Monday, September 30, 2019
Motivation Project Essay
The drive to achieve goals is being motivated. Motivational theories are the processes to reach those goals. Being a new student in Caitlinââ¬â¢s situation is difficult. Catlin seems like she could be doing better. She isnââ¬â¢t pushing herself to her fullest. She lacks the desire to. Caitlin lacks a few of the things required for self-actualization; per her situation she is in she lacks a lot of motivation. She needs to find something worth achieving the grade for. She hasnââ¬â¢t achieved all the spots on Maslowââ¬â¢s hierarchy of needs; achievement motivation and neither intrinsic nor extrinsic motivation apply. Caitlin seems to have only hit a few points on Maslowââ¬â¢s hierarchy of needs chart. She lacks self-actualization, esteem and love/belonging. She doesnââ¬â¢t seem to know herself. She seems to be distracted given her situation. Physiological and safety she appears to have. She has to have physiological and safety she seems to have achieved. She lacks three out of five levels on the hierarchy of needs given her current situation. She lacks achievement motivation. There is nothing motivating her to achieve her goals in her world history class. Her life situation has her down regarding everything It is causing her to be distracted and she doesnââ¬â¢t have a way to be motivated to achieve her goals. She isnââ¬â¢t intrinsic motivated because she doesnââ¬â¢t seem to realize that there is a reason to achieve better than a c. She also doesnââ¬â¢t have extrinsic motivation because she is living a rough life. She doesnââ¬â¢t feel like she can achieve anything better. There is nothing either outside or inside of her that could push her to do better at his moment. I would say try and help her. Caitlin needs a friend. She is living in the next to impossible situation no that no one going to school wants to live. She is a new student and her parents are divorced. Her world has exploded for the average school age girl. She needs to know that she can trust you as her teacher. She needs to feel that youââ¬â¢re there and willing to help her with her both outside and inside academic issues. If she knows youââ¬â¢re willing to help with both then maybe sheââ¬â¢ll better motivated to achieve higher grades. She needs a friend. Everybody needs to know they can trust their teacher. A healthy learning environment is the best thing that could be created for children.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Discrimination Concerning African Americans Essay
Differences in race lead to divergent levels of economic development within the United States. Analysts often try to explain this phenomenon by observing a specific ethnic groupââ¬â¢s tradition and cultural ideology. Economists expand their analysis on the economic behaviors of African Americans by taking into consideration personal histories and value systems of the group under study. American families measure economic status in terms of income, and factors associated with material security as a whole. These factors may consist of health care, college funds, and retirement plans. However, African American families lag well behind when conceptualizing economic development under these terms. The reason is due to numerous instances of discrimination that occur in the U. S. Many of Americaââ¬â¢s public policies aid in the underdevelopment of non-white families. Increased economic development within America is the key to upward political and social mobility. If minorities are denied inevitable rights to equality, access to economic development becomes a highly difficult process. Despite Americaââ¬â¢s idealized view on equal opportunity, it is valid to assume that economic security has been limited on the basis of race. Therefore, it is important to investigate why white American families are economically better-off than non-white American families. One must take into account aspects of political participation, education, and the number of children a family has in the home in order to understand this research question. Contemporary Viewpoints: The lack of political participation of minority groups is a prevalent issue within the United States, explaining why non-white American families are less economically developed when compared to white American families. According to Douglas S. Massey (1995), minority families increasingly speak languages and bear cultures quite different than the established norms within the U. S. regime. He has found that ethnic groups carry their customs into new generations, leading many non-white families to become displaced and impoverished. Brinck Kerr and Will Miller (1997) believe that it is necessary for non-white American families to participate in elections in order to obtain equal representation that they are now lacking. They go on to say that political representation is the key to higher employment levels, and is a significant determinant to the minority share of professional positions. William H. Frey (1996) finds that immigrants usually encounter highly stratified society characterized by high income inequality leaving little room for upward mobility. In addition, Paula D. Mcklain (1990) assumes that non-white American families will continue to reside in low economic subcultures that are institutionally incomplete if they are represented at much lower ratios relative to the population portions of whites. Susan Welch (1990) has found that minority groups have not even achieved half their population proportions in political elections. These numbers are even lower than what they were a decade ago. She states that other factors that lead to low political participation within minority groups is that a substantial number of non-white American families are not citizens, and therefore are not eligible to vote. Also, Massey has found that America enacts policies that hinder the socioeconomic status of immigrants for they are underrepresented at virtually all levels and institutions in United States government. Moreover, Friedberg and Hunt (1995) have found that non-white American families receive less benefits than white families because of geographic segregation within the community. The various dispersion of minority families in different low-income areas within the U. S. makes it difficult for these families to be represented proportionally. Consequently, Rodney E. Hero and Caroline J. Tolbert (1995) believe minority families can now be easily manipulated by government because they are not equally accounted for. Therefore, non-white American families are not able to take advantage of economically developed determinants such as health care and retirement funds. The inscription of the Statue of liberty expresses to the world to ââ¬Å"give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe freeâ⬠¦. â⬠America continuously contradicts itself on the validity of this concept due to the increasingly economic tension between Caucasian and non-white families. Friedberg and Hunt (1995) give the example of Proposition 187, which makes many non-white American families ineligible for certain services such as public health. Non-white American families are not given the opportunity to take advantage of benefactors the U. S. offers to white American families. Therefore, Non-white American families lack of political participation, and unequal representation in governmental institutions and legislative bodies, leads them to be less economically developed than white American families. Education is another obstacle to economic development that non-white families face. Education is a vital tool to economic security. However, Melissa Marschall (1997) has found that current policies demonstrate minorities have been denied equal access to education. She has found that assignment systems based on assessments of language deficiencies or other individual needs are used to separate non-whites from whites. According to Jeffrey J. Mondack and Diana C. Mutz (1997), inequitable school financing is equally detrimental to non-white students. Funding for public schools comes from property taxes. They go along to say that predomintly non-white schools tend to be in central inner city school districts which have a smaller property tax base. In addition, the Office of Civil Rights has identified practices that are termed ââ¬Å"second generation school discriminationâ⬠. Practices such as ability grouping, suspensions, and tracking may appear on the surface to be normal educational practices. When examining these components closer, Brick Kerr and Will Miller (1997) have found they have a negative impact on minority students. Ability grouping is a form of segregation that separates minority students from whites. They have found that before even attempting to teach non-white students, they are diagnosed with having linguistic or intellectual problems. The students are therefore required to take special and bilingual classes, making it difficult for them to succeed. According to Robert E. England (1986), non-white students are many times pulled out of regular classes and placed into bilingual classes only on the basis of ethnicity rather than their understanding of English. Brick and Miller go on to explain that suspensions are a second tactic used to encourage the failure of minority students in school. Non-white students are given more harsh disciplinary sentences than white students. Moreover, studies show that the ratio of minority students kicked out of school is disproportionately higher than whites, making the students more likely to drop out. Marschall has found that schools also advocate differences in ability grouping and discipline, leading to distinctions in tracking between non-whites and whites. The majority white students in high ability groups are often counseled to choose college preparatory tracks. However, minorities in low ability groups are counseled into vocational or general tracks, making them less likely to attend post-secondary education. Mondack and Mutz believe that the overall pattern of racial inequality the school system has created makes non-whites less likely to receive a quality education than whites. This truth makes it difficult for economic development to occur within non-white American families. The number of children in a family lead to increased poverty levels and low economic development within non-white American families. M. Klitsch (1990) has found that minority women have children at an extensively higher rate than that of white women. Also, he states that non-white women represent a small percentage of the population, however they account for a greater number of births. Alejandro Portes and Cynthia Truelove (1987) go on to say that non-white families are generally poorer than white families because of the higher number of children in the home. This leads them to be more likely to live below the poverty line. In addition, Genevieve M. Kenney and Nancy E. Reichman (1998) have found the population of non-whites increases faster than whites every year due to high fertility rates. Similarly, the two have found that fertility rates of non-whites families living in impoverished communities is almost double compared to white families. Klitsch has found that non-white families have an estimated 5. 5 people to a household, while white families only 3. 