Kendrick Lamar and You: The New Hip Hop Fan

Kendrick Lamar isn't exclusive- Each one of his songs manages to tackle a new, nuanced topic, but in an engaging way; The man just makes good songs. And part of his appeal comes from the topics he chooses to discuss. His variety allows him to rap about his personal depression on "U," but on the same album, "To Pimp A Butterfly," he talks about police brutality and race relations (On "King Kunta" and "The Blacker the Berry" respectively).

And unlike certain other rappers, this creates a huge amount of diversity in his fanbase. People don't just hear what they can relate to- Someone from Nebraska who's never had to deal with police brutality could be introduced to it in an easy to digest, fun way. And this diversity can also seriously help people- Imagine a teenage boy, who's been told their whole life that they have to always be strong, can't ever cry, and aren't allowed to show weakness. Imagine that this boy is depressed, but feels like he can't ever tell anyone or else he'll be laughed at and shunned. Kendrick Lamar's music can help this boy understand that he's free to express himself; he's allowed to feel sad, and he's allowed to not always be strong. Additionally, this diversity lets conversations and discussions of the music more diverse; Having discussions helps someone understand their own argument, and to understand the messages in Kendrick's is a bit of a difficult job, so of course explaining the messages during discussion helps everyone. So the next time you see an ignorant fan, try to just lead them in the right direction.

Dessert for Breakfast can murder you?

Eating dessert for breakfast is a silly thought, but most people disagree. In an article that explains why people eat dessert for breakfast. It talks about how desserts are a lot sweeter and fattier than breakfast foods, therefore desserts are not good for breakfast. These breakfast foods all have a high amount of carbs and fats within their mixtures. These carbs and fats from the cakes or cupcakes "end up in the fatty area of the stomach and can speed up obesity levels." People's bodies need a certain amount of glucose to live but when there's too much being extracted into the bodies, people will not function normally. Many of these desserts are eaten for breakfast by many people with a sweet-tooth. Some of these desserts include cinnamon rolls, muffins, cupcakes, brownies, and many of the other baking foods that are loaded with sugar. The flour, sugar, and milk mixture in these dessert breakfast foods can create too much glucose to break down. There is a lack of fiber as well as many calories that can make someone feel un-energized throughout the day. A topic that always comes up about the cupcake and the muffin is about how are they similar or how are they different? One could say that a cupcake is more a dessert and one is more of a breakfast. Others might get all technical and explain how they have different ingredients so, therefore they are different.

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect      

       A butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. This concept of the “butterfly effect” describes how even the smallest of actions can have huge consequences. Authors have focused on this topic for years. Celeste Ng uses these small interactions with big consequences in her novel Everything I Never Told You . The novel follows the lives of the Lee family, a family of mixed race Asian Americans in the 70’s. The plot centers around the change in climate after the death of the middle child, 16 year old Lydia.  As the family discovers the factors --- big and small --- that led to her death, readers begin to see more about the Lee’s family situation. Ng encourages readers to analyze the themes of miscommunication, resentment, and singularity, through her description of her character's interactions. With this Ng prompts readers to be critical about how big or small of a role these factors play in their own lives.

          Resentment is a major concern in households around the world. Often parents and children can miscommunicate their love and care for each other. Ng creates an environment in Everything I Never Told You that fans the flames of this resentment within the Lee family. A visible resentment exists between Nath, the eldest and only son, and the rest of his family members. Nath’s mother, earlier in the novel abandoned her family for nine weeks in an attempt to get a college education. She had dissapeared and when she returned she altered the family atmosphere. A new development since her return home was that she had a favorite child, Lydia, and paid little attention to Nath. Ng writes,

“It was the first time she had really looked at him since she came home… Then, before he could say a word, Lydia padded down the steps, and his mother’s attention flitted away…” (Ng 266-7). 

This quote highlights the resentment Nath developed for both Lydia and his mother: He resents his mother for refusing to show the love and affection he craves; he resents Lydia for existing and taking all of his parents affection and attention. Nath reflects on this while looking out over the lake to other houses. Nath thinks,

“Those mothers had never gone far away and left their children behind. Those fathers had never slapped their children or kicked over the television or laughed at them”(Ng 269). 

