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cultural diversity in USA, essay
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When the flag was first made, it symbolized freedom and opportunity for both citizens of American and the immigrants. There was the dream that America was a place of freedom, where you could do what you want, say what you want, and get a job or own your own land. For some, that dream became a reality, but for many of those immigrants, it has proven to be just that, a dream. Is this piece of cloth we hold in such high regard simply an ironic symbol or the American dream? Does it truly symbolize freedom and opportunity, or is it simply a token for those who want to flaunt their opinions and financial status.? Every person should have a certain amount of respect for this country and the opportunities and freedom it provides, but I don't agree that the American flag should or does stand for those things. From my own observations, I have found that today the flag merely makes a distinction between two types of Americans, more specifically a distinction between the American reality and the American dream.
Throughout the eighteen years or my life, I have observed the flag in many different places. When I was younger, I remember seeing it flash across a movie screen, waving high in the air, held by a triumphant American soldier. I also saw it every year on the Fourth of July in parades, covering floats, or held by enthusiastic participants. In fourth grade I was chosen to do the important job of taking down and folding the flag every afternoon, a job that took much care and importance. I remember wondering then, why is it so important that I do not drop this flag, and why it was such a big deal. I didn't understand why those soldiers on the movie screen were holding the flag so high in the air, and why it was so widely used on the Fou...
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... type of evidence there is. I agree with believing in this country and all that America stands for; what I don't believe in is the way I see the flag being used. I don't believe that children should be trained at such an early age to honor the flag. That is a type of brainwashing that might lead children to believe that our country is perfect, when indeed it is not. I also don't agree with people using the flag as a status symbol. If we're going to have a symbol of America, shouldn't it be outside of everyone's home, not just the people who think they have lived up to the American dream theory? I feel the American flag today is simply a showpiece for the believers in the American dream. Although it might have a greater meaning for some people, the majority of citizens use it in a harmful way, a way that discriminates against the people who do not achieve the dream.
In 1776 the United States of America became a great nation, free from Britain's rule. We became a nation full of freedom and opportunity, symbolized by many great icons. The Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, this great nations capitol, the District of Columbia, and the greatest of these icons, our American Flag. Our flag symbolizes to the world our strength, determination, and the rights and freedoms of our people. The very sight of it has given men the courage and willingness to sacrifice their own lives in order to protect what it symbolizes. But where did it come from? For more than a century it has been disputed by historians that the story of Betsy Ross, a widow from Philadelphia could be given the honor of handcrafting the first American Flag. So is it fact or a delightful fable that has weaved its way in as part of our American history?
What is the American flag and what does it represent? For many Americans the flag represents freedom, pride, and justice. Our flag stands for freedom because of the many lives that had to be lost throughout history for us to be the nation we are today. The American flag stands for pride because of the many American soldiers men and women who lost their lives for us. Lastly, our flag stands for justice because in the United States no matter what crime we do we have the right to a fair trial.
Some have seen friends and family get tortured and murdered by their own government for daring to do things we take for granted every day. For those who risked everything simply for the chance to become an American....what kind of feelings do they have for the flag when they Pledge Allegiance the first time? Go to a naturalization ceremony and see for yourself, the tears of pride, the thanks, the love and respect of this nation, as they finally embrace the American flag as their own. Ask one of them if it would be OK to tear up the flag.
However, for some time now, sex education has been a hot button issue in the United States. The debate is over which form of sex education is best for students. In recent years there has been much debate about which form of sex education is most effective: Abstinence, Abstinence-Plus, or Comprehensive. Abstinence sex education does not acknowledge that teenagers will become sexually active, thus, students do not learn about the different forms of contraception, and students do not learn about abortion. Also, students are taught that the risks of contracting an STD or HIV are prime reasons to remain abstinent. Abstinence-plus sex education explores the context and significance of sex. Although abstinence-plus education still promotes abstinence, it is acknowledged that many teenagers will become sexually active. Students are taught about contraception, abortion, STDs, and HIV/AIDS. Comprehensive sex education does not focus on teaching young people that they should remain abstinent until marriage, though it does teach it. Although students learn the benefits of abstinence, students learn how to themselves when they do decide to have sex.
Akers, R, & Sellers, C. (2009). Criminological theories: introduction, evaluation, and application. New York: Oxford University Press, USA.
The dissenting opinion to the previous idea is that the government's legitimate interest in preserving the symbolic value of the flag is, however, essentially the same that may have motivated a particular act of flag burning. The flag uniquely symbolizes the ideas of liberty, equality, and tolerance -- ideas that Americans have passionately defended and debated throughout our history. The flag embodies the spirit of our national commitment to those ideals. To the world, the flag is our promise that we will continue to strive for these ideals. To us, the flag is a reminder both that the struggle for li...
