Teaching Intolerance: How Society Enforces Commnunity by Laura Mann :: Teaching Education

Teaching Intolerance: How Society Enforces Community In her essay â€Å"Teaching Intolerance: How Society Enforces Community† Laura Mann reflects on an autobiography by Tommi Avicolli. â€Å"He Defies You Still: The Memoirs of a Sissy† is a stimulating account of the pain he underwent as a young adult. Mann evaluates the societal norm of teasing and mocking one because of actions. While it is shocking and recognizably wrong, it seems ordinary to hear someone being called a â€Å"fag† for dressing a certain way or a â€Å"queer† for acting a certain way. It is much more usual to hear men calling other men names like this, but when it is a woman being ridiculed by women or even other men, it takes on a whole different meaning. For example, someone who was not a close friend but an acquaintance nonetheless went through similar ridicule in high school. She was poked at for being â€Å"too butch† or overly â€Å"manly†. While you hear terms like this fairly often, why does it stir a different react ion from when guys call other guys a â€Å"fag†? She is actual quite normal, but a rumor was started that she was a lesbian. Instead of confronting her about it or ignoring the rumor, people started to talk even more. Mann accurately describes the situation as it went in our small high school, â€Å"†¦how kids would not be his friend because they feared labels† (Mann 65). As opposed to asking this girl, people steered clear because they feared it would â€Å"rub off†. People began to call her â€Å"dyke† and other similar names without thinking twice—but they only did it in private. As major as this story was in our high school, no one dared to say anything too loud for fear it might actually get back to the subject. It seems that with boy, no one cares if the person involved hears. In fact, that is quiet the purpose of mocking him. It is even more acceptable for girls to call guys names. A girl saying that a boy is â€Å"gay† based on his actions is not unusual or questioned by others. There is a double standard for what is allowed and what is not. It is okay for boys to mock other boys or girls to mock boys but it is â€Å"more damaging† and less accepted for girls to bully their own kind. I am not saying it doesn’t happen, but it rarely happens without censorship to the party at hand.

A Web of Brands Essay

The essay, â€Å"A Web of Brands† by Naomi Klein focused on the relationship between clothing manufacturers in Toronto, Canada during the 1930’s and the clothing manufacturers in Jakarta during the 1980’s. The responsibilities for the web brands were accounted for cheap labor and the need for money of young Jakartans in order to survive. The need for cheap labor and the use of young adults resulted the people to take jobs far from their country. When Klein wrote about global coincidence. He also stated that there was a noteworthy alignment of two or more events that have no evident causal connections. These were seen when he spoke with the Kaho workers about working and living in a clothing factory. The ironic part was the fact that the factory where the London Fog Clothing in Jakarta was made, was the same manufacturer that Klein’s apartment building used in making the clothes during the 1930’s before the operation was finally moved to Jakarta. The purpose of the introduction was to paint a picture of Toronto during the 1930’s when clothing manufacturers still existed in town. Since the factories have now been moved to Jakarta, nothing much were left, but signs and loft apartments. Klein repeats the word â€Å"abysmal† twice in his essay with great detail because of the horrible condition that the Kaho workers endured during their days at work and at home. â€Å"Abysmal† usually connotes the feeling of being extremely or hopelessly negative, with the notion of having severe conditions. Postindustrial, on the other hand, is defined as a society wherein an economic transition occurred from being a manufacturing based economy to a service based economy. Furthermore, â€Å"limbo† is defined as the state of being disregarded or forgotten. Being required by rules is the definition for â€Å"compulsory†. Receiving something, such as money, either given or received as payment is connoted for compensation. Recourse, on the other hand, is defined as the act of turning to someone for assistance. Moreover, charades is defined as the acting out of a phrase by an individual for others to guess. Tenacious is then defined as being good at remembering. For euphoric, it is defined as the imparting of great feeling of well-being. Lastly, manic is defined as the state of high excitement and activity found in bipolar disease and is occasionally incorporated with other mental illnesses. The connection I had with logos was a very good question. I do not buy things merrily just because of the logo they carry. I buy goods, such as clothing, cars, electronics, and food for the reasonable price they have and not because of the brand/logo. For once, I bought two Champion t-shirts for the price of one, as compared to a Nike shirt, where I have to pay for a full price. I have always believed in bargain shopping and not in logo shopping. In the essay â€Å"Live free and Starve† by Chitra Divakaruni, the thesis is stated when Divakaruni writes â€Å"the liberals passed the bill†. Third world counties were names given to nations that were underdeveloped economically during the 20th century. The name Third World arose during the Cold War refering to nations that did not belong to the First and Second World countries. While there is debate over the appropriateness of the term, and no alternative is without detractors, the term is one embraced by many. As Americans, we are at the top of the pyramid, having moved up by satisfying all needs required at each level. When Divakaruni wrote about the Maslow pyramid, her purpose was to show that even if Americans were at the top, it is difficult to satisfy the needs of each level. The third world countries were not priviledge to have the opportunities Americans or other first and second world countries have, such as excellent education, decent jobs, and proper shelter to live in. The effect of the last paragraph and the rhetorical questions Divakaruni had was a strategy on how people will be educated and survive when the bill passes. By doing this, Divakaruni brings up some very good points as to how the people will survive once the bill is passed. The metaphor that Divakaruni used when writing about children laborers means that if the children stop working, their families will not have any money to survive. For short, the childreen need to work in order to financially support their families. The most basic cause of a large, poor family is survival. This can also be attributed to all of the family members being required to work in order to provide food and pay the bills. Although a large population of poor families exist in the United States, reasons may be attributed to the fact that Americans are sending good jobs to other countries in order to acquire cheaper labor, instead of keeping the jobs in the country to lessen poverty. Moving on, the essay â€Å"Drugs† by Gore Vidal is not outdated in terms of views regarding drugs in the United States. In this regard, what Vidal wrote about the government is true up to this day. Vidal appears to anticipate the response of the audience in the sixth paragraph of the essay. When Vidal asked questions within the paragraph, he gave anticipated answers to what the readers might say or think. The function of the rhetorical questions within the essay was a way for the public to ask themselves the same question while reading. By doing this, Vidal made the readers view the current situation with drugs in our country. Exhortation means a communication intended to urge or persuade the recipients to take some action. GNP, on the other hand, means Gross National Product. Mainliners is a slang term; referring to a principal and easily accessible vein, usually in the arm or leg, into which a drug can be injected. Furthermore, â€Å"perennially† means in a perennial manner repeatedly. Curtailed means to cut short or reduce. With the underestimated phrase, Vidal meant that he was not doing anything on his own, accepting what Homer gave him, but making it even worse. I am in favor of legalizing non-narcotic drugs. I have been to Amsterdam and the Netherlands. I have seen the possibility of how the United States could legalize these drugs. Amsterdam is a pleasant place to visit with wonderful people who live by. The country has positively allowed the legalization of non-narcotic drugs. Cafes, where drugs were available, where open for sale to the busy public. The selling of drugs is only monitored by the owner, who in turn, was carefully monitored by the Amsterdam government. I spent eleven weeks in Amsterdam, but I saw no dealers nor addicts. What I saw was a guy in the cafe being neglected with the drug, for he was already high. I believe that the legalization of the non-narcotic drugs in the United States would work in the country. If the Europeans were able to handle it, the Americans can. The essay, â€Å"Safe Sex Lies† by Meghan Daum, the awareness for AIDS became a pop culture, especially to people who did not believe that it can happen to them. Therefore, it has taken on the power of a myth that this belief on one’s social status can avoid transmission of HIV. There are two types of â€Å"Safe Sex Lies† discussed in the Daum’s essay. The first was â€Å"you do not know where they has been† and the second is â€Å"they did not tell me that he was shooting drugs†. These two examples of the lies about safe sex make the average person look ignorant. The effect of Daum’s confession is focused on the fact that no one has a perfect life. Repeated tests makes a person feel more at ease about the aids situation. People need to be more cautious with what they are doing, especially when it comes to having sex with their partners, whom they know little about. Children of the 20th century have been repeatedly told about the aids virus. As we all know, kids believe almost everything they hear on the radio or see on television. The effect of the word â€Å"those† in the first paragraph is a sarcastic meaning for all the needles and condoms that Daum had seen in her lifetime. The effect of the informal language that Daum used in her essay was effective for the essay. By writing the essay in an informal manner, the reader easily comprehends what is being said, receiving the points easily. Writing the essay in an informal manner was a good decision from the writer’s end, resulting in more queries about the said AIDS virus. I feel that handing out packets of condoms to kids these days is a bad idea. They are given the impression that engaging in pre-marital sex is alright. Sex should not be rushed, it has to wait either after marriage, or when both are mature enough to handle the consequences that come with it. Nowadays, what all the kids see on television is someone blowing up a condom. After such deed, they do not know the harsh realities that come with it, when broken. This is no joke, be cautious and aware of what you are doing.

Reflective Commentary Essay

I have decided to write an expository essay for the Monash University student bulletin. This piece provides information on encountering conflict and intends to provide knowledge to students about the sides you can take when dealing with a conflict. I choose to write this piece as an expository essay as it allows me to explore the topic as best I can, reflecting on issues of encountering conflict. an essay also allows me to use real life examples that students can easily relate to their own life, which enhances their knowledge on the topic. Formal language was used for students to see the seriousness of this issue. The students of Monash University are at a higher educational standard, so there ability to understand formal language is appropriate. The audience of this piece is Monash University students, as well as teachers and other individuals associated with the university, and that read the university’s bulletin. The purpose of this essay is to inform and provide knowledge to university students about the possible conflicts in life, and the decision faced on whether to take a side or not. The aim was to encourage students to make the right decision when choosing whether or not to take a side of a conflict. I felt an expository essay, written with formal language, aimed at Monash University students for the purpose of enhancing their knowledge on conflict, was an effective way of reflecting on the chosen topic. This enabled an opportunity to explore all aspects of the topic, and provide novel and real life examples into the topic of encountering conflict.

Philosophy of Knowledge Essay

David Hume’s â€Å"The Origin of Our Ideas and Skepticism about Causal Reasoning† states his beliefs about knowledge and his idea that we can only have relative certainty of truth. Skeptics concur that there is not enough evidence to predict the future or prove truth. In â€Å"An Argument Against Skepticism,† John Hospers argues that we can have absolute certainty because there is enough evidence from the past and from our own experiences to prove an argument to be true. Although both Hume and Hospers make strong arguments, Hospers’ philosophical beliefs on different levels of knowledge and evidence are more convincing than Hume’s concepts on knowledge and truth. Hume’s argument is based on the idea that we can only be certain of analytical truths, such as mathematics; synthetic truths, or â€Å"matters of fact† are only and can only be probable, not truth. He believes that induction cannot be rationally justified because the premises support but do not guarantee the conclusion to the argument. Hume states that through experience, people assume that the future will represent the past, and that similar things will be coupled with similar qualities. Skeptics, like Hume, believe it is not an absolute truth that the sun will rise every day; it is merely supposed that history will repeat itself. If there is any suspicion that nature will change, experience becomes useless in predicting the future. Hume questions why we should accept the uniformity of nature, and anyone who argues this point is said to be â€Å"begging the question.† He comes to the conclusion that there is no real evidence to prove that inductive arguments are true or false, and accepting them is just routine but can’t be justified. Hospers believes that because there are different amounts of evidence needed to find certain truths, there are different levels of knowledge. In daily life, we use the weak sense of know, and therefore we do not need absolute proof. Why should people be so skeptical of propositions that are not relevant to everyday life? Hospers also poses an argument to Hume’s idea that synthetic truths are probable and can never be actual truths. Hospers believes that an argument that has a probable conclusion can become a certainty, or truth, if evidence permits it. He argues that these â€Å"matters of fact† are probable until time and evidence make them certainties. Because we use the â€Å"weak sense of know† in our everyday lives, why wouldn’t we accept the uniformity of nature, and the idea that the past outlines the future? The sun will rise everyday in my lifetime, because it always has, and there’s no logical reason that it would cease to do so. If, as far as we know, nature’s past has always shown a vision of nature’s future, there is no reason to be skeptical about it. Hume’s point that induction cannot be justified makes sense but is arguable. If the premises support but do not guarantee the conclusion to the argument, it can still be easily justified with little evidence. Hospers’ view on the amount of evidence needed to prove that something will happen in the future, is much more reasonable and realistic in everyday life.

Violent Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Violent Media - Essay Example Their mind gets perplexed due to such exposures and they do not know how to react. Either they become aggressive and retaliate or they develop fear psychosis and feel frightened, insecure and unsafe. They may even resist going to the school. In such cases, the parents should not neglect the situation and accompany the child to the school find out the root cause of violence and tackle the situation in a peaceful manner by taking assistance from the school administrators. Parents are the first arbitrators for any complicated situations the children face in the school or in the neighborhood.  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Parents are certainly the most important persons in the life of children and they will listen to their counsel more than what they are willing to accommodate the articulations of the TV anchors. Parents need to develop open communication with the children, encourager and support, provide positive reinforcements and save them from being exposed to negativities. Never try to o utsmart the children with dishonest or evasive replies. When they find out the truth about the issue, they will have poor opinion about your honesty. In the next opportune moment, they may not trust you at all even if you give the correct information to them. Talk to them again and again, lovingly and in a persuasive manner. What happens when children are exposed to negative side of life? â€Å"The dual-identity concept at the heart of many superhero stories helps kids negotiate the conflicts between the inner self and the public self.

Early Formation of Our Government The United States of America Essay

Early Formation of Our Government The United States of America - Essay Example The other was the belief in covenants. Puritans believed that covenants existed not only between God and man, but also between man and man. The Pilgrims had used covenants in establishing their congregations in the Old World. The Mayflower Compact is such a covenant in that the settlers agreed to form a government and be bound by its rules. X: A new tax was imposed on all the American colonists in 1765, which is known as the stamp act. This act states that all the American colonists should pay a tax on every piece of printed paper. The reason of the tax is to defend and protect the American frontier near the Appalachian Mountains, where 10, 000 troops were stationed to accomplish the task. "The actual cost of the Stamp Act was relatively small. What made the law so offensive to the colonists was not so much its immediate cost but the standard it seemed to set. In the past, taxes and duties on colonial trade had always been viewed as measures to regulate commerce, not to raise money". X: Yep, July 4, 1776 was the day when the unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America was passed. It is also considered the Independence day of America. The struggle which was started in the start of the eighteenth century was come to the end at a positive note. In a nutshell, Americans did a lot to get the independence from the colonists, who were not loyal to the people of North

Muslim Womens Experience on Wearing Hijaab in British Society Dissertation

Muslim Womens Experience on Wearing Hijaab in British Society - Dissertation Example As such, this aims in looking at actual experiences of women practicing Islam by wearing hijaab, especially on public receptions they are receiving in academic or work settings, and their counteracting actions during encounters with condemning attitudes and environmental responses. The study is psychosocially significant for it delves on mental cognition and behavior of Muslim women. As the series of positive and negative events in subjects’ lives are placed in focal study, it may reveal defensive reactions they adapted, uncovering inner thoughts, opinions and feelings regarding their understanding and acceptance of their social interaction in a place of modern religious outlooks. By this, citizens, especially in Great Britain, will become more conscious and understanding of potential lapses in social values and attitudes, as some reserve religious acceptance of religious expression, and where improved awareness may give more opportunities to Muslim women to live in European p laces free of social discrimination and subsequent psychological rejection. Literature Review The British society had been said to be more accepting with the donning of hijaab by Muslim women, where British media implored against racist treatment of Muslim women in account of current conflicts between the West and violent Islam fanatics (Eyben & Moncrieffe, 2007, p. 116). These women are allowed to wear the veil during work, giving them freedom and public space (Mezey, 2004, p. 34). Great Britain, then, holds a multicultural stance in favor of various race and religions. Yet, the inclusion of United Kingdom in the multi-setting study by Bigger (2006, no pag.) negates this, as it showed psychological struggles by women in... The paper tells that the British society had been said to be more accepting with the donning of hijaab by Muslim women, where British media implored against racist treatment of Muslim women in account of current conflicts between the West and violent Islam fanatics. These women are allowed to wear the veil during work, giving them freedom and public space. Great Britain, then, holds a multicultural stance in favor of various race and religions. Yet, the inclusion of United Kingdom in the multi-setting study by Bigger negates this, as it showed psychological struggles by women in universities. In his experiental study, the conducted interviews demonstrated that Muslim women are treated with contempt and prejudice, and several of them had been verbally abused and assaulted in reference to American bombings. Hijaab, then, had been associated with stereotyped view that Muslims are a violent group, bent on destroying lives in their wake. In another qualitative study conducted in various a reas in Great Britain, specifically in London, Muslim women had been surveyed and interviewed for their experiences while living in such regions. A Muslim woman from East London could not ride a bus for she is either looked at with hostile scrutiny or some buses would not stop upon seeing her with hijaab. Even work environments can be socially isolating, with more lost work opportunities when one appears with hijaab during job interviews, despite excellent qualifications.