usha s-j

just me, sunrises, stars and some scattered thoughts.

[justushh]

Response to “Bois Locker Room: Delhi schoolboys create group to share lewd photos, chats on classmates”

On Monday morning, social media was abuzz with the story of how a groupchat of South Delhi boys called the ‘Bois Locker Room’ was created to pass lewd comments and share morphed pictures of girls, most of which were underage, from around 14-16 years old. 

Even though I am half Indian, these cases are so frequent that I find it both disgusting and saddening that it doesn’t come as a surprise to many, but it stresses the importance of highlighting these issues. I think the article by India Today covers the basics of all that is currently known on the situation, which the police as currently investigation. 

India has a long history, and is well known for being deeply rooted in toxic masculinity, and complicity of rape culture. I strongly disagree with this, as most of the others my age do. It shocked me to see people speaking out in defence of those members of the group, giving excuses saying that some never contributed or that they were still young, and simply boys, so they should be excused. Nevertheless, by sitting on the fence, they are complying, and that should never be allowed to slide. No action is still action. By staying inactive and not speaking out, these boys are promoting rape culture, and actually normalising it. One of the boys who was added reported it, and leaked screenshots - which is the reason why police action has been taken. Without this, there is no knowing where the situation may have led, as the victims were completely unaware. 

The article increased my understanding of how deeply rooted these issues were within Indian society - to start from as young as the grades of 10 and 11. Nishtha Gupta, the author, provided a clear and concise summary of the event, interlaced with supporting details and concluding on the action currently being taken, therefore making the article highly informative and easy-to-understand. In terms of accuracy, it seems to be quite accurate, as I had received the screenshots and information of the situation before it reached the press, and the article seems to have smoothened out any initial confusion there was in the first place.

I would definitely recommend this article to others, not just because of the importance of spreading awareness on such an issue and re-educating people’s mindsets, but also because it provides a detailed, yet simple overview of the situation.

Bibliography

Gupta, Nishtha. “Bois Locker Room: Delhi Schoolboys Create Group to Share Lewd Photos, Chats on Classmates.” India Today, 4 May 2020, www.indiatoday.in/india/story/bois-locker-room-delhi-schoolboys-create-group-to-share-lewd-photos-chats-on-classmates-1674303-2020-05-04.

[justushh]

Response To “Trump and Fox News: the dangerous relationship shaping America's coronavirus response”

Reporting, in my opinion, is a profession that should always be kept clear from bias or any misinterpretation. However, nowadays journalism seems to have become another asset within the political playing field. There are numerous reporting houses that have gone and done the complete opposite, choosing to go down the path of yellow journalism - and Fox News is at the forefront.

It comes as no surprise that Fox News, a conservative American TV network, has been completely in favour of the POTUS, Donald Trump. Fox has long been accused of misinformation, as well denial of previous statements and claims it’s anchors and hosts have made, although due to the current circumstances, this yellow press is concerning because we need honest and objective reporting more than ever in times of crisis and uncertainty. 

This article has helped strengthened the perspective I had of Fox News, but it also has increased my understanding of the role it plays in influencing the millions of Americans and their political judgements. I now have a better understanding of how reporting can carry political propaganda, due to the article’s conciseness and the arrangement of well-researched information into coherent, easy-to-understand paragraphs. 

As a result, I would like to recommend this article to others, as it is not only highly informative, but relevan as well due to the current situations the world is in.

Bibliography:

Smith, David. “Trump and Fox News: the Dangerous Relationship Shaping America's Coronavirus Response.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 11 Apr. 2020, www.theguardian.com/media/2020/apr/10/fox-news-donald-trump-coronavirus.

[justushh]

Response to “Would You Eat Human Meat Grown in a Lab?”

Technology and science today is advancing at a rapid rate, with new breakthroughs and discoveries literally everyday. However, how much is too much?

Researchers have been able to develop meat from cultured stem cells, a fact I knew of quite some time back. However, when I stumbled upon this article, it was the first that acknowledge the potential to harvest the stem cells of people instead of the tradition plant-based options.

The article presented the idea of celebrities selling meat cultured from their cells, as a hype for their fans to buy - which honestly seems quite ethically (and logically) disgusting to me. However, I learnt more about how such a discovery could be commercialised.

Albeit gross, this article was pretty informative, although I wish they had provided references to further studies and research for those interested to learn more. It is quite accurate and conclusive, with a simple structure that is easy to follow through, which makes absorbing information easier.

I would recommend this article to others, simply due to the interesting ideas evaluated within, such as the ethical perspective and how such an industry can be commercialised.

Bibliography:

Pappas, Stephanie. “Would You Eat Human Meat Grown in a Lab?” LiveScience, Purch, 13 Mar. 2018, www.livescience.com/62008-lab-grown-human-meat-grown-cannibalism.html.

[justushh]

Response to “Coronavirus: India's Pandemic Lockdown Turns into a Human Tragedy”

Millions of workers around India are currently trekking miles just to reach their homes and villages, after the 3.5-hour notice the government made prior to the lockdown. Scenes such as the one depicted in the photograph above are a reality for many in all of India’s major cities, including Bangalore, the city my family lives in.

