Sociology Asian Family Essay Example for Free

Sociology Asian Family Essay Myths about the Family Ever since the 1950s to this day, common discourse regarding the family, especially in the United States, has been based on Talcott Parsons’ (Parsons Bales, 1955) functionalism views. According to Parsons, the contemporary family form is the nuclear family composed of a breadwinner husband and a homemaker wife with their children. This particular family form emerged as a result of modernization and industrialization and displaced the extended family. This contemporary nuclear family is unctional in that the breadwinner provides for the instrumental needs of the family unit (food and shelter as well as other material needs) whereas the housewife provides for the expressive needs of the family unit (affective and emotional needs as well as socialization). As long as individuals perform their instrumental or expressive roles, the family is a functional unit that contributes to the stability of society as a whole. This gendered division of labor is therefore viewed as essential for the harmonious and orderly functioning of society. This view of the family is also called the male breadwinner model. This theoretical view became the dominant way of examining the family and family life and any deviation from the male breadwinner model is usually labeled a dysfunctional deviation. This is especially the case in the United States where Talcott Parsons’ brand of functionalism dominated social research until the 1960s. Social policies regarding the family are still designed with an eye to what is now considered the â€Å"traditional family,† such as policies encouraging single mothers to marry in order to get out of poverty through the re-creation of an intact nuclear family. Moreover, this model was not only generalized in the United States, it became the prism through which families around the world were seen as well. This view was especially promoted by William Goode (1963). In line with modernization theory, Goode postulated that as countries develop, extended families would be discarded to be replaced by the functional nuclear family, essential to modern society. The major problem with these functionalist views is that they are ideologies rather than derived from observable realities. The so-called traditional family, defined as the male breadwinner model, was an exceptional occurrence in the Western world after the Second World War, and it lasted only a few decades. In this sense, it is a socially invented tradition. Moreover, one of the main functions of ideologies is to maintain the status quo, thereby preserving privileges and maintaining oppressive social mechanisms. In this case, of course, the functional ideal is based on relegating women to the domestic sphere while proclaiming at the same time that expressive roles come more naturally to women and instrument roles more naturally to men. We have already examined how gender roles are socially constructed in our chapter on gender stratification. Also, the male breadwinner model of the family was only available to certain social classes (upper middle and above) as well as to the dominant racial group (whites). Finally, this ideological view of the family ignores cultural variations in family structures as well as the impact of changing socio-economic structures. This is what we turn to now. Family Systems Further evidence of the misleading and ideological nature of the functionalist the breadwinner model of the family is revealed by the variations in family structures across the globe. Using worldwide data, sociologist Goran Therborn (2004) identifies seven family systems, each with their specific regional social and cultural characteristics. According to Therborn, these different family systems do not have dynamics of their own but change based on external factors, such as modernization and globalization. Their inherent characteristics then make them more receptive or resistant to social change. * Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa (map source) comprises all the countries south of the Sahara desert and that are not considered part of North Africa. As previously mentioned, European colonization had a strong impact of African family structures. Nevertheless, the African family was always strongly based on kinship ties. Depending on the regions, the family structure may patrilineal or matrilineal but in any cases, male relatives exercise authority. According to Therborn (2004), a specific African norm is that of substitutability: in the context of mass polygyny, if a wife does not bear heirs or simply becomes undesirable to the lineage, she can be easily replaced or substituted by the husband taking another wife. Similarly, if a husband dies, he can be replaced by his brother. Another norm that involves fluidity in kinship structure is the mass practice of fostering, lending and borrowing children among kin when necessity demands it. This practice also underlines the idea that individuals belong to a wide kinship network and not a narrow-based family structure. * East Asia The East Asian family system (map source) includes Mongolia, China and Japan. The Chinese society is still dominated by Confucian beliefs. Such beliefs involve a concern for social order and stability through the subordination of individual wishes to collective and familial interests. Central to the Confucian view is the notion of filial piety, that is, the respect for elders as pillars of childrearing. In other words, the typical Chinese family is a strongly patriarchal and hierarchical arrangement based on the three rules of obedience: a daughter obeys her father, a married woman her husband, and a widow her son (Chen and He, 2005). As part of the collective outlook based on Confucianism, there are still a considerable number of households comprising three generations based on patrilineality (parents of the husband, husband and wife, and usually, one child). There is a strong emphasis on family interdependence which maintains the divorce rate at a low level. These traditional patterns are mixed, and sometimes conflict, with the Communist regime’s law mandating equality between men and women as well as with the rapid urbanization and modernization of the Chinese society and the import of western influence on intimate relationships. South Asia The South Asian family pattern (map source) – geographically including countries such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Burma – involves high fertility as well as extended family networks as well as strong religious influence (Laungani, 2005). Although not all family members live under the same roof, the Indian family system is extended in the sense