B- Worthy

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The Japanese Youth

By Miranda M.

Youth is something fleeting, its thought to be a period of romanticism in ones life, but just like all things now its ideals are changing. What is today’s youth and what are their struggles?

In what feels like the most recent of years the stigma of mental health problems has been changing ever so slightly. In my, albeit limited, experience of talking about mental health with my peers, there seems to be this overwhelming feeling of generational understanding. Mental health in my eyes is kind of like physical health, and equally important to one’s overall health. Muscles get injured and must rest, and sometimes be medicated or receive physical therapy, the same can be said for emotional aspects in mental health. Of course there are many nuances involved that cannot be seen so black and white, but that is my understanding of it.

While people from my part of the world may be more accepting and understanding of these struggles, it is not like that everywhere. In many countries in fact, there are still so many stigmas surrounding the possibility of having a mental illness.

In other countries, such as Japan, the idea of mental health problems is one that gets constantly ignored, and for those suffering with mental health problems there is even an unspoken punishment that they receive. Those with mental health problems are more likely to be bullied and isolated (Rich). There is no support for these people, especially the large population of students whose focus is expected to be directly on school and nothing else.

My biggest issue with this whole idea of denying the fact that mental health problems exist is that numbers alone tell these people that something is horribly wrong. Two hundred and fifty people- no, 250 children have committed suicide in one year. Elementary through high school CHILDREN have ended their lives that barely even started. Why is this issue not talked about more- why are there no screaming mothers rushing to the doors of the school ministers demanding change, demanding at least the promise that change will come? This all may be just reactionary commentary, but even when one thinks about this in a logistical way in which they factor in the changing aspects of Japanese society and family culture none of this makes sense. Yes, families are being to separate. Yes, schools are crowded with students and teachers are in a never ending state of busy and hurried. But do these reasons make it just? Do these reasons give cause to believe that some change will ultimately appear when it is needed most? No. The idea of family will always be subjected to societal expectations and teachers will always be busy.  This is both a societal issue and governmental issue. Japanese society must come to terms with, especially when it involves someone who suffers from mental issues or has chronic bouts of depression/anxiety/ lack of self-esteem or whatever may be the case, people and their nature, as they will always remain in a state of imperfection and that there is nothing inherently wrong with that.  The Japanese government must begin to create jobs, roles, and training to help the youth deal with these issues in a way that is private and productive.

Health is not just physical.

Works Cited

Rich, Motoko, and Makiko Inoue. “Suicides Among Japanese Children Reach Highest Level in 3 Decades.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Nov. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/world/asia/japan-suicide-children.html.

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Native American Win?

By Miranda M.

Its been a long fight for Native American people to even have a whisper of a voice in congress.

 Historically, Native American voters have been silenced through the strategic drawing of lines for voting districts and use of voter suppression tactics that are now being seen used today in other communities. With recent elections, the amount of Native American people in congress have doubled. The real questions, and I suppose silent hopes, are how can this trend continue and why is it happening now? Well I think the answer lies in the actions of those who have recently been elected. 

This is Sharice Davids, one of the newly elected congress member for Kansas.She is one of the main people, although it is only out of a few newly elected Native Americans, that has been highlighted in a way that seems to encourage the idea that Native Americans are getting a real voice in congress. “Ms. Davids’s campaign offered a blueprint for other candidates seeking to frame issues from a Native American perspective “ (Romero).  In way, many have made her to be the paragon for incoming Native American politicians, as the way her public persona comes across and great campaigning skills have come across t her voters have made what seems to be a lasting impact. Personally, I love the way her public image comes across in her campaigning. She really feels like a strong, decisive person and that shows with her MMA background and community appeal, especially her appeal to the Lgbt+ community. She made a splash in traditional media sources as she seems to go against many ideals that have been disproportionately portrayed in the media as the sole image and mentality of Native American people, something that expresses the idea of subordinate and meek people- the broken people. Ms. Davids is successful because she shows strength and courage, and in my eyes she just represents the idea of individuality. She is a new face and an image of Native American politicians, but one cannot forget that while something new can grow with pure strength and strategy, others must pave the paths they walk on. 

While she is a new face to big league politics, Deb Haaland certainly is a known face within her community.  She worked hard as a community organizer and chairwoman in her state’s democratic party. I think that a quote of her’s sums up why there is a great significance with the (admittedly small) wave of diversity that is coming to congress. She states, “We have an extremely divisive president who disparages so many people. I felt like it was just time to stand up with a positive campaign” (Romero). 

 In essence, the world is becoming a increasingly divided space. Politics is a big component to this change, yes that is true, but there is something that is an even bigger and cataclysmic. 

                          People have become complacent.

   In times of difficulty people are most likely to fight against oppressive and unwanted regimes. Yet, in times of relative peace that same drive-that fire and passion- is gone. In modern times, people have shown that they are more than willing to ignore troublesome topics in hopes of a brief sense of relief and recluse. Complacency and feigned ignorance allows people to have and fake an illusion of peace. But we cannot live in illusions, nor should we be willing to accept anything other than reality. When I read this article, I initially felt a sense of hope and relief, almost like that feeling when a parent tells you that everything will be okay, but I realized soon after that that wasn’t what I should feel. Should I be proud? Definitely. Relieved? Absolutely not. I am proud of these women and the hundreds of others that are striving to seek change in these uncertain times. This type of work to create a change in the people’s mindset is something that takes,” decades of grass-roots organizing, legal battles to redraw voting districts favoring white candidates, new sources of campaign money and the harnessing of visceral reactions to President Trump’s use of slurs against Native Americans“ (Romero). There is many years of unseen work, determination, disappointment, and anguish that is sown into the outcome of tonight’s election that I have not experienced or can possibly be able to understand; but before these last few years none of this type of struggle was “important” enough to matter. This shows me that in this sense democracy is used in the wake of the people’s reactions, but its just that reactionary. Temporary.

Works Cited

Romero, Simon. “Native Americans Score Historic Wins in Midterms After Years of Efforts.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Nov. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/us/elections/native-americans-congress-haaland-davids.html.

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Let’s Just Be Kind Online

By Angela Grummett

Do yourself a favor: don’t look in the comments portion of any blog or video.

In his article, Bill McKibben, an environmental activist, speaks out against internet commenters joking about killing him. Take a tour of the web for just a few weeks, and these types of comments will become almost too common to care about. You’ll see everything from fat shaming and racism to misleading comments about religion and history. And, of course, you’ll find death threats.

As McKibben notes, most people making death threats online, whether by comment or by email, aren’t actually going to act on their threats. Still, it’s not the most comfortable thing to come across, whether you’re seeing someone else being threatened or you’re the one being threatened.

What was more disconcerting for McKibben, though, was the comment section underneath one article where one of the commenters actually told everyone his address (the address now removed from moderators and the commenter banned).

It’s hard to imagine most or any of the people we know personally writing this sort of stuff, but I find it rare that anyone acts like themselves online. It seems to be a safer place in this anonymous environment for people to insult and threaten each other. For one thing, no one knows who they are; and, for another thing, they don’t have to speak to the person they’re insulting’s face. Put them in the same room as their “victim”, and they won’t be nearly as verbal about their thoughts.

The question is: if these death threats are fake, and if these online insults (also called “flaming”) are coming from people they don’t know, then is there really any harm being done?

Well… yes, I think so.

Mckibben was told by a police officer once that it’s not the ones that write you that kill you. While this may be true in most cases, you certainly can’t say something like that with absolute certainty. While flaming may be deemed harmless, death threats are something that shouldn’t be taken lightly, even if the one saying them is joking. Whoever is viewing the joke may not find it so funny, and will find themselves looking over their shoulders every second of the day.

What about flaming? As I said, this can be deemed harmless. You’re not hurting anyone when you throw a bunch of curse words at them, at least not physically. But this is cyberbullying, and it should be veered away; mostly to be more civil online, but also because it really does just make your argument seem irrational and lazy. Moreover, psychologists have said that flaming is a waste of time and something to be avoided because it never resolves anything and just leaves the writer (and reader) feeling angry.

As McKibben says at the beginning of his article, it really does seem to be pointless to call for civility online, especially in this day and age. Still, charity does start at home. Maybe if we watch what we say online, the internet will begin to feel like a safer and more civil place to be.

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Paying for Cruelty

By Miranda M.

In South Korea there has always been some amount of  animosity with Japan and there treatment of Koreans during war times specifically during WW2. Not only was there a mass mistreatment of Korean women as prostitutes or mistresses {aka Comfort Women} to Japanese army men, there was an abuse of the Korean workers within Japanese factories. These Korean men were forced to work hard, hard labor during war times. Obviously there was a act of cruelty and racism that occurred during these war times. Understandably there is a desire for not only recognition of those cruelties, but also a form of correction which is money in this situation.

