Teens and Money

Teens and Money

By: Stephanie Clinton

Teenagers have no idea what the value of hard work is now-a-days. They mooch and squander up as many pennies as the can in order to buy what they “need”. But what exactly is it that they need? And why do they believe they need such a thing? Well media is always a source to blame, but what else? Why do teenagers spend their money on such useless things.

In older days, if a kid wanted to buy something, they would pull out Dad’s old wood and piece themselves together a lemonade stand, or else mow their lawn and all their neighbors lawns. Now though, teenagers simply whine and plead and scream in order to get the “hottest” new thing they “simply must” have. Parents give in because… well, they have no other choice. Once a person sees something they want, and sees that other people have it, then they want it too, and will do everything—but work hard---to get it.

Who do we blame for this behavior? Well, since the invention of the television there have been great changed to the marketing world. Advertisements and those annoying breaks in between your favorite shows or, especially, Christmas movies, so called commercials, are trying harder and harder to market toward kids to make them want something they do not have the means—AKA, money—to get.

Consider the highly popular Call of Duty games. When the most recent one came out, thousands of teenagers and young adults alike cut class and called in sick to work for days in order to stand in line and play the game the second it came out. Why this obsession? Obviously the high success rating of its predecessor, but also the feeling of vitality; that if they did not get this game the second it came out they would be “out of the loop” and forever so, lost in limbo waiting on the next Call of Duty to come out, making sure that this time they would lead the pack.

Some teenagers do get jobs. These though, seem to not spend as much money on mundane things. They are too busy working to play video games. They get free meals from their job or at home, and they keep up a good amount of savings. This generation is not lost yet, but until teenagers put down the controller and take control of their own lives, they will learn the hard way the value of the dollar in life. 

Pearl Harbor and American Spirit

Pearl Harbor and American Spirit

By: Stephanie Clinton

7 December 2011

On December 7, 1941, exactly 70 years ago today, a tragic event occurred that would forever scar United States history. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it a “date that will live in infamy”. On this day, Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked by Japanese forces despite U.S. neutrality in World War II at that time.

            The Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the United States forces without warning. The attack was meant to keep the United States out of the war; to scare them away. Instead it had a direct opposite effect—the very next day America declared war on Imperial Japan.

            This day will forever be remembered as Pearl Harbor Day; a day nearly 2,400 unsuspecting American soldiers were attacked and killed without a second’s warning. It really shows the American spirit. The fact that the day after such a horrible mass murder, the United States rose to seek vengeance on the people who had destroyed thousands of families’ lives, shows that America really cares about those whom fight and fie for freedom and liberty.

            Not all those Navy men whom were at the harbor that day were killed. Lee Soucy decided that when he died, sometime last year, that he wanted to join his friends that lost their lives and therefore was put into his ship that sank that fateful day today.

            Still today, in 2011, people remember those that died on this day in history. The families are still affected. Those sons and daughters left behind are now part of the same army, trying to protect the same liberty their fathers’ died for.

Ten Questions Every American Should be able to answer:

1. On what day did the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor occur?

2. What war was being fought at the time?

3. At the time of the attacks, what side of the war was America on?

4. How long after these attacks did America join the war (if not previously joined)?

5. What was Japan's motive for these attacks?

6. Did Japan's plan work?

7. Who was the president at the time?

8. What did he say about the day?

9. What is this day now remembered as?

10. Who ultimately won the war?

"...a day that will live in infamy."~ President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Gay Effect

The Gay Effect

How Do “Gay Clubs” Effect High School Students?

By: Stephanie Clinton

Due to recent controversy over the attempts to get a “Gay-Straight Alliance” at Hueytown High School, it is time someone investigated, deeply, the effects of “gay clubs” in high schools. Do clubs such as GSA, PFLAG, and GayLesBall help, hurt, or even foster students into the gay community? Are these clubs appropriate in schools or should they be separated like religious affiliations?

In her book, The High School Journal, Camile Lee studied the effects of joining a Gay-Straight Alliance in high school on seven students. Some of these students were gay, lesbian, and even straight. Her study found that belonging to this club of acceptance and love positively effected the students’ school/home lives, academic performance, comfort level with sexual orientation, sense of physical safety. It also helped them to develop their strategies when people assume heterosexuality, feel more able to contribute to society, and made them feel more like they belonged in school.

