Is Racism the Result of Ignorance Essay Example

Is Racism the Result of Ignorance Paper The Oxford English Dictionary describes racism as the belief that all members of a racial group possess the characteristics, therefore rendering it possible to determine whether it is either inferior or superior to other races. Racism has been around since the dawn of mankind, and caused many genocides (most notably the Holocaust, however less well known was the Armenian Massacre during and after the First World War), apartheids (in South Africa and also in the USA) as well as making some people to ask the question What causes Racism and unhappiness between people of different ethnic backgrounds? Many believe the cause is in fact Ignorance and little understanding of other cultures, however, many believe it is much more complex, and there are more than one reasons. This essay shall attempt to ultimately answer the question Is Racism the Result of Ignorance? To understand what causes racism, one must know what the different types of racism are, as well as their effects. Unfortunately for the reader, there are many effects and types of racism that simply cannot be summarised completely, however we shall study the main types of racism, and what effect they have on certain if not all ethnic groups. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Racism the Result of Ignorance specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Is Racism the Result of Ignorance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Is Racism the Result of Ignorance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer One of the main types is Institutional or State Racism. This means that the government, the state, or perhaps even educational institutions cause racial discrimination on a large scale, with the ability to influence individuals, and cause them to act in a certain way, whether it be protesting against it, or also discriminating against others because they believe in the cause. For example, if a school only accepted white children, Asians and Latin Americans, but not Black students, this could be seen as a form of institutional racism. The effects are quite obvious in this case, the disallowed families would perhaps form a demonstration against the institution, with or in some cases without result. Another example which is much more famous is Britains monitoring of people from an Islamic background. The protests in this case would be much larger, as it would seem that the State generally believes that most Muslims are terrorists, or at least a large amount. This can be linked to the theme of Islamophobia (the belief that many, or all Muslims are in some kind of terrorist organisation. This word was coined after the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001. Although Muslim Extremists probably performed the attacks, the reaction was foolish. Many scholars see this as a result of ignorance, however we shall refer back to this in the conclusion). Another type of racism is racial or ethnic discrimination. This could also be on a large scale and often is, however this type tends not to be organised by a group. Rather, it is just showing prejudice against other ethnic groups, and treating them differently (not necessarily badly). The effects are a little more complex. Some may indeed also protest, however many others would simply do nothing. While in Institutional Racism, the aim of a protest is to mainly effect the view of a government and also influence individuals, anti-racial discrimination demonstrations are mainly aimed at changing the general view of the public, not as much the government. Another form of racism is Historical Economic Racism or Social Disparity. This means that some individuals are prejudiced towards other races as a consequence of historical events. For example some English believe Germans to still be Nazis, even after 65 years since the end of the Second World War. This is also linked to the idea that ignorance causes racism, and also Nationalism. This means that one group of people (in this case the English) believe they are superior to all other races. For example 69 years ago Hitler corrupted the minds of many, leading them to believe they were the Aryan race (the ultimate race). Many British dont know that the Nazis admired British because they saw them as strong, however this would do little to hinder their view on Germans. This is a brilliant example of ignorance causing racism. Many see racism as a result of ignorance, however personally, I believe it is much more complex, with more reasons. Racism has been present throughout our species history. The idea that anything different may indeed be a threat, is in our genetic code, and is present in all animals. For example, a dog protects its property from foxes, and is willing to attack them if they enter. However in modern society, this idea is known as Xenophobia. A prime example of this in popular use throughout the world (mainly the Western World) is Islamophobia. Many do act in a racist manner as a result of ignorance, however this arises a new question: What about the racists that were well educated? Another cause of racism is intolerance. Another is close-mindedness. As one can see, there are so many reasons, and so many different views that one certain definition of the cause is impossible to coin. It is truly up to the individual to make his or her own judgement.

How the English Days of the Week Got Their Names

How the English Days of the Week Got Their Names English speakers often take for granted the impact other languages have had on our own. The names of the days of the week, for example, owe much to the blend of cultures that influenced England over the yearsSaxon Germany, Norman France, Roman Christianity, and Scandinavian. Wednesday: Wodens Day Woden’s connection to Wednesday draws its name from the one-eyed god  known as Odin. While we associate him with the Norse and Scandinavia, the name Woden itself appeared in Saxon England, and elsewhere as Voden, Wotan (his old German moniker), and other variations, all across the continent. His image hanging from a tree with a single eye is reflected in many modern day religions.   Thursday Is Thors Day The mighty Thunder God was respected as Thunor among our ancestor culture in England, and his own influence as both the principal deity of Iceland and the international movie-star in Marvel movies  sits well alongside his more mysterious father. Friday: Freyr or Frigg? Friday can get tricky, as one can draw fertility god Freyr from the name, but also Frigg, Odin’s wife and goddess of hearth and home. Our common connotation shows Friday as a day of reaping (our paychecks) or returning home (for the weekend) so both could feasibly be the origins. A mythological mind might point to Frigg, our ancient mother, calling us home and giving us a family dinner. Saturn-Day Saturday pays homage to Saturn, that old force that appears in Rome, Greece.  Many might associate the name with pagan rites like â€Å"Saturnalia† or solstice festivals, which were (and still are) incredibly popular in both Northern and Western Europe. Old father time rests on this day, which conventionally ends the week in both the US and the Middle East, as a day of rest. Sunday: Rebirth as the Sun Returns Sunday is just that, a day celebrating the sun and the rebirth of our week. Many Christian sects point to this as the day of ascension when the Son rose and went back to heaven, bringing with him the light of the world. Solar deities beyond the Son of God stretch back universally, found all over the world in every single culture there is, was, and will be. It’s fitting that it should have a day all its own. Monday: Moon Day Likewise, Monday pays homage to the moon, the principal body of night. Monday has a good deal in common with the German name Montag, which translates as day of the moon. While Quaker heritage in the US calls it the second day, it is also the first day of the work week in Western culture, assuming that the first day is ascension on Sunday. In Arab and Middle Eastern cultures, Monday is also the second day of the week, which ends on Sabbath Day Saturday and starts again the day after, likely due to the shared Abrahamic religion, Islam. Tuesday Honors the God of War   We end this trip on Tuesday. In old German, Tiw was the god of war, sharing similarities with Roman Mars, from which the Spanish name Martes is derived. The Latin word for Tuesday is  Martis dies, Marss Day.  But another origin points to the Scandinavian God Tyr, who was also a god of war and honorable combat.

Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Strategy - Essay Example Waterstones’ current market position faces huge challenges from various external and internal elements. Indeed, the way it responds to the adverse market conditions becomes the key enabling factor of the firm to gain competitive advantage. The recent changes in trading environment with increasing popularity of e-commerce and online shopping, Waterstones needs to evolve and compete on new dimensions. Advent of computers and internet has considerably widened the area of business. While it has provided the firms with huge opportunities worldwide, the new cyber platform has also made it hugely competitive. The companies must evolve and develop strategic initiatives to compete on unique capabilities that meet the challenges of time. Waterstones has already introduced online shopping and provide online customers with huge choice of books. At the same time, its various outlets across the globe have facilitating environment that encourages reading. Porter (1996) believes that leadership initiatives are major facilitators that help sustain a firm’s success through hard times. Through strong leadership, Waterstones was quick to embrace technology and make its online presence. The technology has helped it to expand its customer base across wider geographical areas and at the same time, facilitated easier access to books to its customers. Strategic action plans need to be dynamic to encompass micro and macro environment changes to maintain competitive advantage (Montgomery, 2008). They not only encourage speed and flexibility but also ensure that customers’ requirements are met timely and efficiently through evolving process of developing effective linkages. Indeed, on an average, Waterstones bookshops keeps a minimum of 30,000 individual books and help the customer to get his/her preferred product through online search and ensure availability of the same within defined time limit. This is key element of the firm’s value proposition that has enabled it to