 Korea was a colony of Japan’s for a nearly 40 years prior to WW2. As such there is a mental strife and a permanent mark on the psyche on the Korean mindset, stemming from those involved. Beyond the scope of physical reparations, this brings about an idea that is very similar to in the US, should those who are related to people in the past who committed crimes or cruelties be held responsible or at fault for those who were affected by them. Part of me believes that people who were subjected to cruelty and wrongdoings at the expense of another should be able to completely, or as close as they can, resolve the issue in  a way that will ultimately bring closure to the victim. In the situation with Japan and Korea, there is a clear moral obligation on part of the companies involved to quickly clear their name and absolve their guilt.

Not only does this forced decision look worse on the factories and factory owners to have this dark past brought up and re-enforced by law suit and paid-outs ,there should be no pride in having refused the initial lawsuits. Yet, we must ask why the lawsuits were and are continually being rejected by both the Japanese government as well as the companies themselves. Is this caused by just monetary loss on behalf of the company or is it something less tangible? Could pride be in the way of recognizing one’s wrong doing? I think so, to be quite honest. In regards to Japan, “  Despite postwar agreements that — in Japan’s view at least — settled claims for damages sought by the country’s former colonial conquests, debate over compensation and reparations has not subsided” (Sang-Hung). This belief that there is no further reparations needed, reeks of the mindset of someone who does not recognize their part or their fault.  

Cited:

Sang-hun, Choe, and Rick Gladstone. “How a World War II-Era Reparations    Case Is Roiling Asia.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/world/asia/south-korea-japan-compensation-world-war-two.html. 

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A New Treatment For Cancer

By Emmanuel Jeronimo

Cancer is something that runs in my family.  So, whenever I hear in the news of doctors coming up with new ways of fighting cancer, I get excited to hear about such remedies.  In the New York Times, I read an article titled, “Immune-Based Treatment Helps Fight Aggressive Breast Cancer, Study Finds”.  In this piece, we are told that a study has found that a new cancer treatment called immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy have increased the lives of women suffering from aggressive breast cancer. This news is very exciting to hear as the piece states that before immunotherapy, the likelihood of women surviving aggressive breast cancer was very slim with just chemotherapy.  In a YouTube video, I found out that immunotherapy is currently being used to fight lung, kidney, melanoma, bladder, ovary, head and neck, lymphoma, stomach, and breast cancer.  Unfortunately, there are side effects from taking this drug like tiredness, nausea, diarrhea and others.  At the moment not everyone is able to take this drug as the F.D.A needs to approve immunotherapy.  Only certain patients now are taking the drug and it is very costly, the piece states that it is about $100,000 a year.

           My family from my father’s side has suffered from cancer, more specifically, pancreatic cancer.  My grandfather and uncle were the first to pass away from this type of cancer and it was very difficult to watch them go through so much pain.  Within months the pancreatic cancer changed their life’s and it seemed to suck the life out of them.  Two years later after their death, my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer as well. This diagnosis was caught in the early stage; therefore, my father was able to go through surgery to remove the cancer and survive.  Having seen my family struggle with pancreatic cancer, I have learned to have great sympathy to those that suffer from any kind of cancer.  My hope is to spread this news about the use of immunotherapy as a possible cure to cancer and I hope that it becomes a great success in curing people.  

As more people are suffering from cancer, I believe that cures are to be made readily available and less expensive. This piece mentions that immunotherapy costs about $100,000 a year. This is an absurd amount of money that the average person can’t afford. Therefore, there needs to be a change as people are in pain or dying from cancer because they are financially not able to afford such medicines.

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The Magic of Tsundoku

By Angela Grummett

Since learning to love books in middle school, going to the library has become a soothing activity for me. Throughout high school, I could spend hours surrounded by the books there, even if I never picked one up.

Tsundoku, as mentioned in Kevin Mims’ article, is a Japanese word describing a pile of books someone has purchased, but not yet read. For a lot of bookworms, this is a regular case. Mims even expands on this idea, mentioning how we also have a gray area: books that we have partially read, such as reference books and anthropologies.

A lot of people can’t stop themselves from buying a book at a bookstore or yard sale that they know they’re not likely to read, either from lack of interest or time. Still, they don’t sell or donate them. In fact, as Mims mentions, many people are likely to own much more unread or partially-read books than books they do own. Once read, it’s easier to get rid of an old book.

