It sickens me that we live in a world where sexual assault and rape culture are considered taboo in society. No woman should feel the need to hide what she has been through because of people’s stares and whispers. We need to start creating a safe, accepting, and supportive environment where women do not feel constantly judged for sharing their experiences. The #MeToo movement is a step in the right direction, but our society is still far off from where it should be. When a woman tells you her story, I want you to be supportive and respectful of what she went through. But most of all, I want you to believe her.
Because we live in a world where 120 million women have been forced into sexual acts, where only 230 out of every 1000 sexual assaults are reported, and a mere 46 of those 230 cases lead to an arrest. What type of world do we live in in which so many women, so many innocent girls are forced to live their lives in perpetual fear? Women shouldn’t have to live in a world in which rape jokes are cracked all the time, and robbery is considered a crime worse than sexual assault. Furthermore, sexual abuse is often blamed on the victim. She walked down the alley alone so it must be her fault. She wore a short skirt so it must be her fault. She accepted a drink from a stranger so it must be her fault. And we wonder why women feel embarrassed to tell their stories. It is crucial that we as a society change the way that we view sexual assault. Instead of teaching young girls to cover up and keep their heads down, we should be teaching boys to be respectful and understanding. So when a woman tells you her story, no matter if it is ten days after it happened or ten years, believe her. Because it requires strength and courage to be able to stand up, to speak out against the terrible actions that take place every single day. Remind her that it’s not her fault. Don’t blame her, blame her rapist. Post written by guest writer and ambassador Vaishali Bansal
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In May 2012, I was in 3rd grade, waiting in the lunch line and praying it would go faster so I could eat and play on the monkey bars. In line, I heard two girls behind me talk about what seemed like a ridiculous concept for my 9 year old brain: the end of the world. One girl talked about how the world was supposed to end on the last day of 2012, while her friend agreed, saying she saw a movie called 2012 that showed a natural catastrophe destroying Earth. I brushed it off as two girls that didn’t know what they were talking about, but I also felt a feeling I can now pinpoint as dread.
Fast forward 8 years into 2020, a year everyone had high hopes for. Of course, those hopes were mutilated by the Coronavirus, but the California fires this summer gave me the same feeling of dread from all those years ago. Living in California my entire life has somewhat desensitized me to the consequences of forest fires and earthquakes. Since I had never really been impacted by one, it was just a part of my year like a change in seasons. However this past August, my ignorant perspective took a turn. Coronavirus cases were on an increase and forest fires were raging at a record breaking pace. As my parents heard messages about possible evacuation and our friends were looking for places to go to, for the first time, I was genuinely worried for the immediate future. It seemed like destruction was inevitable and coming in from every direction. I saw posts on social media where people were living in cars for extended periods of time, unable to work or even feed their children. I saw places that I had been to before burn down on the news. I experienced the disastrous air quality and I sat at home thinking, “ Is this what the end of the world feels like? Could things really get worse?” They did. Not because of the wildfires or because of coronavirus though. The State was beginning to recover and cases began to come to a standstill. No, what was worse was the federal government’s reaction to this series of unfortunate events. President Donald Trump's comments on the fires were, "You know, at some point, you can't, every year, have hundreds of thousands of acres of land just burned to the ground” and a vehement refusal to give funds for relief (ABC 7 News). In addition he expressed his thoughts about climate change, saying he doesn’t believe in it and instead urges California to “have better management of forests” (ABC 7 News). I couldn’t believe the dismissal of something so important. I mean we’re talking about something that affects the whole world. So I’ll ask you. Is this the end of the world that 2012 was supposed to bring? Maybe the start of it. Do we have to sit there and wait for our time to come to an end? Absolutely not. Humanity didn’t get to where it is without a little fight. So, regardless of political beliefs and even social ones, recognize that every one of us is accountable for the world around us. Even the mistakes of our ancestors are still OUR mistakes. The Earth doesn’t discriminate. Being dismissive of our surroundings is inherently un-human. I urge you to consider this and think about what kind of a world you want to live in. Break down the political and social barriers. Demand change from others and be the change you want to see. Everyone is so concerned with leaving a materialistic legacy of fame, power, and money, but think bigger. Think about the legacy you want to leave on the planet. You don’t have to reverse global warming by yourself. You don’t have to join environmental protection groups. You don’t have to dedicate your life to the environment if that’s not what you want to do. But, think about what you are contributing to the Earth. Think about if that satisfies you in the present, and if your actions will be beneficial to the future. Small changes can lead to big impacts. Small contributions can leave a big legacy. So I’ll leave you with my personal take on this: Live simply, with consciousness that your life on this Earth touches everything in some shape or form. We ARE either the end of the world or the savior of it. Post written by guest writer and ambassador Sanjana Dukkipati In this age of information and technology, misinformation and rumours are always lurking within social media and messaging apps, shared and multiplied effortlessly with one click. Now, with over a third of the world’s population being stuck at home under lockdown, people are turning towards social media as an outlet of communication and escape even more than before. And the more time people spend online, the more misinformation they will encounter.
Although countries and people everywhere are struggling to overcome and correct misinformation regarding the Coronavirus pandemic, the South Asian community is especially susceptible to misleading health information. The combination of overall lax hygiene practices, high population densities, and lack of digital literacy amongst people on the internet in South Asia cultivates the perfect conditions for inaccurate information to spread. Cosmic level sound waves causing the virus to retreat, new vaccines already being distributed, the virus being unable to survive in cold temperatures, and scapegoating certain ethnicities or religions as bringing in the virus, are just some of the rumours circulating online. Cultural herbal and homeopathic remedies like ginseng and tea that (at the most) may relieve symptoms being touted as “cures” for the virus, are other falsehoods being shared online. Because communication and connection amongst the extended family are trademarks of South Asian communities, many large families rely on messaging apps like WhatsApp and Viber and social media like Facebook to keep in touch with loved ones. These platforms are precisely where inaccurate information gets circulated. Studies show that the elderly are more susceptible to believing wrong information encountered online so in order to combat the spread of misinformation, every single person within every family group chat needs to do their part in replacing rumours with scientific facts. This responsibility of listening, correcting, and educating those around them largely falls upon the shoulders of young people, who typically are more easily able to discern accurate versus inaccurate statements online. One way in which young people can become actively involved in this endeavor is through a new initiative called Hello South Asians. The mission of Hello South Asians is to “address misinformation, reduce panic, and provide free, accessible, and accurate content for South Asians everywhere”. With a team composed of students, doctors, policy analysts, and journalists all across the world they have already translated and released infographics available to be shared in 20+ South Asian languages and are looking for more students who can translate or join as ambassadors on their team. You can learn more about this initiative at https://hellosouthasians.com or on their instagram @hellosouthasians. No one knows for certain when or if the world will ever return to normal, it's clear that until we do, the devastation caused by the virus can be mitigated by minimizing unnecessary harms caused by misinformation. The most powerful defense we have against the virus is science, and in order to make our defense the strongest, we must stop the misinformation and rumours that threaten it. Post written by guest writer Priyanka Shrestha On its face, “All Lives Matter” sounds like an “all of us are in this together” statement. Looking on the positive side, this phrase suggests that everyone, regardless of race or other factors, should come together and stand up to the racism around us. But the problem is, this phrase takes the attention away for the people who really need that attention right now. Saying “All Lives Matter” takes the attention away from Black lives, the ones that are in danger in this country. It’s important to know what the BLM movement really is and what saying “Black Lives Matter” means.
