The Gheto

My friend and I were going up to philly to look at a college that we applied for about a month ago. we headed up there on sunday and knowing us we both sucked with directions, so before we knew it we in right smack-dab in the middle of philly, or where-ever the bad part of philly is i should say. it was about 9'oclock and as i was driving and trying to find our way back onto the expressway we had passed by so many crime scenes and roberries. personally i have never seen the gheto up close and could never really imagine what it could be like living in that kind of state. imagin knowing that if you walk down the street by yourself, you"ll get jumped, or your walking to the neighborhood store with your friend to get a candy bar and you see the window smashed in with the owner outside talking to the town officer. feeling unsafe in your own neighborhood is unimaginable to people that have lived in a safe environment like me and my friend. it was just a different experiance for me that knowing that people are just barely hanging on to living and they would risk thier life to live. but my question is what would you do if you had to live in the downtown, most crime ridden, part of the city that has drug dealers around ever corner and hookers lined up around every street sign? how would you manage to get through the day with that surounding you home?

Why is it cool to be different?

Did you realize the more you try to be different the more you are like everybody else in the world? Now-a-days being different is being the same. You try so hard no to fit in but, thats exactly what other people are doing, so in any case are you really different? You may change your style, listen to different artist people don't listen too, and maybe switch your vocabulary up but, yet somehow, some way your going to see someone just doing the same. I know how some people hate fitting but in all reality your going to have a somebody or even a group that fits into your weirdness. Some people look at it as movement started by them and want all the credit. While others change up everyday wondering how they can be different but little do they know somebody else is doing the exact same thing. So again I ask why is it so cool to be different when infact your still fitting in with most people?

Sororities.

I have a friend in college who is really interested in joining a sorority. He's been on the waiting list for quite some time but they already have started doing bad things to him. Even though it is banned, hazing still exists and is still a tradition is some sororities. He's been beaten up a couple of times and they continuously send him on dumby missions. Ofcourse I feel bad for him and try to convince that he shouldn't want to be apart of that brother hood if they have to do these horrible things to him. My friend is also in a relationship with someone that I know and I think its rediculous that she has to come second to his so called soon to be "brothers". They can make him do anything nd everything just to prove himself to them, even cheat on her his girlfriend if they tell him to. When is it enough? Where can the line be drawn? Why is it that people that join sororities are willing to do the most rediculous and even the most low and disrespectful things just to be apart of this "brother hood"?

Kids and Their Video Games

Why is it every time somebody gets in trouble they blame the video games the kids are playing? Sure some games are violent but thats not the companies fault. The games they are producing are rated for a reason. Games rated M are for kids that are 17+. If these kids are playing the games, where are the parents? Ten year olds shouldn't be playing these games. The parents should get on them about this. There is no reason for the parents and kids to blame the game company. The stores also need to become more aware in order to stop the kids from getting in trouble with games. The parents also need to become more aware when their children get new games. I don't know, it just seems like every time a new Grand Theft Auto comes out, the game producers (Rockstar), get in trouble.

What is "normal"?

So the other day my friend text me a quote. The quote said, "What's this thing you call 'Normal'? Is it contagious?! OMG!! Don't touch me! I might catch your 'Normal'!" I found this to be hilarious due to the fact that I am far from what people consider to be normal. Of course the quesion here is, what is "normal"? I pondered that question for a while and then came up with the realization that to me it didn't matter. I enjoy who I am on a daily basis and so do those around me. I replied to her text saying that she had nothin to worry about because the fact is I simply am not normal. She then replied saying, "Yay!!" and that it didn't matter that I wasn't "normal" because she loves me just the way I am.

High School Sports

Why is it when some one want to go to another school and play a sport they have to sit out for 30 days. That is only if they are on the varsity level. They shouldn't have to sit because they transfer to a school that they want to play for or will do better at. They shouldn't be punished for going to a school that they think will be better for them.

Is video game violence a real problem in todays youth?

Not if video game stores new how to check for IDs when little kids buy M rated games. There's a notion out there that any youngster who grabs hold of a violent video game will go out and cause a massacre. If you know your child is mentally unstable, it's not very wise to allow them to play violent video games. In partciular, shooting games. My brother got Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for his 17th birthday in 2003 (and this game ended up being one of my favorite games ever.) My mom didn't want me to play it but I watched my brother play it briefly and I really wanted to play it. Does that mean I wanted to kill people in reality? Of course not. Eventually, I played the game, only being 11 years old, and now look at me. I don't even have a criminal record. It just depends who plays the game. I've played the most violent video games and seen some brutal movies, but I'm not deranged. While I know I won't become a crazy person after playing these types of game, I abide by the law and settled with the fact that you had to be 17 years or older to buy an M rated game. All store clerks have to do is what's expected out of them and check the IDs of people who purchase an M rated game if they think the person may possibly be too young to purchase it. Of course, there have been plenty of stories where violent video games played roles in kids violent actions. There was even a big story about the game that I previously mentioned where a 17 year old killed a couple cops and said how "life is a video game ,everybody's got to die sometime." It would've been nice if somebody had let the moron know that everybody has to die sometime IN REALITY TOO, not just in video games. He was obviously an unstable human being. Moore was at the first age possible where he could buy a rated M game, 17. He could legally purchase the game, but his parents still should've noticed the negative impact it had on him. My parents didn't see me play Vice City. I think I tried to keep it confidential when I played it. I didn't want my parents to see me play it when I was 11 because of the violent things you can do such as kill people. So, if you hide it from your parents, most likely they won't know you're playing it but that doesn't take away all the liablity from your parents. If a teen becomes more interested in guns and violence, they should draw the suspicion that they've engaged themselves in violent media. I played Vice City all the time. I played it a lot particularlly from around 2003 - 2006. I beat the entire game and completed every thing I could possibly do in the game, and again, I don't even have a criminal record. There's 2 types of people who can do something about video games having very negative effects on teens; the store clerks and the parents. Ask for IDs when selling M rated games and parents should look at what they're kids are doing. Even if you hide it from them, they should see the change in your demeanor. Now, I'm 18 and when I turned 17, I wasn't immature and said, "Yes!!! Now I can buy every M rated game on the shelf!!" I simply continued playing the types of games I enjoy playing. If it was rated M, then so be it. I'm lucky enough to not be one of those unstable people who take pure entertainment the wrong way. If you're one of those people who do, get help immediately or I hope your parents notice it before you go out and decide to hurt people.