Στήλη: Social Issues

WHY DO PEOPLE JOIN GROUPS?

(By Andriana Giannikopoulou, A Class)

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As we have probably already understood, most people’s lives are related to others’ and many times people have no choice but to join various groups. This participation in several groups has a significant impact on people.

In my opinion, people join groups for several reasons. First of all, sometimes it is mandatory, for example, when we have classes and the teacher obliges students to work in groups. This also happens in business and the equivalent projects. Regardless of their disagreement and their different opinions and ideas, quite often people are obliged to participate and co-operate in groups. Another reason is that people try to improve their relationship with others and solve their problems. This way they do not only become stronger, but they also have the opportunity to meet new personalities and create new friendships. Do not forget that people’s lives depend on communication.

Groups are very important for people’s everyday life. One major reason is to increase our feelings for others and show sensitivity for their problems. This way everyone of us would also increase our self-confidence and manage to respect ourselves. While we join a group, we get information and this way we improve our knowledge in many fields. Do not forget that humans take part in groups from their young age until they die. Furthermore, groups would lead people to take action or achieve their goals by being helped by others. This way they will increase team work and realise the importance of coming into contact with others.

All in all, groups are an integral part of people’s lives. From their young age they participate in them. Groups can help them as they increase team work and cooperation. If groups did not exist, people would only deal with themselves, something which could not help them develop their personality. So, all of you who have just now finished reading this article, remember to be sociable and active.

 

 

 

True Friendship

By Massara Paraskevi and Botsari Georgia

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It is important to have a true friend. So, who is a real friend for you?

I have the opinion that a true friend has to be honest and trustworthy.  I believe that if you have someone you can trust you have everything. Also a friend who stands by you and helps you with your problems is a real friend. Also, a good friend has to be supportive and understanding. I mean that they must understand you every time and not get angry or mad at you. You don’t have to talk to your friends for them to understand what happens to you. It’s very important to have someone like that to be there for you at your difficulties.

So it’s significant to have someone and to be there for someone.

Future predictions

By Nikoleta Tsoulou and George Stamatopoulos (A class)

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Life in the future will be worse than it is now. Personally, I agree with the statement as I think that life will definitely get more difficult.

First of all, I feel that in the future there will be more uncomfortable living conditions. For example, in the economical situation: lots of people won’t have jobs, so they won’t have money for clothes, food and house support and maintainance. Lots of other problems will exist like more air pollution. People won’t leave their home because it will be dirty and dangerous for them. One more thing is that the oxygen will be reduced more and more. In addition, another problem in the future will be that of technology. Because of technology, all people will stay home; so they will lose personal, face-to-face communication with friends and family.

In conclusion, I am hopeful that, in the years to come, everyone will live  together and will be able to make a better world, even though there will be all these problems.

RISKING FOR A BETTER LIFE

By Nina Tsalamida and Katerina Paisiou

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While the wars in the Middle East are becoming even more dangerous for the unarmed population, more and more people are forced to leave their countries and come to Greece. Their target is the countries of the northern and central Europe such as Germany, France or Sweden.

The problem isn’t about these people who are hoping for a better future but the inability of Greece to host them. Every day at least 5.000 refugees and immigrants are imported on the Greek islands of the Aegean Sea. The number of those people monthly is extremely large to be controlled. The Greek government at the instant is trying hard to find an appropriate place for the immigrants to stay as well as food and clothes.

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     The immigrants and the refuges that are arriving to Greece from the war zone of the East are really risking their lives through their passing as the travelling conditions are completely unsuitable. In fact, they are paying large amounts of money in order to leave their countries without controlling the way  they will travel.

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       To come to a conclusion, immigrants and refugees from those countries are fighting to keep themselves alive, escape from the war every way they can and of course to have a better life.

BULLY-FREE ZONE

By Christine Anastasopoulou, Dimitra Goule & Erasmia Kalomenidou (A class)

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Bullying is the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate or aggressively dominate others. It is the factor of social exclusion and it may be defined in many different ways such as:  physical, sexual, verbal or emotional bullying. This phenomenon generally concerns students, who are the principals of bulling, but also teachers, who sometimes are, along with the school system itself, the originators of bullying. Bullying can occur in nearly any part in or around the school building.

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First of all, in a world without bullying, youngsters feel free to express themselves without the fear of being criticized. They don’t have to be ashamed of who they really are or try to pretend to be someone else. Also teenagers whose families face financial issues, don’t feel less capable than the richer ones just because they can’t afford many things the second ones do. As regards the physical bullying children don’t let the bullies cross the lines of their personal space and abuse them or even touch them. They also have the power to stand up and say NO to their abusers. Concerning the verbal bullying, in an ideal world, teenagers don’t allow the words of their intimidator get to them or even create second thoughts about themselves just because he/she said so. Last but definitely not least, sexual bullying is fully eliminated so children don’t have to stand their fellow students” comments about their sexuality. And for sure they don’t encounter sexual harassment from their bullies.

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In conclusion, life without bulling is ideal but in fact it is only a dream for the victims. Because of the different modes that the phenomenon develops, it is very hard to stop! That’s why everyone should try to care for the fellow man and protect his/her right of dissimilarity.

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WELCOME TO THE SADDEST SHOW ON EARTH !:(

By Lazana Georgia (A class)

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   One of the most widely debated issues is the exploitation of animals in circuses in order to entertain their audience! Despite the huge applause they get when one of their “impeccable” performances finishes, if people knew about the fact that trainers torture the animals because they want the performance to be perfect, they would never go to circuses again. If they knew that these animals (most of which are illegally taken from their natural habitat to be trained to amuse us) are being seriously harmed every time they are trained, circuses with animals would not even exist. It is highly unfair for animals to participate in such a procedure despite their will. What if the ones who have the title of “trainers” were themselves exposed to such a terrible procedure? What is really hidden under this fake beauty of spectacle? And what can we do so as to put an end to this horror?

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   First of all, they are treated as real “puppets”, because trainers threaten them or make them follow their orders in a violent way, even if they do not want to. The majority of circus elephants are captured in the wild. These wild elephants walk as mamy as 40 miles a day while in their natural habitat. Once captured, they are chained in one place for up to 23 hours a day. Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus brags that its three units travel more than 25,000 miles as the circus tours the country for 11 months each year. Ringling Bros’ own documents state that on average elephants are chained for more than 26 hours straight and are sometimes continually chained for as many as 60 to 100 hours. When the animals arrive at their next destination, instead of being let off the railway cars immediately after arriving at the arena, they are sometimes forced to remain inside for hours despite extreme temperatures. If this isn’t a real torture… We realise that there is no HUMANITY in such practices!

There is something that we have to keep in mind: ANIMALS DO HAVE RIGHTS AND WE HAVE TO RESPECT THEM!

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    In addition, these animals who are too old to “work” or are sick and incapable of completing their trainer’s orders are abandoned, killed or even die before they usually do in their natural habitat. There are many cases when the animals are sold to be used for experiments, or die because of the fact that they are exploited, not fed or given water because their masters are not satisfied.

How unfair is to see these creatures who were born in the nature to be disgraced because they are obligated to follow orders? How pitiful it is to let “humans” torture animals? Sometimes I can see humans but NO humanity!!!

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     Οn the other hand, because of the concern about animal mistreatment, a growing number of communities are banning or restricting the use of animals in circuses. A great idea in order to ban circuses which use animals is for people not to visit them, to organize or attend a protest,
to support legislation protecting circus animals, or to report any possible violations of state and local animal protection laws to the police and animal control groups.

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   Taking all these ideas and arguments into consideration, I personally believe that there is no living organism that truly deserves such a massive pain , such as the one that the circuses’ animals do. Animals have rights and all of us MUST respect them and not exploit them , because we think that we are more powerful , due to the fact that sometimes animals take revenge . I highly take issue with the existence of circuses with animals , but there are no words that can describe the feelings of animals and the are exposed to terrible tortures . So we should perceive their feelings and take meters in order to endorse and protect them before it is too late !

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Source: http://www.lcanimal.org/index.php/campaigns/animals-in-entertainment/circuses

 

WELCOME TO THE SADDEST SHOW ON EARTH !:(

     By Lazana Georgia (A class)

 

   One of the most widely debated issues is the exploitation of animals in circuses in order to entertain their audience! Despite the huge applause they get when one of their “impeccable” performances finishes, if people knew about the fact that trainers torture the animals because they want the performance to be perfect, they would never go to circuses again. If they knew that these animals (most of which are illegally taken from their natural habitat to be trained to amuse us) are being seriously harmed every time they are trained, circuses with animals would not even exist. It is highly unfair for animals to participate in such a procedure despite their will. What if the ones who have the title of “trainers” were themselves exposed to such a terrible procedure? What is really hidden under this fake beauty of spectacle? And what can we do so as to put an end to this horror?

Καταγραφή8

   First of all, they are treated as real “puppets”, because trainers threaten them or make them follow their orders in a violent way, even if they do not want to. The majority of circus elephants are captured in the wild. These wild elephants walk as mamy as 40 miles a day while in their natural habitat. Once captured, they are chained in one place for up to 23 hours a day. Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus brags that its three units travel more than 25,000 miles as the circus tours the country for 11 months each year. Ringling Bros’ own documents state that on average elephants are chained for more than 26 hours straight and are sometimes continually chained for as many as 60 to 100 hours. When the animals arrive at their next destination, instead of being let off the railway cars immediately after arriving at the arena, they are sometimes forced to remain inside for hours despite extreme temperatures. If this isn’t a real torture… We realise that there is no HUMANITY in such practices!

There is something that we have to keep in mind: ANIMALS DO HAVE RIGHTS AND WE HAVE TO RESPECT THEM!

 Καταγραφή2

    In addition, these animals who are too old to “work” or are sick and incapable of completing their trainer’s orders are abandoned, killed or even die before they usually do in their natural habitat. There are many cases when the animals are sold to be used for experiments, or die because of the fact that they are exploited, not fed or given water because their masters are not satisfied.

How unfair is to see these creatures who were born in the nature to be disgraced because they are obligated to follow orders? How pitiful it is to let “humans” torture animals? Sometimes I can see humans but NO humanity!!!

 Καταγραφή3

     Οn the other hand,because of the concern about animal mistreatment, a growing number of communities are banning or restricting the use of animals in circuses. A great idea in order to ban circuses which use animals is for people not to visit them, to organize or attend a protest,
to support legislation protecting circus animals, or to report any possible violations of state and local animal protection laws to the police and animal control groups.

 Καταγραφή

Καταγραφή4

   Taking all these ideas and arguments into consideration, I personally believe that there is no living organism that truly deserves such a massive pain , such as the one that the circuses’ animals do. Animals have rights and all of us MUST respect them and not exploit them , because we think that we are more powerful , due to the fact that sometimes animals take revenge . I highly take issue with the existence of circuses with animals , but there are no words that can describe the feelings of animals and the are exposed to terrible tortures . So we should perceive their feelings and take meters in order to endorse and protect them before it is too late !

 Καταγραφή5

 

Source:http://www.lcanimal.org/index.php/campaigns/animals-in-entertainment/circuses

 

 

 

Homophobia

By Maria Patroni, Maria Tomboulidi, Klarissa Trasani and Xenia Tsaousi (B Class)

“I am not gay, although I wish I were, just to piss off homophobes’’

                                                                   Kurt Cobain

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What is called Homophobia?

Homophobia can be defined as an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people. It represents fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. While adults with homophobia realize that these fears are irrational ,they often find that facing, or even thinking about facing, the feared situation brings on a panic attack or severe anxiety.

LGBT is the acronym of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender

Homophobia manifests in different forms. Many of them are Interpersonal Homophobia which is individual behavior based on personal homophobia. Cultural Homophobia: This which is the form that is caused by social norms in order to correct the sexuality of the LGBT people and Internalized Homophobia which is the form of Homophobia is also known as ”Personal Homophobia”; is prejudice based on a personal belief that the LGBT are sinful, immoral, inferior to heterosexuals, or even incomplete with women and men.

Homophobia is a worldwide phenomenon and has severe repercussions not only to the society but also to LGBT people themselves. However it also affects young youth in many ways.

How homophobia affects LGBT youth…

Homophobia affects LGBT people and especially the young ones in many ways. First of all, homosexual people feel isolated, lonely and even ashamed because homophobia creates an environment in which LGBT youth may have to face harassment and even violence in their schools, communities and/or homes. Another serious consequence of homophobia is that it contributes to the self-doubt that leads many young LGBT people to the use of drugs and/or alcohol to numb their feelings and feel better. Of course, that affects their health and can probably lead to death. And we shouldn’t forget that many students drop out of school and even run away from their homes because they are victims of homophobic bullying and in many cases, LGBT youth think about or even attempt suicide. Surveys show that many of the youth who kill themselves are LGBT. Last but not least, many LGBT youth “act straight” trying to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity and they don’t accept their true selves feeling guilty just because they are different.

