The American Dream

On July 4th, 1776, The Founding Fathers of the United States of America had written the Declaration of Independence. This document told of a particular promise of “certain unalienable Rights, that amongst these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This statement is the crux of the idea known as the American Dream. It promises citizens the ability to live and be whoever they want to be. However, today Americans live in a world where achieving that vision is very difficult to achieve for a great many people in our country. The middle class of this country is dwindling and many do not have access to luxuries such as health care, education and insurance. As a result, People nowadays are beginning to lose faith in the feasibility of the American Dream.

One of the reasons that people are losing faith in the American Dream is because of how hard it is to even start on that path towards wealth and happiness. Middle and lower class citizens often do not have the resources to get this ball, of high social mobility rolling. As Ben Casselman had observed in a study from the analysis blog fivethirtyeight.com, the middle class has not had its wage increase in the past 16 years. Additionally, the number  of middle class households in America is dropping, because The median household income is decreasing for middle class of Americans, while upper class incomes increased. This is causing a slow death of the middle class of America. This causes many people to lose even more opportunities than they had to begin with, which disallows people to progress with their dream.

Another one of these reasons is because of how difficult it is for one to acquire sufficient health care in this country and as wealth slowly drifts away from the middle-class, the cost of medical care is increasingly being born by those families. An annual study by the Milliman actuarial firm shows that the employer-funded portion of healthcare has risen 52 percent since 2007, the first year of the recession. In addition, household costs has increased by an astonishing 73 percent, or 8 percent per year, now averaging out to be $9,144. This means that average household health care costs are increasing as income decreases. This amount of payment can become very strenuous to the average middle-class family.

Another huge obstacle that many middle to lower class citizens is the search for affordable college education. This is not to mention the immense amount of debt many people have borne on their shoulders. Since the year 1985, college costs have risen by 500 percent and the overall consumer price index has risen by 115 percent. Also as of 2013, the estimated cost for tuition at a private university was $130,000 for over four years, excluding the cost for food, lodging, books, and any other expenses. The fact that colleges can be this costly makes it very difficult for the average American citizen to deal with.

The American Dream is beginning to feel like what it exactly is, a dream. Many people may fantasize about having immense amounts of wealth but, very few will actually end up achieving it. Some people have even given themselves a new dream, an “American Dream 2.0” if you will. This new vision consists of the ideas that anyone can go to college if they have the necessary resources, are okay with going into debt, can somehow get the coveted scholarship, are willing to go to community college, or come from a family of means. Their updated “dream” shows that people are beginning to lose faith that they can achieve this vision of wealth and are starting to willingly settle for less. The rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness may be unalienable but, in the present day, they are also unattainable.

Works cited:

www.cbsnews.com. CBS, 06 09 2015, website, 16 09 2015

Richard Eskow. www.alternet.org. AlterNet. 22 10 2014. website. 16 09 2015

Joe Pinsker. www.theatlantic.com. The Atlantic. 06 15 2015. website. 16 09 2015

Amy Traub, Heather C. McGhee. www.demos.org Demos. 06 06 2013. website. 16 09 2015

  Student Athletes are Still Students

The sports industry brings in one of the largest revenues in the country. College level sports are growing in revenue, now that it consists of the rounds playoff games. This means more ticket sales, merchandise sales, more opportunities for making money. Yet, fans forget these athletes are also students. They advertise their athletic statistics, but what about their grades? College student athletes, particularly those who play football, are given unfair advantages over those who do not play sports because of the revenue the institutions receive from their programs.

Student athletes receiving special treatment from educational institutions has been an issue for well over 30 years. The non-athlete students are not the only people being affected by the disadvantages.  In the mid-1980s, a female professor, at the University of Georgia was fired because she noticed a student’s grade was changed in one of her classes. He was a football player. The professor later filed a lawsuit; the institution claimed to have changed the player’s grade so he was able to compete in a game. An attorney representing the University of Georgia had agreed with Mrs.Kemp’s focus of the suit, that athletes get special treatment. According to a quote taken from his opening statement, he said, ''We may not make a university student out of him, but if we can teach him to read and write, maybe he can work at the post office rather than as a garbage man when he gets through with his athletic career.” There is evidence that the academic institution is more concerned with how the student athletes will make more money after their college career, than how well his education is furthered. Thus, if their athletes go on to be professional players, that may entail that they will possibly donate back to the school that helped reach that career goal. College football programs make up to tens of millions of dollars in donations each year. The number one, top ranked football program, the University of Alabama, made $123,769, 841. The lowest ranked team, the University of Arkansas, made $8,392,852. (ESPN)