that most social relationships and decisions take place within the network of relatives in the context of mostly Hindu religious norms. For instance, in India, the sacred nature of marriage creates a low divorce rate based on the economic and financial dependence of women as well as the strong social stigma associated with divorce, especially for women. The Indian family system is therefore strongly patriarchal supported by strong social norms that may cover up dreadful domestic situations. The Indian family is strictly hierarchical along age and gender lines. The caste system is still pervasive so that endogamy is still the norm, especially in rural areas (over 70% of Indians still live in villages). In order to preserve such endogamy, arranged marriages are still practiced whereby marriages are negotiated between the parents of the potential husband and wife. As with other family systems, the impact of globalization and the massive urbanization has strongly impacted the traditional South Asian system. * West Asia / North Africa The West Asia – North Africa system (map source) covers countries such as Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt in Africa, as well as the Middle East in Asia. This is the area commonly called the Muslim world because this is where Islam seems to exercise the most influence. In this system as well, collective family interests take precedence over personal preferences. Moreover, the concept of family honor is particularly strong. The behavior of each individual in a family reflects on the family honor and its standing in the community. It is in this family system that we find the practice of honor killing: the murder of female family members who are seen as having shamed the family and tarnished its honor, by being raped for instance or by not conforming to the dictates of family, tradition or religion. The fact that the victims of honor killings are women is another indicator of the extreme patriarchal nature of this family system which is centered on the strict control over the sexuality of women. This control can take the form of body cover, such as veiling, or of seclusion, whereby women are not allowed to interact with other men except under very restrictive conditions. This system also emphasizes high fertility with a strong preference for boys, especially in rural areas. The value of a woman is often based on her virginity prior to marriage and her fertility once married. Southeast Asia The Southeast Asian system (map source) – which includes countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Malaysia – enjoys religious diversity that comprises Muslim and Confucian populations whose marital and sexual norms have been relaxed under Buddhist influence and Malay customs (Therborn, 2004). For instance, in parts of Indonesia, Muslims do not follow the usual patriarchal family patterns. On the contrary, they observe matrilinearity. However, the great ethnic diversity of the Indonesian population generates some degree of extended family-enforced endogamy. Decisions on who can marry whom are made collectively (Sarwono, 2005). Similarly, Indonesia has a strong family planning program that emphasizes smaller families and the health of women through education and improvements in quality of life thanks to reproductive health clinics. In this sense, the status of Indonesian women is very advanced compared to other non-western family systems even though Indonesia is a largely Muslim country. * Creole America The Creole American system originated in the European colonization of the Americas and the Caribbean (which includes countries such as Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobaggo) and the development of the plantation economy largely based on slavery. This estate system of stratification involved a white European dominant culture with a patriarchal family system alongside black African, mulatto, and mestizo family patterns. The Creole family pattern is present throughout the Americas, including African American ghettos in the United States. According to Jaipaul Roopnarine et al. (2005), the Creole system in the  Caribbean is characterized by a large number of nonmarital unions where fathers and husbands are largely absent and women assume the most responsibility in childrearing. Such marital patterns come from the colonial economic system whereby African Caribbean men were forced to leave their families to work in mines or plantations. A value system developed whereby African masculinity was based on successive but temporary sexual relationships and motherhood became the utmost form of femininity. When men and women live together, it is usually in cohabiting or common law relationships that reproduce the traditional patriarchal division of labor. This family system is also characterized by child-shifting, that is, the passing of children to other relatives or acquaintances if the parents find themselves unable to take care of them. As a result, multiple women are involved in childhood socialization. * European And New World Settlements The Western European system and its New World Settlements (such as the United States and Canada, as well as some parts of Central and South America) has always been the least patriarchal of all family systems. Apart from the European monarchies and nobility where marriage was strictly family-controlled with limited individual choice, this system has been based on marriage by consent, supported by the Catholic Church (family pressure was not absent, to be sure, but it was not enshrined into the law). Neolocal pattern has prevented the practice of child marriage: newlyweds were expected to create their own household, something that required financial means. As a result, people tended to marry later and to decide on their own fertility within monogamous arrangements. The Western system is also the one characterized by dramatic changes over the past centuries, changes that are still going on today and define the contemporary supposed marriage and family â€Å"crisis. † Before industrialization, as in other parts of the world, marriage and family formation patterns were patriarchal and fulfilled economic (production) and political (alliance making) functions. With industrialization, families were stripped of these functions taken over by the market and the state. What were left to the families were emotional and social functions. This became known as the love-based male breadwinner model that persisted until the late 1960s. Since then, cultural and economic factors, such as increased women’s independence and entry into the workforce have shattered that model to replace it with a more egalitarian one, with a progressive acceptance of different family forms.

