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Culture and discipline

Culture and discipline

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Culture and Discipline

Culture can be described as the underlying characteristic of a certain group of individuals, defined by their language, race, religion, ethnicity and social behavior. Researchers conducted by various institutions show parenting styles are greatly influenced by cultural differences. According to Brooks (2010) discipline, communication, and expectations appear to be connected to cultural influences. It is through these differences that a child’s development is shaped. When children misbehave, how a parent chooses to discipline their child is closely linked to the society. Disciplinary method applied by a parent differs significantly across cultures. In eastern cultures, parents give much emphasis on discipline; they are very strict and consider western style of parenting as negligent. Depending on their culture, parents socialize and communicate to their children differently. Societal values and norms influence how parents will raise their children. In reference to how I was raised, it is evident that the prevailing societal culture influenced the parenting style that I was subjected to. For instance, in western culture it is the norm to communicate with children in a soft and understanding manner as opposed to the eastern culture where children are scold.

Discipline is making a child aware of the difference between right and wrong, as well as acceptable and unacceptable behavior (Grote, 2006). The major goal of disciplining a child is to help them change from an impulsive behavior and become disciplined individuals with controlled and purposeful mannerism. On the other hand, punishment is a disciplinary technique. It can either be physical; a slap or psychological which may involve isolating a child or withdrawing certain privileges. Both involve preventing unacceptable behavior. Punishment is efficient in stopping the behavior at that particular moment but it may not manage to eliminate the misbehavior ultimately. In my opinion, intense punishment does not result into long-term effect on behavior while discipline is a continuing process, which can be used by parents to help their children turn into self-directed individuals.

References

Brooks J., (2010). The Process of Parenting. McGraw-Hill Publishing. New York: Cengage.

Grote, R. C. (2006). Discipline without punishment: The proven strategy that turns problem employees into superior performers. New York: Amacom-American Management Association.

Summary of Passage Ideas on a Happy Marriage

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Summary of Passage Ideas on a Happy Marriage

While there is no recipe for a successful marriage, various factors have contributed to a happy and successful marriage. This passage mentions a few findings pertaining to the link between self-development and flouring relationships. The passage mentions various studies from researchers affiliated with renowned sources. One of the important ideas that the authors present is that when a person improves themselves, it translates to an improved relationship. The passage insists on the fact that partners feel better feeding off the growth of each other. Another idea that emerges in the passage is that developing oneself actively makes couples flourish. The passage also notes that according to traditional wisdom, putting a relationship first was the secret behind a happy marriage. However, recent studies point to the fact that the happiest marriages are those where partners prioritize individual happiness. In the New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope writes that in modern marriages, people continuously seek partners that make their lives more exciting.

`Another important idea that the passage brings to light is the concept of self-expansion. Self-expansion is the ideology that people use relationships as a way to expand on their experiences and knowledge. According to the passage, numerous people feel improved if they have a partner that stimulates them. Individuals that encounter self-growth because of their partners tend to be happier and more committed in relationships. The passage also talks about the findings of researcher Gary Lewandowski who asked couples to rate their partner’s contribution to personal growth. His study found that while self-expansion comes off as self-serving, it made relationships more sustainable and strong. In essence, if a person is looking for growth and finds it in a partner, it places the partner in a rather important position. Additionally, Lewandowski notes that contributing to a partner’s self-expansion makes a person feel good about themselves. Moreover, the authors in the passage insist on the need for couples in long-term relationships to partake in new and exciting experiences together. While it may seem obvious, it is easy for couples to forget to make their relationship interesting, which leads to boredom in marriage. At this point, both parties easily get lost in the relationship hence the need to keep learning, learning, and changing.

Response to the Passage Ideas

In my viewpoint, I agree with the ideas fronted by the researchers in this passage. I can relate to seeking self-growth from a relationship as it is something I have encountered personally and witnessed happen from people that I know. To start with, the notion of self-expansion is a reality to me. When I look back at all the relationships I have had in the past, I was always dating, or all my prospective dates were individuals that were smarter than me and had some value to offer to my life. While I did not select them inherently, I now realize that that is a quality I yearn for in a relationship. I crave someone who will teach me things and feed my mind and soul the right way. In my opinion, if your partner does not help you advance in one aspect of your life or another, then something is amiss somewhere. I would find such a relationship boring. If a person cannot push me towards growth, I do not think I would want to be associated with them in the long run. I completely agree that first-time experiences are key for a long-term relationship. People tend to get bored quickly, to keep the flame alive and burning, couples should consider taking romantic getaways, date nights, movie dates to avoid getting bored. Human beings get tired of routine easily hence the need to keep trying out new and exciting activities that you both enjoy. One might be surprised at the amount of effect a weekend getaway can have on the relationship of a struggling couple that are too busy working a nine to five job and barely has time for each other. I agree with the findings in the passage that finding creative ways to keep a spark and avoid boredom may seem obvious but most couples easily forget about it. I affirm that most modern marriages seem to be struggling because people tend to be so absorbed with work, duties, and bills that they neglect their relationships. It is also very easy for people to get distracted in the current era of technology and the internet. This makes it hard for people to focus on people and relationships that really matter.

