Read the linked article below first, and then read questions below and think about them for AT LEAST 30 minutes before writing a response. Then spend at least 30 minutes brainstorming - write down all the ideas that occur to you as quickly as you can. Then, go back through your answers and evaluate them. Whatever you think has potential should be developed carefully into your final answer.A good answer will demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the question. You will include reasons for each of your assertions, and then dig down into each of your reasons and say why you believe those to be true.
You should include at least three reasons for your statement, and you should have at least one paragraph of further argument, explanation, examples, and illustrations for each of your reasons.
Type your answer in a word processing program before you post. A good answer will be close to a page long at least, double spaced. Remember to include your first name and last initial in your comment.
Click on "comments" below and copy and paste your answer into the comment box. Click "comment as" and choose "anonymous" from the dropdown menu. Click "publish." A captcha will appear for you to answer.
Answers to the question are due by Friday at midnight.
Then, read through the answers and respond to one colleague. Think carefully about what the colleague has argued and think about what you can add to the discussion. Think of a substantive question you can ask, a point you can add, or a way you can develop the other person's reasoning. Your goal is to move the discussion forward in a helpful way. Please DO NOT merely agree with the other person and restate her answer.
Responses to a colleague are due by Sunday at midnight.
Article
Read this short article for a bit of historical background about one incident in the fight for civil rights in the U.S.
Questions
It's extremely easy, in retrospect, to condemn people in the 1950s and 60s for failing to stand up for civil rights. But in fact, doing so required great person risk and courage. Even people who didn't suffer physically often lost jobs, friends, social networks, and family relationships because they publicly supported civil rights.
What do you think is one issue going on right now that requires your courage? What about it makes it something that requires you to be courageous (what's risky or difficult about it for you)? What do you think is the courageous thing to do about that issue, and why?
Vickie P.
ReplyDeleteThe one issue going on rite now that requires my courage is by trying to stop animal cruelty. The only thing that makes it something if it required me to be courageous is by standing for what is right and what is wrong that animal owners are doing to their preciouses pets. The only risky or difficult about it for me is trying to save all the anaimls who are being abuse or taking animals from their owners that are abusing them. I think the courageous thing to do about this issue is that I would try to make a rule about owning an animal if they want it and not just to adopt them for abuse or fighting. Also, because some pets are used to be abuse for no reasons or being use to fight with other animals for money.
Paola G.
DeleteVickie, I agree with you. I do believe that animal cruelty should stop. A big part of animal cruelty is how the owners treat their pets. You also forgot to mention that most of animal cruelty comes from places like farms. I am not so sure of the statistics but I do know that chickens and cows are the most hurting rather than cats and dogs. All of this is due to how us Americans eat. Not saying we should start changing the way people eat but if we cut back on these portions it won't make the problem go away completely but it will start to minimize it. I do believe that passing a law that will help stop animal cruelty would actually make the world a better place. Since they have no way of voicing their pain themselves.
William. F
DeleteI agree with you Vickie. I believe that animal cruelty is a neglected problem that is not strongly voiced. I believe one thing that needs to be done is informing people of the problems. Animal cruelty is a huge problem and we must encourage people to spread the word. Besides informing the public, I believe we need to enforce stronger punishments to those who neglect their animals. While you can’t compare an animals’ to a humans’, they are living creatures that deserve a loving and caring home. People who can not provide this should not consider getting a pet. Besides domesticated pets, I also believe that we need to inform people of cruelty towards animals that we eat. Industrial size slaughter houses often force feed their animals and keep them in condense areas where the animals can hardly move. I believe we must push for regulations on giving these animals more space and allowing them to eat at their own will.
William D. C.
DeleteI do believe in the same thing for animals, because we have done enough to all of them. But, would you only stop with the animal we have already domesticated. I mean yes please help them but, I have seen so many pet owners that should not own a life of another being, animal or not. But, what about the animals out in the wild, the animals dying off, off of the face of the earth by us just living. Fighting for the animal that we have now is hard enough. Many speak out about caring, but not a lot of them actually go out and do something significant.
Ricky L.
DeleteI agree that animal cruelty requires courage to stand up for what you believe in. its true people mistreat their pet or abandon them on the street, but it doesn’t requires a lot of courage to do. since you can go save a pet at a pound or if you see a pet on the street go pick it up. it also true people use them to fight and they bet on them for money but it’s the same thing as having people box and they just bet on who wins. There also a group going around saving animals like abandon and mistreated.
Stephanie A.
DeleteBeing a vegetarian myself, I can definitely see your point and agree with you. People need to have a lot of courage to be able to stop animal cruelty. I would like to add onto this argument by stating that people shouldn’t limit their concept of cruelty to just house pets and it shouldn’t be the only reason to stop cruelty altogether. People need to remember that all animals bleed and feel pain equally. It really doesn’t matter if it’s a dog or a cat or an animal that people are ok with consuming such as cows, pigs, chickens, fish, etc. they all have feelings, a heart, a brain, and nerves just like cats and dogs do. Why should they be treated any different, is it because people are programmed to believe that dogs and cats are cute house pets. There is even the saying, “A dog is mans best friend”. Yet when it comes to cows, chickens, pigs, fish, etc. it’s fair game. It’s a bit hypocritical to love a dog and or cat but be ok with eating a cow or a pig.
Billions of farm animals are slaughtered each year and even worse then that is the fact that these animals are beaten, skinned alive, and then killed. In addition to that they are kept within small cramped cages where they have no room to fully extend their limbs and cannot move around. All they can do is stand up and or try to lay down, which involves them laying in their own feces. It’s the large corporations that are thriving off of the billions of dollars they are making from the meat industry. So it would be very difficult to stop animal cruelty because there is too much vested interest from large corporations. It would take a lot of courage to go out there protest and petition. There are some affiliations and groups such as PETA that do go out on the media scale and spread awareness by having celebrities endorse and do ad campaigns regarding animal cruelty, which requires a lot of courage. All animals deserve equal rights, not just “cute ones”. I believe that all animals should be treated equally, just as people would like to be treated equally. Lastly, there are major health concerns regarding red meat consumption, many studies point out that red meat can lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and increase cholesterol levels, which can lead to greater risk of heart disease and stroke.
I agree. it is becoming a huge issue. So much so that self made pet rescues are becoming more prominent, as well as the occasional animal rescue TV shows. Or the other problem which is having pets fight each other, which accounts for most of the dog rescue shows aimed at pit bulls, who often times have ears or tails cut off in an attempt to save them the trouble of getting them bitten off. A bit ironic really. Anyways my point is it is a problem but only because people are ether very neglectful of their pets or it pertains to farming and the maltreatment of live stalk, despite eventually being slaughtered. Still the time between the slaughter it the point of this argument. anyways its not really to big of an issue if people are more responsible and therefore not being a huge problem. but that alone is asking too much, "ahaha".
DeleteI agree. it is becoming a huge issue. So much so that self made pet rescues are becoming more prominent, as well as the occasional animal rescue TV shows. Or the other problem which is having pets fight each other, which accounts for most of the dog rescue shows aimed at pit bulls, who often times have ears or tails cut off in an attempt to save them the trouble of getting them bitten off. A bit ironic really. Anyways my point is it is a problem but only because people are ether very neglectful of their pets or it pertains to farming and the maltreatment of live stalk, despite eventually being slaughtered. Still the time between the slaughter it the point of this argument. anyways its not really to big of an issue if people are more responsible and therefore not being a huge problem. but that alone is asking too much, "ahaha".
DeleteSeptember 24, 2013 at 8:04 PM
Elizabeth L.
DeleteAnimal cruelty is definitely a major issue, it is so immoral to see youtube videos illustrating people throwing puppies as hard as possible and them getting a laugh out of it. It is so difficult to even witness that but to see someone get enjoyment out of it, is so awful. We definitely need to stand up for all the animals who get treated with no respect.
Byron T. I believe that animal cruelty is very wrong and harsh. It is totally
Deleteunfair to animals who just want to live there life. Animal cruelty starts with
there owners and that is very out of control. It makes it worst that animals
cant openly express all the things that are going wrong with them. You
have to have a lot of courage and heart to stand up for animals. Most
people overlook the fact that animals get treated bad. Now days people
tend to treat animals like they don't have feelings or emotions. Even
famous people such as Michael Vick of the Philadelphia eagles treated
animals like they were worser then ever. He took it as far as
hanging, shooting, and drowning dogs after they end up losing the fights
against other dogs. To be courageous would be putting a end to animal
cruelty because you will have to stand alone and try to make a major
difference. Animal cruelty is nothing that should ever be allowed in this
world. Animals should be treated with respect at least most of them
should!!!!!
Responding to Vickie P.
DeleteI absolutely agree with Vickie P. Standing up for animal abuse is something that requires courage because people are choosing to stand up for animals that have no voice. It's unethical to think that a human who hits their pet shouldn't forever be banned from owning one. This wicked act of crime should have severe consequence. The thought that a conscious human can hit an innocent animal is agitating and completely wrong. Although there are certain loop holes that defend animal cruelty, there aren't enough. I absolutely agree that it requires the courage of many to defend this prominently known issue, since there's not enough being done about it.
I agree with Vickie P is absolutely that animal cruelty is wrong and it takes courage to stand up for that. On the other hand its other things that's going on that I feel is more important then animals. At the end of the day some animals make there owners have no choice but to make that decision. And you do have to courage to stand up for this because its a rough and sensitive topic to step up for. Byron T
DeleteDuy M.
ReplyDeleteEverybody should have the right to be treated equally. In order for this to happen, people should understand the meaning of equality. There have been many issues going around lately against gay people. This issue requires my courage in the context of supporting human’s rights. In the past, when slavery was considered common, nobody would have guessed that we would turn that table around and accept the facts that slaves are also people. Anyone should live with dignity and respect for others. Just as how we changed the past (freedom for slaves), we will soon one day realize that gay people are also human and they should be treated equally. So am I going to stand up for any gay moment? Yes I would. Would I put myself on the line to support gay community? No, I would not go to an extent where I would risk my life or my family lives for it unless I must. I would certainly support gay community but in my own way. It might be a coward thing to say no to that question but I believe that supporting is the backbone of all movements. I am not the type of person who would risk important things for anything. I am a type of person who value family, connections, friendships, communities, neighbors. My courage is to put myself out there knowing that I am risking these relations I value. I might be laughed at. I might lose supports from friends and families. I might also make enemies along the way. I might be bullied from opposing groups. I would involve in activities such as organizing, marching, signing petitions, presentation, debate, etc that eventually help public open their eyes to these problems. To help them understand that gay people deserve human rights, help them realize and acknowledge. I would definitely speak up my mind and offer my opinions among friends and colleagues. That is my way of courage. My courage is I am willing to take is the discrimination of friends and family and neighbors, of those who do not quite understand fully the meaning of equality. My friends might disagree with what I believe in. My family might kick me out of the house because they do not want me to associate with gay people or even talk about them in conversation. They might cut all connection with me just because I support gay movements. Others might also think that I am gay just because I defend them. Some might try to humiliate me in front of people who care about me. My parents might feel disappointed because I am involving in unnecessary activities other than earning money. There will always be people who are against any type of gay issue because they think gay people are different from normal human. They are people who are afraid of differences, who would make up excuses to get rid of things that do not benefit or concern them in a way, those who are afraid of changes. But who are we to judge or disregard whether or not gay people deserve human rights. There is no such thing in the bill of right saying that gay people cannot vote or cannot get married. I believe that people will soon understand it is not gay people are the problem. It is people who dislike the ideas of gay people who are the problem. We need to take a firm stand in what we believe in without any prejudice toward any particular group of people. The most courageous thing in this case is to help everyone realize that gay people are just people like everyone else who happen to like different colors, have different interests and like different foods etc.
William.F
ReplyDeleteOne issue that requires my courage is taking a stand and supporting student’s rights. It requires my courage is because I am part of the student body and need to voice my opinion. It’s risky because you may receive no support from your fellow classmates and will have to push on alone to solve an issue that affects us all. What makes the task difficulty is being able to find supportive ways of getting issues across. I need to know what issues are most important that affect college students greatly. I must also come up with solution and compromises to convince whoever is taking away benefits from students. The courageous thing to do is to take a leading role and inform students of things that are being voted on that will affect them, such as budget cuts that could cause less funding for school’s leading to fewer classes the following semester. It’s courageous to stand and be able to talk to total strangers because you must be able to face different reactions from them. The main reason I believe advocating student rights is courageous because not only is one standing up for their own benefit, but also for the benefits of others who may not have the time or courage needed to stand up for themselves.
Cynthia R.,
DeleteWilliam I do agree with you on the issue of student rights. I feel like a lot of the time students people don't take our thoughts and opinions seriously because we are still students, but we are the ones getting affected not the people making and choosing the changes. I also feel like in order to help this fight for students rights more students need to be active and vocal, I do not see enough students being active and I feel like this is a main reason why I myself struggle to get active. I also do think that this is a courageous at because of the things at risks, mostly the fact that you may be academically punished.
David L.
DeleteI also agree about being courageous for student rights. Not a lot of students share their opinions about what is good and bad for us. Many of us are too scared to say anything or will follow what is best for them. Talking in front of strangers and your class is courageous because you're stepping out of your comfort zone just to talk what might be best for everyone. For student rights, some student's tend speak their rights, but not a lot of them share the same opinions. That makes them courageous because they stand up for what they think is right.
Duy M.
DeleteI acknowledge that being in student body is challenging. The most important of student body’s function is to represent the rest of us. I also agree that getting the ideas across to every student is a very hard job. I think actively advertising yourself, you group and your motive is a must. Take our school student body system as an example, there was an issue about the student activities fee not too long ago. Many students complained at that time that they were never informed about such things from any authority on campus, not even from the student body itself. This issue broke down and that was when students found out about what does student activity fee do. In addition I think you should not address other students as strangers. Students who do not know you and your student body also think you are strangers to them. Why would they bother support you for whatever good cause you are representing? The risk of being active is you have to organize everything and think of effective means which could attract students’ attentions. This takes lots of times and energy as well as connection. By connection I mean your connection with the rest of students on campus. I am not saying that you must make friends with everyone on campus but being a student body you most likely have to put yourself out there. Personally, if I was asked to support the student body out of the blue, I would like to ask them first who they are and how it affects me or my friends or anyone I know. One of the risks I could think of is people could hate you.
Charmaign H
DeleteI agree that taking a stand alone in an association with the student body, does require courage. It is true standing alone or being that one person who has the courage and self confidence to stand up for what you believe in is important. It is important because many people in the world lose their voices by being shy or afraid to speak up doubting whether or not the decision is right or not. It is not always necessary to be loud and boisterous, but is necessary when the issues affect you, your family, or peers which can change your choices. For instance, if you decided to take some college class and the prices per unit go up plus you cannot afford tuition cost and so forth. The situation may pose a serious problem when you want to get your degree and do not make much at your job. With bills and other responsibilities it is a good option to be able to have financial aid, instead of doting on family or friends for support. Whether you are alone or in a group, it is important to remember to not give up or lose your voice when it comes to things that can help change the lives or decisions that impact students.
Being a part of the student body in and of itself is a difficult job. It is difficult because not everyone will have an open mind to hear what you or your constituents have to say about what is going on with classes and so on. The job requires you to be persistent and spread the word which is time consuming. Many students forget to thank the student body for the hard work and effort that it takes to complete tasks such as informing people about changes, where the funds are going, and how it affects the people on campus. I agree it is risky not knowing how people will respond, or if they will help make a difference. Many people have doubts or have been hoodwinked several times which only makes your job harder even though it is not directed towards you on purpose. In any event it would be more helpful to take a different approach by being reassuring to others, being kind, and patient which can help people to have an open mind and hear you out. Some of those nice gestures can ease the tension, while providing others with the idea that they can help or contribute something the committee needs to be more successful and vocal about the changes needed. I believe in that because it is not easy to be brushed off or rejected a lot just for wanting a moment of someone’s time to inform them about something and what not. The reason it is important, is so you do not lose your confidence or courage when things gets get tough and continue to fight for what you believe in and what is right.
