100% Secure Payment
© 2025 Copyright:
BoutEssays. All rights reserved
This dissertation examines how Western media depicts the K-Pop group BTS and how such depictions reinforce Western-centric, racist, and hegemonic masculinity ideologies. Despite initial dismissal of the Korean Wave as a trend, BTS has gained unprecedented success and recognition in the West. This dissertation begins with a literature review that explores the K-Pop industry, the representations of K-Pop by Western media, and the ideologies of Western-centrism, racism, and hegemonic masculinity. The research uses Discourse Analysis as its method to analyze the media's depictions of BTS and their effects. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the findings, highlighting the perpetuation of the stated ideologies in Western media coverage of BTS and their positive and negative effects. The dissertation also addresses gaps in the existing literature. This study highlights the importance of understanding the role of media in shaping perceptions and reproducing harmful ideologies.
Get original essayIn the 1990s, South Korea’s cultural products like dramas and songs started to emerge and become tremendously prevalent in Asia. The Korean Wave (‘Hallyu’ in Korean) was coined to symbolize the global popularity of Korean popular culture in Asia (Jin, 2018). Hallyu’s rapid success led to some critics and scholars dismissing it as an unsustainable trend because, Korea was deemed as a periphery in the global cultural markets (Ono and Kwon, 2013; Parc and Kim, 2020). Moreover, many regarded that the coverages on Korea’s cultural products are limited to Asia where Confucian values or other cultural characteristics are shared (Ha, 2017). However, in the past few years, the advancements of Hallyu, especially Korean popular songs or K-Pop, have been in stark disparity to such notions. K-Pop has expanded outside of Asia and become increasingly popular in the West, which earned attention among Western media outlets. In 2012, Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ went viral, especially in the West. After which, many people in the world came to know about K-Pop and associated it to Psy. Now, Hallyu has entered another stage with the emergence and spectacular success of BTS, a seven-member K-Pop boy group. Scholars and critics often mentioned that BTS’s music, social media and robust fandom known as ARMY, help propel them to unprecedented success. Indeed, BTS’s messages of self-love and mental health in their songs appeal and relate to many fans worldwide, regardless of their race, gender, and age. ARMY’s fervent support led BTS to win the Top Social Artist (TSA) from the 2017 and 2018 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs), beating out popular artistes like Justin Bieber and more. They went on to conquer global music charts, be invited to perform at American music shows and talk shows and was nominated for the 2021 Grammys Awards (GA). BTS gained much coverage from Western media outlets as they are the first K-Pop group to successfully gain a foothold in the Western music industry. They have appeared on magazines covers with headlines like ‘TIME’s Entertainer of the Year 2020’ (Bruner, 2020). As much as BTS is receiving star treatment, they also received resistance to their success in the forms of racist and Western-centric comments and coverages that deemed them as the ‘Others’ who are effeminate and irrelevant. As media can shapes one’s perceptions and reproduce racism, hegemonic masculinity, and Western-centric ideologies, it is important to understand the roots of such perceptions and re-evaluate the texts in media coverages and their role in reproducing those ideologies (Van Dijk, 1993).
This dissertation aims to analyse Western media depictions of BTS to know how Western media portrays BTS to the mainstream audience and how Western-centrism, racism, and hegemonic masculinity ideologies are reinforced in those coverages. It also aims to know the effects of the media’s depictions on BTS. This dissertation begins with the literature review that explores existing literature regarding the K-Pop industry, the representations of K-Pop by Western media, and the ideologies of Western-centrism, racism, and hegemonic masculinity. Next, I will justify the use of Discourse Analysis as my research method. This dissertation then concludes with a discussion on the findings which will reveal how BTS is depicted by the Western media and that the stated ideologies are present and perpetuated in those coverages. It will also reveal the positive and negative effects of those coverages.
In this literature review, I will first dissect existing literature to unpack the origin and characteristics of the K-Pop industry and explore how K-Pop become global internationally, particularly in the West. This is done so to provide a background of K-Pop which can help readers to understand the analysis better. Secondly, current literature that analysed the representations of K-Pop by the Western media was examined. As the literature shows that the coverages of K-Pop have underlying Western-centric and racist undertones, I will next explore the ideologies of Western-centrism, racism, and hegemonic masculinity to better understand why K-Pop is portrayed in a certain way by the West. Lastly, this section will conclude by addressing the research gaps in the literature.
To understand the origin of K-Pop and how it became a successful Korean cultural export, Lie (2014) and Cho (2017) first examined the history of Korean popular music. Traditional Korean music is known as ‘Kugak’ before cultural and musical adaption from Japan and the West began to emerge when Korea was occupied by Japan in 1910 and continued until Korea regained independence after the Second World War (Lie, 2014; Cho, 2017, p. 14). Korea established Korean popular music known as ‘taejung kayo’ under Japan’s occupation (Cho 2017). Under Japan’s rule, Japan purged things Korean and planted things Japanese, from language to music (Lie, 2014, p. 21). However, Japan was already westernized in the 1880s before annexing Korea. Hence, Japan institutionalized modern Japan that was predominantly Western in form and content instead of traditional Japanese content in Korea (Lie, 2014, p. 21). Japan deemed Western music as a symbol of modernization and a way to shape loyal subjects and catch up with the West (Lie, 2014). Thus, control over music was one way for Japan to attain a modern, westernized, and loyal Japanese dependent state (Cho, 2017, p. 16). After the end of Japanese colonization, America led the ‘free world’ and widely promoted American academic and pop culture throughout the world (Chua and Cho, 2012, p. 485). America became the benchmark for Korean cultural legitimacy as Christian missionaries in Korea portrayed America to be the symbol of modernity and freedom to the Koreans (Cho, 2017; Chua and Cho, 2012; Yoshimi and Buist, 2003). Therefore, the modern-day K-Pop underwent Westernization and cultural hybridization as an outcome of the colonization and Christianity movement and completed through globalization.
The 1990s was a defining moment for modern Korean popular music with the birth of the first K-Pop idol group known as H.O.T. or ‘High Five of Teenagers’ (Lee, 2019, p. 23). According to many scholars, K-Pop has little association with traditional Korean culture as K-Pop is a cultural hybridization between Western universalism and Asian exoticism (Shim, 2006; Oh and Park, 2012, p. 368). The hybridity and multinational elements of K-Pop complicated the definition of K-Pop because not all K-Pop music is entirely made by Koreans or performed by Korean artists as there are rising numbers of global producers, composers and artists that produce and perform K-Pop music (Lee, 2019, p. 24; Do, 2012). Many K-Pop corporations outsourced Western melodies, lyrics, beats, and percussions from countries like Sweden, America, or England (Oh, 2013, p. 396). The corporations also hired producers and composers from the West to produce K-Pop songs. For example, American artists Bebe Rexha composed the song ‘Lucifer’ for SHINee. These collaborations developed appealing and unique sounds that differentiate K-Pop from other pop songs and helped increase K-Pop groups’ international popularity.
According to Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS, 2011a, p. 33), one of the appealing characteristics of K-Pop is using strong dance beats with repetitive and addictive chorus known as ‘hooks’ that are effective in getting songs stuck in the listeners’ heads. Songs like ‘Nobody’ by Wonder Girls and ‘Sorry Sorry’ by Super Junior have ear-catching hooks. K-Pop songs also usually have rap, dance elements, and singing mixed together (Leung, 2012). The most attractive feature of K-Pop is that it incorporates music with dance and fashion (KOCIS, 2011a). K-Pop idols will perform synchronized dance moves with ample facial expressions that illustrate the lyrics and concept of the song (Do, 2012, p. 33; Oh, 2013). K-Pop companies also work with foreign choreographers. For instance, Keone Madrid, an American choreographer who developed some choreographies for the boy group, GOT7. Usually, K-Pop groups will have a different concept for each comeback song or album in which the stage outfits, make-up and hairstyle are tools to match the concept.
Idol groups are the reason why K-Pop is popular. K-Pop producers and companies like SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and more are concerned with their artists’ abilities to grow into global celebrities and ultimately generating high profits (Oh, 2013, p. 401). These companies will scout and train teenager from local and global auditions to debut in idol groups than as solo artists (Cho, 2017, p. 20; Oh, 2013). Groups are preferred over solo artists because each member is assigned a role either as a singer, dancer, or rapper to attract more fans. Trainees will undergo vocal, dancing, language, acting, and physical fitness lessons for at least 2 to 10 years before their debut (Oh, 2013, p. 402; Cho, 2017). Visual elements like fashion, attractive looks, and physiques play a huge part in K-Pop to attract fans. Compared to Japanese-Pop idols, K-Pop idols are much sexier and have more sophisticated appearances and figures (Oh, 2013, p. 401). This is because Western beauty standards are idealised in Korea. K-Pop idols especially female idols are usually emphasized to possess American beauty features that include being tall, fair, having double eyelids and a skinny, yet curvy, hourglass figure known as the ‘S-line’ (Genovese, n.d., p. 2). Hence, plastic surgeries to achieve a more American-looking face and figure and strict dietary management to maintain the desired weight are part of the training (Oh and Park, 2012, p. 382; Genovese, n.d., p 1). The training programmes are strict and paternalistic as trainees are barred from using cell phones, dating and more (Ho, 2012). Idols are expected to behave well and innocent by refraining from dating or smoking scandals (Leung, 2012; Cho, 2017). Once embroiled in such scandals, they will withdraw from the group. Most idol members and groups have English names so that international fans can remember them easily.
