JOURNALISM FINAL

How do different generations view same-sex marriage?

One of the biggest topics in the news and government today is same-sex marriage. Should two people of the same gender be able to marry each other and have the same rights as everyone else?

The rising support of same-sex marriage has drastically increased over the years and is the largest change in opinion in this time period. The Millennial generation are more open in their support of gay rights than any other previous generations. In 2003, a poll was conducted on the American view of gay marriage. 58% were opposed to allowing gays get married and 33% were in favor. The same poll was re-conducted March 13-17, 2013 and it found that 49% are in favor of same-sex marriage and 44% are not.

The survey found that 70% of Millennials are in favor for same-sex marriage. It is drastically more than older generations. The support that the Millennials have shown has been increasing over the years, 51% in 2003 to 70% now. 27% of the Millennials make up the adult population so they have a great influence on the way people think about things. They also make up the majority of the social media network which can also impact people in different ways. (Pew Research)

In the Silent generation- people born between the years 1928 and 1945- only 17% were in favor for same-sex marriage in 2003 but has increased 14% in 2013.

It is amazing how someone can have a set opinion on an idea and then years down the road they change their mind. Everyone who has said that they are against same-sex marriage have always been dead set against it. In accordance to the people, who are fine with same-sex marriage, that say that their opinions have changed from not liking it to being supportive of the idea. In 2003 the debate of allowing same-sex marriage heightened while Massachusetts became the first state to allow same-sex marriage.

The way people approach the subject of allowing same-sex marriage is also changing. Gay pride parades are the new norm in big cities such as Providence, Boston, and Los Angeles. Gay actors who come out are of inspiration and looked up to. For example Neil Patrick Harris is with his partner David Burtka, they are model gay parents with their two children. Olympic swimmer Tom Daley recently came out as gay with his boyfriend Dustin Lance Black. Chris Colfer, who stars on the TV show Glee, written three books and screen wrote a movie, not only plays a gay teenager but is gay in real life. His courage to come out influences many young teens to fight through the hardship. A well-known out and proud lesbian is Ellen Degeneres who has her own talk show and is together with her partner Portia. There are also so many studies and books on this topic.

I took to the website Tumblr.com, a popular website amongst teenagers, and asked random people their views on same-sex marriage. In addition, I also asked what their parent’s views are on the subject. I tried to target people in the younger generation first and found that a good chunk of them believe in same-sex marriage. One girl was raised to view homosexuality as a sin but she stated “‘As a Christian I was raised to ignore homosexuality, that it was wrong and relationships between man and woman was the way of life. But watching the people I look up to on tv come out as gay, and having close friends and family members also come out has changed my views and outlook on life and other people’s opinions. Homosexuality is all around us and it can’t be ignored or swept under the carpet.”’ What she is saying is true; homosexuality is in the news, TV shows like Glee have their plotlines based on LGBT characters, and the awareness of teens who might be gay is at an all time high.

If a child has two religious parents that believe homosexuality is a sin then the chance that their beliefs will differ from their parents is slim to none. The child spends half of their life living, talking and spending most of their time with their parents. So it is likely that the reason most people look down on homosexuality is because of the influence that their family has on them. When I asked a girl her thoughts on why her mom was so against homosexuals she said: “‘I believe it is based on religion and how my grandma raised my mom. She believes it is a sin and that I will burn in hell for it. She thinks it’s not normal and yeah that’s pretty much it.”’ Her grandma raised her mom to her own beliefs and what she believed was right so that shows that some beliefs people have are not necessarily their own. If more people raised their children to be their own person then discrimination against people would not be as big of problem as it has been. A seventy eight-year old female said “It’s against my Bible teaching. I think they flaunt it in front of people.” The continuous pattern with the older generation is if they are against Homosexuality it is because of their beliefs and if they do not mind  them necessarily but they just do not like to see it. (Tumblr)

Heavy discrimination against homosexuals is common in this generation. Teenagers call each other ‘gay’ or ‘fags’ without realizing the consequences in their actions.They may not mean to offend people but when people call each other gay, they are not calling each other happy.

There are a whole lot of people in the country who are affected by not having certain rights. It is heartbreaking right? Two people who absolutely love  each other cannot legally be together. Gay people have a life full of struggles; the hardship of trying to adopt a child, their child having to go through life with discrimination against  his/hers parents and the family always being looked down upon.

The United States of America is all about being the land of the free, right? In reality when you look deeper into this topic, no one really is. Homosexuals do not have the right to get married, they do not have the right to adopt children, and some court cases have been overruled simply because one of the persons was gay.  This topic should be the headline on every newspaper because that is what America is all about. Or what  the country claims to be.

