There is No Excuse for Stupidity

      The culture that is New York City and the rest of the East Coast is unlike anywhere else in the country. Growing up in its shadow has certainly contributed to who I have become as a person. As a child, I thought that attending various dinner parties and spending the afternoon at the yacht club swimming and sailing on Long Island Sound was something everyone had the opportunity to do. If you didn't know the difference between port and starboard by the time you were five, you were considered a dunce. In a way, the existence from an outward prospective can seem extravagant, but in Larchmont, it's what everyone seemed to do.

      This culture trickles down from an attitude that I think more of society should take in life. When you visit New York and the people I have grown up around, you will not find an ignorant person. People who live here can be seen as a little conceited, pompous, and haughty at times, but you would be hard pressed to find someone truly oblivious to the world around them. 

     There is no shortage of intelligent banter that occurs in this what some might consider a socialite type of atmosphere. Everyone I know reads current events, is capable of holding intelligent conversation, and is interested in pursuing learning, no matter what their age. There is a certain level of social engagement that is expected of you here. It is amazing to just sit and listen, because everyone has an opinion that they are willing to back up with a reason for them. I find it refreshing that I heard a 16 year old chime up in the middle of a conversation about 4th century Christianity and Judaism and have an interesting comment to add to the conversation.

      I honestly wish that more people would prescribe to this style of living. If everyone was as socially engaged as this small circle of people that I have grown up around, the world would be a much more progressive place. People should feel that it is their responsibility to stay informed. It is alarming that a lot of children in Westchester County, New York are more informed about politics than most of American adults, but it's downright alarming that they are probably more insightful than many members of Congress.

      Everyone should take a leaf out of these peoples' books and pick up a book and tune into a news station once in a while. The prerequisites to become a citizen of this country should be ingrained in the minds of those born here. If you haven't bothered to read the Constitution and learn the more important points of at least the country's history and preferably the world, make it your mission to do so. If you have no idea the difference between a Shi'ite and a Sunni or what is going on in Syria, read up. 

      It has always surprised me that ignorance is not listed as one of the deadly sins. If you were to look at most atrocities happening on this planet, it always boils down to ignorance. The first step to making this world a better place for the next generation is to be informed about what makes this world a shitty one. Ignorance is not bliss. Picking and choosing passages of different texts, sacred or legal, and taking them out of context or ignoring the others is morally corrupt. Your beliefs and morals should not blindly replicate those of your parents. The only way for progress to occur is to expand your knowledge base and create your own. 

      I'm not saying to abandon what your family and friends have molded you to be, but you should expose yourself to as much of the world as possible. Drink it all in because the educated are who make it far in the world. If you look at history, the go-getters are the ones to enact the change. The phrase, 'I don't care,' was not in their vocabulary. Think of your biggest role model or someone you most admire in the history books, did they blindly follow the crowd or did they try to look at the world a bit differently? It really comes down to the fact that you have to be the change you want to be in the world and in order to do so effectively, you have to be educated.

I am pro-life, anti-gay marriage, and pro-guns.

      I am pro-life, but only when it concerns myself. When it concerns another human being, I will relinquish that viewpoint in concern to myself and support whatever choice they may choose when it concerns their own body. I say this with the stipulation that the abortion is performed within the legal amount of time after conception or if the pregnancy becomes life threatening to the mother after the legal window closes. I have this political stance because I believe a child should come into this world and be cared for by people who truly want them. If a mother wants to get an abortion, she does not want the child. No child should ever be born into an environment in which it is not wanted. People retaliate to this saying that the parent should choose adoption. There are so many children in the foster system already. In the US, there are approximately 100,000 children of all ages waiting to be adopted. I feel it is only fair to give them a home to call their own.

      I am anti-gay marriage, but only when it concerns myself. I do not have any future plans to marry a woman, mostly because I like boys (a lot). Anyone else who wishes to marry someone who has the same naughty bits as them though, go for it. Love is love, everyone deserves the right to be happy. People say it is against the teachings of the Bible. Number one: No, butt sex is against the teachings of the Bible. Number two: So is divorce, eating shellfish, playing football, tattoos and working on Sunday, but most of America does those things any way. Besides, marriage is a contract with the government, why does religion have anything to do with it? For those people who harp on the fact that marriage is an institution meant for procreation, then, why are post-menopausal women and infertile people allowed to wed? Return to the previous paragraph, there are so many children in need of homes: adoption is a wonderful option (FOR ANYONE who can provide a stable loving home, including the gays). Also, I'm pretty sure that babies magically happen out of wedlock, for supporting evidence: turn on MTV.

       I am pro-guns, but only in the case that the people operating them have thorough training and background checks. It should not be easier to purchase and own a gun than to get mental healthcare assistance. I also believe that there is no need for a civilian to have an assault rifle or for them to have high capacity magazines, let's leave those to our military. There is also a time and a place for using and carrying guns. Places where guns are outright fun and great to have: while hunting and in public places such as schools. All these activists wanting to arm school teachers, do you really want teachers to have immediate access to a gun while dealing with your terrible children? You might want to rethink that.

       I like to think that if another person's choices are in no way harming others, then they should be free to continue making those choices. The world is a better place for everyone when people are not trying to oppress others because they do not wish to live the exact same way that they do. This is the United States that we are living in, we were founded on freedom and equality, let's practice it.