Abortion - Pro-Choice Views Essays - Abortion, RTT, Fertility

Abortion - Pro-Choice Views Introduction From 1973 to 1987, over 22 million abortions have been performed. Pro-lifers would call that a terrible waste of human life. True, 22 million lives were taken, but I believe that we are better off without those. Please let me explain in the following report. What is abortion? Webster's dictionary defines abortion as "the expulsion of a nonviable fetus." Abortion might possibly be the most controversial topic right now. I'm sure by now that you've heard of all the different types of abortion. Almost all abortions performed in the US are surgical abortions, where the fetus is removed by suction or other means. (Medication offers another option, to be discussed later in this report.) During a suction abortion, the fetus is dismembered and disposed of by a small tube. This process takes but about 10 minutes, and the mother experiences very little or no physical discomfort. Pro-lifers immediately say that emotional trauma and guilt haunts every woman after she has an abortion. However, during my research, I found numerous women who led (and continue to lead) prominent and scot-free lives after their abortions. I think that the mental state of the mother depends very much on her personal feelings toward abortion, and the actual experience the had before and during the abortion. Pro-life propaganda In my study of pro-lifers, I have found that most of the time, they employ the use of a few strategies for making their views known. One tactic pro-lifers use to convince people of their views is to play on fear and emotions. Their graphic descriptions and gruesome pictures are a crude attempt to "scare" people out of abortion, while their pious talk and sobbing try to make us feel sorry for them and the unborn. Another popular strategy of pro-lifers is to protest things like "Life begins at conception! The fetus is human!" Science has proven these facts, and pro-choicers are by no means trying to deny them. However, pro-choicers feel that the rights of the parents (namely the mother) override the rights of the unborn child. Neither of these tactics work on pro-choicers like myself. True, pro-lifers are entitled to voicing their opinion (just as I am), but I feel that some of their methods (as illustrated in the next section) are very unorthodox. Pro-life?! Some pro-lifers don't seem to be for "the preservation of human life." The tables on page 7 clearly illustrate how often pro-lifers contradict their "pro-life" ideals by resorting to violent and disruptive acts to try to force their views on people. New legislature controls irate pro-lifers A new bill was introduced in April 1994. The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (aka FACE or FACEA) protects women seeking abortion, and the facilities performing them. Specifically, FACE protects reproductive health service staff and patients from violent threats, assault, vandalism, and blockades. FACE was signed by President Clinton on May 26, 1994, but angry pro-lifers still violate this law. The consequences for a first-time offender cannot exceed one year in prison and/or a $100,000 fine. Repeat offenders face a maximum 3 year prison sentence and/or a $250,000 fine. If any injury is incurred, the sentence jumps to 10 years. If death results from the offense, the maximum sentence is life imprisonment. I think it is about time for FACEA. Pro-lifers have gone far enough with their "demonstrations" in front of clinics nationwide. Many news clips have shown pro-lifers throwing things at women as they walk into a clinic. In one extreme case, an off-duty police officer (acting as a bodyguard) and the husband of a woman seeking an abortion were shot at by pro-lifers. The police officer died?the husband was severely wounded. Even though FACEA will not put a stop to the violence toward abortionists and clients, I think it will definately decrease it. RU486 and "M&Ms" Different medications are offering a safe and private alternative to clinic abortions. RU486 is an abortion inducing pill that allows women to have non-invasive, safer and easier abortions in the privacy of their own homes. This option also eliminates any contact with livid pro-lifers and their antagonistic methods. RU486 also offers great medical promise in the research and possible cures/treatments of breast cancer, endometriosis, prostrate and brain cancer. Right now, pro-lifers are preventing RU486

Is being a drag king or queen wrong Professor Ramos Blog

Is being a drag king or queen wrong Drag queens and kings are performance artists that dress in feminine or masculine clothing that acts, sings and does comedy performances. RuPaul’s Drag Race is a very popular reality game show that drag queens compete for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar. â€Å"Drag has always served a purpose. We mock identity, were shapeshifters,† Rupaul affirms at its core, it’s a social statement and a big F**K you! to male-dominated culture.† (Davies). I have watched the show numerous times and I support drag kings and queens because it’s a way of expressing themselves and they can be who you are while inspiring others who want to join that community. I think if someone wants to dress masculine and their a female I dont see anything wrong with that and vice versa. There are tons of people who participate in these races across the world today. A study used of a theoretical psychoanalytic framework which is a personality organization and the dynamics of personality development to analyze the life history of a professional drag queen Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The choice to use â€Å"life story† as a data collection and analysis strategy allowed them to illuminate how the subject lives and articulates his story and the choices of work that allows an expression of his desire. They found three elements which were the looks and clothes that sustained a fantasy that has found a placed in society, the link of some singular identity traits with social dimension of work and the affections that sustain a form of social recognition (Thais Z.G. De Oliveira). Some people don’t agree with my opinion because I strongly feel that they don’t like the fact of people dressing or acting the ways of the opposite gender. The main reasons why I think they dont support it is because they think drag can be degrading to women or men which I don’t agree. â€Å"We don’t value feminine ideals and in many cases we don’t respect them, so when we see drag queens performing stereotypes that we consider to be about women or men, we either understand and enjoy the exaggeration or we are confronted by the insulting connotations people associate woman with.† Another example, â€Å"There must be a reason women don’t do this to menturning masculinity into entertainment as a joke, that is. Why is it funny for men to dress up† (Levengood). It’s true that more men do drag than woman but there is still pressure among woman to act and dress a certain way no matter if there dressing like a woman or man. I think it is a big step and a lot of thought to become a drag queen or king because a lot of people aren’t accepting and they are afraid of being themselves and they are altering their appearance dramatically. If more people are accepting then more and more people will feel comfortable and happy with what they are doing in their lives. An experimental understanding of drag reveals that the significant rewards from the activity-contextual power and status, self affirmation and empowerment are powerful motivating factors. Instead of being deviant and or partaking in pathological behavior, female impersonators can be seen as operating or an incentive system where the benefits of doing drag positively enrich the quality of the performers life in a context where successful queens are held in their highest regards (Hopkins). Teaching others about drag race whether their family, friends or classmates about this topic will open the doors and it lets them see the outlook on this category. A study showed that female students often found attending a drag show to be a fun experience free of the sexual harassment found in most bars, while male students often contextually experience being a social minority for the first time in their life. From both attending drag shows and or watching recordings of them students have reported gaining an experiential appreciation of the preformed basis of gender sexuality and inequality (Schacht SP). I believe there should be more adult men and women who attend these kinds of shows whether they are gay, straight, bisexual and so on, it can create an accepting community of all different kinds of sexualities and show younger people it is okay to attend or participate. Teaching teenagers will hopefully create a more accepting atmosphere among non drag kings/queens and drag kings/queens because teens tend to judge and make fun of people. Teaching children about this topic will make people more angry then happy because some might think that were trying to change their ways and have them thinking it could be fun to alter their appearance when in reality it is to teach them what it is, what they do and why they do it. If we continue to spread positivity and let others do what makes them happy then a lot of these issue wouldn’t occur and people won’t be called names or looked down upon in todays society which will truly make a difference. Davies, Wilder, â€Å"RuPaul’s Drag Race and What People Get Wrong About the History of Drag†, EBSCOhost, March 2018, p.6-6 1p, http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2sid=8fb24123-2a76-4210-b095-bdce29e8594a%40sessionmgr103bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=128520811db=a9h. Hopkins J. Steven. â€Å"Let the Drag Race Begin†, Taylor Francis Online, Sept 2008, p 135-149, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J082v46n03_08. Levengood, Elizabeth. â€Å"Is Drag Degrading to Woman?†, Medium, Dec 2017, https://medium.com/@leve0064/is-drag-degrading-to-women-c2eacaa5f065. Schacht, SP. â€Å"Beyond the boundaries of the classroom: teaching about gender and sexuality at a drag show†. Pubmed, 2004, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15132493. Thais, Z.G. et al, â€Å"IDENTIFYING AS A DRAG QUEEN AND THE MEANING OF WORK.†,EBSCOhost, Vol 19, p1-24, 24p, http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=4sid=8fb24123-2a76-4210-b095-bdce29e8594a%40sessionmgr103bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=135047343db=a9h.

Group World Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Group World Culture - Essay Example There are two official languages in Israel, Hebrew, the biblical language and Arabic. The two languages are written from right to left. Less than half a century ago, the Hebrew language faced extinction as it was considered as a language to be used only for prayers. The Hebrew language was revived through the efforts of a Lithuanian known as Eliezer ben Yehuda. The two languages, Hebrew and Arabic, are taught in schools. Israel is a multilingual country with people from over 120 countries across the world living in the country. Good English is spoken virtually by everyone in Israel. Other languages that are used include Russian, French, Spanish, Yiddish and ten other dialects. Highways and street signs are usually in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. There are many newspapers, journals and magazines published in English. (Torstrick, 2004) Approximately 79% of is Israel’s population belong to Jewish religion. Other religions are Islam (15%) and Christianity (2.5%). There are also other minor religions. Despite the different ethnic and religion affiliation, Israel is a democratic country that allows freedom of worship and other democratic rights to all its citizens. However, there exist division among Jews who define themselves as either secular (hiloni), ultra –orthodox (haredim), modern orthodox (dati-leumi), and traditional (masorati).Tension exist between the religious and secular Jews. Secular Jews differ with rabbinical principles which influence some of their life aspects whereas the ultra-Orthodox Jews advocate more incorporation of Jewish traditions and law in the countrys law. There has also been mild tension between the Arabs who are Muslim and the Christians. The government funds all non-Jewish religions, mainly Christianity and Islam and the groups coexist peacefully. (Myjewishlearning.com, 2 014) Israel is a Jewish state, and the Jewish holidays make part of the national calendar. Sabbath day that is the Jewish

The marketing mix promotions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The marketing mix promotions - Essay Example (Lucas) One way to cope with situation is to constantly innovate and innovate fast with balanced business strategy with right mix of buyers both giant retailers to the small corner shops. (Byrnes, Berner and Zellner). Simply, if we take an example of detergents, they were largely promoted and viewed as commodities used for the cleaning purposes however the new paradigm shifts in the industry forced giants like P&G to look for more innovative ways of promoting largely popular brands like Tide. The new demands from the consumers, P&G through innovative promotional activities remodeled the same and Tide was projected something which provides an opportunity to be a good mother or good father or good wife. I believe the idea of enhancing and brushing up the bond between the commodity and its immediate users is not the case as Revlon since long has been promoting that they are selling hope rather than cosmetics therefore the idea that the bond between the end user of the goods and the bran d itself is not new. I therefore, believe that the positioning your brand as a proponent of generating the rarefied position of the brand to the level where it become almost a generic product with emotional attachment of users. Having defined the position that the Through Tide, P&G is rather selling an opportunity to be a good wife, good mother or father, I believe that this further necessitate a different approach towards the promotional activities which P&G use to employ in the past. Since Internet is now taking over the place of traditional advertisement channels therefore a more focused approach is required to direct promotional activities to the internet. As the presupposition that the brands must speak to the consumers eye to eye rather than just focusing on what product can do for you therefore promotional activities for media should be focusing more on building up rapport between the consumers and products

