Blog 5 - My Marriage Was Arranged

Link to article - My Marriage Was Arranged  

In the article "My Marriage Was Arranged" published in Good Housekeeping, the author Jyothi Sampat, discussed the process of arranged marriages in India. Sampat starts off with her time during high school how she had never gone on a date. After finishing school in Quebec, she came back to India and was ready for her parents to arrange her marriage. There are many criteria that a man or woman seeks when their parents are looking for someone to marry their child. Some examples of certain criteria that a person should meet are: looks, education, jobs, family background and weight or height. In Sampat's case, her criteria were: he would be tall, not eat meat, does not drink alcohol or smoke. Sampat mentioned that after a couple of weeks after her ad was posted, they received their first response. She began talking to this stranger, and after the fourth phone call, Sampat decided that she wanted to marry him. Most couples don't meet at all until their wedding day, or a couple days before their wedding. It wasn't until after Sampat had married her husband, Praveen Sampat, where they began to get to know each other and learned each other’s interests. After their marriage, they moved to the United States and settled down in Phoenix, Arizona. Although Jyothi Sampat and Praveen Sampat's marriage was arranged, Jyothi still had a hard time explaining to people how she met her husband. People would judge and say things such as, "Wow" or "I didn't know such things still existed." Even though their marriage was arranged, Jyothi was happy and believed in what her mother had told her when she was younger, "love comes after marriage." Because that is when you get to know someone and have all of the fun. 

In my opinion, I would never allow to have an arranged marriage for myself. I don't think I will be able to marry someone who I do not know, even though my parents have picked out the "perfect" man for me to marry. I believe that love comes from the heart, not by choice. I understand that arranged marriages are still happening until this day in different countries, but I'm very glad that I grew up with a choice of who I can date and who I can marry. People who have arranged marriages enjoy the time of getting to know their spouse after marriage, but I would prefer to get to know someone before marrying them. Because you may never know, sometimes, that person may not turn out to be whom they claim to be. I don't have any bad intentions on arranged marriages, but it is something that I would have to refuse to do, even if my parents told me so. I would be a lot happier marrying someone that I have met before and know, than to marry a stranger.

Blog 4 - Is Losing Weight Worth Your Life?

Link to article - Is Losing Weight Worth Your Life?

 In the article "Is Losing Weight Worth Your Life" published in Redbook, the author, Laura Beil, discusses the problems and side effects of weight loss supplements. According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, roughly one in five people in the United States of America have tried a weight loss supplement. These medications to help lose weight can put well-intentioned women at risk. Dietary supplements can only contain ingredients that are already found in the FDA. Instead of these weight loss medications helping people lose weight,  it is actually shrinking their wallet. Consumers pay the price. These medications can cause liver problems and patients will face symptoms such as nausea, sweating, and extreme fatigue. Melinda Manore, published a review in 2012 of how dangerous these medications are. She stated, "When you look at the evidence, there isn't any support." Tim Blood, a San Diego also mentioned, "You don't know what's in them." The FDA has attempted to ensure that supplements that have hit the market will have random spot checks of shipments to distributors.

                                  http://www.poison.org/articles/2013-jul/are-weight-loss-supplements-safe

After reading the article about the weight loss supplement, I would not recommend anyone to use the product. I am strongly against these kind of medications because there are many other ways to stay healthy and lose weight. I feel that these kinds of supplements are for people who are lazy, in my honest opinion. There is the gym that people can go to, even going for a little jog or walk outside of the neighborhood to lose weight or stay consistent with their health. In the photo shown above, a woman is eating nothing but diet pills to lose weight. This is a strong photo to show how these pills are not healthy and not good for you. Most times, that is the only thing people eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Or sometimes, eating it along with their meals. I believe that people should do some research before taking such actions using a supplement they have never tried before. I have known someone before who is a friend of a family member that has passed away due to these kinds of weight loss medications. It caused her many liver problems to the point where she ended up in the hospital and had passed away. Although there are many recalls on these types of medications, I still do not think that they are safe. I will never take these medications and I hope that none of my family and friends will take them either.