The success of K-Pop in the global market may seem sudden, however, it had its roots in the popularity of Korean TV shows in East Asia countries (Lee, 2019, p. 16). In the 1980s to 1990s, the major cultural imports came from Japan (Lee, 2019, p. 17). Japan’s huge domestic market and rich resources meant that they did not need the foreign market to produce significant revenues and that the costs to import their contents were high. The costs factor and small Korean domestic market played in Korean cultural industries’ favour. Korea opened up their economy by exporting pop-culture contents to Asian nations like China, Singapore and more (Parc and Kim, 2020). People started to be interested in Korean songs with the rising popularity of Korean dramas like ‘Winter Sonata’ in the 1990s. Hence, K-Pop began to captivate listeners in Asia. In the late 1990s, Hong Kong-based Channel V began to showcase K-Pop music videos (MVs) and K-Pop groups like Shinhwa and Sechs Kies regularly hold concerts in Hong Kong and Taiwan (KOCIS, 2011b, p. 30; Shim, 2006). The achievements of these groups opened up doors for more K-Pop artists to thrive over the border. Female solo singer BoA was regarded as one of the first Korean singers to have a successful career in America and Japan (KOCIS, 2011b, p. 31). Some critics initially believed that Hallyu will not last long or make tremendous headway into other global regions as it had in Asia because they viewed Hallyu’s accomplishments as both unforeseen and coincidental, rather than being intentional (Ono and Kwon, 2013, p. 204). Their notion is that in the future, another cultural fad will occur and replace Hallyu, just as Hallyu had replaced Japan’s popular culture in the 1990s (Ono and Kwon, 2013, p. 204). Nonetheless, their forecast was not accurate as K-Pop did not fizzle out. Instead, it became more popular than ever not only in Asia but also in the West due to social media.
The penetration of K-Pop in the West led to a new phase of the Korean wave referred to as Hallyu 2.0 in the 2010s in which it is ‘more intensive in its popularity and extensive in its dissemination’ (Jin and Yoon, 2016, p. 1278). Hallyu 2.0 is distinguished from the earlier wave by its global outreach through the notable role of social media in K-Pop content production, consumption, and circulation (Jin and Yoon, 2016, p. 1278). Social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube can cause the international pop culture market scene to be very changeable and help increase the visibility of K-Pop through social media outlets (Jung, 2014, p. 114). These digital media technologies cause the international pop culture market scene to be very changeable and help increase the visibility of K-Pop through social media outlets (Jung, 2014, p. 114). Initially known as an ‘inter-Asian cultural flow’, K-Pop was not well-known in the West, especially in the United States (U.S.) as evident in the failed attempts of some K-Pop groups like the Wonder Girls, who spent three years trying to penetrate the U.S. pop market by releasing English singles (Jung, 2014, p. 126; Jin, 2018, p. 412). Most people outside of Asia were oblivious to K-Pop, but thanks to social media, K-Pop gained some recognition in the West after Psy’s Gangnam Style MV in 2012 became a viral hit on YouTube and in the global music markets, which has over 3 billion views to date (Jin, 2018, p. 405). The MV was disseminated ‘among K-Pop fan networks on Twitter and Facebook’ and became an Internet meme through the rising trend of reaction and parody videos on YouTube which attracted the mainstream audience and was acknowledged on Twitter by renowned superstars like Britney Spears and Tom Cruise (Jung, 2014, p. 125). After being an Internet sensation, Psy appeared on U.S. television shows like Saturday Night Live and more, which helped propel K-Pop to greater success (Jung, 2014, p. 125). Since Psy’s successful debut in North America, many K-Pop groups like BTS gained more recognition and popularity in the West. As such, several studies agreed that K-Pop’s recognition in the West is due to social media (Do, 2012; Jin and Yoon, 2016; Lee, 2019).
As K-Pop is gaining interest in the West, there are increasing numbers of Western media coverage on them. Kwon (2017) and Gibson (2019) analysed the portrayals of K-Pop by the Western media. Kwon (2017) examined articles published after 2011 by the U.S. and United Kingdom (U.K.) news media outlets portrayals of K-Pop. Both the U.S. and U.K. media reported similar representations of K-Pop. Firstly, they portrayed K-Pop artists as Korea’s national heroes because they are viewed as national image-makers that promote and represent Korea to the world. Secondly, both reported on the workings of the K-Pop industry (harsh training and strict rules) and described that K-Pop performances include perfectly synchronized choreographies, catchy songs, and fashionable outfits. They also depicted K-Pop idols as hard-working and humble people who possess multifaceted talents and appealing features achieved through plastic surgeries. However, the U.S. media portrayed K-Pop much more negatively than the U.K. media. The U.S. media provided a narrative that K-Pop is a mass-produced product and idols are machines that lack uniqueness because entertainment companies often produce cookie-cutter performances and idols with forgettable features (Kwon, 2017, p. 27). Meanwhile, the U.K. media portrayed a different narrative than the U.S. media by highlighting idols as unique because their fashion and hairstyles are different from the daily looks of Westerners (Kwon, 2017, p. 65). They also highlighted idols as innovative because artists like G-Dragon writes, produces and performs his songs instead of performing songs created by other producers. Thirdly, they claimed that K-Pop is used as political propaganda by South Korea to incite the interests of North Koreans. This is because K-Pop songs are a symbol of democratization and liberty linked to the U.S.’s ideologies which threaten North Korea, such that the Korean government deliberately blasts K-Pop towards the North to rouse their interests (Cho, 2017, p. 17). It is observed throughout Kwon’s analysis that the Western media coverage on K-Pop has underlying Western-centric connotations (description below). The U.S. media depicted K-Pop as an exported cultural product from the U.S. because they believed that K-Pop imitated and adopted American music genres and concepts of boy group. Both U.S. and U.K. media perceived that K-Pop requires assistance from the West to attain global success. For instance, they believed that K-Pop songs should be sung mostly in English for their songs to be globally disseminated. Kwon (2017, p. 56) stated that U.K. media imagined the U.K. as the centre of cultural exchanges by stressing the importance of English lyrics for K-Pop to succeed, which reinforced the Western-centric ideology that the West is the centre of the world (Shohat and Stam, 2014). As Kwon’s (2017) study demonstrated the Western discourses on K-Pop after 2011, there is a need to have a comprehensive study on Western articles published before 2011 to show the changes in perspectives on K-Pop over time.
In this aspect, Gibson (2019) analysed Western media coverage on K-Pop from 2009 to 2019 and examined the overall trends in K-Pop framing by the media over time in four distinct stages: Introductory Stage (2009-2011), Gangnam Style Stage (2012-2013), Korean Wave Stage (2014-2017) and Mainstreaming Stage (2018-2019). In the Introductory Stage, there was sporadic coverage on K-Pop and Western media was curious, yet sceptical about K-Pop. They often asked variants of ‘What is K-Pop’ and covered many stereotypes of K-Pop (manufactured idols) that still exists in K-Pop coverage today (Gibson, 2019, p. 30). A 2012 New Yorker article labelled the girl group, Girls Generation as ‘Factory Girls’. The Gangnam Style Stage saw a broader coverage on K-Pop and Psy. Most of the coverage on Gangnam Style was positive, but there were some negative remarks and problematic stereotypes reported. Articles often exoticized and emasculate Psy by treating him as a caricature which reinforced the negative stereotypes of Asian men (see below). Despite these issues, Psy’s popularity fuelled a deeper interest in the K-Pop industry and idols which led to the next stage of coverage. The Korean Wave stage observed a rising number of media coverage and a diverse range of news angle (for instance, K-Pop as a political tool) on K-Pop, which corresponded with a substantial increase in the exposure of K-Pop in the West. As idols and K-Pop usually have clean images, many news outlets were determined to expose the dark side of K-Pop by focusing on the hyper-competitive and high-pressure industry narrative. In the Mainstreaming Stage, K-Pop began to be included in the mainstream conversation in the West as Western television shows and news outlets have introduced K-Pop to a wide-ranging demographic audience who would never typically consume information on culture and music from other countries (Gibson, 2019, p. 34). This stage saw a rise in critical and in-depth coverage. For examples, the media will analyse K-Pop albums and songs in detail and scandals of K-Pop artists that are usually not reported in the West. Although there is a broader coverage on K-Pop, the media has not moved on from past tropes as there are articles that provided inaccurate information and racists coverage on K-Pop. However, unlike the earlier stages, fans are now more active in calling out and demanding accountability for racists and misleading coverage, which greatly influence how the West discusses K-Pop, especially on social media. Accountability for such coverage is needed because information from media outlets is considered to be somewhat objective and credible. A survey done by Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE) discovered that non-K-Pop fans rely on news media to develop their perceptions about Korea and K-Pop (KOFICE, 2016 cited in Kwon, 2017). This means that individuals may formulate stereotypes of K-Pop and Korea developed and reinforced by the news media. From these two studies, I have identified the general representations of K-Pop which mostly include prejudicial and stereotypical images of K-Pop and that the Western media tend to view K-Pop through the Western lens, thus, evoking a sense of Western superiority and ‘Otherness’ in their coverage. I believe that the reason is because of Western-centrism as explained below.
