Wednesday, September 4, 2019
We Must Solve the Climate Change Crisis :: Global Warming Essays, 2015
"For the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change. Now, it’s true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floodsâ€â€all are now more frequent and more intense. We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of scienceâ€â€and act before it’s too late." -- President Barack Obama We owe something to future generations in terms of conducting energy and environmental research and coming up with various energy policies that are forward thinking. Historically, the path to the future is created in the past. Our generation must commit itself to constantly researching energy and environmental impacts of energy to come up with innovative information. More specifically, research in climate change and how human use of energy impacts climate change is very important for the future. Additionally, policies need to be thought of, created, passed, and put into action properly. Based on the plethora of issues that we as a class have identified through our various energy policies, it is extremely apparent that there is a need for innovative policy for energy and climate change impacts in the US. Since we are only students, it is amazing to see how we were all able to come up with these policies, and it shows that policy makers definitely have a lot of work to do going forward. Who knows, maybe we will see policies similar to the ones we created become implemented in the future. Overall, it is important for policies to be created now for the future to look bright in terms of the way the United States uses its energy and regulates its emissions from energy overall. In the future, new policies will be created; however, they will need to assess the strengths and weaknesses of policies created today.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
George Lucas :: essays research papers
George Lucas THX 1138, American Graffiti, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back†¦the list goes on and on. Although many have not heard of each of these films, everyone certainly has to know the man behind them. George Lucas has, in many cases, written, produced, and directed, not to mention edit, his own films. His vision was the driving force that imagined and created these movies. All have made back the cost of the film and most have received millions of dollars in profit.      Although it sounds as if he had an easy life, in reality, Lucas had to struggle in order to get ahead. Not being interested or involved in school, Lucas turned his attention to cars. When he reached driving age, his father gave him a nice, small, â€Å"safe†car. However, passionate about cars and racing, Lucas revved up his engine and turned it into a hot rod. Each day following, he went cruising around town, drag racing often. However, this passion led him to a drastic change in his life. It ultimately led him to success.      Lucas was in a car crash in 1962, which ended his racing career before it even started. He missed his graduation ceremony at his high school, but joked that the only reason he got a diploma was because his teachers felt sorry for him. As a result, Lucas looked for other options to fill his void in life. Since his grades were not good enough for a four-year college, he decided to go to junior college. For the first time in his life, he hit the books. He fell asleep trying to earn the highest grades he could in order to have a future for himself.      During junior college, Lucas formed other interests. Instead of racing, he filmed them on an 8-millimeter camera his father gave him. An old friend, John Plummer, told George that he should apply to the University of Southern California. His friend remarked that it was not that hard to get into as reputation indicated. Lucas applied, and was accepted, for his junior year.      Although the idea was unpopular with his father, Lucas was not stopped in pursing his career. At school, he realized that he had to work his but off to stay on top. He did not mind the hard work. Lucas actually felt relaxed staying up all night editing film. Even when a lot of college students got high on drugs, â€Å"Lucas got high on films (1, 45).
