Hello! Man, I miss this blog. I've decided that I'm actually going to start forcing myself to write at least once a week a) because I feel like I'm a large asshole for being so lazy about something that I really care about, and b) it'll just make me a better writer in the long run, so I think that's important for my career and life and all that jazz. I'm also going to start posting all of my blog spurts on Facebook so they're more easily accessible and the poor users of the internet don't have to sleaze around looking for my posts, because I feel like that's too much work for something with such minimal progress. Evan reads this blog, though, so, you rule, Evan. Keep being you.
For those of you who don't know me very well/aren't close to me personally/have better things to do than know where I am, I'm in Pennsylvania, USA. I'm here for two weeks with my family and it's been fresh. My family is neat and I like that I get to spend so much time with them. So, my family has been really nice. America, on the other hand, I'm not too sure about. I'm going to try to write this in the least offensive sense I can possibly muster from inside my brain because I'm not trying to be offensive, this is just an observation of a Canadian visitor.
Now, I've been to the USA before and I've done my thing. But this time has been different. In my other American experiences, I've been with Canadians. I've been with a shit ton of Canadian teenagers who didn't give a fuck and just kept on being Canadian and didn't talk to any Americans to a large extent and it was totally fine. We saw the sights and we danced the dance and it was all fine and good. Such is not the case on this trip. I've had long, extended conversations with at least seven Republicans and it was really hard, guys. I guess my issue here is not with America (it's kind of with America - I'll talk about that later on), but with this mindset that the people I spoke to have. There are two things that they stressed more than anything during our conversations: God and war. I won't be discussing God because freedom of religion, amirite? During this trip, I read "1984" by George Orwell and there literally could not have been a more relevant book to read. There were a few times when I actually had to get up and leave a conversation because I couldn't stand to be around people that talked this way. It legitimately scared me to hear it. First off, let me give you some background: every single person I had talked to had served in the military. Coming from Canada, this is not something you regularly hear about. In fact, I only know, personally, one person from Canada who served in the military. These were seven different people who ALL happened to serve. All of these men were Republicans who saw the military as their responsibility. They believed that it was up to them to "kill for their freedom". That's a real live quote. You hear about this stuff in movies and books and junk, but actually meeting a person, MULTIPLE PEOPLE, who believed that this (freedom) is still an issue blew my mind. I understand defense to a degree, and I know that America might be in danger, but freedom is really not a thing anymore. We're as free as we're going to be over here, you know? And if anything is holding Americans back from more freedom, it's only their regressive attitude in terms of where their country is at politically. I just don't understand this want for invasion. One man told me a story of his son who had been driving in a convoy of military vehicles. The first vehicle was suddenly struck by a suicide bomber in a car. The men were fine. They found out later that the vehicle behind them had caught the whole thing on tape. In the corner of the screen as they were watching back, they saw that an innocent civilian on a bike had been blown to pieces. His son laughed as he was telling the story, like it was a joke. I'm not trying to make these people sound evil, nor am I making any excuse for them by writing this part, I'm just stating a fact. I talked to my family members that I'm travelling with about the attitude that these people have, and they told me to let it go. "Oh yeah, you know, women are still paid 30 cents less an hour than men and a rape occurs every nine minutes in India, but whatever, I think I'll just let that go." No. It made me sick. Like, the whole of the human race and it's health and future didn't, in fact, depend on America getting it's giant ass military nose out of places it doesn't belong. This mindset is creating monsters, you know? We're feeding the war machine. There is no doubt in my mind that these men were brainwashed into thinking this kind of behavior was normal for Americans; American soldiers, especially. Like this is how Americans are supposed to act. I was told (I didn't know this and I feel like this is something that people should learn in their Social Studies classes) that soldiers on the front line will never in their lives know how many people they have killed while on duty. A lot of meat-eaters are okay with eating meat as long as it's in the form of a hamburger with cheese and they don't have to go out with a bow and arrow, murdering their prey themselves. Ignorance is bliss, right? Of course being in the military is okay, as long as it's like a video game. As long as you can shoot for hours and hours and never know the damage you've done. I'm not trying to be rude or disrespectful, I'm actually just genuinely worried about what kind of people this process is creating. How can a person come back from this? Can they?