Gandhi: Charasmatic Leadership In Termoil

Gandhi: Charasmatic Leadership In Termoil INTRODUCTION Charismatic leader with high ethics and objective have the strength to inspire and transform the followers they lead. The Country or Nation runs successfully when the leader is skilful and influent. Charismatic leader have magical ability that attract followers and motivate them but without showing their authority or external power, it is not the only thing that leaders can do. A great leader can structure the country in the way he wants and they know how to achieve their goal. Most of the leaders use ample range of strategy to manage their image but Gandhi ji was a charismatic leader people follow them because they have charm, dint of personality and self-confidence. Max Weber classifies leader as a charismatic leader and in 1978 James Macgregor Burns define yet another categories of leadership: Transactional and Transformational leaders. Charismatic leadership is similar to Transformational leadership style. WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? John Garden describe that the leadership is the process of persuasion or example by which an individual (or a leadership team) induces a group to pursue objectives held by the leader or shared by the leader and his or her followers (Philip Sadler, 2003). WHAT IS CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP? The term Charisma will be applied to a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. These are such as are not accessible to the ordinary person, but are regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader. (Roe, Kavins Notices weak 7) According to Weber charismatic leaders have some unique qualities which give him the ability in leading and convince the people by his judgement and prepared them follow him. The charismatic leader did not learn these characteristics from his social, economic, or from political status and from his education but from his personal traits. The main aim of the charismatic leader is to help either people or his country or anyone around him. But in negative way some of the leader who misguides the people for their own interest by convincing them with illusory or fake promises. Most of the countries got freedom when a charismatic person leads the people of their country. There are lots of charismatic leader who fought for their country and for their followers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus Christ, Z.A Bhutto. All those charismatic persons use their charisma to collect the people around them to gain the independence for their country. According to Weber Mahatma Gandhi ji was a charismatic lea der because charismatic can not taught or learned so it could not be the symbol of bureaucratic managerial system because charisma is not bureaucracy it is totally different charismatic leaders do not order the peoples to follow them so that why Gandhi ji was a charismatic leader he did not force people to follow them. People follow them because they like the way of Gandhi ji life by using nationality clothes. One of the principles of the Weber also shoes that charismatic leader do not have governmental powers or weapons but they defined that he is the biggest power in the country; they can fight with the army without any weapons and could win. METHODS OF CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP The process of Charismatic leadership is seen as a mixed product of three factors such as the leader and his characteristics, the circumstances which wants for such a leader and the communication between leader and the lead. The Four steps of the charismatic leadership process and indentify Mahatma Gandhi ji with his leadership in Indias non-violent freedom movement: 1) RECOGNITION In recognition the aspiring leader is on the social prospect; the followers of that leader are suffering and they want someone who will resolve their problems and one who recognize themselves. At this level the social situation getting worsened gradually. The social situation is gradually getting worsened at this level. This is the time when the leader recognized their strength, their power and their ability. Before returning to India from South Africa in 1915 Gandhi jihad started a movement for public rights in South Africa, because once he was travelling in the first class compartment of the train which was reserved for whites only was thrown out from train because he was not white. The movement was successful and that incidence was also famous in India and when he returned to India, Indian peoples welcomed him as a hero and then he became a leader of Indian national congress at that time Gandhi ji realise their ability and the charismatic quality was just started showing its colou rs. 2) ACTIVITY STIMULATION In this stage followers become the part of revolution because the leader provokes them. In this situation the people who are just follower and just admire the leader now they become supporter of the leader. The longer this period ends the longer is duration of the charismatic leadership. In the case of Gandhi ji this step ended from 1920 till 1930. In 1921 the non-cooperation movement by Gandhi ji was a clear example of activity stimulation period, in this period whole country was awakened and was against the British rule. 3) COMMITMENT In this stage the charismatic leader is confident about their decision and they make lots of commitment with their followers. Charismatic leadership is on peak at this stage and they also can start losing his charisma at this level because this is the time when the leader make lots of commitment with there followers but in the end some of them achieve their desire goal and some are not, those who achieve success they become more famous but who failed they loose their followers. The charismatic leader make commitment with followers to achieve their goal and the followers do the same commitment with them. In this stage the charismatic leader have to sacrifice for their commitment or some time that commitments should become dangerous for the leader but this sacrifice and danger creates the good image of the leader in the eyes of their followers as the leader is dedicated to their goal and he have courage also to face the problems easily. There are many leaders who make a fallacy commitm ent with the followers for their own benefits such kind of leaders kwon as pompous and hypocrite. The leader is divided in two categories personalized and social leadership. The personalized leaders are authoritarian and exploitative like Hitler was a dictator he was authoritarian. The second type socialized leaders are more democratic and they believe in sharing power and responsibility with others such as Mahatma Gandhi. In 1930 to 1935 the commitment stage for Gandhi ji. The salt Satyagraha can be consider as the high level of Gandhi ji charisma and the conference of round table was a symbol of disappointment because that conference was a political failure. 