Ng creates a sense of built up frustration and anger in this monologue from Nath. The absence of commas when describing Mr. Lee hastens the pace and displays how his father’s abuse traumatized Nath. As a result of his father’s dismissal of his passions, Nath experiences this situation with his guidance counselor. Ng describes,

“‘Outer space.’ Mrs. Hendrich had clicked her pen twice, in-out, and he thought she was going to laugh…” (Ng 292). 

Since a young age, Nath had been obsessed with Space. He had voiced this newfound obsession to his parents only to have them ignore him and focus their attention on Lydia. Nath’s father strongly dissaproved of his passion because of his father’s intent on his son avoiding Asian stereotypes. This fear of constant disapproval has followed Nath throughout his life, affecting all aspects of his character. Resentment between family members is a real issue, but one that can be avoided with clear communication.

THE ECCHOING GREEN! YOU WON'T GUESS WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!

Alright so let's talk about this poem called “The Ecchoing Green,” (yes echoing is spelled with two C's). "The Ecchoing Green" is a poem by William Blake, and it is mainly about life and death but represented in different ways. Ok so this poem begins with the sun rising, causing the birds to come to life and sing, which awakens (brings to life) the nature around this strange ecchoing green field (I'm pretty sure the two c's are to kinda show that that the field is echoing, you know what I mean). So then a bunch of little kids come running onto the ecchoing green field to play sports (so I'm pretty sure this mystic echoing field is just a normal soccer field that's just overhyped).

Blake uses these events to show how this field can appear to come to life by using nature and some kids playing sports. So around half way through the poem, Blake brings in these old guys who are sitting under a tree and watching the kids play sports on the field.

I mean like seriously there are just a heard of old people sitting under a tree watching some six year old kids play soccer or something, it's a little weird man. Then these old guys start remembering what it was like when they were the same age as the kids. They remember when they used to play sports on this exact same field, which is kinda sad because they are really old (like near death old) and are remembering their childhood. Then Blake starts really symbolizing death when he talks about how the children are tired after playing their sports and are ready for a long rest. Then Blake describes the nature around the field again but way darker than before. He describes how the sun is setting, and the birds who were chirping before quieted and went to sleep. Blake goes into a lot of detail, and he is pretty much describing how the field is being covered by the night sky. He straight up calls the field the darkening field rather than the ecchoing green field like the thing is literally covered in darkness kinda like death. 

So you might be wondering what are all of these hints to death referring to, like who is dying in this poem. Well, I'm pretty sure you can think of it in two ways. First, you can think of it in a general sense, so pretty much meaning that all of the events Blake uses throughout his poem, such as the little kids playing on the field where the old men and women watching them used to play, are metaphors for the general idea of life and death. This is pretty much what I was talking about above about the different parts of the poem relating to life and death. You can also think of it within the poem, meaning that all of the events are symbols for the inevitable death of the old people in the poem. I mean think about it. The first part of the poem is all about how nature is waking up and coming to life, like when the birds are chirping and the sun is rising. As this is happening a bunch of youthful, happy, and energetic little kids come running onto the same field the old people used to play sports on. This can symbolize the past childhood of the old people during their lifetime because everything is bright and cheery, and they are picturing themselves as the little kids on the field. When the sun sets and birds become silent it gives the poem a darker tone. The darker tone is continued especially when the kids walk off the field because you can think of this as the old people's childhood leaving the field where they grew up and shows them growing old. 

So, once the sun sets, the birds completely stop, the kids have all left the field, and the field is covered in darkness, you can think of it as the death of the old people who had been reliving their childhood. Like for real though, William Blake does a sweet job using these little metaphors and clues to symbolize life and death because he is able to perfectly form that idea in your head without ever mentioning life or death.

Pressures from School, Friends, and Family

Sadly, people choose to end their life because they have a lot of pressure on them from school, friends, or even family. Just like Lydia, the character who kills herself in Everything I Never Told you, 
many people feel these same pressures. Celeste Ng, the author, gets her readers to think about the
contributing factors and the other characters actions that may have caused Lydia’s potential decision to commit suicide

Lydia’s mother, Marilyn, pushes Lydia to be the best in school and expects her to study throughout most of the day. Marilyn forces her to attend college courses in the summer so Lydia can advance to junior level courses. She wants to live vicariously through Lydia since she was not satisfied with the way her life turned out regarding her education and career path.

Lydia receives books from her parents for Christmas to encourage studying and even making friends. James, her father, who as a child did not fit in, gifts Lydia with a friendship guide.

“Fundamental Techniques in Handling People. Six ways of Making People Like You. At the top, in deep red letters: The More you Get Out of Life, the More You’ll Get Out of Life! ‘I thought you could use this.’ he said. ‘It’s supposed to--well, help you win friends. Be popular’” (Ng 197).

Lydia has extreme pressure put on her to find friends in a place where she is not as accepted as the other students in her class. James giving her this book stresses Lydia is alone and that it is very important to make friends. Since Lydia is reminded of her loneliness, she may feel upset and her self esteem may decrease. Because of this pressure and loneliness, Lydia feels she needs to escape her life. Ng includes this to present to the readers that Lydia has a great deal of pressure on herself, pertaining to not only school work but also friends.

Korea Under Japanese Rule (You don't need a fancy title to drive a lot of traffic!)

 In 1910, Korea was colonized by Japan. Both Korean and Japan inherited their culture from China; however the Korea was still colonized. Even though the Korean emperor refused to sign the treaty, it still went in effect. Actually, the Japan Empire had tried to control the Korea since 1873. They even assassinated Korean Queen for this. [1] After Japan took over Korea, they built a lot of factories in Korea. Those factories eventually became Korea's economic foundation years later after Koreans declared independence. [2] 

The Japanese Empire never intended to treat Koreans favorably. William Shaw argued that the Koreans, theoretically, were subjects of the Japanese emperor and should, therefore, have the same social status as the Japanese.[3] In 1912, a famous actress, Midori Komatsu, in an attempt to justify the Japanese colonization, wrote “[the annexation] may rather be said to be the reunion of two sections of the one and same nation after a long period of separation.”[4] These arguments imply that the Japanese and Koreans should be treated fairly and equally. However, the Japanese Government had neither considered the Koreans as subjects of the Japan emperor nor to provide them with equal rights. If you take a close look at the Japan-Korea treaty:

“Article 6. In consequence of the aforesaid annexation the Government of Japan assume the entire government and administration of Korea, and undertake to afford full protection for the persons and property of Koreans obeying the laws there in force to promote the welfare of all such Koreans.

“Article 7. The Government of Japan will, so far as circumstances permits, employ in the public service of Japan in Korea those Koreans who accept the new regime loyally and in good faith and who are duly qualified for such service.”[5]

Notice how vaguely they wrote the treaty. Those words, such as “as circumstances permits” and “obeying laws there in force” are open to interpretations. Japan’s vision of having fair policies to the Koreans is merely an illusion. The ever-worsening conditions eventually caused the Koreans’ massive demonstration on March 1^st, 1919, also known as the March First Movement.[6] This movement forced the Japanese Government lessen their policies on the Koreans and to grant them moderate degrees of freedom. This transition, from the period of “military rule” (Budan Seiji) to “cultural rule” (Bunka Seiji) led to a subtler, yet more dangerous form of colonization – cultural assimilation.[7]

The Japanese Government’s continuous efforts to assimilate, or Japanize the Koreans effectively shifted generations of Koreans’ self-identities.  The Japanese achieved this primarily by forcing the Koreans to adopt Japanese names and banning the use of Korean language in the country. By 1940, eighty percent of Koreans adopted a Japanese styled surname and even given name out of fear.[8]^,[9]  People who refused to change their names were “beaten up many times by the Japanese.”[10] In addition, children were not allowed to speak Koreans in the school. Image this: you live in a place that, if you express your own identity, you would be punished severely. How would you think of your own identity then? Would you still like it? Would you hate it? Would you be afraid of it? [11]

During WWII, Koreans were massively recruited into the Japanese military and military-related factories, where the Koreans suffered from treatments from lack of basic supplies to mental and physical torments. The Japanese drafted Korean males into militaries, in which they were treated relentlessly and were sent to the front lines. For example, Chansu Chong was a student when was drafted into Japanese military. In an interview later, he said, “I wanted to run away [when I was drafted], but my elder brother said, if that happens the Japanese will give the rest of the family a hard time.” The Japanese then sent him with other six thousand Koreans to a shipyard where they “ate beans, beans, and more beans. No white rice, ever.” The Japanese also severely beat people who tried to steal food.[12] Therefore, it is clear that the Japanese coerced the Koreans to join the military by threatening with their families. On the other hand, the Korean females were taken to camps outside of Korea, in which they became comfort women (sexual slaves) of the Japanese soldiers. Another example is that high ranking Japanese soldiers bloodily raped a seventeen-year-old girl Tokchin Kim on nightly basis. She was later sent to one of the comfort women camps located in Shanghai, in which there were about fifty girls of similar age. Each of the girl had to have sexual intercourse with about thirty-five Japanese soldiers every day.[13] Chong Chansu and Tokchin Kim only suffered a relatively mild degree of mistreatment; thus, they were healthy enough to come back and tell their stories. However, many Koreans who went through much harsher conditions lost their voices, because dead people don't talk. 

