 Hello and welcome back to Teens on Topic. I'm your host, Cedric Hughes and today we'll be talking about our hopes for 2020, but first let's take a look at what members of the community have to say. So what are your hopes for 2020? I hope that we do more to help our planet and counteract climate change. What are your hopes for 2020? An end to the madness. Thank you. What are your hopes for 2020? I believe that my hopes for 2020 would have to be getting good grades. You know, grades are the most important thing at the moment. My hopes is to get my grades up because I'm not really doing too good. I need to at least get some seeds so I can not repeat the grade, you know what I'm saying? Can I strap myself up? Y'all should follow the ground. YR, Y.R.N. What are your hopes for 2020? My hope is to basically keep up with school and pass this year. That's my hopes. Good luck. Thank you. What are your hopes for 2020? My hopes for 2020 I would think would be, I think it's just a better community. Just all around the world. I think maybe more people advocating for peace. I think it can be done. I think we just have to cross barriers to really understand each other. But also just reach a common goal too. We saw a lot of interesting opinions from members of the Davis community. But first, looking big picture. We saw a lot of the members talking about international things. The first woman she mentioned climate change. So on a global scale, what do you guys think of that as being one of the most pressing matters that we as a society face, is climate change? Yeah, I definitely think that climate change is something that's a super big problem now. Because it affects every single human on the planet, regardless of class or country or region or anything like that. So I think it doesn't make sense to not be putting as many resources as we possibly can towards addressing that problem. And I know this has been an issue we've been dealing with for a long time, like the past century even. But I think we're at a point now where people are finally starting to realize that if we don't do something now, it'll eventually be too late. We have people like Greta Thunberg who are leading a worldwide movement to try and make change now. And I really feel like we're at a point where we have an opportunity to do that. And I would like to see that happen. So what do you think? I feel like with this issue, what's even adding on to that, what's even more unbelievable is when people don't believe that climate change is happening. Look, it's snowing. When people say stuff like that, it's just so absolutely ridiculous. But this change definitely has to be systematic. I don't believe it can be done by the individuals here and there. Of course, all the individuals coming together to create a movement, going under Greta's movements about climate change, this is happening. I feel like it's definitely very important, but at the same time, one person just here and one person there, it's hard to make that difference and everyone really needs to support this movement. Yeah, definitely. I think I totally agree with both of you on that and that we see climate change as one of the most pressing matters. For me, when I look big picture, I think that international cooperation is one of the biggest challenges that we're facing. And I think that we see climate change on the forefront of that issue and as America, we've pulled out of so many international agreements like the Paris Agreement, the Kyoto Protocols, things that we're no longer supporting to combat climate change. And so personally, when I look at the matter, I think that we do need to see more international cooperation and not just from big players like America, but from everyone all around the world to combat climate change that we are all facing. Yeah, I think part of that too is that if you have one big country like the U.S. or China not doing their part, that basically just sends a message to every other country that it doesn't matter and like there's no point if the U.S. is doing it, if China is doing it, if all of these other countries are doing it, then why should we hurt our economy for the sake of protecting a planet that other people are not willing to do the same for? Definitely, yeah. Zoe, what do you think? Well, also I think this country is like the second largest contributor to climate change, like the amount of waste that we use, the amount that we consume because of capitalism and materialism. And I feel like it's just so irresponsible for us not to be a part of this change, especially since we're such large contributors to it in comparison to other countries that are a lot smaller in population. And yeah, just their overall contribution to global warming. Yeah, definitely. So I know that this segment that we have today, it's more about what are our hopes for 2020, but I think we could get into a little bit discussing how we're going to get there. So just on this climate change issue that I think we all agree is one of the biggest international concerns globally. What do you guys think are maybe some things that could be done, some solutions? I think the first step is we need people to stop saying that climate change isn't real. I think there are so many issues in the world where it's valid for people to have different opinions, but climate change is not one of those. You can't have an opinion on something that's basically an objective fact. You can't say my opinion is that 2 plus 2 is 5, you're just wrong. I think it's the same thing with climate change. The facts are very clear, the science is very clear, and we're not going to be able to solve a problem that we don't even acknowledge exists. So I think to actually be able to bring change, we need to, starting off with the