(Editor’s Note: These letters are ones submitted by students at Escalon High School as part of a class project. The Times will print a couple of submissions each week during November.)
Who Will Feed Them?
Dear Editor,
“There will be 9 billion people on this earth by the year 2050 and who is going to feed them”, a quote stated by many news reporters. This is an inevitable problem that we will be facing sooner than later and something needs to change. Society today pushes us to pursue any form of job we desire, but is what we desire what we need in today’s world. It’s true that you can choose a job pathway and any sort of career you want, but what we need to keep this world functioning are more farmers. We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for the people growing and raising our food. People are not considering farming as much as they used to because many consider it a hard and challenging job and it’s true. I know because I have come from generations of farmers and raising food for the general public is not an easy task with some days lasting from early in the morning into the late hours of the night. As more areas are starting to urbanize we are losing focus that land is something we can use and something we truly need in order to keep our country and the world thriving.
In history we can see that absolutely no civilization would prosper if it weren’t for farming and agriculturalists. Today there are so many jobs that are indirectly related to agriculture like agricultural teachers, veterinarians, and herdsmen, but not once in my life has anyone outside of my family told me to pursue farming which is the most directly related career to which we need today and for the future. I do not discourage anyone who is indirectly involved with agriculture because if it wasn’t for them there would be no one to support our farmers. Most farmers today are starting to disappear and we need to be the generation to step up and fill their shoes, for if we don’t I do not know what will happen.
There are ways to encourage people to get involved with farming such as learning how to grow plants or simply going to your local farmers market. Technology today has benefited farming too with there being new machines that can replace laborers and work faster and more efficient than ever before. Another solution is to educate the public about this issue and to inform them that this is a serious issue that we can’t just ignore. Being the Delta-Cal Section FFA Vice President I can tell you that the students in this organization have a better knowledge of agriculture and especially farmers than regular students. Many of the new people I meet in this organization have no historical ties to agriculture, but they know the importance of farming.
That being said, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from but that you can help spread awareness about this issue and its importance.
Sincerely,
Austin Terra
Thoughts On Racism
Dear Editor,
I believe Racism is a big controversy in society. People judge others based on their race or their color. Some people distinguish their race to be inferior or superior when comparing it to another. Due to racism it often results in discrimination towards people based on their race or ethnicity. Some races are portrayed differently in the media, for example they often judge NBA players due to their color and height including NFL players and other sports as well. Studies show that the United States is more diverse than any of the other countries because many people immigrated during the late 1800s and early 1900s for several reasons.
African Americans, Hispanics, Irish, Italians, Jewish, and Middle Easterners continue to face stereotypes. Due to how the media perceives Religion and Racism, children are mainly affected by this and are vulnerable to the media’s stereotypes because they’re still learning as they grow up and are very limited to how they view the world. The races that are mainly stereotyped in today’s society are African Americans and Hispanics. Due to the media they’re portrayed as unintelligent, lazy, and are often the ones responsible for creating conflict. These stereotypes are extremely influenced by the media and films. People see mostly the African Americans to be in the lowest working class with large families and small businesses. This controversy is extremely intriguing because every individual is the same. Despite appearances and the fact that we all have our different beliefs we’re all very similar. We must help each and everyone combat obstacles in this journey of life. In order to eliminate racism you must create friendships with people that are different from you, learn about other people along with their culture and don’t make rude racist comments.
Sincerely,
Giselle Pulido
