What I am thankful for

I'll be the first to admit that I usually look at the dark sides of life instead of the bright. Today, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I will try something different. Here is what I am thankful for:

1. My family: They allow me to be myself and always make the holidays fun.

2. Mr. Boyfriend: He is amazing and is everything I could ever want and need.

3. My community: Whether it is church, cl, or school; my wider community causes me to think and develop stronger opinions on issues I care about. The various people give me a lot of perspective.

4. My cats: It seems silly, but those little creatures really help me out when I'm down. They give me reassurance that pure good does exist in this world and that not everything is muddied up and broken.

5. My education: It isn't always fun, but it has given me what I need to be succeaful in this world all for no cost to me. Sweet deal.

6. Privlige: I have so muchcompared to the reat of the world. I have food, a house, schooling, clothing, and am able bodied. I have privlige. I often find myself feeling guilty about having it, but it is a tool I can use to create change.

7. A higher power: I am not certain who this higher power is or what they have in store for me, but I have a great amount of faith and I know that something/someone beyond myself and the tangible world around me is guiding me in the right direction.

Hapoy Thanksgiving, all!

Debating the Practice of Debating

I've always been good at debates and I've liked them mainly because they were so easy to win. The biggest part of debating is supporting a viewpoint, and I can support almost any. The problem comes in when I start to believe what I say. If I'm forced to produce evidence that freedom of religion is wrong, I can do that. I can do it so well that my mindset starts to shift. I can even shift the mindset of others.

Many say that this is the best thing about debating: making oneself and others consider both sides of an issue so that they can form their own opinion. I can see merit in that, but at the same time, it comes at a cost. Many who are impressionable see a debate and side with the group that supports its ideas the best. The group may not even believe the ideas, but have become so talented at debating that they make it seem as they do and can make a compelling argument.

The focus on debate in school may be sending bad messages to students. One such message is that one must take a side on either extreme and support it with everything they say. This creates extreme viewpoints. In debating, there is no room for finding middle ground or creating solutions. It is merely arguing at one extreme and sticking to a stance without compromise. This reminds me of our political climate, and I'm tempted to say that there is a relation between the focus on debating skills and the inability to compromise in congress. A few weeks ago, John Stewert had a rally in which one key point was that moderate shouldn't be a bad word in politics. In debate it is-there is no room to be moderate and it frightens me how debate mirrors our political system.

As a pacifist, a major problem I also see with debate is that it creates a young army of arguers. Instead of congratulating students for talking though a problem peacefully and coming up with solutions, we reward them for attacking each others viewpoints and never really resolving an issue. Students are simply not being able to resolve problems in debate and it certainly isn't being addressed in other areas of schooling. Debating trains kids to argue and not to build relationships and solve problems.

I know that my opinion about debating is unpopular, but it teaches people to agree with things that they do not. While it may seem like a good skill, it seems to eventually create people who are weak willed. If in the workplace, one is presented with a view that they don't agree with, they will go back to their conditioning in school and find reasons to support it instead of stating their alternate view. Debating, I think, trains people to ignore their moral conscious and thus wears it away.

If I Ruled the World....

Today, I was not a happy camper. People continuously disappointed me throughout the day. I began to lightheartedly think: "what would I do if I could rule the world?"

1. Change the laws in regard to who can drive.

Some people simply cannot do it. They don't know how to follow the rules of the road and they shouldn't be allowed to drive. We need to test drivers often to make sure that their skills are still strong. In regards to drunk driving, punishments need to be more severe. People idiotically put others' lives in danger and they deserve to go to jail for that...on the first time every time.

2. Legalize Marijuana

Legalize...and tax! The war against drugs is putting a financial strain on our country and has created even more intricate organized crime. The government needs to take over this role and make some money for itself as well as take away some of the power of organized crime. Also, marijuana is no worse than cigarettes. It shouldn't ruin a young person's live just because they smoke it. They shouldn't lose their federal student loans and have to deal with consequences that just don't fit the crime.

3. Require a more Rigorous Finance Curriculum

Sure, Missouri has a one half credit PFM requirement for graduation, but is that really enough? By 10th grade, students have already developed spending habits and a class such as pfm won't make them reconsider. However, if we teach kids at a young age to never spend more than they make, it has a shot at working. People need to stop living beyond their means and maybe with a more targeted curriculum, we can combat that and have a stronger economy.

4. Require schools/employers to Include LGBTQIA in their nondiscrimination policy

How is this not a requirement already? People who's gender identity/sexual preference differs from what society views as "normal" are still people who can contribute amazing things to our world. Instead, they are committing suicide while schools do nothing and getting fired from jobs that they are capable of doing. The sad thing is, all of this is perfectly legal. 

I know there is much more that I would change, but that's just what is on my mind today. Good luck humanity!

What Happens When The Story Ends

A few days ago, I was watching a movie that followed a woman and a man who seemed totally unalike but found themselves in love with each other. The movie ended with them embracing and kissing for the very first time. This is very typical of "romantic" movies, with the plot often revolving around the pre-relationship stages. Rarely does a film actually follow the couple deeper into their relationship once it has been established.

