Modern Radium???

Yea for science. Nay for death.

Even with science on our side, to this day, we may be consuming and participating in things that are harmful to us. We might be dying more quickly because of such things. In “A Measure of Restraint” we discover that “an instrument of healing” can become an “instrument of death.” We remain skeptical that some things can be detrimental to our health. I guess it is better that more people are being cynical about what we consume. Always, natural flavors are better than artificial. However, we, at least most people, decide to still consume such things that we are skeptical about. Although there is no proof that shows we die more quickly with consuming artificial substances, many people assume its negative effects. But it’s really hard to avoid. Artificial flavors and colors exist everywhere, from candy to yogurt to cereal. And even if they can possibly cause cancer, brain damage, and seizures as a long-term side effect, we kind of just hope for the best. At least it's not a drug?

Similarly, arguably dangerous and definitely more serious than artificial flavors, is some technology that many people are flocking to. And it's a drug this time. Surprise. It has become an epidemic, even at Troy High. There is not a large amount of information on this, it being fairly new. And that is the vape. Yes, vaping has become a better alternative for those that wish to quit smoking. But now, there are teens that take up vaping without need to get over a smoking addiction. Because of it being relatively new, we can’t know that much about it. That’s what makes it so dangerous. We don’t know what could kill them. Even with research, no one is paying attention. They are underestimating what vaping can do to the body, similar to the radium in Raymo’s piece. Vaping might cause heart and lung problems, and it interferes with the brain. We still don’t know how vaping can affect people in the long-term, but I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to indulge in things I know very little about.

Let's Just Keep Going

Yea for communication. Nay for hostility.

Reading “Words Don’t Mean What They Mean” made me realize how much we actually use innuendos and a “manner of vagueness” when communicating with others, and how they are being used today as a form of slang. People love using innuendos and double entendres. As we talked about it in class, “netflix and chill” means, in Ms. Valentino’s words, “Let’s get sexual.” (I’m sorry). “Sexual come-ons” are not only popular in English, but other languages as well. In Korea, asking, “Want to eat ramen at my house?” has become a double entendre. Asking “¿Ontas?” (which pretty much means “¿Dónde estás?”, meaning “Where are you?,” in shortened form) in Mexico has become one. It’s an international thing. We all want to avoid saying what we really mean. People hate straight-up vulgarity. It’s rude, disgusting, and unattractive. Somehow, putting a thin veil over everything makes it so much better. If everything was just said the way we meant it, the world could be hostile and, it may seem weird, but bland. We wouldn’t have to come up with the clever sayings we have today, there would be no descriptions, we wouldn’t even be analyzing text in class (although I can’t tell if that’s a bad thing). Reading a book wouldn’t wow us. Descriptions of the “spinach-green and violet dress” would become merely “an ugly dress.” (I’m sorry if I offended anyone with a green and purple dress). I just think it might be better to keep it the way we have it--this kind of language is why more people don’t hate us. Am I wrong?

why are we even fighting about this.

Yea for justice. Nay for, uh, injustice.
I hate to break it, but we’re kind of living in a society that’s offended by the smallest things. I am not, by any means, belittling any of the current issues in our society; there is still much change to be needed, because for obvious reasons, society still isn’t near perfect, and it probably will never satisfy the needs of everyone. Before I bring up this topic, I want to put out a disclaimer: If you recognize the actions of the person mentioned below, I do not mean to spread any hate—I am merely pointing out a situation for example, and I do not judge people based on a single action. Okay, so on to the story.

One day I stumbled upon this tweet: “I’ve been traveling for years now and it’s been so frustrating that the hotel toiletry industry entirely alienates people of color. I can’t use this perfumed watered down white people shampoo. Neither can 50% of ur customers. Annoying.” I was confused. And curious. Did people actually expect free hotel shampoo to have the quality of the shampoo we use at home? I doubt hotel operators are taking race into factor when making cheap shampoo available to the public. People questioned her ability to talk about such issues as she was 75% white. But I guess not because she states, “I look like a white girl, but I don’t feel like one. I’m a black woman.”

Okay. Hotel shampoo is racist.

There’s this acronym. SJW. It stands for Social Justice Warrior. It used to be something to describe respectable figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. But things changed I guess, and now the term is technically an insult to describe the hostile, offended-over-the-smallest-things personalities on the net. Usually, these people do this to gain acknowledgment and credit from a community and fail to make some valid points that merits acknowledgment. They spread hate and attack those that disagree with their views. These people are really arguing that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is racist because it uses the n-word. “[N]ever mind the fact that this American classic depicts the spiritual kinship achieved between a white boy and a runaway slave…” (Kakutani). And take away some words so that we are politically correct? I am baffled that some people believe that we should be careful in “using words like ‘gorgeous...’” (Kakutani).

There is no doubt that there are large problems in equality and representation in today’s society. We must take action to fix those. However, many people are offended by and stuck on the minute issues that probably won’t change. Even if we do address and fix such “issues,” will it make a difference? Will our thoughts cease to contain biases? Are we even becoming a better society?

the Light in Darkness

Yea for light. Nay for darkness.

I lay back in my bed and scroll through my phone, and after getting ready to go to bed, I turn off the lights. I pick up my phone once again to set my alarm for the morning, and cringing at the light of my phone, I lower the brightness.

