Making the Invisible, Visible: The first step...

Making the Invisible, Visible: The first step...

     There are several issues in the world that violate the basic human rights that we all have. The issue that my class has decided to address is the discrimination of HIV/AIDS infected people. These people have to live with discrimination because they have been infected with a disease. Misconceptions have caused others to view the infected as being of a lower status and unsafe. People with HIV/AIDS have to live with the disease for the rest of their lives, which is hard enough without the harsh treatment, or discrimination of others around them. We have a responsibility to other people to protect their rights freedoms. HIV infected people are not having their rights and freedoms protected by others. Discrimination is a serious issue that people should be aware of and that should be stopped. Therefore my class chose to address the issue of HIV/AIDS discrimination.
     This issue is important to my community and me because the issue is all around us. HIV infected people don't all live together. They live among us because they're no different from us, since getting infected doesn't mean they're not human beings like everyone else. Misconceptions of the disease have sprouted discrimination within our community. We witness the discrimination and it's important that the issue is stopped because there are far too many people affected by this issue. HIV or AIDS can be transmitted in different ways including through blood transfusions, using the same unsterilized needle as an infected person, and through pregnancy or breast feeding. But the disease is most commonly transmitted sexually. One example of how people get affected is when a husband has a affair. The husband could have an affair with HIV/AIDS, which would cause him to become infected. He could then pass on the disease to his wife, who might end up infecting her children when pregnant or breast feeding. This just increases the amount of people infected. The more people infected with HIV/AIDS, the more people there are being discriminated. So many different people are being affected by the discrimination. It ranges from kids to parents to prostitutes to homosexuals. Unfortunately the discrimination is severe as even the families of HIV/AIDS infected people are being shamed and discriminated. This discrimination has affect the way entire communities function and the basic aura of it. As the discrimination sometimes affects whole communities, it begins to affects non-infected people as well.
     I encountered many surprises in my research. One surprise that I encountered was related to one way HIV/AIDS infected people were being discriminated. In one man's case, the nurses discriminated him so much that his wife had to help him with certain medical treatments. These nurses were kind to other patients but were rude and hesitant when treating the HIV infected man. The discrimination was so bad that the nurses sometimes refused to change the man's IV. His wife had to step in and do it because the nurses simply declined. I was shocked to find that discrimination happened within a hospital. The nurses should be familiar with the disease and be educated or well-mannered enough to not discriminate HIV infected patients. Other than family members, I expected people working in hospitals to not participate in the discrimination. The discrimination used to be caused due to misconceptions and lack of knowledge about the disease. It was surprising that nurses have even been rude to HIV infected patients along with also discriminating them.
     Learning about this issue mainly makes me sad but it also makes me determined. I fee; bad for all the HIV/AIDS infected people because their lives are already hard as they have to forever live with this disease. Now they also have to face the harsh discrimination from others around them. Untrue statements and speculations are made about them, while people hesitate to go near them. To top it all off, some of these infected people are living in fear. Some are afraid to admit to the world that they have the disease fir fear of the discrimination that follows HIV/AIDS. Others are so afraid that they refuse to even be tested. I feel sad that people have to live with all  these terrible things. I can't imagine going through all the hardships they must face because of HIV/AIDS discrimination. But learning about these unfortunate people makes me want to help them. Their stories make me determined to try to do what I can to stop the discrimination. I may not be able to do much but it all starts with a awareness and taking one step at a time.

How to Deal with a Dictator

How to Deal with a Dictator

Dictators create tricky situations for citizens and outside countries. It is essential that these dictators are dealt with in order to ensure the safety and human rights of the country are intact. But the part that poses a problem is how to deal with the dictator. There are several different possibilities of how people can overcome a dangerous dictator. This really depends on the situation and the dictator, but the first way that a dictator should be dealt with is with peaceful protest or confrontation. Many dictators strongly punish their opponents as they throw them in jail or somehow silence them. Clearly small rebellions are not affective with such mighty leaders but if enough people are gathered together, they can also be powerful and start to make a difference. It’s not necessary to directly jump to violent solutions such as assassination.

