In my opinion, CENSORING SUCKS!
In my high school English class, I was assigned to do a book report in a banned book. The goal of this project was for a teenager to be able to form a strong opinion and express it in an effective way.
Well I have some strong opinions that need to be expressed!
Before you read this, I would first like to tell you that I AM conservative. I don't believe in sex before marriage, its not one of my morals or even to curse frequently. I'm just telling it how it is. This world, unfortunately, is filled with bad stuff, but try as you might, everyone gets exposed to it. Even girls that are raised in convents.
But first, a question to ponder on while you read this: Do you believe in the privelege of censoring books. Why?
Because my school does not support the book censoring, all books that can be found on ALA's list of most challenged books, excluding the few obvious ones that are just not appropriate for any one under 21 (i.e, Sex by Madonna) and sex education books, can be found in my school's library. The book that I chose to research on was TTYL. I read it, researched, it and came up with an opinion about it. Its safe to say that you can guess what my opinion is. TTYL should not be banned.
Though their opinions dont match mine, I can't help but question why people think that TTYL should be lifted from middle school and high school libraries. Their answers?
"Curse words, crude references to male and female anatomy, sex acts and adult situations like drinking alcohol and flirtation with a teacher that almost goes too far" found in Robert P. Doyles Banned Book in an article by Melissa J. Morgan(p. 117).
So let me just say the obvious and cliche " Your kid will alsways be around ojectionable content like curse words and crude references to anatomy. Whats the big deal if they can read it in a book?"
Truthfully, if you teen hasn't heard the word 'fuck' at least once in their life, then your child is either way too sheltered, lives in under a rock, or your sex life, as an adult, sucks! (If you get what I'm saying.)
I get, although, that some parents are conscious about the sexual and adult activities that the girls mention. The girls talk about orgasms, sex, bodily functions, and relationships that are inappropriate. But what I think that is great about this book, it that TTYL can touch subjects that hit teenagers problems and thoughts everyday without glorifying them and instead tells how they can get through and solve their problems efffectively.
Personally, I don't think that this book be recommended to all teenage girls (becuase I mean, lets get real, some are just not as mature as others) but I do NOT think that it should be lifted from libraries because some are not as mentally or emotionally mature as others. I also do not think that I should be banned from libraries because it does appeal to the wide range of age groups a library or school supports such as as school in Roundrock Texas where a superintendent banned TTYL from their school libraries. Well let me tell you Mr. Superintendent. If you take out that book, then you may as well be taking out all books made for 4th graders and and up. And when you do that, what will there be left to challenge those children in those grades. Hm? GPA's and Grades of your students then and in the future will drop because they didn't have access to books that will improve thier vocabulary or ability to create their own picturees because they will be stuck reading books made for kindergarteners with pictures. And so when they're having trouble with comprehension in middle school and highschool and drop out, I will blame you.
I am a person that is really open to all peoples' oppinions. I like to hear them and challenge them if I like. I am such a person that believes in the freedoms granted by our founding fathers and the constitution. So comment what you want becuase I want to hear it. This is my editorial, this is my critique. Flame me if you really want. But I want to hear it.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Boyfriends, There When You Need Them, and Make Fun of You After
So, over this beautiful fall weekend in Nebraska, (Where the wind always blows, and the rain always pours, ugh!) my dear grandmother wanted her family to come and help her move. When we arrived we expected that more people from our loving family would be at my grandma's house helping her move out all the stuff out of her house. But, oh no, this was not true. The rest of my family decided they wanted to bail that day. The only people that did come, however, we the people that weren't related to my grandma at all. Those in attendance were, my mom, Mike, a close family friend, Mikey, close family friend and son of Mike, my brother, who is the laziest person in the world, and myself, who just didn't want to be there becuase I am opposed to my grandma's moving in the first place (She's leaving me for Hawaii. Her husband is currently located down there working in his civilian job for the military and he wasn't supposed to be assigned down there for another 3 years anyways.. I don't care if she misses her husband! The point is...SHE'S LEAVING ME FOR HAWAII!).
Since my mom had an apparent lack of help, she decided to give my boyfriend a call. This was not something she wanted to do because she didn't want to call up my boyfriend just to ask for his manual laboring skills. In the end, she knew it would make me happy because she made me blow off my plans to hang out with him that weekend and I was really mad at her so she gave him a call.
The phone call went something like this:
Hi, Taylor (Yep, that's his name. Isn't it cute!)
