Existentialism Is a Humanism Essay Example for Free

Existentialism Is a Humanism Essay My purpose here is to defend existentialism against several reproaches that have been laid against it. Existentialism has been criticised for inviting people to remain in a quietism of despair, to fall back into a the middle-class luxury of a merely contemplative philosophy. We are reproached for underlining human nastiness, and forgetting, as the Catholic Mme. Mercier has it, the smile of the child. All and sundry reproach us for treating men as isolated beings, largely because we begin with the I think of Descartes. Christians especially reproach us for denying the reality and seriousness of human society, since, if we ignore Gods eternal values, no-one is able to condemn anyone else. Existentialism is being seen as ugliness; our appeal to nature as scandalous, our writings sickening. Yet what could be more disillusioning than repeating those mottoes like dont fight against tradition, or know your station? They say that man is base and doomed to fall, he needs fixed rules to keep him from anarchy. In the end, is not what makes our doctrine so fearful to some merely the fact that it leaves all possibility of choice with man? It has become fashionable to call this painter, or musician or columnist an existentialist a term so loosely applied that it no longer means anything at all. However, it can be defined easily. Existentialists are either Christian, such as the Catholics Jaspers and Gabriel Marcel, or atheists like Heidegger and myself. What they have in common is to believe that existence comes before essence, that we always begin from the subjective. What does this mean? If one considers a manufactured object, say a book or a paper-knife, one sees that it has been made to serve a definite purpose. It has an essence, the sum of its purpose and qualities, which precedes its existence. The concept of man in the mind of God is comparable to the concept of paper-knife in the mind of the artisan. My atheist existentialism is rather more coherent. It declares that God does not exist, yet there is still a being in whom existence precedes essence, a being which exists before being defined by any concept, and this being is man or, as Heidegger puts it, human reality. That means that man first exists, encounters himself and emerges in the world, to be defined 1 Squashed version edited by Glyn Hughes: http://www. btinternet. com/~glynhughes/squashed/sartre. htm 1 afterwards. Thus, there is no human nature, since there is no God to conceive it. It is man who conceives himself, who propels himself towards existence. Man becomes nothing other than what is actually done, not what he will want to be. And when we say that man takes responsibility for himself, we say more than that he is in his choices responsible for all men. All our acts of creating ourselves create at the same time an image of man such as we believe he must be. Thus, our personal responsibility is vast, because it engages all humanity. If I want, say, to marry and have children, such choice may depend on my situation, my passion, my desire, but by it I engage not only myself, but all humanity in the way of the monogamy. In fashioning myself, I fashion man. This helps us to understand some rather grandiloquent words like anguish, abandonment, despair. The existentialist declares that man is in anguish, meaning that he who chooses cannot escape a deep responsibility for all humanity. Admittedly, few people appear to be anxious; but we claim that they mask their anguish, that they flee it. This is what Kierkegaard called the anguish of Abraham. You know the old story: An angel commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son. But anyone in such a case would wonder straight away, is this an angel? am I the Abraham? If we hear voices from the sky, what proves that they come not from hell, or the subconscious, or some pathological state? Who proves that they are addressed to me? Each man must say to himself: am I right to set the standard for all humanity? To deny that is to mask the anguish. When, for example, a military leader sends men to their deaths, he may have his orders, but at the bottom it is he alone who chooses. And when we speak about abandonment, we want to say that God does not exist, and that it is necessary to follow this conclusion to its end. The existentialist is strongly against that sloppy morality which tries to remove God without ethical expense, like the French professors of the 1880s who saw God as a useless and expensive assumption but still wanted definitive rules like do not lie to exist a priori. The existentialist, on the contrary, finds it rather embarrassing that God does not exist, for there disappears with him any possibility of finding values in a heaven. Dostoevsky wrote If God did not exist, everything would be permitted; that is the starting point of existentialism. We are alone, without excuses. That is what I mean when I say that man is condemned to be free. There is no power of beautiful passions which propel men to their actions, we think, rather, that man is responsible for his own passions. The existentialist cannot accept that man can be helped by any sign on earth, for he will 2 interpret the sign as he chooses. As Ponge has truly written Man is the future of man. To give you an example of this abandonment, I will quote the case of one of my pupils who came to me. He lived alone with his mother, his father having gone off as a collaborator and his brother killed in 1940. He had a choice to go and fight with the Free French to avenge his brother and protect his nation, or to stay and be his mothers only consolation. So he was confronted by two modes of action; one concrete and immediate but directed only towards one single individual; the other addressed to an infinitely greater end but very ambiguous. What would help him choose? Christian doctrine? Accepted morals? Kant? I said to him, In the end, it is your feelings which count. But how can we put a value on a feeling? At least, you may say, he sought the counsel of a professor. But, if you seek advice, from a priest for example, in choosing which priest you know already, more or less, what they would advise. When I was imprisoned, I met a rather remarkable man, a Jesuit who had joined that order in the following way: As a child, his father had died leaving him in poverty. At school he was made to feel that he was accepted only for charitys sake and denied the usual pleasures. At eighteen he came to grief in a sentimental affair and then failed his military examinations. He could regard himself as a total failure, but, cleverly, took it as a sign that the religious life was the way for him. He saw the word of God there, but who can doubt that the decision was his and his alone? He could as easily have chosen to be a carpenter or a revolutionary. As for despair, this simply means that we will restrict ourselves to relying only on our own will, or on the probabilities which make our action possible. If I am counting on the arrival of a friend, I presuppose that their train will be on time. But I am still among possibilities, outside my own field of action. No God, no intention, is going to alter the world to my will. In the end, Descartes meant the same, that we must act without hope. Marxists have answered Your action is limited by your death, but you can rely on others to later take up your deeds and carry them forward to the revolution. To this I rejoin that I cannot know where the revolution will lead. Others may come and establish Fascism. Does that mean that I must give up myself to quietism? No! Quietism is the attitude of people who say: let others do what I cannot do. The doctrine that I present is precisely the opposite: there is reality only in the action; and more, man is nothing other than his own project and exists only in as far as he carries it out. From this we see why our ideas so often cause horror. Many people have but one resource to sustain them in their misery; to think, circumstances were against me, I was worthy of better. I had no great love because I never met anyone worthy of me. I wrote no great book because I 3 had no time. I am filled with a crowd of possibilities greater than anyone could guess from my few achievements. But in reality, for the existentialist, there is no love other than that which is built, no artistic genius other than in works of art. The genius of Proust is the works of Proust. A man engages in his own life, draws his own portrait, there is nothing more. This is hard for somebody who has not made a success of life. But it is only reality that counts, not dreams, expectations or hopes. What people reproach us for here is not our pessimism, but the sternness of our optimism. If people reproach our writings, it is not because we describe humanity as frail and sometimes frankly bad, but because, unlike Zola whose characters are shown to be products of heredity or environment, you cannot say of ours That is what we are like, no one can do anything about it. The existentialist portrays a coward as one who makes himself a coward by his actions, a hero who makes himself heroic. Some still reproach us for confining man within his individual subjectivity. But there is no other starting-point than the I think, I am the absolute truth of consciousness, a simple truth within reach of everyone and the only theory which gives man the dignity of not being a mere object. All materialisms treat men as objects, no different in their being bundles of determined reactions than a table or a chair or a stone. We want to constitute a human kingdom of values distinct from the material world. Contrary to the philosophy of Descartes, contrary to the philosophy of Kant, we are discovering in the cogito not just ourselves but all others. We discover an intersubjective world where each man has to decide what he is and what others are. It is not possible to find in each man the universal essence called human nature, but there is a human universality of condition. Any purpose, even that of the Chinese, or the idiot or the child can be understood by a European, given enough information. In this sense, there is a universality of man; but it is not a given, it is something perpetually re-built. That does not entirely refute the charge of subjectivism. People tax us with anarchy; they say that you cannot judge others, because you have no reason to prefer one project to another. You give with one hand what you pretend to receive from the other. Let us say that moral choice is comparable to a work of art. Do we reproach the artist who makes a painting without starting from laid-down rules? Did we tell him what he must paint? There is no pre-defined picture, and no-none can say what the painting of tomorrow should be; one can judge only one at a time. 4 Amongst morals, the creative situation is the same, and just as the works of, say, Picasso, have consequences, so do our moral judgements. That student who came to me could not appeal to any system for guidance; he was obliged to invent the law for himself. We define man only through his engagement, so it is absurd to reproach us for the consequences of a choice. But it is not entirely true that we cannot judge others. We can judge whether choices are founded on truth or error, and we can judge a mans sincerity. The man who hides behind the excuse of his passions or of some deterministic doctrine, is a self-deceiver. And what if I wish to deceive myself? there is no reason why you should not, but I declare publicly that you are doing so. We will freedom for the sake of freedom. And through it we discover that our freedom depends entirely on the freedom of others, and that their freedom depends on ours. Those who hide their freedom behind deterministic excuses, I will call cowards. Those who pretend that their own existence was necessary, I will call scum. To the objection that You receive with one hand what you give with the other, that is, your values are not serious, since you choose them, I answer that, I am sorry, but having removed God the Father, one needs somebody to invent values. Things have to be taken as they are. One has reproached me ridiculing a type of humanism in Nausea, and now suggesting that existentialism is a form of humanism. The absurd type of humanism is to glory in Man the magnificent ascribing to all men the value of the deeds of the most distinguished men. Only a dog or a horse would be in a position to declare such a judgement. We cannot, either, fall into worshipping humanity, for that way leads to Fascism. But there is another humanism, the acceptance that there is only one universe, the universe of human subjectivity. Existentialism is not despair. It declares rather that even if God did exist, it would make no difference. 5.

