A Generation In Crisis.

I think I can guess what you must be thinking.... “The Youth are in Crisis”, "Another fight, and at (a “good school”, which is a topic for a whole other discussion) that's all they ever do!" “They all need locking up” These are the cries which come from older generation to this generation. My question to the older generation making these statements is, Are we that different from you guys? 

I think not. There are similarities between the things which happened back then and things which happen now. Perhaps these things present themselves different ways, but still quite similar. I have heard many stories from my elders about their time growing up and while in their prime. Some of their experiences included fighting at school, mischievous activities like stealing from a neighbor's fruit trees, smoking, drinking, early pregnancies and a host of other activities. Many people who were punished for participating in such activities are now condemning and chastising others for doing the same things.  Are any of these things more wrong now than they were, say forty years ago? If your answer is no, then why all of sudden is that we are in a crisis and generations before us were not? If your answer is yes, then clearly there is a double standard that should not be.

It’s not my intention to justify or sensationalize the fights, bullying, vandalism, drug use and all other questionable activities which go on in our communities, schools, buses and bus terminals etc but these are incidents which have ben occurring for years now. If these very same activities are wrong now, then they were definitely wrong during the years that have gone by.

The only difference between then and now is technology in my opinion. With the introduction of social networking, camera phones etc, Incidents are more easily recorded and broadcasted. My theory is that had they been such technological advances back then, the same very things which we are put down for would be happening. This generation is described being violent, lawless, even worthless and so many other colorful adjectives because we fight and our females become pregnant at young ages. But were these things not going since I don't know the beginning of time? 

Instead of painting a picture of this generation as being the spawns of the devil himself, why not think about where we would have learned a good set of things which we do. Think about who raised us. Condemning and ostracizing does no good for anyone. These methods have not been working so I do not understand why people continue to use them and think that will get through to anyone. They only cause thing to get worse as young people continue to rebel and act up. No one ever wants to feel like they are the absolute worst and why that concept is so hard to grasp, I would never understand.
People should take a step back and look in the mirror before pointing fingers. 

My Body, My Choice

My Body, My Choice – this is the position held by people who are pro-choice and don't mind women having abortions if they want to. This statement is one that I am however on the fence about. On the other hand there are people, who are pro-life, (Christian groups/ activists) they wish to see and are fighting to make abortions illegal. Basically, they believe everyone has a right to live.

I am stuck somewhere in between the two opposing positions. While it is quite obvious that it’s a woman’s choice whether she decides to abort a pregnancy or not, it should not be that cut and dry in deciding whether to let an innocent child live or not. As in cases where a woman has been raped and as a result becomes pregnant, I think an abortion can be “justified” and or the “right thing to do”, because in all honesty many women are not going to be able to love a child who was created in such a vile and distasteful way even though it is not their fault. However, my hat goes out to those can. If that child knows that were conceived in such a way, I’m sure that will certainly have a negative effect on their life.

Meanwhile women who are reckless or for the lack of a better word, careless, who then become pregnant and then decide to abort, should be made to think twice before actually going through with the process. I don’t think that it’s right at all to abort a pregnancy just because you can’t live with the “punishment” or consequences” of your actions. So in instances like this, I’m pro life.

This issue has been met with a quite a few double standards and I think the media has had a vital role in this. Nadya Suleman “The Octomom” for example was the poster child. Many people in the US wanted her to get an abortion because tax payers would be the ones who would end up having to support her and the children. Her being told get these abortions was the double standard, as tax payers already pay for children, perhaps not in this way but they still do. In addition I think she was victimized in a certain way, because for someone who most people claimed to be against, she still gained a wide attention (both a negative and a positive) as she was featured on many major talk shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show.

You may be saying to yourself “Why should I listen to his opinion, what does he know about this stuff, he could never truly understand” all true statements but I don’t have to be a female to have common sense... or a heart. All I’m saying is that abortions should be something thoroughly thought about before going through with as there are many women who contemplated having one but decided not to for one reason or another and are now happy with their choice no to go through with it.

Pro Life or Pro Choice? I say find a balance or a heart.

Human Rights For All?

As defined the United Nations, Human Rights are those rights which all human beings automatically inherit from birth, whatever nationality, sex, religion, ethnicity, national origin and or place of residence, language or any other status. These rights and “freedoms” exist globally.  