Free Merchant of Venice Essays: The Price is Right :: Merchant Venice Essays

When I first read The Merchant of Venice, I had a lot of mixed reactions. One of them, surprisingly enough, was that it was too short! How can this be? We all know that Shakespeare's plays are notoriously too long. In reading it over, I think this perception comes from a number of sources. One is the idea that the two story lines, that of Portia and her suitors and that of Shylock and his money-grubbing ways, are only loosely held together by the title character, Antonio. The other reason is that when we finally get to the trial scene, the supposed highlight of the play, we notice that the trial is only a very small part of the whole play. It is not "what the play is about" in my opinion. Many people have suggested that the play should have ended after the trial, that the final scene served no purpose. I saw it more like the hurriedly thrown together conclusion to a choppy paper. We have talked about cut versions of literature as they make their way to the screen. This seems to me as though it is a choppy version of an idea that didn't work out as well as the playwright had hoped. As I read even more closely, I may find I change my mind. Since it didn't seem to be about what I thought it was supposed to be about, I decided to try to figure out what it really is about. Based on my current understanding (subject to further enlightenment), the play is (at least partially) about the merchandising of people. People can be bought or sold for "Three thousand ducats, well" (Act I Scene 3 Line 1), or "chests of gold, silver and lead" (I.ii.30). Every one has a price. All are bought or sold at one time or another. Let's look at some of the leading characters and see what price they require. Antonio sells "a pound of his flesh" for "three thousand ducats" in Act I Scene 3. Bassanio sells his marriage vows to repay the lawyer/ judge for defending Antonio (Act IV Scene 2). Grationo sells his vows, by giving away the ring that represented them, and his friendship to Bassanio at the same time. Portia sells herself as property in marriage

Electronic Commerce and Mary Kay Essay

Founded in 1962, Mary Kay (marykay. com) has about 1. 8 million consultants selling its cosmetics and fragrances in 34 countries. In 2008, the company had about $2. 4 billion in wholesale sales. As a company that has based its reputation on personal contacts through door-to-door visits and home gatherings, one might think that Mary Kay would not benefit from EC. Actually, the opposite is true. Currently, more than 95 percent of Mary Kay’s independent salespeople place orders via the Internet. The Problem The cosmetics market is very competitive, but it is growing rapidly, especially in developing countries. Mary Kay is trying to capitalize on this trend. The Mary Kay business model enables rapid growth into new markets. By the early 2000s, consultants found that more and more customers wanted to shop online. With a long and global supply chain and the need to manage almost 2 million consultants, it was clear that automation was needed, but Mary Kay’s existing computer system was old and lacked Web or e-commerce applications. Therefore, a major overhaul of the information systems was needed. Finally, it became clear that the emergence of social computing might provide a golden opportunity for Internet marketing by the company. The Solution Mary Kay’s IT department is now split into three divisions: e-commerce, supply chain, and back-office support. Because of pressure from the consultants, the restructuring focused on e-commerce. The company’s goals and objectives were set based on industry best practices. Goals and objectives determine what, how, and when the company is operated, and these also apply to EC initiatives. Mary Kay’s EC solution included the creation of an electronic service desk that supports consultants in 30 countries in a standardized way. Mary Kay also introduced a global electronic ordering system, called Atlas, that allows the consultants to communicate with company warehouses. An intelligent data repository that dynamically maintains a logical model of the EC environment can be accessed by Mary Kay IT staff. Mary Kay and its consultants are also making extensive use of social computing. The following are some representative examples of how Mary Kay uses social computing: The company posts job opening announcements on several sites, including MySpace Jobs ( classifieds. myspace. com/job). Movies and videotapes are available on YouTube (youtube. com) and on movies. go. com. Several blogs are available, both for and against the company (e. g. , marykayandrews. com/blog). Auctions and fixed-price items are available for sale on eBay. Mary Kay provides a consultant locator on the Internet. All of these developments are supported by an extensive hardware and software infrastructure, including a wireless remote management system at the 760,000 square-foot corporate headquarters, an extensive wide area network (WAN, see Chapter 8), and a large data center. Some of the EC systems are used enterprise wide (e. g. , service desk, ticketing system for consultants attending events, and service requests made by consultants). Others are functional (e. g. , accounting, finance, marketing, and inventory control). The company uses an intranet for internal communications as well as dozens of other EC applications. In addition to providing better support to consultants, the EC initiatives produced other benefits, such as greater efficiency, reduced costs and downtime, and improved service. In terms of human resources, it enabled the company to handle its rapid growth without a substantial increase in staffing. The changes also have allowed EC personnel to focus on strategic tasks. Mary Kay found that its engineers and technical people now have time to spend on new innovations. References: Bowman, Mary Kay, et al. â€Å"Intelligent and firm currency conversion.