A stressful life is an inevitable consequence

A stressful life is an inevitable consequence In our career-driven society, work can be a pervasive source of stress. According to a report cited in an edition of the Financial Times, stress at work is one of the biggest problems in European companies. It is evident that the prevalence of stress at work majorly influences job satisfaction, work performance and productivity (Mullins, 2002). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) define stress as the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them (ISMA, 2004). Stress can be accumulated through constant tension and frustration, and can arise from a number of issues including individual, group, organizational and environmental factors. In this essay, I am going to discuss the implications that stress incurs on the individual, and on the organization as a whole by looking at some of the most important issues such as cost, stress-related illnesses, and how to tackle stress in the workplace for a better and healthier workforce. With the changing lifestyles of people today (25-year mortgages, easier credit arrangements, etc.) most people are looking for permanent, full-time employment. Nevertheless, with the current economic crisis, many businesses are cutting back on staff and many jobs are being lost. This has lead to an increase in stress levels. An article published by the Daily Mail on 5 November 2008 (National Stress Awareness day) stated that almost 2/3 of 2700 workers polled said that they felt more run down, stressed and prone to illness than they did three years ago. This has resulted in many of them putting in seven hours of unpaid overtime a week. The article urged employers to tackle this problem as the research shows the credit crunch is having serious implications on the nations workforce, with people working and worrying more (Daily Mail, 2008). As these findings demonstrate, the stress caused by the current economic situation will lead to grave consequences for both individuals and organizat ions; if the individual suffers, the organization is inevitably going to suffer, and vice-versa. Certainly, a healthy workforce gives a larger contribution to a business. Working in a stressful environment means that not only performance is decreased, but productivity is also reduced. So what causes stress? Some would say that being under a lot of pressure causes one to be stressed. However, there is a difference between working under pressure and working under stressful conditions. It is said that a certain level of pressure is needed in our daily life to motivate us and enable us to perform at our best (ISMA, 2004). Cooper et al. (1988) have identified six major sources of stress at work: intrinsic to the job, role in the organization, relationships at work, career development, organizational structure and climate and home-work interface. He also added that conflicts, such as bullying and harassment, at work are another cause of stress. However, stress is said to be a very personal experience as individuals respond and cope differently with the causes and effects of stress. One major source of work stress develops from role incongruence and role conflict. When workers are not clear about their roles in the company, it creates difficulties in communication and interpersonal relationships. In addition, it can have an emotional impact on morale, performance and effectiveness at work, and health. In order to improve business, many organizations restructure and reduce staff, leading to more pressure on the remaining staff. This often results in an increase of work-related health problems, work stress and a less efficient workforce (Mullins, 2002). Handy (1993) has suggested five organizational situations that are likely to produce role problems, and thus stress for the individual: having responsibility for the work of others such as reconciling conflicting objectives of groups and organizations; conflict between the routine aspects of the job and the creative side; being the outside contact is particularly stressful due to the lack of control over demands or resources; relationship difficulties in the company, such as problems with a boss or colleagues; and last but not least, having career doubts if future career prospects are uncertain. Role ambiguity has greater effects on the physiological and psychological well-being of the individual, among them being low self-confidence, low motivation, higher job-related tension, and even depression (Handy, 1993). Karasek and Theorell (1990) have predicted that the most unpleasant reactions of psychological strain such as fatigue, anxiety, depression and physical illness, occur when the psychological demands of the job are high and the workers have low freedom in deciding the task. This model of the high strain situation suggest that arousal energy is transformed into damaging, unused residual strain because of an environmental constraint on the persons optimal response (e.g. trying to get lunch and queues are very long, travelling distance involves a crowded, heavy traffic road; this results o n the residual strain which lasts longer than a normal arousal reaction). Basically, this model implies that environmental stressors that we are presented with in our everyday life can leave us aroused for hours, thus leading to psychological strain and therefore stress. This has great implications for individuals that tend to be more affected by these environmental factors than others. The burden of strain that workers experience on a daily basis has therefore an indirect implication for the organization as performance is affected by the unpleasant, unproductive, and in the long term, unhealthy state of workers. In respect to the unhealthy state of workers and psychological strain, extended exposure to stress has been linked to almost every illness imaginable: heart disease, high-blood pressure, metabolism problems, colds, depression, obesity, memory problems and migraines (Jaffe-Gill et al. 2007). It all comes down to the biological response to stress, Fight or Flight mechanism, which prepares us for emergency. When in danger, the hypothalamus in the brain sets off a chemical alarm. The sympathetic nervous system responds by releasing a flow of stress hormones, including adrenaline, nor epinephrine, and cortisol, which