Monday, September 2, 2019
Deforestation Essay -- essays research papers
Deforestation      The planet Earth is being scarred. Everyday the people of the planet earth are polluting the planet’s air, water and land. These are all natural resources that are necessary for our survival on this planet. Yet, we continue to abuse our planet. Our world population is growing out of control. The simple lesson of supply and demand tells us that we will need more resources in order to support the booming population. One of the most important factors in survival is food supply. With out enough food, we will not survive. Unfortunately, our forest ecosystems are paying the price for the food demand. Deforestation is a major problem on our planet. It is something that must be carefully monitored and regulated.      Deforestation is a practice that has been taking place for thousands of years. Human beings have found it necessary to clear out the forests for settlement and cropland. Although there is no evidence as to how much of the planet’s forests has been cut down, it is obvious that this valuable ecosystem is declining. Studies estimate that, â€Å"original forest cover has been reduced by nearly 50 percent.†(WRI, p.90)      The forest ecosystem provides a number of services both directly and indirectly to humans. For example, the Carbon and Nitrogen cycles are two of the cycles that are necessary for survival on our planet. Carbon is a key element on our planet. Carbon is found in the atmosphere, in plants and animals and in the ocean. â€Å"About 33 percent of the carbon that has accumulated in the atmosphere over the past 150 years has come from deforestation and changes in land use.†(WRI, p.50) When the carbon is in plants, it is released back into the atmosphere in a process called cellular respiration. If the trees and plants are cut down, the carbon cycle is not completed. The carbon will not be effectively removed from the air. â€Å"Fifteen tons of carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide) occur in the air column above each hectare (2.5 acres) of the Earth’s surface. One hectare of lush vegetation can remove 50 tons of carbon from the atmosphere annually.†(WRI, p. 60)      Nitrogen is another key element. Lack of Nitrogen could limit plant growth. Often times, Nitrogen is added to fertilizers to help increase the growth of the crop. However, beca... ...restrictions on any practice, which could have a physical effect on the environment. For example, the government should have a good inventory of the country’s natural resources.      The government could also attach taxes to any natural resources, which are being traded out of the country. These taxes could be used, for example, to help replant forests. The money would help encourage farmers and timber harvesters to use alternative means in order to help protect the forests. Conclusion      We have learned in class a lot about environmental sustainability. Humans are just a part of the many ecosystems on our planet. It is important that people consider themselves equals to the other species on this planet. We need each other in order to survive. Increased croplands may be a necessity, however, there are ways to make it less damaging to our environment. We cannot always look at the quickest, cheapest ways to get what we need. In the end, if we don’t change our ways, we (humans) will be responsible for the ultimate demise of our planet.                Deforestation Essay -- essays research papers Deforestation      The planet Earth is being scarred. Everyday the people of the planet earth are polluting the planet’s air, water and land. These are all natural resources that are necessary for our survival on this planet. Yet, we continue to abuse our planet. Our world population is growing out of control. The simple lesson of supply and demand tells us that we will need more resources in order to support the booming population. One of the most important factors in survival is food supply. With out enough food, we will not survive. Unfortunately, our forest ecosystems are paying the price for the food demand. Deforestation is a major problem on our planet. It is something that must be carefully monitored and regulated.      Deforestation is a practice that has been taking place for thousands of years. Human beings have found it necessary to clear out the forests for settlement and cropland. Although there is no evidence as to how much of the planet’s forests has been cut down, it is obvious that this valuable ecosystem is declining. Studies estimate that, â€Å"original forest cover has been reduced by nearly 50 percent.†(WRI, p.90)      The forest ecosystem provides a number of services both directly and indirectly to humans. For example, the Carbon and Nitrogen cycles are two of the cycles that are necessary for survival on our planet. Carbon is a key element on our planet. Carbon is found in the atmosphere, in plants and animals and in the ocean. â€Å"About 33 percent of the carbon that has accumulated in the atmosphere over the past 150 years has come from deforestation and changes in land use.†(WRI, p.50) When the carbon is in plants, it is released back into the atmosphere in a process called cellular respiration. If the trees and plants are cut down, the carbon cycle is not completed. The carbon will not be effectively removed from the air. â€Å"Fifteen tons of carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide) occur in the air column above each hectare (2.5 acres) of the Earth’s surface. One hectare of lush vegetation can remove 50 tons of carbon from the atmosphere annually.