Hello, Samone.
Watcha up to.
Nothing. How bout you.
Just trying to move boxes at my grandmas house. But I cant do much becuase we don't have the people that were supposed to be here, here.
And you want me to come over and help don't you?
You are so psychic. And I would really love you forever. Well, more likely that my mom would love you even more, but I would love you becuase you came over so that I could stare at you while you lifted large and heavy objects that I don't want to move.
I have that effect on people. But you just don't want to do any work. *sigh* Yeah I'll go.
Ohhh! I love you forever. My mom's on her way riiight aboouuutt now.
Ok. Let me shower. Bye I love you.
I love you, too.
This is how I know I have the best boyfriend in the world. He can read me like an open book, even over the phone. He's magical.
Anyways, he came over and he met the friends of the family, was lectured about the importance of keeping me safe and happy by Mike (Mikes like 40-something and is like a father figure so he can do that), wrestled Mikey in our livingroom,and was dubbed an honorary new-kid-to-beat-up(Mikey is 28 and has beat up me and my brother since like birth. He believes he's had the right to since he change our diapers when my brother and I were babies. So, I let him get away with it because he's fun). It's safe to say that my family loves Taylor.
When we started moving furniture out of the house, excited me go to watch Taylor walk in and out of the house to carry couches into the UHaul. When I finally decided to get off my butt and help, I grabbed a rather large television. It wasn't that the TV was heavy really that made me almost fall, but my lack of ability to see anything that was less than 3 feet in front of me. Nevertheless, I tripped, but I did not fall thanks to my wonderful Knight in shining armour, who at that time was expecting me to fall becuase I am just so dang clumsy. So there he was, right in front of me, ready to catch the TV and me from what could have like been both the Tv and mine's certain death. He took the TV, put it in the truck, and came back to check on me to see if I was alright. When I went back in, I heard Mike tell Taylor that he was doing a good job and that he "approves." So I yelled at him because I knew that he was trying to keep me from hearing that. I can't have family freaking out my boyfriend. It's been a pretty solid 10 months, I don't want to ruin now. So after about 5 hours and 12 more trips up and down stairs, we were finally done for the day and as a treat, went to see Paranormal Activity.
That movie was pretty intense, no lie. And I'm not one to get scared my horrer films or anything like that. I screamed twice during that movie and flinched 3 times. That's a record. I thought having my boyfriend next me would've taken some of that away. But no. I ended up screaming at a part that I didn't even feel was that scary, but I had to scream because everyone else around me was screaming. And he started laughing. That Jerk whom I love so much.
He made fun of me the entire way home. Which caused me to end up back handing his chest all the way home. And a very lovely bruise the next day.
Oh, I love that kid.
Ciao,
Samone In Love
Since my mom had an apparent lack of help, she decided to give my boyfriend a call. This was not something she wanted to do because she didn't want to call up my boyfriend just to ask for his manual laboring skills. In the end, she knew it would make me happy because she made me blow off my plans to hang out with him that weekend and I was really mad at her so she gave him a call.
The phone call went something like this:
Hi, Taylor (Yep, that's his name. Isn't it cute!)
Hello, Samone.
Watcha up to.
Nothing. How bout you.
Just trying to move boxes at my grandmas house. But I cant do much becuase we don't have the people that were supposed to be here, here.
And you want me to come over and help don't you?
You are so psychic. And I would really love you forever. Well, more likely that my mom would love you even more, but I would love you becuase you came over so that I could stare at you while you lifted large and heavy objects that I don't want to move.
I have that effect on people. But you just don't want to do any work. *sigh* Yeah I'll go.
Ohhh! I love you forever. My mom's on her way riiight aboouuutt now.
Ok. Let me shower. Bye I love you.
I love you, too.
This is how I know I have the best boyfriend in the world. He can read me like an open book, even over the phone. He's magical.
Anyways, he came over and he met the friends of the family, was lectured about the importance of keeping me safe and happy by Mike (Mikes like 40-something and is like a father figure so he can do that), wrestled Mikey in our livingroom,and was dubbed an honorary new-kid-to-beat-up(Mikey is 28 and has beat up me and my brother since like birth. He believes he's had the right to since he change our diapers when my brother and I were babies. So, I let him get away with it because he's fun). It's safe to say that my family loves Taylor.