So what does Black Lives Matter mean? One of the largest protest movements in US history, “Black Lives Matter” is a hashtag that grew into a national movement, one that is revived on American streets after deaths of African-Americans at the hands of the police. BLM speaks out against the police brutality and systemic racism that caused the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and Breonna Taylor, as well as thousands of violent incidents that happen to Black people that aren’t recorded, or reported. One of the goals of the BLM movement is to raise the awareness to everyone around us that systemic oppression DOES exist, even if you try to deny it, and that the United States, as ONE nation, needs to reconsider its priorities. How did Black Lives Matter start? In 2013, a volunteer in Florida shot and killed a Black, unarmed 17-year old, Trayvon Martin as he was walking to his father’s house. When the volunteer was cleared of the killing, Alicia Garza, an activist from Oakland, California, wrote a passionate post on Facebook which ended with “Our Lives Matter.” The term took off a year later when pictures of the deaths of Micheal Brown in Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York City. Both Black men killed at the hands of the police, sparked the movement “Black Lives Matter.” They were very soon followed by protests over deaths caused by police in Cleveland, Chicago, Baltimore, and many other cities. The movement returned to global headlines and gained more international attention during the George Floyd protests in April 2020 following the murder of Minneapolis native Goerge Floyd and his murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and three other officers. So how big is the problem? An advocacy group, Mapping Police Violence, reported numbers covering ALL forms of police killings. The group said that 24% of those killed by police in 2019 were African-Americans, who make up only 13% of the population. It was also reported by the Washington Post, that 99% of officers involved in the deaths were NOT charged. According to studies done by the Bureau Of Justice Statistics, from 2002-2011, amongst the people who had contact with the police, African Americans were more likely to perceive threats or use of force, than whites. Now the question is, did any of that REALLY happen? Well.....YES! Now, if you ask, is there any proof? If so, is it reliable? The answer to both those questions is also YES! The use of bodycams has been widely adopted, including in New York and Los Angeles. The brutal killing of Micheal Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, led to expanded use of body-worn cameras for police. In 2014, President Barack Obama suggested that the federal government reimburse localities half the cost of implementing body-worn cameras. In September 2015, it was announced that the Department of Justice had paid out $23.2 million in grants to expand the use of body-cams. The footage from these body-cams were released to the public, in relation to police shootings all over the country. Black Lives Matter, or BLM, engages in direct action tactics, and advocates to defund the police and invest directly into black communities and alternative emergency response services. This has sparked some opposition to the movements. A counter-movement knows as “Blue Lives Matter” advocates that those convicted of killing law enforcement officers should be sentenced under hate crime. People also turned to the #alllivesmatter, which advocates for the fact that all lives are equal and African-American lives do not need special treatment. BLM supporters respond that they aren’t looking for special treatment of African-Americans, but EQUAL treatment. Saying “ALL LIVES MATTER” ignores the basic fact that Black lives haven’t mattered for hundreds of years in this country. While the intention of the phrase “All Lives Matter” may put everyone’s life on equal footing and show a sense of unity, saying “All Lives Matter,” instead of “Black Lives Matter,” is actually more divisive than unifying. An analogy that has really helped me understand why “ALL Lives Matter” is NOT the same as “BLACK Lives Matter,” is the broken arm analogy. Let’s say that you broke your arm and you go to the doctor, and the doctor tells you “all you bones matter, not just your arm.” You’re gonna think “Yes, all my bones matter” but my arm is the one that needs the attention and care right now. BLM is that arm. No one is saying all lives don’t matter, in fact, every sane person knows all lives matter, but until 2020, BLACK lives haven’t mattered and are in danger at the hands of the very people who are supposed to protect us. Saying “Black Lives Matter” isn’t the same as saying other lives don’t, but that Black Lives should matter as much as White lives. Yes, your life matters too, even if you're not Black, and yes your safety is also important. But the raw truth is, African-Americans are impacted by police violence and systematic racism in our nation, and our social structure revolves around “Whiteness” as a default. Police brutality against the Black community has gone unnoticed for too long. Now, what can we do to change that? It’s simple, get involved. At this moment in July 2020, going out to protests and donating to organizations that support BLM might be difficult with COVID-19, but there are many alternatives. The first step to fighting racism in your own racism is listening and educating yourself. Listen to others and their points of view on the movement. Listen to those in your own society that have gone through racial discrimination and listen to what they have to say regarding the movement. If you can, vote in your state and national elections. The use of social media is our biggest tool, especially in 2020. Using social media to spread awareness and educate others, can have a bigger impact on the country’s approach to police brutality and racial discrimination. Support racial justice organizations and Black businesses around your area. We can all work together to destroy the racial bias that exists virtually under every aspect of this world. It’s going to be hard and it IS going to be uncomfortable. But I truly do believe that we can achieve the goal of a world, free of racism. A world where our children can live peacefully, without being afraid to walk down the street or to go buy something at the 7/11 or even ask a police officer for help without fearing for their life, no matter the color of their skin, or where their ancestors are from. Post written by guest writer Sarah Shivakumar The headlines are always the same. Just variations of different cases, different people, different murders. Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy shot dead for holding a toy gun. Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old father of two shot dead for using his cell phone. Atatiana Jefferson, a 28-year-old female shot dead in front of her 8-year-old nephew. George Floyd, a 46-year-old man suffocated to death for buying groceries. It angers me that we live in a country in which a person’s skin color can carry a death sentence. In which being black means being up to six times more likely to be killed by the police. Isn’t America supposed to be the land of equality and opportunity?
In fact, these murders are nothing short of modern-day lynchings. In the 18 and 1900s, lynchers would hide behind the color of their skin. Now, they hide behind a blue uniform and a badge. Few are put on trial and even fewer are charged for their crimes. How can we expect a change in police shootings if they are not held responsible for their actions? What message does it send to other policemen if they know law enforcement can get away with murder? Too many of our black brothers and sisters have died for us to continue to stay quiet. We cannot let the Black Lives Matter movement be a trend that dies down. Because even though the trending hashtags on Twitter and Instagram may fade with time, the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many more will never truly disappear. They have left an unforgettable hole in our society that serves as a constant reminder of the blatant oppression and racism in the United States. And recently, I have noticed a lot of performative activism on social media: people who post about BLM frankly because it’s a trend. But the truth is, performative activism does not have any substantial impact on the actual black lives matter movement. Instead of posting about BLM solely to not attract criticism for being racist, take some time to read up about the issue. Learn and educate yourself about the injustices taking place in our country. We as a community have to stop acting like racism does not exist in our town or that it ends with justice for George Floyd. Racism does not exist in small pockets of our country. Instead, it’s deeply buried in this nation’s history, institutions, and mindsets of its citizens. Prejudice against people of color and against immigrants has been normalized to the point that it is treated as a “joke” or a simple comment. With the growth of COVID in the United States, Asians have also been targeted for their ethnicity. People are using their fears and anxiety over the coronavirus in order to justify their xenophobic beliefs. Whether it’s accusing a Chinese person of eating a bat or subconsciously moving away when a black man walks past, racism exists everywhere around us. Each of us has a personal responsibility to hold people accountable for their actions and uphold the justice and equality that we want this nation to be built on. Post written by guest writer Vaishali Bansal It has now been about a month since the death of George Floyd, and there is growing pressure to address Black oppression in our nation. Although the oppression of Black individuals isn't a new topic, Floyd's death has played a vital component in the momentum of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Since Floyd's death, I have seen a lot of my Asian-American community standing in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters. However, I have also seen comments questioning where all of this solidarity was when Chinese-Americans were facing racism due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. A couple weeks ago, not that long after the death of Floyd, I came across an Instagram video of comedian David So addressing the situation of another Asian-American Influencer receiving backlash for her "what about us rhetoric". In this video and another he talked about how there is a time and place for everything, he didn't deny that Asian-Americans face discrimination, but he said it wasn't our time and place right now. His message is essential and something that we all must process, however, the feelings expressed by this Influencer that received lash back also needs to be addressed.
