Pros and Cons of India’s vote in the US sponsored UNHRC Resolution against Sri Lanka.

India finally has taken a stand and voted for the US sponsored resolution at the United Nations top Human Rights Body (UNHRC). Every decision taken has its own value. So let us take a look at the Pros and Cons of India’s vote in the UNHRC Resolution against Sri Lanka along with some viable alternatives. The important positive aspect of the voting in favour of the resolution is that, the Government of India has finally proved that India stands alongside the Sri Lankan Tamils and they will be ‘there’ for the benefit of the people. It is a welcome stand by the Government, even though it happened after a tough political lobbying between the regional parties of Tamil Nadu. It also shows that India acts in its own show its commitment to shun violence against the unarmed civilians and for their rehabilitation. As the whole Tamil Community people were looking forward for India to act, the GoI (Government of India) did the right thing to garner their support. It may also put an end to the Zigzag diplomacy followed by the Rajapaksha’s Government (Giving a Commitment when Foreign minister of India reaches in Sri Lanka due to pressure from the Tamil Nadu politicians and when he boards the flight, commitment will be in dustbin). May be there is a minute possibility of taking Rajapaksha’s Government to the ICC (International Criminal Court) for the war crime. But what is the resolution in the UNHRC really intends to do to the Sri Lankan Government. To be frank it achieves nothing, rather it HUMILIATES Sri Lanka in the World Political Scenario. The Humiliation is thought to do wonders in the country, which has been proven wrong many a number of times (There are more than 200 resolutions passed against Israel for its action against Palestine, though no solution have been found). The resolution draft which has not been released officially by the UNHRC, is intended to contain only recommending the Government to act according to the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), with the coordination and active support of the member States of the UNHRC (affecting the sovereignty of the country, like eg: USA dictating India how to control Naxalism and monitoring every move made by the State forces). As India had voted in favour of the US sponsored UNHRC resolution, the whole geographical hegemony is shifting underneath India. With this vote GoI has deliberately distanced itself from Sri Lanka in the International Scenario, since Sri Lanka has always been toeing India in all major International organization, this action might ignite their passion to pursue their own interest or lean towards the ever growing Dragon Warrior (China). A mutual distrust will be created between the GoI and the Government of Sri Lanka (Even though the severity of the resolution has been diluted with active intervention of India). The Big Brother attitude of India in the South Asian region journeys in the downward swirl. India had always maintained a stature of Non Aligned Country and look to avoid any involvement in the internal affairs of other countries, but this voting pattern has severely dented that image which was carved and niched by Foreign Affairs expert Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It leads to the questioning of the India’s commitment to the NAM (Non Aligned Movement), SAARC and other regional organizations, who look upon India as a key player in the region. China has been provided with a golden opportunity to strengthen its â€Å"String of Pearls† strategy in Sri Lanka (eg: Habantota port developed by Chinese firms) (encircling India on all the sides diplomatically and strategically). The other important aspect is that the Tamilans in the Sri Lanka are now being portrayed as Enemy of the State (due to the humiliation of the country in the world arena) by the Sinhalese people, which will lead to the increase in the rift between the various communities, rather than improving their co existence and starting of the reconstruction of the nation. Even though India had taken a stand in the issue, GoI must actively participate in the rehabilitation of the Sri Lankan Tamil People with a â€Å"Solution oriented approach†. India has already provided a helping hand in the clearing of the Land mines in the Battle field, along with the building of the houses for the Tamil People. Infrastructure development projects (railways) are being mooted in the war torn areas (Even though the essential supplies sent from India is being rotten in the godowns in Sri Lanka). India must make a dedicated approach towards the Tamil Eelam issue, rather than succumbing to the pressures of the regional parties. Since India is a heavyweight in SAARC and NAM, diplomatic channels can be opened in coherence with these regional organizations to look into the rehabilitation of Tamil people in the Tamil Eelam region. It will provide a more conducive environment to the Government of Sri Lanka & the people, rather than being dictated by the high handedness of the Police of the World (USA). People are the pillars of the democracy, so the people to people contact between the various communities in Sri Lanka must be encouraged. Rajapaksha’s government must give in to the demand of the 13th amendment plus plea. This would provide the suitable platform for bringing in a federal structure in the country (dissolution of the power to the Chief Ministers as in the case of India), which is in the best interest of all the stakeholders or communities. Effective steps must be taken against the offenders who were responsible for the atrocities, set loose upon the unarmed civilians and they must be punished according to the rule of law. The one question which will always linger in the mooting of the resolution is the active role played by the USA, which dramatizes them as the champion of the Human Rights (Literally). The answer will be real simple that Uncle Sam was unable to place a firm foot in the Island nation, while the Government of Sri Lanka were fostering and nurturing their relations with countries which have been hostile with USA (Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, etc). This prompted USA to bring the Island nation to bring in order along with its favour, which has severely backfired the USA policy (the strong anti – American mood within the people). This incident outlines the incompetence in assuring that India would become a world power in the near future. If the Human Rights violation in the Sri Lanka had been taken seriously by the Government of India and intended to take action against the lax nature of the action proceeding against the offenders, GoI should have sponsored the resolution rather than backing a resolution which is sponsored by a nation which is totally alien to the Island nation, the responsibility holds up on the shoulders of India due to its geographical, ethnical, cultural and economic proximity to the country. War, would always leave a undeniable scare in the mind of the people along with the sorrows and despair, the Citizens of Sri Lankan have long been made the pawns due to the bad decision making at the time of Independence in the Island nation. Time is always a good healer. The War now over, the hatred sowed in the minds of the different communities must be weeded out and a mutual trust must be incorporated in the minds of the people, with whatever solution available. The International community must look in to the long term prospect of the building the nation to its zenith rather than involving in petty politics and gaining fame. Government of Sri Lanka must aptly remember that â€Å"United is Strength, Divided is to Fail†. Therefore the State must take any possible measure to unite the various communities in the country, even when it is to compromise on some basic ideals. Since ultimately it is for the people the Government is formed as â€Å"Democracy†.