†(WRI, p. 60)      Nitrogen is another key element. Lack of Nitrogen could limit plant growth. Often times, Nitrogen is added to fertilizers to help increase the growth of the crop. However, beca... ...restrictions on any practice, which could have a physical effect on the environment. For example, the government should have a good inventory of the country’s natural resources.      The government could also attach taxes to any natural resources, which are being traded out of the country. These taxes could be used, for example, to help replant forests. The money would help encourage farmers and timber harvesters to use alternative means in order to help protect the forests. Conclusion      We have learned in class a lot about environmental sustainability. Humans are just a part of the many ecosystems on our planet. It is important that people consider themselves equals to the other species on this planet. We need each other in order to survive. Increased croplands may be a necessity, however, there are ways to make it less damaging to our environment. We cannot always look at the quickest, cheapest ways to get what we need. In the end, if we don’t change our ways, we (humans) will be responsible for the ultimate demise of our planet.               Â
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Ann Mulcahy, Xerox Case Study Essay
Fiedler’s Contingency Model: The Contingency Model that was developed by Fiedler’s and his associates was aimed to link the leadership style with the situation and circumstances surrounding each leader. (The Leadership Experience. p.68). Now will try to assess the leadership style of Anne Mulcahy to test the extent to which she was a relationship-oriented leader or a task-oriented leader. One of the first things she talked about on the short movie that we watched in class was that a lot of her time in the first few months â€Å"was spent listening†to employees and customers which shows how much she cared about them and their needs. In page 3 of the article written by Betsy Morris, she clearly says that â€Å"nothing spooked†her as much as thinking about the 96,000 people who worked for Xerox â€Å"if this thing went south†. In addition to passionately listening to her customers and employees, she was very humble asking for any kind of help from employees or investors. This is probably driven by her desire to keep Xerox alive for the people regardless to endless calls from financial advisors to file bankruptcy. Anne once asked if anyone in the company could teach here Balance Sheet 101, so she could relate her decisions to how the balance sheet would be effected. This was not the first time she asked for help, which in my opinion, was unusual but very encouraging to other employees to seek help whenever needed. She also personally met with top executives and was open with them to discuss every detail about the company and encouraged their involvements in the decisions. All of these and other evidences show the extent to which she was a relationship-oriented leader. On the other hand, she was also focusing on setting clear financial growth goals for the company even of the decisions made would harm some individuals. In other words, she was favoring the company’s sustainability and long-term interest over the individual’s interests. She, for example, reduced the work force by 30,000 in order to accomplish the 5% annual growth by 2005. Therefore, in this situation, she made a tough decision and was a taskoriented leader. Also, when she took home binders and insisted to understand the financial side in making the right decisions, she possessed a high level of task-oriented. The case also tells us in page 6 that she had not taken a single weekend in two years, which shows how much she was focused on her goals for the company. Regarding the situation in which she worked, she had respect and trust between her and the subordinates. When there should be a tough decision to make, she would not hesitate like the case with auditors that she entirely replace Path-Goal Theory: In this theory, the leader is focused in motivating the people around him or her to achieve the ultimate organizations’ goals. (The Leadership Experience. p.77). One example to show that this was applicable with Anne Mulcahy is that when she met with the 100 top executives to assess their character and encourage them to do more for the better of the company. Ursula Burns had a better offer at another company and knew the situation of Xerox but with conversations with Anne Mulcahy, she was convinced to stay and focus to work harder. In this meeting, Anne was successful in motivating the top executives to link themselves more toward the company’s goals than to turn around. Mulcahy’s Core values, traits and characteristics: Core values are â€Å"fundamentals beliefs that an individual considers to be important, are relatively stable over time, have an impact on attitudes and behavior’. (The class PowerPoint). Anne Mulcahy has both end values and instrumental values. For example, one of her values is that she is extremely loyal to Xerox that she defined herself as the â€Å"culture†of it and never accepted any blame to her employees. She had faith that by working together with subordinates, she would accomplish her goals, and she did. She is very â€Å"subborn†as the case described that she never paid attention to her outside advisors to consider bankruptcy. In fact, her strong values forced the advisors to finally quit trying to convince her to file for Chapter 11. She believed in team work and encouraged employees to be always focused. She gave her employees confidence by having open dialogues with them and asking them to contribute their ideas and opinions. She had the extraordinary ability to stay focused even in hard time and in times of crises. She cared about the employees and their future and rewarded them by all means that she even â€Å"gave all employees their birthdays off†. Anne’s leadership vision and mission for the organization: Anne’s had the ability to envision the future of Xerox and its people. It is unbelievable how she ignored the many calls by â€Å"advisors’ to consider bankruptcy. She was so focused and could see the future of Xerox again. In the entire case, there was not a single line that indicates weakness or hesitant in her decision. In fact, it is the contrary. â€Å"Do not even go there.’ Whatever you think the advantages are from a financial standpoint, I think they are dismal and demoralizing for a company that wants desperately to turn around and regain its reputation.†This says all about her vision of the company. Her mission was to make sure that she works hard to have Xerox survive for the 95,000 who worked for it. The case says that Anne would sometimes visit three cities in one single day. This daily efforts was her mission to achieve the ultimate goal to get bak to Xerox its reputation again. â€Å"If this place is going to fail, it is not going to be because Anne Mulcahy slept.†This line says it all about her mission and her strategic leadership.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Aggression-Discuss the Three Psychological Approaches Essay
What is aggression? During my research, I have noted various definitions of aggression and have often found it to be coupled with violence. This human trait is so complex that it is difficult to pinpoint any one description, but I believe that for the purpose of this essay, this extremely loose term will have to suffice, as aggression is viewed differently according to the different approaches. â€Å"Aggression – a wide variety of acts that involve attack†(The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology-Third Edition 2001) In this essay, I will explain and evaluate three psychological approaches of aggression from Sigmund Freud, Burrhus F Skinner and Carl R Rogers. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) developed the psychoanalytical theory of the personality, whereby he divided it into layers; the unconscious, preconscious and the conscious. These represented different levels of awareness in our minds. He also described the personality as the id, which is essentially what we are born with and is where the basic sexual and aggressive drives reside, the ego, which starts to develop as soon as interaction with the environment begins, and the superego, which represents the moral aspect of humans according to society’s standards and values. He believed that we are born with these inner feelings of aggression, which we use as a tool to obtain the things we want, but unfortunately, society restricts the use of this horrible behaviour for obvious reasons. The display of aggressive behaviour would cause us to lose love and respect ending in lowered self-esteem. In order to get through life without imposing this unacceptable behaviour upon society, we have in our superego, incorporated something called ‘guilt’, which in turn makes us feel ashamed of this pushy, demanding insistence of gratification side of ourselves. However, this causes within us an eternal conflict that rages on through our everyday lives, in the unconscious level of our minds, where we only dimly recognise it. He was however, concerned that these energies could not be permanently ‘bottled up’ and suggested that redirection of these energies (catharsis) into other channels ie.sport, work would be more socially acceptable. He called this sublimation and suggested that a good society would make this possible. Nevertheless, he remained pessimistic about this also as it only redirected the energy of aggression and did not really deal with the source of the ‘problem’. Freud (1920) called the destructive force that forms aggression, Thanatos -the death instinct (Beyond the Pleasure Principle 1920) and believed that this is a natural human condition that is also aimed at ourselves. However, our natural life instincts prevent anything happening, but Freud thoroughly believed that the destruction of ourselves is inevitable, as aggression will always be at war with society and therefore the greatest obstacle to peace. Burrhus F Skinner (1904-1990) who favoured the behaviourist approach to psychology, criticised the psychoanalytical theory by suggesting that psychology should be the study of behaviour and not just the mind. However, Skinner’s approach was radical, in that he did consider our inner thoughts and feelings, but denied that they had anything to do with behaviour (Skinner 1974). His study of behaviour involved close contact with the experimental laboratory, where he experimented with small animals such as rats and pigeons. As the experimenter, he was able to study the use of stimuli and reinforcement (cause and reward) of behaviour. Skinner pointed out that aggression, like any other form of behaviour, is a result of social and physical issues in our environments. With this in mind, he believed that human behaviour is therefore controllable. In Skinner’s view, if aggression is apparent in a person, then it is determined by past and present relevant events, together with genetic endowment, hereditary factors that are passed through our genes in the process of evolution. He argued that full knowledge of these two sets of factors, genetic endowment and personal history, hold the key to controlling behaviour such as aggression. The behaviourist approach fails to acknowledge individual free will and choice however, and the frustrations involved in the inability to express these. It is often these unobservable issues that cause behaviours, such as aggression. When looking at positive reinforcement, Skinner often refused to consider the mental causes of aggression ie if a drunk tries to start a fight with you in a