When we started moving furniture out of the house, excited me go to watch Taylor walk in and out of the house to carry couches into the UHaul. When I finally decided to get off my butt and help, I grabbed a rather large television. It wasn't that the TV was heavy really that made me almost fall, but my lack of ability to see anything that was less than 3 feet in front of me. Nevertheless, I tripped, but I did not fall thanks to my wonderful Knight in shining armour, who at that time was expecting me to fall becuase I am just so dang clumsy. So there he was, right in front of me, ready to catch the TV and me from what could have like been both the Tv and mine's certain death. He took the TV, put it in the truck, and came back to check on me to see if I was alright. When I went back in, I heard Mike tell Taylor that he was doing a good job and that he "approves." So I yelled at him because I knew that he was trying to keep me from hearing that. I can't have family freaking out my boyfriend. It's been a pretty solid 10 months, I don't want to ruin now. So after about 5 hours and 12 more trips up and down stairs, we were finally done for the day and as a treat, went to see Paranormal Activity.
That movie was pretty intense, no lie. And I'm not one to get scared my horrer films or anything like that. I screamed twice during that movie and flinched 3 times. That's a record. I thought having my boyfriend next me would've taken some of that away. But no. I ended up screaming at a part that I didn't even feel was that scary, but I had to scream because everyone else around me was screaming. And he started laughing. That Jerk whom I love so much.
He made fun of me the entire way home. Which caused me to end up back handing his chest all the way home. And a very lovely bruise the next day.
Oh, I love that kid.
Ciao,
Samone In Love
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Stereotypes are So Highschool
In my opinion, STEREOTYPES SUCK
Last Monday, a new girl came into my school. She was apparently from a school that was too cliquey for their own good. I was trying to help her find a class during the passing period becuase she looked rather lost. I, quite kindly, asked where she need to go and sent her on her way. I then told her that I if she needed a place to sit during lunch that she could sit at my table any time she's like. She looked me up and down in my black, punk rocker get up, and smiled at me. I did sort of the same thing to her. I looked her up and down and noticed her tan, flawless skin, and thin figure, and undoubtedly amazing sense of style in her all aeropostale wardrobe. Even though it would be possible to see the snobby, popular girl stereotype in her, I paid no attention to it because I generally don't believe in them. It shouldn't suprise me, though, that when people come from out of town, state, or country, which my school gets frequently becasue we have one of the largest military bases in the U.S., would come up with a stereotype for me the moment they see someone becuase I do realize that some places are cliquier than others, mine not being one of those school with major cliquing problems. I do know, however, that she must have come from one since she did tell me, "No, I don't hang out with the freaky goth kids."
Let me tell you, that I am not one of those "freaky goth kids." Especially since they don't exist. They're not freaky and those "goth kids" are some of the nicest people I know.
Wouldn't you like to have seen the look on her face when I showed up in my cheerleading uniform the next day. Not to mention all the "Hey, Samone!"'s I got from all her knew friends at the school. As, I went to say hi to our now mutual friends with me covered in purple glitter AND shiney pink lipgloss!!! her brows lowered in confusion. I then said hi to her and our friends who proceeded to ask me about last nights English Advanced homework. When she finally opened her mouth, she said, "Wait, weren't you that freaky goth kid that showed me to class yesterday?" Then her new friends looked at her in confusion. "Samone is no 'freaky goth girl.' She's awesome. You can't stereotype her or anyone else in this school. I mean, she's a smart cheerleader. It doesn't get more mixed up than that."
She didn't talk for the rest of the convresation. I guess that it really got to her head that cliques are everywhere, which is a lie. We can't really stereotype people because you cant really get all of the information on a person by just looking at them. You'll miss out on some really good friends that way. I'm sure that we couldv'e bee good friends. Its just so sad that people judge people in that way.
People don't fit into stereotypes. People are dynamic and change. There's more than one side to all people just like me. I'm not just a "freaky goth kid," I'm a cheerleader who is on the honor roll and the ROTC program. I plan to go to harvard and join the Navy. I defy stereotypes and odds.
Ciao,
Samone, Defying all odds.
