Making the Invisible, Visible: The first step...

No escape

As a class, we had to decide what topic we were going to study for our Challenge Based Learning Unit. To do this, we narrowed it down by voting. The majority won and the topic we are now studying is Domestic Workers. In particular, the problem and solution to the issues domestic workers face in everyday life, in Malaysia. An example of a domestic worker struggling would be a women (who's name is unknown) that was abused and had to work long hours. 

"I took care of two children.... I cleaned all parts of the house, washed the floor, washed clothes, ironed, cleaned the walls, and washed the car. I cleaned two houses, because I also cleaned the grandmother's house. I worked from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. I had no rest during the day. I worked everyday and was not allowed to go out, not even to walk on the street. The lady employer yelled at me everyday. She slapped me one or two times a week. My employer kept my passport. I was scared to run away without my passport. I wanted to run away, but I was afraid the Malaysian government and security would catch me... I called the labor recruitment company in Jakarta to complain...but they didn't want to take my call" (Opposing Viewpoints)

As you can see, she was forced to work long hours and spent them in not only one house, but two houses. She had no rest from work and wasn't even allowed to leave the vicinity of the houses. She was abused by her employers and her passport was taken away. In addition to having her rights taken away, she wanted to call for help, but her agency wouldn't even listen to her. 

This is the problem we are trying come up with a solution to. We want all domestic workers to be treated fairly and we want them to have the option to escape or reach out for help if needed. 

This is important for me and my community to acknowledge because this could be going on around us, and we are completely blind to the situation. We need to put a stop to this so that we aren't directly effected by the outcomes, I have researched, that domestic workers face.

When I was first presented with the topic we were doing as a class, I started gathering information. I soon found out, information that was not very nice to hear. The information I read and watched were completely shocking and very sad. The saddest part about reading all of the articles was that, it was actually happening where I have grown up. One of the most surprising facts I have found out was that when, "Abuse Human Rights Watch workers interviewed 28 women who were employed as domestic workers . Nearly half reported suffering physical or psychological abuse from their employers."

Learning this type of information shocks me, but at the same time makes me feel grateful. As I have previously stated, I am shocked because abuse towards domestic workers could be happening around me (closer then I know of). However, I am very grateful that I probably wont have to become a domestic worker because I am getting a proper education and therefore I will be able to pick my career path. 

Some Great Ideal; The Key to Happiness

(John Green)

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”- John Lennon (Goodreads). According to the World Health Organization, World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative, conducted in July 2011, over 121 million people worldwide suffer from depression, which on average causes 850,000 deaths per year (Depression Statistics). The onset of depression is triggered by a variety of circumstances one  has suffered. Research scientists know that there are many factors that contribute to depression; the three most common factors are loose ties with family, low self-esteem and being dissatisfied with your life. There is unanimous agreement in medical circles that to avoid depression you need to pay attention to the the triggers that cause it.

In order to achieve happiness, one must strengthen ties within the family. The support of family is the greatest attribute you can acquire in life, so embrace it. Many people sacrifice family life for work, in the hopes of a higher income (Columbia University). The understanding that if one has money, then one can be happy is a common thought. When people become obsessed with trying to earn a higher wage, they lose sight of family. Family support helps people prevail through tough times. Family is infinitely better than friends because family are always with you at the end of the day. Data from the study indicated that earning a high salary was rated of little importance, families preferred safety and security over wealth. When family support is strong, so is your happiness. And happiness gives you the energy and willpower to achieve goals. That's why it is important to always find time to talk to each other, no matter the circumstances (HPRC). Of crucial importance was the need to find time to interact and discuss issues with each other. Researchers outlined the fact that reflection on issues will boost happiness, because you would've said everything on your mind, insuring no emotions get bottled up inside. At least once a week sit down together and talk. Talk about your day at school or work. Discuss the high and low points in your day. Your family will listen and guide you in the right direction, this also helps heighten your self-esteem.

Heightening your self-esteem is a long journey, but a path that will surely lead you to happiness. Because the media has twisted society's perception of beauty, many females self-esteem has decreased (Psychology Today). Female models today are around 5”8- 5”11 and weigh 110-115 pounds. This weight is only achievable by 5% of the female population. Magazines such as Vogue and Elle have a negative impact on females because they feature models that are super thin. For this reason Vogue and Elle are banned from many eating-disorder clinics. For many women the road to higher self-esteem includes isolating themselves from media,magazines in particular, because society has set unachievable goals if one aims to become ‘beautiful’. By stopping yourself from reading magazines you are letting yourself  live a world with normal standards rather than impractical ones.  “...The more depressed or anxious you become the lower your opinion of yourself and your abilities...” (BBC Health). A common trigger for low self-esteem is being told you don’t measure up to standards. Once you hear this your self-esteem (especially the thoughts on your abilities) instantly decreases. ‘Working on the triggers changing your expectations...you can begin to work on improving your self-esteem’, if you set yourself a reasonable goal(don’t try to conquer everything) for any activity that you do, once you achieve it, you will feel good about yourself. Keep setting yourself goals, and you can also tell people once you have completed your goal(s). This will help build your self-esteem. 

