Investigate and asses the lives and work of the two Caribbean Essay

Investigate and asses the lives and work of the two Caribbean personalities who, in your opinion, made the greatest contribution to the development of thier own - Essay Example In 1975 he won this countrys lone medal Silver in the 100 metres at the Pan American Games in Mexico City, Mexico. The following year history was created when he won Trinidad and Tobagos first Gold Medal in the 100 metres at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada. [Regis, 1999] In 1975, Crawford was added to the team of American coach Bob Parks, who prepared Crawford excellently for the 100 m and 200 m events at the Montreal Olympics, running only a few races during the season. The tactics paid off, as Crawford won the 100 m, narrowly in front of Don Quarrie of Jamaica, winning Trinidad and Tobagos first Olympic gold medal. He had also qualified for the 200 m final, but pulled out due to an injury. Hasely Crawford ´s last success was a bronze medal in the 1978 Commonwealth Games (100 m). He did also participate in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics, the most participations for an Olympian of Trinidad and Tobago but didnt reach to a final again. In the year 2000 he was named the Trinidad & Tobago Athlete of the Millennium.Crawford is a national hero in his home country, Crawford has appeared on postage stamps and has an airplane and a sports stadium named after him. Hasely Crawford’s remarkable achievement are not only restricted to his sports field but also as a person who contributed a lot to his society and people through his social work. His social work as the Head Community Relation at National Gas Company at Trinidad and Tobago is outstanding. He has done a great job in maintaining relationships from different institutions and invested a great deal to enhance the cohesive work environment. [Bow on World Stage Can Put Marvin with His Nations Greats, 2006] Crawford was specially invited to attend the Athens Games by the World Olympians Association, a body of which he is the Trinidad and Tobago president. Crawford’s contribution as an athlete is quite worthy in a sense that Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee appointed him as

Women and Gender in Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women and Gender in Islam - Essay Example For this text analysis assessment, the purpose is to analyze and compare/contrast the issues pertaining to the Islamic culture and specifically the women of Islam. Women are viewed as subservient to their husbands, with very little choice but to remain as a secondary force to the dominant male race. To better understand the role of women in a culture such as this, as well as to assess how the cultural aspect plays into such a societal standing, the two pieces of work to look at are "Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate" by Leila Ahmed and "Believing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Quran by Asma Barlas. What was often common place for a woman in this culture would be to marry someone, but to marry a person that was chosen by her father. A marriage such as this would commonly be referred to as an "arranged marriage". As she begins her work, Ahmed brings up the first of many points regarding women and marriage. That is, "Neither the diversity of marriage practices in pre-Islamic Arabia nor the presence of matrilineal customs, including the association of children with the mother's tribe, necessarily connotes women's having greater power in society or greater access to economic resources," Adding that, "Nor to these practices correlate with an absence of misogyny; indeed, there is clear evidence to the contrary. The practice of infanticide, apparently to girls, suggests a belief that females were flawed, expendable," (Ahmed p.41). Ahmed begins her work with one of the central themes for study of women in Islamic cultures. While there was a vast cultural diversity throughout the region , in the end the women were seen as the weaker sex and as such could be done with as was decided by the male elders of the home. Ahmed emphasizes this by the choice of the word misogyny in her text. That is defined as, "hatred or strong prejudice towards women; an antonym of philogny," Elaborating further that, "Misogyny is considered by most feminist theories as an implicit motivation of political ideologies that justify and maintain the subordination of women to men," ("Misogyny" p.1.). Just as monarchs were throughout the ages, males in this culture tended to express more outward joy at the birth of a male offspring rather than a female birth. This can be explained by the understanding that males sought to continue on their blood lines, as well as having someone to train that would be able to take a place of leadership as they saw it. Ahmed does counter with the fact that variation did occur in regards to the roles with which women were able to play throughout the vast Islamic culture. She sets out to compare lives, as well as the marriages, which the Islamic leader Muhammad would have had with his wives Khadija and Aisha. Unlike some of the other women around her, Khadija was a woman of wealth who actually was an employer of Muhammad as it was his job to keep an eye on her interests. Unlike the cultural norm, Khadija herself proposed marriage to Muhammad. Ahmed writes that, "She proposed to and married him when she was forty and he twenty-five, and she remained his only wife until her death at

A comparative analysis of The Sun Essay Example for Free

