Vanessa+O’s+Final+AmEx+2015+Speech


 * Title of Speech: **


 * Text of Speech: **

Racism is one of the biggest problems we have to this day. I know most racist jokes are funny and I know sometimes people intend for them to be seen as jokes but they don’t consider how it affects the person. Most people do tend to laugh at the jokes and brush them off but in their heads we never know the real effect the jokes have on them.
 * I'm sorry for my random capitalization of letters but that's how I felt comfortable expressing my feelings/talking about this stuff*

I'd change the discrimination Mexicans face, not just for Mexicans but for everyone it’s just I can relate to it because I get it all the time because I'm what people would call a straight "bean". Yes at times I think about how much I'd fit in if I lived in Mexico because spanish was my first language & I follow all my Mexican traditions. You can hear me speaking more Spanish than English but it doesn't make me less American than anyone else. I'm proud that I'm Mexican but just because I keep my traditions doesn't mean I don't want to be an American too. Just like I loving being Mexican I also loving being an American. I love living here in VTA but I get annoyed when people judge me for speaking Spanish, or when i listen to my Spanish music, or just judging me for being Mexican. You might think I'm joking & it's not that bad but at CMH I was going to help a doctor with stitches & the lady refused to let me help because I was Mexican. She didn't meet me or anything she heard me speaking spanish & said she didn't want a Mexican helping her because I might mess up her stitches on purpose. SAME SEX MARRIAGE SHOULD BE A THING EVERYWHERE. Aziz the actor from Parks & Rec said it best that the only people who don't want SAME SEX MARRIAGE TO BE LEGAL ARE ALL THE OLD PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO DIE SOON. I know it sounds pretty rude to say they will die soon but it's true our generation has grown up with more & more people of the same sex having relationships & we tend not to mind it as much so why stop it? It doesn't affect any of us except we might not be used to seeing someone of the same sex kiss and show affection in public but just because of that why stop someone from marrying their significant other?

GUYS SHOULD NEVER HIT GIRLS. EVER. THIS KID HERE AT FTHS WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT GIRLS HAVING EQUAL RIGHTS AND HE CLAIMED TO ARGUE THAT IF GIRLS WANT EQUAL RIGHTS HE’D GIVE THEM TO WOMEN. HE SAID TO HIM that the MOMENT GIRLS GET EQUAL RIGHTS AS MEN HE’D BE ALLOWED TO PUNCH A GIRL IN THE FACE AND IT BE COMPLETELY OKAY BECAUSE IT’S LIKE HITTING A GUY. FIRST OF ALL SINCE WHEN HAS IT BEEN OKAY TO HURT ANYONE EVER? LET ALONE IS IT OKAY FOR A GIRL TO HIT A GUY OR VICE VERSA. I’VE HAD EXPERIENCE WITH MEN HITTING WOMEN IN MY FAMILY AND IT’S SO HARD TO SEE. I’ve always been pretty shy and quiet and not that long ago I didn’t want to talk to anyone. People would make fun of me because I didn’t talk. They would also say things about my lack of friends because I only have one real friend here, Odalis. My lack of words or friends wasn’t because I was being rude or because there was something wrong with me it was that Juan would hit my mom & I saw it happen multiple times. (Juan is my “dad”) They also would yell and argue all the time. Sometimes because he was drunk out of him mind and she didn’t want to do whatever it was he wanted. Like once he wanted her to go out with him but he was already drunk so she refused. That night was terrible and just thinking about it makes me cry. My brother and sister don’t know this would happen. I was always around when it happened and it had a big affect on me. My mom blamed herself and convinced herself that it was completely okay that he would do things like this to her. She was convinced that he had a reason to do this to her and me. She believed him when he said that she deserved it because NOBODY DESERVED THAT KIND OF TREATMENT. When this happened my grades dropped, I’d have depression, panic attacks, and for a while I thought killing myself would fix it. Then I thought about leaving my younger brother and sister alone and I couldn’t do that because they don’t know this happened and I truly hope they never find out. I was pretty ashamed of these problems with my family and didn’t want anyone to know. I do wish my parents would get a divorce and I’ve heard it so many times that I should be happy that my parents live together because when parents get divorced it’s hard but in my family’s case, Divorce would be the best for everyone in my family. My mom of course is in love with him though and wouldn’t leave him. I don’t go by Vanessa Ojeda anymore I go by Vanessa Rico due to these problems I face with my dad. I hate my dad, absolutely hate him and only see my mom as my only guardian. I take care of her and stand up for her when she needs it because she is the most important thing to me besides my brother sister and dog. My aunt also married an abusive husband so I not only see it in my own family but with my cousins as well.

This also reminds me that people should be more understanding of one another. They don’t know what goes on it each others lives and sometimes that person you’re messing with is at the borderline of losing it. If we are more understanding of one another then teens wouldn’t face things like depression and thoughts of killing themselves.

WOMEN SHOULD BE GETTING EVERYTHING EQUAL AS MEN. THE EXAMPLE I SAID BEFORE THAT MY FRIEND SAID ABOUT HITTING WOMEN BEING OKAY IS NOT THE TYPE OF EQUAL RIGHTS WOMEN DESERVE. I THINK WOMEN SHOULD BE PAID EQUAL AS MEN. AND EVERYTHING ELSE SHOULD BE THE SAME. THERE IS NO REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SEX THAT SHOULD MAKE ONE SEEM SUPERIOR TO THE OTHER.

RAPE SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING. Why is it even a thing!? IT’S 100% NOT OKAY AND NEEDS TO BE STOPPED RIGHT NOW.

BULLYING LIKE WHY EVEN IS IT A THING?! WHY DO PEOPLE PICK ON OTHERS BASED ON LOOKS OR IF THEY DON'T DRESS AS WHAT WE VIEW "NORMAL". IT'S COMPLETELY POINTLESS, IMMATURE & JUST DOWN RIGHT STUPID.

IF SOMEONE DOESN'T THINK THE WAY YOU DO THAT'S FINE, WE ARE NEVER GOING TO HAVE THE SAME OPINIONS BUT WE SHOULDN'T PUT OTHERS IDEAS DOWN.


 * Cite your sources: **