When I was younger and told that America and Canada were allied, I thought that was really nice. In my child-like brain I thought, "Man, it is so cool of the USA to let Canada be friends with them. They are so important." On a drive home from a relative's house, I was trying to think of an analogy for the way I feel about the relationship between America and Canada now (in strict terms of government actions and political policies - I'm definitely not referring to the people of America as a whole), and I figured it out. Canada and America are sisters. They've grown up beside each other, sharing ideas and borrowing clothes and food and money from each other. America is the younger sister and sometimes she can be grumpy. She gets jealous of Canada, and Asia, and Africa because they have things that she doesn't have, like diamonds and silk, etc. America then throws a tantrum. At first, Canada tries to help and calm her down. Canada tries to negotiate a deal with America so that she'll stop freaking out, but it doesn't work. After a while, and after many episodes, Canada has finally given up and she just lets America do what she needs to do, even if that means taking every single thing she can from Asia and Africa and all the other girls in the world. Of course, Canada still loves America and is there for her when she needs help, but Canada has learned to just look on with a knowing smirk.
I know that there are many parts of America that are abundant with people who have different ideas and knowledge. Some of the most amazing inventions and theories have come out of America. I would love to see as much of the USA as I possibly can before I die. This blog post wasn't written to force everyone in America into a box. This post was written to make people take a step back and think about this shit. Does America need a military? Why do they need a military? Did they, in fact, bring all of this turmoil upon themselves? Does Canada need a military? Why are we still fighting? Why aren't people questioning the government and each other?
This is the stuff that runs through my mind. These are all merely thoughts and things that I've come across during my experience here. Again, offending any American people is the last thing I'm trying to do. This isn't aimed at people, this is aimed at policy. All I'm trying to do is create a thought process about these issues because I think they're important. You can disagree with me, agree with me, be furious at me - whatever. Just think about it and comment if you want! Thanks for the read.
Showing posts with label Bad Ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bad Ideas. Show all posts
Sunday, 7 July 2013
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Why I Hate "Kinder Surprise": A Memoir
Hey, kids! I hope everyone had a great spring break (too pedagogical?)! To start things off, I love you and your hair looked fabulous today. A quick update on my life: I've recently run out of Ben and Jerry's, so I have resorted to eating Greek yogurt which turns into real yogurt if you stir it a lot and I like that. Also, I shaved my legs, so that was cool.
I think that the whole "society-based-around-gender" thing is really getting to me. I can't think about anything else. Whenever anyone in my life says anything, I immediately have to analyze whether or not it was prejudiced. This might have to do with my self-diagnosed OCD, but I'm also thinking that it's actually just ridiculous and I'm sick to death of people putting up with this point of view.
For starters, on Easter, I received from my unassuming, beautiful, intelligent, independent relative a Kinder Surprise - for girls. My heart broke. I think I actually died a little bit inside. I had heard of these from a friend and we discussed the topic pretty thoroughly. I have a few things to say about it. First of all, fuck you, Kinder Surprise. Fuck you for going along with the patriarchal assumption that girls are less intelligent and therefore we need to receive little kitty bracelets or miniature Barbie dolls as presents instead of stuff that we can actually build with our brains, you jerks. I hate you. Fuck you for making them pink and fuck you for creating a gender divide among a younger generation. I wish I could have presented that in a more polite manner, but it was impossible, so there you have it. Second of all, I'm really sad that my relative didn't see an issue with this. I have a seven year-old cousin whom I adore more than any other child I've ever known and I spent most of my Easter with him. He, of course, received a "boy" Kinder Surprise. When I opened mine and found a bracelet, I told him that I didn't want it and asked him if he waned it. He replied with a simple, "No, people would make fun of me." I said, "But I wouldn't make fun of you." And his final word on the subject was, "Not everyone is like you." I teared up a little. I feel like some of you might think that was an overdramatic response, but I don't. He's already been exposed to the opinion of society that he would be seen as "odd" or "not normal" if he wore a bracelet. He's been taught that there are boys and girls, and boys have boy toys and girls have girl toys and they don't mix. And that makes me really upset. He is, without a doubt, the smartest seven year-old I've ever known (he's beaten me at chess on several different occasions) yet society has already started to get the best of him. I guess the best I can do for him at this point is try to weasel myself into his life and continue to try to convince him that it would be okay for him to paint his toenails if he wanted to. Thirdly, and lastly, I'm really mad at myself for not saying anything about this. It's hard to correct someone who a) is older than you and has more life experience and b) you have a lot of respect for. The issue is, though, is that if my relative would have said, "Here's a Kindersurprise for the black kid and a different, better one for the white kid!", I would have freaked out, you know? Gender is such a touchy topic with so many people because, for some insanely idiotic reason, we aren't at the point yet where it's absurd for girls and boys to be treated as separate species. So, yes, I should have said something, and I'm still kicking myself. One of my personal goals is to become more vocal in my belief system, especially in situations like that. It's really tough to build up to, but I think that the more I do it, the easier it will become.