The article by Soutik Biswas is extremely factual and objective, with the truth laid out meticulously for the readers to process. It has a coherent structure and explains the situation with clarity since it provides the author with background information. 

The author accurately highlights the overlooked plight of these workers who form the backbone of India’s major cities. I would want anyone, regardless of their nationality, to read it, as it opens one's eyes to the reality many do not know of. My family is lucky enough to not have to worry about any financial implications of the lockdown, so they are all safely isolating in their own homes. However, there is a dire reality on the streets that a large percentage of the population is facing; that the government has overlooked in their haste.

The article not only opens the eyes of the audience to these difficulties by first-person narratives but also increased my understanding of how the Indian government, as well as other governments around the world, are handling their responses to the outbreaks of COVID-19. In their haste, many have seemingly forgotten the socio-economic disparities that lay between each country. Lockdown, in the fullest sense of the term, may not work with every country. Many Eastern countries, such as India, have a large percentage of migrant workers, whose lives have been completely disregarded. Their livelihoods mean that they are the most vulnerable, not only to the disease but the economic implications of such as a sudden measure. Governments around the world could benefit immensely from taking their own special circumstances into consideration before announcing a lockdown. This article has taught me that it doesn’t matter how quickly a government can respond to the situation if they haven’t planned it out properly and therefore have no actual clue of what they are doing or any foresight of the possible ramifications.

Bibliography:

Biswas, Soutik. “Coronavirus: India's Pandemic Lockdown Turns into a Human Tragedy.” BBC News, BBC, 30 Mar. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52086274.

[justushh]

Future Plans?

Whenever people ask me what I want to study at university, I’ve always had a difficult time trying to narrow it down to a single course or subject area, as I have many interests I want to pursue. I hope to get into liberal arts and sciences colleges and study biomedical science or neuroscience alongside either film or fashion, and then hopefully go to neurosurgery as a main career, while staying active in the fashion/film industry. However, a couple of other options I’m also considering (and really would like to study later on) are psychology, English literature, international relations and a mix of history and philosophy. In terms of location, I’m not very picky, although my top choice would be to study abroad in Canada.

[justushh]

ATL Skills in IB

#Something unique about the IB is that one of its components include ATL skills or approaches to learning skills. 

Two ATL skills I think are good are the research and thinking skills. In an increasingly digital world, I believe it is extremely important for us to have a good sense of information literacy, where both research and thinking skills play a huge role. To have the ability to research well, one must be able to distinguish between useful sources and those which contain fake information, which also requires critical thinking skills in order to pick and analyse relevant data and information.

An ATL skill I think I could do better in is my communication. I want to continue improving as not only a good communicator, but as a good collaborator as well, which I believe I can improve through exposure to a variety of teamwork and group activities, in order to be able to respond well to a larger range of situations and be able to communicate effectively in different ways. 

[justushh]

Response To “The Wall Some Texans Want to Build Against Abortion”

As a female myself, I’m a strong believer in the autonomy women should have over their bodies. Therefore it is no surprise that this article by the NY Times describing the loopholes some cities are using to exploit women’s rights especially infuriates me. 

I find it absolutely unfair that the government actually allows males to decide what females can or cannot do with their bodies, despite never actually experiencing anything that they have to go through. It sickens me to see people who claim to be ‘pro-life’ advocate on banning abortion. They claim they care about the life of these unborn fetuses, but they only care about them being born. They disregard the external factors, and after the fetus is born, disregard it as well. How is that pro-life?

However, this article really opened my eyes to the politics involved in abortive rights. It was extremely informative, gathering opinions of a variety of the residents, as well as strengthening my perspective on abortive rights and the struggle of women in more conservative environments to seek reproductive health care. The article is also quite detailed, giving relevant and specific information to the topic, as well as being organised in chronological order - in such a way that even the readers without much knowledge of the issue are able to gain background information first before the writer dives into the controversy surrounding it.

I would definitely recommend this work to others, as it is highly useful in understanding the current situation of abortive rights and it’s political relations, especially with the current administration of the US government.

Bibliography:

Searcey, Dionne. “The Wall Some Texans Want to Build Against Abortion.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/03/us/politics/texas-abortion-sanctuary-cities.html.

[justushh]

IB Life

IB is the curriculum of my school, AIC. I chose the IB on purpose, as I love a challenge and because of what it means to me. To me, the IB is about independence. Something that sets it apart it the flexibility it allows for both teachers and students, as it is less of a curriculum and more of a structural framework to follow. The IB is all about exploration and self-determination, in my opinion, as students get to choose subjects from different areas, and the nature of the curriculum means that they have more independence, and thus play a larger role in shaping their final results.

[justushh]

Although I am currently doing online classes due to COVID-19, my top three classes at AIC would be Humanities, Science and English! Although Art is probably one of my favourites as well.

[justushh]

hi!

I suppose it’d be rude to not introduce myself, so this is a small introductory post!

hello, world!

I’m a 16-year-old Cambodian-Indian sophomore studying abroad in AIC (Alcanta International College) in Guangzhou, China.

about me: I love many things, such as being in nature, sunsets and sunrises, the sound of rain, long meaningful talks, horse riding, being around the people that I love, reading, soft music, writing and expressing myself through art.