Gender equality

Gender equality Tyrone Cloyd Baltimore, MD Gender equality has been a social concern since man step foot on earth. When we think of gender equality discrimination against women is what comes to mind, but in recent years psychologist and sociologist have began to study how men are discriminated against. It is considered general knowledge that men still make more money a year then women, and it is true that men hold most of the position of power in society. Recent studies have concluded that there is an aspect of society that discriminates against men. This aspect of society is deeply rooted in the American culture, and it is hard to name, to discuses, and to study. Gender roles for men, then are viewed not as biological givens, but as social constructions created from the expectations of social forces such as parents, teachers, peers, and the media about what constitute masculinity {(Pleck, 1995) Mahalik 1998}."The world turned upside down" (gender-role revers...Men are socialized to believe in the i mportance of success, power, and competitiveness. Because the male socialization experience is theorized to create negative feelings such as anxiety and shame related to all things feminine, the development of rigid traditional male roles, or male gender role conflict {(O'Neil, Helms, Gable, David, Wrightsman, 1986) Mahalik 1998}.Looking at male emotional socialization from the framework of the gender role strain paradigm, many boys are required to block their feelings and restrict the expression of their vulnerable and caring emotions {(Levant) Mahalik 1998}. Because of this, "a man experiences any particular facet of self that he considers feminine with great conflict and anxiety, because he believes it threatens his manhood" (Mahalik, Cournoyer, Defranc, Cherry, and Napolitano 1998). As a result of this fear of femininity, men are believed to over conform to traditional male roles as a coping strategy to avoid...

Bushs Failed War on Terror essays

Bush's Failed War on Terror essays As Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney was at the center of Bushs "War on Terror." Along with then Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, he was the chief architect of the plan and attack against Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Cheney advised and convinced President George W. Bush to include Iraq in the administrative plans to retaliate after the 9/11 attacks in New York. Cheney and his staff supported the reliance on uncorroborated evidence and accepted this evidence as solid enough reason for waging the war on Iraq. In addition, Cheney was instrumental in obtaining the legal briefs from the Justice Department that empowered the President to wage war without the authorization of Congress. Cheney advocated the use of controversial interrogation techniques to obtain information that would link Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 attacks. In the documentary, Cheney and Rumsfeld supported a Pentagon-led alternative that resulted in their decision to invade Iraq. Cheney also was involved in securing controversial, secret legal opinions from the Justice Department that would grant President Bush unrestricted, broad authority to wage war without the consent of the U.S Congress. Cheney supported the use of enhanced combat and interrogation techniques against captured combatants. President Bushs fixation on invading Iraq was borne out of his distrust of Saddam Hussein. Bush stated in the documentary that Saddam was an evil man who gassed his own people. In reference to Saddam Hussein, Bush declared after the 9/11 attacks, that his administration would hunt down the Islamic fundamentalists and, those who harbour them. Bush believed that Saddam Hussein was providing support for Al-Qaeda. The intelligence information that was used as a predicate to the invasion was manipulated in order to justify the war. This invasion policy was hatched and promoted chiefly by Chen...

Brief history of the telephone and communication network highlighting Term Paper

Brief history of the telephone and communication network highlighting major events and technologies from 1845 to the present including the major impacts of regulation - Term Paper Example ercial telegraph, the code used by the transmitter and receiver was still the Morse code but in this case a telegrapher closed a switch or telegraph key in a particular pattern of short and long closures that represented a letter of the alphabet at the transmitting end. A person’s distance of communication increased into thousands of miles, the time taken to deliver a message reduced to seconds and the amount of information was maintained in the limit of five to a hundred words per minute with the entrance of the electric telegraph and laying of the transoceanic cable in 1858. The first telephone was the magneto-telephone on which both transmission and reception were done using the same instrument. A speaker’s voice was converted into patterns of electrical energy that were sent over fairly long distances through wires to a receiver. The receiver would convert the energy patterns back to the original sound waves that the listener could understand. This system was more efficient and advanced than the telegraph since apart from providing long distance communication capabilities, speaking and hearing could be done directly making its use suitable for everyone. Its information transfer rate was only limited by the human speech rate. Today telecommunication uses the telephony technologies related with the electronic transmission of fax, voice and other information over long distances using systems that were initially associated with the telephone. The radio was invented in 1901 by Guglielmo Marconi. This was after Heinrich Hertz discovered the electromagnetic wave in 1888. Marconi had begun experimenting with wireless telegraphy in 1895. In 1906, the radio was built in the United States of America as the first commercial voice transmitting device that utilized electromagnetic waves. The invention of the radio opened up new opportunities for wireless communications. A wartime ban on nonmilitary broadcasting delayed acceptance of the radio until in 1920 when the

Devonport Dockyard loss of power 'had nuclear implications' Essay

Devonport Dockyard loss of power 'had nuclear implications' - Essay Example The second reason is to clear Babcock Marine’s name and improve its name and its business relations not only with the customer at hand, but also with all the other customers. As Graham (2006) says, in such critical situations, communication is always the important to tone done any tensions and the lack of communication in this case indicates how unprepared the council is. CONTEXT ANALYSIS Market Analysis The nuclear sector is a very sensitive area because of the safety issues associated with it. As a result, most of the customers who are likely to hire Babcock Marine services are most likely to be meticulous about Babcock Marine’s ability and competency in doing its job. The number of nuclear powered submarines is also increasing and this is a big opportunity for Babcock Marine. As a result, Babcock Marine needs to position itself as the firm of choice when it comes to nuclear submarine servicing. PESTEL for Babcock Marine Political The main issue in the case is the iss ue of nuclear power for the production of energy, and the risks it poses to the public as well as the environment. According to Burton (1990), there are increasing pressures from both the government and other interested parties foe safety measures for in the nuclear energy production and this requires firms such as Babcock Marine to be able to come up with better ways to guarantee this. As the number of nuclear production planar and submarines increase, the concerns for risks associated with nuclear energy production is increasing and to be able to stand out in the market, Babcock Marine will have to come up with ways to improve its services. As Hindmarsh (2013) argues, there are numerous regulatory authorities and antinuclear agencies which are either completely opposed to the use of nuclear as a source of power, or call for very stringent regulations. This can affect Babcock Marine in the long run because it may have to invest more in convincing the stake holders that it is doing its work properly with regard to servicing these submarines. Economic issues Nuclear energy production is geared towards cost reduction and this is a challenge for a firm like Babcock Marine because it has to make sure that its services to the customers are not prohibitive. There is an increasing need to come up with cheaper ways to produce energy and any overhead costs are regarded by organisations with suspicion (Teri, 2012).. To be competitive in this sector, Babcock Marine must look for way to always make its services better without increasing the costs. There is however other economic issues which must be looked at. For instance, securing a nuclear reactor and making sure that that is it completely secure is a very expensive affair and this may counter any economic benefits acquired from the use of nuclear energy (Angelo, 2004). Social Issues The main social issue here has to do with the health concerns. People are becoming more concerned of health and health issues. As a resul t, anything that is assumed to pose a risk on health is going to get critical scrutiny and this will affect Babcock Marine due to the fact that its services are directly related to how safe nuclear energy is. As Butterfield (1992), says, nuclear energy is seen as a very big risk for health due to the potential of radioactive

Ethical Argument Cover Letter Essay Example for Free

Ethical Argument Cover Letter Essay This is my submission for the Ethical Argument writing assignment. I was asked to choose a topic to write and I chose to write about the Ethical Arguments against Abortion. Initially, I had many choices but I landed on this mainly because this is a broad topic as it covers science, religion, and human rights. Since this is a broad topic, it was also difficult to choose which part of abortion is suitable for this argument and which part of abortion I can write without injecting my personal views and opinion. Thus, I decided to write to focus on why abortion is acceptable for the case of life endangerment and why it can’t be accepted in rape cases. The purpose of this essay is to show arguments about the legalization of abortion with regards to life endangerment against rape case. Perhaps, the most difficult part of writing this paper is to weigh objectively the stand of abortion in the two cases given in this essay. However, the parallel or example I gave helped me arrive to the argument I presented. I hope that this writing will meet your requirements and I would be glad to receive some feedbacks from you. Respectfully Yours, Student’s Name Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject 29 April 2009 Ethical Arguments against Abortion For years, we have heard a lot of arguments against abortion; arguments as to why or why not abortion should be legalized. It seems to be a never-ending debate especially when taken from a pro-life perspective. Arguments against abortion often range from objections based on the USA’s constitution protection of the rights to human life to biblical belief that human life starts at conception. However, more arguments and objections arise when a law justifying abortion for mothers whose lives are endangered because of pregnancy has been approved, whereas others are questioning that if this is permissible, why can’t rape cases be? This essay offers arguments and responses as to why it is morally illegitimate to have abortion in the event of rape, while it is fairly acceptable to commit abortion when the mother’s life is endangered. Let’s look at the rape issue first. One of the fundamental beliefs of person’s rights regarding any system concerning the use of disciplinary force is that is to be applied only against those individuals responsible for the initiation of force. In this situation, the guilty party is the rapist and not the fetus. Moreover, in this case, the law might legally grant its authority to terminate the rapist, since rape is considered as an abominable crime, but not the child, even if the child’s dependence on his mother was the result of the rape. Let me give you a parallel. Imagine that there are two mutually unfriendly people living in the same building during the bombing raids of Hitler in 1940. A bomb is thrown into the building and this causes all possible exits to collapse while destroying all the walls that separate the neighbors. In effect, they are forced to share the same space and work with each other in the hopes to channel themselves out despite a mutual dislike. Does the given scenario justify one of the two unfriendly neighbors killing the other because of the inconvenience caused by the other, even though none of them had really caused it, or wouldn’t it be proper to demand justice from the Nazi air marshal who had originally commanded the bombing raids? Although the bombing and rape are two immensely unlikely scenarios, both are possible and the possible circumstances here are parallel to that of a pregnancy caused by rape. Going to the mother’s life endangerment issue, no individual is really obliged to his or her own life to save another person’s life. Therefore, when it can be proved medically that the mother’s life is in fact significantly endangered by a pregnancy, then, an abortion may be undertaken as a final resort and an only situation where it is possible to support legal abortion and to remain loyal to the individual rights’ principle; however, it is not an ordinary situation. Rather, it is considered an emergency, or a sort of situation as addressed in The Ethics of Emergencies written by Ayn Rand as part of her essay collection â€Å"The Virtue of Selfishness†. An emergency is an unchosen, unexpected event, limited in time that creates conditions under which human survival is impossible such as a flood, an earthquake, a fire, a shipwreck. It is only in emergency situations that one should volunteer to help strangers. For instance, a man who values human life and is caught in a shipwreck, should help to save his fellow passengers (though not at the expense of his own life). But this does not mean that after they all reach shore, he should devote his efforts to saving them from poverty, ignorance, neurosis or whatever other troubles they might have. Nor should he spend his life sailing the seven seas in search of shipwreck victims to save. (The Virtue of Selfishness) From this definition alone, the situation of a mother whose life is endangered because of pregnancy is considered as an emergency as long as the mother has no idea that her pregnancy would put her life into danger. However, if from the start, the mother already knew about her medical condition that pregnancy will do her no good, it must be her responsibility to avoid becoming pregnant and must do her best to protect her health. Should she decide to face the risk, aborting the baby must not be done. In addition, Rand writes in her essay that emergencies are always exempted from the rule. They are not the normal state of ethical human relations or of human existence. To say that such extreme action may be allowed in emergencies is simply not to extend the acceptability or tolerability to the realm of human existence as dealt with by the basics or fundamentals of ethics. So, just because abortion may be justified as a final resort in some unexpected circumstances, this does not mean that the general legalization of abortion may be justified, especially with the fact that most cases of abortion occur because a woman has gone through indiscriminate sexual relations and has never wished to bring upon herself the objective consequences of such actions which are the pregnancy and the responsibility and obligation of bringing up a child. Work Cited Rands, Ayn. â€Å"The Virtue of Selfishness† 28 December 2008. Glyn Hughes Squashed Philosophers. 29 April 2009. http://www. btinternet. com/~glynhughes/squashed/rand. htm Annotated Bibliography Rands, Ayn. â€Å"The Virtue of Selfishness† 28 December 2008. Glyn Hughes Squashed Philosophers. 29 April 2009. http://www. btinternet. com/~glynhughes/squashed/rand. htm Rand’s essay collection â€Å"The Virtue of Selfishness† offers the basic or fundamental social principle of Objectivist ethics that life is simply an end itself, which simply means that every human being is an end himself. This also explains that man must live only for his own self and neither to sacrifice himself for others, nor having others to sacrifice themselves for him. The chapters in this essay collection could be easily included in the ethical argument writing especially when the topic is about sacrificing oneself or sacrificing others for the benefit of the other just like the topic in this argument.

Innocence in Daisy Miller :: Henry James, Daisy Miller

Is innocence an acceptable excuse for behavior at odds with societal norms? In the Henry James novella, Daisy Miller, we see Daisy behaving in very controversial ways for women of the mid-1800†²s. She looks directly at men without blushing, speaks bluntly about her life, travels alone with Mr. Winterbourne after only knowing him for half an hour, and cavorts regularly (unchaperoned) with a handsome, but common, Italian man. Daisy performs all of these scandalous behaviors with hardly a thought to how they may besmirch her reputation in a Europeanized group of American expatriates. Although she is unaware of the repercussions, we are told that she is ostracized from the high society that she may have been a member of if she behaved more respectably. So we may consider her as breaking the laws of the society; the punishment: expulsion. Winterbourne seems to contend, although half-heartedly, that because Daisy’s behavior is all innocent that she should be excused from the laws. When confronted by her improprieties, Winterbourne states, â€Å"The poor girl’s only fault is that she is very uncultivated† (41). His feelings that she should be excused because of lack of training continues until he finally sees her at midnight in a private moment with the Italian man. In this regard, Winterbourne seems to reflect the views of the author who writes, â€Å"Poor little Daisy Miller was, as I understand her, above all things innocent. It was not to make a scandal, or because she took pleasure in a scandal, that she went on with Giovanelli. She never took the measure really of the scandal she produced, and had no means of doing so: she was too ignorant, too irreflective, too little versed in the proportions of things.† A certain level of forgiveness is necessary for people who have not been familiarized with the rules which they are expected to live by, but Daisy Miller took this innocence to extremes.

National Crime Prevention Council Essay

Cyberbullying and cybersuicide were the the topics on the news documentary â€Å"CNN’s Headline Prime† on Tuesday March 27th, 2007 at 8:00-9:00 p. m. The show reported on information and examples of Internet bullying in general, along with cases of cyber-suicide. One of the stories reported on concerned a teen boy texting on the Internet that he wanted to kill himself. Others online egged him on, offered him a gun to use and touted, â€Å"Chicken—you won’t do it. † The end result, the boy did kill himself. This wasn’t the first time this has happened in cyberspace. The show even displayed the text of the messages. One boy wrote something to the effect: â€Å"Was this for real? † after it became apparent the one youth followed through on his online threat of suicide. According to a survey from the National Crime Prevention Council, 33% of students between the ages of 8 and 18 know at least one person who has been a victim of cyber bullying (Shyrock, 2006). Bullying and suicide have always been around. As technology and computers infiltrate our lives, I guess it should not be too surprising that daily events that once occurred in person are now pervading the Internet. â€Å"Cyberbullying is sending or posting harmful or cruel text or images using the Internet or other digital communication devices† (Cyberbullying, 2007). Cyberthreats were also discussed on â€Å"CNN’s Headline Prime† and are a related concern. A cyberthreat is online material that threatens or raises concerns about violence against others, suicide, or other self-harm. The two kinds of cyberthreats that are direct threats are actual threats to hurt someone or commit suicide. Some of the things I feel individuals, groups and society should do to improve this problem with cyberbullying and cybersuicide is occurring. The problem of cyberbullying has begun to be addressed in different ways. Websites like the Center for the Safe and Responsible Internet Use site (CSRUI), Cyberbully. org. and cyber-safe-kids. com have been established to address the problem. CSRUI provides resources for educators and others to promote the safe and responsible use of the Internet. The statement on their homepage says, â€Å"Mobilizing educators, parents, students, and others to combat online social cruelty† (Cyberbullying, 2007). The United States Government with the Secretary of Defense has introduced a non-profit organization i-Safe that aims at educating children, teens and adults about the â€Å"harm of unregulated Internet† (Cyberbullying, 2007). i-Safe works with schools, communities and law enforcement in creating programs to inform parents and children about the Internet, offering I-mentors and preparing individuals and communities on Internet bullying. Nancy Willard has an online document site that addresses legislative and school policies concerning cyberbullying. On this site, â€Å"Cyberbullying Legislation and School Policies: Where are the Boundaries of the â€Å"Schoolhouse Gate† in the Virtual World,† Willard addresses such things as the history of cyberbullying, how cyberbullying affects students, and the policies and legislation concerning with cyberbullying. On Willard’s page she states that â€Å"legislation is pending in a number of states to address the concern of cyberbullying. Many school districts are also adopting policies to address cyberbullying†(Willard, 2007). Insofar as to incorporate material we’ve learned in class, our text, and the various online sites to apply to this cyberbullying issue, not too surprisingly I read that â€Å"Many bullies come from families where there is poor parenting† (Cyberbullying, 2007). However, of course, like most social problems, this doesn’t explain all of it. As technology and communication have expanded, so have the problems that go with it like cyberbullying. I believe I read in our textbook something similar, along with other readings that those who are victims of cyberbullying or bullying in general are not too likely to seek help from authorities. Some signs that someone is a victim of cyberbullying can include trouble sleeping, fear of going out of the house, acting out aggression at home, stories that don’t seem to make sense, unexplained loss of money or loss of personal items (Cyberbullying, 2007). From what I have read for this assignment, the social causes of bullying stem from aspects of a child’s surroundings including their family and friends and in some cases, lack thereof. Often a child models him or herself after those in their immediate environment. If one’s family is disrespectful, argues and makes fun of each other, this type of behavior can become comfortable outside the home (Cyberbullying, 2007). Jack Kalousek, student activities director at Franklin High School in Livonia, Michigan believes that most cyber bullying stems from feelings of inferiority or jealousy on the part of the bully. â€Å"These people (the bullies) tend to have conflicts with other students and elevate their own worth by tearing down others. I believe their goal is to make themselves feel better by making someone else feel worse (Shyrock, 2006). As far as the social consequences of bullies, â€Å"bullies tend to have more court convictions than their peers, are more prone to alcoholism, are far less social, and over time becomes more isolated from their peers† (Cyberbullying, 2007). I agree with the educational system for getting involved in addressing the problem of online bullying. I also applaud the various organizations and legislation that is focusing on this social ill. However, in my research I read little about the role of parents in this online bullying which surprises me somewhat. I suppose it’s not too uncommon these days to hand over issues to organizations and legislatures, however, I wish parents felt they had a significant role in this problem because I feel that they could if they communicated more with their children and involved themselves in this social problem on an individual level. â€Å"Online is just a parallel of real life; the same rules have to be adapted and applied,† says Parry Aftab, executive director of WiredSafety. â€Å"If you do something wrong, there are going to be ramifications. Kids need to learn they have to be accountable† (Cyberbullying, 2005). Bibliography CyberBullying. Retrieved March 27, 2007, from Sociology 102: Group Project Web site: http://mblog. lib. umich. edu/cyberbulling/archives/2007/03/the_gender_fact. html (2005, March 29). Cyberbullying Pervades the Public School Experience. Retrieved March 29, 2007, from Issues & Controversies. Facts on File News Services. Internet Bullying. Headline Prime. CNN. March 27, 2007. Paulson, Amanda (2003, Dec 30). Internet Bullying. Retrieved March 29, 2007, Web site: http://www. csmonitor. com/2003/1230/plls01-legn. html Shryock, Kathleen Wilson. (2006, April 01). â€Å"Bullies in Cyberspace. † Leadership for Student Activities. eLibrary. Proquest. 29 Mar 2007. . Willard, Nancy (2007, March). Cyberbullying Legislation and School Policies: Where are the Boundaries of the â€Å"Schoolhouse Gate† in the Virtual World. Retrieved March 30, 2007, from Center for the Responsible Use of the Internet Web site: http://www. cyberbully. org/docs/cblegislation. pdf

Politeness and Culture Essay

1.1 What is politeness? Politeness is a kind of socio-cultural phenomenon in human communication. It has been defined in diverse ways. For Kochman (1984), politeness has a protective mission exercised in putting things in such a way as to take account of the feelings of others: Polite conversation is†¦ a way of showing consideration for other people’s  feelings, that is, not saying or doing anything that might unduly excite or arouse. The ‘gentleman’s agreement’ (though, hardly just confined to adult males) is and was ‘ you don’t do or say anything that might arouse my feelings, and I won’t do or say anything that might arouse yours’†¦ (1984:204) Watts (1992) defines polite behaviour as â€Å"socio-culturally determined behavior directed towards the goal of establishing and/or maintaining in a state of equilibrium the personal relationships between the individuals of a social group, whether open or closed, during the ongoing process of interaction† (1992:50) Therefore, the term â€Å"politeness† may be generally defined as adequate social conduct and tactful consideration of others aiming to avoid interactional conflicts. Politeness can be realized in a number of ways, among which the use of language concerns us most in the present discussion. Politeness is then taken to be the various forms of language structure and usage which allow the members of a socio-cultural group to achieve their conflict-avoiding goals. If politeness is seen as the adequacy of linguistic behavior, then all speakers of different languages are equally polite, since they all have linguistic means at their disposal, which according to their rules of application are adequate in different situations. The concept of politeness, therefore, is universally valid. 1.2 Motives of Being Polite Why do people apologize when they have done something wrong? Why do they compliment on their friend’s hairstyle? In one word, why do people behave appropriately, hence politely? The explanation of such diverse communicative behaviors lies in the consideration of â€Å"face†. Face is thus viewed as a positive public self-image that is maintaining in society. That is, in newly formed contacts the individual engages in establishing a public image for himself. In continued contacts he engages in sustaining and improving the face he has encouraged the others to develop for him. A fundamental preoccupation of people around the world is maintaining or protecting face. Threats to face, whether intended, accidental, or only imagined, are the basis of most interpersonal conflicts. They arise when people feel that their right to a positive self-image being ignored. One conventional way of avioding threats to face in all cultures is to be linguistically polite. To secure this public self-image, people engage in what Goffman calls â€Å"face work†, performing action â€Å"to make whatever they are doing consistent with face†(1967:12), while trying to save their own face as well as the other’s. Goffman (1967) specifies two kinds of face-work: the avoidance process (avoiding potentially face-threatening) acts and the corrective process (performing a variety of redressive acts). However, he says little about how face can be maintained linguistically while damage is occuring. As implied above, face wants are reciprocal, i.e. if one wants his face cared for, he should care for other people’s face. The reason is that, while the individual is absorbed in developing and maintaining his face, the others also have similar considerations for themselves. It is clear that one way of ensuring the maintenance of their own face is to keep everybody’s face undamaged. Normally, the participants during interaction work on the understanding that one will respect the other’s face as long as the other respects his. This point is best expressed by the concise rule in Scripture: Do unto all men as you would they should do unto you. Since face wants are reciprocal, politeness naturally concerns a relationship between two rational participants or interlocutors, whom we may call self and other. In a conversation, self may be identified with speaker or addresser, and other with hearer or addressee. Also it is possible that  speakers show politeness to a third party that is related to interlocutor’s face. 2.0 Language and Culture 2.1 Defining Culture Culture is a large and evasive concept. Sapir (1921) holds that culture may be defined as what a society does and thinks, and language is a particular way of thought. Language, in this way, is part of culture. Culture is also interpreted in the sense of Goodenough’s definition: As I see it, a society’s culture consists of whatever it is one had to know or believe in order to operate in a manner acceptable to its members†¦ Culture, being what people have to learn as distinct from their biological heritage, must consist of the end-product of learning: knowledge, in a most geneal†¦ sense of the term (Goodenough,1954:167). Culture is thus whatever a person must know in order to function in a particular society, including language and conventional behavioral norms that a person must follow or that other people in the society expect you to follow, to get through the task of daily living. When we study a culture, it is not enough to merely learn the knowledge of a language and behavioral norms, as Steinmetz, Bush and Joseph-Goldfare (1994) point out: Studying culture does not mean looking only at customs, insititution, and artifacts†¦, but also studying people’s values, beliefs, and attitudes and how they influence or are influenced by interaction among people. Culture should be studied as a process as well as a product (1994:12). As a combination of these views, culture consists of not only language, behavioural norms, which can be observed, but also values and beliefs underlying them. The famous metaphor of the â€Å"culture iceberg† (Hall & Hall,  1990) indicates that many aspects of culture, such as certain beliefs, world views, and values, are below the surface of consciousness ( in the submerged part of the iceberg). Other aspects of culture, like language, eating habits, customs, are in the conscious area ( above the waterline). It is often the less conscious cultural aspects that influenced the way people communicate with each other. 2.2 Language and Culture We are now in a position to see language and culture in a dialectical relationship. Every language is part of a culture. As such, it cannot but serve and reflect cultural needs. This does not necessarily go against Saussure’s thesis that the signified of a language are arbitrary and hence derive their exact identity from systems of relationships. What needs to be added, however, is that this arbitrariness is not as absolute as he suggested, but is limited by the particular cultural setting from which a language extracts its signified. Within the broad limits set by the specific needs of a culture, a language is free to make arbitrary selections of signifieds. This element of arbitrariness is brone out by the fact that there is of a speech community and its linguistic resources. Thus neither linguistic determinism nor cultural determinism can adequately explain why a language should select its unique system of signs, for these selections are made partly in response to cultural needs and partly owing to the inherent ( limited ) arbitrariness of the process. There is yet another sense in which language is not a passive reflector of culture. Even assuming that culture is in many cases the first cause in the language-culture relationship, language as the effect in the first link of the casual chain will in turn be the cause in the next link, reinforcing and preserving beliefs and customs and conditioning their future course. 3.0 Politeness and Culture 3.1 The Concept of Face In Chinese and English The central to B & L’s politeness theory is the concept of face, and its two concimitant desires—– negative face and positive face, which are defined from the perspective of individual’s wants. B & L maintain that notion of face constituted by these two basic desire is universal (1987:13). This section thus aims to examine whether their notion of face is applicable in Chinese culture. Since they acknowledge deriving their formulation of face from Goffman’s classic account of face and from the English folk notion of face (1987:61), these two sources will be dealt with first. 3.1.1 The Source of B & L’s † Face† The first source is Goffman’s account of face. Goffman characterizes face as â€Å"the positive social value a person effectively claims for himself by the line others assume he has taken during a particular contact†. He sees face not as a private or an internalized flow of events, supported by other people’s judgments, and enclosed by â€Å"impersonal agencies in the situation† (1967:7). Seen in this light, face becomes a public image that is on loan to individuals from society, and that will be withdrawn from them if they prove unworthy of it (1967:10). B & L say that their other sources is the English folk concept of face, which is linked to notions like â€Å"being embarrassed of humiliated, or ‘losing face'† (1987:61). But in fact, such notions of face seem to be Chinese in origin. The word â€Å"face† is a literal translation of the two Chinese characters and ( Hu,1944;Ho,1975). Presumably informed of these two sources, B & L characterize face as image that intrinsically belongs to the individual, to the self. This seems to part with their first source considerably. Here, the public characteristic that is essential to Goffman’s analysis of face seems to become an external modifier rather than an intrinsic constituent of this image. 3.1.2 Chinese â€Å"Face† As pointed out above, two Chinese characters and are used to convey the denotative meaning of the word â€Å"face† ( that is, † the front of the head†); they also encode connotative meanings, which have to do with reputable, respectable images that individuals can claim for themselves from communities in which they interact, or to which they belong (Ho,1957). More specifically, stands for prestige or reputation, which is either achieved through getting on in life (Hu, 1944:45), or ascribed by other members of one’s own community. refers to † the respect of the group for a man with a good moral reputation†; it embodies † the confidence of society in the integrity of ego’s moral character†, and it is † both a social sanction for enforcing moral standards and internalized sanction† (Hu, 1944:45). Chinese speakers, therefore, will be seen as being polite if they know how to attend to each other’s and and to enact speech acts appropriate to and worthy of such an image. 3.2 Difference Between Chinese â€Å"Face† and B & L’s â€Å"Face† The first difference is concerned with their overall conceptualization of face—-a difference that has been briefly alluded to above. B & L focus their notion of face primarily upon the individual—-rather than the communal-aspect of face; that is, the self is the principal constituent that contextualizes the concept of face. The self is â€Å"public† only to the extent that it depends on other’s face being manifested (B & L, 1987:61). The self depends on the public only to preserve its own interests. In short, the overall composition of this self-image, with its negative and positive aspects, only concerns the individual’s wants and desires. In contrast, Chinese face encodes a reputable image that individuals can claim for themselves as they interact with others in a given community; it is intimately linked to the views of the community and to the community’s judgment and perception of the individual’s character and behaviour. Chinese face emphasizes not the accommodation of individual â€Å"wants† or â€Å"desires† but the harmony of individual conduct with the views and judgment of the community. Chinese face, to quote Goffman again, is â€Å"on loan†¦from society† (1967:10); it belongs to the individual or to the self only to the extent  that the individual acts in full compliance with that face. The second difference is related to the content of face. B & L conceive of face as consisting of negative face and positive face. Their negative face refers to, and values, an individual’s need to be free of external impositions, a desire to be left alone to enjoy a sense of one’s â€Å"territorial integrity†. â€Å"Privacy† is a particular term used to describe this typical value, which is much more treasured in English culture than in Chinese; whereas Chinese face emphasizes one’s dependence on society’s recognition of one’s social standing and of one’s â€Å"reputable†existence, and subsequently, on society’s endorsement of one’s attending to it. Relatively speaking, Chinese â€Å"face† does not comprise the element of what B & L term â€Å"negative face†. 3.3 Cultural Assumption In this section, the differences of politeness in English and Chinese will be elaborated in terms of the different historicity that the concept of politeness can be traced back to, and of the fundamental cultural assumptions underlying the two different notions of English and Chinese â€Å"face†. 3.3.1 A Historical Review As we have known, privacy is a value derived from B & L’s notion of face. It is a notion embracing at once the freedom, rights, and the independence of action of man. Such a value is closely associated with the emancipation of man from the yokes of the church on the European continent, and with the opening up of the New World on the other side of the Atlantic—-North America. Consequently, showing respct to an individual’s liberty, his rights, his independence in Anglo-American culture, will be considered polite; lack of it will be improper, hence impolite. On the contrary, Chinese culture has had a 2000-year-long history of feudalism. Chinese civilization has been established on agriculture, and †Ã‚  Generations of peasants were tied to the land on which they lives and worked. Except in times of war and famine, there was little mobility, either socially and geographically† (Hu & Grove,1991:1). From this historicity resulted the collective (group-oriented) nature of Chinese value, which was reinforced ideologically in the Confucian tradition, a tradition that advocates subordinating the individual to the group or the community, and maintains that the ultimate goal of human behavior is to achieve harmony, which leads the Chinese to pursue a conflict-free and group-oriented system of an ever-expanding circle of human-relatedness (Chen, 1993). Namely, an individual is presumed not to satisfy the desire for freedom, but to gain self-esteem in harmony with group. Just as English culture values privacy, Chinese culture values harm ony. In modern Chinese, the equivalent of politeness is believed to have evolved in history from the notion of Li . The ancient philosopher and thinker Confucius (551—479 B.C.), in order to restore the harmony of society when there were constant wars between feudal states, advocated restoring Li. Derived from this book are four basic elements of politeness, or what count as polite behaviors: respectfulness, modesty, attitudinal warmth, and refinement. â€Å"Respectfulness† is the self’s positive appreciation of admiration of the other concerning the latter’s face, largely identical with the need to maintain the hearer’s positive face. â€Å"Modesty† can be seen as another way of saying â€Å"self-denigration†; though â€Å"modesty† varies in the importance attached to it in different cultures, it is to a large extent universal, her to interpret it as self-denigration is uniquely Chinese. â€Å"Attitudinal warmth† is the self’s demonstration of kindness, consideration, and hospitality, the speaker runs the risk of infringing on the hearer’s personal freedom, viz. privacy, thus threatening his negative face. Finally, â€Å"refinement† refers to the self’s behavior to the other which meets certain moral standards laid by society; it represents the normative character of politeness in addition to the instrumental aspect. These four essential elements of politeness are believed to manifest themselves in many Chinese speech events. 3.3.2 Two Construals of the Self: Interdependent and Independent If we examine the â€Å"deep structure† from which the two different notions of English and Chinese â€Å"face† can possibly be derived, them they can be said to have been informed metarphorically by two divergent underlying forces (Mao,1994): the centripetal force, which leads Chinese â€Å"face† to gravitate toward social recognition and hierarchical interdependence, and the centrifugal force, which enables English â€Å"face† to spiral outward from individual desires or wants with the self as the initiating agent. The centripetal force and centrifugal force represent two different face orientations, which correspond to two distinct construals of the self: an interdependent construal of the self and an independent construal of the self respectively(Markus and Kitayama, 1991). The independent construal of the self, endorsed by English culture and most Western countries, builds on † a faith in the inherent separateness of distinct persons â€Å". The normative imperative of this culture is to become independent of others and to discover and express one’s unique attributes (Miller, 1988). Thus achieving the cultural goal of independent requires construing oneself as an individual whose behavior is made meaningful primarily by reference to one’s own internal thoughts, feelings, and actions, rather than by reference to those of others; whereas the interdependent construal of the self, favoured by Chinese culture and most East Asian countries, insists on † the fundamental connectedness of human beings to each other†(Markus and Kitayama, 1991:227). A normative imperative of this culture is to maintain this interdependence, therefore, entails seeing oneself as part of an encompassing social relationship and recongnizing that one’s behavior is organized by what the self perceives to be the thoughts, feeling, and actions of others in the relationship, so that the self within such a construal becomes most meaningful and complete. BIBLIOGRAPHY Blum-Kulka, S. et al. 1984. Requests and apologies: A cross-cultural study of speech acts realization patterns (CCSARP). Applied Linguistics 5(3):192-212 Brown, R. & S. Levinson. 1987. Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge:CUP. Chen, Guoming. 1993. A Chinese perspective of communication competence. Paper presented at the annual convention of the speech communication association, Miami Beach, FL. Goffman, E. 1967. Interactional Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior. New York: Doubleday Anchor Books. Goffman, E. 1972. Interactional Ritual. London:Penguin. Goffman, E. 1971. Relations in Public: Macrostudies of the Public Order. Harmondsworth:Penguin Goodenough, W. H. 1957. Cultural anthropologh and linguistics. In Garvin, P.L.(ed.) Report of the 7th Annual Round Table Meeting on Linguistics and Language Study. Washington: Georgetown University Press Hall, E. & M. Hall. 1990. Understanding Cultural Differences. Yarmouth, ME: International Press. Ho, D.1975. On the concept of face. American Journal of Sociology 81(4):867-84 Hu, Wenzhong & C. L. Grove. 1991. Encountering the Chinese: A Guide for Americans Yarmouth, ME: International Press. Mao, L. R. 1994. Beyond politeness theory: â€Å"face† revisited and renewed. Journal of Pragmatics 21:451-86 Markus & Kitayama. 1991. Culture and self. Pshchological Review 98(2):224-53 Miller, J.G. 1988. Bridging the context-structure dichotomy: culture and the self. In M.H. Bond (ed.) The cross-cultural Challenge to Social Psychology. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. 266-81

Position of the Christian Church on Homosexuality

Position of the Christian Church on Homosexuality Abstract The society we live in today places great importance on sex and sexual conduct. Unlike in the past when matters of sexual orientation were left in secret, the situation has changed and these matters have now been bared open to the public.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Position of the Christian Church on Homosexuality specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the past, there was a general accepted code of conduct and failure to adhere to that code was treated with disdain. However, this has changed and many sexual behaviors, which were frowned upon in the past are accepted and encouraged. From a young age, individuals are encouraged to conduct their lives in a manner that best suits them. This ambiance of acceptance and certification is best seen where homosexuality is present. Despite the acceptance of homosexuality as a way of life in America, some religions such as the Catholic Church have continued t o oppose the introduction of homosexuality within the church and even go to the extent excommunicating those who are viewed as tolerant towards this behavior. This research paper seeks to provide evidence that disapproves the Catholic reasons for barring gay people from practicing religion. The aim of the paper is to prove that the church in general does not have any reason to bar homosexuals from the church since no relevant scriptures oppose the practice. Introduction The society we live in today places great importance on sex and sexual conduct. Unlike in the past when matters of sexual orientation were left in secret, the situation has changed and these matters have now been bared open to the public. In the past, there was a general accepted code of conduct and failure to adhere to that code was treated with disdain. However, this has changed and many sexual behaviors, which were frowned upon in the past are accepted and encouraged. From a young age, individuals are encouraged t o conduct their lives in a manner that best suits them. This ambiance of acceptance and certification is best seen where homosexuality is present. Despite the acceptance of homosexuality as a way of life in America, some religions such as the Catholic Church have continued to oppose the introduction of homosexuality within the church and even go to the extent excommunicating those who are viewed as tolerant towards this behavior.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This research paper seeks to provide evidence that disapproves the Catholic reasons for barring gay people from practicing religion. The aim of the paper is to prove that the church in general does not have any reason to bar homosexuals from the church since no relevant scriptures oppose the practice. (Coleman 100) The homosexual conclaves now active in almost every main American religion have forced the church to face the topic of homosexuality in a more open manner and with more sensitivity than it have yet done. Despite this valid and fitting demand on the church to reexamine its stand, there are other reasons that compel the church to rethink its religious studies and performance. To begin with, homosexual Christians are members of the larger Christian family earnestly looking for acknowledgment from the church without being judged based on their sexual orientation visvis to which they have no choice. Additionally, even though anti-homosexual prejudice has been present in the society, the church must realize the part it has played in propagating the stigma toward gays. It is important for the church to remember that they have the task of ensuring social justice and despite this mandate gay people continue to be denied employment, housing among other civil liberties all because of their sexual affiliation. (Nelson) The church is supposed to carry out its ongoing theological and moral work in a responsible manner. It is important to note that fresh insights continue to be revealed every day as Christians advance on their theological work. This should be a clear pointer that there is the possibility of new doctrines rising up with the progression of time. By accepting homosexuals as a part of the Christian family, the church will be enabling gays to love themselves something that will in turn boost their self-esteem and better their relationship with their fellow human beings. The Catholic Church has continued to disregard these basic truths something that has in turn led to rebellion within the church. (Siker 8)Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Position of the Christian Church on Homosexuality specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More By closely examining the points propagated by the church to deny homosexuals their rights to practice religion, one is able to realize that the problem ema nates from the interpretive principles employed. Indeed, Jesus Christ is the holder of God’s summon to individual completeness and is the central point of God’s improving accomplishment. This automatically makes Jesus Christ the standard through which people must receive judgment. When interpreting the bible, it is important for the church to take in to consideration the historical context of when the bible was written and the existing civilizing situation. Additionally, the bible should be studied with an awareness of the civilizing relativity through which we identify and understand the Christian way of life. Most importantly, the church must be open to new interpretations of God’s truth that might be revealed through other regulations of human being inquisition. (Nelson) By reading the entire bible, one realizes that no single verse mentions homosexuality as being a sexual orientation. In reality, what the bible refers to are definite types of homosexual acti ons. The doctrine that classifies homosexuality as a physic orientation is somewhat recent. In all the instances that the bible mentioned homosexuality, it did so in reference to individuals who were regarded as heterosexually represented. According to Catholicism, the Onan story (Genesis 38:8-10) is a clear pointer that God intended that people should enter into relationships leading to procreation. While the story in its entirety does not involve homosexual behavior, it gives us important pointers as to the reasons for its primeval condemnation. In the story, Onan had refused to impregnate the wife of his late brother by withdrawing before ejaculation. Moses interpreted this refusal as serious violation of divine laws and for this reason, the Jewish God struck down Onan. (McGinley 133) Although this story might be seen to justify the church stand, it can be interpreted to mean different things. To begin with, the story is used to represent the strong theme of procreation that is u sed throughout the Hebrew understanding of reproduction. The awareness created by this story that the survival of a small clan depended mostly on abundant reproduction makes us to understand this story in a better manner.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Yet, the earths overcrowded state places the universe in a different light and should compel the church to rethink its position on procreation. Additionally, this story is based upon a biological misinterpretation that is present in the entire bible. At that time, scientists believed that the semen contained the entirety of nascent life. Since there was limited knowledge on the women reproduction system, it was believed that women only acted as a space for carrying through life. Therefore, the act of Onan deliberately spilling the seed was construed as malevolent destruction of life. When the same acts occurred during masturbation or homosexuality, the resultant punishment was equivalent to that of murder. The Onan story can also be understood in the Judeo-Christian tradition that failed to condemn the same acts if they were associated with the opposite gender. (McGinley 135) Perhaps to understand the Catholicism claim better, it would help to look at the story of Sodom and Gomorrah . (Genesis 19:1-29) According to Catholics and other sections of the church, this story explains clearly that God is opposed to homosexual activities. Although the dwellers of Sodom displayed a contemptible form of sexual depravity, their actions cannot be said to have been of homosexual nature. Throughout this passage, there is no point where the bible disproves affectionate, devoted, monogamous gay interactions. The bible is categorical in the passage that the people living in this period were guilty of homosexual rape, domineering desire and sexual exploitation. On top of these, the people had also breached the traditional Hebrew generosity customs and constant violation of basic social justice. (Siker 12) The fact that aloofness and unfairness are the primary sins of Sodom and Gomorrah is evident if the parallel Old Testament scriptures are anything to go by. This is clearly demonstrated in Ezekiel 16:49-50: â€Å"Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom, pride, fulln ess of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.† In fact, Ezekiel says in the following verse that compared to Samaria, Sodom and Gomorrah were honorable. (New Revised Standard Version) Some bible commentaries have claimed that the men of Sodom lusted after Lot’s guests because they were angelic beings and not ordinary men. The basis of the Genesis story reflects the emphasis placed on hospitality in Middle Eastern traditions. According to the passage, hospitality was so important such that Lot was willing to present his virgin daughters to be raped than let this happen to men he did not even know but whom he felt compelled to look after. This dispels the notion propagated by the Catholic Church that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of their homosexual deeds. Additionally, the th eory that connects sodomy with homosexuality is unbiblical in its nature. Although practicing sodomy is condemned in several passages in the bible, it is not for the reason that it involved sex between men but because the participants were worshiping foreign Canaanite gods. The point where the church uses these scriptures to condemn homosexuality is therefore unfounded. (Coleman 106) Indeed, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is not used to censure just the same way that 2 Samuel 13 is not used to denounce heterosexuality. It is sad to note that the Catholic Church has capitalized on a scripture that addresses inhospitality and injustice to vilify homosexuals. Throughout the Old Testament, the bible contains numerous passages that criticize homosexuality and rape. However, all these verses address cultic defilement, which was prevalent in Canaan. In history, Canaanite fertility worship involving the things condemned in the passages talking about homosexuality was prevalent and this was viewed as a threat to Jehovah’s exclusive reign. Jehovah was the God who allowed people the freedom to choose what they wanted and this was not accomplished through cycles of genetic life. Sexuality was therefore perceived to be a part of human life that was supposed to be used in a responsible manner as a sign of appreciation to its maker. The passages that talk about this mystery are often misinterpreted and used to degrade gay people. (Nelson) Apart from this explanation, it was common in the Middle East to subject incarcerated male enemies to anal degradation. This was used as a sign of dominance and contempt. As far as homosexuality was understood to articulate such hatred and scorn in a society that placed high emphasis on the male race, such an activity was bound to receive such criticism. In Jesus ministry, there is no available record where he spoke anything about homosexuality. In the New Testament, Paul gave the only passages that speak about the practice. In one of the passages that is widely quoted in Romans 1:26-27, Paul was expressing his concern on idolatry, which had become prevalent in the first church. Being concerned about the negative persuasion that paganism had on the Roman Church, Paul perceives gay relationships as a form of homosexuality but is not categorical on whether the practice brings God’s anger. (Johns) Like in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, Paul is concerned with homosexual lust and this is not an account of loving homosexual relationships. In Romans 1:27, Paul is clearly talking about homosexual relationships by men who had â€Å"left the natural use of women and burned in their desire for one another.† (New Revised Standard Version) Generally, these people had left their natural sexual orientation for the sake of exploring sexual exploits something that the bible has repeatedly warned us not to practice. It is therefore impossible to understand Paul’s warning as directed to people in loving ho mosexual relationships and are oriented in this manner. By barring homosexuals from religious activities on the accusation of going against the natural law is obviously something that is unbiblical and one that should be done away with. (Johns) The Catholic Church and the Christian churches in general are treading on shaky ground as far as recognizing the rights of gay people are concerned. Given the overwhelming evidence by bible scholars, which show that the bible does not out rightly object to gay relationships, it is time that the church softened its stand in the matter. It is sad to note that people are being locked out of ministry and even out of church doors based on their sexual orientation. The bible speaks against many things but sadly, church leaders have embraced some, which support their own selfish ambitions. Although the bible does not address slavery, the Catholic Church has rejected it since it views it to be against the bible teachings on love, justice and human di gnity. In the same way, the church should accept gay people as equal partners in any relationship. It is sad to note that in their desire to play it safe, churches lock people outside churches and ban them from practicing religion based on their sexual orientation. What is even sadder is that churches are doing this despite there being no clear restrictions on homosexuals within the church. From the look of things, it may take a long time for the complexities of ecclesiastical implications to be resolved. Many gay Christians have become tired of waiting for these complexities to be resolved and they have decided to come out of the closet. This should serve as a wake up call for churches that are yet to come to an agreement on the matter to speed things to ensure that gay Christians are accorded their right to practice religion. (Johns) Conclusion Unlike in the past when sexual matters were discussed in private, things have changed and people are beginning to appreciate their sexual orientation. Despite the awakening experienced within the church in the last few years, the Catholic Church is yet to accept gay Christians in their congregations. In trying to justify their actions, the church has come up with flimsy reasons that seek to justify their position. It is sad to note that the passages of scripture that the church quotes as a basis for their actions is usually quoted out of context. This has blocked many deserving Christians from holding positions within the church. From the look of things, the ecclesiastical implications concerning gay relationships are complex and might take a long time to resolve. Gay people have obviously got tired of standing in the sidelines and they have adopted a confrontational mode with churches that are yet to recognize their rights. Coleman, Peter. Christian attitudes to homosexuality, 1980. SPCK, 100-122. Print. Johns, Loren. Homosexuality and the Bible: A Case Study in the Use of the Bible for Ethics, 2009. Web. https://ww w.ambs.edu/ McGinley, Dugan. Acts of Faith, Acts of Love: Gay Catholic Autobiographies as Sacred Texts, 2006. Continuum International Publishing Group, 133-145. Print. Nelson, James. Homosexuality and the Church, 1977. Web. religion-online.org/article/homosexuality-and-the-church/ New Revised Standard Version. Trans. Bruce M. Metzger. New York: Zondervan, 1983. Print. Siker, Jeffrey. Homosexuality in the Church: Both Sides of the Debate, 1994. Westminster John Knox Press, 1-100. Print.

Essay on American Dream

Essay on American Dream The American dream is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position The American Dream: Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness What exactly is this â€Å"American Dream† that seems to stand the test of time? It sounds like a myth, a cheap ploy to trick foreigners into flocking to America in search of â€Å"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.† But many today say it still exists, that it’s a real thing as tangible as the $100 bill – because it is. SAMPLE ESSAY ABOUT HAPPINESS Writer James Truslow Adam, in his book The Epic of America, written in 1931, said: The American Dream is one â€Å"of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position†.   Adam’s description of the American Dream provides insights as to why so many foreigners have immigrated to the United States since the beginning of the country’s history, from the time of English, Spanish, and French colonization to the America of today in the 21st century. They came searching for a better life, and many found it – but not without hard work, the execution of good ideas, and luck. Take a look at people like actor-comedian Jim Carrey, a Canadian by birth. He grew up in a poor, struggling family. For a time the family was homeless, forcing Carrey to drop out of high school at a young age to help support the family. Years later when as an adult he began making a name for himself on the comedy circuit, Carrey then moved to the United States where we would go on standup comedy tours, finally becoming a multi-millionaire through starring in blockbuster films like Liar Liar and Bruce Almighty. It is well documented that Carrey – an adamant believer in the Law of Attraction – would ride his car along the Hollywood Hills imagining he lived there, that he was to be among the rich and famous celebrities. At one time he even wrote a check to himself, when he was a young struggling actor, for $10 million. And sure enough, in 1994, at the age of 32, he was paid $10 million for his work on the hit film Dumb Dumber. Does Carrey exemplify the American Dream? Absolutely! He was a foreigner who came from nothing, then sought a better life for himself in America – and he found it, but not without a lot of discipline, talent, diligence, a hope that borders on stupidity, luck, and a positive, focused mentality. He epitomizes the American Dream. The American Dream goes back, way back to the Declaration of Independence that held certain â€Å"truths to be self-evident: that all Men are created equal †¦ endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights such as Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. ESSAY ON YOLO OR CARPE DIEM The mere foundation of this great – though often troubled – country is built upon the quest for a better life. Of course, people can find wealth and happiness in other countries, but many people all around the world associate America with opportunity, freedom, and success. Unfortunately, the American Dream can also be seen as one pursuing material prosperity: big, fancy cars, gigantic mansions, and designer clothes, while others see it as not so much on the financial increase, but a good, healthy fulfilling life. When pursuing the American Dream, whatever that means, people need to first be honest with themselves about what they think the â€Å"American Dream† means to them. That’s the beauty of living in America: people can find a better life in whatever ways they imagine it to be.

Why was the Washington consensus irresistible in Latin America Essay

Why was the Washington consensus irresistible in Latin America - Essay Example Within the current globalized system, the importance of international political economy and the means by which decisions of economic importance are engaged, the overall level of relevance is maximized. As a function of this, the following analysis will engage the reader with an understanding of why the â€Å"Washington Consensus† came to be so widely accepted and agreed upon by a litany of different Latin American countries. Although merely referencing the Washington Consensus, and the determinants that it necessarily imposes, would be an effective start, the analysis will also integrate with an in-depth discussion of each of the 10 points which engenders the Washington consensus as a means of understanding the ultimate attraction that so many Latin American countries had to this particular economic integration and approach (Marangos, 2008). Further, the unique drawbacks and tacit inabilities that the Washington Consensus will also be discussed with regards to the way in which stakeholders within this particular issue realize that it was in their best interest to accept the Washington consensus even with its tacit level of drawbacks. ... cit level of understanding with respect to world affairs, international relations, and political theory will necessarily be engaged and hopefully understood (Arestis, 2004). History/Background Firstly, before delving into the ultimate rationale behind why so many Latin American countries chose to integrate so fully and completely with Washington consensus, it must be understood that key macro economic factors throughout Latin America provoked and invoked a level of greater cooperation and willingness to attempt a different approach than might have been realized that any other point in history (Babb, 2013). By the time of the 1980s, Latin America, in addition to much of the rest of the world, was still reeling from the economic repercussions of the global malaise that had existed for almost a decade during the 1970s. Whereas the United States, and the rest of the world for that matter, felt the impact of the drastic increase in fuel costs that took place during the late 1970s and earl y 1980s, the impact that this had upon developing nations were even more profound (Duncan, 2003). This stands to reason due to the fact that the United States and other developed nations had a level of wealth that could be leveraged against a sudden price fluctuation with respect to a inelastic demand. What ultimately prompted the oil crisis during the 1970s had to do with the rising levels of debt, inaccessibility of foreign credit, and a restriction in global trade (Ruckert, 2006). Whereas the fuel crisis of the 1970s and early 1980s was of course of relevance, it must further be understood that this particular issue was a significant impact with regards to developing nations around the world; especially Latin American countries. The rationale behind this is due to the fact that Latin

Promotional Activity and Pricing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Promotional Activity and Pricing - Essay Example The firm also offers amenities to its customers in order to meet their entertainment needs. In addition, Southwest Airlines serves their customers by providing Business Select, Wifi, Mobile Access, and EarlyBird Check-In facilities. The South west Airlines has designed special provision for the customers who are aged 65 and older; and extreme facilities are also offered to kids and disabled persons (Seniors: Southwest.com). The company has also arranged high tech facilities for providing boarding passes. The customers can receive boarding passes from the Skycap Counter (situated in selected locations) and check luggage four hours prior to the scheduled departure. The competitive promotional packages include low costs and customers’ loyalty. Since the Southwest Airlines avoids too much luxury facilities, it can cut down the passenger charges which in turn assist the company to achieve customers’ loyalty. The efficient managerial strategies of the company have assisted it to design a competitive promotional mix that effectively meets customer interests. II Wilbur L. Schramm proposed an original model of communication process in 1954 which clearly depicts the information flow in a system. The Schramm’s model is just an extension of Shannon-Weaver transmission model of communication that proposes six elements of communication such as source, encoder, message, channel, decoder, and receiver. In addition to these elements, the Schramm’s model suggests other two concepts such as feedback and field of experience. According to Schramm’s model (as cited in Scannell, 2007, p.210), encoding plays a crucial role in the communication process as it the first step that converts the thought into content. This model says that the information is of no use if the recipient is not able to decode what the speaker actually intents to convey. Hence, Schramm’s model stands on the strength of the principle that encoding and decoding are the two basic elements of a communications system since effective flow of information between two individuals is not possible without these two. On the basis of this model, one can explicitly say that the Southwest Airlines has effectively established a communication system in its promotional mix. For instance, as the company deals with segment focused operations, it can identify domestic needs and serve local population well (Europe Lowcost). The domestic operations aid the company to avoid cultural barriers in communication process; it enables the company to effectively practice its promotional mix by ensuring effective flow of communication between customers and airlines management. In addition, the customer feedback collection process also contributes to effective information flow. III Like Southwest Airlines, many other air travel companies also offer additional services to its customers. It is necessary to take ranges of things into account while setting prices for the various service s provided by the airlines. It would be better to classify the product/service offers into two such as ordinary and luxury in order to effectively set prices for them. Ordinary products include snacks and other food items while satellite radio and TV facilities constitute luxury products. It is evident that aircraft passengers include low, middle, and upper class individuals; therefore, airlines companies must meet the interests of every class of people while setting pri