Kiri D.
I am biracial, but for the majority of my childhood, I’ve grown up in a small predominately white town. This had a major impact on my self image. Based on my experience and perception of the world, I believe that race is a social construct. All of humanity originated from Africa, and as people migrated to different areas, they evolved to have different features based on their surroundings. The concept of race is a result of political and economical factors. In America, race was developed as a justification for slavery and segregation. I think that race shouldn’t have to be a defining factor. Race is not a biological reality but the categorization contributes severely to systemic racism and inequality.
Being biracial is confusing and when you’re a mix of two races, it can feel like you can’t identify with either community. For me, I’m a black and white, and growing up in a town lacking diversity, I always compared myself to my peers. As early as 3rd grade, I was worried that my skin wasn’t light enough and I was envious of all the other girls with their straight hair. I saw my curly hair as unmanageable and annoying. Since then, I’ve learned to embrace my natural hair and skin tone. But even now, it still feels confusing to be mixed. Whenever I have to fill out a form that asks for my race in a multiple choice format, I can usually select multiple, but in some cases, the form will only let me choose one. It gives me a little moment of panic each time because I feel like no matter which one I put, I’m lying. Because of this, I’ve come to the belief that race shouldn’t be a thing, or at least as much of a thing. Continuously having to define my race for forms, others and myself is exhausting. All race is, in my opinion, is a social construct. It’s good to have communities of people but being the mix of two different communities is hard. You feel like you have to pick one and you feel like an outsider to both. I think for there to be true inclusivity in society, we have to go beyond racial categories and stop viewing race as so black and white (pun intended).
🙂
In my opinion, having Empathy for others is extremely important.
Empathy is usually very common in social situations. For example, when someone is going through a stressful time whether that be losing a loved one or just dealing with hard emotions. I’ve known people who have shown great empathy towards me or even some people that have lacked or couldn’t care less of what I was going through.
Empathy simply means “the ability to share feelings or to emotionally understand what other people feel.” This belief is very important to me because I have been through emotional experiences where I needed empathy and have gotten very little or no empathy at all. Empathy is important because it helps you grow a more emotional connection to the people around you. When you have an emotional connection with your friends you really get to understand the value your friends have. It also helps you grow closer to who they are as a person.
An example of when I received lack of empathy or simply just no empathy was when I attended drama club. I was struggling to understand dance steps to the part I played and instead of the people who I was working with help me understand and learn and fix my mistakes on the steps, they instead made jokes and made fun of me.
Another example of someone who lacked empathy would be an old physics teacher. She pulled me aside one day and told me that she knew, yes I get extra time on assignments but she didn’t feel like giving me extra time as this was “not fair” to other students in the classroom. This would be an example of lack of empathy. The teacher simply did not care that this was a required accommodation on my old IEP.
An example of a person who gave me empathy, would be my new driver teacher. My old driving teacher simply lacked empathy for my high levels of anxiety during lessons and simply wouldn’t ease my worries. My new driving teacher helps me ease my anxiety by giving me empathy and helping me by making jokes and small tricks that made me feel less anxious during drives.
These are my examples and overall why I believe empathy is important. You don’t know what others are going through and how important it can be to certain people and helps you build a more emotional connection to the people you surround yourself with, it also helps them know that you really do care about the small things in your everyday life.
Elise W.
I believe everyone deserves to have their own opinions. Unfortunately, there are lots of people who grow up being told they get their own opinions, then are manipulated into thinking other people’s opinions are their own. There is a difference between teaching someone to think for themself, and manipulating someone into thinking how you want them to so they will act the way you want them to.
A few months ago, I had a conversation with my family about a public speaker that had said some very rude things about the LGBTQ+ community we didn’t agree with. During the conversation, my parents reminded my siblings and I that while not everything we see on the internet or in person is going to always be something we agree with. We have to remember everyone deserves their own beliefs and opinions. If we force our opinions and beliefs onto other people, then we are not setting good examples of how people should be treated. Which goes the same way with not forcing people to stay quiet because you don’t want to hear what they have to say. Everyone deserves freedom of speech. If we start telling public speakers what they are allowed to say, you are silencing their freedom of speech.
Everyone has the choice to listen to others and their opinions. It is up to you to decide if you are going to agree with those opinions.
I really resonate with this. It can be hard to have different opinions from people, especially from those we love, and especially when their freedom to have an opinion comes at our expenses. I think it’s good that you believe in everyone’s right to be themselves, and I’m glad you understand that just because we accept that people may have different opinions than ours, we don’t have to validate said opinions.
Yes! This is why I think it’s important to be exposed to many different people’s perspectives on things so you can have a lot of information to consider when forming your own opinion.
I grew up as a Brazilian American, in a small town called Westborough. Its a small town tucked in-between Worcester and Framingham. Growing up I was always an outsider. In elementary school there was maybe four other kids who were also Brazilian American but even at that young age we knew we were different. We were tan and everyone had light fair skin. We had thick dark hair and everyone had blonde fine hair. The biggest difference was that my dad had a heavy accent and Mr. Jones didn’t. I wasn’t only an outsider because of race but also my social class. Growing up we were always lower class. Before I started school it didn’t bother me because it was all i knew. Once school started I noticed that everyone wore the same name brands like sketchers, twinkle toes, Ugg’s the list goes on. Meanwhile I rocked my pink no name brand sneakers my parents had bought me at Walmart. Going into school it was like everyone already had their groups and that went on for the rest of my school life. As a kid I didn’t do sports, my parents never chaperoned a field trip, my mom wasn’t a stay at home mom who was part of the PTA. She was a full time house cleaner and this is one thing I am still disappointed in myself. I used to be embarrassed about my mom and her work. I just wanted to fit in with the rest of the herd so bad but I always stuck out like a black sheep. One reason why I am so excited about attending Umass Dartmouth is the diversity. I have never been to a school where there are more people who can understand where I come from. I believe that diversity is so important in education. That is because we as humans need to learn how to be more empathetic. I wish growing up people were more empathetic with me. when I had the no name shoes and clothes no one tried to understand maybe why I couldn’t have those clothes and shoes, but they did judge and make fun but they had no idea what it was like at home. Us the people to educate ourselves and others that we all have different experiences in life that mold us to be the people we are today. It is important to be able to understand even if we don’ t agree.
I’ve never been one to bite my tongue, so I can’t help but wonder why the world is so keen to keep its people quiet.
This question came to mind after reading my best friend’s college essay on censorship, an idea I found exceedingly brilliant. She wrote of TikTok’s ban of phrases like “suicide” and “rape” and how it affects the perception of mental health. I agree with her wholeheartedly, for how can we filter words that are so crucial to meaningful conversation about our society?
When it comes to talking about our world’s issues, we can’t truly understand what someone goes through if the words they speak aren’t heard. Language is powerful, and when it’s taken away from us, misunderstanding arises. It is, as many see it, the very thing that makes us human.
Maybe this is why words are often seen as a weapon. There are some things that are clearly right and true, but some are too happy to turn a blind eye to them. People want comfort, and many can’t handle the discomfort that comes when someone says “sexism” or “racism.” Especially when it comes from someone affected by such a problem.
This is where our generation can do better. We need to have hard conversations, both in the classroom and out of it. We need to use language that is accurate and realistic, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us. And we need to teach this to the generations that follow us by teaching our children, sons AND daughters alike, the vocabulary they need to live in such a world as ours. Innocence can still exist without ignorance. That innocence may not last forever, but isn’t understanding worth moments of discomfort?
I believe that everyone should work in customer service at least once. The reasoning behind this came from when I went out for lunch with a friend, who had never worked in customer service. My friend and I were standing in line, waiting for our turns to order our food. She shortly began tapping her foot, annoyed. I reminded her gently that the employees were doing the best they could and that we had plenty of time before our lunch period was over. She seemed responsive to that, however, when the time came to order our sandwiches, she returned to her cruel and cranky demeanor. She harshly snapped at the employee to obey her commands. I later asked her about her behavior. Her response was to tell me that I shouldn’t care how they feel because they are working. It was then that I formed my customer service belief. I refuse to be friends with someone who doesn’t respect customer service workers. Working in customer service helps us as a society to build empathy for one another. I believe this is an important choice that everyone at UMASSD should continue to make every day, as it is how we learn to evolve as a society and respect each other. Furthermore, it’s choices like these that help us forgive ourselves and each other for our previous lack of empathy, as not everyone knows what it feels to be treated correctly when you’re the one behind the register.
I agree with you, some people treat customer service workers horribly and expect good service afterwords without understanding how hard it is to work in customer service.
I like this post a lot because it reminds me of how much respect I’ve gained towards customer service people when I started a customer service job. It really does make such a difference in someone’s personality and mindset.
Equality and justice. The two phrases seem to have society divided. Ironically, the definition of both just about symbolizes unity. In these times, there seems to be a pattern. Individuals tend to judge one another based on their looks, culture, race, color, etc. As a cultured teen growing up in Brooklyn, New York where the borough is full of many cultures from many different islands, specifically in the Caribbean, I’ve witnessed people around me fall victim to injustice and/or inequality just because of where they’re from just because of stereotypes and the history their country holds. Those islands being Jamaica, Trinidad, Haiti, Barbados, Grenada, etc. We all had to adapt to our environment filled with many different accents, distinct looks, foods, cultures, music, and more. With us adapting, then came many obstacles. From some people being judged based on their looks and their music, down to how they speak and eat. Many young teens struggle to fit in, well, fitting in really isn’t a thing when it comes to culture where i’m from. The fusions of many different islands coming together makes it hard to. Me personally being haitian in my community comes with many backhanded compliments such as “you look good for a haitian” or “really? I would’ve never guessed” with a slight snicker. I’ve always looked at comments like that as flat out stereotypical and unfair. It made me sit back and wonder. What does that even mean? People tend to let slight gestures as such affect how they look at others of the same descent, feeding into those same stereotypes. This issue led me to embrace my flag & my culture. Especially for the people who are afraid to because they don’t want to be judged by those that are around them. And for that reason, we should grow to not feed into certain stereotypes. We are all one. Letting where we are from separate us is doing nothing but dividing us more and more. Then sooner or later we’ll never be equal. And there definitely never will be peace.
Savannah M
At the very beginning of American history, when the pilgrims sailed over to present-day America, we are taught that they left their home to have the freedom to practice their religion the way they wanted to. As our education continues we learn about the constitution. The very first amendment protects our right and freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. I believed that America was accepting of all religions and the way people wanted to practice them (obviously to a certain extent). As I’ve grown older, I see that my original belief and what I was taught my entire childhood, is in fact not as true as I thought. In the aftermath of the events that occurred on October 7th in Israel, I can very clearly see that America is not as accepting as they make us believe. This point is especially blatant in universities and colleges. I have seen some of the most well-regarded and respected schools in our country turn their backs on their Jewish student population, and as a Jewish student entering college, this is deeply concerning for me. The timing of my college search coincided with a lot of the on-campus protesting. I ruled out many potential options, not only because of the blatant hostility and antisemitism, but equally disturbing the support the protesters have from faculty and the universities themselves. I wouldn’t choose to go anywhere that I am considered to be unwelcome, unsafe, or undervalued. We are led to believe that America is accepting, kind, and tolerant, when in reality, this only applies to the popular narrative of the moment.
Sam M
I was truly struggling to decide on the topic to write about for this assignment. Considering myself an individual who becomes somewhat uncomfortable talking about topics often viewed as controversial, such as religion and politics, compounded my predicament. Since leaving orientation, I have felt quite uneasy in deciding a topic to explore. To my surprise, the subject of my writing piece was inspired by the news feed on Wednesday, July 24th. All of the news channels were covering the Pro-Hamas protesters gathered in our country’s Capital. These groups of people were protesting their strong opposition to Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking to Congress because of the war in the Middle East.
While watching the news coverage of the demonstration, I became concerned about the status of our country. As an American, I believed that our right to protest extended to all categories of protests. Brave leaders and heroes have fought for these rights and these rights are afforded to all American citizens. I believe that is what makes our country great. However, the actions of the anti-Israeli protests have made me question what I had previously believed. Watching the demonstrators, burning our nation’s flag and defacing our country’s monuments was quite alarming.
Witnessing our nation’s symbol burn and having our flag poles degraded by the protesters by raising another country’s flag in our capital was a sad moment. Those individuals have the right to protest in this country, however, our first amendment protects and permits the right for all citizens to peacefully assemble.
The protestors actions of burning the flag illustrate the deterioration of the standards and character of citizens of the United States of America. The way that the crowd conducted themselves was by no means peaceful. Their chanting was threatening and incited violence against police officers tasked with the job of maintaining peace and safety. During the burning of the flag video coverage, a citizen tried to put out the flames of the burning flag by using his suit jacket and was pushed and shoved by the crowd.
As the grandson of a veteran of the armed forces, seeing the flag burned in the United States capitol is disheartening which is likely a feeling shared by many other families. Having the right of the first amendment is a privilege not afforded to every country. The right to peacefully protest keeps our country in check. However, the events of July 24th dishonored our country by burning its symbol which takes advantage of this privilege.
