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Video Games

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Why Video Games are Beneficial

Introduction

The debate about whether playing video games are beneficial or detrimental has been there for a long time since the days of Space Invaders and Pong. It is rather unfortunate that most people assume that video games are behind many physical and mental problems despite lacking scientific evidence to back the claims. As some people say, it is human nature to put blame on something whenever a problem arises, and video games are an easy target. As technology continues advancing, game developers have started creating more fresh content and every day, there seem to be new video games emerging. The positive effects associated with playing video games are numerous and they encourage people to keep playing video games. On the contrary, people who do not enjoy playing video games argue that they make people lazy and ruin their social lives. This essay delves into the benefits of video games, including improved vision, better problem-solving skills, improved mood, improved manual dexterity, and enhanced physical fitness.

Improved Vision

One of the reasons why playing video games is beneficial is that it helps in boosting vision. As long as a person does not sit two feet away from the screen for a prolonged time, like 10 hours, playing video games actually helps in improving vision (Gupta, 9). In a recent study, ten male students who were not gamers and ten male gamers were trained in first-person action games for 30 hours, and results compared. The outcome was that students that played video games were better placed to view objects in cluttered spaces more clearly than those who were not gamers. The student gamers had better spatial resolution. The explanation is that student gamers managed to train their brain cells to see even the smallest details because the details turned out to be important for completing each game.

Better Problem-Solving Skills

Another benefit of video games is that they contribute to better problem-solving skills. Mission-based, multi-level, and open-world games are developed to look like complex puzzles, which at times take hours to solve. Sometimes, the solution is based on the person’s actions playing the game. The experience makes players learn how to think on their feet and come up with strategies in a fast-paced environment. Such skills can be beneficial if translated into real-life situations. According to a 2013 long-term study, children that play strategy-based video games tend to show improvements in skills relating to solving problems which makes them score better games in their academics (Halbrook, Aisling, O’Donnell, & Rachel, 1097). As such, parents should encourage their children to play video games to help them become better problem solvers.

Improved Manual Dexterity

Another benefit of video games is that they boost a person’s ability to complete tasks with their hands. Particularly computer-based games are helpful when it comes to improving the dexterity of the hands. According to research involving a group of surgeons, those who played video games were found to perform advanced procedures faster than surgeons who did not. Further, the research found that the doctors who played video games committed fewer mistakes by 37% than those who did not. Special video games are also used during physical therapy to assist victims in gaining control of their wrists and hands.

Improved Mood

Playing video games helps in boosting mood. Video games are a good way to unwind and relax. According to a 2013 study conducted by the American Psychological Association, simple and short video games such as angry birds helps make people feel happier and boost their mood (Kyriazis and Elisavet, 23). Video games are deeply immersive and complex and can be rather therapeutic for the layers. When playing video games, the player tends to be fully riveted in digital work. For a moment, they do not have to worry about life pressures such as paying bills or going to work. Playing video games is an ideal way of giving the brain a break from usual the stress and anxiety of day-to-day life.

Physical Fitness

Video games also contribute to the physical fitness of the player. While the positive effect has little to do with the brain, it is an important benefit that is worth mentioning. With the surfacing of various fitness games, working out is getting easy while at the same time one is playing a video game. Video games such as Dance Revolution and Wiifit need the participant to get up and stay active. Such video games are of benefit to the players’ health and are a good way of breaking a sweat without necessarily going to the gym. The most dominant significance of video games that are exercise-focused is that they change how people think about staying active. Such fitness games are a fun way of exercising, and they provide an easy way of staying in shape.

Counterargument and Refutation

Video Games Make People Lazy and Impact Social Life

People who oppose playing video games say that they make people lazy and negatively impact their social lives. This issue has been debated widely, and naysayers insist that they lead to isolation and poor social skills. While it is true that excessive playing of video games may lead to negative social impacts, playing video games moderately helps in reducing anxiety and improving social skills. Players tend to take on imaginary personas, albeit in a virtual setting, when playing video games. They are free to try out social interactions that teach them excellent social behavior skills. Video gamers who struggle with anxiety in social settings are free and comfortable to practice social interactions when playing video games without worrying about the consequences in real life. Such video players are confident when they interact with other people in the actual world. Essentially, video games provide the perfect social settings for gamers. Moreover, 70% of people that play video games often play them with a friend. Moreover, the video game community is huge. With the presence of modern technology, video players have a way to interact with millions of people across the world simultaneously (Wang, Laramie, and Qiusi, 4075). Being part of virtual worlds for players encourages cooperation and communication, translating into real-life interactions. As such, playing video games is not as detrimental as most people paint it to be.

Conclusion

In closing, playing video games is beneficial as it contributes to improved vision and better problem-solving skills. Playing video games also boosts the players’ manual dexterity, improves their mood, and boosts physical fitness. While naysayers posit that excessive playing of video games renders them lazy and negatively impacts their social life, playing video games in moderation has been found to reduce anxiety and improve social skills. Considering the various benefits of playing video games, it is only right that parents encourage their children to play video games but in moderation. Parents should monitor the number of hours their children spend playing video games to ensure that it does not interfere with their productivity or social Life.

Works Cited

Gupta, Arnav, et al. “Can video games enhance surgical skills acquisition for medical students? A systematic review.” Surgery (2021).

Halbrook, Yemaya J., Aisling T. O’Donnell, and Rachel M. Msetfi. “When and how video games can be good: A review of the positive effects of video games on well-being.” Perspectives on Psychological Science 14.6 (2019): 1096-1104.

Kyriazis, Marios, and Elisavet Kiourti. “Video games and other online activities may improve health in ageing.” Frontiers in medicine 5 (2018): 8.

Wang, Bingqing, Laramie Taylor, and Qiusi Sun. “Families that play together stay together: Investigating family bonding through video games.” New Media & Society 20.11 (2018): 4074-4094.

Theories of public administration

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Theories of public administration

The chapters from the textbook Theories of public administration has over the development of editions been able to advance the pivotal themes offering significant enhancements and additions to the public administration. They help us get insights into the mapping of approaches to public administration through how one can acquire knowledge, the different approaches that can be applied and constraints associated. The book also shows the intellectual heritage whose contents are developed and influenced by great socialists.

(a)Why is Dwight Waldo appraisal of the importance of public organizations in our daily lives even more relevant today than it was written over fifty years ago? (P.1)

In 1955, Waldo was particularly an influencer of public administration as his ideologies helped in shaping the politics and public administration. With a focus on the first decades of his writings on the field of public administration, waldo mentioned of how the welfare, happiness and lives of people significantly rested on the performance of administrative mechanisms that surrounded and supported the people. Appraisal of public organizations is important according to waldo as the administration is everyone’s concern and those who would wish to survive, would be intelligent about it. On the years of development and his writings, the administration was not that broad and few people were in control making the basic administration decisions with purity mechanisms in place. The appraisal is more relevant in our contemporary life as there is population growth with the federal government employing over 20 million people. Different state departments need the administration of purity control mechanisms as our lives to depend on the wisdom of the officials in these government departments, from security, health to food sustainability. The administration is everyone’s responsibility, Waldo’s appraisal for public organizations to develop a purity mechanism as people’s welfare, happiness and lives depend on decisions made in these organizations was a future reflection of government components becoming a great interpreter. The reflecti0on on past and future public administrative prospects, Waldos ideas, concepts and questions may be instructive and relevant as his approaches to public administration ensured the understanding of many relevant questions and in ways devised solutions for them. In matters of governing the current structure of government, we better be intelligent about it. It is often the decisions of the head of state that may spark a war or the ethical mechanisms of organizations that will ensure production of good medicines for the better health of the people.

(b)What does Chester Barnard point out in terms of the importance of public organizations? (P.1)

Chester Barnard in terms of the importance of public organizations points out the essence of maintaining quality organizational life. Even though organizations and bureaucracy are viewed as impersonal mechanisms, Barnard views them as actions of individuals that constitute these organizations and their developed mechanisms. He points out that public organizations are important since they represent a series of human events referring to these organization being formed by informal groups. Thus, rather than being viewed as impersonal mechanisms they are very much personal. Public bureaucracy is important in public organizations as behind these mechanisms are a chain of human events with the understanding that shapes the everyday behavior of humans. Public organizations help in shaping the personal world of individuals with roles such as shaping behaviour as these organizations are products of human actions. The quality of organizational life helps in viewing public organizations in different perspectives. The understanding of public organization is essential as contrary to many people believe, despite the perspective that bureaucracy is routine to appear uncaring or even cruel many Americans have a low opinion on bureaucracy. Understanding bureaucracy and people in it one will learn that it is a very personal space such that the people in it experience pain, disappointments and joy. Despite it being considered as another government job, the players actually seek to deal with complex issues they face and make ends. Public organizations employees should consider it as a chance to participate in solving the difficult problems the public faces. People should view the public servants as full humans rather than instruments of developing policies. Thus, ensuring that the common goal of the organization is achieved and everyone is made aware of the organizational purpose.

