Thursday, January 30, 2020

Tv Gives Children Unrealistic Expectations Essay Example for Free

Tv Gives Children Unrealistic Expectations Essay A few months after my friend Angela, who lives in Santo Domingo, acquired access to premium channels such as HBO, Cinemax, etc. her eight years old daughter asked her one night: Mom, are there poor people in the United States? This could have been a Joke if it were not so revealing. My friend realized that the luxurious scenes shown on television were not only giving her daughter a false idea about life in the United States, but they could also be creating unrealistic expectations in the girls mind concerning life in general. The same situation is faced by children and eenagers all over the United Sates. To a childs eyes, television represents a parallel reality with its own rules and laws, a reality in which everything is not only possible and easy, but is obviously more appealing to his/her mind than the sometimes bleak or deprived household in which he or she lives. The problem is real and is not going away. On the contrary, it is only strengthened by the leading role played by television in the upbringing of children, as parents are forced to work long hours and depend more and more on the electronic nanny for the childrens entertainment. Unfortunately, the damage done to the children is serious and has unpredictable consequences in the long run. On the one hand, we have a powerful industry that feeds on audiences regardless of their age, sex or personal characteristics; an industry that harness the imagination of the viewers and, as such, has limitless resources and only one goal: production. On the other hand, we have a defenseless child who spends long hours in front of a TV set, sometimes in the privacy of his own room. Children do not have the ability to analyze or screen the information presented to them. All the images and messages rapped up in the movies, programs or commercials go straight through to the subconscious mind of a child and become the storeroom from which he will draw tomorrow in response to the demands of his environment. Studies performed at MIT have demonstrated that the brain is more active during our sleep than during the times we watch TV. It is precisely that passivity which entraps the child and renders him helpless. Watching TV is not a creative activity. The child does not have to do anything only sit there and absorb the images and the sounds, Just like a plant absorbs the sun. This characteristic makes TV and ideal way o escape reality and go into a world of our own making where everything is possible. Additionally, children can find that TV is a less demanding and more peaceful place to be than their homes, with parents quarreling all the time, when they are present It is in this way that superheroes, gangsters or the latest rock star form a solid bond with our children and it is here they learn to mimic them. We have all learned of cases where children have Jumped from high buildings, expecting to fly or have killed their little sibling Just as seen on their favorite movie. But these are only the most

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

The Importance of Work :: essays research papers

The Importance of Work During the birth of this country, Puritans had to work hard to ensure the success of the new state. In order to make work more appealing, the Puritans emphasized the fruits of labor. This attitude, reflected in modern day by the act of "working for a living," is considered as a "badge of pride." Puritan attitudes toward work and the attitudes of two modern day writers toward work all agree that the act of working has virtuous effects, an attitude that I share because of my working experience (Clee and Clee 233-234). Three different attitudes toward work, expressed by several writers whom I have recently studied agree that hard work yields positive rewards. Henry F. Bedford, a history teacher at Phillips Exeter Academy, and Trevor Colbourne, a teacher at the University of New Hampshire, examine the Puritan attitude toward work in their book The Americans: A Brief History. Puritans stress the goodness of working by relating it to religious beliefs. Sloth is sinful, but the Puritans also pointed out that it was self-defeating. Leisure is even considered an "evil temptation" (Bedford and Colbourne 235-238). Marge Piercy, a modern day poet, essayist, and novelist, attempts to explain why work is desirable on contemporary terms in her poem "To Be of Use." To Piercy, hard workers who really persevere are admirable because of the fact that the world is full of temptations to stop working, or to not work altogether. This admiration for determination is apparent because work is as "common as mud," and it must be done sometime (Piercy 242-243). Wendell Berry, an English teacher at the University of Kentucky, explains the basis of the desire to work in his essay "The Joy of Work." In response to the prediction that there will be no work in the future, Berry emphasizes the importance of work to human nature.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Gay Bashing