Most high school students in their academic career think at least once about college and whether all that money and debt is worth it in the end. With scholarship and financial aid opportunities dwindling, they also wonder could they actually pay for their education. While athletes already have zero debt, and no money coming out of their own pockets for their education and athletic expenses, they are also getting paid for being there. According to reports done by both CBS Sports and Forbes, the universities actually want to pay their football players even more; some universities already pay their players up to $125,000 a year. This includes the cost of their tuition, their room and board fees, their meals, and their coaching/training expenses. This is all considered “payment,” and with major universities with successful football programs considering to play their player even more, this could mean further disadvantages for their other athletic and educational programs. By contrast, most research done in university programs by students are funded by grants. These grants are usually from non-profit organizations wrestling the same cause, alumni from their specific field, etc. While students are struggling to find money to fund their research, education, and tuition, football players are receiving up to six figure salaries. For instance, the University of Michigan receives over 1,000,000 dollars from outside resources for students research; only about $100,000 comes from businesses, non-profits, etc. While, the university can afford to pay the new coach’s $40 million dollar salary, the player’s equipment fees, etc.

Friday Night Lights, the infamous movie and television series, was based on a nonfiction book that  follow a high school football coach in Texas, and his team as they all struggle with their performance in the games and in their lives. Buzz Bissinger, the author of the book, continues to put forth his opinion about the sport of football. Most recently, he wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal commenting on how banning football would allow academic institutions to thrive more. He highlighted an example from the University of Maryland. “The president [of the university], Wallace D. Loh, late last year announced that eight varsity programs would be cut in order to produce a leaner athletic budget, a kindly way of saying that the school would rather save struggling football and basketball programs than keep varsity sports such as track and swimming, in which the vast majority of participants graduate.” This is just further proof of the treatment college level football players receive. So much that, the university is willing to cancel other varsity sports. This could potentially mean that these athletes will lose their athletic full or partial scholarships, if they received one. Therefore, other student athletes from other sports are being affected and cut off, just to fund football players.

College institutions have always posed physical, emotional, and academic challenges to their students. Yet, student athletes who play football only overcome their physical performance obstacles. With their grades being changed by coaches, up to six figure salaries, varsity sports getting cut to fund their program even more, it is clear that there is no limit to the special treatment these student athletes receive. Yet, throughout all of this we can look up their on the field statistics, but what about their off the field statistics from their classes? Student athletes are still students, but to major universities they are only money bags.

Works Cited:

ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.

<http://espn.go.com/ncaa/revenue>.

"Players about to Get Paid as Money Changes Game in College Athletics." CBSSports.com. Web. 20 Sept. 2015. <http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/25083726/players-about-to-get-paid-as-money-changes-game-in-college-athletics>.

Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Web. 20 Sept. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/leighsteinberg/2013/09/06/time-to-treat-college-athletes-fairly/>.

Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Web. 20 Sept. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2013/08/29/pay-college-athletes-theyre-already-paid-up-to-125000year/>.

Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2012/05/07/would-banning-college-football-actually-help-academics/>.

"8 Things You Should Know about Sports Scholarships." CBSNews. CBS Interactive. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/8-things-you-should-know-about-sports-scholarships/>.

"Why College Football Should Be Banned." WSJ. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304743704577382292376194220>.

 "The 50 Colleges Spending the Most on Research & Development in 2015." Best Colleges. Web. 7 Nov. 2015.  <http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/colleges-with-highest-research-and-development-expenditures/  >

Schmidt, William. "BENDING THE RULES FOR STUDENT ATHLETES." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Jan. 1986. Web. 7 Nov. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/14/science/education-bending-the-rules-for-student-athletes.html>

                                                                       De-extinction?

Science is fully capable of bringing animals back from extinction, but should they? Many people believe that scientists should not bring back extinct creatures, that they are playing with unnatural things. Many people are also afraid of the idea of bringing animals back to life because of disaster stories like "Jurassic Park" and also religious beliefs that humans should not mess with life and death. However, was it not humans who made these creatures extinct? Using genetic engineering to bring back extinct animals is worthwhile because the great possibilities outweigh the dangers.

 Every animal has a role to play in the ecosystem. When humans kill off certain animals, there are always bad side effects that take place. Animals such as otters balance the ecosystem by keeping sea urchins in check. If otters were to become extinct then the sea urchins would ravage all kelp forest. Thus causing a ripple effect, ending up with many fish, invertebrate, and marine mammals losing a major food source, and possible shelter. If certain extinct animals could be reintroduced into the wild again, then it could help balance the ecosystem. Think of what would happen today if one of the keystone species, such as honey bees, were go to extinct in the next five years. Unfortunately, this situation is entirely possible. According to an article published in GlobalResearch.ca, “Since 2006 beekeepers have been noticing their honeybee populations have been dying off at increasingly rapid rates. Subsequently researchers have been scrambling to come up with an accurate explanation and an effective strategy to save the bees and in turn save us homo sapiens from extinction.” The honey bee does 80% of the pollination around the world. Imagine if all the honey bees were to go extinct today, the side effects would be catastrophic. With this new knowledge of species revival, if there was ever a need to quickly resurrect this species it would be possible. This research could not only save mankind, but all the species that reside on the planet earth. Mankind needs to stop confusing religion with science. This information is not so that scientist can brag about becoming a deity, it is so that one day scientist have a chance at saving life on earth.  