So why do we buy so many books that we’re bound to leave on the shelves?

Mims gives one insight: that being surrounded by these books reminds you that you still have so much to learn from them.

While this isn’t necessarily untrue, there are other reasons readers and non-readers alike love their tsundoku. Reading has been proven to increase knowledge in many ways, but I usually pick up a book as a way to escape reality or to relax. I believe inside all bibliophiles, these other factors play into our tsundoku.

When we build up our unread piles, we’re also building ourselves a fortress of escape, peace, and knowledge. Being surrounded by books in a library, I find comfort in the many worlds that surround me. Those thoughts and words bound into writing are always there, even if I haven't looked at them. Once someone learns to love reading, they don’t even need to pick up a book to feel its joy. It’s already there.

Many studies have shown that I’m not the only one who feels that way. Walking through libraries, whether our own personal ones or a public one, can feel like wandering “in a maze or mirror gallery”. It’s highly unlikely that print books will ever be out of stock, simply because the feeling of having an actual book in your hands is part of the reading experience. By the time we finally get to reading our tsundoku (if that ever happens), some of the joy that comes from a good book has already been felt through our fingers.

“The presence of books acquired produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching toward infinity… We cherish books even if unread, their mere presence exudes comfort, their ready access reassurance.”

—Alfred Edward Newton

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New York And E-bikes

By Emmanuel Jeronimo

I had no idea what an e-bike was until I read the article on the New York Times titled “Electric Bikes Are About to Go Mainstream”.  This piece was very interesting because it was very informative.  I learned that electric bikes or e-bikes for short, are very productive bicycles as there is no need to pedal too hard to get to places.  The bike itself has an electric motor that will assist one to go faster of up to 20mph.  The interesting thing is that e-bikes are illegal in certain New York locations. The piece stated that people like Yidi Zhu, who use e-bikes for their own small business delivery, have faced fines of up to $500.  Everyday we are reminded that we have a problem with global warming.  It is apparent that this is due to a heavy use of motor vehicles, at times we can even see the heavy pollution.  I was curious to see how much pollution one car emitted and found an article that stated, “burning one gallon of gas creates 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, and the average car emits about six tons of carbon dioxide every year”.

These e-bikes seem to be a perfect solution to the problem at hand, as they do not emit any pollution and are quiet.  Aside from that, they also save people money, there is no need to buy gas, there is no need for a license, or to get insurance.  It is difficult to understand why law makers would want to ban e-bikes as they have many advantages to not only the environment, but people who need them for deliveries, and others for recreational purposes.  The piece did not dive in too much on why e-bikes were banned in the first place, but I found a video on YouTube that explained that it all started because of a teenager who died using an e-bike.  Unfortunately, this caused some law makers to make it illegal to drive e-bikes.  I was glad to know that laws are changing in New York and are slowly embracing e-bikes into their communities.  

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The Trigger

           There have been too many devastating stories about people losing their lives because of controversy on gun control. People of all ages are getting a hold of guns, but specifically teenagers and causing damage and heartache, they can never take back. Something needs to change, whether that is more security on school grounds or more seriousness on gun laws and regulations. Being a twenty two year old girl, I have never been scared to attend school, go to concerts, big group gatherings, the movies, etc., until now. For the past five years or so, there have been so many shootings and the scary part is it is only increasing. We’ve all heard the saying, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people,” and frankly, I agree, I think it’s not guns that should be all to blame, but who handles the guns. And more importantly where are they getting guns so easily and not acknowledging the severity of the power behind guns.

           In the New York Times article, “Student Gunman Kills 19 and Wounds Dozens at a College in Crimea,” a student attacked his fellow classmates at a college on the Crimean peninsula, killing 19 and wounding many others. “The gunman, who also detonated an explosive device, was found dead, apparently suicide.” Some investigation reports that it may be a terrorist attack. Not long they came to the conclusion that it was a murder after discovering Vladislav I. Roslyakov, 18 years old, was a fourth-year student at the college. This tragic incident represented to be the greatest loss of life in school violence in Russia since the Beslan terror attack in 2004. According to citizens, school shootings are rare in Russia, well now they were “rare,” sadly. 

“Denis Y. Gridchin, the friend of the gunman, said Mr. Roslyakov had a dim view of his own prospects, with only technical training. “He did not see a future for himself,” said Mr. Gridchin, also speaking over Vkontakte, and he complained that there was little hope for someone from a small town with no education. Mr. Roslyakov lived with his mother, a nurse at a Kerch hospital. Local news reports said the mother was treating patients from the shooting, apparently unaware that her son was involved, when investigators went to the hospital to find her.”

