At the turn of every new year, many people will attempt to better themselves by creating a New Year’s Resolution. The most popular resolutions include trying to lose weight, eat healthier, and becoming more financially savvy. While it’s always a good idea to try to better oneself, most people don’t follow through with their New Year’s resolutions.

When people come up with their resolutions for the new year, the resolutions themselves are normally repeats from previous years. This is due to repeated failure in keeping their goals for the year. According to TIME magazine, only a whopping 8% of people follow through with their new resolutions, and most of the people who don’t quit only after a single week. Many people will argue that if it’s truly something you’re passionate about and want to change in your life, it won’t be hard to follow through. However, humans are habitual. If they are used to eating unhealthy food normally, it can be extremely hard to make yourself eat healthy. Instead, people should try to make small gradual changes to their daily life as opposed to going cold turkey at the turn of the new year.

Another thing that makes new year’s resolutions not worth making is the fact that as soon as people make them, they want to show off. People want to tell all of their friends how they plan on bettering their life. However, there is a flaw in this way of thinking. According to a TED talk, there have been many psychology studies that prove if people are so quick to tell others what their new year goals are, they are less likely to follow through with them. Psychology has discovered that if someone goes around and tells others what their goals are, the congratulatory remarks from their fellow peers tricks their brain into thinking that they have already achieved this goal. If someone is truly trying to make a change in their life, they shouldn’t be trying to show off and tell others how they plan on improving their lifestyle. If the only reason someone even creates goals for the new year is to show off to others, why even create those resolutions at all?

Furthermore, many new year resolutions tend to be superficial. For example, one of the most popular new year goals is losing weight. However, instead of just wanting to lose weight, people should focus more on their health instead of their physical appearance. They should try to love themselves for however they are, and focus more on living a healthier lifestyle, such as eating healthier or exercising more. This in turn will result in a healthier long term lifestyle as opposed as using a keto or k-pop diet to lose weight fast. Many will say that losing weight is just a step towards self - love, and while there is some truth in that, people should learn to love themselves while still trying to better themselves. Along with that, one’s health is much more important than their physical appearance is.

There are always opportunities to better one’s self throughout the year. A “new year” does not equal a “new you.” It seems that most people are focused on the date rather than the goal itself. However, if someone does want to try and set some goals and resolutions for the new year, they should be more focused on self - love and lifestyle rather than things that are superficial.

Throughout the years, minorities in the United States have always been discriminated. African Americans were slaves in the south, the Japanese were put in Internment camps during WWII, and racism still runs rampant today. With the help of affirmative action in college admissions and the workplace, society has tried to help increase diversity. However, the concept of affirmative action, while helpful at times, can create problems.

While affirmative action is supposed to encourage inclusiveness, the opposite might actually be the result. White people can easily be overlooked despite their qualifications simply because of the color of their skin. Some businesses might feel like they are pressured to give jobs to minorities because they know that they might receive repercussions if they decide not to. According to GreenGarageBlog.org, most school admissions and jobs will put race as a principle factor instead of looking at people objectively and trying to get people that are most qualified for certain positions, and because of this, their business or even school may suffer.

While affirmative action claims to make schools and workplaces more diverse, there are still flaws with that claim. Even though people of the same ethnicity are in that kind of environment together, that does not always mean that their opinions are always the same. Therefore, just because there is ethnic diversity doesn’t mean that there are always diverse opinions in that environment..

Affirmative action can also take away what it means to achieve something, especially for minorities. Because of affirmative action, people might assume that non-Caucasian people who are doctors or lawyers got their positions through the affirmative action process as opposed to their own hard work. Becoming a doctor or lawyer is not an easy task and cannot simple be achieved through affirmative action, so to have outsiders look down on their achievements can be insulting.

Affirmative action also focuses on surface level traits. When someone applies to college or a job, they are almost never asked about things such as their eye or hair color. However, if you give someone more opportunity based on something as superficial as their skin color or ethnicity, that can send the wrong message to society. If someone applies to college or a job, it only makes sense that they would want to get into the school or land the job based on their skill set as opposed to something like their race or ethnicity.

In the past, minorities have pushed so much to be treated equally, but they are just now getting special or better treatment in areas such as school or the workplace. Affirmative action doesn’t change the past discrimination minorities have faced, and in a society that pushes equality, we should give everyone, no matter their race, the same opportunity of affirmative action, or none at all. It might help minorities with things like getting into college or a job, but it doesn’t encourage inclusion. If society wants to fix discrimination, they should start with making affirmative action truly equal.