(c)How does Chester Barnard define organization (P.17)

Chester Barnard believed that organizations were made from informal groups that embraced the notion of an organization to work on their objectives and goals timely and effectively. In regard to the public administration theorists who have focused on large and complex organizations structures, the definition of an organization has been based around the traditional bureaucracy structures thus the general definition whereby organizations are considered to be a group of people who often come together in an effort to accomplish a similar goal. Chester Barnard, however, defines an organization as “a system of consciously coordinated activities or forces of two or more persons”. This definition by Chester suggests that people should not focus on the formal mechanisms of organizations but rather emphasize on coordinated activities with similar objects to accomplish.

(d) What did Max Weber argue about Ideal Bureaucracy and what three” pure types” of legitimate authority did Weber identify? (P.31-32)

Max Weber a sociologist who was interested in how interacting subjects had constituted structures of meaning guiding future action. In an effort of seeking to understand aspects that seem ordinary in our lives developing a theoretical framework to understand what’s unique. This notion created the ideal type of way that Weber argues as a way of formulating social understanding. According to him an analysis of the impact of social events on humans is necessary. According to him the ideal type should not be the normal sense that is desirable hence should be pursued but rather it should be an abstraction and elaboration of certain elements whose combination had a special cultural significance. The types of legitimate accepted power that weber identified were;

1.The legal authority that is based on the belief that authority is made legitimate by laws, rules and regulations whereby power is vested through a system rather than a person who implements it. 2. The traditional authority that was based on beliefs and convictions of how important it is to endure traditions and those who rule within such traditions. It is accepted as legitimate since it has been in existence for a very long time 3. The charismatic authority that is based on emotions and attachments towards a specific person. This kind of power is accepted since it is attributed to a leader’s personal qualities.

Vaping Juul Related Illness

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Vaping: Juul Related Illness

In today’s day and age, teens around the world are more hooked than ever on nicotine. The reasons for this, are either because kids are trying to fit in with classmates in the popular demand for a flavored buzz, or because you fell for the false advertising of Jull’s slogan “safe alternative to smoking”, either way healthy people in their teens are getting sick and/or dying because of lung failure. The community has often for years preached on how smoking is harmful especially to the lung, but there is a new wave of smoking, one that uses vapes and nicotine that are flavored. People believe that vapes may be more harmful than the cigarettes but fail to look at the bigger picture which is that vapes too contain nicotine. The problem of Juul related illnesses will be solved by educating students in school, raising the tax on nicotine, having better parental guidance, or by having stricter regulations through the FDA.   

There has been a surge on the number of people who have ended up hospitalized due to lung related problems. Medical officers have raised concern that the high number of death is because of the increase in the number of people who are using vapes. When e-cigarettes were introduced into the market, the manufacturers dabbed them as a safer option as compared to the cigarettes which had tobacco (Andrews). Juul Labs created a USB-size vaporizer and became a leading manufacturer as well as distributor of the e-cigarettes. The result of this creation was an increase in the number of teenagers who previously had used fewer tobacco products. In 2016, FDA made a rule to regulate the e-cigarettes as part of tobacco products creating a question on how safe vapes really were.

2019 was the year that real discussions on the effect of vapes took place. On November 22, 2019 president Trump held a discussion with relevant stakeholders on the increase in number of vape related cases as it was at 47. CDC has also pointed out that there have been 2290 cases of lung related damage by the vapes. With the national death toll rising the CDC is very quick to make an announcement stating that if you are afraid of these health repercussions then you should refrain from using any electronic cigarettes until further notice. Unsurprisingly, the news of these deaths has spread at startling speed, and people are scared (Carlos, pg. 13-14). A “mystery illness” is killing vapes, striking down young, otherwise-healthy people who see a rapid decline in their health, difficulty breathing, coughing, chest pain and more, with 6 of the 380-plus cases so resulting in death. This calls need to identify solutions that will help in tackling the issue of vape related illness as outlined below

Educating students through school could prevent addiction to the Juul, and the illnesses that can come with it. Schools have a responsibility to teach children healthy habits. The average kid spends 7.17 hours a day in school. During this time period, kids are taking every opportunity to Juul. The habit has become so bad that schools are having to add vape detectors and are going as far as taking off restroom doors in hopes of preventing the use of vapes in schools. With young teens who are under the impression that they have to fit in, it would be easy to be peer pressured into something that seems so harmless, and enjoyable without being educated about the long term effects (Barlie). Juul strives to appeal the younger generation so that they become lifelong loyal customers. They do this by using peer pressure tactics, like using the cool kid and colorful ads. One ad “features youthful models wearing crop tops and ripped jeans, flirting with the camera as they flaunted their Juul’s” to persuade teens that even the cool models are doing it. With kids spending the bulk of their day at school, this time could be used to educate kids on the effects of Juul, so that they don’t fall for the misleading advertisements that their peers are falling for. This being said, educating students through school, could prevent future addiction that could lead to illness, by informing kids before they are peer pressured by classmates.   

  

Raising the tax on nicotine could put a stop to a rising health problem for the future generation. Most teens wouldn’t be able to pay for the devices if the prices went up. “The tax policies that work in Sweden – raise taxes on the killer product while lowering them on the harm reduction products”. This could lead to not doing it all or just switching to a nicotine patch so that it would be easier to kick the Juul. Raising the tax on nicotine will discourage buyers because they will realize it is not worth the money. “Some young people have resorted to stealing from their parents or selling Juul paraphernalia to support their habits, addiction treatment specialists said”. Some pediatrician has even reported seeing “teens who behave less like tobaccos users and more like patients with substance-abuse disorders”. Although raising the tax on nicotine won’t put a stop to Juul related illnesses, it will slow down the epidemic and save a lot of young teen’s lives (Manolis, pg. 67-70).     

Having better parental guidance could install better judgment into kids so that they never get hooked.  Although the Juul is so new to society, many parents are not provided information about Juul and the health risk they bring. For instance, “one Juul pod delivers the same amount of nicotine as a pack of 20 cigarettes”. This being said if you vape one pod a day for a week, like four million American teens said they did then you would be smoking 140 cigarettes a week. Smoking 20 cigarettes a day carries a 40 to 50 percent of the risk for coronary heart disease or a stroke. Another reason would be because parents have a big role in teaching the kids right from wrong. If parents get ahead of the epidemic they could save their kid’s lungs. It would even be more effective if as a parent they aren’t previous smokers because their kids are less likely to turn to Juul and this will keep them from catching Diseases. In conclusion, as more and more teens are getting sick from the Juul it only seems right that there should be more parental guidance so that these teens are guided in the right direction and not down the road of regrets.  

Having harder regulations through the FDA could fix the mass numbers of juul related illnesses that are growing and growing every day. Most teens believe Juul are a safe alternative to smoking because that’s what they were told. Although “Vaping – linked illnesses have put healthy people in the hospital with serious lung diseases; The latest federal data shows that they’re more than 2000 cases across every state but Alaska connected to the jewel. With over 2000 open cases over every state with Alaska, they should push the FDA to put an end to this before it’s too late for the future generation. Juul should also be banned for not following FDA regulations. One student testified before Congress in July that Angel representative visited his ninth-grade classroom in 2017 and told the students that the Juul didn’t want them as customers it’s product was totally safe and harmless. These false claims should be taken very seriously by the FDA for this being the reason they’re young teens that should be at the healthiest point in their lives there now getting double lung replacements (Farrimond, pg. 81-90).

There should also be more research done on the products being used in creation of the vapes. CDC recently reported that the vitamin E acetate being used in the vapes may likely to have contributed to the lung related issues. According to a test conducted on the lung fluid that was obtained from 29 patients, it was evident that vitamin E acetate was present. Vitamin E acetate is an addictive component as some THC products have it. The lack of evidence on what is really contained in these vapes that is really causing the illnesses has remained a mystery. Department of Health as well as the Liquor and Cannabis boards as asked the processing companies not to sell products with vitamin E acetate until a conclusive agreement is arrived at. New York attorney general Letitia James has also sued Juul Labs for using deceptive methods in marketing their products to minors yet the product is not completely safe for use. By glamourizing vaping through its marketing, Juul Labs is attracting more customers to use their products that are not completely safe.

In conclusion, the FDA should penalize or even band for all the false advertising has lied to over 2000 nationwide Juul related illnesses in almost every state. It is crystal clear that vaping s no longer a safer option to use as compared to nicotine smoking. Although measures should be taken to ban the use of e-cigarettes, it is for a fact that more research needs to be done on what is really causing this mystery illness as many do not seem to understand it.

Works Cited

Andrews, Travis. “CDC: Roughly Tenfold Increase in Use of e-Cigarettes by Teens in Just 4 Years.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 30 Apr. 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/04/15/cdc-report-roughly-tenfold-increase-in-use-of-e-cigarettes-by-high-school-and-middle-school-students-in-just-4-years/.

Barlie, Nancy M. “How to Deal with Kids Vaping and the E-Cigarette Epidemic.” Hey Teach!, 6 Nov. 2018, https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/how-deal-kids-vaping-and-e-cigarette-epidemic1811.html.

Carlos, W. Graham, et al. “Vaping-associated pulmonary illness (VAPI).” American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 200.7 (2019): P13-P14.

Farrimond, Hannah. “A typology of vaping: Identifying differing beliefs, motivations for use, identity and political interest amongst e-cigarette users.” International Journal of Drug Policy 48 (2017): 81-90.

Manolis, Antonis S., and Theodora A. Manolis. “Vaping and Puffing: Know your Risks/Your Life is in Danger.” Rhythmos 14.4 (2019): 67-70.

Introduction (13)

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Introduction

Since its emergence in October 2018, the novel coronavirus pandemic has brought sweeping disruptions and changes in nearly all aspects of daily life. People are overwhelmed with anxiety following the mandates and guidelines that keep changing from time to time. Empathy is described as an act of being aware of, understanding, and being sensitive to other people’s experiences, feelings, and thoughts without their direct communication (Dolamore, 10). As such, we need to practice empathy at this time, not only because of our sakes but also for the sake of the people around us. Depending on the nature of the disease at hand, how empathy is employed differs for each illness. Undoubtedly, the empathetical behavior of human beings has significantly changed in the face of covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this essay is to explore how empathy has impacted our response to covid-19 pandemic.

Staying Connected

Observing empathetical behavior in the wake of the highly contagious covid-19 is necessary as it helps the patients feel less lonely and more connected. Moreover, it increases the possibility of people reaching out to others whenever they need help. During this time, people must take measures that include self-isolation, quarantine, and social distancing to reduce community spread. While these measures encourage people to focus solely on themselves and turn inward and focus on their family, research suggests that caring for other people is one of the best strategies for fighting feelings of isolation. Showing empathy and partaking in actions to help other people, whether it is writing a note to a friend who is in isolation or giving them donations, can go a long way in increasing our social connectedness. As such, however much we may be striving to keep physical distance from other people to curb the spread of the virus, it does not necessarily mean we have to be emotionally distant. Showing concern to the people one cares about and staying connected to them is equally important.

Maintaining Normalcy for Ailing Patients.

Covid-19 pandemic brought feelings of anger, frustration, fear, panic and confusion and ailing patients within hospitals have encountered these emotions in addition to the pain of the disease. Our lives have been changed in a way we have never imagined or anticipated. Putting ourselves in the shoes of patients and imagining their emotional and physical needs helps us manage the situation better. Nurses and medical practitioners can show empathy to patients by merely showing up to serve them whenever they need help. The pandemic has left many people hospitalized and in need of urgent treatment for pre-existing conditions while others are in dire need of oxygen (Gambin, 29). By simply showing up to serve them in their hour of need, nurses ease their fears and provide a sense of normalcy. As much as life was disrupted, supporting the patients provides them with a sense of stability. Notably, acknowledging the emotions of patients does not necessarily entail matching their emotions. When we greet patients who are angry and frustrated with a warm smile or a saying hello helps lift their spirits. Social distancing does not necessarily have to translate to emotional disconnection.

Moreover, people have begun to understand that the current circumstances do not limit our ability to become better at what we do. We must and should continue being aware of our surroundings. Nurses and doctors who are at the frontline of battling this pandemic should be able to see the waiting rooms through their patients’ eyes. They should ask themselves if the rooms are welcoming and clean as little details are bound to make a huge difference. Additionally, the hospital environment should be distracting enough to enable the patients to switch their mindsets to something more positive. The elderly who remain to be most vulnerable in the face of the pandemic feel lonely and isolated. As such, there is a need to keep reassuring them about taking care of themselves and lending them a listening year. This makes a lot of difference. We always meet patients while they are at their most vulnerable point and the best way of preparing for their physical and emotional needs is by adopting a proactive approach. This requires asking for resources needed by patients and being their hero and courageous advocate.

Self-Care

Worth noting, we must recognize that being a hero is a very exhausting task that strains a person mentally, physically and emotionally. It is for this reason that self-care is extremely important. By taking care of ourselves, we are better placed to take care of the people around us, including families, friends, and co-workers. When a person is not at their best, providing people with exceptional experience can be extremely difficult. As such, it is important to take time to practice self-awareness. One can do so by taking breaks and stepping away from social media and news. Unplugging is vital for a person as it allows them time to emotionally recharge and resting their mind. Self acre makes a person more aware of their surroundings. This way, they remember to keep the people around them safe by wearing masks, especially around vulnerable groups who are the elderly.

Helping Others

Amid the current pandemic, how different people observe empathy has changed. The pandemic has taught us that we might be of different race, religion, economic status nut when it comes to the vulnerability to the disease, everybody is susceptible (Rauhaus, Deborah and Andrew 670). Additionally, we have learned about the interconnectedness of the healthcare systems in various regions across the world. In the midst of everything, we can observe empathy by simply helping others. Everybody is overwhelmed, and being helpful to other people can make all the difference as it provides a sense of empowerment and control. One way people have been employing empathy is by simply staying home and observing the World Health Organization guidelines. Additionally, avoiding gatherings, wearing masks and practicing social distance has become a norm. Notably, people who are in good financial positions should look for ways to support the people who might be struggling. Another strategy would be offering to help neighbours who cannot leave home to get grocery supplies, household items or pick up their online deliveries. Empathy can also be employed by donating non-perishable goods and avoiding panic buying to allow other people to access what they need. Putting together rescue packages for elderly neighbours, healthcare workers at the frontline in the fight against the pandemic and people who lost their jobs can also go a long way in the response against covid-19.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, the covid-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the lives of many people across the world since its emergence. It left many people without jobs and economies were affected in equal measure. In response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, guidelines from health experts require people to stay home as much as possible, wear protective gear whenever they go outside and practice social distance. Empathy is all about putting yourself in the shoes of a patient battling the disease without them having to ask. By being empathetical, the management of the impact of the disease has been made easier. By merely engaging patients with a smile on our faces and being there when they need her, we give them hope for normalcy for the future. We can also employ empathy by taking care of ourselves so that we can also take care of other people in the best way we know how to.

References

Dolamore, Stephanie, et al. “The role of empathy in organizational communication during times of crisis.” Administrative Theory & Praxis (2020): 1-10.

Gambin, Małgorzata, et al. “Factors related to positive experiences in parent-child relationship during the COVID-19 lockdown. The role of empathy, emotion regulation, parenting self-efficacy and social support.” (2020).

Rauhaus, Beth M., Deborah Sibila, and Andrew F. Johnson. “Addressing the increase of domestic violence and abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic: A need for empathy, care, and social equity in collaborative planning and responses.” The American Review of Public Administration 50.6-7 (2020): 668-674.

The Black Lives Movement

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The Black Lives Movement as a Non-Violent Action

Introduction

Non-violence action refers to the practice of achieving social change goals using non-violent methods such as civil disobedience, symbolic protests, political non-cooperation, and economic non-cooperation. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is a perfect example of non-violence action. The Black Lives Matter Movement is a global social movement which started in 2013 in the United States and is dedicated towards fighting anti-black violence and racism particularly police brutality (Carney, 190). People of color by far comprise the majority of the population killed at the hands of the police in the United States. The Movement condemns the unjust killing of people of color by the police and demands society to value the humanity and life of people of color as much as it values the life of white people. Activists associated with the movement have held and continue to hold influential and large protests in various cities in the United States and internationally. At the grassroots, the movement is led by local chapters that organize programs and campaigns. These chapters have affiliations with the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, an active and non-profit civil rights organization with operations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The purpose of this essay is to analyze the Black Lives Matter Movement as a non-violence action used to promote social equity and justice. The essay delves into various aspects of the movement including violence against African American people, the formation and structure of the movement, funding, how the movement employs social media as a tactic, the shadow banning of black creators on Tik Tok, direct action, excessive use of force by the police, some of its broader movement and the Movement’s impact.

