What Has Society Done
What has society done?
Speaking in front of all of my peers.
Pretty scary if you ask me.
Why is it scary?
Why am I afraid?
Why am I nervous.
I’ll tell you why.
A lot of you in this audience would start to laugh at me, ridicule me, and judge me just because of one simple mistake.
What does it take to show that mistakes don’t matter?
How can I show you that mistakes are okay?
Let me try this:
Mistakes are a part of the whole entire learning process.
If you don’t make a mistake, then you haven’t learned at all.
And there are some people here who would try to drag you down because of your mistakes.
But guess what?
If they try to drag you down, that just means that they’re jealous that you’re higher up.
So don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Don’t be scared to stand up for yourself.
Don’t be afraid to speak up in class to answer a question.
That shows the teacher that you’re learning.
But what has society done?
People ridiculing others for the simplest of mistakes.
Making others afraid to speak up.
Silencing the wise and perfectly capable people to learn,
what has society done?
What has society done?
The girls walking in the hallways, I observe them.
I see what the latest fashions are.
I see what the current style of shoes are.
And I think to myself:
You know, it looks like everybody is showing off the same trends.
All these girls walking down the hall, wearing their designer clothes.
All these girls, wearing tons of make-up, and the latest shoes.
All these girls, skinny as twigs, sauntering down the stairs to their next class.
And I think:
What have these girls done to become like this?
Some girls in this school starve themselves to make themselves thinner.
To become “cool” for being thin.
Some girls in this school yell at their parents to go shopping with them for the latest clothes.
To be noticed by every pair of eyes that gaze upon them.
Some girls in this school buy the most expensive make-up to cover up the insecurities of their faces.
To seem flawless from head to toe.
To seem like they CAN become “cool” for what they’re doing.
Well guess what?
All of these fancy clothes and make-up, that’s cool.
I like to flaunt my creative side of my wardrobe sometimes too.
But what isn’t cool?
That these girls spend their time, money, effort, and tears...
just to be deemed popular.
The people who only buy the clothes to become part of the crowd.
If I go and buy clothes, then I go and buy them because I want to wear them.
Not because I want to be noticed by people who don’t even care.
What has society done?
Making girls self-harm and starve themselves for perfection.
Causing all of these girls to become fashion clones,
what has society done?
What has society done?
When I think of teenage boys, what do you think I picture?
You can’t read my mind, but let me tell you what I never expected to see.
Dudes drifting down the hallways, their pants halfway to their ankles, boxers being shown off like prized possessions, bathed in their own pool of axe.
That’s what I find is ridiculous.
What is so cool about following the crowd?
What is so cool about not being unique?
What is so cool about being part of the popular group?
Nothing. That’s what’s cool. Nothing.
And walking around, making fun of other people you deem as nerds, geeks, and stupid.
Is it really worth it?
What has society done?
Dudes romping around in their saggy jeans and popular shoes.
All of these boys following the crowd of recent trends,
what has society done?
What has society done?
Why does everybody hate teachers?
What did they ever do to you, besides making your future bright and readily available?
Why do you try to make them look stupid in front of their whole class?
Why do you fight them all the time?
You know what? Guess who my favorite teacher is?
Mr. Klepfer.
And i’m not just saying that to earn kudo’s, ladies and gentlemen.
Mr. Klepfer. He’s my favorite teacher, because he tries to make learning fun.
He lets us color in posters, he tell jokes every day, he even raps for us!
Granted he’s not the only one who does this, but he’s one of my favorite teachers, because even after a whole semester, he is still just as cheerful as when I met him.
Last semester, I noticed a lot of people in his class didn’t laugh at his jokes, they never volunteered for anything, and they rolled their eyes at him as if they didn’t care what he said.
Well guess what?
That made me furious.
Why?
Because he tries so hard every day to make English Class a little bit less boring, and he is always smiling, no matter what.
And I felt so bad during the times when he told a joke, and he was left with the awkward silence of the rest of the kids in his class.
He is a teacher I can relate to, and he is an awesome teacher.
But this isn’t just him, either.
Every teacher tries to make their class fun for their students.
Every day, they spend hours planning lessons.
Every day, they get the resources necessary for those activities.
They spend their own money sometimes even, just to make you smile in class.
Just one little smile.
And you try and take that away from them?
What has society done?
Turning kids into selfish individuals.
Heartless creatures that take the happiness out of other gracious people’s lives,
what has society done?
What has society done?
Telling kids these days what they must do.
Not letting them say what they want to.
Whether they’re judged based off of religion, sexual orientation, hobbies, styles of clothes, musical talents, or anything else of the sort.
Well what is being normal?
What do you think it means?
Being normal is being who YOU want to be. You are only normal to yourself.
And who cares what everybody else says?
Who cares what others think?
Just as long as you’re happy with who you are, then it’s fine!
Our differences, however, are bringing us apart.
