Austin+H’s+Final+AmEx+2014+Speech

=Title of Speech=

Judgment in Today’s Society
=Text of Speech=

As today’s individuals are flooded with marketing, advertisements, and a slew of what the social norm should look and be like, being yourself is practically impossible. Being you is being different and not the same cookie cutter individual that rocks all Gucci, Vans, Hollister or any of the widely known brands. Yes being yourself will seem like a outlier to some. Being an outlier is being weird. Weird isn’t the social norm, thus the outcome is you being judged as odd or a misplaced individual. Not only through by how you look, but how you act. The term “be yourself”, yeah I know, you’ve been told it a thousand times, but ask yourself, at this moment, are you “you”, or have you been influenced to act differently in certain instances, for example, at school vs. at home with friends vs. parents, etc. For me, school and people’s opinion crafted me abruptly in the past years, with a constant bombardment of bullying since 4th grade up until freshmen year and being called a “faggot, emo, or gay” countless times really made me rethink myself as a whole. I felt I needed to change. I felt I needed to fit in. It resulted in me in quotes “trying to fit in”. Buying those same old black Vans classic shoes, shirts with only Volcom, Vans, or Hurley, written all over them and basic blue jeans that as an outfit would dictate me as “cool” or in with the times. This judgment of clothes, personality, hobbies, attributes, and how you act change people into something they are not. You aren’t you anymore, you’re a walking billboard of other peoples idea’s and only say what’s cool or makes you sound the best. It’s truly affected me for years and I see instances of it every day. From my point of view two major forms of judgment are defining today’s society: Physical Judgment and Personal Judgment.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. I find this statement completely relevant; you cannot uncover who the person is by how they look. Experience is key in determining who someone truly is. A friend of mine recently had a traumatic experience because of how he looks, I will call him A. A has been one of my best friends since 3rd grade, he is someone who has gone through so much, it bewilders me how confident and strong he has stayed throughout his life. Two weeks ago my mom informed me that he has been out of school for the past couple of months, missing all of his classes and will have to make them up during the summer. Last time I was hanging out with A, was in November after his mother invited my family and I over. He was in his room for the whole day, wouldn’t speak and only came out to eat. At that time I thought he was too tired or exhausted from the past weekend, I have only seen him cheerful and upbeat. It was really a surprise when my mom informed me he has been out of school for so long. I then learned that A was being called the n-word repeated throughout his high school career. This single word was driving him into the depths of depression and suicidal thoughts. Now the reason for his unusual behavior was becoming clearer. One intolerable word provoked this, spoken to him as an insult, resulted in his struggle. This upset me immensely when I heard the news. How could some call my friend an n-word just because he is African American? They don’t know who he is, his story, where he’s from, and for sure has not shared experiences like I have with him. Why does he have to be judged by his skin color? A was adopted by his now mother at a very young age; A has never known his true parents because they were habit drug and alcohol users who threw him and his brother aside. He grew up in east Ventura and Oxnard for most of his life, A’s family of him, his brother, sister, and single mother has never owned a house because of the costly fees that reside with ownership, therefore having to live where it’s possible. He has been jumping around so much it was hard for him to stay adjusted. As a player in the Ventura Football Team and has achieved multiple math awards, he is far from a slack off student. After what he has lived for, he is then classified as an n-word. Really, what out of his life makes him an n-word, his skin color? No, attributes of anyone never qualify them to be this unbearable trait. The n-word shouldn’t ever be used as a description word only a non-existing word that once was used as a racial slur in Mid-American history that is now diminished. After enduring this treatment, A is now in a rehab facility in Utah, costing his already underprivileged family thousands of dollars. This whole controversy was started by one word, leading to a detrimental outcome that has been stressful, time consuming, and costly.

With social media showing your information, anyone can look at your profile and see who you are by the accounts activity. Instagram and Facebook are the most prominent examples of this. The information you put on the accounts is usually the better side of you or the best of you, just to look alluring. A couple square photos or a few status updates can’t describe an individual. Therefore social media adds to this personal side of judgment, showing only parts not the true self. Here is the problem, if everyone were to be extremely personal and open on the internet, the real you would be pronounced, but the negative side of it would include cyberbullying, hate, and so forth. There is no easy solution to this, but in logical analysis, just ignore the hatred, you are you and as Scott Mescudi conveys in his music, “they go judge me anyway, so whatever.” Social media is what it is and will never change.

In today’s time, this idea of fitting is pretty bs. You end up portraying someone you aren’t by following the latest trends of clothing, music, foods, TV programs, etc. But where is the individuality? No esta aqui. Posting pictures of your Starbucks coffee hoping to get 50 likes is pretty cool, I’m so jealous, (wink). Writing TURN UP as a comment isn’t beneficial in any way. Taking the same snapchat and retaking it until its perfect is just a waste of time. Posting how insane your Friday night was on Instagram so you look as popular as ever. Listening to TURN DOWN FOR WHAT doesn’t make you the biggest partier ever. #Everything. Failing a test and bragging about it is completely idiotic. All of these ideas are contributed to the stereotypical society of today, since all these idea are attained in a mass amount, you feel as if you are fitting in. You are judged if you aren’t in the latest trend, your individuality is now gone.

In the America I grow old in I want to see a decline in judgment, and a boost in individuality. Your physical appearance should not describe you; more people need to get to know others through experience not by their Instagram page, less social media trends highlighting a teenager’s life, and being the you that isn’t influenced by anyone else. I’m not saying go be the biggest hipster ever, I preach to act and be undisturbed and uninterrupted, be your own leader, your own role model. As Common dictates during Man On the Moon-End of Day, “Content with being blinded by rules and judgment. We live in a world where it's more okay to follow than to lead. In this world being a leader is trouble for the system we are all accustomed to. Being a leader in this day and age is being a threat.” Being you actual means to go with your instinct, be your own leader, and of course your own ideas. Don’t let judgment tell you how you can or can’t act. And as clique as it sounds “BE YOU AND ONLY YOU”. Thank you.

=Cite Your Sources= Lyrics from Man On the Moon by Kid CuDi

Songs: In My Dreams Up Up & Away