Defining And Understanding Discrimination Philosophy Essay

Defining And Understanding Discrimination Philosophy Essay Some forms of discrimination are unlawful under the act of law and some examples include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act as well as the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. But does it mean that acts of discrimination prohibited under the law are unethical and those that are not prohibited are ethical? If it is asymmetrical, where do we draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable discrimination, and whether or not it is ethical? To answer these doubts, the various principles and rules of Mills, Kant, Rawls, Aristotle, Confucius and Nozick will be explored and applied. Consequently, a stand on whether each of them is for or against discrimination of working mothers will be reached. Discrimination is no longer confined to the minorities. Gender discrimination in the workplace refers to situations in which an employer treats an individual or group of employees differently, based on their gender. This form of discrimination is chosen because such discrimination is a prevalent issue given that 66 million, which makes up 46.8 percent of the total U.S. labour force, comprises of women.  [ii]  Further, workplace discrimination may occur at any or all of these stages  [iii]   hiring, screening, promotion, compensation and discharge.  [iv]  In particular, discrimination against working mothers will be the focus. Utilitarianism is based on consequences and outcomes where the greatest happiness principle is used to determine the morality of ones actions. Utilitarianism can be broken down into Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism. Act Utilitarianism Under Act Utilitarianism, the decision is based on the consequences of a particular act and the case Denise Batt vs Palmece Ltd, t/a Comfort Inn, will be used. From the companys perspective, one of the reasons for its act of discrimination was that they needed a manager on the premise five days a week. However, when Denise went on sick leave for 3 months and a further 3 month on part time basis due to a burst appendix, no problems arose during the arrangements since there were reliable management systems in place. Hence, Denises absence during her maternity leave would not have caused much of a disruption to the company. In fact, it was when the company promoted her replacement to the position Denise was holding, that caused confusion among the staff. Further, by discriminating, the company lost a competent employee which is evident from Denises consistently good performance, her being held as a role model of good practice as well as the hotel which she managed winning hotel of the y ear within the group. In addition, the company departed from their normal procedures of job applications and this may result in them not selecting the most suitable candidate for the job. Further, as a result of the discrimination, the company had to compensate Denise. As such, there does not seem to be much pleasures arising from the discrimination. To determine the general happiness, the company has to take into account the happiness and pain of other parties and this includes Denises pleasures and pains. The pain Denise may have suffered as a consequence of discrimination include the loss of self-development opportunity, skills turning obsolete and deterioration of health while being able to focus her attention to care and nurture her children without the distractions of work would constitute the pleasure. In Denises case, the stress from such discrimination contributed to health problems. Further, the fact that she fought hard to keep her job by compromising and offering to work part-time showed that the job is of great importance to her. Also, she has been excelling at work and it is likely that she derives satisfaction from such achievements and consequently, higher pleasures. Hence, the pains of losing her job due to discrimination are likely to outweigh the pleasures. Taking into account the overall pains and pleasures of the company and Denise, under Act Utilitarianism, the decision will be against discrimination since it does not provide greatest overall happiness. (change company to name) Rule Utilitarianism Although a decision is reached under act utilitarianism, there is still a need to consider the big picture using Rule Utilitarianism to determine the long-term economic and societal impacts of discrimination. Firstly, the economic implications of discrimination on a corporation are determined. Discrimination against working mothers will not only affect the work attitude of working mothers but women in general. This is because for the majority of women, going through pregnancy and childbirth is a natural cycle and hence, they take such discrimination seriously because they will be the ones affected at a certain point in the future. This will lead to a loss of morale amongst women which negatively affects loyalty and efficiency. Further, discrimination lead to a loss of productivity since the competencies of mothers like Denise are not maximised. In a finding, it is shown that an increase in gender wage gap leads to a decrease in income per capital.  [v]  As such, discrimination has _____ economic implications on corporations. Further, the corporation may also expose itself to unnecessary law suits resulting in reputation loss which may further reduce its future profitability. Hence, wh en the corporation evaluates employees based on merits, it is most efficient way because they have the appropriate skills, competencies and knowledge and thus, promote productivity.  [vi]  which promote welfare. society, such overall goods and benefits would be extended to society leading to the progress of improvement of society.> substantiation (welfare promoted). On the other hand, there is no doubt that qualifications, skills and competencies are arguably the most important criteria for employee selection. However, as globalisations impact and effect becomes widespread, the importance and significance of cultural and social diversity is elevated. Such diversity leads to the injection of new and innovative ideas which is crucial in the ever-changing and fast-paced society. The benefits of diversity are evident in the study Impact of Diversity on Students: A Preliminary Review of the Research Literature where diversity was increasingly related to satisfaction, academic success, and cognitive development of all students.  [vii]  Hence, such beneficial effects are likely to spill-over to corporations when such students enter the workforce and improve company performance. Further, applying diversity directly to the workforce should yield similar or even multiplier effects especially in the present environment where multinational corporations, global operations and the influx of foreign talents are aplenty. Hence, discrimination, or rather, positive discrimination namely affirmative action yields economic rewards. Societal implications of discrimination Although discrimination has a negative connotation attached to it, it may not be that bad of a thing because it is shown that discrimination leads to an indirect increase in fertility.  [viii]  This is positive to societies, especially developed countries, which face the problem of greying population due to low birth rates. However, discrimination may lead to another trend especially for women who place great importance on their careers where they may postpone pregnancies, decide to not have a child, or turn to abortion in order to avoid the route to discrimination of a working mother. Also, there are societal costs of discrimination such as where more than  £30bn worth of talent is wasted due to the inequalities suffered by working women and disabled people, as reflected by the Equal Opportunities Commission.  [ix]  However, there may be greater social costs of discrimination. According to an ILO study, besides the wastage of human talent and resources due to the widening socioeconomic inequality at the workplace, it can have potentially devastating effects on political stability and social cohesion.  [x]  (EDIT) However, a positive consequence in one society may have a negative consequence in another. For instance, discrimination increases fertility rate which is beneficial for developed countries but not beneficial for developing societies facing overpopulation. Hence, the consequence of an action will vary as the contexts changes. In the context of a developed society, although the focus is on discrimination of working women, this has implications on all women because it is a cycle and taking into account the proportion of women in the workforce, and that women belong to different races, religions and cultures, the effect of discrimination on cultural and social diversity is huge. Further, with technology and globalisation taking on an increasingly larger role in the functioning of businesses and societies, the benefits of meritocracy diminishes relative to diversity. Hence, under rule utilitarianism, a stand for discrimination is reached. There is a conflict between the decisions of act and rule utilitarianism. In the case of Denise, discrimination would bring more pain than pleasure. However, in the long run, if the company discriminates, it will bring about more pleasure than pain. Also, there is a need to consider the duration of expected benefits and costs when deciding on the overall goodness of a decision. For instance, short term profitability should not be pursued at the expense of long term political stability. Hence, the pains of discrimination are disastrous while there are tremendous pleasures brought about by affirmative action. Hence, the decision is based on rule utilitarianism which concludes that discrimination should not be performed since the overall pain outweighs the pleasures and instead, affirmative action leads to greatest happiness. This is support by utilization analysis which remedies the disparate impact of unrepresented or excluded positions leading to better utilization and an increase in general welfare. Rawls Principles of Justice Under Rawls Justice as fairness, behind the veil of ignorance, a rational and self-interested person has no knowledge of his future race, gender, religion and status. A maximin approach will be used to efficiently distribute the various social goods using Rawls two Principles of Justice. The moral actor will select the way that is advantageous for him and since he will not want to belong to a group that is discriminated against, he will conclude that discrimination is unjust, be it against gender, working mothers, race, religion or age. Principle of Equal Liberty (egalitarian) Under the Principle of Equal Liberty, each person is to have an equal right to liberties and this includes but is not limited to freedom of speech, freedom of association and rights and liberties under the act of law. As Rawls quotes: liberty can be restricted only for the sake of liberty  [xi]  Such restriction is possible because not all liberties are on par and hence, certain liberties may be restricted in order to achieve greater overall liberties. Applying the principle, when an employer discriminates against working mothers to increase economic productivity and growth, the principle is violated because they are restricting liberty for the sake of an economic gain. Going by Rawls Principle of Liberty, liberty should not be traded for socio-economic advantages. As such, discrimination would be unjust. Difference Principle (distributive justice) The difference principle conveys a socialist approach where responsibilities and burdens should be distributed according to needs.  [xii]  In the workplace, working mothers may not necessarily be the least advantaged or the ones most in need because they are many other groups who have suffered a greater extent of discrimination or injustice such as African Americans or the blacks who may not even have an opportunity at a job to begin with. Hence, compared to working mothers, they are in a worse position. Hence, the difference principle is not applicable because one should start helping the least advantaged. If benefits were to accrue to working mothers, this will improve their position but at the same time, increase the disparity between working mothers and the least advantaged. This would go against the difference principle and hence, it is not applicable. Fair Equality of Opportunity Principle Equality of opportunity is the key issue surrounding discrimination because it directly leads to unequal opportunities. According to a study done by the University of Chicago, mothers are 44 percent less likely to be hired than women without children.  [xiii]  Adding on, according to a study of gender equality in the workplace, mothers are offered lower salaries and are perceived to be less committed compared to women without children even though they are equally qualified.  [xiv]  Hence, it is evident that discrimination leads to unequal opportunities. Rawls would thus be against discrimination since it violates the Fair Equality of Opportunity Principle. Rawls stand seems firmly against discrimination of working mothers as well as discrimination in general. In reality however, not everyone is equal. There are still people suffering from the unjust consequences of past injustice and inequality. Hence, even in the absence of discrimination such as in a system of meritocracy, this group of people have already lost the ability to compete at equal standing since they have been disadvantaged in terms of the opportunity to education or poverty and hence, are not as qualified. As such, there cannot be equal opportunity to being with. Thus, in order to achieve Rawls two principles of justice Equal Liberty and Equal Opportunity, some form of discrimination is required. This is done through affirmative action which aids in levelling the playing field and helps to restore the areas where such groups were excluded or underrepresented.  [xv]  Hence, even though Rawls is against discrimination, this suggest that he is for affirmative action, a positive form of discrimination It can be argued though, that it is a form of compensatory justice, and although the privileged group were not the ones who practiced discrimination, nonetheless, they still benefited from it and hence, it is only fair that they return them and hence, justifiable. do not add to the stand Or add to Aristotle compensatory and disctrimutive. Nozicks Entitlement Theory Applying Nozicks Entitlement theory, when discrimination occurs, the rights of those discriminated against are taken away by unjust means and hence, there is unjust original acquisition leading to unjust transfer. Oppression, rights and liberties being taken away, loss of ability to compete and psychological injuries are some of the many examples which unjust actions are exercised. As such, the Principle of Rectification comes into play. However, the principle does not take into account the damage that has been done on top of whatever that was unjustly acquired, and such damage are often unquantifiable. Hence, Nozick does not have a stand on discrimination because he is of the view is that as long as the act of discrimination is undone, it is just It does not matter whether or not sufficient compensation is provided. Kants Categorical Imperatives Kant takes a deontological approach and believes that one should act based on moral duties rather than on inclinations, interests and consequences. There are two Kantian Categorical Imperatives Principle of Universality and Principle of Humanity. Principle of Universality Under the Principle of Universality, we have to determine the relevant maxim which we at the same time, will that it should become a universal law. Assume a maxim of the employer: I should be allowed to discriminate against working mothers even though they are equally or more competent than other condidates. This maxim supports workplace discrimination based on pregnancy or childbirth. If this were to be applied universally, the economy will be filled with unsuitable employees leading to a decline in productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. Further, given that one is intrinsically incentive-driven by nature,  [xvi]  women will no longer be motivated at work since they are not rewarded based on job related performance. If the extent of discrimination escalates, it may even result in social unrest and hostility. Discrimination will prevail, but only at the expense of social peace and meritocracy. Consequently, this will lead to a less efficient and productive society which a rat ional employer will not want as a universal law. Even if one were to argue that a society can function normally with discrimination from the Indian caste system, Principle of Humanity The Principle of Humanity states that one should treat people as a means to an end, and not simply as a means. Employers, by their acts of discrimination against individual employees, such as in Denises case, are be treating them as a means to their ends where the employee is a profit-making tool for the companys end of deriving profits. Accordingly, both categorical imperatives are not fulfilled and hence, to Kant, discrimination would be unethical and morally impermissible. Further, discrimination goes against Kantian specific duties of developing ones talents and capacities as well as showing benevolence towards others. Aristotle Virtues Aristotle focuses on achieving human happiness good life. Such good life is possible only for persons who practice virtuous activities. Examples of virtues include respectfulness, fairness, justice and compassion which lie in the mean. Discrimination against working mothers goes against the virtues of compassion, fairness, benevolence and hence, Aristotle is against discrimination since it is not virtuous. To achieve good life, one has to do the best thing a person can do with his life. To do so, there has to be a goal or objective. During Aristotles time, women were primarily responsible for childcare and domestic duties. According to the social theory, sex-based division of labour constrains and reinforces gender stereotypes of women as being emotionally expressive, nurturing and caring.  [xvii]  While men, being providers of the family, were portrayed as dominant and aggressive. Division of labour along sexual lines was most efficient and led to overall societal well-being. Discrimination based on sexual lines or status was common and seen as the best and most efficient way of allocating duties then. Hence, Aristotle is for discrimination. Do what you do best However, in modern society, such discrimination is less apparent and visible although still present. According to Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University, females tend to be higher than males in empathy, verbal skills and social skills.  [xviii]  Hence, women are better at certain jobs such as personal relations, administration, counselling and human resource as compared to men. However, since women are known to beest at childcare and domestic roles, according to Aristotle, that is what women should be doing. As such, even though women may be better than men in the abovementioned areas, the job goes to the men. Hence, Aristotle supports discrimination. In addition, depending on the purpose of the job, discrimination is against supported. For instance, if the job is to achieve uniformity in race, discrimination is allowed in order to achieve it. division of labor along sexual lines is most efficient and best promotes the general welfare because the natural (nurturing, sensitive, emotional) abilities of women suit them best to childcare and the natural (aggressive, competitive, rational) abilities of men suit them best to exercise authority and control over business and financial matters. (Which is in line with Confucius Ethics) Distributive Justice: Equal Work = Equal Reward Applying Aristotles distributive justice of equal work for equal reward, if working mothers work as much as other employees, they should receive an amount of compensation equal to the rest. Hence, Aristotle is against discrimination since it would be unjust under his principle of distributive justice. Compensatory Justice Aristotle supports compensatory justice as he is of the view that victims who have been wronged should be compensated. Hence, working mothers who have been denied equal pay or opportunity should be compensated accordingly. Extending Aristotles concept of compensatory justice to discrimination in general, he will be for affirmative action since certain injustice and past wrongs can only be amended through affirmative action. Equality consists in the same treatment of similar persons As Aristotle quoted, Equality consists in the same treatment of similar persons. The case Bliss v. Canada supports Aristotles view. According to Aristotle, even though working mothers are discriminated, so long as all working mothers are treated similarly, it is just and equal. This is despite the fact that working mothers also being to the bigger group of women yet working mothers are subjected to different treatment from other women which accords to discrimination. Hence, Aristotle is for discrimination. Doctrine of Voluntary Choice If discrimination is involuntary, such as unintentional discrimination or due to compulsion, the discrimination should not be adjudge as not virtuous or immoral. Confucius

On Achievement :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites If a comatose person were to earn an interest of 1 million USD annually on the sum paid to him as compensatory damages – would this be considered an achievement of his? To succeed to earn 1 million USD is universally judged to be an achievement. But to do so while comatose will almost as universally not be counted as one. It would seem that a person has to be both conscious and intelligent to have his achievements qualify. Even these conditions, though necessary, are not sufficient. If a totally conscious (and reasonably intelligent) person were to accidentally unearth a treasure trove and thus be transformed into a multi-billionaire – his stumbling across a fortune will not qualify as an achievement. A lucky turn of events does not an achievement make. A person must be intent on achieving to have his deeds classified as achievements. Intention is a paramount criterion in the classification of events and actions, as any intensionalist philosopher will tell you. Supposing a conscious and intelligent person has the intention to achieve a goal. He then engages in a series of absolutely random and unrelated actions, one of which yields the desired result. Will we then say that our person is an achiever? Not at all. It is not enough to intend. One must proceed to produce a plan of action, which is directly derived from the overriding goal. Such a plan of action must be seen to be reasonable and pragmatic and leading – with great probability – to the achievement. In other words: the plan must involve a prognosis, a prediction, a forecast, which can be either verified or falsified. Attaining an achievement involves the construction of an ad-hoc mini theory. Reality has to be thoroughly surveyed, models constructed, one of them selected (on empirical or aesthetic grounds), a goal formulated, an experiment performed and a negative (failure) or positive (achievement) result obtained. Only if the prediction turns out to be correct can we speak of an achievement. Our would-be achiever is thus burdened by a series of requirements. He must be conscious, must possess a well-formulated intention, must plan his steps towards the attainment of his goal, and must correctly predict the results of his actions. But planning alone is not sufficient. One must carry out one's plan of action (from mere plan to actual action).

Invisible Man Essay: Search for True Identity :: Invisible Man Essays

Search for True Identity in Invisible Man      Ã‚   "Who the hell am I?" (Ellison 386) This question puzzled the invisible man, the unidentified, anonymous narrator of Ralph Ellison's acclaimed novel Invisible Man. Throughout the story, the narrator embarks on a mental and physical journey to seek what the narrator believes is "true identity," a belief quite mistaken, for he, although unaware of it, had already been inhabiting true identities all along.    The narrator's life is filled with constant eruptions of mental traumas. The biggest psychological burden he has is his identity, or rather his misidentity. He feels "wearing on the nerves" (Ellison 3) for people to see him as what they like to believe he is and not see him as what he really is. Throughout his life, he takes on several different identities and none, he thinks, adequately represents his true self, until his final one, as an invisible man.    The narrator thinks the many identities he possesses does not reflect himself, but he fails to recognize that identity is simply a mirror that reflects the surrounding and the person who looks into it. It is only in this reflection of the immediate surrounding can the viewers relate the narrator's identity to. The viewers see only the part of the narrator that is apparently connected to the viewer's own world. The part obscured is unknown and therefore insignificant. Lucius Brockway, an old operator of the paint factory, saw the narrator only as an existence threatening his job, despite that the narrator is sent there to merely assist him. Brockway repeatedly question the narrator of his purpose there and his mechanical credentials but never even bother to inquire his name. Because to the old fellow, who the narrator is as a person is uninterested. What he is as an object, and what that object's relationship is to Lucius Brockway's engine room is important. The narrator's identity is derived from this relationship, and this relationship suggests to Brockway that his identity is a "threat". However the viewer decides to see someone is the identity they assign to that person. The Closing of The American Mind, by Allan Bloom, explains this identity phenomenon by comparing two "ships of states" (Bloom 113). If one ship "is to be forever at sea, [and]  ¡K another is to reach port and the passengers go their separate ways, they think about one another and their relationships on the ship very differently in the two cases" (Bloom 113).