Caesar’s dictatorship is a clear example of how confrontation may have been more successful than assassination. Caesar was a dictator as he had a dangerously large amount of power over Rome. He was much too ambitious and arrogant, so he needed to be dealt with wisely. The conspirators chose the option of assassinating Caesar. This seemed to be a productive and beneficial solution but it backfired when it caused domestic civil war within Rome. If enough people had found enough strength and bravery to confront Caesar or protest somehow, the outcome may have been less harmful to Rome. Confrontation is a great way to start to deal with a dictator as the people can have a sense of how ignorant or open-minded their leader is. If confrontation doesn’t work, it would then seem reasonable to attempt assassination. Although confrontation or protests are more safe and practical, some dictators are so powerful that it’s hard to have a strong enough rebellion group. These situations require outside help in order to be effective.

Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin are certain dictators that are in need of a stronger rebellion. Kim Jong-un is secretive as the world knows very little of him and North Korea. He also has nuclear weapons under his control which means that he must be dealt with very carefully. Not only citizens with North Korea, but also countries from the outside should work together to urge Kim Jong-un to allow more freedom in the country. Alone, the people within North Korea would not be able to fight Kim Jong-un, but outside help could make this possible. The same solution could be used for Vladimir Putin. Russians are helpless as Putin has too much power over shutting down opposing demonstrations. The most positive yet efficient result would come from outside countries helping to confront and remind Putin that his people deserve the basic human rights. If he refuses or this technique doesn’t work, then it would be a good time to consider other options. But confrontation or peaceful protests are always the most efficient and safe solutions to try to start dealing with a dictator. It allows you to try different options before resulting to assassination while also being able to take note of the dictators’ strength ad resistance to the opposition.

Assassination

Assassination

Julius Caesar:

Julius Caesar was a greatly skillful leader or Rome. He was becoming too ambitious and power hungry. With all the incredible power Cesar possessed, he could be very dangerous and cause severe harm.

Lord Louis Mountbatten:

A member of the British Royal Family, Lord Louis Mountbatten, followed in his father’s footsteps when he joined the navy in 1913. Mountbatten was actually a captain at the start of World War II as he commanded destroyers and in 1955, he became the first sea lord. But Mountbatten was mainly known for the key role he took when planning for the Allied invasion of continental Europe. Like Julius Caesar, Mountbatten possessed a lot of power and control.

Based on the assassinations of Caesar and Mountbatten, it's clear that there is always a form of motivation. In these two cases, the motivation seems to be that the victim had too much power and importance that they have become a threat. Julius Caesar was growing more and more powerful and dominant, which caused his assassinators to feel threatened and find motive. They were afraid that Caesar would use his power to do damage instead of good and therefore they were motivated to kill him. Lord Louis Mountbatten had a very important and influential status while the planning for the Allied invasion of continental Europe was happening. His high status with caused the IRA to feel that he was hindrance and should become a target. His death would attract the attention of people to the IRA, once they hear about the death of such an important man. It seems that people are assassinated due to their threatening power growth and high status.This high status attracts a lot of attention and their assassination would tract even more attention and awareness for the cause. Although there are several other ways to approach the situation, assassination seems to be justifiable in certain situations. For example, the assassination of Mountbatten was not necessary or justifiable. There were other men of an equal status other than Mountbatten. His death was not a crucial event that would make the IRA's cause successful. This is clear as North Ireland did not manage to become independent and its own country, so it's evident that the assassination of Mountbatten was not justifiable. Although Lord Louis Mountbatten's assassination was not justifiable, I think that Julius Caesar's death could be justified. Caesar was gaining too much power and was beginning to become drunk on it. He is easily manipulated through flattery, which causes him to be weak as a leader. The great leader Rome once knew now poses as a dangerous threat to the city and its people. The only way to ensure the safety of Rome was to take Caesar down, as he is a dictator with total control over the city. This outcome could only be ensured through assassination because Caesar has become so powerful that he could potentially have several loyal allies. Caesar's assassination was justified since his death was the only way to be certain of Rome's safety. So assassinations are similar in several ways like motive, but there are also different in ways such as whether they are justifiable or not.

Asia'a Missing Girls

Neglected Refugee Rights

Thousands of children are left standing alone to survive refugee camps with nowhere to turn. For these children, violence and sexual abuse become regular struggles of life along with the poor environment around them. Baruani Ndume has witnessed and suffered through these hardships while spending most of his childhood in a refugee camp in Tanzania. After surviving and struggling through his early years alone, Baruani attempted to make a change for all children just like him. His life-changing work to help refugee kids was recognized when Baruani received the Children’s Peace Prize in 2009. He has fought hard for the reunification of family and rights to voice for suffering refugee kids.

Baruani has attempted to reunite refugee children with their families since he was separated from his own family at an early age. The loss of his own parents has caused Baruani to have the drive to aid other kids in finding their own families. “At the age of 5, Baruani's family was taken away from him by the rebels in a horrible way. 'The rebels forced us into our house and burned it down. While my family burned alive, I was the only one who could escape'" (1). Baruani knows the pain of losing a family and becoming an orphan in a refugee camp. Unfortunately, he no longer has any hope for reuniting with his family. But other refugees still have that possibility and Baruani helps make it transpire. As a teenager in a refugee camp, he doesn’t have a variety of options to help these kids in need. Instead, Baruani uses his radio show to communicate or reach out to lost families. Baruani’s radio show, “Sisi kwa Sisi” meaning Children for Children, airs in four different countries in Africa. This allows Baruani to reach out across further areas. "The children use the radio show to call upon people familiar with them or their family" (4). Children of this refugee camps are poor and have limited resources, but Baruani and his radio show are their biggest opportunities to find their loved ones. Through his radio show, Baruani has been able to accomplish several things, including reunification of family and also the right to a voice.

Because of his own experience of growing up without one, Baruani feels strongly about providing kids with a voice of their own. As a child in a refugee camp, he was never properly granted the right to a voice and felt that it may have cost him his future. “At age of 7, Baruani fled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  ... ended up in the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania, where he has lived ever since.” (2). Having gone through a similar childhood, several other refugee children can relate to him. Baruani notices that many of these children don’t have much of a future because of the absence of a voice. Baruani has made an effort to change that for as many refugee kids as he can. After creating his radio show, he shares any air time with other refugee children, literally giving them a voice. Through the radio, teenagers and children voice their thoughts and claim their right to a future. “In his radio show, Baruani discusses the problems and challenges refugee children face in the camp. For many children it is already a big help to talk to someone and to be able to share the problems they experience.” (3). By simply allowing others to speak and share experiences on his radio show, Baruani has been able to make a difference for the young refugees. His efforts to make a change has allowed children to claim their right to voice, which could created opportunities for a future.

Through “Sisi kwa Sisi”, sixteen-year-old Baruani has changed the lives of several refugee children. His radio show has become a tool in the process of regaining a voice and spreading information of lost children. Young refugees have found their families, claimed a right to voice, and also had an opportunity to a future because of the choices of one boy. If that one boy hadn’t helped, there would be several vulnerable children trying to helplessly survive all alone. Baruani shows the world that it doesn’t matter who you are because you can always make a difference. He shows everyone that it only takes one boy to end the complete suffering of young and helpless refugees.