pub, Skinner’s theory would indicate that the best form of action from previous experience would be to walk away. This however, ignores the events leading up to this point, and you may decide to stay and fight or maybe stay and make friends. The mind selects a response according to the desired consequence, which is a natural part of every function we perform but is not a straightforward case of positive reinforcement. Carl R Rogers (1902-1987) was the founder of the humanistic approach to behaviour and like Maslow, he believed that there was nothing ‘bad’ about human behaviour and that we are capable of healthy growth towards Self Actualisation. This means that we have the potential to reach fulfilment and achieve warm relationships with others through acceptance and understanding of what we as humans are. In order to understand the actualising tendency, Rogers claims that we should firstly be congruent, meaning that we should be aware of our inner feelings and accept them as a part of our nature. In this respect, what we express from those feelings is pure and true. Secondly, we should be able to empathise with our fellow man, in that we can understand what everything means to them from their point of view, as if we were in their ‘world’. Thirdly, we should be able to convey unconditional positive regard, meaning that we should be able to accept things as they are and who our fellow man is, without judgement or prejudice and without placing conditions upon their worth. These are three essential ingredients for healthy growth towards being a fully functioning person. Obviously, with an approach such as this, there is little room for negative feelings such as aggression. Because of this positive force for healthy growth, Rogers believed that aggression could possibly be a result of a state of incongruence, where we may feel conflict between our sense of self and our ideal self (like Freud’s ego and superego) ie. When we become aware of our own set of values but are told by our parents to respect their set of values, taught to us previously, and the use of conditional regard is applied to enforce those values. This could possibly cause aggression by way of retaliation. However, he would not see aggression as inevitable or even an appropriate response, only as a possible response. Rogers’ theory opposes Freud’s in that aggression is inevitable. However, these two approaches are similar in that they both believe that aggression is a result of conflict in the mind – Rogers’ sense of self and the ideal self are similar to Freud’s ego and superego. However, Rogers argues that we are not doomed as Freud views it. Rogers, who was optimistic about human nature, believed that rather than trying to repress the desires and needs that aggression demands, a self-actualised person would see that aggression is a part of our nature and that acceptance of it, along with all other feelings, serve to help us grow healthily in the way of a fully functioning person. As a humanist, Rogers believed that to try to hide from what is inherently a part of us is futile and the only approach to make is that of acceptance in order to believe in ourselves. He also recognised that aggression could be a healthy behaviour, as in competition. Freud’s view that aggression is a common human characteristic does not constitute proof that it is innate. His views on catharsis as being a way of controlling the drives also lack support, and indeed support from one of his earlier disciples, Alfred Alder. With regard to aggression being innate and inherent, is aggression the result of genetics, or is it simply an excuse we use for violent behaviour? Could the answer lie in our environment and what we learn from it? Experiments performed by behaviourists such as Skinner have proved this, but do they offer all the answers? Is man born a completely blank slate? If that is the case, why do we keep messing up? Is this what Skinner meant when he maintained that man takes immediate gratification rather than looking at the long-term consequences? The different approaches of Freud and Skinner offer interesting theories about the sources of aggression. Take violence on the television for instance. Freud may have considered this as a cathartic experience thus reducing the drive of aggression by way of siphoning off the built up pressure as discussed earlier. On the other hand however, Skinner would consider that violence on the television would serve to condition us to be more violent and therefore increase aggression. In conclusion, it seems that each approach holds some validity whilst there is still room for further research. Freud discussed aggression and its source at great length but did not really offer any sound evidence about how to reduce it. Neither did he encourage further research into collecting more information about it. Skinner, on the other hand, had rather strong opinions about how to deal with aggression but offered little information as to its source. Rogers had little to say about what aggression actually is but whilst his opinions on how to deal with it seemed realistic and acceptable, his theory, like Freud’s, offers no real proof. However, early as these theories were, they did offer some valuable contributions to the theory of aggression. Theories which have developed over the years and are continuing to do so, even though the reasons for aggression, and indeed all other human emotions, still elude us, remaining continually beyond scientific explanation. BIBLIOGRAPHY Glassman, William E (2000) Approaches to Psychology (3rd Edition) Buckingham and Philadelphia USA Open University Press Reber, Arthur A and Emily (2001) The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (Third Edition) London, Penguin Books Ltd Nye, Robert D (1975) Three Psychologies: Perspectives from Freud, Skinner and Rogers (Fourth Edition) California, Brooks/Cole (Wadsworth Inc) http://www.goldenessays.com/free_essays/3/psychology/human_aggression.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002) http://www.term-papers.u/ts/gb/pnl141.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002) www.stolaf.edu/people/huff/classes/intro/skinner.html (accessed 30 12 2002) http://www.free_termpapers.com/tp/37/pko72.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002) http://www.free_termpapers.com/tp/37/pnl135.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002)
