Different Social Ecological Perspectives Sociology Essay

Different Social Ecological Perspectives Sociology Essay Social ecological perspective is a discipline which tries to look into various results and correlation of social factors in the environment. It also examines the interaction among people within a certain natural environment and the challenges on the important affordances for knowledge which are provided by the very environment. Generally it provides the insight on how people in a certain environment influence one another in a way (Naess, 1989). This way, ecology is both reactive and creative; it also makes people contemplate on the changes within the system and around the environment. Social ecological systems go beyond an individual, since the world we live in have a greater impact on how we live. Bronfenbrenner (1979) argues that it is not only the environment which affects the person directly, but there are some other layers factors. According to his research which basically began with thesis equations Bronfenbrenner states that behavior depends on the environment and the person. Bronfenbrenner (1979) also considered; community, individual, culture and environment as nestled factors. This is clearly illustrated in Charles dawn book on web of life. There are several outcomes which results from cross-level influences and interactions between and within levels that social ecology perspectives address. Interactions are parallels or discontinuities and cross-level effects according to (Rousseau House 1994). Therefore this paper is going to provide a comprehensive overview on the theoretical concepts and constructs relating to social ecological perspectives, review on discrimination and inequality in relationship to this topic and then conclude by highlighting on how to achieve a better social perspective. Levels of influence comprises of; Individual, interpersonal, organizational, community and public policies. The social ecological perspective looks into correlated relationship which occurs between individual and environment they live in. In individual levels people are mandated to implement and enhance the lifestyle fluctuations to minimize risk and have better health. Family history, personal attitudes, beliefs all contribute to individual influence. They can be eliminated by encouraging good beliefs, behavior and attitude. Individuals who habitually engage In many unhealthy and dangerous behavior, for example intake of saturated fats, irregular sleep, lack of frequent physical exercises, alcoholism, high level of frequent stresses, live unhealthy lifestyles which can be controlled at individual level. The change of single pattern of unhealthy behavior can be modified. This can be archived through social influence patters like modification of an individuals behavior, attitude and thoughts in terms of actions and the way others feel. Some of the ways in which to achieve social influence is; cognitive change where there is modification of individuals opinions and how he/she feels. Behavior modification entails individ uals change on how he or she views the surrounding and effective modification with a shift with ones assessment of entities. Interpersonal levels are a collection factors which raises risk as a result of relationship with family, peers and intimate partners. These are seen to modify behavior and experiences. These can be eliminated by promoting peer programs that educate on equality, trust and mutual respect among others. These interpersonal attributes are strong on how an individual perceives oneself. These qualities and factors can be learned, like in membership of a group, but many are ingrained (e.g., ethnicity, gender). In the interpersonal sphere, there are also many components of the individual, including psychological and cognitive factors, like personality, knowledge and beliefs (Gregson, 2001). Gregson continues by stating that; The individual in his or her own micro system is constantly shaped, not only by the environment, but by any encounter or other individual they come in contact with. This shaping is well explored in child development, as it would be unreasonable to believe a child is solely a product of the societal environment. There are multiple, simultaneous influences in child behavior and learning including culture, school, teacher, parental support and education level, involvement in extracurricular activities, etc. Examples of Microsystems outside the self also include groups of friends, family, unorganized athletics, or social clubs (Gregson, 2001) The community level factor depends on an individuals experiences and how he/she interacts with community in general involves social environment for example a neighborhood, schools and work places. This can be promoted through social and norm campaigns based on trust, respect among others. A clear illustration is overweight and obesity where people normally believe that it is an individuals responsibility which is correct to some degree (David, 2001). The community also plays a crucial role for example where work places, schools food stores or restaurants do not provide healthy food options, in the neighborhood and where there are no fields for jogging, places for exercises, safe and accessible facilities for children to play, no proper healthy facilities and where physical education is not offered in school. All this are community responsibilities. According to David (2001) the community can promote healthy behavior through implementation of policies and environmental factors such as healthy cafeteria meals, Incentives for bicycles and pedestrian commuters, smoke free workplaces, sidewalks and bike paths, insurance cover for preventive services like tobacco cessation and work site wellness programs. These can lower the risks of diseases like stroke, diabetes, cancer and other heart diseases. The barriers to healthy behaviors are interwoven among the community in general. When these barriers are eliminated or lowered, behavior change will be achieved. Behavior change will then become more sustainable, this is according to James (2003). According to Gregson (2001) on the other hand these aspects can be rules, policies, and acceptable business etiquette within a more formal organization. He further argues that there are some organizations that foster entirely different atmospheres than other corporations giving an example of Google, where employees may wear pajamas to the office. The organizational component is especially influential with younger, more impressiona ble employees, as it helps to shape the ethics and expectations of a typical organization for these individuals. Examples include schools, companies, churches, and sports teams (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Bronfenbrenner also claimed that the richer the medium for communication in this system, the more influential it is on the micro system. Societal levels are larger things that influence individual behavior, they include; religion, gender, societal norms, cultural beliefs and societal policies. This can be prevented by working in conjunction with social bodies associated with policies, mutual respect, social norms, gender equality, mutual respect, trust, and foster intimate relationship. These influences are more easily seen than the other factors, mainly due to the magnitude of the impact. Examples of significant intercultural effects include Communism, Western culture, Military, Islam, and Christianity. For instance, the macro system of Communism is a Marxist philosophy that believes that wealth should be shared in the macro system. A Communist country, such as Cuba (exo), governs and regulates the environment within which corporations (meso) and society or individuals (micro) exist. Media plays a significant role on all levels, as it communicates information and assists in the development of expectations for all individuals in the respective culture (Bronfenbrenner 1979) The best way of achieving healthy behavior is put in to consideration of factors at all level which are; interpersonal, organizational, individual, public and individual. By so doing, behavior change will be implemented and sustained. In the corporate scenario a lot of disagreements are understandable others while others are explicit. In these scenarios there are stakeholders who are workers, clients, shareholders and managers who normally raise conflicts. Interactive and cross-level consequences while observing from a different angle are seen, this is because a lot of companies think they only have the duty of creating monetary value for the stakeholders whilst upholding responsibilities to their customers. In some organizations, it is usually hard to tell events where devotion is taken too far towards owners and workers at the expense of the clients. Directions of influence Isomorphisms are parallels that cause impact on one level then the resulting impact affects other levels (Rinderle 2006). People carrying out Researcher on isomorphic models are required to see an equal impact on both the magnitude and direction in cases where at least one cause changes in level shifts. Discontinuities are basically antonyms of isomorphism. They cause effect one level or group hence producing an unequal, potentially in the opposite direction, they cause impact on at least one or more groups. Top-down effects are most prominent of any social ecological component, according to5 (MCLeroy 1996) the environmental outcomes shapes the persons behavior. The nested factors are basics which react while in crisis situations (Rinderle 2006). OK-FIRST is a program that alienates people on how to help others respond to whether related dangers in a better way (Oetz 2006). Historical interactions also shape peoples conflict behavior. This is clearly illustrated in several situations as observed in the many conflicts of the society. Media also plays an important role in strengthening these issues. Bottom-up effects illustrate how people or society affect the upper levels, as in how people form coalitions to achieve their goals 7(Rinderle 2006). There are also effects on cultures as a result of global corporations existence in some countries. For example, china has raised the accessibility of news to reach a larger audience in a Communist nation. 8 Guerrero (2006) shows emotions are as a result of feelings which includes anger, jealousy, greed, guilt among others and the feelings affects the events likely to happen. Interactive effects are interdependent variables and taking place simultaneously in many groups 10(Rousseau House 1994). For example in Italy where culturally different workgroups, conflicts among group members may occur. This deters relationship impacts in accomplishing the goal of group members for an organization and learning at the personal level. Thus technology also plays an important role in community, cultures, interpersonal conflict and organization (Rousseau House 1994). Political conflict The role of politics is in the making up of decisions. Politics encompasses the appeasing of all stakeholders towards realizing an ultimate objective, decision may be required of an individual, organization, community, or country. A decision a congressman makes affects anyone in his or her jurisdiction. If one makes decision not to vote for the President of the United States, one has given oneself no voice in the 15election (Ungar, 2002). If a lot other people decide not to put in their efforts to vote, they would have unintentionally permitted a greater part of others to carry the day on their behalf. Internationally if the administration of a country like America decides to inhabit another nation say in the Middle East, this will not only have an influence on the administration of that country but it will also have an effect on American soldiers and the whole environment where they come from. Another thing is that when America uses funds on conflicts that are political in nature, t he value of the U.S. currency may be negatively affected. This shows that many cross-level and interactive consequences of a decision can arise. An example of this is like the act of a terrorist could possibly interrupt with the lives of soldiers, the lives of people close to them and the country at large. Economics Basically, from a top-down view point, the physical environment determines a considerable extend to the lifestyle of a person and the country as whole. If the area is hilly or very dry and there is limited land for agricultural activities, the nation generally will not grow compared to other countries. The general, human habits, cultural characteristics and economics are shaped by geography and output is determined by natural resources, technology and human resources. Entrepreneurial mind has an impact on technology. These indicates that there exits bottom-up effects on economics. Health Peoples efforts to modify their own healthy practices are mostly dictated by social, economic and cultural setbacks. Poor educational status, time and money, energy and chronic exposure to neighborhood violent and proximity to friends and family members who often exhibit healthy threatening behavior are some of situation factors that can affect peoples best efforts that and intentions to improve their health practices. There are several ecological variables that can improve or stop danger to individuals healthy physically. To eliminate diseases, an individual should keep off from an environment in which they may be more exposed to virus or where there body defense system would be compromised. This also entails possibly avoiding workgroup if they are breathing or inhalation dangers or keeping off from a sick work mate. Some environments are good for health benefits. Staying around people who are physically fit will encourage you to be active, good diet and physical exercises in general. The state putting a ban on saturated fats manufacture may add value to top-down effect on individuals health in a country. Efforts to persuade a person to adopt health practices can be unfruitful if the person is not ready to embrace the suggested behavior. This can also be limited by exposure to environmental toxins and safety hazards (Haekel, 2003). The current research studied predictors of health-related social influence tactic use in close relationships. According to the social ecological perspective, predictors were grouped as reflecting characteristics of the agent of social influence, characteristics of the target of social influence, characteristics of the agent and targets relationship, and characteristics of the social influence situation. One hundred and nine spouses reported on situations in which each partner was attempting to influence his or her spouse to change a health-related behavior. Using the actor-partner interdependence analysis approach, results revealed only actor effects for characteristics of the agent, primarily partner effects for characteristics of the target, and both acto r and partner effects for characteristics of the situation when predicting health-related tactic use. Effects for relationship characteristics only emerged in interactions with respondent sex. These results indicate that social influence in marriage involves reciprocity and interdependence. Physical and social environment can serve as a media for disease transmit ion; waterborne and airborne diseases. The environment can also act as a stressor exerting detrimental effects on peoples mood, performance and physiology as a result of their exposure to uncontrollable demands such as noise, political upheaval or interpersonal relationship. The environment can act as source of safety or danger; residing in an area contaminated by chemicals, geographically unsafe, or socially violent.tne environment can also serve as an enabler of healthier behavior exemplified by inhalation of safety devices in motor vehicles, proximity of physical fitness devices to work place or home and exposure to interpersonal modeling or cultural practices that foster health behavior. The environment can act as provider of health resources such effective communication sanitation systems, public health services and legislation ensuring citizens access to health insurance and primary care. Risk communication In event of a natural disaster or hazard, there are ways of ensuring that people who are affected are safe. SEM can be required in helping one analyze when information and receivers and those involved. These conditions are environmental influences which are far reaching. The persons level of education, understanding, and privileged circumstances may determine the kind of information the person receives and the mediums through which the information is conveyed. If the information received is altered through the mode of communication, there would be a bottom-up effect on the people involved. In general MCLeroy (1996) points out that: The social perspectives try to, eliminate obstacles on healthy risks, generate conditions favorable for individuals well being plus all people around, creates a positive reception on how people be at vary, facilitates individuals interdependence, coexistence and interrelationships that are found among other individuals and the society as a whole, they try to show in which way; broader physical, social, political, economical, ethnical and cultural context and histories influence the ways in which individuals( and other people) make meaning out of observation and experience and it embraces the sense of care and concern for others (MCLeroy 1996). Other things that social perspectives accomplish are; they help in the recognition of competitive interests, access to resources and relationship with authority which is seen to manipulate peoples abilities, societies and countries to gain stability. These perspectives also assist in the reflection of self and thinking critically that eventually ends in positive actions, encourages social justice, helps learners to counter the ever shifting world, and enables youthful people to look past their selves while working towards expectations and a future encouraging people in taking necessary actions where appropriate in order to develop better healthy practices. Bullying and Victimization The idea of a multiple society influencing an entity is not a new concept. In fact much has been researched on the interplay between the individual, family, peer group, school, community and culture. This reciprocal interplay between individuals involved in the bully/victim continuum can be clearly illustrated, the social ecological perspective can be applied to the conceptualization of bullying behavior. According to Dolls (2001), in a nut shell, bullying does not occur in isolation. This phenomena is encouraged/or incited as a result of complex relationship between the individual, family, peer group, school community and culture. The individual is the centre of his/her social ecology. The individual involved ion bullying may be involved as a bully, bully victim, victim or by stander. Individual factors will influence participation in bullying. Ecological systems theory purports that all individuals are part of the interrelated systems that locate an individual at the centre and move out of the centre to include all the systems that affect the individuall Bronfenbrenner (1977). According to his theory, a child is inseparable part of social network comprising of four interrelated systems: Microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems and Microsystems. The child is at the centre of and actively involved with this interplay of systems. The micro system involves the childs relationship with one system; home, classroom or playground. The Microsystems depicts he the childs immediate interaction with others, and including others reaction towards bullying behavior. This conceptualization of Microsystems also includes the status of the child along the bully/victim continuum. Thus the bully, bully victim, victim or bystander interact with others in his or her social environment, and this interaction either exacerbates or mitigate bullying and/or victimization behavior. The mesosystem includes the interrelationship between system in the childs life; home and school. The mesosystems depicts the congruence between two or more environments such as congruence between and home and school in regard to bullying behavior. The exosystems includes influences from other context, such as the effects of a schools district anti bully policy or parental i nvolvement in the school system. Finally, the macro system is the influence of cultural mores, such as societal attitude towards bullying behavior. The social ecology that encompasses the daily life of youth dictates the engagement and non engagement in bullying and/or victimization behaviors. 19Simons (2000) because individual are affected by their surroundings, it logically follows that intervention the environment in which youth function. Interventions that do not follow the target multiple environments in which youth exists are likely to be fewer effectives than interventions that address social ecology. This assertion is related to consistent findings that the youth who are involved in aggressive behavior experience problems in multiple area including the family, peer group, school, and community. It is important to determine whether or not an intervention is effective in preventing and /or eliminating bullying behavior. Thus assessment of bullying phenomena must utilize multiple methods of assessments, use multiple informants and include assessments across the context. While this can be a daunting task, best practices demands that we asses all the social ecological if we are to accurately determine the effects bullying prevention and intervention programming. An example of this type of best practice is reflected in schema proposed and implemented by Simons (2000) these studies state that data should be collected across all settings (home, school, community, laboratory and others), by multiple informants, observers, children peers, parents, teachers and using multiple methods home observations, lab tasks, classroom, playground questionnaires, records among others. Conclusion We can conclude that a better social perspective can be achieved by putting into consideration of factors at all level which are; interpersonal, organizational, public and individual. Behavior modification entails individuals change on how he or she views the surrounding and effective modification with a shift with ones assessment of entities. By so doing, behavior change will be implemented and sustained.

Supply Chain Management Objectives in a Factory

Supply Chain Management Objectives in a Factory Automated sandwich making industry provides ready-to-eat, easy-to-consume and pre-packaged sandwiches. These sandwiches are very popular because of many factors like speed of delivery and the quality that comes with every unit of sandwiches. Automated sandwich plants employ a continuous production cycle that works as per a standard demand and supply schedule. The production process is precise and well maintained, while the process itself is a byproduct of well-calibrated marketing strategy. The production schedule is backed by several other departments whose support is very important to keep the production going without any hitch. Like any other production facility, even sandwich making plant operates in a similar way planning production, purchasing raw materials, registering orders, producing sandwiches, packing them and dispatching them are final delivery are some of the basic processes that occur there. This short paper analyses supply chain management objectives help an automated sandwich-making factory to focus on its production and sales management goals and to create strategies to enhance turnover and profits. This becomes very essential as a large super market chain places a large order for high quality sandwiches. The main objectives of the firm after getting this order is to evaluate, analyze, and review the exiting production practices and later design an action plan that result in the production of 12,000 units of sandwiches every week. To produce such an amount of weekly order, the firm will need to combine its plans and strategies along with streamlining the numerous supply chain components. In addition, the firm will also need to step up the supply chain profitability so that the production process retains its marketing and competitive edge. Like any other manufacturing facilities, even sandwich making plants works on the principles of supply chain management. Supply chain management objectives the most basic measures that drive the production process Lee and Billington (1993) define a supply chain: As a network of facilities that performs the functions of procurement of material, transformation of material to intermediate and finished products, and distribution of finished products to customers. In other words, a supply chain is also an intricate system of personnel, production activities, skills, knowledge, information and resources involved in transferring a given product from supplier to a customer. Supply chains also link value chains as described below in subsequent chapters. Supply chain management is an advanced concept that is considered by almost all businesses in the world. A sandwich making business can easily use the basic principles of supply chain to enhance its product delivery mechanisms by linking several business functions. To introduce a profitable supply chain, a business development manager should design and create a plan the leads to reliable and guaranteed supply chains that also provide high quality products. Supply chain management (SCM) demands a far stringent transformation from administering simple individual departments who handle individual functions, to integrate them in a seamless manner. The result of such an action is the creation of many important supply chain functions and processes. Let us consider a simple example: A firm gets a big order for some products. The details of the order will be dispatched from the sales department to the purchasing department. Now, the purchasing department will start placing the required order with the production department. The production department will produce the required products and dispatches them to the marketing department that in turn will sell the goods to wholesalers and retailers. However, the marketing department will need to asses customer demand by communicating with wholesaler and retailer distributers; the main goal of this exercise is to find out the exact demand for the product. It means that a method of process integration is carried out with different supply chain partners. Integrating supply chain business functions will include well planned and teamwork between buyers and suppliers, production and sales department and through sharing information that is common to all the stakeholders. In the present example, we will consider different business functions of the sandwich-making firm like purchase of raw materials, receipt of orders from retailers and wholesalers, activities of marketing department and inventory department and production and marketing department. Such integration needs the flow of information in a calibrated and continuous manner (Lambert and Cooper, 2000). Appropriate technologies and methods could help manufacturers create an optimum supply-chain system. These are possible by using demand, supply philosophies like push, and pull techniques. Defining push and pull philosophies are very important for a sandwich company that wants to sell many sandwiches per week. Customer or demand side push is actually an entrepreneurial response in hope of customer demand. On the contrary, demand or customer pull is a response that actually results from ensuing customer demand. However, it is very difficult to decide if a particular supply chain is in push or pull mode in a general mode. Here, the business may need to decide what constitutes the supply chain and how different stakeholders act in the supply chain. In the present example, there is already a readymade demand for 12,000 sandwiches per week and this is classic example of customer pull. In most of the supply chain scenarios, demand-push may meet demand-pull and this is the situation when the inventory starts accumulating. This is a typical push-pull interface or a supply chain decoupling point. For the sandwich making business mentioned in this example, the benefits of acting to a pull model is very compelling as the calculated levels of production is independent of forecasts for a future order. The general axiom that works very well here is very simple just produce what you pull from the customer exactly at the rate of their needs. A business that operates in a pull philosophy can perform better to accept changes that usually occur in tastes and preferences of customers. However, the sandwich business that operates in this mode may not use this model unless there is clear demand from the customer side. Many dial-up pizza shops prepare their products based on specific demand-pull to supply a particular number of pizzas. This example is non-analogous to the present sandwich making company. In a typical pizza supply unit, the delivery is held until there is a specific order for pizzas. To be able to respond to a situation, the unit will include bases and ingredients as built-in inventory well in advance. The final delivery will occur only when there is a specific order. It means that there is an evidence of both push- pull philosophies in that example. In the present example, there is already an element of customer-pull and it ensures a confirmed order for sandwiches. Demand-pull philosophy has the ability to reduce waste and inventory and it is more in the direction of satisfying needs of end customers. In the end, a sandwich business that operates on this principle should create a package of practices that include the best supply management principles. SCM Cycle View Model All manufacturing activities are divided into many sub-activities that eventually help the sandwich company to conduct the business operations in an optimal manner. Like any other business, even sandwich making business operates in a standard manner that actually mimics a standard production assembly format. In essence, a given production assembly consists of four important components Customer order cycle, Replenishment cycle, Manufacturing cycle and Procurement cycle. Customer order cycle: This is the mutually agreed cycle time of a given purchase order. It is also a gap between the purchase order creation date and agreed delivery date. In other words, one should expect the time and it may not be the actual date for delivery. The metrics used provides a guide to deliver the order. Replenishment cycle: This is the average time needed to fill a current purchase order. The time starts when a particular order is sent or receive dot entered. This process ends at the time of shipment or soon after the delivery to the customer. Business developers should consider both the actual delivery time and promised delivery time. Manufacturing cycle time: It is possible to quantify this time from the planned order until the report timing of final production process. One can compare the actual production quantity with the intended quantity. Purchase order cycle time: This metric measures the creation of PO to the delivery at a location like distribution center. Here, one may not have the requested delivery date beyond the agreed lead-time. Here is a standard Cycle view model for sandwich business: Note: One can think of supply chain as a chain of communications that occur between two consecutive stages of production. These cycles always share similar types of communications because the entire process will have a buyer and a supplier. As one go away from the customer, the scale of the transaction will diversify and become larger. Fig 1: Cycle View Sandwich Production Process (Supply Chain Management: cycle view figure adaptation after Supply Chain Management Strategy, Planning Operation; Third Edition; Smil Chopra, Peter Meindl) As mentioned before, a customer cycle involves an external demand. The balance side of the supply chain should react to the existing customer demand and later satisfy it without fail. However, the only hitch is that basic process of creating sandwiches from different raw materials (like vegetables, spices and meat) stage to the ready to eat one will always involve spending some time, money and energy. If the production process is not quick enough to cater to the demand of the consumer, the existing demand may vanish altogether. It means that the producer should make proper assessments of all future demands during the production process. In essence, speculations that the producer makes should be more so that they will take fewer numbers of decisions when there is an unforeseen or uncertain condition. All the reactive processes are the pull processes while the speculative processes are push types. Level 1 SCOR Model According to SCC (2000), Supply-Chain Operations Reference is a top-level business processes related to all phases of satisfying customer demand (SCC 2000). Four important business processes organize this model at its highest level. These processes are Plan, Source, Make and Deliver. For the present paper, we will discuss about the Level 1 aspect and this deals with the MAKE process. Fig 2: SCOR Level 1 Performance Metrics, Diagram (After SCC, 2000) In this process, a business entity uses actions that transform raw products or raw materials into a finished product to meet planned or actual demand or confirmed demand. In the illustration given above, PLAN is a process that accumulates demand and supply to set in motion a plan of action that meets sourcing, production, delivery, inventory and other similar needs. With this Level 1 model, a sandwich business creates a wholesome plan of sandwich manufacturing and delivering from consumer to retailer to production and marketing sectors. In addition, it also streamlines the plan with sales and marketing. At Level 1, the sandwich business considers a number of processes that convert raw materials into finished products to meet the demand placed by the consumer. Here, the sandwich business considers both push and pull philosophies to consider the business processes. A typical supply chain is truly dynamic and interactive. A sandwich business will run through many states procuring raw materials like meat, vegetables, spices, packaging materials and other items from a inventory supplier, actual manufacturing process, the process of distributing the products, dispatching them to retailers and eventually to customer and marketing and promotion departments that actually sell the sandwiches. A competitive business will streamline all these processes into one single entity that eventually enhances productivity and profitability. A supply chain also flows in two directions and it has an attached cost and capacity domain attached to it. An empowered and skilled business management team that can create a viable plan along with strong management and supply chain design fundamentals will succeed in the end.

