21. April 2010 by student.

Fuck, shit, cunt, cock, asshole, nigger, bastard, prick, piss, tits, twat. If anyone of the previous words offended you, I am sorry to say you have been  shaped by the societal norms so much that the ordering of letters offend you. If you really break down the science of it, each one of those words consist of normal regular letters, that have no bad connotations to them at all. However, in the context, the words can be considered what we consider socially unacceptable and is quite humorous if you think about it. Someone in society in the beginning of language said “we shall not use the following words because they are profane!” And we follow it to this day in schools and other such experiences like radio and television that it seems like such a joke when it boils down to the true nature of it. Why do we curse? Why do we have alternate things instead of God such as “oh my goodness” instead of “Oh my God” ? … It is because at one point those words are considered “bad.” Imagine if “bananas” was a bad word. It is hard to do because it is such a simple, innocent, and ‘normal’ word that has no negative correlations to it at all. But, we have been ingrained throughout our lifetime that “these” words are bad, when what really defines them in the first place? They are bleeped from television, and people can potentially lose their job over something like “nappy headed hoes” like Don Imus said on his radio station.  We need to start being more free with our words and stop censoring the words because we all learn it. As a kid we aren’t supposed to hear it, or if we know them, not say it. As adults we know it and don’t say it, and teach it to our children, and our children teach it to their children, and repeat this social trait from generations to come. Let our “freedom of speech” really be it, and flow with ease.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 4 Comments »

21. April 2010 by student.

College is known as the place where students learn the true meanings of the words stress and all nighters. Since High School and college are two different environments, most students do not known how to handle the pressure and begin to slack off and stop attending class.

According to the website Campus Calm, 50% of students who attend college drop out or fail; 33% within their first year. Educational burnout tops the lists of reasons why students drop out of college. Stress is one of the biggest life issues that student’s say affects their studies.

According to a spring 2009 poll of more than 2,200 college students across 40 colleges and universities:

·      85% of students reported feeling stressed on a daily basis

·      6 out of 10 students reported having felt so stressed they couldn’t get their work done on one or more occasions

·      Since starting college, over 70% of students have not considered talking to a counselor to help them deal with stress or other emotional issues

There are many different factors that result to a student’s stress;

·      30% said grades caused them stress

·      17% said money caused them stress

During these hard times, most students stated they would turn to a friend or parent for support and only 30% said they would go to a campus-counseling center.

Another big problem that most college students face is lack of sleep. Without sleep, your body does not function properly and can cause students to lose focus and not be well rested for class or exams. Only 13% of students said they felt well rested for their classes the next morning, 46% said they slept enough on 3-5 days, 29% felt well rested on 1-2 days, and 12 % stated they did not get enough sleep once in the past week.

Most of these factors can lead to other major problems such as depression, eating disorders, and suicide. Although stress is sometimes unavoidable when it comes to certain courses or the way some students schedules are made up, it is very important for students to try and take a couple of hours to themselves, exercise to release some stress or at least try and get a few hours of sleep each night. No sleep at all can really affect a student’s daily life and cause them to be unable to fulfill their day and get things done.

Posted in Social Problems | 3 Comments »

21. April 2010 by student.

The drinking age should not be lowered. Under aged drinking causes problems not only form the consumer, but the society around them as well. 29% of high school seniors say they have been binge drinking. The high consumption of alcohol leads to failing grades in school and eventually dropping out. In a study of 5,000 people under the age of 21 1,900 of them died due to drunk driving. The statistics only tell one side of the story. Those intoxicated behind the wheel could have possible killed someone else or injured them. Drunk drivers plague the streets and highway of every state. There is an estimated 10.8 million under aged drinkers is the U.S. Drinking alcohol is a gateway to other serious problems for the consumer. While impaired they are at risk of sexual assault, unprotected sex, substance abuse, depression, violence, and dependence. Alcohol consumption can lead to addiction and the use of drugs and eventually grown dependent on them as well. The under aged drinkers have clearly shown they are not responsible enough to lower the drinking age to 18.         

cites used: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/AboutNIAAA/NIAAASponsoredPrograms/StatisticalSnapshotUnderageDrinking.htm

http://www.alcohol-addiction-info.com/Addiction_to_Drugs_and_Alcohol_-_A_Disease.html

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »

21. April 2010 by student.

Ageism is defined as “the discrimination against persons of a certain age group” by dictionary.com. Discrimination of any kind is frowned upon, so why not lower the drinking age to 18? When one reaches 18 we have the power to choose the nation’s leader or pass amendments, yet we can’t indulge in a drink? If turning 18 means juvenile detention is no longer a luxury then under aged children are already aware of the consequences of their actions, so they know what will happen if they consume too much alcohol in public. They are responsible enough to take action for their own consumption. Kids always see their parents and family members drinking and kids normally look up to their parents, so drinking alcohol is seen as a mature act. The under aged then consume alcohol themselves to be like their role models or to look older and more mature. Lowering the drinking age would change their way of thinking. The effects of alcoholism can reach anyone who doesn’t drink responsibly, no matter what their age is. In European countries that do not have an age requirement, the number of car accident deaths caused by drunk driving has decreased 24% from 1991 to 1997. The lack of drinking age releases teens from the need to “act out” and then get behind the wheel of a car. Enforcing under aged drinking is a problem that sends patrol cars scouring neighborhoods looking for parties. If a teen or teens are caught drinking the officer normally offers a slap on the wrist and makes everyone go home. Police offers should be catching rapist and murders, not worrying about kids. Probation during the 1920s failed because the difficulty of enforcement. Some states have exemptions for under aged drinking anyways. Alcohol consumed on private property with consent, religious ceremonies, medical, and even educational purposes are allowed. States are making up reasons to let under aged kids drink, so might as well lower the age. Cheers.     

Cites used: http://drinkingage.procon.org/#didyouknow

http://drinkingage.procon.org/sourcefiles/SweedlerWorldwideDecline2000.pdf

Posted in Social Problems | 4 Comments »

21. April 2010 by student.

I recently read someone else’s post on the blog. The person talked about birth control pills and how they can be misleading. It really got me thinking about the subject. I agreed with many points. Even though birth control pills are 99.9% effective they are not 100% effective. People can still get STDs and get pregnant while taking birth control pills. Many females do not adequately research the medication before they take it. They may see it advertised on tv or their friends may be taking it, so they think it will be alright for them too. Even when they visit the doctor they may not be fully aware of all the cases of adverse side effects. I work at the hospital, and I had a patient that was admitted solely due to a severe life threatening incident caused ONLY by her birth control pills. It was very scary, and it was a huge eye opener. I have told all my friends to be careful and be more aware of what they are taking. When we try to manipulate our bodies to work other than the way they were designed (i.e. only have 3/4 cycles a year instead of 12) there can be life threatening complications. Most young females on birth control do not want to get pregnant because they cannot support a child so they get on birth control pills. However, this incident I witnessed first hand really made me think. There have been so many negative reports about the birth control pill Yaz, and it makes me wonder if all the research that could be done has been done to make sure the medications being distributed are really safe? Even though these incidents, like the one I witnessed, are few and outnumbered, I don’t want to be that one person who dies from complications.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

21. April 2010 by student.

Abortion means to end a pregancy before the time of birth. A miscarriage is a type of abortion and it means that the embryo or fetus is exspelled naturally. In my eyes an abortion should not be treated as a form of brith control.Abortion should be accectable for victims of rape or incest, baby has health problems/ or mother has health problems. Women’s Right, a woman’s body belongs to her and she can make the decision that fits her lifestyle.Nearly 4 out of 10 pregancies end up in abortion.Each year almost one million teenagers become pregnant.To prevent all these abortions think ahead and use birth control, and use protection.They way society looks upon abortions is that everyone should be Pro-Life, no person should be killed before they get to experience life.A beatiful life is created why ruin it?

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

21. April 2010 by student.

When an individuals life comes down to a panel of jurors and a court room full of people against that individual, my mind begins to tick; is the death penalty really what our world has come to? Life is a powerful gift bestowed upon each and every person that we see each and every day, so who has the right to decide when this gift should be revoked? Granted, there are some pretty horrible people out there, people that have committed crimes unfathomable by the average human being, but as the old saying says, “Two wrongs don’t make a right”. Take for example the case of Timothy McVeigh, the man responsible for the Oklahoma City Bombing. Being only six around the time of this attack, I have little to no recollection of the events that took place that day, but I knew that even for a man responsible for all that destruction, death, and pain that I witnessed, the death penalty is just not a decision for us to make. Death is a matter of Gods plan, end of story. I am not a religious fanatic by any means, I am lucky to make it to church a couple times a year, but even I have enough sense to see that the death penalty is a wrong means of punishment, regardless of the crime or crimes committed. I look back at these events and think that this man must have been a real monster, something of pure evil and hatred, but even with all of this anger towards a man I know very little about, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity for him as he sat there in a 9×11 room, eating his last meal of mint chocolate chip ice cream, awaiting his inevitable end. I was merely six years of age when I first realized what it truly meant to receive the death penalty, yet to this day my mind has not altered when it come to my standing on this barbaric act. A criminal is defined as a person guilty, or convicted of a crime, so can someone please tell me when condemning somebody to death became no longer a crime? No matter the amount of thought I put into this matter, and regardless of what angle I look at it from, the death penalty does not have a place in my world. I feel that it is not only illogical, but immoral all together.

Posted in Social Problems | 2 Comments »

21. April 2010 by student.

One of my worst fears in regards to growing old is the burden of being struck with some sort of financial struggle or strain. Being one of the poorest things a person can be (a college student), I have grown to learn one thing about not having proper finances; it is just not acceptable in today’s society. Most every person grows up with dreams of financial glory and lavish lifestyles, which to an extent, is feasible. They say however, that money cannot bring an individual happiness, but if you ask me, it does a damn good job of just that, once again to a certain extent. Even at this young of an age, I constantly try to wrap my head around how exactly I will one day not only provide for myself, but my family as well. Being on my own and having to work out my own finances (with the occasional help from mom and dad of course), has really opened my eyes to the issue of financial strain that faces many Americans today. It has not taken me long to realize that supporting a family , or even yourself, is a great financial feat, which has helped to teach me new budgeting techniques and money saving ways. Purchases no longer come on a “I want this” basis, rather I limit myself to the basic necessities and needs in which I must have to get by. This new outlook has helped me to eliminate the useless items I used to spend money on, just to have, which in turn has lowered my financial output tremendously. My parents, like myself, have taken notice to my new habits and ways, and this has made it easier for not only their wallets, but my relationship with them as a whole. By limiting myself to the bare necessities, I have created an easy solution to my financial struggles, but for many Americans it cannot be quite that easy. More needs to be done now than ever before in order to bite our financial struggles in the butt as a nation. Foreclosure and unemployment rates are at an all time high now, and more needs to be done to help our struggling citizens to flourish once again.

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »

21. April 2010 by student.

A recent news article covered former Stanford running Toby Gerhart and his frustration with scouts questioning his skills because of his race. Gerhart is a white running back. Among the 32 active NFL teams, none of them feature a white starting running. As a matter of fact, hardly any of them have any white running backs on their rosters. Why is this? The answer can be found in genetics. Science has showed us that individuals of West-African decent have higher “fast twitch muscle fibers” throughout their bodies. These muscles make quick bursting movements, such as sprinting and jumping, easier. It is no mystery, then, why a position in the most competitive sports league on Earth would feature players that benefit from these genetic advantages. It is not only the NFL that is dominated by African Americans, but also the NBA. Let’s look at this from a statistician’s perspective. African Americans make up roughly 13% of the United State’s population. Thus, approximately 13% of all professional athletes should be African American. This is not the case. The NBA has hundreds of players; more than 80% of them are African American. In the sport of track and field, no white man has ever run a 100 meter dash in less than 10.00 seconds; 30 black men have broken that mark. Although it is unfortunate that Gerhart is taking abuse, it is true that he is a minority as a white running back. Though his talent is undeniable, so is the fact that African Americans did not take over the world of sports by chance or statistics, but by science.

Posted in Social Problems | 2 Comments »

21. April 2010 by student.

There are many advocates for lowering the legal drinking age to 18. Many base their opinion off such issues as “I’m old enough to fight in a war”, or “I’m old enough to vote and use tobacco, so why can’t I drink alcohol”? The reason, in my opinion, is because it is in the best interest of society to not have such a powerful drug introduced to young individuals that are especially susceptible to binge episodes and periods of dependency. Recent studies have shown that the presence of alcohol drastically increases the likelihood of a fatal car accident. More disturbing, the probability of a 18-22 year old to attempt to operate an automobile is greater than that of older age categories. Many high school aged children testified that they only drink “on occasion”, with the main reason for not drinking more often the “availability of the alcohol”. This shows that children between the ages of 14-17 are not refraining from drinking because they don’t wish to drink, but because the opportunity is not available. A statistic showed that approximately 10% of all high school students are at least 18 years old. With high schools in the state of Florida averaging about 1,500 students, this would introduce 150 potential “suppliers” of alcohol for these opportunistic drinkers. It is clear that alcoholism among these individuals would rise drastically if the legal age was lowered due to increased availability. To further strengthen the case for not lowering the legal drinking age, it has been proven in multiple studies that younger people are more likely to engage in “binge drinking” that creates hazards such as longevity issues, alcohol abuse issues, lifelong dependency, and an increase chance of being in a fatal auto accident.

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »