Television Violence Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Papers

Television Violence On April 20, 1999, a tragic event took place in an environment where children should feel safe. At Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, twelve students and one teacher were tragically gunned down by two boys, one seventeen years old, and one eighteen years old. Recently in Michigan, a first grader brought a gun to school and shot and killed a fellow classmate. These tragedies can be seen as a result of many different factors, such as violence in the home, access to deadly weapons, and extreme anger towards society. A main reason for these school tragedies is the violence children view every day on television. The amount of violence that children see on television is overwhelming. According to Mortimer Zuckerman's article titled "Victims of TV Violence," by the age of eighteen children will have seen 200,000 acts of violence on television, including 40,000 murders (Zuckerman 64). The television has become the nation's storyteller, babysitter, preacher, and teacher. With this as the case, the images and ideas that children view on the television set quite an impression on their young minds. By the time children reach the first grade, they will have already watched 5,000 hours of television. By the time they graduate from high school, they will have viewed over 19,000 hours of television. These numbers are even more astonishing to think about, considering when a child graduates they will have had only 13,000 hours of school (Zuckerman 64). A major reason for the impact on these children is that at the point they start watching these violent programs they do not yet know what is real and what is not. The children get the idea that violence does not have negative consequences. In 47 percent ... ...s at schools, such as the Columbine catastrophe, can be seen as results of television violence. As parents and adults, monitoring the amount of television shows that children watch is an essential responsibility. By monitoring the amount of television viewed and teaching children about what violence really is, they will be less likely to commit a violent act some day. Works Cited Kalin, Carla. "Television, Violence, and Children." Diss. Oregon U, 1997. Sweet, D. & Singh, R. "TV Viewing and Parental Guidance." Education Consumer Guide. Available: http://inet.ed.gov/pubs/OR/consumertv/html (April 2, 1997). Zuckerman, Mortimer. "Victims of TV Violence." U.S. News & World Report 2 August 1993: 64. "TV Violence and Kids." The Education Digest September 1996: 23-26. "Studies Report Watching TV News Triggers Fear in Kids." JET 7 September 1999: 25-26. Television Violence Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Papers Television Violence On April 20, 1999, a tragic event took place in an environment where children should feel safe. At Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, twelve students and one teacher were tragically gunned down by two boys, one seventeen years old, and one eighteen years old. Recently in Michigan, a first grader brought a gun to school and shot and killed a fellow classmate. These tragedies can be seen as a result of many different factors, such as violence in the home, access to deadly weapons, and extreme anger towards society. A main reason for these school tragedies is the violence children view every day on television. The amount of violence that children see on television is overwhelming. According to Mortimer Zuckerman's article titled "Victims of TV Violence," by the age of eighteen children will have seen 200,000 acts of violence on television, including 40,000 murders (Zuckerman 64). The television has become the nation's storyteller, babysitter, preacher, and teacher. With this as the case, the images and ideas that children view on the television set quite an impression on their young minds. By the time children reach the first grade, they will have already watched 5,000 hours of television. By the time they graduate from high school, they will have viewed over 19,000 hours of television. These numbers are even more astonishing to think about, considering when a child graduates they will have had only 13,000 hours of school (Zuckerman 64). A major reason for the impact on these children is that at the point they start watching these violent programs they do not yet know what is real and what is not. The children get the idea that violence does not have negative consequences. In 47 percent ... ...s at schools, such as the Columbine catastrophe, can be seen as results of television violence. As parents and adults, monitoring the amount of television shows that children watch is an essential responsibility. By monitoring the amount of television viewed and teaching children about what violence really is, they will be less likely to commit a violent act some day. Works Cited Kalin, Carla. "Television, Violence, and Children." Diss. Oregon U, 1997. Sweet, D. & Singh, R. "TV Viewing and Parental Guidance." Education Consumer Guide. Available: http://inet.ed.gov/pubs/OR/consumertv/html (April 2, 1997). Zuckerman, Mortimer. "Victims of TV Violence." U.S. News & World Report 2 August 1993: 64. "TV Violence and Kids." The Education Digest September 1996: 23-26. "Studies Report Watching TV News Triggers Fear in Kids." JET 7 September 1999: 25-26.

Stereotyping in the Film the Birdcage (1996)

Marketing, education, suggestion and propaganda all subtly influence the opinions and values a society’s members hold. All too often, we have no clear idea how we came to hold the opinions we develop over the course of our lifetimes. From the earliest days of the film industry’s rise at the beginning of the twentieth century, film has had an enormous impact in shaping public views and ideas about everything from what it means to be a â€Å"good citizen† to what roles are acceptable and proper in a â€Å"civilized† society.With the exception of academics and serious students in film or cultural studies, most movie-goers regard the viewing of films (with the exception – sometimes – of documentaries) as simply an entertainment activity when, very often, central to the experience is the swallowing of messages that the creators of the film wish to advance. Since films are often very expensive to produce, the films that find financial backing must also meet with the approval of a society’s elite, moneyed class.It is most often the case, then, that subtle messages and affirmations about the political, social and personal norms the dominant class wishes to endorse and inculcate are embedded in films that reach a wide segment of the population. Richard Dyer, Professor of Film Studies at King's College London, in his essay Stereotyping (1), argues that one of the most common methods by which the dominant economic class attempts to reinforce the worldview it wishes to have embraced by the people, is the employment of stereotypes, which are often one-dimensional, static characterizations of people in various social roles or members of classes of people.These stereotypes range from the flattering depiction of Hero or Faithful Servant, for example, to the cartoonish, demonic or depraved portraits of a â€Å"typical† member of a group of people whose behavior or values the dominant class finds antithetical to their inter ests. Dyer argues that learning to recognize the use of stereotypes in films is provides some self-defense against being oblivious to the attempt to influence one’s thinking and opinions.One such group which has long been the target of such propaganda via stereotyping in films is the homosexual community. It was with the rise of capitalism that homosexuality began to be seen as leading to lifestyles that were not conducive to the provision of good, stable, obedient workers.One of the most influential frameworks for analysis of human relations and the evolution of social norms and political structures from the late 19th century through the present has been Marxist analysis, based on the works of Karl Marx (1818-1883). Dyer employs Marxist analysis, with a nod to sociological terminology (role, individual, type, member) to illustrate that stereotyping in film can occur through the use of iconography â€Å"Iconography is a kind of short-hand—it places a character quickly and economically.P. 32), structurally (â€Å"†¦. by the function of the character in the film’s structure {whether these be static structures, such as the way the film’s world is shown to be organized, materially and ideologically, or dynamic ones, such as plot. P. 33}, and through typing – the opposite of individuation of characters, instead ascribing of attributes to a person based on the idea they are a certain â€Å"type,† and we can understand all we need to know about them by being familiar with that type.While we, generally, think of stereotyping in a negative light, one consideration clearly of great importance to Dyer is the idea that some aspect of typing –insofar as the typing reflects the positive attributes of gay people – should not be discarded entirely, since the recognition for the audience, of some level of commonality in the experience of being gay will serve to illuminate for viewers the struggles faced and the opp ression experienced, hopefully leading to more support in the larger society for improved status and equal civil rights for gay people.In analyzing the use of stereotypes in The Birdcage (Mike Nichols, 1996), I will argue that, while the use of stereotypes by the filmmakers was clearly done with the intention of exposing the stupidity of so many of society’s prejudices, the film does not entirely succeed in leaving the audience with anything close to real motivation for re-thinking approval for the established social idea that gays are somehow â€Å"other† and, at best, sympathetic clowns. The audience simply gets its laughs and goes home.A remake of the French film La Cage aux Folles (Jean Poiret and Francis Veber, 1978), Birdcage is set in drag club called The Birdcage in South Beach, Florida. We learn very early in the movie that Armand Goldman, played by Robin Williams, owns the club and his partner, Albert, played by Nathan Lane, appears regularly as â€Å"Starin a†, the show's star drag queen. The plot of the movie develops when Armand’s son Val becomes engaged to Barbara Keeley, the daughter of the hypocritical, ultraconservative Republican Ohio Senator Kevin Keeley, who is seeking re-election as the co-founder of the â€Å"Coalition for Moral Order. In light of the engagement, the young couple decides that it is finally time for the two families to meet. However, Val requests that Armand and Albert must conceal their homosexuality for this meeting. Stereotyping is not just employed in presenting the characters in Birdcage; the sets also are highly stereotyped and function almost as additional characters. The film opens with the camera panning around from the outside the club, and the viewer gets a quick look at the outside environment.They see bright lights in the night, palm trees, and pedestrians milling about the streets or waiting in line, all in scantily clad outfits and bathing suits. Sequences similar to this occur nu merous times throughout the movie when showing the outside environment. Whether they’re at the beach or in the streets, day or night, the surrounding people are dressed in skimpy clothing, small bikinis, or Speedos. This aspect of the environment is emphasized when the senator and his family are stuck in traffic right outside of the club, approximately seventy-five minutes into the film.While all the cars are stuck in traffic, people are chaotically climbing in and out of open-roofed cars or roller-skating by. Women and men in skimpy and brightly colored bikinis, thongs, and Speedos continuously pass the senator’s idled car while the family stares, aghast, and Mrs. Keely states, â€Å"This is less like Palm Beach than I imagined. † Despite the fact that no indication is given that there is any special occasion being celebrated in South Beach, the carnival-like atmosphere and setting depicts the gay generated environment in a one-dimensional, stereotyped manner.W hile the sexual orientations of the pedestrians is not defined, these sequences are stereotypical cues that the sultry, brightly colored, free-wheeling Florida locale surrounding the drag club, an environment where all the citizens present themselves flamboyantly and provocatively through their dress is to be seen as the typical environment for such a club, a â€Å"gay paradise. † The home of Armand and Albert, located above The Birdcage, is abundantly decorated with stereotypically gay ornamentation. Every available surface is purposefully adorned with lit candles, decadent glass sculptures, flouncy lamps, poufed pillows and homoerotic artwork.The walls are either bright yellow or covered in obnoxious, loud, jungle-themed wallpaper. The significance of the iconographically gay character of the setting is emphasized when Val makes clear that the decor poses as big a pitfall for the senator’s visit, as does the presence of drag queen, Albert. Approximately thirty-six mi nutes into the film, Val insists that they redecorate prior to the Keeley’s arrival. Armand does not understand what is wrong with the decor, and Val points out to a nude sculpture of Neptune, a portrait of a man in drag without his wig, numerous primitive sculptures depicting exaggerated male erections.At first, an offended Armand replies â€Å"But this is art! † and casually turns the erect sculptures around to face the wall, but eventually, out of love for his son, he gives in and clears his home of the many â€Å"gay signaling† items he possesses, completely redesigning it into a setting similar to a Catholic monastery (Armand is Jewish. ). The most ridiculously, screamingly stereotyped character in Birdcage of Armand’s spouse, the drag queen star, Albert.It is no accident that the character, Albert, is the embodiment, not only of the drag queen type, but also of the worst stereotyped version of a woman: shrill, melodramatic, self-absorbed, vain, over ly emotional, and prone to hysterics, suspicion and jealousy. The viewer is introduced to him five minutes into the film while he is in a fit of hysterics. Albert, suddenly devastated by the recognition that he is no longer young and beautiful, and convinced Armand is losing interest in him, is extremely upset and refuses to prepare for his nightly stage performance.The audience immediately sees that Albert is overreacting by the melodramatic way he behaves in this scene. As Armand attempts to enter the dressing room, Albert, who was previously hiding under some sheets, wailing and lamenting his sorrows to the couple’s housekeeper Agador, squeals and barricades the door because he doesn’t want Armand to see him in his â€Å"hideous, hideous, fat and hideous† state. Even in the chaos of Armand trying to break into the room, Albert’s shrieks are completely audible over the ruckus. Once Armand enters the room, Albert begins to make melodramatic claim after m elodramatic claim: â€Å"I’m in such pain!It’ll never pass! I hate my life. † â€Å"Never mind about me feelings. † â€Å"Don’t use that tone to me†¦that sarcastic, contemptuous tone that means you know everything because you are a man, and I know nothing because I was a woman†, â€Å"I was adorable once, young and full of hope and now look at me! I’m this short, fat, insecure middle-aged little thing! † Such behavior and sentiments are typically attributed to the stereotypical, emotionally unstable and utterly dependent woman, Albert’s character embodies the classically drawn stereotype of a melodramatic, overly emotional, ridiculous gay man who might as well be considered a woman.While Albert’s raging hysterics, melodramatic behavior and â€Å"prissiness† was on full display in this particular scene, his diva-like self-absorption and hysterical reactions are carried throughout the entire film, with t he exceptional surprise when he rises to the occasion and â€Å"saves the day,† later in the film Fifty minutes into the film, in an attempt to win the favor of Barbara’s parents, Armand tries to teach Albert how to portray himself as a straight man. This attempt, however, is completely unsuccessful.No matter how hard he tries, Albert cannot walk without swishing his hips while holding out the palms of his hands, his posture is too upright, and the register of his voice is too high. The fact that Albert is incapable of pretending not to be a flamboyant, over-the-top, and extremely feminine person tells the viewer that his â€Å"gay-ness† is what completely defines his entire personality and every aspect of his behavior, and further sets the stereotype in stone.Structurally, the characterization of the relationship between Armand and Albert is reduced by its definition as reflecting a cartoonish parody of the stereotypical traditionally defined roles played by â €Å"husband and wife. † While it is clear that the Albert has a more feminine personality than Armand, the film also depicts Albert as the â€Å"mother† and caretaker of the household.For example, twenty minutes into the film, Armand is silently reading the newspaper and drinking coffee in the kitchen, Albert is feverishly folding the laundry, babbling about matters such as how ratty Val’s shirt is and how he got a pork roast for dinner instead of fillet minion. This scene and many others show how this movie depicts the roles of a gay relationship as being identical to the stereotypical gender roles of a heterosexual couple. There is no question that the creators of this film intentionally employed thoroughly stereotyped characters.There is little to no individual character development whatsoever. However, since these stereotypes are so over-the-top and blatant, there must have been a conscious effort on the part of the filmmakers to feed into such stereotypes. This film is merely a lighthearted nod towards the ridiculous stereotypes that much of society today believes to be completely realistic depictions of homosexuals. Therefore, such obvious stereotyping does not outweigh the comedy or the quality of the film, but rather define it.

