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Entry / Exit Essay

A current social issue that has made a great impact in the Philippines, as of today, is the extrajudicial killings. I do not think that it is the right solution to address problems related to drugs because the Philippines is a country wherein majority are catholic which means that the Filipinos have beliefs that go against extrajudicial killings. The killings also threaten our right to live and it seems to be against the poor.

As a catholic, I have been taught about the ten commandments that should not be broken. One of those commandments states how one should not kill. Although the government does not operate with the church, these killings should still be stopped because it is also not a great image for a Catholic country to have drug suspects killed without mercy.

These killings threaten our human rights. We all have the right to live and it is really unfair that a lot of people have already been killed without fair trial. There have been a lot of news reports about police raids in some areas and a number of people being dragged and killed on the spot. Authorizing someone to kill another when there is no sufficient evidence is the same as neglecting that person’s right to live. This idea then relates to my third point which is about the extrajudicial killings being against the poor.

By watching television or reading the newspaper, it is obvious that, more often than not, it is the poor people who are being killed as compared to the rich. While the poor are being, murdered, the rich have been getting away with just a simple fine. General Ronald Dela Rosa mentioned how they have gotten rich people like Espinosa and Paraojinog who are drug dealers as well but it still does not compare to the number of poor people that have been killed. It is unfair that there is no just treatment and how it is obvious that the rich are being favored.

Although my opinion is contrary to popular belief, I can also say that there have been positive changes because of these killings, no matter how unorthodox the method was. Because people fear getting caught, a lot have already stopped their dealings. However, I do believe that there are different and better ways or methods of dealing with the issues that our country is facing; methods that do not involve killing because there could be cases where the person accused could be innocent as well.

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Body Image.

Lots of people have different ideals when it comes to their body and this could be affected by different factors including media. In the Philippines, the ideal body for women is being petit and having a whiter complexion. This becomes a huge problem because Filipino women do not learn to embrace their body and their complexion.

In order for this problem to be solved, the main thing that should be done is for Filipinos to avoid promoting advertisements that show how women with whiter skin is better than those with darker complexions. Another thing that could be done is for people to avoid selling products that are for slimming because the structure of everyone’s bodies are different. It just so happened that some people were blessed with what society deems as the ideal body type. Another way to solve the problem would be for Filipinos to start promoting more the “morena” skin because it is the skin type of most Filipino women. They should not be told how to look like but should instead look how they want to.

Although it is true that being fit and healthy is a great thing, people should stay the way they are especially if they are happy with it. Being petit and white may be the ideals of society but it should not necessarily be everyone’s ideal. There should not be an ideal body that people would want to have. Each individual should have their own preferences when it comes to their body type and they should feel comfortable the way they are.

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Power.

Power is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Many people in our society today, including Barack Obama, Emma Watson, and Walt Disney, has brought about a lot of changes. These people have been able to influence lots to follow or support their movement. The only difference they have would be the message they are trying to send to everyone.

Barack Obama became the President of the United States during January 20, 2009. It became a big deal because he was the first African-American to become the president. One of the main issues that he tried to solve during his time is racism. Obama believed that one of the main strengths of the United States would be how diverse the population is there. A lot of people looked up to Obama because of how much he was able to do for his country especially when it came to healthcare and trying to get everyone to respect each other’s cultures. He used his power as president in a way that would bring about positive change.

Another person who greatly influenced a  lot of people would be Emma Watson. She was able to influence everyone on the topic of gender equality during the year 2014. She gave a speech as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador at a special event for the HeForShe campaign. She wanted to end gender inequality by speaking up about it which not many people her age do. She was not just an actress but she aimed to be someone who uses her influence in order to make people more aware of the issues of today’s society.

Lots of people have said how the youth is the future and in order for the youth to make a brighter future, they should be taught early what the right thing to do is. Walt Disney created Disney which produces films and shows for children. He was persistent in making his dreams a reality and that is why he became successful. He used his skills and resources to influence children and to help them learn about different lessons through different films through the years.

Lots of people have made an impact in our society today. Although we do not realize it, lots of people have influenced us in different ways and platforms. Power comes in different forms and through different people. Some through being our world leaders, some being actors and actresses, and some could be other people who just continue to do their jobs.