Sources:
1) Baruani (ENG) youtube video from the Kid's Rights, International Peace Prize website -
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2d4P68lhBw&feature=youtu.be>

2) "2009 Baruani Ndume - Childrenspeaceprize." 2009. 17 Oct. 2012 <http://childrenspeaceprize.org/childrens-peace-price/price2009/>

3) "Winners of the International Childrens's Peace Prize - KidsRights." 2011. 17 Oct. 2012 <http://www.kidsrights.org/InternationalChildrensPeacePrize/Winners.aspx>

4) "Winners of the International Childrens's Peace Prize - KidsRights." 2011. 17 Oct. 2012 <http://www.kidsrights.org/InternationalChildrensPeacePrize/Winners.aspx>

Harrison Bergeron

          In Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron, the commentary Vonnegut is trying to make is to value our individuality. In our world, we usually consider a utopia where everyone is peaceful and everybody is equal. Vonnegut sends a message that is centered on the idea that we should not be too equal. Equal rights will always be considered something positive but Vonnegut makes the statement that we should always have our individuality. For example, George Bergeron is intelligent compared to others and that makes him who he is. “And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear.” (130). George was an intelligent person and that could have possibly been his talent, which contributes to who he is as an individual. The radio earpiece has taken away George’s ability to think thoroughly and has made him into a completely different person. They have stripped him of his identity to make him equal and the same as everybody else. Another example of a loss of individuality is with the ballerina. “She must have been extraordinarily beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous. And it was easy' to see that she was the strongest and most graceful of ail the dancers, for her handicap bags were as big as those worn by two hundred pound men.” (133). Not only was the ballerina beautiful, but she was most likely one of the greatest dancers. Dancing is her talent and what makes her unique and special compared to everybody else. Once again, the government of that world deprived someone of their talent. She lost her individuality. It was fair for everyone else since she was now their equal, but the ballerina no longer had anything that made her unique. The government not only deprived George and the ballerina of their individuality but everyone else in the world. Not only has Vonnegut portrayed loss of individuality in his book, but has also chosen the setting to be dystopian world. The reader can then see the connection to how individuality is important and should be value, instead of being taken away and creating a dystopia. Vonnegut explains that individuality is something worth fighting for.

Personal Identity is Worth Fighting For

Where I'm From

I am from Pooh bear,
from the soccer games and the track meets.
I am from I Told you Sos
and every jolly word in Jingle Bells, as if I made it up myself.

I am from lasagna and the thickly cut salami.
From weekend dinners at Mr. Wong’s and steamy broth flavors.
I am from strict doctors and bubbling beer.
From Hey there shorty and My little angel.

I am from floaties and peek-a-boos,
from blonde barbies and Huggies diapers.
I am from pigtails to hair battles.
From giggling faces and hysterical crying.

I am from Mathilda and The Cow Jumped Over the Moon.
From American Idol to The Little Mermaid.
I am from World War II and the Black Market
I am from Monopoly and the Bounce game,
sunshine and summer days all year long.

Stashed away in messy folders are snapshots,
documenting forgotten times,
a reminder of the past.
I am from those moments,
the building bricks of my future,
the building bricks of me.


List Poem 

Hair tightly pulled back
Short strands of hair poking out wildly the usual
Fluffy pink scrunchy covering the average hair tie
Unpierced and bare ears hanging free
A size too large purple letterman jacket laying on my shoulders
Wide sleeves resting on hands with only the tips of my fingers peeking out
Fingernails clean but in need of a short cut
Skinny wrists hiding under the comfort of my jacket
Blue polo shirt school
Dark shorts with a small stitched panther school
Not yet worn out black comfortable converse
Clean white socks slowly slipping down my heel
Flat white laces tied my own way incorrectly
Scratched and half-gone nail polish clinging to my toes
That’s just me.




One's personal identity is worth fighting for. It's worth it because our identity makes us different and who we are. If we didn't fight for who we are, then we would all be the same and not be unique. Identity makes everyone special. Doing something we don't want to do is giving up the fight for our identity. Everyone should have faith in themselves and fight for who they are because we all deserve to be ourselves and be happy. We can change everything from our appearance to the environment we live in but our identity is the only thing we know will be the same. If lose our fight for identity then we have nothing left. Our identity is what defines us and what we can always depend on to never change.