A comparative analysis of The Sun Essay Newspapers are a form of communication and words and photographs can be used very powerfully. New stories attract your attention and styles of writing / reporting is used as an effective device. The media use these devices each and every day. An article they have read in a newspaper has at sometime influenced everyone. However, it is important that you realise you are being influenced and how this is being achieved. Just by purchasing either The Sun or The Guardian to read is the most influential decision you do! This media assignment is a comparative analysis of The Sun a tabloid newspaper and The Guardian a broadsheet newspaper. The front pages will be compared, as will be a news story and also the editorials from both editions. Front Page The Sun Tuesday, March 18 2003. The Guardian Tuesday, March 18 2003. The visual presentation in both front pages of The Sun and The Guardian play a very important role. The Sun has used the front page as a presentational device; this is representative of the journalism in The Sun. The whole of the front page is dedicated to the image of a group of soldiers in action; with the headline Green light for War which is echoed by the whole of the front page tinted in green, which is the apparent view through a soldiers night vision binoculars. This relates well to the article itself; it communicates to its readers without having to first read the text. The use of the colour green and the headline Green light is almost a metaphor; it suggests to the reader that war is forth coming and at hand. These are stylistic choices made to appeal to readers and are eye-catching. Also the main information needed is contained within the headline. Within the text on The Suns front-page one sentence is represented as one paragraph this is to allow the readers eye to travel to points and draw the image and the text together. The style of writing adopted has a bearing on the theatrical; In the ghostly green light. stealthily towards plus the use of bold text adds to the effect. The structures of the sentences are very simple, abstract and condensed easy for the reader to digest. The tone of the piece is informal, a technique to make it easier for the assumed audience to read. In contrast to The Suns front page The Guardian has many glaring differences between the two. The Guardian uses much more information throughout. By comparison the images used in The Guardian of Robin Cook MP and President Bush are also important national and international events as Bush is seen looking very solemn and serious seated at his desk. It seems that The Guardian is trying to strike a chord with the reader by including above the photograph of Bush a sub heading; Bush throws down gauntlet to Saddam: Go into exile with your top men or face massive invasion. Whilst not overdoing it to seem patronising, a well-fixed balance seems to have been found the image reflects the sub heading. The photograph of Robin Cook and sub heading balances out the layout of the front page it looks neat and methodical. The Guardians choice of text and language differs greatly to The Sun the style is also abstract but uses literary angle History will be astonished at the diplomatic miscalculations. This indicates that the people who read this newspaper have a higher level of education, as this paper is more difficult to understand. The Guardian uses long, complex sentences this once again indicates a reasonable level of intelligence expected from the readership. Statistics are used in The Guardian to prove several points this is used as evidence for the sub heading Support for attack jumps, but opposition still in majority. It helps the reader understand the neutral reporting by stating the statistics the article is laying out the information for the reader to absorb. All three articles on the front page of The Guardian use direct speech; in total contrast The Sun does not supply any direct speech on its front page. This is not the only difference between the two newspapers the content is completely different. The different audiences at which the papers are aimed are apparently much more in the content and language of the two newspapers than any other factors affecting them. Newstory The Sun Thursday, March 13 2003: Tarrant: I like to make them sweat. The Guardian Thursday, March 13 2003: Judge provides lifeline as Tarrant fails to answer barristers opening question. Both newstories are visual both have a photograph of the TV celebrity Chris Tarrant. One of the effective differences is The Sun uses colour photograph and The Guardian has gone for the black and white option. This is influential towards the audience colour is communicable and catches the attention of the reader. Plus The Sun has devoted two pages to the story albeit one page is dedicated to photographs and a sketch of inside the court. The Guardian is quite restrained and formal concerning the current trial involving TVs Chris Tarrant and Major Ingram and his alleged cheating on the popular TV game show. Considering the popularity and interest in the case The Guardian does not sensationalise or dramatise the reporting in its article. It is an objective piece of journalism giving the reader a balanced point of view, it is there to inform only. In comparison The Sunis not concerned with serious public interest, but only with what entertains the intended reader and therefore it sees its readers as enjoying celebrity news / scandal. All journalism is there to elicit a response from the reader. The article in The Sun creates an atmosphere of amusement. Spread across the top of the two pages like a mini-headline that reads Millionaire courtroom in stitches as game show host takes witness box this is intended to make the story sound more amusing and an added factor is the over large photograph of the jovial Chris Tarrant; this only reinforces what The Sun thinks its audience wants to see. The Guardian uses articulate language throughout; the sentences are longer and structured and are also approached in a formal manner. There is no striking headline instead this article has a smaller lower case text, and is located on the middle of the second page of The Guardian. Furthermore there is no use of puns, clichi s or jokes to cheapen the article. The way, in which the article is written provides more evidence, it is a conservative style of journalism this appeals to an intellectually wider audience. Whereas The Sun reports a similar story throughout, but its use of