1. Dolphins 2023

          A few months back, we had to write an essay on what we thought made America’s voice and identity. At first, I didn’t know how to respond, so many factors make up America and each factor or person has a voice. I thought of America and the American Revolution came to mind since we were learning about it in USH. The American Revolution happened because a bunch of people disagreed with how the British were treating them. What is fascinating is that those who banded together to fight for the Revolution were from all different backgrounds yet worked so well together since they had a common enemy.       I think this is what makes America so different from other countries, the fact we are united as one. I believe that to be American is to be united. We are the UNITED States of America after all. When people band together it gives the invisible a mic, someone has a voice as long as at least one person is standing behind them. I think that what makes America the land of the free, is t

  With the recent passing of Matthew Perry, the man that played the beloved character of Chandler Bing in Friends , I have been reminded of the show and characters through social media.  Apart from being a humorous comedy and a feel good T.V show, the characters and themes in the show are able to represent American ideals perfectly.   Rachel Green ran away from her perfect but boring life as a rich, spoiled girl and started over on her own. She built herself from the ground up from working as a waitress to doing what she loves by working in the fashion industry. Her story shows resilience and how anyone can succeed in America through hard work and effort.  Monica and Ross Geller represent family and sibling bonds. Despite having quarrels as any siblings do, the two get along and support each other. The power of siblings and the importance of maintaining these relationships is highlighted with these two characters, as they are able to come to each other with good news, bad news, and alm

When an adult hears the word “video games,” the first word that commonly comes to mind is something that children can get addicted to. They think about all the negative effects, but have they really thought about all the good things that video games have brought? Video games actually have a huge economic impact. If you did not know, the video game industry generates more income than most movie and music industries, which is honestly quite surprising. According to VisualCapitalist , it is estimated that the gaming industry will “surpass $300 billion…by 2026.” To put that into perspective, the movie industry makes around $70 billion dollars and the music industry makes even less. Video games have even influenced movies, TV shows, and literature, creating more opportunities to write and make shows about. The video games industry creates jobs and opportunities for many people, and overall contributes a large amount to the economy. Additionally, video games also help create demand for bette

Twelve months from now, the 2024 presidential election will take place. Twelve months from now, we will watch the US president be chosen based on the counties and states they win, not the number of people who vote for them. Amidst this, some questions are raised—is the representative democracy currently in place in America truly effective? Would a direct democracy be more effective? This is a heated debate that has been going on in America since the 2016 presidential election ; Hillary Clinton got 2 million more votes from the American people than her opponent got, but she still failed to get the electoral college votes necessary to win the presidency. Defining the two types of democracy helps visualize their benefits and drawbacks. A representative democracy is a system in which citizens elect representatives to vote on their behalf. Meanwhile, a direct democracy allows the citizens to vote on leadership and legislation without the middlemen. www.englishpluspodcast.com/direct-vs-repre

(https://www.simplejoy.com/mediterranean-salad/) In my last blog post, I talked about the "melting pot," a phrase commonly used to describe America: a place where immigrants from all over the world gather, and "melt together" to form American culture. The term "melting pot," over time, has grown to be a household idiom defining America.  The term holds an illustrious history, appearing in America around the late 18th century, and has persisted throughout our lexicon, withstanding the current of time, and the upheavals of history. While the term itself finds rare usage, it remains rooted in the brains of every U.S. citizen, and stands as a subconscious name tag, one that proudly displays "American." Surely some young, idiotic, pedantic child won't find an issue with this cornerstone of American identity, history, and hope? Sadly, being an obnoxious and captious idiotic-pedantic child, I shall now grace upon my ostensibly apathetic audience my

It’s pretty cool to brag that my native country invented boba. I feel that most Taiwanese Americans have decent experiences in the US. Yet, often comes the news that the little island is in danger. Recently, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, triggering a furious response from China, as the visit seemed to acknowledge Taiwan’s position as a nation. Tensions between China always seem to reach new highs, and frequently, our community here in the United States worries for our families back in Taiwan.  Luckily, protecting Taiwan, and some of its resources, happens to align with the USA’s interests. In a way, the US is providing protection that has continuously prevented China from attempting to reclaim Taiwan. Of course, the US, with its moral high ground, loves to protect the sovereignty of fledgling nations, nations facing similar circumstances as the colonies that gained independence from Britain. This is especially true if said country is democratic and has Wester

  American cartoon characters are known throughout the world because of their immense popularity. Characters such as Mickey Mouse, Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, and Disney Princesses are globally known, with over 13% of American adults reporting that they have watched “Cinderella” more than twice. While cartoon characters from other countries, such as Hello Kitty, are globally well known, America is still able to have produced the most popular cartoon characters. What is the reason for this?  A lot of American cartoon characters follow the same pattern. For example, popular American shows such as Family Guy and The Simpsons both follow the same stereotypical American cartoon pattern: A lazy, dim-witted father, a forgiving mother, and children who either love or loathe their family— with the occasional inclusion of a family dog. Another popular show,  Phineas & Ferb also follows this pattern, which makes you wonder why the most popular American cartoons all have extremely similar ch

