DRUGS!

In previous blogs I have talked about people who discriminate against race, ability, etc. What about the discrimination and stigmas created about people who use "drugs". My opinion about drugs is quite simple. Why should the government have the right to tell me or anyone else if we can do drugs? Over 7 million people smoke marijuana in the US alone. Marijuana is actually considered America's largest cash crop. The government bullies people who partake in the use of recreational drugs. There should be laws that regulate drug use, just as there is alcohol, but the outright lies and propaganda they use is quite astonishing.

A lot of people use the argument that "drugs" are dangerous. Well, my argument is that getting into a car is dangerous, yet millions still choose to do it. There are more fatalities cause by car accidents then there are for all the deaths related to "drugs". Take marijuana for example. I know that it is a bad example because you cannot die from overdosing, but that is the point. You CANNOT die from smoking marijuana! Then why is it illegal you may ask, because the government has decided that they can bully us. And after all why not, we let them.

Maria Lopez

I'm pretty sure we have all watched one of the many court room T.V. shows that have been such a big hit during daytime television in the past decade or so.
Well, that being said, I was watching "Judge Maria Lopez" the other day and she became extremely aggressive towards an African American man because of some lyrics he wrote in a few of his songs. She goes on to tell him that his music is violent and wrong and so forth and so on and he eventually loses the case. This struck me as extremely over opinionated on the judges part especially because our legal system should be completely unbiased. I believe that these shows might set the precedent on how our society views our legal system which could in turn cause lack of trust and faith by the people of America.
I now believe that if I ever "get sued" that I may end up losing the case simply because of the way I dress or what my views on certain issues may be. This should not be the situation. Our legal system should be blind and unbiased, I believe that if we continue to let these shows continue to manipulate our legal system for entertainment then we could be in a bad situation in the future.

The Word Liberal.

I have heard the word liberal more times then I could have ever imagined since I started attending the University of North Texas. I have heard it in good and bad context and am quite confused on how some people tend to use this word.
For some the word liberal is a "bad word" and will spark anger when used. Then there are some who would prefer to be called nothing else. The question I have is "what is a liberal", and does it have anything to do with republicans and democrats?
Well, this is the definition i have found from "Dictionary.com- Liberal - favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties. So, why does the word have such a stigma if it means the favor of maximum individual freedom possible? Because of polarization, in our political agenda we as a country have a tendency to use slander to promote your own views. This is an extremely bad situation that i believe we should address immediately.
If this is the definition of a liberal, would you not consider yourself one?

Braille on ATM's

I know that there is an ongoing joke about braille being on Drive up ATM's. People do not seem to realize that just because they are blind does not mean they do not have the right to privacy just like everyone else. You may ask "when would a blind person need to use the drive through ATM?" Well, I have a scenario. Say it is late and a blind person needs to withdraw some money from the ATM. So a person drives the blind person to the ATM and because of the braille on the machine he does not have to tell anyone his password or any information for that matter. So, in conclusion- people should continue to tell these jokes, but be aware that there is a reason for it.

Don Imus

The first thing I can say is "Really?". Can this really be happening? A man was fired from his job and shunned from society because of a racial slur? DUH! What the hell was he thinking?! I cannot believe this guy had the moxie to do such a horrid thing. He verbally assaulted a group of woman for NO apparent reason. This man is an obvious racist and should be extradited to France. What does a woman hating racist have in our country anyways? I say we should put him on trial for undoing all the good work that has been done by our fathers and brothers.

Dumbledore is Gay!!

It did not come as a surprise to me that J.K. Rowling outed a loved character named, Albus Dumbledore. I believe J.K. Rowling announced this because of timing. With her books newly rejuvenated popularity finally fading away, she obviously wanted to peak interests again by announcing his sexual orientation. This being said I also believe that she knew for quite some time that "Dumbledore" was homosexual.
Should she have put his sexual preference into the open for any reason? NO. This is a blatant cry for attention.
This all being said I am a fan of J.K. Rowling and her books.