No matter what side you support in regards to the war between Israel and Hamas we as Americans should conduct ourselves befitting of the great country we live in. The world is watching. As we, the citizens of the United States of America, sink to violence our country is weakened and divided. Having differing viewpoints, willing to be open to discussion in a peaceful, respectable manner is what has set our country apart from others. We, as American citizens, have the ability to rise above this discord, demand civil tolerance of varying viewpoints to strengthen our democracy. It is after all our home!
Jonathan N
I changed my mind to treat people with a bad, mischievous history normally like others when I became online friends with a socially-active gamer. This was during the pandemic and my freshman year in high school. We were in the same age group, yet we spoke irrationally and impulsively as most people on the internet tend to do. On the topic of justice, we both agree that bad people on the internet and as well in real life deserve lasting retribution, however, his recent incident of almost being scammed by his close friend led to his violent outburst. I think he acted like a tyrannical dictator. He said that scammers should be given harsh punishments and told his other friends to avoid this close friend. After that, he shunned and severed contact with his close friend, but I still had contact. After a year of chatting with the close friend, I believe that they changed for the better. It was either the guidance or the consistent interactions with them that made me believe it was useless to judge a person based on their past. At the time of the scam, it was clearly justified to be against the close friend, but times have changed. My friend had also changed to be more mature, but the close friend was still ingrained in his mind as an outcast whenever they were reinvited. It’s important that I treat others normally and also because of the way they will treat me back. While everyone should still be wary, the campus is grounds for social interaction. During any interaction, expressing a positive influence might be someone’s motivation to become better.
Ann P
It is always said that we only respect those who deserve it. I have never been able to agree with these words because I have always believed that respect must be applied to everyone and on all occasions.
Moreover, who can judge to be entitled to decide who should be respected or not? We often make the mistake of thinking that some people should not be respected because of serious mistakes they have made. I don’t think that mistakes made by someone give us the right to treat them in any way. It is like the case of a president; regardless of the number and severity of mistakes made, we owe him respect even after his mandate. And if we did the same with the people around us, I think that man-to-man relationships would improve a lot
And this question of respecting people only by their ranks in the social class. Can money alone wisely determine whether someone must be respected or not? In my humble opinion, all those who rely on a person’s income for the attributed of respect deserve to be examined. We are above all a human being before possessing anything and in the same way that the rich die and become dust, it is in the same way that the poor die and wither.
It’s time for us to learn to respect everyone regardless of their nationality, income, skin color, height and all the other banal things we use as a pretext to attribute mistreatment to people.
I also see the lack of kindness and consideration in the population today. It seems as though there is a self entitlement that precedes the golden rule. I believe in the importance of treating the janitor of an establishment with the same respect as the CEO. There seems to be a fair amount of mistreatment of people based on such small things or even nothing at all and it is not right.
At first glance, most people would answer “yes” to this question, largely due to the negative connotation associated with the word “breaking.” But what if we reframe the question: Is challenging everyday norms really bad? Many would now answer “no.” I believe that breaking rules shouldn’t always be considered bad, because it can often be a catalyst for revolutionary change. Rules are frequently established by those in power, often serving their interests more than the community’s.
Take, for example, the era of segregation. One of the most universally recognized figures who challenged this unjust system was Rosa Parks. Her courageous refusal to adhere to segregation laws not only defied the status quo but also sparked a movement that reshaped our society. Parks’ determination to bring about change was a high-risk act that resulted in long-term rewards, not just for herself but for future generations.
I experienced a similar, though much smaller, form of resistance in high school with our school’s dress code. The majority of students disliked the restrictive rules, and by collectively challenging them, we gained more freedom. This allowed us to feel more comfortable and confident in expressing our identities.
My belief that breaking rules can be necessary holds significant value, as it encourages students to think independently, question the status quo, and develop critical thinking skills. It also instills a sense of resilience and the importance of standing up for what’s right, a lesson that can inspire younger generations to advocate for change.
Ultimately, this belief resonates with a wider community by promoting values like justice, equality, and personal empowerment, all essentials for building a more fair and inclusive society.
July 14, 2024 at 12:10 am
Kiri D.
I am biracial, but for the majority of my childhood, I’ve grown up in a small predominately white town. This had a major impact on my self image. Based on my experience and perception of the world, I believe that race is a social construct. All of humanity originated from Africa, and as people migrated to different areas, they evolved to have different features based on their surroundings. The concept of race is a result of political and economical factors. In America, race was developed as a justification for slavery and segregation. I think that race shouldn’t have to be a defining factor. Race is not a biological reality but the categorization contributes severely to systemic racism and inequality.