race through the bloodstream, preparing us to either escape the scene or battle it out. However, the more the stress response its activated, the harder it is to shut off which causes the stress hormones, heart rate, and blood pressure to remain elevated even after the crisis has passed. In addition, continuous activation of the stress response causes havoc on the body. This i mplies that workers who are continuously responding to stress are damaging their body; the stress response system will eventually become exhausted causing the immune system to break down, thus making it easier for various illnesses to attack the body. Consequently, this will have enormous effect on the individual, leading to reduced performance in every domain of their life, in particular work. Not to mention the number of increased absence from work that will affect the organization, financially as well as performance wise. In the December 2008 issue of Glamour Magazine, there was a very interesting article about the consequences of stressful life situations. Research shows that women are more prone to negative effects of stress as they tend to be more emotionally tuned in than guys. Women seem to stress more over a problem, they keep thinking about it over and over in their head. The stress caused by a bad day at work is an example of what experts call acute stress, which triggers the fight-or-flight response, but it is temporary and therefore it is harmful as such. It only leads to a tiring day as it burns up a lot of energy. However, when every day at work is a bad day, the acute stress turns into chronic stress, which could cause a lot of damage to your body. As mentioned before, this leads to the fight-or flight response being constantly activated and thus causing strain on the body which in turn can lead to stress-related illnesses. All body systems are affected by this. Recent British research fo und that while stress doesnt necessarily cause cancer, women that have high-pressure jobs had at least a 20% higher risk of breast cancer than those with less job strain. Research also shows that we are getting more stressed with each decade. In a report that looked at the incidence of work-related stress and mental ill-health in the United Kingdom (1996-2001), an estimated annual average of 3624 new cases were reported by psychiatrists (reported higher rates for men), and 2718 by occupational physicians (reported higher rates for women). Anxiety/depression or work-related stress were mainly diagnosed, and post-traumatic stress accounted for ~10% of cases reported by psychiatrists. Inherent to the job factors (for instance work overload) and interpersonal relations problems were generally the most common causes. Nevertheless, those in personal and protective services and professional workers also showed high rates of ill-health (Cherry et al. 2006). Managing mental ill-health requires the adaptation of the workplace to meet legitimate expectations and capacities of the worker, as well as the adaptation of the worker to increase his/her capacity to cope with work demands, through training and cognitive therapy. Therefore t o be able to do this, workers and managers need to collaborate together in order to ensure that both parties know what is expected, thus stress levels reduced. In collaboration with stress management professionals, the Health and Safety Executive has developed the Management Standards approach to reduce levels of work-related stress. This approach displays good practice through risk assessment, allows for the current situation to be measured using various data-collection techniques, and encourages active discussion with employees to help decide upon the practical improvements that can be made (HSE, 2005). This was developed after figures of stress have risen to 1 in 5 people finding work very or extremely stressful. The Management Standards include six key areas of work, which if not properly managed, can cause poor health, lower productivity and increased sickness absence. These primary sources of stress at work are: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. As the main causes of stress are now well-known, managers can work with employees to find solutions in order to reduce stress at work, unlike in the past that modest a ttempts were made to deal with them. This approach will be excellent news for organizations if followed and applied in the right manner, as well as good news for the worker as hopefully, stress levels will be reduced. One huge factor that has lead to the development of such an approach is the financial cost that work-related stress incurs on the organisation and the society. Stress is the single largest cause of occupational ill-health in the public sector, accounting for around half of all days lost to work-related ill health. In financial terms the estimated cost of sickness absence to the UK as a whole is around  £12 billion a year, and around  £4 billion of this has been attributed to the Public Sector (HSE, 2006). Each case of stress-related ill health leads to an average of 29 working days lost. A total of 13.4 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2001. Work-related stress cost society  £3.7 billion a year in 1995, a figure which has undoubtedly risen in 2008, as stress levels have undeniably soared considering the sharp fall of house prices, cut of interest rates and the loss of numerous job posts due to the current economic climate (HSE, 2005). The cost factor has great implications for organisations as they are spending unnecessary money which could instead be spent effectively to develop their business and create a less stressful work environment, rather than covering the costs of stress-related illnesses that workers seem to endure from working in a stressful work environment. Stress is upsetting to the individual and detrimental to the business at a time when the need to control business costs and ensure an effective and healthy workforce is greater than ever (Mullins, 2002). Much of ill-health is associated with the discrepancy that is caused when changes in job demands exceed the worker capacities. Mental-ill health which arises from traumatic events at work can be avoided by employing good managerial techniques to tackle stress, and in the event of the occurrence, it should be dealt with promptly and effectively.

Ontology :: essays research papers

Ontology One of the most controversial debates in philosophy has been over the nature of being. In the Pre-Socratic era the dispute focused on whether change was constant while our human perceptions made static separations so that we could make sense of our environment, or if being exists omnipresently and that our perceptions of diversity in matter are false. Plato tries to solve this dilemma with his theory of an objective reality in a realm different from that which we experience. Aristotle agrees with Socrates except that he believes an object’s true essence cannot exist separated from the object itself. I presume that we can exist with our own identity and inhere to a greater whole simultaneously, however my rationalism does not extend beyond people. Nonetheless, these philosophers all had valid conclusions and their theories compliment each other. "War is king"1 said Heraclitus. He believes that reality is not composed of a number of things, but is a process of continual creation and destruction. An accurate metaphor for his rationale is a river. It’s location remains basically the same. One can walk away from it, and return with the confidence that it will still be there. However, the exact water that flows through it is never the same. One can’t tell the difference between the water in the river now and the water in the river earlier and yet this transience of matter does not detract from the identity of the river. Heraclitus would say that all of what we experience is like the river, forever changing in a process of erosion and creation. Heraclitus’ successor, Parmenides, believes that Being must exist virtually in the mind. Because nothing cannot be thought without thinking of it as something, there cannot be "nothing"2, all that can exist is Being. If there is only Being it must be indestructible, uncreated, and eternal. If one agrees that Being is , then there can’t be any place where being is not. According Parmenides’ purely logical view, all perception of vacuous space is an illusion. Plato tried to solve this dilemma of ontology with his theory of the forms. "You have before your mind these two orders of things, the visible and the intelligible,"3 he says, which can be compared to opinion and knowledge respectively. In The Republic he uses a line analogy to explain the connection between what we perceive and what really exists. Dividing a line in four unequal parts gives us the four stages of understanding with a state of being on one side of the line corresponding to a state of understanding on the other side of the line.

Blood Work :: essays research papers

The fictional novel I decided to read was called Blood Work written by Michael Connelly. The book is pretty much about a FBI agent, retired because of his recent heart transplant surgery, he is living a retired life on his boat by himself when a girl named Graciela Rivers shows up. She tells the main character, Terry Mcaleb that his new heart is from her recently murdered sister, Gloria Torres and asks Terry to come out of retirement to find out who murdered her sister.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I really liked this book because it had a very interesting story line with many twists and turns along the way. The story follows Terry in his search for Gloria’s murderer. Along the way he gets many leads such as 2 previous unsolved cases of people murdered in cold blood for no apparent reason. Throughout the book almost all of the leads that were talked about turned out to be useless I found this to be a waste of space. But after the bulk of the book is done Terry makes the connection between the other murders that all of the victims had a rare blood type, the same rare blood type which made it so difficult for him to find a heart for his surgery. After this point the books story starts to pick up again and it all comes together when he finds out that all 3 of the murders were committed by one of the serial killers he never caught as an FBI agent known as the code killer. The code killer killed all of these people specifically so that their organs would b e put up for donation and Terry would get a new heart, the killer wanted him to live because of him. The book comes to a really good ending where all of the loose ends are tied up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What I did not like about this book was all of the wasted space and time. The book itself had a really good story but could have been told much better. I found that after the problem was stated at the start of the book it all just turned into Terry going after the same useless leads over and over again. The author could have left all of that out of the book and it would have been much more exciting instead of getting the feeling of dragging on until near the end when it picks up again.

Alienated People :: essays research papers

The Oxford dictionary defines alienation as; to estrange, isolate, detach, distance, to put a distance, to turn away from another person. Alienation, like a lot of other social attitudes and concepts, can give a wide variety of interests. I have found six main points in The Encyclopedia of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Psychoanalysis that have gotten the most attention and things written about alienation; A) Powerlessness: The feeling, belief, or expectancy that a persons behavior can't control some events whether positive or negative, B) Meaninglessness: The person feels incomprehensive in his/her social life and feels the "absurdity of life", C) Normlessness: High expectancies for, or commitment to socially unapproved ways to achieving a goal, one will go about achieving a goal in a not normally excepted way, D) Cultural Estrangement: person's individual values rejected by society, the image that the alienated value's not being standard to that of the environment around him/her, E) Social Isolation: The individuals low expectancy for inclusion and social exceptance, being lonely and commonly found a member of a minority or physically disabled, F) Self Estrangement: This focuses on the discrepancy or differences between one's ideal self and one's actual self. In the novel, The Metamorphosis, Gregor wakes up one morning as a giant insect and feels out of place. When Gregor sees his father and his attitude to him, Gregor feels alienated in that fact that his father yells and shows his anger and frustration to his son and throws an apple which gets stuck in his slimy backside. His father feels Gregor has not become successful and a failure. He probably also feels that he has let his sister down along with his mother for not being supportive enough as the father was not. Continuing with the same concept of Mr. Samsa not being a good father, Gregor felt alienated again by his mother and sister by not filling in the father role while his father was out or doing whatever. His mom and sister took things out of his room and the only thing left was a picture of a woman who he probably felt was the only thing close to him. His boss surely wasn't and his family was sure not there either. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya gets an incredible toothache and is taken to the dentist who refuses to work on her because of her race.