The Fight Against Essay Topics Common App

The Fight Against Essay Topics Common App Regardless of what topic you select, allow some time for extra editing. When you could be confident concerning the application essay topic that you want to concentrate on, a superior decision would be to prepare an essay example. The chance to choose absolutely any topic appeared not such a long time ago. Two new essay options are added, and a number of the previous questions are revised. Essay Topics Common App Features Plan to spend the test so that colleges will get your scores by the deadline. Every student ought to be well conscious of how to compose such varieties of papers. What's more, the committee will observe that you're able to accomplish impressive benefits in your academic field. Because of such paper the admission committee will have the ability to learn more about you as a possible student. Essay Topics Common App - What Is It? You can make an account now and begin working on your applications later. 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Richard Wagner s Music With An Exclamation Point !

Richard Wagner â€Å"I write music with an exclamation point!† Richard Wagner was titled many things in his lifetime. He was a German anti-semitic composer, theatre director and a polemicist ( Richard Wagner Biography). Today, he is mainly known for his operas. Unlike most composers, Wagner wrote both libretto and music for each of his stage performances. He initially established his reputation as a composer that wrote romantic music. Wagner revolutionized opera through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk (â€Å"total work of art†.) Wagner was born May 22, 1813 in Leipzig, Germany. His father was either Carl fried, who was a clerk at the local police station, or a man by the name of Ludwig geyer, who was extremely musical, like Wagner later became†¦show more content†¦1). The first and last named overtures were performed under Heinrich Dorn in Yuletide concerts at the Konigliches Sachsisches Hoftheater in 1830 and 1831 (Osborne, 959). Wagner went to Leipzig University, but his interest in academic studies was little to none. He was more concerned with the college life, drinking and dueling. At this time, he came in contact with a man named Christian Theodor weanling, cantor of Saint Thomas Church. Christian was so impressed by Wagner’s music ability that he turned down any payment for Wagner’s lessons (Richard Wagner’s Biography). Within the year of 1833 Wagner composed his first completed opera named â€Å"die feen† (the fairies) which notably impersonated the style of Carl Maria Von Weber (Richard Wagner Biography) . Wagner then worked as a musical director at the opera house in Magdeburg for a short period during which he wrote â€Å"das liebesverbot† (the ban on love), based on â€Å"measure for measure† by William Shakespeare. In 1834, Wagner’s roller coaster began as he fell in love with an actress named Christine Wilhelmina â€Å"Minna† planer. He ended up following her to Konigsberg, where she supported him to get an engagement at the theatre. On November 24, 1836 they got married. Troubles between them started soon after and Minna ended up leaving Wagner temporarily for another manShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Richard Wagner s The Raven 1177 Words   |  5 PagesRichard Wagner was born May 22, 1813 in Leipzig, Germany (notablebiographies.com). Wagner was a very important person in the nineteenth century due to his poetic writing and criticism (notablebiographies.com). He introduced the concept of leitmotiv (recurring musical theme that has to do with a person, place, or thing in the opera.) plot development in operas (notablebiographies.com). Wagners parents didn’t make a lot money so he was in poverty most of his life (thefamouspeople.com). Wagner’s dadRead MoreDeveloping M anagement Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesbuilt-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Kim S. Cameron UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Prentice Hall Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto Delhi Mexico City Sao Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore

Physician-Assisted Suicide Right or Wrong - 1053 Words

Running Head: RIGHT OR WRONG? Physician-Assisted Suicide Physician-assisted suicide occurs when a physician helps in the requested death of a voluntary patient (Smith, 2012). In most cases, the patient is terminally ill. A recent study revealed that pain or unbearable pain is not a major motivating factor for the request (Foley et al, 2001). Rather, the motivating factors are the effects of illness, the patients sense of self, and fears about the future. Methods used in conducting physician-assisted suicide or PAS include administering overly high dose of narcotics, a sedative or an antidepressant or subjecting the patient to the suicide machine connected to an IV tube. This machine, invented by Dr. Jack Kevorkian, consisted of a saline solution, a sedative and potassium chloride (Foley et al). In 1997, the US Supreme Court determined that physician-assisted suicide was not a constitutional right. However, States were not banned from passing laws allowing it (Smith, 2012). The practice is illegal in 34 States. Four States neither ban nor p rohibit it and it is permitted in Oregon and Washington but only within specific and limited circumstances (Smith; Walker, 2001). Both majority opinion and conscience agree that PAS is inherently wrong. Deontology and PAS Deontology is about duties, the duty to do what is right and not to do what is wrong (Lacewing, 2005). Its principle is that certain acts are our duties. It observes those duties by recognizing other peoplesShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide - Good, Bad, Right, Or Wrong?1860 Words   |  8 Pages Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide – Good, Bad, Right, or Wrong? November 17, 2014 Jennifer Mullen South University Online Euthanasia is a term derived from a Greek word meaning happy or fortunate in death. It is most commonly used now to denote the merciful infliction of death [either actively or passively] to avoid torment in fatal and incurable disease, usually by consent of the patient or his