Another week at UNC has come and gone, and here I am sitting at my computer trying to come up with a good blog topic. It’s comical how cyclical things can be in one’s life. My week tends to be quite busy from Monday through Wednesday. After that, the weekend is practically there for me, since I only have three classes on Thursday and Friday combined. But before I know it, I’m slammed with Chemistry and Spanish homework. I usually dedicate my entire Sunday to Chemistry, and then I compose my blog post. Anyways, I’ve decided to discuss the issue of racism in the modern United States of America because of an incident I encountered over the weekend.
We all know it’s there. There is an unspoken truth about racism and racial preference in this country, as much as we would like to deny it. Each group has there stereotypes and understood societal roles. Unfortunately, our historical roots dealing with racism are deeply embedded in this country and it will likely be years before it is ever erased.
This weekend, my suitemate hosted a friend from high school who now attends Clemson University. Apparently Clemson students are quite racist. While he was visiting, he was in my room with a bunch of friends. One of our friends happens to be an African-American. While we were all talking, the Clemson visitor managed to call our friend the “n” word. I am almost positive that he did not have a hurtful tone or intent behind his words. However, I found this appalling. How can someone say such a deeply hurtful thing without even thinking twice about it? And this is why I say that racism is still a problem in the U.S. People throw this word around like it is nothing, especially African-Americans. To me, this only promotes and sends the message that calling an African-American the “n” word is okay. The visitor seemed completely okay with his statement and never once apologized. I later talked to my suitemate about it, his host, and he defended him by saying, “well, they are a little racist at Clemson”. As if it were okay! Our friend is his friend as well and it did not affect him either! And the issue extends far beyond black and white. The general animosity among immigrants and other ethnic groups are present as well.
Of course there is a major sense of improvement among our generation. Interracial relationships are becoming more and more common and minorities have full citizen rights. But unfortunately, each tends to congregate by race and stick together rather than associate themselves with the other groups at hand. People still identify themselves by their skin color rather than who they are and where they come from. It is easy to categorize people in such a way, but that does not necessarily justify it. Our society as a whole needs to make a full effort before any progress can be made toward this issue.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Vietnam and Iraq: What's the difference?
I’m enjoying writing about these controversial issues, so here’s another one: the war in Iraq.
Like most Americans, I was easily persuaded by government propaganda and the media motioning for a “War on Terror”. This was shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, and Americans were emotionally distraught and needed a focus to blame for the attack. Yes, the Taliban was responsible for training the men who high jacked the planes and yes, they were operating in Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, the Taliban was an oppressive political group in Afghanistan that should not have been tolerated. Therefore, I believe it is safe to say that the occupation of Afghanistan was legitimate and reasonable. But that leads to the real issue at hand: what about the occupation of Iraq?
American involvement in Iraq is not a new concept. We quickly jumped to aid the people of Kuwait and defended them from Iraq and their invasion. This was called Operation Desert Storm. The problem with this mission is that it was an opportunity to wipe Iraq of their dicatator, Sadaam Hussein, but it did not happen. The American government was clearly motivated to be involved solely for its self interest in the rich oil reserves of Kuwait. If the Iraqi’s gained control, things would have potentially been economically unfavorable for the West. However, American forces were able to push the Iraqi military out of Kuwait. Yet, we never took Sadaam out. Why not? The opportunity was there, but it did not happen. Clearly, the American government had an opportunity, but it was too engaging and probably not worth the effort in the end.
So what bothers me is the fact that, after September 11th, the United States invaded Afghanistan and then moved on to Iraq without completing military operations in Afghanistan! We spread our military force too thin and were not able to adapt to the fighting style attributed to the respective regions. I know that it is easy to criticize the government’s actions with hindsight, but some things are just obvious. First, the U.N. searched the Iraqi regime for weapons of mass destructions and did not find any evidence of such weapons. Second, military operations in Afghanistan were not complete before moving on to Iraq. Third, where are the weapons of mass destruction? The Bush Administration obviously felt confident enough to tell the public of their existence and to provide reasoning for our actions, but they were never uncovered!
