Communication Is A Basis For Every Society - 1136 Words

Ebonics Communication is a basis for every society. Within each of these unique and wonderful societies live communities. In these communities one thing ties them all together, no matter how individualistic and unique they may be. This idea, this central feature is the ability to communicate. Thus gives need to the understanding of these different subcultures and the way in which they communicate. The effects of their communication on their environments and the purpose for which it was created. Specifically the language of ebonics is one of broken language and broken past tied within deep creation of slave times. Ebonics has transformed and shaped the world and society currently through its influence in the classroom, musical†¦show more content†¦The basis of the word ebonics comes from the fusion of ebony , black , and phonics , grammar. Which is the causation for a black language. We look towards the coining of the word by the california school board in 1966 which allowed for ebon ics to be the national language for african americans. Due to this declaration there has been a stigma tied with the use of ebonics with african americans. This stigma has been that those who use ebonics are of lower intelligence and associate with the racial slur of â€Å"coon† . An example of ebonics would be a speech pattern similar to â€Å" I is be the best â€Å" this useage of the english language was seen as inadequate and dysfunctional because uneducated slaves had to teach themselves the basics of reading and writing. It wasn’t until years after the civil war that african americans were able to receive a proper education regarding the english language. However it was to late for the past generation which had now grown into the working force and had families of their own. In turn this language became a basis for their children to pursue higher education and speak like â€Å" the white folk† it was considered white to speak proper english. In today s time and age it is still considered to speak white in the black community when an african american user has control over the english language. However this ties into the need for education and the reasoning that those who use ebonics were considered to be at the lowest mark

The War on Drugs a Losing Battle - 1626 Words

In 1968, when American soldiers came home from the Vietnam war addicted to heroin, President Richard Nixon initiated the War on Drugs. More than a decade later, President Ronald Reagan launches the South Florida Drug Task force, headed by then Vice-President George Bush, in response to the city of Miami’s demand for help. In 1981, Miami was the financial and import central for cocaine and Marijuana. Thanks to the task force, drug arrests went up by 27%, and drug seizures went up by 50%. With that, the need for prosecutors and judges also rose which helped boost our economy (Thirty Years of America’s Drug War). Despite these increased arrests and seizures, marijuana and cocaine still poured into south Florida. At this stage, the root of the†¦show more content†¦On January 1st, Colorado made history by becoming the first American state were marijuana can be purchased for recreational purposes, and in which marijuana is regulated from the seed to the actual sale o f the product (Marijuana Legalization Will Hurt Mexican Cartels, but How Much?). As attitudes in America begin to shift in favor of outright legalization, it increasingly seems possible that more and more states, and eventually the rest of the country might follow. Given the nature of the illegal drug businesses, this might make illegal drug trafficking a commodity. At times, the Office of National Drug Policy has said that as much as 60% of cartel profits come from the production and sale of marijuana. On the other hand, a 2010 RAND study (International Programs and Drug Policy Research Center) estimated the percentage to be between 15 and 26 percent. More recently, research by the Mexican Institute of Competitiveness released in October 2012 suggests that if only Washington, Colorado and Oregon legalized marijuana, than cartel profits would fall as much as 30 percent. Another variable which must be taken into account when analyzing the impact of legalization on the cartels is the nature of the organizations themselves. All of Mexicos criminal groups have a range of diverse business interests aside from marijuana, and most are considered poly-drug organizations, which make huge profits from methamphetamine, cocaine andShow MoreRelatedShould Marijuana Be Legalized?939 Words   |  4 PagesThe American people have been watching Reefer Madness since 1936 while reading the foreword: â€Å"Marihuana is that drug - a violent narcotic - an unspeakable scourge - The Real Public Enemy Number One!† Many Americans still believe that marijuana is a highly addictive and life threatening drug. However, there have been zero reported cases of cannabis overdose. Marijuana prohibition and propaganda have caused America to fail to benefit from marijuana legalization. The factors of the consequences of theRead MoreEffects Of The Vietnam War On America1559 Words   |  7 PagesJacob Tarlo Mr.Doogan America in history 3H, Pd. 8 20 January 2015 Effects of the Vietnam War The Vietnam War is one of the most debatable and controversial wars in U.S. History. To this day people are questioning why we ever entered a war that was over 8,000 miles away. Why would we put our soldiers through such harsh fighting conditions and why would we spend so much money on a war that was not ours? Some people say that U.S. involvement was necessary to help end Communism and important to keepRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article For Soldiers With Ptsd A Profound Daily Struggle 1476 Words   |  6 Pagesdeveloping post traumatic disorder because of war. The article â€Å"For Soldiers With PTSD, A Profound Daily Struggle† discusses the story of