Personal Freedom and a Flag

The confederate flag has been the subject of controversy ever since it was taken down by the state of South Carolina. On July 10th of 2015, the state of South Carolina took down the flag after a mass of various protests. The protests were surrounding what the flag stood for. Some people believed that the flag was nothing more than their heritage. It represented their heritage by showing how far America has come since the civil war. It was put up in 1860 as a reminder of the confederate. After the war years went by and the flag was picked up by neo-Nazi groups. Those group initially were not connected to the civil war or confederates. Now they use the flag to represent themselves just like other evil dictators have used symbols of history as their flag / representation. That is sad, but that is the way it has to be.
Now since people see it on or associated with neo-Nazi groups, some people in South Carolina wanted the flag taken down. The people who wanted the flag taken down saw the flag as a form of racism in the past. It was seen as the state supporting the racism in the past and boasting about it. The flag was spoken about through personal freedom, the freedom to speak.
Through personal freedom people were able to see to it that the symbol of hate in their eyes was taken down. This was a good lesson in reminding the modern generation what using their freedom can do for themselves.

Personal Freedom

Personal freedom comes in many forms. Here in America specifically, there are many forms. Some forms are the freedom to individuality, the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, etc. America is very different from other countries. In the case of the fact that there are so many freedoms and those freedoms built America.
 People of this modern generation often forget how special it is to have such a choice and freedom in their everyday life. Not everyone can say that they are allowed to walk outside freely. Not everyone in the world can come before a court in their own personal freedom as an equal.
The freedom in which people in America have today are forgotten and lost. Lost back in time with the struggle generations back fought for and through. Today people forget what it is like to have to go to war and fight to be free or be a woman confided to stereotypes such as staying in the kitchen. People have forgotten the hardship back then and there for have forgotten their freedom.
It is a sad and long chain for events that have lead American's to forget the right to their freedom. They have forgotten what an exercised right can do through the power of freedom, free speech. That was not until people in South Carolina wanted the confederate flag taken down under the pretenses that it stood from racial misfortune. People spoke and people fought for the flag to be taken down There was a division in the country that had the country caught in controversy. That was that the flag was also heritage. that got people talking and the state to listen. Eventually the flag was taken down and the people were heard.
That is the simple example of freedom, Personal freedom.

#likeagirl 2

This is commercial is set in place to represent what it is like to be a women in society. It is set in place to highlight what is wrong with society and why women are stereotyped as such. It is a shame that companies have come down to this. Having to show the public what it is like to be a girl and how hard it is. That is how society is set up though. Society will not realize what has gone wrong until it is too late.
A girl has always been on the punch line side of the joke. To be a women was seen as being weak and wearing dresses while looking for their knight in shinning armor. The truth through this commercial is showing what it is like to be a girl. That the stereotypes come from a place of hate and mockery lost in time. People did it innocently, but that only goes so far until that person becomes ignorant.
The commercial has both men and women in it. To show that it is not only men who see women as weak growing up, but women from a young age are taught how to be a woman.
The commercial is the sad reality of what society has become and probably will remain as for a while. This was a viral effort to effectively show how everyone can change how they initially think of a certain sex. They had each person act how what it like to be a girl, act like a girl, to show people's first train of thought. Then when they went through a variation of what women act like during sports, shopping, etc. When they were done they asked why those people had acted so sexist. The actors were shocked and then as they were asked, acted like a girl again. They acted like normal people.
This was almost a form of a wake up call, shock to regular people who were trying to make a good impression on strangers.