language is distinctive to tabloid newspapers. By using monosyllabic style The Sun creates easy reading most paragraphs are short bursts theses are designed to keep the readers attention. The Sun also uses a form of pyramid journalism, they put the juicy news first as many readers dont read more than the first couple of paragraphs this is stereotypical of tabloid newspapers. The main headline Tarrant: I like to make them sweat is an excellent example of journalise; its clichi ridden which is characteristic of The Sun. Once again in The Sun one sentence is equal to one paragraph. The opening paragraph is bold and in lower case text and is a simple explanation to the reader about the main headline. From the opening paragraph and into the sixth paragraph the text has changed four times from bold to italic text, the purpose of this is to keep the reader attentive and engaged. The sketch in The Sun in which Chris Tarrant looks like hes being questioned by the prosecutor, has text below quote Final answer? is a splendid example of the use of a clichi / pun, as it makes reference to Chris Tarrants TV game show. The readers of The Guardian are more likely to be scholarly as much of the language that The Guardian uses is academic, such as its use of polysyllabic text: impassionate, strategically, specifically, steepled and persona are examples of this type of language which is used in the article. It crates a more accurate coverage and reporting of this particular news story, which is apparently how the readers of The Guardian prefer their newspaper to report, more focus on the facts than entertainment. Editorials The Sun Says Thursday, March 13 2003: Only the right way remains. Comment Analysis The Guardian Tuesday, March 18 2003: Left behind to starve. The editorials from both The Sun and The Guardian have corresponding themes war. How they contrast greatly is all down to the content and style of each article. At present the threat of war hangs heavily around the world if not more so in the UK. How each newspaper responds co-insides with its intended audience and how they are expected to respond. The Suns editorial has a bold underlined heading Only the right way remains. What is the editor implying here? Is there no other way, have we no other choice? This type of journalism is impressionable, eliciting an emotional response from the reader. The use of bold lower case text and then a short, three-word sentence followed by a four-word sentence is a clever grammatical and punctuation style of journalism, it make the reading of the article more dramatic and powerful. Puns, clichi s and sensationalised text flow throughout this editorial, the UN are seen as minnows and small fry, people are dangerous dictators, President Chirac displays arrogance and greed. All these styles are designed to influence the audience into the editors way of thinking. The opening paragraph is more of a statement than a piece of journalism; the editor is trying to play on the emotional side of the reader. What becomes apparent throughout is the patriotism shown, is the editor trying to play on the readers conscience? Possibly to sway their views and opinions? Stylistic methods and the use of hyperbolic text like: That is the measure of Blairs courage and determination which does seem a deliberate overstatement; added to the fact the text is bold and underlined is this for confirmation? Half way through the editorial The Sun quotes Blair on his tough stance: Its best to work out what the right thing is and do it. The use of monosyllabic language doesnt co-inside really with Blairs supposedly tough stance; its not much of a powerful quote! The simple use of language makes it not too complicated for the reader to perceive. In stark contrast to The Sun Says, The Guardian takes a different side to the inevitable war. This article takes a more poignant look at the effects of war and is entitled left behind to stave. From the headline and minimalist fashion of drawing the audience is exposed to an emotive style of journalism. In the first paragraph the reader is prepared for the oncoming purpose of this editorial. The first paragraph almost preps the reader Citizens would demand that their governments spend as much on humanitarian aid as they spend on developing new means of killing people. This is straight and to the point writing and also it is a very emotional style. The amount of space that this editorial is given [estimate 1000 words] is a representation on how it feels the importance of this story is needs to be told. The disclosure throughout from the amount the US will spend [$12bn] on the war, to Burundi, which is officially the third poorest nation on earth, is poignant and also emotionally striking. It is an article that exposes another side to war that many people would not have contrived. The Guardian carries throughout it this editorial the use of academic language disproportional, institutional collapse, consolidated appeal, unprecedented and uninhabitable this is what makes The Guardian is serious and educational newspaper. The Guardian discusses the logical and realistic effects around the world, whereas The Sun is not open for debate. This can be seen in the choice of language, it is churlish Treachery of France Small fry at the UN America, the mightiest nation on earth It is a typical device The Sun uses to win over the reader. The Guardian on the other hand lays down an argument and then explores it; sees the problems and evidence, then puts the factual data in for the reader to reflect and to consider. The Guardian has produced a convincing and statistical article that appeals to the readers moral stance rather than The Suns political powers of irrational thinking. The final closing paragraph [bold underlined] of The Sun Says has Tony Blair cemented in history is the reader to assume he is heroic and legendary, The Sun presumes so. The Guardian concludes with an ethical paragraph and cleverly uses a personal pronoun we, this accomplishes the objective to sound more real which it is.

Machines vs. Human Workers

Machines vs. Human Workers Introduction In the recent past, technology has evolved to such an extent that human labour has either been replaced either partially or completely by machines. People, companies and organizations have turned to research on machines as a possible replacement of human labour by. There have been postulations that machines make work easier. Work which was supposed to be done by several people can be done by only one person who is operating a machine. For example, a company has employed twenty people to be carrying some bags from point A to point B. If this company gets a machine with a conveyer belt to run from point A to B, the company will only need one person to operate the machine and the same work which was supposed to be done by twenty people will be done by one person. This fact has made most of the organizations to embrace technology and employ more machine labour than human labour with a view of cutting down the cost of production and at the same time increase the efficiency of work done. T his paper examines the effects of machines on human labour and how they interact. (Oscar, 2010). The need to make production similar in all aspects of the organization was a major problem facing most of the producers. Producers wanted to produce goods and services which were similar with one another. However, human labour was very different. People have different characteristics and behave differently in the same situation. This is also reflected at the work place. Two different people given the same work will not produce exactly similar results. This became an issue and the first solution was the development of protocols which would guide human beings in labour. These protocols would serve as guidelines to the workers in an attempt to produce similar results. However, the strategy did not yield very good results as expected. There was an increase in the administrative labour needs of organizations. In addition, there were a lot of conflicts between the laborers. The white color laborers and blue color were always in conflict. In addition, the companies could not produce the sam e goods. Research showed that the only way to produce similar products was by the use of a machine which led to the advent of machines. Although the first machines were not as advanced as the current ones, the machines replaced human labour partially. With time, a machine could do the work of very many people and thus reducing the need for human labour (Clay, 2010). Loss of Employment As mentioned above, machines have significantly reduced the need for human labour. Machines make work easier. With the advent of machines, an individual using a machine can perform work which would have needed several people to carry out. A machine will only need one person to operate it and then carry out duties which needed many people. An example is the transport industry. Initially, horses used to be the main means of transport. Each horse would need one individual to transport a person. However, the horses have been replaced by vehicles, planes and trains. These machines have completely replaced the need for horses and their operators. For one horse, one operator was needed and only one person could be transported. Currently, a train can carry one thousand people and with only one operator. In the normal case, transportation of one thousand people would have needed one thousand operators of the horses. However, the train has replaced the rest of nine hundred and ninety nine oper ators rendering them jobless. Machines carry out their functions with a lot of efficiency. Machines are continuously improved to work faster and become more efficient. Machines carry out the functions of human beings at relatively higher speed as compared to human beings. In the transportation of goods from one place to another, a machine can move at a speed which is one thousand times more than the human being or even more. The implication of this is that work which would have needed one thousand days of human labour will only need one day of machine labour. As a result, the machine will replace one thousand days of human labour with one day of human labour. An individual would have worked for a thousand days without the machine. This is thus reduced to just one day. If only two thousands day equivalent of human labour was available, the person will only work for two days only making him or her jobless for the rest of the remaining days (Penslar, 1995). The combination of the fact that a machine can carry out work of several individuals at the same time and do work faster than humans makes it displace human beings effectively. A machine will perform a certain duty faster than human beings and at the same time perform duties of several human beings at the same time. Most organizations will opt to use machines which will reduce the cost of operation by reducing the number of people needed for the job. Machines are therefore being a favorite for most of manufacturers. They will buy and install as many machines as possible so as to minimize human labour as much as possible. The end result will be a situation where very few people are needed for the running of an organization while the rest of the people are replaced by machines. Advancement of Capitalism Machines reduce the need of the company management of employing human workers. The organization will only need to buy a machine and then the organization will not pay human beings salaries and wages. The money which was supposed to be paid as wages and salaries is maintained by the organization as profit. Thus, the machines will divert the money which was supposed to be given to several people to the pocket of one individual. The owner of the organization will continue increasing his profit while the rest of the people who would have served as employees to the organization continue getting poorer as they do not have an income. The income for more than a thousand people will end up going to one person. This means that the people who have the capital to buy machines are more likely become rich while those without capital will become poor. Companies will invest more in buying technology. The organizations will buy software which is for replacement of the administrative duties of the human beings. Software will be designed such that it can perform most of the administrative duties in the organization. This makes the software very expensive and thus making the organizations which make such software benefit much from them. The result will be a boom in the software manufacturing industries. Thus, organizations and institutions which train people on the skills of performing certain job will become obsolete. An organization, for example, training people on the way to ride a horse for transport will become useless as no one will need such people. The machines are thus replacing the need to acquire certain skills. The training institutions for such skills will therefore not be needed and the people employed in those institutions become jobless. Replacement of Human Beings with Robots Part of the functions of human beings has been replaced by machines and robots. In some cases, the functions of human beings have been replaced completely. For example, in the transit of goods in production from one section to another has been replaced completely by the robots. These robots are able to move the goods at very high speed from one region to another without any delays. The machine will work without fatigue and thus can work for even twenty four hours per day. Some of the robots will need the input of human beings as a controller while others will not need such a controller. Depending on whether the robot needs human control or not, there can be complete replacement or partial replacement. Robots which need some human control are better because they do no replace completely the human labour. However, some machines and robots will replace humans completely since they need no human input in their running. They are just programmed and thus run without needing any input from human being. There however some instances in which human labour are very essential. An example is the medical field. Although there have been a lot of advances in medicine, it has become almost impossible to replace human labour with robots (Peterson, 2010). In the diagnosis, robot cannot accurately make a diagnosis. Even with advancement in technology in the medical field, there is no machine which is intelligent enough to carry out the functions of the doctor. Thus, although the machines are taking over most of human functions, there are some of the functions which the machine cannot perform (Williamson, 2000). Human beings have an advantage than robot in that they are intelligent. Human beings are able to think and adjust according to the situation. For example, during an operation, a human being is able to feel the force of pulling a suturing thread and estimate the need for applying more or less energy. However, a robot can easily cause damage because it does not have the feedback mechanism which human being has making it not appropriate for the performance of the specific functions which need a lot of intelligence. Human beings can look at a situation and think on the best way forward (Sheila, 2006). However, a robot or a machine will perform a certain duty in the same manner in all the cases making it not very appropriate for tasks which need thinking (Stevenson, 2010). Advantages of Machines over Human Beings Machines have very many advantages as compared to humans. First, machines perform work faster than human beings. Machines have a very high efficiency and they perform certain tasks at a faster rate than humans (Penslar, 1995). As outlined above, a machine can perform work which human being can take a thousand days in one day. This makes it efficient for the performance of most of duties especially where the time is a limiting factor. An organization will employ machines which will enable it produce a lot of goods or services within a short duration of time. With a machine, an organization will be able to beat all the deadlines and ensure that there are no delays to their customers. Machines have an advantage that they do not get exhausted. As opposed to human labour, most of machines can work for a full day without getting fatigued. This makes them be able to perform tasks which need to be performed throughout. For example, a lift can work for twenty four hours without getting exhausted. This makes it appropriate for use in the buildings. If it were a human being he or she would not be able to withstand the work and would eventually lose control. A machine is also not governed by the laws of labour concerning its working hours as opposed to the human beings who will only work for eight hours per day and any hour above that will be paid as overtime. Machines will not have overtime. Machines are not paid. Although their acquisition is very expensive, they do not need to be paid a salary or a wage. They do not need allowances like human beings. This makes them very cost effective. The money which the organization would have used as salaries forms part of the profit. The organization reduces its cost of production by a high percentage as the machines will replace the need of human labour and thus making it cheap for the organization to operate. The only expenses for the machines are its acquirement and its maintenance which is far much less than what would be the cost of paying employees if they were the ones working. Machines are able to products which are similar. A machine will operate in the same way and will not vary with time. Where it has been adjusted, it produces the goods with that standard. This is very important especially in mass productions where the organization needs to produce a lot of goods which are similar with one another. It makes it easier to test the quality of the goods since just a sample is needed and it acts as a representative of the rest of the products. The sample is a true representation since the machine produced goods which were all the same. For example, in the packaging of oil in the oil cans by ExxonMobil, all the cans contain the same volume and quality of oil as long as the settings were not altered. Thus when someone wants to tests the quality of goods being produced, he or she will just need to test one product. Machines are not vulnerable to corruption. Corruption is gaining root in most of the places especially in the third world countries. To reduce this corruption, machines are employed. A machine will apply one standard to all situations regardless of whatever situation presents. This is as opposed to human beings where a brother or a friend may receive favors of the person in charge. For example, in the automated betting systems, the machine is able to decide without bias who has won which is opposed to a situation where a human being is in control and therefore will be biased (Thompson, 2003). Disadvantages of Machines over Human Beings Machines are at times not able to completely replace human beings. Machines are not able to think and conform to the situation at hand (Zainab, 2010). A machine will not be able to adjust according to the situation so as to make it possible for it to do the best at that time. A machine cannot notice that there needs to be a change in the actions since the environment demands a different way of operation. Human beings can adjust to the situation and change accordingly. A machine will only operate on commands and without the commands, the machines will not operate. What the machine or the robot has been commanded will form its actions until a different command is given (Ridley, 1998). Machines have reduced the need for human labour. Human labour has lost mean because of its cost and its effectiveness. Organizations sack people and their duties taken over by machines. Employees will lose their way of life and make them baggers. Most people will become jobless as the machines take over all the functions of humans. With very efficient and effective machines being produced, they can completely replace all the functions of human beings in an organization. An organization will depend almost completely on the machine for the labour. Conclusion Technology has gone to a very high level in the recent years. Technology has concentrated on making work easier and reduces the need for employing many people. This has led to the decrease in the importance of human labour. People have been losing jobs and their duties played by the machines. The machines have the advantage that they are faster and more effective. They enable an organization to meet its deadlines and thus avoid a situation where the organization is not able to carry its duties in time. On the other hand, machines lead to loss of jobs for people and thus making them not have an income.

Goodfellas Essay example -- essays research papers

Goodfellas" is a dramatization of life in the New York Mafia. It is based on the accounts of real life ex-gangster turned state evidence. He tells his story from when he was hired by a wiseguy as a teenager in the fifties, to the time he is put in the witness protection program in the seventies.The movie portrays the spirit of the Mafia and demonstrates their distinctive values, customs,gangster like lifestyle. The Mafia is groups of criminals that developed for the purpose of protecting those who can not go to the police for protection. Its roots can be traced back to Sicily, where the Mafia was based on the premise that any member suffering an injustice was to take personal vengeance while avoiding all contact with legal authorities. Even in the modern day American Mafia, each family ruled it's own territory and when others from outside the territory interfered they were dealt with through violent methods.The wiseguys paid for their protection by paying the head of their local family. This payoff was also known as paying tribute to the boss. Many of the Mafia's morals and policies were identified throughout the movie. Some of the informal rules held by the Mafia were the codes of trust and silence. In other words, never rat on a friend and keep your mouth shut. These rules were highlighted when the narrator, Henry Hill, had his first arrest. He was brought to court, defended by a Mafia paid lawyer and after ...

Bad Rap :: Music Papers

Bad Rap I can recall the cold weekend in November after I got my drivers license and my strong urge to go to a dance club on a venture to bond with new faces. The only information I knew about this small, local boom-room was the age limit, dress code and the cover price. When I arrived at the club with my 3 high school friends, we were more than astonished by the overly crowded parking lot that looked similar to tailgate parties at a National Football Game. After paying at the door and getting carded for an ID, we passed through the doors that would lead me to a shocking personal experience. The nightclub was composed of 2 luxurious floors, 1 wooden deck, and 1 laser-lighted VIP room. From the very moment I stepped through the entrance, I could feel the bass from the sub woofers punching at my eardrum. Due to the floods of teens on the dance floor, I felt that my mobility was limited and I knew that this could be a serious fire hazard. It felt like the hip-hop DJ never stopped spinning the new hit singles he would pull from his large selection in a nearby cardboard box. As the music blared, the crowds of people on the dance floor continued to form into huddle-like groups on different sides and corners of the room. I figured that these clusters were nothing but circles of close friends but would soon realize that these groups were actually local street gangs from the poor neighborhoods in my town. As the night came to a close, the DJ threw on a couple more hit records to the likes of the audience. One of these records by Lil’ Jon and the Eastside Boys, however, fell under the category of â€Å"Gangsta Rap†. â€Å"Put your Hood Up†, a mere 4 minutes of vulgarity and severe profanity is a song that parents and guardians need to know about. The song starts off with Lil’ Jon howling â€Å"Aye, check this out I need all my real niggas and bitches to look around the muthafuckin' club. If you see a nigga and he throwin' up a set and it aint yo' set or it aint yo' click, I want y’all niggas to tell them niggas like this.