Quest for Self-Determination in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Lak

Quest for Self-Determination in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Lakota Woman      Ã‚  Ã‚   During their growing up years, children struggle to find their personal place in society. It is difficult for children to find their place when they are given numerous advantages, but when a child is oppressed by their parents or grandparents, males in their life, and the dominant culture, the road to achieving self-identity is fraught with enormous obstacles to overcome. Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Mary Crow Dog's Lakota Woman depict the two women's "triumph over formidable social obstacles and [their] struggle to achieve a sense of identity and self-acceptance" (Draper 1).    Both women grew up in segregated societies: Mary Crow Dog on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and Maya Angelou in the black community of Stamps, Arkansas. As is common with minority children, they spent most of their childhood living with their grandparents. Both women also experienced oppression by their parents and grandparents, who are the first contact with other people that children have. Even though Mary's mother and grandmother spoke the Lakota language, they refused to teach it to Mary. They told her that "speaking Indian would only hold you back, turn you the wrong way" (Crow Dog 22). They wanted Mary to have a "white man's education" (Crow Dog 22).    In contrast, Maya was denied a white man's education, not only by the dominant culture but also by her grandmother. Maya attended the Lafayette County Training School, which was the school for blacks. In addition, Maya's grandmother forbade her from reading books by white authors. This restriction is exemplified in the following passage:    Bail... ...e barriers blocking their chosen path and achieve the power to lead their lives as they see fit.      Works Cited Angelou, Maya. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. New York: Bantam, 1993. Crow Dog, Mary. Lakota Woman. New York: HarperPerennial, 1991. Draper, James P., ed., et al. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 77. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993. Mahtowin, "Mary Crow Dog: Real Life Hero." New Directions for Women, Vol. 21, No.2, March-April, 1992, p. 28. Narins, Brigham, and Deborah A. Stanley, eds., et al. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 93. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1996. O'Neale, Sondra. "Reconstruction of the Composite Self: New Images of Black Women in Maya Angelou's Continuing Autobiography." Black Women Writers (1950-1980): A Critical Evaluation, edited by Mari Evans, Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1984, pp. 25-37.    Quest for Self-Determination in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Lak Quest for Self-Determination in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Lakota Woman      Ã‚  Ã‚   During their growing up years, children struggle to find their personal place in society. It is difficult for children to find their place when they are given numerous advantages, but when a child is oppressed by their parents or grandparents, males in their life, and the dominant culture, the road to achieving self-identity is fraught with enormous obstacles to overcome. Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Mary Crow Dog's Lakota Woman depict the two women's "triumph over formidable social obstacles and [their] struggle to achieve a sense of identity and self-acceptance" (Draper 1).    Both women grew up in segregated societies: Mary Crow Dog on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and Maya Angelou in the black community of Stamps, Arkansas. As is common with minority children, they spent most of their childhood living with their grandparents. Both women also experienced oppression by their parents and grandparents, who are the first contact with other people that children have. Even though Mary's mother and grandmother spoke the Lakota language, they refused to teach it to Mary. They told her that "speaking Indian would only hold you back, turn you the wrong way" (Crow Dog 22). They wanted Mary to have a "white man's education" (Crow Dog 22).    In contrast, Maya was denied a white man's education, not only by the dominant culture but also by her grandmother. Maya attended the Lafayette County Training School, which was the school for blacks. In addition, Maya's grandmother forbade her from reading books by white authors. This restriction is exemplified in the following passage:    Bail... ...e barriers blocking their chosen path and achieve the power to lead their lives as they see fit.      Works Cited Angelou, Maya. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. New York: Bantam, 1993. Crow Dog, Mary. Lakota Woman. New York: HarperPerennial, 1991. Draper, James P., ed., et al. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 77. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993. Mahtowin, "Mary Crow Dog: Real Life Hero." New Directions for Women, Vol. 21, No.2, March-April, 1992, p. 28. Narins, Brigham, and Deborah A. Stanley, eds., et al. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 93. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1996. O'Neale, Sondra. "Reconstruction of the Composite Self: New Images of Black Women in Maya Angelou's Continuing Autobiography." Black Women Writers (1950-1980): A Critical Evaluation, edited by Mari Evans, Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1984, pp. 25-37.   

Consumerism Causes Unhappiness Essay -- Cause and Effect Essays

Theresa H., a woman in Massachusetts was, inarguably, strapped. She had lost her $18,000-a-year job several months earlier, and her live-in boyfriend didn't earn much. Health insurance for her and her daughters was out of reach: "I just punt and hope we're healthy," she said. And yet, in her apartment, were the trappings of upper-middle-class comfort. The big-screen TV and VCR. The crush of name-brand toys. And outside, the fairly new Lincoln Town Car--for which she was several months behind on payments. The tableau was at once absurd and sad--but not altogether surprising. We are, after all, a nation of accomplished spenders, slaves to advertising and status symbolism. The conspicuous fruits of our consumption shout out our aspirations and insecurities. This is the phenomenon Juliet Schor explores in The Overspent American. Schor, a University economist, has delivered what amounts to a sequel to her breakthrough 1992 study, The Overworked American. That book, justifiably embraced as gospel by the human-resources intelligentsia, expertly documented the time squeeze faced by two-income families as hours on the job expanded. Americans' leisure time, Schor demonstrated, was vanishing. Why are we killing ourselves this way? In large part, Schor argues now, we work so that we might spend. Americans are engaged in an intensifying "national shopping spree" rooted in competitive emulation--keeping up with the Joneses on a manic scale. "We are impoverishing ourselves," she writes, "in pursuit of a consumption goal that is inherently unachievable." Corrosive consumerism, of course, has existed as long as envy and avarice. Look at the pharaohs' pyramids. And much of Schor's evidence of its current manifestation will seem bl... ...lator." Much of our spending clearly is unnecessary or wasteful, raising troubling moral questions. Moreover, the uphill pursuit of material nirvana is stressing us out. Amid widespread wealth, most Americans aren't content with their lives. Is that such a terrible thing? I'm ambivalent. Ambition, dissatisfaction with the status quo, a desire to improve our lots and those of our children--these are profoundly American, if not universal, traits. They have driven us to stunning accomplishments and global leadership, and few would want the alternative of complacency and stasis. Yet we spend more than we should on Armani and OshKosh B'gosh, and it's making us crazy. Schor would have us on a middle path, one that retains the ardor but loses the insanity. Perhaps it's worth a try. Source Cited Schor, Juliet B. The Overspent American. Boston College Press, 2002.

The Revolution of 1917: Rights of the Republic

Before the Mexican Revolution, Mexico was technically a republic as it is today, but by the time of the revolution, it was a republic in name only. In the mid-1860s, Mexico fought back against the French colonial overlords and established the country for itself, but the plan only partially succeeded.   Over the next decade, grassroots efforts across the country began to bring equality to Mexico, but instead they delivered the country into the hands of an elected dictator.   In 1876, Porfirio Diaz overthrew the sitting president, forcing him to flee the country and Diaz was named president. Once he had the position, he refused to relinquish it, crushing any who dared to oppose him. For the Mexican ruling class, the period known as Porfiriato was a time of prosperity and peace. There was enormous foreign investment in Mexico and the country was developed from a largely rural economy to a modernized, industrial nation.   Then in 1910, despite Diaz efforts to destroy any opposition Francisco Madero, an academic from one the haciendas of northern Mexico, ran against Diaz. He was immediately jailed by the president and the peasants, sick of being mistreated y the Republic, galvanized behind Madero. The election fraud that had kept Diaz in office was so extreme that officially Madero received only a few hundred votes nationally. Madero worked with church leaders in San Luis Potosi to develop a plan calling on the people of Mexico to take up arms and overthrow the Diaz government. Diaz ordered Madero arrested again and he fled to Texas where he formulated the Mexican Revolution.   Within a year, Madero was sworn in as the new president of Mexico when Diaz resigned in accordance with the Treaty of Ciudad Juarez after he routed the federalist army with the assistance of forces rallying behind Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. Before the year was out, Madero and his vice president would be executed a military junta left in charge of the country because Madero refused to enact the property reforms that he had called for when encouraging the people to revolt.   Madero attempted to moderate between conservatives that wanted to keep the status quo and hard-line revolutionaries like the Zapatistas and in the end had no support at all. For the next six years, Mexico’s leadership was in a constant state of flux with the President Venustiano Carranza, a former revolutionary general who overthrew the previous military leader, chased out of Mexico City for two years of his presidency. Finally, he incorporated many of the extreme viewpoints of the revolutionaries in the Constitution of 1917. The constitution is the basis for the current Mexican government. One of the most important provisions of the constitution was that it forbade foreign investors from owning land in Mexico. The provision still stands. The reason for this proviso was the fact that during the Diaz presidency foreign investors owned the great majority of the land, making profits off the work of the local peasants and that Mexico’s oil fields were largely owned by foreign investors as well. Residents of Mexico wanted the income to remain within the country and nationalized all foreign-owned property. The Constitution also severely limited the power of the Catholic Church which had once been almost completely responsible for the education of people within Mexico. President Alvaro Obregon, who was elected to succeed Carranza after conspiring with those who assassinated his predecessor, tried to accommodate all factions of Mexican society including providing better education sponsored by the state instead of the Church and instituting rights for women. It was a bad time to a politician and Obregon was assassinated by a pro-Catholic gunman. That was in large part the beginning of the rebellion of the Church against the new government. The battles in Mexico continued well beyond the end of the war as the separation between Church and State was painful. Supporters of church supremacy began an uprising called â€Å"la Guerra Cristera† (the war of Christ) and estimates are that nearly a million people died in the battles. The battles between the Church and the government continued until 1929 when an end to the armed conflict was negotiated by the American ambassador. Many believe that the true end of the revolution was not until the presidency of Là ¡zaro Cà ¡rdenas, who ran the country from 1934 to 1940 and was the first president to willingly hand over the reins of the government to his successor.   In the meantime, the spiritual base of the national had been destroyed. In 1935, 17 Mexican states were left without a priest and only 334 licensed priests existed within the entire country. Forty were known to have been executed in the wars and hundreds of others fled the country. The reason: the Constitution of 1917. Under the diplomatic settlement, the anti-clerical provisions of the Constitution still stand. Among its provisions are: Article 5 outlawed monastic religious orders. Article 24 forbade public worship outside of church buildings, while Article 27 restricted religious organizations' rights to own property. Finally, Article 130 took away basic civil rights of members of the clergy: priests and religious leaders were prevented from wearing their habits, were denied the right to vote, and were not permitted to comment on public affairs in the press. The anti-clerical provisions of the Constitution are not generally enforced since World War II and the church has regained some of its prominence in the hearts of Mexicans, but not returned to prominence in Mexican politics. Other provisions of the new constitution include the right to freedom of the press, but with the caveat that after publication charges related to sedition and libel can be brought if they are warranted.   The constitution restricts where foreigners can own land, restricts who may be considered a citizen of Mexico and prohibits slavery. It also prohibits extradition of Mexican nationals who have committed crimes in other countries if that may result in the death penalty. The constitution specifically assures citizens the right to life and prohibits the death penalty.   The constitution assures the right of Mexican citizens to bear arms, but only those which have been approved by the Mexican National Army.   It is also one of the most progressive constitutions in the world with relation to worker rights. The Constitution provides that any slave brought into Mexico is immediately freed and offered equal protection under the law. Furthermore, workers are guaranteed the right to an eight-hour work day, a day of rest each work week, and a minimum wage. The Constitution prohibits people who are not Mexican by birth from holding most political offices, running the country’s airports or seaport, or being military officers. It also gives preference in hiring to Mexican nationals over foreigners applying for the same job, assuming that both are equally qualified.   Finally, it prohibits several forms of punishment commonly used in the pre-1917 government and outlaws the concept of a debtor’s prison.   Clearly, the biggest difference between the current Mexican government and the pre-1917 government is the treatment of the workers. Because it was the people, the workers who lead the Mexican revolution, the provisions of the new constitution are designed particularly to protect the rights of the worker.   Workers who rallied behind Emiliano Zapata and the other leaders of the revolution abandoned and executed their leaders when they strayed from the principles of land reform and workers right. Six full years before the November Revolution in Russia, the workers of Mexico began a war to assure that they would have the rights that they needed. The revolution was spurred by the harsh treatment of the peasants and lower class in early years and ended only after the people had their rights secured.

