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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

"So What, You’re Annoyed? " by Darylle A



     Oppression and character. Two simple things that coincide in ways that go unnoticed in societal behavior, past and present. We’ve known the history of utter suffering inflicted upon discriminated populations because we’ve repeatedly been told, tested on, and lectured in such topics that bring about the one conclusion: minority-labeled groups have never been treated equally in respect and it is important to publicize their stories to prevent further injustice. That is correct, yes? Though we’ve come to a point, especially in in this era, where voicing on the wrongfulness of oppression has become controversial and is laughed at or ridiculed. Why? This attitude comes from the lack of sympathy and goodness in a society so driven by social expectations to be insensitive and brutal that the very idea of being kind (or let alone, being humane) is no longer first instinct.
     Here are women, black and brown communities, immigrants, and the queer---some of the most mistreated groups we’ve come to know in an unending historic line of corruption against them. But they stand headstrong amongst themselves, having always voiced their hearts and fought for acceptance and a rightful place in a world that only brings them down. You can name every moment in the books, from the Seneca Falls Convention to Civil Rights, practically any
social movement you’ve learned in a history class. You can especially bring attention to modern recent occurrences and repetitive news from Black Lives Matter to the Women’s March and LGBTQ+ in “PRIDE.” The gist is we’ve seen and heard it all by now. Yet somehow, someway, the mere mention of something like feminism brings scoffs, rolled eyes, and the offensive “here we go again.” Yes, of course there has been progress in successfully giving rise to shaming social issues and bringing mass attention to the cries of the abused, but brutal discouragement always comes back to bite. So-called minorities are bought up in your daily conversations, a family party, lunch, Twitter! And then come crude side comments or refusal to elaborate on discussion because the topic is “too sensitive.” This lives in today’s culture, in today’s land of social media, and no one has seemed to really acknowledge the fact that tyranny is loud and thriving, hidden in plain sight.
     In truth, this has never been a political discussion. As much as it may seem to be, this is not some state of the art liberal agenda that’s brushed off the shoulder because one thinks it’s irrelevant or overrated. Neither is it worth the debate under a government to choose whether a particular group deserves human rights or not. It’s the matter of people losing their own being, their own conscience and morality of acting on concern, and how simple it is to be a righteous person. The desire to inflict hate upon others is something that shouldn’t come into play. Call it cliché all you want, but how is it that something as easy as being good-hearted is not being put to use as women who cry for justice from sex trafficking, or innocent black teenagers being shot to the ground, go silenced. These are discussions that should not be deemed controversial to begin
with. No government, no authorities, no rules in play because there should not be guidelines on how to have a soul.
     The problem lies in us. Is it you that gets annoyed in conversation about social issues? Are we sure goodness lies within us all the time? Or when necessary? It’s simple. You are not in the right space to be irritated or foul towards oppressed peoples pleading for equality. It is time we put ourselves in check, to take accountability for our own​ ​character, to be kind. So what, you’re annoyed? Aim your irritability to those around you who lack in sympathy and most of all, heart.

31 comments:

  1. Honestly, preach. Not only do I agree with what you said, but the honest and forward nature of how you portrayed it greatly depicted the real severity of the societal apathy towards the struggles of minority groups. Overall great work and I really enjoyed it. P.S. love how you tied in the title to develop a much bigger societal vision.
    Justin Lim

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  2. Yes, Darylle! Yes! This is such a topical issue and you addressed it beautifully. You took a moral standpoint instead of a political standpoint which allowed your analysis to convey your frustration toward the complacency of humanity in the face of controversy. My favorite line from the entire piece was when you wrote, "No government, no authorities, no rules in play because there should not be guidelines on how to have a soul." You effectively made the fight for equality a fight to save the human conscience. As well, I appreciated how your title subtly served as an outlet for your frustration even before the reader encounters your writing's content. Thank you for this much needed commentary!

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  3. Wow! This is just a very beautiful piece overall, I found myself being immersed in your writing as you point out the social issues that we continue to experience today. I like how you applied rhetorical questions throughout your piece because I found myself questioning our morals and our society. I really enjoyed the fact that you chose to explore this topic as it highlights the real problems that are often times ignored or ridiculed by others. Very well executed!

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  4. I really liked your story, it felt very personal and you didn't make it to pushy on the reader to feel some kind of way. I agree with you that everyone has a very idealistic way of dealing with social issues and everyone tries to make it seem like it is stupid or they get annoyed with it always being brought up. The fact of the matter is that these issues are really happening and instead of confiding in what people are going through everyone chooses to get "annoyed". -Ariana Hernandez

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  5. This was a very well-written piece! I love how you concluded the piece by inciting the readers to realize their own harmful prejudices; it was strong and impactful. Thank you for using you voice to speak about pressing issues of our society. Great job!

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  6. You make an compelling argument on today's society and the underlying issues that has been an issue since early times. I think what's important to understand is that yes these are all issues that deserve attention and solving, and I agree with you it is awful that these things still exist, but it's also almost impossible in modern society to get rid of such things as racism or discrimination against minority groups. It's impossible to get everyone to accept one specific conformity, and be it bad or good, there's always going to be opposition. It's important to point out the negative things and support the minority groups but with things as they are, people are just too uninformed of things going on in society or in the world. These people take one side from someone they like/listen to and just there, at that moment, close their mind from any other kinds of opinion on the issue, these type of close minded people are what makes any reform hard. It's impossible to use factual evidence on someone who ignores such things and disregard facts, and I believe that's what causes such negative things to still be around.

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  7. I think the message behind your piece is very important, especially in today's society where a lot of people don't want to take responsibility. In regards to your writing style, though, I love how you wrapped up the piece with the rhetorical questions in the final paragraph. I think it really drive the message home and makes it personal to each reader who comes across this piece. Good job!

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  8. wow. lol. woke. Being a Muslim-American I also deal with these issues and the way you convey your point of the story was astonishing. The repetition of "why?" was impactful and made me think. yea, why? The sentence that hit me the most was ". No government, no authorities, no rules in play because there should not be guidelines on how to have a soul." This hit my soul. Great essay!

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  9. It is a huge problem in society about people speaking out on serious problems and other feeling like it is a repeated thing. Not truly seeing that if not spoken about in many ways and many times nothing will happen. This is a big problem and you wrote about it in a great way.

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  10. You are so right! I completely agree that we should not shy away from "controversial topics" just because we feel uncomfortable talking about them. Our society is not improving regardless of knowing our mistakes. By using rhetorical questions you were able to engage the audience in your passionate topic. Your conclusion also resonated in the readers' minds and caused them to think about the issues that you bring up. Let's sit down and talk, Darylle...

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  11. This really rung with me, you did an amazing job. This call to action to fight against ignorance and those who don’t believe in change is truly inspiring, especially because I identify with a few of the minority groups you listed. Making change should not be controversial, I agree; if a certain group of people is not satisfied because they are not being treated like everyone else, then of course we as a society should provide a solution! Awesome job. - Eddie Yanez

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  12. Dang! Period! I love your feisty and courageous writing! I completely agree with you that there are a lot of people still in today’s world that are being discriminated against; but, when they do choose to voice their opinions, people say the “here we go again” like you mentioned. I especially liked how you talked about the problem that society still faces, the historical aspects of it like mentioning “Seneca Falls” and even the current movements like “Black Lives Matter,” and then wrapping this up with your own thoughts and opinions about the issue. It’s a very well-written essay, and I really loved your passionate voice! Good job!!

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  13. This is very eye-opening Darylle and I really couldn't agree more with you on this. Although I already shared many of these sentiments, I can still see that your writing is very influential and persuasive. You were able to relate the topic back to current events which I found were much more easy for me to relate too as I'm seeing all this stuff happen around me. My favorite part of this is when you said "There should not be guidelines on how to have a soul." This statement just resonates with me and hits very hard because everyone around us is just as human as everyone else. No one deserves more than the other just because of their race, sexuality, or any other defining characteristics. This was fantastic to read and I'm very glad I got the chance to view it.

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  14. This was amazing!! Your writing really grasped me and opened my eyes further. I myself is a minority that wants to seek change, I think society right now is in position were it can change people are opening their eyes a little more and realizing that we should stand up for this cause.This was just such a powerful piece, I can truly see your passionate about change.

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  15. Yes! I completely agree and this piece is so well written! I love how you decided to write on such sensitive topic and express your own personal feelings about it as well! I love this line especially, "No government, no authorities, no rules in play because there should not be guidelines on how to have a soul. " because it shows that there shouldn't have to be something that shows us how to be good people. -Kaj Miranda

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  16. Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful!! All of the points you made were valid points for discussion and I agreed with every single one of them. I could tell you were highly educated about everything you talked about and that's what I believe made this paper so incredible . Thank you for sharing - Zoe Corbett

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  17. I agree with this so much! I am glad you talked about the issues in society faced today by many. The use of rhetorical questions helped draw me in and contributed to the overall piece. Very strong writing and I love the passion that drove it. - Jaeyeon Romero

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  18. Period. I love how your diction strengthens your argument and totally contributes to the tone. I agree with you, society is so used to joke about all of these issues and minorities that it does not even realize that people out there just want their voice to be heard. The last paragraph was my favorite. Your questions, the structure of the sentences. Especially the last sentence, "Aim your irritability to those around you who lack in sympathy and most of all, heart.", makes the reader evaluate themselves. Good job!

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  19. Wow! Your choice in words makes this piece so powerful! As a Mexican, it is a shame that minority groups still have to deal with discrimination to this day. You presented this issue in such a beautiful and effective way, it needed to be said. You did an excellent job!!! - Breana P.

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  20. Christian Miraflores Jr.December 16, 2019 at 9:40 AM

    This passage was truly amazing. I absolutely agree with your overall message, especially with the fact that topics such as immigrants and discrimination are looked down upon and not taken seriously. Overall, this piece was effective and motivating while also putting me in perspective in regards to our society's way of thinking. Great job!

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  21. This was a truly eye-opening piece and I couldn't agree more with the points you've made. You fully explained the hardships that these minorities have to go through in full detail. I liked how you used various cultural examples that we all have learned about to fully comprehend the severity of the situation at hand. The rhetorical questions you provided at the end of the piece, as well as the title itself helps the reader think about how wrongfully these minorities are getting treated and how people approach these viewpoints. This was overall a great piece! - Yuan Maneje

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  22. Yes Darylle, I wish more people thought like you. There are many underlying societal issues which are stationary when it comes to progress because many people avoid controversial topics. Instead of being annoyed that people are voicing the wrongfulness of the oppression afflicted upon them, question the reason they feel the need to, and allow ones humanity to work toward solving these social problems.
    -Dahrien Trotter

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  23. What a compelling argument you made. I enjoyed your firm stance on the acknowledgement of the problems our society faces. I loved how blatant you were in your writing, describing the many truths that people choose to ignore or overlook. Your awareness and willingness to voice your opinion on to the mistreatment of minority groups was truly significant.

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  24. Darylle this piece is AMAZING. What been need to be said, has been said. The world we live in today is overly sensitive and ignores the issues we have in this world. You really showed how ignorant the world can be and how many people are still being discriminated after all the protests and fights that have been fought. Your writing is outstanding in the sense that it is very sophisticated and you have clear understanding of your topic. Again, an amazing piece and the call to action you've made.

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  25. This piece was executed very well. I really liked how you organized your words, making your piece stronger and well written.

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  26. You executed your idea so beautifully in this piece! I loved the tone and passion you carried throughout the writing making it truly powerful and moving. Especially in today's climate, everyone would benefit from hearing what you have to say.

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  27. Rinel-Christian AlbaniaJanuary 6, 2020 at 3:27 PM

    Amazing! I love the organization of your piece! From stating the issue, elaborating, and then calling for change. Making the piece second-person POV made me more connected to the piece, as compared to an article simply pointing out issues. Your powerful and clear-cut words and rhetorical questions emphasize how oblivious the cruel-hearted people are to the issues that shouldn't exist in the first place. Great work!

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  28. I loved every part of this! So well written about a topic that is TOO often over looked.

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  29. I completely agree! Not only did you thoroughly explain the issue with pushing aside crucial issues minorities face, the relevancy and writing devices used makes your piece palatable for everyone to read and understand. the writing is very authentic and i felt the passion in this piece!

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  30. That is what I am talking about Darylle! This is a very powerful message you have conveyed to me and our fellow peers. You really have power and a sharp edge in this blog post. I really appreciate this amazing message you feelings and tone that you conveyed. Not a single sentence I felt was lacking or was a side-thought in my opinion and I applaud you for it amazing job Darylle!

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  31. I liked how powerful the message that you conveyed was, it was a topic that needs to be discussed more ! Overall great piece to read :)

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