It has been quite awhile since I have posted on here. Yes, I posted a blog literally two minutes ago, but that was an article I'd written three months ago and it's kind of cheating. So here I am, attempting to explain why I have not posted in so long.
School: I mean, I guess I don't have a whole lot of homework, but I do have some. I have articles to write, books to read (for school-related activities), and other stuff to do. Extra Curriculars: I have play practice, piano lessons, 4-H, and books to read (for me). It was a busy past couple of months! Other: Christmas. Christmas Vacation. Babysitting. I have been filling out scholarships nonstop and it's starting to get to me if I'm being completely honest. Then, I also co-wrote a book. Really. It's done and in the process of being edited. I'll keep you folks posted on when we release it. So as you can see, I've had quite a bit on my plate. 'Tis the curse of being a senior in high school. Now, if I wanted this to be like one of my other lovely blog posts, I would add some tips about how to deal with your stress-filled life. Sadly, I don't even know how to deal with my own. Therefore, I shall update when I can, take lots of ibuprofen, and pray that you, my insanely cool readers, are not suffering the same fate as I am. Peace out. The buzz surrounding Tim Burton’s new movie Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was subtle but strong when it came out Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. It was named the number one movie in America, and the tag line #Stay Peculiar has gathered a substantial group of followers. Book fans were excited but hesitant when they saw the changes in just the trailers for the strange book, but made up their minds to be happy about their beloved, curious book being turned into a (hopefully) beloved, curious movie.
Burton is one of the most famous directors of all time, renowned for movies such as Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride, and the 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland, to name a few. He is known for his quirky, disturbing scenes and for always casting Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp. Many people joke about how Burton thinks those are the only two available actors, but when the casting for Miss Peregrine was released, people began to question his lack of diversity between black and white actors. Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Mr. Barron in Miss Peregrine, is the first person of color to play a prominent character in a Tim Burton movie. He is also the only black actor in Miss Peregrine. At first, people were somewhat confused, and iffy, about his casting choices, but perhaps those actors and actresses were just the best people for the part, right? Unfortunately, during an interview with Bustle, Burton was questioned about his casting and his response was ignorant, asinine, and offensive: “Things either call for things, or they don’t. I remember back when I was a child watching ‘The Brady Bunch’ and they started to get all politically correct, like, Okay, let’s have an Asian child and a black―I used to get more offended by that than just―I grew up watching blaxploitation movies, right? And I said, ‘That’s great.’ I didn’t go like, ‘Okay, there should be more white people in these movies.’” You can imagine the backlash that his comment got. People flocked to Twitter with hashtags and sassy comments. “#TimBurton Logic: REALISTIC―A Corpse Bride, Man with Scissors for Hands, Dead Couple Haunts House. UNREALISTIC―PoC in any of these situations” tweeted one user, and “Tim Burton has an incredible diversity record. Actors in his films range from alabaster to porcelain” tweeted another. One fan, DeLa Doll, even wrote a letter entitled “An Open Letter to Tim Burton from a Black Fangirl.” In it, she described how she loved his work, how she felt that he captured the essence of outcasts and made them feel like they were not alone. “I love(d?) all your work because I always connected to it,” she wrote. “To the focus on individuals who live on the fringe of society. Weirdos. Freaks. Outcasts. Who in this society is more outcasted than people of color? I thought you were someone who understood what it was like to feel as though you may never really belong or find your place, someone who saw the beauty in outcasts finally accepting themselves and finding love and true homes in the process. But you don’t really understand. You don’t get it at all.” The letter goes on, but that paragraph is the one that really stuck with me. Let’s face the facts: I’m white. Most of us here at Delphi Community High School are white. We see people like us represented in the media all of the time. Sure, seven times out of ten you’re going to see a pretty, skinny blonde woman, but we can still connect to that. And some could argue that you could connect with any character you want, regardless of color or gender, but that’s not always true. Sometimes, you just want to see someone who looks like you up on the screen, doing something amazing. Take the new Ghostbusters movie for example. Young girls everywhere now have those four women to look up to, just as young boys everywhere had the four men in the 80s. Or the 2014 remake of Annie, where the title character herself and Daddy Warbucks were black. It’s important for people to watch movies and see someone who represents them. Diversity does