Sarbdeep S
DeleteI totally agree that we need to take a stand support the rights of students, and obviously this requires a lot of courage. Most of us students just come on campus, take notes in our classes, do homework and study at home, take midterms and finals……and then we are on to registering for the next semester. Then, the cycle starts all over for the next set of classes. It seems like while doing so, we are just concerned with transferring out and completing our degrees and getting a good job…..not caring about the quality of the education we are getting or about getting proper financial and educational aid anymore. The government is cutting back programs and cutting down classes (especially for us community college students) and we seem to not care at all? As you stated you (all of us actually) are a part of the student body and need to speak up. No matter what the situation be…if it relates to student aid or any other issue, we should all speak up. There is power in numbers and the more of us speak up, the more our voices will be heard. The one other risky part that you mentioned is; a lot of us are afraid to speak up because we fear that speaking up might get in the way of us being able to transfer to a prestigious university such as UC Berkeley or UCLA. Whether this being too scared to speak up against your math teacher because he simply isn’t teaching the class in a way that anyone can understand….or being to scared to write letters and petition to the government for proper school financial aid in the fear that they might in turn cut even more funds for our school. What I’m trying to say is, we all recognize some of the many faults of our school due to reasons such as a screwed up system and a government that is trying to be cheap in wrong places (educational funds). However, most of us don’t speak up because we are too scared of getting a bad grade in the process or looking bad in the eyes of administrators who might later be writing us recommendation letters. Basically, we are too scared to fix the “today” for us and generations to come….simply in fear of keeping our “tomorrow” protected (who knows if “tomorrow” will even come). Finding out the issues won’t require so much courage…it will require just a tad bit more socialism. The difficult part(s) that will require our courage are finding the solutions to solving these problems and getting them voiced. As you stated about budget cuts, I’m guessing more than 60% of us that are able to vote on the cuts that will directly affect us don’t even know about them and therefore don’t even take the simple action of voting on them. There are even some that knowingly don’t take simple actions (which in mind is even worse than not knowing). Advocating for students rights and bringing to light the problems that everyday students face is definitely an issue that requires a vast amount of COURAGE!
I Think something that requires courage is standing up for the lower class people. People who are often not cared about or treated equally because of financial reason. If you show that your making a stand for the lower class people. the higher class and also middle class will question you and use there money to make things impossible. This requires courage because you don't want to put yourself in harms way against people who have money. You don't want to be viewed as a problem so this were you will have to search deep into your heart and either be courageous or sit back and act like the way your being treated is fine. Byron T
DeletePrima F.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that is going on right now that requires courage to stand up to is to stop bullying in schools. We read and watch the news and hear stories about children getting bullied or teased at and some result in that child hurting themselves because they feel helpless and can't do anything. So being able to stop and send out a message to stop bullying would be very courageous. We want to teach children at an early age that everyone is different in their own way and we should embrace it. We should treat everyone with respect and that if we see someone being mean or being made fun of then we should always stand up and say something. One reason that I can think of that would be risky is getting through to parents and actually saying something. As parents we are the people our children look up to the most. Teaching our children to see each other without judgement is very important. Another reason it would be difficult is not being able to get to everyone. But I wouldn't want to step on parents toes and tell them how their children should be raised. We have to ask ourselves, "what if that was my child? What would I want to do to make a difference?" If we start in our local schools and have assemblies with the students to talk about bullying then that's a start. Have a student who has been bullied talk to the other kids to tell them how it made him/ her feel when they were bullied and ask them how they would feel if that happened to him/her.
Charmaign H
ReplyDeleteOne issue going on right now that requires courage is the bart strike. Going on a bart strike requires courage because there are a lot of things at stake and issues that are left unresolved. One of the issues that are unresolved is the dispute about benefits. Benefits are a personal matter, which can affect employee’s families and financial situation. For example, if someone maintained a position for a long time with benefits and were paying more than they could afford without a pension or a 401k fund it would have the potential to take a toll on the employee financially. If the issue is not resolved it can cause an employee to take a legal action such as a strike or refusal to work. I believe it does take courage to take a public stand whether it is a verbal or physical action. Being able to be opinionated and stand up for what you believe in, is a right under The First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Because the law states a person has the right to freedom of speech and self expression, it should not stop others from sharing their inner most thoughts about things they feel strongly about.
What would be risky about the situation is the liability I would have to face if I lost my job for standing up for what I believe in. When it comes to going on strike it is a big decision to consider because if you’re suppose to be working and decide to go on strike, an employee can lose their job. In the economy we live in today, unemployment rates are high and it should be taken into consideration whether or not taking a stand for what is right is more beneficial than the job. It is a double edged sword because being courageous is a well and dandy but comes with a price to pay.
What makes this issue courageous is being able to stress your concerns and opinions especially if it is a legal matter. It takes courage to be able to stand alone and say how you really feel because it is very typical for people to shy away from central issues which need to be discussed. Being courageous has to do with having faith, self awareness, and patience.
Malcolm X, Dr. King, and Rosa Parks did not take an effect on the world by letting wrongful things continue they did something about it. Making a sacrifice to risk you, your job, and family is a heavy load to carry, but each hero in our country took a chance to speak up knowing the consequences. The point is leaders in history books should not be forgotten, but should always be remembered for having courage, which ended up saving lives of thousands of Americans just by standing up for themselves, organizing a committee, and even participating in a march. These are prime examples of how being courageous can be to your benefit and help change the world. The constitution was not written for people to just read it, but for individuals to use it wisely and have equal rights.
The courageous thing to do about the issue with bart is to address the concerns about what is going on and how it affects me and what can be done about it. The reason it is important to have confidence and stand up for yourself, is so people in business and the workforce will take you seriously. Having confidence is important because it is about maturity, building self awareness, and being ambitious. Having a courageous and confident attitude simply indicates you are not intimidated by anyone including your boss.
...continued from above:
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes down to addressing the issue at hand it is important to have a game plan in case things go awry. For instance, if you are at your job for two years and found out that your medical expenses were too costly because of how the company was handling things it would be an issue. The issue is if healthcare is taken out of your check and it is not a reasonable amount and docks more than 30% of what you make before taxes it is unfair. The courageous thing to do about the issue is go to my boss and discuss the issue and how we can come to a reasonable agreement. If that does not work out I would have to go to corporate and see what they have to say and what can be done about it. The bottom line is if I was not told how much was going to be
taken out of my check or found that it was unfair, I would go on strike if I have to prove my point. The point is it is unfair for an employer to take advantage of their employees in any way shape or form.
I believe it is a courageous thing to do because it is a big risk to take just to make a point, but if the issue is that important it is up to me what I decide. Personally I have nothing against people going on strike, but I am more of the behind the scenes type. I believe I can accomplish the same goal without being so public about it. In conclusion, it is important to speak up if there is an issue that you do not agree with because it a courageous thing to do, which many people do not take part in. Taking a stand is a way of self expressing and letting people know you’re an adult and are not afraid to address concerns or state your true feelings.
William D.C.
ReplyDeleteThe one big issue that I thought require courage from a lot of people and myself was the issue about weather we should fight Syria or not. Staying up to the people upstairs (the Government) needs many people with the courage to do so. To rally and speak out and let them know what we think, because those people upstairs can do whatever they want to us, they can send soldiers whether we agree or disagree. Today, in this day and age, we have the internet to hide behind and some people now standup there, instead of the street. Now people fall into a couple categories standing up online: 1). Online petition signers. 2). Blogger and/or Vlogger, conversation starters and awareness. 3). The Hackers: like the group, Anonymous, people who fight the government.
Lety M.
Deletei agree with you that we do need to stand up to the government and not send our troops to syria because we will be loosing more lives then is needed. I have several friends who just enlisted and if they send them over they will be leaving here and this scares me. not everything must lead to violence to solve. Both governments need to sit down and discuss the issues at hand and work out a better deal then having people fight against each other and loose a lot of lives.
William D.C.
ReplyDeleteThe one big issue that I thought require courage from a lot of people and myself was the issue about weather we should fight Syria or not. Staying up to the people upstairs (the Government) needs many people with the courage to do so. To rally and speak out and let them know what we think, because those people upstairs can do whatever they want to us, they can send soldiers whether we agree or disagree. Today, in this day and age, we have the internet to hide behind and some people now stand up there, instead of the street. Now people fall into a couple categories standing up online: 1). Online petition signers. 2). Blogger and/or Vlogger, conversation starters and awareness. 3). The Hackers: like the group, Anonymous, people who fight the government.
Emsley Fraser
DeleteTo me personally it doesn't seem like it would take a lot of courage to decide if we would fight against Syria or not, because I believe that more than half the population would agree that it is unnecessary to go into another war, especially since we just recently got out of one not too long ago. They wouldn't penalize us for speaking against this decision, especially since there are a lot of families that have loved ones fighting for us back home. So I would say it is more of a personal stand than courage.