Learning to accept the conditions you live with, will boost your happiness. What you have changes, accept what is placed in front of you and try to make the best out of it. (Tiny Buddha). One way to embrace what you have been given is to look at it positively. For example, if your parents only give you RM50 allowance for one week, instead of looking at it as hardly any money, say “at least I got something”. This will help you acknowledge negative situations and respond positively. For the most part we can’t control what happens in our lives, but we can control our reactions. So stop trying to change your past, live in the present. (Roger Darlington). ‘You can change your state of mind’, happiness is a state of mind and therefore once you stop dwelling on the past you can focus on the future. Stop regretting something you said an hour ago and focus on what you are doing at this moment. Whether you are reading a book, a magazine or doing work. Enjoy it and stop trying to change something you have no control over. 

“As we strain to grasp the things we desire, the things we think will make our life better, money, popularity, fame, we ignore the things that truly matter. The simple things like friendship, family, love, the things we probably already had.”- Lucas Scott, One Tree Hill (inspired by George Bernard Shaw). Although, research scientists know the three most common factors that play a part in depression (loose ties with family, low self-esteem and being unsatisfied with your life), there continues to be ongoing efforts to uncover additional triggers of depression.  By doing this, scientists are trying to help the families and friends that have lost loved ones due to this mental illness. We should all reach out to  people that we know who are silently suffering from depression and assist them in reaching out to get them help. We must unleash the key to happiness, not only for ourselves but for the others around us.

The Second Chance

Unicef have reported that one billion children living in poverty worldwide are deprived of essential nutrients found in food and water which they need to grow and develop. In addition, many of the children are uneducated and don’t have access to healthcare. Some countries are in worse situations than others, one of these countries is the Philippines. “In the Philippines, hundreds of thousands of impoverished urban children are growing up in squalor, deprived of education and healthcare.”(Alertnet-Unicef) Someone needs to fight for these children. Children without voices. They need hope for the future and therefore have to be provided for. Luckily, a thirteen year old boy is doing so. Kesz lived in a dumpsite in the Philippines, until he was rescued and given a chance to be someone different. Today, Kesz helps other street children by educating them about their basic hygiene and giving them hope for the future.

Kesz and his friends visit local schools and dumpsites in order to help the children learn about basic hygiene so they can stay healthy. Kesz has lived on a dumpsite like many of the kids he now teaches, therefore knows what they are going through, “I used to drink the water from a pothole in the street...even from sewage canals...I did not know it was harmful to me.”(The International Children’s Peace Prize). When Kesz used to live on the streets he was forced to scavenge for food and water. The food in the garbage piles and the polluted water from the sewage canals was all he had to survive. Kesz wants to teach the street children about the bacteria that lurks in garbage, the diseases you can catch from drinking dirty water and the need to clean wounds and cuts. He knows that these children are far more at risk than most children of dying. By “teaching, demonstrating and spreading basic hygiene practice...how to wash hands properly, brush teeth daily, and bathe regularly”(The International Children’s Peace Prize), Kesz has come up with the motto “our health is our wealth”. This phrase means that when children are healthy they can think clearly, play and go to school. Having a healthy body that will allow them to live longer and gain more knowledge of the world and Kesz believes that it is his responsibility to ensure that future generations are educated about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Not only does Kesz understand how crucial health is to one's well being, he also understands how hope for the future is important.

Kesz was rescued and shown love, he now leads by example and helps street children develop hope in their lives. Kesz had lived off of the dumpsite since he was two. The dumpsite was a dangerous home for Kesz, when he was growing up many things we consider awful were normal to him. For example he and his friends would allow flies to feast on their open wounds. Burning rubbish was also a hazard. At the age of seven,  Kesz suffered burns from falling in a dumpsite fire. He experienced the danger first hand but he was one of the lucky ones who got a chance to be somebody different “..the day I was rescued...I know I am loved. Mr.Harnin...taught me these principles... his own life’s examples.”(The International Peace Prize). Kesz was rescued by Mr.Harnin, now his father figure in life. Mr.Harnin leads by example, teaching Kesz all the principles he needs to make a change in the world. He has taught Kesz to give back, and by educating children Kesz is doing so. By teaching the children about their basic hygiene, Kesz hopes that one day they will pass on their knowledge to others, just like he has. Mr.Harnin has also taught him other principles that are being shown in his foundation Championing Community Children. Giving hope in the form of “a toy, a pair of slippers or a smile, will bring joy... these are the simple acts of change that me and my team at Championing Community Children do.”(The International Peace Prize). Championing Community Children is the foundation Kesz has establish. The structure is built up on hope. Kesz and his team realize that simple things will bring happiness into the street children’s hearts. By giving the children gifts, the team is giving hope to children by providing them with small things we take for granted. The gifts bring the children joy and hope because they can’t afford these things, and when Kesz gives it to them it makes them feel as if they are loved and noticed by society- as if everyone hasn’t completely ignored them. This lets the children know that they can have a bright future, away from the streets, so they don’t have to forage for food and water their whole lives.

Kesz, along with his team at Championing Community Children, continue to educate street children and give them hope. Kesz wants all the children to lead a healthy lifestyle so they won't be prone to diseases. By doing this, Kesz is giving them hope for the future and offering them an avenue to gain knowledge of the world. Kesz knows how lucky he was to be given a second chance in  life, he wanted to give the other children a chance to lead a healthy life. His hope is that the children he is passing his knowledge to, will educate others about hygiene. Kesz was a deserving recipient of the Children’s International Peace Prize in 2012, as he teaches everyone around the world that we must be the voice of the voiceless.

Where I Am From

I am from Barbies.

From the screams of excitement whenever 

The Rugrats, The Wiggles, Hi-5 or Dora The 

Explorer were on. From posters of the Jonas 

Brothers and Coldplay. I an from the elbowing

to get to the front of the stage during The Wanted’s 

and Justin Bieber’s concerts. I am from tag you’re 

it and ready or not here I come.

I am from a country of 1.2 billion and a country 

of 22.6 million. I am from the rain and the sun. 

I am from the Parramatta Eels, The Waratahs and 

The Wallabies.

I am from put on a smile, sit up straight, when 

I was your age… I am from the bubble gum in 

my hair and the chocolate on my nose. I am from 

man’s best friend, who never lets me down. 

I am the product of a teacher and a risk manager. 

I am from become a doctor, become a lawyer, become 

a dentist and become whatever you want.

Organised in my closet, on my desk, under my bed,
are memories. The ones that make me who I am today.
The decisions I made in the past that will one day affect
my future. Everything that makes me, me.

Nazi Propaganda poster

'Behind the enemy powers: the Jew'

This poster was created in 1945, by Hamil. This poster protrays the theme of propaganda, aiming to influence all Germans. Propaganda is misleading information that is used to promote political causes, coming from the Latin root: pangere- to fasten. Nazi's used propaganda to presaude Germany that Jews were a threat (to fasten the thought into German's heads). 

In this image there is a big man with a big nose wearing a nice suit, with a top hat. This man is Jew, as shown by the Star of David. The Jewish man is standing in between an American flag, an English flag and a Soviet Union flag. These are the flags of the Allied countries. The caption reads “Behind the enemy powers: The Jew. This gives the theory that Jews are attacking Germany.

This poster depicts a  stereotypical Jew behind the American, English and Soviet Union flag. By placing the Jew behind the flags it seems as though he controls the countries. Hamil was trying to warn Germans about the Jews evil actions that are harming families in Germany. The Jewish man looks guilty, as shown by his eyebrows, this implies that he has done something bad/wrong. The quote “Behind the enemy powers: The Jew” suggests that the Jews are manipulating the Allied powers to bring Germany down. This poster shows the Jews as sluggish, evil characters trying to overthrow Germany. Men would’ve been easily persuaded by this image as they want to provide for there families and with rich Jews as the rulers that wouldn’t be possible. Women would’ve tried to control their children’s lives by forcing them to stop interacting with Jews. Even if their friends were Jews, they couldn’t talk to one another. Children are influenced at very young ages by what their parents do, therefore children could’ve tried to protect themselves and stay away from stereotypical Jews. Children might of been cautioned to ask if person was a Jew or not before getting to know them.

This image is unethical because it depicts a negative message through lies. Jews were never trying to harm Germany, Hitler (like many others) needed someone to blame. Jews were infact never a threat to Germany in any way, they helped Germany rise by contributing in wars, education and health care. In this poster Jews are illustrated as filthy rich slobs which is unfair to the Jewish people, as they did nothing wrong. This image was spreading lies, that were designed to cause fear and hate to the Germans.