4) DISAPPOINTMENT This stage is unavoidable on the part of the leader. The social structure carries the disenchantment stage many times. Routinisation creates the fear in the mind of the followers and some time they feel of loss of goal. This stage loses some of the important followers of the leader. Some time leader seems to be failing in this stage because of the situation. From 1933 to 9138 is the period of disenchantment for Gandhi ji because he lost his strongest followers like Subhas Chandra Bose. This is the phrase where disappointment seemed to have taken place clearly. ATTRIBUTES OF CHRISMATIC LEADERS It is clear from the above discussion that what is charismatic leadership and the attributes that a charismatic leader posses. Now this section will describe the trait that make a person a potential leader. There are some characteristic which are shown by a person from his childhood or adolescence which create a person potential charismatic leader. At their adolescence charismatic leaders do show some specific type of behaviour. TRAIT OF CHARISMATIC LEADER 1) SELF-MOTIVATION It is a vital part of charismatic leadership. The social scenario motivates the leaders without being prompted about it. The charismatic leader can talk to his followers energetically when he is self-motivated. The leaders who are self-motivated they have the capacity to transform this self-actualisation to their followers as well. They actually raise the level of their followers. 2) SELF-MONITORING In self-monitoring the leader watch them because they know that the followers are watching them so it is import ant for the leader to make a good picture of themselves for their followers. The charismatic leader are born out for the need of the followers and social situations, it become crucial for the leaders to continually recognize themselves with the need of the followers and social scenario. 3) MOTVE TO ACHIEVE POWER The charismatic leader does not want any conventional power. They are not looking for any official post or position, they want only social power. They want respect from their followers and see them as their rescuer. They want to make a special place in the hearts of their followers. With the values and beliefs of their followers the leader can identify themselves. They can convince their followers because that leader is high rated on their social skills and appeal them to their hearts. With this power the leader is popular for long time. 4) SELF-ENHANCEMENT The charismatic leaders having self-correcting nature and they are well known for that. They try to improve themselves and judge themselves. The superiority of the leaders makes them different from their followers. Eventually when the charismatic leader will bring their followers to their level of superiority and they believe that if the follower achieves that level then the leader should have gone one step above and remain their leader. 5) OPENNESS TO CHANGE The charismatic leader represents change and only charismatic leader prove many time that they are the only one who bring changes. Charismatic leaders are most powerful in the situation which demands the changes and they are open to changes. Gandhi ji bring the change, when the Indians were slave under British people and they dont have complete freedom and rights like British people have, so Gandhi ji fought for their rights, after long struggle they got same rights like British people have, with this change Indians become more liberal and democratic. OUTCOMES OF CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP We discussed the process of charismatic leader and their attributes of the leader in which they posses and the outcome are unavoidable of charismatic leadership. Most of the researchers show that the charismatic leader as positive force which yields desirable results and some scholar focused on negative aspect of the leader but we will see negative as well as positive aspect of the charismatic leadership. Charismatic leaders motivate their followers and inspire them to give extra output and the leaders help their followers to achieve self-actualisation in themselves. Gandhi ji motivate their followers to fight for their freedom and with that motivation they achieve their desirable goal. CONCLUSION To conclude charismatic leadership Gandhi ji was a charismatic leader they have the quality to lead followers in the right direction. As we known that the charismatic leader has a magnetic quality which attracts the followers, the followers listen to them and obeys what the charismatic leader said. The charismatic leader has to recognise them selves that they have the potential to lead, when Gandhi ji started movement in South Africa then they come to know they have the charismatic quality. Above discussion show that with charismatic quality of Gandhi ji India got freedom from the British People and without using any weapon they fought with them, only charismatic leader will fight without weapons. Over all we can say that Gandhi ji was a heroic charisma and he was a great man.

Nigger

Nigger is a derogatory term used to refer to individuals whose skin color is dark. Most of these people are of African descent. For centuries, the term nigger holds a negative implication, and in contemporary period is taken as a racial insult in most circumstances. Modern slang uses takes in a synonym for a person and an attempt to retrieve the word for black people, which continues to be a contentious subject. Former variations like â€Å"neger† or â€Å"negar† originated from the Spanish term Negro which literally means black, and in all probability also the French word nà ¨gre, which has also been used negatively, however it was also used in a positive manner such as in Negritude. Negritude originated from the term Negro. In French, they commonly use the term â€Å"noir† for black. â€Å"Negro† and â€Å"noir† alike (and consequently the terms â€Å"nà ¨gre† and nigger) eventually came from â€Å"nigrum†, the accusative form of the Latin term â€Å"niger† which means black. In Colonial America, the term â€Å"negars† was utilized in the year of 1619 by John Rolfe, illustrating the slaves which are being transported to the colony of Virginia, â€Å"neger† or â€Å"neggar† also exists in Northern New York as well as on Philadelphia. For an instance there is an African cemetery