Article Summary

Article Summary With the increase in online courses, along came an increase in the drop out rates versus the traditional sit-in environment. During this study, valuable information was offered to increase student success and minimize drop out rates. There needs to be communication among peers and instructor to have success in online courses. A group of students from the University of Pretoria, were enrolled in a Masters program, and their online activities were tracked for 8 weeks, by a program called Learning management (LMS) track.The LMS tracking tool was able to offer nformation on â€Å"students' blog postings, 161 5 discussions posts, an online quiz, and examination essays† (Nagel, Blignaut, & Cronje, 2009, p, 41). Through their examination, they were able to categorize â€Å"three stratifications of students† (Nagel, et al, 2009, 45) and their traits. The first stratification group was the fail grade, which rarely posted, hardly collaborated with their peers, sea rched very little, rarely replied to his online community, or provided no feedback. This caused frustration among other peers that were assigned to their group project, because they never articipated. ARTICLE SUMMARY This articles looks at movies with the same patterns and show the same disaster and apocalyptic genre as the movies that are leased in the late sass. The point of doing this is to track the four theme elements that are seen in films that are released before and after the 9/1 1 attack and how they are transacted into films. These four themes are: the representation of the apocalypse; the role of human agency; the role of religion; and the using of rhetorical means to provide commentary for the films.By doing this, we are saying that the movie representations of the apocalypse are much more pessimistic after the attack on 9/11 , which I think wows that science fiction, or â€Å"sic-if,† displays wider socio-political concerns and at the same time provides the expected awesome, audio-visual displays which can be labeled as entertainment. Representations fall into two broad categories: direct and indirect.Direct representation has the benefit of being easy to evaluate and are used to solving. This article uses images that we associate with 9/1 1 to describe something traumatizing that happens and cause people to look for a reason to control and to look for something or someone to place blame. Before 9/11 , films showed to have apocalyptic themes but in the end there is always some sort of solution.For example the article talks about the movie Armageddon and how the main character detonates the bomb exactly at the deadline, causing the asteroid to split in two and miss the earth saving everyone and everything. Looking post 9/1 1 , we see that after a traumatic event, people's ideologies change, films no longer have a person save the day, the main character is very flawed, there is no happy ending and salvation is not guaranteed. The one question that stands out to me as a reader is that if humans can cause this much damage, do we deserve a second chance?No, because: â€Å"cinematic representations of the apocalypse both jettisoned overt references to Biblica l sources and shifted the etiology of the destruction away from supernatural forces and towards natural phenomena and/or the con- sequences of human action. † (Gaston and Wallis 55) As the article progresses, I notice the abundance or religious references but at the same time: â€Å"effectively removes the u preternatural as an agent of either destruction or salvation†. (Gaston and Wallis 58) .After reading this article, I came to the conclusion that anything that humans have set up in order to live comfortably like federal and local government, protection or even technology cannot be relied upon because these things could be the ones that could ultimately end us. Take for example the movie that the article refers to, V is for Vendetta. This movies is about a government that releases a virus and then turns around and comes out with a cure. Either way we look at it humans are responsible and salvation is not guaranteed. Article Summary In this article, the author, Debra Barrow, talks about how customer service has changed from the good old days of full service gas stations and face to face communication to today's self-serve, pre-recorded society. Customers back then were fiercely loyal to your business when you gave them good service in virtually any type of businesses. She examines if the downturn in the economy has something to do with the lowering of the level of customer service or if it has Just been happening for a while.The suggestions the author gives are very good and center on being empathetic to your customer. Making yourself or a representative available for face to face communication of issues and questions is also mentioned. She finishes with reminding us that competition is fierce customers have a wide choice of alternatives. The customer usually goes with the best value that they see. This does not dismiss the importance of customer service as people do remember those that treat them well.I feel th at the article is very good despite being perhaps a little obvious. But that in itself is the problem. Much of what is talked about In the article is no longer obvious to many people and they are not mindful of the Importance of giving or even achieving great customer service. As my career choice is in the information technology field, I can use the Information presented In this article to make sure that I keep both internal and external customers happy and that In turn will not only keep me happy, but will make my Job much more bearable.Ten years In customer service has taught me that while the customer may not always be right, the least that you can do Is make sure that they come away from your Interaction with a smile and feeling that their problem has been solved. Work Cited Barrow, Debra. â€Å"Customer Service Back In the Day' CustomerServlceManager. 2012. Web. Septa. 2014 Article Summary By muskellunges â€Å"Customer Service Back in the Day' that in itself is the problem.M uch of what is talked about in the article is no longer obvious to many people and they are not mindful of the importance of giving or even technology field, I can use the information presented in this article to make sure that I keep both internal and external customers happy and that in turn will not only keep me happy, but will make my Job much more bearable. Ten years in customer service can do is make sure that they come away from your interaction with a smile and Barrow, Debra. Article summary As the immigration population increases in the united States so does the New York workforce according to this article. Nonetheless this is not a very positive thing once the article goes in depth about why this is so. Sample says that in a time of widespread Joblessness, Mexicans, specifically in New York. Have proved to be skilled at finding and keeping work. The article focuses on Mexican because they are the it's largest immigrant group.They have the highest rate of employment and are more likely to hold a Job compared to the typical New Work's native-born population. This data was In accordance with an analysis of the most recently available census data. Surprisingly statistics show that Mexicans In New York are even employed at a greater rate than Mexicans nationwide. Sadly, these statistics do not happen without out the consequences of workplace abuse. There are several reasons why illegal immigrants are the targets and ideal workers for most employers.This is true for the fact that most employers are interested in hiring people who are willing to overlook some labor laws. Most of these workers said they had never been paid overtime compensation almost always were given the dirty Jobs and were sometimes forced to work on their only day off. As one of these employees said in the article, there is not much that they can do to even stand up for their right because they are too scared of either being fired or deported. The employment rate Just for New Work's working-age Mexican men is even higher at n astounding 97 percent.Some analysts believe that the census underestimates employment rates for populations with high numbers of Illegal Immigrants, Like Mexicans, because those without legal documentation fear revealing their employment status. Response: Sample addresses a lot of issues that emerge from hiring immigrants. There is not just the abuse of their rights and labor laws but, emotional or psychological abuse on these employees. This is a very helpful a rticle for those who do not understand or are angered by immigrants taking over American Jobs.It is not very appealing to the average American citizen to work long hours with a pay less than minimum wage. It is no surprise that in New York most Mexican immigrants are heavily concentrated in jobs that involve food preparation. Another area that they are not surprisingly hired in is construction. These are occupations that require a lot of hours on the Job and I know for a fact that Is can and most likely causes emotional stress particularly when hey are being extremely under paid. Article Summary One of the world’s biggest insurance companies has experienced a major setback that urged the U.S. government to take the necessary procedures in acquiring and managing the firm – AIG. The $85 million deal has spared the American International Group, Inc. or AIG to an imminent bankruptcy, which could create bigger problems for the holistic financial system.Obviously, AIG’s SOS is one of the many repercussions of the recent meltdown in Wall Street. Unlike the Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., the federal government cannot afford AIG to hit the bankruptcy pavement. AIG already was clamouring for financial aid from the government in order to prevent the firm from going bankrupt.Not until the recent Wall Street Meltdown, The federal government finally came into terms with AIG regarding the substantial loan that will spare the insurance firm from apparent bankruptcy.With this in tow, the government has acted accordingly upon its legal authority, which allows the governm ent to lend non-bank firms under â€Å"unusual and exigent† circumstances that is stated in the Federal Reserve Act.AIG’s assets secure the said loan, which gives the government the security it needs even if markets continue to hit the ground (Karnitschnig et al, 2008). The height of AIG’s financial crisis reached critical levels when the credit rating was eventually downgraded. The insurance firm was compelled to place a $14.5 in collateral.However, AIG cannot seem to acquire funds in a wink of an eye in order to sustain collateral demands even though it has enough assets to sell. Eventually, AIG’s board approved the deal that spared the firm from hitting the bankruptcy pavement. The firm’s decision will secure all AIG policyholders and the firm itself to initiate and conduct assets sales in an apt manner.The federal government was more than aware that AIG’s possible bankruptcy will create repercussions, and it will result to a domino effec t of catastrophic proportions. Considering that most mutual funds and major banks are crucial holders of the firm’s debts, AIG would be the linchpin of setbacks for these firms as well (Karnitschnig et al, 2008). As AIG’s futile attempts to garner funds from private-sector banks in order to raise as much as $75 billions in order to prevent bankruptcy, abrupt financial aid given by the government secures AIG’s finances even if its insurance operations are stable and healthy. The federal government speculates that AIG’s financial woes will beget more problems for the firm, if ever it won’t lend the much-needed finances the firm needs to spare itself from bankruptcy.AIG’s shares have plummeted 21% ($3.75) due to the fact that most investors have replenished stocks due to the insurance firm’s financial woes (Karnitschnig et al, 2008). Most insurance companies perceive that AIG is one of a kind, considering that former CEO Hank Greenberg f ounded AIG into the insurance giant that it is today. Industry pundits expect AIG to liquidate its assets in the Asian market in order to compensate for the loan it has from the federal government.However, AIG’s expansion to other emerging markets continues, as its insurance operations can result to substantial acquisition of firms in Asia as well (Karnitschnig et al, 2008).References Karnitschnig,M. et al. (2008). U.S. to Take Over AIG in $85 Billion Bailout; Central Banks Inject Cash as Credit Dries Up. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122156561931242905.html