I completely agree with the findings that people tend to feed each other’s growth in relationships. When both parties become actively invested in self-growth, they are more likely to flourish. This is true because I have witnessed it happen. I have seen some of my friends dating partners that were accomplished, and without a doubt, it did not take them long to catch on and develop themselves. They took time away from everybody and worked on themselves. Couples that teach each other things tend to last for long because their relationship is always exciting. I have particularly seen this work for couples with a huge age difference (25+ years). In my opinion, the reason these relationships tend to be more successful than regular relationships is that the older person serves in the capacity of a partner as well as a guide. Because they are older, they know more about life from experience. They tend to understand each other more than couples that are of the same age because they are always discovering and teaching each other new things. Similarly, the older partner benefits equally from their younger partner as they keep their souls alive. Interacting with young energy makes them flourish as it reminds them of their younger days. Additionally, I agree with the findings that the concept of marriage has changed over time. It might be true that putting the marriage first might had made traditional marriages last long however, this is far from the truth for modern marriages. Without a doubt, people are seeking more out of their partners; they want people that will add oomph to their lives. They are seeking fun and self-growth from relationships.

Most Significant Idea

From my standpoint, the most significant idea from the passage is that people seek partners that will make their lives more interesting. This notion stands out as it summarizes the factor that makes a marriage successful or a failure. I could not agree more with this notion. Boring marriages rarely last, but marriages where couples take time to try out new and exciting activities from time to time, tend to last for longer. I agree that adding spice to a relationship makes it more fun. If a partner is not exciting and they do not contribute to one’s growth, the couple will likely flourish. The idea of self-expansion is a reality. People want to acquire new experiences and knowledge.

CULTURAL SUICIDE

CULTURAL SUICIDE

It is funny enough to note that for every culture that exists in the world, there comes a point where it makes an inward turn; it chokes itself of the emerging ideas, the new dreams and the motivations and finally perishes. This is what is referred to as the cultural suicide. Our societies have seen suicide as a symptom of madness and helplessness. The cultural suicide has been a question of the thought. The meaning of the word suicide has made a big impression on most of us. Though most of the people might be scared of the words as they appear painful, but this is not the case as in the “the skillful teacher. “ The culture suicide sends its signals that at time are tenebrous and they run throughout the whole human world as the signals are received by the market, it throws them away, or at times brightens them and later seduces whomever it can (Naroll et al 1970) . These major issues and challenges are handled by the “the skilful teacher “. The book “The skillful teacher “ provides the steps that are refreshing from the preoccupations to view the human relations that are mostly can be taken as a play that is always present between the learner and the teacher and between the learners themselves. For a couple of time the community has been wondering of how to bring and educate a child well in the present world especially how to combine different groups of students from various cultures and be taught a common unit. It has been a nigh mare with the diversion in the culture and the education systems and the Modernity.

The effects of cultural suicide are diverse. Evidence accumulated during the last few decades have proved that suicide may be subjected to the social issues. One has to maintain the respect and the teacher-student distance. He very carefully illustrates how different cultures should be handled in order to maintain the cultures. Different people from different backgrounds should be handled differently. The trust that exists between the student and the teacher should be developed, the teacher and the student responsibilities in the class be well defined. The method/technique of passing the knowledge should also be appropriate as per the student’s level of understanding and the culture. This is what it means to be a good and successful teacher (Leach 2006). The author of “The skillful teacher” explains the various methods that can be used to educate students and what it takes to be a good teacher. A perfect culture should exist between the student and the teacher. This creates a free atmosphere between the two groups. It is one thing to be broadminded of a person’s conviction, faith, and views as long as those others are respected of one’s creed and philosophy in return. Respect as a two way traffic.

When we are attacked by others with deferent beliefs, it takes tolerance tom the cultural suicidal degree. This is through the denial that comes to us about how others do hate us regardless of the respect that we have given them. Lack of this good culture causes a defective educational system. “The skilful teacher in explains the challenges that are faced by the two groups. Students at times do make great steps in recovering and actively using the knowledge that they got previously and the practices in the progression of overcoming coercion. It then becomes very difficult to merge students from different cultures under one common tie. They all have different cultures hence they vary in their reasoning, acts and even their reasoning differs. As they are passed from one different level to the other; there is a slow change and drop of the previous characters and thoughts, as they tend to think almost at the same level and drop their previous cultures hence “culture suicide”. Cultural suicide has many side effects such as; it raises a host of conceptual, theological and even the psychological queries. It does not come out clear why a culture behaves suicidal? It is through the system that our cultures are dying hence cultural suicide.

Reference List:

Naroll, R. Cohen, R. & American Museum of Natural History (1970) A handbook of method in cultural anthropology, Volume 2

Leach M. M. (2006) Cultural diversity and suicide: ethnic, religious, gender, and sexual orientation perspectives Haworth series in clinical psychotherapy Routledge,

Summary of Feminist Ethics by Alison M. Jaguar

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Summary of Feminist Ethics by Alison M. Jaguar

Feminist approaches to ethics are distinguished by their explicit commitment to re-writing the male biases perceived in traditional ethics that manifest the rationalization of women’s subordination, or disregard women’s moral experience. On the other hand, feminist ethics start with the convictions that the subordination of women is morally wrong and women’s moral experience is as worthy of respect as that of men. Feminist ethics goals are articulating the moral critiques of practices and actions that perpetuate women’s subordination, prescribing ways of resisting such actions that are morally justifiable, and envisioning morally desirable alternatives which promote women’s emancipation (Baker, Catherine, 141) In essence, the primary goal of feminist ethics is to foster theoretical understandings of the nature of morality that allow women to be treated respectfully. Feminist ethics emerged in the late 1060s as part of the general resurgence of feminist activism characterized by an unprecedented explosion about feminist ethical debates. The debates were among the first to occur in public and the academic course. They articulated topics ranging from domestic labor, abortion, the equality of opportunity, rape, compulsory heterosexuality, and the portrayal of women in the media. With time, feminists heightened their ethical concerns about reproductive technology, pornography, militarism, surrogate motherhood, environment, and the position of women within developing nations,