I understand that Sadaam was not a good man, with several crimes to his name. But surely it is evident now that he provided some sense of stability in Iraq. Also, aren’t there more threatening leaders out there in the world? Kim Jong II possibly? I mean, they do have nuclear technology and a clearly demonstrated hatred for the United States. I guess I just feel that the war in Iraq was a big scam for making money through private contracts with the military and possibly to redeem the previous Bush Administration by getting killing Sadaam Hussein the second time around. Will the United States ever come out of this conflict with a victory? I highly doubt it, and the comparison to a modern Vietnam conflict seems very applicable to me.
Like most Americans, I was easily persuaded by government propaganda and the media motioning for a “War on Terror”. This was shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, and Americans were emotionally distraught and needed a focus to blame for the attack. Yes, the Taliban was responsible for training the men who high jacked the planes and yes, they were operating in Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, the Taliban was an oppressive political group in Afghanistan that should not have been tolerated. Therefore, I believe it is safe to say that the occupation of Afghanistan was legitimate and reasonable. But that leads to the real issue at hand: what about the occupation of Iraq?
American involvement in Iraq is not a new concept. We quickly jumped to aid the people of Kuwait and defended them from Iraq and their invasion. This was called Operation Desert Storm. The problem with this mission is that it was an opportunity to wipe Iraq of their dicatator, Sadaam Hussein, but it did not happen. The American government was clearly motivated to be involved solely for its self interest in the rich oil reserves of Kuwait. If the Iraqi’s gained control, things would have potentially been economically unfavorable for the West. However, American forces were able to push the Iraqi military out of Kuwait. Yet, we never took Sadaam out. Why not? The opportunity was there, but it did not happen. Clearly, the American government had an opportunity, but it was too engaging and probably not worth the effort in the end.
So what bothers me is the fact that, after September 11th, the United States invaded Afghanistan and then moved on to Iraq without completing military operations in Afghanistan! We spread our military force too thin and were not able to adapt to the fighting style attributed to the respective regions. I know that it is easy to criticize the government’s actions with hindsight, but some things are just obvious. First, the U.N. searched the Iraqi regime for weapons of mass destructions and did not find any evidence of such weapons. Second, military operations in Afghanistan were not complete before moving on to Iraq. Third, where are the weapons of mass destruction? The Bush Administration obviously felt confident enough to tell the public of their existence and to provide reasoning for our actions, but they were never uncovered!
I understand that Sadaam was not a good man, with several crimes to his name. But surely it is evident now that he provided some sense of stability in Iraq. Also, aren’t there more threatening leaders out there in the world? Kim Jong II possibly? I mean, they do have nuclear technology and a clearly demonstrated hatred for the United States. I guess I just feel that the war in Iraq was a big scam for making money through private contracts with the military and possibly to redeem the previous Bush Administration by getting killing Sadaam Hussein the second time around. Will the United States ever come out of this conflict with a victory? I highly doubt it, and the comparison to a modern Vietnam conflict seems very applicable to me.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
9/11: Inside Job or Coincidence?
Before I start discussing this hot issue at hand, I just want to make it clear that I am an American and I love my country dearly. This can be a sensitive subject for some so I just wanted to make that clear.
Now, September 11, 2001, I can remember vividly. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. I was in the 5th grade. We were one hour into our daily routine when the news had spread of an airplane crashing into the World Trade Center. I remember hearing the teachers speaking amongst themselves nervously, and the television was turned off after the second plane hit.
After a few weeks, the United States launched itself into a war with Afghanistan and the Taliban. With heavy media coverage and propaganda, American citizens were largely in support of the Bush administration. But with the release of the official 9/11 Commission Report, many people began to look into the incidents more and question the government.
When I first saw the news coverage of the attacks, I was completely convinced by what the government said. I was extremely young and easily persuaded. I believed that the War on Terror was the right thing to do. I was really intrigued by the whole situation, because I recognized how huge this event was for our country and from a historical view. But with my experiences and age, I’ve realized how subjective material is and that information like this should be analyzed and questioned.
So, with that said, I think there are a lot of things concerning the 9/11 terrorist attacks that are too “coincidental” to be believable. I do not fully believe every theory out there, but I think there are definitely some aspects that need to be analyzed and explained.
First, the World Trade Center was designed to withstand aircraft impact. It had extremely strong support beams throughout the building. Also, it is the first steel high-rise building to collapse by cause of “fire”. When reviewing the footage of the towers collapsing, the building collapses directly into its own footprint. This indicates that explosives were possibly in the building previously. And the collapse of the 7 World Trade Center building,, which is not even directly connected to the two plane-struck buildings, was very unusual and like a result of demolition.
The man who leased the World Trade Center complex, Larry Silverstein sued his insurers to get the attacks to count as separate events so he would receive double the money. Also, where was the Air National Guard, 80 minutes after the attacks began, to defend the Pentagon, possibly the world’s most secure air space? How much money did Dick Cheney’s corporation Halliburton make when the United States went to war? How is Iraq connected to Afghanistan and the War on Terror? And why did the government invade Iraq without a Constitutional declaration of war?
There are many more things to consider, but I’ll leave it at that for the time being. I’ll be happy to further discuss this in comments and later blogs.
Now, September 11, 2001, I can remember vividly. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. I was in the 5th grade. We were one hour into our daily routine when the news had spread of an airplane crashing into the World Trade Center. I remember hearing the teachers speaking amongst themselves nervously, and the television was turned off after the second plane hit.
After a few weeks, the United States launched itself into a war with Afghanistan and the Taliban. With heavy media coverage and propaganda, American citizens were largely in support of the Bush administration. But with the release of the official 9/11 Commission Report, many people began to look into the incidents more and question the government.
When I first saw the news coverage of the attacks, I was completely convinced by what the government said. I was extremely young and easily persuaded. I believed that the War on Terror was the right thing to do. I was really intrigued by the whole situation, because I recognized how huge this event was for our country and from a historical view. But with my experiences and age, I’ve realized how subjective material is and that information like this should be analyzed and questioned.
So, with that said, I think there are a lot of things concerning the 9/11 terrorist attacks that are too “coincidental” to be believable. I do not fully believe every theory out there, but I think there are definitely some aspects that need to be analyzed and explained.
First, the World Trade Center was designed to withstand aircraft impact. It had extremely strong support beams throughout the building. Also, it is the first steel high-rise building to collapse by cause of “fire”. When reviewing the footage of the towers collapsing, the building collapses directly into its own footprint. This indicates that explosives were possibly in the building previously. And the collapse of the 7 World Trade Center building,, which is not even directly connected to the two plane-struck buildings, was very unusual and like a result of demolition.
The man who leased the World Trade Center complex, Larry Silverstein sued his insurers to get the attacks to count as separate events so he would receive double the money. Also, where was the Air National Guard, 80 minutes after the attacks began, to defend the Pentagon, possibly the world’s most secure air space? How much money did Dick Cheney’s corporation Halliburton make when the United States went to war? How is Iraq connected to Afghanistan and the War on Terror? And why did the government invade Iraq without a Constitutional declaration of war?
There are many more things to consider, but I’ll leave it at that for the time being. I’ll be happy to further discuss this in comments and later blogs.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Would You Like Fries With That?
What is the matter with Americans and their diet today? It seems that people no longer care for their long-term health and are only considered with satiating their doughnut cravings.