A white picket fence, behind which a vibrant lawn stretches, and a beautiful home stands.    Security, stability, comfort.  Dreams, aspirations, the pursuit of happiness. For generations, the American Dream has stood as the pot of shimmering gold at the end of the rainbow, beckoning individuals from all over the world to join in the stride for a better future. It represented the notion that with hard work, anyone, regardless of their background, can achieve success. However, for many, the stark reality of the ever growing economic disparities casts a long shadow over this dream. Back in 2014, Director of Health Policy Research at the Economic Policy Institute, Elise Gould, had stated that “ the wages of the top 1% [had] grown by 154%, while the bottom 90% [had] seen growth of only 17% .” As the economic state of social classes continue to diverge, the concept of “upward mobility,” a fundamental part of the American dream, is only becoming harder to achieve for the middle class and the

  McDonald's in China When visiting China, the thing I craved the most was American fast food. Just the thought of walking into a fast food restaurant, and taking in the smell of the crispy golden fries made my mouth water. I always thought that chains like Mcdonald’s and Pizza Hut were exclusively American. So imagine my surprise when my dad took me on a walk to the Golden Arches. As soon as I walked in, the familiar smell and place cured my homesickness instantly. The food was identical to America, the same plastic cheese and crispy fries. Having McDonald’s in China is like America with the same menu, other than a few exclusive items. And after watching a lot of those trying McDonald’s in [insert country] videos, I realize it is like that in most countries. Sometimes their exclusive items are fast food versions of other “American” staples like pizza, in which they use ketchup, cheese, and ham (I mean it looks like a pizza I don’t know about taste though). Other countries romanti

       America is known for its wide diversity of people and cultures. With that being said, it also comes with its fair share of varying accents. Everyone's accents define them as humans and give them their own metaphorical identity. With each person having their own origin, the accents will vary slightly between people. Our accents are heavily influenced by the environment we grew up in. For example, I grew up in America as the majority of us have. Being around people with a more “American” accent influenced the way I spoke and the “slang” I used. Accent does not have to mean the type of voice necessarily it can include the type of speech as well. Location also plays a big role in the way people speak. Having a “New York” accent is usually defined from people in New York typically dropping the “r”sound in their speech and making certain pronunciations longer.  ( Penn Today ) While New York is one of the most apparent ones,there are also a lot of minor ones throughout the United S

  Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Small nose. Hourglass Figure. Hairless legs and arms. Natural makeup.  This list goes on and on as there are so many beauty standards that have been put into place by American society. Women are expected to be dolls and act as if these standards are completely achievable. Many people have struggled with their body and appearances because of unrealistic expectations that have been deemed normal in society.  In American media, the main characters are almost always white, skinny, and beautiful, which makes women who look even slightly different feel like they are the background characters in their own life and less important than others.  Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries underwent her transformation from ugly to beautiful by straightening her curly hair, waxing her eyebrows and removing her glasses. This makeover insinuates the idea that girls with curly hair, glasses, or facial and body hair are not beautiful or desirable. As this movie is catered to y

“You aren’t trying to win if you aren’t cheating.” This is the statement that graced my ears when, out of sheer curiosity, I decided to watch a video arguing for competitive recognition of shortcuts in a racing game. I was disgusted.  Although they may mistakenly have been made possible by mapmakers, I believed that shortcuts had no place in a fair race. Yet, a solid portion of the commenters on that video seemed to agree with the points made in the video. People were so desperate to win that they forgot the competitive spirit of the game. A similar issue plagues our own country.  Whether it’s political leaders taking advantage of electoral systems (like through gerrymandering ) or major corporations finding loopholes to pay fewer taxes, America is saturated with people willing to do anything to achieve their goals.  In light of this issue, it is necessary to draw lines that define fair play in society. At what point are a company’s actions too much? When is a politician’s campaigning

For the entirety of my life, my mom has always told me about the education system in China when I complained about school. She would say “My school days were much longer,” and “We learned this in 6th grade.” Whenever these conversations arose, I would just sigh and zone out as the words she said came in one ear and out the other. These “stories” felt like some sort of folklore—tales of Chinese education being more strenuous than the ones in America to make children in America work harder. But as I grew older, and my schoolwork started to get harder, I started to hear more people saying the same thing. My friends would tell me in India or China, they learned this math topic in some early grade, and a quick Google search confirmed this. "Chinese kids descend terrifying cliff face to school" picture In my mother’s time, the school day would begin just as the sun came up, and she would walk to school with her backpack full of books, and also the weight of expectation. She told me