Wise Monkey News is here to provide young people an opportunity to discuss the issues that affect their lives. We hope that, through your participation, this website serves as a forum for the development, exchange, and expression of ideas that will prepare us to assume our positions as the leaders of tomorrow's world. Have something to say?
Chile: Challenging immigration
by: Mono Vergara - printed on 09-12-2001
Between llamas and chinchillas, colorful hats and the dry altiplano, I was slowly going up the Peruvian Andes in an old bus. The sky was turning into that bloody color and the smell of hard working men was dancing on the tip of my nose. The police stopped the bus and we were forced to get out. I was about to have my first encounter with one of the most corrupted and bureaucratic police forces in South America.
Japan's Forgotten People: The Ainu
by: Kukiko Iwamoto - printed on 04-11-2001
A widespread belief about Japan is that it is a homogenous nation. But there are minorities in Japan. About ten thousand years ago, people lived in the northern part of Japan (now called Hokkaido) who were ethnically separated from the rest of Japanese population by their different lifestyle, culture, and language. These people were called “Ainu” which means “human being” in their own language. Today, the Ainu are considered an indigenous people.
More than an attack on freedom and justice
by: Cailan MacPherson - printed on 09-26-2001
I’m worried more than I was a week ago. At first, it was good to see so much solidarity among the public and the federal government. Of course, this is to be expected in the aftermath of such a horrible act. The problem is that the most crucial elements of the democratic institution of the United States has been compromised by the very event that is supposedly allowing it to show its strength.
The Death Penalty is state sponsored murder
by: Kawai Washburn - printed on 03-06-2002
What is justice?
Stop and think about it for a second, because it's a difficult question to answer. Often, what may seem fair, right and just to one person is nothing of the sort to another person. What is the appropriate response to a crime? Indentured slave labor in barren wastelands has been tried. Solitary confinement in a sensory deprivation cell is another alternative. Then, of course, there is always the option of just killing the criminal.
Society and Biology Influence Gender
by: Katia Moles - printed on 09-25-2002
of my earliest childhood memories is of my dearest friend and I happily bouncing on my bed when he abruptly said, "My mom says if boys wear girls’ clothes, they go to hell."
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” an archaic notion
by: Emily Marie Dinges - printed on 03-28-2001
Discrimination. That’s an icky word. It is defined as “treatment based on class or category rather than individual merit.” Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the United States military is doing today: discriminating against gays and lesbians.
Before 1993, gays and lesbians were barred from serving in the military. President Clinton worked to change this and the compromise solution, “Don’t ask, don’t tell” was born.