Like, Um, and English Speech

So, like, this is all about, you know, English, and um, speech, and like, talking…

Cringy, isn't it? Well, that's how most people talk these days, ranging from adults to even young kids. We don't write like that, so then why do we talk like that?

via flavorwire.com

Words including "like", "um", "you know" are considered as "filler words", or a sound that signals a pause (rather than a conclusion) to the other people involved (according to dictionary.com). Essentially, when you need a moment to pause or think, you use a filler word (or words) to replace an actual pause. 

One of the earliest accounts of using filler words is from a 1928 New Yorker cartoon, which uses the word "like". A more modern account of using the word "like" would be the manner of speech from Shaggy, a main character on Scooby-Doo (i.e. - "This tunnel sure makes loud echos, like, tell me that's you…").

It's not only in English speech - there are also filler words for different languages. In Tagalog, the most common ones are "ah", "eh", "ay", and "am". In French, "euh" is the most common filler word, but others include "quoi", "bah", "tu vois", and "eh bien".

For the longest time, popular culture depicted only unintelligent people and surfer boys to use filler words, however, times have changed and now, almost everyone uses it. Children can learn this speech from television shows, books, music, and movies. Also, important figures have been also famous for using filler words. For example, Ronald Reagan was known for beginning his answers to questions with "Well…".

It's saddening to know that people do not always speak in proper English. Slang words were a problem a couple of years ago, and with the addition of filler words - what's next for English speech?

Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?

Every year, on the fourth Thursday of November, we sit down at dinner time and enjoy a feast of mashed potatoes, green beans, maybe ham, and of course, turkey. In fact a lot of people tend to dub Thanksgiving as turkey day as it is the main course of the meal for most Americans on this holiday. The question is: why? Why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving? What's so special about turkey?

Apparently, turkey might not have even been eaten during the first Thanksgiving. Although there were wild turkeys in the area, there were no accounts of actually eating the bird during this day. People most likely feasted on deer or fowl, but not turkey.

So, why do we eat turkey? According to one legend, Queen Elizabeth of England was delighted with the news of the Spanish Armada sinking and ordered for a goose to be served. Early settlers were inspired by Queen Elizabeth and decided to roast a turkey instead of a goose, because they were cheaper. Another legend states that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird because it was a native to North America. Although it didn't stick, people began to eat turkey on Thanksgiving. In reality, turkeys were eaten because of availability in New England. A wild turkey weight on average, sixty pounds, and was able to feed large groups of people. Turkey was later popularized after Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol, which was read throughout the United States. Dickens portrayed the classic Thanksgiving meal as having gravy, stuffing, plum pudding, and of course, turkey. So when Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to be a national holiday in 1863, the turkey was already an iconic part of the meal.

So that's it. Turkey isn't anything special, it's just a big bird that's readily available for all people. That's also okay, though, because turkey is delicious and definitely worth waiting for on Thanksgiving. Without it, could you imagine having a Thanksgiving dinner?

via kitchendaily

Inappropriate Halloween Costumes

On the news this week, I saw a segment on inappropriate Halloween costumes, showcasing babies dressed in provocative outfits, such as a marijuana leaf and a cigarette. I found the same topic in an article from CBS Los Angeles.

The owner of the website, Jonathan Weeks, battles this backlash by saying that, "Halloween is one day out of the year you can dress up and be anything you're not the other 364 days."

While that is true, I believe that it is still inappropriate to dress up in costumes that cause controversy. For example, what kid wants to say that they were dressed up as a drug for Halloween when they were a child? No one, really. Also this week, my history teacher showed us a picture of a kid dressed in a Ray Rice costume that included a jersey and a female doll to hold. First off, that's sick, because that's pretty much promoting domestic abuse.

Imagine what kind of impression these costumes might leave on kids. Even if the costume is suppose to be "funny" or "a joke" or whatever, it sends the wrong message to kids. Since kids are more impressionable, they can see a small Ray Rice on the streets on Halloween and think to themselves, "Hey, domestic violence looks cool.", or they'll see a baby in a cigarette and think, "Smoking looks cute".