American Dream or American Nightmare Essay
Be The American Dream is something that can be easily defined for some people, and for others it can be very difficult to put into words. The American Dream is a combination of a few things. I firmly believe that Americans should have equal access to this ideal of an American Dream in order for it not to be considered just mere notion. My idea of the American Dream is also built on freedom. Our fore fathers who built this great nation were on the right track when they wrote our nations Constitution and amendments. To motivate the people the men who fathered these documents wrote grand statements that promised all men life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the right to bear arms, and my favorite statement is that all men are created equal. With these ideal in mind our great nation was forged. Look just a little bit closer at the Constitution and amendments and discover that the Constitution and amendments that this country was built upon was produced and approved by a panel of all White men. At the time there was not one person of color nor a woman’s signature of approval or voice involved in its creation. In other words it was not written to protect women or people of color. In those days women had no voice and African American slaves were considered to be property and only partial human. Therefore, was the American Dream ever meant to be used by me? My American Dream can be best summed up by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his I Have a Dream Speech, King (1963) stated: In a sense we have come to our Nation’s Capital to cash a check. When the architects of our great republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed to the inalienable rights of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (King, 1963) Racism still exists today in our great nation. The American Dream is centered on the foundation of equality, without equality the American Dream quickly turns to an American Nightmare giving hopelessness to unfortunate people born the wrong color. Imagine going to a good college where you excelled in academics and graduated at the top of your class only to be passed over for a job that you applied for. To add insult to injury the Caucasian that got the job instead of you had no college education at all nor was he more qualified than you. That is the world that we live in where it is not what you know but what color you are. My experience pursuing the American dream has been quite an amazing journey. As a child my mother promoted how important it is for my siblings and me to become doctors and lawyers. I often wondered why she insisted that her children pursue such demanding and powerful careers. I no longer wonder why she did so my mother simply wanted her kids to be doctors and lawyers because we could be. In my mother’s time there was this little word called segregation that made equality almost impossible. My mother grew up in Alabama in the 1950s where separate but equal was the norm. Separate but equal was far from equal, my mother had no choice but to attend the poorest schools for the absolute cheapest education that was available. Since my mother was at a great disadvantage during her pursuit of the American dream she figured we had a better chance of being successful in equaling the playing field by becoming doctors or lawyers. Sadie Woodfin’s American dream was for my siblings and me to have an equal chance in America. She was not insisting that we all become doctors and lawyers or she was not going to be proud of us. She wanted us to realize that we could shoot for the stars, to take full advantage of the freedom that was not allotted to her generation. Since my mother had no formal education or degrees she, was forced to work in industrial steel mills where she developed black lung. Her American dream was believed to be all but lost until it was reborn in us. My vision of the American dream consists of not only equal opportunities in education but also income equality. Even in 2013 women of all color African Americans and Latin Americans are paid significantly less for the same job as their White male counterparts. According to, the National Partnership for Women and Families full-time working women alone are paid an average of 10,622 less than men. With their income inequality gaps in excess of over 10,000 just for a difference in gender. Kind of makes the American dream seem like an American nightmare. This practice in America of unequally compensating anyone solely based on their age, race, religion or sex is not only wrong it is total unfair practice. Is the American dream more so suited for a man than a woman? Does the American dream favor a white man over a black man? If income inequality affects one of us it should affect all of us. I am almost certain that no one wants to go to the same schools, go through the same struggles, make the same sacrifices and ultimately have the same qualifications only to be paid far less. This ideal is not even remotely appealing to the lowest of idiots. Statistically speaking being a minority or a woman the odds are already stacked against you in the pursuit of the American dream and income equality. The American dream is still alive and well in this country today. It just needs to be tweaked a little. For starters women should be equally compensated as men for the same job. Second, Latin Americans and African Americans must have access to the same schools, neighborhoods, and programs that their Caucasian peers have access to. If collectively we as a society want this American dream to be fair and applied to all Americans we have to even the playing field. Our very own government even recognizes that there is a problem so they had to implement strategies and programs geared toward equality, such as affirmative action. If the American dream was already achievable for all citizens we would have no need for such programs. If we take time to analyze the American dream and ask simple questions such as, when and who set the original guidelines for the American dream it would not surprise you regarding why things are the way they are. The American dream was born from this nation fore fathers who were successful, powerful and influential white men. At the time the Constitution was written there were no women, African Americans, or Latin American signatures nowhere to be found on any documents or amendments pertaining to the direction our great country were headed. I think it is safe to say that our voices and opinions were not heard when this nation was being forged. Neither women nor African Americans were allowed to vote while the foundational stones of the American dream were being laid in place. Latin Americans were not even considered during this pivotal time the dream was being processed. Women, African Americans and Latin Americans were not considered at all we merely adopted the idea of this American dream in hopes that we could someday partake in the notion that all men are really created equal. The fact still remains we are not all created equal, some of us are born women, black or brown. Because of our unfortunate birth your color or sex may make achieving the American dream not impossible in 2013 it just makes it a little more difficult. As a child my version of the American dream was not my own it was my mother’s vision to be equal to all my peers. As a father my American dream is just as my mother’s, I want my three daughters to attend the best schools in hopes that they will pursue careers that they will not only enjoy but also be treated, respected and compensated the same as any American citizen should expect. If we as a country openly advertise that we adopt all religions sexes, and races as equals under the veil of the United States and its Constitution then all of us must have an equal opportunity at the pursuit of the American dream. Until barriers such as color, sex, and religious preference are broken women, Blacks and Browns still have an unfair disadvantage in obtaining the so called American dream.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Is a College Education Necessary to Succeed in Life Essay
Education is the key that opens the door to all life has to offer. The benefits of a good education, enhanced vision, increased motivation, and improved performance is crucial to being successful in life. Success belongs to those who acquire a good education. Enhanced vision Getting a good education can help you gain a better view of what you are capable of doing. Education gives a person an enhanced sense of personal control (Schieman and Plickert, 2008). Sound theoretical and empirical research has established that educational attainment is the critical first step in improving communication skills, improving relationship skills and improving your life (Schieman and Plickert, 2008). The most important thing to remember about education is education is the most important element that can help you increase your personal control in life. Increased motivation Acquiring a good education can also help you improve your station in life. Abraham Maslow believed that what motivates people is a hierarchy of needs beginning at the most basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing and ending in self actualization (Wilson and Madsen, 2008). Maslow believed individuals have the ability through education to become whatever they want to become because the individual has an ability to learn (Wilson and Madsen, 2008). Through using this ability to learn and acquiring education you can find success and you can find the power to change your life. Increased performance Improving your education will improve your chance for success. Getting a good education has a tendency to make you feel good about yourself. When you begin to feel good your life takes on a new meaning and you are able to cast off the garments of a meaningless life and put on the garments of a meaningful life (The humanist, 1992). This change is accomplished through the renewal of your dreams. When you start dreaming again you will begin to learn through structured programs of learning, from friends and family, from daily experiences, and from self reflection (Teare, 1997). Learning will become a fun thing to do. Finally, education equips you with the critical career and life skills that lead to a successful life (Hays, 2008). When you learn through education to listen, have empathy, start caring about life, become persuasive, become aware of the world in which you live, develop foresight or vision, start seeing the big picture, become committed to your growth as a person, become concerned about doing the right thing, and realize that you are a small part of a greater whole (Hays, 2008) then you will be well on your way to being successful in life and will have proved that people really do need education to succeed.
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