World We Imagine Part 1
World We Imagine Part 1
With the current state of the world, the first thing that would make our home a better place is change. More often than not, the concept associated with change may not always be a positive one. The word itself could be linked to the idea of fear or uncertainty. However, I believe that during this unprecedented and stressful time of our lives is when people began to open up their minds to new perspectives. In a perfect world, people are filled with kindness and acceptance. Unfortunately, our society is far from that. Our current nation is undergoing the same problems that we have been dealing with for centuries. Issues such as gender inequality, discrimination, violence, and racism. Growing up, I was naïve. I believed that these issues were solved and that everyone was allowed the equal opportunity. However, I was proven wrong. In this year alone, we have witnessed countless cases of police brutality, voter oppression, blatant racism, and inequality. It became evident that not everyone is given equal opportunity and people are judged by their appearances, beliefs, and sexuality.
Through every critical issue, we need to revisit the origin and analyze how the problem came to be. As a country, we need to be better educated on the truth of our history. For many generations, people grew up with hatred and resentment during the era of slavery and segregation. Therefore, it was only a matter of time that this anger transcended into our society. Because of this, certain groups of people have these stereotypes, prejudice, and bias judgments towards people of color. Today, we have unlimited access to information to piece together a more holistic view of the world. We may realize the history that we once learned may be fabricated or heroized. Though we grew up learning history a certain way, it is important to open up to new perspectives and learn the right side of history.
After all, I believe the first step to solving our problems is to promote higher education. I think through education we can start mitigating some of the ignorant perceptions and change the perspectives of our future generations. In a perfect world, I picture the public embracing inclusivity, diversity, and equality with an open arm. Although we are far from that reality as of today, I believe the class of 2020 is capable of bringing that change. I think we have the capabilities to build a more accepting society where diversity, equality, and acceptance are not just a possibility, but a norm.
Emily, what a beautiful sentiment. It's obvious why we were placed in the same affinity group. I really wish I could just make a reasonable suggestion on what a useful first step towards promoting higher education would be.
ReplyDeleteI think the key to "promoting" something is tying it psychologically to something pleasurable or beneficial. I grew up in rural Oregon, so I've heard many people question the necessity of college. "Why spend all that time and pay all that money, when I can apprentice under a master electrician for two years and make $70,000?" Part of the problem is some of these people just don't respond well to the school setting.
Trade schools offer blue-collar subjects: automobile repair, HVAC repair, welding, etc. These classes are taught in a hands-on manner; the skills are practiced everyday in class. If you could think of a way of teaching "general education" type courses, those that broaden the mind, in a hands-on way, maybe you could attract more people of that type of learning style. This reminds me of how Plato taught in an tree grove outside Athens. I bet Plato didn't assign Aristole very much homework. Just kidding. The point is that students learned the difficult subjects of philosophy, rhetoric, and logic simple by debate and lecture. Create a series of courses that combine a general education topic with a blue-collar subject. The aim is to generate excitement in simply learning beyond the required curriculum.
Good luck in your project!
Hi Emily, I couldn't agree more with everything that you said. It is such a difficult time in the world, where everyone is filled with so much hate and resentment. I think promoting higher education is a really important step to try and bring about equality. The only way you can really do that is to make education more affordable and accessible. We are all extremely privileged to be able to go to USC. In your pitch, I recommend that you try and find ways to create affordable higher education. Whether that be through lobbying or coming up with investment opportunities, I think that is the best solution to your problem. In order to eliminate prejudice and ignorance, people need to learn about all types of things, not just what will help them get a job. This is a really hard task to take on, but I can't wait to hear more about your ideas.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that promoting higher education is a great step toward solving all the problems you mentioned. I was also naive in thinking that all the issues were part of the past, simply a part of history books. Something to think about is the idea of tribalism. People of a certain culture tend to see themselves as separate from the "other," or simply people who don't associate with them. What would be a good way to break people out of that mindset? I think that doing so would be essential to getting people to embrace inclusion and diversity.
ReplyDelete