Cu700

1. 1Agreeing objectives is essential for a team or individual to know what they are focusing on to avoid wasting resources and time. Deadlines strongly affect what you research, for example, if a deadline of one week is agreed for writing a newspaper, you wouldn’t want to include today’s news as it would be very outdated by the time of publication. 1. 2It’s useful to identify and agree a source to use when researching information, as a standardised method means more uniform work.All information would be in a similar format when gathered from one source, but also, there is less room for error, as the agreed upon source is likely to be accurate and widely trusted. 1. 3Storing information is essential for many reasons; these include ease of access and readability, the level of detail you are able to store, the choice to have various copies of the information in case of loss and ease of transfer. 2. 1 Agreeing aims and objectives helps me to do my work efficiently as they give me a clear idea of what I need to find and why.Deadlines are also very important to me as our customers and our reputation are negatively affected if don’t complete work in the required time so time limits help me estimate the time I have to spend on each one, otherwise, for example, I could spend too long researching one dental practice and affect another. 2. 2 Information can come from numerous sources, for example, other people such as colleagues or friends, online knowledge bases such as Wikipedia or books on the subject in question.

The Last Day of My Life †English Composition Essay

The Last Day of My Life – English Composition Essay Free Online Research Papers The Last Day of My Life English Composition Essay Everyday there are people coming into this world while there are some people leaving. Sometimes, it makes me think about the life. What’s the meaning of life? People always want to live a meaningful life. But how do we define a â€Å"meaningful† life? I think that everybody would have his own definition of â€Å"meaningful.† Most people work very hard day and night in search of fame and fortune. When they become millionaires eventually, they may think it is enough for their life. But if they had only one day to live, what would they do? Suddenly, their fame and fortune turn out to nothing at all, for they cannot take those things with them when dying. Therefore, they may worry about their possessions and be annoyed even on their last day. It’s not my type of life. I won’t pursue fame and fortune so that when my very day comes, I will have nothing to worry about and can be relieved in the long run. But I cannot be sure when I will leave this world. If the answer is tomorrow, what will I do on the last day of my life? First, I will clean up my room. Some people may think that since I am going to die, what good will it do me? None, actually, but it can mean something to me. After living my life, I may find that all my life was just like chaos, and I won’t leave it in the world. Therefore, I will clean up my room as if I make my life neat and tidy. I want it to be perfect. Second, I want to thank people who mean a lot to me, such as those who have helped me, who have loved me and who I loved, for it was they who gave me the meanings in my life. Then, I will visit many places where I was born, I grew, I studied, I worked, and I lived. Those places can recall my precious memory. I cannot bring anything with me but my memory. At last, I will find a place where nobody can find me. I will be contented if anyone can weep for my death, but it will be too sorrowful for an emotional person like me to see those once happy faces become sad. Therefore, a serene place like seashore will be good. I can lie on the yellow sand, listening the relaxing sound made by waves. I can see the last sunset in my life. It will be a little sentimental. At night, crescent moon will shine on me and the sky will glitter with the myriad stars. With the unremitting waves, sea breeze will blow lightly, brushing through my hair, as if beautiful melody resounds harmoniously. In a state of comfort, I will lose my consciousness gradually and finally lapse into deep sleep. And it will be the finale of my life. In our daily life, we take everything for granted that parents should tale care of us and friends help us without reward. All seems to be natural, but actually it isn’t. They give us so much because we are their beloved. However, people always treasure what they have lost. Don’t be that kind of people. Sometimes, repay our thanks to them and then we won’t have remorse when the last day of our life comes. Research Papers on "The Last Day of My Life" - English Composition EssayThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Essay19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraTrailblazing by Eric AndersonThe Spring and AutumnNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThree Concepts of PsychodynamicThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XMind Travel

The Jim Crow Era

The Jim Crow Era The Jim Crow Era in United States history began towards the end of the Reconstruction Period and lasted until 1965 with the passage of the Voting Rights Act. The Jim Crow Era was more than a body of legislative acts on the federal, state and local levels that barred African-Americans from being full American citizens. It was also a way of life that allowed de jure racial segregation to exist in the South and de facto segregation to thrive in the North. Origin of the Term "Jim Crow" In 1832,  Thomas D. Rice, a white actor, performed in blackface to a routine known as â€Å"Jump Jim Crow.†Ã‚   By the end of the 19th Century, as southern states passed legislation that segregated African-Americans, the term Jim Crow was used to define these laws In 1904, the phrase Jim Crow Law was appearing in American newspapers. Establishment of a Jim Crow Society In 1865, African-Americans were emancipated from enslavement with the thirteenth amendment. By 1870, the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments are also passed, granting citizenship to African-Americans and allowing African-American the right to vote. By the end of the Reconstruction period, African-Americans were losing federal support in the South. As a result, white legislators on state and local levels passed a series of laws that separated African-Americans and whites in public facilities such as schools, parks, cemeteries, theaters, and restaurants. In addition to barring African-Americans and whites from being in integrated public areas, laws were established prohibiting African-American men from participating in the election process. By enacting poll taxes, literacy tests and grandfather clauses, state and local governments were able to exclude African-American from voting.   The Jim Crow Era was not just laws passed to separate blacks from whites. It was also a way of life. White intimidation from organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan kept African-Americans from rebelling against these laws and becoming too successful in southern society.  For instance, when  writer Ida B. Wells began exposing the practice of lynching and other forms of terrorism through her newspaper, Free Speech and Headlight, her printing office was burned to the ground by white vigilantes.   Impact on American Society In response to Jim Crow Era laws and lynchings, African-Americans in the South began participating in the Great Migration. African-Americans moved to cities and industrial towns in the North and West hoping to escape the de jure segregation of the South. However, they were unable to elude de facto segregation, which barred African-Americans in the North from joining specific unions or being hired in particular industries, purchasing homes in some communities, and attending choice schools. In 1896, a group of African-American women established the National Association of Colored Women to support women’s suffrage and fight against other forms of social injustice. By 1905, W.E.B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter developed the Niagara Movement, assembling more than 100 African-American men throughout the United States to aggressively fight against racial inequality.  Four years later, the Niagara Movement morphed into the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to fight against social and racial inequality through legislation, court cases, and protests. The African-American press exposed the horrors of Jim Crow to readers throughout the country. Publications such as the Chicago Defender provided readers in southern states with news about urban environments- listing train schedules and job opportunities. An End to the Jim Crow Era During World War II the wall of Jim Crow began to slowly crumble. On the federal level, Franklin D. Roosevelt  established the Fair Employment Act or Executive Order 8802 in 1941 which desegregated employment in war industries after civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph threatened a March on Washington in protest to racial discrimination in the war industries.   Thirteen years later, in 1954, Brown v. Board of Education ruling found the separate but equal laws unconstitutional and desegregated public schools. In 1955, a seamstress and NAACP secretary named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public bus. Her refusal led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted over a year and began the modern Civil Rights Movement. By 1960s, college students were working with organizations such as CORE and SNCC, traveling to the South to spearhead voter registration drives.  Men such as Martin Luther King Jr. were speaking not only throughout the United State but the world, about the horrors of segregation. Finally, with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Jim Crow Era was buried for good.

2. The balance of international payments is a book-keeping tautology Essay

2. The balance of international payments is a book-keeping tautology which is essentially irrelevant to a market economy. Discuss - Essay Example Conversely, a more vital concept of the balance of payments equilibrium is the basic balance, which is based on the presence of autonomous items in BOP. The autonomous items include items that cannot be influenced easily by the Government and are determined by certain long-term factors. Basic balance regards autonomous, the long-term capital shifts both on Government or private account held in the capital account and excludes items in the current account balance of payments. Conversely, in the capital account short-term movements such as the use of special drawing rights, borrowing from Central Banks or IMF, change in foreign exchange reserves are of accommodating the nature and transitory. Therefore, they are excluded from equilibrium and the concept of basic balance (McConnell & Brue, 2013). An alternative to these accommodating items (compensatory items) has to be made to ensure equality of foreign exchange receipts and payments. A change in the compensatory elements is essential to offset the surplus or deficit in the autonomous items. Autonomous movements cancel out over some suitable period and therefore there lacks the need for compensatory changes and in such a case the balance of payments is said to be in equilibrium (McConnell & Brue,

Restaurant Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Restaurant Management - Research Paper Example evelopingstandard test methods and conducting scientific testing on the energy performanceof both gas and electric commercial kitchen equipment and appliances, expanding the market for energy efficient commercial kitchen technology, and working with partners in encouraging innovative and sustainable ideas, products, services and operations which would reduce harmful effects on health and environment. Food service has been in constant dynamic growth over the years. As a food service increases, the need for technology to enhance the processes of receiving goods and supplies, storage, preparation and service, rises as well. Because of this, the sales of kitchen equipment and appliances that promote efficiency in food service kitchens are in continuous growth over the years. The utilization of these food service equipment and appliances placed food service industry to a high position in the pyramid of energy consumption by industry. Energy production, especially the burning of fossil fuels, is among the topmost enhancers of environmental deterioration. In this case, reinventing food service technology, in such a way that energy consumption is in minimum without compromising the quality and performance sounds promising. The continuous growth and expansion of the food service industry should not compromise the health and condition of people and environment, hence innovations that woul d address these concerns is of crucial and vital importance. According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the term sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. In the same light, sustainable restaurants are food service providers that manage the social and environmental impact of their operations. These industries are promoting measures which address environmental and social issues such as climate change, animal welfare and food waste. Sustainable