Social Awareness Project MaxF

Max Feuerman                                                                                                          12-1-14

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ELA Social Awareness Project

Overview- The social issues in our society today are numerous. The stresses of school for one, every day can be a battle just to learn. Democracy is also a strong topic. At this very moment, many people in Hong Kong are fighting for their democratic rights that China agreed to give them, and that people still hold on to the old ways of totalitarianism. Probably the most heated topic in the U.S. is racism. There is still income, justice, and working conditions inequality. For example, African Americans are 3 times more likely to be searched, cuffed, and arrested than whites. There are many issues still out today, and these only a few of the brightest.

Table of Contents

The problems of school- Page 1

A poem on Democracy- Page 2

The Topic of Racism- Page 3

The Daily Stress of School

            You finish with school just to come home, and do more schoolwork. What’s the point of having school end at 3:00 if you are still spending an hour to do homework? The purpose of homework is practicing what you learned it school, which is not bad necessarily, only when used in the wrong way it does not help your child’s education. Homework can also cause stress in kids, especially if they have a busy day and are worried about their grade, and received a lot of homework. Homework can also take away time you need to get a proper sleep, which is detrimental to the child’s ability to learn. Also, homework takes up time that kids would rather use for after school activities, getting enough exercise, or just hanging out with a friend. Homework may be contributing to the obesity epidemic because kids are not exercising enough.

Should homework be banned? Some parents think so. In Australia, one mom Sharny Kieser is challenging that homework should be banned, because it is preventing kids from exercising and contributing to obesity. The DOE and schools however, want homework as a method of practicing what you learned in class. Both of these arguments have pros and cons, and here are some solutions to meet partway. One possible solution to the stress of homework is is having teachers collaborate with each other about homework, so you don’t have every subject in the same day giving homework. Another way is what MS 51 was doing, having what’s called “0” period every day except Friday, where you could come in and get help on homework or a project before classes start, having this bit of breathing room can help take stress off of kids. These are two hopefully possible solutions to homework stress, and there are probably many more.

A poem on Democracy

They say democracy is key

To having a world happy and free

 But some have other plans

Those tight fisted rulers of the land

Are taking control

 Of the world the world they once loathed

And are killing civilians as they please

They put many risk

For their own little gain

And are still making many miserable today

I came up with this little poem based are on the article about the Hong Kong protestors and how China’s government is taking control of Hong Kong’s democratic government. China has kept their very strict totalitarian rule over the population of over 1 billion Chinese. They deny “basic freedoms” like freedom of speech, or freedom of religion. They will not let up, they believe that they have a right to everything, and are a very hot “melting pot”, or assimilator.

Racism

            Even after a lot of society’s’ efforts to get rid of racism, it is still prominent today. The arch on Grand Army Plaza is proof, even after centuries; the world still has not gotten over the fact of racism. On the right side of the arch opposite Prospect Park is the Union side of the war, and in the statue, an African American (kneeling next to the bottom next to the cannon), is one of

Income inequalities are still prominent, with the average U.S. citizen making around $50,000 a year, while African Americans make around $33,000 a year on average. The percentage of African Americans making under $15,000 dollars a year is 25%, while 27% make 15-35,000 dollars a year, this is all well below the poverty threshold. The unemployment rate is also significant, with around 11% of African Americans unemployed, while the U.S. rate is about 6%. African Americans are more likely to be in poverty than all other races. In families, about 24% of African Americans are in poverty while the global average poverty rate is about 12%.

Use of force by police is unfairly targeted at African Americans. They are 3 times more likely to be searched, handcuffed, and arrested. The police use deadly force more frequently to African Americans than whites, as shown in news reports. For example, 2 cases, one in Ferguson and one in Staten Island show the trend. In Ferguson, an African American who shoplifted cigarettes was shot 6 times and killed by an officer. The police officer nearest was told by his dispatcher that an African American teenager had robbed a store.  On Staten Island, an African American was killed with an illegal chokehold, after selling untaxed cigarettes. The man said he couldn’t breathe many times, before he suffocated. The witnesses also heard him, but they didn’t let up on him until he was dead The fire of racism still burns strong today, and will for a long time to come.

Bibliography

<http://blackdemographics.com

http://www.news.com.au

www.nytimes.com