Write About An Issue...But Not One That Offends Me

Alright, this is a very juicy article I found in the New York Post. A Michigan high school teacher assigned a paper to students about an issue in their lives that personally affected them. Many of the students used the "Take a Stand Speech" assignment to talk about political and social issues that they have dealt with such as race inequality, poverty, and disability. One student decided to write her paper about something that is normal in her household. For all her life, she has been raised by two gay mothers, so her essay was about the 2015 same-sex marriage that brought her family closer. However, this student's teacher denied her paper and said that she couldn't write about this topic because it may "offend other students". The teacher also denied the student's request to ask classmates whether this topic would offend them.

Ok, now this is just one of those articles that newspapers like the New York Post share to create gossip from small problems in small areas. The issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage has been a large political topic and heated debate. However, this specific situation is not just about who is in a relationship with who: this is a breach of their first-amendment right. This teacher is preventing this student from writing a paper about her two moms because she thinks others will be offended??? It's not like this is a Christian private school; it's an old-fashioned normal high school. Telling someone that they can't say or do something because you're afraid that others may be offended is just the same as saying that you're offended. Apparently, the teacher also denied someone's paper about animal cruelty, so I am very curious to know what topics were accepted. It's just ironic that this teacher would tell his or her class to write a speech about an issue dear to their hearts and then would tell a couple students that they can't write about a topic dear to their hearts. If you're going to assign an essay like this, you have to know that there are going to be many controversial issues addressed. It's okay to have students discuss about these topics and this could have been a great opportunity for the teacher to host classroom discussions about the topics and promote a free-speech environment. But no, because someone may be offended. I'm pretty sure that this teacher just assumed someone probably would be offended by same-sex marriage. If that was true, then the teacher would have denied everyone's topics because at least someone has to be offended by each issue. But no, other topics got the green light, which means that the teacher their-self was offended.

https://nypost.com/2020/02/24/michigan-teacher-refuses-to-let-teen-write-about-her-gay-moms-for-assignment/

How Could Someone Throw Hate at Shakira and J-Lo?

The Super Bowl is one of the most watched broadcasted events in the nation every year, filled with entertaining parties, wacky commercials, and football of course. As fans, we are awarded at half time with a concert featuring top artists each year. As the Kansas City Chiefs battled the San Francisco 49ers for the Lombardi Trophy, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (aka J-Lo) were given the opportunity to perform on America's stage. Their duo performance was fantastic as they represented the latino community and sang all their hit songs.  But there are always going to be haters.

Are you aware of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association? Me neither. But this christian group believes that this "exploitation" of women is hazardous for our youth. Franklin Graham, president of this association, wrote on Facebook after the performance "I don't expect the world to act like the church, but our country has had a sense of moral decency on prime time television in order to protect children. We see that disappearing before our eyes."

Look, have your opinion on how Shakira and J-Lo's performance reflect our society, but their "exploitation" is nothing compared to the cheerleaders that are constantly entertaining fans at every NFL game. No need for everyone else to get worked up about this issue since Graham's rebuttal is minuscule in a sea of positive comments supporting the Half Time Show. Personally, I was a fan of the concert and if you think they were acting sexual, please be aware that modern pop and hip hop is filled with sexual exploits. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just how these artists choose to express their music.


https://upolitics.com/news/franklin-graham-says-he-was-offended-by-super-bowl-halftime-shows-sexual-exploitation-of-women/

Offense is the Lesser of Two Evils

This past New Year's Day marked the beginning of a new decade and many were looking forward to how these next ten years will affect our society. One of the first nationally watched events to take place were the Golden Globes, an awards event that opens the opportunity for celebrities to voice their concerns regarding political issues in our country. Ricky Gervais, the host for these 77th Golden Globes Ceremony, wanted to use his time on stage to not raise awareness for nation-wide issues but instead mock and poke fun at the "Hollywood Elites".

Gervais took his time at the start of the show to rip into the celebrities and expose the lies that cover the audience. Claiming that it was his last time he'd be hosting, he did not hold back as the comedian explicitly gave the diss track of the new decade. After the monologue, some took to twitter to lash out at Gervais for preventing the freedom of speech, but most people were a fan of Gervais's opener and praised him for shutting out the Hollywood Elite. Personally, this speech made me respect the comedian even more. A part of Hollywood himself, he probably burned a few bridges after that speech and lost some respect from peers, but he was willing to take that chance to gain more fans and be truthful about some of these celebrities.

After the Golden Globes, Gervais spoke with The Hollywood Reporter to defend the freedom of speech. When asked about those offended by his monologue, he said:

"I think offense is the collateral damage of free speech, and it's no reason not to have free speech...That's what I'd say -- it's the lesser of two evils. Having free speech and some people getting upset by it is the lesser of two evils because not having free speech is horrendous."

Gervais went on to say how society supports the freedom of speech but when they hear something they don't like, they want to stop it. He doesn't understand how we can have our own views on racism, sexuality, and other political topics, but we aren't allowed to joke about these issues.

This article helps support Gervais's speech he made this prior month at the Golden Globes and shines light on an issue that affects all societal issues. He is a comedian that was asked to host an awards show and as comedian was expected to make people laugh, so it's no surprise that the outcome was a success for him. He believes that you can still be passionate about any current topics as long as you are truthful about your campaign and not be offended by others' remarks. To close, Gervais is also aware of the ethical line and shares that "When people say, 'He crossed the line,' I say, 'I didn't draw a line, you did.' It's relative. It's subjective."

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/ricky-gervais-free-speech-golden-globes

Watch Ricky Gervais's Golden Globes Speech here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCNdTLHZAeo