"A Girl LIke Me"

About a while back, I watched a movie on Lifetime that was called "A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story" which was about a transgender woman.  Gwen, who grew up as Eddie until around the age of sixteen,  knew she was different from a very young age.  Her mom and sisters would look at her oddly for wanting to wear makeup and dresses, but she didn't understand why.  When she became a teenager, she decided that she wanted to transition from male to female.  No one suspected that she was actually born a male, and she was not bullied.  At the age of 17, she was brutally murdered by four guys because they had heard that she had male genitalia.  They beat her up for 5 hours before disposing of her body.  They didn't understand her because she was different, so they decided to end her.
"We fear what we don't know."

This movie was based on a true story.

How is it possible that people can be so evil?  I will never understand why people feel the need to put someone else down and cause them harm just because they are different.  

I have grown up around homosexuals my whole life, and to be honest, I see absolutely no significant difference between a homosexual and a heterosexual.  The only difference is that they like different genders.  That's all.  Yet people want to shame and shun them just because they like different genders?  Just because they like different genders.

Although cases might not be as extreme as the unfortunate one of Gwen, things like this still happen.

 What do you guys think is necessary in order for there to be change in this world as far as gender roles and the lgbt community ?

Silence to Speech

I used to be a wuss. I think in part because I was home schooled more than half my life so I really never had to stick up for myself or anything of that nature. I went to catholic school finally from 6-8th grade and still it was a school with a little over 150 students in it so I got really close with all my classmates and there were no cliques or bullies, and we all had the same religious and ethical views, so again I didn't need to voice my opinions very much or defend myself. Then I came to Mayfair and I made friends pretty quickly. I thought I had settled in. I was quiet and shy but I saw no reason to believe that was a fault. If you had asked my to participate in Socratic Seminar during sophomore year I probably would have been one of those people who didn't say anything. However about the time near the end of junior year I kind of realized I was being a pussy. I really let people walk all over me and I just followed the crowd, never being different. I honestly hated it. I did a mini overhaul of my life over the summer and I think I am definitely a changed person. My family and friends have told me they've noticed I've become more independent, outspoken, and unafraid to put myself out there. What I'm getting at is that I was pretty miserable when I was afraid to state my opinions and be "loud" (so to speak) with my actions because I was always nervous of being disliked; I suppose that always comes with going to a new school and it became a habit. But when I came out of my shell and started living without fear of people disagreeing with my views or worrying about what people thought of me, I was happier and people seemed to like me better. I guess its more fun to be around people who aren't worried about being 100% agreeable all the time. So I guess to all those people who feel like silence is the best route, think again. Because what ever you have to say, people will like it, or at least respect you for being bold enough to say it.

Racial Division

race²

rās/

noun

plural noun: races

1 each of the major divisions of humankind, having distinct physical characteristics."people of all races, colors, and creeds"

◦ a group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc.; an ethnic group.

◦ the fact or condition of belonging to a racial division or group; the qualities or characteristics associated with this.

◦ a group or set of people or things with a common feature or features.

◦ BIOLOGY
a population within a species that is distinct in some way, especially a subspecies.

◦ (in nontechnical use) each of the major divisions of living creatures.

◦ literary
a group of people descended from a common ancestor.

◦ archaic
ancestry.

I guess I understand why a division between the genders is possible, but I can't comprehend where racial division came from. Even in the definition the word "division" is mentioned in three different meanings. Why is there racism and hatred amongst the people of this world? Why does the color of someone's eyes or skin make them worth more? Thankfully, in this country we aren't fighting racism as strongly anymore, but we are facing a root of that issue: stereotyping. There are stereotypes for being what is considered too ethnic, too white-washed, ghetto, and the list goes on. It upsets me how some individuals who are very into their culture look down upon those of the same race who aren't as educated or "ethnic". I really love that people are proud of their ancestry, but those who use it as a weapon upset me. Instead of making fun of someone for not knowing about your culture, teach them something positive about it. Instead of talking bad about someone who is "ghetto," look for their potential; they didn't get to choose the environment they were brought up in. Either way, we are all human. Stereotyping and prejudice is a battle that has been fought too long. Everyone is made beautiful and with the potential to be amazing. 