Being biracial is confusing and when you’re a mix of two races, it can feel like you can’t identify with either community. For me, I’m a black and white, and growing up in a town lacking diversity, I always compared myself to my peers. As early as 3rd grade, I was worried that my skin wasn’t light enough and I was envious of all the other girls with their straight hair. I saw my curly hair as unmanageable and annoying. Since then, I’ve learned to embrace my natural hair and skin tone. But even now, it still feels confusing to be mixed. Whenever I have to fill out a form that asks for my race in a multiple choice format, I can usually select multiple, but in some cases, the form will only let me choose one. It gives me a little moment of panic each time because I feel like no matter which one I put, I’m lying. Because of this, I’ve come to the belief that race shouldn’t be a thing, or at least as much of a thing. Continuously having to define my race for forms, others and myself is exhausting. All race is, in my opinion, is a social construct. It’s good to have communities of people but being the mix of two different communities is hard. You feel like you have to pick one and you feel like an outsider to both. I think for there to be true inclusivity in society, we have to go beyond racial categories and stop viewing race as so black and white (pun intended).
🙂
July 25, 2024 at 11:49 pm
Lizzie, J.
In my opinion, having Empathy for others is extremely important.
Empathy is usually very common in social situations. For example, when someone is going through a stressful time whether that be losing a loved one or just dealing with hard emotions. I’ve known people who have shown great empathy towards me or even some people that have lacked or couldn’t care less of what I was going through.
Empathy simply means “the ability to share feelings or to emotionally understand what other people feel.” This belief is very important to me because I have been through emotional experiences where I needed empathy and have gotten very little or no empathy at all. Empathy is important because it helps you grow a more emotional connection to the people around you. When you have an emotional connection with your friends you really get to understand the value your friends have. It also helps you grow closer to who they are as a person.
An example of when I received lack of empathy or simply just no empathy was when I attended drama club. I was struggling to understand dance steps to the part I played and instead of the people who I was working with help me understand and learn and fix my mistakes on the steps, they instead made jokes and made fun of me.
Another example of someone who lacked empathy would be an old physics teacher. She pulled me aside one day and told me that she knew, yes I get extra time on assignments but she didn’t feel like giving me extra time as this was “not fair” to other students in the classroom. This would be an example of lack of empathy. The teacher simply did not care that this was a required accommodation on my old IEP.
An example of a person who gave me empathy, would be my new driver teacher. My old driving teacher simply lacked empathy for my high levels of anxiety during lessons and simply wouldn’t ease my worries. My new driving teacher helps me ease my anxiety by giving me empathy and helping me by making jokes and small tricks that made me feel less anxious during drives.
These are my examples and overall why I believe empathy is important. You don’t know what others are going through and how important it can be to certain people and helps you build a more emotional connection to the people you surround yourself with, it also helps them know that you really do care about the small things in your everyday life.
July 30, 2024 at 4:04 pm
I Also had an IEP in high school and I wish some teachers were more empathetic with me when it came to my accommodations.
August 18, 2024 at 7:32 pm
I strongly agree with your views on empathy. I believe that having a positive attitude can impact the lives of others around you.
July 28, 2024 at 9:52 pm
Elise W.
I believe everyone deserves to have their own opinions. Unfortunately, there are lots of people who grow up being told they get their own opinions, then are manipulated into thinking other people’s opinions are their own. There is a difference between teaching someone to think for themself, and manipulating someone into thinking how you want them to so they will act the way you want them to.
A few months ago, I had a conversation with my family about a public speaker that had said some very rude things about the LGBTQ+ community we didn’t agree with. During the conversation, my parents reminded my siblings and I that while not everything we see on the internet or in person is going to always be something we agree with. We have to remember everyone deserves their own beliefs and opinions. If we force our opinions and beliefs onto other people, then we are not setting good examples of how people should be treated. Which goes the same way with not forcing people to stay quiet because you don’t want to hear what they have to say. Everyone deserves freedom of speech. If we start telling public speakers what they are allowed to say, you are silencing their freedom of speech.
Everyone has the choice to listen to others and their opinions. It is up to you to decide if you are going to agree with those opinions.
August 3, 2024 at 11:51 pm
I really resonate with this. It can be hard to have different opinions from people, especially from those we love, and especially when their freedom to have an opinion comes at our expenses. I think it’s good that you believe in everyone’s right to be themselves, and I’m glad you understand that just because we accept that people may have different opinions than ours, we don’t have to validate said opinions.