There are a number of positive effects of having human rights, as many of the written rights are now basic ways of life in many countries. The Right to Life for instance, is described as the essential right to live, particularly that individuals are not be killed by another human being or human beings. The concept of this particular often stirs up many debates on issues such as the death penalty (many human rights activists see this as direct violation of this right), capital punishment, war and abortions. In addition, The Freedom from Torture, Freedom from Slavery, Freedom of Speech, The Right to a fair Trial, Freedom of Thought, Freedom of Conscience, The Freedom of Religion are all important rights which often serve as protection for many people and guarantees the people of countries which abide to the rules of the Human rights certain freedoms.

However, when Human rights are written down as laws (The Bill of Rights) they are impossible to police (this can either be a good thing or a really bad thing) and in defining everyday practicalities, edges are blurred. Often times the wrong people are being protected by the loop holes of Human Rights. This is clearly seen in the case of Rohan Cecil William Winfield, an illegal immigrant, who went to England on a student visa and ended up overstaying his time. He was also convicted of raping a woman in 2008. Attempts to deport him back to Barbados failed due to his appeal. It was said that his removal from the country would “violate his human rights and those of his family” under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act. Even though it is known that he abandoned his family (his first wife and children) he was still allowed to stay.

In my opinion there is something terribly wrong with this picture. There are innocent people in the world being killed daily and are not being protected these Human Rights but here we have it a man who is clearly guilty gets off with a mere slap on the wrist and is being protected. Those Human Rights commercials and PSA’s which often times are emotional are all fine and dandy but they don’t let it be known the laws are being used with evil intentions and sometimes to the benefit of criminals.

While Human Rights are indeed positive, I however, think they need to be reevaluated in connection to the law because cases like Rohan Winifield’s will continue to arise as clever attorneys who represent people like him and in similar situations will continue to manipulate and exploit these Human Rights laws. So before we all decided to follow the bandwagon we must let what happened over in the UK be an example of what should not be allowed.

Seriously.. What Year Are We Living In?

(WARNING: Before you click "Play".. this video is very graphic and not for those faint at heart.) 

..Because from the looks of this video, I am forced to think that we're still living in 1871 and in the days of slavery. For those who might still be unaware, this man was publicly executed, basically lynched (excluding the hanging) because of his sexual orientation, he was gay.  I am appalled because not only did they beat him to a bloody pulp (this recording started after he had already been beaten), but they also further humiliated him by placing a bucket, a tyre and few other objects on top of his head and as if all of that wasn't enough, they lit him on fire not once but TWICE. It was in this second time that he was lit on fire that would have killed him. It's heart breaking to see that there are still people living in this world who are so barbaric, uncaring and who find this type of torture to be entertaining as everyone in this video were either participating in this man's execution or spectating. There seemed to be no one willing to help him, at least to get him out of that environment. Where was the law in all of this? Or do they not care either and wished to see this man up flames as well? 

What is also saddening was that every single person taking part in this inhumane act, all had the same skin colour as this man, they were all black. I am not one to always bring race into equation but in this case it is necessary. Did they forget that they are the descendants of slaves, and just over a century ago, their ancestors would have been the ones being lynched, sometimes just because they disobeyed "massa". Did they forget that black people were all just seen as a pack of "n******" only good for working in the fields and taking whatever the master saw was appropriate to give them? The white supremacists and slave owners would not have given a second thought to killing a black person who didn't abide by their laws. So is this not the same thing or something similar? Will we kill him because he is not interested in women? This is not the correct mentality.

If you do not agree with someone's "choices" in their life, that does not give you the right to take matters into your own hands and play God and take their life away from them as was seen here. This is a punishment that I would not wish on anyone, not even my worst enemy.

You can say whatever you want about Lady Gaga, but her message of tolerance and equality for everyone regardless of their skin colour, hair texture, sexual orientation, height, nationality, or ethnicity is one that should be heard throughout the world. It's a message that I believe should be pushed and promoted globally, because even if he was not gay but was a criminal, who robbed a bank or committed fraud, even then, he would not have done anything deserving of such treatment. Incidents like this are just wrong and unjustifiable.