Furthermore, de-extinction is just the start of all the discoveries that could come from bringing back extinct animals. With this type of new knowledge, this could further the understanding of evolution and how humans came to be. In a statement made by Jack Horner the professor of paleontology at Montana State University  he said, “‘Any of us that have any curiosity about how we all got here and where everything came from has to be interested in evolutionary biology," Horner said. "It's basically the blueprint of life on this Earth.’" For centuries man has tried to figure out how this the modern day homo-sapien came to be. Whether it was by some sort of deity or through evolution, in the end much is still a giant mystery. Each time an species is brought back using genetic engineering humans come closer to understanding DNA, and how to unlock its secrets. If bringing back extinct animals helps humans understand how humans have evolved into what they are today, humans should feel some sort of longing to understanding the creation of mankind.

With de-extinction, humans could right the wrongs done by them to the earth. Humans have killed off the Dodo birds, Tasmanian tiger, Gastric brooding frog, etc. It was not by natural causes that these creatures died off but, the actions of people today are to blame. For example on the website livescience.com it said, “Passenger pigeons (Ectopistes migratorius) once blanketed the skies of eastern North America, but hunting and deforestation brought them to extinction 100 years ago. Martha, the last one, died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.”  If given the chance to bring these once abundant creatures back to life, then should there not be anyone against it. These animals have not even been extinct for more than a century so would it not be okay. Also based upon how large the population of this species used to be most likely many carnivores and plants in North America may have relied on the passenger pigeon as a food source and pollinator. With the reintroduction of the passenger pigeon it could help feed animals throughout North America. While also becoming another major pollinator due to the sheer size of each flock, and how far the pigeons travel.   

In conclusion, people should not base their opinion off of a fictional movie there are more practical uses for the de-extinction of certain species. There are real advantages of bringing back extinct animals. De-extinction could be used on many recently extinct animals. Dinosaurs may not get a second chance at life, but would it not be right for humans to bring back the recently extinct animals that are just victims of pollution, deforestation, and global warming. Plus the more scientist understand about how DNA evolves over time to adapts to new environments the better humans will know about the past, and what's the future may hold for Earth's species.

Work Cited:

Sumner, Thomas, and Bjourn Carey. "Stanford's Hank Greely Presents the Ethics of Resurrecting Extinct Species." Stanford University. Standford University, 5 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

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Many believe that biases form after multiple experiences with others, and are based in some kind of reality. However, it really only takes one experience to form a concrete belief -- and it's hard to get rid of that belief once formed. Although people know that many racial stereotypes are untrue, it is difficult for individuals to disregard those stereotypes, because people tend to attribute the negative actions of an individual to their entire identity.

Racial stereotyping is defined as the beliefs about distinctive characteristics common to members of a culture, according to a site found on Wikipedia’s reference page. As stated in the quote, these are “common” beliefs formulated by people in society. The fact that the site uses the word “common” implies that those with prejudices educate their children to have a certain prejudice towards others. In addition, because these prejudices are being passed down from generation to generations, a never ending cycle of negative bias is created. Psychology Today expands on this concept, with the idea that human beings have an unconscious prejudice towards those foreign to their own ethnic group, because of their exposure to such ideas during early development. In conclusion, stereotypes that have become almost second nature, outweighing any and all notions that oppose the assumptions of an individual.

Islamophobia is one example of religious stereotyping, which is defined as the fear and hatred of muslims. This kind of resentment escalated after the coordinated 9/11 attacks on America by the terrorist group known as Al Qaeda. The attack resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 Americans as well as the nineteen members of Al Qaeda, who executed the strikes. However, the tragic deaths of U.S citizens were not the only aspects of this violent act that society suffered. According to the Daily Beast, a poll from October of 2001 showed that 47% of Americans had a favorable view of muslim citizens. This percentage of favorable views dropped to about 27% by 2014. This drastic decrease in the polls was a direct result of prejudices formed after only a handful of Muslim citizens, like Al Qaeda, committed violent acts against society. These negative actions effectively branded all muslim citizens as violent terrorist, based on the survey portrayed by the polls.

