Tag Archives: society

What I have learned from the Corona Virus

society

Airband, Senior Celebration, Prom, and Graduation. All are luxuries that have either been taken from us or could potentially be taken from us. When District 203 announced that school would be canceled, I was shocked. I knew that the Coronavirus was growing at a rapid rate, but I never thought that it would become a worldwide pandemic. This is something that I will tell my kids 20, maybe 30 years from now.  But as an 18-year-old senior, 2 months away from graduating, I am completely and utterly heartbroken. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with the people who matter most, my friends. It saddens me to know that our time together has been limited. However, over the past couple of days, I’ve gained more insight into the world and how people are and this whole experience caused me to become extremely humble. Let me explain why.

Despite my initial sadness and frustration, I came to realize that many people out there don’t have anything in this world. When I look at the news, Its disturbing seeing people hoard supplies when they don’t need too. What they fail to understand is that this causes an even greater divide within our community. There are people who don’t have access to health insurance, making it hard for them to get tested for the virus. There are those who live paycheck-to-paycheck, who have to go to work despite everything that’s going on. There are also those who have weak immune systems. They are the ones who are really suffering from this outbreak. Not us.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to be sad. Our plans were altered so quickly, we didn’t even get a chance to fully process the situation at hand. Everything happened so fast. Time doesn’t stop for anyone and that’s something that we all had to learn. I’m so sorry that our senior year will forever be changed by this event. Trust me, I know that brighter days are ahead. I’m a sucker for motivational quotes, so here’s one. “The way I see it, If you want the rainbow you gotta put up with the rain.” I know that I personally can’t want to go grab a cheeseburger, fries, and milkshake with my friends once things go back to normal. Remember to have something to look forward too after this quarantine ends 

Hopefully, we will grow as a nation after this all blows over. Hopefully, we will learn to cherish each other and the things around us. We are now restricted from basic things such as hanging out with friends, going to concerts, movies, restaurants. Hell, it’s even a risk going to the grocery store. As the old saying goes “You don’t know what you have until its gone.” and that saying will always remain true. So instead of wallowing in self-pity for the next couple of weeks, here are some things that I recommend:

Read, meditate, journal, walk outside, spend time with your family. Enjoy what’s right in front of you because in an instant they could be taken away from you. 

We got this. We will get through this.

 

 

The rise and fall of Cancel Culture

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Ahhhhhhh, cancel culture. A noble act of removing anyone who says anything remotely problematic. James Charles says that he likes to date straight guys? Canceled. Kylie Jenner wears box braids, yet claims she invented a new style called “shoelace twists”? Canceled. But do we really cancel these people? Do we actually stick to our word and stop supporting influencers who are known for their sexist, racist and homophobic tendencies? The short answer to this question is no

We don’t.

Why don’t we, you ask? Because in society, we love calling out each other’s mistakes and transgressions, yet we can never hold ourselves accountable for our own actions. “I did something wrong but let me showcase the horrible things this person has done to try to deflect the things that I’ve done.”

Make it make sense.

Cancel culture became prevalent in 2012, When Cisco Rosado, A reality star on Love and Hip Hop: New York: told his girlfriend at the time that she was “Canceled”. Shortly after the episode aired, the phrase “You’re Canceled” started to appear all over social media. It became a worldwide phenomenon to cancel a Celebrity, Influencer, or Artist who had opinions that were considered “unpopular” in the mainstream media. The message was simple. Stop supporting people who don’t support you. Don’t waste your money and energy on someone who is disrespectful to their general audience– the people who gave them a platform and voice. It’s upsetting when you find out that your favorite singer, dancer, actor, or actress isn’t what you made them out to be. I get it, I understand that. 

Here is the problem.

In real life, you can’t cancel someone just because they’ve made a mistake. If that’s the case, you and I both would’ve been canceled a longgg time ago. You have to talk and communicate your feelings in a healthy way, creating a mature dialogue between you and that individual. Once that is established, it’s on them whether or not they want to have the same mindset that they did before your encounter. It’s on them whether or not they want to change. Canceling someone without letting them learn from their mistakes will create a mean, bitter, spiteful person who won’t change their behavior. They will believe that the world is against them over something that they didn’t mean to do, making them resentful towards the demographic that they offended. Cancel culture is just as problematic as the person who is being canceled. It hinders growth. It causes us to lack communication skills and  It causes anger, bitterness and hatred– something that we have too much of in this world. 

Before you decide to cancel someone, Always remember that everyone comes from different backgrounds and lifestyles– some different than your own, which doesn’t excuse terrible behavior by any means, but only shows you that some people are so use to the dark, that they’ve never tried to look up and see the light. Learn to be more compassionate. More understanding. More kind. If not for their sake then…

For yours.