The Difference Essay Research Paper The DifferenceBush free essay sample

The Difference Essay, Research Paper The Difference Bush or Gore? Will it be the frailty president or the governor of Texas to make full the presidential term? Even after election twenty-four hours, this is still a really questionable subject. Because of the peoples # 8217 ; split positions, it seems the state has divided itself: half for Gore, half for Bush. Their positions differ on issues such as revenue enhancements, societal security, and gun control. First, George W. Bush believes that federal income revenue enhancements are excessively high and that a revenue enhancement cut for all Americans is the best manner to accomplish financial duty in authorities. Besides, he believes that money paid to the authorities is that of the people, and should be returned to them alternatively of blowing it on societal disbursement plans. Contrary to this, Al Gore has a different position on revenue enhancements. Gore supports raising revenue enhancements for authorities disbursement on plans designed to pacify particular involvement. We will write a custom essay sample on The Difference Essay Research Paper The DifferenceBush or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He besides believes that authorities demands to come foremost, non hard-working households. Second, the other seeable difference is evident in their positions on societal security. Bush favors a signifier of the system that allows seting financess into private investings to protect it for retirement. The governor believes in the single # 8217 ; s ability to do his ain retirement determinations. However, Gore is unmindful to the defects of the P resent system. He vows to maintain societal security the same and supports higher income revenue enhancement for system support. In add-on, Gore believes that people should non be given the ability to program for retirement without authorities intercession. Third, another difference between the current frailty president and the governor of Texas trades with gun control. Bush believes in implementing Torahs designed to maintain pieces out of the custodies of felons ; and wants ferocious prosecution of those who commit a offense with a piece. Bush believes that fiddling with the constitutional right for carriers of pieces will merely set the condemnable component at an advantage, because felons don # 8217 ; t normally obey gun Torahs. Contrary to this, Gore believes that guns in the custodies of jurisprudence esteeming people pose a menace to society. The Justice Department has systematically ignored enforcement of gun Torahs and has refused to prosecute many instances where a gun offense has fallen within federal legal power. Bush or Gore? The inquiry remains. During the presidential argument a twosome of months before the general election, their differences became public in a few critical positions: revenue enhancements, societal security, and gun control. A line seems to split our state ; a line that says, # 8220 ; Gore electors to the right, Bush electors to the left. # 8221 ; Currently, it is non evident which side is heavier.

Introduction to Psychology Perception and Reflection

Introduction to Psychology Perception and Reflection Free Online Research Papers The aim of the essay is to discuss what are the factors that affect our perception of people, and some of the elements that impact our accuracy or otherwise of first impression, and how perception effects the decision-making process in the first few moments of contact e.g. â€Å"first date†. Why we all have first impressions of someone we just met in the first few seconds. Why do we form an opinion about someone without knowing really anything about him or her-aside perhaps from a few remarks or readily observed traits. We are well informed that the answer is related to how our brain allows us to be aware of the world. Our brain continuously processes incoming sensory informationthe sights and sounds of your world. These incoming signals are compared against a host of memories stored in the brain. This paper will examine the aspects and the influences on first impression and perception in meeting someone on a first date. From well researched information we understand that behavioral potentials set the limits within which our dispositions can vary, and can vary in their tendencies, to argue be nervous, organized, be conservative, introvert or extravert, gender, physical attractiveness, cultural back ground and so on. Abelson, Frey Gregg (2004) suggest that it is a popular belief that a first impression is a lasting impression. First impressions are important because they are the initial idea that a person forms about another person and it determines whether a person decides to pursue any type of relationship with anyone. People tend to form impressions of each other rather quickly. They use minimal information, such as the sex of the person, appearance, ethnicity or a brief encounter to draw conclusions about each other; these types of factors can lead people to form remarkably detailed impressions. Process in Forming Impression Abelson et al (2004) found that once an impression is formed by superficial processing e.g. (when relying on accessible information to make inferences or judgments, while expending little effort in processing) or systematic processing, e.g. (giving thorough, effortful consideration to a wide range of information relevant to a judgment) it becomes a basis for decisions and behaviors. An initial impression can alter the interpretation of later information, leading to impressions that are resistant to change. Impressions often lead people to seek consistent information, or even to elicit confirming actions from others, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. When people encounter information that is clearly inconsistent with an impression, they may take it into account. Most of the time, however, they may attempt to explain it away or attribute it to situational factors. It is only when people are actively looking for change in an individual that fundamental change is possible. Factors of Perception Perception is a constructive process, based on the available information but greatly influenced by past experience and expectations. For the most part these systems provide us with the accurate information upon which we base our actions. There is still sufficient uncertainty within the systems, however, to allow our higher thought processes and emotional states to greatly influence how we experience things. Other important factors of perception that we traditionally talk about are the five senses, taking these to be touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing Wright Macleod (2006). The decision-making process Davito (2007) suggests that people who are physically attractive are perceived to be happy, warm, friendly, successful, confident, and well-adjusted. At other times, however, people form impressions based on a careful observation of a person’s behavior. From the observers perspective he will look for other visual variables and observations such as, appearance, dress, posture, manner and body language. We are all aware and it’s an area that is well researched, that first impression is everything. There is no second chance for a first impression. People immediately cast others into stereotypes in every situation: they form a schema or an organized set of thoughts and hypothesize about others within the first eight seconds of meeting or seeing an individual for the first time. These schemas affect the way people carry themselves and around others Bem, D. (1972) explains that this behavior that people come up with is called attributions. Explaining (â€Å"attributing†) is classifying, assigning, another person’s behavior to some cause, deciding on a reason for their actions, whether it be something about their stable personality (values, beliefs, traits) or something about the situation they are in. Using Our Body language is a term for communication using body movements or gestures instead of, or in addition to, sounds, verbal language or other communication. It forms part of the category of paralanguage (non verbal), which describes all forms of human communication that are not verbal language. This includes the most subtle of movements that many people are not aware of, including smiling, fondling of hair, winking and slight movement of the eyebrows. In addition body language can also incorporate the use of facial expressions Wikipedia (access 2007). Let’s examine the following setting, â€Å"If an attractive woman tilts her head to the side, licks her lips, fondles her hair, and looks over her shoulder directly at someone to make eye contact we can then presume that she’s interested in that person. As Abelson et al (2004) explain that we can be distracted by the most visible and salient aspects of a persons personality and physical attractiveness and charisma (a large part of which is extroversion) can hide the inner layers of the onion. The attractive woman would have been stereotyped as being warm and friendly by her counterpart. For example in this instance the attractive woman may have been a serial killer and the inevitable counterexample of first impressions can, sometimes, be dreadfully wrong. Examining Stereotyping in General A crucial aspect of this theory is the fluctuating nature of identity. While people tend to identify with many social groups, based on various factors such as race, ethnicity, class, gender, physical appearance, attributes, and so on, these factors become salient at different times and in different ways. According to social identity theory, if and when a particular group identity becomes salient at a particular time for whatever reason the sentiments, emotions, and behaviours of any given member of the salient group will tend to be affected and guided by the norms and aspirations of that group, Rathus (2007). In the vast literature on identity and gender, several approaches have found it useful to regard women and men as members of social categories. For example, gender stereotypes are pervasive, and carry relatively well-defined prescriptions for typical male and female behaviour Deaux Major (1987). In this case we could argue that the first impression of the male recipient would have been â€Å" I am attracted to her† she is making gestures to attract my attention, I hope she not a girl of the night. It would not be uncommon for the male recipient not to stereotype the attractive women in this social group. It is well researched that males are predominant as being the authoritarians in nature of men’s social identification in relation to gender-related beliefs. What if in this case the attractive woman was a â€Å"blonde†, what would have been the stereotype let’s say in this case it was â€Å"Marilyn Monroe† who played the role extremely well as a dumb blonde in most of her movies, for example in role she played â€Å"Gentleman Prefer Blondes†. The behaviour from the male participant would have somewhat different in reference of facial expressions, body language and of course other sexual innuendos and so on. The dumb blonde stereotype is traditionally an exhibitionist role so fits perfectly into this type. Broad view of gender stereotypes in the expression and perception of vocal and facial effects: Researchers have documented stereotypic beliefs about females and males for the perception and expression of emotion. Such research consistently shows that fear and sadness are considered to be female emotions while anger is viewed as a predominantly masculine emotional state. This general pattern of beliefs has not only been found for adults but has also been shown to exist for preschoolers and elementary school children, who tend to associate sadness, fear, and happiness with females and anger with males (Fabes Martin, (1991). Gender expression can be defined as the way in which every human being expresses herself/himself in genderized terms – that is to say, the way in which all persons express themselves within the different possibilities that the gender spectrum offers -like masculinity, femininity, androgyny, facial attractiveness etc Rathus (2007) My Perspective I have learned that we are all unique. We all have our own ‘world’, our own way of looking at and understanding our environment and the people within it. A situation may be the same but the interpretation of that situation by two individuals may be vastly different. As in the case of the attractive woman stereotyped by first impression and yet there was a possibility being a serial killer. The physical properties may be identical in term of how they ‘are’, but they are perceived quite differently because each individual has imposed upon the person and perceived their own interpretations, their own judgment and evaluation. From the literature I would argue that stereotyping of first impression and the affects of perception are very dynamic and can have a positive or negative outcome. We can be distracted by the most visible and salient aspects of a persons personality and physical attractiveness by first impression. Kenny (1994) explains that we immediately cast others into stereotypes in every situation; we form a schema or an organized set of thoughts and hypothesize about others within the first eight seconds of meeting or seeing an individual for the first time. I have learned more about human nature, and in the course of my observations from this essay. I learned that we all, even myself, are victims of this judgmental view of others. First impressions and perceptions, formed by all people truly affect your interactions in everyday life. Summary In summary we have evaluated the following: Impressions of other people are influenced by many cues. These cues are interpreted with the help of associated or accessible knowledge. During social interactions, peoples eyes convey a wealth of information about their direction of attention and their emotional and mental states. Particular focus is given to the gaze-cueing paradigm that has been used to investigate the mechanisms of joint attention. The contribution of this paradigm has been significant and will likely continue to advance knowledge across diverse fields within psychology and neuroscience, Rathus (2007). When processing information superficially, people infer traits from observable behaviors. Often traits are also inferred when situational causes actually account for behaviors. When processing systematically, people make causal attributions for behavior. A cause is more likely to be considered as an explanation when it is accessible or salient. To create an overall impression, knowledge is organized by clustering behaviors, and by creating causal links among characteristics. When people devote time and effort to forming an impression, biases may still occur. Impressions are a basis for decisions and behaviors. Impressions alter the interpretation of later information, often lead people to seek consistent information, and elicit confirming actions from others, leading to impressions that are resistant to change. When people encounter information that is clearly inconsistent with an impression, they may take it into account. Most of the time, however, peoples impressions can be difficult to change. References Abelson, R.P. Frey, K.P and Gregg. A.P (2004) Experiments With People Revelations from Social Psychology: Lawrence Erlbaum publishers New Jersey London Bem, D. (1972). Self-perception theory. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology, (Vol. 6). New York: Academic Press. as.wvu.edu/~sbb/comm221/chapters/attrib.htm Davito J.A. (2007) The interpersonal Communication Book, 11th Edition. Pearson Allen and Bacon Deaux, K., Major, B. (1987). Putting gender into context: An interactive model of gender-related behaviour. Psychological Review, 94, 369-389. Fabes, R. A., Martin, C. L. (1991). Gender and age stereotypes of emotionality. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 17, 532-540 (accessed 2007) Kenny, D.A (1994) Interpersonal Perception: A Social Relations Analysis. New York: Guilford Press. Rathus, A S. (2007) Psychology Concepts Connections Brief Version (8thed.) Thompson Learning, Inc. Wright, P. and Macleod H. (2006) Get Set for Psychology. Edinburgh University Press Ltd 22 George Square, Edinburgh. My email Address: tsiganos1@hotmail.com Desired acount name : Dimitrios submited before, forgot to add my email and desired account name. Thanks James Toussis Research Papers on Introduction to Psychology "Perception and Reflection"Incorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThree Concepts of PsychodynamicOpen Architechture a white paperThe Project Managment Office SystemStandardized TestingBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseMind TravelAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeCapital Punishment