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How homophobia affect straight youth

Homophobia affects straight youth as well…

It pressures straight people to act unkindly or even cruelly towards LGBT people and encourage bullying and cruelty toward anyone whose appearance or behavior isn’t sufficiently “macho” or “feminine” (from the viewpoint of the bully). Many people who don’t particularly disagree with homosexuality behave harshly to LGBT people just because this is expected from their social groups and the society they grew up in, in general. In addition, it destroys family relationships. Some parents (and other family members) often break off their relationship with a member of their family when they announce that their sexual orientation is different from the “normal”. It is really sad when something like that happens because someone’s sexuality has nothing to do with their personality and it definitely isn’t a reason to stop considering a person as family.

Furthermore, homophobia forces straight people to act “straight,” limiting their individuality and self-expression. Young people often choose a certain way of dressing and behaving in order to “prove” that they are straight because they are afraid of people even considering that they are homosexual. As a result, straight people think twice before befriending LGBT people, not because they don’t like them, but because they don’t want others to question their sexuality.

In conclusion, homophobia makes it nearly impossible for people to appreciate diversity and the wonderful variety that exists among all people.

 

Everyone, and especially young people who are usually more open-minded, have the right and obligation to raise awareness about homosexuality and LGBT people and try to eliminate homophobia in order for our society to progress and all its members to live without being ashamed of their identity and choices.

I WANT INDEPENDENCE

By Theoni Theodoropoulou and Maria Kollyrou (B Class)

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Nowadays, it is fact that most of the teenagers want their independence. They want to leave away from their home while some others prefer leaving with their family.

First and foremost, young people who stay with their families don’t have to care about the cleanliness of the house For example they don’t have to cook for themselves, do the washing up or iron their clothes. Additionally they don’t need to worry about bills because parents take care of everything. Last but not least they never get homesick or miss their family as they always have their attention paid to them.

On the other side of the coin, living away from your parents it is an important step in the transition from dependent childhood to independent adulthood. It offers you total independence but at the same time a lot of responsibilities. Additionally it helps people become more mature, better-organised and self sufficient, as they have to take care of house, manage their monthly money and pay their own bills.

Furthermore, they can invite their friends to their house anytime they want and listen to music at a high volume without having to stand their parents telling them to turn it down. Finally communicate with many people with different ideas, opinions and learn many different cultures from them.

Taking all the above into consideration, we tend to believe that living away from parents when you are a teenager is better than living with them, because you learn to undertake responsibilities and become an independent person in the society.

Blonde stereotype

By Eirini Skoura, Athanasia Siganou & Agia Stasinopoulou

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Blond or blonde, or fair hair, is a hair colour characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some sort of yellowish color. The color can be from the very pale blond (caused by a patchy, scarce distribution of pigment) to reddish «strawberry» blond colors or golden-brownish («sandy») blond colors (the latter with more eumelanin). On the Fischer–Saller scale blond color ranges from A to J (blond brown).

 

Etymology, Spelling, and Grammar

The word «blond» is first attested in English in 1481 and derives from Old French blund, blont meaning «a colour midway between golden and light chestnut».It gradually eclipsed the native term «fair», of same meaning, from Old English fæġer, causing «fair» later to become a general term for «light complexioned». This earlier use of «fair» survives in the proper name Fairfax, from Old English fæġer-feahs meaning «blond hair».»Blond», with its continued gender-varied usage, is one of few adjectives in written English to retain separate masculine and feminine grammatical genders. Each of the two forms, however, is pronounced identically. American Heritage’s Book of English Usage propounds that, insofar as «a blonde» can be used to describe a woman but not a man who is merely said to possess blond(e) hair, the term is an example of a «sexist stereotype [whereby] women are primarily defined by their physical characteristics.» «Blond» and «blonde» are also occasionally used to refer to objects that have a color reminiscent of fair hair. Examples include pale wood and lager beer. For example, the OED records its use in 19th century poetic diction to describe flowers, «a variety of clay ironstone of the coal measures», «the colour of raw silk», and a breed of ray.Coined in 15th century, blond or blonde (derived from Anglo-French word blunt) originally meant just the light auburn. Since 1822, it is being used to mean people with hair of that color.The blonde stereotype, the stereotypical perception of blond-haired women, has two aspects. On one hand, over history, blonde hair in women has been considered attractive and desirable. On the other hand, a blonde woman is often perceived as making little use of intelligence and as a «woman who relied on her looks rather than on intelligence. The latter stereotype of «dumb blonde is exploited in blonde jokes.

