Social Issues
As a University student, I know a few social issues that should be addressed and discussed, and I think that other University and College students should address and discuss them as well.
The first social issue I am going to discuss is equality for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender) community. As a student I have come across a great many people and some are different, some are the same, and others are really cool. One of the really cool people I have met happens to be trans-gendered. This person is awesome; they are a great student, friendly, hilarious, and always had a smile on their face. I am happy to call this person my friend. Then this friend told me that they have been attacked, more then once, and I was furious. I wanted to fight for them, defend them. How dare someone hurt my friend!
My friend is not the only one who has been treated poorly, to say the least. I have noticed that not only in my current University but also in my previous college, that there is no Gay- Straight Alliance. There is no club, there is no awareness to people who do not understand. There are only classes that I hope people take to help them understand diversity. Furthermore, out in the world, there is still prejudice and hate. Although there was the shining ray of hope #lovewins the Supreme Court ruled marriage equality legal. Then there was the Kim Davis case… It’s so frustrating. It’s like we take one step forward and two steps back.
On to my next social issue, elections. It has been recently brought to my attention that only 45% of young people ages 18-29 voted in the last election according to Forbes magazine. Guys, we are the youth of a nation, we need to vote! It’s important. How else are we to get our voices heard, it is a privilege that we as a country are even given this opportunity. Do you know what the word idiot derives from? It derives from a Greek word meaning one who does not vote. Do you get my point? If you want to see the change in the word, you must make it. Do you want people who stand on the wrong side of history to get what they want, do you want old men to decide what your children will have to face in the years to come, do you want quick solutions to large problems, do you want a bigot to run for President?
When my brother was over eighteen and Obama was barely running for President he took my sister and I -both much younger then him- to go where they vote. My brother was so proud that he could contribute to such a momentous part in history. I remember him showing us his sticker, I voted in blue and white letters.
To vote is to take part in history. To vote is to be lucky. To vote is to voice your opinion. To vote is to have the right person be President of the United States. So please, vote.
The third and final social issue I will address is women’s rights and equality. Women are still being paid less than men for the equal amount of work. Equal pay is equal work. Guys, it’s not the 1950’s. Come on, we’re better than this. I know the word Feminism or Feminist still has a bad connotation, so let’s explore what the word Feminism means. According to Dictionary.com -because I’m that guy- Feminism is “the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men”. I copied and pasted that.
Now let’s think for a second shall we? If you identify as male consider this: do you want anyone to grab your sister and/or mother’s buttocks when she passes by, do you want your sister and/or mother to work twice as hard as any man or equal to and still get paid less, do you want them to be belittled, do you want them to stop being scared to walk home at night? If the answer is no I think you’re headed in the right direction. Now let me ask you a few other questions. Do you want your mother and/or sister to be payed equal amount of work for equal wages, do you want them to be treated equally and fairly, do you want people to keep their hands to themselves, do you want them to stop having to carry pepper spray on them, do you want them to be in positions of power if they earned it? If you answered yes to the ladder questions, you’re looking pretty good.
Now, dear gentlemen, I think you may understand what I’m getting at. Being a feminist is not about hating men. No, that’s all wrong. It’s simply about being treated fairly and justly.
To quote Susan B. Anthony, “Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.”
