FHP

I recently did a presentation on persuading my audience as to why feminine hygiene products should be tax free. Because periods are not a luxury, so why are they taxed like one?

At the end of my presentation, it was my goal to give my audience a better understanding as to why feminine hygiene products should be tax free.

So every 28 days, a woman's body sheds the lining of their uterus, which is also known as "the sloughing of the uterine lining." For those who are not aware of how menstrual cycles work, it is when the blood flows from the uterus through an opening in the cervix and leaves the body through the vagina. Additional symptoms can include bloating, food cravings, mood swings, lower back pain, and abdominal cramping.

Recently, there have been many protests regarding the issue of women paying thousands of dollars, in their lifetime, for these essentials. One of the most popular protests, "Tampon Tax," is a well known term to call attention to the fact that tampons, as well as other feminine hygiene products are subject to value-added tax or sales tax.

There is a tax exemption for treating erectile dysfunction with Viagra in Wisconsin, yet I cannot say the same for feminine hygiene products. Condoms, chapstick, newspapers, and even DONUTS are not taxed because they are "necessities". Tampons are still taxed as a luxury item... Products that allow women to go to work, school, or to simply not bleed into her clothing while she is eating lunch, are taxed in the United States as a luxury good.

I believe that we should make it more common to talk about menstruation, periods, etc., because half of the world has periods... There are many petitions online to abolish the "tampon tax" in the United States, or you could contact you state legislative body by showing your body. This tax on feminine hygiene products, has taken a major toll on women, especially low-income women...

Change.org is one of the many petitions online to end this tax on feminine hygiene products. If you are interested in changing this burden on women, please sign any of the petitions.

Privacy Please

Do you think the government is watching us?

Have you ever been shopping on a website, or even talking about it with a friend, as soon you see an advertisement about that specific site/item?

From a previous blog I've posted, by definition, privacy is "the state or condition of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people." I wrote a bit on how celebrities may define privacy as the "state of being free from public attention."

I grew up with my mom reminding me that once I post something online, even if I delete it, it will still be out there forever. Now, to me that is skeptical, like why would something still be online if I deleted it? It's because the internet is forever ... According to The Guardian, when a user grants an app access to their camera and microphone, the app could do the following: take pictures and videos without telling you, run real-time face recognition to detect facial features or expressions, and upload random frames of the video stream to your web service and run a proper face recognition software which can find existing photos of you on the internet and create a 3D model based on your face.

Hackers can also gain access to your device without a problem, whether its through apps, PDF files, multimedia messages and even emojis. Once a user opens a PDF file, the hacker is able to install anything they want, find all their passwords, and even steal documents.

I've read many articles like Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Oil Price, and why they believe the government is spying on us, as well as evidence proving that they do. HRW had a news release about new documents revealing "a US Defense Department policy that appears to authorize warrantless monitoring of US citizens and green-card holders whom the executive branch regards as "homegrown violent extremists," referred to as HVE's."

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias occurs from the direct influence of desire on beliefs. It is the tendency to process information by looking for information that is consistent with one's existing beliefs.

      I learned from the presentation that during an election, people are tended to search for positive information that sheds a light on their favored candidate; doing the opposite for other candidates. People will search for information that will only support their beliefs and values. According to Dean Yeong, "Confirmation bias is a common mental error occur when a pre-existing belief interferes the way we think , make decisions, and take actions. When we have a belief or hypothesis in mind that we think it's true, consciously or unconsciously, we are more likely to seek more evidence to prove it right." and "Seeking to confirm our beliefs comes naturally."

Social media is becoming a primary source of news within the United States, making it easier to spread misinformation. As I was reading more into confirmation bias, I found a "lesson" on Confirmation & Other Biases. I believe this is a great content for those who want to do a quick knowledge check on confirmation bias and others.

Can you trust MSM ?

Mainstream Media (MSM): is a term and abbreviation used to refer to the principal/dominant course, tendency, or trend. It can be included in newspaper and broadcast media and is sometimes used to "represent government and corporate interests." This is why the quality of the media's coverage is important. The media presents us with information and alert us when important events occur, which may affect what we think and the actions we take. The media can also put pressure on the government to act by signaling a need for invention or showing that citizens/individuals want a change.

Some examples of mainstream media include NBC, CNN, CBS News, and FOX News channel.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, propaganda is "The systematic dissemination of information, esp. in a biased or misleading way, in order to promote a political cause or point of view."

Mainstream media is presumed to be reliable, yet trust in the media is down. According to Lost trust in the media, "When people were asked why they don't trust the media, about 45 percent referred to things like inaccuracy bias, "fake news," and "alternative facts," the latter two being common descriptions given by Donald Trump and members of his administration...About 10 percent of those surveyed also mentioned sensationalism, "clickbait," or hype as a negative factor."

Many people have mixed feelings about trusting mainstream media. Some think the news is becoming less concerned about ethical practices and focusing more on money and ratings.

Trusting MSM?, is a video link to famous YouTuber's speaking on how they feel about trusting mainstream media.