United States, we need to acknowledge this as being the pressing issue that it is, and then from there we can work towards trying to find solutions. Sure. Zoe, what do you think in terms of solutions? No, I definitely agree with the first thing. We have to make sure that everyone knows that this is a real thing and this is happening, because I do agree there's objective and subjective truth. This is objective truth that this is happening, that global warming is happening and that we're killing off the Earth and all the species. So I definitely agree, that's the first step we need to take. Yeah, definitely. I think you guys have heard my opinion on it. That need for more international cooperation. I think that countries like America, like China, India, we need to be as global leaders, we need to be showing the world that we can move towards progress both by re-entering into old agreements like say the Paris Climate Accords or the Kyoto Protocol, but also pioneering new technologies to achieve a sustainable future here at home, like looking at renewable energy, so solar, wind, and beginning to move away from fossil fuels. Because I think so often the argument against working to solve climate change is that oh, we have jobs dependent on coal or we have so much oil and the economy is based on oil, we would lose so much money if we stopped doing that. But I think in truth if we were to become like, if the US were to become the world's global leader in renewable energy like solar power, wind power and just get those technologies improved, get them working, that could not only save the planet but also just bring a huge economic gain to our country too. So I think economic gain and protecting the planet are not at all mutually exclusive. Yeah, Zoe, do you have any other thoughts on that? No, I'm afraid not. Well, I mean I think looking forward just on this global issue I think that just even right here some ideas have been thrown out for solutions. So I think, you know, at least for me, you know, I'm confident that in 2020 we're going to see so many new improvements, you know, I think, and that if, you know, if not this year, you know, in the coming years we're going to be moving towards progress. So now let's take a step back from the international community and let's look just at America. So one of the women in the community who did those interviews said that in 2020 we need to end the madness. I love that, yeah. Yeah, so that was kind of caught us off guard. When I heard that, I interpreted that as kind of something a little more nationally. I mean, I think it could be interpreted anyway. What did you guys think of that? I definitely think that's true. I think one of my hopes for 2020 just in the U.S. is that the 2020 presidential election goes well and what I mean by that is that I hope whichever candidate wins, it's like a good victory, not tainted by like candidates like trying to cheat using foreign countries or trying to just do all this sketchy stuff just to win. And I hope that the candidate that loses is willing to say, yes, I lost. My opponent will now be in an office. Let's work towards like doing good things now, even though I'm not president. So basically I just hope that the madness ends by both candidates and both parties in the 2020 presidential election being willing to work towards compromise even after that ends. Yeah. Because I think by madness, I mean, what I would take that to mean is just this whole political climate of Republicans saying, Democrats are always wrong no matter what. I'm not listening. And both parties doing that same thing, like Democrats are honestly no better. That madness of just political polarization, people not being willing to compromise has to end. Yeah. Zoe, what do you think? I think when I heard her say the madness ends, my thought immediately went to the Oval Office and to politics. And however, since 2016, like the divide between Democrat and Republican has been completely polarized with President Trump in office. And so with all this debacle, like, of course, it's a very stressful time. Like what side do I pick? But also I feel like things are, I feel like social movements are getting done with all this, I guess with this turmoil, it's really getting people thinking. Like it's really getting people thinking about the past and the present and the future. And so, but I do agree, I'm sorry, I do agree this madness should definitely end. And when I was, yeah, I feel like she was talking a lot about the Oval Office, especially how we started 2020 with causing trouble in international affairs. Like already 15, 16 days into 2020 and we've already fallen to that rabbit hole. And so I agree too that I really want this conflict to stop. Like I think America should be as united as possible. But I also understand like conflict is the way to get, you need to have conflict to be able to get things done. And I feel like I've been really happy with the social progress in May 2019 whether it's with economics or even if it's something strictly social like body positivity or something like that. I feel like there's been lots of movements made in the right direction. And I feel like at the end of the day like conflict did do that. Like conflict is what got people thinking. So while I do agree, I don't want America to be divided in two anymore. I feel like it's not healthy to believe that a country is split strictly in two positions. It's a whole spectrum. I think that that's a really interesting point to bring up is what conflict means. And I completely agree. I think that whenever we see change that is meaningful it has always arisen out of conflict. Every time that we see our nation or the world move forward in any meaningful way we always see a group of people who oppose that change and oftentimes are going to fight to try and keep things at the end of the way they are. So change always takes conflict. But then you mentioned political polarization. So I think that it's not so black and white. We need to ask ourselves what is good conflict and what is bad conflict going into this year. So we've seen in our own government exponential decline in the amount of cooperation between Democrats and Republicans. 20 years ago many of the bills that were passed in the House of Representatives and the Senate were bipartisan. So we saw Democrats and Republicans working together. Now a majority of the bills that are passed are either completely drafted and voted on by Democrats or drafted on and voted by Republicans. Short we still see some bipartisanship but a lot of that has gone away. So I think that while we need conflict to move forward and we see that with everything from social rights to building new democracies we also need some working together like what Ben was talking about and an end to the madness of political polarization. For sure. Now we can step back a little bit go even a little smaller than national scale. Let's talk about ourselves. Do we have any goals for 2020? I want to start us off. I think I just want to do well in college. I mean since we're all three of us are seniors and we've applied to colleges we're eagerly awaiting our responses. Like stepping into a completely new community potentially a completely new state it's just a really scary thought because I spent like all 18 years of my life like building myself up in Davis, California. So it's going to be really interesting seeing like going off into the great unknown seeing what we're going to run into. I mean for example like Davis is a really going back to the political topic Davis is a heavily liberal community and so it's going to be really interesting to go and just be reminded that the world is a lot bigger than this population of 60,000 residents in Davis, California. Yeah Ben what are your goals for 2020? I think to me it's a similar kind of thing I know I'll be going somewhere new being a part of a new community and I want to get to know a lot of people who have experiences that are significantly different from my own like whether they come from a different country or they come from some super conservative community unlike Davis here or just something very different from me where I can have the opportunity to learn from people who just view the world in a unique way from what I've come across in my life. Yeah learning from people that's good I like that. For me what are my goals? It's a tough question. No definitely a tough question. I think I agree with both of you I want to learn from people I want to do well, go off into the world into college I would say for my own goal probably to do something really interesting over the summer. It could be a really fun maybe a senior trip or maybe something more productive but I don't know just to have a really fun interesting summer I think that'll be my 2020 goal. I like that. To end our segment off for today what was your guys' New Year's resolutions? So how are you guys going to try to be better for this 2020? Well first one of them was just to be more organized I mean I tend to be really scattered brain so that was one of my smaller resolutions and then my bigger one is to to enjoy the smaller details in life because I've always been taught to step back and see the bigger picture but sometimes it's really nice to look and say I appreciate this moment for what it is not what it's going to add up to or what disastrous results could come from this event eventually just kind of I enjoy this moment. I really like that the small I might have to take that one. Ben what were yours? So I had quite a few but I'll talk about one in particular which is to kind of read more and just learn more and really devote myself towards making myself as informed as I possibly can. I think so many of these issues we've talked about whether it's climate change or something else kind of the root cause of that is or the root cause of us not being able to solve it is just people not knowing things and just kind of a general ignorance and I've been trying really hard to make sure that I don't fall into that trap of not knowing things and then having really strong opinions based on not knowing things I think the world as a whole is so much better off when people are willing to acknowledge things they don't know and try to learn more and then use that information to make a positive change in the world and that's something that I'm trying to do. That's a great resolution I think we've all fallen into that trap of believing so sternly that we're right even though we might not have all the facts and then finding out that maybe we weren't so right and you know just not just the personal embarrassment that can come from that but also the detriments that we believe that we're right even when we're wrong and then when it happens on a large societal scale that's when you have a major problem overall learning is a good thing that's great see my New Year's resolution was to every day to try and do one thing consciously to make someone else's life better and I think the thought behind that was you do it consciously and then it becomes habit just to try and become better people and of course I don't mean that in terms of like oh it's 11.30 you've got to give my old D for today I'm done you've got to done that but I think that's great so I think I have great faith in all of our New Year's resolutions and in 2020 as a whole I do as well well that's all the time we have for today so thank you for joining us I've been your host Cedric Hughes and this was Teens on Topic well that's it guys good