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“Gender is the structure of social relations that centers on the reproductive ...

“Gender is the structure of social relations that centers on the reproductive arena, and the set of practices that bring reproductive distinctions between bodies into social processes.” (Connell, Chapter 1, 2009). Unfortunately, gender involves also hierarchy, where we examine inequality in terms of power, wealth and privilege. One of the ways to learn about the gender roles and what kind of social norms and expectations exist in the society is movies. As socialization process begins from early childhood, Disney movies are a great illustration in terms of questioning the representation of roles. In this paper, I will examine the representation of gender roles and stereotypes by comparing three Disney movies: Snow White, Pocahontas, Frozen and try to explain how the portrayal has changed over the time scope.

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Before having the lectures on gender stereotypes, I did not pay attention to the movies which I grew up with. When I go back to my childhood, I cannot describe the happiness that I was getting by watching Disneyland movies. There was a single movie that I did not miss so far that made by Walt Disney. Although my mom was warning me that whatever I see in movies is not the real or accurate portrayal of real life, I loved to compare myself to the princesses and dreaming to be beautiful as them. Now I do understand how child’s sense of self-structured by pop culture. I do realize now what kind of stereotypes each movie had that I have watched.

My analysis will begin my favorite Disney animated movie called “Snow White” that released in 1937. From the first perspective, the movie shows how a princess having a good relationship with dwarfs and interesting romance at the end of the movie ending happily with cheerful music in the background. However, if we go into deep analysis we can see that this young lady portrays expectations from the females in the society. She does housekeeping and acting like a mom for dwarfs by nurturing them. She is so naïve that can accept an apple from the stranger and mostly important waits for the prince to save her. In masculinities schema, Snow White can be associated with the emphasized femininity because she has “soft and docile personality that expresses such things as sociability rather than technical competence, fragility in mating scenes, compliance with men’s desires for titillation and ego-stroking, as well as acceptance of marriage and childcare” (Howson, 2005). Prince who saves her from her step-mother is the ideal type of masculinity, which is hegemonic since he has all features of it such as whiteness, richness, educations and etc. On the other hand, the release date of the movie let us connect the concept of the movie with the first-wave of feminism. Beginning from the 19th-century, women were fighting for equality. This movement spread, especially with the acceptance of the 19th amendment (voting right for women). However, it slowed down in late 1920’s with the Great Depression. There were scholars such as Simone de Belvoir who was challenging this movement by his writings. According to him, women were the other and should be oppressed by culture. In my opinion, at that time males were afraid of losing their power in the society and did not want to empower women in this sense.

After the Snow-White Disney made three movies: Cinderella and Sleeping beauty, Little Mermaid. These three movies were not different than former one with their scenarios, as they featured beautiful, weak, young females waiting for their strong, brave male partners to rescue them from the situation they are in.

However, Disney revealed a movie called Pocahontas (1995), which grabbed my attention with its uniqueness from previous movies. Unlike, other female characters Pocahontas was strong and an independent girl. She was not looking for a prince to marry, yet she saves his partner from her father’s hatred. If we categorize the type of gender she has, the ambivalent feminist can be fit for the female character. She resists the rules of his father, at the same time corporates with her male partner (Howson, 2005). We still observe the hegemonic masculinity features on the male partner of this movie. I remember I was so surprised while watching the movie and could not believe how female character act like the male and be strong. What was the reason behind this change? Why movie writers changed their attitudes towards women? It can stem from the second wave of feminism (1960-1980), which influenced the social norms and expectations of the females. Even though the revival and wave the feminism movement happened in the late 1960s and early 1970s, that still did not stop the ripple effect for the years that would follow. Like mentioned previously, monumental strides were made for women’s rights and equality in the United States. The mentality of the American people changed dramatically. Due to this movement, affirmative action took place such as equal payment for work, quotas in policies and campaigns, special treatment of women and men with responsibilities.

If we analyze the recent movies by Disney, they attempt to eliminate the mistakes that they have done in the past in terms of gender stereotypes and create role model princesses for young girls. Frozen (2013) is the best example of these movies. The main characters in this movie are both females. The main theme of the movie is not the romance but the sister relationship emphasizing family values. The message of this movie is to show that females can make their own decisions and be happy for being the hero of their lives. The type of the gender she represents can be associated with the protest feminists. The central message of the movie challenges a very fundamental of gender order by empowering woman and giving them a chance of controlling everything by themselves. The reason behind this kind of movies stems from the change that occurred recently in the society and impact of the fourth wave of feminism, where we can see the neoliberal values. The campaigns spread by the famous woman also influence the roles and norms of gender.

In conclusion, it is not easy to live in a male-dominated world, especially where females are discriminated even in the constitution of the country. However, as a female, I believe that we will be able to solve the gender problems if we educate our females.


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Growing up means growing up with stereotypes and gender roles following behind l ...

Growing up means growing up with stereotypes and gender roles following behind like an annoying friend. They mature, starting from being expected to playing with and nursing dolls, or destroying toys and playing in the mud, and from there never seem to end. As a young child, girls are taught that if a boy belittles her and relentlessly harrases her, that he must like her and she should just shut up, accept it, and be happy to let it happen and to hide her shame. “Shame leads to silence the silence that keeps other people believing that we actually approve of the things that are done to women…” . This is not only taught by our society, but also our media starting with movies shown to children. One of the culprits to presenting these stereotypes and making them “normal” is Disney, who can be infamous for instilling this into little girls and even boys  minds. This only further brought to light by making the female’s roles in their movies as innocent, pure, and whilst very rarely independent, while the men are big, burly, aggressive and pushy. One of Disney’s most prominent offenders is “Beauty and the Beast” which came out in 1991, which is a good sign that this is not a new issue.

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Belle is seen as a strange character and this is because she doesn’t want to get married and be a housewife like Snow White or Cinderella, instead she is the type of character that is “Supposedly a “smart” woman who reads books,” and wants to travel. “But her sense of possible destinies for woman is based on romances.” Therefore the bookish heroine had been created to try and keep up with the actual changes to how women have been viewed, but she had still been seen as a weird female character.

In “Beauty and the Beast”, Belle is a young independent woman who doesn’t seem to need the attention from any male figure in her life other than her father. She is the embodiment of a self-sufficient female, until one of the main male characters comes into play. This character, Gaston, is the conventional image of a male that is typically aggressive, as he is very belligerent towards Belle and anyone who crosses his path. The way he treats Belle is a stepping stone to further the plot in the movie as Belle is not interested in Gaston which only promotes his hostility. While this seems as just an essential plot point in a little kids movie, it seems to go much further as some women could probably relate with what Belle is going through. In an essay by Paul Theroux, he explains that “It is very hard to imagine any concept of manliness that does not belittle women, and it begins very early.”  This can be applied to the well-loved Disney movie because as little girls are told it is “okay” for boys to be entitled to them, and to show “affection” by bullying them while none of the supporting characters seem to realize that what Gaston is doing is actually wrong. In fact, it seems that the issue in the “Beauty and the Beast” isn’t regarding stereotyping women, but rather that they focus on and accentuating the male stereotype.

Gaston is accompanied by his sidekick, Lefou, who reminds him that he can in fact get whatever he wants. Yearned for from all of the women in the town, with even the men wishing they were as “godly” and looked as good as he did, Gaston ignores all of “lesser” looking women and expects Belle to be his wife. He explains how he would want her to maintain the house, rub his feet, and bear his many children, regardless of the knowledge that Belle is completely uninterested in being his “little wife” who conceives his progeny. Gaston furthers his idiocracy by claiming that women should not read and not exhibit intellect and taking a spiteful insult delivered by Belle as a compliment. This also breaks into the conventional standard that men do not have to be smart to be accepted.