WBAP

I happened to be listening to the radio a few days back with a co-worker of mine and he was listening to a station called WBAP with Mark Davis. He is a conservative talk show host on a conservative station so I RARELY listen to him. However; when i did get the chance to listen to him I was astonished on his public views and remarks of the Muslim religion. He claims that most "Muslims" think that it is the right thing to kill people in an act of a Jihad. Now, I'm not too entirely sure on statistics of who does and does not believe it is okay to kill people in the Muslim community, although I do recognize that it is completely irresponsible to claim that any large majority of people are violent and should be treated as such. This entire scenario reminds me of reading stories of Hitler convincing people that the "Jews" are dirty and disgusting. I believe that if our communities do not respond to this sort of bigotry and hatred then we could be headed into a direction as a nation that will follow this ignorant stance on our Muslim friends, neighbors, and relatives.

Discrimination

In Dallas, Texas there has been a movement against the African American culture. Did you know that there are people trying to dictate what you kind of clothes you can wear?
In the past few weeks there have been two new laws brought forward by the city, to decide if it will be legal to wear "baggy pants" or pants that show any underwear. And a law that would ban loud bass music while driving. If you look at these laws you should immediately realize that these so called "city ordinances" are an attack on the African American culture, much less an all out assault on our freedoms as an individual.
If me or any other person feels as though they should wear pants of any type then let it be. I feel as though this is a HUGE step backwards for all of humanity if these inconceivable laws become enforced. Will we sacrifice our right to individuality and freedom for our communities to be "less black"? I hope not.

Jena 6

I find Jena 6 an extremely interesting topic. Many people are crying racism and others are flat out denying it. What I would like to know is the truth. What we know for sure is that 6 black kids beat up one white kid. This alone would start a mad rush of anger if this were the only part of the story. However, it is not. We also know that white kids were harassing the black kids and putting up nooses in the trees where the black kids were sitting. People claim this is freedom of speech, but any intelligent person would recognize that this is not freedom of speech but a direct mental assault on a group of children. Were these kids punished for hanging nooses, I do not know. Were the black kids treated fairly for what they did to the white kid, I do not know. The only thing I know, is that I know nothing.

The Disabled

The one group of minorities that we rarely hear about is the disabled. I often wonder what would happen in certain situations (I.E. 9/11) if you where disabled and stuck in the buildings without an elevator; however I rarely hear anything of the sort make it to the local or national media. I believe there is a definite stigma going around about disabled people in todays society and that is, that they are not disabled, they are just "faking" it. I work for a police department and you wouldn't believe how many times Ive heard someone say that they see people all the time with handicap placards they do not need them. My question is "do they?". Do these handicapped people need the "convenience" of a closer parking space. The answer I believe, is yes. Yes they do need these little things that make their lives easier. Its the least we can do as a society to help take a little stress of these people that are not as privileged as you and me.

Stereotypes in Mass Media

Stereotyping to me is a nessecary evil. Stereotyping in the media however, i find not only incorrect but harmful to our society. I do not mean that the news shouldn't show an african american male robbing a store. I mean that it should not show this and the turn around and show 5 more african males being put in jail. A lot of people argue that these things should be put in the media because it is a part of freedom of speech. The freedom we have for speaking does not mean we can say and do whatever we want. I believe it means we can say and do whatever we want as long as it does not directly negatively affect another individual or group of individuals.

My news habits

I generally get my news from three sources: TV, internet, and Quick newspaper. I read/watch news at least once a day.
Online news I get from Yahoo! front page, and I read articles about science, technology and astronomy. Offline news I get from the Quick newspaper; I read the sports section, local and funnies. I probably seek news out around three hours a week.
My assumptions for race/gender/sexualities/disabilities in the media is that the demographics need to be filled. It doesn't matter if a group of people are offended by something in the media, because a demographic wants to see/hear that, otherwise it wouldn't be in existence.