PTSD Stigma

Recently singer Lady Gaga opened up about her mental health battle; disclosing her struggle with PTSD caused by sexual abuse at the age of 19. Journalist Piers Morgan felt the need to respond to Gaga’s vulnerability via twitter, even going as far as to call it “vain- glorious nonsense” and tried to claim that PTSD is an illness which only affects soldiers. Lady Gaga flawlessly and intelligently informed her audience of the misconceptions which Morgan was encouraging, however, the conversation about mental health is one that needs to be discussed.

During WWI, PTSD was known as “shell shock”, and it was only known to affect soldiers. Even today, some studies estimate that “1 in 5 military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has PTSD”. However, around 70% of adults in the US have experienced some kind of traumatic event, and 20% of those people go on to develop PTSD. (Around 31.3 million people) A majority of people suffering from this disorder have never served anytime in the military.

Morgan’s accusation, about sexual abuse not linking to PTSD, is completely disproves once one looks at the facts that “71% of female military personnel develop PTSD due to sexual abuse within the ranks”. 71% of women risking their lives for their country, develop a mental illness due to SEXUAL ABUSE, yet Piers Morgan fails to recognise the traumatic effect any kind abuse can have on a person.

Sadly, Morgan’s ignorance continues to be prevalent in many people, since many are unaware of the magnitude of individuals affected by numerous mental illnesses. The first step that people should take towards becoming more educated on this topic, is simply researching different mental illnesses. Secondly, people should realize that the only people who have the right to determine a person’s mental state is the person themselves, or a licensed professional. To think that anyone can look at a random stranger, and determine how their mind works, is disrespectful and degrading to that person. They know how they feel, and to tell them they are wrong, will only do more damage than good.

Generalizations, such as the ones made by Piers Morgan, hold back any progress that has been made in mental health research. I encourage everyone to become enlightened about an issue that affects millions of people every day.

What do you think? Comment Below!

Websites used:

http://www.healmyptsd.com/education/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-statistics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6obMGPr_SUs

 http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7624428/lady-gaga-piers-morgan-interview-rape-ptsd

http://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/news/a24205/lady-gaga-piers-morgan-twitter-feud/

In case you have a mental illness, and are seeking help:

http://www.crisistextline.org/

http://www.nami.org/

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/

Brangelina Over! & Inappropriate Teacher?

Hello everyone! I hope that everyone is having a great week this week. Today I am going to give a little run down on some crazy and sad stories at have been circulating the internet recently. I hope you enjoy!

http://www.enstarz.com/

First off, and arguably the most important, Brangelina is no more. The world was shocked on September 20, when it was announced that Jolie filed for divorce do to  “irreconcilable differences”.

The couple has 6 children together, with three adopted and three biological. And when it was later announced that Jolie was seeking sole custody of all six children, rumors and questions started swirling about this decision; including rumors of abuse on Pitt’s part (which led to an investigation).

TMZ reported that “Angelina became "fed up" with Brad's consumption of weed and possibly alcohol, and mixed with what she believes is "an anger problem" ... felt it became dangerous for the children.” If this is true, then it is clear why she would seek sole custody. However, this does not automatically mean that abuse was part of the equation, and it is unfair to assume so without proper evidence to support the claims. Pitt is reportedly fighting this and seeking joint custody of their six children.

With all of this crazy drama it can be easy to forget that a family, with many children involved, is being split up. The children are between the ages of 15 and 8, so they all depend on their family to support them; yet they are still old enough to understand everything that is going on. For the sake of the children, I hope that everything works out in their favor, and that they can move on and learn from this experience.

In case you want to learn more about this story, here are some sources that helped me and that you might find interesting:

• http://www.tmz.com/2016/09/26/brad-pitt-angelina-jolie-ironclad-prenup-divorce/
• http://www.tmz.com/2016/09/20/angelina-joile-files-for-divorce-brad-pitt/
• http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2016/09/20/reports-angelina-jolie-files-divorce-brad-pitt/90731054/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWLlDfQQvTM
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GcKW18z8d8

http://www.xxlmag.com/

In other news, a few weeks back, a fourth grade teacher from Atlanta caused outrage for being too “hot”. Patrice Brown, also know as Paris Monroe, upset many people with outfits that they find inappropriate and distracting in a learning environment. While some of these outfits are a little tight, and could be view as inappropriate by some, other outfits being discussed include a tee-shirt and jeans. Brown also make sure to wear clothes in the classroom that is never low-cut or extremely short, making sure to cover up and not show excess skin. Yet people are still upset over a women with curves wearing clothes that fits.

The school even released a statement saying that they talked to Brown and she was cooperative and would abide by all the rules that the school has set in place. They seem to be taking her side on this, and even awarded her “Teacher of the Month” a few month ago, which sadly no one is discussing.

However, this drama has gain Brown a significant amount of instagram followers, now with about 297K followers (https://www.instagram.com/triceyl__/ ), and #teacherbae was even trending on twitter (you can click on it to see people's opinions and tweets on the topic as well).

Honestly this whole situation seems crazy. If she is abiding by the rules, and if the school sees no significant problem with her outfits, then why should people be so angry. I think Brown should continue doing her job and not let any negative attention affect her.

 

The sources used to find information:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGrfz_LdZb4
• http://cw39.com/2016/09/13/is-hot-4th-grade-teacher-causing-a-distraction-in-the-classroom/

Open Letter to My Parents: Thank You

www.google.com/images

Life is all about growing up and discovering who you are. The people around you have a huge impact on the person you become, whether they affect you in a negative or positive way. My parents had a major role in molding me into the person I am today, even if I never realized it. This is an open letter to them, a way to say Thanks.

Dear Mom,

As a child, I saw you as a superhero. I watched you love, help, fix, feed, and provide for me, all while working hard and living your own life. I thought you could do anything, and you were perfect to me. I knew that I could go to you for anything, and I believed that you were one of the smartest people in the whole world.

However, one day, my whole world fell to pieces. I do not remember exactly what took place, but you did not have all the answers. I started becoming embarrassed by things I never noticed before, and I suddenly did not want to spend every second of everyday with you. The realization that you were not perfect sent me on a roller coaster of emotion. First I was angry, then hurt, then lost. However, now I want to thank you. Thanks for teaching me that I do not need to be perfect to be amazing. Thank you for showing me how to be strong yet gentle. Thank you for being my rock and support.

Dear Dad,

Much like Mom, as a child I thought you were perfect. I remember being able to ask you the craziest most outrageous question I could think of, and you would have an answer for it. I was fascinated by you extensive knowledge of everything imaginable. However, one day, I started to question your opinion. I do not remember what you said, but i do remember not agreeing with it. I felt like I mentally hit a wall, because the man who had all the answers was suddenly telling me something that contradicted what I had learned. I was left with a lasting burning question as to who to believe. Was I wrong, or you?  

Today, not much has changed. You still have extreme and unwavering opinions about everything, but you have taught me that I can too. Some of my favorite conversations that we have are the ones where we debate. I love hearing how truly differently we view the world, and sometimes, you open up my mind to things I never considered before. You have shown me that there is nothing wrong with having opinions, and that they are necessary in discovering who you are. For that I thank you.

www.google.com/images

Over the past year I have learned so much about myself, and I have grown much closer to the person that I want to be. I have discovered to love myself and to truly enjoy the beauty of life. Although y’all may not have done anything directly to help me, your love and support has pushed me through even my darkest days. I may not be perfect or flawless, however, your unconditional love will always continue to guide me throughout the rest of my life. Thank you for everything.

Hopefully this can inspire people to have the same realization about their parents, as I did about mine. Although parents are not perfect, they are still loving and amazing, and they determine who we become as people, more than we could ever imagine. Thanks for reading!

Racial Awareness

Throughout history there has always been a group of people who were fighting to get equal rights as everyone else, mainly because there have always been a race, gender, or another socially dividing factor that has cause one group to be superior to another. It makes sense, that if one group is contently considered dominant over another, the weaker of the two groups would eventually stand up, and say enough is enough, and try to put a stop to it.  However, many people still get surprised or even infuriated when people try to stand up for themselves, as if it has not been going on for decades, even centuries.

For example, in America, Black History Month has happened every February since 1976, and before that, there was Negro History Week, every second week in February, since 1926. Why then, do people seem so surprised and offended every year it takes place? Some people have even gone as far as to say “White Live Matter Too”. Obviously most people can see how this can be very offensive to many people, since black people have had to overcome many obstacles in this country through the decades. Only until recently have they had mostly equal rights, considering that segregation only became illegal in 1954, and that was only truly for education, in the Brown V. Board of Education trail. True integration didn’t happen until much later. One of the main reasons for things like Black History Month is to inform people of facts like this, and of all of the amazing and courageous people who fought to make everyone equal. Without knowledge of these events, younger generations will never fully understand all the obstacles that people had to go though to make America the way it is today, and they will take for granted all of the freedoms that they have been given. The goal of any event that raises awareness is not to take away other people's rights, or to try and make one group superior over the other, but rather to help preserve the legacy of the people, who fought and even risked their lives, to create a better country for us to live in. Without awareness of theses people and events, all of their hard work would have been for nothing.

Obviously there are many more issues than just this one, such as: gay and transgender rights, feminism, Mexican immigration, stigmas about Muslims, the list could go on and on. However, the only way that any of the issues can find a solution is by raising awareness, which would allow everyone to realize that there are still issues that need to be fixed. Without the awareness of the issues going on around us, people would never get to look outside of the walls of their life, and see the disheartening amount of discrimination still going on in America alone. I understand that not everyone will agree with what everyone has to say, and that maybe what one person is standing up for is not something that you believe in. However, there is a difference in saying your opinion and deliberately trying to hurt someone else just for stating facts. I beg everyone to open up their hearts and their minds to, at the very least accept that, for one, some people are going to have different opinions than you, and also, the world is changing and the only thing you can do is hold on and hope for the best.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Iggy Azalea VS Britney Spears?

Hello everybody! I hope your day is going good! Today I am going to talk about Iggy Azalea. By now we all know that every time Iggy goes on social media some kind of drama will get started. So basically, a couple of days ago, she went on twitter, and a fan asked her why she thought “Pretty Girls” didn’t perform as well as they thought it would. In her response she basically said that the whole reason for it failing was Britney Spears fault.

Her exact words were “its difficult to send a song up the charts without additional promo and tv performances etc. unfortunately im just featured...” I don’t know about you, but to me this seems like she is throwing some shade at Britney. I mean who else would she be saying needed to do additional promo for the song. She even pointed out that she was only featured.

The funnest thing is that Iggy has already canceled her tour not once but twice for various reasons. How can she say that Britney needs to do more work to promote her songs, when she can’t even get her tour put together?  I mean maybe Britney was busy taking care of her two children. What is Iggy’s excuse?

Britney Spears fired back by saying, “Can’t wait to get back to Vegas. So thankful I have shows for the rest of the year to look forward to... #YouWantAPieceOfMe”. I mean I think she basically got the message across. Nobody tells her that she isn’t working hard enough!

 What do you think about all this Drama? Do you think Iggy should really just quit the internet, like she said she would do in the past? Or do you agree with her and think that Britney Spears should have promoted the song more.

And as always THANKS FOR READING!!

Rachel Dolezal: Why is Race so Important?

Hello everyone. Many of you may recognize the name Rachel Dolezal. If you don’t, she is the women who was born white but says that she identifies as black. She also used to be the leader of the NAACP, but has since stepped down since this whole scandal started.

 Many people are very upset by this. Truthfully, I feel that a person should be allowed to be whoever they want to be. And, it’s not like this is the first time we have seen this. For example: Michael Jackson. However, I think what lots of people are upset about isn’t the fact that she chose to change race, but the fact that she lied about it. When asked if she was born white, the first time, she denied it and later went as far too even denied her own parents. Her doing that makes me, first, feel sorry for her parents and, second, make me feel like she is hiding something. Honestly, I don’t understand why she wouldn’t just tell people. It’s not like people would hate her for it, and if they did, who cares. People hate others just for breathing.

Later on she did and interview on the “Today Show”, where she admitted to being born white and changing her race. In the interview she said, “I was drawing self-portraits with the brown crayon instead of the peach crayon, and black curly hair.” Maybe I just don’t understand the feeling of wanting to be another race, but I don’t get how a person can feel a certain race. I am a biracial person, yet I don’t ever really feel myself identifying with one race more than another. However, like I said before, maybe I just don’t get it.

One thing that upsets me is that some people are saying that if Caitlyn Jenner can be a girl then Rachel Dolezal can identify as black. However, and this is in no way Rachel’s fault, should race be that important? I mean gender is very important because in today society women can do certain things that men can’t, for example wear makeup, dresses, and other “girly” things, and vice versa. Not to say that everyone follows those strict guidelines, just society’s norm is for girls and boys to be different. However, I thought this country was over viewing races differently. I mean, that is what I was taught in school; people are people no matter what skin tone. I understand that there is and always will be racism, but in most situations, one race is never excluded from doing something another race can. I just think that it is sad that in America today, people feel that race is so important. Why does there have to be things that black people do, and white people do. Why can't we just look at people as people; not the color of their skin?

How do you feel about this? Does Rachel Dolezal have the right to change her race, or should she have to identify as white? Comment below.

And as always, THANKS FOR READING!

Caitlyn Jenner Making History!

      Hello everyone! Long time no see. I have been gone for a good while, but in my absence many things have happened, so I am back.

     I don’t know if you remember but a while ago I did a story about Caitlyn, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, being a woman. At the time the only evidence there was of Caitlyn’s transition was a few surgeries and some magazines’ failed attempts at photo shop.  Now, many months later, we know that these rumors were in fact true. Bruce is no more and the world is left with the ever so gorgeous Caitlyn Jenner.

     Many people have taken this opportunity to shine light on the transgender community and really all of the LGBTQ community. Honestly using Caitlyn as an example is amazing. It shows people that it doesn’t matter who you are, or how you were raised; the way you feel inside can still be different then how you look. It also shows everyone that normal people can go through this. People who look like they are confident and comfortable with who they are can go through this too, not just outcast who want to fit in.

     However, with all of this positive press towards the LGBTQ community there is bound to be some negative. Sadly many Christians are taking a stand against the LGBTQ community. They are saying many hateful things towards them and berating them for their choices in life. I, myself, am a Christian however I don’t see the point in hating people just because of something they chose to do with their life. I will not hate them because I, myself, have sinned many times, and until I am perfect I have no right to tell other people how to live there life. I once read a blog that said that our job as Christians is to shine a light not to open our mouths and attack random people because we don’t agree with them.

      All in all, I am so happy for Caitlyn Jenner, and I hope that she gets to live a happy life. I am also very happy that the world we live in today is so open to everyone’s individuality. Even though many people think that the world we live in is terrible, I still believe that this openness that most of us feel towards everyone proves that there is at least a little bit of hope left.

                                      Thanks for reading! I hope you have a wonderful day!!