8. Therefore, these high rates lead to low socioeconomic status, and limited opportunities to increase economic security. According to Kenney and Reichman, the high fertility rates are due to low percentages of minorities who use contraceptives. They have also found that non-white women are less likely to have an abortion than white women. One might view this as a positive aspect. However, Portes and Truelove believe that one must take into account the over a quarter of minority families who have an income below the federal poverty line, which is almost one half greater than those of white families. Therefore, the high number of children within non-white American families make them more likely to experience economic deprivation than white American families. There has been an abundance of scholarly research previously conducted on the economic differences between white and non-white American families. They usually consist of data sources such as the U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the U. S. bureau of the Census. The Foreign Born Population of the United States and Statistical Reports are used with the previously listed sources to compare ethnic groups (Friedberg and Hunt, pg. 5). These databases yield cross-sectional designs that develop into time series reports in order to make assumptions on variables dealing with GNP and income, proving distinct differences in the races under study. For instance, researchers assume that white families are more economically developed than non-whites. This is because the average white American family makes $44,000 a year, and the average non-white American family does not make half this amount (6-7). These figures are valid in drawing conclusions about correlative relationships, satisfying important ideological factors necessary to study when dealing with the dependent variable of race. A more effective method of analysis was a study derived from interviews in a low income Los Angeles county. The participants were white and non-white females. The study was conducted between January 1984 and May 1985 (M. Kitsch, 136-137). In addition, the sample consisted of a three-stage cluster of census tracks, blocks, and household addresses. This cross-sectional design embodied research dealing with fertility rates of different races. The minority women proved to have higher fertility rates in low income sectors, leading Klitsch to question the different ways non-white American families conceptualize economic development. Non-white American families have to deal with numerous accounts of racial discrimination. It is difficult for a non-white American family to become economically stable in terms of income and security plans. The reason is due to being a minority in a predominately white America. Therefore, non-white American families are less economically developed than white American families because: H1 non-white American families are less likely to participate in elections than white American families. H2 non-white Americans are more likely to be discriminated against in school than white Americans. H3 the more children in a household, the more likely a family will be economically deprived. Implications and Conclusion: Education, political participation, and the number of children a family has all affect the levels of economic development within the household for white American families. Even though education levels has a stronger affect toward higher levels of income, when the three variables are measured together, they are all highly statistically significant. In non-white American homes, education levels appears to be the key determinant of their economic status. Further test need to be measured in reference to how the number of children a family has and political participation affect the economic security of non-white American families. With this, the above hypotheses will prove to have more validity. However, in both cases it was important to measure education, the number of children a family has, and political participation together in order to understand the affect these variables have on each other, and how this affect leads to higher or lower levels of economic development within the family. These multivariate studies are also important in predicting the affect the independent variables will have on total family income in the future. It can be assumed that the highest year of school completed will continue to have a strong affect toward economic development in the future for both white and non-white American families. In addition, the number of children in a white American family and their political participation are significant variables to measure when determining their economic standpoint in future years to come. There are alternative approaches to identifying explanations to why non-white American families are less economically developed than white American families. One example is the difference in income between non-white and white American families who have single parents and ones that have two parents. Another alternative approach is identifying education as only an antecedent variable, and observing how it relates to occupation, the true independent variable under study. From here, one can observe how economic development is related to a personââ¬â¢s occupation within the home. As anyone who walks the streets of Americaââ¬â¢s largest cities knows, there has been a profound transformation of different ethnic cultures within the United States. The rapidity of the change has led to growing competition of economic development between white and non-white American families. This competition has lead to ethnic prejudice and discrimination as the United States continues to assimilate into the melting pot for the American dream. Political participation, education, and the number of children within the home are variables that allow the transition to become a less arduous process for white American families. However, if non-white American families continue to do poorly in terms of economic development because of these variables, non-whites will continue to lag behind the income scale in comparison to whites. Research along these lines will lead to the study of relative differences between ethnic cultures. An example is the discovery of why almost half the number of minorities return to their country of origin after experiences of economic injustice. Previous research may also benefit other analysis in the field of economics by itemizing fertility rates in terms of the higher number of non-white American families who lack the finances to properly nourish their children. These new variables along with my research can in time become valid determinants in explaining why white American families are economically better off that non-white American families.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Classical Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Classical Music - Essay Example He broke from the unison form of sounds in the orchestral sound that he used; they were monophonic with instruments used individually contributing color for the whole break off. The register and combination that is played by the instrument does not reflect what the instrument is used for traditionally. Debussy emphasized muted brass, soft percussion and solo woodwinds. The motifs and themes are all fragmented upon the modes, tone scales and the pentatonic. For example the use the String Quartet found in g minor shows the use of Phrygian mode with tone scales wholly. His works portray a single theme that undergoes change throughout his art work. Debussyââ¬â¢s musicââ¬Ës tonality is pentatonic, whole tone scales, modal and bitonal chords that produce bitonality. There is a slightly dissonant harmony in the music. The whole technique does not follow the sonata tradition. Schoenberg, an Austrian, was the leader of Second Viennese School and he was associated with expressionist work s of art. He extended the romantic styles of Germany that included Wagner and Brahms. He pioneered atonality innovation by developing the twelve-tone technique, a compositional method that manipulation of a series of twelve notes that were already ordered through the chromatic scale. Schoenberg developed motifs without using the traditional centralized melodic idea. Formalization of the compositional method was enhanced by his habit of inviting the audience to think analytically. Stravinsky was born in Russia and later changed to France and lastly America; he was a composer, conductor and pianist. His music composition was based on stylistic diversity. He also dabbed into the twelve-tone method in his work of cantata. One of his notable works was the Rite of Spring, although it was marred with demonstrations, it led to transformation of the rhythmic structure that pushed musical design boundaries. His work held a vein full of intense emotions beneath the surface appearance of auster ity. Stravinsky considered serial procedures. The compositions had rhythmic energy, melodic ideas with extended construction out of a few cell notes and forms of clarity, of utterance and instrumentation. Stravinsky tried to pit ostinations without regarding the tempo or harmony and some were extended ostinato lacking variation or melody accompaniment. Question 2 Music is an art and it contains a medium which can either be sound or silence. Itââ¬â¢s characterized by the pitch which in turn governs the harmony and melody, itââ¬â¢s also characterized by rhythm which is associated with meter, tempo and articulation, the dynamics characterize music too, and the sonic qualities of texture and timber enhance musicality too. The performance and significance of music vary in accordance to the culture and mostly the social context. Music is categorized into various genres and subgenres but their relationship is subtle, sometimes itââ¬â¢s open to an individual to interpret and catego rize. Romantic music anciently tried to include emotional expression and energy to expose deeper truths encompassed in human feelings. Romantic music broke the rigid forms and styles of the classical music into more expressive and passionate pieces. Romantic love became the main theme in these songs. Ludwig Van Beethoven and Franz Schubert tried to bring
Friday, September 27, 2019
HSBC Bank (employee mistakes) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words
HSBC Bank (employee mistakes) - Research Paper Example Major flaws of the employees that have to do with customer relations were examined. For instance the research tested the various ways in which the availability of training facilities would help in equipping the employee with up-to-date knowledge on how to relate to the customer in a manner that would motivate the customer to come back for more services (Heppner, Kivlighan, Jr., & Wampold, 1999). The effect of employee stress on the rate of delivery and general productivity rate to meet the demands of customers were also examined as well as the role of organizational systems in ensuring that the right platforms are created to check the conduct and behave of employees to towards customers. By and large, it was concluded that HSBC is currently faced with avoidable losses as a result of common mistakes committed by employees and these mistakes come about as a result of low training for employees and high levels of stress. The company is however in a position to changing the trend by incr easing motivation and training for employees. 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background Officially, the company that is commonly referred to as HSBC is known and registered as HSBC Holdings plc. HSBC Holdings plc is a British company with headquarters in London; whose major line of business is channeled at banking and financial service provision. This means that HSBC Holdings Plc is a financial organization who has other major companies in the same industry of finance as competitors. The company is touted as an international company with branches spread across the globe. There is a heavy representation of the company in major global economic destinations including Hong Kong, The United States of America, Mexico, Brazil and France. With such branches the company is known to offer prudent financial assistance to ââ¬Å"over 50 million people worldwide to manage and save for their futures with a complete range of personal financial productsâ⬠(HSBC, 2012). One of the highly commendable stan ds that the company has made over the years is that it has taken advantage of the globalization phenomenon to reach out to even more people who do not have the presence of the company in their countries. With such services such as online banking and online transfer services attached to the regular banking operations, HSBC was rated as the second largest banking and financial service company in the world (Kerlinger, 2006). It was also said that HSBC was the second largest company in public service delivery (LaFountain & Bartos, 2002). All these have been made possible by the 7,200 offices owned by the company in 85 countries with major listing on the London Stock Exchange and secondary listing in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and the Bermuda Stock Exchange. On the London Stock Exchange alone, the official 2011 market capital of the company was quoted as ?87.4 billion (Rosenthal & Rosnow, 1991). This such a performance, there remains one thing left for the comp any to do and this is to maintain its statuesque or even think of making it better. 1.2 Problem Statement As the world continues to experience very huge competition in the financial sector with a strive to make good of the recovery of the present global economic recession, this research is seeking to examine the effect of training facilities, employee stress and organizational systems on the number of mistakes made by employees of HSBC and
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Reflective diary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2
Reflective diary - Essay Example From this lesson, I managed to learn on the meaning of culture shock. It refers to a personal disorientation that an individual may feel, when he or she is experiencing a way of life that is unfamiliar, that is brought about due to his or her immigration status, or the visitation of a new country (French, 2010). It is also possible to refer to culture shock as a movement that an individual experiences when he or she is between social movements, or as a new type of living. The definition of culture shock was very similar to the definition that I had, concerning culture shock. This is because, as I understood it, culture shock was a situation whereby an individual was experiencing some new cultural values, and he or she could not fit into these new cultural values. From the lessons, I learnt that this aspect of culture shock has six major components, and they are, a strain that emanates because of the desire on an individual to adapt to a particular culture, a sense of the loss of professionalism, and status, feelings of rejection by members of the new culture, confusion in values, roles and self-identity, disgust, anxiety and anger in regard to particular practices, and a sense of helplessness (Hofstede, 2005). These components of culture shock are very familiar to me. This is because it reminds me of a time when I had gone to visit some relatives in Brazil. The dominant language spoken is Portuguese, and I was unable to fit in within the society. This is because I could not understand the language; hence I was confined in the house, on most of the occasions. I felt rejected, mostly because nobody was willing to listen to me, mainly because I could not speak Portuguese in a fluent manner. My socialization was only limited to my relatives. Furthermore, I was confused, and I had a feeling of helplessness. The situation that I was passing through is an example of a culture shock, and it meets all the conditions identified by Kalervo Oberg,
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Management - Class Reflection Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Management - Class Reflection - Research Paper Example The last and the most important area is the way to write a flawless dissertation in a cohesive way. The Course Content and Outcome This course has provided me in depth knowledge into the various aspects of research process, and also various forms of research. Evidently, the course gives adequate knowledge about the various aspects of research according to American Psychological Association. It also teaches how to do literature review, various aspects of grammar, and also how to develop a good dissertation. The very first thing I learnt is the use of action research. Contrary to my view that research is something different from doing things practically, the course made me learn how it is possible to ââ¬Ëlearn while doingââ¬â¢ through action research. Also, for the first time, I realized that action research is different from other forms of research in the fact that it turns the people involved into active researchers too. Te researchers do things, observe changes, make modificat ions, and try again until a solution is reached. As Greenwood (1999, pp. 85-87) points out, the research takes place in real life situations and the solutions too come out in real life situations; not in just theory as it often happens with other forms of research. Also, I gained the idea how important it is to have the principles of reflexive critique. As Mike (2007) states, the term ââ¬Ëreflexive critiqueââ¬â¢ means to reflect on issues and processes and to make explicit the interpretations, biases, assumptions, and concerns upon which judgments are reached. This is important to do because truth is relative to the teller. This helps developing theoretical considerations from practical accounts. In addition are the factors like dialectical critique and collaborative resources. Thus, I learnt the fact that action research is very useful in such real life situations like a workplace to solve real life problems. As Rehm and Cebula (1996, pp. 1-3) point out, another vital point i s the use of the Search Conference tool which can be effectively utilized in various organizations. Two other research areas explained are qualitative research and quantitative research. Sukamolson (n.d) opines that while qualitative research is about counting and measuring things, producing averages and differences in numbers. Qualitative research stems from social science and hence, is more concerned about peopleââ¬â¢s knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, and fears. In addition, the course made me understand how qualitative research is more useful in identifying a large number of hidden attitudes and values that will be missed in qualitative research. For example, while quantitative research will help in identifying a trend, qualitative research will be required to find the reason behind that trend (QSR International, 2011). In addition, the study gave an insight into various forms of data collection in qualitative research. They are focus groups, direct observation, and i n depth interviews. Some other methods used in qualitative research are diary methods, role play, simulations, and case studies. Also the course helped me understand how difficult it is to conduct an extensive qualitative research as it is more labor intensive than other forms of research. Some other problems as connected to qualitative research are lack of generalizability, possibility of research bias influencing the observation, and poor reproducibility of the
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4
Management - Essay Example The basic idea that runs in our mind when we mention personal investment is about the risks and returns, but in reality we ask ourselves are this really the main concerns we ought to look at? In order to understand well this question I undertook a comprehensive look into the factors that affect personal investment in the UK., Personal investment To begin with, we need to understand what personal investment entails. Personal investing is one of the important components that one needs to understand while undertaking personal finance. Personal investment and personal finance are two terms that in many occasions are used interchangeably. However, it is worth noting that as much as one could use them to mean the same thing, in reality they have a slight difference. Personal finance is the broader term that describes the process of effective organization or management of assets that are in the possession of the family or an individual (Tatum, 2006). Therefore, the basic definition for pers onal investment will be a component of personal finance that involves taking investment activities such as undertaking a secure financial cushion that will cater for later years. One can also put it as, a long-term personal commitment that involves inherent risks and accrues regular income or leads to capital growth (Hargreaves Lansdown, 2009). The relationship between risk and return The key question in this symposium is whether personal investment only revolves around risks and returns. From my own opinion, I will agree with the question. The main reason we would be all want to carryout personal investment is for the returns, which determine how our future will turn out (My Wealth Guide, 2008). On the other hand, we cannot talk about returns and leave out risks because the two go hand in hand. Therefore, to be able to answer this question comprehensively we first need to understand what the relationship between risk and returns. This is because, for anyone who wishes to put his mo ney in an investment, the primary concept they need to understand is the relationship between the risks involved and the returns of the investment. It is worth noting that, in investment, the basic trick that an investor has to be aware of is that the more risk an investment has, the higher the chances of having a better return (TD Direct Investing Ltd., 2010). Therefore, before taking the risk one should have an idea of which risks as an individual one would be willing to take in order to generate more returns with the hope that the risk does not occur. This is why in order to formulate a good investment plan; you will need to asses each available risk that you are willing to undertake. There are many risks in the field of investment and when we look at each risk in detail can take a very long time. However, I have compiled a few of the major risks that tend to affect personal investment in the UK that are as following. We have the: Inflationary risk One think we can all agree on i s that the past few years have not been some of the best for UK and the world in terms of the economy. Moreover, this is where the inflationary risk comes in to play. The risk means that the value of an asset becomes lesser as inflation reduces the value of the countryââ¬â¢s currency. Liquidity risk It refers to the risk that you as an investor may encounter when you have a need for liquid assets but are unable to sell or buy an investment because of the
Monday, September 23, 2019
Diversity and Organizations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Diversity and Organizations - Research Paper Example Although the articles vary in their approach towards managing diversity, almost all of them cite this as being a complex process that can often prove to be ineffective if not executed correctly. It also opens opportunity for further research specially pertaining to other dimensions of diversity such as age, national origin and disability. Keywords: diversity, gender, racial, diversity management Diversity Management and Perspectives towards Diversity The case of race and gender Diversity is almost always defined in narrow terms, thus, ignoring its all-encompassing nature. It is important to note that there are six dimensions of diversity namely age, disability, gender, race, sexual orientation and national origin (Shore, Chung-Herrera, Dean, Ehrhart, & Jung, 2009). The concept of racial and ethnic stereotyping rests on the fact that human beings make judgments about others on the basis of superficial characteristics such as race and gender. The resulting ââ¬Å"group membershipâ⬠then reinforces the similarities and differences between individuals which leads to the creation of distinctions based on ââ¬Å"in-groupâ⬠and ââ¬Å"out-groupâ⬠characteristics. Such judgments often result in negative consequences for minority members or out-group members in the workplace. This may take the form of lack of mentorship provided to such individuals, poor performance evaluation, careers that are stalled and lack of involvement at work (Shore, Chung-Herrera, Dean, Ehrhart, & Jung, 2009). On the other hand, however, is the view that stems from the ââ¬Å"value in diversityâ⬠perspective that states that diversity pertaining to race and ethnicity often results in better understanding of different cultures along with more information, enhanced ability to solve problems, higher creativity and decision-making ability along with constructive conflict that helps such work teams to improve their outcomes (Shore, Chung-Herrera, Dean, Ehrhart, & Jung, 2009). Pro ponents of this perspective assert that ââ¬Å"diversity paysâ⬠and enables the company to better understand the needs of its customers and enhance the quality of products and services offered by the organization. It is by virtue of this goal that organisations prefer having a diverse workforce that enhances income and profits. Nevertheless, researchers has suggested otherwise by arguing that diversity in race and ethnicity leads to negative outcomes. These skeptics argue that process loss results from diversity because incorporating diversity imposes substantial costs on the firm. Having a different gender or color from the majority is essentially a source of conflict that is emotional in nature (Herring, 2009). This ultimately tends to reduce cohesiveness and harmony in the team which ultimately increases absenteeism and turnover. Furthermore, it is believed that quality of products that the organization offers declines because of jobs being taken up by workers who are unqual ified and are granted the position only by virtue of accommodating the minority group (Herring, 2009). A similar approach is observed as far as gender diversity is concerned where possessing a gender different from that possessed by the majority is concerned conducive to discrimination and prejudice such as low wages and glass ceiling in the case of females. This has substance since the gender and racial gap in organisations is
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Corporate Finance - Assignment 01 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Corporate Finance - 01 - Assignment Example It was prudent, as the finance manager, to make a transaction decision that had the highest competitive advantage. The decision would be based on the exchange rate for both currencies based on the AED. By monitoring the exchange rate for a period of five days, it was evident that the best decision would be established. In addition, monitoring the exchange rate for both currencies in relation to the AED provided the opportunity to establish the best possible currency to use; the most stable among the two. a) Check the exchange rate for a period of five days and create a table of comparisons of how much will be your AED50m worth on each of the five days in both Euros and GB pounds. Choose the currency you will use for your transactions. Considering the purchasing power parity, the law of one price states that similar goods should have a similar price after taking into account the exchange rate. This is before transportation costs have been incorporated to the cost of bringing the goods to the desired location. In this case, the Great Britain Pound will be used for the transactions because there are minimal deviations in the exchange rate from 24th December to 28th December. In addition, the exchange rate is stable as opposed to the Euro. Purchasing the equipment on the second day would save the company As the finance manager, the option maximizes utility, but at a relatively higher cost compared to the first day of monitoring the exchange rate. Purchasing the equipment on the third day would save the company Contrary to the savings on the first and second day; the third day proves to have AED124 and AED2, 606 more savings respectively. The third day would be the best option because the exchange rate maximizes utility at the lowest cost. Purchasing the equipment on the fifth day would save the company The savings are relatively lower than those on the first and third day. Although the option maximizes utility, it does so but at a
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Effect of Green and Black Teas Essay Example for Free
Effect of Green and Black Teas Essay Determining the efficiency of various types of teas and its components, and the binding of tea with lipoproteins as for prevention of the occurrence of coronary heart diseases, is the primary objective of the study. Based on established scientific researches, one of the components of tea called phenols, are responsible for producing the antioxidant attributes of tea. Further studies prove that both black and green teas have almost the same phenol content. Thus, their antioxidant strength is also the same, as gauged through the use of the phenol antioxidant index (PAOXI). Moreover, the study establishes the idea that a combination of tea catechins and lipoproteins produce stronger antioxidant qualities. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998a) To accomplish the objective of the study, teas that were used for samples were prepared using the same process. These samples were then compared to other types of antioxidants and other beverages with phenolic content. Moreover, the teas were studied in order to find out the threshold for the production of antioxidant properties, and also the binding of antioxidants with lipoproteins. Vinson Dabbagh, 1998a) The results of the study revealed that green tea produces higher antioxidant activity than the black tea, the green tea and black tea were stronger antioxidants than other beverage samples, the PAOXI of both green and black teas do not exhibit significant differences in terms of antioxidant strength, and the lipoprotein binding for both teas remain the same. Moreover, the catechins found in teas were more effective than vit amins C, E and beta-carotene in binding with lipoproteins to complete oxidation. Therefore, teas are more efficient in lowering the risks of coronary heart diseases. Green teas were found to bind efficiently with lipoproteins of high amounts, and on the contrary, black teas were said to bind efficiently with lipoproteins of low amounts. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998a) Secondary Source The discovery of the connection between oxidation and atherogenesis has incited research studies about the effects of antioxidants found in teas to lipoproteins. Moreover, studies conducted on flavonoids, which is one of the components of tea, and its contributory effects to the prevention of the occurrence of coronary heart disease, has led researchers to speculate that catechins that are found in tea might be instrumental in promoting health and wellness due to the antioxidant attributes produced by teas. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998b) This particular research study aims to identify the efficiency of teas as a source of antioxidants as compared to other beverages with the same phenolic content, and the maximum threshold of the production of antioxidant mechanisms in teas. Moreover, research was conducted on the effects of binding antioxidant with lipoproteins to an individual with low antioxidant intake. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998b) The results of the research reveal that catechins that are found in teas are more effective antioxidants as compared to other vitamins that claim to be a good source of antioxidants, such as vitamins E, C and beta-carotene. Moreover, the research also discovered that teas bore the most amount of phenolic content as compared with other beverages that were tested, and that among the tea samples that were tested, green tea bore the most amounts of phenolic content. In addition, antioxidant binding with lipoproteins was most efficient with black teas as compared to other teas, although there was not any significant difference as to the effect when comparing it to the results of other teas. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998b) In conclusion, the research study reaffirmed the fact that teas are a great source of antioxidant and that they are effective in producing high levels of antioxidants that are needed by the human body. Therefore, an individualââ¬â¢s regular intake of tea prevents the onset of lipoprotein oxidation within the body. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998b) Personal Opinion about the Topic The results of the study has proved the effectiveness of teas as a source of antioxidant, therefore supporting previous studies conducted about the relationship between catechins and phenolic acid that are found in teas and its binding with lipoproteins as instrumental in the lowering of risks caused by coronary heart diseases. If this is the case, then regular intake of green and black teas should be recommended to people who are at risk for coronary heart disease and should be recommended as part of the average personââ¬â¢s diet in order to avoid the occurrence of the said disease. Although plants where tea comes from are widely grown all over the world, and according to the study, tea is the most popular drink in the world, people still do not realize the importance of its content and the regular intake of tea as a protective instrument against coronary heart disease. Moreover, people are not aware that the beverage that they enjoy the most has health benefits that might save them from suffering heart diseases. Promotion and recommendation of teas that are based on research study results and information dissemination might help in encouraging people to drink tea as part of their diet in order to stay fit and healthy. Aside from advertising and promotional activities, the government should support or fund the horticultural industry in order to produce more sources for green and black teas. Not only will the people benefit from this, but the government will also gain profit for the tea industry and agriculture. Moreover, the government should look into the processes of preparing teas. As the research study suggests, that the amount of phenols within the tea leaves, which are said to be the ones responsible for producing antioxidants, are dependent on the weather and climate, age of the tea leaves that will be used, and the horticultural processes that the leaves underwent. Therefore, the government should further look into the processes from which tea leaves are produced. Desirable and specialized horticultural processes should be employed in growing plants in order to ensure the quality of tea leaves that will be grown from it. In order to accomplish this aim, the government should be able to conduct research studies that would prove to be instrumental in the efficient and productive growth of plants. Moreover, with further studies and in depth research, the government should fund the inclusion of teas in the diet of patients in the public health care system, especially those who are suffering from coronary heart diseases, patients who are at risk, and even all the patients in order to keep strong and healthy. However, further studies should be done independently in order to avoid judgments of researches that are tainted by underlying motives such as advertising. In the research study conducted by Vinson Dabbagh, it was funded by the Lipton Tea Company. Since the Lipton Tea Company is a business organization, which produced tea all over the world, I cannot help but think of the politics between business and advertising that is concealed in the research. Most especially because the results of the research promoted the efficiency of green and black teas among other beverages and its importance as a prevention scheme against coronary heart diseases. In order to invalidate speculations that might arise from the influence of Lipton Tea Company and the research, independent studies should be conducted by professionals and scholars alike from different fields related to the issue such as representatives from the health care industry, agriculture, government, universities, and scientists alike.
Friday, September 20, 2019
The Work Of Labor And Delivery Nurses Nursing Essay
The Work Of Labor And Delivery Nurses Nursing Essay Today, the work of labor and delivery nurses (LD nurses) is extremely important and responsible because the quality of their work affects consistently the quality of health care services delivered to women and newborns. In this regard, it is important to remember that, today, many women have problems with labor and delivery because of their age, health problems and other factors that make the natural process of labor and delivery difficult. In such a context, the role o LD nurses can hardly be underestimated because their qualification and experience may be crucial for the successful delivery. At the same time, in the contemporary health care environment, the job of LD nurses is basically similar to the job of other nurses in terms of qualification, education, skills and wages. In such a situation, human resource managers often face problems with motivation of LD nurses. This is why human resource managers should focus on the use of non-material motivators, which may be very effectiv e. On the other hand, they should pay a lot of attention to training and education of LD nurses because their qualification plays crucial role in the provision of proper and effective health care services to women and newborn in the course of the labor and delivery. Therefore, LD nurses should have a wide range of nursing skills and abilities, high qualification and solid education background, whereas human resource managers should keep them motivated to carry on their professional development and provide nursing care services of the high quality. On analyzing specificities of the job of LD nurses and their workplace environment in terms of human resource management, specialists (Limentani, 1999) argue that education affects consistently the performance of LD nurses and the effectiveness of their work. In this regard, it is possible to dwell upon basic educational requirements LD nurses should meet in the contemporary health care setting. First of all, LD nurses should have the Bachelor degree because the essential education for LD nurses is the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. However, the bachelor degree is a minimal requirement, whereas often a Master of Science in Nursing degree is needed. The high qualification is one of the essential conditions of the successful professional development of LD nurses because they need to have a solid educational background and profound knowledge in labor and delivery nursing. Naturally, the experience of LD nurses is also very important but they acquire their experience as they carry on their education and professional development. The Bachelor and Master degrees are very important because they provide LD nurses not only with certain status but also and mainly they provide them with basic education on the ground of which they can elaborate the strategy of their professional development and keep growing in professional terms. Furthermore, LD nurses should have a registered nurse license from their state board of nursing (Ryan and Ray, 2004). This is another important requirement LD nurses should meet because the registered nurse license is a sort of guarantee of the current professional level and competence of LD nurses. Registered nurses cannot work without license but LD nurses should strive to obtain the license because the license opens new job opportunities for them and, what is more, contributes to their further professional development. In such a context, many specialists (Benoff à Grauman, 1997) place emphasis on the fact that LD nurses should take training and get involved in courses in a LD nursing program. In actuality, a large number of training programs is available to LD nurses and it is one of the major tasks of human resource managers to motivate LD nurses to participate in training programs. They should explain LD nurses positive effects of training programs for their professional development. In fact, training programs increase the professional level of LD nurses and, therefore, increase the quality of nursing care services they deliver to patients. However, sometimes LD nurses have poor motivation and they need the assistance from the part of human resource managers to participate in training programs. This is a case of experienced LD nurses mainly because they feel confident in their professional skills and abilities, they have extensive experience, and they believe they do not need training courses anymore. This is exactly where human resource managers should work closely with LD nurses to motivate them to carry on their professional development and to participate in training courses. At the same time, along with training, job competences for labor and delivery nurses are extremely important for effective performance of LD nurses and the high quality of nursing care services they deliver to patients. Job competences required for LD nurses normally coincide with job competences required for other nurses. Nevertheless, human resource managers should pay a particular attention to the development of basic job competences in LD nurses. In this regard, LD nurses should have well-developed professional skills above all. This means that they should be professionals, who have extensive knowledge and experience and who are capable to implement their knowledge in practice in their regular work in the real health care setting. Along with specific professional skills and knowledge, LD nurses should develop other competences, which are crucial for their regular work. In this regard, specialists (Miller, et al., 2003) point out that LD nurses should be able to make quick decisions at critical times. To put it more precisely, they should be able to respond fast and properly to any challenge they face in their work. In fact, this is one of the fundamental requirements LD nurses should meet because the fast decision is a key toward the delivery of nursing care services of the high quality. The delivery of nursing care in time may be crucial for the life and health of patients of LD nurses. Therefore, they should pay a lot of attention to the decision making process because often LD nurses have to take decisions on their own and they do not have time to ask for assistance of other health care professionals. In such a situation, the promptness of LD nurses decision making may be crucial for the health and life of women and newborns. At the same time, LD nurses should have good physical stamina and general good health. The work of LD nurses needs significant physical forces and physical stamina and general good health are essential for them. Otherwise, LD nurses could not afford physical pressure they are vulnerable to in the course of their work. At this point, specialists (Limentani, 1999) place emphasis on the fact that LD nurses should always stay focused and concentrated on their work, whatever the time they have been already working. Even if they grow tired, they still have to stay focused on their work because there is no margin for error and LD nurses are responsible for outcomes of their work. The attention and concentration on the proper performance of LD nurses comprise an integral part of their training and human resource managers should develop stamina of LD nurses through stressing the importance of their own health for the provision of health care services to patients. Furthermore, LD nurses may face a number of serious problems in the course of their work. This is why many specialists (Ryan and Ray, 2004) insist on the development of problem solving techniques in LD nurses. It proves beyond a doubt that the development of problem solving techniques is very important because, if LD nurses face a problem and are panic-stricken, they cannot work effectively and they cannot deliver essential nurse care services to patients. In stark contrast, LD nurses, who are experienced in problem solving, stay cool even in the most difficult situation. Instead of falling in panic, they start applying a problem solving technique they believe to be the most efficient in the specific situation. On the ground of problem solving techniques, LD nurses can use their professional knowledge, skills and abilities to work effectively in the most extreme environment. At the same time, specialists (Limentani, 1999) argue that LD nurses should come prepared to face conflicts in the course of their work with both colleagues and patients. In this regard, human resource managers should stimulate the development of conflict management to help LD nurses to prevent the emergence of conflicts and minimize their negative impact on patients and health care professionals, in case conflicts have emerged. In the contemporary health care environment, the conflict management is one of the most important competences of LD nurses because conflicts affect not only psychological state of patients as well as nurses but also their physical state. In case of LD nurses and their patients, any significant deterioration of psychological state or physical health may be dangerous for patients. In addition, many specialists (Miller, et al., 2003) recommend developing counseling strategies in LD nurses. Counseling is very effective, when LD nurses deal with patients, who have significant problems with their health. Counseling helps patient to recover in post-operation period as well as in situations, when they have some difficulties and need the assistance of LD nurses. At the same time, specialists (Ryan and Ray, 2004) point out that economic implications of LD nurses work are also very important in the contemporary health care environment. In fact, the median annual wage of LD nurses meets the average wage level of nurses in the US (Limentani, 1999). The following table shows the wage of LD nurses depending on their certification: Skill: Labor Delivery, Birthing Median Hourly Rate by Job Job National Hourly Rate Dataà (?) $0 $10 $20 $30 Registered Nurse (RN) $25.64 Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) $10.99 Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) $16.43 Registered Nurse (RN), Emergency Room $25.86 Charge Nurse (RN) $29.12 Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) $17.88 Registered Nurse (RN), Operating Room $28.82 Country: United States | Currency: USD | Updated: 17 Feb 2011 | Individuals Reporting: 6,542 Source: Skill Labor: Delivery, Birthing/Hourly Rate. (2011). http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Skill=Labor_%26_Delivery,_Birthing/Hourly_Rate In such a way, LD nurses basically meet average standards in the industry. Therefore, human resource managers can hardly count for the high level of motivation of LD nurses, if they use material motivators solely. Bonuses and increase of wages may be effective but they will not bring positive effects always. In a long-run perspective, other motivators are needed to stimulate LD nurses to work better. In such a context, specialists (Miller, et al., 2003) suggest different strategies and solutions human resource managers can use to increase the effectiveness of work with LD nurses, minimize the risk of conflicts and stimulate the professional development of LD nurses. First, LD nurses need to stay motivated, regardless of their experience, skills and abilities they have developed in the course of their professional career. Second, LD nurses should be confident of their responsibility for outcomes of their work. Human resource managers should inform LD nurses about consequences of professional negligence from the part of LD nurses and their legal liability. At the same time, human resource managers should motivate LD nurses to improve their professional skills and knowledge through participation in training programs. For instance, human resource managers can promote LD nurses, who are particularly successful in training or who are eager to participate in training programs. In additi on, human resource managers can use the knowledge sharing management strategy, which helps to share knowledge within a health care organization using the experience and knowledge of health care professionals working in the organization. For instance, more experienced LD nurses can share their knowledge with newcomers, whereas physicians can share their knowledge with experienced LD nurses. In such a way, health care professionals working within the health care organization will share knowledge and develop new skills and abilities. In addition, human resource managers should help LD nurses to improve communication with patients and to use effective strategies and techniques of problem solving, conflict management and counseling. Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that LD nurses are responsible for their work and they should provide nursing care services of the high quality because health and life of patients are in their hands. In this regard, the effective human resource management can be an effective tool to improve the quality of nursing care services being delivered by LD nurses to patients.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Comparing Treatment of Death During the Renaissance and in Shakespeareââ¬â¢
Treatment of Death During the Renaissance and in Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Romeo and Juliet Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most well known and well-read play in history. With its passionate and realistic treatment of universal themes of love, fate, war, and death, itââ¬â¢s not difficult to see why. However, most people donââ¬â¢t realize that there are several versions of the play, each with their own unique additions and/or changes to the plot, dialogue, and characters. After thumbing through the texts located here on this website, you can see even at a glance the distinct differences between the versions of Romeo and Juliet. This essay will explore how people dealt with death during the Renaissance in context to Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (Lamentable Tragedie.) More specifically, I will show that the added monologue in act 4, scene 5, regarding the convention of death, is consistent to the social and religious beliefs of the time period. Act IV, scene V of the Lamentable Tragedie is perhaps the most insightful scene dealing with the coping of death during the Renaissance. Previous to the scene Romeo has been banished for slaying Tybalt, and Julietââ¬â¢s father has forced her to marry her betrothed Paris. In a desperate attempt to avoid the marriage and reunite Juliet with her love, the Friar gives Juliet a sleeping elixir to stage her death. Convinced that a marriage to Paris would be worse than death, Juliet takes the deathly potion and falls into a coma-like sleep. At the beginning of the scene the house is stirring with excitement in preparation for the wedding and the nurse is sent to wake the sleeping Juliet. After much calling and shaking, the nurse begins to suspect that something is wrong. Could her mistre... ...ents in such a manner, royalty reigned supreme during Shakespeareââ¬â¢s day and could do and speak as they saw fit. Finally, it is important to understand the historical context for which the characters were written. Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Romeo and Juliet was written for an audience that had survived the destructive forces of the Black Death, and shared a different philosophy on death altogether. Works Cited Heitsch, Dorothea. ââ¬Å"Approaching Death by Writing: Montaigneââ¬â¢s Essays and the Literature of Consolation.â⬠Literature and Medicine 19, Jan. 2000: pp 1-6. Huizinga, Johan. The Waning of the Middle Ages. London: Edward Arnold, 1924. Spinrad, Pheobe. The Summons of Death on the Medieval and Renaissance English Stage. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1987. Wilcox, Helen. Women and Literature in Britain 1500-1700. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Two Languages and Two Cultures Essay -- immigration, China, Two Kinds,
Two Languages and Two Cultures United States was built on immigrants and some of the immigrants were pushed from their homeland because of some reasons while other reasons such as America dream pulled them to the United States. Most of these immigrants came from China in 1949, when the communist party took over. These immigrants came with their cultures and languages which are significant in everyone's lives because they play a major role in the development of individualââ¬â¢s characteristics. Many observers believe that these cultures and languages lead to conflict between immigrant parents and their American-born children. This is certainly the case. Interestingly enough, while history and culture contribute to the American way of life, they also create disagreements between the immigrantââ¬â¢s culture and American culture. Perhaps this is why Amy Tan's story, ââ¬Å"Two Kinds,â⬠explores the conflicts and confusions of relationships in the Chinese immigrant communities through the effects of Chinese immigrantââ¬â¢s ethnic heritage, child performance during this time of American culture and, communication divide during this period. First, Amy Tan successfully demonstrate how Chinese immigrantââ¬â¢s ethnic heritage contributed to the conflicts and confusions of relationships in the Chinese immigrant communities during that era. Back in China, the Chinese culture during the narrator's mother's era encouraged social stratification and as such no one can move out of their respective social class. Consequently, this way of thinking remained part of the narrator's mother's life when she arrived into the United States. For example in the story, the narrator's mother believed that she could be anything in America. Consequently, she wanted her daug... ...cessive control is not a forced decision. With the adequate public information and dedication, parents can guide their children to become productive citizens. When a parent confront an obstinate child, all it takes is for her not to take it personally. Works Cited Bloom, H. (Ed.). (2001). Amy Tan. Philadelphia: Chelsea House. Huntley, E.D. (1998). Amy Tan: A Critical Companion. Wesport, CT: Greenwood Press. Jottedlines.com. Literature, Critical Analysis of ââ¬Å"Two Kinds.â⬠February 7, 2013. Kazdin, Alan E., Phd. Encyclopedia of Psychology, Volume 8, March 2000. Tan, Amy. ââ¬Å"Two Kinds.â⬠Literature Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. 687-695. print. Nelson, E . S. (Ed.). (2000). Asian Amerincan Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
The Townshend Act and Protest of the Colonists :: American America History
The Townshend Act and Protest of the Colonists The Townshend Actsââ¬â¢ repeal of the Stamp Act left Britain's financial problems unresolved. Parliament had not given up the right to tax the colonies and in 1767, at the urging of chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend, it passed the Townshend Acts, which imposed taxes on lead, glass, tea, paint, and paper that Americans imported from Britain. In an effort to strengthen its own authority and the power of royal colonial officials, Parliament, at Townshend's request, also created the American Board of Customs Commissioners whose members would strictly enforce the Navigation Acts. Revenue raised by the new tariffs would be used to free royal officials from financial dependence on colonial assemblies, thus further encroaching on colonial autonomy. Once again the colonists protested vigorously. In December 1767, John Dickinson, a Philadelphia lawyer, published 12 popular essays that reiterated the colonists' denial of Parliament's right to tax them and warned of a conspiracy by a corrupt British ministry to enslave Americans. The Sons of Liberty organized protests against customs officials, merchants entered into nonimportation agreements, and the Daughters of Liberty advocated the nonconsumption of products, such as tea, taxed by the Townshend Acts. The Massachusetts legislature sent the other colonies a circular letter condemning the Townshend Acts and calling for a united American resistance. British officials then ordered the dissolution of the Massachusetts General Court if it failed to withdraw its circular letter; the court refused, by a vote of 92 to 17, and was dismissed. The other colonial assemblies, initially reluctant to protest the acts, now defiantly signed the circular letter, outraged at British interference with a colonial legislature.In other ways, British actions again united American protest. The Board of Customs Commissioners extorted money from colonial merchants and usedflimsy excuses to justify seizing American vessels. These actions heightened tensions, which exploded on June 21, 1768, when customs officials seized Boston merchant John Hancock's sloop Liberty. Thousands of Bostonians rioted, threatening the customs commissioners' lives and forcing them to flee the city. When news of the Liberty riot reached London, four regiments of British army troops-some 4,000 soldiers-were ordered to Boston to protect the commissioners. The contempt of British troops for the colonists, combined with the soldiers' moonlighting activities that deprived Boston laborers of jobs, inevitably led to violence. In March 1770 a riot occurred between British troops and Boston citizens, who jeered and taunted the soldiers. The troops fired, killing five people. The so-called Boston Massacre aroused great colonial resentment. This anger was soon increased by further parliamentary legislation. Bowing to colonial economic boycotts, Parliament, guided by the new prime minister, Lord Frederick North, repealed the Townshend Acts in 1770 but retained the
Monday, September 16, 2019
How could the Holocaust have beet prevented Essay
You have probably heard about a period of time, not so long ago, known as ââ¬ËThe Holocaust.ââ¬â¢ A holocaust, according to Websterââ¬â¢s dictionary, is ââ¬Ëa complete destruction by fireââ¬â¢ (Stadtler, 1). In Europe, during this period, there was a complete destruction by fire ââ¬â of Jewish homes, Jewish businesses, Jewish neighborhoods, and Jewish people. This destruction was carried out under the direction of Adolf Hitler, during the years 1939-1945, but it actually began earlier, in 1933, when Hitler came to power in Germany. In my opinion, the Holocaust, which was caused by ignorance, could very well have been prevented. There were many powerful nations, such as the United Stated, the USSR, and Britain, whose leaders and militaries could have stepped in and helped the Jewish people who were facing extremely brutal persecution. Throughout most of the war, the American government clung to the delusion that the Naziââ¬â¢s were persecuting the Jews because of their political or religious beliefs. The U.S. closed its gates to emigration from Europe in 1940-1941, when Jews were still allowed to emigrate. ââ¬ËAnti-Semitism in America actually increased during the war and started to decline only at the end of itââ¬â¢ (Bauer, 297). A Soviet attitude toward the murder of the Jews simply did not exist. While fighting a desperate battle for its own survival, Britain saved the Jews of Palestine, North Africa, and much of the British Empire from the fate of European Jewry. ââ¬ËThe British fought only for themselves, but the defense of their own interests coincided with the defense of civilized humanity, including the Jewsââ¬â¢ (Bauer, 296). The May 1939 White Paper on immigration to Palestine stated that immigration to Palestine would end after 75,000 had been admitted between 1939 and 1944. When war broke out, the British decreed that no enemy nationals could enter Palestine, which in effect, closed the doors to those who needing rescue most, specifically the European Jews trying to escape the Nazis. At first, the thought of such destruction in Europe was incomprehensible to other Nations. They heard of what was occurring, but did not believe it, and therefore did nothing. ââ¬ËThe suffering of hundreds of thousands, soon of millions, was evident for consciences to be aroused, for steps to be taken.à Nothing was doneââ¬â¢ (Bauer, 297). I feel the ignorance of these Nations was the cause of the loss of 6 million lives. Had these Nations not turned their heads away and ignored what was happening, they could have saved many lives and prevented the Holocaust. By allowing emigration from Europe into their countries, by trying to negotiate with Hitler, or if worse came to worse, assassinating Hitler, things might have been different. By not recognizing the events leading to the Holocaust and of the Holocaust, they also caused the Holocaust along with Adolf Hitler. The Holocaust could only have been prevented by the World Powers, but they failed to do so because they were so ignorant. During the 19th century, European Jewry was being emancipated, and in most European countries, Jews were achieving some equality of status with non-Jews. Nonetheless, at times, Jews were vilified and harassed by anti-Semitic groups. Indeed, some anti-Semites believed that Jewry was an alien ââ¬Ëraceââ¬â¢ not assimilable into a European culture, but they did not formulate any coherent anti-Semitic campaign until Hitler came to power. Germany was defeated in World War I after a four year struggle that left its people exhausted and divided. The harsh peace terms of the Versailles Treaty placed a heavy economic burden on them. Before the war Germany had thought of itself as Europeââ¬â¢s greatest nation. Now it was confused, bitter, and economically crippled, its wealth drained to pay the vast sums demanded by the Versailles Peace Treaty. Rising inflation left many Germans poor and others jobless. Political differences exploded in assassinations and street fighting. The new democratic government of Germany, the Weimar Republic, was unable to prevent disorder and caused people to lose faith in democracy. With Germans of all outlooks desperately seeking solutions for the nationââ¬â¢s problems, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party began their climb to power. ââ¬ËHitler was gifted with effective political talents. He offered an explanation for Germanyââ¬â¢s defeat, and a vision of Germanyââ¬â¢s future destiny, that played upon the fears, prejudices, and hopes of many Germans. He promised to rebuildà Germanyââ¬â¢s power and restore its prosperityââ¬â¢ (Isaacman, 16). This won the support of many Germans. Hitler was such an effective speaker that anything he said was believed even if it was not true. Hitler believed that the German people were part of an ââ¬ËAryan race,ââ¬â¢ a superior group that should be kept pure to fulfill their mission of ruling the world. He felt that the Jewish people were ââ¬Ësub-human,ââ¬â¢ when in actuality they were virtually the same as his ââ¬ËAryan race.ââ¬â¢ Not only did Hitler have a personal hatred toward the Jewish people, but he also blamed them for ââ¬Ëstabbing Germany in the backââ¬â¢ after Germanyââ¬â¢s defeat in World War I. Hitler used them as scapegoats because they were a minority and were easy to put the blame on. ââ¬ËHistorians agree that the Holocaust resulted from a confluence of various factors in a complex historical situation. That anti-Semitism festered throughout the centuries in European culture is centrally important; the Jews were (and are) a minority civilization in a majority environment. In periods of crisis, instead of searching for the solution of such crisis within the majority culture, the majority will tend to project blame for the crisis on a minority which is both familiar and weak. As the originators and bearers of an important part of civilization, the Jews are a father civilization against which pent up aggressions are easily unleashedââ¬â¢ (Bauer, 330). Anti-Semitism had always played a role in Nazi propaganda, for Hitler blamed most of Germanyââ¬â¢s problems on the Jews. Anti-Jewish laws of every kind were passed. Jews could no longer be judges, lawyers, teachers, government officials, army officers. Jewish doctors could not treat non-Jewish patients, Jews could not employ non-Jews, and Jews and non-Jews could not have social relationships. Jewish property was taken by the government, Jewish businesses were closed down, Jewish children could not attend public schools. All the media were utilized to spread anti-Jewish messages. On the street, Jews were mocked, tormented, and even beaten for no other reason but being Jewish. Jewish people were forced to wear Star of David armbands and were often attacked by storm troopers. On November 9-10, 1938, known as Kristallnacht (ââ¬ËNight of the Broken Glassââ¬â¢), hundreds of synagogues throughout Germany were burned by Nazi mobs, windows of Jewish shops were smashed, and thousands of Jews were arrested. Kristallnacht was a signal to Jews in Germany and Austria to leave as soon as possible. Severalà hundred thousand people were able to find refuge in other countries, but a similar number, including many who were old or poor, ââ¬Ëstayed to face an uncertain fateââ¬â¢ (Stadtler, 12). The countries of Europe and the United States too, only admitted a small number of Jews. Had these countries made an exception for these people who were being treated poorly in their home countries there would have been a smaller amount of lives lost in the years to come. Throughout the 1930ââ¬â¢s, conditions for the Jews in Germany worsened. Some people in the United States refused to buy German products in an effort to put pressure on Hitler, but it did not help. This was not enough, the United States was a strong world power and could have done more to aid the Jewish people of Germany. What could a small amount of people not buying German products do? Absolutely nothing because Germany was much stronger than these few people; the aid of an entire nation was needed, not the aid of a few people. Since no one was stopping Hitler, he proceeded to enlarge Germanyââ¬â¢s territory. Threatening to use force if he did not get his way, he gained control of Austria in 1938 and of Czechoslovakia in 1939. Later in 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland, World War II broke out. During the early years of the war, Hitlerââ¬â¢s armies conquered most of Europe. Millions of Jews were now under German rule, and Hitler felt he was at last in a position to solve the ââ¬ËJewish Question.ââ¬â¢ As Hitler saw it, the ââ¬ËJewish Questionââ¬â¢ was simply the fact that the Jews existed. Therefore, the ââ¬Ëfinal solutionââ¬â¢ emerged as a way to destroy them. Throughout Europe, in all the countries under their control- Poland, Western Russia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy, France, Holland, Denmark, Norway- the Jews were rounded up and confined in concentration camps or ghettos. Stripped of their property, brutalized, terrified, and disoriented, they were forced to work as slave laborers in abominable conditions. Many died of starvation and disease. Others were shot or beaten to death. Before long, rumors of this brutality reached capitals of the world, but nothing was done. As the war against the Jews progressed, however, the Naziââ¬â¢s turned to large scale centralized killing operations. Jews from all over Europe were loaded into trains and shipped to death camps, among them, Auschwitz, Treblinka, Sobibor. LOCATION OF GERMAN CONCENTRATION CAMPS ââ¬ËIn the death camps, human life was destroyed quickly and efficientlyââ¬â¢ (Isaacman, 19). Under the whips of cruel SS guards, the Jewish victims were herded off the trains and into gas chambers, where they were exterminated by a poisonous gas. Millions of non-Jews were also systematically killed- political opponents, Slavic peoples, and other minorities. In the case of the Jews, the Naziââ¬â¢s were determined to annihilate an entire people. Some Jews fought back at every possible opportunity. Some Christians, too, tried to help. Taking great personal risks, they hid Jewish friends in their homes or cellars. Many of these people were caught and killed by the Naziââ¬â¢s. People willing to take such risks were few and far between in Europe. Had other nations of the world been as righteous and as brave as these people, and combined their efforts, this attempted annihilation of the Jewish people could have been prevented. To some Naziââ¬â¢s the ââ¬Ëfinal solutionââ¬â¢ was more important than anything else. ââ¬ËThough Germany was hemmed in by enemies and fighting for its life, they diverted valuable resources to the extermination machineââ¬â¢ (Isaacman, 20). Trains that could have carried ammunition to the front were used to transport Jews to death camps. Soldiers who could have been defending their country were instead sent to round up and guard Jewish civilians. ââ¬ËAfter several years of war, Hitler knew he could not defeat America and the other Allies, but he was determined to win at least one victory by wiping out the Jewsââ¬â¢ (Isaacman, 20). The United States and other world powers were too focused on the war to maintain their pride. While in Germany Hitler was trying to wipe an entire people off the face of the Earth. If these other nations of the world were not so ignorant, the lives of six million peopleà could have been saved. Hitler and his Nazi Party treated the Jewish people so inhumanely. He and his party felt that the Jews were biologically different, when in fact they were and are not. Every human being is equal and should be treated equally. No one is superior to anyone else, even though some may have an egocentric attitude. In 1945, Hitler committed suicide. Rather than correcting his errors, Hitler took the easy way out by committing suicide. The ultraorthodox Jewish theology justifies the Holocaust as an act of God, a punishment for sins committed by the Jewish people against their God. Others feel that the Holocaust was a result of manââ¬â¢s betrayal to God. I feel that the Holocaust is not at all justified. During the Holocaust, six million Jewish people died, that is more than one-third (about 34 percent) of the Jewish population. ââ¬ËFrom the liberated Nazi camps, weeping skeletons of men and women emerged. Among them were 200,000 Jews. These have to be added to the 210,000 that survived in France, about 37,000 in Belgium, 20,000 in the Netherlands, about 1,900,000 in the Polish-Soviet area, 350,000 in Rumania, 130,000 in Hungary, and smaller numbers elsewhere. Including Soviet Jewry, part of whom were never under Nazi rule, about 3 million Jews were left in Europe out of the original 9 million Jews before the warââ¬â¢ (Bauer, 334). As I stated before, there is only one thing and one thing only that caused this horrid event called the Holocaust, ignorance. Not just ignorance of the United States and the other world powers, but the ignorance of Hitler and his Nazi Party as well. Had the U.S. and other nations offered aid to the Jewish refugees, and opened their doors to these refugees, they would have saved many lives. Instead, they were just as guilty as the Naziââ¬â¢s by helping in the destruction of an entire race. WORKS CITED PAGE Bauer, Yehuda. A History of the Holocaust. New York: Franklin Watts, 1983. Chartock, Roselle, Jack Spencer. The Holocaust Years: Society on Trial. New York: Bantam Books, 1978. Des Pres, Terrence. The Survivor: An Anatomy of Life in the Death Camps. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976. ââ¬ËHolocaust.ââ¬â¢ Microsoft Encarta (CD ROM). 1993. Stadtler, Bea. The Holocaust: A History of Courage and Resistance. New York: Behrman House, Inc., 1973. Isaacman, Clara. Pathways Through the Holocaust. New York: Ktav Publishing House, Inc., 1988.
My Vision of Future Essay
Reimagining Indiaââ¬â¢s Present most of us have a massive psychological barrier against looking seriously at the future. Many nurture the not unnatural, latent fear that any engagement with the future will turn out to be an acknowledgement of their mortality and the transience of their world. Different cultures handle this fear differently. In Indiaââ¬â¢s middle-class culture, attempts to look at the future often end up as tame, defensive litanies of moral platitudes or as overly dramatic, doomsday ââ¬Ëpropheteeringââ¬â¢. Even those who avoid these extremes usually view the future either as the future of the past or as a linear projection of the present. If one is a fatalist, one sees no escape from the past; if not, one often desperately tries to live in the instant present. Those who see the future as growing directly out of the present also often narrow their choices. When optimistic, they try to correct for the ills of the present in the future; when pessimistic, they presume that the future will aggravate the ills. If one views the future from within the framework of the past, one arrives at questions like ââ¬ËCan we restore the precolonial village republics of India as part of a Gandhian project?ââ¬â¢ or ââ¬ËShould we revive Nehruvian nonalignment to better negotiate the turbulent waters of Indiaââ¬â¢s inter- national relations in the post-cold-war world?ââ¬â¢ If one views the future from within the framework of the present, one asks questions like ââ¬ËWill the present fresh water resources or fossil-fuel stock of the world outlast the twenty-first century?ââ¬â¢ Important though some of these questions are, they are not the core of future studies. No environmentalist can claim to be a futurist by only estimating, on the basis of existing data, the pollution levels in India in the coming decades. Exactly as no economist can claim to be a futurist by predicting the exchange value of the Indian rupee in the year 2005. The reason is simple. The futureââ¬âthat is, the future that truly intrigues or worries usââ¬âis usually disjunctive with its past. Defying popular faith, the future is mostly that which cannot be directly projected from the present. Actually, we should have learnt this from the relationshipà between the past and the present. The present has not grown out of the past in the way the technoeconomic or historical determinists believe. I often give the example of a survey done exactly hundred years ago, at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was done mainly as an exercise in technological forecasting during the Paris exposition. The respondents were the best-known scientists of the world then. In retrospect, the most remarkable result of the survey was the total failure of the scientists to anticipate scientific discoveries and changes the world would see in the twentieth century. Thus, for instance, the scientists thought the highest attainable speed in human transportation during the century was 250 miles an hour and among the innovations that they thought would not be viable or popular were the radio and television. Indeed, novelist Jules Verneââ¬â¢s fantasies often anticipated the future of science and technology more imaginatively and accurately. For a novelistââ¬â¢s imagination is not cramped by the demands of any discipline or the expectations of professionals, not even by hard empiricism. The present too is disjunctive with the past, though we love to believe otherwise. The past nowadays is available to us in packaged forms, mainly through the formal, professional narratives of the discipline of history. We feel that we have a grasp on it. History monopolises memories and offers us a tamed, digestible past, reformulated in contemporary terms. It is thus that 17 History monopolises memories and offers us a tamed, digestible past, reformulated in contemporary terms. No. 123 history fulfils its main social and political roleââ¬âit gives a shared sense of psychological continuity to those living in a disenchanted world. You cannot do the same with the future, for the future has to be anticipated and it is more difficult to turn it into a manageable portfolio. Ultimately, Benedotte Croceââ¬â¢s aphorismââ¬âââ¬â¢all history is contemporary historyââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â can be applied to all genuine futuristic enterprises, too. All visions of the future are interventions in and reconceptualisation of the present. My quickà peep into the future of India, therefore, can only be a comment on India today. I offer it in the spirit in which my work on Indiaââ¬â¢s pasts, too, has all along been an attempt to ââ¬Ëwork throughââ¬â¢ or reimagine Indiaââ¬â¢s present. The future of India in my mind is intertwined with the future of diversity and self-reflection, two values that have been central to the Indian worldview, cutting across social strata , religious boundaries and cultural barriers. I believe that during the last two hundred years, there has been a full-scale onslaught on both these values. Even when some have upheld these values during the period, they have mostly done so instrumentally. Thus, even when they have talked of unity in diversity, the emphasis has been on the former; the latter has been seen as an artefact or a hard, somewhat unpleasant, reality with which we shall have to learn to live. A modern nation-state loves order and predictability and its Indian incarnation is no different. Sankaran Krishnaââ¬â¢s brilliant study of Indian intervention in Sri Lanka, Postcolonial Insecurities, shows that, even when the Indian state has gone to war in the name of protecting cultural identities and minority rights, its tacit goal has been to advance the hegemonic ambitions 18 of a conventional, centralised, homogenising nation-state. In response to the demands of such a state, modern Indians too have learnt to fear diversity. That fear cuts across the entire ideological spectrum and is ever increasing. Most Gandhians want an India that would conform fully to their idea of a good society, for they have begun to fear their marginalisation. The late Morarji Desai was a good example of such defensive Gandhism. But even some of the more imaginative Gandhians, the ones who cannot be accused of being associated with the fads and foibles of Desai, have not been different. They have absolutised Gandhi the way only ideologues can absolutise their ideologies. The new globalisers also have one solution for the entire world, though they sometimes lazily mouth buzzwords like ââ¬Ëmulticulturalismââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëgrassrootsââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëalternative developmentââ¬â¢. The goal of their pluralism is to ensure the transparency and predictability of other cultures and strains of dissent. Likewise, I have found to my surprise that attempts to protect religious diversity in diverse ways is not acceptable to most secularists. They want to fight the monocultures of religious fundamentalism and religionbased nationalism, but feel aggrieved if othersà do so in other ways. They suspect the tolerance of those who are believers and trust the coercive apparatus of the state. Secularism for In response to the demands of a centralised, homogenising nation-state, modern Indians too have learnt to fear diversity. such secularists serves the same psychological purposes that fundamentalism does for the fundamentalists; it becomes a means of fighting diversity and giving play to their innate authoritarianism and monoculturalism. Things have come to such a pass that we cannot now stand diversity even in the matter of names. Bombay has always been Mumbai, but it has also been Bombay for a long time and acquired a new set of associations through its new name. Bombay films and Bombay ducks cannot have the same ring as Mumbai films and Mumbai ducks. Nor can Chennai substitute Madras in expressions like bleeding Madras and Madras Regiment. Many great cities like London happily live with more than one name. Indeed, in the Charles De Gaulle Airport at Paris, you may miss a plane to London unless you know that London is also Londres. Until recently, we Calcuttans used to live happily with four names of the cityââ¬â Kolikata, Kolkata, Kalkatta and Calcutta. Indeed, the first name is never used in conversations, yet you have to know it if you are interested in Bengali literature. In recent years, the city has been flirting with a fifth name, thanks to former cricketer and cricket commentator Geoffrey Boycottââ¬âCalcootta. But the Bengalis have disappointed me. Many of them now are trying to ensure that there is only one name for the city, Kolkata. The gifted writer Sunil Gangopadhyay has joined them, because he feels that the Bengali language is under siege from deracinated Bengalis, Anglophiles and Bombayââ¬âor is it Mumbaiya?