#Likeagirl

There are many ads out there usually focused on selling a product, but not all too often are there ads that embody self-empowerment and break down gender stereotypes among segregated groups, in this case sex.
To sell a product, it usually involves women of a sex appealing age. In this case this ad by 'Always' uses most likely underage, but socially aware girls and a few men and boys. This right off the bat sets a different feel to the commercial. The girls and men/boys, cut in segments to line up together, walk in one by one. They all range in shape, size, and skin tone. They portrays a sense of innocents and curiosity to the viewers as the set is pretty bland. There is a blank background and bight lights that the children and adults walk into. They stand there and wait for directions from a director behind the lights. The director gives the same set of directions to each of them.
The first question is " Show me what it looks like to run like a girl." Each child and adult proceeds to exemplify the stereotype integrated by society fro 100's of years ago. They run 'girly'- dumb, stupid, ditsy, weak. Its not how anyone runs, yet these people do it as such.
The next question is " Throw like a girl" and again they act weak and dumb. They pretend they have never seen a real like female throw a ball or even function for that matter.
The questions go as such and the same actions are repeated until the end when the final question is asked:
"is like a girl a bad thing?"
to which the people stood there and said they did not think it was, but fell back to their action and understood what they were doing undermined women of all ages. They slowly understood that the way people portray women is insulting to them and putting them down.
They were given a chance to do it all over again and this time they acted as themselves regardless of gender.
The ad was not about selling a product to people, but showing why a consumer should buy to a company. The company stands for equality and fairness. Women and men should be treated fairly.

Dolls are for girls

From a time before society was completely formed and established, basic roles were in place. In prehistoric times men hunted for food all day long while women were most likely pregnant or with a young child in their shelter. From there, roles were established unintentionally. In the 1940s and 1950s roles in the house were again established when the men went off to war and the women were left home with their young children. Although, women worked in factories when the men were away, working women were still seen as nontraditional. The role of work was assigned back over to men when the majority returned. Women returned to the household to care for children, the craving to become a breadwinner remained for many women. 

These assigned roles stunted the women from progressing in life and expanding their horizon. Women wanted to work and do things men traditionally did, but that was not the traditional way. Women eventually won over society and were able to come out of the household. Although they broke some gender confining roles, they are still confined to certain traditions in the regular society in common day. 

As people drive through McDonald's and order a kids meal, they are asked if it is for a boy or a girl. The gender of the child depends on whether or not the child gets a doll or a car. That mentality can be found throughout toy stores and advertising as well. In toy stores, girl toys are often pink, kitchen toys, or a type of doll. Boys get a car, tool sets, or an insects. The same for advertising, the girls play with dolls and boys with cars. It's unfortunate and sad to see that the toys boys play with are toys that teach them skills and motivate them to create and progress. Girls are taught to stay within the house clothing children and cooking food for a family. It's an interesting comparison from prehistoric times to modern day and how traditions can become so outdated and sexist so quick.

Birth Does Not Define Gender

From a time people are young to a time they grow up, they are looking up to someone. That someone could be parent, grandparent, celebrity, etc. These children growing up are influenced by the people around them. They see straight couples together, they see gay couple together and they know that their own future is bright.

What happens when a little boy sits in front of the tv and sees a woman and thinks how much he wants to grow up to be like her. To wear feminine clothes, makeup, have big hair, a soft voice, and have totally confidence in himself. Only, boys do not grow up to be girls. He knows he will grow up to have a deep voice and a big built figure because that’s how all of his older brothers are built.

He slowly grows up, secretly wanting to be the person he can never be. At first he will either try to pass himself off as gay or straight male as that is what he has seen on tv.

It is not until later that he turns on the TV and see a woman who was born a man standing proudly in a dress, big hair, and softer voice. He looks into her and finds out that she is transsexual. Her gender was the wrong one assigned at birth.  She was born a he, but is able to be who she truly is through confidence and her doctors help.

People often mix up what sexuality is and what gender is. Being Transsexual/ gender is also a change in gender as well. What sex people are born with is not who they may be and that is not their sexuality. That is their gender regardless of the name, Transsexual/gender. It is not necessarily a change in sexuality. It is mostly a change in gender. That is so the person can be who they are inside. 