Sources

https://greengarageblog.org/20-principal-pros-and-cons-of-affirmative-action

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/disadvantages-affirmative-action-workplace-10728.html

People love and hate small towns. Whether it’s the cute vintage feel or the mood of inclusion, many people could never imagine living anywhere else. But, for people who dread seeing the same cows and windmills everyday, they hate it. Here’s why:

In small towns, there is a stunning lack of diversity. Many small towns have one predominant race with a few other races mixed in. Because of this, people are only exposed to one type of race as opposed to people who live in bigger cities. People who live in small towns don’t get the opportunity to experience diversity as people who live in larger cities do. They are more shut out from the rest of the world, and if someone grows up in that kind of community their entire life, they can become really ignorant. People don’t learn about different experiences that different races can teach them.

If you live in a small town, odds are that you attend a small school. In small schools, there are less educational opportunities. There is a lack of Advanced Placement (AP) classes and Honors classes. There is also a lack of the diversity of classes. Small schools normally offer one foreign language for students to learn while larger schools offer at least three, possibly even more. Small schools don’t offer many classes that can benefit their students in the real world, such as automotive classes. They also don’t have many opportunities to give kids a career head start or allow kids to experience and play with different kinds of careers, such as broadcasting.

Small schools also don’t offer after school clubs for their students. They don’t get to socialize and bond with kids from other kids as much. People don’t really socialize much outside of who their friends are.

While small towns can offer the camaraderie of knowing almost everyone that lives there, that can also mean that everyone can and will be all up in your business. People will find out about your problems because gossip can spread like a wildfire. People will offer their two cents as to what you should do, and that can be really annoying when you’re a private person. People are also extremely judgy in small towns. If you dye your hair an unnatural color as a teen, they look at them like they’re emo and homosexual, which is not always the case. It also seems very taboo to walk from place to place.

Small towns are also lacking in occupational opportunities. For example, in Forsan, Texas, there are not many jobs besides the oil business. If someone wants a job that suits them better, they have to drive to Big Spring or Midland to find a job.

There is also no public transportation, which can be a problem for people who are unable to transport themselves from place to place. People who don’t have a car might rely on walking or biking to get from point a to point b, but weather permitting, that’s not always practical. It would be so much easier for that broke teen to pay for a metrocard as opposed to a purchasing a new car.

For some, seeing the same scenery and people every day brings them comfort and joy, but for others, it brings the feeling of dread and despair. Small towns have their perks, and it really does depend on the person to say if they like it or not. However, with the suffocating feeling some people experience while living in a small town, some people just can’t wait to get out.

Sources

http://insight.mascomabank.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-small-town-living

https://www.scarymommy.com/raising-kids-in-a-small-town-pros-cons/

The Internet can be a scary place. Viruses that contain malware, Internet trolls, and cyberbullying all run rampant through the Internet. However, the Internet can contain many good things as well, one of those things being friends. The Internet can be a great place for people to make friends, but the concept of an “Internet Friend” can be frowned upon by some individuals. Most kids were taught that trying to talk to people online is bad, but that’s not always the case. With having Internet friends, “you get to meet new people and see what life is like for them,” said Brooke, a fifteen year old girl from Ohio. There are so many benefits of having and making Internet friends, people just need to stop focussing on the negatives.

A popular argument that tends to be made in favor of Internet friends is the fact that people can bond online over similar interests. Izzie, a fifteen year old girl from Ohio, said, “I think having Internet friends connects you to people with common interests that you never would have known existed, and you can make some of your best friends through a social media site.” Many people who have Internet friends tend to make them by connecting with other people through things like fandoms.

“I’ve gotten to bond with so many people online through shows and books,” said Abby, a seventeen year old girl from a small town in Ohio. For some people, their friends in real life might not have the same interests as them, so making an Internet friend can be a great opportunity to bond and connect with people who have the same interests as they do.

People that have Internet friends tend to say that it is much easier to open up to people online as opposed to in real life. “Sometimes, it can be hard talking with family and friends about what you’re going through because you feel judged, but with Internet friends, it can be easier and more comfortable because you’re not communicating face to face,” said Bella, a sixteen year old girl from Australia. People might blame this occurrence on social media and how teens are losing their social skills, but some teens do have social disorders that make it really hard for them to open up to people about personal things. Having the barrier of a screen can allow them to open up to others about personal struggles without the fear of being judged.

On the topic of the screen barrier, it allows online friendships to be less superficial. Talking to someone through messages takes the focus off of their looks and status and instead puts it on their personality and who they really are. When you talk to someone online, you learn really personal things about them before you learn about the surface level stuff.

People think the online community is very hateful, and while that might be true, that’s not always the case. “Everyone I have talked to has been super supportive and welcoming about everything. Some of my personal friends haven’t been as accepting as Internet friends have been,” said Abby.

For people that live in a small town such as Forsan, Texas, there are not many opportunities to experience diversity. Having Internet friends is a way for people who live in rural communities to experience different cultures. Kat, a fifteen year old girl from Ohio said, “I definitely think anyone could benefit [by having an Internet friend] just because you’re being exposed to people from different cultures. You could learn a lot, like how Ohio is so different from Texas and Australia. I didn’t even know there was a special pledge for the Texas flag.” So many people don’t get to see how life is in other states or countries, so having Internet friends could help people benefit from that.

“I’ve been able to talk to people from other countries or even just states just about daily life that you wouldn’t see otherwise. You can research a country’s customs and culture, but when you talk to someone about their day, you’re likely to learn a lot more about life in that area than from a textbook or article.” said Izzie.

Along with different cultures, having Internet friends can also teach you about different experiences that other people have. Kaelynn, another fifteen year old girl from Ohio says that she and her friends live in what many people refer to as the “Powell Bubble.” “We live in a really nice area, and we have the best schools in central Ohio. We don’t see much poverty or really bad examples of things like racism,” said Kaelynn. “It’s really nice to have Internet friends because they have different experiences than I do, so I can learn from them and vice versa.”

Internet friends differ greatly from friends in real life. You don’t get to see them or sometimes even talk to them every day, and there is always the underlying fear of never getting to meet them in person. People are so quick to look down on the concept of Internet friends, but for some people, they can’t imagine their life without their friends on the Interweb. The Internet can be a pretty beautiful place if people let it.

All quotes were taken from interviews through Instagram direct message or SnapChat.

There are many benefits of the autumn season. The colors are vibrant, football is in full swing, and the alleged “Spooky Season” is back. While there are many perks to this much loved season, it also has disadvantages.

For students in both high school and college, fall means going back to school. Many students dislike school because of rules and having to wake up early. When the leaves start to fall and the weather begins to chill, students associate that with school, stress, and homework.

With the changing of seasons, the weather begins to get cold. People who prefer the heat of summer over the cold of fall are miserable. When getting up in the morning, the last thing a person would want to do is leave the warmth of their bed for the cold of the outside world.

Along with the cold that the fall season brings, people’s allergies begin to attack. With the not - so - subtle transition of hot weather to cold weather, many people experience a spike in allergies. People that are allergic to ragweed, pet dander, and dust mites can’t enjoy autumn as much as they would like to due to their allergies.

The fall season comes with the end of daylight savings time (DST). While the first day without DST gives us an extra hour of sleep, it also means that it will get darker earlier in the day. For some people, this might not be a problem, but for others with mental health problems, the darkness could make their anxiety, depression, or other mental illness worse. The darkness could also cause Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) for certain people. The dark and gloomy days towards the end of fall can definitely take a toll on someone’s mood making them feel unmotivated and depressed. According to AAFP.org, around 4 - 6% of adults suffer from SAD. Along with people who suffer from SAD, people who suffer from vision problems have a hard time driving at night. They are unable to run errands during the day due to work, so that could create problems with driving at night.

There are holidays celebrated in the fall such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, but the thought of Christmas is always in the back of everyone’s mind during this season. While most people have nothing against Christmas, they wish that holiday shopping during the fall would be less intense. Black Friday is crazy every year, and even with the good deals, most people will opt out of it or end up getting hurt.

Disadvantages such as school, cold, allergies, and the darkness makes autumn not worth the hype. Fall is a time of revelry and pleasure for many people, but there are numerous cases in which this season is a painful reminder of the absence of joy in some individuals’ lives.