Legislation affecting schools Essay

Linked to the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. Under this Act individuals in the UK have particular rights and freedoms however these have to balance against the rights and freedoms of others. Some articles which have a direct link to education/schools are: Article 2: The first protocol – the right to education (however this does not mean the right to a particular school). Article 8: The right to respect for private and family life. Article 10: The right to freedom of expression. Restraints of pupils are permitted under the Act however each school has their own policy and procedure for this. All children have a right to an education. Pupils have a freedom of expression. Data Protection Act 1998 Means that schools need to keep and use information only for the purpose it was intended. It also needs to be kept securely on site, either locked away in a filing cabinet or on a password protected computer. If required to update and pupil information this should be done on site and not be taken off site to complete. All information about pupils should be considered confidential and must not be shared with others without parental consent. When discussing pupils with other members of staff you should make sure that only necessary information is shared The school is protected over personal information it holds The school should issue a letter informing parents of how pupil data is protected. Schools must follow the act over how they handle data (password computers, locked cabinets). Staff need to be aware of this and reminded. Freedom of Information Act 2000 Introduced in 2005 to promote transparency and accountability in the public sector. It is retrospective and information can be sought from any time in  the past. Any person can request information for a school however this must be done in writing. Schools have a duty to provide assistance and advice to anyone who requests information but on the other hand they must evaluate the situation if they need to protect the information for confidentiality. The DCFS has produced guidance for schools and governing bodies to give advice about requesting information. Parents/students have the right to request information held by schools and local authorities. Information for information must be done in writing. Equality of Opportunity Sex Discrimination The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 makes it unlawful for education establishments to directly or indirectly discriminate pupils based on their sex, gender or sexual orientation. Admissions policies are available to be seen at hand. Local authorities are also under general duty to ensure that educational facilities and services are provided without sex discrimination. Many bodies can be held responsible for discrimination under the SDA. Race Discrimination The law states that all schools or colleges must not discriminate against people on the grounds of race in any of its policies or practices including admissions policies. All local educational authorities also have a legal duty not to discriminate. Local educational authorities have a duty to have a race equality policy and should take steps to discourage racial attacks. All schools should follow the local authority policies. Disability Discrimination Act To protect disable people from discrimination in the workplace and in the provisions. All schools have a duty to make adjustments that may be needed to ensure that the child is made welcome and is supported at all times. Schools must adhere to the Equality Act 2010. Schools cannot discriminate against pupils because of their sex, sexual orientation or gender. Children are taught about equality and diversity. No sexist book or exams. Toys that are accessible must be accessible to all. Ensure they have a Racial Discrimination Act. Have a duty to protect pupils against abuse or violence. Must no discriminate against anyone because of their race Relates to class rooms as well- all work displayed not discriminating. Schools must adhere to inclusive education. They cannot exclude on the grounds of disability or special needs. The head teacher must seek advice if needed from local authorities. Schools must have accessible resources. Staff training days to update knowledge. Special Educational Needs Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act Special educational need also known as SENDA. It is unlawful for educational providers to treat disabled children â€Å"less favorably† than they would other children. institutions are required to make â€Å"adjustments† for example providing aids like ramps. LEAs and schools plan together to make the access easier for disabled children. All registered early years providers must have a written SEN policy and a SENCO. They should also make arrangements for staff to participate in any relevant training. All pupils must not be excluded from any aspects of school due to the disability. Legislation will affect how the schools are run as they will need to comply fully with legal requirements. Schools may need to ask advice and guidance if and when needed this will usually be through the governing bodies. Special Educational Needs Code of Practice SEN code of practice, parents and SEN children have an increased right to a mainstream education. This may have an impact on the number of children who have SEN being included in mainstream schools and on the number of individual support assistants who will support them. Training and implications have been put in to place in order to support individuals and schools must now manage pupils with a more diverse range of need. Schools need to ensure they make reasonable provisions to ensure people with SEN are provided with the same opportunities as those who are not disabled. Could be through 1:1 support or building adaptions e.g. disabled toilets, ramps and sensory rooms. The school must make the best decisions to provide best values for the child with special needs. For example: a child may receive a considerable amount of IPS (Individual pupil funding) and the school must decide the best way to use this support for the child’s needs. Sources: www.yourrights.org.uk www.adviseguide.org.uk www.kingston.gov.uk