matter. Diversifying casts is not hard. What is hard, however, is choosing the right actor or actress for the part. I wish that people didn’t see skin color. I wish that people of all ethnicities could be seated in the waiting room and go in, audition, and have an equal shot at that part, but stuff like that doesn’t happen in these times. I think that, regardless of skin color, the best person for the part should be chosen. If a black person is the best actor, then the black person should get the part. Likewise, if a white person is the best actor, then the white person should get the part. But one person shouldn’t be chosen over another simply because of something so silly as the color of their skin. There were plenty of roles for people of color in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. They were orphans, not wanted. There was no reason that they had to be white, even if it was in the 1940s. Not to mention that the story takes place on a Welsh island. There is absolutely no reason that every single child in that orphanage had to be white. “Things either call for things or they don’t”? Really? I don’t believe it. And, as Doll pointed out, why was the villain black? “The only time your films have called for any significant diversity so far has been when you needed someone to be the worst kind of evil? That’s not a good look, buddy,” she asked him. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not good about noticing a lack of diversity. I’m not black, so it’s never stuck out to me. But it should. We are all people, regardless of the color of our skin, and we all deserve to be respected and honored, which is why it is so important to have people of all ethnicities, skin color, etc. to be represented everywhere. Tim Burton, I loved your work. I truly did. But that comment you made? Your ex-fangirl was right. That’s not a good look, buddy. "I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited."
~Sylvia Plath Last week, Donald Trump was chosen as our next president. Some people were happy, others were not. Some people were scared, some had no concerns. Some people won and some people lost.
This post isn't about how we should all band together because we're all Americans because millions of people are saying that, and I'm still not sure exactly where my brain is at this moment in time. No, this post is based off of the safety pin movement, which was based off of the election. (Wear a safety pin to show that you are an "ally" to any of the groups that were targeted by Donald Trump's harmful rhetoric.) But you see, as I've grown older, I've noticed that lots of little things have come to stand for big movements. A semi-colon to show support for people with depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. Red lipstick to show support for sexual assault survivors. A little pink ribbon to show support for those currently fighting, or who have fought, breast cancer. In my own school, a dollar bill placed above the knee to fight the dress code. These are little things. Insignificant, mundane, household items. Items that are taken for granted have come to stand for something of great importance. I think it's incredible, the way things can build you up or tear you down. I think it's incredible, the words that are behind these symbols, these movements. Though they be but little, they are fierce. Though one voice may be small, it starts the ripple. And while the ripple may start small, it grows big and powerful and strong. These small symbols have a strong message: I am with you. I'm sure some of you are asking yourselves (or me) "What on earth is the Oxford comma?" Well, I shall explain it post-haste.
The Oxford comma is the comma that comes before the word "and" when you are listing things. For example: The American flag is red, white, and blue. Did you notice the bolded comma before the "and"? That is our dear friend, the Oxford comma. Unfortunately, some rule was made up a few years ago, and it is now acceptable to not use the Oxford comma. For example: The American flag is red, white and blue. (You will never know how much it pained me to not put O.C. in there.) Now, to some people, leaving out the Oxford comma is not a big deal, but to me, it is. Not only does it look really weird and pain me emotionally, leaving O.C. out of sentences just doesn't work in many cases. Here is an example of a sentence with the Oxford comma: She took a photograph of her parents, the president, and the vice president. (Meaning, she took a photo of her parents, a photo of the president, and a photo of the vice president.) Here is the same sentence without the Oxford comma: She took a photograph of her parents, the president and the vice president. (This sounds as if her mother and father were the president and the vice president, which isn't what the sentence is actually saying.) I suppose the war between the Oxford comma believers and non-believers is somewhat silly, is not life-changing. But I believe that the Oxford comma is very important. I've grown up using it, and I'm not going to drop it, no matter what. I shall continue to use proper punctuation the proper way. I imagine that most people see this quote and think that it is quite literally about the stars, and to be honest, that is probably the reason that Galileo made this quote in the first place. However, when I think of this quote, I think about more than just the stars.