Western-centrism is a discursive rationale for, and a residue of, colonialism, for it normalizes the imbalance of power produced by colonialism (Shohat and Stam, 2014, p. 2). Colonialism is a process by which Europeans vied for control and conquered colonial territories and resources, and they attained cultural and political hegemony in much of the world (Shohat and Stam, 2014, p. 2). Although the colonial rule has ended, much of the world retains Western-centric views. Western-centrism is a perspective in which Europe is deemed as the unique source of meaning, as the centre of the world, and as ‘ontological reality to the rest of the world’s shadow’ (Shohat and Stam, 2014, p. 2). Western-centrism divides the world into the West and the Rest. Europeans are perceived as history makers because there are beliefs that the West had a special advantage in terms of race, culture and more which makes Europeans superior and that their civilizations naturally progress, modernize, and innovate while other civilisations stagnate and are considered as backwards and have no real contribution to the world (Blaut, 1993, p. 1; Bruckmann, 2010). These beliefs were formed because Europeans were alluded to be the ones who invented the modern state, capitalism and more (Blaut, 1993, p. 8). However, Blaut (1993) argued that some of those suggestions might not be true. This is because Western-centrism established itself as inventive and superior by ‘appropriating the cultural and material creation of non-Westerns’ while not acknowledging non-Westerns’ accomplishments and its appropriation (Shohat and Stam, 2014, p. 3). With this establishment, Western-centrism portrays the West as leaders that were tasked to lead and modernize non-Western civilizations while they emulate the West through colonialism and assimilation (Amin, 1989; Blaut, 1993). As Western-centrism is an ideology that forms modern-day practices and representations, many non-Western territories like Japan and Korea underwent Westernization as they institutionalized Western’s practices, institutions and more (Shohat and Stam, 2014, p. 2; Kang, 2015). For instance, the Westernization of K-Pop symbolizes modernity and freedom in Korea (see above). Another example is the U.S. media imagined America as the leader of the global music market while K-Pop is depicted as a cultural inheritor and follower of American music (Kwon, 2017, p. 18). Western-centrism not only influences the Westernization of K-Pop idols and songs, but it also causes internalized western-centrism and reinforces racism which I will explain below.
As Western-centrism enables the West to project their achievements as ‘representative of humanity’ and widely disseminates Western values, practices and more, their cultural expressions become the norm or universal (Young, 1990, p. 59). Since the West’s identity and cultural expressions are being normalized, the West constructed the non-West as negative in comparison (Young, 1990; Blaut, 1993). Therefore, the non-West are segregated and constructed as the ‘Others’. The process of ‘Othering’ includes the non-Western to be stigmatized and stereotyped as threats or inferior (Kang, 2015). Given that Western-centrism worldview of history is normalized through education, media, and more, the consequence is that Western-centric views are widely internalized among non-Western and Western people, either consciously or subconsciously (Shohat and Stam, 1994, p. 298; Kang, 2015, p. 25). Most non-Westerners have internalized Western-centric views as they feel that they cannot represent the world without depending on a ‘Western-centric epistemological framework’ because they are faced with the imposed notion that they are less superior than Western counterparts (Kang, 2015, p. 30). For example, K-Pop idols adhering to Western beauty standards reinforced the notion of the West as the centre of the world and Korean’s desires to be like the Westerners. As the West is continuously perceived as the best, there will be racist views held against the non-West or the K-Pop industry as a consequence.
Racism discourse is similar and closely intertwined to the Western-centrism ideology (Shohat and Stam, 1994; Kang, 2015). D’Souza (1995, p. 518) defined racism as a belief that intellectual or moral superiority is based on certain characteristics of race and that any racial discrimination acts are due to such beliefs. White people are constructed to be more superior than the non-Whites, which caused the latter to be subjected to racism. Such prejudices and subjugation are reproduced in everyday life through the media, education, and in politics which contribute to the reproduction of racism (Van Dijk, 1993). When Girls Generation won the 2013 YouTube’s Video of the Year Award in America, racists comments like ‘Can you believe One Direction lost to some weird Chinese girl’ were common (Gibson, 2019, p. 38). By thinking that it is unbelievable for a K-Pop group to win an award over a Western group and calling them weird shows that they subscribed to the Western-centric and racist views of the non-West as mediocre and negative in comparison to the West. By labelling Girls Generation (all Korean members-group) as ‘Chinese girls’ is racist because the commentors generalised Asian-looking people as Chinese which invalidates other ethnicities within the Asian communities. One can be Western-centric while rejecting racism at a conscious level because Western-centrism is not a genetic inheritance, but a historically-situated discourse (Shohat and Stam, 1994, p. 298). But because Western-centric and racist views are similar in the sense that they believe in Western and White superiority, people tend to internalize racial stereotypes too. One example is the racial stereotypes of K-Pop male idols as ‘gay’ and ‘effeminate’ due to the different ideas of masculinity in Western and Korean cultures as shown below.
K-Pop male idols are known for their soft masculinity embodying masculinity features with feminine aesthetics in which they do not commit to a particular version of masculine expression instead, they adopt different versions of masculinity according to their music concept (Almqvist-Ingersoll, 2019; Lee et al., 2020, p. 5904; Song and Velding, 2020, p 5). Song and Velding (2020, p. 5) stated that the different types of masculinities include ‘KKot mi nam’ (flower boys in Korean) and ‘Jim seung dol’ (male idols portraying wild masculinity like that of a beast). Kkot mi nam masculinity refers to men who are slim and have pretty and/or androgynous features which are highly popular among female fans as it presents a more ‘female-friendly masculinity’ that emphasizes more on beauty and less on physical strength (Oh, 2015, p. 63; Almqvist-Ingersoll, 2019, p. 7). For a sweet concept, male idols will perform Kkot mi nam masculinity in pastel-coloured clothes, dance to cute choreography while making cute gestures like winking to emphasise their youthful innocence (Song and Velding, 2020, p. 5). Simultaneously, the same idols will perform Jim seung dol masculinity to display a sexy and tough concept that typically involves heavy eye makeup, muscular shirtless bodies, and tough or sexy choreography that includes pelvic thrusting (Oh, 2015; Song and Velding, 2020). Scholars have conceptualized the flexibility of K-Pop male idols to alternate from soft to macho male expressions in terms of ‘manufactured versatile masculinity’ (Jung, 2011) and ‘alternative masculinity’ (Oh, 2015). Oh (2015, p. 63) regarded the boundary between Kkot mi nam and Jim seung dol as slight because although idols portraying Jim seung dol are required to look manly, they are also required to have pretty-looking faces and flawless skin. This is because lookism is prevalent in Korea in which the application of make-up is common among Korean men because self-grooming and having a good appearance reflects one’s competency and help set one apart from the others (Oh, 2015, p. 63; Sharma, 2018). Hence, male idols will undergo plastic surgeries, diets, apply full face of make-up and wear accessories and androgynous outfits to stand out from other idols and meet the visual expectations demanded by Korean society. Such ‘feminine’ expressions of male gender evoked by effeminate appearance is not associated to queer practices or homosexuality in Korea, but it could be perceived as such in the West due to Western hegemonic masculinity (Oh, 2015; Almqvist-Ingersoll, 2019).