Broader Movements

Notably, the Black Lives Matter Movement has other broader movements that run concurrently involving various activists and organizations. One of the braider movements operating under the Black Lives Matter Movement is Campaign Zero which was formed by DeRay McKesson, Johnetta Elzie, Samuel Siyangwe, and Britney Packnett. Campaign Zero was initiated with the aim of promoting policy reforms that will see police brutality come to an end. The initiative came up with a ten-point agenda for reforms in policing as well as recommendations including putting an end to broken window policy, improving the community oversight in various police departments and stern guidelines on excessive use of force by the police. John Eligon, a reporter for the New York Times noted that some activists expressed concern as they felt that the campaign over-focused on the legislative solutions for police violence. The Black Lives Matter Movement also supports other positives and causes that do not relate to police brutality such as economic justice, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer (LGBTQI), immigration reform, and feminism.

Violence against African Americans

The Black Lives Matter Movement began in July 2013 as a hashtag #BlackLivesMatter after George Zimmerman who was responsible for the murder of an unarmed African-American teenager called Trayvon Martin in Florida. Zimmerman was acquitted of the crime in February 2012, 17 months earlier than expected. Notably, the movement only became widely renowned following the death of two high-profile African-American individuals; Michael Brown in Missouri and Eric Garner in Newyork in 2014. This caused uproar as neither of the two police officers responsible for their deaths was formally convicted. Since the protests in Missouri took place, the supporters of the activists have demonstrated against the killings of numerous black people caused by police actions. There is a bigger history and context of African American boys and men who died at the hands of the police just like George Floyd who died at the hands of the police outside the Minneapolis police department. Since 2014, the movement has protested against the death of high-profile deaths including Laquan Macdonald (2014), Tamir Rice ( 2014), John Crawford (2014), Water Scott (2015), Freddie Gray (2015), Philando Castile (2016), Alton Sterling (2016), Terrence Crutcher (2016) and Antwon Rose (2018). Additionally, black girls and women have also become targets of police violence a reality evidenced by the “Say Her Name” Movement which highlighted this subtle violence and how it often goes unnoticed. Some of the women who have succumbed to violence associated with police interactions are Breonna Taylor (2020), Atatiana Jefferson (2019), Sandra Bland (2015), and Deborah Danner (2016).

Black Lives Matter Formation and Structure

The Movement was co-founded by three black community organizers namely Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza, and Patrisse Khan, and began as a social media hashtag called #BlackLivesMatter. The phrase Black Lives Matter can be used to refer to a political action committee, a Twitter hashtag, a social movement, a slogan, or a loose association of groups advocating for equality and equal justice. As a movement, BLM is decentralized and has operations at the grassroots and it emphasizes the need for local organizing before local leadership. The structure of the Black Lives Matter movement is different from other previous movements such as the civil rights movement. The differences have become subject to scholarly review. Deray McKesson, an activist notes that the Black Lives Matter Movement comprises of all people that publicly declare that the lives of black people matter and devote their energy and time to the movement’s cause (Ince, Fabio, and Clayton, 1815). One of the movement founders, Alicia Garza describes the movement as an online platform that exists for the purpose of providing activists with a collective and shared set of goals and principles. The local chapters of the Black Lives Movement are required to have commitment to the network’s guiding principles and continue operations without a hierarchy and central structure. Gaza further notes that the organization’s interest is not in policing those who are and not part of the faction. The Black Lives Matter has a loose structure that has led to confusion among activists and the press as statements or actions from individuals or a chapter are associated with the BLM movement as a whole.

Funding

Between May and December 2020, donations to the Black Lives Matter Movement were 10.6 billion dollars according to The Economist. In 2015, Politico noted that Democracy Alliance, a coalition of Democratic parties had donated over 200, 000 US dollars in endorsements for the movement (Taylor, 166). The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is focused on catching up with its plans and funding for use in endowment as it wants to be known for more than just protesting for Black people dying at the hands of law enforcers. 2020 marked the first time for the movement to reveal details about its finances. The Foundation reported committing $21.7 million as grants for unofficial and official chapters including 30 local organizations that are black-led. The year 2020 ended as the company had a balance of over 60 million dollars after using a quarter of its assets on grant funds and other charitable giving (Ransby, 67). According to the Foundations report, individual donors donated an average of $30.76 with over 10% of the donations being recurrent. The report did not indicate who made donations in 2020 and its leaders also refrained from naming its prominent leaders. In 2020, the foundation’s expenses were $ 8.4 million including the cost of staffing, administrative and operating costs and cost for carrying out activities such as crisis intervention, rapid response, and civic engagement. The foundation that in 2021, the organization’s focus will be on economic justice, and particularly concerning the current impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the black community. Last year, the racial justice organization impacted largely on philanthropic giving. According to a report by the Candid and Center for Disaster Philanthropy, 35% of the total covid-19 funding of 20.2% from high-net-worth individuals, corporations, foundations, and public charities were directed to communities of people of color.

Social Media and the Internet as a Strategy and Tactic

Originally, the Black Lives Matter movement employed various social media platforms in activism; it used hashtags particularly on Twitter to reach multitudes of people rapidly. Since then, the Movement has embraced the diversity of tactics. The protests organized by The Movement have all been overwhelmingly peaceful. The protests have never employed violence and when it did it was done by the police or counter-protesters. Despite this, opponents have been portrayed to be falsely violent. The American Dialect Society selected #BlackLivesMatter to be the word of the year in 2014. The hashtag was among the twelve selected hashtags which changed the world in 2014. For the period between July 2013 and May 2018, #BlackLivesMatter was tweeted more than 30 million times which translates to 17, 0002 tweets a day (Rickford, 90). Notably, by June 2020, the hashtag had about 47.8 million tweets, with July 7th- July 17th, 2016 having the biggest usage at about 500,000 daily tweets. The said period recorded an increase in the tweets that were using hashtags #AllLivesmatter and ##BlackLivesMatter. In May 2020, 8.8 million tweets were sent using the hashtag with an average of 3.7 million tweets being recorded daily (Leach and Aerielle, 545). In 2016, an incident that led to the death of five police officers and the injury of 9 others in Dallas saw the movement take on a more negative tone than before. At the time, 39% of the tweets that used the #BlackLivesMatter were showing opposition for the movement and criticizing it. Half of the people that opposed the movement described the group as terrorist and referred them as terrorists. Rutgers University professor, Khadijah White, argued that the Black Lives Matter Movement ushered an era where black movements in university emerged. Notably, social media has increased activism all over the world as evidenced by the ease with which bystanders are being empowered to use their phones to record graphic videos showing violence by the police. People are now empowered and are using social media to drive messages across the world. The use of hashtags has brought a lot of attention particularly to politicians in high ranks and rallying them to support Black Lives Matter.

Shadow Banning of Black Creators on Tik Tok

During the summer of 2020, the death of a black man called George Floyd sparked worldwide riots and Black Lives Matter protests. The protests which took place in nearly all states in the United States, centered around promoting police reform and other countries demonstrated their support for the movement by organizing demonstrations in their countries. To show their presence in the streets, Tik Tok allies, black creators and influencers showed their support for the app in the hope that the message would spread to the larger population through the popularity of the app (Kilgo, Rachel, and George, 413). However, many creators began noticing that a shadow banning trend had emerged and was affecting views of any videos that mentioned the George Floyd and the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. For instance, Kam Kurosaki with a following of over 80,000 and thousands of views on other videos was getting less than 1000 views in videos mentioning George Floyd, Breonna Taylor or the Black Lives Matter Movement.

