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When babies are first born, the grown ups there to raise them often already having an idea of what they will be. These expectations are based off of the parents talents and personalities as well as what the parents do. As a result, They are never given their own identity until the early ages of adulthood because they are told that they can not do necessarily everything that they want because they are still minors who are undecided of who they are or want to be. The same thing happens to a lot of minorities and for longer amounts of time because they are not raised the “ideal” way. It sucks to have to be seen as someone else because someone set an example before or because it happens that someone might be “judging a book by its cover”. Unfortunately, the situation is similar and common for Black males. In addition to family expectations, they face the limiting stereotypes presented to them outside of the home. This stereotype loop, perpetuated by the news media, causes them to be demonized by the rest of society.

The media in America infamously identifies and calls out Black men as if they are a strange species that no one can control. The reason that these ideas of Black men are even imaginable is because the government has allowed them to be, by believing the stereotype themselves. On television news, they are not usually seen as news anchors, or even commercial spokesmen, but criminals. Michael Myers from The Huffington Post called out one of the biggest news stations for their demonization of Black men.

One blatant example of the discrimination of Black men happens to be from tv show hosts who usually sit down and invite celebrity guests on their show to talk about problems and situations going on in the world. Bill O'Reilly has gone as far as blaming Black men for majority of the violence in America."The media will not spotlight that much of the violent crime in America is being committed by young black men. There is a violent sub-culture in the African-American community that should be exposed and confronted."  Having a platform as big as Fox News broadcast that type of language was appalling. Fox allowed him to shame Black men as a whole with no repercussions. Black men are hardly ever given the chances or opportunities to become something other than the stereotypes they are given. If the tables were to have been turned and a Black man blamed White men for most of crimes in America, they definitely would have been penalized and made to issue an apology to his peers. Other Fox Show host such as Tomi Lahren and Megyn Kelly has even ridiculed the Black Lives Matter movement by making fun of the senseless murders of innocent Black men by police and other “higher authorities.”  This movement was made to let people all over the country know that they valued Black Lives, and they were going to make sure that they could do as much as possible to prevent as many unlawful deaths as they could. The intentions of the group were never to make a certain group feel better than the other, but more of a motive to bring people together. By criticizing that moment and the injustice it seeks to address, the Fox host totally disregarded Black families who have lost their loved ones to police brutality.

Prevalent racial name-calling not only happens on national news channels, it also happens locally as well. The majority of the stories covered on the news are in a negative light rather than a positive one. So if the news station is in a predominantly Black area such as Philadelphia, people would see Black men plastered across the screen for supposedly committing numerous crimes. One blatant example of the discrimination of Black men happens to be from tv show hosts who usually sit down and invite celebrity guests on their show to talk about problems and situations going on in the world.

One significant difference is the way Black men are portrayed on the news for crimes versus how White men are portrayed. When a Black man’s face is plastered on the news for a crime, people will often see mugshots from previous arrests, pictures of them throwing up (what are called) “gang signs,and so called evidence from their social media accounts linking them to the crime. When a White man commits a crime and is less likely plastered across the television screen. you will see his graduation photos, family photos, and casual photos of him. America’s media uses these photos to show the world the image of scary Black men because they don’t want to see them as anything else but that.

Black men are categorized as these evil things and then told they do not qualify for certain positions and jobs when in reality the people broadcasting these stereotypes on the news are at fault. America’s news media institutionalizes the stereotype that Black men are demonized monsters. The media victimizes innocent people nationally, and seeing these negative images starts to make people think that Black men are really these evil beings. But Black men play so many roles:  fathers, husbands, sons, lawyers, doctors, teachers, psychiatrist, humans. By not seeing them in their true positions, you are allowing them to fall true to their stereotypes and not be the best person that they can be.

Ashton Reigner

Ms. Pahomov

English 3

9 October 2017

Detrimental Donald

Donald Trump is the 45th president of the United States and has been in office since January 20, 2017. Since his election, he has done and said things that have never been done by a president before, none of which has put the country in a better place than it was before he came into office. From threatening other elected officials on Twitter to raising racial tension across the nation, it’s obvious that he is not fit for the job. For many reasons he has proved he is the most detrimental president in US history, but the most frightening is his attitude towards climate change. The biggest threat Trump poses is his threat towards climate change because of his censorship of science, his restruction of the EPA, and his choice in repealing previous environmental action made in the Obama era.

Being the president elected directly after Obama, Trump chose to undo a lot of the things Obama had done. One controversial decision Trump made was pulling out of the Paris agreement. This agreement was made to limit the amount of greenhouse gases released to help counter the climate change. Not only has he repealed this agreement, but he has also repealed a ban on offshore oil drilling. This ban was put into place after the spill caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil drill in 2010 and now Trump is repealing this ban opening the opportunity for another terrible spill to occur in the future. Choices like these put the US at a risk that even some of Trump’s own supporters don’t realize we have.

Along with the risk he has been imposing with the damage from his legal decisions, he has also been toying with the idea of nuclear warfare. Even before taking  office, one of Donald Trump’s favorite ways of talking to the public has been on the social media platform Twitter. On September 23, 2017, Donald Trump tweeted “Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer”. This tweet was published because the Prime Minister said to the U.N. that tweets like the one presented have been interpreted as a declaration of war on North Korea and that tweet was Trump’s response. The U.S. has the capability to launch nuclear missiles and Trump would be able to make the call. Nuclear weapons instantly kill all life in the target zone. One example is when the US dropped a bomb on Hiroshima. When the bomb was dropped in 1945, it decimated everything within a 4.4 square mile radius of detonation. The 2017 U.S. Military Index shows that the U.S. still ha these nuclear capabilities but the public does not know the full extent of these capabilities. And since the time when the last bomb was dropped, technology has only improved which means any new bombs that could be dropped would be more harmful than anything the world has ever seen .Donald Trump’s immaturity and cavalierness about nuclear warfare can be more harmful to the U.S. than the citizens fully understand.

Since Trump has been in power, he has had the harmful opportunity to put more of his own relatives and closest allies in higher positions of power. One position that Trump has changed is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator. The role of the EPA administrator is to enforce and keep the environment clean and as healthy as possible. This is a very important position and Trump has selected a man by the name of Scott Pruitt to take that role. This man is not as known to the world compared to Trump but both of them have proven that they lack a full understanding of what is actually happening to the environment. Climate change is a very real thing and it is only going to get worse as time goes on. Humans in their entirety have caused a lot of the negative change and humans have to be able to realize that if they want to be able to improve the destruction they have already caused. By contrast, Scott Pruitt believes that the science proving climate change is “Far from settled.” Before being elected for the position he is in now, Scott Pruitt sued the EPA - the agency he now administers - because he wanted to remove Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Obama’s Power Plan was the first federal restriction on how much carbon pollution could be emitted from existing power plants. This was meant to reduce pollution levels up to 30%. This plan is now in the process of being completely removed now that Scott Pruitt has the power to do so. Donald Trump is the only reason Scott Pruitt now has this power.

The president’s full term lasts four full years. Donald Trump has yet to complete his first year and the U.S. is under more threat than most of its people realize. Climate change has the potential to destroy all of civilization on this planet and Donald Trump is making it worse. Not only is Trump making climate change more of a threat to the present, but he is bringing the destructive potential of nuclear warfare closer and closer to the country and other countries that don’t deserve it. Donald Trump is putting the U.S. at more risk for their lives than humans have ever been before.

SOURCES

“The Manhattan Project and the atomic bomb.” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-us-history/period-7/apush-us-wwii/a/the-manhattan-project-and-the-atomic-bomb.

“3 Things Scott Pruitt Has Actually Said About Climate Change.” Greenpeace USA, 19 Dec. 2016, www.greenpeace.org/usa/3-things-scott-pruitt-actually-said-climate-change/.

“EPA's Administrator.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 22 Sept. 2017, www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epas-administrator.

Zurcher, Anthony. “Donald Trump's nuclear fixation - from the 1980s to now.” BBC News, BBC, 10 Aug. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40879868.

“U.S. Nuclear Weapons Capability.” 2017 Index of U.S. Military Strength, The Heritage Foundation, index.heritage.org/military/2017/assessments/us-military-power/u-s-nuclear-weapons-capability/.

Curious Case of Dreams.

Dreams are stories and scenarios that take place in a person’s brain during times of slumber. Although dreams aren't  real, Dreams do have an impact on how humans feel when they wake up. Humans can feel sad, happy, scared, or even anxious.  Dreams can feel very real at times, so real that people wish they were a reality. When humans dream, the images may seem weird and bizarre,but dreams are actually an expression of what humans truly want and can't have.  

Overall  studies show that whatever the human mind intakes or wants and need will show up in their dreams. In the book “The Interpretation of Dreams” written by Sigmund Freud; he quoted “our dreams are representations of our unconscious desires.” Meaning that what we truly desire will be in our dreams. Considering most people’s dreams are uncontrollable and not lucid, what can’t take place, in reality, will occur in our dreams. For example an individual could dream of something but in reality could, be something very different. Which questions :why do this? When desired that.

¨Dreams can be very personal, and it’s entirely up to you to figure them out.¨ The distinction between want and desire is that what humans desire will always transcend what humans want.  Since wish fulfillment is the meaning of each and every dream, what humans actually desire will only be in dreams that it might come as a surprise because they had no clue they desired but what they wanted. Furthermore, a girl could want to be with her boyfriend for the rest of life but will continue to see the boy in the back of the class in her dreams. It would be bizarre for him to keep appearing in her dreams but it would mean she wants something from him. Their love.

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung are two psychiatrist who devoted their lives to find the meaning of dreams. Both Freud and Jung had different hermeneutics on Dreams.  Where Freud believed that dreams are sacred sexual desires and Jung more so that dreams had a meaning behind it.Furthermore, it's not all about sexual desires, it's about what the human wants.   As Carl Jung  said, “Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”   Which means not only what humans want remains in their heart but also in their dreams as well.

As the author of Seven Pillars of Wisdom  T. E. Lawrence said “All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity…” . Which means that people dream differently because humans need and desire differently. Conclusively regardless of what humans do in reality, dreams will tell what is really desired.

Nerd culture involves so many different elements including video games, comics, and internet memes. These things are often times bashed on by individuals who believe that they  are “dumb” or they call the people “losers”. However, they may just be blind to see what nerd culture really does for the world.  In fact, nerd culture has a positive impact on nerds and the people around them because it helps them find an enjoyable place in the world where they can thrive.

A typical form of nerd culture that has been popular ever since the early 50’s and 60’s is comics. Some adults see reading comics as a  waste of time, but according to Scholastic, a publishing and education company, comics are extremely beneficial to children. Most children are visual learners, and it helps to see pictures that match the words. If most kids are visual learners then comics should help them with most of their studies. On the parents section of Scholastic website, the writer mentioned that a lot of plays from Shakespeare have a comic version. Children could learn about the importance and essence of a Shakespeare play without having to deal with the difficult language in the original play. This will slowly introduce the children to the topics, and as they become older they will have knowledge of Shakespeare.

Another very cliche model of the nerd culture is video games. People have made many different accusations about video games, one is that they are very unhealthy. A study done by Texas A&M University has given some insight on how video games help with stress management and lowers the chances of someone developing depression. The study involved 103 students that were all given a frustrating assignment, then they were randomized to either play a violent of nonviolent video game. The results of the study suggested that someone that plays a lot of violent games will become less hostile with something called mood management. Mood management is the consumption of some entertainment has the possibility of altering someone's mood. This suggests that  video games release all of the stress that an individual is holding in. The video games acts as some sort of escape from reality. Somewhere an individual can go to do whatever they want. Although some games may be extremely graphic or horrifying to some, it may actually help others go through life with a smile on their face because it releases negative feelings instead of encouraging them.

Internet memes are especially popular among the gaming community. Meme’s are definitely frowned on by many, and are often seen as insensitive and rude. People can be both of those things, it depends on what kind of person they are. Memes can help some people with issues they have with the world or even themselves. Motherboard, a website published by Vice, wrote an article about popular memes and Facebook thread about the recent Irma issue. A line from the article reads, “As the impending disaster barrels down on the southern shores of the US, residents are turning to an unlikely source for comfort: ironic event pages.” this shows that memes can help. While everyones houses and neighborhoods are being a torn apart by Irma, they feel sad and helpless. They cannot do anything to stop what is happening. It’s out of their control. What they can do, is laugh. Laughter helps when all they can do is hope for the best.  Notice the word “ironic”. The people are not laughing because they actually think that the disasters are actually funny, they are laughing to numb the pain. They would rather find comfort in laughter then sit in a laughless room where all everyone is doing is worrying.

If people who dislike comics stopped to think about it, they would realize that nerd culture is not just about being a loser who reads comics, plays dumb games, and looks at unfunny internet memes, but has a deeper affect and positive benefit on people. Nerd culture has a beneficial effect on the world, it educates our children, helps release stress, and helps many individuals numb their pain with laughs.

Brendan Hall

Air Stream

English 3

 November 2, 2017

What’s right or wrong in this world?

Morality means choosing the correction actions. However, when fully delving into the concept ethical behavior many will come to find out that virtue seeking typically leads into more questions than answers. How does the surrounding world impacts moral decisions? This is an essential question due to how moral standards have changed over time. Morality is also heavily based on people’s intentions. Since this is the case, how will the world ever discover an objective measurement to such a subjective based topic? How do people assure that their teachings are accurate and equal to every person? The answer to these questions are that there is no measurement for an answer to exist. Since Morality cannot be objectively measured, moral standards are simply a reflection on what their time period allowed them to do and has not fully evolved.

The idea of morality can best be summarized by socrates, “A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true.” Human history proves this quote to be accurate because morality has changed but never been able to be completely objective in practice. An example of this is the Aztec Empire during the 13th Century. A common ritual practiced by the Aztec Empire was human sacrifice, and some of the rituals of human sacrifice were turned into meals. If one were to fast forward into the 21st Century in the United States they would most likely find the vast majority being against human beings being killed and eaten. . However, many influential restaurants in the United States glorify meat products. It is conceivable to assume that the consumers of these meat products are against human slaughter for food. This is a clear double standard that exists within American society, and is allowed due to the fact it is unpopular to against something normal in that culture. If morality was objective, then human beings would be just as upset at the slaughter of animals for food the same way they are at humans. However, this is an era where humans view themselves as superior to other living beings. This thought process illustrates how morality is a reflection of popular opinion instead of logic and reason.   

Another movement in the history of humankind  that has been mostly frowned upon in first world countries is slavery. Even countries such as the United States, who once had slaves have the majority of people, now deem it cruel and inhumane. Many people living in today’s age even believe that they would have been an abolitionists if they had lived back in that time period.  However, What Americans tend to overlook is the products they receive partially due to international slave labor. According to Yahoo Finance there have been nearly three million Chinese people working slave labor to produce designer handbags and electronics to the United States. The outrage that exists about these unfair circumstances are overshadowed by the excitement for new products in common situations. Despite the overall rejection of slavery that exists within the perimeter of the U.S. there is relatively little change to be seen. The products created by these slave wages still sell incredible numbers. Gucci a company that use these workers, are worth a $12.7 billion dollars (forbes) partially due to negligence from people. A situation such as this displays the lack of objectivity and self awareness that usually exists in morality. This situation further proves that morality cannot ever be objective and it is just a reflection of the moral standards that existed in that time period.

In conclusion, morality is a concept that has puzzled even the greatest people for an entire lifetime. However, most of the deception comes from people that are unaware the deception even exists. Although people who are tolerant of society’s moral tolerance might not think that morality matters much its influence goes beyond right and wrong to human’s ability to live free and the ability to make judgements that produce a functioning society where people are less selfish.This is true because many people are fearful of being considered immoral due to the beliefs that are instilled by peers. If everyone would take a closer inspection they would understand that there is no objective measurement for morality and they are being controlled by hypocritical standards.

Sources:

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, www.iep.utm.edu/objectiv/. Accessed 25 Sept. 2017.

"Modern Morality and Ancient Ethics | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy | An encyclopedia of philosophy articles written by professional philosophers.. Web. <http://www.iep.utm.edu/anci-mod/>

"Is Morality Objective? | Issue 115 | Philosophy Now." Philosophy Now | a magazine of ideas. Web. <http://philosophynow.org/issues/115/Is_Morality_Objective >.

"The Moral Instinct - The New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/magazine/13Psychology-t.html?_r=1&ex=1200805200&en=d401354908b626b1&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin >.  

"Are your favorite products created by slave labor? New report indicates it's possible." Yahoo Finance - Business Finance, Stock Market, Quotes, News. Web. <http://finance.yahoo.com/news/are-your-favorite-products-created-by-slave-labor--new-report-indicates-it-s-possible-144633547.html>.

 The Problem of Internalized Racism

Racism, in itself, is a divisive and deeply-rooted custom in the United States whose presence causes a blatant disruption of core American beliefs in freedom and equality. In recent years, racial controversy has found its way to political and social platforms, resulting in numerous protests and riots. Unfortunately, it is rather common for one to think that racism is a belief that should be categorized as a race-to-race issue, almost as if it is an interaction between two different parties. However, there is a very problematic form of racism that is not as discoursed in today’s world: internalized racism. Internalized racism is defined by sociologist Stuart Hall as, “the ‘subjection’ of the victims of racism to the mystifications of the very racist ideology which imprison and define them.” For years, psychologists have conducted social experiments to grow closer to an understanding of what causes it and its branching effects. The ultimate conclusion is clear: internalized racism is prevalent in the black community because it is rooted in the raging self-esteem struggles sparked by centuries of unjust prejudice and belittlement.

In the 1940s, African-American psychologists Dr. Kenneth and Mamie Clark conducted a series of experiments on black children with one overlying objective in mind: to study how substandard the black perception of self is and how the social status quo affects this perception. What they found would prove pivotal in the course of American history, serving as expert witness evidence for Briggs v. Elliott (1952) and Brown v. Board of Education (1954). Using a brown and a white doll as stand-ins for humans, the Clarks asked young children which doll is more beautiful, which doll they rather play with, which doll is the “nicer” doll, and which doll is the “bad” doll. Results showed that the black children showed a pronounced preference for the white doll in every manner. This finding was revolutionary at the time because it shed light to a phenomenon that was unproven and not quite understood. Not only did the kids have an apparent understanding of race, they at a young age had already internalized the idea the black people are inferior to white people. The Clarks concluded that this mentality was perpetuated by the infamous “separate but equal” legal doctrine that was employed in schools and in the general public at the time. This historical policy was, in fact, not heeded well. The mistreatment of blacks continued to thrive, and many whites thought of “separate but equal” as sanction for segregation under the law. Segregation is one of the many oppressive systems that had lasting emotional and mental effects on black Americans. These effects have been categorized as a new mental illness coined Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome. PTSS suggests that years of physical pain, mass incarceration, Jim Crow laws, and emotional abuse have created a fear complex in the mentality of black Americans that warp their cognition of self and the world around them. According to psychologist Dr. Joy DeGruy, this form of untreated PTSD can be passed on genetically from generation to generation. This leads to the mental aspects of it being inescapable, and though far removed from the slavery generation, black people are able to carry mental traits of their ancestors. For example, Uncle Tom syndrome is a psychological concept that refers to the coping skill of submissiveness as response to a threat or animosity in order to preserve oneself from pain. This survival technique was developed by many American slaves, sacrificing their self-esteem and respect for a vague feeling of safety. This mental submissiveness to the oppressor has been passed down, another reason for the high prevalence of black internalized racism. Since it is embedded in genetics, it would be difficult for a generation to rid themselves of the self-oppressing mindset.