           It is heartbreaking every mass shooting that appears on the news. From Prevention Institute, they state that “part of healing must be conviction that we will do everything in our power to keep these tragedies from happening in a nation that continues to face a pandemic of gun violence.” What I find so crazy, is that we don’t notice signs of warning until it’s too late. We are all guilty of not being so observant or analyzing every single person we come across not thinking or knowing they are unstable and are carrying guns or other explosives. Nowadays we have to be cautious no matter where we are and who we are with or surrounded by. 

           I hope a common ground we can all agree on is that change needs to happen and that school shootings or any other type of shooting needs to come to an end. Children need to return home from school to their families, parents need to keep an eye on their kids closely, and both parents and kids need to be more open with discussing their feelings to prevent any mental breakdown or crisis with harming themselves or/and others. 

Works Cited

Macfarquhar, Neil. “Student Gunman Kills 19 and Wounds Dozens at a College in Crimea.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Oct. 2018.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/world/europe/bomb-crimea-college-russia.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fworld&action=click&contentCollection=world&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront

“Gun Violence Must Stop. Here's What We Can Do to Prevent More Deaths.” Prevention Institute, www.preventioninstitute.org/focus-areas/preventing-violence-and-reducing-injury/preventing-violence-advocacy.

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#Metoo Wide spread?

By Miranda M.

The effects of the #metoo movement stretches far beyond the scope of its original Hollywood debut. Within the Indian government, an out break of allegations against many big names (such as the minister M.J. Akbar ) Some have questioned the nature of the allegations as they, as it appears to be similar to that of the Kavanaugh case where right before a big election a slew of allegations have come up to perhaps negate possible votes in their favor. One thing that can be agreed upon is that corruption is wide spread, and where there is corruption, harm follows. There is one interesting, or I suppose quite a few interesting details, about the trail of allegations. The allegation do not start at the beginning of Minister Akbar’s, rather it begins at the transition from journalism to politics. There are several female accusers who stem from the time at which the allegations begin. The journalists were his subordinates at his work place, all unnamed. While Mr. Akbar is one of the biggest names to have allegations against him, he is just one of many. 

    Bollywood, much like its western counterpart, has been the center of the uprising Indian portion of the #MeToo movement. Unlike Hollywood though, initial Bollywood allegations have rapidly spread past the entertainment industry, now they are quickly approaching high name government officials. Through the allegations call for several heinous acts  such as workplace sexual harassment to the inhumane crime that is rape, there has been little to no reactions from the Indian women. That is not out of lack of sympathy or mental rudeness, or even the believe that these acts are even remotely accepted by the public, but more so that such news is expected within Indian society.  “The vast majority of women in India, a deeply patriarchal and traditional society in which women and girls often have little control over their lives and are frequently abused” (Goel). 

       Control, the idea of power, and their relation to the public perception these are the driving forces of the men that are involved. That is not a personal insertion of the journalists or even myself. It seems that these are the common factors that are involved with stories such as these. To me, the most horrible parts of these stories is not the fact that these men are of such caliber, but rather the fact that there is this insistent, almost mock offense, stance that these men have in regards to not losing their jobs. They seem to not even care that someone has accused them of something so horrible. A simple apology given through some form of social media, often in the form of a phone note or some official My-agent/company-made-me-write-this letter. (Such as this incident: “Mr. Adhikari, who is retired and lives in the Washington area, said in an email that he did not recall the incidents described. “I would sincerely apologize if I made anyone uncomfortable in my presence, but I deny sexually harassing anyone,” he wrote. Nevertheless, citing the “stain on his reputation,” he resigned as a fellow at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, and said he would stop writing his column for The Times of India”(Goel))The lack of both sincerity and concern, those are the scariest parts of these types of these stories.

Works cited:

Goel, Vindu, et al. “After a Long Wait, India's #MeToo Movement Suddenly Takes Off.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/world/asia/india-sexual-harassment-me-too-bollywood.html?module=inline. Additional information on the uprising movement in India.

Reuters. “Indian Minister at Center of #MeToo Case Calls Abuse Accusations 'Wild and Baseless'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/10/14/world/asia/india-mj-akbar-me-too.html.

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Was Banksy’s Shredding of “Balloon Girl” an Inside Job?