Case Study of Mc Golden Arch Essay

Executive Summary This case study was about the Madison Hotel project in Memphis. After determining the case, there were lots of problems occurred during the processes which are over budgeting and delay opening because of the unplanned acquisition of facilities. The problems are occurred because the owner of project changed the concept of the restaurant, the land price was raised, the name of the building was belonging to the previous owner, refusing the loan from the back, and inaccurate and insufficient construction. After the root causes of the problems are discovered, there are many ways to solve and prevent the problem. There are three main ways to solve them. The first way is to improve the construction contract. The owner should invest the background of the construction company before signing the contract. Also, make a clear cut-contract to ensure that the constructors will finish the project on time. In case there is any fee from defaults or failures, the constructors have to respond for them. The second way is to consider the risk that involve with this project. The management team should be able to respond the unexpected risks that may occur immediately and they should have a second plan for more alternatives as well as reducing the period of working time. The last way is about planning process. The owner should have a plan which is covered all the part of the project and all responsibility of the project member for avoiding any complexity to prevent any pushing the responsibility off duties to other players. The more important of the project, the more efficient of the plan should be considered. If the plan is achieved, the hotel will be opened on time and the project owner will not have to pay for unnecessary processes. Also, the Madison Hotel will be the best boutique hotel in Memphis according to its fully service and facilities, and for special events, the hotel will have high occupancy rate from fully booking. On the other hand, if the plan is failed, the hotel will face with the same problems which are delay opening, over budgeting, complicated business plan, and failure to achieve the goal. The description of the case 1.1 Background of the case This case study focused on the creation of a 110-unit luxury boutique hotel in Memphis, Tennessee by four developers and the lessons they had learned during this complicated project. The individuals who identified in this project are – Walter Broadfoot: a veteran hotel owner and broker from Memphis – Tony Klok and Gene Kornota: they funded the majority of the equity for the project – Mohamad Hakimian: The long time general manager of Memphis’s most famous hotel who became involved in the project as a managing partner to shaping the renovation and character of the hotel Walter Broadfoot first eyed the Tennessee Trust Building as a possible hotel in Memphis because it was an ideal structure to convert to a hotel that is to say it already had a window and an identical floor plan from floors three though sixteen, a large ground floor lobby, a second-level mezzanine, a lower or basement level and the potential for a rooftop deck that would command a breathtaking view of the mighty Mississippi. But the Memphis lodging market had enough depth and there were a lot of complexities and extent of challenges faced him at the certain period of the time. Therefore, the project was abandoned right away at that time. The building was cost $250,000 and was selling by CNA Company, but CNA didn’t hold any legal right to it because it was in the name of previous owner. After the developer bought this building from CNA Company, they had to pay for this unplanned process which cost about $100,000 and took several months to be done. He encountered the owners who were either unwilling to sell or wanted to make a quick buck in order to make space for hotel’s food, beverage and banquet facilities. After many months of planning and meetings, the developers faced another exceedingly budgeting problem. By the time, the hotel was swelled to approximately $15 million which is 50 percent more than the estimated total project cost ($9.7 million). The developers site several major factors that drove up the original budget which are -the enhancement of the initial food and beverage concept: from limited in scope to full-service/upscale grill and bar – Inaccurate and insufficient construction cost budgets: by an unqualified general contractor – The expense for ensuring construction interest that they (new contractor) will be continued well beyond the time frame According to over budgeting, the entrepreneurs need to loan from the local bank but the local bank realized that this project hold too much risks, consequently, there weren’t any local banks interested in providing permanent financing for the project. Tony and Gene have to loan from the bank of Chicago base on banking relationship. The loan was about 50% of the project cost and the bank will continue to hold the title of the building as additional secured collateral. The business entity that was formed to own the hotel was a Tennessee limited liability corporation. Equity share is defined as the actual cash equity contributed by each partner while financial share represents the structure of the profit distributions after receives a return on their original cash equity. Equity shareFinancial share Investor#145%35% Investor#245%35% Investor#35%15% Investor#45%15% 1.2 The purpose of the case The purpose of this study was to understand the complexities involved in this project. Also, to create a new plan in order to prevent any unexpected situations or unfavorable conditions that may occur during the processes. To learn the previous obstructions and the lessons that already occurred to prevent current risks and problems that may exist as well as to think ahead and preclude complicated problems in the future. For improving and developing this boutique hotel to become the best European style boutique hotel in the Memphis, hopefully, in the Tennessee likewise. 1.3 The scope of the case This case study looks into the Madison hotel renovation which is located at Tennessee, United state by four entrepreneurs. It is all about the business planning process which is about how to start a hotel business starting from buying the properties along with finding the source of investment funds not including sale and marketing analysis, competitor analysis, or other irrelevant aspects. 1.4 The limitation of the case The case study involved with the financial incentives and tax free exchange provisions which were beyond our basic knowledge. Hence, this case study analysis will not refer to any financial topic which has no effect to analysis process.

