Barbies

In lieu of feminists’ and parents’ new obsession with attacking Barbie, I feel that I would like to stick up for Barbie and all of the good things she represents rather than hating on her for a couple minor production flaws. 

Since her creation in 1959, Barbie has long represented a strong, independent woman.  A woman who can go anywhere, do anything, be anything.  She has had more than 80 careers including a President, doctor, paleontologist, and veterinarian.  If you ask me, that is not stupid and those are all very good career paths to take.  Barbie gives girls dreams that they can try to achieve. 

Adults seem to fear Barbie’s influence on their daughters most often because of her body shape.  Thus, we all know that Barbie has a pretty disproportionate body: her feet are super small; her legs are incredibly thin; her waist is teeny tiny; and her chest is extremely large.  But here’s the thing: Barbie is a plastic toy and girls know that they cannot possibly judge themselves off of something that is not real.  Critics say that because Barbies are a popular toy for young girls, it influences their ideas on body image and can lead to eating disorders and self hatred, but there has still been no significant study to prove that Barbie makes girls insecure.  If you talk to someone with an eating disorder, chances are she’ll say she has the disease because of the pressure to be perfect that real supermodels or skinny famous people initiate.  She probably won’t say, “I just hate my body because of Barbie!”  Why should one doll form a complete idea of how we see ourselves?  Girls are constantly bombarded with real images of real people all day everyday that are much more influential than that of a childhood toy.

These are just some of the ways in which I hope to defend Barbie and all that she stands for.  I know she is not a bad role model, but rather a good one: a role model showing that girls can do whatever they put their minds to.

I would love it if someone could provide me with some tips or ideas on how to make this a really awesome speech. Thanks!

Speech idea

I'm still deciding on my topic, but i think i want to do something on how women are sometimes mistreated by men. I could make this serious and talk about how serious it is and how women should be able to do whatever is needed to protect themselves, or turn it into something funny, lavender thought maybe a how to be a good guy. like give 5 or 10 points on how to be a good boyfriend/husband/friend. and just elaborate on each point, but i still need to figure out what the points would be if i did that.

Its always someone elses fault

my topic is always maddie's fault (just someone to blame). Are the answers from maddies lifestyle going to solve all the worlds problems? No, but it fills the void of gilt. Maddie likes to confuse people because her name contains a "t"! That makes it harder for everyone to make sure they use the right name or she gets pissed and no one is happy! And let's talk about global warming. Maddie has a car and is brewing toxic drugs in her basement. It's her fault that Polar bears are running out of ice!

Overall my presentation is going to be satirical, expressing that everyone blames something or someone else for all issues. Rarely will you hear some one say it's their fault fir hitting a cat. " it ran out into the street! It's not my fault!" etc.

Debatable Topic: Expectations Too High for Education

My topic is going to be about the immense pressure and overwhelming work load put on kids at too young of an age. In this modern age, children are expected to perform academically at a higher standard than enjoyably possible. Everyone only gets one life so why would kids want to spend their one and only childhood sitting in a classroom studying most the day for as much as 220 days a year. We were not put on this earth just to spend 1/4 of our only life inside, and feeling miserable. Not only does the amount of time in school overwhelm a child, but the homework load and the height of the bar for expectations is too high that it creates a kid's mind into a stressful, uncomfortable, and self-destroying place. Modern kids are slackers and underachievers because the expectations are too high and they accept  "failure" and have no self-confidence, and this all ends up creating a mentally distraught mind that has actually been destroyed, instead of enhanced, by the almost unreachable goal of success. So kids are expected to do more than their mind is ready for.