Hopefully this all made sense!

It's really sad how some women think their voices don't matter and how they can't reach out for help. Women are always silenced because of many different beliefs and it needs to come to an end. Women are beaten and abused physically and mentally. Victims of attacks need to realize their voice does matter and it can make a difference in someone else's life. Men believe they can speak to women in anyway and it's okay. Young girls are constantly being targeted and it's not seen as a big deal. I really liked how victoria , serrina , Brooke & uchechi added that little story into their essay because it's something we as young women face everyday. We are trained to defend ourselves and fight till the very end. I don't understand why young girls are seen as prey 10x more than young boys. Young boys do get victimized but it's not as common. Why do we have to worry about getting kidnapped or raped? Looking over our shoulders at night and always watching for that scary van creeping by , just shows how little respect men have for us. Women need to speak up because it just might save someone else's life. 

"Your silence will never protect you."

Silence is the state of complete absence of sound. We've all used silence at one point of our lives. However, there are some people in life that live off of being silent, people who depend on it. I’m sure people who find a comfort in silence know it isn’t right to hold things in, but they still do it.  

Many people find a comfort in being silent, they believe that by being silent there will neither create nor start problems. Audre Lorde's quote, "Your silence will never protect you," states that by one being silent, by holding all those thoughts, comments, questions, and ideas bottled up inside will get you nowhere, it won’t protect you. It’s dangerous to hold onto so much because reality is, it won’t protect us; in fact it will do the complete opposite, it will slowly and unintentionally harm us.  

Lorde infers that we should speak up. We should speak up because it’s truly the right thing to do, not because we feel pressured into doing so. By speaking up, we allow other people to get a different perspective and see a sense of purpose of what we don’t only feel, but a reason why we feel that way. If one doesn’t speak up now, they will eventually do it, right? Or will crumble to the ground holding everything in because “it’s the right thing to do”? At one point or another, we have to say what comes to mind, because holding so much in will only result in making ourselves miserable.

Reality is, words are like magic. Words allow us to make things happen by simply putting them together. So why is it that people are afraid to speak out? Why are women indirective and just can’t simply stop the silence and speak up? Why is it that men can be so directive, and don’t think before they speak?

Discrimination Against Women in Advertisement

Advertisements are seen everywhere you go. They can be seen on the internet, billboards, televisions, public buses, etc. Each person in America sees an average of 1,500 advertisements per day, these advertisements that we see everyday have a huge influence on our thoughts, attitudes, perceptions and actions. Young girls grow up think they have to be exactly like the models they see on Americas Top Model or the celebrities in the magazines/reality shows. This causes girls to follow the footsteps of someone famous which can result to them growing up to fast. Girls now days feel that in order to be called pretty they need to put on tons of makeup, wear clothes that show off their body, and talk with a flirtatious tone. Women's advertisements are making these girls think that if they grow up faster they will be liked more by society. I believe that their is a time for everything, when girls are ready to grow up they will but they shouldn't rush to be women at such young ages, they have a whole life time to become the woman that they desire to be. I hope this post makes some sense, my point is, is that we shouldn't allow advertisement to ruin the youth.

Is it a big deal??

So, as many of you know, I'm Filipino. For those of you who didn't know that...well now you do. But I was born and raised right here in California. If you couldn't see me, if you didn't know what I looked like, where my family was from, or how my home was run, you definitely wouldn't think I was Asian. For as long as I can remember, I've been referred to as a "white girl." My friends and family would tease me for being "white" and I still don't understand what that fully means or what it was supposed to be seen as.

I didn't know if it was supposed to be seen as an insult, classification, or just a joke. Nonetheless, I wasn't sure if I should be offended or if "white" people should be offended. I, along with them, have been stereotyped. I have been classified as a "white girl in an Asian body" because I held attributes that may or may not correspond to a certain culture. I am a cheerleader who enjoys listening to country music, drinking Starbucks, and wearing Uggs. Sometimes I say "like" too often or speak in a certain way...but I didn't know that these certain habits could be used in a way to identify who I was.

Anyways, so what I was trying to get at was the question of is this okay? Is this okay to take certain habits and activities and pin them to a race or culture? Also...is this supposed to be offensive or just trends and jokes?