In response to this shadow banning, the creators of Tik Tok came up with a plan to configure a protest on their own on major social media avenues including Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok in what was called Black Out Tuesday. The goals of the campaign were to raise awareness about shadow banning and to express support for the agenda against police brutality on a bigger scope. Some of the leading Tik Tom creators such a Chari D’ Amelio who has the largest following on the app showed support by noting people of color have a vice and they ought to stand up and stick together for what is right. The creators showed support by changing their profile pictures on the application to a picture of a raised fist and by refraining from posting for an entire day. With the popularity of Black Out Tuesday going mainstream, Tik Tok gave a statement addressing claims about shadow banning. In their statement, they apologized and acknowledged black creators and the community at large that felt suppressed, unsafe, and unsupported. In response, Tik Tok launched events and initiatives aimed at raising awareness and stirring a conversation relating to the experience of blacks online. Some of the initiatives include Tik Tok’s #MakeBlackHistory which was the first summit of its kind that brought together iconic and leading black individuals such as Trace Ross and Tyra Banks as panelists to strike conversations about their experiences as people of color in the industry. However, creators still show their dismay to the path of change and the continuing employment of shadow banning on creators who are black. The main issue has to do with the inconsistency that exists in regard to the community guidelines.

Direct Action Employed by the Movement

In general, the Black Lives Matter Movement partakes in direct action which makes the parties or people uncomfortable to the extent that they cannot ignore the issue and they take necessary action to address it. The Black Lives Matter movement is mostly known for building power through the use of rallies and protests. In the past, the movement has also staged a lie-in protest where the protests simulate being dead for instance, the 2015 Twin Cities Marathon. Additionally, some political slogans have also been used in demonstrations including the famous Black Lives Matter slogan. Other common phrases used are “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot”, a slogan attributed to Michael Brown. Furthermore, the slogan “I can’t breathe” used to refer to George Floyd and Eric Garner have also emerged and are used in the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Other famous slogans are “Is my son next?”, “No justice, no peace”, and “White Silence is Violence”. A 2018 study revealed that protests organized by the Black Lives Matter Movement are more likely to happen in areas where people of color have died at the hands of police officers.

Impact of the Black Lives Matter Movement

Ever since the Black Lives Matter Movement emerged in 2013 with #BlackLivesMatter which began on social media, the Movement has had a tremendous impact on society. The movement has been featured and documented in songs, television, film, literature, and visual arts. Because of the movement, various media firms and outlets started airing material relating to the Black Lives Matter Movement and racial injustice. Additionally, in 2020, there was an increase in the number of television shows, books, and novels. Further, songs such as Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” and Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us” have become widely adopted and are used as rallying calls when demonstrations are taking place. Bars4Justice is a short documentary film with features from various recording artists and activists associated with the movement. The film was the official choice for the 24th Annual Panafrican Film Festival-themed Stay Woke. In 2016, there was also a Black Lives Matter Movement was created that featured Jesse Williams. The film was all about the Black Lives Matter Movement. In 2015, the February issue of the Essence magazine was dedicated to Black Lives issues. Additionally, the Black Lives Matter contended for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year award in December 2015. It emerged fourth out of the eight candidates. The Black Lives Matter Movement has had a major influence on society as evidenced by the number of cities that have erected mural paintings about the Black Lives Matter movement. Many cities such as Dallas, Denver, Washington D.C, Denver, Charlotte, Brooklyn, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Alabama have painted the words “Black Lives Matter” in large big letters on the streets. In May 2016, when Delrish Moss was sworn in to serve as the first police chief who is Africa-America, he noted that he is faced with the challenge of lack of a diverse police force. Further, he noted that other challenges facing the police force are making the community relations better and resolving issues that have been stimulated by the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Excessive Use of Police Force

A study conducted between 2002 and 2011 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics revealed that out of all the people that had brushed shoulders with the police, people of color (2.8%) were more likely than Hispanics (1.4%) and whites (1.0%) to be perceived as a threat or to be arrested using excessive force. A study by the Washington Post revealed that in 2019, police officers killed 1,001 individuals by shooting at them. Out of these, half were white, about a quarter were people of color making the death rate of people of color twice that of Americans. In essence, Black people record 31 fatal deaths per million while White Americans have 13 deadly shootings per million. The Washington Post also estimated that in 2019 alone 13 unarmed black men were shot by police officers.

A study carried by Cesario in 2019 and published by a peer-reviewed journal called Social Psychological and Personality Science revealed that there exists no evidence showing disparities against black people in fatal shootings, shootings involving unarmed citizens, or fatal shootings where harmless objects are misidentified. However, the report is countered and criticized by a Rose et. al (2020) study which concludes that exists a substantial racial bias where police have shot black suspects who are unarmed. The bias is not present where the suspects were white or of another race. Roland Fryer, a Harvard economist, found that Hispanics and black people were 50% more exposed to police interactions that are lethal. Additionally, another study conducted by Ross found substantial bias in the death of unarmed black people as compared to white Americans. On average, black people were 3.49 times at risk of being short in comparison with white people who are unarmed. The study further found that armed black men were 2.79 times more likely to be shot by police than their fellow black people who were unarmed. Additionally, the research discovered that the racial bias which had been documented was not capable of explaining the differences that exist in crime rates locally.

Conclusion

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is a perfect example of non-violence action as it achieves social change goals using non-violent methods such as civil disobedience, symbolic protests, political non-cooperation, and economic non-cooperation. The Black Lives Matter Movement is a global social movement which started in 2013 in the United States and is dedicated towards fighting anti-black violence and racism particularly police brutality. Activists associated with the movement have held and continue to hold influential and large protests in various cities in the United States and internationally. Discussed above are some aspects about the movement including violence against African American people, the formation and structure of the movement, funding, how the movement employs social media as a tactic, the shadow banning of black creators on Tik Tok, direct action, excessive use of force by the police, some of its broader movement and the Movement’s impact. There is a need to continue supporting the Black Lives Movement as a nation as it has brought positive change to society. With proper funding and support from the government as well as local and state actors, there is no limit as to what the Movement can achieve in the fight against anti-black violence and racism.

Works Cited

Carney, Nikita. “All lives matter, but so does race: Black lives matter and the evolving role of social media.” Humanity & Society 40.2 (2016): 180-199.

Ince, Jelani, Fabio Rojas, and Clayton A. Davis. “The social media response to Black Lives Matter: How Twitter users interact with Black Lives Matter through hashtag use.” Ethnic and racial studies 40.11 (2017): 1814-1830.

Kilgo, Danielle K., Rachel R. Mourão, and George Sylvie. “Martin to Brown: How time and platform impact coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement.” Journalism Practice 13.4 (2019): 413-430.

Leach, Colin Wayne, and Aerielle M. Allen. “The social psychology of the Black Lives Matter meme and movement.” Current Directions in Psychological Science 26.6 (2017): 543-547.

Ransby, Barbara. Making all black lives matter: Reimagining freedom in the twenty-first century. Vol. 6. University of California Press, 2018.

Rickford, Russell. “Black lives matter: Toward a modern practice of mass struggle.” New Labor Forum. Vol. 25. No. 1. Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, 2016.

Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta. From# BlackLivesMatter to black liberation. Haymarket Books, 2016.

Introduction (22)

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Introduction

Greyhound Lines Incorporation commonly referred to as Greyhound, is a renowned intercity bus with operations in over 3800 destinations in various parts of Northern America. Worth noting, Greyhound is fully operational and competes with many intercity buses accompanies, private automobiles, and low-cost airlines. Leadership is critical in steering an organization towards achieving its business goals and objectives. For maximum effectiveness, companies should make deliberate efforts to equip workers with proper resources and incentives. This text demonstrates the missing aspects of leadership, the consequences of those missing elements, and the best cause of action that can be employed by Greyhound to manage the crisis.

Missing Aspects

Successful organizations employ the use of vision, skills, incentives, resources, and an action plan. The four ingredients have to work hand in hand to ensure the success of the organization. Greyhound is failing in its mandate because it does not have the right tools to ensure it thrives as a company. To begin with, Greyhound does not have a clear vision about what it wants to achieve for its stakeholders including, clients, managers, drivers, team manager, and its executive team. For instance, the fact that the human resources team reported that the workers at the terminals did not have high-school qualifications begs the question of recruitment in the company. It points to the fact that there is a problem with the recruiting strategy meaning that they do not put important factors such as education as a basis for recruitments. This shows that they do not have a clear vision about what they wish to attain because if they did, they would have made a better and informed decision. Another loophole that points to lack of vision is that despite the warnings by managers that many low-income passengers were not in a position to used Trips, the executive made the rush decision to roll out the new system emphasizing that it would improve the quality of services. By disregarding the advice provided by experts they did not help the situation but rather increased it.

Greyhound also lacks resources as evidenced by the move to reduce operation costs by making massive cuts in the services, routes, and personnel. Although the move was critical and needed for migration from the use of hand-written receipt to computerization of everything including reservations, they should have first weighed other options such as increasing the number of fleets, employing more drivers, and expanding the routes. Further, they did not have a solid action plan in place evidenced by the back and forth and disagreements among managers. Additionally, the fact that executing the plans led to a nightmare shows that they did not do their due diligence before implementing the new systems. Had they been thorough in their work, they would have been better placed to point out the loopholes including the long customer cues, systems crashing, and dissatisfied clients. Moreover, Greyhound leadership failed to provide their employees particularly low-level employees such as drivers with incentives to motivate them in their work.

Consequences of the Missing Elements

A company that does not have a vision is built on confusion. Vision statements help describe the purpose of the company, what it aims to achieve, and what it strives for. The vision helps the company to focus on what is most rewarding to them which inspires them to come up with a viable strategy to help them attain their objectives. The fact that the company lacks a vision is evident in the poor decisions made by the company which exacerbates its problems. For example, since the company did not have a clear vision, they were not in a position to manage the crisis that followed. Additionally, lack of resources has the potential of paralyzing a company. This is because all company operations rely on resources. For instance, without buses, drivers, and finances, the company will be paralyzed. Greyhound should have looked for alternative means to ensure the business is running rather than making massive cuts in personnel and services. For instance, they could have looked for a financer or a partner to offer them a loan or invest in their business. Incentives are key in ensuring the staff members remain happy and motivated to carry out their duties. Lack of incentives places companies’ sustainability at risk and will only drive the stakeholders away. Greyhound should have employed incentives particularly for the drivers who have to deal with the tiresome work of handling clients. Further, they should have given their customers incentives to ensure they remain loyal. Lack of an action plan means that the company is often off to a false start. In such situations, the company lacks direction and is bound to poor business decisions that put the company at risk of collapse.

Recommendations

If I were a management consultant called upon to help fix the problem I would recommend thorough training and preparation to all employees on how to use the new system. This plays a critical role in ensuring that the staff members are well equipped and prepared to perform their duties under the new system. In this case, the terminal workers without high-school-level education will be better placed to function with the new system. I would also recommend that Greyhound should have a sit-down with the management to streamline communication issues as it would help them do reduce disagreements with other managers and senior executives who make the important decisions within the company.

The Barriers to Women’s

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The Barriers to Women’s Participation as Game Designers and Developers

Introduction

Across societies, there is the stereotype that women do not play video games. However, this is far from the truth. While the gaming industry continues to grow and with many women begin to play the games, there are still very few female developers in the industry with efforts to diversify the industry curtailed by wide online harassment. A 2014 report by the Entertainment Software Association showed that the average gamer in the US is 35 years old, with 74% of the gaming population being more than 18 years and women gamers above 18 years accounting for 33%. The question here is, if there are plenty of women playing video games, why are they shying away from been involved in their development. The purpose of this essay is to assess the barriers hindering women’s participation in the development of video games.

The Online Harassment of Women Developers

The discussion of women’s involvement in the design of video games began to heat up in 2014 following the intimidation against women that spoke up against inequality in the video game industry in what was branded as the “Gamergate controversy”. The controversy began with Zoe Quinn, a 27-year-old who started receiving anonymous hateful emails. The threats are believed to have as a result of a game that she had developed known as Depression Quest. Some people were convinced that she had been given positive reviews which she did not deserve. The critics also believed that the theme of the game was rather progressive and did not have the escapism found traditionally in the videos that had been developed before such as fighting and shooting. By August 201, the harassment had escalated. Her then-boyfriend came out and wrote a blog post saying that Quinn had entered a sexual relationship with a popular journalist in exchange for positive reporting and coverage which informed the positive reviews. The supporters of Gamergate opposed this and viewed it as the growing influence on social justice and ideologies of feminism in the video game industry. This led to a press that was feminist in nature; it segregated the audiences of the traditional gamers. Observers referred to Gamergate as a depiction of the long-running war of cultures against the efforts of increasing diversity in a male-dominated community that targeted candid women. With the 2014 Entertainment Software Association conducted annually showing almost equal participation of men (52%) and women (48%), Gamergate is beginning to notice the shifting cultural identity of gamers. With the risk of online harassment, many women shy away from taking up careers in the gaming industry because they do not want to become victims of sexual harassment.

The Education Gap

The underrepresentation of women in the development of games is also linked to the fact that there is a huge gap between women and men in education. Because of the stereotypes that put it that the technology sector is a boy’s world, girls are less likely to view themselves as working in any roles whether advertising or development. As such, women are less likely to take up a career in technology-related fields as they do not feel as if they belong in the sector. Further, although some often get a chance to attend college, without a doubt women and particularly women of color are not likely to select Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects such as computer science. Recent research reports that about 17% of men graduate with STEM degrees compared to 6.7% of women (Hancock, and Mary, 2018). This points out that men are twice likely to become a video game developer than a woman. The common reasons behind this huge education gap have been linked to the various assumptions regarding the inherent capabilities of men and women, continued discrimination against women, and the lack of role models in these STEM fields.

Domestic Responsibilities Gap

The domestic duty of women at the family level is another reason behind the low participation of women in the design and development of video games. This follows the notion that careers in STEM and particularly programming are time-consuming because it takes an intense amount of time to work on a video game to completion, that is, about 50-70 hours a week. Despite the progress made in sharing domestic responsibilities, women continue to bear a larger burden of responsibilities despite working similar hours with their male counterparts. On average, women spend twice their time carrying out domestic activities such as cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the children. They struggle to balance between career and family responsibilities. The situation is even more dire for women that work in companies with little value for the family institution. They are forced to make hard choices that impact their careers. To address this issue requires government buy-in through reforms on maternity leave. Moreso, it comes down to sharing of responsibilities. At times, women even end up losing their jobs because childcare is rather expensive.

Lack of Role Models/Mentors

Another factor hindering women from taking part in the design and development of video games is the lack of role models. This is because there is a huge gap in the number of women leaders within the industry which rather discouraging. Furthermore, being a pioneer is hard because they find that they are the only women in the rooms which is daunting. Just like in the technical and scientific industries, women in the gaming industries encounter a lot of sexism which is even harder when you are the only woman in the room. Mentorship plays a critical role in increasing the uptake of STEM-related careers among minority groups. Professional mentors help in restoring confidence because, by virtue of being professionals in STEM, they assure young girls that look up to them that women too can excel in STEM. Unlike men, women go through many hurdles in their quest for having an established career. Listening to the advice of a woman who has ‘been there’done that’ vastly increases the ability of a woman to rise in their respective fields and to stay on course as success is possible. Additionally, multiple studies indicate that having a mentor significantly improves career opportunities as well as providing best practices for navigating career paths. If women do not have a person they can look up to and identify with, they tend to lose interest in the career. In so doing, gaming companies are also losing out on money and talent by not exercising diversity.

The Expectation Gap

Expectations play a critical role in informing the career path which both men and women take up in their careers. It is predominantly expected that video game designers will automatically be men and not women. Men hold more power and this leads to a self-perpetuated cycle. The notion that game developers are mostly men tends to have an impact on who gets hired in the business. Many people are wrongly convinced that women do not know much about games with some being convinced that they lack the necessary experience required for such an industry. Society through the process of socialization has taught us that women should be involved in the less risky and feminine careers such as in hospitality or teaching while men take up the more difficult careers such as the army, engineering among others. However, this is slowly changing over time with women coming out to prove that they are just as capable as their male counterparts. Notably, it is very common to come across men in bigger roles than the work they do. Further, men tend to benefit from people assuming they are capable. Recent studies show that men are given promotions based on their potential while women, of at all they get a promotion are judged on the basis of their previous accomplishments (Harvey, and Tamara, 495). In essence, men are promoted based on what they are yet to achieve. This brings inequality and disparity in the workforce. Further, men are more likely to get credit as a result of their achievements than women whose competence makes them unlikeable. As a result, women working in the gaming industry have no choice but to walk on the edge of a razor if they want to advance and rise across ranks at the workplace.

Conclusion

People believe that women do not play video games however this is far from the truth. The number of women involved in video games has been on the rise over the last few years. Notably, as recent as 2014, there was almost an equal number of women and men participating in video games. If the number of women is on the rise, it begs the question of why they are not as involved in the design and the development of video games. This is because they face some challenges when compared to their male counterparts. Women have lower educational qualifications because they rarely advance to college and the few that do, often do not take up STEM-related courses. They feel that the field is not for them because they have been told it is a boy’s world. Women also have to deal with sexual harassment. Women developers are bullied and sent threats and hateful emails to discourage them from entering and dominating the field. There are also gaps in expectations and domestic responsibilities which further limit women’s participation in the fields. Notably, the lack of role models and mentors in the video game fields also discourages young girls whose wish is to become a developer from joining the profession.

Works Cited

Hancock, Meg G., and Mary A. Hums. “A “leaky pipeline”?: Factors affecting the career development of senior-level female administrators in NCAA Division I athletic departments.” Sport Management Review 19.2 (2016): 198-210.

Harvey, Alison, and Tamara Shepherd. “When passion isn’t enough: gender, affect and credibility in digital games design.” International Journal of Cultural Studies 20.5 (2017): 492-508.

Why College Should Be Made Free

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Why College Should Be Made Free

Introduction

The question of whether college education should be made free has become a topic of discussion with an unclear and complicated answer. The debate about the affordability of college education and the crisis of student debts has always taken center stage during presidential seasons. College raptor 2020 article written by Ellen Anderson notes that the majority of the presidential candidates have always built their agenda around the issue of college costs ( Andersen, 2). Noteworthy, the cost of a college degree is rising at a faster rate than the inflation rate in the United States. Most students particularly from the disadvantaged class face dire financial challenges when the time comes to attend college. Education has become a significant aspect of life as it impacts society positively and as such, it should tuition fees particularly for college should be free. While taxes will go up, college should be free to everyone because lower-income students will be afforded the luxury to attend college, it will lower the student debt across the board and students will enjoy the freedom to choose a major of their choice.

Low-Income Students Will Attend College.

By making college tuition-free, the government will be granting all people access to quality education including low-income students who do not have the luxury to attend college. This is because the cost of college is not very affordable to the students that come from low-income backgrounds. These students are often forced to drop out of college as they are not in a position to pay four years’ worth of tuition. As such, because they no longer have to worry about fees, they will have fewer reasons for not finishing school and graduating. Additionally, reducing tuition fees further translates into improved quality of education because the graduation rate will increase. Students will not feel the need to be away from school for any reason or study part-time while taking unnecessary breaks. To afford college tuition fees, most low-income students have to work part-time in between classes to raise extra money for fees and day-to-day upkeep. This affects their productivity because they have divided attention and have to form a balance between studies and work. This affects their studies and they end up performing poorly in their studies as they do not have sufficient time to study and work in between jobs just to sustain themselves in school.

Making College Education Free Lowers the Student Debt Across the Board

By making college education free, the government will be eliminating the problematic issue of student loans that students have to put up with. Student debts crush the spirit of younger generations because they have to repay the student loans once they graduate and enter the employment scene. This means that as soon as they get their first job, they have to prioritize paying back their college loans which limits their capacity to make investments for their future developments. The average American students incur student loans amounting to $37, 000; students who are graduate with loans amounting to less than $10,000 are deemed lucky (Chingos, 45).

Worth noting, nonresidential students who originate from countries that have eliminated tuition fees have an upper hand become most of their loans emanate from books and living expenses. With the burden of student loans on their backs, they are better placed to make worthwhile investments such as buying a house. This way they do away with monthly rents which they would have paid had they decided to rent an apartment. Further, they will be in a position to make better contributions to the economy and society by extension. They do so by traveling more, purchasing cars, and spending more money purchasing healthy foods.

Students Enjoy More Freedom to Choose A Major They Enjoy

Another reason why the government should consider making college education free is that it will grant students an opportunity to pursue a career they enjoy. As is, students rush to pursue majors based on careers that are likely to pay more lucratively upon graduation. This is because they feel pressure from their parents and also because of the sense of urgency to repay their student loan in the shortest way possible. If the students did not have to deal with the pressure to repay student loans or feel pressure from parents, then they would be more comfortable and relaxed about selecting majors they love. They would be driven by interest and passion in the specific field rather than large paychecks that come with working in certain careers. This contributes to development because by pursuing a field they have interests in they will be more self-driven and dedicated and they are likely to do well because they are not only motivated by good salaries and benefits attached to a job but also interest. In essence, interest and enjoyment in a specific field go a long way in ensuring that students finish their courses and also prevent them from experiencing burnout which leads to poor productivity and low grades.

Counterarguments

College Tuition Money Has to Come from Somewhere

If a tuition-free college policy was to take root in America, the question that we would have to deal with would be where the money would come from. The reality is, the finances to cover the cost of tuition particularly for public colleges would come from taxes. This would mean that taxpayers, that is, citizens would be forced to dig deeper into their pockets to account for the money. Although the taxes that citizens pay is depended on the amount of income that one generates, this means that the population that would be largely impacted are the members of the upper class (Strempel and Stephen, 33). Further, it is also likely that the amount of taxes paid by the upper-middle classes would also be increased substantially. There is even a chance that the money would come from speculation taxes made by Wall Street. However the case, this money will have to come from somewhere and someone will pay for them through taxes. There is a lot of uncertainty among Americans about who will bear the burden of the taxes and it is making citizens rather uncomfortable. However, it can be argued that although the money will have to come from somewhere, it is still a decision that deserves consideration. The benefits that would come from eliminating college fees outweigh the burden of taxes. It is a sacrifice worth making because it will be helping students from low-income backgrounds who would otherwise not have attended college a chance at education.

College Might Lose Importance

Another reason why the government should not consider making college education free is that it might make college education lose meaning and seem unimportant. This decision would impact the education system directly in that it will devalue college degrees. College degrees will eventually seem worthless because almost everybody will be having a degree. After all, every person will be eligible to attend college. Further, it will make students lose interest in education with some students cutting classes. This has to do with the fact that they will not be mandated to work hard to achieve good grades to get the worth of their money. On the contrary, if they pay fees, they will feel the need to perform well because they will not want their fees to go to waste. Currently, with the existence of college loans, students feel the need to finish college as fast as possible so that they can get a job and repay their loans. Without financial drive, students will become lazy. In spite of this, removing college fees is something that the US should consider because it will save many people the pain of having to repay hefty loans which take away from young graduates. Young graduates can use this first time salaries for other initiatives that contribute to development such as buying a house or starting a business.

Young People Will Not Know How to Deal With Finances

If colleges are made free, the young generation will not get a chance to get first-hand experience when it comes to the management of finances. College is always a learning experience where young people learn tips on how they can manage money by saving from the limited budgets at their disposal. College loans are the first significant financial dealing they come across. Additionally, paying off the debt on time is a testimony that a person is responsible to budget their money; they use similar skills when buying cars or houses. If school is made free, they will not have a chance to get this experience which might land them in trouble in the future when making even bigger financial decisions.

Conclusion

The issue of rising college debts has always been a topic of discussion. While making college education free is a good idea worth employing, it also poses serious dilemmas, particularly for the students. Making college education free will eliminate the burden of student loans. Further, it will lower the student debt across the board and students will enjoy the freedom to choose a major of their choice. If a tuition-free college policy would take root, the taxpayer would be forced to dig deeper into their pockets to cater to these bills. Further, college education will importance and younger generations will not know how to handle expenses while they are still young which is important because it teaches them accountability and discipline.

Works Cited

Andersen, E. (2020, July 31). Should college be free: Pros and cons – College raptor. College Raptor Blog. https://www.collegeraptor.com/find-colleges/articles/affordability-college-cost/pros-cons-tuition-free-college/Chingos, Matthew M. “Who would benefit most from free college?.” (2016).

Strempel, Eileen L., and Stephen J. Handel. Beyond Free College: Making Higher Education Work for 21st Century Students. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2021.

The Concept, Origin and Spread of the Order of Illuminati

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The Concept, Origin and Spread of the Order of Illuminati

One of the most vexed issues in the present international world order is Illuminati. The concept of illuminism is fraught in much controversy, with people holding different views in respect of different aspects thereto. At the very heart of the controversies is the basis of the Order of the Illuminati; whether it is real conspiracy or a fictional belief; what it essentially entails; and the implication of membership thereto, if any. Deriving from this, several questions have arisen, with many uncertain answers by scholars, philosophers, and researchers alike. In light of the foregoing, the paper succinctly critiques the article, ‘a primer on the Illuminati’ by William McIlhany.

The subject of illuminati is no doubt a significant concern to a majority of people today. A cursory perusal over written articles, movies or fictional books on this subject portrays somewhat fierce conspiratorial order. Suffice to say, many attribute illuminati with inhumane acts coupled with manifestation of supernatural powers. Elsewhere, other commentators hold the view that Illuminati arose as an order with the germane aim of defying the existing religious, social and political orders and replacing them with their desires, and subsequently exercising control over the same (McIlhany, 31).

Summary and Evaluation

The article by William McIlhany on the subject of Illuminati attempts to offer response to the above conflicted questions. With much precision, William McIlhany in his informative article has placed much emphasis on unveiling the root of Illuminati, its central theme, its spread, reprisal thereto and the current situation. At the very onset of the paper, McIlhany remarks that since time immemorial, there have emerged many secret and conspiratorial movements. In the author’s perspective, these movements have often been driven by certain motives, with the key goals being inter alia gain absolute authority over the universe, dismantle existing governance arrangements and at last destroy religious orders (McIlhany, 31). This is akin to the position highlighted in the introductory section of the paper.

The central philosophy adopted by the author in respect to Illuminati is that it had originated as an association in the eighteenth century. As a consequence of destructive movements, McIlhany asserts that Illuminati arose in Bavaria, Germany, in pursuance of the instructions from Adam Weishaupt (McIlhany, 32). In this regard, the author holds that Weishaupt’s formation of the organizational structure of Illuminati was inspired by the desire to direct worldwide attack on religion and monarchy. Thus, on May 1, 1776 Weishaupt formally founded the order, in which it was referred to as ‘the Order of Illuminati’ (McIlhany, 32). Though the author gives the origin of the Order, the article does not however give a sound rationale behind the adoption of the name itself.

Following the formation of the Order of Illuminati, it is illustrated in the article it gained the membership of other persons, precisely clergymen and leaders of various institutions, inclusive of monarchs. With such membership, it became much easier to exercise authority and issue directives on how the Order of Illuminati was henceforth to be governed. Regarding its organization, McIlhany writes that its members were required to submit to the Order. In fact, McIlhany states that Weishaupt established spies wherein secret police would kill anyone who opted to reveal the secrets of the conspiracy (McIlhany, 34).

I am led to believe that the author has not fully brought out the issue regarding the membership of the Order of Illuminati satisfactorily. Precisely, it appears as though the membership was limited to clergymen and leaders. Even though it is reasonable to observe that such persons would have significantly contributed to the membership of the Order, other ordinary persons were as well included. Thus, the author should as well address their input in equal measure.

Critical to this critique, it is noted in the article that most loyal members of the Order enjoyed myriad sensual and material benefits. In the averments of the author, ‘the power of the Order must be turned to the advantages of its authors…money, services, honor, goods, and blood must be expected for the fully proved Brethren.’ Within the writings of the Order were included the system of operations. Some of the instructions included; fomenting hatred and bloodshed between the religious, racial and ethnic groups; entrenching hatred between children and parents; and instructions on the kind of buildings to be burned (p.34). Indeed the author remarks that with the above arrangement and benefits, the conspiratorial structure in Bavaria made great achievements. These pieces of information are indeed reliable, considering that the article provides specific dates when each material event took place.

The spread of the Order of Illuminati is traced to 1782 when its power and influence began to mushroom outside Bavaria (McIlhany, 34). Herein, it is indicated that Von Knigge was quite instrumental in persuading many German and French people to join the Order (McIlhany, 34). The upshot of this was that the whole of German freemansory become under the auspices of the Illuminati. Besides, as the French Revolution ensued, the Order of Illuminati had spread in France (McIlhany, 35). This trend spread to other parts of Europe and into the US. However, according to the author, the practice of the Order of Illuminati was met with much resistance. Its revival was nonetheless engineered by leaders such as Karl Bahrdt and Baron von Knigge (McIlhany, 36).

Response

While the preceding paragraphs sets out the summary and evaluation of the article in respect to the Order of Illuminati, it is important to observe that there are areas that I agree with the author. One of the aspects that I subscribe to is in respect to the roots of the Order of Illuminati. As the author puts it across, Illuminati emerged as an organizational conspiratorial structure established by Weishaupt. This position has been reaffirmed by several other scholars, philosophers and commentators (Gardiner, 167).

Even though it may not be said with highest degree of precision the concise chronological development of Illuminati, it suffices to attribute it to the conspiratorial movements evident during the eighteenth century. The writings of Adam Weishaupt were critical in designing appropriate instructions to oversee the management of the Order of Illuminati (Gardiner, 167). Thus, while one may loosely assert that Weishaupt might not have been the first developer of the conspiratorial, he was, however, very instrumental in its formation, growth and spread.

Conclusion

The study sought to determine the root origins of the conspiratorial of Illuminati. This is against the backdrop that Illuminati is one of the most vexed orders to understand in the present day. Thus, as highlighted in the preceding paragraphs, many people do not really understand the development, nature and spread of Illuminati. Nonetheless, the critical review has pointed out that Illuminati is a conspiratorial concept that emerged in the eighteenth century. The underlying rationale behind its formulation was the desire to challenge the existing orders by replacing them and exercising authority over the world.

Works Cited

Gardiner, Philip. Secret Societies: Gardiner’s Forbidden Knowledge: Revelations about the Freemasons, Templars, Illuminati, Nazis, and the Serpent Cults. Red Wheel/Weiser, 2007.

McIlhany, William H. “A Primer on the Illuminati.” New American 25 (2009): 31-36.

Skinny models

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Introduction

The modeling industry happens to be one of the most dynamic industries in the recent times. It accounts for billions of money in terms of revenue for the government. However, there has been controversy over the notion that only skinny can or should be on catwalks. Unfortunately, many women have been influenced to make every move so as to be skinny and look like them. However, it is noteworthy that models may end up starving themselves in order to maintain a skinny figure. This poses significant risks on the health of individuals sometimes leading to death. What are the risks of modeling at an early age?

Unfortunately, starving oneself comes with the danger of getting anorexia nervosa. Recent times have seen an increase in the number of young girls who become too frail due to starvation, to the point of fainting in front of the cameras.

In addition, it is noteworthy that when young girls cannot get a skinny image like the models that they admire, they end up having a low self-image to the point of hating themselves. Many women have had to undergo counseling due to low self esteem as a result of hating their image (Hellmich). Many ladies view the skinny image as the model or desirable figure, especially in the fashion industry.

As a consequence of modeling at an early age, girls would fill their minds with self-loathing, as well as suicidal thoughtswhen they cannot attain the ideal figure. It is noteworthy that eating disorders are some of the deadliest mental illness, sometimes having 20 percent mortality rates (Preti et al. 90). Studies show that even when the girls survive, they should expect to lose their lives decades earlier than individuals at a similar age but who never had eating disorders. This is due to the risks posed on the health and wellness of the young girls who starve themselves in an effort to attain the “right” size.

In an effort to imitate their admired models, many young girls tend to engage in substance abuse. Stress is one of the principal elements that come with the fashion industry. This is due to the various pressures emanating from varied quarters such as employers, expectations of the public, the media, and especially, the need to maintain the slim figure. It is noteworthy that most young girls are unable to cope with the stress and, therefore, end up abusing substances such as alcohol and illegal drugs. Quite a large number of models have had to sign up in rehabs due to substance abuse.

Individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa are likely to be obsessed with weight and eating control. They are also likely to check their weight persistently and revert to only certain foods. It is noteworthy that most of the diet plans for models do not incorporate a balanced diet as they mostly involve junk foods. In addition, they may end up exercising excessively and even withdraw from social activities that involve food (Preti et al. 89).

Eating disorders also lead to serious health conditions touching on the behavioral, mental and physical wellbeing of the individual. It is noteworthy that many girls who start modeling at a young age have frail forms and weak bones, which increases the risk of fractures. Bulimia and anorexia are also likely to result in dehydration and other serious medical complications like kidney failure, heart problems among others (Halliwell and Dittmar).

Conclusion

The fashion industry has had a tremendous impact on the lives of many people especially women, who adore the skinny models and strive to attain slim figures. Unfortunately, many people end up starving themselves in an effort to attain the slim figure. This has serious health implications on the lives of young girls who indulge in the fashion world, engaging in substance abuse and eating disorders just to keep up with the fashion world. It is imperative that they be taught that there is a line between being skinny and being healthy. In addition, efforts should be made to uplift their self esteem.

Works cited

Halliwell, Emma and Dittmar, Helgar. “Does Size Matter? The Impact of Model’s Body Size on Women’s Body-Focused Anxiety and Advertising Effectiveness.” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 23. 1(2004): 104.122. Print

Hellmich, Nanci. Do thin models warp girls’ body image? usatoday.com, 2011. Web. February 29, 2012.

Preti Antonio, Ambra Usai, Paola Miotto, Donatella Rita Petretto and Carmelo Masala. “Eating disorders among professional fashion models.” Psychiatry Research 159 (2008): 86-94. Print.