Social Justice?!?!?

It seems like there are so many acts of social injustice today that is is hard to pinpoint just one issue, let alone one specific instance. It sometimes feels like there are too many bad things going on in the world, that it is just overwhelming and I can't even begin to think of what can be done to help. I feel powerless in these situations. Before now, I kind of felt like I could maybe do something about it. Now I just don't know. But the least I can do is spread the word about something important.



Right now there is a genocide happening in Darfur, a province in Sudan. The Janjaweed militias have already killed anywhere from 200,000 to 400,000 people. The Sudanese government, though it publicly denies involvement, has supplied the Janjaweed with money and assistance and has even participated in attacking specific tribes. They are essentially slaughtering their own people in the hundreds of thousands. On top of that, they also severely underestimate the deaths, claiming that around 9,000 have died, when the UN has said that it was at least 200,000. The United States has openly declared that war in Darfur is genocide, though this is not a viewpoint shared by all countries. The conflict seems to have stemmed from ethnic and tribal differences.



Death is not the only tragedy of the so-called war in Darfur. An estimated 2.5 million Sudanese refugees have been displaced from their homes into neighboring Chad, which is already brimming with people who have nowhere else to go. Chad already has it's back to the Sahara Desert, which is growing each year, leaving no room for expansion.



The main weapon the Janjaweed and the government use is fear. They go into villages and rape the women, sometimes as part of ethnic cleansing, telling them that their babies will have lighter skin, and that is better. These women are often blamed for the rape, since Sudanese law declared extra-marital sex illegal. They can be arrested for bearing their rapist's child. Many of these women do, in fact, become pregnant due to rape. Some of them are physically disabled from the rape. When spoken to, these women admit to hating themselves and their children, and thinking about killing their children when they are born. Some do. How would you feel if you grew up with your mother hating you, being shunned by society for something for which you are not at fault?



On top of all of these atrocities, the world is not only standing by, but some are supporting it. The Chinese are still trading fervently with the Sudanese government. Many governments are indirectly also financing the genocide through trade with China.



To tie this back into society, I would like to make a connection between this and the Holocaust. Just hear me out. People were adamant that, after the true horrors of the Holocaust were exposed, that the global community should never, and would never, let anything like that happen again. And yet here we are, only sixty years later, and we are letting it happen again, right under our noses, while the Sudanese government passes them off as "war crimes". Are we going to let it happen? We said "never again". Can we follow through on that promise? Will we, as a world, do anything to stop it? Will we, as a country of power and influence, do anything? Is it even our place to step in, since we already made a mess of Iraq, despite our efforts? Sometimes, social justice seems impossible. I guess all we have to do is stand up for what we believe in. After all, it's all we can do.

Please, readers, tell me: what should we do?

To find out how you can help, visit http://www.ourpledge.org

See a video concerning what you can do to help at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK1SUumbhXQ&eurl=http://www.genocideintervention.net/

More Thoughts on Voices

In case it wasn't clear, society has definitely influenced this perception of teenagers that the youth of today has to deal with. We are seen as sullen and self-absorbed, among other things. And that may be true for some teenager, maybe even most. I know I have been that way before. But who isn't self-absorbed at times? Who isn't sullen? As teenagers, we are dealing with issues like peer pressure, drugs and violence, whether directly or indirectly. So don't we have a right to express our feelings without being judged and automatically stereotyped? That brings it back to being listened to. If we aren't heard, then how else can we express ourselves?

Voiceless in Rochester

As a teenager, I have often felt that my thoughts and feelings aren't heard, or appreciated. People take one look at me and think, she's too young to know what she's talking about. Frankly, I resent the implication. I pride myself on knowing what I'm talking about. If I launch into a conversation about politics, I at least think I know something of the subject. But, because of my age, people refuse to acknowledge that. I mean, not all people do that. Mainly adults who I don't know, becaue I'd like to think that if you know me, you'll at least respect me enough to hear me out. And you know, I may not know anything on the subject. But don't automatically assume that because I'm young! Just give me a chance to speak my mind. That's all I can ask for.
I can't think of a specific situation. I mean, my parents and most adults I know are really good about it. And I also know that, in comparison, one voiceless teenage girl is the least of this world's problems. Global warming, genocide in Darfur, supressed Tibetans in China, trust me, we've got lots of problems. Ask me about it sometime. I might just be able to tell you something you didn't know before.

Blogging

I'm starting my blog today because my old one had something wrong with it. So, here goes nothing!