From 1910 to 1919, the political guidance in Korea was “military rule,” during which the Korean people had no freedom of speech. After the March First movement in 1919, the policy was not as strict. in compensation, the policies shifted to constrict the use of Korean language and study of Korean history and culture. After World War II broke out, the Koreans were drafted into the Japanese militaries. The Koreans were separated based their gender to do different inhumane work. The Japan Empire has not only destroyed lives of generations of Koreans, but also permanently damaged the country – the Korean peninsula, where there was only the Korean Empire, are now occupied by two distinctive sovereign states.

---

[1] "Korea Under Japanese Rule," in World Heritage Encyclopedia, accessed February 22, 2018, http://worldheritage.org/article/WHEBN0000341418/Korea%20under%20Japanese%20rule.

[2] Andrea Matles Savada and William Shaw, South Korea, a Country Study, 4th ed. (Washington, DC: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 1992), digital file. http://countrystudies.us/south-korea/7.htm 

[3]  Savada and Shaw, South Korea. 

[4] "The Old People and the New Government," in Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) (Asia for Educators, n.d.), excerpt from Transactions of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. 6.

[5] Wikimedia, "Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty," Wikisource, last modified December 3, 2016, accessed February 23, 2018, https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Japan-Korea_Annexation_Treaty.

[6] "Declaration of Independence (March 1, 1919)," in Primary Source Document with Questions (Asia for Educators, n.d.), excerpt from Sources of Korean Tradition, accessed February 23, 2018, http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/korea/march_first_declaration.pdf.

[7] "Korea, Japanese Government-General of," in Encyclopedia of Asian History (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988), accessed February 23, 2018, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/BT2358200945/WHIC?u=wall96493&xid=187b39f6.

[8] "Korea Under Japanese Rule".

[9] "Korea, Japanese Government-General of".

[10] Hildi Kang, Under the Black Umbrella: Voices from Colonial Korea, 1910-1945 (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2001), 117-118, digital file. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/korea/colonial_experiences.pdf

[11]  Asiapundits, "My Korean Grandmothers Memories of the Japanese Occupation and the Korean War," Asiapundits, last modified February 27, 2013, accessed February 26, 2018, https://www.asiapundits.com/my-korean-grandmothers-memories-of-the-japanese-occupation-and-the-korean-war/.

[12] Kang, Under the Black Umbrella, 55-56.

[13] Keith Howard, True Stories of the Korean Comfort Women: Testimonies (London: Cassell, 1995), 42, digital file. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/korea/comfort_women.pdf

Erasing the Stigma Around Marijuana

Although the use of marijuana between Black and White Americans is roughly equal, Black Americans are 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than White Americans. Marijuana is feared by many, as it is wrongly classified with dangerous compounds. Under the Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is classed as schedule 1 drug along with heroin, LSD, and ecstacy. A schedule 1 drug is one that has no “currently accepted medical use” and has a high risk of substance abuse. Currently, more than half of states have legalized marijuana for medical use, while eight states have legalized marijuana for recreational use. But it is still federally illegal. Placing marijuana in the same category as heroine is absurd, and adds to the stigma around it. Now, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is planning on implementing new reforms against marijuana's legalization, allowing federal prosecutors to attack marijuana businesses where it recreational marijuana is legal. This action attempts to weaken a $10 billion industry, but in reality does nothing to stop the production of marijuana.

Marijuana should be legalized for three main reasons. One, the criminalization of marijuana hasn’t helped rid the US of marijuana use. Two, marijuana has been shown to have medical use. Three, there is a strong sense of racial biases in marijuana possession.



When someone is arrested for possession of marijuana, they are most oftenly jailed on the account of possession of an illegal drug. Said person may not make bail, or get an increased sentence, which has shown to increase criminal activity. 829,625 people were arrested for marijuana law offenses in 2006, 89% of them for mere possession offenses. Some people arrested for personal marijuana use spend over ten years in prison. The criminalization and federal prohibition of marijuana hasn’t diminished the use or the availability of marijuana, it has merely costed the US government more money to fund law enforcement. There are $3.8 billion and 4.5 million hours being spent every year for enforcing possession laws. That time spent each year for enforcing possession laws is equivalent to taking 112,500 officers off of the streets. The criminalization of marijuana has also failed to curb youth access, it has actually steadily increased youth use. One would expect that the US would have decreased Marijuana use given their harsh punishments, but no, it has increased.



Racism has been deeply rooted into the criminalization of marijuana. As I said earlier, Black Americans are nearly four times more likely to be arrested on the charges of possession of marijuana than White Americans, although their use is about the same. On to my point about the actual use of marijuana. There are certain compounds in marijuana that have been proven to treat diseases and illnesses. In accordance to state laws, nearly 1 million people across the nation use medical marijuana to treat illness and disease. These compounds have been found to treat Dravet’s syndrome, an extreme form of epilepsy, which causes polymorphic seizures. Many veterans also use medical marijuana to treat post traumatic stress disorder, because marijuana is extremely calming. Joseph Casias, a manager for a Walmart in Michigan, started using medical marijuana for his inoperable brain tumor to treat cancer when his oncologist recommended it. Although he was using the medical marijuana out of work, and was complying with state laws, Walmart fired him when hearing that he had been using medical marijuana. These unjust incarceration rates of African-Americans as well as the unfair firing of Joseph Casias prove that marijuana should be federally decriminalized as well as legalized.



The stigma associated around marijuana has led to the aforementioned disasters. Thanks to marijuana's bad image, citizens are losing jobs, civilians are being imprisoned and races are being discriminated against. Criminalizing marijuana does nothing to prevent use. In the Netherlands, where marijuana has been legalized and decriminalized for years, 19% of people use marijuana, compared to the 42% of the US. Marijuana should not be categorized with heroine, as that just provides an incorrect perspective on the drug. Marijuana has several helpful uses, and there are very few marijuana-deaths each year, excluding when citizens are discriminated against and brutally treated.

Fix the education system!

 The United States of America is the greatest country on the planet. However, just because It is my home land, doesn't mean that I agree with everything happening around our country.  One of the biggest problems plaguing our nation is about how our country and our education system are positioning people of the middle and lower class for failure. In this amazing country, we expect stellar results from our once highly esteemed public school system, but in the modern day, our schooling system has not lived up to America's excellence and continues to fail millions of its students.To send one child to a public school for one year costs about 10,000 dollars, which is the fifth largest amount by any country. With this amount of money invested in them, we should be able to give them one of the best educations in the world, but this is where we go wrong. Even with this spending, polling shows that the US ranks 17th in science among industrialized countries, and 23rd in math!  These statistics should shock you, and probably do, but honestly it just gets worse. Because schools are funded by the property value of the neighborhood, areas with Low property value, which tend to be where people have lower incomes live, receive significantly less funding, which contributes to the cycle of poverty. according to the New York Times, students from suburbs across the country graduate within four years 73% of the time while students in cities graduate at a rate of 53%, which is a 20 point difference. That is significantly lower. A great example of this is in the city of Cleveland.
The students of the Suburban part of Cleveland graduate within 4 years 80% of the time, while urban students graduated a measly 38% of the time. This is not okay for a place commonly referred to as the greatest country on earth.