The stars are a metaphor for the good days. The night is a metaphor for the bad ones. So, when you put it together, I read the quote as saying that I'm far too happy during my good days, and I refuse to let the bad days ruin my life. And that's what I try to do. I won't lie. I have not followed this quote. My bad days are bad. They're soul-sucking, life-consuming, hellish, awful days, and they completely mess up everything. I try to be happy, I really do, but sometimes I can't. But when I see this quote, I challenge myself to do just that. I need to focus on the good things. Yes, the bad things happen--after all, they're apart of life--but that doesn't mean that you are defined by them. Live the bad days and learn from them, but don't let them consume you. There are too many things that threaten to overwhelm you and to just make you have a bad life. As hard as it is, you have to try to ignore them. Believe me, if you let them, they will drag you down into a deep, dark abyss that is extremely hard to escape from, sometimes impossible. It's not easy to focus on the good things when it's a bad day. It's not easy to think about cuddling with your cat when your cat dies. It's not easy to think about the nice new pair of shoes you got when you get sent to the principal's office. It's not easy to be happy with one friend while you're having problems with another. I know this from experience, and I know that you know it too because it happens to everyone. Everyone has bad days, but no one person's bad day is alike. We all have a different level of tolerance, a different level of forgiveness. So, what might be the end of the world for one person, is merely a blip on the radar of life for another, but that doesn't make your problems any less important. But the moral of this blog post is this: when the night is dark and rainy and cold, think about the stars. The stars are always there, even if you can't see them. The stars, too, have been through a lot; after all, they're dead. The stars are our companions. They will always provide some sort of light, no matter how cloudy it is. Go through life thinking like this. Love the stars; allow them to corrupt the night. I was sitting in my pew at church yesterday, listening to the sermon of the pastor who was visiting our church. He was really stressing this whole "thank you" thing. At the end, he challenged us to just say thank you to people because it brightens someone's day. It spoke to me, and that is how this blog post came to be.
I always say thank you. It's a knee-jerk reaction, it truly is, like saying "Sorry!" when you bump into someone (or something, as I have done before). I say thank you when a waiter takes my drink order, brings me my drink, takes my food order, brings me my food, brings me the check, brings me back the check, tells me to have a nice night, and then I say it once more as I'm leaving for good measure. I suppose that saying thank you all of the time might make it seem like it's lost it's value or importance to me, but that is not the case at all. I say thank you to let people know that I appreciate them. And I appreciate them being there to do their job and serve me, and that counts for everyone, to be completely honest. So yes, I might say thank you a lot, but that doesn't mean that the meaning is lost on me. I'm thankful for a lot of things, and maybe I say thank you so much because no one else seems to. Think back on it: when was the last time you said thank you? Was it today? Yesterday? Last week? Who was it to? Your mother or father? A grocer or a movie ticket vendor? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe lots of people do say thank you, but they are most certainly not people that I know. If you are one of those people who say thank you to everyone down to your cat, then I apologize, because this message is not for you. And if you don't say thank you, I'm not judging you. Some people believe that if you don't mean something, then you shouldn't say it. All I'm saying is that those people don't have to serve you. Serving you probably wasn't part of their life plan. And don't make excuses about how it's their own fault and all of that nonsense, because the fact of the matter is, they're still helping you out, and therefore, they deserve respect. They deserve a thank you. Fall is here! Hooray, let's cheer! (Did I mean to make that rhyme? Yes and no.)
