Since I was a young girl, I have always been interested in the way the human body works. Not just the arms and legs, but the nerves, intestines, brain and even the smallest functioning cells. I wanted to know about the parts of the body that we can not see from the outside; the parts that work without having to be instructed to do so. My diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes is what sprouted this hunger for knowledge. I talked to doctors, read books, browsed blogs and read as much as I possibly could about Diabetes on the internet. I discovered that a person is diagnosed with Diabetes when their immune system wages war against the body’s own beta cells (the cells that secrete insulin from the pancreas to help control high and low blood glucose levels). I found this exceptionally interesting, particularly because of the irony behind the “war.” It seemed ludicrous for two different parts of the body to be attacking each other while trying to accomplish the same task: to protect and stabilize the body’s internal environment. It seemed rather comical until I realized that this does not just happen inside the human body; this happens in different social, cultural and religious groups all across the world. Many diverse groups often aim towards a similar goal; however, fail to see their resemblance due to established social norms. From independence and education, to medicine and love, our communities have created expectations intended to be fulfilled and are disabling an entire faction of the populace by doing so.

As if juggling school and social life is not hard enough, the added pressure of trying to please societal criterion has pushed teenagers into living a “survival of the fittest” lifestyle. Whether it be grades, friends, college or careers, teenagers always want the best of the best and are willing to take out anyone imposing on their path to success. Teenagers grow up with a natural craving for independence; to live and succeed on their own. This hankering must be nurtured, but well tamed. Once a person reaches this stage in life, it is important that the parent no longer treat him/her like a child but still provide the teen with a strong sense of guidance.

  “Adolescence is the most important phase in human life. It’s the time when   kids grow up and become teens and a part of being a teen is developing    their own identity by creating their own opinions, thoughts, styles and val-   ues about life. It’s what prepares them for adulthood. But parents are the    last people who see changes in a growing child, so they still treat them like   little kids” (Bellarabi)

Both parents and teenagers are aiming towards one similar goal: independence for the adolescent. For years, children are told that their opinions are inadequate when it comes to making big decisions for themselves, yet, society expects them to know exactly what they want to do for the rest of their life once they reach high school. A student can not even use the restroom without asking, but are supposed to transform their lifestyle with no practice or guidance. There are thousands of self-help books to assist parents of teenagers but no self-help books to aid the teenagers themselves. Although the two different “groups”, juveniles and guardians, have an identical goal, the teenagers have a disadvantage because of the pressure that society has placed on them.
It is no surprise that students struggle to choose a career path for themselves, considering the lack of diverse courses made available to them in high schools. In the last few years, budget cuts have become the largest plague in our education system. Fine arts courses including music, theatre, drawing, painting and sculpture have been cut from the curriculum because of a lack in funding. More often than not, fine arts courses are seen as the least important classes in the educational system because they do not involve numbers and can not always earn a person millions of dollars. Just because Albert Einstein could not paint a portrait, does not mean that art is any less significant than math or science.
  “Low-income students who had arts-rich experiences in high schools were   more than three times as likely to earn a B.A….A new study from the Na-   tional Endowment reports that low-income high school students who    earned few or no arts credits were five times more likely not to graduate    from high school” (Hawkins).
Educators all over the world are focused on one thing and one thing only: to teach and instruct students so that they can succeed in their future careers. Unfortunately, one group of these educators are being deprived of the resources in order to achieve this goal, therefore, they are at a disadvantage.

Education is not the only American practice in shambles. Studies have shown that in the past couple of centuries, western culture has become one of the most popular, widespread phenomenons. In spite of our desired celebrities and fashionable clothing trends, one of the most commercial American exports is Anorexia Nervosa, the fear of being fat. Although the United States is not to blame for the cause of Anorexia, they are at fault for the branding and globalization of the psychological disorder. The U.S. is the country known for the golden arches and bony models. Even in the television commercials selling salty, greasy potato chips, there is a 100 pound, 5’11’’ model holding the bag. Media has become the number one killer of young girls and boys in this country. This “dissatisfaction with their bodies causes many women and girls to strive for the thin ideal. The number one wish for girls ages 11 to 17 is to be thinner, and girls as young as five have expressed fears of getting fat” (Tracy). These children are told from a young age that they should look, walk, and even talk a certain way. What used to be contained in magazines, has spread into our favorite television shows, movies and everyday life. In other countries, Anorexia Nervosa is not caused by the fear of fat. It is instead caused by traumatic experiences that leave a person with the inability to keep food in their stomach or even swallow. Sadly for non-westerners, these American preconceptions drifted into their medicine field as well. “Big brand” medicines were becoming popular in America. Companies started broadcasting their products on television and putting advertisements in magazines, trying to reach out to as many people as they possibly could. These medicines were able to relieve the symptoms of Americans, but could not bring alleviation to the other countries’ patients. “There is no doubt that the Western mental health profession has had a remarkable global influence over the meaning and treatment of mental illness” (Watters 21). Both, America and other countries, want the medication to help cure the symptoms of their citizens. Unfortunately, the popularization of American culture has brought burden onto the suffering citizens of other countries.

One group of suffering citizens that America has, in some ways, failed to address is the LGBT+ community. In 2004, Massachusetts Supreme Court voted and began to allow gay couples to marry.  This was a huge step in their favor, but they still had miles to go. Although 17 states have approved this proposal today, LGBT+ citizens are still suffering from the bullying, beating, and hate crimes of homophobic citizens. On December 28, 2014, Leelah Alcorn committed suicide in Kings Mills, Ohio. Leelah came out as transgender to her Christian parents, and they did not approve. They took away her possessions, sent her to therapy — which only made it worse — and refused to see their daughter as anything other than a boy. In Leelah’s suicide note she said, “The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, with valid feelings and human rights…Gender needs to be taught about in schools…My death needs to mean something…Fix society. Please” (Fantz). It is often said that heterosexual people live an easier life. Well, it is true. Society has told people that anything other than “normal” is wrong. Heterosexuals can walk around in public holding hands and kissing each other, but if a same sex couple were to do the same they would be disparaged. It occurs in sports, careers, schools and even at home. LGBT+ people want to experience the same life and love that heterosexual couples can. Tragically, societal standards have prevented LGBT+s from loving publicly and, even in some cases, living.
Since I was a young girl, I have always been interested in the way the human body works. As I have aged, I have come to realize that the bodies we operate are not fully our own. Everyday, we are constantly manipulated and influenced by the media, people and culture around us. It is our arms, our legs, our head, and our heart, but society tells us how to use them. Our world is made up of many different groups who believe and practice in different ways, but often are heading down a similar path. America has made its citizens believe that they are in good, supportive hands, but if asked, teenagers, educators, foreigners, and LGBT+ citizens would disagree. According to the sufferers and many others, America has gone about fixing its problems by simply covering the issues with American flags and football games. It seems rather comical that two different groups, fighting for the same intentions, would allow themselves to be obliterated by their very own country.