August 26, 2024 at 5:58 pm
Yes! This is why I think it’s important to be exposed to many different people’s perspectives on things so you can have a lot of information to consider when forming your own opinion.
July 29, 2024 at 4:36 pm
Izadora O.
I grew up as a Brazilian American, in a small town called Westborough. Its a small town tucked in-between Worcester and Framingham. Growing up I was always an outsider. In elementary school there was maybe four other kids who were also Brazilian American but even at that young age we knew we were different. We were tan and everyone had light fair skin. We had thick dark hair and everyone had blonde fine hair. The biggest difference was that my dad had a heavy accent and Mr. Jones didn’t. I wasn’t only an outsider because of race but also my social class. Growing up we were always lower class. Before I started school it didn’t bother me because it was all i knew. Once school started I noticed that everyone wore the same name brands like sketchers, twinkle toes, Ugg’s the list goes on. Meanwhile I rocked my pink no name brand sneakers my parents had bought me at Walmart. Going into school it was like everyone already had their groups and that went on for the rest of my school life. As a kid I didn’t do sports, my parents never chaperoned a field trip, my mom wasn’t a stay at home mom who was part of the PTA. She was a full time house cleaner and this is one thing I am still disappointed in myself. I used to be embarrassed about my mom and her work. I just wanted to fit in with the rest of the herd so bad but I always stuck out like a black sheep. One reason why I am so excited about attending Umass Dartmouth is the diversity. I have never been to a school where there are more people who can understand where I come from. I believe that diversity is so important in education. That is because we as humans need to learn how to be more empathetic. I wish growing up people were more empathetic with me. when I had the no name shoes and clothes no one tried to understand maybe why I couldn’t have those clothes and shoes, but they did judge and make fun but they had no idea what it was like at home. Us the people to educate ourselves and others that we all have different experiences in life that mold us to be the people we are today. It is important to be able to understand even if we don’ t agree.
July 30, 2024 at 6:49 pm
Molly Gedutis
I’ve never been one to bite my tongue, so I can’t help but wonder why the world is so keen to keep its people quiet.
This question came to mind after reading my best friend’s college essay on censorship, an idea I found exceedingly brilliant. She wrote of TikTok’s ban of phrases like “suicide” and “rape” and how it affects the perception of mental health. I agree with her wholeheartedly, for how can we filter words that are so crucial to meaningful conversation about our society?
When it comes to talking about our world’s issues, we can’t truly understand what someone goes through if the words they speak aren’t heard. Language is powerful, and when it’s taken away from us, misunderstanding arises. It is, as many see it, the very thing that makes us human.
Maybe this is why words are often seen as a weapon. There are some things that are clearly right and true, but some are too happy to turn a blind eye to them. People want comfort, and many can’t handle the discomfort that comes when someone says “sexism” or “racism.” Especially when it comes from someone affected by such a problem.
This is where our generation can do better. We need to have hard conversations, both in the classroom and out of it. We need to use language that is accurate and realistic, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us. And we need to teach this to the generations that follow us by teaching our children, sons AND daughters alike, the vocabulary they need to live in such a world as ours. Innocence can still exist without ignorance. That innocence may not last forever, but isn’t understanding worth moments of discomfort?
August 3, 2024 at 11:46 pm
Sid L.
I believe that everyone should work in customer service at least once. The reasoning behind this came from when I went out for lunch with a friend, who had never worked in customer service. My friend and I were standing in line, waiting for our turns to order our food. She shortly began tapping her foot, annoyed. I reminded her gently that the employees were doing the best they could and that we had plenty of time before our lunch period was over. She seemed responsive to that, however, when the time came to order our sandwiches, she returned to her cruel and cranky demeanor. She harshly snapped at the employee to obey her commands. I later asked her about her behavior. Her response was to tell me that I shouldn’t care how they feel because they are working. It was then that I formed my customer service belief. I refuse to be friends with someone who doesn’t respect customer service workers. Working in customer service helps us as a society to build empathy for one another. I believe this is an important choice that everyone at UMASSD should continue to make every day, as it is how we learn to evolve as a society and respect each other. Furthermore, it’s choices like these that help us forgive ourselves and each other for our previous lack of empathy, as not everyone knows what it feels to be treated correctly when you’re the one behind the register.
August 10, 2024 at 6:07 pm
I agree with you, some people treat customer service workers horribly and expect good service afterwords without understanding how hard it is to work in customer service.
September 3, 2024 at 9:40 pm
I like this post a lot because it reminds me of how much respect I’ve gained towards customer service people when I started a customer service job. It really does make such a difference in someone’s personality and mindset.
