female voice. Then I said oh, she is a woman. What makes a woman a woman or a man a man? You cannot deny the fact that a man looks like a man and a woman looks like a woman. There has been so many instances where I have been confused about the gender of a person because of their appearance. I have known two little boys with long hair who could either be male or female and I thought they were both female until I found out later that they were not. I have also known girls whom I thought were boys because of the way they dressed and how they acted. Was I wrong to assume that Judith Butler was man because of the way she looked? I don’t think that I am wrong because whether we like it or not, there are certain ways that men and women look. Even if a girl has short hair, she still has the feminine look to her. I even know girls that are bald and I still wouldn’t confuse them for men. Likewise, if a man has long hair, his facial features usually gives him away as being a man. For crying out loud my hair was chopped short till I was 10 and when I first came to America and people were still able to identify me as a girl. Women have a certain look and men also have certain look. I know that I am not the only who are sometimes confused about the gender of a person because of the way they appear.

Gender Roles

As a girl who was raised in a very traditional way, I believe that each gender has a specific role, and I completely disagree with the saying that the roles should be equal. From the beginning of time, these gender roles have set solid regulations of how society should be. Am I saying that women are just for having kids and men only good for providing for the household? Of course not. What I am saying is that we should not be too quick to dismiss that these roles were set for a reason. I am a firm believer that everyone should have equal educational opportunity. Everyone, whether man or female should be able to work and do something that they love. The concept of woman staying home to take care of the house and children springs up from the fact that women in general are more patient and just have a different way of doing things. They naturally blessed with motherly and womanly instincts. That is why most teachers and nurses tend to women. We only seem to be focusing on the gender roles here in America and neglecting the fact that cultures around the world view gender roles differently. For example, if you tell an African man to stay home and take care of the children and cook, you would be looking for his trouble. I am not saying that African men can’t cook or take care of kids, in fact, some African men I know cook better than the women, but they grew up with the belief that they must be the man of the house and provide for the every need of his family financially. We should at least try to keep a little of these regulations that have been kept since the beginning of time. There was a reason each stereotype was assigned to each gender. Evidence are even in the Bible for what each gender is here for and their roles.

African American Women

This week in ERW we had to write a group essay and the topic that we chose to write about was African American women. I learned a lot about this topic. I learned how young black girls face more struggles than an average white girl would at such a young age by often being set as an example of poverty. I learned that even if a black woman has a degree and is educated she is still judged and criticized because of the fact that she is not only black, but also a girl. I have a very good friend of mine who has a black boyfriend and they've been together for 2 years, and although she loves him dearly and they are both adults she refuses to introduce him to her parents because she knows that her parents will disown her and kick her out of the house and cut her out of their life because they refuse to accept a black man into their lives. I hope for change because I honestly do not understand why it is that people are judged on the color of their skin. I hope that one day we will all unite and treat each other fairly, regardless of race and sex.

School dress code

Dress code has been the biggest topic between the students and Mayfair faculty. There

have been many decisions and arguments that were worked out by administration and the topic still seems one sided. It seems like girls more so get the short end of the stick when it comes to dress code versus the boys.

 When it comes to boys their dress code is not quite as explicit as ours. For instance any clothes with inappropriate symbols or sayings, anything baggy, or hats are not allowed. There are many other things such as certain types of jewelry or accessories that can not be worn also but those do not comply at this moment. But as for the girls our dress code is pretty long and detailed. No tube tops, spaghetti straps or halter tops; no visible midriffs, cleavage or underwear; shorts, skirts and dresses must be fingertip length and no holes.Now I know that if we had no dress code then there would be  absolutely no order and people would come to school dressed in who knows what. But I feel that dress code should be slightly more flexible. In the warmer seasons females should be able to wear thin strapped shirts. And not because they “want to show more skin” but more so because the latest fashion during that time of year is thin strapped.

I agree with some aspects of our dress code and some I do not. In example, why can't we wear spaghetti straps or halter tops? Its not like we are showing excessive amounts of cleavage but more so only our shoulders and back. How is that at all distracting. Instead of teaching these young men to respect women the district is pretty much stating it is okay to get distracted by a 'nice back' or 'nice shoulders.' I feel that this is not at all fair and that dress code should be altered to either discipline both sexes more or cut some of the more unnecessary dress code violations out of the rubric.