Friday, September 6, 2019
Us. World History Essay Example for Free
Us. World History Essay 16. Consider the relationships and contact of European societies with Asia, Africa, and the New World from 1492 to 1914. What are the changes and continuities in these relationships? What did the Europeans want in each area of the world? How was the European trading systems different from the earlier systems involving Dar-Al-Islam? What effects did these contacts have on the Europeans? On the societies contacted? You might want to make a chart of these causes and effects. How did the patterns of world trade change from 1492 to 1914? The Europeans used the power of seas and oceans to control the export of specific products. They had products such as pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. They regulated commerce with Asian trading network that stretched from ports of the Red Sea to South China. Many European seafaring nations were involved in South and Southeast Asia and was based on trade. The European powers struggled to find the most profitable ways to get things that they wanted from Asia. Most of the Europeans went to Asia to find Christian converts instead of personal gain. Also some stayed to live in coastal enclaves, but trade and commercial profits let Europeans explore, fight in wars and have a hard time to live in Asia in nearly the first century of European overseas expansion. Africa also used their African coast to trade with China and the New World. 80 percent of Africans died in middle passage voyage from African to the New World. Many people died in trading because people began getting infected with disease and spread them. Everywhere in West Africa was the region influenced by trans-Atlantic slave trade. The East Coast of Africa traded along the Indian Ocean with many Ottoman Turks. Some continuities is that we use some of the same patterns of trading throughout 1492-1914. For example, we still use the availability of oceans and seas to trade along the coasts of countries. But there were many changes as well. During the 1800s and 1900s, technology became more advanced. This led to easier ways for trading. Africans traded for ivory, gold, and especially slaves, with the New World. The slaves were forced to go to the households to work. Some places that had many slaves are Arabia and many areas of the Middle East. Europeans also took many slaves. Europeans always needed slaves to go work on their plantation colony. The East African coast was the area that supplied the most slaves. They shipped the slaves off to any country that had something in return for the Africans. Europeans established many plantation style colonies on islands such asà Mauritius (located in the Indian Ocean) but they always depended on the East African Slave trade. Slavery became a prominent feature of the east African coast and the slave trade from the interior to these plantations and to the traditional slave markets of the Red Sea kept going till the end of the 19th century. The effect on the Europeans was that they were making many plantations and were able to make a lot of money with the other countries that they were in contact with because they traded their plantation for other expensive goods. Dar al Islam was different from Europe because in order for them to trade their plantation and crops, they had to work on it to make it grow. Unlike the Europeans, they have slaves doing the work for them. After the good results of the Europeans, other countries bought slaves, knowing that they would have more done, and more goods to trade. 17. The industrial revolution is a major concept in terms of the world history. What factors were necessary to have an industrial revolution? Where did it begin? Where did it spread? How did it change patterns of economic, social, and intellectual interaction? What advantages and disadvantages did it bring? Compare the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century with those brought by the movements toward Globalization of the twentieth century.. For an industrial revolution to take place Business Leaders, labor sources, natural resources, Inventions Innovations, and in Britain the 2nd Agricultural Rev, factory systems, economic philosophies, and capitalism + enlightenment ideas combined. The industrial revolution started in Britain with the 2nd agricultural revolution (Enclosure movement and Urbanization). The industrial revolution spread through much of Europe, especially Belgium, France, and Germany as well as Japan and the United States. Intellectual interactions increased with the spread of new ideas and a lot of new inventions to better life and contribute to the industrial revolution, such as the domestic system, the steam ship and the steam-powered locomotive. Patterns of economic and social interactions also increased by not in a good way, social the government controlled everything that society did and owned most of everything and economically patterns decreased among the population and focused to land owners or factory owners. Innovations such as the telephone, combustion engine, radio, airplane, the system of interchangeable parts andà the assembly line. The advantage was huge money to land owners and factory owners, new technologies making Britain, at the time, the hegemony. The disadvantage was that is cause massive poverty amongst the majority of the population, pollution and families being torn apart. The changes in the Industrial revolution brought great money and power to that country of the time, and eventually led the nation to be prosperous, although globalization now is making the world smaller, giving pollution causing environmental problems and making life economically dependent. 18. Make a list of the ways that the industrialization was related to the Imperialism and to Nationalism. Then illustrate each of the items on your list with examples from the experience of Russia, France, and the United States, Great Britain, the Ottoman Empire and Mexico. * Makes the people work together: In Europe, urbanization occurred and for the domestic system to work, people had to cooperate with each other. * Gave women a little bit of more rights: In Europe, women were allowed to work in factories but they were under horrible conditions. * Increased trade for foreign resources: Europe colonized nations on every other continent in the world to get raw materials. * Influenced ideas: Ideas came such as communism, socialism, neocolonialism, and Marxism * Brings more technologies: Some technologies that were developed was the flying shuttle which sped up the weaving process in 1733. In 1763, John Hargreaves invented the spinning Jenny which was capable of spinning vast amounts if thread. In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which allowed massive amounts of cotton to be quickly processed in the Americas, and exported to Europe. Also, the telegraph which was invented in 1837 by Samuel Morse, allowed people to communicate across great distances within seconds. The telephone, which was invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879. The internal combustion engine was invented by 1885 by Gottlieb Daimler. Marconi Guglielmo invented the radio in 1890s and Orville and Wilbur Wright invented the airplane in 1903. * Helps the people: To all the countries that industrialized, this helped manual labor from the people to convert the labor into machines. * Rapid shift in economy: All economies boosted because of all the progress it made * Countries engage in war: Countries were getting more powerful and others wanted to be theà same. Some examples of wars because of nationalism were World War I and World War II. * Changes in social structure: Throughout history, the wealthy class was small and the poorest class was huge. But industrialism twisted it around, members of the working class saw factory owners gain wealth quickly ââ¬â at their expense. The owners didnââ¬â¢t inherit their position, but achieved success by exploiting their workers, and the workers knew it. * Rebellions take place: They took place because of change. * 3 groups of people come about: Conservatives, Moderates, and Radicals. Conservatives donââ¬â¢t want change, Moderates are fine with whatever happens and Radicals want change. * Forces the country to gain a lot of power: the country gains a lot of wealth and tends to have more power and control over other countries created colonies. * Some countries gain independence: Countries in North and South America gain independence like America in 1783, Paraguay in 1811, Uruguay in 1811, Chile in 1826, Argentina in 1816, Ecuador in 1822, Colombia in 1815, and Venezuela in 1821. * Impact on environment: Industrial Revolution created pollution and gobbled up a lot of natural resources 19. Analyze changes in gender and social structure in the following regions: United States, France, China, India, Ottoman Empire/Turkey, and Brazil from 1750 to today. Throughout history the majority of societies were base upon male dominance, a patriarchal society. Usually this was because back in the stone ages many societies were nomads, or they were societies involved and agriculture and women were not looked at highly. This is because women were expected to stay home and cure for the kids or take care of the house while the males would go out and make sure there is food for the family when they get back and this is what made males more dominant over females knowing that without the males getting food survival would be extremely tough. However throughout time some societies became less agricultural such as