in New York which was initially known as â€Å"Begraafplaats van de Neger† which could be translated as â€Å"Cemetery of the negro† (Pearson, 2003). In US, the term â€Å"nigger† was not always believed to be offensive; rather the term is used by some people simply as a connotative of a black or dark complexion. In 19th century literature, the term nigger had been used in many instances without intending to use it in a negative manner. Charles Dickens and Joseph Conrad for one, authors of Nigger of the Narcissus† made use of the term nigger without having any bigoted intention. Mark Twain, another example, often uses the term in most of his works with Southern characters, white and black alike. However, he did not use the term when discoursing in his own voice in his autobiographical work, â€Å"Life on the Mississippi†. In UK, the term nigger was usually used to refer to individuals of individuals with Pakistani or Indian ancestors. They also uses it to denote the dark skinned foreigners generally. In 1926 â€Å"Modern English Usage† H. W. Fowler scrutinized that when the term was used to other people who is not a full blooded negro, they take the term as ome kind of an affront to their person. In 1800s, as the term nigger started to gain the derogatory implication it now have today, the term â€Å"colored† attained recognition as a better alternative to the term nigger and other related terms. Southern vernacular in most areas in US modifies the articulation of the term â€Å"negro† to â€Å"nigra† which is used in particular by Lyndon B. Johnson, a well-known advocate of civil rights. In North American English, the evolution from â€Å"negro† to â€Å"nigger† symbolized a previously prevalent sound change, in fact in the first editions of Noah’s Webster’s dictionary; he proposed the new spellings of â€Å"neger† for Negro. â€Å"Black† happened to be the favored term in English in the late 1960’s, and this prevails up to now. In US this has been replaced to some degree by African American, in any case in politically acceptable practice; this bears a resemblance to the term Afro-American that was in trend in the early years of 1970. Nonetheless, â€Å"black† remains to be in prevalent use as a racial description in US and is seldom considered as insulting. Nowadays, the term is often spelled as â€Å"nigga† or â€Å"niggah†, in simulation of the way in which some articulate it, there are also other variations of the term, intended to duck the term itself, this includes â€Å"nookah†, â€Å"nukka†, â€Å"nagger† and probably the most popular of them all â€Å"jigger†. However, â€Å"Nigger†, according to Professor Randall Kennedy is debatably the most significant racial affront in United States history, although, all together, it is a term that is reminiscent of the paradoxes and problems, catastrophes and splendors of the American experience. In fact, his work â€Å"Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word† is at the middle of debates because of its controversial issues. It tackles questions among an assorted audiences of students and scholars of all cultural and national milieus in its search to discover how and why the term should or should not be used in today’s time (Kennedy, 2002). A large number of black Americans claim that the term â€Å"nigger† invokes within them certain hatred, resentment, aggression, repression, as well as a very appalling and ill-fated part of the US history. The word represents the perpetual sequences of individuals afflicted with abhorrence and bondage merely because of the color of their skin. Amongst black people, â€Å"nigger† is the most derogatory term in the English lingo. Even when contrasted to other racial insults such as â€Å"kike, â€Å"cracker†, â€Å"white trash† and the like, nigger is illustrated as the most horrible affront in the English lingo. The term â€Å"nigger† implies that black people are second class citizens, ignorant, and not as human as the whites are. Although many blacks and whites concur that the term should not be repressed from the English language, it definitely should not be used again by every people due to its historical importance. For an instance, black militants suppose whites ought not to use the term â€Å"nigger†. Conversely, the term â€Å"nigger† has been â€Å"domesticated† by black youths predominantly in the hip-hop culture. These contemporary adolescents maintain that it is merely a word and that people give words meaning and not the other way around. If such is indeed the case, the term â€Å"nigger† could be changed once in a while. In other words, youth in the hip-hop culture are maintaining that situation is the determinant of the meaning of the term â€Å"nigger†. Kennedy states the same line of reasoning regarding the use of the term â€Å"nigger†. He maintains that everyone, regardless of the color of ones skin, may use the word â€Å"nigger†, provided that the framework or the way it was used is apparent and proper (Kennedy, 2002). On the other hand, the historical importance of the term â€Å"nigger† is greatly rooted in American History. For an instance, Kennedy’s book illustrates historical examples of â€Å"nigger† in its derogatory milieu. Examples of these were when Michael Jordan was suspended from his school because a white girl called him a nigger and â€Å"Tiger Woods was tied up in kindergarten by his older schoolmates who called him nigger† (Kennedy 2002) and it is specifically due to this history that a large number of African Americans are supports the vetoing of the term from the English language. Even though the historical importance of the term â€Å"nigger† frequently sets off deep-seated antagonism in the African Americans, it has also gradually developed into an expression of endearment in today’s African American society. Accordingly, a fine line exists between the past and the present descriptions of the term that heralds the prospect of misunderstanding and the likelihood of further injury. Should the term â€Å"nigger† then be used as a way to express of endearment? Kennedy asserts that the term â€Å"nigger† should be used by everyone on the condition that no one be injured. According to Kennedy nothing is wrong with the use of the term nigger no matter what color your skin is. According to him, what should be of importance is the milieu in which the term is being used. Kennedy maintains that the context could influence how nigger is used, and to regard the word otherwise would change the term â€Å"nigger† into some kind of an obsession. On the other hand, Kennedy’s contention that everyone could use the term â€Å"nigger† is easily challenged because although the term is some kind of an obsession, it is still an obsession with no reason whatsoever. The term â€Å"nigger† produces a fixation for people because of its historical connotation. In other words, if the history of the term stigmatizes it, then how could the ordinary use of the term, even by those individuals who ring about its historical significance, produce a new meaning? Kennedy’s insinuation of individual’s using the word only with good intents illustrates his setting aside of the background of its past. Kennedy also asserts that background determines the meaning of the term â€Å"nigger†, nigger, according to him could signify numerous things, all depending upon, amid other things, intonation, the site of interaction, as well as the connection between the speaker and the one to which the term is being addressed. Kennedy, among other thinkers, maintain that African Americans use the term themselves, the fact that the term â€Å"nigger† has been and remains to be used by the African Americans themselves makes up a logical fallacy on the part of the African Americans because for them to believe that they could use the term undamagingly without question whatsoever while others could not use it is nothing short of illogical (Kennedy, 2002). In fact, Vernon Davis on his work, â€Å"The Sense and sensibilities of Using the N Word† stated that only when African Americans unite and insist that their society stops the use of the term in any milieu could they have the moral power to contend that the term not be used in any place or by anyone at all (Davis, 1999). This standpoint on the contention implies that the blacks, and not the whites, stopped thinking about their own history. There could be contentions claiming that rappers such as Jay-Z and comedian Alex Thomas, that the blacks took possession of the term and thus they are did not really stopped from thinking about their own culture, rather they are merely rewriting some part of it. In juxtaposition with the hip-hop culture, Kennedy asserts that the blacks are regaining the term and redefining it in so as to disrobe the term nigger of its initial meaning (Kennedy, 2002). For example, a performance on Black Entertainment Television, a cable system meant for black Americans, illustrated the term â€Å"nigger† as a â€Å"term of endearment, Davis also stated that in the African American society, the term â€Å"nigga† (not the term nigger) elicits a feeling of pride. The term, here, calls to mind a sense of community and oneness among Black Americans (Davis, 1999). A large number of teenagers I have talked with believe that the term does not mean anything or could not hurt a person when it is being used by a friend. However, when it is used by white people the word suddenly changes its definition or meaning. Alex Thomas could be noted saying that he does not want the whites calling him a nigger. This philosophy is in a way self-defeating. If only black people are making use of the term â€Å"nigger† and they are doing so in so as to achieve a conversion of power, the endeavor is useless because the hurt which accompanies the term has not yet been stopped. The whites, for an instance, still could not utter the term â€Å"nigger† without inducing some kind of an antagonistic response. If blacks have effectively transformed or domesticated or repossessed the term, than everyone then anyone would be open to use the term without concerning one’s self with matters of race, class, or perspective. And while this may actually be the final objective of redefining the term â€Å"nigger†, it is evidently not the case at today’s time. It is mainly due to this that Kennedy proposes that everyone should be allowed to use the term, in so as to avoid people from being held back from the use of particular terms, which would be a kind of suppression (Kennedy, 2002). However, historical importance looks like it weigh heavily on the mind of a large number of black people. For example, Shani Saxon (music editor of VIBE magazine) could be noted saying that white people makes use of the term in an insulting manner and she also stated that this is primarily the reason why they should not be permitted to use the said term, since it is insulting and it brings about unpleasant memories (Saxon, 2002). However, it is for certain that words do evolve, however history could never change the way words could. In today’s time, I found through my research and close examination that â€Å"nigger† is not an acknowledged word. Jay-Z among other artists makes use of the term in their music in order amuse their audiences, however, their use of the term does not necessarily mean that the term no longer holds any kind of power to hurt. Take into consideration Jay-Z’s song â€Å"Jigga my Nigga† or Eve’s â€Å"What y’all Nigga’s want?†, the said songs may appear harmless since they make use of the term in a milieu of amity and friendship, however, it could be maintained that while milieu could alter the meaning of the term, contexts or milieu itself could never modify history. Kennedy states that the term on speech or literature, while Kennedy may have a point on his assertion, one could not just pay no heed to history. The term â€Å"nigger† is very much stigmatized that redefining it entails that slavery and oppression never occurred, in spite of the fact and many other things which point that it did. Try to examine an account given by Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, â€Å"The word Nigger carries with it much of the hatred and repulsion directed toward Africans and African Americans. Historically, nigger defined, limited, and mocked African Americans. It was a term of exclusion, verbal justification for discrimination. Whether used as a noun, verb, or adjective, it reinforced the stereotype of the lazy, stupid, dirty, worthless parasite† (Pilgrim, 2002). Truth is the present use of the term â€Å"nigger† could never be wiped away, changed, eliminated, or effectively redefines its authentic and appalling description. In truth, if the persistent use of the term â€Å"nigger† could eliminate it of its original meaning then by now it would be alright for a white person to call black people a â€Å"nigger†. However, a white person could never do that because of the deep-rooted history associated with the term. It is then very important that people come to an understanding that using the term in numerous instances does not alter or take the sting out of its original meaning, because, as already mentioned earlier, although words may change, its history could never be altered. In addition, this new use of the term does give â€Å"nigger† another connotation; probably the notion that language is the same could disprove the argument that history overrides the modern usage of the term. Even though there are several long standpoints which surround the controversy of the usage of the term, there actually is no right or wrong answer for using the term â€Å"nigger†. Works Cited Davis, Vernon. â€Å"The Sense and Sensibilities of Using the â€Å"N Word.†Ã¢â‚¬  Journal of National Association of Black Journalist. Fall 1999 (1999). Kennedy, Randall. Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word.† New York: Pantheon Books, 2002. Pearson, Kim. â€Å"Nigger.† (2003). Pilgrim, David. â€Å"Jim crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia.† Fall 2002 (2002). Saxon, Shani. VIBE Magazine 2002.

