English as an official language? Not in America.

This is a very sensitive topic. I have studied several languages in elementary school, high school and college. I continue to study language because communication is the number one tool of diplomacy. I am a Navy brat and I was also a Third Culture Kid. I studied Spanish in Spain because that is where I lived as a child. My school was a Department of Defense Dependent School, more commonly known by the acronym--as so many military things are: DODDS. I believe that the DODDS school system has some of the best ideas for making children and teens global citizens. Civics is embedded in the curriculum. We had a class called "Host Nation" and it exposed us to the language and culture of Spain. I became bilingual very quickly. I continued with Spanish and went on to learn French and Japanese. I was excited to see a job advertisement from Delta Airlines and was simultaneously appalled when I read that in order to apply, one must be bilingual in languages that have different writing systems such as Japanese, which alone has three, and a language such as Swedish, which has never been offered at my high schools or colleges. At a time when so many Americans are looking for work, is this fair? Who is most likely to speak these languages? I have had advantages in life because I lived overseas for the majority of my life, but some Americans do not have passports or an education system with such advantages. I have retained that ad from Delta and I have written an entire essay on why it should be revised. Large companies can send applicants to language schools--as the US military and other institutions do. English is arguably the most common language in the United States and it angers me that I would be required--emphasis on required--to speak another language in order to work in the U.S. Official languages are of a huge significance because some languages such as Hawaiian and Native American languages, were once illegal in the U.S. In order to preserve their cultures, the Constitution for the state of Hawaii has included Hawaiian as its official language. Writing is legally binding and such arguments should, I believe, be presented at the state and federal levels for reform. The Middle Class is dwindling in America. Corporations with large profits should not be exempt from hiring monolingual English speakers. 

Kanye West's "All of the lights" video

Kanye West, in my opinion, is one of the greatest artists in the music industry. The video for his single, "All of the lights," was released recently and it made me realize a few things. Youtube and other sites broadcasts music faster than television. I used to have to wait until MTV or another music channel broadcast the video, but now, the internet is my source for the majority of videos that I search for and watch. Also, it gives the individual the power to change the official video to one that matches their imagination and creativity. I was under the impression that the video was a tribute to Michael Jackson. The video begins with a child walking and candles. I liked this idea because apparently the video takes places in Chicago. The Chicago setting is significant because children have been caught in the crossfire of drive byes and other instances of gun violence. Candlelight vigils are often commonplace to bring awareness to the issue and to pay homage to the victims. I visualized the child walking to light a candle for one of the innocent victims killed on their way to school and Kanye showing candlelight vigils for Micheal Jackson, civilians, troops, an international level of the power of mourning. Reggie Doucet was shot by an LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) officer in January of 2011. His family and friends continue to get tattoos in his memory and question whether it was negligent homicide--on account of the LAPD. I did not know Reggie Doucet, but a friend of mine was very close to him. I would have expected Kanye to have planned this video to where it praised his mother, as well, who has passed on. I hope that someone on Youtube or another blog site can create a video that, in my opinion, lives up to the great song.     

Update: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

There will be a television show that documents military members surprising family members by returning from deployment and having it captured on camera. Deployments are usually long and information is given on a needs-to-know basis, therefore, it is very surprising when a military member returns without any formal notice. On the preview for the show, there was a man who looked very young. He was in uniform and he entered what appeared to be a high school classroom. The teenager that he was surprising did not look that far in age from the father, brother, or friend who was surprising him. I was proud to hear my friend ask, "Is that his boyfriend?" Through tears from my laughter, I explained that it was probably either a friend or a relative--perhaps a male who had become a father as a teen. Then, she said, "because they ended 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell', so it's legal now, right?" I do believe it is legal now. Progress is slowly making its way into the mainstream and I hope that it continues with civil unions and other rights that are being denied to homosexuals. I feel strongly about homosexuals--despite my so-called "orientation" as a heterosexual--because there are studies that suggest that homosexuality is linked to a gene. Supposedly, on the right hand of homosexual males, their ring finger is longer than the middle finger. Also, it is suggested that the male homosexual has additional estrogen from his mother. I find it very interesting that science can be used for an explanation. I would not stigmatize homosexuals for any reason. They do not need justification, either, but I am proud that our service members can choose to speak of their significant other as they please--gender aside.

