Democracy Works Extra Credit #2

This episode is titled “How Discontent Destabilizes Democracy”.

This episode begins with Chris Beem talking about the idea that all across the political spectrum, there is an agreed sense of discontent with current politics in America. One of the issues is economic. Many people wonder how the economic downturn in this country came to be. Part of the reason, according to many people, is the idea of culture and how it ties into the economic state of our country. Many people feel as though people who used to feel economically powerful no longer feel that way. Both Smith and Beem refer to a book titled “The Age of Discontent: Populism, Extremism, and Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary Democracies” to assist with their opinions about the idea of discontent in democracy.

One of the authors of the book, Matthew Rhodes-Purdy, spoke on the episode and said something that stuck out to me. He said, “And we think there’s something underlying all this, which is just this general sense that democracy is not working for people anymore” (Rhodes-Purdy). This creates a debate between people who may be angry about the democratic state of this country because of reasons like job loss, and those that do appreciate democracy. He also defined Democratic discontent by claiming that discontent is a more intense and deep unhappiness with the way that things are, combined with the building of this feeling over time to result in feeling as though the normal mechanisms of democracy that work to change things that are not going well are not functioning properly. Something important that he states is that there is always going to be certain percentage of the population that are just going to be frustrated and angry, and there is nothing you can do to totally get rid of this discontent. I think so often we, as a nation, strive to try and please everyone politically, or we think that a certain governmental change or political candidate is going to make us politically content, when often this is not the case.

Jenna Spinelle refers to a part of the book with the metaphor that economics are the roots, culture is the branch, and emotions are the trunk that connects the two. Rhodes-Purdy then expands upon this by describing his theory that economics, emotions, and culture is what produces the discontent, and the tree emphasizes how these all relate to one another in a metaphorical way.

This episode was a valuable resource when trying to understand why people are often so angry at the way that politics, specifically the economy and culture, work in this country. I think it would be very helpful to read the book “The Age of Discontent: Populism, Extremism, and Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary Democracies” to understand even more about where this discontent comes from and how we can work towards changing things for the better in this country.

 

Democracy Works Extra Credit #1

I listened to the episode titled “A Different Kind of Political Divide”.

In this episode, Chris Beem (at McCartney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University) leads with an interesting analogy about being a Bears fan and having an opinion on the team’s quarterback. He shares an experience in which he felt inferior to another person because he did not know as much about the Bears as he did. I related to this analogy because I often feel as though I do not know much about politics, and it can be uncomfortable to have a political conversation with someone who knows more about it than I do.

Candis Watts Smith then discussed the idea that many people get their political knowledge from unreliable sources such as TikTok, and that many people post their opinions with the intention of sharing that their way of thinking about politics is the “right way” to think about politics. Yanna Krupinov, a political science professor, follows politics very regularly and states that politics is central to her life. This statement is not something that everyone could agree with though (around 10-15% of people would agree). This creates a divide in the nation between people who follow politics and form their opinion off of reliable sources, and those that do not.

Something that John Barry Ryan mentioned in the episode is that “in a lot of cases, being deeply involved is a tremendous amount of time. And it’s not just a tremendous amount of time, it’s a tremendous amount of flexible time, not everybody has the type of flexible time where they can actually check in what’s happening” (Ryan). I am not sure I completely agree with this. I think some people may choose this mindset as their excuse for not being up-to-date with the world politically. For me, as someone who is not updated regularly with politics, it is not as much time as it is a lack of interest as the issue. I genuinely just do not finding reading politics interesting, so it deters me from reading or watching the news.

One topic that was brought up during the episode was the conflict that journalists face where they need to find a balance with reporting the information that is important, but sometimes people do not read it because they either do not find it interesting or they have already heard it. I liked Krupinov’s analogy to this where she compared it to a reporter who writes about all of the planes that did not experience turbulence. Obviously that is something that no one wants to read about. She also says that the people who are so into politics are the ones that “often want to cause turbulence on the flight” (Krupinov). She says that the whole purpose of journalism is to bring politics into a story where politics does not seem to actually belong in.

Overall, this was an interesting episode about the divide between people who are invested in politics and stay up to date with their information from sources that are trustworthy, and the people that either do not read at all or those that base their opinions off of unreliable sources.

Personal is Political: Ladies Night Out

In March of 2024, I volunteered with SCOPE, a Student-run Collaborative Outreach Program for Health Equity, to bring healthcare to women in an underserved county in central PA. Going into this event, I was very unsure of what to expect. It landed on a Friday night, and the town was roughly two hours from State College. Friday evenings are usually my time to shut down school for the weekends to enjoy a much deserved break from a long week. Nonetheless, a friend and I decided that we would give it a try, and we were so glad we did!

PSU’s SCOPE is a program lead by Penn State Hershey’s medical students and nursing students. They work with members of the community to spread their mission as far and as wide as possible. This particular event, “Ladies Night Out”, was a circus-themed girls only event with dozens of vendors, dancing, music, food, prizes, and more.

SCOPE was able to bring a few PSU nursing students (myself included!), a few Penn State Hershey resident and attending doctors, and PSU medical students. I loved being able to work with people much older and farther into their career path than me as I was able to observe how their past experiences got them to the place they are in today; it was extremely inspiring! On the contrary, it was very intimidating to enter that building full of powerful women and feel so small and containing such little knowledge.

I gave it some time, and I ended up having a wonderful night offering free healthcare screenings to women who need it the most. My favorite part of the night was not the healthcare as much as it was the conversations that these women allowed me to have with them about their lifestyles, their health, and their personal struggles. I will forever be thankful that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to attend this event, and I hope that I will continue to take part in events like this that strive to bring the basic necessity of healthcare to those who need it.

 

Thank you.

Personal is Political: Volunteering at the Homeless Shelter

When I was in high school, I would dedicate some time each month to spend at the homeless shelter in downtown Harrisburg PA. Going into this project, I did not know what to expect in terms of what I would be required to do or how I would interact with individuals. It was scary. It was uncomfortable. But after only a few short short months, I finally learned that my preconceived notions were far from the truth.

Most weekends I would leave the shelter with tears from laughter on my face. These people were so funny and so full of life, and they didn’t have a chance to prove themselves to the world. It always broke my heart to know how much they appreciated the small social interaction that I was able to provide to them each month. I always wish that I had more time with them to get to know them even better.

During one of my weekends there, I helped the staff to serve meals to the residents of the shelter. I remember handing out bread rolls and feeling so appreciated for the work that I was doing. It is interesting to recognize that I find it hard to remember the day-to-day mundane tasks that I did around the shelter, but I will never forget the interactions that I have with people there. They would always have the best manners to thank me for being there, and they would appreciate any small gesture or gift that I would bring for them.

I hope that in the future more of us can spend time in facilities like this homeless shelter to understand that just because these people live a life that looks different from ours, it does not mean that they are any less than us. These people are still kind, compassionate, and appreciative with so much life and humor inside of them. I hope that one day homeless people will start to be treated at an equal with the rest of society.

 

Thank you.

Civic Issues: Women as Athletes

Women did not start playing on sports teams until 1882. After this point, many woman began to earn an income from playing their sport, similar to how professional mens’ sports teams did it. However, the reality of the pay disparity is just as bad for professional female athletes as any other occupation. According to statistics from Aldephi University, the pay gap between men and women varies greatly depending on the industry and professional sports sits on that list at 96%. This means that female professional athletes tend to earn 96% of what their male counterparts are making per year. For example, when comparing Men’s National Basketball to Women’s National Basketball, men are making an average of $10.8 million while women are only making $113.3 thousand (Aldephi University).

It is difficult to understand exactly why this pay gap exists, but to put it simply: women’s sports tend to be less popular than men’s sports, so they will generate less revenue (Lexology). It makes sense, right?

So what can we do about this? The United States Women’s National Soccer team was ahead of the time and they sued the organization for gender discrimination. They recognized that the US Men’s team was making significantly more money than they were, so they did something about it. This allowed them to receive $24 million from the lawsuit that could be shared among the team (The New York Times).

Eventually, many other individuals or organizations, like Billy Jean King in her tennis match from 1973, started catching on to the pay gap and wanted to do something about it, too. Because of these voices that recognized the injustice towards female athletes who work just as hard as male athletes, the pay gap has only decreased in professional sports throughout the years. It is imperative that we understand how to recognize when a particular demographic is being underserved financially to ensure that both men and women are being paid for the amount that they deserve to, regardless of sex or gender.

 

Thank you.

 

Citations:

Cavil, Elinor, and Sara Jenkins. “Gender Pay Gap in Sport – Disparity, Progress and the Way Forward?” Lexology, DLA Piper, 29 Mar. 2023, www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=30c3aac5-e4b6-4661-8557-52bc6f0d331d#:~:text=The%20main%20explanation%20put%20forward,restricted%20from%20participating%20in%20sport.