ââ¬âHindi. I am afraid the change will not provide any additional protection to the Bengali language. It will only fuel our national passion for sameness. MANUSHI It is my belief that the twenty-first century belongs to those who try to see diversity as a value in itself, not as an instrument for resisting new monocultures of the mind or as a compromise necessary for maintaining communal or ethnic harmony. ââ¬ËLittle culturesââ¬â¢ are in rebellion everywhere and in every sphere of life. Traditional healing systems, agricultural andà ecological practicesââ¬âthings that we rejected contemptuously as repositories of superstitions and retrogression have staged triumphant returns among the young and the intellectually adventurous and posing radical challenges to set ways of thinking and living. More than a year ago, in the backyard of globalised capitalism, the US citizens for the first time spent more money from their pockets on alternative medicine than on conventional healthcare. The idea of the diverse is not merely expanding but acquiring subversive potentialities. India of the future, I hope, will be central to a world where the idea of diversity will itself be diverse and where diversity will be cherished as an end in itself. By its cultural heritage, Indiaââ¬âthe civilisation, not the nation-stateââ¬âis particularly well equipped to play a central role in such a world. However, the Indian elite and much of the countryââ¬â¢s middle class seem keener to strut around the world stage as representatives of a hollow, regional super-power. They want their country to play-act as a poor manââ¬â¢s America, armed to the teeth and desperate to repeat the success story of nineteenth-century, European, imperial states in the twenty-first century. India is also supposed to be a culture deeply committed to selfreflection. During colonial times, that No. 123 commitment began to look like a liability. Many critics of Indian culture and civilisation in the nineteenth century lamented that the Indians were too engrossed in their inner life. Others argued that Indian philosophy had marginalised the materialist strain within it and become predominantly idealistic. Their tacit assumption was that the Indians were given to too much of self-reflection and too little to action. ââ¬ËWe are dreamers, not doersââ¬â¢ came to be a popular, simplified version of the same lament. Whether the formulation is correct or not, it is obvious that we have overcorrected for it. We have now become a country of unthinking doers. Certainly in the Indian middle classes, any action is considered better than doing nothing. As a result, mindless action constitutes an important ingredient of the ruling culture of Indian public life. Even the few knowledgeable, nongovernmental hydrologists who support mega-dams, readily admit that most of the 1,500 large dams built in India are useless and counterproductive. Their main contribution hasà been to displace millions of people in the last fifty years. And even these supporters are not fully aware that the millions displaced by dams, often without any compensation, now constitute an excellent pool for those active in various forms of social violence and criminality. Veerappan, son of a dam victim, is only the most infamous symbol of them. Likewise, even in the Indian army, many senior officers now openly say that Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple was worse than doing nothing. The price for that gratuitous intervention was a decade of bloodshed and brutalisation of Punjab. For years, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has been ventured as an excuse for every phoney, useless interventionââ¬âin nature, society and culture in India. The last time I saw this ploy was when our bomb-mamas justified the nuclearisation of India in the name of Gandhi. The Indian middle 19 classes have always been uncomfortable with the father of the nation and have always believed him to be romantic, retrogressive, and antimodern. They have also probably all along felt slightly guilty about that belief. As a reparative gesture they have now begun to say, given half a chance, that Gandhi was a great doer; he did not merely talk or theorise. This compliment serves two purposes. It allows one to ignore Gandhiââ¬â¢s uncomfortable, subversive thought as less relevantââ¬â ââ¬ËBapu, you are far greater than your little booksââ¬â¢, Jawaharlal Nehru once saidââ¬âand it atones for oneââ¬â¢s hidden hostility and contempt towards the unconventional Gandhian vision of Indiaââ¬â¢s future. Occasionally, some like philosopher T. K. Mahadevan have tried to puncture this selfcongratulatory strategy. I remember him once saying in a letter to the editor of The Times of India that Gandhi For years, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has been ventured as an excuse for every phoney, useless interventionââ¬âin nature, society and culture in India. went out on the streets only twice in his life; the rest of the time he was thinking. Such interventions are always explained away as esoterica vended by eccentric intellectuals and professional iconoclasts. The dominant tendency in India today is to discount all self-reflection. It has turned Indiaââ¬â¢s ruling culture into an intellectually sterile summation of slogans borrowed from European public culture in the 1930s. Our culture is now dominated by European ideas of the nation-state and nationalism, evenà Europeans ideas of ethnic and 20 religious nationalism (mediated by that moth-eaten Bible of the 1930s, V. D. Savarkarââ¬â¢s Hindutva, modelled on the ideas of Mazzini and Herder). Shadow boxing with them for our benefit and entertainment are European ideas of radicalism and progress, smelling to high heavens of Edwardian England. In such a world, it is almost impossible to sustain a culture of diversity, particularly diversity as an end in itself. You learn to pay occasional h omage to diversity as an instrument that buys religious and ethnic peace, but that is mainly to hide oneââ¬â¢s eagerness to deploy such ideas of religious, caste and ethnic peace to further homogenise India. I have now learnt to fear the use of any cultural category in the singular. For years, I wrote about ââ¬ËIndian civilisation.ââ¬â¢ I thought it would be obvious from the contents of my writings that I saw the civilisation as a confederation of cultures and as an entity that coexisted and overlapped with other civilisations. Af ter all, some other civilisations, such as the Iranian and the European, are now very much part of the Indian civilisation. The Islamic and Buddhist civilisations, too, clearly overlap significantly with the Hindu civilisation. However, even the concept of civilisation, it now seems to me, has been hijacked in India by those committed to unipolarity, unidimensionality and unilinearity. Our official policy has been shaped by a vision of India that is pathetically naà ¯ve, if not farcical. It is that of a second-class European nation-state located in South Asia with a bit of Gita, Bharatanatyam, sitar and Mughal cuisine thrown in for fun or entertainment. Those who do not share that idea of earthly paradise are seen as dangerous romantics, Our culture is now dominated by European ideas of the nation-state and nationalism, even Europeans ideas of ethnic and religious nationalismâ⬠¦ MANUSHI continuously jeopardising Indiaââ¬â¢s national security. No wonder that even many erstwhile admirers of India have begun to see it as a nucleararmed, permanently enemy-seeking, garrison state. Edward Said will never know thatà few Occidentals can be as Orientalist towards India as educated, urban, modern Indians often are. In Indian public life, the standard response to such criticism is to reconceptualise Indian culture as some sort of a grocery store and to recommend that one should take from it the good and reject the bad. This is absurd and smacks of arrogance. Indian culture represents the assessments and experience of millions, acquired over generations. It has its own organising principles. My ideal India â⬠¦ is a bit like a wildlife programme that cannot afford to protect only cuddly pandas and colourful tigers. transparent, because there cannot but be a touch of mystery in the world of cultures. My ideal India celebrates all forms of diversity, including some that are disreputable, lowbrow and unfashionable. It is a bit like a wildlife programme that cannot afford to protect only cuddly pandas and colourful tigers. It is an India where even the idea of majority is confined to political and economic spheres and is seen as shifting, plural and fuzzy, where each and every culture, however modest or humble, not only has a place under the sun but is also celebrated as a vital component of our collective life. That may not turn out to be an empty dream. I see all around me movements and activists unashamedly rooted in the local and the vernacular. They are less defensive about their cultural roots and are working to empower not merely local communities, but also their diverse systems of knowledge, philosophies, art and crafts. Underlying these efforts is a tacit celebration of everyday life and ordinary citizens. Everything in everyday life and ordinariness is not praiseworthy and many of these efforts seem to me harebrained, pigheaded or plain silly. But they represent a generation that is less burdened by nineteenth-century ideologies masquerading as signposts to a new era and at least some of them show the capacity to look at human suffering directly, without the aid of ornate, newly imported social theories. Ashis Nandy is Senior Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. Diversity, to qualify as diversity, must allow those who represent the diversity to be diverse in their own ways, according to their ownà categories, not ours. It cannot be used like an array of commodities at the mercy of casual purchasers. Diversity, to qualify as diversity, must allow those who represent the diversity to be diverse in their own ways, according to their own categories, not ours. We shall have to learn to live with the discomfort of seeing people using these categories, even when they are not fully transparent to us. For the true tolerance of diversity is the tolerance of incommensurable multiple worlds of culture and systems of knowledge. In this kind of tolerance, there is always the assumption that all the cultures covered by the idea of plurality are not and need not be entirely No. 123 MANUSHI Handsomely Bound in Maroon Leather in Nine Volumes Price for India, Nepal and Bangladesh : Vol. I Vol. II Vol. III Vol. IV Vol. V Vol. VI Vol. VII Vol. VIII Vol. IX : : : : : : : : : Nos. 1 to 19 (1979 to 1983) Nos. 20 to 37 (1984 to 1986) Nos. 38 to 49 (1987 to 1988) Nos. 50 to 61 (1989 to 1990) Nos. 62 to 73 (1991 to 1992) Nos. 74 to 85 (1993 to 1994) Nos. 86 to 97 (1995 to 1996) Nos. 98 to 109 (1997 to 1998) Nos. 110 to 121 (1999 to 2000) Postage in India : Rs 30 per volume All Other Countries: US$ 60 per volume (including air-mail postage) Send payment by cheque, draft or MO payable to Manushi Trust. : : : : : : : : :
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