This kind of negative stereotyping does not only apply to people overseas. On Monday, September 14th, 2015 Texas youth, Ahmed Mohammed, was arrested by police for bringing a homemade clock to school, which his teacher believed to be a bomb. The officers, who arrested him, proceeded to interrogate the frightened teenager about the alleged bomb as well as his intentions. Ahmed stated, on an interview with CNN, that "I built a clock to impress my teacher but when I showed it to her, she thought it was a threat to her." The fact that the teacher believed the clock was a threat, namely a bomb, supports the idea that she had racial bias towards an innocent muslim American, who had the sole intention of impressing his class. In addition, the idea that the clock was believed to be a bomb, which is commonly associated with the notion of terrorism, is a representation of stereotypical views of muslim citizens being a threat to society because of the past actions of a few.

Although this topic may seem to only revolve around minority groups such as Muslim citizens, this is an issue that embodies a barrier between social relations in society. It is the underlying cause that has led to the injustice against countless innocents over the past couple of years. However, this issue has not been fully resolved because of the public's perception, of racial stereotyping, being clouded by their own opinions about other individuals.  

Works Cited

1. Paul, Annie. "Where Bias Begins: The Truth About Stereotypes."Psychology Today. 1 May 1998. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.

2. "Teen Ahmed Mohamed Brings Clock to School, Gets Arrested - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 16 Sept. 2015. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.

3. Obeidallah, Dean. "13 Years After 9/11, Anti-Muslim Bigotry Is Worse Than Ever." The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 14 Sept. 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.

4. "Ethnic Stereotype." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Sept. 2015. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.

Today, people live lives on their own terms, and don’t really care much for others. The same goes for governments/nations. Governments try to do what’s right for their own, and try to block everything else. However, that is impossible to do, especially in today’s economy, where a nation can not run without a trade market that connects them to the fate of other nations. In today’s trade nations created a currency which helps them trade easily, and that currency is the US dollar (USD). In today's economy, the value of the dollar is affected more by the situation in other regions than it is by the United States. As a result, the fate of the United States lies upon other countries/nations.

As one of the most developed countries in the world, the United States has one of the highest GDP per capita of any country. But the United States also is one of the highest debtors in the world. According to the World Bank, in 2013 the government debt of the United States had a 96.1% of GDP, while China had no debt, and Switzerland had less than 24% of GDP. This means that in the United States, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is $16.77 trillion, 96.1% of that, is equal to the debt the US has to other countries. Because of the debt that the US has to other countries, the dollar is losing its value. The currency is not as valuable because the government/currency is “working” for the debt. If other countries were high debtors, like the United States, then the value of the dollar, would not be at risk. According to the World Bank, in 2006 Switzerland had a debt of 33.7% of GDP, while the United States had a debt of 55.3% of GDP, the debts are not the same, but as years passed, Switzerland decreased its debt while the United States debt went through the roof. The situation becoming better for other countries, meant the situation becoming worse for the United States.

The US Dollar (USD)  is held in significant quantities by governments and institutions as part of their foreign exchange reserves. This makes the dollar the most important currency in the world. Many situations are happening across the world, which is causing doubts about the USD being the reserve currency, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to think about the options they have, if they have to remove the USD as the reserve currency. According to Forbes, "If every nation sold their supply of dollars at the same time, the market would be flooded with dollars, which could cause its value to plummet. This would cause inflation to spike.” The USD can keep being the strongest currency, as long as other nations don’t think about themselves, but think about the USD, and that is very unlikely because every nations wants to survive and thrive. The USD will fall when, other nations get involved, and sell their supply of the USD, causing the value of the USD to crash.

Until 1971, the USD was a currency that was backed up by gold. That meant that every penny that the US owned, there was an amount of gold equal to that penny. Which made it a strong currency, and one of the reasons it was chosen as a reserve currency. According to International Monetary Fund (IMF), the USD is the top currency circulating in the trade market, and the Euro coming close second. As other nations are realizing the debt and value of the dollar, and how it is not backed up by gold, they will soon try to sell their supply of USD and the USD will crash. Realizing that the Euro and the Yen are rising above the USD, will cause the USD to plummet. An article written by The Voice of Reason about the USD says, “The whole world knows that we are much worse off than Greece as the planet’s largest debtor.” Greece is in a lot of debt, that accumulated over years, and the way money was spent for the Greek government led to Greece coming to default. Economists say that it will never be able to get out of debt. If the situation is really bad in Greece, then the United States will fall even harder, if other nations like China, Switzerland, Great Britain, and many others grow and improve their economy.

Most downfalls come from own mistakes, but some downfalls come from the rise of power in others. That is the case, that the USD might face. Although the United States has one of the greatest and most powerful economies and currencies that has ever existed, the downfall of it’s economy will come from other nations and other economies.

Work Cited

Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Web. 29 Sept. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikepatton/2015/07/24/is-the-dollar-about-to-collapse/>.

