Risky Business.

I read an article about an Ohio man pleading guilty to trying to force his girlfriend at gun point to get abortion. The article says a man named, Dominic Holt-Reid, forced his 3 month pregnant girlfriend, Yolanda Burgess, to get an abortion using a gun. When they reached the clinic Yolanda didn’t go with the procedure and secretly slipped a note to a clinic employee and called the police. Dominic was charged under a 1996 fetal homicide law and faces 20 years in prison and a $40,000 fine.

Every year pro-life and pro-choice advocates vie for the upper hand in this contentious issue.  In recent years, states have expanded this debate to include the issue of fetuses killed by violent acts against pregnant women. In some states, legislation has increased the criminal penalties for crimes involving pregnant women.  These laws have focused on the harm done to a pregnant woman and the subsequent loss of her pregnancy, but not on the rights of the fetus. Ohio’s fetal homicide law is under aggravated murder which states:

No person shall purposely, and with prior calculation and design, cause the death of another or the unlawful termination of another’s pregnancy.

What I don’t understand is why they have such a law for terminating a pregnancy yet they have abortion clinics available. Abortion has always been an issue with many people. Some believe that life begins at conception and that abortion is in direct defiance of the commonly accepted idea of the sanctity of human life. Others believe that abortion it is a women’s right to decide whether or not she wants to have the procedure done or not.

Pro-choice abortion is the belief that women have the right to choose to abort a baby from their body. They view that a baby does not have human rights inside the mother’s womb and the fetus is not a human life; it’s merely a fertilized egg between a man and a woman. Planned Parenthood supports pro-choice and is being sued for not mentioning the risks with having an abortion to patients. Pro-life believes that not only does life begin at conception but that abortion is taking the life of another human. They see women who demand control of their body should include preventing the risk of unwanted pregnancy responsibly such as, contraception and or abstinence. I personally believe in pro-life but I will not judge another person on their opinions and beliefs.

Taboo Language.

           All languages have words that are considered taboo, words that are not supposed to be said or used. Taboo words can be used in many different ways and they can have different meanings depending on what context they appear in. Another aspect of taboo words is the euphemisms that are used in order to avoid obscene speech. Taboo words are often avoided and are used to offend races, genders, and etc. I think people should be informed on the origin of taboo words because knowing the reasons certain words became taboo in the first place can make a difference in our language. The level of offensiveness of a word depends on our culture or it varies on our environment, but learning about their origin can make a difference on how we understand and use these words. Taboo words are those that are to be avoided entirely, or at least avoided in “mixed company” or “polite company”. The most common swear words used by people are Damn! or Shit!The kind of language we use with others dictates the kind of relationship we want to have with them. Also the level in emotion we put on these word can affect how they are perceived by others.

            John McWhorter wrote in “Letting Words Fly” that we criticize Taboo language in media and in the public so often that we aren’t focusing on what is more important. He explains that actions speak louder then words. We shouldn’t sit around and obsess over words but get up and take action in the world. The media has taken such an effect in our society that even if we didn’t watch the news or listen to the radio, people all around us are talking about it. You can hear more than half of these words uncensored and are considered perfectly acceptable. I was surprised to hear that Bitch wasn’t bleeped out anymore and I’m perfectly fine with it. We have all these TV and movie ratings now that we shouldn’t be surprised if a curse word comes flying out of someone’s mouth. There has been an increase in the use of slang and profanity among teenagers. Some use curse words to get attention, to fit in at school, and others use it as a result of hearing it from their parents or on their favorite show. Back in the day, you would be punished if you were ever caught swearing but now it is becoming a normal thing.

We are all human. We hear, feel, and say things and we all like to speak our minds. We all know right from wrong and being the older sister in my family I wouldn’t want to expose such language to my younger siblings. Taboo words are learned from spoken language, it is neither taught. It is up to ourselves whether or not we want to use this language or not.

No need to take it serious.

The media has many effects towards people’s thoughts and behaviors and they have such an impact in today’s society. With the advancement of the media; movies, television, books, and music is a source of entertainment for people. We branch out using our imagination to see things that we have never seen before and this is where we begin to think certain thoughts and ways of people and of ourselves. I see my little sister so cautious with what she eats because she doesn’t want to get fat and she constantly complains about how she has little fat hanging out. She feels as if she would be made fun of for being fat and not “cool” looking as the other girls in her class. I believe the media has a way of pulling us in and persuading us to be someone who we are not such as looks. They have a great influence to people especially to younger crowds. We are constantly seeing these weight commercials and skinny celebrities and how amazing they look that we feel pressured to look and feel a certain way.

Prejudicial language is defined as loaded or emotive terms used to attach value or moral goodness to believing the proposition. It is the use of language to create a preconception in the audience. Watching movies that have certain racial comments that are meant to be funny shouldn’t upset people. We are all there to have fun and be entertained and should not be sensitive to them.  I haven’t been affected by such comments and we all shouldn’t be. This reminds me of certain ethnic stereotypes such as: Asians are smart in math or they are bad drivers, White girls are snobby cheerleaders, Blacks are poor and ghetto and Hispanics are illegal immigrants. By doing this we automatically infer that a person has a whole range of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have. These give off a negative impression towards people and by this, the media is doing so.

Self-Respect is Happiness.

Self-Respect is a key to individuals happiness. We all seek happiness in life and sometimes that can be a constant struggle. As, humans we all long for recognition and happiness but the question is how do we gain that in today's society? We have to learn how to search the definition of happiness within ourselfs.

Happiness has it's own law and demands to earn self-respect within oneself first. It is a human right for happiness and should not wait for social approval. We are all born different with different characteristics and we use those characteristics to fulfill certain objectives. When we know ourselves, we learn to like ourselves, we obtain good qualities, and we soon realize the supreme manifestation of our soul. We are able to start respecting ourselves we don't need to wait for the respect from anyone else. This helps us grow and gain happiness on our own and without the approval from others.

Self-respect helps bring self awareness. As human beings we develop depending on our own intellectual and moral capabilities and create our own path for success. Self-respect opens our eyes to see out qualities, goals, and our priorities in life. This develops confidence which brings power to motivate us to be successful. The key to individual happiness is to learn to accept ourselves for who we are. We can never cope with being someone who were not. The guilt will haunt you than fulfillment and joy. Self-respect is a very valuable thing to own. This sets an example for others to follow. It is the best advice to treat yourself as your own best friend. You have to believe in yourself that you deserve happiness and fulfillment in order to promote these conditions. You must avoid having a negative mindset and believing that everyones happiness is more important than yours.

A strong, healthy self respect is the foundation of happiness and emotional well being. It will help you through tough times, and inspire you to follow your heart and dreams. Self-respect does not lead you to happiness; it helps create happiness within your own self.