D.A.R.E. commercial

Here's an expample of the type of material used to spread the word of project D.A.R.E.

Drug Abuse Resistance Education...Effective?

Upon scanning the plethera of articles that the Purdue Library has to offer, I came across a paper labeled 'Project D.A.R.E. Outcome Effectiveness Revisted'. It discussed the D.A.R.E. program we all endured in our early years of education. More specifically, it stated that D.A.R.E. is an ineffective program, and has little to no influence on whether or not individuals will experiment with drugs. Judgeing from their studies, it is obvious that an alternate approach is vital to get through to our youth about drug use. Considering the immense drug use that floods our society, it is obvious that those who participated in the program recieved little to no benefit from it.

Additionally, since the program has been deemed ineffective, the immense budget spent on D.A.R.E. is going to waste. Although spending the budget stimulates the economy, the money could be used on a program that actually makes an effect. I suggest that project D.A.R.E. be given to students at a later age than the typical fifth grade, considering students at such a young age are typically not exposed to drugs and are not truely aware of what they are. Also, I believe that the program should scratch the 'Just Say No' philosophy, because it is clear that it is not in any way beneficial to teach students the idea of just saying no. Students should be taught about drugs in a way that doesn't merely attempt to scare them. They should be given facts rather than frightening stories of individuals who smoked weed once and eventually turned into crack cocaine addicts. Also, focus should be put more on drugs that have a higher addiction/dependence rate and that have a worse physical effect than drugs which are nearly harmless and have barely a slight physical dependence rate. An example of which is the intense focus on marijuana that D.A.R.E. entails. Although marijuana is placed in schedule one of the criminal drug act spectrum (classifed as one of the most dangerous drugs, along side heroin) it is the least harmful drug on the Lancet drug classification. However, D.A.R.E. takes most of it's time teaching about the dangers of marijuana, rather than focus on drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine, drugs of a much more harmful substance. It is flaws in the D.A.R.E. system like this that deem it ineffective and thus having no impact on the probability of an individual to experiment with drugs. Therefore, project D.A.R.E. is ineffective in it's pursuit to end drug use.

Hail Hitlary

On the subject of Hitlary Clinton, let me be quite clear. The female gender cannot be held accountable for the actions of such a coward. Any woman that would allow herself to be humiliated in front of the entire planet by her husband and continue to stay in what she thought was a monogamous relationship is a joke, and she by no means be running our country. the moment that it was deemed that Bill Clinton did, in fact, have sexual relations with that woman, Hilary had one way to get out of the situation with dignity and respect. Instead of leaving her husband to continue to seek entertainment in the interns, she foolishly stayed with him and lost whatever respectful attributes she may have possessed. We cannot have such a woman in charge of the most powerful nation in the world. If denying Hilary presidency means that women have to wait another four years to obtain the White House, then so be it. Unless Chelsea decides to step up to the plate, I doubt there will be another Clinton in the Oval Office for quite some time.

Attack of the Tweens

While strolling around Target one day, taking in the plethera of items available to me, I came upon a group of ten or eleven year old girls. They were dressed quite scantily in clothing I would not deem appropriate for a middle school student, wandering up and down the aisles singing songs about their humps, their lovely lady lumps. Needless to say I was quite stricken by this. Not that I was shocked, no, today's society has become used to the idea of our youth attempting to seem older. I was, however, slightly disgusted. I don't see how a ten year old singing about their lady lumps makes any sense; not just because they don't have any, but because I would never want my ten year old daughter to be one of these 'tweens' (not still a child, not yet a teenager, but somewhere in beTWEEN). I understand that our society is changing to be more open about sexuality or what not, but I'm not comfortable with ten year olds strolling around Target with their bodies barely covered. I also find it quite disturbing that they find it appropriate to act as such. I would never let my ten year old daughter leave the house looking like these children did. It was something similar to Abercrombie Kids gone skanky, if possible.

The question I have is whether or not these so called Tweens comprehend what they're singing along to, and if they understand the message they're sending with the clothing they sport. Have our youth truely been warped to this monstrous state of growing up before they hit their teenage years? Or are they merely naive, believing they have developed mentally beyond their years and have surpassed the state of previous ten and eleven year olds? I do not favor either option. I yearn for the days when middle schoolers were still obsessed with boy bands and PG 13 movies were still intense. Now, with lyrics of innapropriate songs embedded in minds of our youth and what's left of sensible clothing in their closets are only church clothes, we can only reminisce about times when things were not so. I fear for the state of things ten years from now; how much worse can it get?

Life in Plastic: Analysis

The article previously summarized, 'Life in Plastic', focuses on the impression on our youth made by the mass of plastic that is Barbie. Although there are many different views on the effect that Barbie has made on our society, I hold an opinion that is not presented in the article. She may have an improbable figure, and some may take it too seriously, but when it comes down to it, Barbie is just a doll; a mere plaything to entertain children so their parents can have a slice of free time. She was not invented to warp children's minds into thinking they had to look like her. Barbie's sole purpose (besides bringing in big money for mattel) is to give our youth a somewhat realistic yet basic toy to play with. The idea that she has become this icon of perfection, that she has created the standard by which we are to live by, is ridiculous. Barbie is a doll, and that's all there is to it. She is a genius invention, a basic doll that you can dress up differently and sell as a different product. Those who put too much emphasis on her effect on the world are thinking too deeply into the issue. I believe she inspires creativity; Barbie can be whoever you want her to be. She inspires our youth to make something of themselves; they can be whoever they want to be.