Entitled males is a recurring theme in “Beauty and the Beast” and it does not stop at Gaston. When Belle finally meets the Beast, a prince whose fate has goes awry and was turned into a monster, she is overcome with his quarrelsome personality and is in fact locked up so she would not leave him. It is gathered from this point on that Belle is simply a way for the Beast to retrieve his former looks, owing to the fact that as soon as he can find someone to love him, he will be “normal” again. At one point, Belle cleans up after the Beast following one of his outbursts, be it because she felt she needed to or she was just being kind, it was incredibly unnecessary as she is literally being held captive in his castle. Barbara Ehrenreich, in her essay “What I’ve Learned from Men” states, “The essence of ladylikeness is a persistent servility masked as ‘niceness.’ For example, we (women) tend to assume that it is our responsibility to keep everything ‘nice’ even when the person we are with is rude, aggressive, or emotionally AWOL.”  As the Beast became violent, Belle was inclined to take initiative to clean up for him, even after what he did to her.

Despite all of what the Beast puts Belle through, she still undoubtedly falls in love with him and he reverses back into the “beautiful” prince he once was. Nothing anyone with common sense would question why Belle would stay with the Beast would have to realize that there is no reason, this is just another stereotype provided by Disney. As a consequence of this, young children are introduced early to stereotypes of the way manliness “should be” and how women are “expected” to be. Nevertheless, the main target generation of these movies happen to be the same generation that has grown up to break these cliche “norms” and understand that these gender roles and expectations are ones that should be noticed. Perhaps the parents of the kids who watch these movies still today can use it as a teaching lesson, showing that being presumptuous is not the proper way to express interest in someone, and that being hostile and expecting one to succumb their expectations is wrong.

Works Cited

  1. Ehrenreich, B. (1989). What I’ve learned from men. In The Norton book of personal essays (pp. 271-276). W.W. Norton & Company.
  2. Fausto-Sterling, A. (2000). Sexing the body: Gender politics and the construction of sexuality. Basic Books.
  3. Fine, C. (2010). Delusions of gender: How our minds, society, and neurosexism create difference. WW Norton & Company.
  4. Halberstam, J. (1998). Female masculinity. Duke University Press.
  5. Hooks, B. (2004). The will to change: Men, masculinity, and love. Washington Square Press.
  6. Kimmel, M. (2017). Healing from hate: How young men get into-and out of-violent extremism. University of California Press.
  7. Martin, J. (2019). From reverence to rape: The treatment of women in the movies. University of Chicago Press.
  8. Serano, J. (2016). Whipping girl: A transsexual woman on sexism and the scapegoating of femininity. Seal Press.
  9. Strinati, D. (1995). An introduction to theories of popular culture. Routledge.
  10. Wood, J. T. (2018). Gendered lives: Communication, gender, and culture. Cengage Learning.

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Table of contentsIntroductionBackground of the organisationImpetus for the chang ...

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background of the organisation
  3. Impetus for the changeAnalysis and evaluation of the change process/programUnfreezingChangingBusiness strategicOrganisation structureHuman ResourcesRefreezing:
  4. Recommendations
  5. Conclusion

Introduction

This report is conducted to analyse and examine the change management of Nokia, one of the top mobile manufacture. The report will go through the information of the Nokia about their background and history. The problems of falling behind in the world competition are also pointed out. From these problems, it is the time for Nokia to working on their change process. Nokia implemented the change on the important aspects of the organisation by the direction of its new CEO.

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Background of the organisation

Nokia Corporation or Nokia is a well-known Finish multi industrial company, founded in 1865 from a single paper mill operation (Bennett and Pohjanpalo, 2017). Since the telephony began, Nokia started to step into the telecommunication world. And when Europe deregulated the industry, Nokia decided to made the mobile and telecommunications as their core business with a great number of achievements in human history such as the first fully-digital local telephone exchange, first car phone, first GSM (Global system for mobile communications) call … (Schrempf, 2011). By 1998, Nokia was the world leading brand in mobile phone devices for decades. The ambition of this innovation leader had been shown more clearly by evolving and expanding their business. joining with some giant companies like Siemens, Microsoft … With the vision of transforming the way people and things communicate and connect, running by thousands of people across over 100 countries, Nokia Corporation was an iconic model of a successful organisation in their shining era.

Impetus for the change

According to Aubry et., driven forces. In this case, the problems Nokia faced can also be divided into 2 categories: internal and external forces. At that time, Nokia were facing the world innovation competition with new companies. Technology is one of the fastest growing elements in this modern world (Hallingby, 2016). Many great innovations and achievements were presented to improve the human life, especially in the mobile and telecommunications. With the appearance of smartphones, the competition in the market became more intense between the device manufacturers. In 2007, Apple introduced their first multi-touch smartphones with unique operating systems (OS)and a mobile platform named App Store later. No longer after that, Android OS also was created along with the Play store platform. These new OSs with its platforms were the new revolutions at that time and customers started to adopt it. By 2010, these two dominated the market. As the largest mobile devices manufacturer, Nokia believed all the new products they introduced were the latest technology and ignored the presence of Apple and Android OS. However, they didn’t plan that this emergence had led to the change of the demand and behaviour of customers. Nokia sales kept falling and lost their first-ranking in the industry (Violeta and Camelia, 2016). For the internals forces, Nokia got a great history as a Finnish organisation, especially its top management. With the people from the same background and generation, the culture and leadership in the organisation became conservative, lack of great innovations and their bureaucratic culture in the rapid changing world (Violeta and Camelia, 2016). Nokia sales kept falling and lost their first-ranking in the industry due to their conservative with the growth of technology.

Analysis and evaluation of the change process/program

Organisational change refers to a long-range effort to improve an organisation’s problem-solving capabilities and its ability to cope with changes in its external environment with the help of change agent (?uriši?-Bojanovi?, 2016). According to Dittrich and Duysters (2007), Nokia has gone through several organisational changes since their establishment. And one of the current major change in this organisation was their devices and services partnership with Microsoft, the American technology ‘giant’. The change process at that time was critical for Nokia when their profit and market share continually declined. Before going with the deal, Nokia appointed Stephen Elop as their CEO to drive the company through the hard time.

To analyse this change process, the Kurt Lewin’s change model will be used in this part. This model includes three stages: Unfreezing, Changing and Refreezing (Medley & Akan, 2008). The reason of using this module is because this is a planned change when Nokia got a change agent, Elop as a CEO determined and prepared the process for the organisation.

Unfreezing

Unfreezing is the first step of the process. This is the time for the organisation to prepare for the change by starting to recognise the forces for the change and also against it. Driven forces make the group members become dissatisfied with the status quo of the organisation and get ready for the change time. However, there are some obstacles forces to change when it restrains the change process (Maon, Lindgreen & Swaen, 2009). In the Nokia case, applying the Lewin’s force field model is the suitable overview to understand the current state of the organisation. Figure 1 will show this analysis.

From this module, it is clear to see that driven forces outweigh the restraining forces which means change was seriously needed for Nokia. The large amount of difficulties that Nokia was facing made their business suffering and it was the time for Nokia seeking a way to move forward, improving their effectiveness in the mobile devices industry. For restraining forces, these are the problems against the change process occurred in the organisation. To commence the change, Nokia and the management had to reduce the change resistance. Change process could not carry on without a change agent. Change agent is a leader of change who can be internal or external in the organisation (Zbieg, Batorski & Zak, 2016). As the first non-Finish leader in the organisation history, Elop acted a change agent and soon started the change process by issued a burning platform memo openly showing to his employees about the serious strategic challenge they facing. The memo also called everyone to contribute their opinions to undertake change. This was a great move of Elop to overcome the resistance when employees were aware of their new CEO and the organisation current state. Later, employees were noticed about the process of change. Here is a summary of Elop memo:

“We fell behind, we missed big trends, and we lost time. At that time, we thought we were making the right decisions; but, with the benefit of hindsight, we now find ourselves years behind.

“There is intense heat coming from our competitors, more rapidly than we ever expected. Apple disrupted the market by redefining the smartphone and attracting developers to a closed, but very powerful ecosystem.”

“The Shenzhen region of China is able to produce phones at an unbelievable pace. By some accounts, this ecosystem now produces more than one third of the phones sold globally – taking share from us in emerging markets.”

“Our competitors aren’t taking our market share with devices; they are taking our market share with an entire ecosystem.”

“We poured gasoline on our own burning platform. I believe we have lacked accountability and leadership to align and direct the company through these disruptive times. We had a series of misses. We haven’t been delivering innovation fast enough. We’re not collaborating internally.” (Anthony, 2012).

Changing

The mid-step in Lewin model is changing or moving. It is the time for applying and implementing the plans, the actions for change. The change tools in this stage covers many aspects of the organisation.

Business strategic

Days later after the memo, Elop announced the new strategy for Nokia when shifting its current OS to Microsoft’s Windows and they became the partnership in mobile and services. Partnership is one of the tools in organisational change. It will match up well in all areas of those organisations and allow them being mutually beneficial (Schuster & Holtbrugge, 2014). This partnership was a big surprise for everyone internal and external of Nokia as well as Microsoft. Confusing and worrying about the big change did happen to everyone involved in the change. However, as a decision maker, Elop believed the joint was the opportunity for them to work together, bring more innovations and creating a differentiation in the market. The two combined their strengths in mobile and services. Nokia Maps, for example, would be at the heart of key Microsoft assets like Bing and AdCenter, and Nokia's application and content store would be integrated into Microsoft Marketplace. As the new goals, a new ecosystem of mobile devices was expected to be a revolution and success for two in a near future (Carter, 2011).

Organisation structure

After the partnership agreement, Elop started restructure Nokia. He chose to delayered management structure, bringing a flatter one to the organisation. The new management layer will be called as the Leadership team instead of Executive Board. Delayering is about removing levels of management of the organisation in a high competitive environment (Pai, 2015). In this case, it is important to have delayering as the change tool as Nokia original structure was complicated and slow in making decision. The new changed would help them to increase the efficiency and productivity. Elop also changed the operational structure of the mobile and services division by dividing it into two core units which are smart devices and mobiles phones. These units have their own responsibility for their performance focusing the full customer experience. The divisions were small in size and enabled faster response in targeting markets that were vastly different with respect to feature demand and usage. There were some more units also formed to support and collaborate the core units towards the goals (Eddy, 2011).

Human Resources

When appointing the new CEO, Nokia had made the first move in term of leadership. An outsider like Elop could bring a new atmosphere to the organisation and shake up the way Nokia doing their business. Later, with an improved organisational structure, Elop putting in some new faces in the leadership roles to help him drive the business such as Marry McDowell in Mobile Phones, Jo Harlow in Smart Devices ... (Eddy, 2011).

In the effort of cutting cost budget, Elop chose to delayer the organisation and close some facilities in the world. This also means that thousands of people would be layoff. And to do this task right in preventing the disappointment and furious, Elop and team tried to develop a program that help and guide these employees before and after the layoffs process. Later, they introduced the Bridge program which assists them to depart the employees by multiple ways (McKinset Quaterly, 2016).

Refreezing:

The last stage of Lewin change model is refreezing which is about change slowing down and new strategies becoming standard practice. Rewarding will be in place when the organisation reached the desired situation (Baldomir & Hood, 2016). After the major change process in the organisation, Nokia’s market share started to recover and soon their Window Mobile replaced Blackberry as the third ecosystem in the market. However, the team kept taking more actions to focus its product offering, product competitiveness and improving the profit seriously.

Recommendations

From the previous part, it can be seen that the change program was huge for Nokia when affecting all aspects of the organisation from strategies to humans. Changing was expected to help Nokia get more opportunities to gain back their market share and improve the profit, bringing new range and differentiation for customers. However, the real outcomes were not completely like the expectations. To be able to achieve the better results, it is recommended that Nokia should realise and apply the change earlier. At the time for change, it was late to process when Apple and Android were taking the dominance in the market share. If Nokia realise their problems earlier, they could have time to prepare more carefully and radically. Next, when having new and non-traditional leader in the organisation, especially CEO position, Nokia should acknowledge and inform its people clearer. They must point out what the benefits and outcomes are expected by having a non-Finish CEO like Elop to bring to the organisation. The more positive thing employees see, the less resistance of change from them ().

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Conclusion

Nokia was the most famous mobile device company in the work. But over a period of time, Nokia stick to its old traditional way when the world and competitors kept changing and creating new trends. As the consequences, they lost their market share and profit fell rapidly. They started change. However, the fundamentals of the change process had not been effectively drawn out by the organisation. Nokia attempts for reviving its current state and get back to the mobile market failed because of lacking strong plan and stakeholder engagement. This is a lesson for Nokia and also other organisations when going for change which always have to be prepared and incorporate by everyone in the organisation to move forwards.


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Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren once said, "Mere unorthodoxy or d ...

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren once said, "Mere unorthodoxy or dissent from the prevailing norms is not to be condemned. The absence of such voices would be a symptom of grave illness in our society." This message combined with the government position of its speaker reveal the belief that challenging the political system benefits humanity as a whole. While both Plato and John Stuart Mill recognize the nature and importance of dissent in a philosophical discussion, they disagree on its implementation within a political system. Through Plato's Crito, dissent is perceived as a detriment to society because a citizen has an obligation to maintain political order, rather than destroy it by disobeying the laws. To purposefully act contrary to that system is to weaken its power and organization, thus deteriorating the cohesion of society. Mill, however, believes that the ideal forum for dissent is the political system because politics is the collaboration of individual ideas. To ignore one opinion entirely is to weaken the system, in his eyes. With these fundamentally similar definitions of dissent applied in entirely different fashions, the dilemma between political and personal obligation is uncovered in the writings of Plato and Mill.

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Throughout the dialogue between Socrates and Crito, Plato reveals his stance concerning the importance of dissent within a healthy society. Plato's perception of dissent, as revealed by this work, is an expression of individuality within a society that preaches conformity. While dissension is a healthy form of personal expression, there are limitations to the extent with which it can be beneficially pursued. Plato sees opposition as the crux of philosophical debate because it forces people to look beyond their perceptions and welcome foreign concepts. Through the expansion of linear thought, people are able to see life and society in different ways. Politically, however, there must be established laws by which all citizens are expected to abide. Without the compliance found within this doctrine, a state "in which the decisions of the law have no power but are set aside and trampled on by individuals" cannot possibly subsist and "not be overthrown." (Plato 54) Because humanity is social by nature, there is no hope for man's survival in an apolitical world. Socrates understands that the Athenian civilization relies on the basis of obedience among all of the citizens. In an attempt to maintain that structure, Socrates sacrifices his opportunity to escape from execution because he is unable to justify "trying to escape without the consent of the Athenians" (Plato 53). Without that consent, Socrates is obligated by his duty to his country to follow through with the sentence. Socrates finds value in laws of social order and therefore refrains from utter dissension. Summarily, while Socrates believes strongly in the importance of philosophical dissent, he recognizes the political limit and decides to act with social propriety.