I love fall. The leaves are pretty and crunch under your feet. It is the perfect weather to go outside and play in. I love Halloween: the costumes, the treats, the cute little kids in costumes. It's great. I especially love planning my Halloween party and making awesome treats for it. (Ghost brownies, zombie punch, witch cookies--delicious and fun). And I can't forget pumpkin! I'm not a big coffee drinker, so I don't go crazy for pumpkin spice lattes like everyone else. I'm not big on pie either, but I can appreciate a good pumpkin pie, especially if it's covered in whipped cream. But my favorite pumpkin-flavored thing has to be pumpkin bread. Ever since I can remember, my grandma has made me pumpkin bread. Let me tell you: it is the best thing in the world. My dad and I always request loaves of it; it's just one of the many things we bonded over when I was younger. One year, she even made me my own tiny loaf to take home. I was in heaven. Pumpkin bars and stuff like that is good, but my favorite is pumpkin bread. Always has and always will, and if you have never had pumpkin bread, I insist that you eat some immediately. (IHOP's pumpking waffles are really good also. But still: pumpkin bread.) But how do they not like me? Well, unfortunately, pumpkin guts make me itch. I've always loved carving my pumpkin and cleaning it out, but the squelchy pulp inside makes me itch like crazy. It sucks. My skin gets little red dots all over it, and I itch. Really bad. I know I've said that a lot, but I do. They make me itch. So, for the first time this year, I will not be carving a pumpkin. I will be decorating it. And while I'm excited to decorate a pumpkin with glow-in-the-dark paint, it's still a little sad that I can't do that carving tradition like every other kid who's able to. So, yes. I love pumpkins, but they do not love me. Ours is a star-crossed love. The article titles that Mrs. Tonsoni didn't allow me to use for my Brock Turner opinion piece9/23/2016 Why Brock Turner deserves every bad thing in life
Brock Turner: my mother always told me that if I didn't have something nice to say to not say it at all Untitled until I can think about Brock Turner without being sick Brock Turner is the reason that our country is perpetuating rape culture Brock Turner: why does he get to be okay? Carol's idea--Brock Turner: a literal piece of garbage Brock Turner was released from prison three months early and here's why Brock Turner: what is our country coming to? Why twenty minutes makes a difference Why "twenty minutes" should be twenty years in prison Can someone explain to me why Brock Turner is a free man? Let's talk about how our judicial system is corrupt in sexual assault cases Brock Turner: how good of a swimmer is he really? Brock Turner sucks and I hate him very much Can we please accept the fact that our country sympathizes with rapists rather than rape victims? Let's pretend that Brock Turner is an okay person... yep, can't do that Brock Turner: the Stanford swimmer that sexually assaulted a person and got away with it How much of daddy's money do you need to be cleared of all sexual assault charges? Why Brock Turner doesn't deserve any cookies I won't give Brock Turner any cookies and here's why http://dchsparnassus.com/opinions/2016/09/23/why-twenty-minutes-should-be-twenty-years-in-prison/ So far, I have only applied to one college. Yay, right? I mean, I certainly feel accomplished, and I’m dying to find out if I got in or not (although everyone insists that I will, except for one person). Mostly, though, what I’m doing to get ready for college is applying to scholarships. It may seem a little premature to apply for scholarships before I’m even accepted into a college (that’s what I thought anyway), but my father has insisted that I do it. And so I have, and allow me to tell you: it’s really, really stressful.
First of all, you have to find scholarships that apply to you. Sure, I downloaded this app called Scholly which is supposed to help you find scholarships, and it’s been working okay, but seriously. Stressful. The next step is typing in all of your information. It takes forever. Your full name, date of birth, address 1, address 2, email, subject you wish to study, college you wish to attend, and so many other things that you would never think of. (At least, I would never think of.) Some people’s computers have that special thing where they just automatically put in your information for you; mine is not one of those special computers. So yeah, the work is tedious, but it takes about five minutes, so it’s not that bad. No, the bad part is the essay. Now, all of the essays are different. Some are two sentences (which I don’t really think counts as an essay but I digress), some are 100 words, some are less than 200 words, less than 500 words, between 500 and 1000 words. They’re all different, and obviously, the writing prompts are all different as well. Let me tell you, some of these writing prompts are weird. It’s hard to come up with some of this stuff, but sometimes it doesn’t even feel worth it. I mean, who wants to write an essay about receiving a package in the mail and how it changed your life for only $500? Well, I did it anyway. And don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I did it. Like I said, I feel accomplished, but jeesh. I want it to be over. I want to be accepted into college. I want to win some scholarships. I just want to know. But, unfortunately, that will take away. So, in the meantime, I shall apply to more scholarships. And possibly some more colleges depending on the application fee. (Seriously, I have to pay you $60 to read my application? If I get accepted, you’ll get ten times that!) |
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April 2018
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