Monthly Archives: April 2024

Extra Credit Post 1- Democracy Works Podcast

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I listened to the 4/2/24 podcast “Democracy is the Sum of Us“. This episode was extremely enlightening on how public policy can work in immense ways to work against the current government issues. Heather McGee heavily promotes asking questions and trying to find answers to why things are the way they are. It is easy to look at the current status of America and say “This is just the way it’s always been” when that isn’t always true.

Being able to take a step back and examine the history of our country and ask uncomfortable questions is what will help us evaluate how to take the next step in our current policy proposals. For example, McGee tells the story about the public pool phenomenon in the 20th century. In the 1900s, these public spaces were accessible for the common good of the citizens and showed the “prosperity” of America because of the ability to do this. But once segregation took part in this aspect and there was a push to allow black people to have access to these public places, this “common good” took a turn. Instead of allowing access or even negotiating a deal to benefit both sides, this started an uptick in privatization in America. This was the “massive ideological shift away from collective solutions“. Without knowing this, you might’ve just assumed that America always promoted privately owned entities such as schools, libraries, parks, etcetera, 

A common theme in this podcast was highlighting that a lot of current issues in the states stem from the upper class being selfish in what belongs to them and prioritizing their needs first. This starts to negatively affect the rest of the population leaving them with little to nothing and starts to affect the quality of living within many areas of America. A quote that stuck with me in this podcast was, “People are looking for common solutions to common problems with people of different backgrounds“. I thought this was a good pour to highlight because of the wide range of all economic statuses in this country and how it can be hard to find one solution that will accommodate every citizen, but focusing on a more broad and common theme that can help create a more equal country can help help evolve our current issues. 

Not being scared to ask questions and deep dive into why certain things are the way they are in the US can jumpstart this change that many people want to see. The United States is a country deeply rooted in individualism and strong ego, this can create a lack of openness to chasing how our system works. McGee does a good job of encouraging the breakdown of what has been happening in politics through her actions. She is an incredibly education individual who isn’t scared to face the hard questions when it comes to public policy. 

This episode helped me gain even more of an understanding of public policy and all of the work and questions that go into creating a policy that works for all sides and can create fewer issues within the current government. 

Personal is Political (10)

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I have learned that surrounding yourself with people who uplift you is so important. My dad always said to me “You are the average of the five people you hang out with”. When you think about it, this is very true. I have been so lucky to be surrounded by family that is loving and supports me and friends who are hardworking and good people. Having this kind of support group keeps you grounded when you might be going through some hard times.

Three people I would like to highlight in this blog are my three older sisters. Growing up with a big family, I have gotten so close to all of my siblings and you connect in a lot of different ways. My sister and I have always been close and have done so much together. We tell each other everything and call each other out when one of us might be out of line. This past year, I was the last sibling to be shipped off to college. My siblings gave me a lot of advice and told me all the tips and tricks of how to survive in college. As much as I was excited to go, I was going to miss my family and friends but knew that there was so much waiting for me at Penn State.

The first semester had its ups and downs but one constant was checking in with my sisters. They helped me navigate situations and were always there when I needed to talk. When I needed advice, they were always there to provide some insight for me. Being able to be so close with people who know support you is a great thing and I am so lucky to have that I have had that during a big shift in my life. On the other side of this, you need to be there when others are in need. Maintaining good relationships is a two-sided street and being able to show this through actions is vital.

As the first year of college is wrapping up, one of the biggest takeaways is surrounding yourself with good people. My roommates have become like sisters and I’ve met so many amazing people throughout the two semesters. It’s so crazy to look back at the first week here and not knowing anyone and the campus feeling like such a foreign place. But now, as your circle grows, the community around you becomes so familiar and a crucial part of your life.

At the end of the day, people are always looking for more human connection. It can seem nerve-wracking to meet new people and step out of your comfort zone. For me, there were a lot of rocky moments in the beginning, but learning how to adapt to this change and figure out how to make it feel easier and natural can help you start sailing smoothly. This all starts with finding those people that you connect with and enjoy being around. After that, everything becomes easier!

Civic Issue (5)

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Today, my topic is going to cover the overall loss of biodiversity. It is crucial that the Earth has a prospering environment with many different species and biomes that work together to create a better planet. With the help of our own hands, this biodiversity is depleting before us. This is because our damage to the land and sea and how we use this for our own selfish reasons.

What is biodiversity loss? It is “a decrease in biodiversity within a species, an ecosystem, a given geographic area, or Earth as a whole.” (Britannica). This is an umbrella term for anything and everything that contributes to the environment including animals, bacteria, and plants. As we know, all of these things are crucial to are quality of life on Earth. We need these things to survive and obtain a clean and prosperous Earth.

When using this land, we are destroying these species’s homes and practically evicting them from where they live. When these animals don’t have a habitat they lose the ability to fit into the food web and ultimately get eliminated from the biome. This problem has been occurring more and more over the years and have resulted in a spike of loss of biodiversity. From 1990 to now, “around 420 million hectares of forest have been lost through conversion to other land uses” (UNEP). Hearing this statistic is alarming and hopefully we can turn around this number in upcoming years.

Climate change has also been a big contributor to the loss of biodiversity. As the climate has been changing, these species aren’t accumulated to the change in environment of where they live and this can result in species not being able to survive in the new climate. An example of this is with coral reefs. Coral reefs are known to be very temperamental with their environment, so when ocean temperature starts to rise they can’t survive this change in environment.

A solution to this issue is to fix how we go about how we use the land. For many cases. Many areas that have prospering species have been converted to urban areas to benefit more people and the economy. This results in a plummet of biodiversity and destroyed many species’s habitats. We need to start conserving the land that has a multitude of various species and blooming biomes. This will help combat the loss of biodiversity on Earth. Making sure we priories the animals and plants around us that contribute so many positive things to out environment is the first step to create a more flourishing planet that we can continue to care for.

We are the generation that needs to start stepping in and creating solutions to these ongoing problems that are swept under the carpet. Educating ourselves on these issues can help inspire more people to get out there and take care of our planet.

Sources:

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/five-drivers-nature-crisis#:~:text=The%20biggest%20driver%20of%20biodiversity,conversion%20to%20other%20land%20uses.

https://www.britannica.com/science/biodiversity-loss

 

 

Personal is Political (9)

Posted on by under Personal is Political

My family has always been huge on anything and everything music. My parents who both grew up in the 70s and 80s were always very musically inclined and enjoyed being able to grow up listening to such influential music throughout the years. My mom especially embraced music and following many bands that she grew up hearing all the time. She has gone to so many concerts in her years including Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, and even The Rolling Stones. She kept all of her tickets and the little brochures they would hand out at the concerts. 

When we moved out of our old box, we went through a box of all her old concert tickets and music-related goods. When they saw how interested I was in their music past, my parents gifted me a lot of the old knick-knacks they had from when they grew up. This included a lot of records old posters and shirts. Seeing this side of her made me think about how your parents are growing up right aside of you. It’s easy to have the mindset that your parents have always been adults and weren’t out of age once. This helped me put into perspective how I see my parents and how they are going through life the same way I am. 

Putting people on a pedestal like that can create a damaging perspective of the people around you. This can even be true for celebrities that we see in this day and age. It’s easy to watch their life through social media or TV and see the glamorized version of these people who are, at the end of the day, just people. For me, during COVID and lockdown, I got stuck in a bubble where I would idolize these people that I saw through my screen and fully believe that they had perfect lives and never struggled with anything. This perspective can be harming to people who struggle to find their own identity. Putting people on pedestals can make you believe that those people are flawless and you look up to them in every way. This can result in trying to achieve a lifestyle that isn’t even attainable because it is unrealistic. 

I have seen this problem happening a lot, especially people going through their teenage years. Social media plays a big part in this issue. People tend to only post the highlights in their day-to-day lives (because who would post the bad parts?). When people see this they tend to gravitate to the fact that “that influencer’s life is so perfect and I need to be more like them”. This mindset will only harm people’s quality of life. 

Shortly, I hope that this style of social media is combatted with a more healthy and realistic solution. If we continue to paint celebrities and social media influencers in this light, people’s mental health will plummet. This perspective doesn’t apply to everyone, but there is a high majority of people who struggle with social media image and are overall influenced by what people post online. 

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