In 1903, W.E.B DuBois coined the term internalized racism. DuBois began to look into his sociological theory of double consciousness, a psychological concept that suggests that the human identity is capable of being divided into several parts. DuBois proposed that black Americans have a hard time uniting their black identity with their American identity due to years of social repression in America, leading many to devalue one of those aspects of their humanness. He believed that blacks are likely to see themselves through the lens of society, since the public worldview is so prevailing. Therefore, it is common for black Americans to consider themselves inferior or subpar. It is regular human psychology to believe something after being told it enough times. The Illusory Truth Effect is the idea that “repetition of an assertion increases the degree of belief in that assertion. (Hertwig, “The Reiteration Effect in Hindsight Bias”)” This effect helps sociologist come to a deeper understanding of what internalized racism is and how it spreads. Since America’s black population have often been reminded of their inferiority to white Americans (lynchings, segregation etc.), the tendency of blacks to condemn their own race as inferior is higher because, for much of American history, it has been the general worldview of the country. The psychological aspect of internalized racism is actually a normal human reaction to social views, which is why the national prejudicial notions of black Americans influences how many black Americans perceive themselves.

Although internalized racism may only seem relevant to minority communities, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about race relations because it causes conflicting viewpoints of what should be done for the betterment of these relations, which hinders progress in general. Internalized racism amplifies racist ideals to the point that it may be difficult to make consensual changes to fix infamous racial issues, such as police brutality and criminal profiling. It is vital to understand that the more people against racism, the more that can be done to ensure that it is not passed down to the next generation. Examining and preventing its causes will slowly decrease its commonality, since its general cause is the internal absorption of oppressive attitudes. Living as a minority in a country against minority progression is immensely detrimental to the ego and feelings of belonging. However, in social times of trial, it is vital to honor the words of the wise W.E.B. DuBois, “In all things purely social we can be as separate as the five fingers, and yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.”

Works CIted

Loury, Glenn C. “An American Tragedy: The Legacy of Slavery Lingers in Our Cities’ Ghettos.” Brookings, Brookings, 28 July 2016, www.brookings.edu/articles/an-american-tragedy-the-legacy-of-slavery-lingers-in-our-cities-ghettos/.

“Segregation Ruled Unequal, and Therefore Unconstitutional.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, July 2007, www.apa.org/research/action/segregation.aspx.

W, H. “Chrome-Extension://Bpmcpldpdmajfigpchkicefoigmkfalc/Views/Ap.” York.cuny.edu, 24 Jan. 2014, prezi.com/ahx9d3v5xfoq/chrome-extensionbpmcpldpdmajfigpchkicefoigmkfalcviewsap/.

Baldwin, Joseph A.. “Theory and Research Concerning the Notion of Black Self-Hatred: A Review and Reinterpretation.” Journal of Black Psychology, journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/009579847900500201.

Nittle, Nadra Kareem. “What Is the Definition of Internalized Racism?” ThoughtCo, www.thoughtco.com/what-is-internalized-racism-2834958.

Commitment, A Major Key

Stores that produce the most revenue are typically the ones that are the most convenient for customers. These stores provide a space where customers want to spend their money because of good quality of their service. Walmart and Target, two big box steady retail stores, make efforts to lure their customers with advertisements that guarantee the costumer’s satisfaction. Although they both guarantee satisfaction, there is clear evidence that proves Walmart is a better source for shoppers than Target because of their commitment to their customers above all else.  

One way that Walmart shows their customers that they value them is through policies such as their loyalty programing. According to the news on Walmart's website, Walmart’s 3-2-1, is a new way save money for Walmart prepaid and Walmart money cards. Their 3-2-1 rewards program includes, 3% back on purchases made on Walmart.com. It also offers 2% back on fuel purchases at Walmart gas stations and 1 % back on purchases made at Walmart stores. In comparison, Target’s has a savings system called Cartwheel Perks. Cartwheel Perks is a program which allows Target shoppers to earn points every time a purchase is made and redeem the points for apparel, food, and other items. As reported by couponsinthenews.com, Target’s program is currently in the process of ending because of they are making adjustments regarding to issues that was found by the perk users. The negative feedback that states as such, “experiencing pricing errors when buying items.” Target shutting down their program, leaves both the old user and the new user with nothing to depend on when purchasing items. Loyalty programs brings more customers to the store because of the discounts the program provides.

Besides customer service, another key component to Wal Mart's business is advertising. Advertisement  creates an immediate impact that will keep customers engaged to what is called the “better buy.” Social media accounts make contributions to relevant benefits and opportunities for the customer. Walmart is socially involved but also uses the media nationally and locally. For example, Walmart reaches out to other store locations around the world by establishing Facebook pages for each located store. Interfering with social media accounts, promotes a company or brand, genuine intentions  to create a motivation for customers so they can be interested. Most importantly, these social accounts provides a platform for their customer’s voices to be heard and taken seriously. For instance, Walmart has a website where mothers can talk about their shopping experiences. Target’s Twitter and Facebook social media accounts has community involvement that is equal to social involvement. Being socially involved with the community is a positive because it shows sincerity and shows support to the customers in the community. However, Target receives more negative feedback based on a customer's shopping experience found on consumeraffairs.com.

Walmart’s mission is phrases that they commit to build opportunities to customers and communities worldwide:, Save Money, Live better .On the contrary, Target consistently fulfills the Expect More. Pay Less brand. These two persuasive slogans that have different meanings. However the proof that is shown is that Walmart follows through on their slogan and constantly dominates Target.  Based on the research given by investopedia.com, WMT, Walmart Store Inc, is the world’s largest retail company with 10,700 stores, with 4,500 of those store in the U.S. Target has 1,806 stores that are only to be found in the U.S. Wal-Mart’s total assets were $203.7 billion, about five times larger than Target’s comparatively $41.4 billion. Consequently, Walmart is the “elephant in the room” when it comes to market capitalization, which is $240 billion, three times larger than Target’s $79 billion.  

Commitment is a key point in a relationship because it shows reliance and loyalty from one to another. Although, commitment may only seem important  to customers, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about saving a buck or two. This becomes especially evident for those who attempt to make a profit off of their relationships. Advertisment, revenue, and saving programs are all essential principles to a customer - store relationship. This shows that Walmart is faithful to their customers because they have not abandon the one thing that customers value.

Works CIted

Memphis, TN Damean of, et al. “Walmart MoneyCard.” ConsumerAffairs, www.consumeraffairs.com/finance/wal-mart-moneycard.html.

"Retail Advertising." Adage.Com, 2017, http://adage.com/article/adage-encyclopedia/retail-advertising/98854/.

"Retail Advertising." Adage.Com, 2017, http://adage.com/article/adage-encyclopedia/retail-advertising/98854/.

Target Officially Kills Off Cartwheel Perks.” Coupons in the News, 20 July 2017, couponsinthenews.com/2017/07/19/thanks-scammers-target-officially-kills-off-cartwheel-perks/.

FRM, Elvin Mirzayev CFA. “Target Vs. Walmart: Who's Winning The Big Box War?” Investopedia, 7 July 2015, www.investopedia.com/articles/active-trading/070715/target-vs-walmart-whos-winning-big-box-war.asp.

Call Them What They Are (The analysis of the word terrorist)

Who counts as a terrorist? After the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, the use of the word terrorism and terrorist has skyrocketed to the forefront of the news outlets vocabulary whenever an attack happens. However even though terrorism has been tragically performed by people of all races, only  people who are black and brown get called terrorist. The news media is more hesitant to call white people who commit crimes terrorist because it helps separate white people from the terrible incidents that happened in this country and keeps a white supremacist regime alive.

The word terrorism is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the systematic use of terror, especially as means of coercion.” Then the dictionary goes on to define the word terrorist as “ an advocate for practitioner of terrorism” This means that any time a person intentionally harms people with intent to make them do something or make a statement, they are a terrorist and committing terrorism blatantly. However, there have been debates in the media between news outlets on deciding what incidents to call terrorism. It’s been common for people who commit terrorism in their own country, domestic terrorism, to not be labeled “terrorist’ by the media, because new reporters allow these people to get “name passes” so the United States doesn’t look as bad in hindsight.

Since what seems like the beginning of time, it seem like this label has been reserved for back, brown, and muslim people. Based on the data from the Google Ngram Viewer, which measures the mention of a word in text and media in different years, the word terrorism which had a slight downfall in the mid nineties had a boost in mentions in the year 2001. This has also lead to people associating terrorism and terrorist with people who are Muslim. This label has pinned the word to a specific race of people. From a survey done  in 2015 by Pewresearch.org it was estimated that there are about 1.8 billion Muslim people in the world. Of that 1.8 billion, 3.3 million of them live in the United States. That is way too many people to try to accurately to label all people of as a stereotype.

As an alternative to the name terrorist, labels of mentally ill have been given to white people who have committed the same acts as their non-white “terrorist” counterparts . Individuals that have been privileged to get the label of “sick” have been able to escape punishment, while people of color don’t have the chance to define themselves before a label is slapped on them. According to the Washington Post, when white male Dylan Roof fatally shot 9 members of Emanuel AME Church, the media outlets immediately started to label him as mentally ill. It seemed that white people that were called mentally ill were only given that title when they committed crimes against people of color but that is not the case. In December of 2012 a man named Adam Lanza went into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 28 people, most of the victims were children and white children at that. Yet again the media did not call him a terrorist, he was labeled as mentally ill. Also 2017 when 64 year old Stephen Paddock killed 59 people at a Las Vegas concert he was called a “lone wolf” This allowed white people to be separated from terrible acts by saying that no “normal” white person could have done this they had to have something wrong with them.

The media’s avoidance of the “terrorist” term is problematic because when someone distances themselves from the truth it only makes them weaker and less aware. It is important that people are either given appropriate labels or no labels at all. If a situation arises that involves “the systematic use of terror especially as means of coercion” the person that commited the crime should be called a terrorist regardless of their race, religion, or country of origin. Although the average American might not think that who gets that label of terrorist matters much,its influence goes beyond just a news story to how groups of people are viewed in society. It can have a detrimental effect on how future generation of those people view themselves as a whole.

Works CIted

Shane, Scott. “Terrorizing if Not Clearly Terrorist: What to Call the Las Vegas Attack?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/us/politics/terrorism-las-vegas-attack.html.

Tylt, The. “Is there a double standard for who gets called a terrorist?” The Tylt, The Tylt, 27 Sept. 2016, thetylt.com/culture/is-there-a-double-standard-for-who-gets-called-a-terrorist.

“Terrorism.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrorism.

Butler, Anthea. “Shooters of color are called 'terrorists' and 'thugs.' Why are white shooters called 'mentally ill'?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 18 June 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/06/18/call-the-charleston-church-shooting-what-it-is-terrorism/?utm_term=.502243741417.

Sometimes a “Forever Home” is Not Supposed to be Forever

Many assume adoption is always the best option, that adoption is in every child's best interest. Some believe that the life of an adoptive human being, no matter the circumstances, is superior to being an orphan. While this can be true on many occasions, this is not true for everyone. A child that is adopted into a home does not have to be happy. While it is the goal of child services to find a permanent home for children who need one, it is also the goal to find homes that fit an adoptive child’s personality, but many times this does not happen. Some who are adopted are only adopted for government checks. Those who are adopted as children, and are able to make it out of their substandard adoptions tend to struggle to live a whole life, having their adoptive parents hang over their heads like the sword of Damocles. Adolescent and adults who want to annul their adoption, have the right to annul their adoptions because they are given way without their consent.

Many adults are theoretically independent from their families, but those trying to nullify their adoption are not independent. They must get their parent consent to annul their adoptions. Adolescents have less of a right. They must continue until their adoptive parents until their eighteenth birthday, and it is nearly impossible to annul an adoption before then. Many run away, on average adopted children run away almost four times the national average. The runaway average from adoptive children is 30.1%. Many of these children end up homeless, never to return home. The parents of these children will often times keep receive government funding for the child in hopes the child would return. The funding is supposed to be saved for the child, but instead, the adoptive parents may use it as a meal ticket on a spree for themselves.

Homelessness is no laughing matter. About 1.56 million people in the United States are homeless. In the United States alone, the average for teen homeless rates 2 million kids experiencing a period of homelessness every year. Many of those children are a child of adoption who were kicked out or forced to run away. “Young people who have been in foster care are 3 to 10 times more likely than their peers to experience homelessness.” (American Journal of Public Health, 2013).  Many of these young people have run away because their personalities didn’t pair up with the ones that they were placed with. This created a tense and hostile environment that was impossible to hide from. 57% of the children who ran away from their adoptive parents go at least a day without a meal every single month (Covenant House). This causes the loss of many young lives that no one will never know the name of.

Never having a choose who loves them, while those who are supposed to love the hardest give them away can never be easy.  Kaye Pearse, a writer for new source The Guardian, was adopted twice and her experience wasn't one that Lifetime decided to make a happy-go-lucky-movie about. Her parents gave her up at a young age, an agreement between the state and her biological parents, she had no parts of this contract, but would have to abide by it her entire life unless she could get it annulled (Guardian). Annulment isn't an easy process, as an adult, the only option is to get an attorney to aid the convincing of a judge to nullify an adoption. As a teenager, it can be even harder. They must also file a petition to annul an adoption. This petition must be signed by the biological parents or by the adoptive parents, as well make a case against the adoptive parents (Legalbeagle). The parents rule in this case as well the once child in this adoption still doesn't have the right to void his contract. And many will say that a child raised by their genetic components can’t end their contracts either, but they can apply for early emancipation.  Early emancipation allows for a child to be able to be free of their parents, and change their legal paperwork, such as their birth certificate say their legal name in replacement of their mother and, or, fathers names.