At Hueytown High School, a small southern school located in Hueytown, Alabama, one student tried to bring this acceptance, and instead brought fire. The student, who shall remain anonymous, started a petition to get a Gay-Straight Alliance at the school. In response, she was bullied physically and verbally, and, instead of doing their duties, the administration chose to ignore the bullying, despite the fact that bullying due to sexual orientation is justified as a Class II offense in the student code of conduct. The student ended up leaving Hueytown High School, however, the fight continued and the school now has a Gay-Straight Alliance. When asked their reaction, Hueytown student Desarae Ray stated, “I'm definitely not against it. I think it's ridiculous that people have negative things to say about it when it doesn't affect them at all.” This club will be tested, and only time will tell it’s true effects.

The big question is “Are ‘gay clubs’ fostering people to be gay in high schools?” When asked, Ms. Ray replied, “No, if they are feeling like they're gay then that's the way they feel regardless of a club. I think it might make people feel more open about it if they are gay because they have support.” Many studies and experiments have been performed to see if people are born gay or not, and most of those show that there are certain, different, biological reasons for people being gay; however, none of these have been 100% proven.

What about America? Is the “gay agenda” taking over? Kathryn Baker thinks not, “I don't think it's making them choose to be gay. I think the way most tv shows and stuff are, it makes people a lot more open minded towards it.”

So do these clubs help or hurt? Will more people “become” gay over time, or will people just become more accepting? Only time will tell.

The Bandwagon Effect

“Oh my gosh, have you heard about that band coming to play this weekend?”

“Ya, I’ve loved them forever!”

“Really, what’s some of your favorite songs by them?”

“Umm… well, you know that one…”

The bandwagon effect: when some artist gets big and everyone decides to become their “biggest fan”. This applies to everything a person can be a fan of: music groups, sports, TV shows, everything.

The “Social Media” Bandwagon. As you can see, only popular web media sites are portrayed.

Many “true fans” get annoyed by these “bandwagon fans”; not only when they “jump on” for them winning, but especially when they jump on with a rival team and poke fun.

A portrayal of supposed political figures trying to influence someone to “jump on” their bandwagon.

Steve Jobs: A Revoltionary

Steve Jobs, without question, changed our modern world. He invented the modern personal computer, the iPod, the iPhone, and a million other things. He was CEO of Apple until he resigned exactly six weeks before his death, but he was also the creator of Pixar, the popular computer-animation movie firm partnered with Disney.

Whether you are a fan of Apple, or a Windows fan, everyone should feel a sense of loss over Steve Jobs departure from this world. He is the reason we have portable music (that does not weigh 80 pounds; see boom boxes), personal computers, and the very word processor I’m typing this on now.

Goodbye Steve Jobs, you will be very missed.

New York Times Asked: Do Attractive People Have Advantages Others Don’t?

My answer:

It has been proven that when people believe they look good, they radiate confidence, and that makes them more respectable to people. Because the world attacks people with images of what the “perfect” woman or man looks like, being confident in your looks is hard. Yet many people model their looks after these images, and if they are satisfied, they are seen as “attractive” and therefore they are confident and people respect them, and give them more “advantages”.

You see, “attractive” is such an abstract word. What is attractive to you may not be to someone else, therefore the world decided they had to come up with a way to “conform” attractiveness (see: supermodels, TV, magazines, ect.) but these attempts to conform the world, of course, did not work fully. Sure, some people are “followers” of this conformity, but there are many against it, some adamantly. Therefore, the answer to the question “Do attractive people have advantages others don’t?” is no, but confident people do.

Football and Its Effects on the Economy

            Football is one of the most popular sports in the United States. Fans spend thousands every year on tickets, gas, and bar-b-q. Economically, this money feeds into local businesses, the university that hosts the game, and whatever charities that university chooses to give too.

            The Alabama vs. LSU game, played last Saturday, November 5, 2011, was probably one of the biggest games this century. Where did all that money go? Plenty of it went into local businesses as people bought food in Tuscaloosa before, during, and after the game. Many people probably drank as they usually do, and that sin tax probably helped stimulate the T-town economy a significant amount.

            All that ticket money went to plenty of places: the athletic department at the university, a fund to build up the Bryant-Denny Stadium, and tornado relief efforts in Tuscaloosa. The benefits of a big game like this, a very local, but given Tuscaloosa’s current state, that is a very good thing.