As a student at a Liberal Arts College, I have come across many different types of people with many different opinions, backgrounds, and experiences. Among these people, I have begun to notice and learn more about the social problems in our society that we just can't seem to shake. As a disclaimer, everything that I'm writing is purely my opinion and the opinions of those who I've spoken to, so I know that many will disagree, but keep an open mind while reading because that is the key to solving these problems.

First off, as I'm sure many of you have heard, there is the currently heated debate going on concerning gender-neutral bathrooms. While the argument against allowing these bathrooms to be permitted has been for the safety and comfort of non-transgender individuals, I would personally argue that it would be much more beneficial if we did allow bathrooms to be gender neutral. The biggest concern seems to stem from the female population because they don't want to feel unsafe or uncomfortable if a man walks into the bathroom. While I agree that no one should feel unsafe in a public bathroom, I think that the root of the problem is not whether a man walks into the bathroom or not. The problem stems from how we have taught men to behave. I do not think that men are vicious creatures out to get every female who they come across and I would feel perfectly safe in a restroom with another guy there. As a society, we have created these problems for ourselves. Beginning at a very young age, we separate boys and girls and pin them up against each other. By saying things like "girls have cooties" or "that's not very lady-like," we are teaching young boys and girls that there is something different about the other gender and that they are not the same. Girls are called sluts for wearing revealing clothes, while boys are patted on the back for "getting some." By creating this divide and this fear towards sex, we encourage boys to cat-call attractive girls and we tell girls to cross the street if you see a strange man. I'm not in any way accusing men or trying to create pity towards women, I'm simply stating what I've noticed throughout my life. While walking down the street, I've been whistled at, called at, honked at, and had an engine loudly gunned when I walked past. It always creates a level of fear. Meanwhile, I've never noticed such actions happen when young men walk around the neighborhood. We create a level of fear in young women that should not be there, while also giving young men a certain "player" standard that doesn't need to exist. If young people could be taught to respect each other for their differences, similarities, and anything in between, then these issues might not even arise.

Also, the topic of women's rights is always a hot one to debate. While I do consider myself to be a feminist, I do not agree with many of the proclaimed "feminist" acts and rallies that have been occurring in recent history. I, myself, believe that women should be raised up to men's levels, but men should not be brought down. It always seems as though hard-core feminists want to bring men down below the level of women, but I don't agree with that. Women should have equal pay and equal opportunity, but there are simply some physical restrictions that we have to accept. Women are typically not as strong as men, so they should not be raised up to that standard. Women are anatomically different from men, so we should not expect to be treated equally there. I believe that there should be more women's teams for different sports if women want to play, but they should not be expected to play on the same level as men. I think that women should be allowed to breastfeed in public (especially since every one of you was probably breastfed at some point in your life), but I don't agree with the "free the nipple" campaign simply because we are physically different humans. Women and men have been caught up in this heated debate over women's rights vs. men's rights, but I, personally, think that there really is no debate to be had. Women should be treated just as men are when we're talking about humans. There are differences between men and women that will always exist and that shouldn't be changed just to try to create a level of equality.

Another aspect of the world that has yet to make a change is our greed. Admit it, everyone has done something wrong in his or her life out of greed. However, the main issue that I've discovered while in school is the fact that the most powerful people in our country are the most greedy. All global warming, food processing, oil spills, and any other problems can all stem back to the greedy few at the top who are able to control everything. We have rich people lobbying and bribing Congressmen and other people to get what's in their best interest: money. Congressmen accept bribes out of greed. Rich corporations give bribes out of greed. All of the problems stem from our desire for money. Big oil companies are preventing the United States from passing bills and laws that will hurt their companies, but that would help to reduce gas emissions into our environment. (If you're interested, read this article.) Powerful food companies like McDonald's are causing the food industry to mass produce meat under horrible and unlawful conditions. (Here's a link to an article about this, too.) Rich oil companies are ruining our shores and the wildlife as they drill for even more oil that would be unnecessary if they would allow the world to progress from fossil fuel reliance. (This is another good article to read.)

While we are progressing in our society, there are still plenty of problems hidden underneath the surface. Instead of fighting for the problems in our world, we are distracted by the latest gossip concerning movie stars or the exciting debates between Presidential candidates. However, I want to ask, "Do you know where your Presidential candidate stands on such topics as these?" No matter what party, gender, religion, race, or whatever, the thing that matters the most is his or her policies. I don't mean to discourage you, our world has definitely improved over the years. However, we are still living in a scared, old world that has much more change and growth to come.