America Through The Eyes of a 17 Year Old
In the wake of recent events, such as the legalization of same-sex marriage or the racist shootings in South Carolina, it has come to my attention that the world I live in today is absurd. Seriously. There's no better word that I can come up with in this moment to explain the situation my country is in, even in the midst of the 21st century.
As a 17 year old, I feel that I have experienced enough to form this opinion. I have never been one to really analyze situations like this or argue my own opinion, but in this case, I can't bottle up my feelings any longer. The fact that I am writing this out may actually surprise some people, but now that I am off to college and turning 18, it's time for be to voice my thoughts and act like the adult I aspire to be.
And in my view, it is absolutely insane that just when America is trying to come together and break down the walls of division, there are people still battling to keep these walls standing.
The United States, a leading entity in today's day and age, has unfortunately fallen behind. We like to think that we are this "high and mighty" society and that we are the world leaders, but in reality, this statement is false. How can we POSSIBLY be leaders of this world we live in when in our own society, two men or women can even be treated fairly? I am no expert on gender equality, marriage rights or rights of human beings in general, but as a high school graduate, I know enough that I can realize that we are in no way an equal country.
My thoughts have been provoked due to social media, of course. Because I have lived in 5 states over the course of my lifetime (soon to be 6), I have experienced different things than those I'm surrounded by. Living in Vermont, I am exposed daily to very liberal thought processes and perspectives, which is interesting for me coming from a pretty conservative family. Most of my high school years were spent here, and as most of us know, those years are typically the most essential when it comes to forming opinions in certain subject areas, such as politics. Lucky for me, I had a kick-ass teacher my junior year for AP US Government and Politics, and she taught me more than I could have ever imagined from an unbiased point of view. It was because of her that I take such interest in recent events.
Scrolling through my Facebook news feed this morning, a little lightbulb went off in my head. It wasn't news to me that my region of the Northeast and the region I'm from in the Midwest are two very different places, socially and economically. However, it just occurred to me how different these two areas are ideologically.
Now I'm going to be straight up - I think as most of us can generalize, the south tends to be more religiously based and more conservative, whereas the north leans more towards liberal ways. I know this isn't true for all places, but from what I have observed, this is what I can summarize our country as. And you know what? That's sad. Inevitable, but sad.
So what about my Facebook news feed? The negativity. Most of it is negativity about the recent Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, but some is on race problems like the confederate flag. And I just cannot seem to wrap my brain around it. WHY is it 2015 and race is still a problem? WHY is it 2015 and same-sex marriage is just now being legalized?
It saddens me that most of these negative comments stem from religious backgrounds. I have absolutely no problem with any religion you may chose to practice, but it truly becomes a problem when religion stands in the way of equality. I feel that because I am non-religious, I am sometimes looked upon as being "bad" by those who practice religion. And that's not right. Just because I don't have certain beliefs doesn't mean I am a bad person, nor does it mean I am going straight to hell.
And guess what? That same idea applies to every human being. Religion does not specifically make you a good person, it just simply means you believe in certain concepts that others don't, and that's perfectly fine. Just like blacks and whites, men and women, straights and gays.
I have plenty of gay friends that are absolutely amazing people, and I couldn't be more thankful to know them. Are they going to hell because they like the same-sex as them? Everyone has their own opinions, but to straight up tell someone that they are not a person and that they do not have the same rights or luxuries as you is wrong. That's what wrong. You're wrong to judge them, to accuse them, or to put them down because of their sexual preference.
And here's where my disgust comes in: I just read a post that said "gay marriage is wrong and gays are inhumane. God does not want this for our country. Men marry women and that is it. This is the worst decision the government has made since the end of slavery. This country is going down". How can a person sit there and have the gull to write a statement like that? How can that person dehumanize the people included in that message?
That post continued on with massive hatred within arguments from those who agreed/disagreed with the post. Comments included how the Bible only specifies that men and women can love each other and no one else. Yeah, the Bible may say this. But I am not stupid. WE are not stupid. Guess what else the Bible also says?
No sex before marriage.
Commit to one person for life.
No children without marriage.
I know PLENTY of Christians and people in my old region that have not abided by these rules. Divorce is obviously the biggest. So tell me - are they going to hell? Because according to their OWN religion, those are sins, and therefore call for punishment. Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders - they are all human beings. They have heartbeats, they have brains, and they have feelings. Those qualities describe what a human being is, for all humans deserve equal rights.
Religion is being forced down our throats in every form of society today. We hide behind screens because it's easy. Social media has become an outlet for far too many people to voice their opinions and bring others down. And you may be thinking "Ok Lynds, you're doing the same thing right now by writing that blog post" but that's the thing - I'm not hating on any certain group or people. I am simply stating my experiences, which are literally based off of nothing more than social media trends and the people who surround me in my everyday life.