Formal Education Vs. Informal Education Essay

Are you or your child receiving an education that fits your element? If not then when would now be a good time to look into that? Adults and children today or mostly unaware of how education is being presented do to the fact that they are only aware of one type of education. Of course most of us all are all born and raised on the â€Å"ladder system† which is another way of saying formal education, but many people don’t realize that there is an abundance in different types of education. We have all heard of private schools and charter schools, but those are just schools not education. Yes they are education to a degree but there are only two types of education, and they are frequently fought and argued about which one is better. Those two types of education are formal education and informal education. In todays society people are built mainly on morals and beliefs that are passed down through the government and high end white collard business men. Unfortunately people are becoming more and more unaware of informal education. Informal education is better than formal education do to the constant environment change and open curriculum that a education lacks. Informal education is better and should be blended in with formal education to get a real world experience. The year two thousand and thirteen today we thought to have evolved in our educational practices. Even now people are becoming more intelligent in formal education through the years that the â€Å"ladder system† was introduced. Unfortunately though with that we also have been developing lower and lower common sense. That is mainly to do with formal education. Many people ask what is formal education? Formal education is education presented in a prestiges matter in which there are different levels completed. The levels being Elementary school, Middle School, High School, and finally college. Seeing that there are different levels to be completed makes a more focused approach on education which in the long run will increase your intelligence, do to wanting to complete the final task which is college. Even by doing this many people blindly rush into college only forgetting what they have learned in middle school and even high school. Formal education is also very narrow and not open in many other experiences. Formal education schools are often decided what to teach based on what the state wants. With most of the formal educations power going to the government and states. That leads formal educated schools to having a very closed curriculum and not being able to learn outside the box or have any other experiences. With formal education being a ladder system and a narrow curriculum, you can see that in terms of college expectations you are intelligent, but in realistic experiences you are not. Now what is Informal Education. Let me share an idea with you before i tell you. You probably know what a formal event is right? You wear a formal garment such as a suit or a dress and you go to a very on point social event, but  whatever when you are not dressed formally? You tend to have more creative freedom and you start to be educated on different types of apparel. Informal education the informal clothes appose to formal clothes such as a dress or suit. In the world of informal education there is no Ladder system. It is in short basic education but in a progressive form. And with being no ladder system the states are not involved with the curriculum which means you get to learn outside the box and experience far more than formal education could ever teach you. Many people argue which is better when most people really lean more towards formal education, but really for an educational stand point informal education is better. There are many factors to bring into play when explaining the reason informal education is better than formal education. First let me explain environmental reasons to this. Looking at formal education you see that every day you are in the same blocks of classes and you are constantly surrounded by the same people. With that you are not really experiencing different types of people because you are built upon having the same people through out the school  year. You are not exposed to different personalities or characteristics do to people adapting to your own and becoming more like you. Informal education on the other hand you are exposed to the same class room, but there are usually different people in your class daily, and frequently even different teachers. With that your are not adapting to certain personalities but you are adapting to a realistic way of life which is being surrounded constantly with different people. Another thing argued strongly is the experience range. Formal education gives you a very narrow curriculum not allowing you to experience other things that are more valuable outside of school. Most of the things in formal educated school apply only to school and not in the real world although english, science and some math is an exception. Informal education allows you to see many different prospectives on certain subjects and you really get to experience a lot more than what the state narrows it down too. Experience such as different people usually everyday, different subjects everyday and when a subject is ever retaught, it is taught by a different teaching making a different point of  understanding. The education in an informal school is usually basic things that you would learn in middle school, but going more into formal education it starts to be applied to many different areas in a real world circumstance, and applied several different ways. In a formal education school you are taught more advanced things that help develop the brain, but has no use in the outside world. In todays formal educated schools we are all taught that knowledge is power but that is really an understatement. What use do you have of acquired knowledge if you don’t even know how to apply it in a real world circumstance? Point proven. Formal educated schools today are focused to much upon how to help you get to the next step of the ladder rather than helping you understand the use of the information provided. While formal education has a great affect on the brain development wise, it lacks many uses outside of its buildings. In formal education on the other has many experiences that are less advanced and may not enhance or develop the brain much. But if knowing how to use one piece of great information acquired and it making you become very successful. Then all the other information obtained that had no transformational value was just a waist of time. Even today many people see education beyond high school as a waist of time, and the ones that adore formal education argue greatly on the belief. The biggest thing that affects people differently in formal or informal schools is the mindset that is carried through out the course. When begging a regular ladder system school which starts at elementary school we are all familiar with the different cards used to display behavior status. The blue card representing excellent behavior. The green card representing good behavior. The yellow card representing behavior that needs attention, and finally the red card representing bad behavior. What people do not know is the physiological effects that the cards hold towards the child. When growing up we are all taught right from wrong, but it is now human nature to focus only on the problems. With that said many times in elementary school kids are often punished more than rewarded, and many times barely acknowledged for the good they have done. When still developing at a young age there brains start adapting and internalizing what they are surrounded by. Many times do kids get yelled at for there miss behavior and even punished frequently. And not so often do the kids get praised  with the same amount of energy they were being punished for. With so little energy going towards the good and rewarding, and so much going towards punishing there starts to become an imbalance of emotions. In the long term the students feel like they are useless and not worthy enough for whats to come. With that they start growing up with these feelings and in the long run do not have the emotional uplift to conquer any dreams or goals. While during informal education every student is treated equally and is not so much punished as they are rewarded. This in the long run carries the opposite effect than in formal education.

Media, Culture, and Society Essay

â€Å"A witness is authorized to speak by having been present at an occurrence. A private experience enables a public statement. But the journey from experience (the seen) into words (the said) is precarious†¦ It always involves an epistemological gap whose bridge is fraught with difficulty. No transfusion of consciousness is possible. Words can be exchanged, experiences cannot.† In his essay out of Media, Culture, and Society, John Durham Peters brings forth provocative realities about the role of a witness. As the above quote demonstrates, it is impossible to truly communicate the act of experiencing an event to an ignorant second party. The â€Å"bridge† between witness and words that Peters describes is one that our society has formed in many different fashions. We of course relate verbally; but we also take photographs, write stories, paint pictures, and videotape those experiences in our life that may be of significance to others or ourselves. Visiting an actual holocaust survivor may be the best way to understand the ways of the Nazi regime. The ideal form of coverage the media can provide is â€Å"Eye Witness† News interviewing the clerk at a store that was robbed. The examples go on, but the obvious fact is that in order to understand an occurrence we must get as â€Å"close† to the actual moment as possible. In our study of history, a witness is a source possessing raw, authentic proximity to facts. Ideally, all history would be taught from these first-hand observers, but this of course is impossible. Naturally, we turn to the sources that go back lifetimes. War photography text taking us back the furthest. From ancient hieroglyphics to the bible, we see text as the most solid proof we can get about what happened years ago. divides chroniclers into travelers, pilgrims, creators, apologists, confessors and prisoners. Some write to keep track of their memories, Mallon suggests; others write for spiritual development; or to spark or explore their art. There are those diarists who wish to confess or celebrate sins committed in life or of the flesh; still others, trapped in jails imposed by others or by their own limitations, use diaries to create imaginary lives Today, as in the past, most diarists are not well-known. They may be students of history, literature, languages and the like; scientists and naturalists who note their discoveries and ideas; and a multitude of others who write for their own spiritual or intellectual growth. Even though technology has expanded our ability to record information — diaries can be found on paper, computer, video, film, or audio tape — the intrinsic value of diary writing remains the same. The records we leave behind will serve future historians as they attempt to understand the time we live in. What they will deduce about our lives and our society remains to be seen. Diaries and journals of early Americans are considered an honest, unembellished form — a key to our understanding of the past. The words, often written by ordinary men and women, provide valuable clues as to how people lived. Although the style and the form of diary writing has changed, the content continues to reflect the forces — economic, political, social and technological — that have affected the lives of Americans throughout our history. . In the 1700s, minister Jonathan Edwards kept detailed records of his duties and castigated himself for his spiritual failures Among male diarists, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark chronicled their adventures in mapping the Northwest Passage Now, according to modern historian Margo Culley, the diaries of women became more introspective, a record of an inner life. As more women were educated, they increasingly chronicled their thoughts. Rebecca Cox Jackson, a free African American woman who would become known as a religious visionary, described her spiritual transformation, in the 1830s.