When I decided that I wanted to write a piece about the importance of the Asian Community's solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, I realized I was missing something. For weeks, I wondered how to address individuals of the Asian-American community adequately, especially those who faced xenophobia in the wake of COVID-19. After reflecting on the words of this Eastern-Asian Instagram influencer for her public comments that gave off the "All Lives Matter" rhetoric, I was forced to reflect on my evolution of thinking. As an Asian-American who was born and raised in a predominantly white community, I experienced my share of not being seen. And I have also failed to recognize my racial privilege in the past, because even though I am POC, I carry racial privilege as an Asian-American compared to individuals in the Black community. It was when I forced myself to stop looking at myself as a victim, and instead look at the whole picture that I fully accepted the racial privileges I have. In the past, I have fallen victim to the "what about me?" rhetoric because I felt invisible and insecure, growing up in a White community. However, I recognize now that while my experiences are valid, they are not at the same level of oppression that Black individuals face every day since the beginning of their existence in the United States. To any Asian-American individual that has felt anxious, has been physically affected, or knows an individual affected by xenophobia in the wake of COVID-19, I see you. I see your pain, and I validate it. However, in the wake of Floyd's death and an ever more presence of racism and oppression that Blacks have continually faced and we as a society have turned a blind eye too, we must focus on validating the oppression of the Black community. A mentor once said to me, "you don't know what you don't know" in regards to the privilege we carry in not recognizing racism. Each of us carries a certain level of privilege based on our race in America. And based on this privilege, we either completely, partially, or not at all understand racism. As a teenager living in a White town, I didn't know that I still carried racial privilege that I was turning a blind eye to. To any individual affected by xenophobia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, I encourage you to use what you know to lift the Black community. The COVID-19 pandemic did result in racism towards the Eastern-Asian community, however it doesn’t equate to the systemic oppression Blacks face on a daily basis since the beginning of their presence in the United States. By all of us rallying and standing behind the Black community, nobody is denying the oppression of other Non-Black POCs. Instead we are focusing on the community that does not have the same basic human rights that the rest of us do. Post written by guest writer Sofia Molvi This idea of “staying quiet” and “it’s not our business” that prevails in most South Asian and some East Asian communities needs to end right now. The Asian cop could’ve been any South or East Asian. I KNOW that if they put what they’ve been told since birth over their morals or even their religious beliefs, they would do the same and do NOTHING. If they had the decency, if they truly followed their morals, if they followed WHAT MAKES THEM HUMAN, if they followed their emotion, if they followed their instinct, if they followed what is right, if they followed the principles set forth by Islam, by Christianity, by Judaism, by Hinduism, by Sikhism, and any religion, THEY WOULD DO SOMETHING. THEY WOULD HAVE TOLD HIM TO STOP. THEY WOULD HAVE DEFENDED THEIR BLACK BROTHERS AND SISTERS. THEY WOULD HAVE AT LEAST DONE SOMETHING.
We are told to care about what people think. We are told to live life the way the powerful want it. We are told to bow down to Whites. Our culture equates a lighter skin tone to more beauty. We are told that we are UNEQUAL. We are divided against each other. Where is the idea that we are all human? There is a search for gossip and drama. We work to keep our jobs and be successful but nothing about appreciating our humanity. This is toxic. The foundation of the country is our Black brothers and sisters. THE VERY MOVEMENT THEY FOUGHT FOR GAVE US THE RIGHT TO COME IN AND SUCCEED. Us as the “model minority” is created as a result of their struggles and fight for civil rights that have allowed us to have some voice in the country. It is our duty to support them. We can’t continue to fear the idea of being human. We can’t reject the idea of being human. We can’t perpetuate an inferiority complex onto ourselves. We need to protest, raise our voice, and support the Black Lives Matter movement. Post written by guest writer Sasha Afroz Saying that the world is going through a tough time right now is an understatement. Fortunately for those of us who have access to the Internet, things are more bearable. At the same time, this very exposure to social media can be harmful because there is a lot of pressure to reinvent ourselves in a time like quarantine. But that pressure, the stress of becoming totally new should not be there. Because like it or not, our lives are in danger and, if there are people who are not feeling motivated enough, or people who are scared to go out- rightly so- then, these people have the right to stay inside their homes and not feel like they are wasting all of this time.