Live in Essay

22 August 2008 – In January 2008, the Supreme Court validated long-term live-in relationships as marriages. A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat with P Satasivan declared that children born out of such a relationship will no longer be called illegitimate. â€Å"Law inclines in the interest of legitimacy and thumbs down ‘whoreson’ or ‘fruit of adultery’,† the court added. The apex court judgment was followed by similar suggestions from the National Commission for Women (NCW). In June this year, in response to recommendations made by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the NCW sought a change in the definition of ‘wife’ as described in Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which deals with maintenance. The NCW recommended that women in live-in relationships should be entitled to maintenance if the man deserts her. Emphasising the need for broadening the definition of wife in the CrPC section, NCW officials said there had been cases where the man led the woman to believe that he was unmarried or was divorced or widowed and went ahead with the formalities required by marriage laws or the custom governing him. As a way of countering this, NCW chairperson Girija Vyas suggested that even if a marriage was not registered, a woman’s claim would stand if she provided enough proof of a long-term relationship. This underscored the Supreme Court’s stand that a man and woman, having lived together for long, would be presumed to have been married, unless it was rebutted by convincing evidence. Equal rights The recent ruling is only the latest in a series of recommendations by various bodies seeking equal rights for the married woman and live-in female partner. A recommendation by the Justice Malinath Committee to the Law Commission of India (2003) stated that if a woman has been in a live-in relationship for a reasonable time, she should enjoy the legal rights of a wife. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005) provides protection to women at the hands of their husbands as well as live-in partners, and his relatives. When the law came into force in October 2006, it did not distinguish between the woman who is married and the woman who is in a live-in relationship. The SC ruling in itself has its precedent in a 1927 judgment made by the Privy Council, the Supreme Court’s predecessor in pre-independent India. In A Dinohamy v. WL Blahamy, the Council laid down a general principle: â€Å"Where a man and a woman are proved to have lived together as a man and wife, the law will presume, unless the contrary be clearly proved, that they were living together in consequence of a valid marriage and not in a state of concubinage. † The Council made significant additions to the 1927 ruling in 1929 in Mohabhat Ali Vs Mohammad Ibrahim Khan. It said: â€Å"The law presumes in favour of marriage and against concubinage when a man and woman have cohabited continuously for a number of years. For a live-in couple to be considered validly married, the court wanted evidence of cohabitation for a number of years, without specifying the minimum number of years. In Gokal Chand and Pravin Kumari (1952), the Supreme Court reiterated the 1929 principle. However, it added that though the presumption for a valid marriage between a live-in couple could be drawn from their long cohabitation, it wasn’t enough to earn the m legitimacy if the evidence of their living together was rebuttable. In this judgment, the apex court refused to recognise a live-in relationship, though the couple had lived together for some years before the pregnant woman decided to live alone with her child born out of a live-in relationship with the man. The rebuttal of a presumption in favour of a valid marriage, in this case, came from the child, who said she did not remember her father ever visiting her or her mother. In Badri Prasad (1978), the Supreme Court recognised a live-in relationship as a valid marriage, accusing the authorities of questioning a relationship 50 years after the couple had begun living together, and were treated as a married couple even by their relatives. The view from the courts A Madhya Pradesh High Court judgment in 1985 dealt with the case of Loli, who had lived for several years with Radhika Singh. Together they had five daughters and a son. The trial court dismissed the case made by Singh’s sister-in-law that Loli should not have property rights as she was just a mistress. The sister-in-law had sought her rights over the property, and contended that Loli had started living with Singh even when her first husband was alive, and therefore, there could not be a presumption of valid marriage. But the appellate court set aside the trial court’s order, a stand the Madhya Pradesh High Court also agreed with. This brings us to Payal Sharma Vs Superintendent, Nari Niketan, and others, in which a court stated in 2001 that a live-in relationship was not illegal. Sharma had moved the Allahabad High Court to be left to do her own bidding after being forced to live in a Nari Niketan at Agra, following her arrest, along with Ramendra Singh, with whom she had a live-in relationship. The Agra police arrested her and Singh on the basis of an FIR lodged by her father, accusing Singh, an already married man, of kidnapping Sharma. A resident of Kannauj district in Uttar Pradesh, Sharma produced documentary evidence, including her high school certificate, to prove that she was 21 years old. On the basis of this evidence, the court directed the authorities to set her free. Justice M Katju and Justice RB Mishra stated, â€Å"Petitioner Smt. Payal Sharma appeared before us and stated that she is above 21 years of age, which is borne out from the high school certificate which shows that her date of birth is 10. 7. 1980. Hence she is a major and has the right to go anywhere and live with anyone. In our opinion, a man and a woman, even without getting married, can live together if they wish to. This may be regarded as immoral by society, but is not illegal. There is a difference between law and morality. † Thus, a uniform view appears to emerge from the courts, when one looks at the history of cases on the question of live-in relationships. It appears that, by and large, legal sanction for live-in relationships is based on the assumption that they are not between equals, and therefore women must be protected by the courts from the patriarchal power that defines marriage, which covers these relationships too. Shades of grey But such protective sanction raises other questions, notably about the institution of marriage itself, for which there are no easy answers. Supposing a live-in relationship is between a man who is already married with children, and a single woman? In Payal Sharma, Ramendra Singh was a married man with children. Which woman’s ‘interest’ should the courts and law protect, and in doing so, can the apparent equality between married and unmarried couples be maintained? Live-in relationships also raise questions about legal stance towards bigamy. In spirit and essence, the Allahabad High Court judgement contradicts the law against bigamy for Hindus, both for men and women, which make it mandatory for a husband or wife to get a divorce before they can marry again. When bigamy is illegal – except for Muslims – in what sense can a live-in relationship be equal to a marriage, if either the man or the woman is already married? And how is it that a division bench of a High Court is able to pronounce a judgement that openly violates the social, legal and filial implications that bind the husband in a Hindu marriage, which includes living with the wife and children under the same roof? There’s also the question of ‘marriage-like’ protection for a woman who enters a relationship with someone she isn’t married to, by choice or circumstance. Does a female partner need the protection of legal standing equivalent to that of a wife, in a non-married relationship she entered into by choice or circumstance? To marry, or not to marry? Live-in relationships among urban, educated, upper-middle class young people began as a declaration of independence, as a way of keeping away from the ‘shackles’ of institutionalised marriages. In fact, it’s a willful rejection of the institution of marriage, of the stereotypes it engenders, and of the restrictions and inequalities it has come to stand for. But, legal sanction granted to a live-in relationship may put it back in the trap that live-in partners sought to evade in the first place. This legal sanction implies that live-in relationships are bound by the same rules of fidelity, commitment and economic stability that marriage is structured in. Social geographer Soma Das says that people who opt for live-in relationships do so because they do not believe in marriage. â€Å"If live-in relationships are treated on par with marriage, many young men and women may not really like to get into such open relationships. At the other end, ensuring maintenance and giving legal sanction to live-in relationships will not make the position of the female partner equal to that of the wife because social acceptance in Indian society will take a very long time. It still does not have a mindset that accepts the estranged female partner of a live-in relationship. † Psychologist Shenaz B Ilavia believes that live-in relationships are still confined to a marginal segment of society which she calls the elite, upper middle class. â€Å"Theoretically, it may sound like a better proposition than marriage, but very few people actually opt for it. A live-in relationship is not a substitute for marriage,† she says.