family. Tribal Customs: There are accounts of tribes, ancient and moreRead MoreThe Rights Of Physician Assisted Suicide1347 Words   |  6 PagesThe Right to Die By: Antony Makhlouf Antony Makhlouf PHR 102-006 Contemporary Moral Issues Final Paper The Right to Die Physician-assisted suicide, also known as euthanasia, has been a hot topic as of late. If you do not know what this is, physician-assisted suicide is the taking of ones life. This usually occurs when a patient is in a irreversible state, and must live through a tube. With multiple cases occurring in the past, current and the more to occur the in the future, this looksRead MoreAssisted Suicide Should Be Managed1273 Words   |  6 PagesAssisted Suicide Brittany Maynard was twenty-nine years old, she had been married for a year when she was diagnosed with brain cancer. Doctors gave her a prognosis of six months to live. After that, Brittany and her family decided to move to Oregon to take advantage of the Death with Dignity Act. On November 1, 2014, Maynard decided to end her life. Assisted suicide is a controversial topic that has been debated for many years. In a few countries, this procedure has already been legalized. ThereRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide, When Is It Acceptable?1709 Words   |  7 PagesPhysician-Assisted Suicide, When is it acceptable? Assisted suicide had raised issues of great importance in the society particularly the most controversial of all, the physician assisted suicide in the health care field. 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Physician assisted suicide should be legalized because it’s the compassionate thing to do, people deserve autonomy and because it is a better alternative. People may argue that physician assisted suicide is wrong forRead MorePHI 103 Final1311 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Should Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal? Eileen K. Cordova PHI 103 Instuctor James Hardy July 11, 2013 SHOULD PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE BE LEGAL Physician-assisted suicide has been a controversial topic for over a decade now. In today’s society, physician-assisted suicide brings so many ehtical questions as such, who is the true owner of our lives? Should releiving pain and suffering always be the highest priority, or does it occure for a reason?Read MoreThe Death Of Terminally Ill919 Words   |  4 PagesAs Americans, we are granted rights in this country and these rights, according to the Declaration of Independence, grant us â€Å"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness†. So tell me why someone that is terminally ill cannot use these rights to end their life of pain and suffering. Some states have rallied and given those who are terminally ill the right to die. However, some simply see this means of ending a life, inhumane, unethical, immoral, and just plain wrong. As a citizen of the United StatesRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide1226 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Physician Assisted Suicide There are instances when people who are terminally ill or severely injured who want to terminate their own lives. Sometimes, due to the state of their injuries or conditions, those people are unable to end their own pain. It is in many of these cases that the patients request assistance in their suicides. This kind of request is like to happen in facilities where the patient receives long term or permanent care. Physician assisted suicide is a hotly contested issue

Disease Research Free Essays

The ten leading causes of death in the United States of America as of 2005 are heart diseases, malignant neoplasm, cerebrovascular disease, chronic lower respiratory disease, unintentional disease, diabetes mellitus, influenza and pneumonia, Alzheimer’s disease, nephritis and nephrosis, septicemia, intentional self-harm. I preferred diabetes mellitus because I think this kind of disease should be given much emphasis and attention from the government. Diabetes mellitus is a type of disease in the pancreatic area. We will write a custom essay sample on Disease Research or any similar topic only for you Order Now In this disease, the pancreas does not properly generate insulin. When the body cannot generate enough insulin, hyperglycemia and other related disorders will occur in our metabolism. Diabetes can cause harm in other body organs when complications will arise. First of all, it causes damage to the kidneys which are responsible for the absorption of waste products in our body. Damaged kidneys then causes the end stage renal disease in which the kidneys are destroyed mutely. This then causes the nephrons to worsen which leads to other diseases such as hepatitis to arise. When this happens, the person now has two or more diseases to worry about. Today, it is estimated that 20. 8 million Americans suffer from diabetes. Out of this 20. 8 million Americans, 6. 2 million are undiagnosed. When diabetes goes unnoticed, prevention and early treatment would be impossible. If diabetes is not treated properly, it will then lead to life-threatening complications as mentioned earlier. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the disease will rise to more than 50% in the next 10 years if ignored. According to the United States National Diabetes Fact Sheet 2005, â€Å"Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people without diabetes of similar age. † (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention American Diabetes Association, 2005) One major cause of diabetes is an individual’s diet. Since in the United States most follow the â€Å"Western-style† diet in which almost everything is sweet (having lots of sugar in it), it is suggested that people should watch their diet more. However, there is little understanding of the mechanisms in diabetes at present. Unwatched diet may cause obesity which then causes some organs to become larger and cannot function properly (Giurini, Cook, Cook, 2007). Thus, the government must pay their attention on funding research on diabetes because first, more than 20 million people in the US suffer diabetes at present and will increase in the next 10 years; second; most people do not know that they have diabetes; and third, diabetes causes complications and even death when not treated properly and continued unnoticed. People should be well-informed about diabetes so that they will know how to diagnose, prevent, and treat diabetes.   Reference: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Diabetes Association. (2005). United States National Diabetes Fact Sheet. Retrieved. from. Giurini, J. M., Cook, E. A., Cook, J. J. (2007). Diabetes: the latest trends in glycemic control. Clin Podiatr Med Surg, 24(2), 159-189.    How to cite Disease Research, Essays

Gender In Magazine Advertisements free essay sample

Sociologists conduct various types of research in order to study human societies. Depending on the purpose of the research, either qualitative (non-numerical) or quantitative (numerical) research may be more beneficial. Researchers may also use field research in order to see the events as they actually occur or use unobtrusive research of social behavior that people create or leave behind. Content analysis is a form of unobtrusive research that studies documented commercials, such as magazine advertisements. The research conducted in our study required the use of content analysis because the purpose of the study was to look at how gender roles are portrayed within various magazine advertisements. Advertisements have enhanced societies’’ perception of stereotypes and social norms. Advertisements have allowed society to single out outliers that do not fit into their respective stereotypes or follow the expected social norm. The advertisements from various magazines are targeted at different audiences, which were then categorized into four major themes in order to depict the perceived differences between male and female gender roles in American society. Background/Literature Review: Every day, society is bombarded by a slew of advertisements to attract the eye and sell the perfect product. Graphic Designers, Commercial Advertisers, Posters, Magazines etc. are tirelessly edited and revised to sell to the consumer in such a way that makes the product almost possible to resist. However, what methods are being used to help subconsciously persuade each individual? Could the same stereotypical roles that we learned in grade school as discriminatory, sexist, and just plain out wrong be presented in such a way that makes a product appealing to the common consumer? It is important to discuss the fact of how gender roles may be used in any form of advertisement to sell a product and how these subliminal persuasions may alter our view of men and women’s role in society. If exposed to enough sexist media, society may adapt norms that would further stereotype men and women and place sanctions on those that don’t follow them to the letter. In this particular segment of sociological research, it is important to address the issue of how social roles are depicted and demonstrated through the media. In particular, entertainment means such as magazines. The magazine by Barbara B. Stern, particularly talks about the role of gender versus multicultural affairs. What can be derive from this is an image of the broader scope in which media in the past and present, has chosen and portrayed the subject of gender in a rather repressive manner; most often and usually directed towards women. What has been discovered was there are two relationships to be found: the time of which the articles are written and the social infrastructure of society back in the particular era and the culture it’s brought about within. From what is seen in the first article, there exists a correlation between the history and the tone, as well as its social implications, in terms of impact it has brought upon the youths of its generation. For example, â€Å"the focus has shifted from interest in commonalities among women and differences from men to differences between various groups of women† (Stern 1). From what we see here is in other words, is a historical shift from gender dispute to disputes within gender groups. Instead of comparing how men are different to women, we began take a look at how women are different from each other. In a following excerpt, it is also mentioned that if we take a look, again at the historical context of the article: we see that most scholars, writers and journalists were educated men, since women weren’t trained as professionals in education, but as an item which did not require necessary teachings. Additionally, the majority of literature from the past which focuses on women talks about how they were not only socially oppressed, but limited within the confinements of â€Å"wife, mother, sex object and housekeeper – whereas men were found to be free to roam everywhere else. The point of view that governed the production of the images was so automatically male-dominant that women were seen through men’s eyes as generic females who behaved in stereotypical ways† (Stern 2). Contrasting the first excerpt, the second article focuses on the effects of portrayal of women through the eyes of modern society. Stern devised a critique against the social ideology of the representation of women as what she might classify as the ‘lone woman’ of which she provides an example of something as simple as a water commercial, has subliminal messages and intentions which robs a woman of her identity and self-concepts by making the woman in the advertisement seem weak and requires the company of a figure which can protect her – requiring the physique of a man. â€Å"the stereotypic character traits attributed to women have shifted from weak and dependent to strong and autonomous† (Stern 34) Nowadays we move away from the concepts and ideologies from the past and focus on rebuilding what it means to be a ‘woman’ in society, from the depiction what society might consider as the ‘average woman’ into becoming a being which can and is capable of achieving. â€Å"Women of this era are trained for growth and change; they are encouraged to develop wings, not roots† (Stern 34) While on the topic of men, the common stereotype of male superiority constantly reaffirms itself through advertisements. Men usually report positive attitude towards sexual ads while women have a more negative reaction towards explicit sexual content within advertising; men are portrayed as having positive attitudes towards casual and recreational sex, whereas women value the emotional intimacy and commitment that can surround a sexual relationship (Dahl, 2009:215). Dahl conducted four experiments that looked into different methods on how to improve women’s views on sexual advertisements and compared those results against men’s views of the same advertisement. The research focused on reactions to sex-based ads under constrained processing conditions. Researchers found that women’s attitudes toward sexual advertisements improved once the advertised product was a gift from a man to a woman, but men’s attitudes declined toward the gift advertisement. Women that are primed with the notion of a committed relationship responded with a better attitude towards the sexual advertisement when compared to women who were primed with the idea of an uncommitted relationship. The study found that the direction of the transfer of gift matters to women because when the sexual advertisement depicts a woman giving a man a gift there was no influence on women’s attitudes in general. Women view sexual ads with better attitudes after a task that aroused notions of men expressing commitment as compared to an expression of couple’s devotion. The perception within society is that women are usually more likely to verbally and nonverbally express their emotional states than men, while males are usually reluctant to disclose intimate feelings due to what they believe is socially  appropriate or desirable. Males are able to express their feelings more freely in private because social approval or disapproval doesn’t exist. Males and females differ systematically in the social desirability of low-agency emotional expression, but may not differ in terms of felt emotions (Fisher, 2005: 852). The first study used the mean score for viewing pleasure (participants were asked to answer how they felt while watching the advertisement) and attitude toward the ad (the participants were asked how they would rate the ad). Participants were shown one low-agency ad as well as one high-agency ad and were either alone or with one other participant (gender independent). Females had the same viewing pleasure as well as attitude regardless if they watched the ad alone or with a friend. Social context only affected males when they watched a low-agency ad in the presence of another male. The second study used a third variable, agency appraisals (unauthoritive, powerless, or unaggressive) as well as the two variables from the first study. The study found that there were significant differences when males indicated stronger appraisals in public when compared to private viewing context. While advertisements promote males to be against public display of intimate feelings and women overly vulnerable to attachment, the media may also have subliminally created a favoritism of sexist products. Studies conducted by Maria Michelle Morrison and David R. Shaffer of the University of Georgia show that even though participants say they favor unbiased advertisements, men and women usually are persuaded more easily by sexist roles such as women sweeping or an authoritative male voice in car commercials (Morrison and Shaffer: 267). When asked why participants unknowingly chose sexist advertisements, common responses were that the ads felt relatable and more convincing. This bias helps shows that men and women generally relate more to advertisements that fit their description. Another study conducted by Stephen J. Gould of Rutgers University shows self-consciousness traits and advertising responses across a sample of adult Americans (Gould: 215). Gould’s study, through the use of TV advertisements, showed that younger people, primarily females about public appearance and social acceptance of looks, were more self-conscious than older people because of advertisements such as body modifications (Gould: 221). Gould summarized that women â€Å"orchestrate their roles in our society with greater attention both to themselves as social objects and to external cues, such as advertising, that address their needs in those roles† (Gould: 223). What is important to take away from Gould’s experiment is how television advertisement negatively affects younger women’s confidence through the use of photo alteration and over sexualizaton of females. What is most detrimental to society in terms of sexist advertisements are advertisements with children in mind. Gender role portrayals in advertising are influential in society because they perpetuate stereotypes and can present behavioral norms for males and females. In this particular study H. -J. Paek, M. R. Nelson, and A. M. Vilela examined 2,608 prime-time television commercials in Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, South Korea, Thailand, and the U. S. to compare the gender and occupation of the prominent character and the gender of the voice over(Paek:2010:192). They analyzed cultural masculinity, country level gender-related development index, and product type according to the gender of the typical product user. Results revealed that cultural and country factors predicted the gender of the voice-over only whereas product type consistently conformed to the gender of the prominent character (Paek: 2010:192). Overall, women in ads are still idealized and stereotyped as being dependent on men, physically beautiful and perfect, and unintelligent or irrational (Paek:2010:204). S. G. Kahlenberg and M. M. Hein conducted a content analysis in toy commercials airing after school on Nickelodeon to examine gender-role stereotypes in October 2004. They viewed 455 toy commercials, which were analyzed for the type of toy, number of identifiable girls and boys, gender portrayal, gender orientation, age of children, type of interaction, setting, and color of setting. Its purpose was to determine whether toy commercials promulgate traditional gender-role stereotypes to children who are in the formative stages of developing gender schemas, identities, and values(Hein:2009:830). They wanted to show that through the socialization process and long-term exposure to television commercials, that the children are acculturated to develop a preference for toys that are designed, packages, and marketed corresponding to their masculine and feminine identities (Hein:2009:83). The toys themselves were fairly gender-typed, with females portrayed in slightly more limited settings, interactions, and color palettes when compared to males. Thus, through the use of toys, gender youths are promoted to more stereotypical roles such as housework (females) and action (males). Advertisements can affect all different parts of society and can influence it as a whole in an innumerable amount of ways. Considering gender, advertisements have created a major stereotype that women and men have set roles in society and must stick to them. Whether it be a woman’s beauty that affects society or how children grow up with preconvieved notions that one gender is superior to the other, advertisements can be correlated to things such as gender pay gaps or predominately male societies. It is important to point out these flaws in any given part of society, especially something as big as social media, so that it can be corrected in the future to create a more equal society that doesn’t base success and achievement on genders. Data/Methods: Content analysis will be the method that is used in order to understand how magazines portray male and female gender roles by using qualitative data as well as unobtrusive research. The data that is collected will be qualitative because the advertisements within the magazines is nonnumeric information that is describing people, roles, actions, or some event in social life (Newman 2013:37). Content analysis is one of a few types of unobtrusive research, which is a type of examination of data or evidence of social behavior that society leaves behind and the examiner as no contact with the people. Content analysis specifically looks at documented communications such as books, magazines, speeches, poems, television commercials, and social media (Newman 2013:41). Our study uses content analysis because the advertisements that are collected from the various magazines will be targeting different gender roles. This will allow for an analysis of gender roles within the different magazines and can be considered content analysis because no contact with any people is necessary. There are many advantages in using content analysis to provide analysis of gender roles within magazine advertisements. Content analysis is a qualitative form of research, which doesn’t require the researcher to analyze numbers. This type of analysis is useful in our study because it provides insight into how American society views gender roles through language and depictions of advertisements. Depending on the intended audience of the magazine viewer, the advertisements within the magazine will be intended to depict gender roles for the intended audience. An advantage of qualitative research is that it uses subjective information and allows for the data that is collected to be interpreted into themes or categories (Key:1998). Even though content analysis seems to be a perfect type of research for our particular study of gender roles within advertisements of magazines, there are some disadvantages or information that this research method may leave out. There is increased error within content analysis due to the various amounts of perception of the data being analyzed. Within our own study the perception of the meaning of an advertisement may differ from the producer of the advertisements to the researchers. Not every person can view the same image with the same meaning of gender roles that is attempting to be portrayed. There are times when the researcher may not get the same meaning from an image that the producer had intended. Another major disadvantage of content analysis is the difficulty of determining whether the conclusions follow from the data or are they explainable due to some other phenomenon. Our research is based on the generalized conclusions of the group’s portrayal of certain magazine advertisements. The themes of the advertisements that were chosen by the groups must be reliable and defined accurately, in order to measure the idea correctly. A major flaw within content analysis is when the study lacks the stability to categorize the same data the same way over a period of time. Qualitative research is usually slower for the researcher to analyze than analyzing quantitative research, especially if the research is collected by someone else (such as census data). Findings: Based on the information and the example advertisements, it is easily seen how media portrays gender differences in a negative way. The graphs provided (Appendix 2), have shown how women are constantly dehumanized and overly sexualized in most ads. In general, men are portrayed as strong, powerful; dominate forces due in part by their intimidating stance, muscular strength, and performing actions that usually require physical structure and prowess. Women on the other hand are portrayed as meager, vulnerable, and unable to have a commanding presence in the advertisements. Advertisements provided also sell their product through sexual activity. Not only is it used to attract the eye, but it also creates an idea that intimate sexual moments are allowed to become less personal and more about business. What is even more interesting are the certain objects portrayed in the advertisements. For instance, Amazon. com has an advertisement for a stylish purse. Under its fashion catalog the advertisement states Smart is Beautiful. Clearly this advertisement puts women at a lower scale then they deserve, stating that for a women to be smart, they must have fashionable items rather than any intelligence. Another advertisement is a phone case for Apple Devices. The case and phone are outlined with many stereotypical images of male in media such as a male construction worker with a jack saw, women in sunbathing in a bikini, and a man racing a jet ski. The advertisements outline also resembles that of an explosion with all these images coming out of it. One ad that encompasses both male superiority and woman vulnerability seen in most ads is created by Old Spice. The image shown is a man sweeping a woman off her feet while holding several shampoo bottles. Unfortunately, this advertisement shows how society has already accepted this as a common type of advertisement. Due to the acceptance of this, the dehumanization and over-sexualization of human beings in advertisements is now seen as humorous. Additionally, this shows that women are merely objects of a mans interest and can be taken simply by just the smell of his cologne. Conclusion: The study our group conducted on gender and advertising creates a series of dilemmas we can inherently use as a reflection upon its sociological importance. As mentioned, we have presented an array of themes which talks about gender stereotypes and social norms that are portrayed in the media, and its primary prejudicial effects upon women in society. Thus, we must make the necessary correlations which form a coherent understanding between these two interdependent variables. With a brief introduction, it is discussed in Jean Kilbourne’s documentary, Killing Me Softly 4 about the harmful effects of gender and advertising upon the social concept and breach of the question of gender identity as reflected in the means of today’s society: What does it mean to be a woman? In our modern day society, women are constantly bombarded with the ideals and concepts of beauty and being constantly reminded that they are always less than perfect. Society has created an ideal image and figure to achieve, which has affected the modern conception of physical fitness to an extent that makes it nearly impossible to achieve such an ideal model of beauty. Most of the issues that society has created have revolved around the saying, â€Å"your worth is dependent from how you look†. Women are constantly told that they have to be slim, otherwise they are not socially accepted or worthy as an individual, which looks after their own well-being. Consequences of such may include many forms of differing negative sanctions if one does not pursue such unhealthy obsessions with thinness as reflected in the magazines. This in turn, creates an atmosphere where women are portrayed as vulnerable, passive, and silenced through other forms of social repression that ultimately leads to depression, eating disorders, and low self-esteem. Intersectionality is used to describe variables which affect an individual’s subjective perspective upon the world and is often brought up by the conflict perspective through gender stereotypes in communities. The effects of advertising has severely affected the image and way we identify women nowadays, causing new forms of prejudices, thoughts and incentives, discrimination, and taking action upon the prejudice against women who do not fulfill the criteria of the model woman. This could lead to disastrous results as repeated practices eventually turn into forms of institutional sexism in the past, where practices, customs and laws were established that systematically reflect and product gender inequalities in society. The advertisements that were used within our study further confirmed social norms that exist within American society. Norms are culturally defined rules of conduct (Newman 2013:20). Individuals within society are expected to follow norms and causing a norm violation can lead to unusual looks, gestures, or appearances from nearby observing individuals. When a social norm is broken, there will be negative sanctions (reactions) from other individuals within the society. Norms relate heavily to culture because society believes that all members know their expected social norms and will abide by them. The social norms within American society are constantly being reinforced to the citizens through television, magazine, billboard, and other types of advertisements. The advertisements found within the study correlated with American society’s view of gender social norms because women are constantly being portrayed as submissive, meager, vulnerable, and unable to have a commanding presence. On the other hand, advertisements are consistently portraying men as muscular, strong, powerful, and performing actions that usually require physical structure and prowess. Individuals within society whom do not abide by the expected gender social norms are considered outliers. Individuals who are outliers have a greater risk of receiving negative sanctions from other individuals. A sanction is a direct social response to some behavior; a negative sanction is one that punishes or otherwise discourages violations of social norms and symbolically reinforces the culture’s values and morals (Newman 2013:54). The gender social norms that are expected from both men and women are constantly being reinforced through advertisements in order for men and women to clearly understand what behavior will and will not be accepted by the rest of society. One of the biggest issues within American society that continues to remain a problem is gender inequality. â€Å"Sexism is a system of beliefs that asserts the inferiority of one sex and justifies gender-based inequality† (Newman 2013:198). Advertisements are constantly reinforcing sexism because many advertisements objectify women in various ways. Martha Nussbaum claims that there are six typical ways in which advertisements will objectify women. Studies have shown that objectification of women in advertisements has led to an increase in violence from men towards women, which in the end advertisements help promote sexism by depicting men as being more superior to women. Ultimately, we believe that despite all the changes we have observed to bring drastic changes to the image of women in society, it is always important to remember that as mentioned in Killing Me Softly, that we shouldn’t underestimate the power of advertisement and its effects, because it can’t be ignored out of sheer will, because it is an ongoing unconscious process. It creates an unhealthy environment sets a certain degree of distortion within the natural image of men and women. General ideologies will begin to change within a matter of time because of the perceptions we are constantly bombarded with and reminded by every day. This not only leads to sexual repression, but is also known to be the cause of global widespread of violence activity since the exposure of advertising. What we must focus on is to begin to pay attention to the recognizable problems, and begin to change the environment in order to change the attitude.

Peyotism Essays - Native American Church, Native American Religion

Peyotism ?The white man's reality are his streets with their banks, shops, neon lights and traffic, streets full of policemen, whores, and sad-faced people in a hurry to punch a time clock. But this is unreal. The real reality is underneath all this. Grandfather Peyote helps you find it.? - Crow Dog Peyote, a hallucinogenic plant that is commonly used as a recreational drug, has a much greater meaning for members of the peyote religion. By examining the effects of peyote along with its role in the rituals and beliefs of the Native American Church it becomes apparent why it is such an integral part of the religion. The trade and knowledge of this sacred plant was already well defined in regions of Mexico well before European conquest and its ceremonial use was already underway in the tribes of the area in which it grew. This religious use eventually spread through North American regions. Along with its migration, the basic rituals and ceremonies changed along the way. The organization of religion involving peyote and the principle rituals had become commonly practiced among the Comanche and Kiowa tribes by the mid-eighteen hundreds. The Native American Church formed in 1921, beginning in Oklahoma. Soon after this initial formation, state and local incorporation followed in many places and continue to do so to this day. (Aberle, 19) Now, some form of peyote religion is common to most tribes of the North American continent. Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is a very small, low growing, fuzzy type of cactus. Most of the cactus is actually underground in a long root. Both the flesh and roots can be eaten. When dried the flesh resembles brown overcoat buttons, which is where the term peyote ?buttons? came from. Peyote isn't found just anywhere. It grows in the wild over only a small portion of the Southwestern United States known as the Peyote Garden. Precisely, Corpus Christi, Texas, Deming, New Mexico, Durango, Mexico and Puebla , Mexico bind the area in which this plant can be found and harvested. (Aberle, 5) Containing eight different alkaloids, the most important being mescaline, peyote causes a number of effects. The experience begins with an euphoric quality. It heightens the sensations to sound, color, form and texture. Further into the experience, ?visions? begin to occur. These visions can include detailed, realistic pictures and sounds. The interpretation of these visions rather than the visions themselves are what peyotists consider most important. The peyote experience is characterized by a strong feeling of personal significance of the internal and external stimuli encountered during the experience. Many find themselves asking, ?What does this mean to me The Native American Church came to the Indians during their darkest hour. It was around the time when the last of the buffalo had disappeared from the plains. They were left starving, helpless and with little of their old lives remaining to cling to. In the words of a member of the NAC, Mary Crow Dog, ?The Native American Church became the religion of the poorest of the poor, the conquered, the despoiled. Peyote made them understand what was happening and made them endure. It was the only thing that gave them strength in those, our darkest days.? It was obvious that a militant religion could not have survived under white dominance. The formation of this religion was a response to the degraded status on Native Americans. It's goal- internal peace and harmony rather than competition. This idea was highly relevant to the socio-economic situation that these indigenous people were being faced with. For many, this was exactly what they needed to continue on. Since the beginning, there has been strong opposition to the Native American Church by several groups. The traditionalist Indians opposed it believing that it was a threat to traditional tribal culture. Modernist Indians as well as whites opposed the religion also saying that it was heathenistic and backward. In the early stages, peyote meetings were illegal not for the use of peyote, but because Native American rituals in general were outlawed. But, in 1934, under John Collier, the Bureau of Indian Affairs enacted a policy of non-interference with peyotism. There have been state laws prohibiting the ?sale, use or possession of peyote?, but all such laws have