What American Dream?

There were many stories in the film we've been watching in class, but the one that affected me most was definitely Tammy's story. It was devastating! She'd grown up in a completely different world than the one we (those of us in the Stevenson bubble) are used to. She had twenty-one siblings! And now she lives in a trailer with her children in the middle of nowhere. Her life has not changed since she was a child - it's a cycle and it seems that she'll never be able to get out. Like Sal said, most of us would love to get the chance to talk to her and "fix" her, but where would we start? I thought about this quite a lot and couldn't come up with an answer. Tammy is willing to work: she walks ten miles to her job everyday! So she has the will. She has no car or means of transportation. She literally lives in the middle of a field. That way of living will be ingrained into her children as well. One of her sons wants to go to college and move up in society, but even then she was calling him "preppy" and saying that "he thinks he's better than [them]". All that does is make her son feel bad about wanting to improve his lifestyle. Her other son seemed more than happy to sit in front of the television all day and do nothing. So there's really nowhere to start with improvements. She literally can't get a job to raise her above poverty level. She has no opportunities. She is trying her very best and is barely keeping her head above water. What does this say about America? A parent can't provide for their family and is forced to live in the conditions Tammy and her family live in - it's sickening! People in the suburbs (like Stevenson) are worried about getting the latest gadgets and Tammy's worried about what she can afford for the next meal. The extremities in America really make it a two-class system! The rich are getting richer and the poor and getting poorer and the middle-class is virtually non-existent. But as much as this bothers people, if you honestly stop to think about it, what can we do?

America the not-so-helpful

Before reading those articles about jails and watching that "30 Days" episode, I had no idea how little jail really does. In fact, I really think it really is a waste of time because most of the inmates will be back multiple times in their life. Doesn't this send a message? Doesn't this tell us that we're doing something wrong? We lock people up for years, treating them almost like animals, and let them go, expecting them to be able to adapt to a completely different world and without any help. Since around half of the inmates in federal prisons are in for drug-related issues, jails need to be more than just a place they stay and eat and sleep. Drug addiction is a serious problem - people cannot help themselves and shouldn't be expected to! Locking them up does absolutely nothing. Even for those prisoners who are in for violent crimes should be helped. There should be some way to help them learn about what they did wrong, why it was wrong, what they can do to improve their lives and what's going on in the world when they get out. Being released from jail after thirty years cannot be easy - it's a completely different world! And with no help, the convicts will just fall right back into their old habits. It's such a corrupt system and it is so sad that the United States is doing nothing to help the people who need it most.

"The Saints and the Roughnecks"

The article we read for class, "The Saints and the Roughnecks" was a really good read because it is so very true. The kids that everyone views as good students that come from good families are almost always forgiven their crimes. However, those teens that come from poverty are seen as delinquents from the start and if they are accused of something, they're immediately thought of as guilty. This is so very true and it's prevalent at Stevenson. Many students at Stevenson are involved in breaking the laws almost every weekend. On the rare occasion a student is caught, the most common story is that they get off with almost no punishment. I've heard of students being in several DUI's and having no consequences, because "they have a really good lawyer". I cannot believe this happens. My cousin attended a much poorer high school around here where crime was also common. However, she told me that they were always being arrested and expelled from school. How is it that the kids from the upper middle class get away with the same crimes committed by those from low-income families? It truly is society's view of them because all I hear is how lucky I am to attend such a great high school and how everyone will grow up to be successful and lead such wonderful lives. But the truth is, when students get away with everything at such a young age, all it teaches them is that no matter what they do, there will never be any punishments or repercussions for those actions. They will expect the same bailing out in their adult lives which is just unrealistic. As for the "roughnecks", all they will hear their entire lives is how they are delinquents and untrustworthy and expected to be failures. Therefore, most of them grow up fulfilling these predictions. It is an ongoing circle for the two classes and succeeds in separating them further and further and giving America much more of a two class society.

Proud citizens

This past Election Day, I participated as an Election Judge at my local polling place. I found out about volunteering through my government class over the summer. Since I couldn't vote, I wanted to get involved somehow and this seemed the perfect way. It was a super long day (15 hours!) but well worth it. I learned how the process works so next election, I'll be prepared. It was very thrilling and patriotic to see the amount of people who turned up to be apart of their country. We opened at six in the morning and by five-thirty, there were about 50 people waiting outside to vote before they went to work. Throughout the day there were many elderly people, but there also a lot of young people, more than I expected. It seemed that they understood the importance of this election and decided to take part. It was so nice to see them there, looking excited to vote. Because it was such a long day, my colleagues and I had fun guessing which people were voting for which candidate (under our breaths of course). The proud looks on the voters' faces as they left were so inspiring and I cannot wait until I can participate myself.

Skinny doesn't mean healthy

During class we discussed Dove's attempt to advertise with average-sized women. I simply love this. I think that America's view of beauty is so corrupted because of all of these ads and rail-thin models everywhere. How skinny you are means nothing - all that truly matters is that you're healthy. Everywhere we look, we see tall, thin women with mile-long legs, and large breasts. Because of that, many young girls aspire to look like them, when their look is just unrealistic. Each person is made different for a reason and should be proud of their own look. Sure, my thighs might never be what I call skinny, but I'm proud of my body. I eat healthily and try to work out when I can. I think that Dove showing the world how women really look, before their hair and make-up is done is such a great idea and so inspiring. Men should accept us no matter what we look like and love us in spite of our flaws, or perhaps due to them. No one is picture perfect and the sooner America realizes this, the better off we all are.