Globalization and the Asian Financial Crisis

Globalization and the Asian Financial Crisis The Asian financial crisis is a prime example of an economic meltdown and it exemplifies the effects globalization has during times of widespread economic downturn. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, globalization is â€Å"the integration of national economies into the international economy through trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), capital flows, migration and the spread of technology. † The global economy is becoming further inter-twined and therefore it is very difficult to stop the effects of an economic crisis. The Asian financial crisis was a major economic crisis that spread throughout several Asian countries. The beginning of the Asian financial crisis can be traced back to July 2, 1997, with many believing the start of the crisis was triggered in Thailand (King 439). On this day, the Thai government floated their currency, the Thai Baht, and it also went to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for â€Å"technical assistance. † One by one, South-East Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan saw their economies crash in the wake of heavy foreign investment. An economic boom had made the region an attractive investment proposition for investors for much of the 1990s. From 1990 to 1997, the private capital flow to developing countries rose more than fivefold, from US $42 billion in 1990 to US $256 billion in 1997 (King 441). However, in the summer of 1997, the economic climate changed, on July 2, 1997, the Thai Baht fell around 20% against the US Dollar (King 441). This was seen as the trigger for the crisis, as investors grew nervous, which led to disinvestments on the Baht, resulting into domestic production and development stalling. The reason why this was happening was because many corporations depended on foreign investment and when they dried up, the businesses could not meet their debt repayments, leading to many firms folding across Asia. Within a week of that day in July, the Philippines and Malaysian governments were heavily intervening to defend their currencies. Soon other East Asian countries became involved; Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and others to varying degrees. As global integration was spreading and growing rapidly, the markets were opening up and becoming more liberalized. This enabled these countries to get a huge influx of foreign capital. These countries were targeted by investors because they were classified as â€Å"emerging markets,† meaning that they had rapid growth and industrialization (Hanieh 65). Hence, they seemed to be ideal for investors as they sought after high profits and yields. It must be emphasized that most of the inflows that came were for short term portfolio investment purposes. Private capital inflows coming into the â€Å"emerging markets† were $42 billion, which increased to a gigantic $256 billion in 1997 (Hanieh 70). Ironically, that peak was the same year as the markets crashed. As mentioned previously, most of the inflows were for portfolio purposes; therefore, the stock markets were experiencing high booms and estate prices were also on the rise. Most of the countries had their currency pegging loosely against the US dollar in the run up to the crisis. The informal pegs to the US dollar encouraged capital inflows due to the large interest rate differential. This though, attracted problems too, due to the predictable nominal rates, it encouraged unhedged external borrowing. This asset boom continued to grow and the flow of credit continued to increase. This resulted into Japan, who was already suffering from their lost-decade, into depreciating their currency (Hanieh 74). As a result, this made their currency weaker and doing so, it made the exports of the South-Eastern countries uncompetitive. This was damaging to the rest of the countries to integrate on a global scale. Most of the functions that these countries undertake are producing parts of a production that would be later assembled and completed in countries like Japan or China. As stated earlier, these tiger-economies operated in a fixed exchange rate system; therefore, their central banks needed to keep enough reserves so that they could support the Baht at the fixed exchange rate. As the central banks ploughed money in to support their currency to maintain the exchange rate, business confidence was shattered and spread across other countries. The effect of this was further felt as their exports were much dearer since Japan devalued their currency. The knock-on effect was that foreign investors started to take their money out. Thailand was the major casualty of this and it quickly passed onto its neighbours; thus, the start of the Asian financial crisis. The financial crisis heavily affected three main emerging economies in the global market; Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea (Hanieh 64). These were the hot-bed for foreign investors who sought high returns on their investments. As the fixed currency fell, the more the investors pulled out; thus, worsening the currency further. The central banks tried in vain to hold the exchange rates as the Thai government spent $23 billion buying the Baht to maintain to US dollar peg (King 440). Investors sank money into these economies without knowing the full extent of policies involved; therefore, as the mounting hidden information of the Thai economy came to surface, it resulted in many speculative attacks on the Thai Baht, which finally forced the central bank of Thailand to float the Baht as it was no longer able to defend the itself against the US Dollar. It can be argued that the uncertainty, which is the absence of quality information on which to base investment decisions had increased the investment risk. This resulted in a contagion effect to other Asian countries. Much of the instability in the economy of Thailand was brought about by heavy short-term borrowing that required debt maintenance. The Thai government attempted to shore up shaky investor confidence by officially backing the financial institutions that were heavily indebted aboard. By October 27, 1997 the crisis had spread worldwide and had an impact on a global scale (Prakash 127). On that day, it provoked a substantial response from Wall Street with the Dow Jones falling by 554. 26 points (or 7. 18%), its biggest point fall in history, causing stock exchange officials to suspend trading (Prakash 128). There are several thoughts as to why the Asian financial crisis occurred. One of the clearest problems that can be seen is that of their financial systems. It has been evident that because the sudden influx of capital flows, the financial systems were not capable of handling the vast amounts. The weak financial systems led to poor investments and excessive risks. Negligent oversight of corporations caused consequences in economic downturns that were not a concern in the mid-nineties boom. The macroeconomic policies of the South-East Asian countries made their economies vulnerable to the uncertain confidence of their foreign investors. However, many economists argue that market overreaction and herding caused the plunge of exchange rates, asset prices and economic activity to be more severe than warranted by the initial weak economic conditions. Also, the deeper roots of the economic crisis went back to the early 1990s. Throughout the 1990s, growth in South-East Asia attracted huge capital flows. The account deficit of Thailand had grown from 5. 7% in 1993 to 8. 