Growing Up in a World Full of Hate

     When I entered elementary school I learned a lot of new words, words I hadn't heard before. In my innocent little mind I thought words like "shut up" and "stupid" were curse words. But when I came to school and met all the other kids I learned a whole new vocabulary. Thirty kids all blending their vocabularies together; I was bound to learn a few new words. Little did I know that my vocabulary was just beginning to grow. As I grew up and expanded my horizons to new people, I learned that there is so much hateful language in this world. Each day I witness countless forms of aggression- whether it be micro-aggression or just plain hate. This aggression can be caused by many different things. Many people blame what they say on being upset, as if being upset gives them the right to say whatever they please. This fallacious idea makes aggression seem a solution to problems, but it is the exact opposite of that. No matter what the root of this aggression is, it is never the best option. Maya Angelou once said, “Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.” Just as fighting fire with fire is ridiculous, fighting hate with hate is just as pointless. So, why do we create all this hateful language? Furthermore, why do we continue to use this hateful language? My best guess it that it's because that's what we learn in this world-not love, but hate. 

Our Government, Our Protectors.

In Terry Tempest Williams' essay, "The Clan of One-Breasted Women," she brings to light the idiocracy of the American government. She tells her families story and how their lives were changed because of the American government. Williams recounts the many family members she lost due to breast cancer, caused by the bomb testing done near her home. The government knew what they were doing could have detrimental consequences, but continued their tests, claiming that the area was “virtually uninhabited desert terrain.”

                Although this (the government lying to and putting citizens lives at risk) seems like an issue left long in the past, 1989 to be exact, it is not. Something eerily similar and just as saddening occurred just one year ago in Flint, Michigan, the Flint Water Crisis. Last year, the city of Flint was devastated to find out that their water was contaminated, and could cause many health issues. Many cities rallied behind Flint and helped them, until the government could do something to permanently ensure their water was safe and clean. Little did they know that the government was the exact reason they were in this mess.  The government realized that the water in Flint contained more than the legal amount of lead. However, to bring the pipes up to code would cost $100 per day. Instead of paying this slight fee, the government overlooked the issue at the expense of the lives of the Flint residents.

                This deceit by the American government is all too common. To them, we are “sheep. Dead sheep.”

A Night to Remember

Walking into the reception hall I glance around. All the girls look like they have spent countless hours preparing for tonight, after all you only go to prom once. Each girl has their hair, make up, even their nails done. As I make my way to my seat I find myself momentarily mesmerized by all the beautiful dresses. Each one is different, unique. I glance around the room again and see my friend. I make my way over there, still taking everything in. As I reach my friend, we both gasp, amazed at how beautiful the other one looks. We chat for a moment, bragging about who did our hair and where we got our dresses. I excuse myself and walk back to my table, feeling confident. When I arrive they are bringing out the first course of the meal. I look around to see who I will be eating dinner with, making polite conversation as I do. The other two girls and I exchange compliments, and the boys are quick to follow. I look around at the boys, wanting to compliment them and include them in our conversation more. But I quickly realize that there is a reason I hadn't taken notice of the boys outfits before- they are all wearing nearly the same thing. The only real difference in their outfits are the color of their ties, maybe their shirts if they're feeling adventurous that evening. But, overall, "the men's styles were unmarked". Looking around one last time, I knew that people would be talking about which girl wore this and which one wore that for weeks to come, but by tomorrow noone would remember which guy wore which black suit.