Abortion

"Human life is not a commodity: a baby is not a product; an embryo is not a cluster of exploitable cells but a potential human being." Abortion is a very serious event that is being taken place in Canada, so why are young teenagers getting abortions? It should illegal to take the life of a baby away. There should never be a price for taking a baby away. 

My opinion on abortion is always in flux, but for the last few months I have been more in favour of it than previously.  Although I personally would choose to keep a baby, I understand how abortion could be beneficial and even more humane.

The prompt mentioned teenagers.  It think pregnant teens would generally benefit from abortion; chances are, they are not mature enough to take care of it or handle the costs.  This could result in neglectful parenting and completely changing a teen's life plan.  Although you can't plan everything in life, one still may wish to attend university or get a job.  Having a child at such a young age really changes this.

Secondly, it could be more humane.  In impoverished areas, legal, safe abortions are much better than allowing a child to grow up in a poor environment.  The child could be starving, diseased or be abused.

Also, the mother might not be in the right mental state to bring a child to term.  If the child was conceived by rape, of course the mother may not be attached to it.  That's her right.

My previous issues with abortion surrounded the potential every human being has.  However, I now believe that 'nurture' has a greater affect on an individual than 'nature,' making it unfair to say 'what if Martin Luther King Jr. was aborted.'

I believe it's a woman's choice what happens to her body, and therefore abortions should be legal and accessible.

As you move into the next phase in your life, how will you try to affect change in the world regarding these issues?

As much as I would love to say I'm devoting my time to saving lives, changing the legal system or running the country, I'm going to be a film major, so that's not in my life path right now.  This doesn't mean there aren't many issues I'm passionate about.  I'm extremely passionate about habitat preservation, particularly in regards to marine environments, such as coral reefs.  I've also been sympathetic towards animals my whole life, and would like to do work to help with animal rights and fight against cruelty.  The advantage of pursuing film is that it is such an influential medium; I hope that I will be able to spread positive messages about individuals who really make a difference, encouraging others to try and do so.  Outside of influence, I hope to donate money to charity, and to live a  more 'green' lifestyle.  I think global warming is a great and immediate issue that we can easily fight against.  Small lifestyle changes can make a big difference, and I think that's where I'm going to start.

What is the biggest threat facing Canada in the next 50 years?

I think one of the biggest threats to any nation, even democratic countries such as Canada, is internet censorship.  I was very disturbed by the SOPA and PIPA bills that were in consideration earlier this year, even though they were only applicable in the United States.  Even more concerning was ACTA, which would've operated in the United States.  Luckily, none of these came to pass, but countries around the world are still faced with censorship every day.

Of course, my love for the internet is likely a generational thing.  I grew up with it, and it has become one of my primary means of communication.  Most importantly, I think the internet is a great way to spread information and show different opinions.  For example, the Kony 2012 campaign, despite how ineffectual it ended up being, could not have become as well known if not for the internet.  The internet is also a way to show support for a topic.  One has to look no further than Facebook to see support and activist groups with millions of members.  People even sign petitions and organise demonstrations online.  The internet is the easiest and most expansive way to receive knowledge, but is becoming increasingly more important in organising people and spreading awareness for equal rights and freedom.

ISU Reflection

I was really intrigued by Becky's presentation on Invisible Children and the Kony 2012 campaign.  Although the campaign in question was extremely controversial, the presentation was well balanced between opinions.
I was able to 'step back' and see the bigger picture, see what was really at risk.  Living in Canada, I admittedly often forget how good I have it.  Of course, school is stressful, and I'm allowed to get upset over things... But I am truly fortunate to even be able to go to school.  I'm fortunate that my only exposure to violence has been in a movie theatre, and I'm fortunate that everything I know about sex trafficking came from research, not experience.
Learning about the children in these countries, and the horrible crimes committed by Kony, we are reminded that there is a serious issue and, no matter what the means, something should be done.  Although I disagree strongly with the Kony 2012 campaign, and do not think Western countries should force their help onto Africa, the presentation made me realise that there was more to the issue than trendy videos and campaign tactics.

What do you think the affects of legalising and de-criminalising marijuana use would be? Should this be enforced?

I believe marijuana should be legalised and de-criminalised.  It's an extremely accessible drug, as far as I'm aware, and there is no practical use in prohibiting it.  Besides from logistics, there would be a positive affect.  Even if one wishes others would stop using the drug, education about it would be more accessible, as there would be less of a taboo surrounding the topic.  Along these lines, there could be less attraction to the drug, considering many choose it as a sign of rebellion against society or authority.  The greatest difference, in my opinion, would be the change in organised crime.  Historically speaking, prohibition has never worked out.  For example, in the 1920s, alcohol was still being consumed and, although petty crime was down, organised crime skyrocketed.  Gang activity and related violence would be greatly decreased if they did not have such an important role in drug movement.  Besides, studies have shown that there are no harmful, long term affects of marijuana use, so there is no reason to prohibit it in the first place.  Made legal, marijuana use would be easier to keep tabs on, making sure people used it in appropriate amounts.  Crime would go down and taxes could go towards punishing crime that have a more harmful affect than drug use.

How does the media relate to hate crimes against youths today?

Youths take up approximately 38% of all convicted hate crimes (StatCan), and this number is increasing.  Although it peaked in 2006 (StatCan), it is still significantly higher than in previous decades.
One possible reason for this scewed statistic could be how impressionable teenagers and young adults are.  Teens get a lot of unsupervised media exposure, whether on film, television, the internet or through music.  Society encourages hyper masculine and violent behaviour, so this likely contributes to the aggression amongst 12-17 year olds.  Additionally, media continually reinforces negative stereotypes about subcultures, beliefs or sexuality, and shows the use of terms such as 'gay' as derogatory.  This continual reinforcement could definitely influence kids to, firstly, believe such things, and secondly, due to society's violent means of communication, take negative action about it.

Political Cartoon Response

I think this is a really interesting and powerful illustration.  We are fortunate to live in a democracy (albeit it not a true one, but I digress), as are citizens of the United States.  However, we often take this for granted or complain about the political state.  The latter is extremely hypocritical, because we vote for our leaders.  Although we do not have control over specific parts of a campaign, we constantly attack our political leaders, even though we voted them in.  Aside from this, if a political landscape becomes truly detestable, the people have more power than they realise.  Although many try to muff the voices of protestors or petitioners, we live in a time were information travels around the world instantly.  The general population is still the majority and still capable of change.  People have to learn how to band together to change their countries politics.