Sure Halloween is suppose to be the one day where you can go all out and dress up as someone you can't be for the other days in the year, but there is a limit to how "crazy" you go. What kind of parent would be proud to say that they dressed their kid up as that infamous football player who beat his wife unconscious in an elevator; or the stick that causes 480,000 deaths per year in America?\

via  cbs los angeles

Racial Disparites in Education

After reading the article for the community post, I really wanted to do some sort of follow up, where I argued my opinion on racial equality in the workplace (as the article brushed on that very briefly). However, I couldn't find the "right" article, which not only frustrated me, but disappointed me as well. So, today, I've decided to talk about racial disparities in education. I was prompted to research this topic because of Malala's speech we read this week in class. She wanted education for all, and I do, too.

I am shifting my focus from the typical topic of Hispanics and African Americans in education to Asian Americans, because I feel like people don't necessarily talk about them much. The stereotypes like "all Asians are good at math", or "all Asians get straight-A's" aren't really considered bad stereotypes. In fact, it's quite flattering that one would assume us Asian Americans as "smart". However, it's not always a good thing, because as research has founded, more colleges are using these stereotypes to base their admissions on.

According to USA Today, Asian Americans often need test scores hundreds of points higher than applicants from other ethnic groups in order to have a fair shot at admission; and they only represent 6% of the U.S. population. Six.

I also want to take in consideration time, because fixing racial equality isn't just going to happen with a snap of a finger. In 1996, they passed a law in California that banned state universities from considering race and admissions, which has definitely changed the admission rate for Asian Americans throughout the years. However, most people aren't really looking to go to a state school, especially the Asian Americans in California. They prefer to go to UC schools such as UCLA or UCSD. Besides that, studies have shown that the law has increased the number of Asian Americans admitted, which is an improvement and good. Hopefully, other ideas or laws will be considered because colleges should look for students based on overall achievements,  not based on race.

via lyfebulb.com

Response to: "Exposing Hidden Biases at Google to Improve Diversity"

According to The New York Times, Google is just like every other tech company, a man's world. If you think about it, this statement is true. Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft. Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple. Jerry Yang and David Filo founded Yahoo!. Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google. These giant tech companies were all founded by men.

Being stuck in a "man's world" also means that women do not have the opportunity to play a role in these companies, more specifically, Google. According to general stereotypes, men are seen as the dominant role - the stronger, smarter, clever ones. Sex discrimination even goes back to the fifteenth century. Men were the only ones who were able to receive a proper education, while the women were stuck at home, cleaning and cooking. In modern day, women are seen as the ones who can't defend themselves, the ones who get abused on the side of a road, the ones who should just become a stay-at-home mom instead of working, the ones who aren't capable of doing anything.

Luckily, over the past centuries, women have been seen as a more serious contender, not just in the real world, but also the business world. However, data about Google's workforce highlights that there is still work to be done in order for women to achieve equal treatment. According to The New York Times, eighty-three percent of Google's engineering employees are male and out of the thirty six top ranking executives and managers, only three of them were women.

Maybe this was all a coincidence and that Google was unconsciously being biased. Or maybe Google was caught red-handed and trying to cover up their faults. Whatever the case is, the only important point is that Google is attempting to fix the situation. Women and men are both living, breathing, human beings and they should be treated equally. Men shouldn't get more opportunities and privileges simply because they are of a different sex than women. Hiring somebody for a position should be based on skills rather than gender.

According to The New York Times, Google has been offering several anecdotes about how a less biased culture in the workplace is improving. And while that's all good and exciting to hear, we have to remember that these stories are just that. Stories. They are unreliable sources, that provide no evidence what-so-ever. Google can say that they're working on improving conditions all they want, but they have to provide the evidence to back up their statements. If Google has time to invent "self-driving cars", then you better believe that they have time to improve gender equality in the work force.

Sometimes, a person (or group) can be unknowingly biased, like how Google claims they have been. As Brian Welles says, "Everyone is a little bit racist or sexist", and that is true. However, it doesn't matter if Google is lying or not about their staffing. The critical point is that they are taking appropriate measures to fix this problem. Hopefully, Google isn't just talking the talk, but actually walking the walk, because nobody deserves to be judged due to gender. Although, it hasn't ceased to exist in our world, we are now recognizing the problem and doing something about it.

via abc7 news