Blog 3 - Side by Side

In the article, "Side by Side" published in Hispanic Magazine, the author, Melinda Marchado, discusses the gender war between Latino men and Latina women in the work industry. In the traditional Hispanic families, while women are relegated to more domestic rules, the Hispanic men voice is often considered law. Some men in the corporate world make remarks about their wives saying how they exempt them to take care of the children and stay home. Hispanic males in corporate America look at their Latina colleagues as a threat if they were to get a promotion or move on up from the ladder. The Hispanic men will hold a lot of resentment towards the women if they get the higher position. Edmundo Gonzales, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Office of Labor Management Standards in the Department of Labor says, "Hispanic males tend to traditionally characterize women as subservient and generally not equal -- especially Hispanic women." That can cause a lot of controversy between the male and female in the corporate world as women are starting to make a climb. At the beginning of a man's work in a workplace, they will view women as a a subordinate. But once after working with the female for a while, they begin to view each other as partners. Women these days are working a lot harder and it has become important for both men and women to work together and put aside their differences.

After reading the article, I have come to realize that although time has changed and women are now moving on up within the work world in general, some men are still viewing women lower than them. I was not surprised that in the article, it was mentioned how women are viewed as subordinate. For example, even Hilary Clinton was viewed down on by some people when she was running for president of the United States just because she was a women. I strongly believe that there will always be some men who looks down on women, but as the generation continues on, women are only making a stronger view of themselves.

Blog 2 - Haircuts or Turbans

                                             
In the article, "Haircuts or Turbans" published in The New York Times, the author, Amelia Gentleman discusses the new generation of Sikh men choosing style over tradition by cutting their hair and abandoning their turbans. Sikhism is based on the belief in one God and the rejection of the Hindu caste system which was founded in northern India during the 15th century. As of today there are eighteen million Sikhs in India and about twenty-three million worldwide. It is mentioned in the article that long hair is a symbol and representation of their Sikh pride, and Sikh leaders have prohibited their members from cutting their hair. It's a problem today because young Sikh men want to stand out by cutting their hair. Today, about half of the Sikh men in India are now letting go of their turban. There are some who are upset about the new trend that is going on. Jaswinder Singh, a lawyer and leader of the turban pride movement stated, "We are going to have to battle hard to turn back the tide. India won't have anymore Sikhs in turbans." A pop star in India, Pammi Bai, strongly agrees that getting rid of the turban is not a good idea. He wears a bright yellow turban and released a single as a part of the turban pride. He sings about the glory of wearing a turban.
                                                                                          

After reading the article by Amelia Gentleman, I began to realize how important it is to respect your beliefs in some culture. I was a bit surprised due to the fact that more and more men are getting rid of their turban because Sikhism is a really strong belief to some people. It was also mentioned in the article that some working mothers are feeling "too rushed" to teach their son's how to use a turban and allowed their child to cut their hair. That also surprised me because I would had thought that the mother's would be more strict on abandoning the Sikh pride. In the photo shown below, a Sikh man shows the process of putting his long hair into the turban. As a child of a different culture, there are many similarities that we share. I am Hmong, where our people are located in Laos. When the Hmong came to America in the late 1970's, early 1980's, we carried on our traditions to the States. Hmong mother's prefer their daughters to keep their hair long and black, as a sign of natural beauty. For the new generation, many Hmong daughters are now coloring their hair different colors to follow the trend. Some Hmong mother's don't allow their daughters to color their hair until they are of an older age. Some don't allow their daughters to color their hair at all. I can relate to the men in India who are getting rid of their turbans, as I am a Hmong daughter who did not keep my long, black hair to embrace my beauty in my culture as they wished.

Photo credit - http://imgarcade.com/1/sikh-man-without-turban/