The American flag has produced different reactions in people. Here are some people’s opinions; President Woodrow Wilson expressed in 1917. “This flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, our power, our thoughts and purpose as a nations.” John Lindsey, former New York
Hickey, T.J. (2010) Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Crime and Criminology, 9th Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Sanjari, M, Shirazi, F, Heidari, S, Salemi, S, Rahmani, M, & Shoghi, M 2009, “Nursing support for parents of hospitalized children”, Issues in Comprehensive Paediatric Nursing, pp.122
The American flag means many things to me. The flag symbolizes pride, the great pride of our country, ourselves and pride for our flag of America. It gives hope, the flag is a sign of our pride in our country.The flag represents joy for the heroes who stood tall defending our country.
“Each year, U.S. teens experience as many as 850,000 pregnancies, and youth under age 25 experience about 9.1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs)” (McKeon). These shocking statistics are conspicuous to any ordinary American, yet the United States schools have taken little initiative to teach effective sexual education. Sex education programs in the U.S. mainly fall under two categories – comprehensive or abstinence-only. Abstinence-only sex education programs present abstinence as the only effective means to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases and infections; whereas comprehensive sex education programs teach abstinence as a secondary choice, while also informing students about birth control and contraceptives. Comprehensive sex education should be the only sex education method taught in schools because it is the most effective technique to keep students well-informed, prepared, and safe.
Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the U.S. in the early 1980s the issue of sex education for American youth has had the attention of the nation. There are about 400,000 teen births every year in the U.S, with about 9 billion in associated public costs. STI contraction in general, as well as teen pregnancy, have put the subject even more so on the forefront of the nation’s leading issues. The approach and method for proper and effective sex education has been hotly debated. Some believe that teaching abstinence-only until marriage is the best method while others believe that a more comprehensive approach, which includes abstinence promotion as well as contraceptive information, is necessary. Abstinence-only program curriculums disregard medical ethics and scientific accuracy, and have been empirically proven to be ineffective; therefore, comprehensive sex education programs which are medically accurate, science-based and empirically proven should be the standard method of sex education for students/children in the U.S.
Three million teenagers will contract a sexually transmitted disease and one in three women will become pregnant before they are twenty years old. Teens are contracting sexually transmitted diseases and getting pregnant at an alarming rate causing the government, schools, and parents to scratch their heads. America is the country with the highest teen pregnancy rate in the world. Many are wondering what can be done to stop this. A debate has been going on about whether abstinence only education is doing any good for high school students in America. Abstinence only education teaches teenagers to abstain from all sexual acts until they are married. It does not teach about pregnancy or the different types of contraceptives that are available to prevent pregnancy. On the other hand, there is safe sex education. Safe sex education teaches teenagers facts about intercourse they need to know, acknowledges the potential consequences or risks of sexual behavior, and helps them make better decisions to protect themselves and their bodies.
The problem of water scarcity has increasingly spread throughout the world as of yet, The UN reports that within the next half- century up to 7 billion people in 60 countries which is more than the whole present population will face water scarcity (Sawin “Water Scarcity could Overwhelm the Next Generation”). As well the demand for freshwater has tripled over the past 50 years, and is continuing to rise as a result of population growth and economic development. 70% of this demand derives from agriculture which shows the influence of water on food supply globally as well not just drinking water (Sawin “Water Scarcity could overwhelm the Next Generation”). But increasing water use is not just a matter of the greater number of people needing it to drink and eat; it also comes from pollution and misuse of water supplies, by either dumping or runoff of bacteria or chemicals into water. This also “causes other pollutions as well such as soil and air pollution, accelerating wetland damage and human caused global warming” (Smith and Thomassey 25). According to UN report, recent estimates suggest that climate change will account for about 20 percent of the increase in global water scarcity in coming decades.
Sex education in our schools has been a hot topic of debate for decades. The main point in question has been whether to utilize comprehensive sex education or abstinence-only curriculum to educate our youth. The popularity of abstinence-only curriculum over the last couple of decades has grown largely due to the United States government passing a law to give funding to states that teach the abstinence-only approach to sex education. But not teaching our children about sex and sexuality is not giving them the information they need to make well educated decisions. Sex education in our schools should teach more than just abstinence-only because these programs are not proven to prevent teens from having sex. Children need to be educated on how to prevent contracting sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies and be given the knowledge to understand the changes to their bodies during puberty. According to the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Kindergarten-12th Grade from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), comprehensive sex education “should be appropriate to age, developmental level, and cultural background of students and respect the diversity of values and beliefs represented in the community” (SIECUS).