10-Reality Check

In America we read a lot of news stories about the starving dying people in poor countries around the world. Sometimes we even give in to the sad commercials displaying boney babies and send 15 dollars checks off in the mail. But how often do we actually stop and think about how directly the individual American’s lifestyle affects the poor? Not often.

When I went to Ecuador I went for 7 days. I was only allowed to bring 20 dollars with me. I came back with 14 dollars. A dollar a day is more than enough for the average person in South America or Africa, or any third world country to live on. 80% of the world is third world. 80% of people are uneducated, poor, starving.

Unfortunately our 15 dollar donations to random charities can not help those people. What would really help them would be for Americans to stop buying the clothing that they slave to make but get barely any money for. It would help if our children did not play with the toys their children make in sweat shops. It would help them if trade was fair.

But we are far too tangled in our capitalist society to stop this madness. The poor continue to get poorer and the rich continue to get richer within “The American Dream.”

9-The Skinny

Buying a bathing suit can ruin a shopping trip for any woman. Finding a flattering suit is the challenge of every spring shopping spree. Losing weight for beach and pool season is a common goal among men and women of all ages, however, young women in America may be taking weight loss goals much too seriously.

The relentless issue of the image of a women in the U.S. is key here. Girls and young women see skin and bones models on magazine covers and commercials every day. Those girls hear males praise their perfect bodies constantly. These ever present images make it extra difficult to throw on a swim suit and head to the beach without giving the mirror a second glance.

That’s why this time of year the girl’s locker room or the aisles of The Gap are full of conversation dedicated to diet plans and workout schedules. Many females (and possibly males) stop eating all together if it means having an acceptable beach bod by Spring Break. It seems that the culture fad of Cancun or Cabo trips for college students has furthered the desire to drop pounds-regardless of the hazards involved.

Of course weight loss can be a happy and healthy thing, but in many cases girls are losing weight in unhealthy ways for unhealthy reasons. It seems to me that this time of year is a prime time for schools and organizations to enforce to young men and women the importance of losing weight in a healthy way, rather than succombing to what may seem to be easier.