Western hegemonic masculinity is defined by the absence of any feminine characteristics and the superiority to femininity (Hong et al., 2011; Song and Velding, 2020). For example, a man who focuses too much on his appearance is considered as feminine which will risk his masculine label (Song and Velding, 2020, p. 6). The ideal hegemonic masculinity includes a ‘Western, White, able-bodied, heterosexual and middle/upper class male’ (Connell, 2005 cited in Song and Velding, 2020, p. 6). Males become ‘real men’ through reinforcement of heterosexuality, homophobia, physic
This encyclical began a defining moment in the history of the Church. It was promulgated by Pope Pius XII it became the first papal encyclical devoted specifically and entirely to the liturgy. Its relevance is still being felt till this day, and this is evident in the chain of events following it; for Mediator Dei serves as the bedrock of the movement towards liturgical reform that culminated in the Second Vatican Council.
Get original essayPope Pius XII was faced with a congregation, which lacked interest in the liturgy and played a passive role in the liturgy. This spurred him to provide the faithful with tools to foster greater understanding of the Mass, the Liturgical Year and a more tender devotion to the Holy Eucharist, for he entertained a fervent devotion to the Sacrament himself and many of his allocutions are centered on this. Pius XII saw the solution to the passive role played by the congregation to be “active participation” in the liturgy, the divine life; “Through this active and individual participation, the members of the Mystical Body not only become daily more like to their divine Head, but the life flowing from the head is imparted to the members” for the work of the sanctification of the world (MD, 78). The encyclical may be divided into four aspects:
It was the intention of Pope Pius XII, to restrain the excesses of some liturgists, and to spur the half-hearted and lukewarm to greater effort. Also, the encyclical sought to affirm and clarify the authority of the Holy See in liturgical matters. Furthermore, Pope Pius XII deplored efforts “to reduce everything to antiquity by every possible device” (MD, 62). This attitude ignores the capacity for and the actuality of development in doctrine and in liturgical practice.
It is one of the four constitutions in the Second Vatican Council’s documents with its focus on the Sacred Liturgy. And as a dogmatic constitution, it contains within it the principles upon which the teachings and liturgical practice of the Church in her renewal on the sacred Liturgy would be guided. It is not out of place to say that Mediator Dei anticipated and formed part of the foundation of Sacrosanctum Concilium, though it is not immediately apparent from the notes of the Constitution. The seven chapters concern every aspect of liturgy, including the Eucharist, Prayer, Furnishings of the Church, Liturgical Calendar as well as Music.
You could almost feel the progression from Mediator Dei to Sacrosanctum Concillium. The Constitution is however indebted to Mediator Dei not only for its ideas, but also at times for its very words. Among the ideas that Sacrosanctum Concilium derives from Mediator Dei are:
Mediator Dei and Sacrosanctum Concilium as similar as they may seem emphasized on different aspects; for example, in Sacrosanctum Concilium focus was laid more on eschatology than in the encyclical, one could sense the theme of the Parousia, the second coming of Christ, while in fairness to Mediator Dei, it has a deeper teaching on devotion. Sacrosanctum Concillium has a deeper reliance on the bible, while Mediator Dei appeared to be drawn from the events of the day.
This documents are somewhat like an evaluation of the church progress so far. They both have the questions: How have we faired? Under the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, these documents were released at two different anniversaries of the Constitution of Scared Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concillium and are categorized as apostolic letters.
In Vicesiimus Quintus, which was promulgated on the 25th anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concillium, it evaluates the renewal in accordance with tradition, according to guiding principles of the constitution while reminding us of what it says about the liturgy, as the reenactment of the paschal mystery of Christ, the self- manifestation of the church and also the presence of the word of God. It also makes mention of renewal of the liturgical life of the Church, not forgetting too, the practical application of the reform, in which he highlighted the difficulties, positive results as well as erroneous applications of the reform. Finally it makes mention of the future of the renewal where he discussed biblical and liturgical formation of the people of God, adaptation of different liturgical cultures, attention to new problems and liturgical and popular devotions as well as the organisms responsible for liturgical renewal.
Spirutuset et Sponsa is the second apostolic letter attributed to Pope John Paul II, issued on the 40th anniversary of the Constitution. Another occasion to re-evaluate the progress the church had made 40 years after. It is a call for a deep participation in the liturgy that is true to sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture as interpreted by the second Vatican Council fathers whose teachings have been upheld by the magisterium who succeeded them.
During these last two years dealing with Covid, I have seen people's public reactions towards the virus and the vaccines. Many people of all races did not take the virus seriously and disobeyed the mask mandate and many are refusing to get the Covid vaccine. I took the virus seriously and have been vaccinated but a lot of my family were very skeptical of the vaccine and have not taken it. My family is Black, and they watch the news and have seen that Black Americans are suffering the most from Covid. It made me wonder why they are so untrusting of the vaccine when it's protecting us. Recently during Thanksgiving, I heard one of my family members say that the vaccine “was not made for Black people.” Hearing this shocked me because it made me realize that a lot of my Black family members fear the medical industry and are very untrusting of what professional doctors have said about Covid. This prompted me to investigate the source of this mistrust towards doctors and I was shocked to see how deep this situation is. The medical field has been abusing and neglecting the Black body for over a century, starting from slavery and to the present day. Slavery allowed for Black bodies to be used as test subjects for White doctors to advance the medical field. Ever since then, throughout history, White doctors have abused their power to manipulated and harm Black People for science. I believe racism is embedded into the healthcaremedical industry and Black Americans are suffering from this. My research led me to ask, how has the historical abuse and neglect of the Black body conducted by a racist medical field led to Black Americans being fearful and untrusting of the healthcare industry?
Get original essayThe issue of medical abuse begins with slavery where the Black body was already being subjected to abuse by their White owners. Slaves did not have ownership over their own bodies which allowed the slave owners to sell them to other people for experimentation. Writer Stephen Kenny talks about historians James Breeden and Todd Savitt conducting in-depth studies on the exploitation of Black slaves. Their research found that the bodies of slaves were being trafficked in medical schools in Virginia so that these bodies could be used to instruct the students. During that time, upcoming White doctors viewed the slaves as commodities they could use to better their medical knowledge. They also believed that the slaves were disposable, so if they experimented on them and the slave passed away, they could always get another slave. Breeden and Savitt also discovered that the body parts of Black slaves were being used in medical societies for dissection and observing.
One case that displays the horrendous abuse of medical power during the period of slavery is the case of Charleston Elias S. Bennett and an unnamed child slave. According to journal entries from Bennett, he discovered a small tumor on a female slave when she was only four weeks old. He saw this as an opportunity for research and decided to surgically remove the tumor along with another apprentice doctor. During this time most of the tools and medication we have now did not exist, and this made this procedure extremely dangerous. Bennett went on to perform the surgery and noted that there were a lot of complications during it. As the young girl got older the growth of the tumor only got worse and she eventually died, most likely due to Bennett's interference with it.
To these doctors, the Black body was not human, it was just a subject they could continuously use to conduct unethical procedures on. Some of these doctors that are praised today for making revolutionary medical discoveries are people who constantly abused Black people. Writer Harriet A. Washington has authored many articles and books on the medical torture of Black people, in one of her articles she exposed famed doctor James Marion Sims. Washington writes that she once thought that James Sims, also known as the Father of Gynecology, was the ‘medical hero’ history has named him. After further research Washington found out that Sims conducted many unethical and futile surgeries on female slaves. He would use Black women to conduct experimental surgeries to correct fistulas that can occur from protracted labor. Without the consent of the enslaved women, he would make cuts in their bladder, vagina, and rectum without putting them to sleep with anesthesia. This would leave the women with lifelong problems. He took what he learned from the experiments on the enslaved women and use it to help the White wives of slave owners. Unlike the enslaved women, he did put them to sleep using chloroform but horribly allowed the women's husbands to have intercourse with them while sleeping. Washington found in further research that even though Sims claimed he wanted to cure the enslaved women; he would leave most of them with infections to pursue other research opportunities. There was a statue of James Sims in central park that was taken down when he was exposed but the damage he caused still lives on. Because of his journal entries stating that the Black slaves could withstand the pain of his procedures, he started the widespread lie that Black people cannot feel pain. This lie still impacts Black patients today and has embedded itself in medical history.
Black Bodies continued to suffer at the hands of a corrupt medical industry and the industry was able to thrive off this suffering. We expect that doctors should always be professional and have some sense of respect towards their patients, but this is not what Henrietta Lacks experienced. Henrietta Lacks was a mother of five who was diagnosed with cervical cancer by Dr. Howard Jones at John Hopkins. She went through numerous radiation treatments to treat her cancer. While in treatment her cells were taken and studies by Dr. George Gey. Gey found her cells to be amazing because instead of dying, they duplicated. Lacks eventually did die because of her cancer but John Hopkins still had her cells. Without the permission of Henrietta Lacks or her family, they began to use her cells for research and still do till this day. Her cells have been used to make incredible medical discoveries and have even played a part in the creation of the Covid 19 vaccine. While medical companies have made millions from her cells, Lacks family has been fighting these companies that continue to profit from her. Henrietta Lacks is continuously disrespected after her death, most medical institutes including John Hopkins did not even recognize Henrietta until her family started bringing more attention to her story. This gross and invasive abuse of the body only got worse throughout history.
One of the most well-known cases of medical abuse is the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study. The Tuskegee syphilis study was a case that displayed “the dangers of unchecked medical madness and the sexualized power of doctors over the innocent” (Reverby). Black men trusted these White doctors when they volunteered for the study, but in return they were manipulated. In 1932 the US Public Health Service conducted a study on Black men who already had syphilis. The men were under the impression that these doctors would be helping to cure them of their illness but they left it untreated for 40 years so they could study the effects. The doctors claimed that the volunteers had “bad blood” and put them through a series of unnecessary painful surgeries. The government allowed this unethical experiment to go on for years, even after some wives and children of the volunteers were diagnosed with syphilis. The government only put a stop to it in 1972 when an upcoming investigator brought this story to the media. The Tuskegee experiment left a stain on the medical field and was the turning point on the way Black Americans viewed the health care industry.
After 1972 when the Tuskegee study was brought to light, many Black Americans were disturbed and scared of the medical industry. The people who were supposed to help them were abusing them and taking advantage of the Black body. Though this abuse did not happen to all Black Americans it still traumatized them to see how racism is embedded in the medical field. Black Americans were so fearful of doctors, they began to avoid them. This led to a rise in preventable deaths and diseases in Black Americans. Medical Author, John Hoberman states that the Tuskegee experiment started a dangerous view of Black health and led Black Americans to believe rumors about the medical industry. A lot of Black Americans believed that the AIDS virus was a government plot orchestrated to kill off the Black community. This is not a factual statement, but relationships were bad between White doctors and Black patients and tensions were high, so they believed this to be true. Relationships between doctors and Black patients continued to deteriorate and impact the healthcare system.
Hoberman gives a different view on why relationships between White doctors and Black patients can be very conflicting. When some Black patients come in with diabetes, drug-related problems, or gunshot stabs wounds, White doctors start to stereotype Black patients and find it hard feel badly for them. Some White doctors have the notion that Black patients are prone to violence and this type of thinking influences the level of care Black patients receive. Hoberman states that there may also be times where Black patients may give white doctors a tough time, but this can happen with all patients. Regardless of if the patient gives the doctor a tough time or there's a certain view of Black patients, the doctor is the one who is knowledgeable. The doctor is responsible for the patient, and it's their job to treat them with the best care. The patient is the one who needs help and cannot control the narrative that has been painted about them. There is an obvious bias in White doctors towards Black patients that start within the education of doctors.
I, as someone not in the medical profession, believe that the medical field is built on racism and the problem is racist doctors. Dr. Larry Dossey has a different look at what the actual problem is. He states that the White dominated industry has been slow in acknowledging racial bias and the fears of Black patients. Many White doctors are blind to the discrimination and the unconscious bias that they may carry. They are not aware of this bias because the medical knowledge they have is embedded with racism. The problem may not be in the medical industry or the doctors, but in the teaching that has been passed down for decades. A lot of the knowledge that doctors now know was discovered by experimenting on Black patients, but they are not taught this. Dr. Amanda Calhoun states “the medical system is not stained with isolated historical atrocities like Henrietta Lacks, Havasupai, and Tuskegee; it is soaked with racism” (Calhoun). Most doctors are not aware of these atrocities because it has been wiped under the rug and ignored. Doctors like Calhoun and Dossey argue that racism in the medical field impacts both doctors and patients. The doctor's treatment of Black patients is due to the lack of acknowledge that the Black body has been dehumanized for decades. Though I agree with both Dossey and Calhoun that some White doctors are just misguided. It does not excuse the fact that there is still a disproportionate rate of Black Americans dying due to the ignorance of white doctors.
Today, Black bodies are still being neglected, a lot of the times when Black patients go to White doctors their concerns are dismissed as paranoia. Black pain is not treated on the same level as White pain. Some doctors are hesitant to give Black patients strong pain pills while they are recovering from surgery. The bias shows up in situations such as this or when Black men are 30% less likely to be provided with proper diagnosis procedures. Black patients are also more likely to be misdiagnosed than any other race. When things like this are constantly happening, it is understandable why Black Americans find it hard to ask for help from the medical industry. Black mothers who rely on the medical field are terrified of giving birth because of the treatment they receive in hospitals. Black mothers are five times more likely to die during childbirth than White mothers because their worries and pain are often ignored. Black babies are also suffering at the hands of a neglectful medical field, government statistics are showing that Black children's infant mortality rates are the highest. Black mothers are being traumatized from painful births and even the death of their babies. Regardless of White doctors being aware of bias or not, it's costing Black patients their lives and adds to the generational medical trauma.
Decade's worth of medical trauma and continuous issues within the medical field shows why Black Americans are so hesitant to take the Covid vaccine. This reluctancy to take the vaccine has a negative impact on the Black community. Black Americans are 1.4 times more likely to contract Covid than White Americans and 2 times as likely to be killed by it. A survey conducted by Pew Research Center showed that out of 71% of Black Americans who knew people impacted by Covid, only 42% would be willing to take the vaccine. They are scared of what's in the vaccine and they have multiple reasons not to trust the vaccine. The strained relationship between doctors and Black patients does not help in encouraging them to take this vaccination. Times like this is where Black Americans distrust in the medical field is really dangerous. They are neglecting their health and the medical advances that are supposed to be helping them. Black Americans are the most vulnerable during this time of Covid, but they feel like they cannot trust anything. Many Black Americans believe that the vaccine will do more harm to them than good. There may be no way to ease the fear and mistrust that Black Americans have towards the medical system but there may be a way to prepare the next generation of doctors to do better.
In order to see change in the medical field and create a more positive relationship between Doctors and Black patients, there must be change in the knowledge of doctors. The medical system must incorporate in their teachings the many abused Black bodies that led to thousands of medical discoveries. Instead of excluding the fact that White doctors like Sims and Bennett tortured Black Women and children, the system must acknowledge that there is a long history of dehumanizing Black people. Amanda Calhoun states that doctors should correct other doctors when they may be showing bias towards Black patients. They must open their eyes to the obvious racism within the system and accept being uncomfortable when talking about how it impacts Black patients. Another problem within the system is the lack of Black doctors. Black Americans make up 13% of the US population but only 3% make up American doctors. There needs to be more opportunities for Black people to join not just the medical field but the mental health field as well. Black patients may find more comfort in going to a Black doctor because they could relate in a way White doctors cannot. Black doctors are also more likely to listen to Black patient's concerns and empathize with their fears. Changing a system built on racism seems like an impossible task and it may not be achievable. Racism is not just a problem in the medical field but in all institutes and it will never go away. We must acknowledge the pain of Black people and listen to their voices; the dismissal of Black voices remains a big problem in the medical system. There must be change, Black Americans do not deserve to die at the hands of a system built to care for all people.
Keep in mind:
This is only a sample.
Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.
Get custom essayI don’t believe that all White doctors are racist or have ill intent when treating Black patients. Some white doctors are influenced by a racist medical system that chooses to ignore its wrongdoings. Not acknowledging the past allows white doctors carry bias at the expense of Black patients. Black people have suffered for centuries and continue to suffer by the hands of hospitals, police, schools, the work force, and more. They have no trust in systems that continuously abuse them and make no changes to their system. I also believe that Black Americans mistrust of the medical field is costing them their lives. When I hear my family members who already suffer from other sicknesses say they aren't going to take the vaccine, it concerns me. Their fear is causing them to make choices that are hurting them and making them more vulnerable. There are so many different issues that contribute to the faulty medical system, a majority were not covered in this paper. I hope the healthcare system and the people who work within it bring light to unfair treatment of Black patients. I also want Black Americans to keep voicing their concerns about the medical system, the only way we can see change is if we demand it.
Life drives its own course along different terrains: a smooth and steady patch of road or a dishevelled and rugged path. Nonetheless, both ways diverge into one end: a dead end. Though every life ceases, its denouement is different. There can either be tranquil endings, or a tragic demise. For those trapped in the arms of chronic pain and sickness, their stories do not have to end with the latter, but can shift towards the former option through physician-assisted suicide.
Get original essayMedical Assistance in Dying (MAID) is the consensual process of ending a person’s life at their request, through the prescription or administration of a substance by a practitioner. Though this procedure might sound horrific, these actions allow people with extreme suffering to die a dignified and peaceful death. In June 2016, Canada joined countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium in the legalization of assisted suicide (Ireland). Being a new addition to the group, Canada’s far behind from the achievements that its brother and sister countries have accomplished. Canada’s journey has only begun. It still has a long way to go before one can see the benefits that the legalization of assisted suicide attains. More than 1, 300 Canadians have ended their lives through Medical Assistance in Dying. Despite this, access to MAID has not been easy, as some communities are lacking physicians and nurse practitioners that are willing to assist them in ending their lives. In addition, health facilities such as Catholic hospitals have the legal right to refuse assisted suicide. This is a growing problem that has caused enormous distress to the patient and family. For them, the government has not truly granted them full access to physician-assisted suicide. Although Canada still faces issues with its current Bill, assisted suicide should not be viewed in a negative light as its legalization facilitates more benefits than losses.
First, abuse of assisted suicide will pursue regardless if it is legal or not. Take into consideration driving privileges. There are still people who park in a no parking zone, cross red lights, or commit a mischievous crime such as drunk driving. These law violators are not hindered by a mere parking ticket or a sentence to jail; hence why they got the audacity to cross the boundaries. This makes the extermination of such heinous crimes, futile and absurd. Likewise, if assisted suicide was banned because of abuse, then might as well all the other privileges since no safeguards for such abuses are effective. Any restrictions or rules can be corrupted to harm others, so it is inevitable for MAID not to be exploited. On the other hand, even if assisted suicide was prohibited, illegal practices of it will still persist. In fact, it is better to have protocols permitting assisted suicide, as doctors who perform illegally will be even more “less likely to admit to participating in such practices”.
Despite the existence of law violators, with or without prohibition, there will always be a majority group of people who will abide by the laws. Therefore, in regards to assisted suicide, it is more advantageous for it to exist legally alongside strict guidelines than to be prohibited. Furthermore, the legalization of physician-assisted suicide will not lead society down a slippery slope. Particularly, this argument disputes that if society allows actions such as assisted suicide, then civilization will be led “down the slippery slope”, allowing other obscene acts like involuntary euthanasia to take place. The repercussion is argued to pose harm on vulnerable groups, but it is proven that there are no heightened risks on the following: women, uninsured people, the poor, racial and ethnic minorities, minors and mature seniors, and especially people with non-terminal illnesses or physical disabilities. This was a study based on robust data from Oregon and the Netherlands: two places that permit physician-assisted suicide. In both jurisdictions, those that died though MAID were more likely to be from groups “enjoying comparative social, economic, educational, professional and other privileges”. The existence of assisted suicide will not threaten vulnerable groups, since society is highly structured and organized; it will not tolerate chaos. Ultimately, the slippery slope effect is not a concern for physician-assisted suicide.
Lastly, the appalling picture of a family member, bedridden from agony and whose motivations to live have diminished, is a heartbreaking tragedy. For those trapped in the arms of chronic pain and sickness, the image and thought of life lasting slavery to the illness, is disheartening. Being provided palliative care, which aims to “relieve suffering and improve quality of life”, is an inadequate solution for some. What people misunderstand is that for these people, “it is not always pain that renders a life worth living. To lay unconscious, but yet still breathing for the rest of their lives, is nothing but torture that is worse than death. Just as a terminally ill patient has said on a qualitative study in the United Kingdom, that he or she wants to be a “useful member of society and kill the pain at the same time”. They want to lose pain and gain a new purpose but unfortunately, palliative care can only alleviate pain. Strikingly, the opposition argues that physician-assisted suicide will impede palliative care, while encouraging a quick fix: death. But in fact, the expenditure for palliative care in Belgium has “grown consistently by an annual average of almost 10% since the regulation of physician assisted dying”. In other words, palliative care and MAID can work alongside each other, providing patients decisions that can change their lives. They both have the same goal of alleviating the suffering of patients. Thus, the image of a family member, bedridden from agony, is no longer a heartbreaking tragedy. It is now a memory filled with deep peace. Despite, the flaws and imperfections of Medical Assistance in Dying, it should be given a chance to live up to its purpose: grant Canadians a dignified death. Notably, abuse, the slippery slope effects, and the “impediment” of palliative care are not a hindrance to the legalization of assisted suicide. Ironically, the existence of assisted suicide constructively brings order and structure to society.
Overall, Canadian lives might be driven along different terrains nonetheless; both will diverge into one tranquil end. Physician assisted suicide is the key to the freedom of life’s end.
A heart attack is a frightening experience. If you have had a heart attack, or are close with someone who has, you are not alone: tens of thousands of Americans survive. As you work toward recovery, please use the following questions and answers to better understand what has happened to you and how you can help your heart heal so you can live a healthier, longer life. Your heart muscle needs oxygen to survive. A heart attack occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely (View an animation of blood flow). This happens because coronary arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood flow can slowly become narrow from a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances that together are called plaque. This slow process is known as atherosclerosis. When a plaque in a heart artery breaks, a blood clot forms around the plaque. This blood clot can block the blood flow through the heart muscle. When the heart muscle is starved for oxygen and nutrients, it is called ischemia. When damage or death of part of the heart muscle occurs as a result of ischemia, it is called a heart attack or myocardial infarction (MI). About every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Get original essayThe risk factors on this list are ones you're born with and cannot be changed. The more of these risk factors you have, the greater your chance of developing coronary heart disease. Since you can't do anything about these risk factors, it's even more important for you to manage the risk factors that can be changed. Increasing Age The majority of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older. At older ages, women who have heart attacks are more likely than men are to die from them within a few weeks. Male Sex (Gender) Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women do, and they have attacks earlier in life. Even after menopause, when women's death rate from heart disease increases, it's not as great as men's.
Heredity (Including Race) Children of parents with heart disease are more likely to develop it themselves. African Americans have more severe high blood pressure than Caucasians and a higher risk of heart disease. Heart disease risk is also higher among Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians and some Asian Americans. This is partly due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes. Most people with a strong family history of heart disease have one or more other risk factors. Just as you can't control your age, sex and race, you can't control your family history. Therefore, it's even more important to treat and control any other risk factors you have. Warning Signs of a Heart Attack Don’t wait to get help if you experience any of these heart attack warning signs.
Although some heart attacks are sudden and intense, most start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Pay attention to your body — and call 911 if you feel: Chest discomfort: Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. Discomfort in other areas of the upper body: Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
In 2018, the U.S. spent approximately $3.6 trillion on healthcare, meaning an average of around $11,000 was spent per individual. With healthcare expenses rising in the U.S. everyday many people believe that healthcare should be universally free. Former presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders advocated publicly for a change, Medicare for All would mean that every American citizen would have health insurance coverage under the bill and for the most part would not have to worry about out of pocket prices. If approved the government would take a phased approach when implementing Medicare for All. During the first year the bill would apply to those who are between the ages of 0-15, then in the second year to those who are between the ages of 17-32. In the third year, those who are 33-49 years old would qualify, and finally in the fourth year it would apply to those whose age ranges from 50-64.
Get original essay“Medicare for All, employers would no longer have the burden of providing health insurance; employers would pay a higher Medicare payroll tax (and possibly a new Medicare value-added tax [VAT]) but then have no further involvement with health insurance.” (Seidman, 2015, pg.913) This means that healthcare would essentially become free for all Americans, taxes would increase but in return your getting free healthcare which is a pretty good trade. Under the Medicare for All bill it would increase the number of Americans of have access to healthcare sources from 91.2% as of 2017 to 100%. Under the bill the quality of services could really go either way when it comes to a change. It could be improved and become more so value-based than it is now, or it could worsen because since everyone would be insured providers know that they would be paid regardless of whether or not they provide adequate to patients.
On the other hand, currently in Canada, visits to primary care doctors, hospitals, and diagnostic services are all covered by Provincial Health Insurance. Although, some cost sharing is included when you take into consideration other services like ambulances, prescribed medications, dental & vision care, and long-term care facilities. This can become challenging for those who have large out-of-pocket expenses, but the government does help them out by providing a tax credit to ease this burden. Sometime in the early 2000s the province of Ontario came out with a primary healthcare reform. . “The reform consisted of the gradual introduction of models characterized by mixed payment mechanisms as well as practice requirements and an enrollment process, formally defining the physician-patient relationship.” (Laberge, 2017, pg.2) The new reform included coverage for primary care visits, diagnostic test, educating patients, health promotion and disease prevention.