Pondering this, I realized that this romanticized idea of falling for someone is affecting the way many view relationships, including myself at one point in my life. I used to find myself wondering what a couple did after the first few months of a relationship: how exactly does it stay interesting after the "interesting" part has already happened? I couldn't come up with any reason to actually stay with a person. I wanted to keep falling-to keep crushing-for it was romantic. I find myself sympathizing with women (and I'm sure men too) who cannot maintain a relationship. They've been taught their whole life about how fun it is to fall in love and naturally try to recreate that in their lives. They have never been-or rarely have been-introduced to the joys of staying in love.

We focus on this short time period of falling for someone and completely miss the big picture: going for walks with someone who knows everything about you, progressing in your life with someone by your side, and having someone who has been there for you and will be in the future. It may not be what our society deems interesting, but it sure is more wonderful than a first kiss and lasts much longer too. Staying in love is so much better and worthwhile then falling in love. Maybe in the future, we will make staying in love a priority in the media.

What Integration Looks Like in 2010

A few days ago, I was volunteering with an event for our district's elementary and middle schoolers. out of at least 200 kids there, only 5 or 6 were African American and at least 90 percent (most likely above 95) were white. I realize that this may not be a completely representative sample of the population, but our district is phasing out integration programs and almost everyone IS white. A big idealist part of me would like to see integration reemerge at my school and around the country. I could go on all day about how diversity is vital to students. It teaches them how to interact with those who are different from them and prepares them for the world outside their subdivision. The idea of bringing in students who come from a different area and are of a different race is such a great idea. There is another side of me that wonders how effective integration by busing really is. Busing often adds an extra 2 hours commute to a student's day. This is time they could spend studying and participating in activities. Instead, they are on a bus. To me, that seems like a very unfair situation to put kids into. I am also beginning to question how effective integration is at creating diversity. From what I see, there are clear racial groups at my school. There are groups of African American students and groups of white students without much mixing. Is this really the diversity that we want? Students also miss the community that comes with living within the boundaries of their school district.

Integration cannot continue how it is now. Busing students from one area to another does not solve the lack of diversity. True diversity is more than quotas. To truly bring our system beyond the quotas, programs need to be put into place that encourage interaction between different ethnic groups and teachers need to learn how to foster diversity and meet the needs of their minority students. This still doesn't solve the two hours bus rides that are taxing on students. In all honesty, I'm not all that sure how to fix the problem. According to the courts, integration isn't all that necessary anymore. I certainly don't agree, but maybe they have a point that the way we integrate now is not the right way.

Election Recap by Erin

Yesterday, Americans voted and highlighting the elections were widespread democratic defeats. The biggest issue in the elections in Missouri was taxation. There were ballot issues in the state that attempted to eliminate earnings taxes in urban areas and prohibits taxes for properties that change hands. Both passed with overwhelming majorities. Both campaigns fought on the basis of "no taxes" without any sort of ideas on how to replace the expected loss revenue. Why is there a "taxes are bad" mentality in the United States right now? Taxes fund roads, schools, police, and firefighters. It seems as if people expect these services to pay for themselves or at least for someone of a different socio-economic class to take on the burden of the taxes they do not wish to pay. In my opinion, this a large problem America is facing: we expect world class services without paying world class taxes. For decades, we have been receiving services that are beyond our means. Ballot issues like those in Missouri show an unwillingness to pay for them and also an unwillingness to give things up. Our expectations have gotten completely out of control.

The election of Republican Senator Roy Blunt over Democrat Robin Carnahan in Missouri mirrors many other elections in the United States. I found myself, like many other Democrats, disappointed in the candidate. Her ads were negative, her words were uninspired, and I found myself haphazardly supporting her because she was "the best of the worst". Roy Blunt on the other hand gained support in appealing to the anger of voters over their economic situations. He won-by a lot. The Tea Party seems to have adopted a similar strategy. They speak about past failures and get people enraged about the current political system. It's been successful...and it's what is wrong with the political system. Voters yesterday did not vote based on issues or a strong candidate. Instead of placing a vote FOR someone, their vote was cast AGAINST someone. The congress we have elected is not working towards fixing problems, but is now working to satisfy the emotions of voters. To be fair, this is hardly new and not at all a partisan issue: Democrats have done it before. However, the depth of this anger in so many elections was so deep that I find myself concerned. People neglected the issues and disregarded facts. Anger has turned into complete ignorance in some and if it continues, we will find our country controlled by some of the most negative and outrageous people. If Barack Obama had one thing right, it is that hope is the key. Hope unites people and it did just that in 2008. This anger and the Tea Party movement are tearing us apart.

Last night, I realized that our country is in dire need of a change. That change is not a Democratic majority of a Republican majority but it is a change in mindset. It is a change in the thinking that "taxes are bad". It is a change that turns anger and divisions into trying to solve problems together. The results-and the last 4 or so months-showed that we aren't there yet, but if we communicate and acknowledge the good in ideas and values different than our own, we may get there.