† U.S. Patent No. 7,747,475. 29 Jun. 2010. Meuter, Matthew L., et al. â€Å"The influence of technology anxiety on consumer use and experiences with self-service technologies.† Journal of Business Research 56.11 (2003): 899-906. Dholakia, Ruby Roy, and Nikhilesh Dholakia. â€Å"Mobility and markets: emerging outlines of m-commerce.† Journal of Business research 57.12 (2004): 1391-1396. Kay, Jeffrey, et al. â€Å"Information objects system, method, and computer program organization.† U.S. Patent No. 6,473,893. 29 Oct. 2002. Finn, Mary Kay, Karen Lahey, and David Redle. â€Å"Policies Underlying Congressional Approval of Criminal and Civil Immunity for Interactive Computer Service Providers Under Provisions of the Communications Decency Act of 1996-Should E-Buyers Beware.† U. Tol. L. Rev. 31 (1999): 347.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - 586 Words

Imagine a town where. Racial slurs, and injustice is parcel of everyday life. This town is known as Maycomb, a fictional town from the book To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, a fictional story that takes place during the great depression. Maycomb is a little town in Alabama where Scout, her older brother Jem and her father Atticus. The town’s population is mostly white, and some African Americans. The town’s folks are often judged depended on their behavior, race, and social class. People of Maycomb judge each other on their behavior. For instance Atticus is called upon to fire Calpurnia, their cook, by his sister Aunt Alexander, he denies her request. His sister then tells him â€Å"Atticus it’s alright to be soft hearted, you’re an easy man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (155). His sister views Atticus as a person who lets emotions get in his ways, and judges him because of it. Moreover, Mrs. Merriweather judges Atticus on his decision to free Tom Robison from jail and capital punishment. Mrs. Merriweather is gossiping about other folk from town she says â€Å"’I tell you there are some good but misguided people in this town†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (265-266). She judges Atticus on this decision to stand up for Tom. She believes that he is misguided in his choices. Furthermore, Mrs. Dubose is another example of a person who judge’s people based on their behavior. Once when Jem and Scout were going by Mrs. Dubose they fear that â€Å"[They] would be raked by her wrathful gaze, subjected to ruthless interrogation regarding ourShow MoreRelatedKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1049 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird: How a Story could be based on True Events in Everyday LifeDaisy GaskinsCoastal Pines Technical Collegeâ€Æ'Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama. Her father was a former newspaper editor and proprietor, who had served as a state senator and practiced as a lawyer in Monroeville. Also Finch was known as the maiden name of Lee’s mother. With that being said Harper Lee became a writer like her father, but she became a American writer, famous for her race relations novel â€Å"ToRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee1000 Words   |  4 Pagesworld-wide recognition to the many faces of prejudice is an accomplishment of its own. Author Harper Lee has had the honor to accomplish just that through her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a moving and inspirational story about a young girl learning the difference between the good and the bad of the world. In the small town of Monroeville, Alabama, Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926. Growing up, Harper Lee had three siblings: two sisters and an older brother. She and her siblings grew up modestlyRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1290 Words   |  6 PagesHarper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird during a rough period in American history, also known as the Civil Rights Movement. 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The mindset of people back then was that blackRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee963 Words   |  4 Pagesgrowing up, when older characters give advice to children or siblings.Growing up is used frequently in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Harper Lee uses the theme growing up in To Kill a Mockingbird to change characters opinion, develop characters through their world, and utilizes prejudice to reveal growing up. One major cause growing up is used in To Kill a Mockingbird is to represent a change of opinion. One part growing up was shown in is through the trial in part two of the novelRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1052 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama in the late 30s early 40s , after the great depression when poverty and unemployment were widespread throughout the United States. 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This honor society is a huge accomplishment and is considered the highest recognition for artistic talent and accomplishment in the United States. Along with these accomplishments, herRead MoreKill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee1197 Words   |  5 Pagessuch as crops, houses, and land, and money was awfully limited. These conflicts construct Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird. In To Kill a Mocking Bird, Lee establishes the concurrence of good and evil, meaning whether people are naturally good or naturally evil. Lee uses symbolism, characterization, and plot to portray the instinctive of good and evil. To Kill a Mocking Bird, a novel by Harper Lee takes place during the 1930s in the Southern United States. The protagonist, Scout Finch,

The Ethics Of Genetically Modified Organisms - 1184 Words

Science has been a prevalent topic over the course of history. Moreover, as scientific research continues to develop it sometimes is contradictory towards the humanities. Similarly, the focus on genetically modified organisms (GMO) have been fundamental in highlighting the difference between science and the humanities. Consequently, this paper will emphasize the ethics of genetically modified organisms and the basic ethical concepts and theories necessary for reflecting upon moral beliefs using scholarly resources that underline that if people are aware of genetically modified organism they will tend to disregard GMOs. Entine, Jon. â€Å"2000+ Reasons Why GMOs Are Safe to Eat and Environmentally Sustainable.† Forbes. Forbes, 14 Oct. 2014. Jon†¦show more content†¦24 Oct. 2013. Web. Hontz-Ward displays that different cultures have distinct opinions on GMOs. Hence this exploits the ethical values and identifies the vital connection between GMOs and the humanities. This article is written for a religious audience that implants religious and culture to their ethical values. Over all Hontz-Ward contradicts that crops that are not grown are genetically modified therefore some cultures refuse to buy them. Hence this article supports Schiffman’s article which also states that people that are informed on the effects of GMOs are more likely to not buy these good than the uneducated that do not know the outcomes or possible effects of these products. Kaldveer, Zack. â€Å"13 lies GMO labeling opponents are recycling in Washington state.† 21 Aug. 2013. Print. Zack Kaldveer does a unique review of GMOs and concludes that GMOs are risk free and are not harmful to the environment. Kaldveer uses evident facts and provides a well-organized journal to promote that GMOs should be studied so that the user can be educated and have enough knowledge to decipherer whether to buy or avoid GMOs. Further, this article is written for an environmentalist audience since it provides a gist of the environmental impacts and shows that the ethics that involve making decisions can be greatly influenced by the background knowledge one might have pertaining the topic. This journal relates to Entine’s article sinceShow MoreRelatedEthics Of Genetically Modified Organisms816 Words   |  4 PagesIn the last thirty years, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been used for in the production of medicine and food and are widely used in scientific research and the production of other products (Junod, 2009). A GMO is any organism whose genetic material has b een altered using genetic engineering techniques, including mutation, insertion, or deletion of genes (Nelson, 2010). GMOS and GM technology have become a topic of great concern among scientists, regulators, consumers, farmers, andRead MoreEthics Of Genetically Modified Organisms1382 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) entails a process whereby plants, animals, and microorganisms can be altered at the genetic or DNA levels in a way that does not occur naturally through mating or natural recombination. Human involvement in the natural selection process has been around since the dawn of humanity; originally in the form of specific animal breeding to gain better species with more adaptations for their specific uses. The arguments that surrounds the topic of Genetically ModifiedRead MoreGenetically Modified Foods and Organisms Essay949 Words   |  4 Pagesand ecological problems. As the amount of genetically modified (GM) crops have increased rapidly in recent years, the debates on whether GM foods are truly beneficial or not have become prevalent. 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Inherent value refers to the value that is found or recognized within the item or organism; whether spiritualRead MoreBenefits Of Genetically Modified Organisms1598 Words   |  7 Pagesmay find some products that promise no GMOs, but what exactly are GMOs? Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are organisms that have been engineered to express desired traits. The most traditional way to modify organisms is through selective breeding. New technology now has given the ability to physically move or add to a new organism. The organisms are altered at the molecular level, usually they receive genes from organisms whose traits could not be obtained easily. Modification is done by usingRead MoreGenetically Modified Organisms1 582 Words   |  6 PagesGenetically Modified Organisms also known as GMO’s are commonplace items today on the shelves of the local grocery store, or even the racks of the local department store. Technology today has allowed companies to modify the genetics of everything from corn and soybeans, to cotton and salmon. It hasn’t been known until now how many products really contain these genetically modified organisms. This paper will discuss the origins of GMO’s, the companies that produce these GMO’s, how GMO’s are createdRead MoreGenetic Engineering: Good or Bad?899 Words   |  4 Pagesmodify the genes of living organisms is a very controversial subject, spawning many debates about its uses, ethics, and dangers. On one hand, the possibility of modifying livestock and plants to produce more food and useful products is tempting. Medical uses for genetic modification are also abundant, and can change medicine for the better. On the other hand, prob lems about the ethicality of tampering with the natural world, legal rights on genetically altered organisms, and various possible negativeRead MoreArguments Of Proponents And Opponents Of The Safe And Accurate Food Labeling Act1744 Words   |  7 Pagesweakness of each side’s argument. One argument that proponents make about genetically modified food is that they are no different than natural foods. An argument that opponents make is that genetically modified organisms have not been tested enough because they are fairly new and some scientist truly don’t have an understanding of how it will affect humans bodies differently than natural foods. Proponents argue that genetically engineered foods have no needs for labeling; it would lead to consumer confusionRead MoreMonsanto Business Ethics Paper1465 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper about Monsanto Corporations Business Ethics Thesis Statement I will outline some of the ethical issues Monsanto Corporation has faced, I will focus on the predatory litigation of farmers that have been contaminated by Monsanto’s Genetically Modified seed and then sued for using that seed to plant subsequent crops. I will provide examples and citations of what I feel are unethical practices and cases involving Monsanto. Introduction â€Å"The Justice Department is investigating whetherRead MoreGentically Modified Organisms are the Topic of Conversation718 Words   |  3 PagesIn the past decade or so, genetically modified foods and genetically modified organisms, also known as GM Foods and GMO’s, have been a never ending topic of discussion. GM Foods and GMO’s have adversely affected people’s health all over the world. GMO’s are developed through taking genes of different species, then combining them through genetic engineering. Neither of those things can happen naturally or out in nature. That should raise lots of red flags to our society already. Adding these altered

Analysis Of The Film White Like Me - 1188 Words

Tim Wise’s film â€Å"White Like Me† is an educational documentary about racism and white privilege. The film begins with Wise’s personal story on how he learned the importance of race at a young age after attending preschool at Tennessee State University, a historically African American college. Being one of the only Caucasian students and being taught by predominantly African American administrators, allowed Wise to gain respect for African American authority figures which ultimately made a huge difference in how he came to see the world. Throughout the film, Wise expands on his personal encounters with race while incorporating interviews with scholars and candid comments from white students discussing their opinions on some heavy questions†¦show more content†¦According to Wise, the benefits of white privilege include material benefits like better job opportunities, better housing access, and better education opportunities. There is also the psycholog ical benefit of just the realization that as a white person, one is not going to be racially profiled when going about their everyday business. As the documentary continues, Republican strategist, Lee Atwater outlines the idea of the Southern Strategy. The Southern Strategy is a political strategy used by conservatives in which Republican politicians choose their language wisely to â€Å"speak in a kind of racial code designed to turn white working class voters against government programs (Wise, 2007).† According to John H. Bracey, this type of racism indirectly hurts the interests and well-being of working-class whites too. When aid is in question for whites, it also means that blacks would benefit from it as well and since some white people are so racist, they refuse the aid all together. For example, in Mississippi, there are people who won’t expand Medicare because they have such a dysfunctional political system that they would rather turn down aid for white people because the same aid would also help black people. A lot of people’s responses to this racism and inequality is to say that we should all just be colorblind. We should see people asShow MoreRelatedEssay about Developing My Critical Thinking Skills997 Words   |  4 Pagessemester. Thats when you offered an extra-credit assignment that required an analysis on Do The Right Thing. This e-mail is to express my deep gratitude for giving me any credit at all. I recently revisited the movie-- and my analysis -- and it was actually appalling at how poorly developed my analysis was. 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Early in the information technology revolution Richard Mason suggested that the coming changes in information technologies would necessitate rethinking the social contract (Mason 1986). What he could not have known then was how often we would have to update the social contract as these technologies rapidly change. Information technologies change quickly and move in and out of fashion at a bewildering pace. This makes it difficult to try to list them all and catalog the moral impacts of each. The very fact that this change is so rapid and momentous has caused some to argue that we need to deeply question the ethics of the process of developing emerging technologies (Moor 2008). It has also been argued that the ever morphing nature of information technology is changing our ability to even fully understand moral values as they change. Lorenzo Magnani claims that acquiring knowledge of how that change confounds our ability to reason morally â€Å"†¦has become a duty in our technological world† (Magnani 2007, 93). The legal theorist Larry Lessig warns that the pace of change in information technology is so rapid that it leaves the slow and deliberative process of law and political policy behind and in effect these technologies become lawless, or extralegal. This is due to the fact that by the time a law is written to curtail, for instance, some form of copyright infringement facilitated by a particular file sharing technology, that technology has become out of date and users are on to something else that facilitates copyright infringement (Lessig 1999). The more specific term â€Å"computer ethics† has been used to refer to applications by professional philosophers of traditional Western theories like utilitarianism, Kantianism, or virtue ethics, to ethical cases that significantly involve computers and computer networks. â€Å"Computer ethics† also has been used to refer to a kind of professional ethics in which computer professionals apply codes of ethics and standards of good practice within their profession. In addition, other more specific names, like â€Å"cyber ethics† and â€Å"Internet ethics†, have been used to refer to aspects of computer ethics associated with the Internet. During the past several decades, the robust and rapidly growing field of computer and information ethics has generated new university courses, research professorships, research centers, conferences, workshops, professional organizations, curriculum materials, books and journals. Much of the ethical debate about computers and information technology more generally has been informed by the ‘impact view’ of information technology. Within this tradition a number of issues have emerged as important. For example, whether compute generate new types of ethical problems that require new or different ethical theories or, whether it is just more of the same (Gorniak 1996). These debates are often expressed   in the language of the impact of information technology on particular values and rights (Johnson 1985, 1994). Thus, we have discussions on the impact of CCTV or web cookies on, the right to privacy, the impact of the digital divide on the right to access information, the impact of the piracy of software on property rights, and so forth. In these debates Jim Moor (1985) has argued that computers show up policy vacuums that require new thinking and the establishment of new policies. Others have argued that the resources provided by classical ethical theory such as utilitarianism, consequentialism and deontological ethics is more than enough to deal with all the ethical issues emerging from our design and use of information technology (Gert 1999). Irrespective of whether information technology creates new types of ethical problems that require new ethical theory or whether established ethical theory is sufficient, one tends to find the debate centered on questions of policy that is intended to regulate or justify conduct. These policies are seen, and presented as ways to regulate or balance competing rights or competing values. For example, what sort of policies do we need to protect our children when they go on the internet? How would these policies affect the right to free speech? Or, what sort of policies do we need to secure the rights of producers of digital products? How would these policies affect the right of society to a reasonable access to these products? Furthermore, these debates are most often directed at an institutional level of discourse i. e. , with the intention to justify the policies or conduct for governments, organizations and individuals. In these debates, on the impact of technology, ethics and ethicists are primarily conceived as presenting arguments for justifying a particular balance, of values or rights, over and against other possibilities. Information technology is now ubiquitous in the lives of people across the globe. These technologies take many forms such as personal computers, smart phones, the internet, web and mobile phone applications, digital assistants, and cloud computing. In fact the list is growing constantly and new forms of these technologies are working their way into every aspect of daily life. In some cases, such as can be seen in massive multiplayer online games ,these technologies are even opening up new ways of interacting with each other. Information technology at its basic level is technology that records, communicates, synthesizes or organizes information. The move from one set of dominant information technologies to another is always morally contentious. Socrates lived during the long transition from a largely oral tradition to a newer information technology consisting of writing down words and information and collecting those writings into scrolls and books. Famously Socrates was somewhat antagonistic to writing and he never wrote anything down himself. Socrates, who was adept at quoting lines from poems and epics and placing them into his conversations, fears that those who rely on writing will never be able to truly understand and live by these words. For Socrates there is something immoral or false about writing. Books can provide information but they cannot, by themselves, give you the wisdom you need to use or deeply understand that information. For Socrates, reading a book is nowhere near as insightful as talking with its author. His criticism of writing at first glance may seem humorous but the temptation to use recall and call it memory is getting more and more prevalent in modern information technologies. Why learn anything when information is just an Internet search away? In order to avoid Socrates worry, information technologies should do more than just provide access to information; they should also help foster wisdom and understanding as well. Social