One of the problems of modern nutrition is the lack of education. Most people are unaware of precisely what is entering their body at any given moment. It seems common knowledge that one should not eat more than what they need, and if you stay within reason of the 2,000 calorie diet, then you are in the clear. However, this is not the case by any means. People in the general public seem unaware of the necessary nutritional needs of the human body. Yes, fats are necessary, but in moderation. White bread is a simple carbohydrate and turns directly into simple sugars. It practically serves no purpose for you or your body. Now, I understand that people want to enjoy what they eat, but there are so many healthy alternatives. Unfortunately, as a society we are constantly eating simple carbs, sugar-filled soft drinks, and saturated fats. It is no wonder that obesity is such an issue with adults and youth alike. What are we going to do about this? Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and many other health issues are all related in some way to diet and nutrition.
Now, I understand that it is difficult to look at a menu and try to choose the grilled chicken over the juicy burger. Or the vegetable medley over the French fries. But the bottom line is that health is an investment. You must approach it as a long-term deal if you want to be healthy in later years. If your input nutrition is beneficial, the likelihood of prosperous health in later years is quite high. It is an investment that is well worth the cost and discipline.
My grandmother is 79 years of age and she still goes out every morning at the crack of dawn to exercise. I know she sounds like she is in peak health, but she was not always that way. Approximately twelve years ago, my grandmother suffered a very serious heart attack. She was not watching her diet well and heart issues are hereditary. Fortunately she managed to survive and every since she has managed her dietary intake to perfection. If only we all had this kind of discipline.
We should not need a major life-threatening occurrence to serve as our wake-up call. Now is the time to realize that health is the most important thing we possess. I propose that people begin researching and finding more healthy alternatives. Search for creative recipes and manage food intake by reading the nutrition facts on food products. Also, exercise and physical activity are imperative for sufficient health. Join a fitness club, walk your animal, play a sport. Just do something to get your heart going. Everyone needs a break from the daily grinds of life and this time could not be better spent than by exercising and taking care of oneself. Trust me, this problem is unnecessary and can be solved. Motivation, learning, and commitment are the key.
One of the problems of modern nutrition is the lack of education. Most people are unaware of precisely what is entering their body at any given moment. It seems common knowledge that one should not eat more than what they need, and if you stay within reason of the 2,000 calorie diet, then you are in the clear. However, this is not the case by any means. People in the general public seem unaware of the necessary nutritional needs of the human body. Yes, fats are necessary, but in moderation. White bread is a simple carbohydrate and turns directly into simple sugars. It practically serves no purpose for you or your body. Now, I understand that people want to enjoy what they eat, but there are so many healthy alternatives. Unfortunately, as a society we are constantly eating simple carbs, sugar-filled soft drinks, and saturated fats. It is no wonder that obesity is such an issue with adults and youth alike. What are we going to do about this? Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and many other health issues are all related in some way to diet and nutrition.
Now, I understand that it is difficult to look at a menu and try to choose the grilled chicken over the juicy burger. Or the vegetable medley over the French fries. But the bottom line is that health is an investment. You must approach it as a long-term deal if you want to be healthy in later years. If your input nutrition is beneficial, the likelihood of prosperous health in later years is quite high. It is an investment that is well worth the cost and discipline.
My grandmother is 79 years of age and she still goes out every morning at the crack of dawn to exercise. I know she sounds like she is in peak health, but she was not always that way. Approximately twelve years ago, my grandmother suffered a very serious heart attack. She was not watching her diet well and heart issues are hereditary. Fortunately she managed to survive and every since she has managed her dietary intake to perfection. If only we all had this kind of discipline.
We should not need a major life-threatening occurrence to serve as our wake-up call. Now is the time to realize that health is the most important thing we possess. I propose that people begin researching and finding more healthy alternatives. Search for creative recipes and manage food intake by reading the nutrition facts on food products. Also, exercise and physical activity are imperative for sufficient health. Join a fitness club, walk your animal, play a sport. Just do something to get your heart going. Everyone needs a break from the daily grinds of life and this time could not be better spent than by exercising and taking care of oneself. Trust me, this problem is unnecessary and can be solved. Motivation, learning, and commitment are the key.
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