Last Monday, a new girl came into my school. She was apparently from a school that was too cliquey for their own good. I was trying to help her find a class during the passing period becuase she looked rather lost. I, quite kindly, asked where she need to go and sent her on her way. I then told her that I if she needed a place to sit during lunch that she could sit at my table any time she's like. She looked me up and down in my black, punk rocker get up, and smiled at me. I did sort of the same thing to her. I looked her up and down and noticed her tan, flawless skin, and thin figure, and undoubtedly amazing sense of style in her all aeropostale wardrobe. Even though it would be possible to see the snobby, popular girl stereotype in her, I paid no attention to it because I generally don't believe in them. It shouldn't suprise me, though, that when people come from out of town, state, or country, which my school gets frequently becasue we have one of the largest military bases in the U.S., would come up with a stereotype for me the moment they see someone becuase I do realize that some places are cliquier than others, mine not being one of those school with major cliquing problems. I do know, however, that she must have come from one since she did tell me, "No, I don't hang out with the freaky goth kids."
Let me tell you, that I am not one of those "freaky goth kids." Especially since they don't exist. They're not freaky and those "goth kids" are some of the nicest people I know.
Wouldn't you like to have seen the look on her face when I showed up in my cheerleading uniform the next day. Not to mention all the "Hey, Samone!"'s I got from all her knew friends at the school. As, I went to say hi to our now mutual friends with me covered in purple glitter AND shiney pink lipgloss!!! her brows lowered in confusion. I then said hi to her and our friends who proceeded to ask me about last nights English Advanced homework. When she finally opened her mouth, she said, "Wait, weren't you that freaky goth kid that showed me to class yesterday?" Then her new friends looked at her in confusion. "Samone is no 'freaky goth girl.' She's awesome. You can't stereotype her or anyone else in this school. I mean, she's a smart cheerleader. It doesn't get more mixed up than that."
She didn't talk for the rest of the convresation. I guess that it really got to her head that cliques are everywhere, which is a lie. We can't really stereotype people because you cant really get all of the information on a person by just looking at them. You'll miss out on some really good friends that way. I'm sure that we couldv'e bee good friends. Its just so sad that people judge people in that way.
People don't fit into stereotypes. People are dynamic and change. There's more than one side to all people just like me. I'm not just a "freaky goth kid," I'm a cheerleader who is on the honor roll and the ROTC program. I plan to go to harvard and join the Navy. I defy stereotypes and odds.
Ciao,
Samone, Defying all odds.
What brought me to here
I never thought I would start blogging. It never occured to me that I would be the blogging type. I usually bottle up everything inside and never let anyone know what truely goes on in my life. I tried to write it out in a journal, but the journal would always get lost becuase I was never a person to be responsible over small possessions such as a notebook. I lose many items daily such as keys, school books, cheer poms, clothing, hair ties, student planners, bobby pins, and other items that could be put in my short term memory. My combination is a loss to me at least once a week, phone numbers, names of the cheerleaders on my cheerleading team, dates, times, and often times, my mind.
My first blog was inspired by an English assignment. Women's oppression and sexism is one of my favorite subjects to talk about and argue against. So many thoughts entered my mind that I didn't want to forget. So I blogged about it. I don't know what impulse in my mind brought me straight to blogger.com or what made we want to put those ideas in a blog rather than just put it in a word document and keep it there. But somehow I took my ideas to the internet.
When I thought of everything that I could write about I started thinking about all my other opinions. But I wanted to take a break from my opinions even though I only wrote one blog about anything. I wanted to write about something else. Something that could reach many girls about my age even though I know everyday troubles of a teen dont change as an adult. Parents will still be pains, teachers and bosses will still think that the only importan subject is the one they teach, boyfriends and men will still come and go out of our lives, and best friends can become enemies and our enemies our best friends.
So to all the young females out there, this blog is for you.
Sincerely,
Samone, A girl in highschool
My first blog was inspired by an English assignment. Women's oppression and sexism is one of my favorite subjects to talk about and argue against. So many thoughts entered my mind that I didn't want to forget. So I blogged about it. I don't know what impulse in my mind brought me straight to blogger.com or what made we want to put those ideas in a blog rather than just put it in a word document and keep it there. But somehow I took my ideas to the internet.
When I thought of everything that I could write about I started thinking about all my other opinions. But I wanted to take a break from my opinions even though I only wrote one blog about anything. I wanted to write about something else. Something that could reach many girls about my age even though I know everyday troubles of a teen dont change as an adult. Parents will still be pains, teachers and bosses will still think that the only importan subject is the one they teach, boyfriends and men will still come and go out of our lives, and best friends can become enemies and our enemies our best friends.
So to all the young females out there, this blog is for you.
Sincerely,
Samone, A girl in highschool
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