Dexter Pitt who was deployed to Iraq in the year 2004. Pitt was diagnosed with PTSD after a bomb injured him while in Iraq, which left him with many serious injuries that affected his physical health. Pitt shares the story of when his cousin was consistently very energetic, jumping around and bothering him after returning from war and had hit his injured arm. AccordingRead MoreChina And The Western Struggle1139 Words   |  5 Pageschina wanted. Then one day this drug opium was introduced into the country by merchants from Great Britain. The Chinese were hooked on this drug. This opened up China’s trade. At first they thought this was not so bad but later on people were getting more addicted. So the Chinese government ordered the British to stop selling this drug to their people. Britain said no. The Chinese blow up one of British merchant ship, filled with opium. This caused an all out war. The war mostly took place out at seaRead MoreAbuse Versus Addiction802 Words   |  4 PagesAddiction Terry V. Hites Liberty University Essay: Abuse vs. Addiction There is a war being wage here in America. No, it is not a civil war, nor is it the war on terrorism. This war is an effort to fight drug abuse and addiction; however, America is losing this battle. Doweiko (2012) reports that more than 15% of a state’s budget is used to fight and maintain this war (p. 2). Ruiz (2014) reports that the Ohio state Attorney General Mike DeWine says Ohio has 47 counties outRead MoreTraffic : The Post Modern Civil War1639 Words   |  7 PagesCivil War Traffic is a film written by Simon Moore and Stephen Gaghan, directed by Steven Soderbergh, and released in 2000 by USA Films. The movie tells three different stories. The first story is of two Mexican police officers, which become entangled in the Mexican cartel war, during a drug bust of one of the cartels. The second story in the movie is about a conservative federal judge in Ohio who has been appointed by the President to the position of director of the Office of National Drug PolicyRead MoreThe War Of The Cold War1244 Words   |  5 PagesBoos echoed throughout the streets of Harlem, New York in great waves of disapproval. Hippies holding up signs supporting peace, and posters opposing the Vietnam War, otherwise known as the Cold War, greeted the tired and injured soldiers. The familiarity of their hometown created a sense of peace and warmth, despite the angry cries of protest from the enraged nonconformists. As loved ones embraced their fighters, chants of outrage broke ou t from the hippies, and the soldiers, relieved to be homeRead MoreThe Mexican Cartel Is A Ruthless Crime Origination1182 Words   |  5 PagesThe Mexican cartel is a ruthless crime origination. It controls Mexico through bribes and fear. There are many factions of the cartel, and they are at constant war with one another. They war over many reasons from drugs to human trafficking. These battles often spill out into the streets causing the loose of many innocent lives. The cartel has a strangle hold on the Mexican people. The cartels operate much like other organized crime groups. Like the Mafia there are many factions. Each factionRead MoreVietnam War and American Culture1684 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Vietnam Wars Impact on American Culture Donna Whittle DeVry University Introduction to Humanities I. Introduction and Thesis Statement In the 1960’s America went through many cultural changes. Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights activist, delivered his famous, â€Å"I have a dream† speech. African Americans were fighting for peace, freedom and equality. The United States was involved in the Vietnam War, committed to anti-communism. African Americans were deployedRead MoreThe War On Drugs927 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1971 President Richard Nixon declared a War on Drugs stating that drug abuse was â€Å"public enemy number one†. Four decades later America is still waging this war that many say can never truly be won. The goal of this campaign has always been the prohibition of drugs, military aid, and military intervention with the stated aim being to define and reduce the illegal drug trade however the tactics used thus far have done little to solve the problem of drugs in the United State. The use of military

Mandatory Drug Testing for Welfare free essay sample

The rate was 6. 3 percent for those ages 26 and up (Whittenburg). Mandatory drug testing for welfare benefits should be implemented in order to eliminate excessive tax dollars from being spent carelessly on individuals who may be taking advantage of the welfare system. Random drug testing of welfare recipients would save the government and taxpayers money each year. In Drugs in Society: Causes, Concepts and Control, the authors state that â€Å"Americans spend $277 per year in state taxes to deal with the effects of substance abuse† (Lyman and Potter 8). While there is debate over the cost of random drug screening Aliyah Shahid states in her article â€Å"If welfare candidates pass the drug screening, they’ll be reimbursed for the test† (Shahid). The average price per test is $30. On average, a welfare recipient costs the state $134 in monthly benefits, which the rejected applicants wont get, saving the state $2,680-$3,350 per month. But since one failed test disqualifies an applicant for a full years worth of benefits, the state could save $32,200-$48,200 annually on the applicants rejected in a single month. Testing for substance use would also encourage people who are receiving benefits to use them to actually help their families. If a person is down on their luck because of losing their job or the ongoing economic crisis and they qualify for state aid, they should consider it a blessing and use the money for what it was given to them for. Random drug testing would be an incentive for welfare recipients to not use drugs. â€Å"†¦ experts have discovered