We Have a Voice | Teen Ink

We Have a Voice

May 27, 2016
By gabymatias00 SILVER, Moca, Other
gabymatias00 SILVER, Moca, Other
5 articles 1 photo 1 comment

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Unfortunate for those who've never touched a book and been delighted with new worlds, but sadder for those who have and have failed to see beyond the story


As a society, how do we conquer and make the world a better place to live in? Maybe if everyone had the same mentality we could move forward as a society, but in great times of advances we are not developing our potential, only sinking in lower. The problem with society is we are raising people to discriminate the different instead of respecting it. When we have two great things we pin them against each other as if it was a competition. Hypocrisy is more valued than acceptance and today’s girls are being victims. If everyone could have their own opinions but respect other people’s we could be a thriving society.
     

Whenever you watch a movie or a television series they come up. They make a growing part of today’s society and there’s nothing people can do about it. The LGBT community has gained a lot of popularity in social media as it has on TV because it has been a growing community for a few years now. They have members from every stage of life ranging from childhood to youth and to adulthood. It is ignorant to try to believe they don’t form part of our current society. Whether people support or loathe the idea of what LGBT stands for, it doesn’t matter because people should always be treated equally. It’s respect that plays a role here. A lot of people don’t support the idea because it contradicts with what the bible says or their cultural beliefs and everyone’s opinions are valued as long as they don’t interfere directly with the actual members of this community. What is hypocritical of using the bible to judge others is that some people aren’t even the most faithful Christians or religious people but they resort to use God and paraphrase the bible only when it benefits them making themselves the actual sinners here. They see the problem only from the point of view that benefits them. It is respect that needs more attention than judgment. People are being raised to discriminate the differences that lie within each other. To be separated because of skin color or sexual orientation or even gender. I mean if we are actually going to judge people for being different in a future we’ll be discriminating against those that have a different eye color. What is ironic is that people judge certain people or ideas try to make their rights illegal without ever even being in their shoes. What I mean, is they want to eliminate other people’s rights when they should mind their own business, not meddle with things that don’t affect them, and not being prejudicial before understanding things. Rather than being a society that ends discrimination in all its forms, we have become the society with the power to terminate it, but instead we decide to point out the differences within every single person. Not everyone can be mature enough to support things but at least they should respect, and after all judging or eliminating rights will not make LGBT disappear it will only make them stronger. It is fine to raise your children with your morals but you shouldn’t want them to be completely ignorant to communities or ideas with whom they might be supporters in the future.
     

Fifth Harmony or Little Mix? It seems as if whenever we have two amazing singers with a similar taste, they are always pinned against each other. People don’t understand that we have enough room for talented people and it is sad to see people with talent be judged or compared to others. Messi or Ronaldo? Obviously some people will be in favor of one and others will be in favor of the other one but what is truly impressive is when one side of the “competition” bashes the other claiming that for example Messi can’t even play. It only angers me more when I hear these comparisons. What I have never heard anyone say is “how about we face the fact that they are truly gifted athletes with their own story and background and we don’t need to make a competition out of it.” It seems as if people aren’t mature enough to accept the talents whether musically, artistically, or any type of talent without putting the people against each other. I support one of the players more than the other but that doesn’t mean the other one lacks of talent, it means that I chose a side and curiously if I reveal the name of that player, some people will stop reading this right now, losing the sole purpose of what I was saying in this essay. I mean if we are going to talk about politics it’s totally different as saying Trump’s ideas should be respected or even valued and shouldn’t be put against Clinton’s or Sanders’. This is not only a lie but can affect the whole country and as a “Latina” I think he is a total rich d*****bag. Besides politics which I won’t invest time in, people should accept the virtues of other people and shouldn’t compare two great things as if there’s only room for one. I have hope my generation will be compassionate and will make this society one worth living for.
   

 When teenage girls or women look at themselves in the mirror all they see are their flaws. The blemishes and pimple marks in their face. The “not worthy of society” lips and mostly their weight. It might be normal when adult women criticize their weight because they don’t look the way they did in the 90s but seeing 12 year olds criticizing themselves is another thing. Today magazines say not to try to be what you see but why is it that they still stereotype that image? The perfect body image is still preserved and their act of hypocrisy in saying not to try to be like them because its fake is affecting the youth and the adulthood. How can we not try to be like those “perfect” women when they are all we see on our front covers? How are we supposed to be ignorant and accept ourselves when all that magazines promote are these “perfect” figures? If we are supposed to disregard that image, then that image shouldn’t be promoted anymore. It is a hypocritical act to want 12 year olds to feel secure and confident when you don’t even promote it in your covers. At least social media has taken over that and are working their argument to try to prevent people, especially teenage girls, from being victims. Let’s be the generation that promotes body but not the “perfect” type, the real type.

     

Our society has the ability to end so many social issues because for the first time, people have a stronger voice. Back in the day, people didn’t have this much liberty and freedom of speech, they didn’t have a voice. We can terminate discrimination, comparisons, prejudice, and even the hypocrisy used in advertisement. For the first time, we have a voice let’s use it for something useful rather than hate towards our population. People say my generation is screwed but they never say what to do to fix it, it’s almost like politics where they never say how they will fix the problems they just say they will fix it. Besides politics and Donald Trump, who none of my words in this essay should be applied to, my generation can be the salvation of society and its problems we just need to raise our voice higher.


The author's comments:

I wrote this piece inspired on the current issues that i hear everyday. I hope people can adapt some things discussed in this writing such as respect before discrimination and learn that we are bigger as a society without having to put people against each other.


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LeoG said...
on Jun. 5 2016 at 8:35 am
Wow. Very interesting and so accurate of what is happening in actuality. Very good and profound writing for such a young girl. I think she will become a force de consider in the near future. Keep up the excellent work.

on Jun. 5 2016 at 4:51 am
Incredible written by a young writer. Keep on track

MariaA said...
on Jun. 5 2016 at 4:31 am
Hi Gaby,
I received your essay at second hand and the timing was perfect since I was watching international news. I realized that the same issues at home are the same ones all over the world. Future generations will face a whole bunch of challenges based on world wide advances in different arenas in addition to a desperate and selfish society. I always use the phrase that any human being should be alert on taming his/her ego as a master does with a lion. The more we have the more we want; leadership starts at home; right to what you mentioned: respect, self respect, compassion etc.
I have two millenials close to my heart and that gives me permission to give an opinion about their mental and emotional configuration based on the era they are living and how they have been brought up. As they grow up they will need to work on certain things but I certainly believe they not only have enough platforms to voice their opinions but also the drive to disagree with reasonable arguments and solutions. I certainly believe this generation will be the one to help us change the status quo.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and trying to fix this "mess". Rome was not created in one day, so dont give up.
Keep thriving!