In 2008, 190 homosexuals were killed in Brazil, one every two days, known as a 55 percent increase on the previous year. The annual report on murders of homosexuals, according to the Grupo Gay da Bahia from Brazil, says that 64 percent of the victims were gay men, 32 percent were transvestites, and four percent were lesbians. This is absolutely astonishing. Even though homosexuals have chosen an alternative lifestyle, they still deserve to live a normal life without being victimized of physical harm for their choices.Homosexuality is not â€Å"normal† in biological terms. If it were normal, then everybody would be homosexual and that is self-evident. Homosexuals are actively striving to convince us that homosexuality is â€Å"normal,† but they confuse frequency and familiarity with normality. Today's world is more familiar with homosexuals, their reputation, their struggles, their status in the population, but that doesn't change the underlying biology: homosexuality is not â€Å"normal. We are all people. People who love, cry, eat and breathe just like everybody else does. If homosexuality is not â€Å"normal,† then what is it? Homosexuals, and heterosexual as well, argue that it is not a choice, but inherent to who they are. With certain qualifications for people of confused identify, it is acceptable to believe that homosexuality is rooted in biology, and that the individual doesn't choose it. The American researcher Dean Hamer published research that seemed to prove that homosexual orientation could be genetically transmitted to men on the x chromosome, which they get from their mothers† (Am I Gay? ). If it is rooted in biology, and is not normal, then therefore, homosexuality must be a genetic quirk, a genetic mutation that causes a person to have a sexual identity that is innately in contradiction with that person's physical self and with the natural instinct to pass one's genes to the next generation through procreation with a person of the opposite sex.If science proves homosexuality is innate, is there any basis to deny gays equal treatment — including the right to marry? But if scientists unravel the roots of sexual orientation, will it some day be possible to â€Å"fix† people who don't fit the norms or abort fetuses likely to be born gay? † (Doughton). In our culture, the victim of gay bashing is considered the sinner. That's why so often the crimes against homosexuals go unpunished until someone is found beaten, burned and tied to a fence post. There is a pat psychological answer–gays are threatening to us because of homosexual tendencies built into the human psyche, which frighten us and which we must put away from us†¦at any time, in any culture it seems to be convenient to have a group of people who can be demonized and excluded†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Stop Bashing Gay People). The verbal taunts and persecution of people because of their sexual orientation are so commonpla ce they set the stage for murderers who think it's no crime to hate gays and to act on that hate. â€Å"It is that instinctual fear of rape that drives much of homophobia.Straight men often instinctually see gay men as a threat, and they instictively fear that threat. It's a fear of a loss of control, of dominance, of status† (Bidstrup). As anybody can tell, the opportunity to be threatened, humiliated and to live in fear of being beaten to death is the only â€Å"right† our culture grants on homosexuals. If you listened to the opponents of laws designating gay bashing as a hate crime, you'd think there really was some fundamental difference between being a black man, who is beaten and dragged behind a truck, and being a gay man, who is beaten, his skull crushed, and left tied to a fence to die. Gay bashing also sends the message that whether a person is actually lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or queer, if they are perceived by others as being so, a negative (a nd potentially violent) reaction may occur† (Matzner). The only real difference is the nickname the killers use to describe the victim. The one used for the black man is considered an obscenity so appallingly offensive, it can't be written, printed, or projected verbally. The one used for the gay man is a common expression. It's familiar in schools, comedy routines, the media, and on street corners all across America.There is the perception that homosexuals are a socially acceptable target. Therefore, when young people are asked, they will justify and defend targeting gay people as inferior. â€Å"Gaybashing is the most socially acceptable, and probably the most common, type of hate crime, especially among male teenagers and young adults† (Matzner). There's a belief nowadays that it's not so cool to assault racial minorities. It's not so cool to assault women, Blacks or Jews. But assaulting gays is