controversies

It seems every time one racially-charged incident ends, a gender or religious controversy takes its place; Ruminate on the issues dividing our nation and world.

The Only Thing Wrong With ‘The Youth’ is Your Opinion of Them
I was born in 1994, so I am a millennial; just one year shy of being part of Gen Z. Meaning I had the privilege to grow up closely with both generations. I had the privilege of seeing the generational gap being created between Gen Z and everyone else. Gen Z grew up in a time that was extremely different from what anyone had ever experienced before them; the age of technology. I remember using encyclopedias in school on essays and projects, but I also remember googling what I needed on other essays and projects. Neither is foreign to me, but there are millennials who never had technology at their fingertips until they were in their twenties. Here lies the disconnect.
By Shae Moreno6 years ago in The Swamp
Institutional racism must end before the racism in hearts will end
“It may be true that the law cannot change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uttered those words in December 1963 in an address at Western Michigan University shortly after the assignation of President Kennedy. The Civil Rights icon added “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me and I think that is pretty important also.”
By Robert Bowen6 years ago in The Swamp
‘Covid’ Ops: The Gates to Wuhan
While Bill Gates’ involvement at every stage of the Covid19 saga that has devastated the world in 2020 could just be the foresight of a very benevolent philanthropist, personally I tend to think it would be a very naive way of viewing the situation.
By Steve Harrison6 years ago in The Swamp
Crying About Problems In The World
It hurts me seeing and reading all the news about two students getting attacked about nothing but driving in a car and getting stuck into traffic, and saying hello to someone they know, just by police officers.
By Agnes Laurens6 years ago in The Swamp
California's growing homeless problem.
California’s homelessness crisis — and possible solutions — explained A tent encampment by the West Oakland BART station. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
By joshua murphy6 years ago in The Swamp
“‘Race is not so much a biological phenomenon as a social myth”
‘Race’ is many things. A social construction; a created concept for grouping people; a movement. And then there are many things ‘race’ is not; the fundamental being that: ‘race' is not our truth.
By Becky Maxwell6 years ago in The Swamp
The Best Choice You Can Make
To some extent, every young man, or not so young man, has gone through the disapproving glare of a would-be, significant other’s parent or parents. It does not happen with every partner of course. Sometimes the families are very nice, normal. When the parent or parents are less than welcoming, there can be different reasons.
By Q-ell Betton6 years ago in The Swamp
The Police
A Broken System As a result of the violent murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, we have heard cries to defund the police and even to abolish the police all together. Mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, supports reforming the police department with an over site board, new training and investment in community resources, but these are mere band aids for a much larger, deeply broken criminal justice system of which the police are only one part.
By Terri Kalloch6 years ago in The Swamp
Trans Lives Still Matter
On the fourth anniversary of the tragic Pulse nightclub shooting that occurred in Orlando, the Trump administration recently announced that they have rolled back non discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people that were under the Affordable Care Act. It’s a shame that they’re rolling back these protections during a health crisis. According to the new rules, gay and transgender people can be refused care because of the provider’s religious beliefs. Not only it’s discriminatory, but it goes against HIPPA laws. The new rule is expected to take effect in mid-August. However, advocacy groups like the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), are planning to file a lawsuit to challenge the ruling.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 6 years ago in The Swamp
Breaking News...
"Breaking News: Black Lives Matter Protesting... Breaking News: Black Lives Matter!" It's 2020 and black people are fighting the system to voice that Black Lives Matter, every news channel we switch through, black people are fighting for justice and for their voices to be heard. "Breaking News: Systematic Racism is Real" As real as racism is in 2020, yeah you read that right 2020 who knew Black Lives would be a subject that many did not think that mattered... Generation after generation, excuse me year after year there has been hatred towards Black Men and Women; how are they any different then you? "Breaking News: Black Men Shot Again." Why is the attack on being black so problematic for those who are not their tone, minding their business is a threat to you, yet adding them to your business to help you make revenue means nothing to you; "Breaking News: #BlackLivesMatter is…Trending." You take their trend to blend in, you want to stand out and not stand up so your voices can be heard, you #BlackOutTuesday and post about how you had a good day and those people you stole this "trend" from are fighting for a man who can't even go for a run. "Breaking News: NO JUSTICE! NO PEACE!" Louder and prouder! Ask them to give peace yet won't give them justice fighting for their rights to breathe yet held down screaming, "I CAN’T BREATHE!" Muting their voices as if they are nothing, NO JUSTICE! NO PEACE! It's too late now, the world is coming together as one to end racism, to end a mother losing her son or daughter, or end a daughter or son losing their father and then added to the system as fatherless children adding on to "stats. for blacks" being another number in a system, which is quick to dismiss us to the system. “Breaking News: Black Lives Matter is… Tired”…Tired of the bullshit they are put through, entertainment to your eyes yet, you are not outside seeing the pain in their eyes. NO JUSTICE! NO PEACE! Tired of being seen as a target for living, tired of being a target for a man who is only focused on, “Making America Great Again” as we go to war with each other; Black People are more than what the stats. has counted them up for – more than just numbers in a system who sees us very different. “Breaking News: America Cares?” When it comes to the Census we are told, “It’s very important that you turn this in” being accounted for but what is America counting for. Taking a black young man away for a dime bag yet feeding a white man from a brown bag after murdering innocent souls. Why is it important that you make sure we are accounted for... To “fix” the zip codes which our kids play in? To fund the schools where the books are delaying?... Or is it to fund the hospitals where sick black men and women lay in bed as their hospital denies them care; comparing the pain America has inflicted on them all these years should be nothing to a “little” stomach pain here and there. Black America is tired of all the suffering, suffering of living on a land which was made by those like them, a white man takes a step and has a plan to steal, yet our protest is driving them to kill… us. Our men and women scream at the top of their lungs “NO JUSTICE! NO PEACE!” Peace they have been fighting for, for several years why fight against us when you took what made OUR America Great Again. Bombed us like a war zone but fight us for fighting for peace when you took a piece us, and our land which we found and funded; is that how we became the “threat” we left and stood strong on our own. NO JUSTICE! NO PEACE! “Breaking News: Black Lives Matter is Done With America’s Bullshit.”
By Rebekah6 years ago in The Swamp
Remove the Confederate Flag
Whether or not to remove the confederate flag has been a debate for years, but with recent events, it has become a spotlight topic once again. This debate is touchy and controversial and those who debate seem to stand either strongly for the flag or strongly against it. Some Southerners believe that the confederate flag is part their childhood and history itself. But on the other hand, those fighting to remove the flag claim it is a symbol of oppression, slavery and hatred. In order to pick a side, we must first understand the history of the flag.
By Madeline Keys6 years ago in The Swamp
Do We Have a Problem?
I was in the store, just trying to find some candy that I may have wanted for the mini-movie night I had planned. I really didn’t have much else on my mind, and I was in deep thought about if I wanted Snickers or M&Ms. As I was doing that, from the side of my eye something caught my attention. It was a woman about to walk down the aisle, but quickly stopped and kept going straight. I still wasn’t thinking much of it, because of course we do this every day. There has been plenty of times that either I thought something was on an aisle and it wasn’t or too many people were on the aisle, and I would make an executive decision to go to another aisle and come back later. So, I continued with my candy, however, 2 seconds later, the same woman had turned her basket around and came down the very aisle I was at. I took a step back, so that she could pass in front of me. However, when she passed me, she scoffed, nearly jumped and quickly pulled her basket to the nearest wall as far from me as possible, and looked at me as if I was going to attack her or belittle her for walking down the aisle. She was an older Caucasian lady, and she made me feel like I was a monster, or something. That shocked me, considering everything that’s going on in the world, and we’re trying to come together as one to stop police brutality and racism, why would you do that? For a second, my spirit was broken, considering that no matter how hard we try we will be looked at a certain way. However, then I started to think about it, and realized Do they think we hate them?
By Aria 6 years ago in The Swamp