Why do we always have to disagree?
I mean, is it really that hard to agree with someone else?
Even to pretend to agree?
Why must we tease others because they are happy with themselves?
What has society done?
Taunting others because they’re happy.
Robbing the individuals of their Pursuit of Happiness,
What has society done?
What has society done?
If you think about it, society has really changed.
People used to be kind to each other.
They wouldn’t do drugs, they didn’t cuss like we do.
They weren’t so caught up in popular trends.
Things were just fine.
But now?
People are killing themselves because of society’s harsh “rules” you have to play by.
People are doing drugs to get away from it all.
People are ruining their lives, just because they think that being a hot shot in high school actually will mean something later on in life.
Well it doesn’t.
So why can’t we all just enjoy today?
Why can’t we take pride in being kind?
A lot of you would shake your heads and call me stupid for suggesting such a thing.
Well guess what?
You wouldn’t be doing that if you were actually being kind, now would you?
Because then you wouldn’t disagree.
You would agree that we need to change what society is doing to us.
Please don’t hate yourself because you’re not thin.
Please don’t hate yourself because you don’t wear what everyone else does.
Please don’t hate yourself because you don’t fit into the popular group.
You have to find your happiness inside.
You have to find out who you are yourself. Don’t let anybody else tell you who you should be.
Now I think that a lot of you will walk away from this large group shaking your heads, calling me an imbecile for saying all of this.
That’s fine.
You have the freedom and the right to believe what you want to.
But for those of you who have actually been paying attention to my words, listen up.
Become who YOU want to be.
Not because you want to become part of a group.
Not because you want to fall in with the crowd.
Not because everybody else is.
Be who YOU want to be, because you want to find who you are inside.
The Adolescence timeframe in everyone’s lives is a chance to see who you are from an outside perspective.
So take a minute.
View who you are as a person from someone else’s shoes.
Do you like it?
Good.
Do you hate it?
Well then here’s your chance to change it.
Society is a cruel game, twisting and morphing us as individuals.
It can also be a beautiful thing, teaching us to become unique, and teach us to march to the beat of our own drums.
How will society change you?
For the better...
For the worse?
How will it shape you?
To be successful...
Or to hurt you in the end?
It’s a tough choice, but it’s entirely up to you.
What has society done to you?
And what will society do for you in the end?
Think about it.
Those simple little words....
may change your life forever.
And the clock’s ticking...
don’t run out of time...
because soon it will be too late to turn back.
Speaking in front of all of my peers.
Pretty scary if you ask me.
Why is it scary?
Why am I afraid?
Why am I nervous.
I’ll tell you why.
A lot of you in this audience would start to laugh at me, ridicule me, and judge me just because of one simple mistake.
What does it take to show that mistakes don’t matter?
How can I show you that mistakes are okay?
Let me try this:
Mistakes are a part of the whole entire learning process.
If you don’t make a mistake, then you haven’t learned at all.
And there are some people here who would try to drag you down because of your mistakes.
But guess what?
If they try to drag you down, that just means that they’re jealous that you’re higher up.
So don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Don’t be scared to stand up for yourself.
Don’t be afraid to speak up in class to answer a question.
That shows the teacher that you’re learning.
But what has society done?
People ridiculing others for the simplest of mistakes.
Making others afraid to speak up.
Silencing the wise and perfectly capable people to learn,
what has society done?
What has society done?
The girls walking in the hallways, I observe them.
I see what the latest fashions are.
I see what the current style of shoes are.
And I think to myself:
You know, it looks like everybody is showing off the same trends.
All these girls walking down the hall, wearing their designer clothes.
All these girls, wearing tons of make-up, and the latest shoes.
All these girls, skinny as twigs, sauntering down the stairs to their next class.
And I think:
What have these girls done to become like this?
Some girls in this school starve themselves to make themselves thinner.
To become “cool” for being thin.
Some girls in this school yell at their parents to go shopping with them for the latest clothes.
To be noticed by every pair of eyes that gaze upon them.
Some girls in this school buy the most expensive make-up to cover up the insecurities of their faces.
To seem flawless from head to toe.
To seem like they CAN become “cool” for what they’re doing.
Well guess what?
All of these fancy clothes and make-up, that’s cool.
I like to flaunt my creative side of my wardrobe sometimes too.
But what isn’t cool?
That these girls spend their time, money, effort, and tears...
just to be deemed popular.
The people who only buy the clothes to become part of the crowd.
If I go and buy clothes, then I go and buy them because I want to wear them.
Not because I want to be noticed by people who don’t even care.
What has society done?
Making girls self-harm and starve themselves for perfection.
Causing all of these girls to become fashion clones,
what has society done?
What has society done?
When I think of teenage boys, what do you think I picture?
You can’t read my mind, but let me tell you what I never expected to see.
