Reply to Sarah's Blog on Binge Drinking

Link:- http://sarahwbb.blogspot.com/2010/05/binge-drinking.html?showComment=1273069831769_AIe9_BFYbc-w8D8W7Rzh7bEkD5gFi6nP-yDD0l-b7rFxwOUYuysOKkfiVBKaOI4x_veCuo3MWUhLTcrBPvmTIOfLWtL1x1JjV34zVXeIoLgdKW7tRiQUGrWqDMYySZ-MUoNcc-New8JnAGs0NfNCmpxlhS6zxFnKWWTzm9KoodwALVXJTl71mDqfeqahr-10dYdCNuIpBGScKfiujUv7hwm5_cQq9G-gTmOPBXoZrhjj7h1f2srhb-4#c2720640217479434443



I believe that this will never change. Enless the government makes alcohol totally illegal (which they won't) there will be people (aka us students) who decide to abuse alcohol as it's freely available to us. It provides us with a good night out and a laugh, but we rarely think of the consequences and just see as it as funny when our friends do something stupid when drunk.

Bullying

Image from:- http://staff.harrisonburg.k12.va.us/~jgamble/No%20Bullying%20circle.gif




Bullying is something that all children dread. The usual place for a child to be bullied is at school, by other children. However, there are other, potentially more serious places where I believe a child can be bullied, and that is at home by their parents.

According to the NSPCC, 31% of children have been bullied at school by their classmates. This number in my view is unacceptable. Although you could argue that at a young age children know no different other than to bully, this age figure would range from about the age of three all the way up to sixteen, where they are no longer children. By the age of around twelve, I believe that a child should know basic right from wrong, and that it is wrong to bully another person, for whatever reason. I have personally experienced the ultimate scenario that bullying can cause when a girl in my year at school killed herself due to being bullied. The amount of heartbreak that bullying can cause is unexplainable, especially to a child. It can not only damage them physically, but also mentally. If a child at such an age can cause so many traumas by being a bully, it makes me question where the rage and need to bully comes from. Can we really blame parents? Or is it just how the child feels they need to express themselves?

With modern day technology, bullying is a bigger problem than ever. Bullying can not only just now occur in the classroom, but also online, via text message, and phone. Research carried out by the NSPCC showed that 20% of eleven to nineteen year olds had been bullied though e-mail at least once. I believe this makes it difficult for schools to crack down on bullying, as it is not actually occurring in their premises. The question here is how can we combat this? Is there any way in which we can prevent it?

The NSPCC also shows that 60% of children who were physically bullied by their parents were also bullied at school. For many bullied children, home is a release from the everyday trauma they face at school, so I can only imagine what these children feel when they have no 'way out'. What is also alarming is that one quarter of children bullied also found it to affect their adult lives, which in my view is disgusting. It is something that definitely needs to be caught early, with the NSPCC estimating that on average, 54% of primary and secondary schools see bullying as a problem at their schools. This is something brave to admit, as it is estimated that 30% of children aged eleven to fourteen do not admit to being bullied. This causes a problem as years of abuse can often cause teenagers to lash out, or do serious harm.

Overall, obviously, as more or less everyone will agree, bullying is a terrible thing. What do you think we, teachers, and the government can do to combat this? I have included a picture of the NSPCC website below with interesting but startling figures that go into this.



Link:- http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/statistics/bullying_statistics_wda48744.html

Response to Gemma's blog

http://gemma-beingbadblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/alcohol.html?showComment=1273013772848_AIe9_BGmtG9oa6KVfSE5eWvec6d317x2qv8Od99OI_j226gd04j3kIjAMqoAfmZ7uPIUCQhpaqbh-nSQKfVwXnUk8BSVm0nnsmi5dOZu8vItNulw9fEMIBTHNj1PJbEZOajOaoPW5HajGxspQ0DYLc5TtbghkikJl11r3RjjHVlvQiKV8I12WPJJpUUmPzmsAgTUHPrsQmlausAAZyB9lFAfkswoRWMHMA#c2581209341270741483



An interesting read. I'd like to attempt to give my brief opinion on the three questions that you have posed here.

1. I believe that binge drinking becomes serious when you find yourself craving alcohol on a regular basis, and becoming very drug regularly. Although going out on a weekend is binge drinking, I see no real problem with this, as most people do it.

2. I have split views on this. When I was under 18, I used to go clubbing and thought it was great. So in one respect I think that it is okay, as long as the person is over 16 and is responsible and mature. But now I am 19, there is nothing worse than going into a club that is full of 'children' as me and my friends call them when there’s a flux of obviously underage people.

3. This is a question that is not answerable in most cases. Although sometimes parents can be blamed, as can their friends, overall most people have a mind of their own, and should control themselves.


Thanks for the interesting read, and those are my answers, although brief.

Teenage Pregnancy

Image from:- http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47364000/gif/_47364706_conception466x321.gif





The moment where a parent hears their teenage daughter is pregnant is something that every person dreads. There is a huge stigma attached to teenage pregnancy, but although almost always unplanned, does society have the right to judge those teenagers?

According to figures by the BBC, as of February 2008, teenage pregnancy has dropped by a massive 4%. 42,988 women under the age of eighteen fell pregnant in 2007, with 2008 figures showing a drop to 41,325. This shows that government's intervention by showing proper use of contraception is working. While this is promising, the rate of teenage abortion is also dropping. 49% of those who became pregnant under the age of 18 had abortions in 2008, whilst 50% of those in 2007 turned to this. This could be argued either way. Is it best to 'save' the child and the baby involved by turning to abortion, or is abortion itself a bad thing? Something that I find with teenage pregnancy is that those judging are very contradictory. They look down on teenage mothers, but also judge them if they have an abortion. What are they supposed to do? Obviously other than abstain from sex. Who is to say that a teenager can't look after a baby as well as an older woman? Obviously they aren't as mature, but there is no reason why they can't adequately raise a child in the right way.