Since most feminist ethics occur in a western context making them a target of feminist critique. Critiques say that feminist criticisms do not show concern for the interest of women, neglect women, deny women’s moral agency, depreciation of feminine issues and devalue women’s moral experience. Not all feminists have endorsed the above criticisms and whenever they agree with the general statement, they disagree with its applicability. However, the truth is that feminist ethics have been associated with putting the interests of women first, accepting women as moral authorities, focusing exclusively on women’s issues, substituting feminine values with masculine values, or extrapolating directly into the moral experience of women. Putting the interest of women first is a highly recommended initiative of attaining women-centered ethics that transcend the covert bias of a supposed humanism that is grounded on male norms (Caswell, and Marika, 23). The main reason why feminist ethics are associated with putting the needs of others first is that feminists refuse to accept and be morally outraged by what they perceive as blatant immorality. Feminist ethics are concerned with addressing the special concerns of women, issues that have been neglected by modern theory but it cannot focus exclusively on such issues because feminism rejects moral issues and the notion that moral issues can be categorized as those that are special and those that are not of special concern to women.

Works Cited

Baker, Catherine, et al. “Encounters with the military: Toward a feminist ethics of critique?.” International Feminist Journal of Politics 18.1 (2016): 140-154.

Caswell, Michelle, and Marika Cifor. “From human rights to feminist ethics: radical empathy in the archives.” Archivaria 81.1 (2016): 23-43.

Cultural Studies Paper

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Cultural Studies Paper

There exists different versions and elements of the Biblical prophetic tradition, from the patriarchal stories of Abraham and Moses to the exilic and post-exilic prophecies (like prophecies by Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel), to New Testament appropriations. Biblical prophesies in today’s world have become more important as things in the world start to go in a way that is destructive. For instance, with the increase in the cases of wars, earthquakes, famines and drought is the fulfillment of the prophesies in the bible on the last days. Research has proven that there is only a small percentage of born-again Christians that have prophesies that are based on the bible.

There are many groups of people that claim to have prophesies currently. This has led to the rise of a lot of controversy between people. This is because as they argue there are high numbers of prophets who are false. These false prophets use specific verses within the bible to come up with prophesies that will help them benefit in a certain way from the audience. For instance, there has been the emergence of a large number of street preachers.

As much as this argument could be valid, there are prophets who use the bible as the foundation of their prophesies. As stated above, there have been several reasons for the born again Christians to believe that the end of the world is coming. The prophesies of today focus on the events of that occur in the last days as described by the bible. The traditional form of prophecy used by the street prophets is a form whereby they make the audience aware of the illnesses that are ongoing in the society and relate them to the bible. This is only done by a few numbers of street preachers. They often remind people that God is a forgiving God and that if they turn away from the evil deeds, he will not use punishment to destroy them.

There are street preachers today whom their main aim is to con people and to steal from them. The shocking thing is that this was prophesied in the New Testament; that there will be the rising of false prophets. Most of these false prophets make use of threats as they prophesy. For instance, they are quick to judge people, to condemn them, and to frighten them. They do this without convincing people to change their ways to be righteous, and to follow the teachings of the Almighty. These false prophets hurry to complete their false prophesy and do not allow room for discussion with the audience on the implications of their prophesies. Rather, they are out to obtain money from their audience. Some even do this as their source of money.

Mikhail Bakhtin’s essay “Epic and the Novel,” argues that since the novel, all forms of literary expression have changed to become more heteroglossic, intimate, and realistic – that is literature has become less “epic.” He uses the epic genre to compare it with the novel. From this comparison, Bakhtin discovered that the novel is very flexible. He argues this is so due to the fact that epic genres have the flexibility that helps them to adapt to any changes. This is because the novel lacks the lyric poetry that is found in epics. He also discovered that the novel has the capability to attain what other literature forms cannot attain. For an instant, the novel has the ability to present-day authenticity.

His argument has led to the influence of the adaptation of the epic forms. This is because; according to him, the modern day literary expressions have become more intimate, realistic and heteroglossic. A good example of these literary expressions that lacks the epic genre is the films. The contemporary films are created in such a way that they contain a lot of intimacies just as Bakhtin had suggested. There has even been the emergence of pornographic films, which the only component in them is intimacy.

The Ramayana is one of the epics that were present during the same period of the novel. The Ramayana is a collection of many editions of the Indian epic poem. R.K. Narayan has come up with a shortened version of The Ramayana following the comments made by Bakhtin in regards to contemporary literature forms of expression. Narayan comes up with this short form of the Indian epics, which turned out to show modern feelings, and his piece had been greatly influenced by his ideas. Though his interpretation of the epics into prose forms, he made them loose part of their epic genre. In addition, he removed some of the information that was in these Indian epics. With this, Narayan got rid of the lyric poetry that is contained in epics. The original Vamilki Ramayana contained no influence from the writers and did not display any feelings. The original version had the lyric poetry found in literature containing the epic genre.

From Narayan’s edition, it is clear that he novelizes the epics, making them lose their epic nature. Loss of the epic genre in contemporary literature is very common. This is because as observed in Narayan’s edition, modern literature has a lot of emotions and feelings. Moreover, modern literature contains information that represents the feelings of the author. For all these reasons, the contemporary literature expression forms do not have the epic genre in them.

Through art and literature, there are elements that are presented. These are the cry and the vision. The cry refers to the expression of pain, alarm or despair in a non-verbal way that may be individual or collective and which it adds seemingly exceptional dramatic power to a narrative or demonstration. This appears both in the literature and in the art. On the other hand, the vision refers to the internal moment where one is able to see things in an effort that is alienated from the outward appearance of seeing that take place within it. This could take the form of a dream, an actual vision or contemplation of a work of art.

The cry can be demonstrated either as a singular event or as a repeated trope or expressive element. This discussion will focus on the element of the cry as a repeated or expressive element.in the Achilles/Athena’s cry in The Iliad, Archilles and Myrmidons mourn the death of Patroclus. Patroclus had been killed in a battle causing hi friends to mourn his death. Even after Patroclus is buried, still continues to mourn. This shows the pain and lamentation of the gods due to the death of their friend. In this cry by Archilles, there is a lot of poetry but less flexibility compared to the epic.

In the bible, many paragraphs and texts are written on depression and pain. Many people in the bible are said to be lamenting, either for their own afflictions or for the afflictions of others. There are quite a number of people that are mentioned in the bible who are said to be depressed and in pain. This includes King Saul, Jonah, Abraham, Job, Elijah and David. Pain in the bible was also as a result of guilt after sinning against the Lord.

For instance, King David says; “I am troubled I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all day long. …I groan because of the turmoil of my heart” ( HYPERLINK “http://christiananswers.net/bible/psa38.html” l “6” Psalm 38:6, 8). This expressed the depression he was suffering from. Job was also in pain after everything was taken away from him. Abraham also expresses his depression when he cannot bear a child with his wife Sara. Abraham expresses his pain by saying; “And HYPERLINK “http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/abram.html” t “_blank” Abram said, LORD HYPERLINK “http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/god.html” t “_blank” God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this HYPERLINK “http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/eliezer.html” t “_blank” Eliezer of HYPERLINK “http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/damascus.html” t “_blank” Damascus?”

The expression of the cry in the bible resembles the epic. This is because the bible is written in a way that is so close to lyric poetry. Nonetheless, the bible is not as flexible as the epic. For this reason, the biblical prophesies differ to some extent from epics but are similar in other instances. In these two sources of the cry, the authors have used a language that is very convincing to the reader. This makes the reader feel the woes of the characters, just as good writing should be, according to Longinus’s “On the Sublime”.

In conclusion, literature can be analyzed based on whether it contains epic genres or not. Ancient literature from was said to be epic due to the flexibility it had and its ability to achieve factors that other forms of literature cannot manage to obtain. It is also evident that modern literature lacks the lyric poetry that is found in epics. It is also clear that contemporary literature has a lot of emotions and feelings, is more intimate, realistic and heteroglossic.

Strengths and Weaknesses

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Strengths and Weaknesses of Body Positivity

Introduction

Is body positivity open to everyone? According to statistics, nearly 92% of women are not happy with their body appearance, leading them to diet to attain their preferred body shape. This shows that society has a long way to go as far as the body positivity battle is concerned. Body positivity is the assertion that everyone is deserving of a positive body image regardless of how popular culture and society view ideal size, shape, and appearance. It is a movement that refers to a physical and mental state which shifts focus from physical looks and emphasizes personal strengths. The term body positivity was first coined in 1996 when a patient and psychotherapist developed thebodypositive.org website when they were going through treatment for eating disorders. Some of the objective of body positivity movement is to address impractical body standards, challenge the way society sees the body and promote recognition of all body types. Further, the movement also aims at assisting individuals in building confidence in their bodies. Body positivity stretches beyond challenging society’s view of physical shape and size. It also recognizes that society makes judgments of people based on sexuality, race, disability, and gender. This essay highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the body positivity movement.

Strengths of the Body Positivity Movement

Body Positivity Movement Challenges the Beauty Standards Set by Social Media

One of the strengths of the body positivity movement is that it has helped challenge the standards of beauty that have been set by social media. Nowadays, when one scrolls through applications like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter, it has become a norm to see people with perfectly crafted bodies (Gibson, 32). Particularly on Instragram, the bodies of Instagram models tend to be unrealistically perfect. These images have now become standards of measuring beauty. Social media users should be careful as they go about their business online. They should know that the images they see online are always real. Today, lots of photographers and even social media users use photoshop and filters to modify their features and tune their photos to appear more slim and young. Consequently, many men and women end up succumbing to the pressure and modifying their bodies by undergoing dangerous surgeries hoping to be accepted in society. Luckily, body positivity advocates have made immense strides in retaliating against body-shaming culture. Additionally, they are using social media as a tool to create positive change. These advocates do this by posting positive content about all body types and challenging the narrow ideals that people have about beauty. In essence, the body positivity movement has proved helpful in promoting appreciation and acceptance of all body types.