Dudes drifting down the hallways, their pants halfway to their ankles, boxers being shown off like prized possessions, bathed in their own pool of axe.
That’s what I find is ridiculous.
What is so cool about following the crowd?
What is so cool about not being unique?
What is so cool about being part of the popular group?
Nothing. That’s what’s cool. Nothing.
And walking around, making fun of other people you deem as nerds, geeks, and stupid.
Is it really worth it?
What has society done?
Dudes romping around in their saggy jeans and popular shoes.
All of these boys following the crowd of recent trends,
what has society done?
What has society done?
Why does everybody hate teachers?
What did they ever do to you, besides making your future bright and readily available?
Why do you try to make them look stupid in front of their whole class?
Why do you fight them all the time?
You know what? Guess who my favorite teacher is?
Mr. Klepfer.
And i’m not just saying that to earn kudo’s, ladies and gentlemen.
Mr. Klepfer. He’s my favorite teacher, because he tries to make learning fun.
He lets us color in posters, he tell jokes every day, he even raps for us!
Granted he’s not the only one who does this, but he’s one of my favorite teachers, because even after a whole semester, he is still just as cheerful as when I met him.
Last semester, I noticed a lot of people in his class didn’t laugh at his jokes, they never volunteered for anything, and they rolled their eyes at him as if they didn’t care what he said.
Well guess what?
That made me furious.
Why?
Because he tries so hard every day to make English Class a little bit less boring, and he is always smiling, no matter what.
And I felt so bad during the times when he told a joke, and he was left with the awkward silence of the rest of the kids in his class.
He is a teacher I can relate to, and he is an awesome teacher.
But this isn’t just him, either.
Every teacher tries to make their class fun for their students.
Every day, they spend hours planning lessons.
Every day, they get the resources necessary for those activities.
They spend their own money sometimes even, just to make you smile in class.
Just one little smile.
And you try and take that away from them?
What has society done?
Turning kids into selfish individuals.
Heartless creatures that take the happiness out of other gracious people’s lives,
what has society done?
What has society done?
Telling kids these days what they must do.
Not letting them say what they want to.
Whether they’re judged based off of religion, sexual orientation, hobbies, styles of clothes, musical talents, or anything else of the sort.
Well what is being normal?
What do you think it means?
Being normal is being who YOU want to be. You are only normal to yourself.
And who cares what everybody else says?
Who cares what others think?
Just as long as you’re happy with who you are, then it’s fine!
Our differences, however, are bringing us apart.
Why do we always have to disagree?
I mean, is it really that hard to agree with someone else?
Even to pretend to agree?
Why must we tease others because they are happy with themselves?
What has society done?
Taunting others because they’re happy.
Robbing the individuals of their Pursuit of Happiness,
What has society done?
What has society done?
If you think about it, society has really changed.
People used to be kind to each other.
They wouldn’t do drugs, they didn’t cuss like we do.
They weren’t so caught up in popular trends.
Things were just fine.
But now?
People are killing themselves because of society’s harsh “rules” you have to play by.
People are doing drugs to get away from it all.
People are ruining their lives, just because they think that being a hot shot in high school actually will mean something later on in life.
Well it doesn’t.
So why can’t we all just enjoy today?
Why can’t we take pride in being kind?
A lot of you would shake your heads and call me stupid for suggesting such a thing.
Well guess what?
You wouldn’t be doing that if you were actually being kind, now would you?
Because then you wouldn’t disagree.
You would agree that we need to change what society is doing to us.
Please don’t hate yourself because you’re not thin.
Please don’t hate yourself because you don’t wear what everyone else does.
Please don’t hate yourself because you don’t fit into the popular group.
You have to find your happiness inside.
You have to find out who you are yourself. Don’t let anybody else tell you who you should be.
Now I think that a lot of you will walk away from this large group shaking your heads, calling me an imbecile for saying all of this.
That’s fine.
You have the freedom and the right to believe what you want to.
But for those of you who have actually been paying attention to my words, listen up.
Become who YOU want to be.
Not because you want to become part of a group.
Not because you want to fall in with the crowd.
Not because everybody else is.
Be who YOU want to be, because you want to find who you are inside.
The Adolescence timeframe in everyone’s lives is a chance to see who you are from an outside perspective.
So take a minute.
View who you are as a person from someone else’s shoes.
Do you like it?
Good.
Do you hate it?
Well then here’s your chance to change it.
Society is a cruel game, twisting and morphing us as individuals.
It can also be a beautiful thing, teaching us to become unique, and teach us to march to the beat of our own drums.
How will society change you?
For the better...
For the worse?
How will it shape you?
To be successful...
Or to hurt you in the end?
It’s a tough choice, but it’s entirely up to you.
What has society done to you?
And what will society do for you in the end?
Think about it.
Those simple little words....
may change your life forever.
And the clock’s ticking...
don’t run out of time...
because soon it will be too late to turn back.