Thursday, June 2, 2011

Racial and Gender Oppression.

              A lot of people these days and even before have gone through racial and gender oppression. Have you ever been underestimated because of your gender? You ever had any racist comments thrown at you because the color of your skin is different? Well let me reassure you, many of us have. So you're not alone! Just like in a book I've read, Kindred, slaves were oppressed because the color of their skin was different than everyone else. Black people were look down upon and underestimated. White people didn't think that they should be even counted as humans! "kindred" was a book about a woman, Dana, going back in the time around slavery. She had a connection to an ancestor and was basically trying to free the slaves on his plantation. But she ended up killing him in the end because she knew he'd just end up like his father, who ran the plantation at first and was a very cruel man. My point here though is to explain that racial and gender oppression is wrong.
             So racial and gender oppression is wrong right? For example, this is very common among most women, a lot of men have thought about women in a way where they have more power and are capable of doing more things. Of course this is wrong, I mean I've seen a lot of women that are more mature than men and even physically stronger! "The rest of the patrol mounted and followed excepted for one who was having some kind of low-voiced discussion with the woman. Evidently the discussion didn't go the way the man wanted because before he rode off after the others, he punched the woman in the face..." You see, in this scene the patroler had basically been trying to rape the woman, but since she refused he decided then, to punch her in the face. He was trying to take advantage of her, to overpower her but since he didn't get what he wanted he hit her. And no man has no right to hit a woman just because he doesn't get what he wants. Just because you're a male, does not mean you have a certain amount of power over a women.
            Many men think that just because they're men, that they should have more power than women. Though it's not ever true. Whatever happen to equality? "Free blacks had papers to prove they were free." Black people weren't "Free" until they had papers to prover that they were. While white people back then were just automatically "Free". This oppression caused slaves to have no education which was why they were overpowered so easily. No equality at all.
            Even now, women in the media are showed as models, and are shown to act a certain way or be a certain way. And most girls internalize this which leads to them being overpowered. Not just by men, but also by what the media puts them as. The media is also racist, you don't see as much diversity on there. Equality, broken again.
           The oppression towards people of different race and gender is wrong. We should all be equally human beings. We deserve equality among ourselves. This oppression still exists all over the world though, but we could transform this. Women out there shouldn't let people underestimate them, they should prove that they're capable of what men could do also. With people that come from different backgrounds, we need to clear those stereotypes and actually show people the truth about what your culture actually consists of then those people who made/make the racist comments toward you, they'll finally understand. Instead of them thinking that you're something you're not. Racial and gender oppression is a barrier to a lot of people's lives but we all could make differences in the world by pushing and dealing with it. "Sure God created man before woman. But then you always make a rough draft before the final masterpiece." - Unknown 

Monday, May 23, 2011

SB1070 !

CLICK on the link below to peek on our Powerpoint! :D

https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dgjq9bd5_0hprhbff4&revision=_latest&start=0&theme=blank&cwj=true

072910;

April 24, 2011
She was the chaser
while he was the drink
too strong to die down
so it was love that were to sink

couldn't take a sip
afraid it'd be too sour
so much pride, he stood tall
while she was an hour glass
plenty of sand to fall

her glass broke
before the last grain of sand
time wasn't over
though she needed no man.

She was the chaser
while he was the drink
too strong to die down
his love had made her sink.

                                       - Megan Torio!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Oppression that Violence causes.

Violence creates a barrier by making people feel unsafe about living their lives. Some people are afraid to even go outside their house to chill because they’re scared of being shot at or something. Which is why many kids now a days are always home playing video games or on the computers the whole day. People responsible for this type of oppression are gangs, drug dealers, or people who just like to start violence, drama, and fights. People who experience violence can feel scared of other people even if they don’t cause violence. Only because their paranoid and already feel unsafe.

Liberation from Violence.

How would our community be without violence affecting the way of how we live? Our community would feel safe enough to go to parks or hang out on their street without this type of oppression. Fruitvale would be a more fun community because there would be more people out and active and together we can have more community activities. Like festivals or street fairs, all kinds of fun stuff. We could also help our community look prettier and help those who don’t have food and the homeless. Our community can help prevent violence by talking to the youth and showing them what non violence is. Such as talking problems out and learning to be tolerant with each other. If the community was safer I’d feel so much more happier living here and more safe too.

College For All; Say Whaaaaat? :)

Megan Torio

“Go to college and grow up to be a doctor!” My mom says. “Or a nurse, you’ll get lots of money!” Ha ha. I don’t only hear this from her. I hear it from everyone. Family. Friends. Even strangers on the street. You name it. It’s funny how everyone thinks they know whats best for me, when they don’t even know me! Anyways, I’d say my community and my family are.. different. Different in a way that no one could possibly even come close to understanding. My community has been giving out great opportunities. From going on college for all field trips, going camping, and being able to express yourself in art, dance, and even music! On the other hand, you have the places around Oakland with the “not so great” opportunities. Such as the places where gang violence is held, drug dealing, or just maybe those places where there always seems to be trouble in.  
My friends and family have kept me away from all that. Yet the major issue in my family is some support not being given. You’re probably thinking, “Wow, this girl must be lying. She’s probably getting all the support from her parents provided.” Or something like that. Well let me tell you something. To me, support isn’t support when the person who’s giving it to you doesn’t even mean to. I don’t know if that made sense but I basically just don’t feel all the way supported by my parents. Like my parents support me because they have to but sometimes, it feels like they don’t support me because they want to. It’s never that, “You can do it!” type of support. It’s just the , “Keep it up.” blah type of thing.  
That’s okay I guess because then it’ll teach me to support, motivate, and discipline myself. That isn’t all bad because lately I’ve been learning little by little to do all that. To handle the issue with the support from my parents, I’ve been thinking more about my own future and how to support myself. Learning how to support myself could help me in college once I’m finally on my own. After college I can even go get a good job and help my mom get the house she’s always wanted and we could live an easier life because I’d be helping out the family by working or something.
The changes I’ve been making with myself have impacted my dreams because I never really thought of going to college. I mean, people tell me to go to college and of course I respond in a positive way but I really just, brush it off. Not until now though, I really think college could be important for my future. Going to college will probably get me a better education than my parents ever did. This way, I have the opportunity to teach my parents things that they never learned when they went to school. Which is why I think going to college will be helpful and also a great opportunity to live on my own.
I chose to change the way I think of everything so that I don’t get negative ideas about going to college or change my mind about it. I feel that it is the best solution because if I thought the same way about college like before then I probably would end not even going to college in the future. Then that could really affect the way I could be living when I grow older. It could even affect how my family would be living because they wouldn’t have me to help them. Going to college would also help me find out what I really want to do with my life or what I’ll be really interested in doing when I grow older. I still have a lot of time, but thinking about going to college and especially preparing for it is going to help me a lot more once I actually try going to a college I really like.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

F r e e d o m by Megan Torio

Free me from the oppression.
Realize the hypocrisy that all men aren’t equal in the “land of the free.”
Escape to become an liberated bird.
Exit a closed door, blocking your freedom.
Don’t be scared to fight for your rights,
Only because you feel you’re overpowered.
Make your way to your freedom, stand taller then any tower.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Mask Poem

I wear the mask that grins and lies
To hide my pain, you'd be surprised
Never held the trigger, not a bullet to my chest
My mentality is what separates me from the rest
Maturity on another level
Nobody would of known
Faked it with a smile, immaturity only shown
But nobody would expect a horrible past
I was just another wreck
I wear the mask that grins and lies
A quick look at me, I'd be the one to despise
Too afraid to explain who I am
Time to me is relevant
No one would understand
So I go on with life letting this mask wear thee
Hoping for a better future
An opportunity to be me.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Just because..

Just because I'm Asian
Doesn't mean I'm the smartest kid in the world.
Get to know me, let me open up to you and I won't be known as that "Asian Girl."
I don't know everything. My bad.
Just because I do good in school, I'll still chose a soccer ball over a textbook.
Tell me now, am I cool?
Just because I can get really quiet
Doesn't mean my mind isn't full of words.
Ideas and emotions to express.
What do you think of me now?
May I put you to the test?

Lolo (Grandfather)

Lolo,
When will I see you again?
Lola is still waiting for you.
She sits and reminisces where you two first met.
Sometimes she'd hold onto your old favorite pack of cigarettes,
Smelling the scent but she'd never smoke.
She always said it was for her best.
Lola misses you.
And reminds me everyday how much she regrets,
not telling you how handsome you looked in your old sweater vest.
Now will you come back?
Our heart aches, everyday.
It hurts me the most to watch Lola cry
as she prays.
When you come back,
Will you mistake me for my sister?
Call me her name instead?
Tease me and make fun of my so called "Big Head?"

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

:D

The names Megan. I can't get my feelings and thoughts out if I spoke so instead, I'll be "blogging." I'm an 8th grade student at Urban Promise Academy trying to make my last year the best. By ignoring the drama at school, I concentrate on Soccer and spending time with a friend close from home. I usually isolate myself from a majority of people at school because I feel the need to do so. I stay with the realest but keep it cool with everyone. No hate, it's good for me. I keep everything neutral but really, people in general make me nervous.