In the media today, homosexuality is being publicized  and becoming a well-known topic. Whether it be a state allowing same-sex marriage or another news story of a gay kid being bullied at school, the topic is always floating around. It is not something that will disappear over night because it will not. There are still  thirty-three more  states that are still yet to legalize same-sex marriage. The fight for it will be continuous. Most of the younger generations are for same-sex marriage because  the topic of it surrounds their daily lives. Older generations did not have the same exposure to it. They grew up on their biblical teachings and believed what God and their church wanted them to believe. Religion has a huge impact on whether or not someone believes in whether or not two people of the same gender should be allowed to get married. (Not all  people who practice a religion are homophobes and/or have something against homosexuals.)  

Gay rights are the big news in our world today. You will not go a day without hearing about a state allowing same-sex marriage or a news story about how being gay has affected someone’s life. The way people are brought up to view the subject is different. Older people in the generation above the Millennials view it as a sin and it is abnormal. They look down upon it and it is something that they do not want to see. Their views are mostly based on their religious beliefs. People in the present generation are exposed to homosexuality so it is something that they really do not think twice about. They are constantly influenced by many gay people and they have a more open mind about it. Different generations view same-sex marriage in opposite ways because of the beliefs that they grew up on.

"Growing Support for Gay Marriage: Changed Minds and Changing Demographics." Pew Research Center for the People and the Press RSS. Pew Research Center, 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.

Becky. Tumblr.com. Tumblr, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2014

Goo, Sara. "In Your Words: Views of Same-sex Marriage." Pew Research Center RSS. Pew Research Center, 6 June 2013. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.

Self-Deprecation: Christine Remick

The level of self-confidence I have in myself is like driving through life with the handbrake on. As a teenager it is almost an unspoken rule that having confidence is unusual. If you have too much you come across as self-obsessed and if you do not have any then you are an attention seeker. When someone compliments my hair or something that I am wearing that day I just freeze, turn red and stutter out a thank you. Most of the time I do not even accept the compliment; I reflect it  back to the person and pray that the topic has long gone.

It is quite embarrassing actually; I could be walking down the hallway and someone just looks at me. I quickly look the other way and stare at the ceiling like it is the Mona Lisa. Why do you have to look at me? Can I not just walk down the hallway in peace without worrying whether or not I have something on my face or if there is toilet paper stuck in my pants?

This may seem bitter but I do not want your compliments. They just make me second guess myself. “I really like your sweater” means that I will probably never wear it again and oh god she actually hates it, I should burn it. “Your hair looks good like that” equals me running to the bathroom to throw it up in a bun and a headband because of course they didn’t mean it. Admire my wonderful t-shirt or my socks from afar.

It is not always the confidence in my looks- it is in the things I like. I play the clarinet- actually I’m kind of good at it and I want people to know that. Of course in this generation playing an instrument is not really the cool thing to do. Kids would much rather smoke weed and listen to Kid Cudi then learn a useful skill such as reading music. When people compare me to the great musician Squidward from Spongebob, I take a step back and question why I even brought it up.

Confidence is not really a big deal to me- I know what I like and what gets me through life. That is why I wrote this on the topic because it is a trivial thing to me. I’m content to breeze through high school without making pointless conversation with people.

I feel as though this was more sarcastic than funny but that is alright.

Pet Peeves- Just for fun

This was oddly therapeutic and I enjoyed creating this list. Everyone should do this at one point in their lives.

1) When people feel the need to comment on how small my writing is. They are always the same comments: “You could write on rice!”, “Wowza I need a magnifying glass to read this!”, “haha did you even write on this paper? There is no writing !!”  Yes. I get it. I have been writing like this my whole educational career, it is not like I haven’t noticed it. I do not go up to strangers, pick up their school work and comment on how big their writing is. Yes, people actually take the time out of their day to pick up my school work, stare at it and read it just to poke fun at how small it is. There are a lot of small things that you own that I could comment on but I just don’t.  Sorry I don’t want some grimy kid’s hand, who probably did not wash his hands after he went to the bathroom, rubbing all over my paper. Teachers are one thing- if they can’t read it then they can’t grade it. Actually one thing I don’t like is when they pick up my paper and then show other students...Last year, first day of math, my teacher picked up my paper and asked a kid to read it out loud. It was one of those “tell me about yourself” so it was kind of personal. Long story short- do not comment on my handwriting I could actually care less.

2) Justin Bieber. He started out alright, he had a couple of good songs and was a semi-decent person. Now? He is a total scumbag. I cringe whenever someone mentions how much they love him and idolize him. He visited the Great Wall and had his body guards CARRY HIM. He met the Prime Minister of Canada while wearing overalls, gold chain and a t-shirt. Why.

The pants he wears should speak for themselves. Diaper or pants???!!

He bought a pet monkey and left it in Germany. Spit on his fans off of his balcony. Classy.

3) “Hipsters” They substitute the word “Deck” for “Cool”, use words like “rad”, “dude”, “bby”, “lub” (in substitute for love), and don’t spell out words. It is like we’re back in sixth grade when it was cool to use ‘y’ for ‘why’ and ‘h8’ for ‘hate’. My teeth grind together when I scroll through twitter and have to read all of those tweets. “Miley Cyrus is s0 rad” Just because one buys their clothes from Forever21 does not mean A) you should wear them to school and B) that that makes you a hipster. We attend Norton High School, in Massachusetts. Please do not wear high waisted shorts, actually please please do not wear high waisted jeans. Those are worst. They look like grandma jeans. Just because you “listen” to Lana Del Ray, Amy Winehouse, or Lorde still does not qualify you to be a hipster. Sorry! You’re not special because you listen to different music ( even though I admit that I hate pop music)

4) Kids that do not try in school. You have 13 years of a free education, use it. You are fortunate enough that you do not have to pay for school and that our education system is semi (SEMI) decent. The kids that annoy me the most are the ones who come to school, don’t do any work, go home and tweet something like: school is stressing me out so much!! No! You do not get to tweet that! You are in the lowest classes possible-not because you are not smart but because you do not try and you purposely fail everything. I am in three honors classes-big deal- one is pre-ap and one is in a foreign language. I get to say that I am stressed out. My classes are probably 20x harder than yours will ever be. That sounds selfish but if you do not try in school then what does this say about the rest of your life?

5) Ugg boots. Ugliest boots that man has ever created.

6) My sister and mom making me late for school. Kathy when the clock strikes 7:35 I think that it is time to leave for school. We live around a mile away from the school so it takes 5 minutes, with no traffic, to get there. Unfortunately with the over populated freshmen class, there is traffic backed up to the middle school every single day. My mom is a procrastinator, big time. She gets up at 5:30 but does not start getting ready until 7:15. Why?? And then has the audacity to get mad at me for trying to use the bathroom. You have been up for two hours, your time has passed due.

7) Teachers that talk down to students. Hi! Yes, I have come to school to learn stuff that I have not learned before. That is the whole point of it. If I ask you a question, don’t act like I’m forcing you to run a marathon. Just because I am younger than you does not give you the right to act like I am not intelligent enough to understand what you are saying to me. Sorry I forgot that you got a college degree to not teach me anything.

8) People who push their religion on others. You are an atheist? Cool! You believe in God, Jesus and that he created Earth? Awesome! Do not try and tell me that your beliefs are better than mine. If you are shoving it down my throat that Jesus is all mighty and that it is a sin that I do not go to church then you make the list of people I hate. I believe in what I believe in and as a matter of fact- I am still trying to figure it out. I don’t need some seedy high schooler telling me that God is all mighty.

9) People.

10) Homophobes. I understand that you believe in what you believe in, that is cool and all. That does not mean that you should decide the rights of others. Our government is full of them and they are the ones who get to decide whether or not same-sex couples can get married. Great so I have some seedy middle aged man who hates homosexuals deciding whether or not two people in love can get married. Good thinking America!

11) When people (I've noticed that the freshmen) gather around in clusters at lunch but don't sit down. I can't explain it but at your next lunch observe them.

12) Cameo and anything to do with being a 'redneck'. We live in New England not the South. 

13) I hate when people are proud of the fact that they do not read. 

14) When people put my glasses on and proclaim loudly that they can't see through them. Well. Obviously it is my prescription not yours.. And adding onto that- when they take my glasses off and ask how many fingers they are holding up.

15) Peter Capaldi. (New Doctor) I'm still bitter over Matt Smith leaving Doctor Who so he gets added to the list.

16) When people say the word 'like' every other word.

$ummer

                       Summer is such a simple thing; you have three months off from school to do what you want, no getting up early and no homework. Sounds like a perfect life! So why would anyone want to get rid of that? Kids of all ages love it because summer equals no school but some adults are too keen of the idea of kids running around free for three months straight. Believe or not it is found that kids educational levels decrease over the summer months. David Von Drehle states in his article "The Case Against Summer Vacation" that "'those months out of school do the most damage to the kids who can least afford it."' Middle and upper class families can afford to send their children to summer camps during the day like the Y.M.C.A or the Boys and Girls club. What do the more lower class families do with their kids? They have no choice but to leave them to find their own entertainment. "'By ninth grade"' Drehle states, "Summer learning loss could be blamed for roughly two-thirds of the achievement gap separating income groups."' In the more rural areas of the country, some cities or towns do not have the funds to support activities for kids to do for the whole summer.  It is not like three months is a short amount of time; parents have to find things to keep their kids busy every single day and to keep them out trouble. If summer, for instance, was a month at most it would be much easier to keep track of kids and find them things to do. A three month long break from school is almost like a shock. Everyone gets into the schedule for ten months of waking up early, going to school, sports and then home. Repeat for the next 180 days. Then suddenly a huge three month vacation interrupts your system and then you have to create a completely new system that is the opposite of your school one. When school comes around in the fall, you are running on your summer schedule and then you have to switch it again. Repeat for the next 365 days. So personally, I feel as though summer vacation should be shorter because it effects the way you think mentally throughout the year.

*Side Note** I don't know why half of my article is in a different font

Arctic Monkeys "AM"

Since their breakthrough in 2005, Arctic Monkeys have been crashing their way through the music industry. The four Sheffield boys Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Nick O’Malley, and Matt Helders formed together in early 2002 and debuted their EP album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not in 2005. The indie rock band has released four more albums since then with AM being their most recent released on September 6th, 2013. Twelve songs make up this collection with hits like “R U Mine?”, “Do I Wanna Know?”, and “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” This album has a sense of coolness in it. The songs from beginning to start flow nicely -almost like they all twine together to make a story. It should not be classified under one style or genre of music; realistically the whole album is a mix of hip-hop, rock, and funk soul-pop, somehow making it all work.

Tunes like “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? make your foot tap to the beat and makes for a smooth melody. “Knee Socks” is one of the better songs on the album- sexy and the smooth vocals from Turner mixed with the guitar makes this one of the more daring songs the band has sung. Arctic Monkeys give off this feel of 50s rock n roll with their leather jackets and slicked back hair; it most certainly works for them. This is not an innocent album- it gives off messages of getting high, alcohol, sex, lust, dissatisfaction and loneliness. The track “One For The Road” is all about having that one last drink before you leave. The title of the tune is repeated as the chorus throughout the whole song, you can hear it softly playing in the background along with the strumming bass guitar. “Mad Sounds” is one of my favorite songs on the album. It makes you think: does music have healing powers? You feel like you get lost inside the song and drift away from the world. For anyone new to the Arctic Monkeys- I would recommend that they listen to this song first.

Overall, I enjoyed the whole album. There were only two songs that I disliked- “Fireside” and “I Want It All.” Fireside was very dull and boring compared to the rest of the songs that surrounded it. It felt like a typical love song- how hard it is to move on from the one you love and reminisces his past relationship. Very predictable. “I Want It All” shows more of the rock side to the Arctic Monkeys; Turner wants to keep all the women that he encounters. The first chorus is all of the things that make up a relationship or a fling with someone. It just did not catch my attention throughout any part of the song. I would give the album overall a 8/10 and would recommend it to someone who was looking to listen to new music. I found that the best way to listen to Arctic Monkey’s music was with headphone, volume on high, and with no distractions. I just listened to the whole thing without doing anything else and really got a feel for it. The Arctic Monkeys really nailed this album and it is something worth listening to.

Where Has The True Spirit of Christmas Gone?

The meaning of Christmas has evolved from family to a more commercial time of year. Instead of gifting each other with just being together, people go out and buy expensive gifts that usually do not get a second glance. Holiday shoppers this year plan to spend an average of $801 on gifts for family and friends. $801 dollars. You know what that could buy? $801 could be used to buy gallons and gallons of water for people out in Cambodia. It could given to a homeless shelter that really needs the money to improve their conditions, a school could use it to buy new textbooks, it could be saved up for a future college fund or even put away in savings. Spending that huge amount of money on small, meaningless gifts is a waste. Christmas is not even about the privilege of spending time with your family, it is all about “What gift am I going to get next?” Holidays should be a time where you set your busy life aside and really take in and enjoy what you have. Never mind about getting the latest gadget or that cute sweater you saw in the mall; you should sit back and appreciate what has been given to you. That $801 dollars that was spent on t-shirts and jeans, even though you have more than enough already, could have been used to buy clothes for children who have little to none. I'm not saying that you should not get anything for Christmas but the amount of money and what people receive should be cut down.

Posted via Blogaway

Posted via Blogaway