New Year, New Opportunities?

Since its founding, the United States has been a land of opportunity. Immigrants came in hoards looking for a new fresh start, a chance to leave the past behind and make a better future. Not much has changed in the past 200 years, as I find myself thinking of what New Year’s Resolution I will make. I always consider the New Year to be a chance to improve myself and my life, even if it may be less drastically than immigrants who are moving to turn over a new leaf. 

Is America a land of opportunity for all though? In my American Studies class, we recently finished reading A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Ironically enough, I sometimes believe that Douglass too, a slave from his birth in 1818 until 1838, also believed America was a land of opportunity despite being treated harshly and put down by his white slave owners for so long. On page 38, Douglass says that his worst master of all time, Mr. Covey, "succeeded in breaking me. I was broken in body, soul, and spirit". Douglass was still American just like his slave owners even though he was black, but from his description of being mentally defeated by Mr. Covey, it does not seem like he felt America was the land of opportunity. 

When Douglass reached the North though, he was able to further his education and speak publicly about abolition and try to bring freedom to those who were still enslaved. Douglass was just one example of someone in history denied opportunities for a better life. Despite the passage of time, some people still lack opportunity. Poverty is widespread throughout all of America. There is a major lack of opportunity for people in poverty to escape it and live a better life. 

So what do you think- is the United States a land of opportunity for everyone? Does everyone deserve the chance to turn over a new leaf with the new year?

Finding Time to Not Have Time

In my American Studies class we discussed the possibility of New Trier using an online grading system. A heated discussion soon followed a simple question of “what do you think about New Trier considering making an online grading system?” At least 20 hands shot up into the air, everyone had something to say either for or against it. I left the class feeling energized by my complete disagreement for my fellow classmates who were opposed to online grades, and proud of my peers who were for it. I planned on writing a persuasive letter to the principal, possibly the student government, and anyone else who may listen to what I have to say. Also during class, our teachers posed the question “How do you go around accomplishing your goals?” If you have not figured it out yet, I never wrote my letter about the online grading system. Most likely, I never will write that letter. Also very likely, is that none of my classmates who were so involved in the debate will do anything to voice their opinions outside of the classroom. 

But why not? I cannot know for sure, but I do have a few ideas of why I am probably not going to follow through with my letter, and these reasons could very well be the same as my classmates. First off, five minutes after leaving 2^nd period, my mind was taken over by other thoughts, namely, geoscience. My brain was consumed by other thoughts so quickly after I left, that I never even had a chance to remind myself to write that letter, and I quickly forgot until I began to think of blog post ideas. Secondly, I will put this off for forever. It is the last week of school before winter break, which is always a hectic, busy week. I have dance every day after school. I will be missing one day of school this week already; I do not have extra time to fit in making a nice letter. The list of excuses goes on and on. Pushing off writing the letter for another week will make me even less inclined to write it later, and by the time I reconsider writing it, I will convince myself that I am too late.

I am not alone in putting off things I care about though. Currently in American Studies, we are wrapping up The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. In it, Frederick Douglass waits over 10 years to reach the north and freedom and leave behind his slave life. You might say that he did not leave his life as a slave because he did not want to be free enough. If you have read the narrative, then you know that is clearly not true – he wanted very much to be free. For years, Douglass made up excuses of why to wait to run away, but the whole time he pushed off trying for freedom, he had to live another day as a slave

Clearly I have not learned from history to not wait for tomorrow to do what you should do today- YETl But back to the unwritten letter. .If you do however feel the impetus to write that letter that you still have not written, here is the principal's email:   dohrert@newtrier.k12.il.us. 

You may at first think: why did this girl just give me the principal of New Trier's email address? Here's why: I believe people are less likely to go out on their own and do their own research, so I must tell you what to do. Now this is not me calling Americans lazy, this is just my personal belief that everyone needs a little nudge to send them in the right direction. Maybe I was not given a big enough nudge to write that letter. Perhaps if writing the letter was mandatory, that would have been a big enough nudge. 

Maybe you can help me figure out why I have not written that letter yet, so I am going to ask you: why do we always find the time to not do what we want? Is it just because we have not been given the tools to accomplish what we intended? How can we do what we say we will? 

PRESSure Makes Cain Drop Out

Herman Cain, one of the Republican presidential candidates, dropped out of the race Saturday after allegations were made about him having a 13-year affair and sexually harassing several women. If you are interested in more information about the situation, read this article. The reason Cain dropped out of the race, as I said, was because of allegations made against him. The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of the press, which allows almost anything to be published. Over the past 200 years, that broad category has been narrowed down to mean anything about public officials. Is it fair for the press to publish personal things about a presidential candidate that may cause personal damage to the person? 

My initial response was - of course. Freedom of the press is 

an essential American right. Herman Cain put himself in the public eye by declaring to run for president so he is a public figure who has to endure scrutiny. After more research, I find myself on the other side of things. After the  New York Times Co. v. Sullivan case in 1964, The U.S. Supreme Court decided that nothing may be published with "actual malice" - the intention of harming someone. Publishing information regarding an affair Cain may or may not have had was clearly published to intentionally hurt Cain, his campaign,  and his wife. Although I am not a fan of Cain's, I question whether the press may have gone too far this time in revealing such a personal part of Cain's life. On the other hand, I think the American public deserves to know what kind of candidate they are considering electing, and his actions reflect on what type of person he is. What do you think? Did the press have the right to publish intimate details about Cain's life? 

Here's a satirical parody of Cain: