Superheros are Super Busted in Discrimination

Bender, Eric H., Praveen R. Kambam, and Vasilis K. Pozios. "Putting the Caped Crusader on the Couch." New York Times. New York Times, 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 20 Sept. 2011.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/opinion/putting-the-caped-crusader-on-the-couch.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Everyone has their favorite superhero from when they were growing up whether it was Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman etc. But has anyone ever really noticed the cruel injustice of how some people with a documented mental illness are the bad guys in almost all the comic books? This article plans to prove that D.C. and all other comic book distributors that this practice is wrong and should be changed immediately. As the article goes on, they start to slowly pull out the proof that they had found in many different books. It mostly points its fingers at the Batman series which, in my mind, isn't really enough information to make a very professional argument. But it does bring up things that I never really thought about, such as the Joker being called "psychotic" even though he doesn't have hallucinations or other symptoms of being medically psychotic. I believe this is an interesting article but a little bias due to the lack of opposition in the ideas. I don't know if everyone would find this intriguing due to the fact that it's a comic book. They aren't really the BIG thing out there nowadays. But, in my opinion, you can't really change how the characters were portrayed in the first place. I do believe that it's wrong to call them something they're not and to confuse people's thoughts on what a mental illness really is.

Moral Abortion: Can it be true?

McKinley, Brian E. Why Abortion is Moral. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. http://elroy.net/ehr/abortionanswers.html

When people hear the word abortion, there will always be a debate about what is right and what is wrong. As time goes on, who would really have the final say on if it is or not? Well, this article can't answer this question but it can relate some very scientifically correct facts that prove, in their thoughts, that abortion is not as terrible as some people claim it to be. As the article goes on, they do point out the oppositions' thoughts, but they really are bias toward pro-choice. Though this is a very bias article, it gives some very good factual information that could be used in an essay for abortion if the person decided to be pro-choice. I thought it was a great article, disproving a great number of ads on television that are pro-life. I think almost everyone would find this a great article to use if they needed some more from the opposing side or for their side of the argument. I believe in pro-choice but then again...that's my choice. (Lol)

Childhood Beauty Pageants

Shultz, Kristen, and Ann P. Murphy. "Beauty Pageants Draw Children and Criticism." ABC News. ABC, 26 Feb. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=126315&page=1

Children dressed up in big gowns, hair done perfectly, and make-up to go "ga-ga" over. This is what pageants have come down to in a nutshell. As the participation rises, so does criticism. Children are put under tremendous stress through pageants, from anywhere to spray tans, fake eyelashes, and even fake teeth. As people start to cry foul, parents of girls have supported what their girls are doing, saying that they're doing what they love to do and that it's like "being Cinderella" for a day or two. But is that all that's really going on? As the article continues, we find that children could be put under too much pressure to be perfect and all about self image. Also, some believe that they are getting pushed into sexuality too fast through dressing up in racy outfits and learning to dance. Parents say its no different than pressuring your son or daughter to be good at a sport or art. This was a very interesting article to me in more ways than one. It has a good argument though I think it's a little bias toward the non-pageant thinking style. It does a good job of producing both sides of the argument, talking to child psychiatrists and actual pageant contestants like Mrs. Maryland. I don't know that most people would find it very interesting simply for the fact that, they couldn't really give a hoot if somebody they don't know is in some pageant. And with the success of Toddlers and Tiaras, people have been given a background look at the pageant world and they were mortified. I believe that children shouldn't be forced to do anything like that and if they do decide they want to, they shouldn't be wearing what adults should wear. This includes make-up, fake eyelashes, fake teeth, and wigs. But then again, that's just my opinion.

Force Fed?

Hearnden, Alexis. "Force Feeding of Anorexics." International Debate Education Association. IDEA, 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Sept. 2011. http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=161

This article is, in all honesty, trying to save the anorexics and try and give them a say as to how they can be treated. At the moment, when an anorexic patient comes in that is much too thin, they force feed him or her through a naso-gastric tube. In other words, food through the nose. In cases with other diseases, these type of procedures are usually only to the patients choice. In the case of anorexics, however, they have no say in how they are treated due to anorexia being documented as a mental illness. The article goes on to go through the pros and cons of giving them and say and not. Though they try to show both sides evenly, it seems to be a little bias toward the force feeding, saying that its necessary and should be the doctors choice because the doctor knows best. But with how anorexics are, wouldn't force feeding them just want to be farther and farther away from food? I believe this is an interesting topic but there's not really much to go off of. It seems like a debate that can't really be solved with just one answer. Some patients could think for themselves while others would turn their noses up at treatment. There's just no way to distinguish between the two by just looking at the illness as a whole. In my opinion, people shouldn't be force fed even if they truly need the nutrients. If they agree to the tube, then that's a different story. But if they believe that they don't want it, then send them to a psychiatrist and then let it work itself out. I don't know if many people would want this as a topic or find it interesting because it's, in a way, the dark side of the entertainment and cultural society. It makes your stomach curl and twist but it's a fact of life that we have to look at at some point or another.