By Amna M. Hussain (Monthly Columnist)
The youth is what carries us and our remnants forward, and The Youth Magazine paves the way for them; founded in August 2020 by a 16-year old Bhagyashree Prabhutendolkar it is not just a platform for inspiring individuals and their stories. It welcomes those who work towards changing the world for the better, those who strive to leave an impact, the voice of those hushed, the home for those excluded and the good in your day to day struggles. We hope to influence, empower, encourage, inspire, support and dare YOU to dream with every issue that we put out, as well as bring back the love for reading that once flowed through all of us.
Lucky for you, we have our first issue out already and here’s a quick rundown of all that you’re missing on. The warm welcoming note to the editor opens doors to a beautiful and thought provoking collection of all forms of art. It includes articles ranging from getting through a stressful time and accepting how different you are to beautifully penned poetry on opportunities, religion and loneliness. From inspirational stories by those teaching yoga for autism to encouragements for changing narratives and fighting for freedom, this issue definitely packs a punch. The art is centered on self-portraits completely out of the ordinary whereas the editorial brings back the nostalgia of newspapers and the importance of them right now. The spotlight remains on the inspiring interview with Ennio Campoli Pattak, a 17 year old with so much to his name already, it not only speaks about his journey and background but is sure to motivate you towards your goals and make you feel like you can make a change in this world too, no matter how old you are.
We heartily support positivity, anti-racism, unity, education but something that we stand by with resilience and are passionate about is
*drumroll please*
EQUALITY
If this was being read aloud in a room of fifteen people, six of them now think of me as a misandrist, four of them are cheering for me while giving their fellow men disgusted looks and none of them even realize how equality is not restricted to gender.
This eight letter uproar does not just compromise of a fight for women rights, equality is fighting for all those discriminated or excluded on the basis of their caste, wealth, religion, race, country, color, gender, age, and abilities. Equality is making sure everyone is given the same opportunities and environment to strive within. Equality is your father and mother being judged on their performances only when given the same opportunities and facilities in their workspace. Equality is the hardworking man with a 9-5 job being paid enough to be able to at the very least give his kids the same education as the owner of that multinational company. Equality is the administration not denying a child’s admission purely based on the color of their skin or a disability. Equality is no one raising their eyebrows when a girl decides to do a job that involves mining, factory work or “dangerous” machinery. Equality is being one and the same.
Now tell me, what is there to hate so much about being …equal??
To understand and work towards equality better, welcome to Equality 101 where we eat the rich, value everyone’s healthcare and do not discriminate BUT to do good, we’ve got to educate ourselves on the bad first;
1) Social Inequality:
When the world settles on being cruel to you for being who you are despite that you were never given a choice in the matter, when status defines what kind of air one gets to breathe in and when your reward of patience and struggle tastes less sweeter than another’s who worked equally as hard. It roots from stereotypes that are forced onto the different groups in society; the thought that every human is not their own person but just a fragment of what they belong to. It can be understood better in two segments:
Inequality of conditions which revolves around the vast differences between income, wealth and material goods which affect people’s living conditions. This may include housing as well as the security, safety and comfort within their environment.
Inequalities of opportunities stem from discrimination within groups that result in one being rewarded with more life chances than another. This includes major problems like the wage gap, and unequal educational opportunities. It also affects the justice system, how white privilege lets criminals roam around free while racism puts a knee to the neck of BIPOC.
2) Economic inequalities:
Economic inequalities are restricted to when someone has not enough to live, while others have more than they need in a lifetime. But the seed has already been planted when wealth begins to divide society into statuses, even without vast differences meaning inequality does not begin with poverty. These inequalities further shape our society into one powered by the rich, for making the law work for them or exerting their interests and disproportionate political influence on those with lesser is not that hard.
On the other side where the grass is not so green, millions of people starve every day, some are homeless, uneducated, helpless, and sick. Speaking of the world today, the coronavirus pandemic makes access to basic needs even harder. Poverty rules, but it doesn’t have to. Education, training policies and social assistance programs can collectively solve this.
Taxing the rich is another way to restore balance. This is mainly because more tax can be collected from high income households than those with a lower income, helping generate enough revenue to not strip the lower class to nothingness.
3) Health Inequalities:
They refer to avoidable and unjust differences in people’s health across the world. The one form of inequality that is cruel enough to refuse someone the same health and life expectancy as another.
The main cause of this is the marginalization of certain individuals or group and is also connected to inequalities of wealth. But it doesn’t stop here;
Most people don’t have access to any sort of health services often depending on the environment their wealth forces them to survive in.
Individuals who experience GBV (gender-based violence) often feel entrapped in their unjust situations because of this environment, which further affects their physical, emotional and psychological health.
People with learning disabilities have a shorter life expectancy than others but according the LeDeR found that 19% of the 112 deaths were potentially avoidable(University of Bristol Norah Fry Center for Disabilities, 2019) if it weren’t for the lack of proper health services, correct diagnosis of/with learning disability and/or inadequate aftercare.
In the words of Martin Luther King,
“Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” (It definitely is.)
What do I do now, you ask?
Acknowledge your privilege. Since it is so normalized it may seem hard at first so starting with yourself is the best way to go, but don’t limit it just to you for a person educated on all that is going on but still continuing to stay silent about it misuses their privilege. If you see someone being oppressed call the other person out and do whatever you can to help them get out of a certain situation. In your daily life, look out for people that might need help, stop supporting fast fashion and prefer thrift stores, support black owned businesses, support small businesses over making billionaires even more rich, volunteer for a good cause, spread awareness, stop discriminating, be inclusive, be kind, be patient, sign petitions, donate, educate, support. Do. Your. Part. Whether big or small, because there are tons of people out there who need you to.