10. A tolerant society | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Seasonal

The 10 Things I Want For Christmas This Year But Can't Buy In Any Store

Check out these great gift ideas for Christmas 2018!

220
https://unsplash.com/photos/PxM8aeJbzvk

In This Article:

Apparently, we start celebrating Christmas in November so I guess it's time for me to make out my wishlist this year. Every year, we make out our holiday wishlists in hopes that Santa will bring about the presents we so desperately want. This year, I've decided to put out my list for all to see, in the hopes that others will get some great ideas if they're struggling to figure out what they really want for Christmas.

1. An end to poverty

The poverty rate of the United States as of 2016 is 12.5% which is confusing since we are one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But, instead of helping those in need, our government and others like to blame poor people for their problems and not the immense economic unrest. It would be really nice if everyone could live happy, healthy, financially secure lives this season.

2. Common sense gun laws

If you haven't been paying attention to the news, it seems like there is a new mass shooting almost every week. In 2017, more than 15,549 people were killed by gun violence in the US making the United States a leader for gun-related deaths in the world. While I understand owning a gun for protection against those who wish to cause harm to others, there really isn't a need for you to have military grade weapons on your person. Also, the "good guy with a gun" logic is really just a fantasy since most "good guys with guns" are killed by bad guys with guns or shot by the police in confusion.

3. More protective rights for transgender folk

Recently, the Trump administration proposed a bill that would strip a trans person of their civil rights. The bill would halt the federal recognition of a person's gender and require genetic testing in order to match a person gender with the sex they were assigned with at birth. If put into law, this will completely erase trans folk from the narrative of our country's history and force them back into darkness. As a gay man, I believe it is my duty as a member of the LGBTQ+ community to help protect my trans brothers and sisters and give them a platform on which to speak.

4. For Tammy Lasagna (Tomi Lahren) to get banned from Twitter

Tammy Lasagna, the far-right darling who is a personification of the master race, likes to spew her ignorant and bigoted views into the Twittersphere whenever she feels like it. I believe that if we take away Tanya's privileges, she will finally go away and leave us alone. But, seriously, Tommy could use her platform for good rather than being an absolute witch to the disenfranchised.

5. For Donald Trump to get banned from Twitter

This is self-explanatory.

6. An end to rampant racism, sexism, and homophobia

Racism, sexism, transphobia, and homophobia still exist. I shouldn't have to go into detail about this, just turn on the news.

7. More tolerance for immigrants

Immigrants are what make America great, and yet we still feel the need to demonize them. legal or not, we should make all people feel welcome here. We should celebrate the different languages and cultures they bring with them, not hate them.

8. Free college for those looking for an education

Let's face it: college is expensive and exclusionary to those who cannot afford it. Sure, they could take out a loan, but they'll be paying that loan off for the rest of their lives. They also could get a college job but it would sort of cut into their studies in a negative way. Also, FAFSA really doesn't provide much help. I believe that we should have a university system that is either completely free or has a sliding tuition that allows people to pay what they can afford. Higher education should be open to all, not only a select few.

9. Affordable healthcare for those who are sick

While we do have things like Medicare that helps people pay for medical expenses, as well as places like Planned Parenthood that provide affordable medical services, there are still 44 million people in America without healthcare. Then, another 38 million have inadequate healthcare services, leaving them sick and hurt. Adequate healthcare should be a basic human right given to all people, regardless of wealth.

10. A tolerant society

Are we more tolerant in 2018 than in 1958? yes, we are. Do we still have a long way to go? yes, we do. Listen, I know it's a bit silly to want a fully tolerant society: humans aren't always the kindest to the other, especially if they are different from them. I just want to realize that we still have work to do when it comes to making everyone in the US feel welcome.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
girls with mascot
Personal Photo

College is tough, we all know. Here are 8 gifs you will 99% relate to if you are in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

7 Things College Has Taught Me

Other than knowledge and all those important things

83
7 Things College Has Taught Me
We Know Memes

So, college is the place where you're supposed to learn all of these amazing life skills.

Here are the top seven skills I have learned thus far.

Keep Reading...Show less
college

College is some of the greatest years of anyone's life. Its a time to be outrageous, different and free; a time to do everything you were afraid to do. Here are 38 things you will learn during your four (maybe, five or six) years in college!

1. As a freshman, one does get to be called “freshman” by upperclassmen when they walk to parties in a mob of people.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

6 Unrealistic Expectations Society Has For Young Adults

Don't let the thesaurus-inspired vocabularies in our résumés fool you. We're actually just big kids.

2750
boy in adult clothes

Well over four feet tall and 100 pounds in weight, many of us "young adults" of the world still consider ourselves children. Big, working, college-attending, beer-drinking children. We may live on our own, know how to cook noodles, and occasionally use a planner, but don't be fooled; the youthful tendencies that reside within us still make their way into our daily lives. From choosing to stay up until 3:00 a.m. playing video games on a school night to going out in 30 degree weather without a coat, we still make decisions that our parents and grandparents would shake their heads at in disappointment. So why are we expected to know exactly how to be a wise, professional, sensible adult? It's not that we're irresponsible (for the most part, anyway). It's that we are young, inexperienced, and still have the sought-after, enthusiastic mentality that we can do and be whatever we want, which has not yet been tarnished by the reality of the world. These are just a few of the unrealistic expectations that society has for young adults.

Keep Reading...Show less
pizza
Fandango

There are a lot of foods in this world, but there is only one dish that stands above the rest: Pizza. If you're close to me or at least know who I am, then you know that I'm totally obsessed with pizza. It's one of my favorite things to eat and I will NEVER turn down a slice, even if it doesn't have my favorite toppings. There isn't a day that goes by where I'm not thinking about pizza. I even sleep with a pizza pillow every night! There are many reasons why pizza stands above all other foods, and here are just a couple reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments