Opinion

Izzy

Peer pressure is a huge problem is this world and it has been a problem for a very long amount of time. People may find themselves doing things that they would have never thought they'd be doing. Ruben is a victim in this sad crime that people tend to do. He was eaten up by reality and began doing things that did not really think about. The kind of people that Ruben would be with are the kind of people that will destroy your life but he did not pay any attention to that because he found himself comfortable with those kind people and felt accepted to that group he was affiliated with. So with that said, he lost himself to the crowd and was pretty much brain washed, mostly because of his surroundings. He belonged to a gang and by being in a gang, I am sure he felt powerful in a way with the negative potential he had within himself. He felt like he had to be tough and show no emotion or else he would not have made it in life. But the thing is that, for a lot of people it is all about image and Ruben is a good example of that. We all think he chose his path in life by doing things that would not help the world, but what I think is that he was sucked into picture. Like I said, he felt pressured and wanted to be accepted by people so he did what he had to do. Even though he did not think about it at all, he felt comfortable for a little but deep inside we all know he was not where he wanted to be at all. People become followers and tend to do what their peers do. I know what is right from wrong and I do have morals. That is what keeps me from doing things that I should not do or just not affiliate myself with people that can pressure me into doing so. The kind of society that I am surrounded by influences me in mostly a good way. I am around people that I usually love being with. My girlfriend is the best friend I could ever ask for because of the way she looks out for me and that makes me a better person and makes me think twice about certain things and I am very thankful to have her in my life.

Hafizah

You would think that the people in juvenile hall would always be an outsider to you and no matter what; your mind would not change. But once you really get to know them as actual people and not just someone did something wrong, you begin to think that they know what wrongs they have done and were not thinking at all because of how life just took them by storm. When the inmate read aloud their papers in class, they took me by surprise because you would not think that, that person had the potential to write that kind of essay with that much meaning. I feel like the inmate there were insiders and outsider. They all had a connection to the world but their actions made people not want to be involved with them at all. Like in the book I am reading, the guards do not want to be with that at all times. I feel that everyone is an outsider to the others they are not familiar with and the others that have no clue who you are or even to the ones that absolutely do not know you exist. I tend to feel like an outsider with people that I hang out with for the first time through my friends. Usually when that time comes, I think to myself if I want to stay an outsider to these people or let them into my life. But it all depends on the people and they way they are. I play the insider when I am around with people I know or even with the people I would like to associate with myself. But people can have mood swings and bad days that’s when I can feel like an outside to even the people I know well.