Online Presence

I have always used social media, ever since I got my first smartphone, yet I was never a fanatic over it. There are all types of people who let people on those platforms control their life, and share everything with them. I could not express my personal information to hundreds or thousands of people that I don't even know. That is just something that I could never be comfortable with.

I currently use Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram (sometimes on a daily basis). I understand that Snapchat helps build their daily user statistics by its users having Snapchat "Streaks." Streaks are only kept if you Snap a picture to each other at least once every 24-hours. I am constantly using Twitter because my friends send me funny or relatable tweets, or I notice them while scrolling on my feed. Twitter also gives me up to date information on politics, or any kind of news that I would like to know. I am not on Instagram as much because, as a college student, I have been very busy with school work and I have not had the time to post pictures or anything along those lines. I also use YouTube on a daily basis because I am a music fanatic and I enjoy watching music videos.

Facebook is not used as much because it does not meet the requirements that I have for a social media platform (like Twitter.) I tend to only use Facebook when I have recently reached a goal, a special occasion, or even when I want to reach out to a long-lost friend. I do not give out any personal information because I know how some people can be, and in my eyes it is very disturbing that people want to watch your every move. The only thing that all of my social media platforms have is my email address, and the only reason for that is because you must enter an email and/or phone number to create an account.

I have been thinking about going off the grid because of all of the incidents that are happening through information found on social media. The fact that it happens so often and it is almost as if anyone can find me or find out about me, scares me to the point where I do not want it anymore. There are scary things happening in the world, and especially to young women who are my age. It is a scary world that we live in and I am just trying to get through it.

(:

For more information on why social media can be bad you, check this out: Is Social Media Bad For You?
This article speaks about how your self-esteem can be affected, as well as the reduce of life satisfaction.

Innovations

"Twitter said that it has 126 million daily active users, a figure that is dwarfed by Facebook's 1.2 billion daily users and that fall short of Snapchat's daily users by 60 million."
For more information on the statistics of Twitter, click the following link: Twitter reveals its daily active users

When I first created a Twitter account, there were not many reasons to use the app due to the lack of its popularity. Instagram was known for sharing photos and liking others' pictures, making it one of the top social media platforms to be used.

Twitter is a social networking and blogging service, allowing users to read and share short messages called "tweets." Twitter messages are limited to 280 characters and account users are able to upload pictures and/or videos. It was created when smartphones were rising to success, for those who wanted to distribute messages to multiple people.

For a couple of years, mainly between middle school and high school, I stopped using Twitter because no one else was really using it and I just did not see a purpose. Then I re-downloaded the app because it became popular and I could see why. There were many trends on Twitter, as well as memes and other funny matters. Twitter also improved their app, offering "dark mode," which makes your feed a dark color instead of the bright white.

Ever since I re-downloaded Twitter, I have yet to delete the app again and I have become a daily user. Although it does not have the most daily users, Twitter has an average of 330 million monthly users, which in my opinion is a decent amount. There are individuals who prefer Twitter, and others who prefer Snapchat, FaceBook, or Instagram. I do not believe that there have been any negative situations within Twitter, other than their low-rising success back in the early 2000s.

Ever since Snapchat came about, people have been expressing their lifestyle less on Instagram because when using Snapchat, you are able to post a story and everyone can see what you're doing at that exact moment. A couple years after that, Instagram improved their social media platform by allowing their users to post 24-hour stories as well, making it a better competition between them and Snapchat.

Free Expression

Stable Change (aka Safety Valve)

"It has been suggested that a society in which angry and alienated citizens are allowed to speak their mind, or "vent," will be more stable, as people will be less likely to resort to violence. It has also been pointed out that allowing the alienated and discontented to speak freely enables government to better monitor potentially dangerous groups who would otherwise act more clandestinely. Ultimately, it is in the governments own self-interest to allow such venting."

I have never thought of violence as a way to resolve issues, yet it seems to frequently happen. I feel as if people would not be as violent if there were people that were willing to listen to their situation and help them.

What others fail to realize is that violence is a universal issue that continues to rise. Regardless to whether it is domestic violence, or even hate crimes, violence has become one of the most serious problems that we face everyday. In the news, we see reports about shootings, robberies, rapes, etc.

Violence happens in multiple forms, not just physical, it can be a type of sexual violence, cultural violence, and verbal violence. It does not matter what type, shape, or form of violence that is being delivered, it is still hurting someone else.

I do believe that if people had the right help and the right support, there will be a difference within society. Yet we have people who do not understand, or just do not care about others and their feelings, or cultural ways.

When it states to "monitor potentially dangerous groups," what does that mean? How can you know whether a group is dangerous based on their personalities or the color of their skin? There are people in this world who try to act tough, yet they may be the sweetest person you have ever met.

This one of eight values of free expression is very difficult to figure out what the actual meaning is, especially when the world is constantly changing.

Free Speech Is Killing Us, is a New York Times article suggesting that noxious language online is causing real-world violence and ways that we are able to change that. If you are interested, check out the article, it might help you realize something new.