"Central Government Debt, Total (% of GDP)." Central Government Debt, Total (% of GDP). Web. 29 Sept. 2015. <http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS/countries/CN-US-CH-RU-GB?display=graph>.

"IMF Data." IMF Data. Web. 29 Sept. 2015. <http://www.imf.org/data>.

Cultural appropriation is when people borrow practices and appearances that belong to a separate culture and use them as their own for the sake of fashion and trend. To many people this seems an innocent or superficial practice, like white women wearing Bindis at Coachella or cornrows at the beach. But, more specifically, it is when a dominant culture borrows from a systematically oppressed culture. America has turned a blind eye to the problem, going so far as to poke fun at certain outlets that describe the real, pressing issues behind it. Even those who do not support the practice are often confused by why it is shown in such a negative light by these outlets. Ultimately, the practice of cultural appropriation damages said appropriated culture in ways unseen by the larger American population.

For clarification, cultural appropriation is not the same as assimilation or cultural exchange, because the power imbalance is very different between these three examples. Assimilation is when people from the systematically oppressed culture adopt parts of the dominant culture in order to fit in within that dominant culture. Cultural exchange is when cultures on the same level mutually share their practices and appearances. Neither of these are the same as cultural appropriation because in assimilation, it is a survival tactic, and in cultural exchange, the cultural power balance is equal.

Cultural appropriation spreads misinformation about the culture that it is appropriating in the first place. Many people who support or defend cultural appropriation believe that it is supposed to help the dominant culture learn, but that is not the case. One example that expands on this from modern culture is the story of Pocahontas. In the American Disney movie, this woman is a strong, yet kind girl in a Native American tribe that is approached by an Englishman and eventually falls in love with him. Pocahontas’ real name was Motoaka, and her story is much more grim than many Americans would suspect. She was abducted as a teen on a ship to Jamestown, given to an Englishman, Christened Rebecca, and used as a racist propaganda tool before she died at 21. The culture that Moataka belonged to represented years of diverse culture and important history, but in a sense it seems apparent that the racist propaganda she was subjected to never quite ended. This is because most of the stories that we hear of Pocahontas depict the land as savages, passive, or nonexistent, not to mention an entirely sugarcoated depiction of the real event. Because the dominant culture never represents the real stories of subjugated cultures in popular media, the American population never recognizes that the stories are trivializing and rampant with appropriation to make the dominant culture more comfortable with the gruesome story.  

In the United States, The dominant culture when speaking about cultural appropriation is white people, and one of the largest problems with their appropriation is the fact that when these white people wear or do something that belongs to another culture, it is seen as trendy, hip, or even progressive and inclusive. But when people of color, especially those that belong to the particular culture, do the same thing, they are seen as ‘too ethnic’ and ‘stuck in the past’. This double standard pressures black women to conform especially. When Zendaya wore faux locs at the 2015 Oscars, Fashion Police host and E! red carpet host Giuliana Rancic commented that she “feels like she smells like patchouli oil or weed”. But when Kylie Jenner wore the same faux locs in an a cover story photo shoot in Teen Vogue, attempting a “desert rebel” look, she is praised and described as raw, groundbreaking, fresh, and edgy. Zendaya responded, saying: “There is already harsh criticism of African American hair in society without the help of others who choose to judge others based on the curl of their hair. [I wanted to] showcase [locs] in a positive light, to remind people of color that our hair is good enough.” Not to mention its repercussions outside of praise or insult. In March 2014, AR 670-1 was released by the U.S. Army, a list of policies for the appearance of the soldiers. This list banned braids, locks, and twists with a diameter of a quarter of an inch. It also slandered unauthorized hairstyles by calling them unkempt and matted. The message this sends to the appropriated black community is that black women who wear their hair naturally in styles such as locs are not deserving of praise, acceptance, or even respect in the eyes of white people. It enforces the harmful lie that black natural beauty is not appealing to the general white, American population, and is only attractive when worn by white women. This message is not only being sent to adults struggling to find jobs, but children struggling to find confidence.

Not only does this practice of accepting cultural appropriation miseducate the majority population, it trivializes violence and oppression. The NFL team, the Washington Redsk*ns, have been criticized for the name, but the terms have been largely defended by its fans and owners. The argument is made that the name “keeps to tradition”, and “honors Indians”. It has been taken even further by telling the Indigenous activist groups that have called them out on the name’s racial connotations that they are “being too sensitive”. But for Native people, redsk*n means a barbaric colonialist practice in which governments would brutally scalp and murder Native Americans and use their “redsk*ns”, or scalps as proof of their kill. When violence targets one specific section of people through genocide, the trauma will last throughout subsequent generations. Therefore, it makes said trauma seem ridiculous, funny, and even playful when using it carelessly in everyday life. Media reinforces this by upholding and encouraging these false stereotypes and misinforming the general public.

Cultural appropriation is one of the most widespread issues within white, American fashion today, and deserves ample recognition and rectification. Yet we, as a nation still dismiss it as trivial. Education is the first step to showing exactly how many problems this phenomenon causes for minorities in America. This is especially true for those whose ethnic features and traditions are thought beautiful, but their actual well-being not as much. Not only this, but people of color as constantly seen through the lense of these stereotypes that cultural appropriation perpetuates and popularizes. As a result, it creates barriers of disrespect and dismission within the real world.

Works Cited:

1. United States. National Park Service. "Pocahontas: Her Life and Legend."National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 04 Oct. 2015. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.

2. "Despite The Natural Hair Movement, Black Women Still Face Pressure To Conform." Despite The Natural Hair Movement, Black Women Still Face Pressure To Conform. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.

3. "Zendaya Rips E! Red Carpet Host Giuliana Rancic for 'Ignorant' Dreadlocks Comment." TheWrap. N.p., 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.

4. "Kylie Jenner Rocks Dreadlocks On Instagram." StyleBlazer. N.p., 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.

By: Guy Peart

A vaccine is given to people to develop anti-bodies to provide immunity from diseases. A reason to why someone would want to do this, is to prevent the spread of diseases, but should people have a choice about getting a vaccination? Many people believe that vaccines should be mandatory, arguing that the safety of the general population trumps any other concern. However, this mindset discounts the population who have deep investment in their religion and beliefs. These reasons are not excuses, they are valid. Vaccines should be optional because the religious and personal beliefs of citizens are more important than public safety.

There are many ways that people can avoid vaccinations, some reasons being more serious than others. One is religion. Religious Americans are often exempt from vaccines, which raise the public eye. Mississippi and West Virginia allow parents to skip vaccinations for non-medical reasons. Some states offer a “personal belief” exemption from vaccination and the option of a “religious exemption.” (Some states have both.)(Slate.com)There are many religious beliefs that hold many people from receiving vaccinations.  So whether having the option, or religious belief, people have found ways to avoid vaccines, even if it is not medically endorsed. Americans should have the choice if they want to receive a vaccination or not, plus religion to many people is key. If religious people don’t want vaccinations due to their beliefs, than those people should not have to take vaccinations, even if it is a concern to the public. This is important because the United States of America was founded on the idea of freedom, religious freedom. If people cannot practice their religion uninterrupted, than that is violating what the United States was destined to be.

If the disease isn’t much of a threat and the vaccine could cause serious diseases that make not getting the vaccine even worth it in the first place. “Opponents say that children’s immune systems can deal with most infections naturally, and that injecting questionable vaccine ingredients into a child may cause side effects, including seizures, paralysis, and death.   Vaccines have been proven to save millions of lives and prevent quarantines, but they are not always necessary to use. Every time that a child receives a vaccine there is a chance with some children that could potentially,cause serious harm. If the vaccine is not professionally recommended, than it is not really worth the chance of a seizure, autism, or worse. According to Sarah from thehealthyhomeeconomist, there are many harmful chemicals in vaccines

Vaccines are created to save lives, prevent the spread of diseases, and even build permanent immunity from that set of diseases. According to the leading source of controversial issues, ProCon.org, “Proponents say that vaccination is safe and one of the greatest health developments of the 20th century. They point out that illnesses, including rubella, diphtheria, smallpox, polio, and whooping cough, are now prevented by vaccination and millions of children’s lives are saved.” After all, vaccinations have been around for centuries. According to the CDC, 732,000 American children were saved from death and 322 million cases of childhood illnesses were prevented between 1994 and 2014 due to vaccination. There have also been cases where an absence of vaccinations negatively affected the community. Debate.org states that around Los Angeles, more than 60% of pre-schoolers are unvaccinated, giving the area a vaccination rate comparable to the South Sudan. California recorded more than 60 cases of measles last year, and has 79 just in the first month of this year. Vaccines have an important effect on the country, and have saved over a million children alone. Even though it should be the consumer's choice to get the vaccination, there are definite benefits to getting a vaccination, and it can save anyone's life. When a vaccination is recommended, using it could be a crucial decision, but people’s personal beliefs should be their priority.

Vaccines should be considered for all children that attend public institutions, but not required. Vaccines can save lives, but are not always necessary. People should have the choice to get vaccinations, because of religious and philosophical beliefs. In a few rare cases vaccines have lead to seizures, death, and believed to develop autism. If not completely recommended by a doctor, and a family does not want to participate, then they should also have the option to opt to exemption from vaccines because of the possible side-effects.

Sources:

1.)"Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?" ProCon.org. ProCon.org, 10 June 2015. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. <http://vaccines.procon.org/>.

2.)"Should Childhood Immunization Be Optional?" Debate.org. Debate.org, 2015. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. <http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-childhood-immunization-be-optional>.

3.)Krule, Miriam. "Why Is There a Religious Exemption for Vaccines?" Slate. The Slate Group, 5 Feb. 2015. Web. 8 Oct. 2015. <http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2015/02/religious_exemption_for_vaccines_christian_scientists_catholics_and_dutch.html>.

4.)"Six Reasons to Say NO to Vaccinations." The Healthy Home Economist. Austus Media, 2015. Web. 8 Nov. 2015. <http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/six-reasons-to-say-no-to-vaccination/>

The Pope's recent visit to America was covered extensively by the press, and was largely received as positive. He spoke on a variety of topics and issues, including the role of women in the Church, climate change, single mothers, immigrants and the plight of the less fortunate.  While there were crowds in Philadelphia to enjoy these messages, there were not as many people to share the experience as there could have and should have been.  Far fewer people witnessed the Pope's visit than originally predicted by Philadelphia’s Government and the World Meeting of Families. The low attendance is proof that Philadelphia’s government is incapable of planning a large scale events without discouraging people from coming.   

The City of Philadelphia initially expected up to 1.5 million people to come to the highlight of the Pope's visit, the Papal Mass.  Keith Still, a professor of crowd science at Manchester Metropolitan University, estimated that anywhere between 80,000 and 142,000 people came to the Papal Mass on Sunday, September 27. Still, made his estimates by analyzing photographs and assuming four people were in every cubic meter of space.  He then looked at how far the crowd stretched down the Ben Franklin Parkway.  In response to pressure from media regarding how many people came, Mayor Nutter stated, "It's not like a football game. This is not a situation where you evaluate success based on the score."  It is obvious that Philadelphia’s government is embarrassed by low attendance at the Papal Mass, as they have dodged all questions about it.  The road closings and the confusion over what public transit stations would be open caused people to avoid this incredible event.  The core of Philadelphia’s mass transit system was functioning far differently than normal.  Many stations on the Broad Street Line, Market Frankford Line and the Regional Rail Lines were closed. In order to get on Regional Rail System one needed to enter a lottery to buy a special pass.  In addition, multiple bridges and highways were closed going in and out of the city; thus, driving also became a difficult option.  Fewer people came to the Papal Mass because they did not want jump through hoops to get into downtown Philadelphia.    

The elderly are a significant part of the religious population in the United States.  The Pew Research Center has done multiple studies on this and is a leader in researching religious and political topics.  According to one of their studies, 53 percent of people 65 and older attend religious services at least once week.  However, only 33 percent of people between 18 and 29 attend services once per week.  This means that a large percentage of the Papal audience could have been the elderly. However, elderly people are often more challenged to walk than young people.  In spite of this, Mayor Michael Nutter said, “Philadelphians and visitors to the city for the World Meeting of Families and visit by Pope Francis should be prepared to walk for miles when the events take place.”  Many elderly people are not capable of walking miles.  Mayor Nutter scared the elderly away because they were worried about not being able complete this walk without injuring themselves. This shows that city government values young people more than the elderly.

Although the Pope’s visit may only seem important  to Catholics who were discouraged by the government from coming, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about Philadelphia.  The handling of the Pope's visit has already done damage to our reputation as a city capable of holding national scale events. Poor travel systems, lack of attention to the elderly’s needs and the excessive media hype tarnished our reputation.  If Philadelphia also mangles the upcoming Democratic National Convention, it will decimate the city’s reputation for holding national functions.    For the recent 785 million dollar investment for the renovation of Philadelphia’s Convention Center to be worthwhile, the city must be known as a prestigious place for national events. Philadelphia is one of the most prominent cities in America’s history and it needs to present itself that way on the national stage.  

Bibliography:

"Religion Among the Millennials." Pew Research Centers Religion and Public Life. Pew Research Center, 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Rhoads, Kelton. "Everyday Influence." Everyday Influence. Www.workingpsychology.com. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

"Map: Road Closures During the Pope's Visit." Map: Road Closures During the Pope's Visit. Philadelphia Media Network. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

"Map: Road Closures During the Pope's Visit." Map: Road Closures During the Pope's Visit. Philadelphia Media Network. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Avril, Tom. "800,000 at Papal Mass? Better Count Again." Philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network, 30 Sept. 2015. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Sisak, Michael. "Philadelphia In A State Of Panic As Pope Visit Nears." Huffington Post. HuffingtonPost.com, 1 Aug. 2015. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.

Islam on the Rise

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. However, it is also still  hated and misunderstood by many, due to the radical or extremist perception the media portrays. Since 9/11, the media has been covering many stories about attacks, bombing, killing, etc that have Muslim involvement. The media shows a lot more negativity from one group, rather than the positivity. It is the general public’s interaction with the media, and not actual Muslims, that gives them their image or impression of what Islam is about and who Muslims are.

Islam is perceived by many to be a religion full of terrorists, due to the outbreak of attacks and killing done by ISIS, and other extremist groups. All the negativity shown in the media is what Americans see, and because of this false information, Americans develop a sense of fear or hatred towards Muslims. Bridge Georgetown is a community organization that writes Muslim-Christian understandings and settlements. One of their articles states, “According to data Media Tenor collected on “religious protagonists” in 2013 news stories, Christianity, Judaism and other religions receive considerably positive coverage in American news, while Islam receives virtually none. While mainstream religious leaders like Pope Francis were often the face of Catholicism in the media, fringe extremists like Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi became the face of Islam.” Pope Francis is well known, respected, and is positively portrayed in most media. The Dalai Lama, a religious leader in Buddhism, is also well known, respected, and portrayed well in the media. Yet, when Islam is shown in the media it is often associated with something nonpositive. The face of Islam is now well known through extremist like Abu Bakr or Osama Bin Laden. Even if Islam is a growing religion, it will still have a good number of people who are very ignorant about it.

An news article published by The Daily Beast, talks about other religious terrorist groups, such as the Buddhist terrorists who had killed many Muslims in Burma and Sri Lanka, yet it is not heard a lot about. People are more likely to be killed for other reasons, such as accidental death or injuries caused by children, then by Muslim terrorists. The last several years, there have been many terrorist attacks in the West. To many, they automatically think that it was the Muslims that did it, the extremists. Yet they do not know that many of the terrorist attacks were not linked to Muslims. Muslims are perceived as terrorist without valid reasonings and actual understanding behind the religion. An FBI report shows that there was only a small percentage of terrorist attacks on U.S. soil between 1980 and 2005 that were perpetrated by Muslims. Forty-two percent of terrorist attacks are done by Latinos and only 6 percent by Muslims. Most terrorist attacks shown by the media are by Muslims, but not about other religious groups. Most people do not know this because of the media, most terrorist attacks that happen in the U.S are not even done by Muslims. This comes to show how Islam is misunderstood by the people, majority of those in the west.

Islam is a fast growing religion, the numbers of new converts contribute to it’s growing pace, but not entirely. The Pew research center discussed about the growth of the religion Islam and what it is projected to be by 2050. “The main reasons for Islam’s growth ultimately involve simple demographics. To begin with, Muslims have more children than members of the seven major religious groups analyzed in the study.” The children in Muslim households are increasing in numbers compared to other households of other religions. Because Islam is not a religion that typically seeks converts,  there will still be a misunderstanding or fear that links to Islam and Muslims. There will be more numbers of Muslim in the coming years, due to estimated population growth, and as of today, there are about 1.6 billion Muslims, which makes up about 23% of the world’s population.

Although hatred towards Islam may seem important to Muslims. It should be in fact concern anyone who cares about rights and the freedom of religion everyone that everyone deserves. It is not just about the religion and Muslims, it is how people treat Muslims because of their religion yet still believing in freedom of religion. It’s important for a better understanding of this religion and the people and not just the stereotypes in society.

Work Cited

"The Fastest Growing Religion in the World Is ... - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/02/living/pew-study-religion/>.

"Why Muslims Are the World’s Fastest-growing Religious Group." Pew Research Center RSS. 23 Apr. 2015. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/23/why-muslims-are-the-worlds-fastest-growing-religious-group/>.

"Non-Muslims Carried Out More than 90% of All Terrorist Attacks in America." Global Research. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <http://www.globalresearch.ca/non-muslims-carried-out-more-than-90-of-all-terrorist-attacks-in-america/5333619>.

Obeidallah, Dean. The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/14/are-all-terrorists-muslims-it-s-not-even-close.html>.

Shadid, W., and P.S Van Koningsveld. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <http://www.interculturelecommunicatie.com/download/image.pdf>.

"Media Portrayals of Religion: Islam." Media Portrayals of Religion: Islam. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <http://mediasmarts.ca/diversity-media/religion/media-portrayals-religion-islam>.

"The Fastest Growing Religion In America Is Islam." End Of The American Dream. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-fastest-growing-religion-in-america-is-islam>.

"New Study Analyzes Media Coverage of Islam Over Time - The Bridge Initiative | A Research Project on Islamophobia." The Bridge Initiative. 24 Apr. 2015. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <http://bridge.georgetown.edu/new-study-analyzes-media-coverage-of-islam-over-time/>.