Discrimination.Good or Bad?
Bad, we all think. To judge people before you get to know them is BAD. And that's what discrimination is, right?
Wrong.
That would be called being PREJUDICED. Think about the roots of that word. It's obvious: "pre" and "judge." To judge someone before you know them. That's pretty much just deciding in advance what you think about a specific group of people and everyone in it.
That IS bad, but we all do it. I don't think it's bad to have preconceived ideas—necessarily. I mean, we can't help it. It's bad when you let that get in your way of getting to know someone. I mean, let's face it; if we see a guy that's wearing all black leather with a skull and crossbones tatooed on his bicep and six piercings in each ear smoking a gigarette against the side of a convenience store, we aren't going to think "Gee, he looks like such a nice guy. I think I'm going to go speak to him." Do we think that? NO.
And that's prejudice, right?
HAHAHAHAHAHA, wrong again!Well, maybe it is, but really, THAT'S discrimination.
"Definition: Discriminate: to note or observe a difference; distinguish accurately"
Think about it. Is it wrong to distinguish between something? If you're picking a babysitter for your children, are you going to pick the girl with all A's, or the twelve year old boy who's been known to attempt parachuting off the roof?
Uhhhhh, not a hard choice.
That's discrimination.
So, I'm saying that discrimination isn't bad, right?
Yup, wrong again (but you probably saw that coming, lol).
Discrimination can be bad as well as good, just like almost anything. You don't want your discrimination to turn into a prejudice. Discrimination when used the right way is perfectly good, healthy, and helpful. Just don't let it get out of hand.
Remember:
Discriminate: to observe a difference, to distinguish between something.
To be prejudiced: an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
When you saw the guy loitering around the convenience store, you no longer were without knowledge, though, or reason. Therefore, that was discrimination. See the difference?
I hope so.
We have to stop flinching at the word “discrimination” just out of habit. (Racial discrimination, flinch away. That’s definitely BAD.) Before you accept society’s definition of a word, make sure society has it RIGHT first.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Feminism: Celebrating the Difference
Okay, I’m a female (duh). But sometimes women’s rights stuff is just irritating.
The whole Women-Can-Do-Anything-Men-Can-Do attitude can be abrasive and frankly, IT’S NOT TRUE. Now, I am a pretty darn stubborn, proud, spunky teenage girl, but let’s face it:
Girls are never going to be suited for the NFL.
Our bodies just aren’t designed to handle that kind of stuff! And sometimes girls/women will go so out of their way to prove to the world that they are just as “tough” as their male counterparts that they come across rude and strange. And they can miss out on some of the really fun parts of being a girl! (Being a tomboy is different, by the way, I speak from experience. Tomboys know that they’re being atypical and just like to do the things that boys do. They aren’t going out of their way to prove a point—necessarily.)
God gave men and women different physical strengths, instincts, and mindsets. If he wanted us to be all the same, we would be, and there would be no such thing as “maternal instinct.” (Latin root: mater = mother.) Or “paternal instinct” for that matter. (Latin root again: pater = father.) Girls can be tough. Very tough. But guys have the “tough guy” mindset already. It’s who they are. It’s what makes male and female different—and beautiful.
Now, definitely don’t think that I’m saying girls should grow up, marry, have kids, and then raise them and that’s IT. Nooooo. (Hello! One of my career goals is to become a lawyer.) I don’t necessarily believe that having kids is for everyone. (But, seriously, that’s kind of a waste of the whole maternal instinct thing.)
Guys’ bodies are made to be, well, stronger in some ways. And they like that in a whole different way than we girls do. I like to be strong and healthy and be able to move that box that my mom says is “too heavy”, but I’m not about to go “work-out” just to get stronger. Not saying that all guys do that, and I’m definitely not saying it’s bad that some do. I’m just saying it is. It’s the physical difference, and the different mindset.
Instincts are just totally different. Guys, you see a hurt bunny, shoot it, eat it, it was gonna die anyway and you’re hungry (haha, okay, so maybe that was a little over the top, but it was funny). Girls, you see the hurt bunny, you help it (most of us girls, anyway). Maternal instincts vs. paternal instincts. Dads take care of the family, moms do, too, but in a different way, and they go about it in different ways.
All of us that have parents know this. When you want to do something that might be dangerous, who do you ask permission from?
I’ll give you a hint: not Mom.
When you need help with something that you really should have done two weeks ago or that you “ought to be able to do by yourself,” who are you gonna go to?
Another hint: not Dad.
See the pattern?
Now, I’m not stereotyping. I’m not even saying that a girl couldn’t become an NFL player. I’m just saying that it’s pretty darn unlikely, and that girls’ bodies weren’t made for that.
And guys can’t make dinner, call the plumber, solve six problems, review a court case, plan tomorrow, make the grocery list and pour the cold medicine for Johnny at the same time. Haha, their brains would totally explode :D
So here’s my point: I’m not saying that women are inferior in ANY WAY. Just different. And I’m thinking that instead of celebrating the fact that women and men can be the same, we should celebrate the difference once in a while.
