I'm Still Scared To Go Into Movie Theaters Six Years After The Aurora, CO Shooting

I'm Still Scared To Go Into Movie Theaters Six Years After The Aurora, CO Shooting

America, we have a people problem.
Brittany Cangialosi
Brittany Cangialosi May 29, 2018
842
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On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred in Aurora, CO at a movie theater. If you're familiar with the news and what happened back then, you would know that 12 people were killed, and nearly 70 people were injured. All because they chose to go to a movie and enjoy their night.

In 2012, I was 14 years old. I am now 20 years old and still petrified to go to a movie theatre for fear that someone will come in and gun down me, my friends, or my family who happen to be watching the movie with me. SIX YEARS LATER and I am still scared to go to a movie theatre because of an incident that happened thousands of miles away from me.

All I want to do is sit down and an enjoy a movie in a theatre, but I can't. I can't because someone chose to ruin that for me by being a murderer with a gun. I fear for my family and all of the other people around me when I am in a theatre. What if it happens to us in this theatre I sit and wonder. What if that person has a weapon? What if that person who just came back in went to get a gun?

All of these fears are perfectly rational for anyone who heard about the shooting. I can't imagine being a person in/around/near the theatre when it occurred. I know they have it far worse than I do, and for that reason my heart aches for them. No one should fear a fun night out at a movie theatre.

On February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. 17 people were murdered because of someone with a gun. All because they chose to GO TO SCHOOL THAT DAY. How insane does that sound? 17 people were MURDERED because they happened to be at school that day.

Not because they were enjoying a movie. Not because they were having leisure time. These people were at SCHOOL a place they have to be to gain education and become tolerant and knowledgeable human beings in this world.

A safe haven for a lot of kids, a place to learn and to grow. A place to socialize and enjoy their time. School. It took 6 minutes for 17 people to be ruthlessly murdered. All because they were at school that day.

On May 18, 2018, 3 months and 4 days after the shooting in Parkland, there was a mass shooting at Santa Fe High School. 10 people were murdered because of a kid with a gun. All because they chose to go to school that day. 10 people will never wake up and get to go inside a school again because of someone with a gun.

I can NOT fathom how it is for those students to attempt to go back to school. Any odd sound makes them cringe. A loud noise induces a wince. PTSD for these students and faculty has to be all too real. Because someone with a gun ruined their safe haven.

Their place of learning.

A place where most students and teachers go to learn and help students blossom. I can't imagine how impossible it is to go back to normal after a shooting occurs at your school. I was nowhere near the shooting in the theatre in Colorado, but it still scares me.

Now, sit back and think for a second— if that scares me and I was thousands of miles away and it was almost six years ago— how do these kids feel? Children and teachers all across the nation are afraid to go to school because of the thought— what if we are next? What if the next shooting is us? Just like I think about movie theatres.

This is wrong.

This is ABSURD for us as Americans to have this issue in our schools, theatres, etc. No one should be afraid to attend school for fear of someone showing up with a weapon and killing them.

Students should be able to attend school and the biggest worry should be hating lunch that day. No one should have to implement a plan for an active shooter. No student should have to think "Wow, when is a shooting going to happen at my school? It's only a matter of time."

I think we should start to focus on the people impacted by these shootings. How are they? How traumatized are they? What can we do to fix this issue that is only getting worse? No child should be afraid to attend a place of learning.

America, we have a people problem.

Cover Image Credit: WIkimedia
Brittany Cangialosi
Brittany Cangialosi May 29, 2018
At Jacksonville State University

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From A Female, Republican College Student Who Stands By Trump

I'm all aboard the Trump train and there's no stopping it.
Shelby Wright
Shelby Wright Jun 14, 2017
2945
views

Not only am I outnumbered by liberals in the college community, I am also a female Republican against the recent feminist movements. Very often I see the debate about President Donald Trump. Here are some reasons why I'm aboard the Trump train and proud of it.

Trump is not "owned" by a political party.

He spent his own money to support his election. He had everything to lose and still risked it for our country. He is a businessman. He knows how to make money, keep money and spend money. This country needs financial help to relieve some of our debt.

Trump supports our military/armed forces.

Along with police officers, fireman, paramedics and many others. All of these careers consist of putting others before yourself, risking your own life to protect and serve. This is taken advantage of way too often and it needs to change. The people who work in these careers deserve much more than what they are receiving. This includes respect, which they are not given when they are being shot, ridiculed, bashed because of their career choice. Others are too quick to stereotype and say all officers are bad or racist. This is not true to any extent. Out of everyone in this country, these people deserve the most respect.

I am in full support of our second amendment.

I have the right to protect myself, my property and my family. Not only are guns not the main weapon, they can also help to stop a robbery, another murder. Guns in the hands of the right people are more beneficial than having no guns at all. A citizen with a concealed carry permit on the scene of a shooting can stop that shooter before he is able to fire off or hurt more innocent people.

People think this will decrease crime? Make them illegal and see how many criminals still get their hands on one. Drugs are illegal and yet there are more overdoses and uses now than ever. Murder can be successful with many other weapons. For example, knives, poison, gas, drugs, scissors, and for heaven's sake a person can be killed with bare hands. Guns are not the problem, people are.

We now have a president who instead of giving the working man's money away he wants people to work for their money.

Our previous president loved to give money to the undeserving. Trump is not against supporting our citizens, he is against people abusing the system which has been the case for many years.

Trump wants us to take our defense stance back.

We have one of the strongest militaries in the world and we need to maintain that status. Terrorist attacks are happening left and right but what is being done? Thoughts and prayers are being sent but yet attacks keep occurring. Hmmm, if only there was a way to prevent them. Look at it this way, when your house is being infested with ants you spray around your house. This kills the ants trying to invade your home. Sound familiar?

Immigration. Goodness people, just do the paperwork and get your citizenship.

We will let you in with proof you will work and aren't trying to kill us. We give away enough money already to those in the country not willing to work, we can't keep supporting new people while maintaining our power. Look at it like this, you are a mother of 3 children. You are working 2 jobs to keep your children fed until they can care for themselves. Two more children show up on your doorstep, no family, no names and move in for you to take care of. How do you make a way to support them?

Now, for the feminists.

Oh, want to run around the streets topless and with blood streaming down your legs? Cover yourselves.

We have breasts in order to feed our children. We cover them to protect them. Trust me, I know that menstrual supplies are expensive but they're as expensive as you go. The name brand are higher than knock offs but guess what, they do the same job! Just like buying a Yeti or Ozark. You have the option as to how much you want to spend. With all of the diseases and nastiness in blood, we don't need more on the buses and public places.

BE SANITARY! I know it's a natural thing but so is using the restroom yet we still buy toilet paper.

Also, Rosa Parks was a feminist. Martin Luther King started a movement.

The protesters who are destroying buildings, killing cops and other first responders, rioting, stomping or burning the American flag and all of those unhelpful actions are not going to get the same results as a person who acts with respect.

People do not realize the after effects are worse than before. Instead of helping the cause, this is like throwing gasoline on a fire. Not only that, if you do not respect our first responders then don't bother calling 911 when your house is being broken into, your friend has overdosed or your house is on fire.

Don't like our flag? There are many other countries in this world. Find one and move there. Research your problems history, know your facts and acknowledge the problem appropriately.

WE ARE EQUAL.

The gays have received their rights and that's the final straw.

We do not need bathrooms what are not specific to gender.

We have male and female genders.

Women do not need higher pay.

You want more pay, then do a more dangerous job.

A man working at Food Lion in the same position as you is not making any more than you are. Sorry to break it to you. Now a man who is a welder or lineman will be making more than you but for other reasons like certifications, qualifications, requirements, agility, etc. Not because he has man's genitals.

Yes, there are MANY jobs deserving of higher pay, jobs like military, cops, first responders, nurses, teachers, just to list some but fast food workers, you do not deserve $15 an hour. You just don't.

Not everyone could do your job but the job of taking orders is for people desperate of a job, students, etc. Get a college diploma or find a trade. On the college note, if you want free college then either work your butt off in high school and in your community in order to receive scholarships or join the military. I promise they would love you have you.

I know there are many more issues going around but these are a few with my perspective, you get the point. I'll support Trump his full 4 years. I will remain Republican for as long as their beliefs and stances remain the same. I will always be female and never support these feminist movements. I will graduate from college and share my voice on these concerns.