These are also the people who are contributing majorly to breaking the chain of infection- the risk of which increases, every time someone or the other decides to leave their homes. Personally, I am grateful for the fact that I have unrestricted access to my social media feeds, which tends to fill in for the lack of social interaction that I need. I see people being productive and managing to stay positive and healthy during this time and that makes me happy. But what I also see, is that a lot of my friends and people I follow are undergoing a phase of restricting their diets, eating a lot of low-fat food and being really insecure about their bodies while they stay at home. As someone who frequently deals with issues of body positivity, I understand their predicament. The mentality that they are following is that “Quarantine = Free Time = Reinvent my body” or “Quarantine= No Stepping Out = Not Being able to Exercise = Weight Gain/Loss = Body Shaming Oneself.” I want to put a stop to the belief, that if you do not lose weight or you do not gain weight, or you don’t become thicker or thinner, you have wasted your time in this lockdown period. This is not me saying that you shouldn’t want to exercise, or that you shouldn’t healthy. This is me, saying that if, you do not feel comfortable or if you’re just afraid of going out, it is okay. This is me, telling you, that even if you do not look some Victoria’s Secret model, or glow up, you are still beautiful. This is me also saying, that if you have a safe environment to exercise or work out and you want to do so, it is absolutely okay. The only condition is that you are doing it because you are motivated to do so by yourself- it should not be happening because you have given in to peer pressure. Do it because you love yourself, not because you hate yourself. In the time of such crisis, where people are dying every day, you have done your body and yourself a great service by just managing to survive. This is the kind of war that people don’t realize they are engaged in unless they take a direct hit which suddenly puts everything in perspective for them. Don’t put yourself through that. Another important thing to realize is that it’s very easy to fall for social media projections. I’ve done that a lot before realizing, and understanding that my priorities, goals and ideologies are very different from the people that I see online. So, clearly, their life-planners cannot, and more importantly, should not coincide with mine. These are people who have a different approach to life than I do. By comparing myself to their life standards, I end up making myself miserable when in fact, I have no actual basis for this. If a 23-year-old woman makes a smoothie and drinks it while she relaxes on her couch after a yoga session at 10 a.m., I cannot expect myself to act like her. Because I am a 17-year-old, who has online school starting at 9 a.m. and those exact expectations out of myself become futile. Instead, what I can do is that if she inspires the smoothie-making urge in me, I can make one in my free time. I can adjust and I must adjust, my aspirations and my interests according to the lifestyle I’m following. This awareness comes after considerable stepping back and reevaluation of your own lives. It’s imperative that this reevaluation happens because once you have understood your own perspective, you will automatically see a shift in your life, because things will happen according to a realistic timetable. They will not be pushed into your life so uncomfortably that there is hardly any space for anything else. You must not let yourself fall for the Instagram life, or try to match your expectations to those online. The last thing I want to address is that don’t fall prey to your own mind either. As much of a kind person you may be, the mind plays tricks on you to make you believe that you’re not enough. You might find yourself very susceptible to beliefs about not being pretty enough or hot enough. You might find it very easy to associate your self-worth with the way you look and you might also find it easy to believe the negative thoughts more easily than the positive ones. And it’s okay. Loving yourself, especially when it comes to your physical aspects, can be an uphill challenge. I still struggle with it, because my good days might come more often but my bad days are a lot darker and stronger. I’ve had days in this quarantine where I’ve felt my mental health slip through my fingers and I’ve watched myself quietly break down without a word to anyone. I have sat myself in front of a mirror and wished to carve my body into a new shape, give myself a new face. I have hated myself and loathed myself and held in tears till it felt like I was bursting. And I know a lot of you might have done the same too. The idea behind loving yourself is to accept your body the way it is. I want to glorify self-love. I want people to be able to look at themselves and instead of letting a trail of doubts and insecurities linger at the back of their minds, I want them to smile. Regardless of however they may look. The next time you look in the mirror, I want you to say “I love you” to yourself. And then repeat it, every time you look at yourself. I want you to ignore your mind when it tries to find flaws within you and outside of you. I want you to stay healthy because there is no point in doing any of this, if you do not have a healthy body to bank upon. Stay home, stay love and believe in yourself. You’re at your most beautiful when you’re in love with yourself. Post written by guest writer Nandiinii Gupta Why do women have to conform to stereotypes? Since when did all women lose their individuality?
Everyone is supposed to be their own person. Love certain things, be good at certain things, and hate certain things. But for some reason, females have to dress a certain way. People know women can be powerful-or at least most do. But what about when it comes down to what women wear? Their makeup? How does it change how women are seen? The truth is, it’s everything. Women are notoriously known for the stereotype of taking forever while getting dressed and being self-conscious about how others perceive them. I thought this was a “me” thing. The truth? It’s not. It’s a woman thing. I wear makeup daily. Not to conform to society, but to enhance my features and boost my confidence. But I am not everyone. I know many females dress up and become someone they are not just to fit in. In society, women are conditioned to look a certain way and to act a certain way. Often times, a women’s clothing determines how they will be treated, or “what they deserve.” personally, I have a problem with this. There was a news story that came out about a month ago: a girl who was attending homecoming for homeschooled students opted to wear a chic jumpsuit instead of a typical homecoming dress. Just for this, she was barred from attending. I can’t offer any tangible solutions to problems such as the one above, but I can share my anger. Whatever happened to having a brain and being outspoken? All of a sudden, it is not enough. I’m afraid with the current political climate and the prevailing attitude towards women, nothing will ever be enough. There are powerful women in society, such as Oprah and Beyonce, who set the standards themselves, but this is not universal. We, as a society, lack a widespread acceptance of being an individual. Being a woman should not bar a person from being themselves. Personally, like the powerful supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, “I dissent.” Written by guest writer Daniela Wise Find more of Daniela at her Tribune staff profile: https://thewildcattribune.com/staff_profile/daniela-wise/ Hi! My name is Anusha Pai, and I am a junior living in San Ramon, California. Now, you might be thinking, “Yeah yeah, I’ve heard way too much about growth mindset, be positive, blah blah blah.” But in reality, your outlook on life can be a determining factor in your success. It is easy to get discouraged today, whether it be in school, sports, or personal goals. It’s much more difficult to ignore those setbacks and keep going. Today, negativity is everywhere I look- people predict future grades on tests, talk flippantly about serious mental health issues, and generally act like they know how their life will end (badly). Last year, I decided to take a math class that has a reputation at my school for being “one of the hardest.” Despite all the warnings, I was sure that I would be able to sail through it. Well, long story short, I struggled. After failing the first test, I couldn’t believe that the class was going the way I had expected. However, instead of brushing aside the failure and focusing on my next goals, I let the negativity consume me. Before each test, I convinced myself that I didn’t know the concepts, and that I was going to do badly. I fell into a negative pattern, and it took me the whole of first semester to pull myself out of it. At the beginning of second semester, I decided to try something new- I would only think about how much I did know, and it would only be positive thinking. It worked! I found that the more positive I was (and the more I studied rather than cried about my nerves), the better I did. I did a lot better in that math class during second semester, and I feel like I learned a few life skills along the way.
A growth mindset is important because it teaches you that it is okay to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them and keep going. The moment you let a mistake define you, the door is opened for negativity and obstacles. Just a little positivity can have a wonderful effect on you self-esteem as well as your life in general. So the next time you make a mistake, remember that you’re only human and think about what you can do to improve. Trust me, the thought process will work. Post published by guest writer Anusha Pai |
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