Credit: 

- geheugenvannederland.nl

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Prejudice and Bias

In the novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne, prejudice and bias are recurring images. Bruno's father was a commandant during World War I, which means he was a high ranked soldier under Hitler's power. With his new position he was moved to Auschwitz, a concentration camp that he was put in charge of. Bruno didn't really know what to make of the move, all he new was that his father had gotten a promotion and now needed the family to back him up and go to Auschwitz with him. Bruno's father was obviously a Nazi supporter and detested the Jews. Bruno didn't really know what was happening on the other side of the fence and didn't know anything about Jews. Bruno finally asked Gretel about the people on the other side. Gretel told him that Jews were horrible people and needed to be punished. Bruno grasped onto this idea, but also thought about how him and Shmuel had become friends when they're not meant to be. Herr Liszt, Bruno and Gretel's tutor answered a question from Bruno very biased:

 "There is such thing as a nice Jew, though, isn't there?"

 "I think, Bruno, if you ever found a nice Jew, you would be the best explorer in the world."

How did Bruno and Shmuel remain friends after all the horrible things people had told Bruno about Jews? Bruno had met Shmuel before he had talked to anyone about Jews, therefore he got to know Shmuel without any premature thoughts about him. If Bruno had met Shmuel after Father, Gretel and Herr Liszt had talked to him, Bruno might of judged Shmuel when he met him. This suggests that prejudice is caused by what parents or people we trust think. When kids are growing up, we are influenced by what are parents think and tell us. 

Another was prejudice can be caused is peer pressure. When you're in a group of friends and everyone else had a different opinion, you are most likely going to go with the flow and change your views based on others. In many groups they have a leader. The leader of Germany (a group) was Adolf Hitler. Many Germans followed him and his ways because Hitler persuaded them. Hitler came up with a Nazi Party Plan that included promises to gain the greatness of Germany again. Some of the points included the 'abolition of the Treaty of Versailles' and 'land and territory (colonies) for our surplus population'.

Gretel was influenced by fathers opinions, Bruno on the other hand, was closed minded and talked to Shmuel based on what he had figured out on his own. This shows that in many situations prejudice and bias is caused by others opinions, in other situations people refuse to judge based on a preempt analysis.   

Image: allmoviephoto.com

The Treaty of Versailles- Fair or Unfair?

“It is the principle of justice to all peoples and nationalities, and their right to live on equal terms of liberty and safety with one another, whether they be strong or weak. Unless this principle be made its foundation, no part of the structure of international justice can stand.”

- Woodrow Wilson

The war between Germany and the allied countries had stopped, but many countries didn't want a repeat of the war. Woodrow Wilson came up with a plan called The Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles was an agreement against Germany, signed by 27 allied countries. British Empire (includes Australia, Canada, South Africa, India and New Zealand), Frace, Italy, Japan, United States, were the main allies, though many countries backed them up. Such as: Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hejaz, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Uruguay and Yugoslavia. Together they ganged up on Germany and signed a treaty they had designed, putting Germany in fault for World War I.

Negotiations begun on the 18th of January, 1918. The treaty included fourteen points, addressed by Woodrow Wilson. In the actual treaty there were many more demands brought forth by the allied countries, most of which, were harsh and unjust. Many Germans were outraged by the demands and couldn't believe their government had agreed to sign it, especially with all the humility the would be subject to by other countries. The Deutsche Zeitung was raged that they wrote,“In the place where, in the glorious year of 1871, the German Empire in all its glory had its origin, today German honor is being carried to its grave. Do not forget it! The German people will, with unceasing labor, press forward to reconquer the place among the nations to which it is entitled. Then will come vengeance for the shame of 1919." The treaty was added to The League of Nations Treaty Series on October 21st 1919 and became effective on the 10th of January 1920.


Although I agree with the Germans that some of the demands in the treaty were unfair, but fair in a sense. Just a year earlier, on the 3rd of March 1918, the Germans signed a treaty against Russia. This treaty included harsher demands on Russia, than The Treaty of Versailles. It is unfair because Germany wasn't the only country that participated in World War I. Germany lost a lot of land, as stated in The Treaty of Versailles. The over all cost Germany owed was $33 billion.

Overall, The Treaty of Versailles was unfair and fair at the same time. Germany punished Russia in 1918 and now they were paying for it. Germany signed the treaty and took full responsibility for what they had taken part in.












Credits:
- en.wikipedia.org
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