Citations

P. (2010, October 26). 5 Things I Love About Autumn & 5 Things I Hate. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from http://www.homorazzi.com/article/autumn-pros-cons-favorite-things-worst-fall-list-time-change/

Pfeiffer, L. (2017, August 30). The Pros and Cons of Fall! Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/pros-cons-fall

Central ENT Consultants. (2016, November 07). Central ENT Consultants, P.C. Retrieved September 27, 2018, from http://www.centralentconsultants.com/blog/post/why-am-i-getting-an-allergy-flare-up-in-the-fall.html

The anti - vax movement is taking the world by storm. Because of this, diseases like measles and whooping cough are meddling their way back into society. This brings in dangers for our society as a whole.

Many people are afraid of what they don’t understand about vaccines. They read the ingredients and if they sound slightly scientific, people tend to be skeptical. To shed light on this topic, we should go back to the origins of the vaccine.

Vaccines began in 1798, whenever smallpox was widespread and wiping out thousands of people each year. Edward Jenner made the observation that milkmaids were contracting cowpox, which is less deadly form of the widely spread smallpox virus. Jenner observed that they didn’t get sick, and this prompted him to create the first vaccine.

Vaccines train your body to build immunity to different diseases by injecting a dead or damaged virus into your body. With the vaccine, your body can now develop antibodies to form an immunity against that disease. Since the initial release of vaccines, diseases like polio, measles, and mumps are almost eradicated. According to Medium.com, cases of whooping cough have decreased by 81%, and cases of measles and mumps have decreased by 99%.

With most vaccines, you don’t have to get a shot every year. The flu shot is an exception. The flu virus evolves and adapts to get around the immunity from the previous year. Every year, scientists have to get together and try to predict how the virus has evolved and how to improve the vaccine from the previous year. Many people claim that they get sick with the flu if they get the vaccine, so they decide not to get the vaccine. That is incorrect.

“If you get sick after you take the flu shot, that means the flu virus was already in your system. It’s purely coincidental,” said Nurse Betty, the school nurse for the Forsan school district.

The big argument anti - vax people tend to make is the “evidence” that vaccines cause autism. That is not correct, according to an informative comic on Medium.com, in 1998, The Lancet published a paper that claimed that there was a link between autism and the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR). After an investigation, the evidence was proved false. The author, Andrew Wakefield had created false data. Since then, scientists have done multiple studies and have literally proved that vaccines don’t cause autism. Autism is a developmental disorder with absolutely no link to vaccines.

Another claim the anti - vax people made is that there are foreign and bad substances in vaccines. For example, the preservative thimerosal was attacked for the claim that it caused autism simply because it contains a mercury atom. In reality, it is an antifungal agent used to preserve vials of a vaccine. It allows doctors to vaccinate multiple people from a singular vial. They are also afraid of other ingredients such as hydrochloric acid and formaldehyde, both substances found in the human body. Yet, people of the anti - vax movement make up lies claiming that vaccines contain ridiculous ingredients such as antifreeze, monkey kidney, and aborted fetal tissue. Each time science proves the anti - vax movement wrong, the anti - vax community just come up with another ridiculous sounding argument.

Many people tend to believe that it is a personal decision to get a vaccine, and that would fine if it only affected them. There is a concept called herd immunity. The concept is that if 83% to 85% of people are vaccinated against a disease, it has a hard time spreading to other people without the vaccine. Thus, people who get vaccinated help protect others who actually can’t get vaccinated for other reasons such as an allergy or medical condition. The less people that get vaccinated, the more chance there is of an outbreak to occur. Some diseases that were nearly eliminated, such as measles and whooping cough, are starting to make their way back. These diseases were almost completely gone in 2008. Due to the anti - vax movement, in 2014, the United States has experienced some horrible outbreaks of measles and whooping cough.

Now, not to say that vaccines don’t come with risk just like everything else. Yes, there are risks to getting a vaccine, but nothing nearly as bad as people of the anti - vax movement make it sound. According to Medium.com, “the benefit/risk ratio of vaccines is one of the highest of any medical intervention.” Risks of vaccines are very minor form anything to redness at the site of the injection, headaches, or a fever. Serious risks are very rare, close to a one - in - a - million chance of them occurring.

Last year, according to Nurse Betty, there was an outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease in the Forsan school district. It’s a very contagious viral disease and a whole family was out for two weeks solely because their parents did not believe in getting vaccines.

Citations

Naro, M. (2014, December 15). Vaccines Work. Here Are the Facts. – The Nib – Medium. Retrieved September 18, 2018, from https://medium.com/the-nib/vaccines-work-here-are-the-facts-5de3d0f9ffd0