This country was not built on Christianity, or any religion. This country was built on freedom. Look in any history textbook. Religion is not the driving force of America - equality is.
That's all for now...
Lyndsey
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As a 17 year old, I feel that I have experienced enough to form this opinion. I have never been one to really analyze situations like this or argue my own opinion, but in this case, I can't bottle up my feelings any longer. The fact that I am writing this out may actually surprise some people, but now that I am off to college and turning 18, it's time for be to voice my thoughts and act like the adult I aspire to be.
And in my view, it is absolutely insane that just when America is trying to come together and break down the walls of division, there are people still battling to keep these walls standing.
The United States, a leading entity in today's day and age, has unfortunately fallen behind. We like to think that we are this "high and mighty" society and that we are the world leaders, but in reality, this statement is false. How can we POSSIBLY be leaders of this world we live in when in our own society, two men or women can even be treated fairly? I am no expert on gender equality, marriage rights or rights of human beings in general, but as a high school graduate, I know enough that I can realize that we are in no way an equal country.
My thoughts have been provoked due to social media, of course. Because I have lived in 5 states over the course of my lifetime (soon to be 6), I have experienced different things than those I'm surrounded by. Living in Vermont, I am exposed daily to very liberal thought processes and perspectives, which is interesting for me coming from a pretty conservative family. Most of my high school years were spent here, and as most of us know, those years are typically the most essential when it comes to forming opinions in certain subject areas, such as politics. Lucky for me, I had a kick-ass teacher my junior year for AP US Government and Politics, and she taught me more than I could have ever imagined from an unbiased point of view. It was because of her that I take such interest in recent events.
Scrolling through my Facebook news feed this morning, a little lightbulb went off in my head. It wasn't news to me that my region of the Northeast and the region I'm from in the Midwest are two very different places, socially and economically. However, it just occurred to me how different these two areas are ideologically.
Now I'm going to be straight up - I think as most of us can generalize, the south tends to be more religiously based and more conservative, whereas the north leans more towards liberal ways. I know this isn't true for all places, but from what I have observed, this is what I can summarize our country as. And you know what? That's sad. Inevitable, but sad.
So what about my Facebook news feed? The negativity. Most of it is negativity about the recent Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, but some is on race problems like the confederate flag. And I just cannot seem to wrap my brain around it. WHY is it 2015 and race is still a problem? WHY is it 2015 and same-sex marriage is just now being legalized?
It saddens me that most of these negative comments stem from religious backgrounds. I have absolutely no problem with any religion you may chose to practice, but it truly becomes a problem when religion stands in the way of equality. I feel that because I am non-religious, I am sometimes looked upon as being "bad" by those who practice religion. And that's not right. Just because I don't have certain beliefs doesn't mean I am a bad person, nor does it mean I am going straight to hell.
And guess what? That same idea applies to every human being. Religion does not specifically make you a good person, it just simply means you believe in certain concepts that others don't, and that's perfectly fine. Just like blacks and whites, men and women, straights and gays.
I have plenty of gay friends that are absolutely amazing people, and I couldn't be more thankful to know them. Are they going to hell because they like the same-sex as them? Everyone has their own opinions, but to straight up tell someone that they are not a person and that they do not have the same rights or luxuries as you is wrong. That's what wrong. You're wrong to judge them, to accuse them, or to put them down because of their sexual preference.
And here's where my disgust comes in: I just read a post that said "gay marriage is wrong and gays are inhumane. God does not want this for our country. Men marry women and that is it. This is the worst decision the government has made since the end of slavery. This country is going down". How can a person sit there and have the gull to write a statement like that? How can that person dehumanize the people included in that message?
That post continued on with massive hatred within arguments from those who agreed/disagreed with the post. Comments included how the Bible only specifies that men and women can love each other and no one else. Yeah, the Bible may say this. But I am not stupid. WE are not stupid. Guess what else the Bible also says?
No sex before marriage.
Commit to one person for life.
No children without marriage.
I know PLENTY of Christians and people in my old region that have not abided by these rules. Divorce is obviously the biggest. So tell me - are they going to hell? Because according to their OWN religion, those are sins, and therefore call for punishment. Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders - they are all human beings. They have heartbeats, they have brains, and they have feelings. Those qualities describe what a human being is, for all humans deserve equal rights.
Religion is being forced down our throats in every form of society today. We hide behind screens because it's easy. Social media has become an outlet for far too many people to voice their opinions and bring others down. And you may be thinking "Ok Lynds, you're doing the same thing right now by writing that blog post" but that's the thing - I'm not hating on any certain group or people. I am simply stating my experiences, which are literally based off of nothing more than social media trends and the people who surround me in my everyday life.
This country was not built on Christianity, or any religion. This country was built on freedom. Look in any history textbook. Religion is not the driving force of America - equality is.
That's all for now...
Lyndsey
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