Discuss a book you have read all the way through that is not related Essay

Discuss a book you have read all the way through that is not related to economics, business, or finance, and its influence on your thinking - Essay Example The story is characterized by traditional approach to life as opposed to modernism which is displayed in the lives of Wung Lung and O-lan. Women are considered as mere materials that can be purchased to satisfy a man’s needs in the traditional Chinese community. O-lan is a slave from a rich family who was given for marriage due to a request from Wung Lun father. This is portrayed as forced marriage in a modern culture context because a woman is given against her own will for marriage. A twist is seen where the two rather connect even without prior courtship (Burk 189). Their marriage however faces a couple of challenges. Wung Lung chauvinism plays out when he is not pleased by the fact that his wife’s feet are not bound, a demeaning traditional practice that undermined women by binding women with tight formations so as to forcefully stunt their growth. Traditions appeared to have outshone modernism that was busy creeping in. modernism seemed to be embraced by the rich and traditionalism had held the poor hostage. Interference is a factor noted in the book in pearl’s book. Traditional interference is hard to miss in Wung Lung happy marriage to O-lan. One time Wung Lung makes a concubine because of the bound feet that his wife didn’t have which was a traditional practice (Burk 200). Hwang rich family faces its demise because of drug addiction and women addiction which act as interference to the financial status of the family making them sell their property. Modernism appears to be a threat to Chinese traditions because the traditionalists are less appealed by this modern trend that was slowly taking root in the Chinese society. The ‘Good Earth’ might be telling a story of successful harvest by the mentioned Chinese families at the end of a successful planting season characterized by financial success but the story’s plot echoes more

Is Managed Care the solution to controlling Medicare costs or would Term Paper

Is Managed Care the solution to controlling Medicare costs or would this lead to limitations on the care that older Americans ca - Term Paper Example The solution that is being proposed in order to control the rising costs of Medicare is Managed Care. This is a controversial and questionable move due to the huge difference in the way that Medicare and Managed Care handle their members. Managed Care is described as a program that (The Basics of Managed Care, 1994), "1. ...refers, in general, to efforts to coordinate, rationalize, and channel the use of services to achieve desired access, service, and outcomes while controlling costs. 2. Risk-based managed care describes care from organizations that provide or contract to provide health care in broad/specified areas for a defined population for a fixed, prepaid price [where the managed care organizations (MCOs) are at financial risk to deliver the services for the fixed price]. Managed care organizations use various strategies to control costs. " Managed Care in theory sounds like a good thing. However, looking deeper into the way the program works shows that it will only increase t he cost of healthcare for most senior citizens because the program the program concentrates on preventive services and patient education in order to cut costs. There lies the problem with Managed Healthcare. How exactly to the proponents of this program expect this program to cut Medicare costs when it only rewards the patient for being and remaining healthy? There is no senior citizen on this planet who does not need some sort of current medical care for a preexisting or currently existing condition. So how exactly can this particular program cut the costs of Medicare for senior patients? The simple answer is that it can't. Medicare is necessary for retired citizens who cannot afford to pay for regular insurance coverage. They are of that age wherein illness is a common part of their lives and finding solutions or palliative care is already a norm, not an exemption. Once Medicare for the patient is placed under a Managed Care program, then Medicare will start to discourage people f rom seeking medical care unless it is absolutely necessary. But who is to say what is medically necessary for a patient and what is not? Senior citizens are understood to no longer be in the pink of health. They need medical attention most of the time. They may be willing to keep themselves healthy but their body may just not be able to cope. Managed Care will instead punish them for being sickly. These people will be limited to packaged medical services that may or may not cover their medical needs. Whatever happens, there will be a severe cost out of pocket for the patient. (Basics of Managed Care, 1994). According to Dr. Dudley Adams (2001), there is this preconceived notion that since Managed Care prepays for healthcare, then the quality of healthcare would improve. Mainly because services would concentrate more on preventing illness rather than treating it. However, there is no solid evidence that such a move would actually benefit Medicare patients who may already be under som e sort of medical care at the time that their Managed Care coverage takes effect. A closer look at the healthcare system in place for older Americans shows that the system is more fragmented than ever before. There is also a loss of the actual mission and vision of Medicare. Medicare was set up with the mandate to help out senior

Movie Review Of Punch Drunk Love Film Studies Essay

Movie Review Of Punch Drunk Love Film Studies Essay Punch-Drunk Love is a very interesting American comedy directed by Paul Thomas Anderson with Sandler as the protagonist of this film. The detailed description and depiction of the main characters and the keep-changing and aesthetic setting of the story leave me a very deep impression after watching the film. After watching this film, Punch-Drunk Love looks like a sorbet of very strange color and flavor, its sweetness shot through with startling, unexpected taste. The whole story is very humorous, but one can also feel it is always on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Just like Jon Brions schizoid musical scorein the film, which is liltingly romantic one moment and abrasively percussive the next, Punch-Drunk Love is determined to throw you off balance. Sandlers performance keeps you guessing when, where and whether the protagonist, this self-hating, painfully self-conscious man might explode. There is danger lurking under his bland exterior, visible to everyone but Lena, who sees only what? This is the mystery in the whole story, and the key of the problem, at the heart of the movie. You must take Lenas love for Barry on faith, for her character is seriously underwritten. What does she see in the guy? Why would she commit herself to him, rather than have him committed? The bravura filmmaking (theres not a dull shot in the whole movie) dazzles you from start to finish, but the movie is an emotional jigsaw puzzle thats missing a couple of crucial pieces. Anderson has willed Punch-Drunk Love to be a romantic comedy; its powerful undercurrents, however, keep tugging it in other, darker directions, resulting in a movie more amazing than satisfying. In this paper, I am going to review Punch-Drunk Love from these three perspectives by analyzing the characteristics of the protagonists and the scene of the film, aiming to find out the humor and the aesthetic value of this film. At last, since love is the theme of this movie, and the constant theme in most of the American movies, I will try to dig out the romance between Barry and Lena in this film. To some extent, we can say, there are basically three dimensions in this film, that is, humor, aesthetics, and romance. In the next part, I will analyze the three dimensions respectively in detail. First of all, the arrangement and description of the characters in this film completely exhibit the features of a comedy. This is a new Adam Sandler on view in Punch-Drunk Loveangry, sad, and desperate. In voice and mannerisms he is the same childlike, love-starved, and sometimes even a little stupid Adam Sandler weve seen from a series of dim comedies he has acted, but this film, by seeing him in a new light, encourages us to look again at those films. Given a director and a screenplay that sees through the Sandler persona, that understands it as the disguise of a suffering outsider, Sandler reveals depths and tones we may have suspected but couldnt bring into focus. However, from the perspective of the style of the film, this is a comedy, so the performance by Sandler is still very humorous. In this movie, Sandler plays Barry Egan, a fearful, volatile, socially maladroit salesman of novelty plumbing items in the west of America. (His dice-and-money toilet plunger sells big in Vegas ). In this story, Barry always dressed in a formal bright blue suit and wore a tie in the working place. By contrasting with other workers who wore dirty and random clothes corresponding to their work and identity together with him, formal Barry looked very funny. So from the appearance, we can see he is very different from others and there must be some interesting stories will happen to him. And under such a strange looking, what a mental state will be there? What caused his specialty from other fellow workers? Then we get to know that this has something to do with his family circumstances. He had seven sisters, who cared much about him and inferred most of his personal and non-personal things. As a result, he was not spiritually free, for his thoughts and performance were all restrained by his sisters. Let us think about the gender and number proportion, one boy to seven girls! Barry must be very depressed in the process of growing up, and he must feel very lonely. So in this film , we can find out he got a borderline agoraphobe because of the restriction of his seven sisters. Besides the appearance, Barry also had other strange and funny behaviors. Barry lives alone in a sterile Valley apartment, and he is prone to sudden violent outbursts of rage. For instance, he broke the washing room of the restaurant when having meal with Lena and he would not admit that he did that. I believe most of the spectacles will feel amazed when seeing he did that. That is for sure he was ill, since what he did is beyond the imagination of an ordinary person. What is more ridiculous is that Barry obsessed with his scheme to acquire 1.5 million frequent-flier miles by buying a lot of Healthy Choice pudding. All the puddings made everyone surrounding him out for gold. As a result, everybody misunderstood him and laughed at him in his working place. As a matter of fact, he had never been on an airplane and of course he had no intention to travel to other places. So even if he real ly liked Lena, he didnt go to Hawaii with her. The stupid and inconceivable behaviors of the character bring a lot of humor. There is also an interesting plot in this movie, which is also a sparkle in the whole story. About 15 minutes after the movie began, Barry made a phone call the sex hot line, aiming at finding a girl to talk to him and reduce the feeling of loneliness. As the price of this call, he told all his private number to the switchboard operator, including his phone number, credit card number, and his address and so on. But actually, he didnt want to do anything with the girl. No matter how the girl Georgia seduced him with obscenity words, he reacted indifferently and even stupidly. The great contrast of performance between these two persons is quite funny and ridiculous. Whats more unbelievable is Barry was stayed on by the kidnappers hired by the sex phone. That is, until he meets his sisters adorable friend Lena (a luminous Emily Watson), who inspires the love-stru ck Barry to follow her on a business trip to Honolulu. He will also make it to Utah to confront the extortionist (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who has sent four menacing Mormon brothers to threaten his life, all because, one lonely night, he called a sex-phone service and foolishly gave them his credit-card number. All in all, the character acted by Sandler seems very stupid and simple-minded and also a little goosy. All these characteristics increase the index of humor of the whole movie. Another eye-catching point in Punch-Drunk Love is the choice of the scenes. The wise choosing of the scene in the film can add the aesthetic value of the story and the picturesque beauty can make the audience have a better understanding and feeling of the story. Although Punch-Drunk Love is a comedy with humor at the main tone of the whole film, the scenes are also romantic and beautiful in the story. And the transform of the scene quite adapts to the plot and the characters. At the beginning, the scene is in a void and sunny outside place where Barry met his future lover Lena. The sky is very blue and open; the sunshine is very bright; the land is yellow; the car is white; Barry wearing bright blue suit and Lena in red dress met with each other and had an interesting short talk. In such a scene, no body will not imagine a romantic plot even if the hero of the story seems stupid and simple-minded and answered questions with the single sentence I dont know. So this scene of contrastiv e bright colors indicates the future development of the characters. Also there is another clue of the story is the organ. When the protagonists met with each other, there was a organ in the middle of the street. Then Barry took it into his working place. Since then, he would play it from time to time. The coincidence is that the heroin Lena is a woman organist. The appearance of this organ added much romantic flavor to the love story between the hero and heroin. And besides the beauty of picture, there seem some musical signals as well in the story. The other eye-catching setting in this movie is the beach of Honolulu. Although Barry is very afraid of taking the airplane, he flew to Honolulu for his lover Lena. After he arrived there, he called Lena by the public telephone on the street when there was grand gala parade. Barry bared his heart to Lena and asked many private questions on when the grand parade was going on. It was very noisy and we hardly heard clearly what he said. Thi s is where is funny. The big public parade contrast with the private love expression. I thing only Anderson can think of such a contrastive and dramatic plot and scene. Next comes the romantic beach dinner. At dusk, Barry and Lena dated at the beach and had very romantic dinner. The sun had set just now and there was still some rest light of the glorious sun. The ocean was dark blue and very quiet. The local artist played the guitar and sang a beautiful song with Hawaii flavor. The whole atmosphere is so quiet and comfortable. Our protagonists were having the same quiet date in the dark light of a small and weak table lamp. No words is needed at that moment but enjoyed the silence and the beauty of the dusk and the music. But still we know everything without words. Thats why we say the choice of the scenes in this film is a bright spot. And this is also the attractive glamour of the big screen film. At last, I want to say something about the development romantic relationship between the hero and the heroin. I think for most of the audience, they dont know what will be going on next from the very beginning of the film. However, this is also an important factor in the film about love, for the unexpected plot will be more impressive than those old stories. If I am a girl in this film, I would not love Barry, maybe because of all the misunderstandings. He is such a strange man: calling sex girls and arising troubles, buying lots of pudding for free airplane tickets even if he didnt want to have a trip by plane, breaking the washing room of the restaurant without sensation, not knowing how to express love to the girl he loves, etc. yes, that is Barry. But since this is a story in the film, Lena loved him although he was such unbearable. I dont know why and you dont know why, but that is the fact in the film. Maybe this is so-called romance. As a feedback, Barry finally woke from his psychological problem and closed self-world and tried to express love to Lena and adapted to this objective world. Thats why he overcame the fear in his heart and went to Honolulu for Lena by airplane. I think this part may let many girls moved and touched. The ending of this film is also very touching and perfect. Barry and Lena played the organ together in his working place. The scene and the organ both echoed the beginning of their love story. In a word, Punch-Drunk Love is comedy which is humorous, romantic and picturesque. It deserves our review and also other thoughts about humanity and love.

