Western Medicine is "Civilized"

When we talk about other countries or cultures we often look down on them as being inferior compared to ours. One of the reasons for this is because of the use of traditional medicine in these cultures. Americans are so used to our westernized “logical” medicine that when we are presented with a method that is unfamiliar, we immediately denounce it as “false” or “magic”. Modern medicine is seen as civilized, so we don’t question any faults with this system.  However, there are in fact quite a few problems with it. One of the most commonly talked about issues is overprescribing. 46% of Americans over 65 in 2019 were taking 5 or more medications. Taking this many medications causes a sharp increase in adverse side effects. Over the next decade these side effects are expected to hospitalize 4.6 million older Americans. People tend to just want a quick fix to their problems rather than making a long term lifestyle change to combat it, because it takes a lot less energy. Drug companies, however, benefit from this problem because it makes them a lot more money, which they obviously care about more than the people’s health. Also, medication commercials usually only feature good things about the product and have an extremely fast reading of all the harmful side effects at the end. This is a common joke but it actually contributes to this problem. Another problem is the insane cost of many drugs people need to survive. These include epipens, insulin, and cancer medications. Companies claim the soaring prices are due to new “innovative research” being conducted but this is often false. These issues and more show that western medicine is perhaps more logical, but it has its faults as well. We should question what we accept to be the only truth and try to see things from multiple perspectives.

"I Want a Boyfriend"

This is my version of Judy Brady’s “I Want a Wife”, satirizing the expectations of a boyfriend.

I want a boyfriend. I want a boyfriend who pays for every date, without expecting me to pay for anything. I want a boyfriend who also picks me up on time and drives me to each date. A boyfriend who buys me makeup, flowers, and jewelry, even when I don’t ask for it and even when it’s not a special occasion. I want a boyfriend who is loyal to me no matter what. A boyfriend who doesn’t even look at another girl in a way that I don’t like. But, of course, I want a boyfriend who understands that I may flirt with other boys for my own reasons. I want a boyfriend who listens to all of my complaints and anything else I want to talk about. But I want a boyfriend who doesn’t bother me with his troubles because they may stress me out. I want a boyfriend who will forego hanging out with his friends to hang out with me. But I also want a boyfriend who isn’t upset when I do things with my friends even if we already had plans. I want a boyfriend who is always the first to apologize after we’ve had a fight, even if it was my fault. I want a boyfriend who will not get upset if I am rude to him. A boyfriend who will never be rude to me after a bad day. Who wouldn’t want a boyfriend?

'Marked' in School

In Deborah Tannen’s “There Is No Unmarked Woman”, one quote in particular stood out to me; “… a woman whose hair has no particular style is perceived as not caring about how she looks, which can disqualify her from many positions…” In my mind this is true because when I think of a businesswoman I always think of someone with her hair up or curled. This is just one of the many ways women have to change their appearance to be taken seriously in a work setting. 

 However, this quote not only applies to the business setting, but also to school. In my experience, I almost always leave my hair plain and even my own friends have asked me why I never do anything with it. They weren’t meaning any harm, but it made me think about something, even other women criticize women for not ‘looking their best’. This shows that it is not only men perpetuating this stereotype, but women as well. I've also noticed that girls who wear sweatpants and hoodies are often pointed out as 'not caring' and when asked why they are wearing that, they are 'just tired'. A few of my friends have even said to me that they are uncomfortable wearing sweatpants or lounge wear because they feel like they look 'trashy'. Social media doesn't help either; when you look up 'girls back to school outfits' and scroll through the endless options of videos like the one down below, a majority don't feature sweatpants or baggy sweatshirts. 

But, guys wear these things every day and it is seen as 'normal'. If a guy at school were to wear a outfit that didn't involve sweatpants or a random t-shirt, they would automatically become 'marked'. They are often praised for it too. So if it is socially acceptable for men to be 'unmarked' or 'marked', why can't it be the same for women?