actually something humorous to a lot of young people. It's probably the last socially acceptable group to assault.Part of it is related to the fact that discrimination against gays is still legalized and encoded. That sends a message to young people that, if gays don't have equal rights in employment, housing, child custody, the military, or marriage, then there's something wrong with them, and nobody's going to mind if we have some fun at their expense. According to statistics released by the FBI, hate crimes that are specifically committed in relation to the victims sexual orientation have risen over the past three years. There were 1,017 reported in 2005, 1,195 in 2006 and 1,265 in 2007.The FBI reported a 6 % increase in hate crimes against gay, lesbian and transgender people in 2008. A gay-bashing incident took place in Vancouver in March of this year. â€Å"He’s a faggot. He deserved it. I’m not a fag. The faggot touched me. He deserved it,† the accused said to a witness. Richard Dowrey, a 62-year old man was punched in the fac e at a pub and has left him clinging to life in the intensive care unit at a local hospital. The force of the punch threw him backgrounds, falling to the ground and hitting the back of his head. â€Å"Most commonly, respondents said that they were defending themselves against sexual predation† (Franklin).The man will live with permanent brain damage for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, this incident was humorous to someone. What if you were the man who had to live as a vegetable for the rest of your life? Nobody should think that there is not a possibility of this happening the other way around. It may not be as likely, but there is always that possibility of a homosexual physically harming a heterosexual just for being heterosexual. Gay bashing occurs even among children of very young ages, and in this instance, it was too late. 11 year-old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover was found dead after he hanged himself earlier this week by tying an electrical cord around his neck that was fastened to a support beam in his home. The child had enduring day after day of taunting with anti-gay slurs at the school he attended† (Hipps). People don’t realize that they go too far with the unbearable taunting. Not only may it lead to physical harm, but it really affects people emotionally and to the point that they may inflict harm upon themselves because they have lost their self-esteem. Being homosexual may not be the norm, but they are human beings just like the rest of the world.They have feelings as well. Another example of a gay bashing tragedy: the heart-wrenching story of Brandon Teena, a young transsexual murdered in a hate crime, which took place in the 90’s. Brandon was born biologically a female, but lived as a male. Because of this, he was subsequently brutally beaten, raped and murdered. His life story and death was later portrayed in the Academy Award winning film, â€Å"Boys Don’t Cry. † This story was brought to life agai n for people to manifest the horrific actions that did and still do take place in our prejudice society.It is needed to have these stories known and fleshed out. It is unfortunate that our society lives in a country where hate crime legislation is not necessary, but it is. If a crime is committed because of a prevailing prejudice, that prejudice will only subside when we as a society are having an active conversation to bring the issues out into the open. The more they get shoved into the dark, the darker and more horrible they become. Acts and laws need to be passed in order to bring these issues to light in a way that the media cannot ignore.It would be the best way to both bring these crimes to justice and bring about cultural change in our society about a minority group. â€Å"The cost to society is enormous, not just to the gay person, but to his family, his acquaintances, his employers, and to society as a whole† (Bidstrup).Works Cited â€Å"Am I gay? Are you born gay? Can you stop being gay? † Bidstrup, Scott. â€Å"Homophobia: The Fear Behind The Hatred. †The Nature of Homophobia. 3 September 2000. Doughton, Sandi. â€Å"Born gay? How biology may driveorientation. † Seattle Times. 19 June 2005. Franklin, Karen. Why Do People Say Gay bash? † Assault onGay America. 1995-2008. Frayssinet, Fabiana. â€Å"RIGHTS-BRAZIL: Gay-Bashing Murders Up55 Percent. † IPS News on the Web. 22 April 2008. Hainsworth, Jeremy. â€Å"Community demands court treatgaybashing as a hate crime. † Where Queers Conspire. 26March 2009. Hipps, James. â€Å"11 Year Old Hangs Himself Over Gay Slurs. †Gay Agenda. 2008. 11 April 2009. Matzner, Andrew. â€Å"Gaybashing. † Social Sciences. 2004. 19August 2005. Schneider, Walter H. â€Å"Gay Violence Statistics. † Fathers ForLife. 1998-2008. 1 April 1998. â€Å"Stop Bashing Gay People. †

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Age is the most important factors - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 834 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Education Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? 1. How Does Bens Age Affect His Decision To Get An MBA? Age is one of the most important factors one has to look at when a person decides to do its master or not. At the moment, Bens annual salary of $50,000 and his current savings might be too small to prepare him for the future. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Age is the most important factors" essay for you Create order In the future Ben might require a certain amount of money to live comfortably after retiring, and this is not possible with the money he is currently receiving. In todays world a person is paid by the certificate he or she holds. With further education such as masters qualification, it would not only benefit Ben by increasing his potential to secure better position within the organization but also ultimately translates to higher income. A good MBA candidate should have an understanding of what the word â€Å"career† means these days. It means they will experience change. They should be prepared to experience employment changes, as well as moves to different fields and areas of expertise, just to survive in todays business environment. An MBA prepares a person for the transient nature of todays business world. (Veasley, 2009) It is part of most employees career goal to increase the salary that they are aerning and with a Masters qualification, such goals can be realized effe ctively. Graduates working instead of pursuing their MBA can later want to further their education; they say education has no end. If Ben does not decide to do his MBA now he has a choice to do it later after gaining some work experience. Some people feel that doing an MBA without work experience makes it more difficult to understand because that work experience makes them know a little about business world and thus enhance their knowledge from there. Continue Aith Current Job (No Further Studies) Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 36 $37,000 $38,110 $39,253.3 $40,430.9 $104,112.91 Growing annuity PV= C PV (salary) = $37,000 c = Annual salary x (1- tax rate) = $ 50,000 x (1- 0.26) r = Discount rate= 0.065 = $ 37,000 g = Constant salary growth = 0.03 = $ 728,896.23 t = Number of years = 35 Ben will able to earn the amount of $728,896.23 in the future provided that he continues with the current job without further studies. Wilton University Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 36 PV $102,500 $102,500 $65,550 $68,172 $239,151.38 Annual Direct Costs = Annual tuition + books and other supplies + health insurance plan Annual Direct Costs = $60,000 + $2,500 + $3,000 = $65,500 PV = R + R PV (direct costs) = $65,500 + 65,500 R = Annual direct costs r = 0. 065 = $127,002.35 = $65,500 n = 2 If Ben studies in Ritter College of Business at Wilton University, he will use $127,002.35 to study the MBA program that requires two years. Growing annuity PV (indirect costs) = C= Annual salary x (1- tax rate) r = Discount rate = 0.065 = $50,000 x (1- 0.26) g = Constant salary growth = 0.03 = $37,000 t = Number of years = 2 PV (indirect costs) = $37,000 = $ 68,341.82 PV (total costs) = PV (direct costs) + PV (indirect costs) = $127,002.35 + $68,341.82 = $195,344.17 $195,344.17 is the opportunity cost of Ben if he chooses to study in The Ritter College of Business at Wilton University. Growing annuity PV3 (salary) = C PV3 (salary) = $65, 550 C = $95,000 x (1- 0.31) r = 0.065 = $1,424,719.73 = $ 65,550 g = 0.04 t = 35-2 =33 FV = NVP = PV (salary) PV (total costs) $1424, 719.73 = PV = $1,256,117.38 $195,344.17 PV (salary) = $1,256,117.38 = $1,060,773.21 Ben will able to earn the amount of $1,060,773.21 in the future provided that he chooses to continue his MBA programs in The Ritter College of Business at Wilton University. Mount Penny College Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 36 PV $118,500 $55,380 $57,318.3 $59,324.44 $178,371.25 Annual direct costs = Tuition costs + books and other supplies + health insurance plan Annual direct costs = $75,000+ $3,500 + $3,000 = $81,500 PV (direct costs) = R + R R = annual direct costs = $81,500 n= number of years = 1 r = discount rate = 0.065 PV (direct costs) = $81,500 + $81,500 = $81,500 If Ben studies in Bradley School of Business at Mount Perry College, he will use $81,500 to study the MBA program that requires one year. Growing annuity PV (indirect costs) = C x C = annual salary x (1 tax rate) g = constant salary growth = 0.03 = $50,000 x (1 0.26) t = number of years = 1 r = discount rate = 0.065 PV (indirect costs) = $37, 000 = $34,741.78 PV (total costs) = PV (direct costs) + PV (indirect costs) = $81,500 + $34, 741.78 = $116,241.78 $116,241.78 is the opportunity cost of Ben if he chooses to study in Bradley Scho ol of Business at Mount Perry College. Growing annuity PV2 (salary) = C PV2 (salary) = $55,380 C = $78,000 x (1- 0. 29) g = 0.035 = $1, 147,257.88 = $55, 380 t = 35 1= 34 r = 0.065 FV = NVP = PV (salary) PV (total costs) FV = $1, 147,257.88 = $1, 077,237.45 $116,241.78 r = 0.065 t = 1 = $960,995.67 $1,147,257.88 = PV PV (salary) = $1,077,237.45 Ben will able to earn the amount of $960,995.67 in the future provided that he chooses to continue his MBA programs in Bradley School of Business at Mount Perry College. Conclusion The best option for Ben from a strictly financial standpoint is option 2 where he chooses to study in The Ritter College of Business at Wilton University for MBA programs for two years full time programs. This is because Ben can earn the net amount of $1,060,773.21 in the future and it is the highest among the 3 option. Ben would gain an additional $331,877.33 of income compared to his current employment. It is also better tha n Mt. Perrys return by $99,780.91. From a financial sense, although Ben would spend an additional year enrolled in the university, in the long run, it would provide him with better total return. Refrences Veasley. D, (2009). What makes a good MBA candidate? https://www.gradview.com/articles/graduatestudies/mba_advantages.html