Moral Code: "Designer Babies"

            In the Upfront Magazine, “Designer Babies,” the author Patricia Smith talks about how scientists are learning how to genetically engineer babies’ traits and genes for both medical and social reasons. I think that medically this will be good for society because it will help prevent certain diseases that result from genetic defects. However, changing and determining babies’ more physical and personal traits (such as height, eye color, IQ, etc.) challenges my moral code, and I believe that it is unethical.

            The first reason that I think that this is unethical is because it would not be good for society. Eventually, if choosing babies’ traits became normal, there would not be any individuality anymore in society, and more and more people will feel that they have to look a certain way in order to be accepted. There would be no more flaws, or talent, or distinctive personalities. I think that, even though we may not love them, our flaws help to make up who we are. And even sometimes, we, ourselves, are the only ones that see certain flaws in ourselves. People determining what they think is “perfect,” and putting it into another human being is very wrong.

            The second reason that I disagree with this is because I believe that there is no “right” way for a person to look. It’s just a matter of people’s opinions. Social media portrays that the celebrities and models that you see in magazines are perfect; perfect hair, perfect personality, perfect look, and the perfect body. It tricks society into feeling that in order to be beautiful, we need to look a certain way. However, I believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that no one look is perfect. In addition, I think that fate should decide what a person ends up looking like, and not us.

            In conclusion, genetically engineering a baby in order to give it desired physical or personal traits, goes against what I believe in. I think that people should be born naturally and that everyone has flaws. Even in a picture perfect world, there will still be flaws. I believe that as we grow up, we learn to embrace our flaws, and by changing them, society would be ruined.

            

Brave, by Sara Bareilles

The song, “Brave,” by Sara Bareilles, is very important to me because of the messages that the song is putting across: be brave and be who you want to be.

            (First Stanza) “ You can be amazing, you could turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug, you can be the outcast, or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love, or you can start speaking up.” I think that the writer of this song is trying to say that people should speak up for themselves, instead of allowing themselves to be mistreated by others.

            (Second Stanza) “Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do, when they settle ‘neath your skin, kept on the inside and no sunlight, sometimes a shadow wins, but I wonder what would happen if you…” I think that the writer is trying to show how much words can affect someone negatively and that we need to start thinking before we say things.

            (Chorus) “Say what you wanna say, and let the words fall out, honestly I wanna see you be brave, with what you want to say, and let the words fall out, honestly I wanna see you be brave, I just want to see you, I just wanna see you, I just wanna see you, I wanna see you be brave, I just wanna see you, I just wanna see you, I just wanna see you, I wanna see you be brave.” The writer is saying that she wants to see people that are bullied or told mean things to start speaking up for themselves, and wants them to be brave about it.

            (Third stanza) “Everybody’s been there, everybody’s been stared down by the enemy, fallen for the fear, and done some disappearing, bow down to the mighty, don’t run, just stop holding your tongue.” I think that she’s saying that everyone’s been treated badly or been bullied before, and that when you get bullied, you shouldn’t just run away from the problem. You should defend yourself.

            (Fourth stanza) “Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live, maybe one of these days you can let the light in, show me how big your brave is.” She’s saying that you should be brave and stick up for yourself.

            (Fifth Stanza) “And since your history of silence, won’t do you any good. Did you think it would? Let your words be anything but empty, why don’t you tell them the truth?” I think that she’s saying that being silent and doing nothing against be bullied or bullying won’t help you, and that you have to speak up for yourself and others, and tell the truth.

            In conclusion, the song “Brave” by Sara Bareilles is very inspirational to me. This song helped me learn how to stick up for my self and others, and to not be anyone’s doormat, letting them step all over me. And from now on, because of this song, I will speak up against bullies and will not tolerate bullies.

Where Your Cell Phone Goes to Die (Response)

        In an article in Upfront Magazine, it talks about how our e-waste (electronic waste) is being  

given to other countries and is not being recycled properly. I think that it is wrong for electronic

manufacturers to pay developing countries to take the United State's waste.

        The electronic waste can affect people. For example in the text it says, "In far-flung, mostly

impoverished places in Ghana, India, and China....of children inhaling the smoke from phone casings

as they identify and separate different kinds of plastics for recyclers." And also in the text it says, "most

scientists agree that exposure poses serious health risks, especially to pregnant women and

children....[and] can cause irreversible neurological damage and threaten the development of a child."

The waste can affect people in terrible ways and can put them at risk. It's not right that the United

State's waste is causing this.

         Also, the e-waste is not being recycled properly. For example in the article it says, "Changes in

the way manufacturers glue, screw, and solder components together would make it easier to dismantle

discarded phones and thus reduce the risks posed by crude recycling techniques, like those employed

by children in Ghana." If we don't help change the way that we recycle our e-waste, it can affect our

environment, hurting us. As the quote states, making the components of the electronics easier to

dismantle could help us recycle better. If we did this and recycled the waste on our own, it could help

our environment and the people being affected by the e-waste in the places that the United States is

sending our waste to.

          In conclusion, I think that wrong for manufacturers to be paying other countries to take the

Unites States' e-waste. It affects the people in the countries that the e-waste is being sent to and it is not

being recycled properly. We should recycle our e-waste in the U.S.  If we recycled our e-waste on our

own, it would help the people and the environment.