Violence in Mass Media

Violence in Mass Media The debates about the violence in mass media are being held for few decades, but there is still no definite answer. The main question is the influence of violence on people through the mass media: television, cinema, video games and even literature is just full of violent elements. The problem of media violence is not going away, focusing on the culture of violence, whether this is a normal part of our life, or its what causes more aggression in our society. During the day people spend a lot of time in the internet, near the TV screens, playing video games, so the result of this on people is evident mass media really has a great influence on us. Every day on TV we see images of violence: death, injury, pain, sufferings, misery, wars and conflicts it is just impossible to name everything. Daily news shows us wars and conflicts from all over the world. Films, both for adults and children, also are full of violence : fighting, murders, abuse and so on. Even books and magazines doesnt stay apart, the same situation is with the internet. That is why so many people, like scientists and just ordinary people who are not indifferent, raise the question: if media violence affect people behavior and can cause the increase of violence in real-life? There are 2 points of view: some people blame media for too much violence and want to censor violent content to protect people, and especially children from its influence. Another people think that mass media just reflects the real life as it is, and that doesnt cause violence in society. Another important aspect of this problem is the influence of violence in media on children, as children are very sensitive and very susceptible to this violence. Now, when children have an unlimited access to various forms of media, there is a great concern for how they perceive and think about the violence they see, read or hear. Some experts, like professor L. Rowell Huesmann from the University of Michigan, argue that exposure to media violence causes children to behave more aggressively and affects them as adults years later. Others, like Jonathan Freedman from the University of Toronto says that the scientific evidence simply does not show that watching violence either produces violence in people, or desensitizes them to it. (L. R. Huesmann, Laramie D Taylor) During the last 50 years there were a lot of special researches concerning the influence of media on children. They show that American children between 6 and 18 years of age spend from 2 to 6 hours each day using different kinds of media: television, video, movies, video games, radio, music, computer and the Internet. (James Steyer) This is more time than they spend on any other activity, so most of the information they perceive during the day is from mass media. A large proportion of this media acts of violence in different forms. It has been estimated that by age 18, the average young person will have viewed 200 000 acts of violence on television alone. (L. R. Huesmann, Laramie D Taylor) Prolonged access to such media shows results in increased acceptance of violence as an appropriate means of solving problems and achieving ones goals, and that television, movies, and music videos normalize using weapons and show them as a source of personal power. (J. L.Freedman). Research has associated violence in media with a variety of physical and mental health problems with children and adults: aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, fear, depression, nightmares and sleep disturbances. More than 3500 research studies have examined the connection between media violence and violent behavior, and practically 80% of them showed a real connection. (L. R. Huesmann, Laramie D Taylor) So should children be exposed to the media because of violence? And how can we protect children from violence showed in the media? Should the violence in media be censored or left free? THE PROS A lot of journalists speak about the protection of the right to free speech. Joanne Cantor argues: Censorship is not the answer, but the right to free speech is aggressively used to protect commercial interests at the same time that the free speech rights of child advocates are stifled. (Joanne Cantor, 2002) The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression lists a number of reasons to protect media violence as a form of free expression: censorship isnt likely to solve the problems of violence in society decision about what is acceptable or not is always a subjective opinion each person can choose what to see or to hear, can choose the appropriate for him variant of media information a lot of books and films with elements of violence existed in the past and now are considered to be a good classics. A lot of free expression defenders say that that mass media is only one of a number of variables that effect people behavior. Psychologist Melanie Moore says: Fear, greed, power-hunger, rage: these are aspects that we try not to experience in our lives but often want, even need, to experience vicariously through stories of others. Children need violent entertainment in order to explore the inescapable feelings that theyve been taught to deny, and to reintegrate those feelings into a more whole, more complex, more resilient selfhood. (J. Steyer) Another people say that violence in media is only a method of artistic expression and a mean of showing the life as it is. Researchers R. Hodge and D. Tripp, for example, argue that: Media violence is qualitatively different from real violence: it is a natural signifier of conflict and difference, and without representations of conflict, art of the past and present would be seriously impoverished. (D. Grossman, G. Degaetano) THE CONTRAS But still most people agree that today we have too much violence in the mass media. It cant help influencing us anyway, because at list it makes us understand that the life is not so good as we want and that the world around us is just so cruel. Violence in media makes people feel disappointed and not optimistic. Television, movies, and video games are full of acts of violence , deaths, crimes. When a child sees a violent act, he thinks it a game and may try to react it in real life. According to recent research at the University of Wake Forest, which results are presented at the conference Academy of Pediatrics, the frequency of viewing violence on television is directly related to the number of fights and other forms of destructive behavior. The results of this study are consistent with previous numerous studies of Dr. Durante, who found a significant correlation between the violence depicted and the real violence among children and adolescents. Even if some people dont believe in the results of research, in my opinion even the risk of that violence in media and real life aggression are connected is enough to convince public and government to take necessary actions, as this question is a public issue. And so the state and public organizations intervention is of great importance as concerns the censorship. Anyway media constructs reality, and influences our views on race, gender, politics, and body image, in not good way of course. Conclusion In my view, today, it seems appropriate to conduct new studies that demonstrate the influence of violence on human psyche, especially on children and adolescents, taking into account the impacts of all the kinds of media. These findings should be communicated to the public in order to protect the younger generation of excessive and unjustified demonstrations of cruelty. In this regard, so relevant is the question raised by Plato in the IV century BC: How can we so easily assume that children are listened to and perceived the soul of what horrible myths invented by just anyone and for the most part contrary to the truths that are we believe should be with them when they grow up? .

Heart of Darkness Significance Essay

1971. The significance of a title such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so easy to discover. However, in other works (for example, Measure for Measure) the full significance of the title becomes apparent to the reader only gradually. Choose two works and show how the significance of their respective titles is developed through the authors’ use of devices such as contrast, repetition, allusion, and point of view. 1976. The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the society. Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose. 1991. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work. 1994. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary. 1996. The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings. â€Å"The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from their readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events — a marriage or a last minute rescue from death — but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death.† Choose a novel or play that has the kind of ending Weldon describes. In a well-written essay, identify the â€Å"spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation† evident in the ending and explain its significance in the work as a whole. 1999. The eighteenth-century British novelist Laurence Sterne wrote, â€Å"No body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time.† From a novel or play choose a character (not necessarily the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Then, in a well-organized essay, identify each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict with one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. You may use one of the novels or plays listed below or another novel or work of similar literary quality. 2000. Many works of literature not readily identified with the mystery or detective story genre nonetheless involve the investigation of a mystery. In these works, the solution to the mystery may be less important than the knowledge gained in the process of its investigation. Choose a novel or play in which one or more of the characters confront a mystery. Then write an essay in which you identify the mystery and explain how the investigation illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. 2001. One definition of madness is â€Å"mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it.† But Emily Dickinson wrote Much madness is divinest Sense- To a discerning Eye- Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a â€Å"discerning Eye.† Select a novel or play in which a character’s apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the â€Å"madness† to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. 2002. Morally ambiguous characters — characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good — are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary. 2002, Form B. Often in literature, a character’s succ ess in achieving goals depends on keeping a secret and divulging it only at the right moment, if at all. Choose a novel or play of literary merit that requires a character to keep a secret. In a well-organized essay, briefly explain the necessity for secrecy and how the character’s choice to reveal or keep the secret affects the plot and contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may select a work from the list below, or you may choose another work of recognized literary merit suitable to the topic. Do NOT write about a short story, poem, or film. 2003. According to critic Northrop Frye, â€Å"Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.† Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole. 2003, Form B. Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures — national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such collisions can call a character’s sense of identity into question. Select a novel or play in which a character responds to such a cultural collison. Then write a well-organized essay in which you describe the character’s response and explain its relevance to the work as a whole. 2004. Critic Roland Barthes has said, â€Å"Literature is the question minus the answer.† Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes’ observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author’s treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary. 2004, Form B. The most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which a death or deaths take place. Choose a novel or play and write a well-organized essay in which you show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

Raising the Minimum Wage Essay

There has been a lot of discussion regarding the increase of minimum wage across the nation. Currently, the wage is set at a low amount of $7.25 an hour. In today’s society it is almost impossible to live on only an income of $7.25 an hour especially for those who are raising a family. In President Obama’s 2013 State of the Union Address, the president proposed to raise the minimum wage to 9 dollars by the year 2015 (Luhby). A higher minimum wage would help people living in poverty by providing better means of financial stability, and it would also improve the chances of those people trying to escape poverty stricken living conditions. Another bonus to increasing the minimum wage is that it could potentially help lift the economy back up out of recession. For example, if people have more money, they are more likely to spend more money, therefore creating an increase in revenue for the nation as a whole. An increase in the present minimum wage to $ 9.00 per hour will boo st the economy, promote sufficient funds for the standard of living, and enhance equality among all United States citizens. To fully understand the argument circulating around the minimum wage law, it is first essential to recognize the reasons it was established. In 1937, the United States was still recovering from the Great Depression (Wilson). The Great Depression, a direct result of World War I, was a historical low point in United States’ economy. During this period of time, President Franklin D. Roosevelt endorsed the New Deal, which was a series of economic programs that helped to stimulate the nation’s economy (M.W. Overview). Once the bill was approved by President Roosevelt, Congress began a rigorous deliberation in order to deem the bill as constitutional. Unfortunately, the original document was found unconstitutional, which then caused the proposed bill to be re-evaluated before being enacted into a new law. After a long debate, policymakers reached an agreement as to what statutes would be included within the updated New Deal’s economic stimulus programs. Among those provisions, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 was instituted because it was believed to protect workers and stimulate the economy simultaneously (M.W. Overview). Meaning that, the federal government was not only concerned with rebuilding the United States’  economy, but they also recognized the importance of financial stability among all citizens. As a result of this recognition, Congress felt the need to implement a program that was specifically designed to protect employees from being over-worked and under-paid. Thus, in 1938 the first minimum wage of $0.25 an hour was enacted as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (Sherk). This mandated pay rate ensured that workers would not only earn enough to sufficiently support themselves but also enough to support a family. Since the initial implementatio n of the minimum wage, Congress has decreed several raises in order to maintain an adequate income. In fact, according to Mark Sherk, author of The Negative Effects of Minimum Wage Laws, the minimum wage has been increased twenty-two times throughout its existence (Sherk). These increases suggest that the United States government recognized that its citizens were being underpaid and therefore adjusted the minimum wage accordingly so that workers would be compensated properly. With that being said, it is obvious that the United States government regulates the minimum wage, however it is also important to recognize that the responsibilities of the minimum wage are divided between different levels of government such as: national, state and local jurisdictions. The United States is operated by a federalist government, meaning that multiple levels of government share power (O’Gorman). For instance, a popular example of this type of government being exercised is allowing individual states to decide whether or not to legalize marijuana within their borders. This means that while one state may oppose the legalization of marijuana, another separate state may choose to accept marijuana as legal. Consequently, a similar approach applies when dealing with the issue of the minimum wage. The national government mandates a federal minimum wage that all states must adhere too, however states then have the option to implement a minimum wage on top of the federal minimum wage. This means that each individual state has the capability of initiating a higher minimum wage for its own citizens. Once the decision of applying a separate minimum wage has been made by the states, the United States Department of Labor requires that employees must receive the higher wage (Grace). In other words, employers within a state that have two minimum wages, a federal and state minimum wage, are r equired to pay employees the higher of the two. This policy ensures that employees are at  least compensated the federal minimum wage regardless of what a state implements unless the state mandates a higher minimum wage. In addition to policy enactment, the United States government also has two main economic responsibilities in order to reduce income inequalities among its citizens. According to the article Federalism and American Inequality, the government is economically responsible for development and redistribution (Kelly and Witko). Although the government is responsible for two economic activities, the duties are divided between state and national governments. State governments are in charge of developmental policies so that each state has the power to enact regulations that meet the needs of its individual residents. This can be seen within the American education system, such as allowing each state to decide curriculums for graduating high school. Likewise, the national government is responsible for redistributing funds throughout the nation in order to promote equality among all United States citizens. A great example for this method is the Social Security program, which is an entitlement program that spreads funds across generations to even out the wealth (O’Gorman). In fact, the Social Security program takes taxes from one group of people and disperses it directly to another group. Despite the United States government’s attempts to ensure all citizens have an equal opportunity in regards to income, unfortunately that is not the case. Studies suggest that an extravagant amount of workers earn either the current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or less. As a matter of fact, in 2012 about 3.6 million workers fell into this category, which makes up about 4.7% of all hourly paid workers (Minimum Wage Workers). Even though the percentage of workers who fit into this category may seem slow, in reality it is an alarming rate especially since minorities and young people make up most of the population. As illustrated by the National Employment Law Project, 50% of minimum wage earners are 25 years of age and younger and another 5% of workers were of African American, Hispanic, Latino descent (NELP). That means that nearly 55% of workers who make the federal minimum wage are considered to be a minority across the nation. Another interesting statistic, reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is that about three-fifths of minimum wage workers are employed in some type of service related industry (Minimum Wage Workers). For instance, a lot of food servers, waiters and waitresses, only earn a minimum wage salary of $7.25 or  less. However, in these professions, it is expected that employees receive tips from the served consumers. Then after combining the two entities, employees should earn a salary that is either equal to or more than the current minimum wage, but on many occasions, workers still do not make enough to equal a minimum wage salary. Along with recognizing who is actually affected by a minimum wage salary, it is also crucial to understand the economic stability the federal minimum wage accommodates for. In 2012 during his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama announced, â€Å"A minimum wage worker who works full time year round does not make enough to be considered above the federal poverty line† (Cooper). According to Dr. Sherry Kasper, an economics professor at Maryville College, the federal poverty line for one single individual is around $11,500 a year (Kasper). Since President Obama stated that full time minimum wage workers do not make enough money to meet the requirements to be above the federal poverty line, there are tons of people who make less than $11,500 annually and struggle financially to support themselves, let alone enough to support a family. Therefore, because the minimum wage so low, America has millions of people living in poverty. In addition to making an incredibly low annual salary, minimum wage workers also have to deal with actual monetary value this type of wage provides for. In the past, earning a minimum wage was sufficient enough to keep a single parent family of around two or three out of poverty. Yet in recent years that has been proven untrue for today’s world. The minimum wage was initiated in order to ensure that families were provided a living wage so that they could afford basic necessities (Kasper). However, in this day and age, the current minimum wage does not provide an efficient living wage, but instead only a wage that each United States citizen is entitled to earn. The graph below titled Annual minimum wage earnings and poverty level for families of two or three (2012$) illustrates the history of the federal minimum wage in terms of buying power in the economy. The graph above displays the current minimum wage does not provide enough money for a family of three to reach even the most basic level of adequate living standard, but if the president’s proposal to raise the minimum wage to $9.00 an hour went into effect, families would in deed earn enough money to escape poverty stricken living conditions. As with any important policy issue, people’s opinions will clash and create a huge debate over which side gives the best solution, and the argument around whether or not to increase the minimum wage is no different. There have been many skeptics arise that feel that raising the minimum wage to $9.00 an hour would completely destroy today’s economy instead of helping it. Some even claim that a higher minimum wage would only make life for those living in poverty worse. James Sherk, a Senior Policy Analyst in Labor Economics reported a higher minimum wage would result in more unemployment and it would cause the cost of living to increase (Sherk). The argument involving more unemployment is based on the assumption that employers will be forced to reduce staff sizes in order to compensate for paying a higher wage. Yet contrary to that belief, Princeton economists, David Card and Alan Krueger’s, fifteen year research project, found that modest increases in the minimum wage have had very little or no effect on the rate of employment (NELP). Hence, the rate of employment should be considered insignificant when determining if the minimum wage should be increased or not. Another negative claim to raising the minimum wage is that the cost of living will rise along with the minimum wage, and therefore not reduce poverty. Based on the way that American welfare programs work presently, an increase in the minimum wage could potentially result in people being cut off from government assistance. Currently, the amount of assistance people receive directly depends on their income levels. For example, each additional dollar of income reduces the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by 24 cents (Sherk). This means that at the exact same rate people earn a little extra money, their level of assistance decreases. But according to the article The Negative Effects of Minimum Wage Laws, research proves that the minimum wage has absolutely no direct effect on poverty (Wilson). Thus meaning that, increasing the current minimum wage to $9.00 an hour will not result in higher levels of poverty. In today’s society, a $7.25 minimum wage does not sufficiently provide enough money for an individual to afford an adequate standard of living. In  fact it does not even furnish basic needs that everyone deserves in life. A higher minimum wage would improve the lives of people living in poverty and possibly boost the entire United Stats’ economy by increasing revenue since people would be able to afford spending extra money. Therefore implementing a higher minimum wage of $9.00 an hour is a great solution for the economic recession that is currently taking place. It would provide sufficient funds necessary for a descent life, improve the economy, and even promote equality among American citizens. In short, the United States government needs to raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour because it is the most effective solution to the present economic crisis and it is in the best interest of all United States’ residents. Works Cited Cooper, David. â€Å"Putting a $9 minimum wage in context .† Economic Policy Institute. Working Economics, 15 Feb. 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. Luhby, Tami. â€Å"The impact of a $9 minimum wage.† CNN Money. N.p., 12 Feb. 2013. google.com. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. Kasper, Sherry. â€Å"Public Policy Interview.† Message to the author. 16 Nov. 2013. E-mail. Kelly, Nathan J., and Christopher Witko. â€Å"Federalism And American Inequality.† Journal Of Politics 74.2 (2012): 414-426. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. â€Å"Minimum Wage Overview: Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. (Cover Story). â€Å"Congressional Digest 92.5 (2013): 3-10. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. â€Å"Minimum Wage Workers: Characteristics Of Those Employed At Or Below The Minimum Wage. (Cover Story).† Congressional Digest 92.5 (2013): 11-32. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. â€Å"NELP Briefing Paper.† National Employment Law Project. NELP, Jan. 2011. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. O’Gorman, Mark. â€Å"Domestic Policy.† Maryville, TN. 22 Oct. 2013. Lecture. Sherk, James. â€Å"What is Minimum Wage: Its History and Effects on the Economy.† The Heritage Foundation. N.p., 25 June 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. Wilson, Mark. â€Å"The Negative Effects of Minimum Wage Laws.† Cato Institute. N.p., Sept. 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.

The Competitive Advantage Of Human Resources Essay

1. INTRODUCE In the fact of the intensely transitional business in the globe today, one of the challenges faced by the managers to maintain the competitive advantage is human resources. In others words, the globalisation, technology, and the economic integration of developed as well as emerging markets raise particular convenience and problems relating to human resources. To be more specific, on the one hand, the practice that the work force, the most valuable asset of any organisations (Cascio, Wayne F, 1991; Flamholtz, Eric, 1991), nowadays seem to be increasingly educated helps the employers make their best recruitment and guarantee the â€Å"sustainable cogwheel† (Glen Hashmi, Z., and Katrin Muff, 2014). However, in others hand, the well-informed and multinational human resources relating to the employees’ differing needs and expectations, compensation treatment, working environment, or corporate culture are also critical issues that required to be under control. 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