By Angela Grummett

At a Sotheby auction in London, Banksy’s famous Balloon Girl was sold for £1.4m— and then instantly shredded by the artist himself. Not only was it shredded, but it was the frame that shredded the painting. The frame made by Banksy— a British street artist whose identity is kept a mystery— in case it was ever auctioned off. Since the incident, he’s renamed the now-shredded piece Love is in the Bin.

Banksy’s famous art can be found just about anywhere in the streets of Europe; from clocks to brick walls to the wheels of a steamroller. He rarely asks for people to pay to see his art, which plays into his reasoning for shredding the picture. And yet, many people are saying that now Balloon Girl will be doubled in its worth. So, it seems Banksy’s plan has failed— unless, he and Sotheby’s were together in this all along.

Before we can consider this possibility, though, we have to actually ask ourselves who Banksy is.

Physically, we don’t know. We know he’s from the UK, and there have been many reports of people finding him or figuring out who he is, though none have been proven. However, a breeze through his online gallery reveals a lot in the long run about his personality and motives.

For about a month in 2015, Banksy opened up his own amusement park— or “bemusement park”, as he called it— called Dismaland, a parody of Disneyland. The exhibit showcased a lot of dark humor and mocked popular amusement parks with pieces such as a killer whale jumping out of a toilet bowl into a hula hoop. It also ridiculed modern consumerism. One sign told customers that they would get a free hot dog if they could guess what animal was in it. No matter which corner of the park you visited, one thing was evident: this wasn’t Disneyland. After the park closed down, he used the building materials for each exhibit to make shelters for the homeless.

In his galleries, there are many more images reflecting a negative view on capitalism and consumerism. One such painting shows a group of women passionately praising a “Sale Ends Today” sign, and another with Jesus on the cross, Christmas boxes and bags dangling from his hands.

Most of his art reflects similar indifferences, which begs to question why, if he was in on the Sotheby’s auction, would he give up his principles now? Unless the anti-consumerist image he’s painted of himself is a lie, it doesn’t seem in-character for him to partner with an auction that’s selling his painting for £1.4 million. He himself has already denied these claims, and the woman who bought the painting took home the shredded version, happy to have her own piece of art history.

If this was inside job, which I have a hard time believing, then I’d think it wouldn’t matter, so long as the buyer was happy. After all, she got to take home the art history— but we all got to be alive to see it.

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“Honor Killings” in Afghanistan

By Emmanuel Jeronimo

The story I decided to follow up on from Sunday’s NY Times is called, “Con Man Claimed to ‘Cure’ Childless Women. Blackmail Followed, Then Bodies”.  The reason this piece caught my attention is because I was shocked to know what the women of a small town of Faryab, Afghanistan must endure.  These women are treated like second class citizens with minimal or no rights at all.  They are victims of a patriarchal society.  

This piece is about a man named Mullah Landay who took advantage of sterile women by claiming to have a cure for infertility.  Mulah Landay started his cures by using religious amulets, then leading the women to believe that having sex with him would be the final remedy.  Landay and his two female accomplices would then film the sexual acts and blackmail the women with the recordings and asked for their money and jewelry.  The innocent women were forced into silence as they did not want their family members to find out about the sexual acts.  Knowing that their culture is against premarital sex, they feared that they would be killed by their family members, as there is something called the “honor killings”.  Ever since Mullah Landay’s disappearance and the release of the sex videos through social media, nine women that he blackmailed have been found dead.  It is believed that these women were victims of the “honor killings”, as this is the way families preserve their family name.

When I finished reading the article, I was left to wonder if the family members also killed the children that the innocent women had with Mullah Landay.  I was left to wonder how long “honor killings”have been going on in Afghanistan, and if there were any laws that protected Afghanistan women against such horrible injustice.  I decided to go to my school library database to see if I could get more information about “honor killings”.  I was fortunate enough to find a piece through the NY Times that dated back to March 3rd, 2015.  As I was reading, I found out that there are few women shelters that have been placed to aid women, but many Afghanistan conservative men don’t like the idea of these shelters.  As far as laws are concerned, there are none to help these women.  In this piece, it is not clear how long the “honor killings” have been going on.  

My hopes in doing this blog is to help shed some light on this great injustice that the Afghanistan women in Faryab are dealing with.  The more people know about this issue, the more we can come together as human beings to stop such violence against these innocent women.

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Make me an admin

yo. do it yo.