Meet Sara Wong from New Jersey (USA)
While it can be hard, school systems along with society as a whole should work together to help provide youth with comfortable sources to go to in a time of need, instead of turning their backs on the students who are cyberbullied, harassed, abused, or have an unsafe home environment.
The world is forever changing, molding with human interaction and natural phenomenons. Like the physical world, society is also constantly shifting and expanding with different trends and outlooks. However, what many fail to realize is that many people are continuously bringing down the potential of society as a whole. If there is one thing I could do to change the world, I would show people what they need to see. Society has relapsed into an age of judgmental, racist, and selfish attitudes, backed with ignorance towards vital adolescent issues. I would show the people what negative results can come from their actions, whether it be an old Asian-American getting beaten on a subway platform of NYC, or a young girl scared of being herself. These societal issues are always overlooked, and while many do try and advocate for change, they too talk to the backs of many people. In a broad perspective, as the world faces a heap of new challenges, like the Covid-19 pandemic, many resort to racial accusations and discrimination towards Asians and Asian-Americans. This pattern of disrespect, blame, and lack of maturity can be traced back to unforgotten, horrific mistakes, like the Holocaust. People around the world have come a long way from any discrimination, but have since easily retracted to blaming innocent people in a time of crisis. It’s easy to be angry at the ones who are fully aware of their disgusting attitudes, but many are unaware of what harm they are actually causing.
As the political grip tightens around the people in society, many look up to the influential characters seen throughout the media. Top governmental figures have shown a lack of leadership, a lack of intelligence, and a lack of heart which is transferred down to the people who absorb and help emphasize these atrocious ideals. Many need to be shown what harmful effects can come from simply following publicized racist ideas, whether it be during a pandemic or in daily life. While society can be a beautiful community, it is also ridden with judgemental trends and shaming reactions. This is especially relevant through the youth, as many girls and boys are expected to act, dress, and look a specific way based on social media’s acceptances and rejections. Young girls and boys around the world are pressured to fit in with society’s classification of norms, which can lead to depression, anxiety, and loneliness. While there are 8 billion people on Earth, society has been able to cause so many to feel utterly alone and pressured to live up to a certain standard. This ultimately prevents so many people from reaching their full potential and success. This falls into the support system of society, and its failure to adequately provide kids with the right mindset and resources to go to. Millions of kids are not prepared to handle the societal stress of growing up and encountering aggressive people, and often resort to harassment themselves in order to project the same suffering they went through. This quick reaction is brought on by instinct, and many adults do not bother to teach their kids the purpose of being kind and staying mature.
As a junior in High School, I would definitely want more support personally, having to go through the vigorous, judgemental course of high school. While guidance counselors are there for students who go to them, many struggle with personal issues and don’t feel comfortable reaching out to people. While it can be hard, school systems along with society as a whole should work together to help provide youth with comfortable sources to go to in a time of need, instead of turning their backs on the students who are cyberbullied, harassed, abused, or have an unsafe home environment. The injustices exhibited throughout society are translated through the youth community, as kids look up to adults as an influence. However, people now are setting wrong attitudes and ideas, which many are taking as their own. If I was to change the world and change the way people feel, I would show what it’s like to be depressed, or confused on who they are, or bullied in some way, shape, and form. This infuses into the support of people all around the world, who simply just need some safe haven to go to in their own personal crisis. In a time of chaos and fear, society needs to be retaught a lesson on the basic fundamentals of maintaining human rights and “global” happiness.
Sincerely,
Sara Wong