Holtermann, Callie. “What Should Be Done about the Gender Pay Gap in Sports?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 Feb. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/02/25/learning/what-should-be-done-about-the-gender-pay-gap-in-sports.html.

Wigley, Reed. “Male vs Female Professional Sports Salary Comparison.” Adelphi University Online, 1 Dec. 2023, online.adelphi.edu/articles/male-female-sports-salary/.

RCL: Full (rough) Outline for Issue Brief

Title: “Uncovering Injustice: Addressing the Global Crisis of Human Trafficking”

Introduction (context and exigence): Human trafficking serves as a brutal violation of human rights for many individuals all throughout the world, impacting an estimated 40.3 million people globally (Forgotten Children Worldwide- Chicago Citation). This disheartening statistic is almost representative of the entire state of California’s population, and there is an entire reality of exploitation and suffering involved in the lives of those millions of people. Not only is it critical to bring awareness to the anguish experienced by victims of this modern-day slavery, but it is imperative that we decide on a course of action to prevent future cases from increasing in numbers.

This brief seeks to shed light on the potential risk factors for becoming a victim of human trafficking. It dives into the place of vulnerability that being in a place of economic insecurity can place someone in when it comes to human trafficking, as well as how a lack of education can steer individuals down the treacherous and deceitful path that trafficking ends up being. For reference, a survey conducted by Humanity United directed towards victims and survivors of human trafficking states that 44 out of 88 (or 50%) of the respondents claim that they earned less than $30,000 per year (Humanity United- Chicago Citation). In light of these challenges, we must seek governmental interventions in order to understand trafficking’s root causes and potential solutions. By organizing the efforts of both the legislative government and individual determination, we can succeed in forming a future where the the freedom and dignity of all individuals is served without fail.

 

Thesis (possibles courses of action):

  1. law enforcement training to help identify human trafficking when it is occurring rather than letting it go unnoticed
  2. implementing rehabilitation services and support for victims and their families
  3. educating people on how to avoid getting trafficked (ie. what it looks like, vulnerable communities, suspicious signs)

Evidence and arguments (based on above courses of action):

Infographics (1 original and up to 3 from other sources):

Subtitles:

  1. poverty
  2. education

Feasibility and possible objections: 

  1. the internet

Sources: 

Poverty and Human Trafficking: Survey Findings Reveal Racism and Precarity

Human Trafficking by the Numbers

 

Personal is Political: Toys for Head Start

During my senior-year internship at Capital Area Head Start (that was discussed in a previous post), I decided that I wanted to organize a toy drive to bring new and fun toys/activities to the students that I spent each day with. Unfortunately, I knew that high school students would not be inclined to donate toys for these kids that they had never met, unless there was an incentive. With that in mind, I decided to utilize my position as my high school’s Key Club Vice President to provide service hours to our members in exchange for a certain number of toys. I essentially told the hundreds of students in Key Club that they could earn one service hour (to count towards National Honors Society or Key Club’s yearly service hour requirements) for every two toys that they donated. I let the donation drive last for 30 days, and I could not believe what I saw.

One month later, I checked the donation bins and realized that all of the bins that were scattered throughout my high school were overflowing with exciting toys. There was a wide range of toys including barbies, coloring books and pencils, action figures, sports balls, and so much more. I was both shocked and emotional that my community came together to gather all of these toys for a group of children that meant so much to me. It took me a couple of hours to gather up everything, and with the help of my friends and teachers, I was able to package it all into my large vehicle. It completely filled the entirety of my car, and it was amazing to see this project that I planned all coming together.

The following day, I brought all of the toys to the Head Start building where they would later be distributed to different schools throughout central PA. All of the staff members were so grateful for my high school’s contributions, and I could not be more proud.

This toy drive taught me the importance of working together and putting our own needs aside in order to benefit the people in our lives that matter most. I will always be grateful to the individuals in my high school who contributed to this amazing cause, and I hope that donation drives like the one I created will continue to supply items to the people that need it more than we do.

 

Thank you.

Introductory Draft

Human trafficking serves as an issue for many individuals all throughout the world, and it even takes away the freedom and dignity of people in the United States. This modern-day form of slavery impacts an estimated 40.3 million people globally (Forgotten Children Worldwide- Chicago Citation). That is almost representative of the entire state of California’s population. This issue brief seeks to bring awareness to the relevance of human trafficking in today’s society, and it suggests possible ways to combat the challenge that these individuals face. Human trafficking is strongly correlated with poverty as it allows traffickers to gain control over victims by luring them in with job opportunities or other benefits. In a survey conducted by Humanity United directed towards victims and survivors of human trafficking, 44/88 (50%) of the respondents claimed that they earned less than $30,000 per year (Humanity United- Chicago Citation). When facing an issue as large as this one, it is imperative that we seek government involvement.

