Layers of Our World

     Have you ever noticed how our world is like an onion, and not just because both are round? In society, there are layers and layers that make up our world, just like layers and layers of an onion. Each layer is on top of another, showing the interconnection in issues. For starters, families are based on patriarchy, which emphasizes men and their positions in the family. This is an inequality for women to not have as much power, but at the same time, it is also unfair for men to have more responsibilities. Feminists have been working to bring groups together to fight for their proper rights.
     As long as people live and need to buy items, consumerism will never go away. Necessities are beneficial, but excess items aren't. Toys and games are a good profit for companies, and this is due to advertisement. However, advertisements can be misleading and fool consumers. This involves the media, who may not be exercising ethical responsibility. There is a lot of hate speech heard everywhere, as well as tactics like the persuasive factor in ads. All of this is detrimental to our society, and we need to all contribute to fix these issues.
     To start making our world a better place, we need to eliminate the inequality between genders. I think the best way to solve the problem is to start from the media. The media doesn't realize how much power it has in our society; it can very easily influence and speak out to a crowd, although the media is not responsible for all problems. Right now, persuasive advertisements and plenty of criticism are seen because that's what the media thinks is "best for viewers". If the media becomes more considerate and limits taking advantage of women, people will start viewing women more equally to stop society from being a patriarchy. There won't be as much sexual content that makes women "things", which influences people's opinions on women.
     Also, the government should take part to start enforcing rules on commercials. Ever since 1980, the FTC couldn't regulate any advertising, and that has taken a toll in the US. All other countries have laws regarding ads. Although this would violate the first amendment of the Bill of Rights regarding freedom of speech, fewer commercials for junk food and harmful items will help become less influential in society. So many types of diseases have occurred in the past years, including higher rates of hypertension, cancer, obesity, etc. Life should not be all about money, which is what companies make it seem like, but about well-being.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/ombudsman/2014/08/08/338891417/sexism-only-this-time-about-men
http://faculty.sacredheart.edu/castonguayj/ms101reader/severin.htm