Freedom of Religion

People are very divided on their views of freedom of religion. As shown in the charts, people strongly agree with some things that my be offensive to other people yet, they strongly disagree with very similar sitautions. For example, people think it is more than okay for rappers to say whatever offensive language that they want to put in their lyrics. On the other hand, the majortiy of people believed there should be no consequences for what people say or do outside of school that may offend a person and their religion. This shows that peoples beliefs about freedom of religion vary due to society. People are used to rappers saying harsh lingo and offensive language so in their eyes it is alright for that to continue and it is not violating anyone's rights. I think peers making harsh remarks or offending someones religion is much more hurtful, even if it is off of school grounds. Although I do agree that administrators should not be able to punish people for what they do out of school, strongly agreeing with one of these statements and stronglying disagreeing with the other is a complete contradiction of ones self.

I also read about religious clubs. There was an Equal Access Law Pass to prevent "widespread discrimination" in schools. If one club should be allowed to practice religion in school so should another. One is not better than the other. As long as the freedom of religion is not abused or disrupting the peace in the school it must be allowed and apply to every religion.

911 Documentary

This Documentary makes me recall my vivid memory of September 11, 2001. The horror, the cries, and the confusion from that day is unforgettable. This attack was something that blind-sided all of America. America was forever scarred. People were lost and security was majorly increased. I remember where I was, what I said, what was said to me, what I felt, and what I did that day. I was sitting at my counter and my mom gave me breakfast. We were watching the news and all of the sudden it was interrupted by the second plane smashing into the building. My mom and I were in shock. As a third grader I had no clue what exactly had just happened. I went to my bus stop in disbelief that there was a detrimental crash. At school we were made aware of the situation and had a moment of silence. I remember having indoor recess and no one really understood the extent of what had happened yet. When I got home it was all over the news. I am sad when others are upset or hurt, so immediately my shock turned into a desperate need to help and pure sadness for all those people who lost their lives, people that had lost love ones, and those who lost everything due to this attack. This attack was an unforgivable one. If this attack affected me the way it did from thousands of miles away, I can't imagine how the people who were personally affected felt. This documentary gave me a sense of how New Yorkers dealt with the attack. They became more unified than ever. They came together to lend a helping hand to one another and get each other through the rough times. This brought warmth to my heart. People opening up to one another is key to a great nation. On the other hand, all of the individual personal stories talked about broke my heart. Very few people didn't know someone killed in this incident. The kids in this movie stuck out to me the most. They seemed very intelligent and although they were younger they had real and raw emotions on the situation. They were full of pure anger and dislike for the people responsible. This movie reminded me how angry I am about 911.

Speech Codes

Speech codes are necessary in order to protect student's rights of speech. The First Amendment ensures freedom of speech. Speech codes regulate what may be said and how things may be expressed because people stretch and interpret their first amendment rights too loosely many times. Any action or speech that makes someone feel uncomfortable and unsafe should be prohibited. People pay good money to attend universities and have the right to learned in a peaceful environment. There was a case in Auburn, Alabama where people dressed up and mock people because of their race. This is not acceptable. I agree with the University of Michigan's policy reguarding this issue. The policy prohibits "Any behavior, verbal or physical,...that victimizes an individual on the basis of race,ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation,creed...and that... creates an intimidating, hostile, or demeaning environment for educational pursuits, employment or participation in University sponsored extra-curricular activities." Those who disturb the peace should have consequences. No one is any better than anyone else. Everyone is equal and should be treated with respect. There is always the case where rules are too strict and violating people's freedom of speech, but it is better to have too many rules ensuring peace and adjusting so that everyone feels free and not too limited, than allowing people to be hurt and discriminated against for unjust reasons.