 Not only is a strong education important for job and career prospects after your school years,but also, the culture in a well run school can impact how a student is raised and how they will hold themselves throughout life.  Though it is hard to explain why this is happening, some of the reasons that are obvious with light research are that some teachers do not feel the need to work as hard, due to the “perks” of Tenure. Tenure is enforcing the idea that as long as you work somewhere for long enough, you're much less likely to be fired. Yes, there are good things tenure can do, such as providing job stability for teachers who have worked longer than others, but this system is significantly flawed and must be eradicated. According to new studies done by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2011-2012, five times as many non-tenured teachers were fired due to poor performance than tenured teachers.  Innovative ideas need to be instilled into the teachers, and they need to have a passion for what they are talking about.  I know in my experience that teachers who have a passion for what they teach are easily the most impactful.  Though teachers are a big problem in these schools, they are not the only problem, family structure can also play a role in how students perform.  Many families do not have the necessary support from their parent or parents in the household, whether it's because of the lack of time spent with the children due to their jobs, or just because of the culture surrounding the families, students do not feel the need to go to school and study.  It is already easy for a low-income student in a poor neighborhood to not do well in school. There is a cycle of poverty that affects their potential and access to resources that we need to break. on top of being less prepared for a future career, research shows that underperforming high schoolers and drop outs are much more likely to go to prison. actually, as explained by Anne Devear, a professor at Stanford, a high school drop out is three and a half times more likely to be incarcerated.  Also, a whopping 68% of males in prison today do not have a high school diploma. Once these individuals leave prison, they have a permanent, tarnished record. This on top of the fact that they only have high school diploma at the very best will define their lives forever and increase recidivism. These idea shows that the lack of discipline in students, combined with teachers who do not care to help them, as well as a culture in cities that discourages ambition in class, ruin their chances to flourish and become the citizen they have the potential to be. According to studies, as I said before, it costs 10,000 dollars for one student to stay in school for one year, while it costs an average of 30,000 to keep one person in jail for one year.  These costs only stress the significance of an education, which can prevent the costly and tragic expense of being sent to jail.  This is why these root problems need to be solved, because there are many people in jail, only in there because they never had a chance to be taught, to become something great, to do what they may have once dreamed of, only to have their dreams snubbed by bad teachers and no hope, which both problems can be easily changed, partially by eliminating tenure and giving teachers incentives and motivation to work.

.

Marilyn Lee's dilemma and ways she could have prevented it

To begin, let’s talk about how Marilyn Lee from Everything I Never Told You was put into her disastrous situation. As a child, Marilyn wanted to become a doctor and promised herself she would not stay at home and cook like her mother. After visiting her deceased mother's home, she realizes that she was falling onto the same path as her mother. This lead to her panicked departure from her family and home to pursue her degree. She probably should NOT have left the way she did, and there are ways she could have dealt with it better. Here are some ways:

1. Commute. Instead of moving to an apartment near her school, Marilyn could have just commuted to her classes. Transportation did exist in the 70's!

2. Warning. Marilyn could have told her family that she wanted to continue to pursue her degree. In giving a warning, her children and husband would know that she’s safe and going back to school, instead of leaving them confused.

3. Wait. Although I think Marilyn should pursue her degree, she could have waited until her children were a little bit older. Then, she would have the chance to tell her family why getting her degree is so important to her and disclose her past. In waiting, her children and husband would be more understanding.

Humans are innately selfish

Humans are innately selfish—and there is no cure.

Recently, I read Celeste Ng’s novel Everything I Never Told You. Her novel follows the Lees, an Asian-American family in the 1970s, whose lives change drastically after sixteen year-old Lydia drowns in the lake. The family experiences a turmoil of emotions, raising the concern that parents Marilyn and James only hold their own interests at heart. In Everything I Never Told You, Celeste Ng emphasizes the selfishness of humans.

Everything I Never Told You resonates with me, because it explores the raw and fervent emotions of Marilyn and James. Celeste Ng holds nothing back as she tears into the lives of the Lees. I have never seen human pain and anguish so accurately depicted.

In my eyes, James, Lydia’s father, is the most selfish. While I understand that he is aching from losing Lydia, his actions show that he only thinks about his own pain. He fails to acknowledge that his family is also devastated by Lydia’s death. We all have moments like this, but James crosses the line. Instead of finding healthier ways to cope with his pain alongside his family, he finds temporary comfort in Louisa Chen, a younger woman he works with. With Louisa, James reaches a point where he can forget about the troubles in his life. He fails to recognize how his affair with Louisa will affect his wife, Marilyn. Through James’s affair with Louisa, Ng highlights that most people unconsciously help only themselves.

a video by Philosophy Tube exploring the selfishness of humans by citing philosopher Bernard de Mandeville (1670-1733)

Even James’s actions prior to Lydia’s death demonstrate his selfishness. James repeatedly recognizes the effect of his Chinese heritage on his daily life. Throughout his childhood, his peers excluded him because of his diverse background. As a result, James does everything in his power to model his family after the average American household. He discourages his son, Nath, as Nath tries to achieve his dreams. From a young age, James attempts to raise Nath as the stereotype of a boy. He teaches Nath to swim, and imagines that Nath will become a swimming champion. This future for Nath is actually James’s own childhood dream, which he is desperate to live through Nath. After children at the pool taunt Nath for being Chinese, James sees his son in a new light: as a timid boy with no friends. This incident is such a disappointment to James because Nath reminds him of himself at that age, and James realizes that Nath will not grow up to be a different—and in his opinion, a better—version of himself.