References:

Austin, E. (2016, September 9). In Defense of the President: Barack Obama’s Impact and Legacy. Retrieved December 11, 2017, from https://intpolicydigest.org/2016/09/09/defense-president-barack-obama-s-impact-legacy/

Empowerment Through Diversity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2017, from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/issues/civil-rights/empowerment

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Racism.

A problem that lots have been trying to solve for a long time, is racism. According to the Oxford Dictionary, racism is, “The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.” In order to solve racial discrimination, everyone must be aware of what racial discrimination is, must keep an open mind, and must be taught to respect other people’s culture.

Everyone should be aware of what racism is because a problem will never be solved unless one is educated about it. Knowing about the issue and everything else related to it will help when bringing it up to other people because this can also make them aware about what racism causes to the “inferior” race. More often than not, racists are ignorant and keep a close mind about things. If they were raised to believe that their race is superior to other races, some would start to think  highly of themselves. Everyone must keep an open mind when discussions about race are brought up. There is no superior race and in order to truly solve this problem, all races should respect each other and treat each other as equals. Nowadays, it is very common for people to make jokes about different topics; however, everyone should still be aware of the limits of their jokes and should know when they have already gone too far.

Racism is not something that can be solved overnight because this problem has long been existing. More people should be aware about this problem and try to do something that would help overcome this problem. People should not expect to be respected if they do not do the same. Respect goes both ways. All people need is compassion and a little bit of sensitivity, and surely, in time, racism will be erradicated.

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Loss

Major events in one’s life are necessary in order for a person to grow and develop. Often times, these events have huge impacts because of the gravity of it. Movies like “Ang Nawawala,” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” and “P.S. I Love You” all talk about different ways a person copes with losing a loved one.

“Ang Nawawala” is a Filipino movie directed by Marie Jamora. The movie is all about how a boy, Gibson, loses his twin in an accident they could not control. Gibson stopped speaking when he lost his brother because he became traumatized because of the experience. He later on meets a girl named Esme who he starts to be interested in. However, Esme could not return his feelings because she still had unresolved feelings for the guy she was dating before. Although they did not end up together, she was still able to help him because he started trying to fix the relationships he broke before.

Another movie that shows how a person copes with the loss of a loved one would be “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” The movie tells the story of a young boy named Oskar who lost his father in the World Trade Center attacks during September 11, 2001. Because of losing his father, he becomes distant to his mother and starts feeling depressed. He then finds a key inside the closet of his father and wonders if it was left by his father on purpose. Oskar goes on a quest to find the owner of the key, possibly as a way to distract himself. He later on finds out that the key is owned by someone and is not related to his father. He felt dismayed but a guy he meets in the story, who turns out to be his grandfather helps him cope with the loss he was feeling.

P.S. I Love You is a movie about Holly who loses her husband because of a sickness. Her friends tried helping her deal with the her loss but no one could really help until the day of her birthday came and she received a gift from Gerry, her husband. It turns out that since Gerry knew that he did not have much time left, he left her lots of letters and voice messages that could guide her to getting used to him not being there and living her life again. Through this journey of hers, she meets new people and got to really live again, even without Gerry. Although there were lots of these letters, the time came when she reached the last one. Holly was sad about it but realized that what Gerry did for her helped her really cope with losing Gerry.

One common thing in these movies, would be how not the people who have been there since the beginning could help them cope. People they’ve met right after losing their loved ones are the ones who are truly able to help them. Not all get over losing someone the same way and these movies just showed some ways people cope with their struggles.

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Laughter

“That’s it, laughter! It’s the key to everything! It’s the way to solve all the sadness in the world.” - Bo Burnham

Comedy is defined to be a professional entertainment, intended to make an audience laugh. One kind of comedy is stand-up comedy which is performed live in front of an audience. Comedians like Bo Burnham and Jo Koy both gather a large audience in stand-up comedy because of their style in performing, discussion of topics, and audience interaction.