5% in 1996 (Khan, Islam, Ahmed 177). This was worsened as the domestic production slowed as the account deficit represented an even greater percentage. Much of the instability in the Thailand economy was caused by heavy short term borrowing and as previously stated; the government spent a lot of their reserves to maintain the exchange rate. This created a false sense of security in pretending the economy was stable. However, this support of the highly leveraged private sector by the Thai government lent the appearance of stability towards an unstable system and attracted even more foreign loans. In February 1997, the Thai company Somprasong was unable to make maintenance payments on its high levels of foreign debt. In the face of such instability, Finance One, the largest finance company in Thailand, failed at the end of May (Khan, Islam, Ahmed 182). Most of the lending by the company was made up of risky loans for real estate and stock market margin investment. This political instability resulted in the resignation of the Thai Finance Minister; thus, worsening the situation. The speculative attacks on the Baht forced Thailand to let the currency float on July 2, 1997, a key date in the Asian financial crisis. As an after effect, the currency depreciated further devastated the Thai economy. This forced the Thai government to call on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for economic help. In August 1997, Thailand was the first country to seek help and the IMF approved a loan for $3. 9 billion (Glassman 126). However, the IMF gave stipulations that the government had to follow. These were maintaining a level of government reserves, increasing the VAT, government cuts and a reorganisation of the financial sector. As the Baht declined sharply, a second bail-out was approved. Indonesia and South Korea also approached the IMF for financial assistance. Another key element that caused the crisis was that in a lot of East Asian countries the capital account was liberalized for inward and outward flows for foreign investors; however, domestic investors could not invest aboard and this meant they could not diversify their risks. Throughout these countries, financial institutions were inadequate. They had poor prudential management of currency risks, credit evaluation and public financial reporting. Rising global credit and liquidity fed vast amounts of capital to badly regulated institutions. Those had limited transparency and poor due diligence from foreign lenders. The poor macroeconomic policies failed to manage these problems and left the countries vulnerable to shocks in many ways. Firstly, widening current account deficits, financed by short-term debt, exposed the economies to sudden reversals in capital flows. Secondly, weaknesses in the under-regulated financial sector fuelled risky lending. A further problem with exacerbated the crisis was the tendency for the government to intervene and bail out floundering companies. These guarantees put further pressure on the global market as the level of debt kept escalating. Together with the depreciating of the currency meant foreign debt proved to be too much of a burden. A further domino effect was evident between the economies. As the currency of the country depreciated, this had a negative effect on the competitiveness of other countries. Therefore, as the Thai Baht was tumbling, their goods became competitive and had a negative effect on other currencies, such as the Rupiah of Indonesia and the Ringgit of Malaysia (Glassman 129). After the Baht was put on the floating exchange rate, the economy of Thailand started to recover and was able to alleviate their debt earlier than they thought in 2003 (King 459). South Korea did manage to recuperate despite its weak financial system. However, Indonesia was especially hurt by firms going bankrupt and the devaluation of the Rupiah made it harder for them to recover. Monetary and Fiscal policies were tightened as countries fought to cope with the financial panic. The countries also raised interest rates in order to attract foreign currency and increase the price of domestic assets. On the other hand, higher rates meant higher repayments and many could not survive their debts. Following the Asian financial crisis, Russia, Mexico and Argentina all suffered economic collapses (King 61). Another factor that is thought to be one of the reasons for the crisis, the Asian currencies appreciated to levels that were too high leading to a crash in the markets. The IMF gave these countries support during these times and in return they wanted the countries to follow three key elements; large official financing packages, structural reforms, and macroeconomic policies that intended to counter the crisis itself (King 463). Structural reforms were seen as the root causes of the crisis. They intervened to shore up institutions and more importantly, improved the financial supervision and regulation. Thus, reducing the likelihood of a crisis reoccurring. Other structures were also altered to help the economies in the long run; they strengthened competition laws and increased transparency. This would help reduce eradicate corruption. Macro policies were harder to implement due to the turbulent market conditions; though, after some initial hesitations, nominal and real interest rates fell to pre-crisis levels. However, Indonesia’s policies steered them off course for a while before it was brought under control in late 1998 (King 464). The Asian financial crisis raised certain important issues that need to be taken into account for the international financial system. It is very important to prevent a crisis from occurring in the first place, because the short term flow of capital can be moved within seconds; therefore, prevention is the best sought achievement/target. Transparency is also important to crisis prevention. At the height of the Asian financial crisis, some unpleasant information was revealed, in particular, on the weaknesses of central banks international reserve positions. The IMF pointed this out as an integral part as closer monitoring of the finance sector could give alerts to any such problems in the future. Another issue that needed to be analyzed after the crisis was that of capital controls. As the countries liberalized the capital accounts, they left many short falls in the regulation of them. Tighter restriction and closer monitoring of the capital flows would have helped the financial institutions to keep greater control. An additional issue that should be noted is what policies the governments used and which ones seemed to be successful in such a crisis. Looking back at the Asian financial crisis, it seems that monetary policy worked. A period of high interest rates and the market pressures eased and interest rates soon fell below pre-crisis levels. In theory, if monetary policies were implemented earlier, it might have contrasted the spread of the crisis. However, the higher interest rates meant that debt repayments were higher and led to widespread insolvencies. These macroeconomic policies are crucial as they can be implemented to the changing economic conditions. The Asian financial crisis has brought a new way of thinking in the world of global finance. There are lessons that were harshly learnt by a few countries; however, the overall effect was a global one. In the contemporary world, one country does not stand by itself, global integration has meant that countries are connected and interlinked. Therefore, as we witnessed from the Asian financial crisis, the end result of poor management of financial institutions can have a drastic impact on the world economy. In the current climate, we are facing a global recession, an expected drop in world trade, all this as a result of a credit boom. The government and regulators must learn from the Asian financial crisis and hopefully they will be able to contain the latest economic crisis. Works Cited Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press 2010. Web. 18 March 2011. McNally, David. Another World is Possible: Globalization & Anti-Capitalism. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: Arbeiter Ring Publishing. Print. Adam Hanieh. â€Å"Forum of Hierarchies of a Global Market: The South and the Economic Crisis. † Studies in Political Economy Volume 83. (2009): 61 – 81. Print. Michael R. King. â€Å"Who Triggered the Asian Financial Crisis? Review of International Political Economy Volume 8. Issue 3 (2001): 438 – 466. Print. Aseem Prakash. â€Å"The East Asian Crisis and the Globalization Discourse. † Review of International Political Economy Volume 8. Issue 1 (2001): 119 – 146. Print. Saleheen Khan, Faridul Islam, Syed Ahmed. â€Å"The Asian Crisis: An Economic Analysis of the Causes. † The J ournal of Developing Areas Volume 39. Issue 1 (2005): 169 – 190. Print. Jim Glassman. â€Å"Economic Crisis in Asia: The Case of Thailand. † Economic Geography Volume 77. Issue 2 (2001): 122 – 147. Print.