Fraternities

As a member of a fraternity I do feel that they have a lot to offer and believe that are worth more than those that aren’t Greek realize. They offer many opportunities for their members to grow as leaders and human beings and even though the public has put them under a microscope within the past few weeks they are still a worthy investment. Many of the points that Brady brought up in his are very interesting and although there are parts where I see his points there is also a perspective that I’ve gained that I wasn’t aware of until joining. The first point he brought up was pledging. First off I have no idea what his roommate went through and unless he told you what all he did I don’t think you truly understand what he went through either. Pledging at its core is designed to bring a group closer together, present them with an opportunity to learn the values of the organization, and give them time to decide if its really want to join the organization. Pledging isn’t supposed to be a miserable experience if someone thinks it is too awful they can drop. Hopefully no is forced into anything they are uncomfortable with and why would they join an organization if they were completely against the actions of the members of the fraternity. Also looking at the instances that have been placed in the news isn’t always the fairest assessment of what pledging is like everywhere. These may be extreme circumstances but in reality we have no idea.

            The argument that when people join a fraternity they are paying for friends is a little more difficult to argue. One way to argue it is it’s a two way street and you must have a relationship with the people in the fraternity to get a bid and you have the ability to try to join any fraternity. Friendship must exist before paying any some of money and I believe I’m paying for a lot more than just the ability to be friends with my brothers. Many people are considered friends of my fraternity and don’t pay a cent but still are friends with all the members. What they are missing out on is what I think we are truly paying for. Dues for a Greek organization go to paying nationals, covering costs for functions such as formal, as well as cover other expenses around the organization. As the case with travel soccer, friends are a byproduct and the main selling point of the fraternity but to me it isn’t what is being purchased with the money.

Thoughts on Racism

I would like to say first and foremost I do still think that racism is a problem in today’s society and I don’t believe it is acceptable by any means. One point that Tucker brought up that is always under constant debate that I think is interesting is the use of the “n-word” and how its use is sometimes accepted based on the race of the person saying it. In my opinion racism should be thought of as of something that can be seen as offensive to a race no matter the context it was said in or the race that said the comment. Allowing one race to call themselves a word but not allowing others is in my books still racism. Many African Americans that I’ve talked to feel the same way and find the word to be reminiscent of when they were enslaved and the word was used as a way of asserting dominance. In today’s society everyone should be equal and the word has become completely unacceptable. Another idea surrounding this topic, which I find interesting, is how some people think it is ok to refer to the word as the “n-word” and if used instead of using the real word it is ok. What I find wrong with this is isn’t it what it stands for that infuriates people not just the word? For instance if anyone says “n-word” everyone thinks of what it stands for and to me that isn’t really any different than using the real word. Words should be acceptable to all or to no one although different things offend different people.

            Another aspect of Tucker’s blog that I found interesting was how freedom of speech was brought up. In America not all speech is considered free and there are many things that we can’t legally say. For instance we can’t say “bomb” while in an airport or anything that incites violence or anything illegal to another person. Also some forms of racism can fall under the category of Fighting Words, which also aren’t protected by the first amendment. Fighting words are words that would likely cause the person who the words were addressed to to react and commit violence. Freedom of speech does protect most of the things we say but in the end people still need to be careful on what ideas they express to the public as it might not be protected by the first amendment like they think it is.

Response to Abortion

As for the topic of abortion I don’t have a very strong opinion either way but the way that Daniel addresses this topic is very interesting. First I believe that people do make mistakes in todays day in age so it shouldn’t be banned outright but it shouldn’t be given out at will for those that are consistently careless. Recreational sex is a very prominent thing and sometimes mistakes happen and contraception aren’t always effective. That being said I don’t think abortions should be allowed after entering the third trimester or in the late stages of the second trimester. At that point I believe the fetus is too far into development and it would be taking away life at that point. Now to address the point that Daniel was making in his post about equality.

            Many times abortion is looked at solely from the “right to life” standpoint and never examined from the standpoint of the mothers and fathers. The parents are the one that gave the child the opportunity to grow and if they don’t feel like they are in the correct circumstance to support the child then they should have the ability to get an abortion. The last thing the United States needs is for unfit parents to have children and have orphanages be over populated. Hopefully both partners are able to agree on having a child or having an abortion but when the two are in a disagreement that’s when equality becomes tricky. If one member wants an abortion but the other doesn’t, what should be allowed. For most an initial reaction would be to allow the woman to make the decision since she would be the one carrying the child and giving birth but that leaves out the opinion of the man who had equal part in conception. It can also be seen to be unfair to force a women to carry through a pregnancy if she doesn’t feel fit to raise the child and qualifies for an abortion. I personally believe it should be up to the mother to have the final say. It is her body that goes through the transformations and will have to deliver the baby when its due. In a perfect society if people are partaking in such activities they should be willing to deal with the consequences and I feel it is completely unacceptable for a man to part ways if he wants an abortion but the female does not. Equality is important but a woman’s feelings should be put slightly ahead of males in terms of pregnancies.

Our Education System

While I do agree with Isaac that our school systems have flaws and need to be fixed I feel that there does exist freedom for kids to explore things they are interested in. I will use this post to explain the experiences I’ve had going through a public education in Virginia but I’d be shocked if a majority of the country isn’t similar in most of these principles.

            First I do agree that there is a large emphasis on reading, writing, and math in the school systems but they are the foundations that allow for a deeper understanding of the subjects. Through readings young children are able to acquire a basic vocabulary and learn how to gain empathy but observing these fictional scenarios. In elementary school when book reports were assigned any books could be chosen and this allows for some creativity and exploration of different genres. Also I feel like as I got older the emphasis started on subjects began to be diverse. We had an art class, music class, and physical education class that we would go to once a week as well as have your basic history, science, math, and English times. A basic introduction was established and maintained (as well as I can remember) everyday and never was day solely devoted to math or reading or writing.

            Going into middle school I feel like the opportunities grew immensely as I was given the chance to pick my own classes for the first time. During my sixth grade year I was able to join chorus, band, take an art class, or change classes ever nine weeks and learn all sorts of topics. The core classes remained the same but having the freedom to choose what interested different people allowed everyone to develop an identity. Electives continued with allowing for a diverse schedule until 8^th grade where my county provided the opportunity to go to different high schools to study different subjects in specialty centers. There is a specialty center for the arts, engineering, technology, foreign languages, leadership, and the one I attended was for math and science. In these specialty centers certain classes would only be offered to those students in the program but it allowed those to really learn what they were interested in. The core subjects were required but once again electives allow for unique interests to exist. My school offered, sports marketing, art classes, a chance to learn athletic training or trade skills like being a mechanic as well as many other classes. For me diversity existed and as long as I took the required classes, the rest of filling out my schedule was to my liking.

            The final point that you touched on that I agree with is about teachers and professors. Boring teachers will exist wherever one attends school and in reality there is no sure way to eliminate them. Also one teacher’s style might not fit everyone’s personality and that’s all right. The best way to combat this problem is through teacher evaluations, which in most university settings already take place. The education system isn’t perfect but it never will be, we have to continue to develop and encourage students to take electives that are interesting and the market for jobs will take care of itself over time.

My thoughts on Spanking

Personally I am not a huge believer in spanking kids as an acceptable form of punishment. I was only spanked once as a kid and I know a couple people who were spanked but in my opinion it doesn’t solve the problem. The only time I was spanked by father was when I was being extremely stubborn and wasn’t following my parent’s orders after being told countless times that I needed to act fast. I never thought back on that situation and thought I better act correctly or otherwise I’d be hit. It never crossed my mind and it was never a threat by my parents and I like to think I turned out pretty well.

            One reason I am against the idea is I believe kids will act certain ways regardless of whether they will get in trouble or not. In your example you claimed that your brothers wanted to test the water and didn’t care if they got spanked or not, at that point I don’t think giving a spanking is much of a punishment. For them it was a game of chicken. For some people fear might work but that’s at the discretion of the parents and spanking shouldn’t always be used as a punishment. Hopefully not in many situations but starting could be the first the step in child abuse. Not everyone with a kid is fit for parenting and sometimes people may use “punishment” as a way to release anger. I feel a better way is to take away something that the child loves. Pain is only temporary and a child can become numb to it over time and treat it as a game.

            When dealing with cursing or swearing among children I don’t feel that using soap to “clean” out ones mouth is as bad as spanking a child. I was never forced to wash out my mouth with soap but at a young age it can set a better president without harming the child. In the end I think it is up to the character of the child and they will act certain ways regardless of the punishment but dealing with children should be done a one by one basis. I feel like school systems should abolish the ability to discipline children in such a way as it should be up to the parents on how to discipline children. If I heard that my child was spanked at school I would be very upset and demand a change. Corporal punishment is a grey area but as someone who was rarely spanked as a child I don’t feel it is the best way to correct bad habits.