Underlying Racism

Although we now have a black president, there is still a lot of underlying racism in our country. After all, our president is still half-white. The minorities in this country have to prove to others that they are just as good as the majority, or the dominant group, also known as the whites. For instance, if you are a minority interviewing for a position that a white person is interviewing for, you better be certain that you have more experience on your resume. Even that will not guarantee your being hired for that position.
When people of minority backgrounds enter a store, they are looked at suspiciously, but when whites enter the store they are treated like real clients. How is this fair? Is my money not as good as his? I came in here to buy something and that other person is just browsing, yet you still don’t give me the time of day.
We like to say that we have gotten rid of racism in our country, but we haven’t. It is still very apparent in all aspects of life, whether it be driving to work or just walking down the street. We act differently and we become more aware of our surroundings when we feel uncomfortable. But really, this is just the fear of the unknown. The only way to fix this is to educate yourself about the different ethnicities that you come across in your life. Once you know a little more about their culture you might be surprised how much you have in common with them. So instead of just looking at someone’s skin color or presentation as a judgment, why don’t you try and find out more about their culture first. You could just end up with a new friend.

Cultural Norms

If you really observe your world around you, you will pick up certain cultural norms. Unwritten rules, if you will. In fact, cultural norms are happening every day. For example, there are specific cultural norms that everybody seems to follow in a classroom, such as always sitting while the professor is speaking, not talking on your phone, taking notes and paying attention, and not causing a scene during classtime. One big cultural norm that occurs here on Manhattanville Campus is the tray in the cafeteria. Nobody uses it, yet it is so practical. Ideally, you could get everything you wanted in one sitting instead of getting up 3 or 4 times just to get another dish. Apparently, using the tray is not cool, though. I was even told on my first day of orientation to not use the tray because then I wouldn’t be cool. Even though I pick up on this cultural norm, I do not think that I will ever violate it.
One of my favorite examples of a cultural norm occurs in any local Target or CVS. There never seems to be anybody browsing the condom isle. It’s like you just go in, take which ones you think you want, and leave. The catch is that you always buy normal things to go along with it, such as shampoo, maybe some paper towels or a toothbrush also. You can’t just buy condoms.
Although I want to stand up to some of these cultural norms, I do not. Sometimes I think if whether I am following the crowd, or if it’s not such a big deal. I mean, they are kind of like unwritten rules to our society. Either way, most of them do not seem to be affecting anybody in a harmless way, so why not stick to what I’m comfortable with? Maybe one day I’ll break out of my box and use a tray at
Manhattanville College.

Explicit Lyrics

It seems that the more liberal we become the more bad things we can say and get away with, especially when it comes to rap music. The lyrics talk about everything from drugs to demeaning women with sexual behaviors. And people seem to think this is Ok! In fact, the albums with the explicit sign on the front are the most bought albums. Nobody wants to listen to clean lyrics anymore; it’s all about the dirty. Maybe it has to do with expressing our inner, more angry selves. If singers are expressing themselves through their lyrics, why can’t we express ourselves too?
Sometimes these lyrics come with a price. Even though we are protected by the First Amendment for Free Speech, are we going too far? There is no use in putting other people down, including your competition. Since this is done in the musical industry, we, as consumers, think it’s Ok to put people down around us. Music has brought us a lot of good beats and lyrics and happiness, but it has also brought us into lyrical turmoil.
Playing the devil’s advocate, I also see the good in expressing yourself through music, even though it could put down others. After all, we are entitled to it, so why not use it? It is a great stress releaser, and there have been so many accounts of where music has quote “saved my life.” People relate better to people who sing about real-life scenarios, not just sunshine and rainbows. That is why, as much as I do not agree with some lyrics, I agree that musical artists should always be allowed to express themselves, whether with explicit lyrics or happy, harmonious melodies.

McDonaldization of America

The United States of America is facing many challenges. One of these challenges is childhood obesity. There are more overweight children in America than in any other nation. The number one place to blame: McDonalds. They started the fast-food chains that are now taking over all of America: the McDonaldization of America, we like to call it. Kids all around the world know what McDonalds is. Every child in America has tasted the hamburger happy meal and was rewarded with a toy. So now, children think it’s good to eat hamburgers and fried chicken nuggets because they are rewarded with a special toy catered to their age group. How do we fix this problem?
Certain corporations are taking a stand against childhood obesity by replacing vending machines and soda machines with healthier and more nutritious snack options. More fast food restaurants are adding salads and other healthier options to their menus. But is this really working? Apparently, childhood obesity rates are declining, but not fast enough. This seems like a battle that we will have to fight for some time in order to get it controlled. In the meantime, I will stay away from fast food and vow to take care of myself so that I do not become a statistic.

Importance of Sports

Throughout my life I have played soccer. Soccer has kept me from getting into trouble on the streets. It keeps me grounded and disciplined. It helps me with my time management. Most importantly, there is nothing like that accomplished feeling you get when you have a team of brothers who you know will always be by your side.
With most children and young adults, sports are a key aspect in one’s life that keeps the person away from violence and danger. This team atmosphere is what builds high self-esteem. The encouragement from your teammates is the best kind of encouragement because it makes you feel accomplished and ready to take on any obstacles. The sense of belongingness is fulfilled because you do belong; you belong to a group that is all striving for a common goal. Each person has their role, or their responsibility, to fulfill in order for the team to succeed. The feeling of accomplishing your goal is a natural high; and the best feeling of all is walking off that field dead tired, but with your head held high knowing that you did your best.

Materialism

What serves as one of the top five economic supporters for the United States? Material objects. As Americans, we are obsessed with buying the next new thing. It ranges from clothing to electronics to cars. Anything that will make us stand out and make us look good is what we strive for. The media does an excellent job of convincing us to buy all these things; most of which we do not need. Why can’t we just be happy with a car that gets us from Point A to Point B? Why do we feel the need to “pimp out” our vehicles with all these extra add-ons? Are we striving for being different? Or are we striving to see who is the best?
I know I have personally been affected by this materialistic outlook. I look at the brand names on all my clothing. If I see something new and trendy, I want to buy it. For some, this need to purchase new items is a disease. Their credit cards are maxed out, yet they still keep purchasing. We could blame the credit card companies for allowing us to make such reckless purchases, but they’re not the real problem. One of the most difficult treks in life is the trek to be you. So really, it is our faults. We should be able to resist all these sales offers and commercials telling us that we aren’t cool unless we have X. I, for one, am ready to take a stand. Who’s with me?

Aggression

Aggression seems to be a prominent problem in today’s society. Is it because there are more stressors in life? Is it because of popular steroid use? Or does it just seem more prominent because of the media? You can watch any type of fight on the internet now. Just type in what you want to see and there it is, right in front of you, one click away. Why do we love aggression so much?
There have been studies suggesting that men seem to be more aggressive than woman. However, now these studies are being replaced with new studies about women being just as aggressive. It seems to be ok for everybody to lash out at everybody else. Examples such as road rage and bar fights are prime topics. So why does fighting seem to be the answer to everything?
What about video games? Almost all video games are filled with violence. In fact, in order to win, you must have to have the most kills with most games. Does this make our society more aggressive? There is definitely a possibility of video games causing more aggression, but not the type of aggression such as going out and buying a shotgun and shooting everybody you don’t like. The type of aggression seen after violent videogame playing is seen in the cognitive process of the gamer. The violence desensitizes the gamer to what would be dangerous situations and it makes people more likely to act out in violence. However, videogames will always be part of popular culture, so in order to stop violence, we should educate the public, and especially parents, about reality versus fantasy so that they will be more aware of their violent actions.