Im tottaly agree with emsley because i do have some family that is in army and they always talk about whats going in syria. We should not let soilder. fight something that is not worth it. Soilders have courage to fight for there country they could fight any time if they need to. People upstairs should not put their courage in jeapordy because eventually they will fight if they order them to but if its not worth they should not send soilders.everyone agree and know alot of civilians will lose theirs lifes if war starts. So we need to be courageous and stand up so we could adress government they should not put soilders life in danger and should have soilders stay home, we make this possible by gathering people together and do speches on national television so each and every citizen should rise up and have avoid government to use troops against what is not worth it.
DeleteIts Gurjeet singh September 26,2013 at 11:33 pm
DeletePijitra S.
ReplyDeleteAs an international student, the one issue that is going on right now that require my courage is fighting for freedom of speech in Thailand, the country where I am from. I think freedom of speech is the way for people to improve their critical thinking skill. A lot of political issues are going on in Thailand right now. Those who hate government just go against it, and those who support government will just support. They do not think in depth because they don’t have freedom of speech. They don’t ask questions: why?, how?, is it true? when they watch news. They are victims of propaganda. I have been standing for this fight. I try to courage people around me to ask question when they watch and read news. The risk is that some people go against me and dislike me. Sometimes, I even have a verbal fight with my family members because of the different point of view on politic and freedom of speech. It is difficult because people will believe what they want to and it’s their rights. I do not think that I am right all the time, but freedom of speech makes me respect others people that they can have different views and that can expand my knowledge. I am away from my country but I always use media to fight this issue. The courageous thing that makes me think it is worth to fight is when I think about my niece and the next generation. I want my niece to grow up where she can express her thoughts with freedom and with others who also have the same right of speech. I think if Thai people have more freedom of speech, they will develop their critical thinking skill as well as respect others opinions.
Vivian Q.
DeletePijitra, I agree whole-heartedly with your ideas on freedom of speech and how important it is to ask questions and be well-informed. I too have family living in a foreign country that while being "a democratic republic", is very corrupt and uses media to cover up or manipulate what citizens should think and vote on. However, it is essential to think about and consider the risks that come with having the courage to speak your mind, especially in political situations.
While I am not particularly aware of the exact political climate of Thailand right now, I think it is safe to say (and this goes for any country) that speaking up against the government can have very serious and dangerous retributions. Think of recent situations, such as the events of Egypt and Syria. People risk their very LIVES to fight what they believe in, speaking out against their governments and quite possibly dying in the process. Of course, this is the most courageous thing they can do in such situations, and their actions are to be greatly admired. But the risk? They end up dead! What does this mean for the family they leave behind? What is to become of everything they own?
Even in less severe cases, people have been known to be persecuted, threatened, imprisoned and even exiled from their homelands for having an opinion against the government's interests. Depending on the country and the type of government or regime that exists within those borders, the risks are many and very serious, and while many people are courageous enough to take the chance, it is perfectly understandable as to why others do not.
Nickie P.
DeleteI agree with you as well, but i don't think that Thailand is the only country that is corrupted. Look at Malaysia, Germany, Japan, etc. I think US is corrupted too I think everyone should be aware and be able to have spoken out and heard of. Have courage like you, to speak up. I think you can be a great role model.
Cynthia R,
ReplyDeleteAn issue that is going on right now that requires my courage is Gay rights. In this country and all around the world there are many issues of discrimination. Some people may argue that the main fight against racism ended after the Civil Rights Act was signed, making segregation illegal, but I and many people think differently. Likewise some people may say that the fight for gay rights is over since the Supreme Court just recently ruled that not allowing gay couples to marry was unconstitutional. But I also disagree. I feel like the fight for gay rights has not ended since people are still discriminated, judged and children teased because of their sexual orientation. After all it was just 15 years ago when Matthew Shepard, a college student was beaten and left for dead for being gay in a small Wyoming town.
In order for something to be a courageous act, it needs to be risky, there needs to be something on the line. A hero isn't valued courageous if success was one hundred percent possible with no risk. I do not plan on being a hero, but sticking up for gay rights does give me a few risks. First of all, I risk my own feelings because of what others might think. Once you have been told so many times from so many places like religion that something is wrong, a part of it always stays with you. I also fear the judgement of my family members. I feel like if I was more publicly fighting for gay rights that they may disapprove. Although I try to make these things not affect my choices I would lie if I said it didn't have an impact. I do not fear physical pain but I do fear emotional pain.
I feel like in order to be courageous about this issue that I need to become much more involved. I need to stay informed on problems and progress and do what I can. I may not have the attention of the whole country but I do have influence on some people and they also have influence on others. So if i express my beliefs to people they may share them with others. Even if people don't agree with gay lifestyle they need to be at least tolerant of it so people can live there life without fear and limitations. A law can not change people, it may limit them but it can not change them, only people can change people.
Kanika Pho
ReplyDeleteOne issue that requires my courage would be to take a stand against rich corporations that fire or lay off many fellow Americans in order to hire foreigners for cheap. I feel that it requires me to be courageous because I will be in opposition with wealthy people who have power over their lives and other peoples’ lives. For example, my mother works for a corporation which is growing and expanding.
However, because the corporation is expanding, many people in America have been fired to be replaced by workers from foreign countries, such as India. Recently, 20 of my mother’s co-workers were laid off in order to be replaced by 60 workers in India. I have nothing against foreigners, but I feel that America is not currently thinking of how to provide their citizens with opportunities to let them have some control over their lives. In addition, I feel that other countries should pay attention to how their people can create systems that don't have to push them into working for such low pay for someone in a different country. Countries need to pay attention to their citizens and think of how to get out of suffering or barely making it through life. Most major corporations forget about their employees being normal human beings. Humans can only struggle so much until they can't anymore. People have families or they need to survive life. Instead of how many Americans are just trying to survive life right now, I feel that we need to live life. However, one reason why people don't have the chance to live life is because of the constant worries of losing their job or not bringing the bread to the table.
But by taking a stand against major businesses, I can endanger my mother’s job. Not only can I endanger her job, but I can endanger my family members’ jobs as well. I may even be at risk for future employment because powerful corporations wouldn’t want an employee who would start a riot against their ethics. In addition, powerful business owners have enough influence, or rather persuasion, to get others to do their dirty work. I feel that if I were to take a stand against this issue I would become a target that is needed to be rid off sooner than later.
I feel that the courageous thing to do about the issue is to gather a group and march. Make the country see how corrupt this system. Show the country how their citizens need to come together to make a difference. I know that it would be hard to actually gather a group that is willing to put themselves and their loved ones at risk. However, if the people of America do not stand up and force our voices to be heard, not only are we affected by this here and now, but our future children, future grandchildren, and many generations to come will suffer the consequences of our ignorance and lack of courage. Hopefully the courage of one person will have a domino effect and the citizens in America that make up the 99% can come together. If America becomes an example of how their citizens are able to live life, then maybe other countries' citizens will be able to muster up the courage to come together and fight as well.
When I think of courage and an important societal issue that requires it nowadays, it would be modern-day racism. This is a very difficult topic to assess and understand, partly due to the widespread notion that “the days of racism ended after the Civil Rights movement and we’ve moved on.” Undeniably, the Civil Rights movements was a giant step forward for our then-segregated society, and it is true that nowadays, especially in diverse regions like the Bay Area, we see people of all descents living and sharing public spaces together in apparent harmony. However, racism is all but extinct in our country. The difference is that present-day racism thrives now in a more subtle manner, and has become more institutionalized so that it is harder to perceive. Racism is perpetuated by ongoing stereotypes that have existed for decades and continue to be fed to us through the media as well. It is so deeply engrained in our society that it seems as if that is how things have always been and always will be; yet, would courageous acts from people (of our generation especially) be able to put an end to this discrimination?
ReplyDeleteIn my case in particular, working to put an end to racism would be a very risky thing to do for a variety of factors and would take much courage on my part. For one, being a woman AND a minority automatically puts me at a huge disadvantage precisely because of that fact. The longstanding views of white supremacy and the centuries old undermining of non-white minorities would contribute to the dismissal of any ideas or efforts I would put forth publicly….to put it in other words, my words would have much more effect on the public if I happened to be an upper-class white male, for example. But it is precisely because I am a female minority that I have all the reasons in the world to fight for a cause as just as the elimination of racism, because it is something that affects me, my family and so many of my loved ones on a day-to-day basis.
Being deprived of countless opportunities solely because of the color of your skin does not seem fit to a society supposedly built on “liberty and justice for all,” yet I would need one hell of a lot of courage to even begin to advocate against it. I risk being even more discriminated against if I decide to take a public stand against it. I risk getting overlooked and ridiculed for speaking out against stereotypes in the media, such as in movies or even in literature. I risk perhaps even my own safety and that of my family, if hard-core racists out there get fed up with me trying to overthrow everything they try to preserve. The risks are many, however in this day and age, I think it is the most courageous thing to do regarding racism.
In this case, courage involves speaking up when someone says something demeaning about another race, or perpetuates a stereotype. It involves educating people about racism itself, its origins, and how it is manifested even by the most “un-racist” person. Accepting the fact that one has racist thoughts and prejudices about others is a difficult process in itself and it takes much courage to do that alone. But I believe this would be the first step in stopping racism once and for all. For everyone to have the courage to analyze and accept their own racist thoughts and feelings means for them to know why and how these came to be, therefore knowing how to overcome these and help others do the same.
Comment above by Vivian Q.
DeleteComment above by Vivian Q.
DeleteDavid L.
ReplyDeleteAn issue that required my courage was when I played at a North Coast Section (NCS) tournament. It required my courage because it was my first time playing at a big tournament and hundreds of people were watching me as I played. Before the tournament, I kept on thinking that I would end up losing badly and disappoint my teammates. I was so nervous that I didn't want to play anymore and just wanted to go home. What I did to stop being nervous and to be courageous was that I blanked everyone out of my mind and only thought about winning the tournament. I knew that if I didn't play in the tournament I would regret it later on and disappoint my partner as well. In my first match, my teammates and other people from my league started to cheer me on and it made me build my courage to play. When I was thinking about giving up during a game, my teammates supported me and got me winning some matches. I ended up losing after a few rounds, but I was strong minded and brave enough to play. I believe that stepping out of your comfort zone requires courage and I stepped out of my confront zone that day for NCS.
Stephanie Alvarado
ReplyDeleteA major issue that has been going on for some time now is people doing mass shootings. Mass shootings have been taking place for years and I feel that educating oneself and taking proper precautions from the shooters is key in surviving a situation like that. Also I feel that being smart about how a person can help innocent people (victims) in those situations requires a lot of courage. The most infamous mass shootings took place in Colorado at Columbine High School. The shooting at Columbine created a sort of tend for people to think that they could imitate this terrible act by creating there own mass shootings. One of the main problems with this situation, besides the fact that many innocent people loss their lives and the families of those victims were devastated, was that the shooting created a sort of celebrity type of image for the shooters. The victims of most of these shooting are rarely known but the shooters are always talked about in the media, meaning they (the media) are creating a destructive environment to everyday people because if the shooter is glorified and the victims are rarely discussed then it brings out copycat shooters to reenact this same type of situation (mass shooting) in order to have their 15 minutes of fame. For example, after the Columbine event took place there has been shootings at Virginia Tech, the DC Snipers, Sandy Hook, the ex-LAPD officer shooting, the movie theatre (during the batman film) shooting, and most recently the DC shooting at the Navy Base. I feel that educating people on how to react to these type of situations through video education, having guess speakers like police officers, or even having group discussions is key; whether I’d be in K-12 settings, colleges, or groups meetings involving community members to discuss strategies. I mention this topic because I feel that to be able to discuss this topic takes a lot of courage and to stand up for what you believe for takes even more courage.
One of the main hotly debated topics is the cause of these mass shootings. Some say that it is because of the lenient gun control laws the US has and others say that the gun ownership process is not the cause. It is a risky topic to discuss and takes a lot of courage to be able to have an honest conversation about gun laws in the US. The conversation needs to happen because no matter what side people are on in reference to gun laws everyone can agree that mass shootings need to stop. It also takes a lot of courage to give an opinion on the topic but because the assignment requires this type of honesty and courage I will say that I believe that if we had a stronger stance on gun laws I believe it would lead to less violence taking place, in other words there would be way less mass shootings. Most importantly I feel that educating the youth is the most important part and requires a lot courage to have that conversation with families, information is power.
Pijitra S.
DeleteI totally agree with you about the mass shooting issue. I think it's a very serious problem. I feel sorry every time when mass shooting happens. I even get angry when I wonder why did they do that? Killing innocence people is just unacceptable. I do not think debating about the gun control would help this issue. I think the mass shooting happens because we lack of "Sense of community." People hardly talk to their neighbors. It is like we do not have a sense that we belong to the community we live in. I think good community would help improve psychological health in individual.
Overall, this is a serious issue that everybody should be courage to solve this problem. I totally agree with you that we should talk and inform our family members. However, we should be courage to talk, and be friendly with our neighbors. If everyone does that, it will affect the whole community.
Ricky L.
ReplyDeleteThe one issue going on right now that require courage are for jobs. There a lot of things that require courage like one looking for a job and going out there. Since there not much job out there so you going to get turn down a lot and that makes it hard on you to even try looking for a job. Plus if you got hired that’s great but sometimes it's not that great like the pay not even that good so you have to work up some courage to go to your boss and ask for a raise but if your boss is bad and just hates you they can just fire you, and there goes your job and courage down the drain or sometimes they do give you a raise but give you more work to do. If you can't keep up and follow your boss order they will yell at you and you have to just have to put up with it since that’s the only job you have right now. I think the courageous thing to would be make more stores and open more job opportunity for others to work because that would help bring people back up from the slumps they might be going through.
Vickie P.
DeleteI agree with you Ricky. But except a job is a job no matter what. It would be good once finding a job and getting hired but then you would have no choice to keep a crappy job because of financial issues. No matter what how bad the job is or how mean the boss is or how crappy the money is but it's something to keep you going. Also, the important thing to remember is that a job is a job no matter what cause you need it to support yourself in life.
The one thing going on that requires courage is better gun laws. I feel we should have one solid rule for gun users in every state so that we can keep a better track and better prevent guan violence. Currently there are many examples where gun laws have failed and the repercussions are grisly. For example men who have guns claiming that they are in fear when in fact their gun is merely a clutch. The thing that makes me required to be courageous is that since losing loved and watching friends losing loved ones to this senseless violence, I feel the need to project what is the right path to peace. I may run into threats. Actually I would run into conflicts but I think in hindsight it’s the right thing. What I would do to protest this is to get a community or a group of people who have lost loved ones, and match through the most crime ridden areas. It’s not the fault of the weapon it’s the wielder. It’s kind of like if a kid with a toy who can’t have “nice things” and they have to take it away from them when they act up.
ReplyDeleteJoshua Jackson ^
DeleteSarbdeep S
ReplyDeleteAmong the many issues that requires me to take a stand, I think the most important is the overseas sweatshop workers whose abuse we support. The clothing we wear to the the towels we use to wipe our bodies after we shower, they are all made in overseas “sweatshops” that kill people on a daily basis (in a sense). The workers of the factories work 12, maybe even 14 hour shifts a day and get paid cents for the day. If lucky, their paychecks added up at the end of the year might equal what a low wage earner makes in 2 days in our country. Yet, these are workers for our own companies…our own “American” brands that we wear so proudly. Does America stand for such abuse and disgusting treatment? Are brands like Nike, Addidas and such really “American?”….
Since when did America start standing for beliefs such as paying workers less then a meal would cost? At some factories, such as apple…..some workers are forced to live at the factory, simply so that they can be “milked” on a daily basis. Basically, they don’t even own their lives anymore…they have become pets to factory managers and big time CEO’s. In my opinion, as citizens of the country that are behind the birth of such factories we must do something. This requires the courage of every American (including myself) in order to get something done! Many options are available to take action against these big corporations and factories. The best options would be; boycotting such brands (which is very unlikely to happen), petitioning and suing –in hopes of safer working condition laws and higher pay for workers to be implemented, and also helping spread the word and causing awareness (getting more people on board). These options above all require courage for a number of reasons. 1, no action can be taken without courage against a big corporation. 2, boycotting /petioning/suing all put you in the spot light and make you a target in a sense. Say for instance, I sue Nike for a factory they had in India and cause a lot of awareness and gather a bunch of support. The matter gets taken into court, and eventually the factory in India has to start paying the workers and additional couple of rupees (less than a cent probably) per day. Also, they have to decrease a work day from 15 hours to 10 hours per worker. Obviously, there would be a lot of hate towards me from Nike and their “top dogs” as well as their people who ran the factory in India. Out here, they wouldn’t be able to physically do too much to me. However, in a country like India….