I feel as though the representative should throw their support behind the Medicaid for All because, in the end it will help those who do not currently have health insurance because they cannot afford to pay for it or any other reason that it may be. With everyone being covered by health insurance then more people will go to the doctor and improve their health. There is plenty of people out there who needs to go to and want to go to the doctor but cannot because they do not have health insurance. Then on the other hand you have those who do have health insurance but still cannot go to the doctor because they cannot afford to pay the co-pays and premiums. Under Medicare for All consumers would not have to worry about paying all of that money and if they did have to pay anything it would be nowhere near as much as they are paying today. Furthermore, the whole point of a representative is to represent “the people” and to do what is best for them and in my opinion, this would be the best decision for “the people”.
My first experience with a medication error came early in my nursing profession. It was during a lysis case for a lower extremity deep vein thrombosis. For these cases we insert a catheter into the femoral artery and drip heparin and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) near the site of the clot for at least five hours. Once the staff hears the word tPA it causes great duress and they know they are in for a long case. This procedure is very extensive, stressful and time consuming as staff has to come in several times during the night to check how the clot is reacting.
Get original essayAs my preceptor and I were setting up the initial drips, pumps, medications and protocols for the procedure to take place, I went to get the heparin out of the medication dispenser. I went to the system typed in the correct medication and concentration. The drawer released for me to grab the medication. I showed it to my preceptor and she confirmed it was the right concentration. We hung the medications accordingly and transferred the patient to the intensive care unit for observation until we returned later that evening. Upon return, the nurse caring for our patient asked if we checked the medication because it was not the medication concentration that was listed in the protocol. They were correct, it wasn’t the right concentration. It was actually less than what needed to be infused. Luckily enough, they had switched the bag and there was no harm done to the patient. As I went through this in my head I was trying to figure out what happened. After some investigating we found out that the pharmacy stocked multiple concentrations of intravenous heparin in the same drawer. We met with the safety team of the facility and they realized that this was a hospital wide problem. After this event they ended up not stocking heparin in the same drawers and moved the different concentrations to different dispensing units throughout the hospital.
With medication errors nurses have to be resilient to be able to work through and learn from their mistakes. In Polk (1997), consistent acknowledgment of a situation could improve motion toward health by providing a structure for the exploration of the meaning of an experience. The use of resilience as a nurse is essential in using the “ways of knowing”. Resilience involves empirics, ethics, esthetics, personal and experience in the field of nursing in dealing with medication errors. I was able to use empirics to understand that a certain concentration of heparin must be used in order to be affective to lysis the clot. In Zander (2007), empirics is defined as using the science of nursing, concerning objective, and verified through repeated testing over time. The rate of infusion of heparin at a certain concentration have been clinically verified as to what an effective dosage is to help with lysis of a clot. If the nurse that took over care of the patient had not noticed the medication error the clot would have not been affected and the patient would have not had an ideal outcome.
Ethically, I do not believe my ethical boundaries or principles were crossed; in addition, no one was harmed. However, I did feel ethically responsible for my error because I did not use the “five rights” of medication administration correctly. Zander (2007), mentions ethical knowing is implied as an individual’s values and critical consideration of what is valued as one’s moral fiber, motives, and goals. Morally, I didn’t cross any choices intentionally that affected my values or belief’s. However, this situation did make me more aware of moral questions and choices as I continue my practice as an advance practice nurse.
Since I was a very green nurse, I was not able to provide esthetic knowledge because I didn’t have any previous experience with this type of procedure. Zander (2007), aesthetic knowledge can be embedded in the practices associated with nursing. In this situation, I was not familiar with this procedure and I leaned on my preceptor for guidance to make sure I was doing the right thing and the medications were correct. Even though my preceptor was a “seasoned” nurse I should have double check the protocol and made sure that I was hanging the right medication, instead of taking someone else’s word for it. Now I am fully responsible for my own practice and will double and triple check just to make sure a medication error like this doesn’t occur again.
Personally, this case did take a toll on me and will stick with me throughout my nursing profession. I will always validate and verify medication and correctly use the “five rights” in my advance practice. I am more aware of my “self” and the flaws that it might contain. In Zander (2007), personal knowing is an individual’s understanding rather than a personal way of perception. I have learned from this experience so much. It will also be a constant reminder to me to grow and to build on as an advance practice nurse and to be always reminded of the “five rights” and to always check and recheck when administering medications.
Zander (2007) associates nursing experience as knowledge through frequent exposure. Since this was a new procedure to me I was unable to reflect on my experience. However, I will continue to gain more experience through my practice as a nurse and taking graduate courses so that medication errors are less frequent. I do know that I am human and mistakes will happen but by using the “ways of knowing” it will provide an improved way to work through my errors in a more cognizant and positive experience thus benefiting my patients as well as my practice.
Medication errors occur in the profession of nursing, and there is no way around it. A person can count, validate and verify medications but human errors occur. Reflecting on this I realized that the patient wasn’t harmed and we were able to change a hospital wide problem. The validation of changing something that affected the entire facility gave me enough sense that I didn’t do anything detrimental to the patient and thankful another nurse was there behind me to check my work.
In Grissinger (2007), they state that the rights should be used as goals, and that in order to achieve these goals that a strong support staff should be present to encourage safe practices. I firmly agree with this statement in my medication error because without the support of the other nurses and administration this medication error could have gone a lot differently. However, we were able to change the practices of the hospital to prevent this from occurring to another patient by simply moving different concentrations of heparin to different drawers of our medication dispenser. Through the “ways of knowing” I was able to reflect upon my medication error a little more thoroughly then before. Using this has made me realize that accidents and human errors occur. It provided me with a sense of relief that no one was hurt during the process and that my nursing experience will make me become a better advanced practice nurse.
Aluminum hydroxide is a hydroxide salt type of aluminum. It is usually utilized as a medication, and can be found in acid neutralizers for the treatment of indigestion, gastritis, and peptic ulcers. It might likewise be utilized to lessen the retention of phosphorus in individuals with kidney failure. It is dangerous and even lethal. It harms every single distinctive kind of tissues, and is somewhat less lethal than lead or mercury.
Get original essayIt is free from odour, white in colour and not crystal like structure, change into liquid from solid on 300 ‘C, cannot be dissolved in aqueous medium and alcohol but can be dissolve in acidic and basic mediums because it contains both Acidic-Basic properties at ones.
Commercially aluminium hydroxide is prepared by Bayer Process. In this process bauxite is dissolved in sodium hydroxide at 270C temperature. The bauxite residue and waste solid are removed from the solution. From the remaining solution of sodium aluminate, aluminium hydroxide is precipitated. By Potash Alum and sodium carbonateAl(OH)3 is prepared by the reaction of Potassium Alum with sodium carbonate. In 150 mi of water, 100g sodium carbonate and 100g potassium alum are dissolved separately. Filter both of the solutions and then heat them till boiling. Hot alum solution is then poured into hot sodium carbonate solution with constant stirring. 100ml of hot water is also added additionally. Aluminium hydroxide precipitates are formed.
These precipitates are drained and mixed with 200ml of hot water. The precipitates are again decanted and washed with hot water. The washing is repeated till it gives no positive reaction for sulphate ions with barium chloride. Aluminium hydroxide is then filtered and dried at 40C. Thus white, amorphous, tasteless and odorless powder is obtained. 2KAl (SO4)2 + 3NO2CO3 + 2H2O ? 3Na2SO4 + K2SO4 + 2Al(OH)3 + 3CO2By sol-gel methodThis method is used for ultra-fine Al(OH)3 preparation. Aluminium hydroxide is prepared by the hydrolysis of aluminium salts and alkoxides in water. Al reacts with-OH group and form Al(OH)3 which is then precipitated out.
Aluminum hydroxide has an excellent assortment of use in synthetic industry, a portion of these utilizations are as plastic, elastic, polymer and epoxy sap filler, fire resistant, added substance for glass and paper. In drug store, it is utilized as an acid neutralizer for the gastritis and ulcer treatment and it is likewise an added substance in a few immunizations and fills in as excipient in the generation of a few medications. Be that as it may, aluminum hydroxide is generally utilized as crude material in the generation of alumina (aluminum oxide) to create aluminum metal.
In other words, it is called as “salmiac or sal ammoniac. It is an inorganic salt found in the human urine. It has an imperative biochemical capacity keeping up the pH. It is found in mineralogical developments and in this shape it is called as “SALT AMMONIAC. ” It has additionally been found in some volcanic vents and slag. The mineral is usually shaped on consuming coal dumps from build-up of coal inferred gasses.
It is whitish crystal like solid material, easily dissolved in water, it is free from smell, having salt-like taste, can be changed into liquid from solid by heating at 662’C.
Commercially Aluminium chloride is prepared by the reaction of aluminium metal with hydrogen chloride. It is an exothermic reaction and it takes place at 650-750 C. 2Al + 6HCL ? 2AlCl3 + 3H2By Aluminium metal and Iron chlorideIron chloride react with the surface of solid aluminium at 500C and produce aluminium chloride. The gaseous mixture of aluminium chloride and iron chloride is then cooled to transform them in solid phases. Then in separated sealing container, separate aluminium chloride from this mixture at 150C for 5 hours.
FeCl3 + Al ? AlCl3 + Fe2
The principle use of ammonium chloride is as a nitrogen source in composts (comparing to 90% of the world creation of ammonium chloride, for example, chloroammonium phosphate. The principle crops prepared along these lines are rice and wheat in Asia. Ammonium chloride was utilized in fireworks in the eighteenth century however was superseded by more secure and less hygroscopic synthetics. Its motivation was to give a chlorine contributor to upgrade the green and blue hues from copper particles in the fire. It had an auxiliary use to give white smoke, yet its prepared twofold deterioration response with potassium chlorate creating the exceptionally insecure ammonium chlorate made its utilization extremely suspect. It is utilized as a diuretic for individuals with edema or Läennex ailments. A measurements of nine grams for each day is prescribed. Ammonium chloride acts by expanding the renal discharge of chloride. In the meantime, likewise utilized as an acidifier, as this salt outcomes in expanded acridity groupings of free hydrogen particles. Ammonium chloride, handles an expectorant, bothering the mucosa that is causing the incitement of the organs of the bronchial mucosa. In the region of pharmacokinetics, ammonium chloride, retains from the GI tract for a time of five to six hours after ingestion. Additionally, this salt is utilized for delivering dry cells of tin in zinc process and exciting procedures. In different enterprises it is utilized as transition for fastening and metal oxide remover. It is additionally utilized in materials and earthenware. Utilization of ammonium chloride ought to be under therapeutic supervision and with earlier enrollment as it might be destructive for a few people, for example, the individuals who have been determined to have cirrhosis or liver infection. This salt ought to never be utilized as treatment of metabolic alkalosis since it can cause an absence of control in renal brokenness. Whenever devoured without following set up a doctor can have reactions, for example, cerebral pain, laziness, gastica disturbance, spewing, loose bowels, anorexia, tetany, and among different sicknesses.
Soda ash, also called sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), is an alkali compound produced by refining the mineral trona or naturally exicting sodium carbonate-bearing brines (both referred to as natural soda ash), the mineral nahcolite (referred to as natural sodium bicarbonate, from which soda ash can be formed), or manufactured from any of several chemical processes then called as synthetic soda ash.
Sodium carbonate is a white crystalline powder, molecular weight is 105. 988 g/mol, density of is 2. 54g/ml, melting point is 8510c, Na2co3 is hygroscopic in nature. It dissolves rapidly in water and form carbonic acid (weakly acidic) and sodium hydroxide (strong base), thus the aqueous solution of Na2co3 is strong base, which react with acids violently. When Na2co3 is heated to high temperature, it decompose and release fumes of disodium oxide (Na2Co3)
Process of refining includes many steps to produce soda ash from trona ore. First step consists of the crushing and screening of raw ore from mine. The obtained material is then fed to rotary calciners and then heated. In this process, the trona decomposes to form crude soda ash, which is then dissolved in water. The insoluble shales are separated from the solution by passing through settling and filtration steps, and the resulting insoluble tailings are taken back into the mine and refilled. The soda ash solution is treated to remove organic materials, and obtained yield is a high-purity saturated solution of sodium carbonate. Next, the solution is fed to crystallizers where water is evaporated and sodium carbonate monohydrate crystals are obtained. The industry-familiar term "mono-process" originates from this step of processing. The crystals are dewatered and washed using cyclones and centrifuges, and the solution is recycled to the evaporator units for further recovery of soda ash. The monohydrate crystals are fed to rotary kilns where they are dried to finished soda ash. Finally, product is screened as a final step to assure purity.
Sodium carbonate mainly used as:
Magnesium carbonate, is an inorganic salt found as a white solid. Several hydrated and basic forms of magnesium carbonate also exist as minerals. The most common magnesium carbonate forms are the anhydrous salt called magnesite (MgCO3) and the di, tri, and pentahydrates known as barringtonite (MgCO3*2 H2O), nesquehonite (MgCO3*3 H2O), and lansfordite (MgCO3*5 H2O), respectively. Some basic forms such as artinite (MgCO3*Mg(OH)2*3 H2O), hydromagnesite (4 MgCO3*Mg(OH)2*4 H2O), and dypingite (4 MgCO3* Mg(OH)2*5 H2O).
it is free from any odor, whitish-crystal like material, can absorb water from surroundings, 3D structure, cannot dissolves in an aqueous medium, change into liquid form at 350 ‘C.
Magnesium carbonate is ordinarily obtained by mining the mineral magnesite. Seventy percent of the world's supply is mined and prepared in China. Magnesium carbonate can be prepared in laboratory by reaction between any soluble magnesium salt and sodium bicarbonate: MgCl2(aq) + 2NaHCO3(aq) ? MgCO3(s) + 2NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2(g)
High purity industrial routes include a path through magnesium bicarbonate, which can be formed by combining a slurry of magnesium hydroxide and carbon dioxide at high pressure and moderate temperature. The bicarbonate is then vacuum dried, causing it to lose carbon dioxide and a molecule of water, results in formation of high purity magnesium carbonate.
Mg(OH)2 + 2 CO2 ? Mg(HCO3)2Mg(HCO3)2 ? MgCO3 + CO2 + H2O
Magnesium carbonate is used In flooring, Fire proofing, fire extinguishing compositions, Cosmetics, Dusting powder & toothpaste. Color retention in foodsIn pharmaceuticals it is used as an antacid in medicine.
It is a lithium salt of carbonate. It is an inorganic compound having formula i. e. Li2CO3. It is an important medication used in health system to treat bipolar disorder.
It is found as a natural mineral as well as extracted from the ores by using hot water.
no smell, change into liquid at 724 ‘C, very much similar to Na because of charge and size, can easily dissolve in acidic medium but not in water, in order to enhance it’s solubility in water we must use Hot-Water.
It is widely extracted from minerals but can also be prepared by chemical synthesis. By the reaction of lithium chloride or lithium hydroxide with sodium carbonate yields the precipitates of lithium carbonate. It is extracted from pegmatite crystals and brine pools. By the reaction of lithium per oxide with carbon dioxide, it can also be prepared.
It is used as an industrial chemical to make glass which is useful in ovenware, It is used in preparation of ceramic glaze and lithium ion battery cathodes. It can be used as a solvent for bladder stones,It treats mania, gout, urinary tract infections, headache and depression.
Silver nitrate is an adaptable precursor to numerous other silver mixes. It was once called lunar acidic in light of the fact that silver was called luna by the old chemists, who trusted that silver was related with the moon. It was otherwise called the stone of damnation since it is exceptionally destructive.
The chemical formula of silver nitrate is AgNO3, and its molar mass is 169. 87 g/mol. It is a salt, and its synthetic structure comprises of the silver cation (Ag+) and the nitrate particle (NO3-). Silver nitrate is found as a white scentless strong with a thickness of 4. 35 g/mL, melt at 210 °C and boil at 440 °C. It is water solvent and non-hygroscopic. Dissimilar to numerous other silver salts, it isn't photosensitive. It is an oxidizing specialist and is very receptive as the nitrate particle can be effectively supplanted by different groups. Along these lines, it is a valuable beginning material for making a wide range of silver mixes including silver halides, silver oxide, and so forth, and in addition diverse metal nitrates, for example, copper nitrate. Silver nitrate is genuinely steady to light and warmth, yet breaks down when warmed to higher temperatures to give metallic silver alongside poisonous NO2 gas.
To make silver nitrate, fill a glass compartment with concentrated nitric acid and wrap some aluminum wire around a bit of silver, leaving a tail to later expel the silver from the acid, if important. Next, put the aluminum-wrapped silver into the nitric acid, warm the acid until the silver begins to air bubbles and hold up until the point when the silver has totally disintegrated. Give the solution a chance to remain for a couple of days until the point that it totally vanishes, leaving loads of silver nitrate precious stones.
Keep in mind:
This is only a sample.
Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.
Get custom essaySilver nitrate is vitally used as a disinfectant, in the mechanical readiness of other silver salts. It is utilized either in stick frame as lunar harsh (or acidic pencil),The stick is utilized for expelling warts and granulation tissue and for closing up wounds and ulcerations. It is powerful against gonococcal microbes and might be connected to the eyes of babies to guarantee against visual impairment from gonorrhea. Unadulterated silver nitrate is utilized in the synthesis of silver salts, like colloidal silver mixes utilized in solution and silver halides utilized In photographic emulsions.