Labeling Theory Of Deviance Essay

Various theories have been put forward to explain the causes of crime and delinquency in society. The Labelling theory of crime argues that the tendency to perceive and treat people as offenders precipitates their engagement in crime. It is based on the hypothesis that people will assume the labels that they have been given to them by the society. Labelling in this case works to reinforce deviant behaviour as well as solidifying the deviant identities in the society. In other words labelling people as criminals plays a significant role in increasing or rather causing crime in the society. (Burke R,2005). As Tannenbaum, an early sociologist supporting the labelling theory of crime argued that the process of tagging, defining, identifying, segregating, describing and emphasizing that certain individuals as deserving special treatment is a way of stimulating, suggesting, suggesting and evoking the traits being complained of makes people become what they are described as being. Symbolic interactionalism is based on the agency analysis of deviance and social control. In this case deviance is viewed as a label which is imposed on the subjects who after rejecting or accepting the labels construct deviant identities as well as careers. To change such a situation the need for radical transformation is more of a necessity than a requirement. Labelling theory of crime can be blamed for the increased instances of crime as the criminal justice system tries to curb it. People who are arrested, prosecuted and punished are labelled as ‘criminals’ and the society deems them as such. A large proportion of the society also joins hands in labelling them as such and this increases their tendency to indulge in criminal behaviours. When people are labelled as criminals it is difficult for them to effectively adjust into the society and for instance they may fail to obtain legitimate employment, a factor that increases their likelihood to indulge in crime. (Burke R,2005). They may also face isolation from the mainstream society and this could trigger psychological problems which are highly correlated to criminality. When the labelled criminals internalize the self concept that they are criminals they tend to increase criminality behaviours as after all they are perceived as criminals and should behave as such. (Coser L, 2006). Offenders ought to be treated as sick characters to make it easier for the criminal justice system to offer best treatment for ease reintegration into the society. This way the stigmatization would be dealt with amicably. Labelling could occur from the society as a whole or the system, family, among peers as well as in schools from teachers. Labelling in crime tends to be more frequent or intense among the minority groups whose voice is almost insignificant in society. How a society reacts after it has labelled criminals is what determines if a crime is to dwindle or intensify. Societies that labels criminals and for a long term reject them in the society increases their likelihood to commit crime while the society that tries to assist the labelled criminals to effectively integrate into the society reduces the rates of crime that could have been attributed by labelling. Erving Goffman is among the sociologists whose ideologies could be useful in explaining the labeling theory of crime. He is popular for the notion of total institutions. He defined ‘total institutions’ as places of residence and work where a large number of like-situated individuals are cut off from the wider society for an appreciable period of time. Together these people lead an enclosed formally administered round of life. Goffman further highlighted the discrepancies between those who reside in the total institutions and those in the larger general population. In the larger population man works, plays and sleeps in varying places, with varying people, different authorities and in the absence of an overall rational plan. (Hawkins J and Kirkland F, 2001). This is contrary with the scenario in the total institutions where there are barriers between those three aspects. Life in the total institutions is clear or definite and this creates the notion that they exist for a good reason among the general population. There is no freedom in the total institutions as is experienced in the ‘home world’ or the general population. To Goffman the inmates being sent to prisons or total institutions already know the culture they are to expect though the reality is actually felt or experienced after admission. (Hawkins J and Kirkland F, 2001). Goffman identified three major phases in the life of an inmate. The first one is before they get into the total institutions that is when they are still in the ‘home world’, when they in the institutions and when they re enter the home world after release from the total institutions. He focused on the similarities that exist in the varying institutions. He argues that all aspects of life are conducted in the same place and under the same or a single authority. This means that all prisons will have similar experiences. All these aspects were carried on in the immediate company of a large batch of others all of whom were treated alike and needed to do the same things together. Another observation made was that all phases of a day’s activities were to be tightly scheduled and one activity led at a pre-arranged time to the next. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987)Notably, the whole sequence of activities was imposed from a higher system of explicit formal rulings and a body of officials a clear indication of alienation and dominance within the total institutions. The various enforced activities are brought together into a single rational plan which is designed to fulfill the official aims of the institution. The roles that are performed by the inmates in the total institutions serve interests or are for the aims of the institution rather than the individual. Goffman identified four major dimensions of institutional life ranging from the rigidity of the routine, block treatment of inmates, depersonalization of inmates and social distance between the staff and the inmates which Goffman termed as binary management. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987) Before one gets into prison they are from the ‘home world’ where they already have an established conception of themselves. Entrance into the ‘total institutions’ strips them off the benefits attached to the’ home world’. Here, they are subjected to a series of abasement, degradation and humiliation. The consequence of this is that their self becomes horrified. When in the institution an individual develops a moral career which is determined or influenced by his surrounding. The role of the significant other becomes critical at this point. Goffman observed further that in the total institutions the process by which individuals were mortified was rather standard across all of them. This is a clear indication that life in these institutions is quite different from that which is experienced in the larger world and that it is a difficult task to have inmates maintain the same traits they had before they got there. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). Again, since the conditions were similar across the total institutions they were likely to exhibit similar traits. The first restriction of the self for the inmates takes place when the total institutions act as a barrier between the inmate and the general population. In the civilian life one’s sequential roles are not in conflict with one another and so no roles hinders or rather blocks the performance of the others regardless of how frequent they were. Life in the institutions is in such a manner that role scheduling is disrupted as the inmates do not dictate what to do and when to do it. In other words they are denied the freedom to decide what role to perform and at what time. Instead there are round the clock surveillance where orders given are to be followed to the letter. In addition to the role scheduling being disrupted in the institution, role dispossession also takes place, Visitors are restricted and one is also restricted from frequenting places they initially did. Depending on whether the entrance into the total institution was voluntary or involuntary entry to such institutions somehow prepares the individual to withdraw from ‘home world’ or from the general population. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). This preparation makes the adaptation in the new environment easier. Involuntary entry into the total institutions is however different as one may not be prepared for the new kind of life. Inmates may find themselves perform some roles that they learnt in the institutions on return to the general world. All the same there are certain houses that will have to be incurred or faced for instance the time for education or parenting. There is also the loss of legal privileges for instance one may not be in a position to attend to court proceedings on matters that affect them directly for instance adoption of a child. These privileges may be short term they maybe enjoyed on the completion of the term. However there are others with long term ramifications. The realization that one has not lost certain rights due to the barrier between him and the outside world may not auger well with him. There are other challenges that the inmate faces on return to the society. For instance there are the admission requirements where certain standards have to be followed or adhered to. On entrance to the total institutions various losses are incurred as for instance one may lose their hair, their identity as they are assigned numbers, they undress and change their clothes and are given institutional uniforms, they list their possessions, have to adhere to the rules and they are also assigned to certain quarters where they are to reside. According to Goffmann’s findings the society is to blame for deviance within it as it subjects people it terms as wrong doers into harsh conditions and expects them to reform. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). In the book the ‘Myth of mental illness’ Thomas Szasz argued that mental illness was a myth. To him, the whole idea or notion of psychiatric illness could be termed as ‘scientifically worthless and socially harmful’. (Shorter E, 1997). There are similarities between goffman and szasz ideologies. Goffman backed Szasz when he made the conclusion that the mental health institution he studied could be defined as a ‘total institution’ where ‘the closed system infantilized the patients and restricted their lives’. Goffman noted that the clear difference between the staff and the patients and on entrance to the institutions the patients faced humiliation, degradation, abasement and profanations of the self’. Goffman rejected the idea of prisons and mental health institutions which according to him robbed off the inmates their time. The ‘sentence’ denied them living. The aspect of alienation is clear when the use of power is used by the staff members against the ‘patients’. He condemned the pretence by the staff members that they were out to assist the patients and dismissed it as a mere ’power grab’. (Shorter E, 1997). Szasz argued that although psychological disorders are real, defining them as diseases was a way of imposing coercion in the society. He argued that defining such disorders as illness when they had no correlation with physical sickness was untrue. The only relationship existing between mental disorders and physical illness was the fact that they both made the individual unable to handle their daily activities or duties. (www. mdx. ac. uk). The psychological disorders according to Szasz were brought about by man. He further noted that compulsory psychiatry is a crime against humanity and it undermines freedom in the society. He quoted Mill to justify his observation that ‘the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community against his will is to prevent harm to others. His own good either physical or moral is not sufficiently warranty’. However unlike Mill, Szasz offered or rather provided no exception where power could be used forcefully. He advocated for freedom where all individuals are given the chance to choose what they find best for them. Although the compulsory psychiatry may not be harmful to the patients Szasz argues that it is not compatible with a free society. (www. mdx. ac. uk). He further advocates for the application of universal law which is not discriminative to anyone in the society. The same law applied to those termed as insane ought to be the same applied on those viewed as insane. Treating people otherwise is unfair as it implies that there is no equality and they are treated as special beings. Any form of special treatment on the allegations that one is mentally sick is unfortunate as it treats them as less human beings. (www. mdx. ac. uk). References: Anthony Clare and Peter Sedgwick. Mental Health and Civil Liberties. A theoretical contrast of Thomas Szasz. Retrieved on 5th march 2009 from http://www. mdx. ac. uk/WWW/STUDY/mhhlib. htm#SzaszMyth Dianne M. Willcocks, Sheila M. Peace, Leonie A. Kellaher. 1987. Private Lives in Public Places: A Research-based Critique of Residential Life in Local Authority Old People’s Homes. Taylor & Francis Publishers. Edward Shorter 1997. A History of Psychiatry: From the Era of the Asylum to the Age of Prozac. John Wiley and Sons Publishers John Palmer Hawkins and Faris Kirkland. 2001. Army of hope, army of alienation: culture and contradiction in the American Army communities of Cold War Germany. Greenwood Publishing Group Tim Jordan, Steve Pile, 2002. Open University Social Change. Blackwell Publishing, Lewis Coser. 2006. Crime Theories and the Field of Criminology. Retrieved on 4th march 2009 from http://www. apsu. edu/oconnort/1010/1010lect02. htm.