How does Priestley express ideas about Eric Birling in ‘An Inspector Calls’ Essay

Eric’s Drinking One explanation for Eric’s drinking perhaps is the hypocrisy of his family, and Eric feels he has to join in with the male dominated culture in society. For example when Gerald suggests he is going to be careful Eric expresses his amusement; â€Å"Eric suddenly guffaws. His parents look at him† this is the strongest suggestion yet that Eric is aware of Gerald’s affair, if not the exact specifics. When asked by Sheila what was causing his amusement Eric replies; â€Å"I don’t know – really. Suddenly I felt I just had to laugh† this shows how Eric defends the male and shows how Eric has to defend the male power not the female power. This could suggest that the hypocrisy of Gerald who is highly esteemed by his family had led to Eric’s frustration and led him on a path to alcoholism. Eva’s Sacking + Capitalism Eric clearly shows much more sympathy to Priestley’s views than that of his father. Discussing Eva Smith’s death, Eric suggests; â€Å"Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices? †¦ you said yourself she was a good worker† this shows how Eric is questioning not only the decision making of his father but also Mr. Birling’s view on society. Mr. Birling is a keen advocate of everybody â€Å"looking after himself† but when a lower class workers attempts to improve their life changes Mr. Birling is contradictory and fires Eva. Showing how Eric’s rhetorical question of â€Å"Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?† shows how Eric is almost representing Priestley’s views of the selfish, aggressive form of capitalism, which Mr. Birling represents. Affair When Eric’s affair comes to light, his choice of language leaves ambiguity to the reader about the nature of Eric’s affair. Did Eric force himself upon Eva? Or was Eric showing sympathy and attention to an innocent girl? Eric states to the inspector; â€Å"She wasn’t the usual sort. But – well, I suppose she didn’t know what to do† by suggesting she wasn’t â€Å"the usual sort† suggests that it is Eva innocence and desperation that causes Eric to be attracted to Eva, this could lead us to have sympathy for Eric. As if here were to see Eva not purely as a prostitute but also as somebody who can change and reform shows a more sympathetic side to Eric; that everyone can change. However the ambiguity comes from the statement â€Å"well, I suppose she didn’t know what to do† this sounds strongly like rape from Eric. That he has clearly forced himself upon her with Eva not knowing how to react. Again highlighted in the following remark â€Å"Yes, I insisted – it seems† again suggesting how Eric was the one dominating the situation. Although Eric’s guilt is evident when he tries to express doubt on his wrongdoing with the quote â€Å"it seems† showing how Eric is not comfortable with the sin he has committed. If this were to be the case it paints a much darker picture of Eric; suggesting he had no genuine car for Eva, but was only interested in the need to fulfill his sexual desire. Sexism/Prostitution Eric’s relationship with Eva continues to lack any real substance and highlights Priestley’s thoughts that woman have little choice about their choices in order to survive. As Eric continues to describe his relationship with Eva he describes â€Å"And this time we talked a bit† for a couple to only â€Å"talked a bit† is hardly a romantic statement, and suggests that Eric pretty much had sex with Eva straight away. The fact that Eric also couldn’t â€Å"remember her name or where she lived† shows how from Eva’s point of view Eric was someone who was abusive with her, and didn’t seem to look after her. The only reason for Eva to continue to associate with Eric would be because of the extreme poverty she faces; and showing how despite the abysmal way she is treated she has no choice but to accept the dominance of men. Learning His Lesson After the Inspector has left, Priestley does give the reader an opportunity to take a more optimistic view about what Eric’s future may hold. After his mother has condemned Eric outraging; â€Å"I’m absolutely ashamed of you† Eric’s reply shows a sign of maturity and of a genuine capacity to change responding, â€Å"Well, I don’t blame you. But don’t forget I am ashamed of you as well – yes both of you† the fact that Eric is now admitting shame on himself could suggest he is now in the frame of mindset to change his ideals and values. The way Eric also condones his parents also sounds remarkably mature saying â€Å"But don’t forget I am ashamed of you as well† this shows how Eric is condemning his parents in a very authoritative way, and turning the tables on his parents using mature demeanour. Eric continues to ridicule his parents, particularly expressing doubts over his father’s viewpoints. In one of his final lines Eric remarks; â€Å"You told us a man had to make his own way†¦and then one of those cranks walked in – The Inspector (laughs bitterly.) I didn’t notice you told him it’s every man for himself† the way that Eric uses repetition of his fathers notion about â€Å"every man for himself† shows how Eric ridicules Mr Birling’s views on Priestley’s behalf to show how many of the beneficiaries of capitalism believe in that principal; except those who need to be looked after the most. The message from Priestley that no matter how flawed or wealthy the character everybody has the ability to change.