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Dumb blonde

The notion of «dumb blonde» has been a topic of academic research reported in scholarly articles and university symposia, which tend to confirm that many people hold to the perception that light-haired women are less intelligent than women with dark hair. There is no evidence to support this perception, which raises the question of its origin.

A possible explanation is that attractive women have less pressing incentives to cultivate and demonstrate their intellect in order to ensure their future, since attractiveness is an asset as well. The validity of this explanation is corroborated by its applicability to a similar pervasiveness of «dumb athlete» stereotype. The dumb blonde stereotype (and the associated cognitive bias) may have some negative consequences and it can also damage a blonde person’s career prospects. According to psychological research, hair color is a relevant trait in the perception of an individual’s intelligence and overall ability. In a study by Kyle and Mahler (1996), the researchers asked subjects to evaluate photographs of the same woman with brown, red, and blonde hair in the context of a job application. After making sure that the hair color in all three conditions was rated as looking “natural” (not dyed) in a pilot study, participants in Kyle and Mahler’s study, both males and females, were asked to rate the applicant’s capability based on the photograph for an accounting position.The researchers found that the blonde-haired applicant was rated as significantly less capable than her brunette doppelganger. In addition, participants designated the female applicant’s starting salary as significantly lower when she was depicted as a blonde than when she was shown with brown hair.

The question that remains, then, is why is it that blondes are generally rated as less competent than those who have other hair colors? One theory focuses on the feminization of blonde hair, which can be seen by the overwhelming association of the dumb blonde persona with females. This idea draws on the stereotype that females have a lower psychometric intelligence than males. In fact, dumb blonde jokes are overwhelmingly female-specific: according to an extensive search in various publications and on the Internet, about 63% of dumb blonde jokes are directed exclusively at females (compared to less than 5% that directly referenced dumb blonde men). Consequently, blonde-haired individuals – regardless of if they are male or female – may be viewed as less capable because they are regarded as more feminine and thus less intelligent.Many blond actresses have played stereotypical «dumb blondes», including Judy Holliday, Jayne Mansfield, Carol Wayne and Goldie Hawn, best known as the giggling «dumb blonde», stumbling over her lines, especially when she introduced Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In «News of the Future».In the American sitcom Three’s Company the blond girl (originally Chrissy played by Suzanne Somers, and later Cindy and Terri) is sweet and naïve, while the brunette (Janet played by Joyce DeWitt) is smart.In Mexico, Aida Pierce and, later, Sheyla Tadeo, were often cast as «dumb blonde» characters on television and film; these included Pierce’s nurse characterization, and Tadeo’s Zoila Delgadillo (in Cero en conducta) and Nachita, the housekeeper (in La Juala).

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 Blonde jokes

There is a category of jokes called «blonde jokes» that employs the dumb blonde stereotype. It overlaps at times with the jokes that generally portray the subject of the joke as promiscuous and/or stupid. Blonde jokes have been criticized as sexist by several authors, as most blondes in these jokes are female, although male variations also exist. Research indicates that because of this, men report being amused by blonde jokes significantly more than women do. Blonde jokes nearly always take the format of the blond(e) placing himself or herself in an unusual situation, performing a silly act because he or she misconstrued the meaning of how an activity is supposed to play out, or making a comment that serves to highlight his or her supposed lack of intelligence, lack of common sense, or cluelessness, or promiscuity.

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 Varieties

Various subcategories of blond hair have been defined to describe someone with blond hair more accurately. Common examples include the following:

  • blond/flaxen: when distinguished from other varieties, «blond» by itself refers to a light but not whitish blond with no traces of red, gold, or brown; this color is often described as «flaxen».
  • yellow: yellow-blond («yellow» can also be used to refer to hair which has been dyed yellow).
  • platinum blond or towheaded: whitish-blond; almost all platinum blonds are children. «Platinum blond» is often used to describe bleached hair, while «towheaded» generally refers to natural hair color.
  • sandy blond: grayish-hazel or cream-colored blond.
  • golden blond: a darker to rich, golden-yellow blond.
  • strawberry blond, Venetian blond or honey blond: reddish blond.
  • dirty blond or dishwater blond: dark blond with flecks of golden blond and brown.
  • ash-blond: ashen or grayish blond.
  • bleached blond, bottle blond, or peroxide blond artificial blond slightly less white than platinum blond.

 

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