Category: Midterm Project (Page 2 of 2)

The social issue I chose for this project deals with the smaller causes and effects that correlate with climate change. Climate change, as a whole, is important because it involves the health of our planet, and thus the home we inhabit. It is usually spoken about, but what isn’t touched upon much are the smaller things that we do/can do to help, as well as the small things we do that hurt our planet. Just the like the saying goes, “a little goes a long way;” we can do our part whether it is minimal to help. Small actions such as recycling, switching from hot water laundry use to cold water, planting trees/plants, etc; can help influence others to do the same. Climate change is measured over many years and as of recent, the climate change has resulted in our summers increasing in temperatures and increase in both floods and storms. Climate change can also be confused with global warming, but global warming is one of the effects from climate change. Another reason that our small actions are important is because we all play a part inhibiting this planet. Most people are under the assumption that the government or people with power can take care of things, but that isn’t true. It is easy to leave the responsibility to others, but as long as we are living on Earth, we are using the oxygen provided by this planet. If climate change is left alone to a few select people, then we are basically leaving our lives and those of our future generations in their hands. According to The Natural Resources Defense Council, the big thing to do is stopping the use of burning fossil fuels. The smaller actions taken by ourselves also helps along the way, and bringing awareness of this issue to others who believe they have no say in it.

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-climate-change-what-you-need-know#solutions

I think a serious social issue I would like to bring to the table is racism and black LGBTQ+ individuals who are discriminated against. Even in this growing age of understanding for one another there is still racism that festers in our communities, especially towards Black individuals within the LGBTQ+ community. This is important to me because:

1. There are many black people in the LGBTQ+ community that are harassed everyday, myself included.
2. Racism as a whole is a serious problem within the United States, and all over the world. The more we talk about it and stop pretending it’s not there, the better.
3. Its not talked about enough how black LGBTQ+ members aren’t given the same value as other white members. Their seen more as outcasts and don’t get the same sort of help, even from other black individuals.

You can read more about it in this article: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbtq-rights/news/2021/07/13/501484/black-lgbtq-individuals-experience-heightened-levels-discrimination/

An issue that I believe that should get looked upon that doesn’t is the obsession of social media and how it affects our generation. It isn’t all bad but a lot of negativity can stem from social media. Ever since the pandemic and with technological advances there has been a massive incline in its use. Some things that can come from it are depression, bullying, lack of self esteem, health problems etc. Modern day people don’t go out and socialize like they used to because everything can be done on your phone now, social media has caused a lot of people to become lazy and this is a reason for the rise of obesity as social media becomes more and more popular. Some people are even getting surgery because of what they see on Instagram with people photoshopping pictures of themselves because they see that and that becomes the norm of what beauty is because social media says it is, and that’s making a lot of people feel insecure. There are even studies that show 9/10 girls are unhappy with the way they look due to this idealized body image caused by social media. Social media can be addicting to the point it can literally control somebody’s life as some people adopt a fear of missing out which has been proven to cause things like anxiety and depression. I personally don’t think social media is going to be the downfall of the world. But I do think that people should just be more aware of the cons of social media so that we can thrive. Even if it means putting down the phone for a second to take a look outside, we need to be more conscious of the world around us rather than what’s going on in our phones.