School article about a persons right to be themselves

[Keylise<3 488]

Maybe this is supposed to be in "Life Advice"...?

 

Soooo, i'm supposed to write an "article" about something that's important in a teenagers life, and is there really anything more important that the right to be who you are?

 

I doubt that anyone will actually read this, but who knows. I would love to get some feedback on this. So if you (for some reason) read this and find something i should remove/add, please let me know. There are probably some grammatical errors as well since i'm a 14 year old Swede (and i haven't proof read it yet, which is what i'm doing right now). So you know, tell me about those as well

 

I'm also (gladly) up for discussion if you feel like sharing your own thoughts on this subject

 

(there were paragraphs when i wrote this  in word, but apparently they magically disappear when i copy+paste)

 

 

Stepping out of the norm. Why is this such a big problem to some people? Every person in the world should have the right to express themselves and like/dislike whatever they want. Imagine a country where everyone looked the same and had the same thoughs and feelings. That would be boring, wouldn't it? I feel the same way about schools that has very strict dress codes. It IS the same thing, but on a smaller scale. I do understand that you might have to ban some things, especially if the area has a lot of different gangs and such. But forcing a person to wear "school clothes"? I personally think that's really weird. You're removing a small part of that persons freedom. You might be thinking "It's just clothes", but clothing means a lot to some people. Some people might wear clothes with a from a show/game/band. That way other people who share the same interests can more easily connect.  

Speaking of shows, games and bands, that's another thing that bugs me. Why do people care that much about what you like? I mean sure, there are some really weird things that "you're not supposed to like" (not going to dig deeper into that subject). But i'm talking about things as ridiculous as music, movies/shows and games. I do agree that it can be annoying if the person that likes something that you dislike starts showing it up your face, but unless ze does that... why? I can't wrap my head 'round that one. I do it myself sometimes. I'm never really serious, but talking shit about things like Justin Bieber has become a thing, even if he is far from the worst artist out there. I personally think he sucks though, but I won't judge you if you listen to him.  

I like/do a lot of weird and abnormal things, because i like to step out of this norm that the society has created. But i get a lot of hate from this, mainly from random people on the internet that doesn't like the fact that I have different thoughts and values than them. I want a world where you can express yourself how you like (unless it's offensive to someone), and dress the way you feel. A world where you can like or dislike whatever you want without tons of people complaining about it. Discussion can be good, but it's not a discussion if one of the persons only argument is "HAH! GAAAAAY!". Hopefully this will all come true one day. But up until then there will be a lot of people who needs to hide how they fell just because they fear of bullies. 

This is the part where i start talking about the LGBT (les, gay, bi, trans) community, because that's something that's truly unavoidable when talking about your right to express yourself. I'm not going to mention if i'm a part of any of this or not, because it's not really that relevant. The LGBT community is one of the most oppressed groups of people in the world.  Most of these people get some kind of hate each day and a lot of them get bullied for their non cis ("normal") way of living. I can only imagine how it feels for a gay person that's "in the closet" to hear the word gay being so misused every day. That's probably the reason why a lot of LGBT kids are afraid to "reveal" themselves. I've read a lot about this, so I do know how oppressed these people are, which I don't think a lot of people realise. There are countries where it's illegal to be non cisgendered, which is just absurd! I don't know how it is with the LGB part, but there are actually countries where you can get executed for being trans* (I'm sure the same goes with les, gay or bi people). That is insane on so many levels. It's one thing to opress and hate people, which is very bad as well, but to kill them? That one blew my mind.  

So what i'm trying to say with all of this is please don't hate a person just because ze doesn't think the same "normal" way you do. It really doesn't make any sense what so ever.

Edited February 25, 2013 by Lolnus

[Mephala 2,635]

Er, there's a few things wrong with this, but I'll PM you later. That may be a bit more productive since I'm on iPod. Is this a first draft?

[Keylise<3 488]

I will probably add more to this, but it's not supposed to be super duper long (this is my second language after all). i have a lot of time to finish this so there's definitely more to come.

The biggest part of this assignment is a verbal presentation, but i got that part under controll

Edited February 25, 2013 by Lolnus

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

This post has been redacted by the author.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Blue

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

Overall your essay outlines that there definitely is a problem but proposes no solution (WHY should everyone have the right to be themselves?) But it's fair that one shouldn't really have to, since Philosophers usually get on the case of people who try.

 

This seems to imply that a reason is needed at all, for anything.  Maybe a more manageable way to look at it would be to ask why not let people do [insert anything, really].  Cultural values play a big role here.  For reference, some guy in rural Pakistan might phrase this as "why not beat my wife for bearing me all these useless daughters instead of a son?"

 

It just sounds like you're advocating a position of restricting something until it's demonstrated to be helpful, rather than just letting things be until it's demonstrated to be detrimental.

Edited February 25, 2013 by NLR Information Minister

[Mutemutt 773]

What kind of "article" is this? It seems really informal for an article, even for an editorial. 

 

This seems to imply that a reason is needed at all, for anything.  Maybe a more manageable way to look at it would be to ask why not let people do [insert anything, really].  Cultural values play a big role here.  For reference, some guy in rural Pakistan might phrase this as "why not beat my wife for bearing me all these useless daughters instead of a son?"   It just sounds like you're advocating a position of restricting something until it's demonstrated to be helpful, rather than just letting things be until it's demonstrated to be detrimental.

Well when you're arguing a point (especially in writing) it's a good idea to acknowledge to benefits of the other side and then show how the side you are arguing is far better. It's the old give-and-take. For instance this "article" mentions uniforms and why they are a bad idea but says nothing of the benefits of uniforms (and yes there are some benefits school dress codes).