August 12, 2024 at 10:10 am
Cameron C.
Equality and justice. The two phrases seem to have society divided. Ironically, the definition of both just about symbolizes unity. In these times, there seems to be a pattern. Individuals tend to judge one another based on their looks, culture, race, color, etc. As a cultured teen growing up in Brooklyn, New York where the borough is full of many cultures from many different islands, specifically in the Caribbean, I’ve witnessed people around me fall victim to injustice and/or inequality just because of where they’re from just because of stereotypes and the history their country holds. Those islands being Jamaica, Trinidad, Haiti, Barbados, Grenada, etc. We all had to adapt to our environment filled with many different accents, distinct looks, foods, cultures, music, and more. With us adapting, then came many obstacles. From some people being judged based on their looks and their music, down to how they speak and eat. Many young teens struggle to fit in, well, fitting in really isn’t a thing when it comes to culture where i’m from. The fusions of many different islands coming together makes it hard to. Me personally being haitian in my community comes with many backhanded compliments such as “you look good for a haitian” or “really? I would’ve never guessed” with a slight snicker. I’ve always looked at comments like that as flat out stereotypical and unfair. It made me sit back and wonder. What does that even mean? People tend to let slight gestures as such affect how they look at others of the same descent, feeding into those same stereotypes. This issue led me to embrace my flag & my culture. Especially for the people who are afraid to because they don’t want to be judged by those that are around them. And for that reason, we should grow to not feed into certain stereotypes. We are all one. Letting where we are from separate us is doing nothing but dividing us more and more. Then sooner or later we’ll never be equal. And there definitely never will be peace.
August 14, 2024 at 3:27 pm
Savannah M
At the very beginning of American history, when the pilgrims sailed over to present-day America, we are taught that they left their home to have the freedom to practice their religion the way they wanted to. As our education continues we learn about the constitution. The very first amendment protects our right and freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. I believed that America was accepting of all religions and the way people wanted to practice them (obviously to a certain extent). As I’ve grown older, I see that my original belief and what I was taught my entire childhood, is in fact not as true as I thought. In the aftermath of the events that occurred on October 7th in Israel, I can very clearly see that America is not as accepting as they make us believe. This point is especially blatant in universities and colleges. I have seen some of the most well-regarded and respected schools in our country turn their backs on their Jewish student population, and as a Jewish student entering college, this is deeply concerning for me. The timing of my college search coincided with a lot of the on-campus protesting. I ruled out many potential options, not only because of the blatant hostility and antisemitism, but equally disturbing the support the protesters have from faculty and the universities themselves. I wouldn’t choose to go anywhere that I am considered to be unwelcome, unsafe, or undervalued. We are led to believe that America is accepting, kind, and tolerant, when in reality, this only applies to the popular narrative of the moment.
August 15, 2024 at 3:03 am
Sam M
I was truly struggling to decide on the topic to write about for this assignment. Considering myself an individual who becomes somewhat uncomfortable talking about topics often viewed as controversial, such as religion and politics, compounded my predicament. Since leaving orientation, I have felt quite uneasy in deciding a topic to explore. To my surprise, the subject of my writing piece was inspired by the news feed on Wednesday, July 24th. All of the news channels were covering the Pro-Hamas protesters gathered in our country’s Capital. These groups of people were protesting their strong opposition to Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking to Congress because of the war in the Middle East.
While watching the news coverage of the demonstration, I became concerned about the status of our country. As an American, I believed that our right to protest extended to all categories of protests. Brave leaders and heroes have fought for these rights and these rights are afforded to all American citizens. I believe that is what makes our country great. However, the actions of the anti-Israeli protests have made me question what I had previously believed. Watching the demonstrators, burning our nation’s flag and defacing our country’s monuments was quite alarming.
Witnessing our nation’s symbol burn and having our flag poles degraded by the protesters by raising another country’s flag in our capital was a sad moment. Those individuals have the right to protest in this country, however, our first amendment protects and permits the right for all citizens to peacefully assemble.
The protestors actions of burning the flag illustrate the deterioration of the standards and character of citizens of the United States of America. The way that the crowd conducted themselves was by no means peaceful. Their chanting was threatening and incited violence against police officers tasked with the job of maintaining peace and safety. During the burning of the flag video coverage, a citizen tried to put out the flames of the burning flag by using his suit jacket and was pushed and shoved by the crowd.