I have a really hard time with stuff like this because even though parents and teachers and guardians don't think this kind of thing is harmful, it is. That's not even an opinion either, because there's evidence. How many young women are in school for engineering right now? I don't have any exact numbers handy, but I know, personally, five or six people who are taking engineering and not one of them is a girl. I'd say that's a pretty normal statistic in other schools and cities as well. The reason that a lot of women (myself included) believe that they cannot handle the academic challenges of engineering is that we grew up with this constant reminder that boys were better at that stuff. Boys got to play with Lego and cars, but we got to play with dolls and kitchens and tea sets. This is what we come familiar with and this is what we evolve into. I'm not saying that this is true for all women, but a fair amount of girls grow up in an environment where these are the play things that are readily available. (And I'm also not saying that being a wife or a mother as a profession is something that a woman should be ashamed of or looked down upon for. I believe that a socially conscious woman should be able to do whatever she wants to do, I'm just arguing this from a "forced-upon-us-by-the-patriarchy" standpoint.) A child doesn't bother to question why she is given certain toys; she's a child. This thoughtless indoctrination into a certain lifestyle isn't even at the fault of the parents. We, as women, are pressured by society into thinking that this is all we deserve and this is all we need; that we should be satisfied with domesticity. It's a really sad part of the world we live in. Imagine the incredible feats that could have been achieved by now if women were encouraged to do all of the things that men are encouraged to do. Does it make sense to deprive the world of the unique intellect of fifty percent of population solely based on the fact that this fifty percent contains a significant amount of uteri? No. No, it does not make sense. And, yes, every day new doors are opening and more women are becoming involved in science, mathematics, mechanics, etc. and that's fantastic! But how are we going to completely dissolve this gender divide if we still have stupidity such as separate Kinder Surprises for boys and girls? I'd like to propose a boycott against all toys, candies, books, etc. that are gender discriminative. Maybe tell your friends or relatives with young children about the problems it creates. It's hard to be so involved in peoples' lives, I know, but I feel like the importance of the issue kind of outweighs the privacy of parenthood in this aspect. I might be getting a little too "all-up-in-your-face" over here, but I'm tired and I just really care about this. Thanks for reading.
And for the love of Darwin, please go buy some Ben and Jerry's so I can live vicariously through you. Goodnight.
I think that the whole "society-based-around-gender" thing is really getting to me. I can't think about anything else. Whenever anyone in my life says anything, I immediately have to analyze whether or not it was prejudiced. This might have to do with my self-diagnosed OCD, but I'm also thinking that it's actually just ridiculous and I'm sick to death of people putting up with this point of view.
For starters, on Easter, I received from my unassuming, beautiful, intelligent, independent relative a Kinder Surprise - for girls. My heart broke. I think I actually died a little bit inside. I had heard of these from a friend and we discussed the topic pretty thoroughly. I have a few things to say about it. First of all, fuck you, Kinder Surprise. Fuck you for going along with the patriarchal assumption that girls are less intelligent and therefore we need to receive little kitty bracelets or miniature Barbie dolls as presents instead of stuff that we can actually build with our brains, you jerks. I hate you. Fuck you for making them pink and fuck you for creating a gender divide among a younger generation. I wish I could have presented that in a more polite manner, but it was impossible, so there you have it. Second of all, I'm really sad that my relative didn't see an issue with this. I have a seven year-old cousin whom I adore more than any other child I've ever known and I spent most of my Easter with him. He, of course, received a "boy" Kinder Surprise. When I opened mine and found a bracelet, I told him that I didn't want it and asked him if he waned it. He replied with a simple, "No, people would make fun of me." I said, "But I wouldn't make fun of you." And his final word on the subject was, "Not everyone is like you." I teared up a little. I feel like some of you might think that was an overdramatic response, but I don't. He's already been exposed to the opinion of society that he would be seen as "odd" or "not normal" if he wore a bracelet. He's been taught that there are boys and girls, and boys have boy toys and girls have girl toys and they don't mix. And that makes me really upset. He is, without a doubt, the smartest seven year-old I've ever known (he's beaten me at chess on several different occasions) yet society has already started to get the best of him. I guess the best I can do for him at this point is try to weasel myself into his life and continue to try to convince him that it would be okay for him to paint his toenails if he wanted to. Thirdly, and lastly, I'm really mad at myself for not saying anything about this. It's hard to correct someone who a) is older than you and has more life experience and b) you have a lot of respect for. The issue is, though, is that if my relative would have said, "Here's a Kindersurprise for the black kid and a different, better one for the white kid!", I would have freaked out, you know? Gender is such a touchy topic with so many people because, for some insanely idiotic reason, we aren't at the point yet where it's absurd for girls and boys to be treated as separate species. So, yes, I should have said something, and I'm still kicking myself. One of my personal goals is to become more vocal in my belief system, especially in situations like that. It's really tough to build up to, but I think that the more I do it, the easier it will become.