Grading System

“Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” ~Albert Einstein

Just as Albert Einstein said, along with many others in agreement, the grading system should be eliminated and in its place should be a system based on a more personalized level. I think that highschool should help students prepare for the life after high school, whether college is in the future or not. Students should be able to design their curriculum based on interest and talent, not by required courses. High school should be a lot like college. In ninth and tenth grade, General Education courses should be required to obtain a well rounded grasp on all senses of the core classes such as English, Science, Math, History, and a foreign language. After that, students should start looking for their strong suits and start persuing a career or at least expanding on their own raw talents and developing something that they will love. It is unfortunate that grade point averages are dropped signifigantly if you do not do well in a math class because you are not mathematically minded. Students should be rewarded for what they are good at, not told how bad they are at something. Being limited during the college application process because you didnt understand a foreign language or a math or science class are common worries among high school seniors which is why students should elect how their curriculum is run. What are students graded against anyway? Who are we compared to to decide that I get the B and you get the A. People are not the same and we shouldn't be graded or tested based on a standard. In turn, students at the end of high school will have a better grasp on what field of study they want to go into and colleges will be easier to pick from because students already know how to decide where to go based upon what programs the college offers. More points and opinions coming, also more organization:)

The backcountry

I am going to write about ski mountains think they can controle land that isn't even theres. For instance the telluride ski mountain thinks they can make bear creek part of there mountain but they own no part of it and it is all natinal forest. They have no right to say weather i can ski there or not. Ski mountains need to stop being so selfish and deal with what they bought

Practical Skills & Progressive learning in Schools.

Argument: Practical skills such as balancing finances, communication, and progressive thinking should become part of the high school curriculum and a requirement for graduating seniors.

Though behind the claim: Our society is progressive. The high school students are our future, and we need them to be as knowledgeable as possible when they step out into the real world. Over 50% of Harvard graduates will create the jobs they take. We need more people in America to take on this challenge. With all the terrors of global warming, fears of foreign attack, and scarce amount of resources left to sustain our way of living, the next generation needs to be educated differently. While a normal education consisting of History, Math, Science, English, and Art does benefit individuals, it should not be the only subjects that are considered important. We need to teach more languages and stress the importance of world wide communication. Technology is becoming so incredibly advanced and we need to master the tools we have. Also, to solve our future problems, we need to find solutions now. And to do so, we need thinkers and leaders.

Reasons to teach practical skills: School is supposed to prepare you for the future. Honestly, how many jobs are going to rely on your knowledge of the 1812 war or your comprehension of The Scarlet Letter? Finances should definitely be taught in school since too many college graduates spend the next twenty years of their life in serious debt. Once you are independent from parents, students should be able to manage their own money, invest, and balance their checkbooks. Yet with the education we are getting now, there are countless individuals who have no clue how to keep their money in line, pay taxes, and not get taken advantage of by the smarter individuals or companies.

How we would progressively learn: Principle Alex Carter had the right idea when it came to twenty-first century learning. The students need to experience a hands-on education and be immersed in real life scenarios. The ISPs (Intensive Study Programs) were a great example of real world lessons, but they were only stressed four weeks out of the year. I am suggesting we incorporate these skills into at least one if not two periods a day. Currently, the debate class presents a great example of teaching social skills. Learning the key proponents of public speaking, intelligent arguments, and considering opposing positions will help individuals have success in the future with getting their ideas across. Also, life is full of conflicts, and knowing how to debate and win an argument gives people an advantage. Other aspects of progressive learning include: attending to the whole child, community, collaboration, social justice, intrinsic motivation, deep understanding, and active learning.

I am not trying to say “get rid of all the original classes.” I agree that history is important to know in order to refrain from repeating our mistakes and understanding how our country came to be. And for anyone who plans to go into the field of engineering, mathematics is extremely vital. Reading and writing well are both crucial skills to possess.

Arguments against: Academics form the foundation of higher education, and practical skills should be taught outside of school. These would be just another unnecessary class with no beneficial purpose. Progressive learning isn’t individual attention or memorization.

SORRY THIS IS SO LONG BUT I HOPE SOMEONE READS IT AND GIVES SOME OTHER ASPECTS OF MY ARGUMENT FOR/AGAINST. THANKS (: