In today's society, many people avoid discussing controversial topics for many different reasons. Society likes to remain ignorantly bliss instead of discussing real issues within our society. Most people fear being judged for their opinions, do not want to get into a heated debate, or do not care to learn something new. However, discussing these taboo topics are necessary to not only find solutions to problems, but to further our cultural intellect as a whole society.
Sex
One of the most taboo subjects in our society is sex. Everybody wants to do it, but nobody wants to talk about it. We publish magazines with sexual photographs and create movies full of romantic sex scenes, yet publicly discussing sex is still considered inappropriate by much of society. From an early age, children are taught to stay abstinent. Don't have sex. Don't have babies. Period. Not many schools require sex education, and those that do, only discuss certain topics. Why does the discussion of this natural human interaction seem so forbidden?
Race
Although race is a social construct fabricated many years a go, it still has real life implications in today's society. Some people think that being colorblind removes the idea of race. It doesn't. Some people choose to ignore the challenges certain races face and the different lifestyles people of certain races live. Society always wants to discuss social justice issues, but without looking at race. We can't do that. I wish I could just close my eyes and make it disappear, but I can't. Racism, whether institutional, systematic, or individual, is still alive and well and kicking.
Sexism (Gender Roles)
Whenever we females discuss our issues, we are said to be "complaining." When we aren't confident, commanding, or stoic enough, we are "weak." But when we are, we are a "bitch." We are always expected to be pretty, sensitive, and caring at all times. Having too many men makes us a hoe so staying a virgin is what most guys want. In contrast, males have to be the boss. The stronger the better. They should have deep voices, do manual labor, and take the lead. They should be physically more capable than women and can have as many partners as they wish. Whenever a person falls our of their designated role (whether it is with sexuality, in the workforce, the type of clothes they wear), it is a problem in our society.
War
I remember my first Penn State football game very vividly. What I remember most is students cheering, "USA! USA! USA!" I also remember not joining them. Something was holding me back. I do enjoy living in America (for the most part), but we are far from perfect. After taking many history classes, I understand why we go to war. However, I never realized the extremity of deaths and rape until my senior year of high school. We all love to cheer our soldiers on, but sometimes I wonder how many innocent people were killed or how many women were raped? Americans are always so happy when their husbands, sons, brothers, mothers, aunts, etc. come home, but do we ever think about the other families of the opposing country?
Religion
Few people ever wants to discuss religion because it almost always ends in a heated dispute. Everyone thinks their religion is the right religion. In our society, we have a problem with accepting others differing opinions and views. Discussing religion can help us learn about other cultures. It can also help us remove this unbreakable binding link between one's ethnicity/race, their religion, and the crimes they commit.