Failing Educational System in North America

North America is well-known for many things in the world, but education is not one of them. In fact, North America is often the bud of the joke when it comes to comparing their educational system to the rest of the world. North America fails their up-and-coming students in many ways. One of the vigorously studied flaws of North America's educational system is the hours most schools nation wide open their doors. Another issue with their educational system is the teacher's salary and how that correlates to the well being and motivation of the students. Lack of funding and communication leads to many upset parents and school closures. North America's educational system falls short of international expectations as well as higher education expectations because there is a vast amount of under funding which leads to lack of motivation from the teachers and students.
North America has many flaw with there educational system, one of those flaws being the teacher's salary. Teacher's are a crucial part in development and motivation of a student and their learning. Teacher's in North America are less determined to help students due to the poo funding found commonly among American schools. Teachers often find it difficult in low income areas to provide a level of education that would prepare them for High School or College. They may not be able to provide their children with the necessary goods that would help the children learn at a better rate. Rather, these children are more likely to fall behind. Teachers may also find that due to the lack of funding, their salaries will become depleted and they will not be working with a contract securing steady income. For some teachers, a steady income is their personal form of motivation to teacher. For those few students who have teachers with that mind set may find that their after school hours or 'office hours' are revoked and therefore are unable to get the extra learning they may need.

Under the topic of funding the children are subject to a poorer form of education due to the public school quality in their neighborhood. In primarily impoverished neighborhoods, a lot of schools are set up for the entrance into high school and nothing much more after that. There are expectation that come from the lack of funding in schools. Those expectations of the students fall under entering high school, but no push to complete the schooling or  go onto high education. Funding for public school is often found in nicer, high income areas even though it should be the other way around. By the the government focusing more on the high income neighborhoods, it fails to give all student and equal opportunity to find success in the American Educational System.
Miscommunication is nothing new to the schooling system here in America. From experience, public middle schools and private schools work at different paces. There are many lessons those who stuck to public education will never be taught and those lesson could be the lessons that make or break their chances of high education. Miscommunication also comes in the form of a basic classroom. The principal may want one thing from their students, but may forget that the lack of funding from the government restricts their ability to teach a lesson or have interactive activities that privately educated students are getting.
Miscommunication can lead to the closure of schools. The closure of schools would put students out on the streets for a couple of weeks until they can all be divided up and transferred to other schools.

America's Corrupt and Failing Education System

It is general knowledge that North America's education is corrupt and failing, but most people lack the understanding for why it is failing so drastically in comparison to other nations. 

North America offers a wide variety of education. For grades 1-12, those who have a larger incomes tend to lean towards privatize schooling. For those who could in other words not afford an elementary or high school education for their children are provided one by the United States Government, commonly referred to as "public school." 

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From a brief personal experience with public middle schooling in the United States, I found the public form of education to be lacking. There were no placement exams for myself to be appropriately placed into classes. Instead I was lumped into a large classroom with 50+ students and only a single teacher.  I recall my public middle school teachers working without a contract and job stability. I remember most of my friends living in apartments and moving often because their provider could no longer afford the basic goods I never had to think twice about when I went home. 

I have vivid memories of my friends of my 8th grades graduation. There was a speaker to congratulate us and encourage us to go onto finish high school and go onto pursue higher education. I remember the parents in rows behind us laughing at the thought of higher education. It is not until now that I understand how obscure and impossible it would be for a low income family to afford higher education. 

To America, higher education or any education that is privatized and/or segregated by the cost of attendance is seen as better education. Why is it better? because not  everyone can afford it. It holds a type of corrupt value to it like a Lamborghini or a  Louis Vuitton purse. 

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The educational system fails non-exemplary students because the testing of each student struggles to become individualized.  The standardized testing itself has good intentions, but the resources each student has varies on the amount of time and money they have spent on a "good" education. The tests that are in place in America do not represent those who are under privileged; those who cannot afford the extra help they may need.  

To help public school students become equal parts of society and progress up in the hierarchy we have implemented, they need to be offered the same type of education those of privileged backgrounds are able to obtain."These traditional and non-traditional students live in the community, are employed or seeking employment locally,at which, the income they earn contributes towards a healthy regional economy" (Schreiber). Money should not be the reason for someone to be uneducated.  

This article was inspired of the New York Times " How to Fix the Country's Failing Schools. And How Not To." 

And 
"We all Benefit From Well-Funded Community Colleges" By Kevin. J Schreiber.