Helga by Andrew Wyeth

The â€Å"Helga Pictures† by Andrew Wyeth are a fantastic compilation of tempera and dry brush paintings, watercolours and pencil studies secretly created within a span of over fifteen years. Andrew Wyeth created over two hundred and forty individual works of neighbor Helga Testorf from 1971 to 1985 without telling a single person, including his wife. He stated that he would not have been able to have finished the project with everyone looking at it. (Allen) The large number of works and the palpable charge that runs through them suggested more than a simple artist-and-model relationship.The Helga chapter landed on the covers of Time and Newsweek as the public speculated over whether Wyeth, then 69, had had an affair with the woman 22 years his junior. As the Wyeths tried to explain the relationship, the art world wondered whether the secrecy and subsequent revelation had been staged simply to raise the popularity and price of the paintings. â€Å"It was a love affair with th e burning love that I've always had toward the things I paint,† Wyeth said of the Helga paintings. â€Å"If I don't have it, the painting goes ordinary, routine. (Nelson/Oliver) Stung by criticism over the â€Å"Helga hoopla,† Wyeth denied there had ever been a sexual relationship, and his wife admitted that not all of the works had been kept secret from her. When critics accused the Wyeths, and Andrews, of being â€Å"hucksters,† the artist verbally shrugged, saying critics â€Å"were just looking to bop me on the head. † (Nelson/Oliver)) So who is Helga Testorf? She is a Prussian-born immigrant who was a caregiver to one of Wyeth’s neighbors, Karl Kuerner, near his home in rural Chadd’s Ford, Pennsylvania.She was 32 years old when Wyeth first met her in the early 1970s, and something about the blond beauty stirred the artist in a very profound way. They were merely acquaintances for a while until finally Wyeth asked her to pose. Helga had never posed before but was willing. (Museworthy) In 1986, when the â€Å"Helga Pictures† were revealed, Mrs. Testorf was a middle-aged mother of four, living with her husband John on a secluded property called Zum Edelweiss on the other side of Chadds Ford from Wyeth's home. (Museworthy)Helga, like her employer Karl Kuerner, was of German descent. Helga immigrated to the United States and Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania in 1961, eventually became a mother and homemaker before becoming Karl’s caregiver. Due to her association with Mr. Wyeth, she eventually developed an keen interest in poetry and art. Before Andrew Wyeth’s death, Helga was one of the ailing artist’s primary caregivers. Why Andrew Wyeth became infatuated with this Pennsylvania Fraulein is unclear, other than he obviously found her a fascinating subject.Some hypothesized that it was her reddish blonde hair that set the tone for this series of renderings by the enigmatic artist, that drew Wyeth to concentrate so much time and effort on the interpretation of this woman‘s visage and the ego within. Her chiseled features, her supple form, her pensive stare and ultimately, Helga’s innate devotion to the process could have given the great artist the insatiable purpose to slavishly devote so much of his creative energies to one subject.Some folks; however, luridly speculated that Helga’s alluring visage engendered a passionate affair between she and the doting artist. For those who considered an affair was afoot, Andrew Wyeth‘s wife Betsy did not disappoint. (Day) Betsy, his wife of many decades and who was also his business manager, is said to have let rumor run unabated until she sold the entire series to Leonard E. B. Andrews in 1986. It has been estimated, that the series sold well in excess of over six million dollars.She then denied that the scathing rumor was true, and was convincing to the point of believability. Today the rumor is not the subject, but rather Andrew Wyeth's profound artistry within the Helga series. (Day) Andrew Wyeth and Helga Testorf remained close friends until his death. Their relationship, and the art created as a result, has endured over many, many years. The Helga series is artist/muse embodied to perfection. And every artist should be so lucky to find his Helga. Museworthy) Works Cited: Allen, Scott. â€Å"Andrew Wyeth/The Helga Pictures. † Cure the Blind. 6 July 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. Nelson, Valerie and Oliver, Myrna. â€Å"Hugely popular painter Andrew Wyeth dies at 91. † Los Angeles Times. 17 January 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. â€Å"Andrew and Helga. † Museworthy. 31 August 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2012 Day, Wyatt Sanderman. â€Å"Andrew Wyeth’s Helga: a Compulsive Fetish or his Best Work. † Beaufort County Now. 29 September, 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.