Throughout Mill's discussion concerning the freedom of speech in his On Liberty, he reveals his opinion concerning the topic. He perceives dissension as the expression of original ideas in a society diluted with blind acceptance. He depicts his value of opposition both philosophically and politically through examining the principles in a life of silenced opposition. To silence dissent is to assume that the laws in place have a sense of infallibility. No individual can ever claim to have attained complete understanding of the world and cannot, therefore, determine what is true and what is false. People are fallible by nature and must therefore allow for change within their political systems. Furthermore, stifling dissent stilts the intellectual process because people believe some value without analyzing its nature. Moreover, to silence dissent reduces the truth to prejudice. Opposition forces people to deeply analyze their beliefs, therefore reinforcing or abolishing those principles. Dissension, in essence, challenges the perceptions of normalcy by presenting a "clearer perception and livelier impression of truth." (Mill 210) These challenges, in turn, force people to reconsider their stances on an array of topics because any belief "unless suffered to be, and actually is, vigorously and earnestly contested" is "deprived of its vital effect" (Mill 210) Along these lines, dissent is closely linked to the government in Mill's eyes because even the "best government has no more title to it than the worst." (Mill 209) To silence the minority in favor of upholding public opinion is equally as (if not more) offensive as government acting against the public's will. Politics are the ideal forum for disagreement because it offers an opportunity to refine the old laws and generate new ones. To challenge a political system is to question the modes of society and attempt to better its policies. Government is capable of great good and great evil. The result depends on its citizens' ability to change the policies that act against man's nature. Therefore, in Mill's perception, dissent is critical to both philosophical and political institutions.

From my Americanized perspective, I find much truth in both arguments but I am more inclined to side with Mill's advocacy of dissension within everyday political life. Within the democracy of the United States of America, citizens have both the right and obligation to challenge the sometimes narrow and antiquated laws governing such a diverse population. Without dissension, I believe that we as citizens are in danger of becoming complacent in our current society. Complacency is a state to be avoided because it evokes a concept of blind acceptance of the will of the majority. I personally fear and abhor the will of the majority in many situations and am not afraid to state my opinion. The majority is often ill informed and unwilling to admit to it. To sacrifice one's opinion and beliefs to perpetuate the structure of society seems a weak attempt to avoid conflict. I believe that some situations call for the change of society's policies rather than the change of the individual's convictions. Granted that there will be times wherein the individual will be wrong, there still must be that opportunity to evaluate that opinion fairly rather than have it automatically silenced. As author Tryon Edwards once said, "he that never changes, never corrects his mistakes, and will never be wiser one the morrow than he is today." If society never reevaluates its policies, the standard of living will become static and eventually antiquated. Therefore, I am inclined to agree with Mill's belief that dissension should be an integral aspect of both philosophical and political debate.

While Mill and Plato disagree on the specific applications of dissension, they both agree that it is critical to the development of human beings in some form. Although Plato believes firmly in the sustenance of the political institution, he realizes that dissent is critical to its foundation. However, he feels obliged to perpetuate society rather than destroy the institution with political defiance. He was created by this system and must therefore support it. Mill, on the other hand, believes that dissent is the basis of healthy human growth. Without challenging and being challenged, people become blind followers of their beliefs and political systems. In a sense, they become apathetic drones, following orders. Dissent allows man to explore not only the nature of society, but also his own foundations. To question is to seek knowledge. Knowledge and reason are the basis of human nature. Therefore, to question is to be true to one's instincts and avoid blind submission to the tyranny of the prevailing opinion. In essence, dissent is the antidote to the delusions of the majority.

Works Cited

Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty, as reprinted in Philosophy published by the McGraw-Hill

Company, copyright 2003

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Plato. Crito, as reprinted in Philosophy published by the McGraw-Hill Company, copyright 2003


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Table of contentsSelf-directed learningSocial StateFinancial conditionDeterminat ...

Table of contents

  1. Self-directed learning
  2. Social State
  3. Financial condition
  4. Determination
  5. Hands-on experience/Practical Training
  6. Conclusion
  7. Bibliography

This chapter is intended to analyze the fundamentals required by a student in order to enhance their academic development by self-directed modular distance learning . Nowadays, a large population spends considerable time acquiring information and learning new skills. The rapidity of change, the continuous creation of new knowledge, and ever-widening access to the material make such acquisitions necessary. Much of this learning takes place at the learner’s initiative, even if available through formal settings. The components essential for students to focus on in order to achieve their academic goals through self-directed learning may include their social state, financial condition, available resources, determination, and hands-on experience. Self-directed learning and distance learning will also be discussed and through their advantages and disadvantages.

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Self-directed learning

Knowles, 1975 regarded self-directed learning as ‘a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes’.

Today individuals wanting to achieve particular academic goals have wide access to remarkable resources of information that enable them to accomplish self-directed learning as well as distance learning. Such resources include databases, websites, books, scientific papers, and information given by qualified lecturers. However, for these resources to benefit the individual they must possess self-determination and certain financial circumstances which will be discussed in the latter. Yet, with self-directed learning comes many advantages and disadvantages.

Distance learning has become a very popular option among students nowadays due to its advantageous flexibility of time, place, and study schedule. The degree of elasticity in a distance learning course is far more than that of a regular course. Instead of students having to attend classes in an Educational Institution, distance learning courses allow students to pursue their education at their own pace and convenience. Time saved is much greater as students can avoid commuting to and from college and instead have the option of studying from the comfort of their own homes.

Distance learning has become popular with the growing advancement of the internet. This creates more access to the student while also helping them to gain further intelligence through the use of technology. It has allowed academic places to reach a wider population of students with fewer teachers. This offers flexibility to both tutors and novices, giving tutors the opportunity to develop the course in a way that only they can choose.

In the past, videoconferencing was generally restricted by high costs, exclusively allocated hardware, and by limited flexibility. However, with the development and expansion of competitive low-cost broadband internet access, it has caused many educational institutions to utilize videoconferencing as a method of connecting and interacting with individuals over a vast distance. The potential to create global classrooms can foster educational collaboration while enhancing the experiences of learning communities.

Such a learning mechanism has become increasingly popular in education over the past years, allowing individuals to connect through video and audio systems while making it easier for the transferring and sharing of documents and files to fellow peers, lecturers, and employers. It also eliminates obstacles like space and time thus allowing students to contact colleagues and tutors anytime and anywhere in the world.

Distance learning is remarkable if you are self-disciplined. Nevertheless, self-discipline is not a trait possessed by all individuals. In this case, self-directed learning can be disadvantageous to the party. The onset of distance learning has given way to several negative criticisms. One of which is loneliness and isolation. Less group support for learners and direct face-to-face social interaction can lead to isolation and the possibility of students not completing their chosen course. Although studying in the comfort of your own home is appealing, students are left to complete their course without the support of their peers which may cause some students to become frustrated and de-motivated as many students may feel more comfortable discussing the course content with their companions. Many courses nowadays offer a combination of distance learning with classroom teaching, providing a classroom setting for students.

Losing track of deadlines due to home or work commitments can be a major issue with students. In order to avoid this predicament, students need to be self-motivated and focused in order to successfully complete their courses. As a distance learner, discipline and excellent organizational skills are key to success. Once more, distance learning is primarily self-disciplined. Difficulty grasping and understanding the material provided can be overwhelming leading to failure. This can prove unfavorable for many individuals especially if they require one-to-one interaction with the tutor and exchanging feedback with their classmates. However, being self-disciplined can brand an individual more independent and self-directed.

Ultimately, without appropriate training for utilizing such technologies, which is the main component of distance learning, service users cannot excel in distance learning. This results in low academic standards which stand unattractive to future employers.

Social State

Understanding the characteristics of students and how they combine studying with their daily life is key to assessing the impact it has on their academic development. A happy, healthy, and social student is more likely to engage in group studies with fellow students or engage with lecturers thus getting more involved academically. In comparison, an individual who isolates themselves from others may become unhappy with their academic lifestyle and is consequently more liable to drop out or defer their degree. The social student observes adaptive learning characteristics making them less likely to give up on an objective and thrive academically.

Distance learning may be the resolution that allows for students with different individual needs, differences, and intellectual abilities to focus and engage on various topics at their own pace. Other factors such as the individual’s emotional stability or personal circumstances may also affect the pace at which the individual learns. Therefore, allowing the tutor to cope more efficiently and effectively in managing students with mixed abilities.

Financial condition

According to the American Psychological Association, it is evident that a student’s financial condition can seriously impact their academic life either negatively or positively. For example, a student coming from a low socioeconomic background may be obliged to work alongside their studies in order to pay for their college fees and living costs. This in turn can leave added pressure on a student and could significantly impact their studies. In such instances, the need to work and an increased income may become a priority over academic studies and thus college grades can become affected. Conversely, individuals with a high socioeconomic status may progress better academically due to a reduced amount of pressure financially, allowing more time spent on studies and less on working a part-time job.

Furthermore, students require the proper access to all equipment necessary in order to fulfill their course requirements such as good internet access, a laptop, and a printer, for example. Those that cannot afford such amenities may struggle with distance learning and thus proves not the best option academically for such an individual.

Determination

As discussed, students need to assess their current situation, lifestyle, and ability before undertaking distance learning. According to Garrison’s three-dimensional model, the key to success in self-directed learning include good organizational and planning skills, the ability to work independently, self-discipline, being able to accept constructive feedback as well as monitoring your learning process, and knowing when to evaluate and adapt accordingly.

The organization is key to success. Setting a schedule and adhering to this throughout the academic course will bestow achievement and prevent disappointment. Meeting deadlines is crucial with regard to distance learning. Time management and completion of assignments are absolute. Applying knowledge gained through self-learning and critical thinking will help an individual succeed not only academically but moreover in the future.

Hands-on experience/Practical Training

With the ever-increasing competition for jobs, employers are now seeking to employ candidates who can clearly show and apply their skills and abilities rather than reciting off a list of qualifications. Along with the increasing number of graduates applying for jobs comes the need to make themselves more appealing to employers. Educational Institutions offering distance learning to students should provide the necessary methods, approaches, and resources for students in order to prepare them for life outside of education. Ensuring this signifies that students will be better equipped and will gain a better knowledge of what they want in life and which future career path they wish to follow. These practical skills make students more appealing to future employers and allow them a higher chance of employment.

Many employers refuse graduate students who do not possess the correct practical skills and experience that are necessary for the job and require that they have participated in and completed at least one year of work experience in their chosen field. Students who do not have the appropriate skills on how to conduct themselves in a professional capacity are not aware of the responsibilities that are entailed in carrying out such a job. Distance learning displays such a weakness as students do not have the opportunity to practice hands-on, for example in a laboratory, and so have a disadvantage to those who are practically working on a daily basis in their college institute. Conversely, many employers are open to graduates that they can freshly train with ‘no bad habits that may be picked up in a college setting.

Overall there are some distance learning courses that combine theoretical and practical learning. In this case, the individual develops both mentally and physically allowing them to thrive in many aspects of employment. Practical training gives the student a better understanding of certain tasks/techniques by allowing them to apply in practice what they have studied.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, self-directed learning elevates the individual’s confidence, and information management and facilitates independence all of which are highly regarded characteristics that employers seek. In addition, the ability to acquire material, comprehend it, and solve problems is considered exceptional on a resume. It is of the utmost of importance as a self-directed learner to set short-term and long-term goals. Such goals include obtaining a high-quality grade and supplementary knowledge that in the long term will result in achieving a successful career in the future. Furthermore, one contemplating such an approach to learning should consider the following. Am I self-disciplined and focused? Do I have the determination? If not, the individual ought to reassess their approach to academic life.

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In summary, there are both advantages and disadvantages associated with distance learning. Students themselves analyze the pros and cons of distance learning. Such an approach to education is not suitable to everyone, depending on one’s circumstances. However, distance learning has assisted a number of individuals to pursue their life goals by returning to education, who, without this may not have had the opportunity to do so.

Bibliography

  1. Belanger, F. and Jordan, D. (2000). Evaluation and implementation of distance learning. Hershey, Pa.: Idea Group.
  2. Davies, J. and Graff, M. (2005). Performance in e-learning: online participation and student grades. British Journal of Educational Technology, 36(4), pp.657-663.
  3. Garrison, D. R. (1997). Self-directed learning: Toward a comprehensive model. Adult Education Quarterly, 48(1), 18-33.
  4. Hauschildt, K., Vo?gtle, E. and Gwosc?, C. (n.d.). Social and economic conditions of student life in Europe.
  5. Knowles, M. (1975). SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING: A GUIDE FOR LEARNERS AND TEACHERS. New York: Association Press, 1975. 135 pp.
  6. Mackay, S., & Stockport, G. (2006). Blended Learning, Classroom and E-Learning. The Business Review, Cambridge, 5(1), 82-88.
  7. Montalvo, G., Mansfield, E. and Miller, R. (2007). Liking or Disliking the Teacher: Student Motivation, Engagement and Achievement. Evaluation & Research in Education, 20(3), pp.144-158.

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In the U.S today, changes in life paradigms have led to an increase in the occur ...

In the U.S today, changes in life paradigms have led to an increase in the occurrence of couple long-distance relationships. Despite the fact that long-distance relationship among couples has been there for a long time, their frequency has been increasing recently due to social, economic, and technological changes as observed by Firmin, Firmin, and Merical, (2013). According to Cameron and Ross (2007), the physical separation between the individuals in a romantic relationship or even a married couple has attracted depression and distress, which often leads to conflicts. The anxiety and uncertainties about the future of the relationship tend to rise when the individuals in the relationship are far away from each other. This escalates the tension between resulting into more conflicts. The research is aimed at establishing the facts about how couples in long-distance relationships can manage conflicts.

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Many couples exist who have met online and dated long distance and finally got married (Baker, 2002). Advanced technology has not been helpful in maintaining the stability of couple long-distance relationships. A study by Chang (2003) shows that face-to-face communication is the best method of solving conflicts in relationships. By exploiting the theoretical framework of the research as well as the previous works about the couple long distance relationship, Chang (2003) was able to study how the application of innovative communication technologies could affect or be affected by the long-distance relationship dynamics. With the physical distance being a factor contributing to the conflicts as one can’t be with the partner all the time, there leaves room for suspicion and relational insecurity. One may ask the question is my partner being faithful? Am I being lied too? Is this person really into me? The outcomes of the study showed that even though technology has helped when dealing with conflicts in relationships, the old fashion way of face-to-face is still proven to be the best way.

Studies have indicated that social networking platforms can help resolve the conflicts between couples in long distance relationships. However, the platforms can also escalate the conflicts making it difficult for the couple to reach consensus. According to the research by Billedo, Kerkhof, and Finkenauer (2015), a primary concern when dating in a long-distance relationship is the challenge of not being physically available. The social media networks come in handy in such relationships by enhancing the communication frequency. This is because effective frequent communication help brings the couple more closely even when separated physically by long distances. Through keeping in touch frequently, the level of confidence in each other is increased. Furthermore, frequent communication cultivates the trust in one another, thereby eliminating uncertainties that may cloud the future of the relationship.

However, as mentioned, the research also shows that social network media may escalate the conflicts in a couple of long-distance relationships. A survey conducted to establish the effect of social media networking on long couple distance relationship using Facebook has shown that the social media networks can make it difficult for a couple to resolve their conflicts. As reported by Billedo, Kerkhof and Finkenauer (2015), the use of social media networks such as Facebook leads to jealousy. Through Facebook, one can see who their partner has other communication with besides them exclusively. This leads to resentment that creates tension between them. Criticism and defensiveness sets in and are blocks to communication during conflict communication as stated by Peterson (2013). It becomes hard for conflicts to be resolved in a tense relationship as the trust levels are significantly lowered.

Moreover, the study by Billedo, Kerkhof and Finkenauer (2015) also shows that the long distance creates a barrier such that by the time the couple sees each other they would have calmed down and can communicate effectively to resolve their conflicts. Communication during conflict resolution cannot be underestimated. If communication collapses, the parties fail in addressing their issues. There are styles of communication embraced in conflict resolution that make the process of resolution easy or more difficult. The parties involved should eliminate any communication roadblocks for faster solutions. By having calmed down when the couple meets, effective communication is achieved. During conflict resolution, the involved parties should always try to keep a calm posture. In most real life cases, research shows that the interested parties tend to show emotions through body language (Alexandra, 2013). An example is the use of facial expressions that bring out fury. A mediator can be essential to try calming the involved parties (Alexandra, 2013). The body language can be in the form of gestures, as the concerned individuals try to prove their point (Alexandra, 2013). There might also be the rise of tone, which requires a regulation for a sufficient resolution. A sitting position should be embraced, and the involved parties should keep calm and relax for effective communication and a fast solution (Alexandra, 2013).

Furthermore, the extent of the lack of affection and relational security is a threat to the stability of couple long-distance relationship. The physical separation resulting from the long-distance relationship causes insecurity in addition to lowering the affection between the two individuals in the relationship. According to research by Cameron and Ross (2007), various conditions make some of the long distance relationships to survive while others fail. This fact was established in a study aimed at evaluating the conditions that predict the stability of long distance relationships. The conditions include the nature or characteristics of the relationship and those of the individuals in that particular relationship. The features of the physical separation, as well as the individual differences, also play a great role in establishing or breaking the relationship. People can develop a lasting long-distance relationship through proper means of solving and managing disputes created by the disconnection between couples.

Additionally, studies have proved that conflict management depends heavily on the traits of the individual. For instance, an individual who is unhappy with the relationship will make it hard to resolve any emerging conflict when the couple gets physically separated. Moreover, pessimistic individuals make it difficult to resolve the conflicts in long-distance relationships. Moderation and mediation can be a useful method to solve the disputes among the long-distance relationship couples as suggested by Cameron and Ross (2007). Thus, relationship optimism can play a crucial role in solving the conflicts, since optimism involves being confident in one another the despite the long distance separation.

More importantly, research proves that attributes such as trust, confidence in one another and understanding in addition to communication lead to the success of couple long-distance relationships. As observed by Firmin, Firmin, and Merical (2013), the conflicts arising as a consequence of the physical separation can be managed through attributes such as trust. The mutual faith in each other, even when separated by long distance, leads to trust which is a necessity to the survival of most long-distance relationships.

Social norms can be a hindrance to the couple long distance relationship. In his study, Jurkane-Hobein (2015) established that both generation-specific and gender-specific social norms play a role in complicating the long-distance relationship. People approach the long-distance relationship in different ways based on their social backgrounds. For instance, older individuals from collective cultures would not consider living together or dating long distance as observed by Jurkane-Hobein (2015). In a collectivist culture environment, one is expected to maintain certain social norms in the society. Sometimes the difference between individuals in how they handle conflict will influence whether they will have a fruitful and satisfied relationship or not. As reported by Pattie (2009), the way a person handles conflict whether it’s long distance or locally will affect the relationship. Different conflict management styles impact long distance relationship versus dating someone you can be with all time.

Effective conflict management in couple long-distance relationship also depends on the effort by each partner into the relationship. A study by Gormly (2010) reveals that the amount of effort put into the relationship is paramount to establishing stable and long lasting couple relationships in cases where the couple is many miles apart. Gormly (2010) suggests that based on the efforts of each partner, the long distance relationship can either fizzle out or thrive. Therefore it is imperative for each partner to put more effort into the relationship such in case of any conflict the relationship would not fizzle out as the conflict can be resolved much quickly.

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In conclusion, maintaining effective communication between the individuals involved in a long-distance relationship make it easier to manage any conflicts arising between them. Excellent communication skills and personal attributes play a significant role in how conflicts can be resolved amicably by the partners in a couple of long-distance relationships. Through constant communication, the confidence in one another is maintained same as trust. Thus, in the case of any conflict or disagreement, the couple can resolve the issues easily.

References

  1. Alexander, E. R. (2013). The Reduction of Cognitive Conflict: Effects of Various Types of Communication. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 23(1), 120-138.
  2. Baker, A. (2002). What makes an online relationship successful? Clues from couples who met in cyberspace. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 5(4), 363-375,
  3. Billedo, C. J., Kerkhof, P., &Finkenauer, C. (2015). The Use of Social Networking Sites for Relationship Maintenance in Long-Distance and Geographically Close Romantic Relationships. Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 18(3), 152-157.
  4. Cameron, J. J., & Ross, M. (2007). In times of uncertainty: Predicting the survival of long-distance relationships. The Journal of Social Psychology, 147(6), 581-606.
  5. Chang, S. (2003). Communication technologies and long-distance romantic relationships Paper Presented at the International Communication Association, 1-31,
  6. Firmin, M. W., Firmin, R. L., & Merical, K. L. (2013). Extended communication efforts involved with college long-distance relationships. Contemporary Issues in Education Research (Online), 6(1), 97-n/a. Retrieved from
  7. Gormly, K. B. (2010, Sep 20). Long-distance loves: Relationships can fly or fizzle when couples are separated by miles. McClatchy - Tribune Business News
  8. Jurkane-Hobein, I. (2015). Do I qualify for a love relationship? Social norms and long-distance relationships in Post-Soviet Latvia. Sexuality & Culture, 19(2), 388-406,
  9. Pattie, B. (2009). The impact of conflict management styles on relational and communication satisfaction: Comparing long-distance and geographically close dating relationships Paper presented at the National Communication Association, 1.
  10. Peterson, G. (2013). Barriers to effective communication. Conflict Resolution, 1(4), 1-7.

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Table of contentsLightweightJointsMaintenanceOne of the finest forms of cement w ...

Table of contents

  1. Lightweight
  2. Joints
  3. Maintenance

One of the finest forms of cement which could be purchased in today’s day and age is micro-cement. This material is ideally used for decoration purposes. Micro-cement can be applied to both interior as well as exterior of the building. It is basically a high performance cement which consists of a large mix of polymers along with ultra-fine aggregates. There are a lot of additives as well as natural colour pigments added to the material. This currently trending material is applicable to various parts of a house which includes the floor, ceiling and even the walls. One of the best things about micro-cement is that they require no joints whatsoever. This makes the process of cleansing and maintaining it in pristine condition a very simple task. In the following list, you will find a few points which will act as a crash course in understanding what micro-cement is all about.

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Lightweight

One of the best advantages of applying micro-cement on different facets of your home is that the material is extremely lightweight. By being able to apply a lightweight coating of microcement on an existing structure doesn’t come with the worry of any difficulties with structural load. Usually, one of the biggest concerns which is taken into account while adding a certain layer of a particular material over a facets is to make sure that the weight of the load is light enough for the structure underneath to be able to withstand it. With a material like micro-cement, its extreme lightweight profile takes away any problems related to structural load.

Joints

Usually, when a material is applied which consists of joints, it ends up showing a bunch of problems later on. This happens when the wet material is being dried into a sturdy version. In the case of micro-cement, there is no such worry. This is because microcement as a material consists of no joints at all. This enables it to not have any cracks or fissures during the process of being dried up.

Maintenance

One of the best reasons for applying coats of micro-cement on various facetss of your house is that the worry and chore of intensive maintenance is gone once and for all. Micro-cement is one of the most easiest to maintain when it comes to a selection of different substances. It hardly takes up any effort or time to make sure that your coats of micro-cement are in absolutely pristine condition. Upon cleaning the facets with neutral soaps and water, it is sufficient enough to make sure that the coating is well taken care of. All of this depends on how well the sealing and waterproofing processes have been carried out while applying the micro-cement on a given facets. If everything has been done in a perfectly fine way, the only thing which you need to make sure of is that the layer of micro-cement is being maintained on a regular basis.

The advantages of being able to utilise coats of micro-cement are simply large. The ones we have listed here are simply the tip of the iceberg. Micro-cement is simply one of the most stunning substances to utilise for furnishing the facetss of your house. They keep places extremely clean and hygienic and is able to provide an extraordinary texture and character to any facets. In today’s day and age, micro-cement has turned out to be one of the most popular substances to be used by people all over the world. This is simply because of the many qualities the material possesses in itself.


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“It is a delicate balance,” Imani Perry states, “but it is important to di ...

“It is a delicate balance,” Imani Perry states, “but it is important to distinguish between sexual explicitness and internalized sexism. The idea of postfeminist pop culture helpfully indicates be mindful in evaluating improvements in late decades as a democratization of sexual distinguishes and practices, generally less than gender equality. Some believe that the “Postfeminism” movement work to incorporate certain aspects of feminism including the emphasis of particular problems of commodification, individualism , and exclusion. Works to some extent to fuse and incorporate certain aspects of feminism; it additionally works to commodify the concept of feminism through a female figure to empower their consumers.The nature of sexual explicitness can vary within different groups. In the 21st century sexual explicitness can be defined as an act of “degrading themes toward women on mens' attitudes following exposure to video presentations of male-female interactions.” The representation of sex through the media which provoke feeling of concern, anxiety, and aversion on one side, and on the other feelings of liberation, and admiration. Through obsevations of different artists in the music industry their are many ways that they use their image as a way to portry their sexual freedoms, and also sell a sexual fantasy to their audiences. In order to breakdown how sexual explicitnes and sexual objectifacation vary it is important to identify how hip hop today objectify’s women, reconize differnt artist styles of presentation, and understand these subjects correlate.

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The question of of sexism as a motive for targeting women for theie sexality in music have come into play when analyzing particlar things in music videos and lyrics. It is clear that male artist in the indusrty are less scrutinized than women when it comes to portaying themselves as sex machines with an unlimited supply of women at their beck and call. For decades the music industry have sexually objectified women by using their visual presentation, but now some may say the roles have been reversed. Female artist tend to misrepresent themselves in their videos. Women are now From the Lyrics to a song, to the way people dance in a music video the portrayal of sex is prominent throughout the R&B genre. These types of trends help feeds into the typical stereotype of women being sex symbols in of to gain media attention, and attract a larger audience. Though the feminist movement is solely for the purpose of female empowerment and self worth, it is becoming more difficult to know the difference between what is considered “self - objectifying” and “respectable” (Perry)

Rihanna has always been known for her licentious characteristics displayed in her lyrics and videos. In 2016 she released a video entitled “Work” featuring Drake. The video takes place in a caribbean style club. Rihanna's fashion in this video was more risque to say the least. In the introduction of the video Rihanna is seen wearing a netted, see through dress with a bikini top and bottoms. Midway through the video the songs setting is switched over to a in a room steeped in anesthetic tones of blue and pink. Rihanna's outfit in this scene consisted of a glittery, see through cropped tank top, with a distressed denim skirt. When this video was released there was a numerous amount of backlash from the public on her outfit choice in the second half of the video. She ignores the unforgiving comments, and says that the way that she dresses and dances should not dictate her moral values, and self worth. We can also look at the dancing style in the video to determine if this song is meant express sexual freedom or obscurity. The scene in the caribbean club displays numerous women, including Rihanna, were scene “whining” or “twerking” on their male dance partners. This in part tell of how the female sexual appeal is put on display for the purpose of male enjoyment, and sexual bliss.Rihanna has always found a way to celebrate her sexuality through he music. Which helps fight against the stigma of women as the male submissive, and can be empowered through her sexulity.

Beyonce is a interesting example of challenging gender stereotypes. In 2008 she released a video entitled “If I Were A Boy”. The plot of the video depicts the misunderstandings between the genders and indict the male side of relationships; and also touches on the subject of infidelity. In the video beyonce takes on the role of the male as her husband prepares breakfast for her before she hurries to meet her partner, the love interest, outside. Her husband worried that she was not home calls her to find out where she was. Avoiding her husband’s phone calls she is seen declining his calls while on a date with her male love interest. Towards the end of the video when the husband confronts her about her affair, the tables are turned and he has now taken on the role of infidelity, stating “ It’s not like I slept with the girl.” This video lays out a clear understanding of gender stereotypes that have been categorized by society. But though Beyonce does have many inspirational, and thought provoking images, she also celebrates her sexuality through her work. In 2014 she released a song entitled “Partition.” The majority of the video took place in a exclusive gentlemen's club and a extravagant mansion . The video begins with the typical sexual fantasy of a rich, bored housewife that tries to seduce her husband while they are eating breakfast. As the video progresses Beyonce is seen in numerous amounts of lingerie thought the video. During the gentleman club scenes, she is seen performing choreographed exotic dances with other female performers. This whole video yet entails how comfortable female artist feel with their sexuality, and their sexual freedom. This type of video is not meant to disvalue her self worth, respect for heself, but is intended to celebrate sextuality in of itself.

After breaking down these two artists approaches it is clear to see that they both in their own ways immit sex positive messages. Both artist carry the same sex appeal within their music including their clothing, lyrics, video ect. The current music culture have picked up on the power of individualism and empowerment among all groups of people, men and women. Artists are now imbeding more intimacy and desire into their work to, to connect more to their audience openly, and consider love and sex as positive things.


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Divergent is a science fiction-adventure, drama and thriller film created the ye ...

Divergent is a science fiction-adventure, drama and thriller film created the year 2014. This film was originally a book created by Veronica Roth, the book received good feedback, because of that Summit Entertainment bought the rights to the film Divergent.

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Budget wise the film had $80 million that they could spend and that’s a pretty original amount of money for a film like Divergent. But that was not a problem at all for Summit Entertainment, they had an income at $288 million. The premiere of the film was in 21 of mars 2014 but in Sweden it was the 30 April 2014. The script of the movie was written by Evan Daugherty and Vanessalksa Taylor and the Producer Was Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shahbazian and Douglas Wick.

The story begins in an advanced Chicago, were it seems to be dried up like a desert. An old ship rests on the grass and looks like it’s been there for ages. But if we move on to the people in the small town is wearing colored suits which the movie explains what there faction is. Beatrice (The actor Shailene Woodley) explains the situation society has been after a war when society was shifted in different groups that explain who you are a survivor into the erudite can sort of control the system in a sort of manner they need to control the inhabitants so they can keep a stabile system.

Erudite: Is the smart thinking people that you have respect for. Erudite wear suits that looks like the colour blue. We can link them with politicians or the government.

Candor: Candor is the faction that values the most honest, in today’s society we would compare them with a religion. Candor currently wears the modern color white.

Amity: Amity is meant to be for the kind and peaceful. They step up to other factions they were yellow and orange suits. In today’s society we would compare them with an association that takes care of homeless people.

Dauntless: The people that are interested into helping and help the society, you can sort of tell that they are in the army somehow. Today we would compare them to Police.

Beatrice’s family is a part of the faction abnegation which is a selfless faction and they don’t have that much power to the society the clothes that they were is light grey the things they do is standing up to the other faction which is not really a faction… They are known as the factionless, it’s not really a faction but they sort of count as one, the reason to why they’re factionless is because they failed training.

In a room with 16 year olds decide what they will be the rest of their lives, Beatrice Prior decides to join the faction dauntless with in this turn is sort of like the police of the society, this chocks everybody that Beatrice knows she says goodbye to her parents and leaves to a bunker underground that she and other teenagers that have chosen the same faction/regiment, Beatrice makes friends with a lot of people and decide to go to an club and get a tattoo of three birds. The next day they perform a “Morning training were everyone except Beatrice seems to know what they’re doing, they climb the railroad and swings onboard on the trains that they use for transportation nowadays! Beatrice or Trice as she changed name to “get a story in her new life.”

At the training bay Tris clearly sees that she isn’t as good as the other ones because she is in the red zone, which means that she is on the risk of getting remove from the faction and join the factionless, so this motivates her into getting better.

After they got to a road trip to the fence around the bunker four teaches Tris about fighting techniques which Tris is surprisingly happy about, she also learns when to attack first and when to attack and that’s comes handy soon!

Two days later they woke them up from a good sleep and they’re going to a road trip and were going to play some capture the flag at the local carnival. Four and Eric are the two leaders of the two teams and four chose Tris. While they’re figuring out tactics to get the most advantage Tris don’t want to hear anymore and starts doing the tactic that she wants to do, which is climbing the giant ferry’s wheel, Four also starts climbing after he have seen Tris, but the problem is that Four is afraid of heights. After trying to go down after being shot Tris almost falls down Four saves her in the most logical manner possible and you can almost see some love in that exact moment!

At the next training Erik (The other trainer) teaches them how to throw knives which Tris is pretty good at! After the training they were going to have another training session where Tris got to get revenge on Molly(The big women that beats Tris every moment she gets) surprisingly Tris actually beats molly down and she is starting to get out of the red zone which she very proud of herself (Good job Tris!) Four runs a test of Tris in the landscape but it’s only a simulation, her first problem is that she is trapped inside a drowning glass box while people ignore her but she doesn’t do the puzzle correctly because she breaks the glass that would be impossible Four gets scared and closes it down because her cover is blown that she is a divergent.

Tris manages to sneak into the erudite building where her brother is currently working. Tris tells Caleb that erudite will destroy other factions starting with abnegation, Caleb agrees. When Tris tries to get to the dauntless bunker 2 officers dressed in black takes Tris’s arm and perform an advantage towards the guards, Tris have had enough and punches them in the gut. Jeanna, who is the main person in erudite, who’s controlling everything, likes where to kill because it’s getting filled up, and can cause an error in the system. Jeanna is very evil and want to sort of destroy society in a sort of manner Tris doesn’t like her at all.

After the breath taking moves that Tris performed, when she is returning to the dauntless bunker three masked men they try to carry her away but she manages to breakout out of their moves. She gets the chance to unmask one of the masked men and does it, the masked man in AI Tris gets shocked and four comes into help her win the epic fight with amazing moves that only Jackie Chan can master! Four bandages Tris while Tris is still shocked by the fact that that was AI, her friend backstabbing her Four tries to calm Tris down but does not manage to master her mind. The next day AI tries apologizing to her after the terrible incident but she gets mad and tells him to leave immediately. When Tris and her friend is heading back to the bunker that they sleep on they see dauntless members taking a body out of the pit! Ita AI that jumped to his death because he was to sad Tris thinks it’s her fault but it’s not AI is the one who was in charge of the incident and has to pay and suffer for what he did. Tris also admits to four that she doesn’t think she will pass the simulation because she fears she is a divergent Four understands her and he is willing into participate into helping her with her dangerous mission that they are heading!

Four and Tris gets in a simulation again where they are on high ground and will test if they can overcome their greatest fears of them all Tris suggest to jump down because it’s not real but Four thinks smart because that’s the only thing that a divergent would think of. They go inside a vent and get trapped and a wall is starting to crush them they discover some tools such as a paintbrush and manages to stop the wall from killing them. Four and Tris gets teleported into another simulation where four is the subject also, this time Four’s fear is to overcome his fear of shooting innocent people, a family of three factionless that are in a family is standing in front of Four, Four needs to kill them to pass on the simulation four tells Tris that he is scared and says he usually looks away when he is about to. Tris looks away and shoots. The next simulation is where Tris is inside of Four’s home and his dad comes out with a belt and starts attacking Four, Four gets emotional and sad at the same time, Tris does not approve and starts defending Four against his abusive father named Markus which is his father that is very abusive towards Tobias (Four) Now Tris is a Dauntless member, Tris and other dauntless members are tasked to create a new mission. Tris and the other members are getting weapons and gear to complete the mission in zero dauntless members dead. The members gets injected with a tracking device and sort of a serum that gets controlled over the mind they get onboard a train to get transported to the mission area. Everyone is standing inline but Tris’s friend spots a male that is not standing inline they suggest that they would follow him because they think he’s a divergent. When they’ve reached the destination the leading knows that Four and Tris are divergent and aims his gun at her Four turns and aims the gun at her.

Works Cited

  1. Burleson, J. A. (2018). Reviewing dystopian young adult literature through feminist and poststructuralist lenses. Journal of Language and Literacy Education, 14(2), 77-94.
  2. Carroll, J. M. (2014). Review: Divergent (2014). Journal of American Culture, 37(4), 654-656.
  3. Chiang, H. H. (2015). Human security and the other: Divergent and the politics of difference. Journal of Popular Film and Television, 43(3), 150-161.
  4. Divergent. (2014). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1840309/
  5. Filho, E. P., & Garcia, M. S. (2016). A review of the concepts of dystopia and utopia in young adult literature. Revista Ibero-Americana de Estudos em Educação, 11(2), 813-826.
  6. Marková, J. (2017). The Divergent series: Films as a modern phenomenon of popular culture. Journal of Comparative Research in Anthropology and Sociology, 8(1), 149-163.
  7. Orr, J. J. (2015). Dystopian novels and the creation of ethical space. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, 3(1), 1-8.
  8. Roth, V. (2011). Divergent. Katherine Tegen Books.
  9. Vermeulen, T., & Akkerman, T. (2016). ‘The real danger is beyond the fence’: The politics of fear in the Divergent series. Continuum, 30(3), 362-374.
  10. West, A. (2014). Divergent (review). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 67(7), 347-347.

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Diversity in the classroom (essay)In the year 2008, I visited my elder brother i ...

Diversity in the classroom (essay)

In the year 2008, I visited my elder brother in the Americas. In the evening, his daughter, who was in her first grade in school, came home and while she was attending to her homework, she suddenly stopped and called out Daddy for her father’s attention. She proceeded to ask him a rather puzzling question. Daddy, she began, does it mean that in the first half of the 20th century I could not have gone to school along with my best friend, Kate. Her father and I could not grasp the basis of her question. However, on further inquiry, we discovered they had discussed the topic on de jure racial segregation of the American society of the 20th century. This was the first memory that came to mind about the contextualization of diversity and the complicated nature of relations among diverse cultures. The power of classroom diversity is indeed crystal clear, from this experience. That's why I want to discuss the topic of diversity in the classroom in my essay.

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Despite the vast programs and initiatives instituted to address diversity and encourage inclusion in the past 50 years, the value of diversity is still unrealized. As the experience of my niece in her classroom shows, diversity is key to the process of student growth and reflection. For instance, she was able to understand her friend is of the African American race, and still, she considered her a friend and was happy to be in class with her. It is argued that engaging, listening and talking to people different from ourselves, it fosters and enlarges our understanding. Students from the diverse backgrounds often bring with them different experiences which enhance the conversation and analysis in subjects of gender, race, and even life experiences. Thus, with this understanding, I believe that a perfect classroom setting ought to include diversity and inclusion as a primary factor.

Secondly, the classroom prepares individuals for the future career roles. The globalization of the job market means there is a diminishing consideration for community or national boundaries. Therefore, the integrated classroom environment is the perfect starting point for a learner, as they realize the importance of collaborating and communicating effectively with the people of different backgrounds and culture than theirs, hence, preparing them for the 21st-century work environment.

Finally, as my high school English teacher often emphasized, “Emollit mores necsinit esse feros” which translated meant “learning makes people have humane character”, and stops them from being cruel. Thus, diversity enhances the process of humanizing individuals as students can engage in civic discourse, even in instances of variant political issues such as civil liberties, affirmative action, and opinions about fashion, among other topics of emotive effect. Through diversity in learning, individuals develop mindfulness and tolerance; hence, integrated classrooms are imperative for the essential human relation traits. Hence, I am glad to consider myself multifariously liberated.


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