The Body Positivity Movement Fosters Self-love

Secondly, body positivity is beneficial as it helps foster radical self-love. We live in a society that is obsessed with body culture, which thrives on ideals of what a perfect body what ought to look like. As such, it is not a surprise that many people end up feeling that their body is something to be ashamed of. Rather than learning to accept and love themselves as God created them, they choose to go on a mission to fix themselves. No wonder we see some women going for surgery after surgery in a desperate attempt to rectify a mistake that the previous surgeon missed. Accepting one’s body type is the ultimate act of radical self-love. Self-love stretches beyond what other people see on the outside. One should never feel the need to change a certain aspect about themselves just for the sake of fitting in. Fully accepting oneself and the God-given body type means fully embracing and honoring all aspects of who one is. It does not happen overnight, but once a person starts growing into themselves and accepting themselves, then one cannot be phased by other people’s definition of beauty. The body positivity movement emphasizes that a person’s body and choices are not anybody else’s business. Body positivity stresses self-confidence and living in one’s truth.

Body Positivity Boosts Mental Health

The third strength of the body positivity movement is that it contributes to mental health. How a person feels about their body can affect their self-esteem which by extension impacts mental health. The main challenge with negative thoughts is that once one starts ruminating on one aspect of their life, it gets easier for the individual to start doubting other areas of their life too. Research found that individuals with body dysmorphic disorders or weight preoccupations often demonstrate higher anxiety and depression symptoms. Additionally, they are at more risk of suicidal thoughts than other people. The body positivity movement stresses that the next time a person has negative and unkind thoughts about their bodies, they ought to check their emotional and mental state. Under such circumstances, some of the questions that people should ask themselves are if they are feeling anxious or overwhelmed and what aspects of their life makes them feel so and why. Additionally, when anxious it would be advisable to employ mindful-based practices as they are a great avenue for connecting to body intelligence. The practices also help a person tune into what they need to feel more grounded. One should be more kind to themselves and talk about their body in loving manner and give it the compassion, love and grace it deserves.

Weakness of the Body Positivity Movement

Certain Aspects of the Body Positivity Movement are Misleading

Although the body positivity movement is beneficial, it is not without criticism. One of the weaknesses of the movement is that it implies that it is okay for people to do what they think is right to make them feel better about their appearances. It is unfortunate that people are bombarded with popular messages that include the idea that fitter and thinner people are more beautiful, healthier, and happy. The idea of being thin leads people to take part in unhealthy practices such as extreme diets and work outs, all in the guise of body positivity.

The Body Positivity Movement in Non-inclusive

Another weakness of the body positivity movement is that it is non-inclusive. This is because the movement depicts messages that exclude minority groups, including people of color, the disabled, non binary, and lesbians gays bisexuals transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. Jameela Jamil, an actress that stars in The Good Place series is deemed as one of the phases of the movement. Jamil talks about miscategorization and says that body positivity is important for people that are abused on streets, not believed by doctors, and can barely find clothing that fits (Frazier and Nadia, 18). She notes that the body positivity movement is not for everyone and that the body positivity conversation tends to shut out people. Actress Jamil instead advocates for body neutrality and body liberation. This approach entails removing a person’s body from the aspect of self-image. She insists that the only reason she takes such a stance is that she cannot be picked on because of her size. Worth noting the other people, particularly those that the body positivity movement targets, do not have the same luxury.

Body Positivity is based on Physical Appearance

Another criticism of the body positivity movement is that it concentrates on a person’s appearance as the most significant aspect of an individual’s self-perception. In so doing, the movement neglects all other aspects of identity in a person which are more important than the looks. In this regard Jamil’s position that suggests that individuals should refrain from using the body to determine self-perception and self-worth is a more inclusive and healthier approach.

Conclusion

In closing, body positivity is not open to everybody. While some individuals are in total support of the body positivity movement, other individuals criticize the movement to the core. Some of the strengths of the body positivity movement is that it helps people foster radical self-love and boost mental health. Additionally, body positivity is significant as it challenges the standards of beauty that have been set by social media. The body positivity movement is weak because it is misleading. It implies that it is okay for people to do what they think is right to make them feel better about their appearances. The movement also depicts messages that exclude minority groups including people of color, the disabled, non binary, and lesbians gays bisexual transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. Another weakness of the body positivity movement is that it concentrates on a person’s appearance as the most significant aspect of an individual’s self-perception. The body positivity movement should foster appearance and love for one’s body and appearance. The main contribution of the movement to gender studies is that people need to change the way they feel about their bodies. Telling people to be resilient and accept their bombardment can be damaging. All in all, in future, people should try health-focused self-care and adopt body neutrality to build body positivity.

Works Cited

Gibson, Gemma Lucy. Body Positive Babes: An Exploration of the Contemporary Body Positivity Movement and the’Acceptable’Fat Woman’s Body. Diss. University of York, 2020.

Frazier, Cheryl, and Nadia Mehdi. “Forgetting Fatness: The Violent Co-Optation of the Body Positivity Movement.” Debates in Aesthetics 16.1 (2021).

Cultural Studies Demographics and Culture

Cultural Studies: Demographics and Culture

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1.What are the demographics of your country

Based on the current statistics by the World Bank, Haiti’s 2008 population stand at about 9.8 million, up from and estimation of 9.7 million in the year 2007. The population growth rate averages around 1.6%. the 2010 July estimates put the population size at 9,035,536 (Haiti, 2010).2.How many people are there per square mile?

Population density in the year 2008 stood about 27,800 persons per square kilometers. given that the population is about 9.8 million while the size of the country is 10,714 sq miles, impliedly , the population density per square miles would be 9.8milioion/10,714 sq miles which translates into 915 persons per miles.

3 population 20 years ago? 40 years ago?