the United States throughout times such as during World War I. During the war all the men were sent off to serve and fight for their country and the only people back home were females and eventually females started to run there own business and gain some sort of importance and if it werenââ¬â¢t for them the United States wouldââ¬â¢ve been in a completely different situation when the men returned home from war. In spite of the males having all the dominance over females when they returned home from war they expected women to give up what they have accomplished and handà it over to the men. Of course it all seemed unfair to the women but there was not too much they could do, but this is how the societies change socially. The geography and society situations usually reflect upon the social structures within empires, kingdoms, countries etc. 20. Make a chart outlining the content, strengths, effects, and limitations of each of the following intellectual systems of thought: Adam Smith ââ¬â The wealth of Nations Karl Marx ââ¬â The communist Manifesto Isaac Newton ââ¬â The Principia Explain why each of these works is the product of Western and Enlightment thinking. Intellectual systems:| Content:| Strength:| Effects:| Limitations:| Adam Smith- ââ¬Å"The wealth of Nationsâ⬠| Private ownership| Economic prosperity and fairness| A free market system| Governments were removed entirely from regulation (laissez-faire capitalism)| Karl Marx- ââ¬Å"The communist Manifestoâ⬠| Working class could eventually revolt and take over means of production| Helped better the conditions of the workers and the amount of hours they worked | In England a group of workers called luddites destroyed equipment in the factories in the middle of the night to protest working conditions and pitiful wages| All the instruments of power- the government, the courts, the police, the church-were on the side of the rich against poor| Isaac Newton- ââ¬Å"The Principiaâ⬠| Where he invented calculus| Proved the theories of Copernicus, Galileo, Bacon, and others| Proved that the sun is the center of the universe| Helps scientists prove experiments but doesnââ¬â¢t necessarily mean or give the right answer | Each of these works is the product of Western and Enlightenment thinking as the Age of Enlightenment refers to a period of time in Western culture and philosophy where reason was advocated as the best and surest way to obtain the truth.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Gender Inequality: Causes and Impacts
Gender Inequality: Causes and Impacts Research Paper:à Gender Inequality For many centuries, men have been the dominant gender and women have been the minority. Men were the breadwinnersâ⬠and women just stayed home and took care of the housework and children. Women barely had any rights. Their husbands could abuse them and get away with it easily. Fortunately, over a period of time, things have slowly changed. However, this is still a very serious and widespread problem. Women are still at the bottom of the chain. What was the cause of this inequality and what will be the consequences if this problem continues to linger? Gender inequality, in my definition, is the unequal and biased treatment between the two sexes. I strongly believe that the unequal treatment of women is something that should have stayed in primitive times. We are in the present now and we are far more advanced than we ever were and yet we are old school in our thinking of how men and women should be treated. I can strongly identify with gender inequality because many of my closest friends have faced it or still face it. Materialist theories define gender inequality as a result of how men and women are tied to the economic structure of society. They believe that womens role as a mother and wife are devalued by society and deny access to highly respected public opportunities. Gender inequality is definitely something that we often take for granted; it is accepted and seems so normal in society. These differences often seem invisible to us even though it happens in our everyday life in everything from employment and education to polit ics and the media without us being aware of it. Before we look at the gender inequalities in paid employment, it is vital to look at unpaid labor and the discriminations that women face. History has shown us that the roles and responsibilities for men and women were already chosen for them. In the United Kingdom, there was a trend of male dominance in employment until World War II where women gained male-orientated jobs for the first time whilst the men fought in the front line. Before this, the males were often the breadwinners and therefore provided for their family. On the other hand, the females were more inclined to be involved in unpaid labor often labeled as housewives who performed chores around the family home and looked after the children. You could apply Leslie Feinbergââ¬â¢s theory to this as back then it was just accepted and seen as the way of life for men and women. It was found in a study in 2006 that on average ââ¬Ëwomen spent 180 minutes per day on housework; thatââ¬â¢s 78% more time than men who spent only 101 minutes per day.ââ¬â¢ This reveals that even in current society women are still accepted to partake in unpaid labor through housework rather than be in employment and this reflects the past in the United Kingdom. A very good example of this are the employment rates in the UK as it was around 79% for men and 70 % for women which has remained unchanged since 1999. (Office of National Statistics, 2008). It has to be said that in recent times, the division between males and females is less evident but inclination towards male dominance in employment is still shown. It was reported that the gender pay gap in the UK is one of the highest in Europe: women who work full-time earned 17% less per hour than men and women working part-time earned 39% less per hour than men working full-time. (Office of National Statistics, 2008) In the United States, the average working woman earns only 77 percent of what the average working man makes. However, womenââ¬â¢s place in society and in employment has improved greatly since the Equal Pay Act of 1970. Over the years, there has been an increase of women in the workplace with women working in a larger number of senior positions. This reveals that even though there have been improvements in some areas, men often still have the upper hand in employment. Today, this gender inequality is accepted in society which reveals a strong unfairness against women in employment. Men and women still follow very different career paths. Men are much more likely than women to be employed in skilled trades whereas women are more likely than not to be forced into working lower paid labor jobs such as cleaning. ââ¬ËWomen tend not to put their whole bodies into engagement in a physical task with the same ease and naturalness as menââ¬â¢ (Young, Iris. M, 207). There is the national organization for tradeswomen called ââ¬ËWomen and Manual Trades (WAMT) who support training women to wo rk in plumbing, building and electricians for example. As well as this, they address the problem of low female representation in such work. Although there are organisations such as the WAMT who support women working in skilled trades the likeliness of women to partake in such a job is still very low and shows little improvement. This, yet again, reveals the strong dominance of men in employment worldwide. The notion of being a female is considered to have more challenges than male within the mass media. There is an unbalanced and stereotyped representation of women in the media and a lot of the time they are dominated by men in their roles. Gender inequalities traditionally were greatly enforced in media output with women being used in advertisements to sell anything from cars to tobacco. As well as this, women were often portrayed as ââ¬Ësex objectsââ¬â¢ in the media, especially in the 1980ââ¬â¢s when menââ¬â¢s magazines were first distributed. This still happens in rec ent times as women are displayed in the magazines mostly for male entertainment which is a major gender inequality as it uses the objectification of women. As well as this, women often feel insecure and are forced to impress men by copying what they see in the magazines. This happens in most of the media from the magazines and newspapers to advertisements in television they are such powerful forces which influence society to a great extent. Furthermore, women in more contemporary media are still sexualized and the men still look at women in the same way as before. It was discovered in the late 1990ââ¬â¢s that ââ¬Ë44% of music videos contain sexual imagery. Women are far more likely than men to be presented in provocative or revealing clothing and sexually objectified.ââ¬â¢ This links to female stereotypes and sexualization which are abused in this present day in media especially with the rapid growth of the internet in recent years often through sexual images of women linke d to the sex industry such as pornography being easily accessible on the internet which often depicts women as mere entertainment for men. The nature of pornography is a prime example of the sexualized representation of women in society. Gender inequality is not an issue that can be resolved within a day or two, and reaching our final goal of equality is not going to be an easy step, all we can do is break it down into many factors and give it time to pay off. First part of our resolution is educational wise, which is basically teaching our young ones counter gender stereotypes from kinder-garden, and holding on to these beliefs all the way till college. This can be done by showing both sexes that there arenââ¬â¢t any male or female biased sports, there isnââ¬â¢t a major that a girl shouldnââ¬â¢t get into because itââ¬â¢s a ââ¬Å"man majorâ⬠, those stereotypes should be totally eradicated from all new generations. Another part of our resolution is promoting equality in the labor fields; maybe have a long lasting initiative to promote equality in all labor fields. Some people might say that women cannot perform many jobs that men do like construction working, well during WW2, women were the only ones doing these ââ¬Å"men jobsâ⬠while all the men were gone to fight in the war. Another possible way to resolve our issue is through celebrities and TV. Nowadays, everyoneââ¬â¢s role model is a Hollywood star, a singer, a model, so basically a celebrity. Why donââ¬â¢t we make these celebrities indirectly implant the idea of equality in our human brains, why donââ¬â¢t they show us that males and females are capable of doing the same jobs and quests and that segregation is not needed. Again, I repeat that this wonââ¬â¢t be an easy process and it might take a very long time but at the end of the day, gender inequality is a very big issue and it has to be resolved sooner or later. Humanity requires both men and women, and we are equally important and need one another. So why are women viewed as less than equal? These old attitudes are drilled into us from the very beginning. We have to teach our boys the rules of equality and respect, so that as they grow up, gender equality becomes a natural way of life. And we have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible. We have a lot of work to do, but we can get there if we work together. Unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change. With determination, commitment and strong belief, we can achieve our goal.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
The role and portrayal of Women in the media
The role and portrayal of Women in the media Introduction Media is considered as a traditionally male job and generally it is thought that women journalists can not skip the glass ceiling phenomenon. Pakistan is another minefield of challenges for journalists, especially female journalists. The problem prevails mostly in electronic media scenario as women are making more appearances on screen with the boom of private TV channels. They are considered less prominent. Female journalists working in developed countries are also facing such problems but Pakistani female journalists are in the initial stages towards progress. In Pakistan, with the advent of increasing number of private TV channels, female journalists quite often appear on our television screens. Anchor women, foreign correspondents, and special correspondents are omnipresent in the main broadcast news shows and in current affairs programs. They are considered beautiful and successful women, as well as trend-setters with respect to clothes, make-up and hairstyles. Print journalism, where the physical image is replaced by the reporters name, this phenomenon is much less prominent than electronic media. In spite of the large entrance of female personnel into the professional work of information, women on top of editorial staff are still a scanty minority: this is, however, no different to Western countries. Thanks to television, female journalists have acquired great visibility. Recently The International Womens Media Foundation announced that Rabia Mehmood, a journalist in the Lahore bureau of Express 24/7 Television in Pakistan, has received its 2010-11 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship. Mehmood is the sixth recipient of the annual fellowship, which gives a woman journalist working in print, broadcast or online media the opportunity to focus exclusively on human rights journalism and social justice issues. Throughout her career, Mehmood has reported on topics such as womens rights, freedom of speech and political unrest. She has covered the survivors and victims of terrorist attacks, suicide bombings and hostage sieges carried out by militants in Lahore. Mehmood has also reported on internally displaced people who left Northwest Pakistan as a result of insurgency by terrorists and military offensives. But this is not the case of every female journalist. Most of them are assigned to cover social, cultural, soft stories, days events, or light events. But male journalists get the preference to get a significant assignment, stories which might be lead stories. With the evolution of time and in order to follow the west, Pakistani media is giving important posts to female journalists but in fact the power still lies in the hands of dominant males. Editorial Boards mostly consist of male members. Gender discrimination in journalism is very distinct and they are given the same benefits as to their male colleagues. Some of the most prominent women working in Pakistani electronic media are Aasma Chuhdry Dr Ayesha Siddiqa Katrina Hussain Bushra Rehman, Najia Ashar Naseem Zehra Saadia Afzaal Sheren Mazari Asma Sherazi Zahida Hina Sana Bucha Sumaira Nadeem Sana Mirza Ayesha Baksh And many more Theoretical Framework Gender Role Theory: Gender role theory posits that boys and girls learn the appropriate behavior and attitudes from the family and overall culture they grow up with, and so non-physical gender differences are a product of socialization. Social role theory proposes that the social structure is the underlying force for the gender differences. Social role theory proposes that the sex-differentiated behavior is driven by the division of labor between two sexes within a society. Division of labor creates gender roles, which in turn, lead to gendered social behavior. The physical specialization of the sexes is considered to be the distal cause of the gender roles. Mens unique physical advantages in term of body size and upper body strength provided them an edge over women in those social activities that demanded such physical attributes such as hunting, herding and warfare. On the other hand, womens biological capacity for reproduction and child-rearing is proposed to explain their limited involvement in other social activities. Such divided activity arrangement for the purpose of achieving activity-efficiency led to the division of labor between sexes. Social role theorists have explicitly stressed that the labor division is not narrowly defined as that between paid employment and domestic activities, rather, is conceptualized to include all activities performed within a society that are necessary for its existence and sustainability. The characteristics of the activities performed by men and women became peoples perceptions and beliefs of the d ispositional attributes of men or women themselves. Through the process of correspondent inference, division of labor led to gender roles, or gender stereotype. Ultimately, people expect men and women who occupy certain position to behave according to these attributes. These socially constructed gender roles is considered to be hierarchical and characterized as a male-advantaged gender hierarchy. The activities men involved in were often those that provided them with more access to or control of resources and decision making power, rendering men not only superior dispositional attributes via correspondence bias (Gilbert, 1998, p.**), but also higher status and authority as society progressed. The particular pattern of the labor division within a certain society is a dynamic process and determined by its specific economical and cultural characteristics. For instance, in an industrial economy, the emphasis on physical strength in social activities becomes less compared with that in a less advanced economy. In a low birth rate society, women will be less confined to reproductive activities and thus more likely to be involved in a wide range of social activities. The beliefs that people hold about the sexes are derived from observations of the role per formances of men and women and thus reflect the sexual division of labor and gender hierarchy of the society. The consequences of gender roles and stereotypes are sex-typed social behavior because roles and stereotypes are both socially shared descriptive norms and prescriptive norms. Gender roles provide guides to normative behaviors that are typical, ought-to-be and thus likely effective for each sex within certain social context. Gender roles also depict ideal, should-be, and thus desirable behaviors for men and women who are occupying a particular position or involving in certain social activities. Put is another way, men and women, as social beings, strive to belong and seek for approval by complying and conforming to the social and cultural norms within their society. The conformity to social norms not only shapes the pattern, but also maintains the very existence of sex-typed social behavior. In summary, social role theory treats these differing distributions of women and men into roles as the primary origin of sex-differentiated social behavior, their impact on behavior is mediated by psychological and social processes including developmental and socialization processes, as well as by processes involved in social interaction (e.g., expectancy confirmation) and self-regulation Social Construction of Gender Difference This perspective proposes that gender difference is socially constructed. This perspective believes that gender is socially constructed. Social constructionism of gender moves away from socialization as the origin of gender differences; people do not merely internalize gender roles as they grow up but they respond to changing norms in society. Children learn to categorize themselves by gender very early on in life. A part of this is learning how to display and perform gendered identities as masculine or feminine. Boys learn to manipulate their physical and social environment through physical strength or other skills, while girls learn to present themselves as objects to be viewed. Children monitor their own and others gendered behavior. Gender-segregated childrens activities create the appearance that gender differences in behavior reflect an essential nature of male and female behavior. Judith Bulter contends that being female is not natural and that it appears natural only through repeated performances of gender; these performances in turn, reproduce and define the traditional categories of sex and/or gender. A social constructionist view looks beyond categories and examines the intersections of multiple identities, the blurring of the boundaries of essentialist categories. This is especially true with regards to categories of male and female that are typically viewed by others as binary and opposites of each other. By deconstructing categories of gender, the value placed on masculine traits and behaviors disappears. However, the elimination of categories makes it difficult to make any comparisons between the genders or to argue and fight against male domination. Feminism, masculinism and religious views Some feminists see gender differences as caused by patriarchy or discrimination, although difference feminism argues for an acceptance of gender differences. Conservative masculists tend to see gender differences as inherent in human nature, while liberal masculists see gender differences as caused by matriarchy and discrimination. History of the struggle of female journalists: Since the 1960s, feminists have argued that it matters who makes it. When it comes to the mass media, who makes it continues to be men. Women working in the media have made some inroads. In 2001, the International Federation of Journalists reported that around the world, 38 per cent of all working journalists are women. Studies conducted by Canadian researchers Gertrude Robinson and Armande Saint-Jean have found that 28 per cent of newspaper editors are female. And according to San Diego State University communications professor Martha Lauzen, 24 per cent of American television producers, writers, and directors are women. Denis Monià ¨re, political analyst and professor at Quebecs University of Montreal maintains that even if the visibility of female journalists has grown in the last ten years, we shouldnt be too quick to shout victory. In 2002, the Canadian Newspaper Association reported that 43 per cent of Canadian newspaper employees are women. However, they account for only eight per cent of editors-in-chief and twelve per cent of publishers. Women employed in the sector tend to work in pink-collar ghettos; they make up 70 per cent of the advertising department, and 80 per cent of the accounting and finance staff. In addition to being un-represented in positions of authority, Monià ¨re thinks women are also under-utilized in covering the subjects considered most important-politics, economy and social trends. And when it comes to the evening news, women are almost invisible. The posting of Sophie Thibault in 2002 as the ten oclock news anchor for the national French-language channel TVA is a first for Canada. Most often, women are consigned to noon-hour shows, local newscasts, fill-ins and weekend spots. However, men continue to occupy approximately 75 per cent of the positions of power in the mass media. The 2001 study conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania is equally damning. The Center reports that only 13 per cent of the top executives of American media, telecommunications and e-companies are female. And that 13 per cent is not concentrated at the top: women constitute only 9 per cent of the boards of directors for these companies, and they hold only 3 per cent of the most powerful positions. CURRENT SITUATION: Women in Islamic nations are increasingly being heard, seen and listened to, thanks in part to leading female voices determined to make a difference, despite challenges ranging from motherhood to threats on their lives. One of the hostesses of a popular Saudi program called Speaking Softly says that until recently, she did not see people like herself on television. Muna Abusulayman is one of four anchorwomen on the show that deals with various issues in a talk format. Of the four, Abusulayman is the only one who wears a hijab, or headscarf. She is also divorced and lives alone with her child in Saudi Arabia. Women in the Middle East actually make up the majority of anchors and presenters on television. But, Abusulayman says, they are much less prominent behind the scenes and in other media like print and radio. Tasneem Ahmar, who runs a media and advocacy group in Pakistan as well as producing radio programs on womens issues, agrees with Abusulayman. With more than 25 years experience as a journalist, Ahmar says that, not unlike the West, most decision-making jobs, top executive positions, and tough assignments are given to men. Women normally are assigned very soft issues social issues, cultural issues, she said. There are very few women, youll find, who are doing hard political stories or economic stories or current affairs programs. Tasneem Ahmar thinks positive changes for women in the Middle East and the Islamic world are on the horizon. She predicts that a new wave of young women in the Pakistani media will have an impact in five to ten years in her country. These young girls who have come in, theyre very ambitious and theyre very hard working and I dont think anything is going to stop them from going to the top positions. While there is still a lot of work to be done, the women hope that their efforts and successes in the media will inspire not only women but men too. Or maybe there is truth to the old adage, the best man for the job is a woman. One woman in the Middle East who does cover tough stories and speaks out is May Chidiac. She is the host of a Lebanese TV program called With Audacity. Chidiac is known all over the Arab world for her tenacious journalism. A victim of an assassination attempt by suspected Syrian agents, she lost a hand and a leg in a car bombing in September 2005. After numerous surgeries, she went straight back to work. Reporter of an English Newspaper from Dhaka says that in most cases, chief reporters/assignment editors (almost everyone are male) do not assign them something special/important or significant reports. They are still assigned soft stories, days events, or light events. But male journalists get the preference to get a significant assignment, stories which might be lead stories. But the interesting point is that, many female journalists in our country now protesting this kind of attitudes and they are getting serious kind of assignment after fighting with their bosses. In Bangladesh, this is a very new phenomenon to appoint female journalists in electronic media, However, critics pointed that as female is more attractive then male in electronic media, so the media owners appoints the female journalists to attract audiences. About 15 percent female journalists are now working in countrys 11 state and privately run TV channels. On the other hand, in print media, we are very few female reporters are which any working journalist can count within 10 minutes. There are some other sectors of the media where female are more visible then reporting like hazardous and glamorous job for unknown reasons. Anam Istafa, Sub editor, National Herald Tribune openly admits that female journalists are usually assumed to be dumb and so tender hearted for Hard news coverage especially of blasts and natural disasters. She says that very rare females are at the executive positions in media news media business. Most of them usually follow guideline and policies by their male bosses. Policy and decision makers are predominantly men. Despite the increase of womens visibility in media organizations, journalists in South Asia are hardly seen in the decision-making positions. This was one of the several issues highlighted by more than 200 women working in the media from every SAARC country, who came together for the first time in Lahore, Pakistan, for a two-day meeting on Women in Media Challenges, Opportunities and Partnership. Women media persons from Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal pointed out that none of the print media in their country has ever had a female journalist heading the newsroom. Participants from India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka raised similar concerns, and also pointed out that man in their media organizations outnumbered women. Most of the participants cited long and difficult working hours, lack of incentives and appreciation to keep women working in the media, fulfilling household obligations and unequal wages as some of the reasons why women in the media are under-represented at various levels in South Asia. These were also some of the reasons why most female media persons, after working for few years, leave the profession for other jobs. Portrayal of women in the media as victims was also discussed extensively. Some of the participants pointed out that women make news in several South Asian news media only when they are victims of conflict, crime, natural disasters or terrorism. However, one of the guest speakers, Pakistans federal information minister, Qamar Zaman Kaira, said: Women journalists play an important role in voicing concerns of the victims in conflict areas, who are often women and children. Some of these victims are more comfortable sharing their experiences with female professionals. He urged women media persons to also take up more serious and hard-hitting issues relating to politics, security and conflict. Senior journalist in Pakistan, Shehar Bano, said at the conference that international research studies indicate transformation in news content brought on by an influx of women into the news media. Issues such as health, education, child care and women workers have gained prominent slots in newspapers, she said. Bandana Rana from Nepal said, however, that there are also many female media persons, who are confined to covering only feature articles on art, culture and lifestyle and very few female reporters are assigned business, economics or political stories. It was resolved during the meeting that female media persons should be given training opportunities to enhance their skills to cover all issues, along with mentorship programmes between senior and junior female journalists. Former Chairperson, Department of Mass Communications at University of Karachi, Professor Shahida Qazi said she is happy that more and more Pakistani women are now joining media. She recalled when in 1966 she had joined Daily Dawn Karachi as a reporter, many people were surprised. She said now more than 70 percent of Karachi University students are women. She said in the Department of Mass Communications, there are more female students than males. Former Secretary Information Department, and TV compere Mehtab Akbar Rashdi said declaration of the state of emergency and curbs on media in Pakistan have shocked journalists, writers and human right activists. She said the dream of gender justice and equality could not materialize until change of mindset in male population. She said even today in the practical field female journalists face many problems due to this dogmatic thinking. Rashdi said steps for empowerment of women should be taken from the home. She said parents should encourage their daughters to get higher education and work in every walk of life. Electronic media in Pakistan is highlighting gender-related issues in a better way in comparison to print media, because more women journalists work in TV channels. Pakistani women have entered the field of journalism after a tough competition. Now women journalists and photographers could be seen working in Pakistani society and it is a welcome change. Association of Television Journalists (ATJ) only has some 50 females among its 700 or so members around the country, but nearly half of them are concentrated in the business capital of Karachi. Women are highly visible in the Pakistani media as anchors and talk show hosts on dozens of private radio and television channels in various regional languages, besides English and Urdu. Women are paid less than their male colleagues for equal work and have to fight harder for the political or other high profile assignments Most identify sexual harassment as their biggest concern, according to Zebunnisa Burki, who has been coordinating South Asian Women in Media (SAWM) EFFORTS /STEPS TAKEN TO PROMOTE ROLE OF WOMEN IN MEDIA Gender Equality Beyond 2005: Building a more secure future for women reporters To mark International Womens Day on 8 March 2005, UNESCOs Director-General, KoÃÆ'à ¯chiro Matsuura, launched for the fourth time the global initiative Women Make the News. UNESCO appeals to all media producing daily news to hand over editorial responsibility to women to cast the news on that day. UNESCO Supports Gender in Journalism Awards in Pakistan The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) organizes the Gender in Journalism Awards to honour excellence in gender sensitive reporting in the country. UNESCO supports the two awards, each carrying a cash prize of Rs 25,000 (US$ 400), that will be given to Pakistani journalists. One award recognizes models for excellence and best practices in coverage of gender related issues. It is open to both male and female journalists. The second award honours outstanding coverage of any issue by a female journalist. Its aim is to promote role models for women entering or planning to enter the journalism field. Journalists working in print media may nominate their own work, or editors and others may nominate articles that promote the objectives of the awards. Fiji Women Community Radio Initiative femLINKpacific (Media Initiatives for Women), a womens media NGO, launched in 2004 femTALK 89.2FM, a mobile womens community radio project. In January 2005, as a result of the grant of UNESCOs Intergovernmental Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), the femLINKpacific is taking the suitcase radio to women in their communities. The aim of the femTALK 89,2FM project is to not only create a new space on the radio waves for community based discussion, but also to provide practical opportunities for women within their own communities to highlight and address issues relevant to them. The main focus of femLINKpacifics range of community media initiatives is women speaking to women for peace. The decision making structures still lack equal representation by women and the capacity of women, especially from the rural population and the poor, to communicate openly on common matters should be increased. International Womens Media Foundation Since its founding in 1990, the International Womens Media Foundation has conducted training programs on five continents, in 26 countries and over the Internet with the goal of strengthening the role of women in the news media worldwide. The IWMF supports women in the media through groundbreaking projects, and innovative research and training designed to help women develop their skills and become leaders in their profession. Since 1990, the IWMF has honored more than 50 extraordinarily brave and hardworking journalists with Courage in Journalism Awards. The only international awards designed to recognize the contributions of women on journalisms front lines, the Courage awards recognize women who have faced physical attacks, prison terms, beatings, rape, and death threats to themselves and their families. Training Women Media Professionals Internews is one of the worlds leading trainers of female media professionals, training more than 25,000 women in media skills since 2003 alone. Internews helps women get on the air and in the newsrooms in societies where their participation has been marginalized, allowing for reporting on all issues-not just womens issues-to be done through the voices of women in that society. Mainstreaming Womens Issues To ensure that the media meet the needs of all audiences, Internews works to foster womens leadership in the media industry so that issues of vital concern to women are mainstreamed, integrated across all programming and not relegated to a niche market. In communities where specific gender issues are underreported, such as gender-based violence or womens health, Internews has developed special programs produced by and for women. Pakistans First Radio Program by and for Women In Pakistan, where only three percent of journalists are women, Internews has worked to increase the number of women working in media, training women at journalism programs established by Internews at universities from Peshawar to Rawalpindi to Balochistan. Internews launched Meri Awaz Suno (Hear My Voice), the countrys first independent syndicated program that features women as both producers and subjects. In 2003, Internews built a state-of-theart independent radio production facility in Islamabad where women journalists are trained in radio reporting and production and work on Meri Awaz Suno. The radio show airs on 19 independent radio stations across the country, and focuses on issues such as politics, education and health. Before Internews training, most reporters working on Meri Awaz Suno had little experience working in radio or journalism. Now they are leaders the first women in Pakistan to work as independent broadcast journalists, and role models for young women. Establishment of Forum Named :Women Journalists Pakistan (WJP) The women journalists of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad formally announced Women Journalists Pakistan (WJP) forum to address professional problems faced by them and find out ways to nurture their skills. The ceremony was organized at the National Press Club, Islamabad in which Javed Akhtar, Director News Associated Press of Pakistan, Absar Alam, Anchor person Aaj TV, Qatrina Hussain, Anchor person Express TV and Fozia Shahid Anchor Person ATV shared their through provoking ideas and views with a large number of female journalists present there. According to WJP members, the body is a non-political and intellectual-based forum that aims to provide platform to working women journalists in the print and electronic media. In addition to raising a collective voice on issues faced by women journalists, the forum will initially focus on two basic aspects networking and facilitating journalists avail media-related career-building opportunities. The WJP hierarchy is: Myra Imran of The News (Convener); Saadia Khalid, The News and Humaira Sharif of APP (Resource persons). Working Group: Ayesha Habib (Dunya TV); Sehrish Majid (Apna TV), Anila Bashir- (Samaa), Asma Ghani (The Nation), Maimoona (Khabrain), Siddrah Bokhari (APP), Naheed Akhtar (APP), Shumaila Noreen (APP), Zahida Mahmood (APP), Ghazala Noreen (News-One TV), Saadia Masood (Rohi TV), Nazia Hameed (Channel 5), Afshan Qureshi (Ausaf), Rukhsana Mussarat (Radio Pakistan), Shazia Seher (Apna TV). The WJP Advisory Board comprises the following: Qatrina Hussain (Anchorperson, Express TV); Absar Alam (Anchorperson Aaj TV); Ghazi Salahuddin (Member Editorial Board, Jang Group of Newspapers); Javed Akhtar (Director News, APP); Muhammad Ziauddin (Executive Editor, The Express Tribune); Shamsul Islam Naz (Secretary General, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists); Asma Shirazi (Anchorperson Samaa TV); Mazhar Arif (Executive Director, Alternate Media) and Fozia Shahid (ATV). Establishment of Aasha (the Alliance Against Sexual Harrasment) and a code of conduct for workplace WWO is among the civil society organisations which got together a few years ago to form Aasha, the Alliance Against Sexual Harassment (www.aasha.org.pk) in collaboration with the International Labor Organisation (ILO) and Pakistans Ministry of Women Development. Aasha developed a code of conduct for the workplace and a procedure to deal with harassment and discrimination. Geo TV, the largest private television network in Pakistan is among the few media organisations Aasha lists as a progressive employer. Its not necessary for every case to be a federal issue, commented a television producer who worked with Geo when Aasha started. Often the tension arises because of the widespread gender segregation in our society many of these youngsters dont know how to interact with each other. This leads to misunderstandings that the code helps to clear up. Another reason for growing sexual harassment may be that, with education, more people are crossing class barriers. Women coming into journalism earlier were relatively well-connected and self-confident. Many now come from lower-middle class backgrounds and have less confidence. Men find it easier to take advantage of or intimidate them, observed a senior journalist. Problems Faced by Female Journalists (Pakistan) It is an established fact that women are an integral part of the Pakistani media. Professionally, they match their male colleagues and their analytical and investigative skills are quite impressive. With their distinctive approach to political, economic and social issues, women journalists have successfully highlighted the human angle that had previously remained neglected. They have proven themselves, both in the print and the electronic media. Less than a decade ago, there were very few women in journalism. But things have now changed and with the opening of a string of television channels, many new faces have joined in. These motivated girls have been a valuable addition to the Pakistani media. Viewers, readers and listeners, have all appreciated their work. However, unfortunately the working conditions in the media houses have remained unchanged. Low salaries, downsizing, lack of professionalism, non-existence of basic facilities for employees like health, old age benefits etc, no job security and non-conducive work environment in majority of media organizations especially in the Urdu print media are indeed big hurdles. This has greatly affected women journalists because they are often the first ones to become victims of downsizing. Mainly due to social pressures, they cannot work in two or three places like their male colleagues and unlike their male colleagues women are reluctant to seek favors. The constraints they face due to overall environment in media industry become a hurdle in their way to assume journalism as a career but another dimension of this issue is the problems female journalists face within their community the biggest is their continuing struggle to become registered journalists within media bodies. Unfortunately, majority of the women journalists have only been granted associate membership which is actually not regular membership. The condition is worst in under developed areas where women, in most of cases, dont apply for membership. This apparently small problem has long lasting effect on the overall situation of female journalists and their growth in media industry. Due to non-registratio
Essay --
ââ¬Å"No one comes home from war unchanged. But with early screening and adequate access to counseling, the psychological and neurological effects of combat are treatable.â⬠(Williamson & Mulhall). Deployments to war zones change service members and their families. Some of the changes are positive and some combat experiences can be traumatic and leave a long-lasting emotional wound. Exposure to traumatic combat and operational experiences affects service members and veterans spiritually, psychologically, biologically, and socially. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and major depression are increasingly recognized and potentially preventable conditions. Certain factors, especially the severity of the trauma, obvious lack of social support and disconnection have been associated with its development. A recent study found U.S. veteran suicide rates are as high as 5,000 a year. Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, have reported symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slight more than half have sought out treatment, according to a new RAND Corporation study. In addition, researchers found about 19 percent of returning service members report that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed. (Williamson & Mulhall) In military veterans and service members, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal thoughts are a problematic and common issue that has become closely linked to one another. If these illnesses are causing a mental issue with our military personnel, why are they less likely to seek out care? Many service members do not seek treatment for psychological illnesses bec... ...when it came to the topics that were being discussed, such as the injures they experience, the process and what the service members undergo in the home front that may be some potential triggers. The article is very detailed and it is a good recommendation for my fellow classmates to read, as it provides knowledge and awareness on this topic. Our military personnel and veteran clients remind us every day that extensive resources are needed to provide an equal playing field in the mental health care system, that we have much more to learn, and that the more we understand the illness in veterans and personnel, the more we can do to reduce their suffering. References Williamson, V., & Mulhall, E. (n.d.). Invisible Wounds: Psychological and Neurological Injuries Confront a New Generation of Veterans. Retrieved from http://iava.org/files/IAVA_invisible_wounds_0.pdf
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Edgar Allen Poes The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Am
Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Black Cat,' 'The Tell-Tale Heart' and 'The Cask of Amontillado' In each of Edgar Allen Poe's stories of murder and madness, he takes us inside the mind of the murderer from the time he begins until after the deed has been done. Poe gives us a point of view not common in works of horror and suspense: the killers. We read the thoughts and follow the actions of the killer as he plots and follows through with his victim?s demise. All three of his stories are alike, especially 'The Black Cat' and 'The Tell-Tale Heart.' However, I found that 'The Cask of Amontillado' differ more than any of the other two from each other. While the murderers in 'The Black Cat' and 'The Tell-Tale Heart' are motivated by their own insanity, the character in 'The Cask of Amontillado' is driven by pure, old-fashioned revenge and jealousy. A couple main details I noticed about all three tales is that each story is told in first person, and all of the main characters are male. Also, in the end of each of these short stories all men turn out to be no better, if not much wo rse, than they already were. The ?Tell-Tale Heart? begins with the murderer raving about his sanity, and that he commits the crime not because of lunacy but for his master?s ?Evil-Eye.? The man describes the eye as if it is a separate entity from the old man, and if it weren?t for the eye he would have nothing against his master. The eye being attached to the old man is just an unfortunate detail. In the following quote the man describes his feelings towards the Evil-Eye and what he decided to do about it: ?Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees-very gradually-I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself ... ...d in some part of the home of each of the murderers. Also, in both of ?The Tell-Tale Heart? and ?The Cask of Amontillado? the killer?s guilty consciences eventually caused some sort of confession of their crimes. The man in the first story was driven mad into confessing from an imaginary heart beat, and the man in the latter is left to believe his conscience is what caused him to write his story confessing his crime. Both men in ?The Tell-Tale Heart? and ?The Black Cat? were extremely confident in their job hiding the bodies, and almost bragging at their job at hiding the body. However, in all three stories the men were punished in some way. The first two stories I described had the law punishing the two men. The final story I described the man was never caught by the authorities for his crime, but instead he had to deal with the weight from his guilty conscience.
Monday, September 2, 2019
Character Sketch of Bassanio Essay
Bassanioââ¬â¢s character is more fully drawn than Antonioââ¬â¢s, but it does not possess the powerful individuality that Shakespeare gives to his portraits of Portia and Shylock. First off, when one begins considering Bassanio, one should dismiss all the critics who condemn him for his financial habits. Bassanioââ¬â¢s request to Antonio for more money is perfectly natural for him. He is young; he is in love; and he is, by nature, impulsive and romantic. Young men in love have often gone into debt; thus Bassanio has always borrowed money and, furthermore, no moral stigma should be involved. Shakespeare needs just such a character in this play for his plot. If Bassanio is not a powerful hero, he is certainly a sympathetic one. First, he has some of the most memorable verse in the play ââ¬â language which has music, richness, and dignity. Second, he shows us his immediate, uncalculated generosity and love; this is especially obvious when Bassanio, who has just won Portia, receives the letter telling him of Antonioââ¬â¢s danger. Bassanio is immediately and extremely concerned over the fate of Antonio and is anxious to do whatever is possible for his friend. Here, the situation is melodramatic and calls for a romantic, seemingly impossible, rescue mission. When at last Bassanio and Portia are reunited, he speaks forthrightly and truthfully to her. He refuses to implicate Antonio, even though it was at Antonioââ¬â¢s urging that he gave away his wedding ring to the judge who cleverly saved Antonioââ¬â¢s life: ââ¬Å"If you did know,â⬠he tells Portia, ââ¬Å"for what I gave the ring / And how unwillingly I left the ring . . . You would abate the strength of your displeasure. â⬠No matter how powerful the circumstances, he admits that he was wrong to part with the ring because he had given his oath to Portia to keep it. As the play ends, Bassanioââ¬â¢s impetuous nature is once more stage-center. Speaking to his wife, he vows: ââ¬Å"Portia, forgive me this enforced wrong; . . . and by my soul I swear / I never more will break an oath with thee. â⬠Of course, he will; this, however, is part of Bassanioââ¬â¢s charm. He means it with all his heart when he swears to Portia, but when the next opportunity arises and he is called on to rashly undertake some adventure full of dash and daring, heââ¬â¢ll be off. Portia knows this also and loves him deeply, despite this minor flaw.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
English As Official Language In United States Essay
Introduction à à à à à à à à à à à The United States of America is the melting pot of cultures and values permeated to its ââ¬Å"Americanâ⬠way of life. Along this line, this cultures and values bring with them its languages so unique with each other culture that as such ethnic people grew over times; the language also conquers the different corners of the great American Dream. Now, English language is in a precarious situation whether or not it is still viable to allow it to remain as USââ¬â¢ official language. And since a significant number of US nationals feel comfortable speaking a language other than English, the federal government should reconsider English as the official language of the United States. This paper will examine the evolution of ââ¬Å"Englishâ⬠as an American language. Also, it will explore the dimension of the English Only Movement (EOM) and the Melting Pot Theory in relation to ââ¬Å"Englishâ⬠as an official American language. English Language In 2001, Harrop reported that from the recently concluded 2002 U.S. census revealed that ââ¬Å"49 percent of Hispanics in America are not fluent in English.â⬠As the fastest growing United Statesââ¬â¢ minority, the Hispanic population represents 12.5 percent of the population. Harrop also revealed that the Hispanicââ¬â¢s legal picture is astonishing as EEOC data revealed that the complaints lodge before it have more than doubled in 5 years and settlements have risen to over $50 million (Harrop, 2001). The United Statesââ¬â¢ inhabitants have never had any official language to speak of. Over 6 % of United Statesââ¬â¢ primary school children were instructed in German until the World War I and now over 45 million American nationals still state that their forefathers spoke German. The large scale immigration of the 20th century led to the inhabitance of multilingual people inside the US, thus, around 336 different languages are presently spoken which comprise 176 endemic dialects. Also, more than 47 million American nationals use a language other than English within their homes including 30 million Spanish speakers. à à à à à à à à à à à When the US Senate voted to select English as the official language and prohibited the use of other languages for federal government orders and services with a vote of 63-34, the US Senate it self was placed in a dilemma as the law barred effectively other languages is the US documents. Thus,à à Oklahoma Republican Senator James Inhofe offered an amendment to remedy this problem because it split the Senate along largely party lines, with only nine of the 44 Democrats voting for it, and just one Republican voting against (Cornwell 2006). On the part of former Democratic minority (now Majority) leader Harry Reid, he à identified this amendment as ââ¬Å"racistâ⬠whereas Ken Salazar, a Colorado Democrat of Hispanic origin, described it as ââ¬Å"divisive and anti-Americanâ⬠(Cornwell, 2006). The rationale for these two statements issued by US Senateââ¬â¢s distinguished members hinges on the fact that law passed neglects any provisions for services in languages other than English. This would be a problematic situation for those Americans who cannot speak English fluently. Also, the law in effect would also force new immigrants to have considerable knowledge of English language before they get US nationality. On the historical hindsight, English language was voted out German by a difference of just one vote when it was selected as the official language of the US by Congressmen in the year 1795 (Cornwell 2006). à à à à à à à à à à à In protecting the minorityââ¬â¢s right on education, the Majority (through the US Congress) passed into law the Bilingual Education Act of 1968. This act protects the immigrants who were limited English proficient and at the same time meet their needs as they assimilate to the American society. à Crawford revealed the law was enacted when the US was the apex of the Great Society and was signed into law by President Johnson without a single voice raised in dissent. In spite of this landmark legislationââ¬â¢s noble aims, the Americans public has spent the past 30 years debating what the law wants to accomplish. Thus, following questions were raised: ââ¬Å"[w]as this 1968 law intended primarily to assimilate limited-English-proficient (LEP) children more efficiently? [t]o teach them English as rapidly as possible? [t]o encourage bilingualism and biliteracy? [t]o remedy academic underachievement and high dropout rates? [t]o raise the self-esteem of minority students? [t]o promote social equality? [o]r to pursue all of these goals simultaneously? These questions were never answered in the Congressââ¬â¢ journals of its proceedings (50). à English Only Movement The English Only Movement (EOM), a movement initiated in the 1980s, is a sequel of the procedure of domestic colonialism which leads to other languages which are spoken by minoritiesââ¬â¢ demolition. In 1979, a Carnegie Corporationââ¬â¢s report pointed out that ââ¬Å"bilingual education was the preeminent civil rights issue within Hispanic communitiesâ⬠(Penna & Shepherd; à p. 147). Thus, the bilingual education became a key issue that create distress in the Mexican community inside the United States according to different researches carried out by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission ( 1967- 1975). The researches also reveled that the US academic system was thought of as being against the cultural traditions of the Mexican population resulting to a negative effects on the Mexicans including inferiority complexes. It is in this instance that the community traditions and customsââ¬â¢ eradication is no doubt, an abuse of the basic civil rights of these people in regard to communityââ¬â¢s linguistic and cultural survival. On the domestic front, the English Only Movementââ¬â¢s amendment in the state of California was a triumph for those who support the use of English as an official language. It gave legal status to an issue that goes against biculturalism and bilingualism. The between 1986 and 1989, voters and legislators in thirty-nine states took into account plans analogous to that of Californian amendment. This led to the appearance of 17 states with English as the official language. The English Only Movement is successful in bringing bilingual education policy to the leading position of national debate that includes questions, the approach of scientific teachings of bilingual education and a federal resolution à that could shed light as to why English should be the official language of the United States. à à Melting Pot Theory The current discussion over the bilingualism is hinges on the theory that the United States is an assimilationist society or a form of society embracing many minority groups and culture traditions. And this theory is very old. Though this was the case, there were some exchanging of views forcefully stating that United States is a melting pot, which theorizes that people of various nations settle in America and forced to resemble which means to become an American completely. à Lawmakers Push Official English reported in the Washington Post revealed that the March 14 to 16 poll of 1,007, with a margin of error of three percentage points showed that 63 percent of Americans would like to have their ballots and voting materials only in English as compared to those 35 percent who wanted them printed in English and other languages (Lawmakers Push Official English, A06). The results in this opinion poll adheres to the results of the Myths of the Melting Potââ¬â¢s study which, though noble as it is, spread all throughout a wrong ideas about languages which are mostly not challenged à nor supported by historical records. In fact, US language policyââ¬â¢s history on the subjectââ¬â or lack of one ââ¬â both work at lower consequences than the logical basis for official English language and provide a warning lesson about any actions to restricting languages which are rarely in use. The following are points to ponder in this regard: Unfavorable to the myth, the United States has never been a basic speaking and/or using only one language country. By the period of time, one from eight of permanent inhabitants reported a languages background other than English in 1976, this is variety of nothing new but some skilled persons in languages or study of languages believe that the United States has been the habitant of more persons able to speak two languages than any other nation in the history of the world. As early as 1664, when the colony of the New Netherlands came into possession of British, eighteen different languages were spoken on Manhattan Island, not including the language spoken by the local inhabitants of America which were numbered more than five hundred in North America at the time. Considering the US history, the prevailing federal policy on languages has only maintained tolerance and adjustments. In spite of the language variety in 1787, the famous took no interest to protect or encourage English: United States constituents. Because discussion were held in private and we must depend on James Madisonââ¬â¢s informal notes, it is not clear, if any language issues came up during the federal agreement on social behavior in Philadelphia (Farrand 1913). But available facts strongly suggest that our early leaders regarded language laws of any type as a cause of harm to civil freedom from captivity. Recognizing about rarely spoken languages reflected bilingual and non-English ââ¬â language schools which were ordinary in many districts until the long time period of World War I. In 1710, British missionaries were invited to maintain schools among the Iroquois League of Ally States, with the demand that students should be informed or taught with their national languages. Parts of bible which were translated in Mohawk language were included in the texts used. In 1802, Congress began a yearly devotion of ($15,000) to encourage ââ¬Å"civilization among the old inhabitants (before the arrival of colonists).â⬠This money was devoted to religious schools in which many schools were bilingual. The liberation policy on languages was the best and ideal policy for this country, but it is no upheld especially among people conquered and angry for supposed un-justice; people living in colonies and some racial people. Attitudes of the 19th centuries towards their right of language were considerably less tolerant than say towards speakers of German, French or Scandinavian languages à à Conclusion Language is another example of making sure that the classââ¬â¢s position in society prevails. This paper has shown the many ways that minority languages are saved from oblivion in the US. For this reason, it is important to known by the baffling ways in which this is happening. à Official English/English Onlyââ¬â¢s websites revealed that ââ¬Å"[e]nglish as the nationââ¬â¢s dominant language is no more threatened at the turn of the 21st century than it was at the turn of the 20th. To the contrary, it is all the other languages that are endangered ââ¬â and would soon die out, if not for the replenishing effects of immigrationâ⬠(Official English/English Only, n.p.). English as an official US language has been an issue for decades by which some influential groups/people have been trying to restrict other languages and promote English Language.à On the other hand, this policy has not been accepted nor approved by the majority of Americans as it is discriminatory to other equal language. This idea is not hidden. Making English as the US official language is the agenda of White Americans ââ¬â it also unveils the approach of White American as they donââ¬â¢t want more immigrants from the third world countries. It will be discriminatory to other language and this moved, if ever, is contrary to the hope and aspirations why this country was founded and continued to be strong. Works Cited Cornwell, Rupert. May 20, 2006. At last, America has an official language (and yes, itââ¬â¢s English) Independent, The (London) James Crawford. Language Politics in the U.S.A.: The Paradox of Bilingual Education. Journal Social Justice. Volume: 25. Issue: 3. Year: 1998. Page Number: 50 Maureen E. Harrop. Managing a Non-English-Speaking Workforce ââ¬â Hispanic Americans ââ¬â Brief Article ââ¬â Statistical Data Included. Modern Machine Shop, Nov, 2001 à à à à à à à à à à à http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3101/is_6_74/ai_79900955 à à à à à à à à à à à Accessed, April 21, 2007 Lawmakers Push Official English; Bills Tied to Immigration Reform. The Washington Times. Publication Date: April 3, 2006. Page Number: A06. Official English/English Only . n.d. http://www.elladvocates.org/englishonly.html à à à à à à à à à à à Accessed, April 21, 2007 David Penna and George W. Shepherd Jr. Racism and the Underclass: State Policy and Discrimination against Minorities.Publisher: Greenwood Press. Place of Publication: New York. Year: 1991. Page Number: 145. Ã
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