Deletemurders, blackmailing, rape, kidnappings happen on a daily basis. Keep in mind; this is a country where you HAVE to bribe the police in order to run a business. Also, you can bribe a police man to do pretty much ANYTHING for you. So when I go back to India (my native land) the local managers of the Nike factory I caused to get to get into trouble with the law will try their very best to come after me and my entire family. This would require a lot of courage by placing the lives and respect of my family and I in high danger. Boycotting and causing others also requires a lot of courage. Say if you boycotted Nike (in America), two major things can happen which would cause you a lot of trouble. A, Nike and their corporate lawyers may find any reason because you are defaming their company (which lawyers love to do) and try to bring you to court and sue you for whatever you’re worth. Now where is the average joe going to get the money to find a lawyer that can go up against a corporate lawyer from such a giant company? B, many people who love the brands products (say hypothetically you gathered so many people and boycotted that they HAD to stop making the product), may come at you sideways. They can threaten you and potentially even physically hurt you. However, in order to make any effective change…you cannot fear for your life. You have to put your life on the line, and this requires more then just courage. Take any example from history….change cannot be made without risk. And what greater risk is there then your life? The options stated above are the courageous thing to do, because by putting your life on the stake you can potentially be bettering the lives of thousands or maybe even millions of mistreated oversees workers. All that needs to be done is the workers needed to be treated more humanely…less hours and slightly more pay. These corporations make hundreds of millions of dollars a day, what difference would it makes if they cut their profits by a couple of tens of thousands a day in order to pay the workers a little more and better their lives dramatically. Nothing is better then a happy healthy worker: P
Delete***Message was too long for one post****
Sarbdeep S
DeleteAll of the above was my original post cut into ultiple posts because it was too long for one post
Nickie P.
ReplyDeleteI think gay rights are somewhat of a big issue right now. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to someone or people and say, “I’m gay and I’m proud” because back in the day you weren’t allowed to do that because of religious reasons. But now and days I don’t think it really matters all too much, but still to some people and their religion its still not ok, till this very day. It takes a lot of courage to be open about who you really are and what you really want.
Something that required you to be courageous is, I think your happiness and to be at peace with yourself and your loved ones. What I mean is, to be accepted by your loved ones, and once they accept you for you; you can finally accept yourself and finally be happy. I think you would have to be ambitious and brave to be open and be whom you really want and how you feel. It’s not ok that someone tells you that you can’t be with someone of the same sex. It’s like telling someone that they can’t be with the opposite sex, kind of.
I think that everyone should show and teach each other that it’s ok to accept gays in this world because they are just like any other people no different from you and I. I think its ok to teach them young as well because it may lead to less bullying as well.
But for people who do want to finally come out and be whom they want, it may be hard because there may be some ups and downs. Such as, if some one were to come out to their parents, family members, friends, etc., it may not turn out the way they expect it would. Their loved ones could be super religious and not accept it or them, or just not accept it because they think it’s wrong. And this bothers me so much because I once had a gay best friend and he wanted to tell his parents or other people that he knew he was gay and wanted to be with men, but he was too afraid. And this is because he was young and afraid that once he told people about it, he would get sent away by his parents and or get picked on at school stuff like that. I was there for him during his whole process to tell people and I was his supporter. But, it didn’t turn out like we thought it would, turns out his parents felt ashamed of him, they were disgusted. Then once people at school started to find out, they picked on him. He couldn’t take it any more so he moved away, and at his new place he never told anyone that he was gay. When he moved away he had no one, no one to support him or have anyone to talk to about how he felt or feels, I lost my very first best friend. All in all I felt like my friend was being courageous by standing up to his parents and finally telling them the truth even though he didn’t get that happy ending.
I think the most courageous thing to do is to find help for people who are confused about their sexuality. I think that people should be more open to gays because like I said they are just regular people like you and I and they just want to be accepted into this world. There should be more supporters and counselors for young people who are still confused about their sexuality because a lot of young people who are stuck in situations like this turn to suicide, and that’s not ok.
Christina T
DeleteI completely agree that people need to be more open-minded about sexuality. I've known two people who have taken their lives because of gender or sexual-based harassment, and it is NOT okay that there are people out there who think they deserve it because they were "lesser human beings." Spreading tolerance is the biggest key in opening people eyes. For example, things like pride parades are good ideas, but I honestly feel that they aren't implemented in the best light. What's best to do is to let people know the effects of anti-gay harassment. Homosexuality is found in hundreds of animal species, but homophobia is only present in one.
Sarbdeep S
ReplyDeleteSince when did America start standing for beliefs such as paying workers less then a meal would cost? At some factories, such as apple…..some workers are forced to live at the factory, simply so that they can be “milked” on a daily basis. Basically, they don’t even own their lives anymore…they have become pets to factory managers and big time CEO’s. In my opinion, as citizens of the country that are behind the birth of such factories we must do something. This requires the courage of every American (including myself) in order to get something done! Many options are available to take action against these big corporations and factories. The best options would be; boycotting such brands (which is very unlikely to happen), petitioning and suing –in hopes of safer working condition laws and higher pay for workers to be implemented, and also helping spread the word and causing awareness (getting more people on board). These options above all require courage for a number of reasons. 1, no action can be taken without courage against a big corporation. 2, boycotting /petioning/suing all put you in the spot light and make you a target in a sense. Say for instance, I sue Nike for a factory they had in India and cause a lot of awareness and gather a bunch of support. The matter gets taken into court, and eventually the factory in India has to start paying the workers and additional couple of rupees (less than a cent probably) per day. Also, they have to decrease a work day from 15 hours to 10 hours per worker. Obviously, there would be a lot of hate towards me from Nike and their “top dogs” as well as their people who ran the factory in India. Out here, they wouldn’t be able to physically do too much to me. However, in a country like India….
murders, blackmailing, rape, kidnappings happen on a daily basis. Keep in mind; this is a country where you HAVE to bribe the police in order to run a business. Also, you can bribe a police man to do pretty much ANYTHING for you. So when I go back to India (my native land) the local managers of the Nike factory I caused to get to get into trouble with the law will try their very best to come after me and my entire family. This would require a lot of courage by placing the lives and respect of my family and I in high danger. Boycotting and causing others also requires a lot of courage. Say if you boycotted Nike (in America), two major things can happen which would cause you a lot of trouble. A, Nike and their corporate lawyers may find any reason because you are defaming their company (which lawyers love to do) and try to bring you to court and sue you for whatever you’re worth. Now where is the average joe going to get the money to find a lawyer that can go up against a corporate lawyer from such a giant company? B, many people who love the brands products (say hypothetically you gathered so many people and boycotted that they HAD to stop making the product), may come at you sideways. They can threaten you and potentially even physically hurt you. However, in order to make any effective change…you cannot fear for your life. You have to put your life on the line, and this requires more then just courage. Take any example from history….change cannot be made without risk. And what greater risk is there then your life? The options stated above are the courageous thing to do, because by putting your life on the stake you can potentially be bettering the lives of thousands or maybe even millions of mistreated oversees workers. All that needs to be done is the workers needed to be treated more humanely…less hours and slightly more pay. These corporations make hundreds of millions of dollars a day, what difference would it makes if they cut their profits by a couple of tens of thousands a day in order to pay the workers a little more and better their lives dramatically. Nothing is better then a happy healthy worker: P
ReplyDeletePaola Gutierrez
ReplyDeleteSomething I feel that I need to be courageous about is standing up to my employers. I should be more courageous because I feel like we as employees don’t feel like we are fairly treated. Some managers have come to use their authority unfairly and feel like they can speak to people under them, like me, as if we are children when in reality we are all adults. There is also no type of communication between managers. One will say something and the other will contradict, we as employees are stuck in the middle and because of this we tend to get in trouble by both sides. Also when scheduled to leave at a certain time the managers choose to do otherwise, it is their choice on when we get to leave regardless of our schedule. When we actually say that we need to leave at our scheduled time we get in trouble. Even though it can affect our plans and for me my studies. This makes our work environment extremely uncomfortable. This affects my work ability, I no longer have the willingness to work well or even show up to work.
Me voicing my opinion will be courageous because I will be risking my job. Losing my job can affect my income, which will affect how much money I have to shop, pay rent and bills. I also fear that my future employers may call to get a reference and I will be spoken bad about. This can make future employers not want to hire me.
I think that the courageous thing to do is actually speak up to the managers themselves and even the store manager. If this does not work I also need to make the step and contact my company corporate about these issues. Also if I do get fired it will not be silently since I shouldn’t be punished for speaking my mind. My courage won’t only help me but also the people I work with.