I have a really hard time with stuff like this because even though parents and teachers and guardians don't think this kind of thing is harmful, it is. That's not even an opinion either, because there's evidence. How many young women are in school for engineering right now? I don't have any exact numbers handy, but I know, personally, five or six people who are taking engineering and not one of them is a girl. I'd say that's a pretty normal statistic in other schools and cities as well. The reason that a lot of women (myself included) believe that they cannot handle the academic challenges of engineering is that we grew up with this constant reminder that boys were better at that stuff. Boys got to play with Lego and cars, but we got to play with dolls and kitchens and tea sets. This is what we come familiar with and this is what we evolve into. I'm not saying that this is true for all women, but a fair amount of girls grow up in an environment where these are the play things that are readily available. (And I'm also not saying that being a wife or a mother as a profession is something that a woman should be ashamed of or looked down upon for. I believe that a socially conscious woman should be able to do whatever she wants to do, I'm just arguing this from a "forced-upon-us-by-the-patriarchy" standpoint.) A child doesn't bother to question why she is given certain toys; she's a child. This thoughtless indoctrination into a certain lifestyle isn't even at the fault of the parents. We, as women, are pressured by society into thinking that this is all we deserve and this is all we need; that we should be satisfied with domesticity. It's a really sad part of the world we live in. Imagine the incredible feats that could have been achieved by now if women were encouraged to do all of the things that men are encouraged to do. Does it make sense to deprive the world of the unique intellect of fifty percent of population solely based on the fact that this fifty percent contains a significant amount of uteri? No. No, it does not make sense. And, yes, every day new doors are opening and more women are becoming involved in science, mathematics, mechanics, etc. and that's fantastic! But how are we going to completely dissolve this gender divide if we still have stupidity such as separate Kinder Surprises for boys and girls? I'd like to propose a boycott against all toys, candies, books, etc. that are gender discriminative. Maybe tell your friends or relatives with young children about the problems it creates. It's hard to be so involved in peoples' lives, I know, but I feel like the importance of the issue kind of outweighs the privacy of parenthood in this aspect. I might be getting a little too "all-up-in-your-face" over here, but I'm tired and I just really care about this. Thanks for reading.
And for the love of Darwin, please go buy some Ben and Jerry's so I can live vicariously through you. Goodnight.
Monday, 29 October 2012
"I like to say stuff!" vs "I like to hate stuff and make you feel like shit!"
It's late but I'm not tired so I thought I'd have a short, little rant. (Probably not a very appealing way to start this post. My apologies.)
Lately, I've been having a lot of issues with the subject of "free speech". Free speech is the right to say whatever you want. And that's pretty cool. Without free speech, I wouldn't be able to write this post right now. ILOVEFREESPEECHYAYAYA. But just like with any other right that humans posess, there is a certain responsibility that comes along with it. And this is what I'd like to talk about right now.
A few people that I know reeeeally hurt my feelings with their take on free speech. These people, it seems to me, have forgotten their responsibilities when it comes to speaking their minds. I've seen a couple Facebook statuses speaking of a "utopian all-Caucasian Canada", the indecency of homosexuals and the roles that women "should" be playing in the bedroom and the kitchen. I even know of a person who thinks it's A-OK that she's a self-procclaimed facist. Woohoo, right? This is exactly what free speech is all about! Yeah!
No.
Not ever.