Web Development Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Web Development Report - Essay Example Web design parameters like use of graphics, content organization, navigation, colour, links and others are critical to efficiency of a website. This report critically analyses and examines www.sixtiespress.co.uk and presents significant recommendations worth undertaking to make its structure and design effective. According to Nielson (2003), graphics or photos are used to show real content and not just to decorate the homepage. He argues that people are naturally drawn to pictures and that gratuitous graphics can distract users from critical content. It involves the use of images that communicate the purpose or objective of the website. In the Sixtiespress website: The intention of colour in web design is to create ideas, convey message, invoke feelings of a visitor and accentuate areas of interest to readers. Verma (2007) argues that too much colour can be disturbing and chaotic, whereas too little can be boring. The Sixtiespress website: In conclusion, website design involves critical factors that were not appropriately considered when developing the www.sixtiespress.co.uk website. The contrast used, images, the content layout, text sizes and colours and use of links were not effectively used. The critical analysis has revealed the flaws and how they negatively affect the website. These mistakes make the website not to deliver its intended purpose. The recommendation, if implemented through redesign of the website will enhance readability, accessibility, appealing and attract the user or visitors to the website. Verma, V., (2007, Oct 29). The Importance of Color Theory. Retrieved Nov 19, 2012, from Web Design Library: http://www.webdesign.org/web-design-basics/color-theory/the-importance-of-color-in-web-designing.12437.html Cannon, T., (2012, Sep 12). An Introduction to Color Theory for Web Designers. Retrieved Nov 19, 2012, from Web Design Tuts:

Lessons 17-20 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lessons 17-20 - Essay Example The best solution involves building of more lanes to cater for the high demand of use in the highway. The five creeks are Wood Canyon Creek, Sulphur Creek, English Canyon Creek, Diary fork, and Alison creek. The major contaminants of the creeks include bacterial pollution as well as chlorine. Most of the creeks empty their water at mouth of Laguna Beach basins. Translation refers to the process by which protein is synthesized from the messenger RNA through the reading of the mRNA sequence by a genetic code. Transcription on its part refers to the transfer of genetic information from a DNA to an RNA, which is then used to form proteins. The theory of how life began in the RNA world describes that self-replicating ribonucleic acid molecules (RNA) are the originators of the life lived today. The theory bases RNA in terms of DNA, RNA, and proteins. Despite the fact that the current life originates from RNA, it is evident that the theory has it that RNA world was never the first life to come into existence. Question 1: If you were to scuba dive in Jamaica, 50 feet under the surface of the water, how would the temperature, pressure, light and salinity change when you are 50 feet deep? What kinds of animals would you see at that depth? About 50 feet into the ocean in Jamaica, the temperatures are slightly warm at about 25Â °-28Â °C. The area is also highly saline being an area with high levels of coral reefs. The watercolor at this point is blue-green to green, thereby allowing fair light to penetrate and high pressure. Some of the animals found in this area are the green sea turtles and manatee. Chinook salmon life cycle involves the laying of eggs by the females, who then guard the eggs for between four to twenty-five days before their death. The eggs then hatch approximately 90-150 days after deposition depending on water temperatures from which fry emerge. The fry then stay in fresh water for 12 to 18 months before travelling downstream into

File Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

File - Essay Example When they used the word parade, it was a symbol and a sideshow set up alongside in the ballet which failed miserably, (Smith, SteÃŒ phane & Annette, 7); the culture that was seen as new and trying to shock the audience as it was radically new embrace for its own sake. It also involved costumes that were wild, irreverent music and non-classical choreography pointed to a violent rapture with the sentimental and patriotic aesthetic. War culture was evident as the nation-state remained the basic military, political, economic, social and cultural unit for the duration of the war with less regards to the universal ideologies that were coming in as the war became total. In other cases, the European states were forces to drag their empires into war to make their armies stronger in a bid to conquer the war. It ended to no small degree thanks to intervention from outside Europe, which is the United States and the conflict came to an end. The war was characterized by the involvement of European countries from the onset but it later came to absorb other parts of the world such as Russia. The European focus of the war mattered especially to the French in reflecting on the twentieth century given that the German defeat in 1940 suddenly and dramatically removed most of France and most of the French from the war. That is why the war was more accurately describe the conflict of the 1914 to 1918 as The Great War rather than World War I. The French nation was in crisis due to the bloodbaths of this war through the military defeat and the Nazi occupation if the Second World War; this is why the stakes were high for the French nation in this war. Another characteristic of the war is that the French found ways to cope and gaining solace in songs, movies, and images of ordinary people that they took to hear and gave them some reassurance of recovery. Evident is the power of popular myths

Examining Prejudice and Discrimination in Singapore

Examining Prejudice and Discrimination in Singapore In this essay, we will be explaining and giving the definitions of prejudice and discrimination. Also, we will go in depth and elaborate about the various kinds of discrimination in todays society such as gender, disability, size, looks, monetary, status, education, sexual and racial discrimination. After which, we will give solutions and ways to reduce racial discrimination in Singapore. Finally we will end with a round up of conclusion. Prejudice and discrimination is a rising issue in todays society. According to Dictionary.com, prejudice is an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason. Discrimination is the treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the  group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit: racial and religious intolerance and discrimination. To be prejudiced is to have a cultural mindset and that is relied on negative or unpleasant stereotypes about individuals or groups because of their ethnic, religious, racial or cultural background. To discriminate is to have an active denial of desired goal from a certain group of people. The group can be based on sex, ethnicity, nationality, religion, language, or even class. More recently, disadvantaged groups now also include those based on gender, age, and physical disabilities. Prejudice and discrimination are very common at both the individual and societal levels. Any attempt to eradicate or solve the problem of prejudice and discrimination must thus deal with prevailing beliefs or ideologies, and social structure. Gender- There are many types of discrimination. Gender discrimination, also known as sexism is very common. In most societies, women have been viewed as the weaker sex who is in constant need of protection from the rough world. Women are more delicate by nature compared to men, and are often victims of physical, emotional and psychological abuse. Gender discrimination does not only apply in communities and sometimes families but also a lot of times in workplaces. In Chinese Culture, boys are more wanted than girls as they can pass down the family name. According to BBC news, around a million girl fetuses are aborted and tens of thousands of girl babies are abandoned in China, every year. A boy will bring status and he will also continue the family line. Families also throw big celebrations for baby boys while neglecting the less-wanted girls. The preference for boys is tied up in the Confucian belief that male heirs are necessary to carry on the family name and take care of the family spirit s. A Chinese family worries that if there is no son no one will look after them and keep them company in the afterlife. Confucius once said, There are three ways of being disloyal to your ancestors. Not carrying on the family name is the worse. In early Japan, there is large gender discrimination. They have a saying that goes men as breadwinners and women as homemakers. Even after Japan introduced the Equal Employment Opportunity Law in 1985, which prohibited discrimination against women in employment and urged employers to treat women equally in terms of recruitment, job assignment and promotion. But, they are still the last to be rehired in a full-time job. Japanese women are also expected to quit their job if they have children. Even if companies are facing a shortage of workers, they had no plan to try to hire more women. Women have to work twice as hard as man to advance their careers because of the prejudices within Japanese companies. Their university education is roughly the same as those without an upper secondary education. In 1997, statistics show that Japanese women hold only 9.3% of professional positions, compared to 44.3% in the United States. Womens income is only 45%of mens even though they make up 64% of J apan industry. Females appear to be less strongly oriented toward personal terminal values than men, but more strongly oriented toward moral means. Also in sports, especially soccer, where female officials/referees are slowly introduced to the male side of the game are being discriminated. One such example was Andy Gray, a former footballer, popular football pundit and commentator. He was British television channel Sky Sports main pundit since 1992. However, he was fired after he was found to made sexist comments and made offensive gestures to a female co-presenter. He had commented, Can you believe that? A female linesman. Women dont know the offside rule. in which his fellow presenter, Richard Keys replied, Course they dont. Somebody better get down there and explain. during a post-match show when they thought they were off air. In another show, he was caught on camera( in which it was edited out later on) tugging his pants and asking his female co-presenter Charlotte Jackson to tuck the microphone into his pants. (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3371091/Andy-Gray-sacked-over-sexism-row.html) In Singapore today, Gender discrimination while still existent, is less obvious. Disability Besides the various types of discriminations stated above, there is also a discrimination against the disabled people. Having a disability means that a person has a physical or mental impairment. This in turn has a substantial and long-term negative effect on ones ability to carry out normal everyday activities. Disability discrimination occurs when one is treated less favorably because of their disability as compared to someone without a disability. This is known as direct discrimination. There are cases in which people with some form of disability are treated differently, or are victimized. People who are not disabled laugh at the disabled because of the way they walk or talk. These people gang up and make fun of the disabled. They belittle them, and feel satisfied with themselves. The disabled are not able to do anything about it because there are too many people treating them that way. There is also indirect discrimination where everyone is treated equally, but by treating everyo ne equally, the disabled is put to a disadvantage. This is more subtle and may also be unintentional. An example would be when there are stairs to enter a building but a person with a disability might not be able to use the stairs and may need a ramp. Size/looks Being of a different size or looking different may also be a form of prejudice and discrimination. Often during first meetings, people are judged on first impressions, and first impressions are all about the visuals. Many a time people are discriminated against just because they are too fat, too skinny or not good looking enough. Society has set a standard where everyone wants an ideal body and face. This is known as the golden ratio. The ratio of (foot to navel): (navel to head) is the golden ratio of the human body. A persons face has to be symmetrical and have nice proportions to be considered good looking. There is a reason why plastic surgeries are in demand. While applying for jobs, people are required to attach photos of themselves. More often than not, the people who are better looking tend to get the job as compared to those who are less good looking. Then there is the case of body size. People tend to make remarks about fat people and fat jokes. An example would be Yo Mama So Fat jokes, which is very common. Even though different cultures have a preference for people of different sizes, everyone in general prefer slim to fat. Monetary/financially- Financial discrimination is when people look down on others that they are poorer than them. This will affect them if they want to find a job, get a rent or buy an apartment. People tend to look at the appearance to analyze whether you are rich or you are poor. For example, salesman will normally look for people that are trendier from those who wear clothes that seem old and tear. Service staff of well-known brand in some regions might not serve or even come up to you if they think that you have no money to pay if they let you try. So, what is the point to spend so much time to serve you? In United States, there is a case that they are discriminating against the blind people by refusing to make money readable for them as they think there do not have the need. They dont go out a lot, there does not have many chance for them to use the notes. Even for the device that is specially made for them to differentiate the money is expensive. At the end, blind people have to folding their bills in different positions to tell them apart. (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/395668/financial_discrimination_against_the.html?cat=15) Financial discrimination also involved the low-waged workers. In a way that large number were paid lesser than the minimum wage that they should get and they had worked overtime without pay. When they get injured in the work place, they had to pay the bills themselves instead of having compensation from their company. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112506238) Status/Education For status discrimination, most of this happens in the work place. We can see lot of who butter up status that up high and despise those who have low status than them. Everybody wants to get to a higher place. For these people that have status discrimination in mind, they normally think that this is a short cut and time saving way. For lower status in the society, they are always afraid of offending the people of the higher status. This is because they cant afford to spend the money to fight cases with them. We can also see employer refuse to hire people that have foreign name, speaks with accent, from another country or even locals who does not have a high level certificate. Competition is getting higher and higher in the work place. Nowadays, it is the certificate of education that decides the fate of status in society. Without a certificate, you will get no jobs. In Singapore, there are several foreign domestic worker abuse cases. Many do not know how to speak English and many doesnt know where to seek for help. There are also many cases about children bring their parents to old folks homes and do not care about them anymore, or old folks being abuse because they are a burden to the family. Sexual discrimination (gay/sexual orientation) People often get confused between gender discrimination and sexual discrimination. While gender discrimination is biased opinions about the female/male gender, sexual discrimination is about their sexual orientation. In society today, talking about homosexuality is still an uncomfortable and touchy topic. While it has progressed from the past where homosexuality was illegal and you could be hanged for admitting that you were a homosexual, it has now been legally acceptable to pronounce yourself one. However this does not stop the community around you to form perceptions and opinions about you. The 2 main places where Sexual discrimination is most evident are in schools and the workplace. In the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), homosexuals and effeminate men are managed according to the dictates of a manpower directive issued. Probably its most well know classification is Category 302, a medical code given to servicemen who are homosexuals, transvestites, paedophiles, etc. homosexuals are further classified into those with effeminate behaviour and those without effeminate behaviour. This form of discrimination persists despite the fact that homosexuality was depathologised by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973, and homosexuality is not regarded as a psychiatric condition by the local medical profession. More so, the categorization of homosexuality with transvestism and paedophilia by the SAF further backs up the publics wrong impression that it is abnormal. During the enlistment for Nation Service, any self-declared or discovered servicemen who are homosexual are immediately referred and sent to the Psychological Medicine Branch of the Headquarters of Medical Services for a thorough psychiatric assessment. After which, each of their parents are to come in for an interview. Once they are catagorised as a homosexual, they are instantly medically downgraded to a Public Employment Status of C (PES C), regardless of their level of fitness, and put through modified Basic Military Training. After Basic Military Training, they are deployed into a vocation which has no security risks, posted to non-sensitive units and given a security status which restricts their access to classified documents. (http://knol.google.com/k/discrimination-against-homosexuals-in-singapore#Singapore_Armed_Forces) In Singapore, while being homosexual is legal, same-sex marriage is not, and any acts of indecency between two people of the same sex, will have you charged. Singapore being a diverse nation, which encourages harmony between different race, religion and background does not have as many Sexual discrimination cases as compared to America. In fact, according to BBC News on 16 May 2009, there was an event help by pinkdot.sg to commemorate love in all forms and between people of every orientation. The event was for Singaporeans in general to affirm our respect for diversity and the freedom to love, regardless of sexual orientation. Figure : 2,500 pink-attired supporters of gay rights, in a Singapore park. We recognize that many Singaporeans are conservative so we planned an inclusive event that would reach all Singaporeans, straight and gay, organizer Mr Soh says. Racial Racial discrimination is the discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of another race, also known as Racism. Where most countries do not condone Racism, it is still exists and has become a stereotype in society today. In the US, many laws forbid racial discrimination, and a number of these are directly derived from Title VII in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991. The first of these acts makes manifest that employers cannot refuse to hire qualified employees based on race or skin color, and they cant do other things like harass them for race, refuse promotions, or pay them at lower rates. The 1991 Civil Rights Act defines some ways that people who have experienced racial discrimination can sue. Till today, racial discriminations still exist, especially in workplaces where largely foreign workers are employed (mostly Chinese nationals, Bangladeshis and Indian nationals). Faced with language barriers and already lowly paid, they still have to follow orders and listen to vulgarities being thrown at them by their local employers and superiors. The same can be said for domestic helpers, where there are numerous reports of physical (and sometimes sexual) abuses by their employers and agencies. Solutions that can be used to reduce prejudice and discrimination in Singapore Education It not right to judge someone base on his or her race. They might look different from others but they are still human. In order to make people minimize discrimination, it is better to start from the younger generation because they are the future. First step is to take down the Special Assistance Plan( a programme that is catered to students who achieved the top 10% of the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE)) school system (Aaron, 2006). This school system concentrate on Chinese education as there are so many Chinese students and that most of these schools has rich Chinese traditions and history (eg, Hwa Chong Institution). Therefore, how can the racism be reduced in schools like this. Furthermore, government schools should also include religious subject in their system. In addition, universities should also organize some events that relates to intercultural exchanges. This will give an opportunity for students of any nationality to study different cultures. Workplace The company should take racially and culturally staff (Strategies for Reducing Racism, 2001). It is not only for worker and for employee but also apply for management or director. Talk to different people from different cultural and try to figure out what is problem that they have meet. By doing this, the organization will know what they need to do to improve better working environment for their employees. Moreover, try to put different pictures of multicultural so none will feel isolate. Furthermore, there should be a special team to solve any racial problem in the workplace. This group can also come up with some activities for employees so everybody can get closer to each other. Race In Singapore alone, the government has implemented racial harmony. It was in 1964, that Singapore went through 2 five-day periods of racial riots. First in 21st July and second was in 2nd September. The minority of Malays in Singapore had thought that they would benefit from the special rights for Malays that was part of the 1957 Federation of Malaya Constitution when Singapore merged with Malaya. However, it was not part of the agreement of the merger that the special rights were applicable for the Malays in Singapore as well, causing unrest among the Singapore Malays. Reason being that then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had wanted equal rights for all Singapore citizens, regardless of race. The riots that broke out in the 2 dates resulted in lives lost and many injured. (http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_45_2005-01-06.html) And so, on 21st July, which was also the date that the first racial riot broke out in 1964, is celebrated as Racial Harmony Day, in which inter-racial harmony is emphasized and celebrated in schools which students are allowed and also encouraged to dress up in traditional costumes of races other than their own. As most Singaporeans stays in HDB flats, the government have also implemented certain racial quotas for certain flats so that there is a balance between races in a neighbourhood. For instance, certain flats are only allowed to be bought by a certain race. If so happens that the owner of the flat wishes to sell the flat, the buyer would have to be of the same race as the previous owner so that there is always a balance in the races within the area. Because of this rule, there are many cases whereby neighbours of different races have inter-cultural exchanges during festive periods. Like how an Indian neighbor share their homemade delicacies with their Chinese neighbour and vice versa. Locality Welcome new people no matter where they come from, give them some flower or small gift with nice saying such as It is nice to meet you; I hope you will enjoy living here. In this way, everybody will act equally with each other and there will be no prejudice or racism. Another way is that some family can even put the sign with the writing All race are welcome here. By doing this, the new people will feel just like at home. Individual People do not have to make a group in order to reduce racism. People can minimize discrimination by themselves. Just be nice and be polite to everybody. Be brave to stand up again racial discrimination, read book or research about racism on the internet. Talk to those who still a victim of discrimination so people will understand more about this issue. Media As Racial Harmony Day is only emphasized in schools, it can also be spread through the media like radio, television, movies, etc, so that both young and old can be more educated about the importance of racial harmony. Having Racial Harmony Day in school is not enough as the younger generations could still be influenced by others around them especially family members and neighbours. Even though the older generations might have grown up with different races in the older kampong days, there still might be possibility that they have prejudices against other races due to conflicts that might have happened in the past. Conclusion After looking at prejudice and racial discrimination in Singapore, there is still a lot to be done even though it is a multi-racial society as it is still very much a predicament in Singapore. Through our solutions such as more inter-cultural exchanges outside of schools where the government is only implementing the racial harmony idealism, in my opinion, racial harmony must still be educated to each and everyone regardless of age so that everyone knows the importance of racial harmony. Bibilogy http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1506469.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8054402.stm http://aaron-ng.info/blog/racism-in-singapore.html

The Sex of Things: Gender and Consumption in Historical Perspective Ess

The Sex of Things: Gender and Consumption in Historical Perspective The Sex of Things is a collection of thirteen essays discussing the social history of consumption (loosely defined) and gender in France, England, Germany, Italy, and the United States from the eighteenth to the late twentieth century. Taking a primarily historical approach to the topic of gender and consumption, the contributors come from various academic disciplines: history, economics, area studies, English, art history, and gender studies. The contributors contextualize their analyses of gender and consumption historically in visual representations and popular social and political lines of thought. In the introduction, de Grazia lays the groundwork for why we should be concerned with how gender impacts the study of consumption. Simplistic notions of naturally or inevitably identifying the female sex with shopping sprees are challenged in favor of a deeper inquiry into the assumptions revolving around AMr. Breadwinner@ and AMrs. Consumer@(3). Instead of merely debating whether consumption is liberating or oppressive, these essays are concerned with the study of consumption in terms of the construction of gender roles, class relations, the family, and the state. Essays in the first section relate to the transition of consumption patterns from aristocratic to bourgeois society. De Grazia locates the growth of bourgeois consumption practices in the Afeminized world of the home@, where female heads of household not only were expected to be nurturing and sociable, but were also consumers of food, clothing, and furniture. Through their purchases, these women accumulated (for themselves and their children) what Pierre Bourdieu called Acultural capital, @ b... ...en women and melodrama by consideration of statistical data on the female audience, as well as discursive contributions from popular media. The Sex of Things concludes with selected bibliography by Ellen Furlough, highlighting gender and consumption in historical perspective. The bibliography includes histories of consumption and consumer culture as well as theoretical contributions and contains a number of categories rooted in feminist research on consumption. These categories include: sites of consumption, marketing and design , spectatorship and reception, production of representations, domesticity, sexuality, appearance, and politics and ideologies of consumption. Each section ranges historically from the Middle Ages to the present. Unfortunately, the bibliography is dominated by Western perspectives; only a few of the sources are non-Western in orientation.