The Unemployment Files

I have started to think that people are saving jobs for each other. I do not have a criminal record, I have a (worthless) bachelor's degree; I have many competencies, I have excellent phone etiquette, a very high social intelligence quotient, yet, I have no employment offers and no return calls. The irony of it is that celebrities are allowed to have criminal records and, in some cases, have been offered employment as soon as their time is served. If there is one segment of society where criminals are forgiven and loved unconditionally, it is in the entertainment industry. The stars--placed so high above the layman--can elicit sympathy with drug addiction, eating disorders, allegations of sexual assault and other criminal acts that would deem the average offender a pariah or one who cannot be rehabilitated. How easily forgiven is Lindsay Lohan? She was unable to serve her full jail sentence due to "overcrowding", she was entered into a Rehab facility where she supposedly violated the rules, she was on probation and violated that, too, but she was offered million dollar interviews from the media. I would almost volunteer to go to jail for the same amount of time and with the same amount of star privileges as Ms. Lohan if when I got out I could receive million dollar interviews, employment offers and expensive cars gifted to me. However, I have integrity. I am proud to say that I am unwilling to receive anything as a reward for bad behavior. Even though good deeds often go overlooked, I remain optimistic that one day they, too, will receive compensation. 

Protests

I do not wish to downplay the protests that have arisen in The Middle East. I lived in a very liberal Middle Eastern country and their politics and cultures are complex. However, I do want to demonstrate how hypocritical the media is when framing such news stories. During the George W. Bush years: 2000-2008, the news media would be strategically placed so that protesters would not be visible to the cameras. The protesters were often confined to an area where their numbers could not be approximated and their signs and effigies could not be seen. The aforementioned description doesn't fit a democratic society. The media will edit certain stories to its advantage. The corporate media is particularly of concern because it has the potential to enter new markets. I do not believe that the media is inherently evil. I think that some people go beyond what is normal when demonizing corporate news conglomerates, but one must question why it is not allowable in the society with the most freedoms and why the protests have managed to be extremely successful in the society that has a stronger handle on their society?

Love Someone: It's Valentine's Day

I have dedicated myself to this blog. I must admit that this is far from my usual political rants, but it has a very important message: we are not taught the most important lessons in life in a traditional classroom; we must learn through trial and error. I had grown up as an awkward looking child. I mastered becoming as superficial as possible, I became an advertiser's dream. I would go through magazines, watch the television shows about how to dress as fashionable as possible and I would make sure that my hair and makeup mirrored the it girls of the moment. It is unfortunate because the more superficial I became, the more isolated I became. I used superficiality as a means of making friends, but the superficial do not make friends, they will only attract fake friends. I am still trying to find love and that is something that I planned on having in life but I was too focused on looks and not on building my personality. I have a large amount of inner beauty but it is unfortunate that I am still overly concerned with aesthetic beauty. I find it to be very immature and I hope that it is something that I will work equally at hard at changing. Enjoy love everyday.

Bullying

Bullying merits everyone's attention. This topic has been in the news a lot lately and even though I believe that everyone is, will be, or at one point in time was bullied, I do not believe that there is any way that the relentless bullying is justifiable. Technology has these bullies in constant communication with their fellow bulliers and their victims. Facebook and other social networking sites allow bullies to harass in writing and through the use of videos and pictures. I saw a special on the news about these people labeled "vultures". These vultures go online after a horrible or tragic event occurs and they post hateful messages about the hurt or deceased person. I cannot fathom who could be capable of such cruelty, but it occurs. At one point, Youtube had become a popular outlet for teens posting videos of themselves fighting and other horrible acts of violence. It is important for parents and other institutions to teach empathy. Classic literature, poetry, fables and other instructional materials can be utilized in the home or in the classrooms. Also, I believe it would help to examine what is the source of the anger and hatred in the actual bully. It is too easy to have sympathy for the victims of bullying, but we often ignore the pain and hurt inside of the bully. For instance, Perez Hilton was, in my opinion, a bully. He did not discriminate when teasing his victims. However, Perez was considered obese--at one point--and also had to be confronted with gay slurs aimed at him in the comments' section of his blog. It is easier to understand why it was so easy for him to be hateful and continue the cycle of hate, once his life is put into perspective.  Ideally, there would be an anonymous support source--such as a number that one could text in order to quell the pain of bullying. The schools could have some of the most popular and influential students in their school team up with the victims of bullies and help them feel comfortable at and outside of school. Pity only serves to stigmatize the victims. Bullying victims must overcome such adversity in order to help the next victims. My mother always told me, "Everyone gets teased. The prettiest girl, to the ugliest." I believe that to be true, but I also believe that it can be changed.