There is so much I could say about all of the things listed above, but I feel as though it isn't even worth my time. If you're reading this blog, you probably already understand my belief system and you are probably just as apalled by those hurtful comments as I am. But, if anyone out there reading this agrees with the views listed above and likes to spread hate and treat their fellow humans like dirt and all that fun stuff, I vow to personally build you a time machine so you can go back to the good ol' days and be Hitler's roomie.
It's things like this that I toss and turn over when I'm trying to sleep. How can people in this day and age, and in their right minds, think it's okay to say things like this? It scares the shit out of me. Yes, there's free speech. Yes, you should be able to say what you wish. But give me a break. This is downright disgusting. This is why we're not moving forward. This is why Mitt Romney is even an option. This is why the KKK still exists. This is why there's a Taliban. Hell, you might as well just spit in the faces of JFK, Martin Luther, Harriet Tubman, Gandhi, David Suzuki and every other good person in the universe.
So, here. This is me exercising my right to free speech in response to those who use theirs so fleetingly and, in doing so, completely disregard any other human being that ever existed: You are a human. I am a human. Your grandmother is a human. Your neighbor four doors down is a human. That girl who wears a hijab in your English class is a human. That boy who hides his true feelings about who he's attracted to in fear of being hated is a human. YOU are a human. So, please, for the love of Darwin, push your hate aside, remember your responsibilities and show some damn respect.
Lately, I've been having a lot of issues with the subject of "free speech". Free speech is the right to say whatever you want. And that's pretty cool. Without free speech, I wouldn't be able to write this post right now. ILOVEFREESPEECHYAYAYA. But just like with any other right that humans posess, there is a certain responsibility that comes along with it. And this is what I'd like to talk about right now.
A few people that I know reeeeally hurt my feelings with their take on free speech. These people, it seems to me, have forgotten their responsibilities when it comes to speaking their minds. I've seen a couple Facebook statuses speaking of a "utopian all-Caucasian Canada", the indecency of homosexuals and the roles that women "should" be playing in the bedroom and the kitchen. I even know of a person who thinks it's A-OK that she's a self-procclaimed facist. Woohoo, right? This is exactly what free speech is all about! Yeah!
No.
Not ever.
There is so much I could say about all of the things listed above, but I feel as though it isn't even worth my time. If you're reading this blog, you probably already understand my belief system and you are probably just as apalled by those hurtful comments as I am. But, if anyone out there reading this agrees with the views listed above and likes to spread hate and treat their fellow humans like dirt and all that fun stuff, I vow to personally build you a time machine so you can go back to the good ol' days and be Hitler's roomie.
It's things like this that I toss and turn over when I'm trying to sleep. How can people in this day and age, and in their right minds, think it's okay to say things like this? It scares the shit out of me. Yes, there's free speech. Yes, you should be able to say what you wish. But give me a break. This is downright disgusting. This is why we're not moving forward. This is why Mitt Romney is even an option. This is why the KKK still exists. This is why there's a Taliban. Hell, you might as well just spit in the faces of JFK, Martin Luther, Harriet Tubman, Gandhi, David Suzuki and every other good person in the universe.
So, here. This is me exercising my right to free speech in response to those who use theirs so fleetingly and, in doing so, completely disregard any other human being that ever existed: You are a human. I am a human. Your grandmother is a human. Your neighbor four doors down is a human. That girl who wears a hijab in your English class is a human. That boy who hides his true feelings about who he's attracted to in fear of being hated is a human. YOU are a human. So, please, for the love of Darwin, push your hate aside, remember your responsibilities and show some damn respect.
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Is Being Normal Okay?
I was talking to a good friend a few days ago about social norms. It's funny how simple everything seems until you question or ponder why it is so socially acceptable to do certain things in the first place. I brought up the idea of having one bathroom for both genders in every public setting. If you can imagine this (it IS a little odd, I'll admit), you might feel that if this were socially acceptable since the time you were born, you might not be as scared of, or as unfamiliar with, the other gender as you are now. You may feel that this situation might be unsafe, but remember, everyone would be completely accustomed to it. I can't help but feel that this might encourage a certain type of equality and brotherhood. I know personally that I would be less scared of one on one confrontations with men (I should not be scared of men, but that's a conversation for another day).