James’s obsession with his idea of normality blinds him from realizing that he is restricting Nath’s opportunities. He unknowingly lets his fear of being different negatively affect Nath, and he unintentionally chooses his own happiness above Nath’s happiness. James’s actions demonstrate that he is inherently selfish, and that as a result, people often hurt others without meaning to.

Unfortunately, there really is no cure to innate selfishness, but there are different levels of selfishness. Understanding that this selfishness actually exists and working toward fighting against it can reduce selfish motivation. With time, a lesser scale of selfishness is possible.  

 

Additional articles on human selfishness:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-people-naturally-inclined-to-cooperate-or-be-selfish/

http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/08/is-human-nature-fundamentally-selfish-or-altruistic/

Trying to be PERFECT is NOT worth it

Long hair, thin legs, tan skin, and a girl who is “PERFECT” in the eyes of social media. Alexis Ren, a twenty-year old Insta famous model has been an IDOL to teenage girls all around the world. Yet, she recently opened up about her eating disorders and the extent she went to in order to be modeling agencies idea of “perfection.” Alexis is not alone. In fact, June from the story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan deals with similar issues. Although June does not need to impress agencies, she needs to impress her mother. From tests, to piano practices that lasted two hours, June would DO ANYTHING in order to reach perfection in her mother's eyes. Like June said in, “In all my imaginings I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect: My mother and father would adore me.” All June wanted, was to be the perfect little girl that her parents wanted, and she thought that by fulfilling their idea of perfection that they would adore her. But, in reality everyone who is considered perfect, has hidden SECRETS  that reveal IMPERFECTIONS. Society as a whole, needs to refrain from using the word “perfection,” and teach young adults that there is NO SUCH THING as someone who is perfect. To everyone out there who is reading this, BE YOU and DO YOU!

Is Race Real or a Justification for Superiority?

Essentially, race does not exist.

You may consider your race as a major part of your identification for your entire life, but how would you prove your race to someone? By the color of your skin, hair, and eyes?

    According the Jenée Desmond Haris in a three-minute Vox YouTube video, she explained the myth of race. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, a German scientist, was one of the first people to attempt to categorize human according to geographical reasons and physical appearances.

              Throughout history, it was common as to someone who might look one way, but identify themselves as another race. Let’s take a look at a research done by Pew Research Center. The research was done over a telephone interview and interviewees were asked to guess the race of their interviewers during the end of the interview. Surprisingly, the analysis of the results shows about a half (49%) mismatch between what the respondents perceived to be the interviewer’s ethnicity and the actual race of the Interviewer (PewResearch.org). This result might be surprising as to how one’s race may be hard to identify based purely on external factors. 

(PewResearch.org)

            Keeping this in mind, let’s look at further findings of Jenée Desmond Haris. She stated the reason as to why many people cannot prove what exact race they are is because “There isn’t a race chromosome in our DNA that people can point to” (Vox.com). She claimed that when the medical community links race to health outcomes such as stating how there is a higher probability of being diagnosed with malaria in Africa. It is not according to your genetic makeup, but to other external factors such as the origins of your ancestors the coincidental higher probability of being diagnosed with a disease.

            However, if this is really true, then why do people still prioritize themselves over others according to external traits. Thus, creating race and racial divisions due to the illusion of superiority. From the American Civil War to the “Black Lives Matter” campaign, race had always been an essential part that had caused many social and political disputes. People fight with and connect with another through race, which does not exist. If so, then is the idea of race just a justification to resolve all contradictions between those who are born free with those who are born enslaved?

            
           Yet, it is saddening how many people urges for the idea of equality between all races and ethnicities. While internally, they unintentionally categorize one another according to their “race”. From the misconception that Asians are known for having straight A’s or being extremely talented at math to the humiliation of Jim Crow. Racial stereotyping is common needs to be ceased. There are no genetic structures that confirms any race to be biologically predisposed to the labels others put on them. It seems to be that the prejudice against certain groups are so embedded in one’s cultural and worldview that it is natural for someone to make racial discrimination statements without second thoughts. Although social issues due to race will probably never come to an end, one must recognize how devastating that people are classifying each other by superficial factors like race when we are all intrinsically the same.

(vox.com)