 

Sources:

Poverty and Human Trafficking: Survey Findings Reveal Racism and Precarity

Human Trafficking by the Numbers

 

Categories: RCL

Civic Issues: Pay Disparity Among Men and Women

It has certainly been a hot-topic in the news the past few years that the pay disparity between genders is substantial. According to Forbes Advisor, women earn 16% less than men on average (Haan). Although there have been numerous repeated attempts to dissolve the gap, there is still a disparity that exists.

The statistics can be broken down based on race and ethnicity, too. For example, “Women of color are among the lowest-paid workers in rural areas, with rural Black and Hispanic women making just 56 cents for every dollar that rural white, non-Hispanic men make.” Additionally, Latinas are only paid 55% of what white men are paid in 2024, and Black women are only paid 64% of what white men are paid (Haas). There are plenty more statistics that work to prove the factual difference in pay between white men and women of color.

When examining the pay gap, it is important to understand that there are two different categories for the pay gap. One type is known as ‘uncontrolled’ and the other is called ‘controlled’. The controlled gap is referring to the difference in pay between men and women who are working the same job, while the uncontrolled gap describes the difference between men and women in different occupations.

Another important concept to understand is that the title of the job heavily impacts the disparity in pay between men and women. Yes, the gap extends to nearly profession, but some job titles see the impact more than others. This is crucial in understanding causes in the pay gap in order to develop a solution.

Another helpful tool in understanding the breakdown in the pay gap is to compare the hourly wage rates between men and women. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the hourly pay for low-wage jobs is $13.55 for men and $12.00 for women. For middle-wage jobs, the pay is $24.77 for men and $20.96 for women. Finally, for high-wage jobs the pay for men is $65.08 and for women it is $50.03. As you can tell, no matter what percentile one’s job falls into, the pay disparity still exists.

We need to work towards creating a work environment where a wage gap does not exist between the genders, and especially between women of color. Here are some ways to achieve this goal, according to the American Association of University Women:

  1. Donate to an organization that supports gender equity
  2. Be a part of the equity network within the AAUW
  3. Partner with the AAUW

Thank you.

 

Works Cited:

“Gender Wage Gap Widens Even as Low-Wage Workers See Strong Gains: Women Are Paid Roughly 22% Less than Men on Average.” Economic Policy Institute, www.epi.org/blog/gender-wage-gap-widens-even-as-low-wage-workers-see-strong-gains-women-are-paid-roughly-22-less-than-men-on-average/. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.

Haan, Katherine. “Gender Pay Gap Statistics in 2024.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024, www.forbes.com/advisor/business/gender-pay-gap-statistics/#:~:text=Women%20earn%2016%25%20less%20than,%2C%20non%2DHispanic%20men%20make.

“The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap: Aauw Report.” AAUW, 16 Oct. 2023, www.aauw.org/resources/research/simple-truth/.

Personal is Political: Hero(in) the Fight

Growing up, my dad and I would spend our Sunday mornings making the 20 minute drive to Harrisburg, PA to run with a group of recovering addicts. We would run along the river for a few miles at an inclusive and conversational running pace. Most weekends would bring the same group of familiar faces, but some weekends we were able to see a larger group with new people.

The people in the running group were all in the Harrisburg drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, and Sunday morning running club was their chance to get out and socialize while also moving their body. These people always showed up for the same reason: to move their body and make connections with others. As two people who did not experience addiction, my dad and I were nervous to attend each weekend. Surrounding yourself with people who have gone through something as hard as an addiction makes them intimidating. Although ironic, I felt like the odd one out. All of these people were here for the same reason, and I could not understand it. I did understand the value of running, though, and that kept me returning each week.

As the months went on and the running continued with this same group of people, I began to realize that they were all so much more than their addiction. These people never really spoke about the time(s) in their lives where they went through the worst of their addiction. Instead, they were just grateful to be having real connections with people again.

These consistent weekends in Harrisburg with recovering heroin addicts taught me the simple lesson of not judging “a book by its cover”. It is easy to be afraid or worried of a group of individuals who have suffered as hard as the suffering involved with a hard-drug addiction. But these people are no different from you and me. They are just trying to make it in this world in the same way that we are, and this lead them to make the wrong decisions. I will forever be grateful for my experiences making connections with these people, and I hope that we can all learn how to treat these people with the same love and respect that you would any other person.

 

Thank you.