that drug testing by the government during the Vietnam War played a significant role in deterring soldiers from using drugs, especially when testing was linked to punishment† (Lyman and Carter 341). When a person or family is in need of financial help, whether it be food, medical, or housing, they should be tested for illegal substances. If they disagree with being tested, then they shouldn’t receive benefits. No one is forcing them to apply for help but, as a condition, a drug test should be performed to eradicate people who are attempting to fraud the welfare system. Individuals who are using drugs and abusing the welfare system should be held accountable for their own actions. Applicants for the federal Assistance for Needy Families program who test positive for illicit substances won’t be eligible for the funds for a year, or until they undergo treatment. Those who fail a second time would be banned from receiving the funds for three years† (Shahid). When a person is hired at a new job, chances of receiving a pre-employment drug screen are very good. A potential employer can randomly screen an employee for drugs as well. Why not have the same policies in effect for receiving welfare and test those who are living off of the earnings of the productive? Included in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) is the 1988 experimental Job Opportunities and Basic Skills program â€Å"which required that for 20 hours every week, recipients would have to engage in work or related activities, which included training, unless their children were under 6† (Haugen and DeMott 31). How many people on welfare are actively seeking employment? â€Å"The 1996 federal Welfare Reform Act authorized but did not require random drug testing as a condition of receiving welfare benefits† (Smith). Testing as a requirement for receipt of welfare would ensure that those who are collecting benefits are indeed drug free and ready, able and willing to work. â€Å"After several decades of relatively liberal policies, PROWRA marked a definitive return to a more conservative orientation. Known as welfare reform, PRWORA reinforced the notion that public aid was a specific benefit for the deserving poor rather than a universal entitlement for all† (Dohan, Schmidt and Henderson 430). In Feature: Bills to Require Drug Testing for Welfare, Unemployment Pop Up Around the Country, Smith states: In West Virginia, Rep. Craig Blair (R-Berkeley County) has created a web site, Not With My Tax Dollars, to publicize his bill, which would apply to anyone seeking welfare, food stamps, or unemployment insurance. I think its time that we get serious about the problem of illegal drug users abusing our public assistance system in West Virginia, he wrote on the site. We should require random drug testing for every individual receiving welfare, food assistance or unemployment benefits. After all, more and more employers are requiring drug testing. Why not make sure that people who are supposed to be looking for work are already prequalified by being drug free? Senator Mike Bennett sponsored a bill that would require random drug testing of one out of ten people seeking unemployment benefits. â€Å"If they can’t pass a drug test for unemployment compensation †¦ then they can’t pass a drug test at my construction business† (Smith). In June 2011, Governor Rick Scott signed a law requiring welfare recipients in Florida to undergo drug screening. Scott claims â€Å"While there are certainly legitimate needs for public assistance, it is unfair for Florida taxpayers to subsidize drug addiction †¦ This new law will encourage personal accountability and will help to prevent the misuse of tax dollars† (Shahid). DCF spokesman Joe Follick said that families and accountability are the main focuses of the program. The taxpayers deserve to know that the money they are spending is being used for its intended purpose, he said. In this case, with [temporary cash assistance], the purpose is to help families become independent and self-sufficient. If a family receiving [cash assistance] includes someone who has a substance abuse problem, the odds of that money being used for purposes other than helping that family increases (Whittenburg). This new law was criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who argued that it is an invasion of privacy. Florida democrat Congresswoman Corrine Brown argues that the law is unconstitutional. In 2003, the U. S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Michigans drug testing of welfare applicants as a Fourth Amendment violation. The Fourth Amendment states: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no Warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing he place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. While some may say that it is an invasion of privacy, it goes back to the fact that it is a person’s choice to apply for and receive welfare benefits. Those who are abusing the system are making harder for needy families to receive benefits. Others may argue that if welfare recipients are being tested, why not test those who receive educational grants and loans? Who says who gets tested and who does not? The difference is that with an educational grant, a person has to maintain a certain grade point average in order to keep getting the funds. Without sustaining good grades, the financial assistance would cease. Now think about a person receiving welfare benefits. They should have certain rules to follow if they choose to accept financial support. If the person is doing what they’re supposed to be doing then they will keep receiving benefits. There is obviously great debate over this issue; one that will have no immediate solution. To some it is a violation of privacy, and fourth and fifth amendment rights. To others it is a waste of hard earned money going to support ones drug habits, and trying to make those abusing the system liable for their actions.

Schemas Essay Example

Schemas Essay A schema is a mental structure, a framework, used to organise our knowledge of the social world around themes or subjects. There are various schemas (or schemata) which work in many different ways such as role schemas (e. g. how to be a mother), situational schemas (or scripts) and person (self) schemas. Schemas are important because they affect how we see the world, they help guide us through it, influencing how we feel and behave in certain individual and group situations, and also towards certain individuals and groups of people. Studies show that schema have wide-ranging scope and application, from status schemas such as those used by doormen at a nightclub, influencing whether or not they allow people entry (Rivera, Lauren 2010 ) to gender-schema, and their effect on how consumers identify with brands and also how the brand in turn effects the persons self-schema ( Lau, Kong Cheen ; Phau, Ian 2010). We use schemas all the time, every day, such as in understanding what a door is. However, a primary use of schemas relates to our emotions and to our sense of ourselves i. e. our self-schemas. A self-schema is a mental model or a representation, containing knowledge about our identity, our self-concept, essentially who we are. The self-schema is a cognitive or a mental structure that integrates and organises the knowledge, feelings and ideas that make up the self-schema. Much of our self-schemas are developed mainly from how others treat us and their expectations of how we will behave. We will write a custom essay sample on Schemas specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Schemas specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Schemas specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Studies show that people behave in keeping with the expectations others hold of them e. g. participants in a study behaved in a more extrovert manner because other participants had been led to believe that they were extroverts (Synder as cited in Introductory Psychology ;G. Neil Martin,Neil R. Carson and William Buskist, 2010,Ch. 15 ). Similarly, a study by Terry Marks, Arlene Mayol and Robert de Mayo (1984 and 85) showed that a combination of depressive self-schemas and depressive life events can lead to people experiencing depression. Ninety three college students participated in a study which showed that there is a stronger link between depression and schema relevant or depressive, life events than between depression and schema irrelevant, negative achievement, events. Another source of the development of self-knowledge or self-schema is through a process known as social comparison. According to Festinger’s Social Comparison Theory (as cited in Introduction to Psychology) (1954) people need to know that their perceptions, attitudes, feelings and behaviours are valid and acceptable to others. This validity, and the confidence that accompanies this, comes from knowing that other people, who are like us, agree with our perceptions. This in turn leads to a strong self-identity and higher opinion and confidence in our own beliefs. This self-comparison shows how self-identity and our self-schemas are dependent on others, and their validation of our attitudes and perceptions. Posovoc, Posovoc Posovoc’s study (as cited in D. Trampe et al 2007) showed how important social comparison can be in our self-image and the satisfaction we have with our own bodies. This study found that body-dissatisfied women were more prone to social comparison on seeing thin female body images. This social comparison was evident when the women were shown images of models and non-models. Participants reported more dissatisfaction when they saw attractive non-models, who were seen as similar to themselves, but seeing the attractive models did not affect reports of dissatisfaction, as models were seen as different to them. As well as emotions relating to ourselves, we also have emotions relating to others, and schemas that organise and control these emotions. Aggression, physical or emotional, a behaviour that physically or psychologically hurts someone, is one such emotion. Aggression can be biological or innate, something intrinsic, that we are born with, as suggested by Freud. Freud suggests that we redirect our death wish or Thanatos towards others and this takes the form of aggression. Alternatively, aggression can result from frustration, which inevitably causes it (Frustration-Aggression theory (Dollard et al 1939 as cited in L. Berkowitz ,1989). Aggression can also be heavily influenced by situational factors that are the social context. According to Bandura’s study (1977), aggression can be learned from watching other people being rewarded for aggressive behaviour and then modelling our behaviour on these people. Additionally, the media can be a factor in both developing and maintaining aggression throughout life. L. Rowell Huesmann (1986) found that â€Å"In both childhood and adulthood, certain cues in the media may trigger the activation of aggressive scripts acquired in any manner and thus stimulate aggressive behaviour. A number of intervening variables may either mitigate or exacerbate these reciprocal effects. If undampened, this cumulative learning process can build enduring schemas for aggressive behaviour that persist into adulthood†. Thus we can see that while the media and situations where aggression is positively rewarded can be factors in developing and maintaining aggressive schema, other factors e. g. innate and biological, can also feature in developing aggression. Additionally, we use situation schema, or scripts, to help us get around, deal with particular situations for example, queuing at the bank, eating in a restaurant, and behave appropriately in given situations. â€Å" script contains a standard sequence of events characterizing typical activities in a restaurant from the point of view of the customer. †(Robert Abelson, 1981). As a result, we dont waste time interpreting each situation anew, but can rely on our schema to help guide us instead. While schemas influence individuals emotions, self-concept and behaviour, they also influence group behaviour, such as prejudice, where a group and its members are prejudged in specific ways. This is similar to stereotyping, where people share schemas of social groups and these group schemas seem to be very resistant to change (Fiske and Neuberg, 1990 as cited in Introductory Psychology; G. Neil Martin, Neil R. Carson and William Buskist, 2010, Ch. 15). Like all schemas, stereotyping is a time effective, although negative, way of dealing with people i. e. the script or schema tells us what people in a certain group are like, without us ever having to get to know them. Additionally, an individual may well hold prejudiced views but not behave in accordance with these views. Expression of prejudiced views is very much influenced by the group, and the concept of an in-group (own group) and out-group (others groups) is helpful in understanding this. People think that members of other groups (out-group) are more similar than members of their own group (in-group) (Linville, 1982). This is known as the illusion of out-group homogeneity (uniformity). Sometimes, however, this effect is reversed, so that people think their own group is more alike. This is more likely to happen if their group is a minority one. However, Alport (1954 as cited in m. Brewer 2001) proposed that loyalty and identification with a persons in-group does not always mean there will be hostility towards out-groups. This means that discrimination (which is prejudiced behaviour) can result from in-group preference, or favouritism of the in-group, rather than from hostility toward other groups. In conclusion, this assignment has explored schemas, explained how they develop e. g. hrough social comparison theory and others expectations of ourselves, and how they influence individual and group behaviour, ranging from experiencing depression, to feelings of prejudice and expression of such views. Schemas vary from situational schemas (scripts), which save us time, to group, role, gender and person schemas. Schemas are important because they try to help us understand some of the factors that influence individual and group behaviour, emotions such as aggression an d prejudice and attempt to explain human behaviour in a wide range of social contexts. References: Rivera L, Status Distinctions in Interaction: Social Selection and Exclusion at an Elite Nightclub. Qualitative Sociology, Volume 33, Number 3, September 2010, pp. 229-255(27), publisher Springer Lau, K, C; Phau, I, Impact of gender on perceptual fit evaluation for prestige brands, The Journal of Brand management, Vol 17, Number 5, march 2010, pp 354-367 (14), publisher Palgrave Macmillan. G. N Martin,N R.. Carlson W. Buskist,(2010) . Introduction to psychology ,4thed. ,Pearson T. marks, A. Mayol Robert De Mayo (1985),Volume 95,issue 2. D. Trampe,D. A Stapel F. W Siero,(2007) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 92, No. 1, 106–118 A. Bandura(1978),Journal of Communication,Wiley Online Library L. Berkowitz ,(1989), Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis:Examination and Reformulation ,Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 106, No. 1, 59-73 L. Rowell Heussman (1986) Psychological Processes Promoting the Relation Between Exposure to Media Violence and Aggressive Behav ior by the Viewer ,volume 42,issue 3, pg. 25-139 Robert Abelson, (1981) Psychological Status of the script concept, American Psychologist, Vol. 36, No. 7, 715-729 PW Linville,(1982). The complexity-extremity effect and age-based stereotyping. Journal of Personality and Social Psycholog2g, 42, 193-211. J. ThompsonL. L Crocker,C. M McGraw c. Ingerman, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Volume 52, Issue 5, May 1987, Pages 907-916 M. B. Brewer,(2002)The Psychology of Prejudice-InGroup love and Outgroup Hate,Journal of Social issues,Volume 5,issue 3,