As the grandson of a veteran of the armed forces, seeing the flag burned in the United States capitol is disheartening which is likely a feeling shared by many other families. Having the right of the first amendment is a privilege not afforded to every country. The right to peacefully protest keeps our country in check. However, the events of July 24th dishonored our country by burning its symbol which takes advantage of this privilege.
No matter what side you support in regards to the war between Israel and Hamas we as Americans should conduct ourselves befitting of the great country we live in. The world is watching. As we, the citizens of the United States of America, sink to violence our country is weakened and divided. Having differing viewpoints, willing to be open to discussion in a peaceful, respectable manner is what has set our country apart from others. We, as American citizens, have the ability to rise above this discord, demand civil tolerance of varying viewpoints to strengthen our democracy. It is after all our home!
August 16, 2024 at 1:09 am
Jonathan N
I changed my mind to treat people with a bad, mischievous history normally like others when I became online friends with a socially-active gamer. This was during the pandemic and my freshman year in high school. We were in the same age group, yet we spoke irrationally and impulsively as most people on the internet tend to do. On the topic of justice, we both agree that bad people on the internet and as well in real life deserve lasting retribution, however, his recent incident of almost being scammed by his close friend led to his violent outburst. I think he acted like a tyrannical dictator. He said that scammers should be given harsh punishments and told his other friends to avoid this close friend. After that, he shunned and severed contact with his close friend, but I still had contact. After a year of chatting with the close friend, I believe that they changed for the better. It was either the guidance or the consistent interactions with them that made me believe it was useless to judge a person based on their past. At the time of the scam, it was clearly justified to be against the close friend, but times have changed. My friend had also changed to be more mature, but the close friend was still ingrained in his mind as an outcast whenever they were reinvited. It’s important that I treat others normally and also because of the way they will treat me back. While everyone should still be wary, the campus is grounds for social interaction. During any interaction, expressing a positive influence might be someone’s motivation to become better.
August 22, 2024 at 5:56 pm
Ann P
It is always said that we only respect those who deserve it. I have never been able to agree with these words because I have always believed that respect must be applied to everyone and on all occasions.
Moreover, who can judge to be entitled to decide who should be respected or not? We often make the mistake of thinking that some people should not be respected because of serious mistakes they have made. I don’t think that mistakes made by someone give us the right to treat them in any way. It is like the case of a president; regardless of the number and severity of mistakes made, we owe him respect even after his mandate. And if we did the same with the people around us, I think that man-to-man relationships would improve a lot
And this question of respecting people only by their ranks in the social class. Can money alone wisely determine whether someone must be respected or not? In my humble opinion, all those who rely on a person’s income for the attributed of respect deserve to be examined. We are above all a human being before possessing anything and in the same way that the rich die and become dust, it is in the same way that the poor die and wither.
It’s time for us to learn to respect everyone regardless of their nationality, income, skin color, height and all the other banal things we use as a pretext to attribute mistreatment to people.
August 27, 2024 at 1:31 am
I also see the lack of kindness and consideration in the population today. It seems as though there is a self entitlement that precedes the golden rule. I believe in the importance of treating the janitor of an establishment with the same respect as the CEO. There seems to be a fair amount of mistreatment of people based on such small things or even nothing at all and it is not right.
August 26, 2024 at 7:49 pm
Jyren W
Is Breaking Rules Always a Bad Thing?
At first glance, most people would answer “yes” to this question, largely due to the negative connotation associated with the word “breaking.” But what if we reframe the question: Is challenging everyday norms really bad? Many would now answer “no.” I believe that breaking rules shouldn’t always be considered bad, because it can often be a catalyst for revolutionary change. Rules are frequently established by those in power, often serving their interests more than the community’s.
Take, for example, the era of segregation. One of the most universally recognized figures who challenged this unjust system was Rosa Parks. Her courageous refusal to adhere to segregation laws not only defied the status quo but also sparked a movement that reshaped our society. Parks’ determination to bring about change was a high-risk act that resulted in long-term rewards, not just for herself but for future generations.
I experienced a similar, though much smaller, form of resistance in high school with our school’s dress code. The majority of students disliked the restrictive rules, and by collectively challenging them, we gained more freedom. This allowed us to feel more comfortable and confident in expressing our identities.
My belief that breaking rules can be necessary holds significant value, as it encourages students to think independently, question the status quo, and develop critical thinking skills. It also instills a sense of resilience and the importance of standing up for what’s right, a lesson that can inspire younger generations to advocate for change.
Ultimately, this belief resonates with a wider community by promoting values like justice, equality, and personal empowerment, all essentials for building a more fair and inclusive society.