humanity
Humanity topics include pieces on the real lives of politicians, legislators, activists, women in politics and the everyday voter.
The Flint, Michigan Water Crisis
4% of the children of Flint, Michigan have lead contamination in their blood (NBC). Researches feel the problem could have been taken care of for as little as $100 a day, yet officials in the City of Flint did nothing for the 100,000 residents who pay their water bills. In April of 2014, Flint started drawing water from the Flint River, and not Detroit, a move that was originally promised as temporary. In October of 2014, a General Motors engine plant stopped using Flint’s water because it rusts parts, supposedly, which means it must be very acidic.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
'A Seat at the Table'
In 2016 when Solange Knowles gifted the world with A Seat At the Table, people of color around the globe triumphed. Her album articulately embodied the frustration, resentment, and rage that many minorities are experiencing today. So many feel silenced by white supremacy, privilege, patriarchy, racism, and sexism. As a result, Solange’s socially conscious music was a breath of fresh air and collective response to the inequity of society.
By Micky Thinks8 years ago in The Swamp
Humanity Is Weird
Humanity is weird! I really didn't think things could get much worse with our species. You see, I grew up in a time that would boggle the most open and accepting of minds. They called it "The Cold War" even though the people supposedly perpetrating it were, for the most part, a bunch of hot-heads. Case in point—I remember seeing Nikita Khrushchev on our little black & white TV waving his fists in the air while the news translator explained that Niki was exclaiming "We will bury you!" Even though, at my tender age of five (he spilled this quote in 1956...), I was not privy to the "f" word, I can certainly exclaim now—"What the fuck, Niki! What were you thinking?" So that was the start of it. For a five year old who just recently got unceremoniously shifted from his comfortable home in the UK to the wilds of Canada, it was a sobering start.
By Phil Rossner8 years ago in The Swamp
The Real Reason Why We Aren’t Asking the Department of Health and Human Services #WhereAreTheChildren
As our eyes and hearts are drawn to the plight of the ~2000 immigrant children separated from their parents, we are continuing to fail our missing and abused foster children. It isn’t newsworthy if we aren’t able to take a pot shot at Trump or his cronies. The public cares more about #WhereIsMelania, who is living the high life in her gold encrusted penthouse, than they do about the safety and well being of THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of foster children in their own backyard.
By Marnie Grundman8 years ago in The Swamp
What If We Change the World?
I hate the world we live in. It’s an intolerant and cruel place where you don’t get to just be yourself. I hate the fact that it’s so difficult and painful to love ourselves and to be proud; the fact that being you can also mean not being accepted by people you love. It’s so important to be proud of ourselves to be happy in this world, but it is so challenging at the same time. I hate that you get to be judged by every single person just because you’re not them. Everybody is different and no one is perfect. Isn’t it beautiful? I think it is, but society thinks the opposite. We live with society’s standards, but what is so cool about fitting in them? I don’t want to look like these girl with their perfect beach body. I love the way I look. I don’t want to be this skinny blond on these underwear ads. I don’t want to fit in these insta-babe pages. This isn’t reality. Reality is unity in diversity. The fact that we’re all different makes us a society. The fact that we have our own history and our own opinion, the fact that we weren’t all born in the same country, the fact that we have different taste, that’s what makes the beauty of a world. Sadly, there’s so many people who disagree with that, who are scared of what’s different than them. Would they prefer to live with a bunch of people who look just like them, who think like them, who speak like them? I wouldn’t. I am way too annoying. But seriously, I hate the world for making people feel miserable, for making them feel wrong. Nobody should feel guilty to be themselves. You don’t have to justify your choices or about your taste. You get to do whatever the hell you want and nobody should tell you that you can’t do something or that you’re wrong. Because they are. They are wrong to make you feel that way. I hate that in some countries, it is still illegal to marry someone of the same sex. I hate that in some places, a women doesn’t have the same right as a men. I hate that you get judge by the color of your skin or by the language you speak. I hate that you get beat up for thinking differently. I hate that the person who beat you up gets away with it. I hate that the wrong people get to have all the power. I hate that the world is controlled by a bunch of losers. I hate that the president of the USA is dumber than all the country combined. I hate that we get to follow rules that doesn’t make any sense. I hate that we fight at war and that we think it’s going to solve our problems. I hate that even after hundreds of years, the world hasn’t change. It’s still an awful place and I don’t want to live in it anymore. I wish I could change it, because believe me, I would do anything it takes to make it a place where everyone is happy and where you get to be yourself at any time. This sad world we live in doesn’t have to be this way forever.
By Charlie Garcia8 years ago in The Swamp
Renegotiating the Intergenerational Contract
It’s reasonably safe to say that parents expect their children to be better off than they were at the same age. Polling shows that, across age groups, the majority of people expect the next generation to have better living standards than the previous one. However, the figures also reveal a consensus that this expectation is not being met. Given that the unique challenges facing the younger generation are widely recognised, what is standing in the way of making progress in re-balancing the intergenerational contract? The debate is often framed as a generational battle, but the answers are more likely to lie in mutual sacrifice and collaboration, than in a fight to reinforce the interests of one group at the expense of another.
By John Cooper8 years ago in The Swamp
Homeless in California
This not to place guilt on anyone. This is about dealing with all the hidden factors that provide a strong foundation for homelessness. This is about dispelling the lies that make it hard for homeless people to be helped. We all deserve to live decent lives. No person who loses their job and faces the challenges of life that lead them to homelessness should be accused of being lazy. Depressed, yes, hurt, lost, and even broken yes, but lazy, no. Try standing in a line waiting for food after walking all day. Imagine having to walk most of the places you need just for food and clean clothing for a job interview. Most of us can’t. Then imagine doing it with your family following you. Imagine the single mother who lost her husband to crime, who has to take care of her child and work. Imagine the man or woman from the military who fought for our country and is dealing with PTSD or crippled in combat and cannot work.
By I AM. Master of Arts8 years ago in The Swamp