20 years ago in 1990, Hiati’s population was 6.473 million, while 40 years ago, the population was about 4.5 million 4. Culture Haiti

Summarily, the Haitian culture is not homogenous, but gives a reflection of a mixer of African, French and Indian practices. Linguistically, French is the most common foreign language used as mode of communication in the country, and as one of the official language. The most popular native language is Kreyol. The language became the main official language from 1987, as French became the secondary one. As such, the Kreyol is the national language which is used in communication and other functions of national importance. The influence of migrations into and out of US has made English to become very popular to the level of overtaking French. There is a strong attachment to Catholicism in the country, with more than 80% of the population’s followers. Significantly, “religion is a powerful force in Haitian culture’ (Institute for Disaster Mental Health, 2010). However, the catholic faith has been enriched with local traditions that are African in nature. For example, there is vodoun practice that is more of a belief in magic. According to Jacobson (2003), voodoo “exists side by side with Christian faiths”, with the very ritualistic Catholic adapting itself to the local rituals. Significantly, the traditional believes are still respected and practiced in many parts of the country though a huge size of the Haitian population profess Christianity. Christian marriages and customs are very common with parties being held to mark baptism and wedding ceremonies. During such ceremonies, the parties are spiced with local foods. The drum serves as the widely used music instrument in such occasions. These foods include local cola, cakes and rum, which are locally made.

The issue of women empowerment and stereotyping is very common more so in the rural areas. The women in the rural areas are expected to be subordinate to their husbands in major domestic and family affairs. In the urban centers equality has taken centre stage though female domestic workers are lowly paid. The society believes that the ancestors have the power and capability to sway things and the lives of those who are live. Finally, The Haitians respect visitors, and they are treated with courtesy and well as reverence. Greeting is given great attachment; they are required not to leave a home without eating or drinking anything. Staple food is rice and beans. A visitor is equally expected to be respectful, accepts the host’s lifestyle and not to be rude, like lives without notifying the hosts.

References

Jacobson, E. (2003). Introduction to Haitian Culture

For Rehabilitation Service Providers. Retrieved August 25, 2010, from HYPERLINK “http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/monographs/haiti.pdf” http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/monographs/haiti.pdf.

Haiti (2010). Haiti Population Retrieved August 25, 2010, from

HYPERLINK “http://www.indexmundi.com/haiti/population.html” http://www.indexmundi.com/haiti/population.html

Institute for Disaster Mental Health (2010). Tip Sheet on Haitian Culture Retrieved

August 25, 2010, from http://www.rhin.org/UPLOAD/Hatian%20Culture%20tip%20sheet-IDMH.pdf.

Standardization and Customizing of International Marketing Plans

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Standardization and Customizing of International Marketing Plans

The majority of the basic principles employed in effective marketing equally apply to global and domestic marketing activity. However, globalization presents numerous challenges unique to operating simultaneously in international markets and different countries. According to Theodore Levitt, a Harvard marketing professor, a new reality has been triggered partly by technological developments. This text discusses the differences between standardization and customizing a marketing plan for countries and all it entails.

There are numerous attractive reasons for companies to standardize products and branding across the global markets. The first reason is that it enables businesses to globalize and leverage economies of scale. Standardization also enables customers to see videos, images, and product descriptions no matter where they are. Additionally, standardization eases content management and creation efforts through ensuring same content gets delivered across channels. Customization of brands and products for countries is beneficial as the marketing efforts tend to naturally satisfy the needs of various customers in various markets (Gremyr, Aku, and Lars, 27). Furthermore, customization helps make a customer more comfortable as they have expectations. Customization also generates positive credibility within the market hence boosting conversion rates. Customization and standardization have unique positive outcomes for growing business. While the one size fits all standardized approach for global marketing is efficient, local customers might not resonate with it. In contrast, customization greatly enhances customer engagement and experiences through meeting the tastes of local customers, but can be difficult to scale. This is the main difference when it comes to standardizing and customizing a marketing plan for other countries. Historically, businesses used standardized products and similar brand messaging in all global markets in an effort to benefit from economies and scale and similar brand efforts. However the downside of the standardizing products is that businesses were not able to capitalize on local market trends. Some organizations changed to decentralized operations to compensate. In such scenarios, local teams lose efficiency and scalability but manage to separate content libraries.

The four Ps of marketing, including product, place, price, and promotion are the key factors in marketing service and product. Customization and standardization have everything to do with these four factors, as these are taken into consideration in the development of key strategies for advertising, marketing, positioning, and promoting your product or brand.

The best circumstance to standardize a marketing plan is when there is minimal competition. Global standardization works best for companies that have services and products that are barely facing competitions within local markets. When there is no rivalry from competing local brands, companies are in a position to tailor-make services and products to suit the needs of their customers (Tien, 44). The best time to customize a marketing strategy is once the company understands the target market. Figuring out the demographics of the target audience is important in creating a persona which is the biggest secret weapon employed by successful marketing companies. The client’s persona includes information such as gender, income, and age and understanding these factors helps in reaching them.

‘Think Global, Act Local’ is a mindset that numerous international brands adopt when planning for both national and international marketing strategies. It is the way that companies customize their brands to meet the individual needs for audiences. For instance, the Coca-Cola Company is an example of an international company that employs this slogan by incorporating the right mix of global and local operations. Although Coca-Cola is an international brand, it ensures it stays locally relevant to every individual market it serves.