Cover Image Credit: Pexels
Shelby Wright
Shelby Wright Jun 14, 2017
At Stevenson University

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Terrors Behind "Toddlers & Tiaras" - Beauty Pageants Need To Go!

Why Honey Boo Boo is not the girl we should be idolizing...

Daniella Masrour
Daniella Masrour Jun 19, 2019
83
views

Honey Boo Boo is famous for her extravagant persona, extreme temper tantrums, overwhelming attitude, and intense sassiness. All of these qualities are shared by many other young girls who participate in beauty pageants - not just in "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" but also in TLC's notorious "Toddlers & Tiaras," a show that depicts the horrors of little girls who have dedicated their childhood to winning the crown.

These shows, and the pageants they glorify do nothing but force girls to grow up too quickly, send negative messages to viewers and participants and pose health risks for the girls involved.

Therefore, beauty pageants for young girls should be abolished.

The hypersexualization that takes place in these pageants is staggering. Not only are young girls' minds molded into having a superficial view on beauty, but they are also waxed, spray-tanned, given wigs, retouched in pictures, injected with Botox and fillers, and painted with fake abs and even breasts.

Sexy is the goal, not cute. Girls of ages 2-12 wear skimpy clothing, accentuating only their underdeveloped bodies. A 4-year-old girl on "Toddlers and Tiaras" once impersonated Dolly Parton with fake breasts, another dressed as Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (so basically, a prostitute), and another even pretended to smoke a cigarette to look like Sandy from Grease.

In Venezuela, people are so obsessed with pageants that they send their daughters to "Miss Factories," to train them to win. At these factories, underage girls undergo plastic surgery and hormone therapy to delay puberty in attempts to grow taller. In addition, they often get mesh sewn onto their tongues so that they are physically incapable of eating solid food. This idea of taking horrific measures to look slimmer is not unique to Venezuela. A former Miss USA explained that she would "slather on hemorrhoid ointment, wrap herself up with Saran wrap, and run on a treadmill with an incline for 30 minutes to tighten her skin and waist up." Many countries, including France and Israel have banned child beauty pageants because it is "hypersexualizing." Why has the US yet to follow in their footsteps?

Additionally, the pageants strip their young contestants of a childhood by basically putting them through harsh child labor. Oftentimes, girls as young as 18 months old participate in pageants. There is no way that a girl under 2 years old has the capacity to decide for herself that she wants to participate in a beauty pageant. Not to mention, education often takes a backseat in pageant girls' lives as long practice sessions interfere with sleep and homework. This causes long-term distress for the contestants, including widespread unemployment for former pageant girls.

Moreover, these pageants tie self-worth and self-esteem to attractiveness. They teach girls that natural beauty and intelligence are not enough, when in actuality they should be doing the opposite. In fact, 72% of pageant girls hire coaches to train girls to be more "attractive."

Finally, these pageants pose potent health risks for the girls competing. Not only do intense rehearsals interfere with their sleep cycles, but they are also impacted by the harmful methods taken to keep them awake. One example is Honey Boo Boo's "go go juice" - AKA a mixture of Mountain Dew and Red Bull. She is known for drinking this continuously throughout pageant days to stay awake and energetic - but the health risks associated with the drinks, let alone for such a young girl, are completely ignored.

And, the future health problems associated with pageantry cannot be looked past. Participating in beauty pageants as kids leads to eating disorders, perfectionism, depression - in fact, at least 6% suffer from depression while competing. "The Princess Syndrome," as Psychology Today calls it relates to a small study published in 2005 that showed that former childhood beauty pageant contestants had higher rates of body dissatisfaction. This sense of dissatisfaction can so easily be translated to more severe mental and physical health issues, including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. The average BMI (Body Mass Index) of a Beauty Contestant in the US in 1930 was 20.8, which is universally in the middle of the "healthy" range. In 2010, it was 16.9, which is considered underweight for anyone.

So, despite the entertainment these shows and pageants provide, they should most definitely be stopped due to the immense amount of issues they cause for those involved and those who watch.

Although Honey Boo Boo is (sadly) considered one of America's sweethearts, her experience in pageantry has certainly not been a positive influence in her life nor in the lives of her fans - and this is the case for nearly all young pageant girls.

Daniella Masrour
Daniella Masrour Jun 19, 2019
At UCLA

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