Stand-up comedy is a hard job to take and most aspiring comedians try to do acts that would make a mark and help their audience remember them. Most comedians perform just like Jo Koy which is basically just story telling; However, Bo Burnham is a great example of a comedian that goes beyond what is expected of him because he not only tells his viewers random comedic stories, but he also sings his stories to keep his audience entertained. He mixes in performances with his story-telling so his audience would not feel bored during the show.

Another way comedians get the attention of their viewers is by choosing the right topics to discuss. In Jo Koy’s performance at “Jo Koy: Live from Seattle,” he mentions racism which Bo Burnham also discusses in his show, “Make Happy.” The topic of racism is a common issue that is relevant to everyone at the moment and discussing other issues like this, even in a comedic way, would make people more aware of them which is a good thing.

A comedian’s interaction with his audience is important as well. This helps his viewers become more engaged in his performances and participate as well when the chance is given to them.  When watching stand-up comedies, the viewers already know not to get offended when the comedian includes them in his jokes as it is only for fun and is not meant to intentionally offend them. Bo Burnham interacts with his audience more than Jo Koy because he responds to their shouts more. However, Jo Koy appears to be more careful when responding to his viewers because he chooses his words carefully while Bo Burnham tends to just reply with the first thing that comes to his mind.

These are just examples of how alike and how different comedians can be. Be that as it may, comedians all have one goal, and that is to make sure that their audience is entertained throughout their whole performance no matter what style they use, what topic they discuss, or how they interact with their audience. Once this goal is achieved, that is only the time the show can be considered a success.

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“Hidden Feelings”

Contrary to how artists were in the past, they now tend to express their works in unorthodox ways. From writing poetry and allowing others to read their pieces, some have started reciting their pieces and letting their viewers know the true feelings that are hidden behind the words they have written.

Spoken word poetry is a form of poetry that is written but meant to be said out loud. Although it started during the early twentieth century, it was also made famous by artists like Sarah Kay, Phil Kaye, Shayne Koyczan and more (2015). In the Philippines, one of the most famous spoken word poet is Juan Miguel Severo. He became famous because of a video of him performing a piece about heartbreak and it trended in the country.

In order to create a piece to perform for spoken word poetry, the first thing that should be done is to choose a subject that the writer feels strongly about. More could be said if the writer has more knowledge on the topic. Second, the poetic devices that the writer will use should be thought of. Third, the writer should memorize his piece. Fourth, during the performance, the writer should make sure to keep eye contact and project his voice so the audience will be able to hear it (www.powerpoetry.org).

One possible reason why spoken word poetry became popular in the Philippines could be because of how Filipinos have a “hugot culture.” Hugot culture is the culture where lines are said that a lot of people can relate to. Because a lot can relate to anything connected to love and heartbreak, the said culture is formed. Another reason spoken word poetry became well known would be because it is a kind of performance art which allows even those that do not read on a daily basis to be able to appreciate the poem as well.

Famous slam poetry include Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye’s, “Origin Story” and Shane Koyczan’s “To This Day.” Here in the Philippines Juan Miguel Severo’s performances at a television show called, “On The Wings of Love” helped in letting a larger audience know about spoken word poetry. Since spoken word poetry has already reached a large audience, it would be a great platform to use to be able to inspire a lot of people. 

References:

5 tips on spoken word (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2017 from http://www.powerpoetry.org/actions/5-tips-spoken-word

Vachel Lindsay’s poetry (2015). Retrieved October 23, 2017 from foundation.org 

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Ever since I was young, I have always loved reading and writing. Back in grade school, I would write random short stories and make my mom read them. 

At this age, I can say that I have improved my reading and writing capabilities. I’m happy about how I have progressed through the years; however, I want to continue learning more about reading and writing through my english communication subject. 

The video above talks about how it becomes a problem when I am the same person I was a year ago. It also mentions how I need to increase my performance because if I do, then everything else increases as well. The line that got to me the most was the one where the narrator says, “no excuses this year.” This struck me because I know that I should never make excuses because I think I cannot do something. I should just try to accomplish the given tasks and focus on improving. I should not make excuses as well because if I put my mind to it, I know that I will be able to do it.

[Video Advice]. (2016, Feb. 11). PROGRESS - the best motivational video. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ8itWzHALE&t=85s