I think it is good that the government is doing all it can to cut the rate of teenage pregnancy. Their tactics are showing a great promise, as apart from a slight rise in 2007, their figures have been steadily dropping since 2002. Though I can see why other people may judge teenage mothers, I do not think it is right. I believe that they should be given the right to prove themselves before the public judge them in such a way. I believe it is hard enough for a teenager to come to terms with being pregnant, and others judging only makes it more difficult for them. People should support them, no matter their situation, instead of taking a derogatory view. I have included a link from the BBC with interesting information on the topic below, and a graph of the statistics above. What do you all think?


Link:- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8531227.stm

Infidelity

Image from:- http://homeinfidelitytest.com/images/infidelity-top-1.jpg


Infidelity is a matter which causes great amount of pain. Most people will, at some point in their lives, experience this, whether they are on the receiving end or not.

Cheating on your partner can ruin not only your relationship, but also your family. There are obviously different levels of infidelity, from a mere drunken kiss to having a sexual affair for years. According to a survey conducted by the BBC, one in five men had been unfaithful, where as only one in ten women admitted to it. Men are seen as being more sexually charged than women, which is probably why more men are unfaithful. Cheating, even though sometimes forgiven, ruins trust in a relationship. It takes a very long time to regain that trust, sometimes it never returns.

There has been recent news of this in the media. Examples would be of actress Sandra Bullock's husband cheating on her, and Cheryl Cole's husband cheating also. It is a highly publicised act, being followed closely by the press. I feel that the press has huge influence on whether celebrities in the media take back their cheating husbands or not, as they fear their status' as role models.

Although I feel there is no need for infidelity (if you can't be faithful, stay single) I can see why some may feel trapped in a loveless relationship, or one that causes them misery. However, I feel that in these sorts of situations, the said person should leave their partners before starting a relationship with someone else. I feel that there is no other excuse for infidelity. What does everyone else think? I have provided a link below from the BBC with facts about infidelity which is an interesting read.


Link:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/02_february/13/map.shtml

Reply

Reply to Saeedah's Blog:-


kdavies said...
I think it's good you have done a blog on bullying. It is a very serious topic, and agree with most of what you say. However, I do not believe that all bullies are merely insecure. Though many probably are, I also believe that some people can be bullies because they are totally the opposite. They may have everything, good looks, plenty of money and a good family, and like to brag because they believe that they are just better than another person.



Link:- http://healthsaeedah.blogspot.com/2010/04/bullying.html?showComment=1272754284293_AIe9_BFW5zj0yVPdAWxSNtXm4K4fywIKH2KOonxSZNHas4L69JvimXgE3IwbGBL_xOQTpC6I2nDXkS6EOYsilHFdIm2PQ588NbyJOaxGKLAzTvLxs-QBq7_3WFkaa95-vrs2Tn0MBnwNtmz1w_1M9DoUkohjzf8pYeztfyEfX1USHCtC9zx8-VGewW-aCf5DcVTgl3R4DHgNE4YBa9mvzVYM_UXnfATMUA#c4489346194816352331

Lying

Image from:- http://www.kimrichter.com/Blog/uploaded_images/graphonic_lies_2-750627.gif




Lying with intent is something that is obviously, in my eyes, wrong. However, you could ask yourself is it always wrong to lie? The first thing in which you could ask yourself is what situations could it be okay to lie? Where should the line be drawn, in your opinion?

Obviously, although bad, there is a time in everyone's life (some more than others) where we all need to lie. If a friend is annoying and keeps changing outfits before a night out, (this is from personal experience) after the third costume change you'll tell them they look good even if they do not. Is this bad? Yes. However sometimes a lie is needed to move things along. Another example would be small, white lies that a husband may tell his wife, such as her hair looks fine, even though he hasn't really taken notice. I believe that though these lies aren't really a positive thing, they aren't harmful either.

Then there is more serious lies such as rumours. Malicious lies such as spreading rumours can ruin a person's demeanour and character. Examples of this can be caught on Jeremy Kyle everyday of the week! 'You slept with my mother, my cousin’s sisters auntie told me, I want a lie detector test'. Although we do not all go on television to sort our problems out as a 'last resort', lies such as this can tear families apart. Another example of this would be in the playground at school. Children spread rumours and lies about their peers as 'revenge' or just because 'they feel like it' and this can upset many people, some even turning to suicide. It is no secret that children are very sensitive to this sort of thing, and rumours of huge magnitude can cause psychological problems.

The worst sort of lie, in my view, is lies with criminal intent. Fraud is a criminal offense that required malicious lies in order to steal hundreds, sometimes even millions of pounds from a company or another person. Another example is contempt of court, where someone lies in court in order to prevent a criminal from being sent to prison. Such lies can not only jeopardise those involved, but the whole of society, as those criminals, if set free, could reoffend.

Overall I think that lying is always something which should be discouraged, but a little while lie here and there can do no harm. We need to look at what intent the liar has, and whether it is to harm someone, or something else. What do you all think? I have added one malicious lie as a link below, which is information on Holocaust denial.



Link:- http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/denial.html