Works Cited

Gremyr, Ida, Aku Valtakoski, and Lars Witell. “Two routes of service modularization: advancing standardization and customization.” Journal of Services Marketing (2019).

Tien, Nguyen Hoang. “Customization and Standardization of the Business Strategy of Foreign Enterprises in Vietnam–the McDonald’s Case and the Fast Food Sector.“.” International journal of research in marketing management and sales 1.2 (2019): 44-50.

Cultural Perspectives in Teaching

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Institution Affiliation

Journal Tasks

Journal 1.1

Teachers are at times faced with questions that prompt them to establish an understanding of their faith. The answers that the teachers usually give depend on their own cultural understandings as far as their beliefs and values are concerned. A competent teacher will not only give an answer based on his or her own belief but will also integrate it with a research-based theory. To develop a Christian mind that will avoid giving superficial answers, the teacher should have grounding of the various cultural perspectives that people do have. Before answering, the teacher should ask himself questions such as ‘what might have led to the situation’ or ‘what is trying to be achieved’. It is mostly based on the fact that schools have students coming from different cultures with different perspectives on faith.

Journal 1.2

Teachers rarely try to figure out what the true purpose and meaning of schooling is. Most people will view the purpose of schooling based on their cultural backgrounds or understanding. Being an Asian, education and schooling in general plays a very vital role in establishing one’s character in the society. Education has been held with such high esteem since its inception, and it has been viewed as one of the most guaranteed way of succeeding in life. All of the subjects introduced in the curriculum are keenly considered if they will serve the purpose that it is intended to serve. In reflection, my cultural background has made me realize that education is not a matter of just gaining understanding of one’s cultural background and factual knowledge, but also molding ones character into such that is acceptable by the society.

Journal 1.3

The approach that has been given to education, as far as the students are concerned, is that it was not an entitlement, until recently. The students whose parents can be able to afford education or were interested in their children learning were the only ones who had the luxury of going to school. The others whose parents could not afford it were subjected to receiving low-quality education. The students are, however, expected to achieve nothing but excellence regardless of the quality of the education they have received. They sit for the same examinations and eventually compete for the same jobs available.

The teachers, on the other hand, are given the task of instilling education and knowledge into the students regardless of the conditions that they operate. The parents and the teachers are expected to work together in bringing up the children into respectable individuals in the society. However, the blame is mostly directed towards the teachers if the students do not become successful in their quest for education. The teachers take the students through the entire curriculum.

The purpose of education, according to Grandgrind, is very different from how other people view it. He was only interested in a profitable enterprise and aimed at ramming facts into the brains of the students. He viewed the purpose of schools should be distanced from cultural backgrounds and other fancies and should only deal with facts which have been documented in the curriculum.

Nowadays, we have gone almost 180 degrees away from that.  We emphasize thinking over learning facts.  I sometimes think we have gone too far away from facts (especially in math and science) but I certainly do not think we should do like Gradgrind.

His way of learning is not good for our modern society.  Things change so fast nowadays that people need to be able to think if they are going to get ahead economically.

Journal 1.4

There have been a number of changes that have taken place in the Australian education system in the 19th century. It has developed to what is nowadays referred to as normalized schooling. Some of the changes that have taken place include the abolishment of punishing students because they have failed to learn facts by heart. It has been argued to be an inappropriate method as far as education is concerned. The education system has, in fact, adapted other subjects that tend to nurture the students’ creative capabilities. Another characteristic that can be identified in the modern education is the appreciation of the students’ rights. Students are no longer subjected to one curriculum since they come from different cultural backgrounds. The students also have the right not to be interrupted by other students while learning. The third and final characteristic is the increasing involvement of parents into the matters of their children’s education. Well, they might not have a very professional view regarding the progress of their children’s academic affairs but they are expected to work together with the teachers to achieve much more wholesome objective.

In Australia, the three public purposes of education include community development, social justice and student’s love for learning. These are purposes that were introduced by the government. One private purpose of education includes sorting for employment and the economy.

Journal 1.5

The teaching profession is slowly becoming very complex. This is because the requirements and the workload for the teachers have been increasing. Their work in class greatly influences their private life. As they deal with students from different ethnic backgrounds and separate ideological views, he or she becomes accustomed to dealing with different kind of people in his private life. How a teacher conducts his private life also affects their professional life. If the teacher has certain negative beliefs about certain kind of people from the onset, he will find it very difficult when dealing with such students and having to go through the process of accepting them.

Journal 2.1

A vocational curriculum is that which prepares students for various crafts, trade or different professional levels. One characteristic of a vocational program is that it is grouped into teaching procedural knowledge. The students are first introduced to the basics, and they progress into more complex issues regarding their specialty. Another characteristic is that a vocational curriculum is specific in nature. The participants aim at specializing in one field hence its specificity. Thirdly, a vocational curriculum is can be in the pre-secondary, secondary or at the tertiary level of education. It depends with the governments’ directive and objective that is intended to be achieved from education.

People have different views on the purposes of schooling. These purposes can conflict in the long run. For example, one of the public purposes of schooling is community development. The government having put this objective in place will work towards achieving it. However, the students might not have the desire or motivation for developing their community or maybe might not even have the love for learning. Hence, without some purposes being achieved, other purposes might as well crumble.