Side Effects of Prozac :: Antidepressants Depression Essays

Side Effects of Prozac Unlike earlier forms of antidepressants, such as MAO inhibitors, Prozac and other SSRIs tend to produce fewer and less severe side effects (Hockenbury, 200). According to Prozac's manufacturer, Eli Lilly (2005), side effects caused by Prozac may include nausea, difficulty sleeping, drowsiness, nervousness, weakness, loss of appetite, tremors, dry mouth, sweating, or yawning. Other side effects listed included a change in sexual desire or satisfaction and a formation of a rash or hives. Eli Lilly (2005) states that these side effects generally go away after a few weeks of usage and are not serious enough to discontinue use of the drug. Other side effects of Prozac reported by PDRhealth include abnormal vision, itching, flu like symptoms, gas, sinusitis, and sore throat. Less common side effects reported included abnormal taste, bleeding problems, chills, ear pain, fever, frequent urination, high blood pressure, loss of memory, palpitations, and ringing in the ear. The most common side effects reported in controlled study of patients receiving Prozac, and those receiving a placebo, patients receiving Prozac more frequently reported experiencing anxiety, dizziness, lightheadedness, nervousness, insomnia, drowsiness, fatigue, tremors, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, abnormal vision, decrease in libido, rash, sweating, and abnormal ejaculation (American Hospital Formulatory Services, AHFS, 2002). Of these patients, fifteen percent had to discontinue use of Prozac. The main reason reported for discontinuation was the onset of anxiety, nervousness, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and rashes. Fluoxetine tends to remain in the metabolic system for sometime, and because of this any adverse side effects may take a few weeks to dissolve after discontinuation (AHFS, 2002). Side effects reported by patients receiving the weekly dose of fluoxetine in delayed-release capsules, reported relatively the same side effects as those taking a daily dose. Although, problems with cognition and diarrhea were reported more frequently with the delayed-release capsules (AHFS, 2002). The percentages of patients experiencing adverse side effects of Prozac are as follows: twenty percent experienced headaches, nine percent felt anxious or nervous, fourteen percent experienced insomnia, four percent reported drowsiness or fatigue, six percent experienced tremors, and one to two percent reported adverse affects to the nervous system such as confusion, agitation, abnormal dreams, and sedation. The majority of these effects may be caused by the dosage a patient receives, and few patients in each group discontinued the use of Prozac (AHFS, 2002).