Many would say that annulling or reversing the adoption as an adoptive parent must be difficult as well. Adoptive parents actually have a much easier time when an adoption fails. An adoptive parent has the right to call for a disturbance in a child. This means that they can claim that the child is a disturbance in the home. In an article in Today, by Diane Mapes author of How to Date in a Post-Dating World, writes a rather serious article in a parent who have to reverse their adoption. Many of the parents are dealing with older children that they have adopted and couldn't handle. They were not use to children who scream inappropriate things in a public setting or children who ran across the street without looking (Today). They struggle to see the child's point of view of constantly craving the attention that biological children have received their entire lives. To reverse an adoption as a parent they must go into a courtroom and claim a disturbance in the child. They often times will refer them to a therapist before they allow them to annul the adoption. If the parents are not happy during the therapy sessions and it is shown to the child as well as the therapist, they then can reverse a child’s adoption and remove their name from the child.

Millions of people in the United States are adopted and many aren't happy with their adoptive parents and struggle to be happy, feeling locked into a forever binding contract. When asked, adults trying to get annulled might say that it is impossible to get annulled as an adult, But on closer inspection, they have a fixed mindset when it comes down to it, getting annulled at any age is very difficult but it is possible with a lot of determination. The reason a person may want to be annulled is never loving the people who adopted them, feeling like they never were given the choice of who would or wouldn’t love them. Adults who never felt this love fight many battles and lose battles due to needing signatures for their biological or adoptive parents, but many also win this battle, forcing a parent or a biological parent to give them this signature. This may not help the entire world directly. But with a teenager who can now get annulled, and put up for readoption can now be moved into foster or group homes that can help them move forward from all they lived through to become better adults. And for an adult, this may create a happier adult. And a deeper understanding for those who weren't adopted, to get to know the struggle of being adopted and not happy.

Works CIted

Pearse, Kaye. “Adoptees should be able to annul their relationship with their adoptive parents | Kaye Pearse.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 4 Aug. 2015, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/04/adoptees-annul-relationship-adoptive-parents.  

“How to Nullify an Adoption for an Adult.” Legal Beagle, legalbeagle.com/7929259-nullify-adoption-adult.html.

“When a Forever Home Isn't Forever: The Reality of Adoption Dissolution.” Foster Care Newsletter, 1 Sept. 2014, foster-care-newsletter.com/forever-home-isnt-forever-reality-adoption-dissolution/.

“Child Welfare Information Gateway.” Child Welfare, Sept. 2011, www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/adopted0708.pdf. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

Mapes, Diane. “It takes more than love: What happens when adoption fails.” TODAY.com, TODAY, 1 Aug. 2012, 6:14am, www.today.com/parents/it-takes-more-love-what-happens-when-adoption-fails-918076.

“Third Party Statistics - National Runaway Safeline | National Runaway Safeline.” Https://Www.1800runaway.Org/, www.1800runaway.org/runaway-statistics/third-party-statistics/.

“Homelessness in America.” Statistics on Homeless Youth in America | Covenant House, www.covenanthouse.org/homeless-teen-issues/statistics.

Imani Murray

Sweatshops are some worst working environments there are. They violate labor laws and basic human rights.  The workers have to endure unfair pay, long unreasonable hours, and child labor. Despite these problems, Sweatshops are used by many clothing companies that are very popular, including  Forever 21, H&M and Urban Outfitters..Even though these practices are known to the public, these companies continue to be popular among shoppers because of their less expensive prices.

According to an article published in Businessweek “Sweatshops are work environments that possess three major characteristics—long hours, low pay, and unsafe or unhealthy working conditions. Sweatshops may also have policies that severely restrict workers' freedoms, including limiting bathroom breaks and even conversations with fellow workers. At its worst, violence is used”  Sweatshops are mainly located in places like South America, Asia, China, India. These people are desperate to work, due to living conditions and many other specific reasons. In most cases if these workers from other countries, are stripped of their passports. These leaves them trapped in the country and the sweatshops, because if seen they would be sent back from where they came from.Although these people make less than 64 cent an hour, they would much rather endure these hardships than return home  empty handed. The ages of their workers can start as young as five years old. H&M feel comfortable with doing this because no matter what they feel like people are going to buy their clothes.  People can pass out from a lot but the most common things that people in sweatshops pass out from is : prolonged working hours, very hot places, exhaustion, and hunger. According to “The Sun” website “Almost 8,000 Cambodian workers have reportedly collapsed since 2010 while making stock for H&M.” H&M has had problems with the way they have their sweatshops are set up for many years. They have made statements saying that they are going to do better with the working conditions that they have their workers in but still haven’t. They work people until they can’t work anymore. Once before H&M has been exploited for their sweatshops and yet they didn’t lose money or hear about it on the news. Only little websites talked about it. So therefore H&M feels like they are undefeated

Sweatshop workers get paid less than minimum wage. Minimum wage isn’t even enough to pay rent and feed your family if your job is following the labor laws. Coming across an article published by the website “The World Counts” they talked about the pay that sweatshop workers get paid. “Sweatshop workers wages can be as low as 1 US cent per hour, and they work up to 100 hours a week in conditions of poor air quality and extreme heat.” Out of the 168 hours there are in a week, they are working 100 of them. On top of that there are workers that can make only a penny every hour they work.  that is only a dollar a week, that isn’t nearly enough to support a family or even just themselves. Companies like H&M, NIke, and Forever 21 use these sweatshops so that they don’t have to pay that much for people to make their clothes. Not only are they make a huge profit but they are also making money off those workers that work for so little.

Sweatshops are going to continue to be around and stay in the conditions that they are in if people don’t do anything to make them better and stop buying clothes because they are less expensive if they are treating their workers like animals. They will still have underpaid and overworked people making clothes. If people would think while they are shopping where the clothes that they are purchasing came from they could help change the conditions that people are working in.  Companies using these cheap alternatives are an ongoing trend that needs to be stopped.

Works CIted

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1851851/hm-in-factory-horror-as-workers-endure-outrageous-sweatshop-conditions-making-clothes-which-include-beyonces-own-line/

http://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/economics-business-and-labor/labor/sweatshops

In 1986, Lehigh University freshman Jeanne Clery was raped and murdered in her dorm room. Her parents, realizing the lack of standards for campus crime reporting during that time period, funded the Jeanne Clery act. This act  requires any public or private college or university to report any crime that occurs on campus. Unfortunately, this act has has the opposite of the intended effect. Since the Clery act was passed, schools have been failing to report any incidents of sexual assault on campus, because they only care about protecting their own reputations more than the safety of their students. As a result, they are suppressing students into being scared to share their experiences with the authorities.