I observed that the phone wasn’t bright at all in the light, but it burned my eyes in the dark. The phone illuminated the whole room because of the black around it, and the light couldn’t shine this much without the darkness of the room. It was similar to how the good parts in life wouldn’t stand out as much if there was no darkness. If it weren’t for the dark times that we go through, the happiness wouldn’t feel so special. We should accept that sadness, anger, and other negative emotions will soon pass, and we will soon face a light of joy. In the end, we don’t pay attention to the shadows, but we look into the light. Peering into pitch black won’t help us; we make light and fire to aid us through our life, and when we can’t, we always find ways to do so.

Life is a cycle of different levels of light and dark. We have up and downs, gloomy days and sunny days. It’s human nature, and we all carry the same emotions. We must bring light into our world. Enjoy the “meager opportunities,” do the small task, take the risk (Woolf). Anything for a glimmer of light.

Letter to Predators

Yea for celebrities. Nay for scandals.

There has been a huge uproar in the Korean entertainment industry this past week because of an unbelievable scandal. It’s not some regular scandal with one or two celebrities, and it doesn’t involve light topics. I’m talking involvement in illegal drugs, sex, rape, and prostitution. Of course, it was hard to believe at first. The innocent K-pop idols that citizens looked up to were not at all innocent, but rather the opposite. And it kept getting worse and worse as more celebrities were revealed to be involved. The worst part? It’s been going on for years, and nobody knew about it.

So, I decided to write a letter to these disgusting predators that we once looked up to.

(Check out for more info: https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/seungri-and-several-k-pop-stars-named-in-growing-south-korea-sex-scandal/ar-BBUKQVp?li=BBnb2gh )

To My Old Idols, Seungri, Jung Joonyoung, Lee Jonghyun, Choi Jonghoon, Yong Junhyung, and more, Seoul, South Korea

Sirs:

I heard you were sorry about soliciting prostitution by drugging women and taking videos without their consent. “I have often felt uneasy about you” (Anderson). I thought that the reporters would have trampled you by now, but I’m glad all of you are still alive. But I guess your bodyguards, who probably hate you, blocked them. I was so devastated to see all of you in such a poor state, and I couldn’t help but to feel so bad about your misfortunes. Did you say you felt no guilt while sending those videos? It’s okay, I totally understand. Just don’t do it next time. I mean, if there even is a next time. I don’t think I’ll be seeing you on TV anytime soon besides the news channel.

I used to listen to your songs. My old morning alarm was Yong Junhyung’s “Sudden Shower.” People were proud to be fans of all of you. Now, I think it will be better for those involved to quietly go to jail and serve their sentences. We had faith, but now, there is none.

P.S. Thank the police for preventing more victims of rape for catching people like you.

Your old supporter,

Sujin Moon

we are not satisfied.

Yea for change. Nay for unawareness.

We’ve recently been reading into a fair amount of text that criticizes America’s current society full of consumerism, superficiality, and inescapable capitalist values. America, the country of freedom, dreams, and nationalism, and so bursting with pride that sometimes, we forget to reevaluate our current status.

We’re often so blinded by our present well-being that it’s hard to look towards the future and evaluate our past. Miner poses a unique view of today’s Americans: an obsession with one’s appearance. As we scramble to visit “holy-mouth-men” and “bow” to “a small font,” we believe that we are the ones that are so advanced when in reality, it is the opposite (Miner). We are in some way moving backwards instead of moving forward; this continued manner of thought will only lead to our downfall. These Americans filled with pride do not stop to question our government and systems. Unaware of the possibility that the American government is corrupt, excessive pride in our country is blinding our ability to critically think about our status. If we continue to remain blind to these urgent issues, it is impossible to make a change when change is possible.

It is not just America that we must reflect on. It is a shame that we are assimilating into such standards of today’s society, dumbly being satisfied with our current position. We must stand up for the things we can change, and we shall never be satisfied unless change happens.

However, we must be able to accept the things we cannot change and be able to learn from our mistakes to prevent the same things from happening. We must educate and motivate ourselves for our improvement and for the improvement of our country’s citizens today.

(and a quote that sparked the inspiration for my thoughts)

From Dumpsters to Dubai

Yea for life. Nay for risk.

Upon reading “On Dumpster Diving,” our class discussed the fact that Eighner, the narrator, chooses to be homeless. It’s hard to believe he’s in that position because of an absence in choice, for he has an education and an intellectual background, according to my class. It made me think about the other people that are seemingly satisfied while living in conditions similar to him. The first thing that came to mind was the beggars in Dubai. I read an article about it a while ago, and it had intrigued me.

As many may know, Dubai is a place to wealth. A lot of people there are loaded. That’s why the beggars there make, well, a lot. Like, a lot. So much that some make more in a month than the average person makes in a year. This caused me to, over the year, make some jokes about giving up and moving to Dubai to become a beggar. Although begging in Dubai is illegal, (I know, bummer) it doesn’t stop people from flying over to Dubai to take on begging. I mean, for many, it’s worth the risk. Apparently the police caught this one foreigner making $73,500 a month with a three-month tourist visa. Who doesn’t want that (except for the police capture part)?

This brings me back to Eighner in his essay. Eighner can live off the dumpsters, but these same dumpsters hold the risk of sickness and more, similar to the risk of the beggars in Dubai getting caught. Many people choose to do things without knowing the consequences, but others do, but because they believe the risk is worth the advantages. It made me realize that all people have different views on how to live life, and it’s difficult to say whether some way is right or wrong (not saying that what the beggars in Dubai are doing is right or wrong—I think it’s clear that they are wrong). I think we should just go on living life the way we think we should and not judge others by their version of what’s right.