networking is a term given to sites and applications that facilitate online social interactions that typically focus on sharing information with other users referred to as â€Å"friends. † The most famous of these sites today is Facebook. There are a number of moral values that these sites call into question. Shannon Vallor (2011) has reflected on how sites like Facebook change or even challenge our notion of friendship. Her analysis is based on the Aristotelian theory of friendship . Aristotle argued that humans realize a good and true life though virtuous friendships. Valor notes that four key dimensions of Aristotles ‘virtuous friendship,’ namely: reciprocity, empathy, self-knowledge and the shared life, are found in online social media in ways that can actually strengthen friendship (Vallor 2011). Yet she argues that social media is not up to the task of facilitating what Aristotle calls ‘the shared life,’ and thus these media cannot fully support the Aristotelian notion of complete and virtuous friendship by themselves (Vallor 2011). Vallor also has a similar analysis of other Aristotelian virtues such as patience, honesty and empathy as they are fostered in online media (Vallor 2010). Johnny Hartz Soraker (2012) argues for a nuanced understanding of online friendship rather than a rush to normative judgement on the virtues of virtual friends. The first moral impact one encounters when contemplating online games is the tendency for these games to portray violence. There are many news stories that claim a cause and effect relationship between violence in computer games and real violence. The claim that violence in video games has a causal connection to actual violence has been strongly critiqued by the social scientist Christopher J. Ferguson (Ferguson 2007). However, Mark Coeckelbergh argues that since this relationship is tenuous at best and that the real issue at hand is the effect these games have on ones moral character (Coeckelbergh 2007). But Coeckelbergh goes on to claim that computer games can be designed to facilitate virtues like empathetic and cosmopolitan moral development so he is not arguing against all games just those where the violence inhibits moral growth (Coeckelbergh 2007). Marcus Schulzke (2010) holds a different opinion, suggesting that the violence in computer games is morally defensible. Schulzkes main claim is that actions in a virtual world are very different from actions in the real world, though a player may â€Å"kill† another player in a virtual world, that player is instantly back in the game and the two will almost certainly remain friends in the real world thus virtual violence is very different from real violence, a distinction gamers are comfortable with (Schulzke 2010). While virtual violence may seem palatable to some, Morgan Luck (2009) seeks a moral theory that might be able to allow the acceptance of virtual murder but that will not extend to other immoral acts such as pedophilia. Christopher Bartel (2011) is less worried about the distinction Luck attempts to draw; Bartel argues that virtual pedophilia is real child pornography, which is already morally reprehensible and illegal across the globe. Malware and computer virus threats are growing at an astonishing rate. Security industry professionals report that while certain types of malware attacks such as spam are falling out of fashion, newer types of attacks focused on mobile computing devices and the hacking of cloud computing infrastructure are on the rise utstripping any small relief seen in the slowing down of older forms of attack (Cisco Systems 2011; Kaspersky Lab 2011). What is clear is that this type of activity will be with us for the foreseeable future. In addition to the largely criminal activity of malware production, we must also consider the related but more morally ambiguous activities of hacking, hacktivism, commercial spyware, and informational warfare. Each of these topics has its own suit e of subtle moral ambiguities. We will now explore some of them here. While there may be wide agreement that the conscious spreading of malware is of questionable morality there is an interesting question as to the morality of malware protection and anti-virus software. With the rise in malicious software there has been a corresponding growth in the security industry which is now a multi-billion dollar market. Even with all the money spent on security software there seems to be no slowdown in virus production, in fact quite the opposite has occurred. This raises an interesting business ethics concern, what value are customers receiving for their money from the security industry? The massive proliferation of malware has been shown to be largely beyond the ability of anti-virus software to completely mitigate. There is an important lag in the time between when a new piece of malware is detected by the security community and the eventual release of the security patch and malware removal tools There are a number of computers based ethical dilemma that are frequently discussed. One set of issues deals with some of the new ethical dilemma that have emerged, or taken on new form, with the rise of the Internet and Social Networking. There are now many ways to gain information about others that were not available, or easily available, before the rise of computers. Thus ethical issues about storage of personal information are now becoming an ever increasing problem. With more storage of personal data for social networking arises the problem of selling that information for monetary gain. This gives rise to different ethical situations regarding access, security, and the use of hacking in positive and negative situations.