The entire system of handling rape cases is corrupt at several  universities and colleges. A documentary by CNN, The Hunting Ground, follows many of these critical issues students are faced with when deciding to speak out about an incident that happened to them. The expose mainly follows two students, Andrea Pino and Annie Clark, who were both victims of sexual assault on campus. In the film, the two students speak about how the school officials neglected to take their pleas for help into consideration and instead advised them to not say anything at all, specifically not to report the incident to the authorities. In the film, Ms. Clark recounts the moments of her sexual assault and how she went weeks before finally deciding to speak up, after hearing another one of her classmates were assaulted as well. She says “ I told this administrator I was violently raped and were sitting down at this point and she looks at me and shoe goes ‘rape is like a football game Annie, and if you look back on the game, what would you do differently in that situation.”  Annie then goes on to speak about how she was expecting resources and support and instead the faculty gave her a metaphor referencing football. Ms Clark, like many other victims all across the Unites states, were discouraged from speaking up.  If victims of sexual assault on campus cannot rely on the school to aid them, they will not be able to trust that if they speak up and that their situation will be handled properly, hence they become discouraged. In fact, The Hunting Ground’s research also claims that the 88 percent of women raped on campus do not report it.   Students are feeling ashamed and hopeless instead of feeling empowered to speak up and share their story, and this is all rooted from the universities sweeping issues under the rug and trying to convince students to do the same.

Even when victims do report crimes against them, there have been hundred of sexual assault on campus cases that have been mishandled by school professionals. For instance, that of Kamilah Willingham case. She was a harvard law student who was sexually assaulted on campus in her dorm room, after a night out with her two friends, one of those friends being Brandon Winston, her alleged offender. After bringing her case to her school officials, a mock trial was held at the university, to see if Mr. Winston was to be held accountable. In an interview Kamilah Willingham did with democracynow.org recounting those moments in the makeshift courtroom at Harvard Law school, she states “and then 19 of my Harvard law professors publicly defended him and did much of what we see happening in this case, bringing the attention to the perpetrator as the, quote-unquote, “real victim” in this case.” When students see cases like Ms. Willingham's, they will feel nothing but discouragement. Seeing how Harvard reacted to Kamilah's case can make students believe that if they were to share their story the same thing would happen to them. They start to believe that teachers aren't going to help, but are going to look out for the best interest of the school.

In the end, Jeanne Clery’s offender was sentenced to death. She may have gotten justice, but there many girls like her who were not as fortunate as her.  School officials are discouraging taking action against sexual assault to keep their crime numbers artificially low, protecting their image and encouraging students to continue to apply to their school. Students in high school need to know this information to know how to protect themselves from situations that can put them in harm's way, and if they are ever faced with predicaments as such, they must know how to handle it properly themselves, because students cannot always rely of people in higher authorities for help.  

Work CIted “The Hunting Ground .” The Hunting Ground Film , www.thehuntinggroundfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/The-Hunting-Ground-Action-Toolkit_8.31.15.pdf. “As 13M People Read Stanford Victim’s Letter, Advocates See “Watershed” Moment in Fight Against Rape.” Democracy Now!, www.democracynow.org/2016/6/9/as_13m_people_read_stanford_victims.

Hamidou Doumbia

2Fer#1 Revision

November 2,2017

English 3

Drugs Vs Moneys

There are hundreds of sports that people love to indulge in one of most popular sports in the world is baseball. But what does it take to succeed at the sport? The majority of baseball players want to become successful at the sport, but their desire to become a star in the league needs to come with strength, power, and intelligence. Baseball athletes have an addiction with P.e.d, p.e.d stand for a performance-enhancing drug which helps athletes improve performance most athletes use anabolic steroids which is a form of p.e.d. Although it is illegal, baseball players still use performance-enhancing drugs because the potential to earn more outweighs the danger of getting caught.

    Also, using drugs can benefit the player to allowing them 162 games continuously because these medicines provide the adrenaline to do so. P.E.D has a huge effect on the player’s body. Baseball players have gained a lot of success in their career in a short amount of time due to these drugs.  The thought of the player taking care of their family and trying to spare enough time to go to the gym, the practice can really affect a human mindset. The effect player using P.E.D in major league is huge.

Major League Baseball has a policy about the use of P.E.D. The penalty for a first-time violation is being underpaid during 80 games, which can increase. The second violation is 162 games underpaid, meaning an entire season. The third violation is a ban from M.L.B. All of this data can be found on NbcSports under M.L.B, a news anchor website that is filled with facts and analysis. The effect of the day’s a player is suspended depends on how many people take the drug and the strength of the drug.  There are tests that can be taken to figure out about what kind of  P.E.D has been used. Their two methods that use urine cup and blood collection.  After taking these tests, it can be determined if a player used the drug, and then judge to defined the suspect. Also, a player can argue their case to make the suspense smaller or even win. A baseball player shouldn’t use these drugs because of all these rules. You have a risk of having these consequences that don't benefit you.

Ultimately baseball players usually care about gaining money more than playing fair and equal for their fans. Houston Astros paid Roger Clemens, a pitcher. Roger Clemens was very good at the base and was almost inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Due to P.E.D helped his performance, he would make 18,000,000 dollars and $25,00 in bonus money. This is referenced by nytimes.com news outlet. When so many players use P.E.D to gain more money, most players already have to use the money before sign the contract. Then not playing for few month doesn’t really affect if the player already has their life-saving.  There are a lot of players, even Rafael Palmeiro, who was an extraordinary player, who could have been in the hall of fame if he didn’t violate the policy.  This can be from the pressure that comes with financial needs. Developing a new idea to overcome the issue of M.L.B players is money because money is the overall majority of issues in America. Money makes people involved in thinking of how much they are going to spend taking care of their family if they are in a different situation.  Depending on how the player going use the money can affect what will they’re willing to do it.

If the M.L.B player stopped to think about it, they would realize that P.ED is not just about helping the player gain more money, but it affects the player body long term as well. There are a lot of risks the only to stop P.E.D to continue in M.L.B. M.L.B needs a  rehab center to clean sports player. If rehab is included with the suspense policy then it helps a lot of players to clear their mind. This one of the many activities that help player personally. Trying not play so much game or cover a certain amount of player financial issue. Thesis idea could save a lot player from using unnecessary reason to use these drugs.          

Works CIted

“MLB, MLBPA announce stronger testing, harsher penalties for PEDs.” NBc sport, Craig Calcaterra, 28 May 2014, mlb.nbcsports.com/2014/03/28/mlb-mlbpa-announce-stronger-testing-harsher-penalties-for-peds/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2017.

Chass, Murray. “Resolution, and Doubts, Regarding Palmeiro.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Nov. 2005, www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/sports/baseball/resolution-and-doubts-regarding-palmeiro.html. Accessed 19 Sept. 2017.

Your Draft Here:

In some parts of the United States of America (U.S)  the legal minimum drinking age is twenty-one years old. By contrast, China has no legal drinking age and Cuba has it as low as the age of sixteen. With other countries legal drinking age being a low age or not being existent at all shows huge trust in their citizens and shows that they believe their citizens are responsible.  The 21-and-over drinking age in the United States reflects the fact that adults do not trust young people in the united states.