Journal 2.2

 The Public Instruction Act, 1880 came into force on 1 May 1880. The Act both extended the educational provision made under the 1866 Act and introduced significant changes. The more important of these changes were the withdrawal of State aid to denominational schools as from the beginning of 1883, the introduction of compulsory education, the entry of the State into the field of secondary education and the replacement of the Council of Education by the Department of Public Instruction on 1 May 1880. In broadening educational provision the 1880 Act modified some of the existing schools and created three new types of schools – Superior Public, High, and Evening Public Schools.

Journal 2.3

According to Smart, the four worldview questions includes who am I, where am I, what is wrong and how can it be fixed.

The Christian worldview is based on the aforementioned questions. A Christian views him or herself as being created by God and is put on earth to serve specific purposes. He recognizes that he is on earth, also created by God in such perfection, in order to sustain life. The problem a Christian has with the world is that it is riddled with sin. After sin entered the world, the relationship between man and God got interfered with negatively and the main objective is to restore the relationship. This can be fixed through accepting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the son of God.

Journal 2.4

According to Postman, the similarity of American education to that of Australia are the different views that people have regarding education. There is very little room that is left for one to interpret the purpose of education at a personal level hence it is dictated through what has been previously decided upon. Both countries would hold onto previous policies and make very few changes to them. The trends that have coupled the current society make some of these policies to become very ineffective. Another similarity is the idea of deteriorating value of education. Most students go to school having no personal objective but just to do what is required or expected of them.

Journal 2.5

A modernist views himself as an individual with a great mind and has immense potential. He recognizes that he is on earth that is the residence of the human beings. The main problem with the world is that it is coupled with very many myths and beliefs that are misleading and are not realistic. The only way this can be fixed is through the rational use of science to administer facts and have a greater understanding of the universe as a whole.

It can be argued that postmodernism has been based on three major features. They include the existence of power of reason over ignorance, science supersedes superstition and there is power of order over disorder. The issues of modernism have created an impact on the Australian education system.

Students have subconsciously adapted the reasoning of modernism given the premise that the education system itself mostly deals with facts that belief. It is a trend that has affected students thinking and the way they handle their education. Such has also affected their personalities and the way they view right from wrong.

Journal 3.1

As far as children and young adults come from different cultures, at times they have common interests in some certain upcoming cultures. These cultures are considered to be popular and most teenagers would like to associate themselves with it. That is the reason ‘Loser Television’ is very popular among the children and young adults.

Journal 3.2

Currently students are very much engrossed in fashion trends and technology. They have gone to the extent of attaching these ideologies to their importance of life, in that, they cannot live without them. The meaning of life to them has surpassed the basic necessities of food, shelter and clothing. They find happiness in fashion and technology and define their lives from such fronts. It has impacted the education setting in a way that it has to warm up to the trends that appear relevant to the young generation in order to appeal to them.

Journal 3.3

During their early years and before joining school, children are brought up according to some certain beliefs and cultures. It is usually done in a family setting. When they finally start going to school, they meet other children from different cultures. From the onset, they will always look at the other children’s beliefs and scale it relative to their own beliefs.

Journal 3.3

One of Niebuhr’s models of Christ to culture that I can relate to is the separatist approach. People tend to stay away from matters that are considered worldly. One example is the some of the Christian songs in which the singer declares letting go of ungodly things. Damita sang the popular song known as ‘No looking back’ as a good example of a separatist approach.

Journal 3.4

To some extent, the claim that Christian schools are “hothouses” has some truth in it. The students are expected to strictly abide by the rules as far as Christianity is concerned. They end up with a strong irrational belief on the religion.

The role of Christian schools in the Australian society is to lace the education system with religion and not only bring up individuals who have basic knowledge but are also morally upright.

Journal 3.5

Education defines who we are at the end because it helps shape our future religiously and professionally.

Education generates meaning as it is based on the acceptance and alignment of various beliefs.

Education brings together the diverse communities in the society through which they learn about each other.

Education is very important in our current society since it helps remove ignorance and assumptions that have led to a lot of problem in the past.

References

Matthews, J. (2014). Cultural Perspectives In Teaching. Drummoyne: Wesley Institute

Sleep Paralysis in Dead Awake (2017)

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Sleep Paralysis in Dead Awake (2017)

I selected Dead Awake over other movies as I resonate with what happens in the film. After watching this movie, I felt that I could relate to the experiences of the characters because sleep paralysis is something that I have experienced myself. At first, I never knew that sleep paralysis is a severe condition but upon watching the film, I related to the occurrences. I also selected this film as it does a great job of dramatizing what sleep paralysis is by making it feel like a reality. I understand that the film is a pure work of fiction, but I could not help but feel goosebumps while watching it. I found it interesting that at the birthday party, one of Kate’s friends mentions that she has been experiencing a dream where she is nearly falling into an endless pit and that everybody has experienced the dream, which is profound because I have had that dream severally.

One scene where altered consciousness is vivid is when the doctor is watching over Kate as she sleeps. When the monster attacks Kate, the doctor’s adrenaline pump refuses to function and because he cannot do anything to revive Kate, he puts himself to sleep to draw the attention of the monster from Kate. This strategy works for a while and Kate has another dream while still asleep where she sees her dead sister Beth.

The people in Dead Awake are experiencing sleep paralysis, a sense of consciousness and immobility that happens simultaneously during sleep. Sleep paralysis takes place in between the stages of sleep and wakefulness. The characters in the film, including Beth, Kate, and the Doctor, experience phases of sleep paralysis at some point. My overall impression of the movie is that it does a good job of dramatizing how sleep paralysis occurs. The movie is one of the scariest movies I have ever watched, but I enjoyed watching it.