"50 People: One Question"

A sprinkle of motivation...

Here is one of my all time favorite quotes. I look at it whenever I am in need of insipration or even a burst of energy.

The Five Most Important Things I Have Learned

Everything that we encounter in life is a learning experience. Whether it be an obstacle we must overcome or a moment of gratitude. That is why it is so important to take a moment to slow down and reflect on our past experiences, take what we learned, and apply to the future. Over the past year I have not only grown as a writer, but also as a person. I want to take the time to reflect on my five biggest takeaways from this year, not just regarding my writing, but also my growth as a person. The biggest and possibly most important lesson I learned this year was to push the boundaries and not stick to the norm. As I looked through all of my assignments, videos, and work that I completed, I noticed that they all had something in common. Each assignment assessed a norm within society, and encouraged me to reflect on that specific norm. From breaking apart a famous New Yorker image to assessing a documentary on minimalism ; each video, article, o...

Toxic Masculinity

Whether we realize it or not, toxic masculinity is plaguing the United States. In the movie Tough Guise 2, director Jackson Katz, describes what toxic masculinity is and how it is affecting men today. Personally, I had heard very little on the topic, and was shocked when I found out the truth about why many men behave the way they do. Growing up as a girl, I was never shamed for crying or showing emotion. In fact, it was completely normal. But, I grew older and realized that men were not granted the same privileges. Katz explains why this is: toxic masculinity. From a young age boys are told to be tough and hide their emotions. And when they do show their emotions, they are called harsh nicknames and made fun of. Unfortunately, this type of behavior is cyclical, and roots back to old fashioned and outdated stereotypes. The idea that men need to constantly be tough and mighty, has very negative impacts. All of ...

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