Cause there is a difference. A big one. And it’s what makes us beautiful.
The whole Women-Can-Do-Anything-Men-Can-Do attitude can be abrasive and frankly, IT’S NOT TRUE. Now, I am a pretty darn stubborn, proud, spunky teenage girl, but let’s face it:
Girls are never going to be suited for the NFL.
Our bodies just aren’t designed to handle that kind of stuff! And sometimes girls/women will go so out of their way to prove to the world that they are just as “tough” as their male counterparts that they come across rude and strange. And they can miss out on some of the really fun parts of being a girl! (Being a tomboy is different, by the way, I speak from experience. Tomboys know that they’re being atypical and just like to do the things that boys do. They aren’t going out of their way to prove a point—necessarily.)
God gave men and women different physical strengths, instincts, and mindsets. If he wanted us to be all the same, we would be, and there would be no such thing as “maternal instinct.” (Latin root: mater = mother.) Or “paternal instinct” for that matter. (Latin root again: pater = father.) Girls can be tough. Very tough. But guys have the “tough guy” mindset already. It’s who they are. It’s what makes male and female different—and beautiful.
Now, definitely don’t think that I’m saying girls should grow up, marry, have kids, and then raise them and that’s IT. Nooooo. (Hello! One of my career goals is to become a lawyer.) I don’t necessarily believe that having kids is for everyone. (But, seriously, that’s kind of a waste of the whole maternal instinct thing.)
Guys’ bodies are made to be, well, stronger in some ways. And they like that in a whole different way than we girls do. I like to be strong and healthy and be able to move that box that my mom says is “too heavy”, but I’m not about to go “work-out” just to get stronger. Not saying that all guys do that, and I’m definitely not saying it’s bad that some do. I’m just saying it is. It’s the physical difference, and the different mindset.
Instincts are just totally different. Guys, you see a hurt bunny, shoot it, eat it, it was gonna die anyway and you’re hungry (haha, okay, so maybe that was a little over the top, but it was funny). Girls, you see the hurt bunny, you help it (most of us girls, anyway). Maternal instincts vs. paternal instincts. Dads take care of the family, moms do, too, but in a different way, and they go about it in different ways.
All of us that have parents know this. When you want to do something that might be dangerous, who do you ask permission from?
I’ll give you a hint: not Mom.
When you need help with something that you really should have done two weeks ago or that you “ought to be able to do by yourself,” who are you gonna go to?
Another hint: not Dad.
See the pattern?
Now, I’m not stereotyping. I’m not even saying that a girl couldn’t become an NFL player. I’m just saying that it’s pretty darn unlikely, and that girls’ bodies weren’t made for that.
And guys can’t make dinner, call the plumber, solve six problems, review a court case, plan tomorrow, make the grocery list and pour the cold medicine for Johnny at the same time. Haha, their brains would totally explode :D
So here’s my point: I’m not saying that women are inferior in ANY WAY. Just different. And I’m thinking that instead of celebrating the fact that women and men can be the same, we should celebrate the difference once in a while.
Cause there is a difference. A big one. And it’s what makes us beautiful.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
The New America
Journal Entry I wrote back in October. WARNING: I AM NOT SLAMMING PUBLIC SCHOOL KIDS. Not really. This was just something that I wrote thinking about the kids at my school. I am well aware that public schoolers can be every bit as smart as Classical kids, okay? Lol, don't be offended. And if you are, that's actually fine. Just comment and share your thoughts.
"Sometimes, I hate our government. It has too much power over us. It’s going against the constitution in a lot of ways. Did you know the 16th amendment wasn’t even ratified? At least that’s what someone told me. I’m going to look into it myself. But now, the CIA doesn’t even have to have a permit to tap your phone line. They can listen in anytime they want. All they have to do is fill out a little form. They don’t even have to be qualified! The government can do pretty much anything.
I also think this bailout is stupid. The economy is going to heal itself. It always has in the past. Why do people think this bailout is necessary? It’s natural for the economy to rise and fall. Leave it alone. The bailout is just going to put us further in debt—the black hole the government created and then jumped in to. They’re never going to pay the debt off, either, so why even put it there? The bunch of hypocrites. We get in trouble if we don’t pay out taxes and credit card bills—debt—but they can rack up debt till kingdom come and not even get in trouble.
And then there’s the whole inflation thing. Doesn’t the government realize they’re making the same mistakes the Romans made? And guess what? The Roman empire fell because of that. Hello! History repeats itself. Get a clue! Those who don’t learn their history are doomed to repeat it. And we’re going to pay the price.
Another example of the government controlling our lives is education. Schools cannot teach creation now. Now, I’m not necessarily saying that only creation should be taught, but at least give it along with Evolution! Our government is corrupt and too powerful. The people of the US are only going to stand this so much longer. Tensions are building. The economy is being tampered with. Inflation is worse than ever before. The government is taking more and more power. Our government is going from good, to bad, to worse. Don’t the people realize this is what we ran from in England and rebelled against in the Revolutionary War?
This is not going to stand much longer, Journal. The people will only put up with this for so long before they explode. Our government is corrupt. There is going to be a rebellion eventually. That’s all there is to it. It’s going to happen. This government has been here a long time.
Nothing lasts forever.
I suggested in class the other day that we should take over the government. We could be so much better. Of course, at the time it was mostly a joke. Now, I see how true it was, though I didn’t know it. When America collapses and the people rebel, we’re going to have to build a new government. Who is going to be in charge?
We are.
The world needs people who can think. The publics schools are not teaching people how to think. We Classical kids know how to think. We will begin building a New America. Better, stronger, smarter than before. We know economics. We know logic. We know history. Science. American government. Public and persuasive speaking. How to write well.
We are the New America.
Now all that’s left is to wait. The timer is ticking for this Old America. How long will she last? We don’t know.
So we study. We learn. We write. We read. With think. We speak. We do.
We must be ready. America’s timer is ticking. When will her time be up? Who knows, but we do know this:
When the timer dings, we’ll be ready.
~Kendra Logan
P.S. And to think, Journal; two months ago, I thought politics was boring! :)"
"Sometimes, I hate our government. It has too much power over us. It’s going against the constitution in a lot of ways. Did you know the 16th amendment wasn’t even ratified? At least that’s what someone told me. I’m going to look into it myself. But now, the CIA doesn’t even have to have a permit to tap your phone line. They can listen in anytime they want. All they have to do is fill out a little form. They don’t even have to be qualified! The government can do pretty much anything.
I also think this bailout is stupid. The economy is going to heal itself. It always has in the past. Why do people think this bailout is necessary? It’s natural for the economy to rise and fall. Leave it alone. The bailout is just going to put us further in debt—the black hole the government created and then jumped in to. They’re never going to pay the debt off, either, so why even put it there? The bunch of hypocrites. We get in trouble if we don’t pay out taxes and credit card bills—debt—but they can rack up debt till kingdom come and not even get in trouble.
And then there’s the whole inflation thing. Doesn’t the government realize they’re making the same mistakes the Romans made? And guess what? The Roman empire fell because of that. Hello! History repeats itself. Get a clue! Those who don’t learn their history are doomed to repeat it. And we’re going to pay the price.
Another example of the government controlling our lives is education. Schools cannot teach creation now. Now, I’m not necessarily saying that only creation should be taught, but at least give it along with Evolution! Our government is corrupt and too powerful. The people of the US are only going to stand this so much longer. Tensions are building. The economy is being tampered with. Inflation is worse than ever before. The government is taking more and more power. Our government is going from good, to bad, to worse. Don’t the people realize this is what we ran from in England and rebelled against in the Revolutionary War?
This is not going to stand much longer, Journal. The people will only put up with this for so long before they explode. Our government is corrupt. There is going to be a rebellion eventually. That’s all there is to it. It’s going to happen. This government has been here a long time.
Nothing lasts forever.
I suggested in class the other day that we should take over the government. We could be so much better. Of course, at the time it was mostly a joke. Now, I see how true it was, though I didn’t know it. When America collapses and the people rebel, we’re going to have to build a new government. Who is going to be in charge?
We are.
The world needs people who can think. The publics schools are not teaching people how to think. We Classical kids know how to think. We will begin building a New America. Better, stronger, smarter than before. We know economics. We know logic. We know history. Science. American government. Public and persuasive speaking. How to write well.
We are the New America.
Now all that’s left is to wait. The timer is ticking for this Old America. How long will she last? We don’t know.
So we study. We learn. We write. We read. With think. We speak. We do.
We must be ready. America’s timer is ticking. When will her time be up? Who knows, but we do know this:
When the timer dings, we’ll be ready.
~Kendra Logan
P.S. And to think, Journal; two months ago, I thought politics was boring! :)"
Friday, March 13, 2009
Velcome
Bwahahaha, velcome to my dark blog.
Sorry. Couldn't resist. :D
Well, I'm going to try to use this blog for my more depressing and/or strangely dark thoughts. Sort of "the other side of me" if you'll excuse my quoting Hannah Montana. Yeah, the blog header is a little dramatic, but it sounded so cool I couldn't resist that either.
So, anyway, this blog will probably not be updated as often as my ~Carpe Diem~, but I loved this name and so I wanted to create this blog anyway. And it will give me somewhere to vent and show my...other side if I feel like it. But then again, maybe I like being secrectly dark... :D
Sorry. You know, you know. I couldn't resist.
Sorry. Couldn't resist. :D
Well, I'm going to try to use this blog for my more depressing and/or strangely dark thoughts. Sort of "the other side of me" if you'll excuse my quoting Hannah Montana. Yeah, the blog header is a little dramatic, but it sounded so cool I couldn't resist that either.
So, anyway, this blog will probably not be updated as often as my ~Carpe Diem~, but I loved this name and so I wanted to create this blog anyway. And it will give me somewhere to vent and show my...other side if I feel like it. But then again, maybe I like being secrectly dark... :D
Sorry. You know, you know. I couldn't resist.
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