I also brought up the idea of raising children based on gender. It seems completely normal to most parents that if they have a son, he should wear pants and play with cars and like the color blue. But who's to say that this is what the child wants? I recently listened to a radio show on gender stereotyping in young children and how harmful it can be to them in the future, especially if they turn out to be homosexual or transgender. On the show, a couple was interviewed because of the way they chose to raise their children. They have a son who chooses to wear pink, chooses to wear dresses and chooses to keep his hair fairly long. Their son identifies himself as a boy, but chooses to present himself as more "girly", some might say. The parents are completely accepting of this young boy. Can you imagine how easily confidence would come if you grew up knowing exactly who you were, you didn't have to deal with any external pressures and your parents supported this?
When things as normal as these are questioned, we see that maybe they shouldn't be so normal at all.
After talking with my friend, I began to think more about social norms and one popped into my head that I've thought about a few times before: the concept of having pets. I know most people who have pets are self-proclaimed "animal lovers" and would do anything for their pet, but is the idea of owning another living thing natural? I've never known of another species that takes an infant animal away from its family and raises it according to the rules of the owner species. My family has two dogs, a cat and my best friend and I share three fish. I love all of these animals very dearly and I feel that we give them a good life. BUT, there's a part of me that feels I'm doing something wrong. Every "animal lover" has had to deal with their beloved pet shitting on the carpet. This animal has no idea that they did something wrong. If they were free to be an animal instead of a pet, they could relieve themselves wherever they wanted. But no, they belong to this animal lover and although the pet is completely clueless as to why a carpet even matters, they are punished. They are punished by their owner based on human standards. Yeah, if a person pooped on my carpet, they should know that's wrong. But a dog? I'm sorry, but there's just something about having that type of control over another living species that seems corrupt. As humans, the only species who can think and question (so far), I feel we have a responsibility to look after our more vulnerable fellow animals and protect them from harm, not willingly inflict it.
I don't plan on having children, but now that I realize gender stereotyping in children is harmful, I'll be sure to let them be who they are meant to be if they ever happen to grace me with their presence. I'm keeping my fish, but I'm aware that now I might not have made the right decision. I know that after my little marine buddies pass, I won't be acquiring another pet. I hope this caused you to think about your own actions and maybe to question some social norms that shouldn't be so norm...al.
I also brought up the idea of raising children based on gender. It seems completely normal to most parents that if they have a son, he should wear pants and play with cars and like the color blue. But who's to say that this is what the child wants? I recently listened to a radio show on gender stereotyping in young children and how harmful it can be to them in the future, especially if they turn out to be homosexual or transgender. On the show, a couple was interviewed because of the way they chose to raise their children. They have a son who chooses to wear pink, chooses to wear dresses and chooses to keep his hair fairly long. Their son identifies himself as a boy, but chooses to present himself as more "girly", some might say. The parents are completely accepting of this young boy. Can you imagine how easily confidence would come if you grew up knowing exactly who you were, you didn't have to deal with any external pressures and your parents supported this?
When things as normal as these are questioned, we see that maybe they shouldn't be so normal at all.
After talking with my friend, I began to think more about social norms and one popped into my head that I've thought about a few times before: the concept of having pets. I know most people who have pets are self-proclaimed "animal lovers" and would do anything for their pet, but is the idea of owning another living thing natural? I've never known of another species that takes an infant animal away from its family and raises it according to the rules of the owner species. My family has two dogs, a cat and my best friend and I share three fish. I love all of these animals very dearly and I feel that we give them a good life. BUT, there's a part of me that feels I'm doing something wrong. Every "animal lover" has had to deal with their beloved pet shitting on the carpet. This animal has no idea that they did something wrong. If they were free to be an animal instead of a pet, they could relieve themselves wherever they wanted. But no, they belong to this animal lover and although the pet is completely clueless as to why a carpet even matters, they are punished. They are punished by their owner based on human standards. Yeah, if a person pooped on my carpet, they should know that's wrong. But a dog? I'm sorry, but there's just something about having that type of control over another living species that seems corrupt. As humans, the only species who can think and question (so far), I feel we have a responsibility to look after our more vulnerable fellow animals and protect them from harm, not willingly inflict it.
I don't plan on having children, but now that I realize gender stereotyping in children is harmful, I'll be sure to let them be who they are meant to be if they ever happen to grace me with their presence. I'm keeping my fish, but I'm aware that now I might not have made the right decision. I know that after my little marine buddies pass, I won't be acquiring another pet. I hope this caused you to think about your own actions and maybe to question some social norms that shouldn't be so norm...al.
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