The Journalism classes are busy honing their skills in reporting, synthesizing, and writing. Here are some excerpts from their recent pieces.
Women as portrayed by the media – Anna D
The media has a very specific idea of what women should be. When you watch television, you are most likely to see many women that look similar, chosen to depict a certain idea of beauty. Most are thin, have large breasts, and are considered “pretty”. You rarely see “overweight” women, and when you do, there is always someone criticizing the choice of casting. By doing so, the media puts pressure on girls to be a certain way and undermines their confidence from a young age. This depiction is a very unhealthy one.
The media has a large influence on people from the moment they are born. Television and the internet are available in most households in more developed countries. Children are very impressionable and by viewing the same things every day they come to believe that what they see is right. Many young girls pay attention to the media, especially the emphasis on appearance, and use that to judge themselves. From 1995 to 2005, the rate of eating disorders in the world doubled. During this time span, the internet evolved and media became a bigger part of peoples’ daily lives – there is definitely a connection. It doesn’t feel great when you see everywhere that look perfect and you don’t see that when you look in the mirror. This puts pressure on girls from a young age to not eat what they want in order to stay thin. Worryingly, people act like it’s normal and the media has become more explicit. It has gotten to a point where people prefer thin women and dieting is seen as normal…
Sexism or Safety: Altering the Rules of Girls Lacrosse – Sarah P
Lacrosse- the pride of Canada and the central sport of the East Coast. Originally a male-dominated past-time, lacrosse now has a strong and competitive female following. This growing population of girls seeking more from the contact-heavy sport has led to controversy in the rule-books. Women, using far less padding on the field than their male counterparts, have endured several rule alterations in the past for checking, or contact of lacrosse sticks in order to knock it out of opponent’s, shooting, and physical defending. These changes have led to much uproar among female players nation-wide, who insist such regulations are “degrading” and “sexist”. It’s no surprise now that the latest restriction has been the most controversial. From the United States Lacrosse Association (USLA) in Maryland, it was determined that hollow lacrosse balls would be used instead of the previously legal solid ones in female tournaments in the U.S.
The President of the USLA insists that since females lack helmets, getting struck in the head with a lacrosse ball is a more prominent cause of concussions in premature players. He suggested that the new design of hollowing a sphere with a circumference of 3 cm out of the center will lighten the impact to the skull, and therefore, prevent concussions. Among the points provided for the change, one suggested that female players “bruise more easily from hits”. This comes across as sexist and the female lacrosse world has nothing else to do believe than they are thought of as weaker than males…
The Power of Young Minds – Huay Yee L
Children, untainted and pure, innocent in mind. Everyone has to grow up one day, but no one has to lose the greatest qualities all children have. A mind that still learns, dreams, accepts and loves.
A young child, curious at heart, is not afraid to question the word and its actions. Unlike children, adults tend to hide their curiosities and questions. Even worse, they believe with age, they are too wise to be taught and too smart to learn. Closing their minds to what the world has to offer, they refuse to see the wonders provided for them. With a young mind, information is always being acquired, absorbed and understood willingly.
Creativity is another trait that children have more power over. They aren’t aftraid to dream and fly with their imagination. They believe in the impossible and the unbelievable. Adults however, tend to be scared of failure. The impossible is too risky and they stay rooted. They lock up their dreams and believe what hasn’t been achieved is no. Yong minds still let these dreams roam the earth. They put every effort into letting these dreams take flight.
Color is one thing that doesn’t register in the young mind. It also doesn’t register race, religion, gender and sexuality. They love and accept with an open mind. With a closed mind, adults tend to believe that there is almost always a right and wrong for everything. Anything foreign or new is dangerous and should not exist. Young minds don’t care or judge. They try their best to treat everything equally.
Young minds, the one asset that children have over adults. With that, comes the power to learn, to dream, to accept, to love.