Prima F.
DeleteI definitely agree with you that it takes courage to be able to stand up to your managers at work. Sometimes as employees, our managers at work intimidate us and that should NEVER be the case. We should always have a comfortable and open environment to work in. There should be an open door policy so that whatever is bothering us, we can go directly to them. I believe that managers who are close minded, who treat their employees poorly and do not communicate to their team the way they should will never be able to run a successful business. Employees should be treated as if they are a part of team because let’s face it there’s no “I” in team.
I don’t know where you work at. But if this is a constant problem and if you have brought this to their attention, you should definitely call human resources or your district manager and try and get it solved. The more issues they have on file the faster it will get resolved. Also, when they are called for a reference usually they can’t talk ill about you as an employee. I believe they are only required to say if you are currently or was once an employee there. And as far as staying longer than scheduled, if that always happens then they should either start scheduling you longer or schedule more people. You are definitely a courageous person for speaking up to your managers! If everyone else feels the same way and no one says anything then no one will.
Emsley Fraser
ReplyDeleteI believe that one major issue that requires my courage is defending against unfair working conditions and unreasonable pay. There are many jobs out there (mainly minimum wage jobs) that I believe don’t pay out nearly as much for the work the employees do. As a retail worker myself I can say that me and most of my other co-workers can agree with this theory. But the problem is if I were to talk about this situation with either my supervisor and/or manager, instead of this problem being resolved or looked into, I would have a chance of getting written up or even possibly fired. So taking this chance of speaking about this problem would definitely take a certain amount of courage, even just talking about it to another co-worker can be a risky deal. I believe that it is a big problem currently because there are other jobs that pay higher for less work and effort, which is obviously unfair in some circumstances. One of the most courageous acts that I would be able to do in this situation is to team up with other co-workers and form a strike. This has been proven to be one of the most effective ways to form a change in the workforce, and also one of the most risky choices you can make. If we are successful then we might get more pay, more flexible hours, and more reasonable working conditions. But if I fail at doing this, then I can get written up just for attempting to go against the store, maybe fired or may be even black listed so I that it makes it a lot more different to get another job. It would take a lot of courage to stand up and try to make a difference for the rest of the workers, but unless we fight against it in numbers, nothing will ever change and anyone that may attempt may lose their job just to fight for the fairness of others.
Evelyn A.
ReplyDeleteSomething going on right now that I believe requires my courage is to fight for better immigration reform. This country was built on immigrant. And for the economy to work we need immigrant. There is not US citizen that would work in the fields from sun up to sun down to pick strawberries, oranges, peaches, carrots, grapes, etc, especially not for two dollars and hours or 50 cents for every box they fill with product. When immigration is even brought up at all people automatically think Mexicans, but no. There that immigrants from Russia, China, Japan, El Salvador, Guatemala, Africa, and so many other places in the world. But sometimes the ignorance of people and racism won't let them see that immigration reform is good for this country. They obviously shouldn't offer it to criminals because that would defy the purpose but if they work hard, go to school or both in some cases it should definitely be grated to those kinda of people because those are the people who are going to help make this country better.
Julio A.
DeleteI agree with you Evelyn as both my parents are illegal immigrants. I have seen both my parents work multiple jobs to make ends meet. I have seen my dad work in the fields and do stuff that most people do not want to do for miserable pay. I feel that the U.S. government is hesitant to give immigrants their permanent residency because of the criminal activity going on at the U.S. Mexico border. I feel that the hard working immigrants should not get punished for crimes that only a fraction of people coming into U.S. are doing. So I think that we should continue to fight for the hard working immigrants in this country. So that they at least will be eligible for certain benefits and have the freedom to go back and forth from the U.S. to their home countries as the please.
Evelyn A.
DeleteJulio i definitely agree. Just like in my post worker rights should also be established for illegal immigrants. I know a few people who work at restaurants and they always have to work overtime but don't get paid as overtime, they can't ask for a day off without getting threatened to be fired. legal status as well as laws that required restaurants whether they are big businesses or mom and pop places to be aware that these people have families and that just because they don't have legal status doesn't mean they shouldn't have rights.
Christy C.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many things going on in our world right now that with everything that is happening it is hard to be able to decide to stand up for something. Just how it was many years ago there are some issues that take a lot of courage to voice your opinion about. When I look at our society today I think one issue that requires a big amount of courage is Gay rights, which in our generation has made a huge impact. And it is just not our society but all over the world that these people are being discriminated and looked down upon just because of their sexual preferences. They aren't at fault that their preference of living their life does not coincide with others. As the years have gone by Gay rights has become a very controversial issue, deciding on whether they should be able to marry and have the rights of a married couple or be a “domestic partnership” and have no rights as partners. Even though in some states and in California same sex couples are allowed to marry it does not stop there. When it comes to this issue many people do not want to stand up for it because they are afraid about what others may think since this dilemma does make others uncomfortable. Since it takes something risky or difficult for an act to be courageous the fact that usually it is hard to speak out your mind in these type of things because like I said before people don't want to be judged and fear but why judge others. People don't want to be looked at a certain way for believing in something others don't see right. But if you don't do anything you are seen as a coward for not doing it as well. So it is pretty hard to be courageous for gay rights but in the end you cannot please everybody so might as well go with what you feel even if you are straight these people deserve to live their life how they want if they are doing so peacefully. Thought it is hard to stop the discrimination because all people think differently maybe just helping other accept these people is first step. So I think the courageous thing to do in this matter is to start off small start doing research, join clubs that support gay rights, meet people even if it is small you can make a difference and then later on do bigger things towards this issue.
Rosie R.
ReplyDeleteOne thing today that requires peoples courage are strikes. When people go on strike, they risk their reputation, their income and many other things that may or may not change their living status. Much of our population stay quiet and cope with our societies way of living, though sometimes the government makes the living expense harder day by day. Standing up for reasonable benefits requires courageous people, and it takes one to be courageous to raise their voice with a crowd of people and simply fight. When your recognized for doing something out of the ordinary, I call that courageous.
Kanika P.
DeleteI agree with Rosie that many people try to stay quiet and take no action for a cause. What type of causes would you go on strikes for? When one speaks out I think they also have to have confidence. But I wish that people didn't have to think that strikes are out of the ordinary because that would mean that people would join together more often. Over all I agree with most of the things you stated.
Julio A.
ReplyDeleteIn the United States there are employers who take advantage of the use of illegal immigrants and over work these individuals just because they are undocumented. One thing that I feel requires my courage is standing up for these people and educating them of the worker laws. As a former construction worker I have met many of these individuals that get over worked or get told to do incredibly dangerous and unsafe tasks. These individuals agree to do these tasks because they think that they have no rights because they are illegal. When they get overworked at times they get ripped off for overtime hours or regular time hours and don’t say anything to the trade unions or to anyone that has the authority to get them paid fairly. The reason I feel that this subject requires my courage is because I come from a family of construction workers who are both legal and illegal to work in this country. Some of my family members work for employers who will ask them to do dangerous tasks and I feel that they need someone who should speak up for them even though they won’t speak up to their employers because they fear that they will lose their job. I think that the trades unions need to get more involved and go to check out job sites and make sure that these people are getting paid adequately and treated fairly. Even though these people are undocumented immigrants they still have rights and they should know their rights and know that they cannot continue to get their overtime pay took from them or get asked to do unsafe tasks.
Evelyn A.
DeleteJulio i definitely agree. Just like in my post worker rights should also be established for illegal immigrants. I know a few people who work at restaurants and they always have to work overtime but don't get paid as overtime, they can't ask for a day off without getting threatened to be fired. legal status as well as laws that required restaurants whether they are big businesses or mom and pop places to be aware that these people have families and that just because they don't have legal status doesn't mean they shouldn't have rights.
Lety M.
ReplyDeleteI think people need to take more risks. The area in which all of this took place was tough to say how you felt. However every victory has its challenges. If anyone has the guts to stand up for what they truly believe is the right thing to do then they can start a movement. Everything starts off small and later grows in ways they never expected. If i was in this area i would want to stand up and help those who could help themselves. The courage i need to achieve is one that will help me finish with school and stay focus. I always start off well but end up loosing my focus near the end almost to where I want to give up. if I had more courage I could keep strong the whole year and know i truly did do my best.
David D
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that involves a lot of courage that stands out to me is change. Change is so big in our society today because the nation is full of followers. It takes so much courage to be different in this modern day. The main thing that people in our society fear about change is what others think of them. If we as a nation get over the fact that it doesn’t matter what others think of your life than that’s when we’ll meet untamable measures of success. I feel as if we can reach those measures if we just have more leaders such as Martin Luther King or even Malcolm X. It took so much courage to stand up in front of thousands of people to speak their minds on how change will come if we just all stick together. Change is so little but at the same time it’s everything we need to become a powerful nation.
Christina T.
ReplyDeleteA clear hot button issue would be gay rights; the fact that a person’s privilege to marriage has to be debated based on their sexuality still boggles my mind. However, homosexuality is already receiving much attention and support from the masses in current days because of people’s growing courage. This being so, I’d like to move on to another issue involving an identity that negates social norms: transgenderism.
Transgenderism is an occurrence where a person does not identify with the assigned gender they were given based on their sexuality. This is a deeply rooted, deeply confusing feeling. Gender-confused individuals loathe themselves and their bodies to the greatest extent. They often feel ashamed or freakish that they can’t live as they feel. I’m friends with several transgender individuals who try to talk about their sexuality as any person normally would, but have an under layer of constant fear that somebody is going to shun them or ridicule them for either not conforming to their gender roles as they were born, or for not being born in the right body. One of my female to male acquaintances showers with a tank top on so he won’t have to see his breasts. Another stuffs his pants so he can feel like he has what’s not really there. A male to female acquaintance of mine wears women’s undergarments underneath his jeans and t-shirt so he can have a slight taste of femininity without people assuming he’s perverse or doing it for attention. It’s truly painful and daunting to be a transgender person if everybody thinks of you as a freak for wanting to change something so mentally grounded into society as gender roles. Life is slowly getting better for gays because of the constant media attention their cause is receiving, but transgenderism is still very much in the dark.
Transgenderism has been in news recently in regard to high school prom courts. There have been several cases of female to male transgender students applying for prom king positions in their high school proms. They were all flat out denied the opportunity, one even being placed on the ballot as prom queen, which could easily be seen as a much bigger insult. One male to female student was placed on their prom ballot for prom queen and actually won. Though she was ecstatic about her victory and saw it as a step toward transgender acceptance, there was a MAJOR backlash within her school and area.
Another instance of transgender problems would be public restrooms, which has obvious ill repercussions if making the “wrong” decision, and is another topic that has been discussed in the media.
The only way to change such negative perceptions about transgenderism is by spreading awareness and tolerance. Social networking sites like Tumblr and Youtube are a huge inspiration for transgendered teens to keep moving on past all of the hate they receive. I feel as though this is an excellent medium to try and change people’s minds. Posting support videos and pictures, sharing stories and experiences, these are things that people can do to let others know what it truly is to be transgendered and grant them the opportunity to wrap their heads around it. Unfortunately, any drastic changes in society’s mentality will take several generations to alter, so starting with the young, the future of society, will be the biggest help in influencing open-mindedness. The risky part of this is, of course, major backlash and incessant bullying. It’s difficult to stand up for yourself when your self-esteem and self-worth are knocked to perpetually nothing. When a person stands up and says that they’re transgendered, they’re automatically a huge target for persecution. The courageous thing to do would be to defend those in need and speak up for those who can’t.
Elizabeth L.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I believe requires courage is to stand up against banning gun laws and I know it is a very controversial topic, however, I do think it deserves some attention. I am not a gun-lover by all means but I do believe that the mass shooting is not at the faults of the tools I believe it’s in the faults of the killer. I don’t think we should ban guns because a lot of people use it as home defense to protect their family against the bad guys. If you ban guns, the civilians won’t have any but the criminals will definitely still have a way to get their hands on them. I think if we make it harder for people to test into having the privilege of owning a firearm, such as checking if they are mentally stable and a thorough background check. I do think mass shootings are awful but you can not blame the gun when the gun didn’t point itself to an innocent person.
David D.
DeleteIn response to this I will have to agree with Elizabeth. Guns ultimately don't kill people, people with guns do so if we eliminate the guns to be here on this earth we wouldn't have to deal with all of this rampage-like killings. People who play with guns on the daily are pretty much the ones who are the ones going out and killing people just because they are custom to those tactics. We should keep those guns off the streets and prevent senseless murders.
Veronica D.
ReplyDeleteAn issue on today’s world would be bullying. Bullying has gotten more and more serious over the years and yet there are still people who are afraid to stand up for themselves. It takes a lot of courage to actually say something about it. Many are too scared or afraid of the consequences upon themselves that if they “snitch” and tell an adult about them being bullied, they’ll be hated or known as a “tattle tale.” Nowadays cyber bullying occurs anywhere at any time. A simple text or blog can ruin a person’s life, or reputation in school People will believe what others do and will go along with just about anything. It takes courage and strength to actually put up a fight and acknowledge the fact that they clearly have the right and protection to inform an adult about their problems. It’s a sad thing to see someone being bullied. Leaving him/her to feel helpless and weak and allowing the bully to feel strong and powerful. People need to have the courage to stand up and put up a fight for themselves. It all starts with having the courage to at least tell an adult or any one older about what’s going on. From there, help will be provided and being that courageous person makes that student a strong and “bigger” person.
I agree with what you're saying. I feel as if internet sides for example could take greater steps to prevent bullying. I don't think its looked at a lot from society. People don't care until they get bullied themselves and the problem is that they are the minority so there are not a lot of people to step up. I think that there should be more courage in people to help the ones that need it the most and stepping up against the mainstream. And also to give the people without courage, the courage to stand up for themselves. I feel like those are the main two things that are wrong with society these days regarding that problem. That there is not enough done by the people who could like implementing rules and that no one has the courage to make people aware. For example only recently a girl was bullied so much that she took her life. Its hard to think that we life in a society where people want to take their life rather than life. All this happened on Facebook and they didn't do anything about the reports.
DeleteGurjeet Singh
ReplyDeleteOne of the issues i want to talk about is how girls have no rights to go out of the house after 6 pm back home which is (punjab, india). People are affraid to send their girls out at night because girls get rape alot often out here at night. This is because government is really corrupted out there because raped girls bearly get any justice. Even if the person get caught who raped a girl if hes rich or he have some family in police or in politics he will eventually come out without getting charge that is very unfair to girls who are not rich. What my courage will take to fix this promplem that i would go out there one day gather alot of journalist and well educated people from states and take them back home so they could question and reopen the files of convicted people so they should get charge and do their time in prison..by doing this it will take my courageous revel up so i could just stand up future and able to do stuff that i was always affraid of do it.
A lot of things require courage in the society we live in. One thing I believe people should step up to is the equality of all mankind. People don't treat each other the way they are supposed to even though society says we do. I don't think that it'd be risky for yourself to step up and make a stand for a thing like gay marriage. Most people will support you for things like that which makes it even more unbelievable that there is still inequality. There is a lot you can do to start a movement not with modern technology. You can write songs and start movements with movies.
ReplyDeleteA person has to stand for the whole movement so it has a face and a way to start.
Justin G.
James Baldwin
ReplyDeleteThe only risky or difficulty about it for me is trying to save all the animals who are being abuse or taking animals from their owners that are abusing them. I agree that animal cruelty requires courage to stand up for what you believe in. Everybody should have the right to be treated equally. In order for this to happen, people should understand the meaning of equality. It is becoming a huge issue so much to that self made put rescues are becoming more, as well as the occasional animal rescue TV shows. Animal cruelty is definitely a major issue it is so immoral to see YOUTUBE videos illustrating people throwing puppies as hard as possible and them getting a laugh out of it. Animals are like us they need love they have feelings so that mean that we should treat then right just how we aspect to be treated.
David D
ReplyDeleteStanding up for yourself can be really challenging if you're used to letting others have their way or you're a people pleaser. When you trim yourself down to suit everyone else. Learning to stand up for yourself is a way of ensuring other people respect you and don't try to push you around. Standing up for yourself is something that is in your blood, either you have it or you don't. There are ways you can fix it but you have to have courage to go outside your comfort zone. If your tired of being the doormat of people and every situation then you are ready to stand up for yourself. First, you have to believe in yourself, second change your attitude, third trust your instincts, fourth and last when attacked you have to have courage to speak your mind, body language works as well. Don't give up ever. No matter what the situation is you have to keep pushing to make things work in your favor. This requires you to put out an enormous amount of courage.
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