The U.S needs to show trust in it’s millennials and that trust will also come with confidence and responsibility and this is what the millennials need since in their everyday life they are being looked down upon by the adults.  According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). “Finally, in 1984, the federal government ordered all 50 states to raise their legal drinking age to 21 years old or suffer a 10 percent cut in their annual federal highway dollars.” This all started thirty-three years ago and now it is a whole new generation aka the millennials that are around today. U.S are punishing the new generation because of the mistakes and irresponsibility of the generation before them. The millennials deserve to have the same chances of those who came before them.

The U.S changing the legal drinking age to 18 isn’t  that much to ask for considering  that other countries have their drinking age as low as the age of 16. A study done by the World Health Organization found that “In many European countries where the drinking age is 18 or younger, 15 and 16 year-old teens have more drinking occasions per month, but fewer occasions of dangerous intoxication than their American counterparts.” The results of this study came out this way because European countries trust their citizens with alcohol at a younger age so they basically grow with the ability to drink. While the U.S on the other hand have many different penalties when It comes down to minors possessing alcohol, this leads to people tending to go out and get completely wasted on their twenty-first birthday in celebration for being legally able to drink. Since they are getting completely wasted the chance of something dangerous or fatal happening exponentially increases.

If the adults stopped to think about it, they will realize that the legal drinking age is not just about safety but it is also about building trust in society. If the legal drinking age is indeed changed to eighteen the trust that would be brought along would be very strong and it would really increase the bond between the millennials and the adults. This is why the U.S needs to change their minimum legal drinking age to eighteen throughout the U.S.

Works CIted

Caleb Daniloff. Video by Robin Berghaus. “Drinking: 18 vs. 21 | BU Today | Boston University.” BU Today, www.bu.edu/today/2010/drinking-18-vs-21/.

Responsibility, Choose. Choose Responsibility, www.chooseresponsibility.org/drinking_and_culture/.

Moomintrolls or commonly known as Moomin is a Finnish-Swedish cartoon creation by Tove Jansson. Her first Moomin family book was published in 1945. After many books were create it became a comic strip in the British newspaper, then an animation series (Moomin.com). Moomintrolls became a popular overseas franchise. Moomintrolls live in Moominvalley, they are white troll like creatures with long snouts and tails. The Moomin animations follow around the Moomins and other characters in Moominvalley. The success of Moomintrolls is due to the fact that it serves as a connection builder between people of all ages.

Moomin’s name expanded over the years. Not only did they have an animation series, comics and books, they also had puppet plays, an opening at an art museum, an opera, cafés and a theme-park. Moomin doesn’t only have popularity in Finland and Sweden. They gained popularity in Britain, Singapore, China, Japan, Korea and many other countries. With a colorful pallet and endearing characters, Moomin became  Finland’s most famous family. With all of the talk and expansion more people can get into the Moomins. This can create a connection from citizens all over bonding due to Moomins. It creates different reasons to how everyone fell into the appeal of Moomins. Maybe they grew up with it, liked the hidden message or liked the cute appeal and colors.

According to Katariina Benedetti whom is the director of project SF100SG, a Moomin project in Singapore, “The Moomin characters are a vivid representation of the wide range of human emotions, but they are mostly kind and good natured and keen on helping and promoting a message of peace and forgiveness. This message perfectly fits the needs of today’s world.” (Moomin.com) Here she is saying that the message that the Moomin’s are giving and expressing are good for anyone of any age. The Moomins are about kindness and peace, which is something everyone needs more of. This world has a lot of negative emotions surrounding it, so positivity could help little by little. Though the Moomin’s were set for younger audiences, adults and teens can still enjoy Moomin regardless.

Moomin’s characters are all different yet similar in a way. All of them have very expressive emotions that humans have.  The main Moomin characters are Little My, Moomin, Moominmama, Moominpapa,  Snorkmaiden, Snufkin and Sniff. Other characters here and there will pop up during the shows and books. Snufkin and Moominmamma brings more of the peaceful and collected aspect of emotions due to their nature and actions. The tone of their voice is very calming to the ears. Sniff is timid and cowardly and Moominpappa is philosophical, he tends to think more. Little My is fiery and irritable yet honest and reliable. Sorkmaiden is more of a daydreamer who is similar to Moomin in lots of ways. Both of them are typically happy and energetic. Though since Moomin is the main character, therefore he has more of an emotional range than the others. In the Moomin animation, episode 13, titled ‘The Last Dragon on Earth’ Moomin in a sad tone says to Snufkin, “I think he likes you more then me.” Moomin had caught a tiny dragon in that episode but the dragons seems more calm around Snufkin. While the dragon was around Moomin it would behave rashly, thus causing Moomin to say that line. The Moomin’s different personality can help immerse people into the story, they feel more relatable that way. These characters bring more peace and positive emotions to children, while still bring in what is to be called negative emotions.

Moomin’s merchandise skyrocketed along with Moomin’s popularity. Sophia Jansson, Tove’s niece had said to the UK’s Daily Mail, “A lot of it goes over the heads of children. Those expensive mugs flying off the shelves are not being bought by or for children! There are themes Tove expresses that are eternal – family versus loneliness, adventure, how to handle a hard time – all set against storms and mountains. People find a sense of belonging in the Moomins. They allow them to pick up on feelings they maybe didn’t know they had – such as missing someone.” Not everyone is connected to all the emotions and feelings. Some might push away certain emotions or not think about it. Creating them to not know that one might feel it. While watching Moomin, people can try to place and pick up these missing emotions that are laid down throughout the animation.

Children aren’t the only ones in love with the Moomins. Adults purchase the merchandise with flying ease. More Moomin cafés and exhibits are popping up in Asia, Sweden and Finland. Allowing adults to be more excited about this adorable and loving franchise. Not only can adults get excited with merchandise and new Moomin themed areas, the show and the Moomins themselves create a connection to emotions that children may brush over. Children will feel all of the emotions, but not really understand them as an adult would. One emotion that may be brushed over by a child may not be brushed over to an adult. Children tend to be happy all the time which can get more difficult as they grow up. Stress and pride may brush over child as they don’t tend to do much with these emotions.

Sophia Jansson did lots of interviews about the Moomins and her aunt Tove. She likes to bring the realness and emotions that she shares with the Moomin’s story. “Tove never set out to document. She was a storyteller. The book is about the relationship between someone very old and someone very young – the mutual disregard but very great respect and friendship” (The Guardian)  An underlying story like this can appeal to all ages due to the fact that they can all relate to it in some way.  Adults find it enjoyable and can get attached the the lovable hippo-like trolls. The Moomin family became a Jansson family business that brought all ages together. It’s like Finland’s Disney.

Although people who aren’t Moomin fans, might think that the characters are just superficial and cute, its influence goes beyond the children’s cartoon to emotional connector and inspiration. Tove’s work on the Moomins were based on people and actual events in her life. She brought things she loves, such as her family, friends and her childhood into a creation that could inspire younger audiences.