Ideologies of Islam | Peace and brotherhood

Ideologies of Islam | Peace and brotherhood Introduction All religion preaches peace and brotherhood and Islam is no different. However, how do you justify the killing of thousands of innocents by the Islamic terrorists. Islamic terrorism is the common term for violence,[1] rooted on Islamic fundamentalism, and aimed at defending, or even promoting, Islamic culture, society, and values in opposition to the political, allegedly imperialistic, and cultural influences of non-Muslims, and the Western world in particular.  [1]   Today, it is global terrorism has come to fore of the world politics after terror attacks on World Trade Centre on 09 September 2001. While looking at the globosity of the phenomenon of terrorism, it has to be appreciated that before terrorist groups attain their national, regional or global stature the first begin the same at local levels. A consideration of the origins of various terrorist groups would indicate that the growth of the small groups into the national or supra national movements could have been attributed to, if not large measure, to the frustration of the people, with the inability of their governments to provide with the elementary justice, security and welfare. It is difficult to say at which point local terror groups joins hands with the other groups operating in the region to form supra national entities that can operate trans national boundaries. If concrete steps are not taken immediately with due foresight, terror menace can well become the the biggest threat t o mankind.  [2]   Varieties of Terrorism Radical conservative religious movements have become linked to terrorism in places as diverse as the Middle East, Ireland, Japan, and the U.S. It is necessary to examine terrorism before further exploring the link between radical religion and the embrace of violence. It is difficult to define terrorism. One persons terrorist is anothers freedom fighter. There are various types of egregious political violence that are sometimes conflated. Official documents on terrorism rarely define the term or differentiate it from other forms of violent political action, e.g., guerilla movements, ethno-nationalist conflicts or progressive movements that take direct action. Nations often brand opposition/resistance/demonstrations as terrorist to demonize and discredit those who might dissent Ahmad (1998) offered a typology of five varieties of terrorism:- State terrorism. Religious terrorism. Criminal terrorism. Pathological terrorism. Secular oppositional, or political, terrorism. There are different motives for these. Some highly visible expressions of terrorism can be thought of as spectacles of violence, media events staged to dramatize an issue by gaining the attention of the world. Terrorism acts as both a symbolic message and supposed means of social change aiming at political transformation. The terrorist act dramatically advertises the grievance to a larger community that may support their goals. Further, the pain and suffering inflicted is believed, at least by the terrorists, to avenge a prior injustice and/or attain the organizations goal.  [3]   Jehad The word Jihad links its origin to the Arabic word JHD, which means strive. Jihad in essence means the measures taken to practice religion even during the times of adversity in the face of oppression and persecution. In Arabic, the terms Mujahid/Mujahideen and jihad, are Islamic-derived terms indicating righteous struggle, and are commonly used to refer to what the Western world calls Islamic terrorists and Islamic terrorism. In the non-Muslim world, this usage is often considered to be inaccurate and giving religious glorification to murder, and Islamic terms like hirabis and Muharib have been promoted as alternatives when referring to terrorists. Islamic terrorism is itself a controversial phrase, although its usage is widespread throughout the English-speaking world. Ordinary Muslims who have nothing to do with terrorism find it reprehensible because it forces upon them a label simply because they, too, are believers of Islam. In fact, the common Muslim believes that you are making him a racial hate target by using the word Islam with terrorism. Bernard Lewis believes that the phrase Islamic terrorism is apt, because although Islam, as a religion is not particularly conducive to terrorism or even tolerant of terrorism  [4]  . In his own words:- Islam has had an essentially political character from its very foundation to the present day. An intimate association between religion and politics, between power and cult, marks a principal distinction between Islam and other religions. In traditional Islam and therefore also in resurgent fundamentalist Islam, God is the sole source of sovereignty. God is the head of the state. The state is Gods state. The army is Gods army. The treasury is Gods treasury, and the enemy, of course, is Gods enemy. This argument is countered by Jamal Nassar and Karim H. Karim, who contend that because there are over a billion adherents of the religion, the phenomenon is more precisely regarded as Islamist terrorism or, because describes political ideologies rooted in interpretations of Islam. In this vein, describing terrorism as Islamic may confirm a prejudicial perspective of all things Islamic.  [5]   Radicalisation of Islam As has been noted, modern Islamic political fundamentalism is the product of a desire by some Muslims to return to a pure faith in order to counter and overcome growing pressure from an increasingly westernized world. Identifying and analyzing these pressure points is essential to understanding the rationale behind the often violent expressions of Islamic political fundamentalism whose ultimate purpose is to bring individual, country and world under the sovereign reign of Allah. As has been noted, Islamic political fundamentalist movements are a twentieth-century development. Not surprisingly, the majority of these movements are of the Sunni variety. Of the 175 Islamic fundamentalist groups (mainly of the political variety) in the Arab world as identified by Dekmejian from 1970-1995, only 32 were Shiite fundamentalists (with an additional four having both Sunni and Shiite followers). The modern era radical clerics have interpreted the Koran to their advantage and have used it effecti vely to strengthen the military wing of Islamic fundamentalists and use terrorism as a tool against the non practitioners of Islam. Some clerics supporting the hard stand against non Islamic societies and nations are reflected in the subsequent paragraphs. Radical as part of his sermon one Friday in August 2004, the Palestinian Sheikh Abu Muhammad al Maqdisi told his followers, Cutting off heads is part of our religion. Indeed, by God, slaughtering Allahs enemies is part of our religion. It should be done in accordance with the interest of Islamic nations. In another article titled The Infidels will be Obliterated, the cleric Seif al-Din al-Ansari writes Allah made annihilating the infidels one of his steadfast decrees. According to (divine) natural law of alternating fortunes, Allah said (Allah will) obliterate the infidelsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.It inevitably follows that this wisdomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.has become the way the life is to be livedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The (Koran) mentions his decree frequently, to the point that it makes you feel that it is truth of supreme importance. In another context, Shiekh Nasser ibn Hameed, an al Quaeda affiliated Saudi cleric, considers the permissibility of using the weapons of mass destruction to bring about the will of Allah. The sheikh concludes that, considering what Americans have done:- If a bomb was dropped on themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦that would annihilate 10 million and burn their lands to the same extent that they burned the Muslim lands this is permissible with no need to mention any other proof. Yet if we want to annihilate a greater number, we need further proof  [6]   Creating an Ideology A century ago, Islam had the same Koran, the same Prophet Muhammad, the same stories about founding of the faith, and the same religious and the legal traditions. Yet there were no suicides bombers like Salah Ghandour, no incendiary leaders like Hassan Nasrallah, no militant sheikhs like Yousaf al-Qaradawi and no murderous conglomerates like Hamas and al Qaeda. And that there was not should give pause to all those who claim that Islam is, necessarily, a violent and destructive faith. To attribute todays problems to the essence of the religion is to commit a grave error of oversimplification. Islam is a grand tradition that has proven itself capable of sustaining many different cultures, philosophies, approaches to life and political arrangements. Since September 11, and to a lesser extent before, many authors have probed the history of Islam and the Arabs in search of the roots of extremism. One good place to start is the story from the recent past, the story of Sayyid Qutb, an Egypt ian writer who is described as the intellectual hero of every one of the groups that eventually went to Al Qaeda, their Karl Marxà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ their guide.  [7]   Sayyid Qutb was born in Egypt in 1906. His early education was in the western system of education. After completing his studies, he took up the job of a teacher. He later became a novelist and a functionary in Ministry of Education, Egypt. In late 1940s he did his masters from Colorado. However, during 1930 to 1950, Qutb lost faith in the secular system and became a radical Islamist. On return from America, Qutb supported the Nassers secular revolution. Difference arose between Nasser and Qutb and later was imprisoned. It was during this time Qutb wrote some of his best known and influential work Milestone (a thirty volume commentary on Koran) and In shade of Koran. Qutb was latter executed by Nasser in 1966, giving Islam its earliest and most revered martyr. Qutb was influenced by Mawdudis writings but constructed a khariji-like revolutionary ideology. He stressed both Gods sovereignty and governance (hakimiyya) and the unity of God (tawhid) with the resulting unity in nature, rel igion, society, and state as the foundation of the integrated and comprehensive Islamic system. Qutb transformed the meaning of the Islamic term hijrah (emigration) from a simple description of the Prophets historic migration from Mecca to Medinah to signifying a definite stage in the development of all true Muslim societies hijrah is the response of true Muslims to the state of jahiliyya prevalent in their society. They must withdraw from society in order to create a vanguard of committed activists able to take over society when the right time comes.  [8]  Some of Qutbs interpretation of Jahiliyyah in his own words are as follows:- Islam cannot accept any mixing with Jahiliyyah, either in its concept or in the modes of living which which are derived from this concept. Either Islam will remain or Jahiliyyah: Islam cannot accept or agree to a situation which is half Islamic and half Jahiliyyah. The foremost duty of Islam in this world is to depose Jahiliyyah from the leadership of man, and to take the leadership into its own hand and enforce the particular (Islamic ) way of life. Indeed, people are not Muslims, as they proclaim to b, as long as they live the lier of Jahiliyyahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Today th task f the call is to return these ignorant people of Islam and make them into the Muslim all over again. A person who feels the need of defence, justification and apology is not capable of presenting Islam to people. Indeed, he is a person who lives the life of Jahiliyyah, hollow and full of contradictions, defects and evils, and intends to provide justification for the Jahiliyyah he is in. These are offender against Islam.  [9]   Qutbs central mobilizing concept was a reinterpretation of Jahiliyya, and provided an ideology to military faction of Islamic leaders. Most terrorist Islamic groups today, derive their ideology from his writings. Interpretations of the Quran The role played by the Quran, Islams sacred text, in opposing or in encouraging attacks on civilians is disputed. Certain scholars such as Zakir Naik have said all Muslims should be terrorists in the context of war and fighting evils of society. When he was asked about the verse. Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies. [Quran 8:60] He replied. Every Muslim should be a terrorist. A terrorist is a person who causes terror. The moment a robber sees a policeman he is terrified. A policeman is a terrorist for the robber. A Muslim should be a terrorist for the Robber and all other anti-social elements. The Princeton University Middle Eastern scholar Bernard Lewis, states that Islamic jurisprudence does not allow terrorism. Professor Lewis notes At no time did the (Muslim) jurist approve of terrorism. Nor indeed is there any evidence of the use of terrorism (in Islamic tradition). Muslims are commanded not to kill women, children, or the aged, not to torture or otherwise ill-treat prisoners, to give fair warning of the opening of hostilities, and to honor agreements. Similarly, the laws of Jihad categorically preclude wanton and indiscriminate slaughter. The warriors in the holy war are urged not to harm non-combatants, women and children, unless they attack you first. A point on which they insist is the need for a clear declaration of war before beginning hostilities, and for proper warning before resuming hostilities after a truce. What the classical jurists of Islam never remotely considered is the kind of unprovoked, unannounced mass slaughter of uninvolved civil populations that we saw in New York two weeks ago. For this there is no precedent and no authority in Islam. Indeed it is difficult to find precedents even in the rich annals of human wickedness. In 2007, Osama bin Laden, best known for the September 11 attacks, used quotes from the Quran-and a militant Taliban clerics interpretation of those verses-to justify his declaration of war on Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistani army, such as: O prophet! Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them. Their abode is hell, and an evil destination it is. [Quran 9:73] O you who believe! Take not the Jews and Christians for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guides not a people unjust. [Quran 5:51] And fight them until theres no fitnah (polytheism) and religion is wholly for Allah. [Quran 8:39] However, the interpretation of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban has been condemned by influential group of Pakistani scholars and religious leaders, who declared that suicide attacks and beheadings as un-Islamic in a unanimous resolution. Marmaduke Pickthall, a Western convert to Islam and an Islamic scholar notes that Nowhere does the Quran approve a spirit of revenge and situates verse 2:194 in the context of a defensive war. Ibn Kathir stated that the Quran clearly commands believers to prefer forgiveness over retaliation wherever possible. Michael Sells and Jane I. Smith (a Professor of Islamic Studies) write that barring some extremists like Al-Qaeda, most Muslims do not interpret Quranic verses as promoting warfare; and that the phenomenon of radical interpretation of scripture by extremist groups is not unique to Islam. According to Sells, Most Muslims no more expect to apply the verses at issue to their contemporary non-Muslim friends and neighbors than most Christians and Jews consider themselves commanded by God, like the Biblical Joshua, to exterminate the infidels.  [10]   Root Cause of Terrorism The Worldview of the Fundamentalist. It is obvious to mention that Islamic fundamentalism is caused by the actions of the fundamentalist. What we can ask ourselves is what drives these individuals to advocate fundamentalism? Several scholars have proposed that fundamentalists adopt a literal reading of the Quran. Consider the following verses:- And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah is worst than killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid-al-Haram (the sanctuary at Makkah) unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the unbelievers (Surah Al-Baqarah). If one takes a literal reading of the above passage, then it is quite obvious that Muslims should kill non-Muslims where and whenever the former thinks that they are in a position to do so. Take for example Palestinians. Palestinians have been resettled to accommodate for the state of Israel, consequently displacing the former from their own homeland in the process. When seen within the light of the above verses, the perceived injustice suffered by the Palestinians would mean that Palestinians have every right to oppose the Israelis as well as their American benefactors. This is if a literal reading of the above verses is taken devoid of the context and historical circumstances that gave rise to such verses in the first place.  [11]   Islams Identity Crisis in Confronting Modernity. The historical inevitability and pain of transition to modernization/capitalism has been met with resistance and conservative religious leaders sees such forms as imperialism, colonialism, and the spread of neoliberal ideology. As conservative religious leaders struggled to deal with the advent of modernity, Islamic modernizers were more open. Indeed, these Islamic modernizers worked with secular nationalists and were better able to cope with modernity, using European models of socialism and capitalism for nation building and national development (Hossein-Zadeh, 2005). However, when socialism and capitalism failed to deliver for example, instances of poverty were rife; people were alienated from the system they were in; materialism and decadence prevailed in the capitalist system the disappointed masses of the Muslim world turned to the more radical message of Islam as Muslims especially those alienated and disaffected by socialist and capitalists models looked for an Islamic Alternative. This yearning signalled a desire to return to the state of Islam during its Golden Age. Conservative religious leaders thereby became the sources of mobilization and self-respect as the disappointed masses sought to return to the Golden Age (Hossein-Zadeh, 2005).  [12]   Socio-Economic-Political Factors. Islam is not a monolithic entity how Muslim states/Muslims relate to the non-Muslim other depends a lot on their socio-economic-political factors. For example, poverty and undemocratic regimes are significant factors that can contribute to Islamic militancy. In Aceh (Indonesia) and Mindanao (Philippines), marginalized Muslim communities suffer acute deprivation and alienation vis-vis the post-colonial state dominated by the ethnic and religious minority (Rahim, 2003). Additionally, given the lack of democratic mechanisms in these regions, there are no means for legitimate and sufficient political representation thereby making Islamists act subversively. Undemocratic and draconian measures adopted by oppressive regimes to contain the radical Islamists will also exacerbate the threat rather than effectively reducing it. Instances of poverty as well as undemocratic regimes and draconian legislation among many other factors can contribute to the conditio ns fuelling Islamic Militancy.  [13]   American Foreign Policy. American foreign policy is also a significant variable in the surge of Islamic Militancy. Many argue that Islam is a religion of peace Islamic terrorism, however, is a product and response to American foreign policy. This sentiment is reflected upon Americas unconditional support for Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the ubiquity of American troops in the Gulf; historical legacy of European colonialism; and terrorist attacks are a cumulative process of humiliating Arabs (for example, displacing Palestinians in their homelands; the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal; torture techniques used by the Bush administration). The rise of non-state actors such as Osama Bin Laden represents the Muslim and Arab worlds rage against American hegemony or simply arrogance/hubris (the so called Liberation Theology). Moreover, the double standards as exercised by the Americans in regards to supporting oppressive regimes so as to secure regional cooperation in the war against terrorism is seen as having veiled intent that the war against terrorism could be a war against Islam. American, it has been argued, should look into the causes and conditions that fuel Islamic rage that is, by reflecting upon its own foreign policies rather than blaming the other for the calamities that had happened thus far.  [14]   Drug Trafficking. Drug trade entered the murky scene of terrorism, in a big way, in Afghanistan during the Taliban operations using Afghanistan Pak axis. Initially, they justified the use of drug business as it was for a sacred cause and even convinced the clergy. However, gradually it became a part and parcel of their activities and drug mafias became big players in the venture and terrorist became synonymous of drug trafficker. Equally, the wide network created by the drug mafia was exploited by the terrorist outfits for their operations. As big money was involved politicians in Afghanistan and Pakistan were easily drawn into vicious circle. Drug trafficking provided the illegitimate money to fuel the Holy War Jihad across the globe. Conclusion Perhaps more important than ideological debates over the nature of Islamic history is the future of reform in Islam. Kepel (2002) suggested that Islamist terrorism does not, nor can it produce its intended goals and has become consumed with a fantasy of a world-wide triumph of radical Islam. Understanding the reasons for rise in fundamentalism in Islam and factors contributing to global terrorism, it is neigh important to take concrete measures against terrorism, else, we are likely to inherit aworld without peace to the coming generations. Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. 33.29. Quran

The Debate Regarding the Freedmans Bureau Essay -- African American B

The Debate Regarding the Freedman's Bureau Historians and political theorists have delineated the concept of equality into two categories: the competitive individualist notion of equality of process and the egalitarian ideal of equality of results. The former is concerned with providing a level playing field for all, while the latter focuses on a just distribution resulting from the process. Richard Ellis, in his book American Political Cultures, challenges the Hartzian thesis that historically Americans favored equality of process over equality of results, making them competitive individualists. Ellis argues that â€Å"what is exceptional about America is not that it lacked a results-oriented vision of equality but that those who favored equalizing results believed that equal process was a sufficient condition for realizing equal results† (Ellis 1993: 44). In other words, the egalitarian spirit was not absent from American history, but Americans believed that justice would best be served through competition. Ellis is correct in making this fine distinction, yet it is important to note that historical evidence suggests that some factions clearly emphasized equality of results regardless of equality of process. In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Du Bois’ recounting of the political debate regarding the Freedman’s Bureau, clearly highlights this ideological difference. Du Bois poignantly captures the necessity for a legal equalizing measure in his description of the tragedy of slavery and the ragged, conflicted nature of the black consciousness that resulted. He writes, â€Å"the facing of so vast a prejudice could not but bring the inevitable self-questioning, self-disparagement, and lowering of ideals which ever accompany repressio... ...ows, that given dire circumstances, Americans indeed turn to measures to ensure equality of results rather than relying on equality of processes. Of course, suffrage left much to be desired for African American equality. Jim Crow laws and other forms of racism continued to plague American society for many decades to follow. Nonetheless, the legacy of the Bureau remains an important part of American political history. It may require extreme instances of human misery, tragedy, and utter inequality (such as the institution of slavery) to highlight a push for equality of results regardless of the processes. This egalitarian ideology clearly is evident in post-Civil War American legislation. Works Cited: Du Bois, W.E.B. 1997. The Souls of Black Folk. Boston: Bedford Books. Ellis, Richard. 1993. American Political Cultures, New York: Oxford University Press.

Looking for Alaska

Looking For Alaska In life we face many issues and challenges. Perhaps the most challenging time is when we are Teens. Being a teen means being in that time period when we feel invincible, reckless and we are still trying to figure out who we are. For Miles Halter, he was just like everybody else. John Green’s novel Looking for Alaska tells the story of Miles Halter, a shy teenager who transfers to Culver Creek Boarding School for his junior year of high school, in search of the â€Å"Great Perhaps. † While at Culver Creek, Miles faces many issues including trying to fit in, falling in love, and death. When Miles lived in Florida he had no friends. He would always eat lunch by himself and everybody picked on him. When the chance came up for Miles to go to a boarding school in Alabama, he begged his parents to let him go. When Miles arrived at Culver creek he was greeted by his roommate Chip. The first night at his dorm Miles was awoken to some boys who picked him up and threw him in the lake. For many teenagers moving to a new place means starting over. You get to make new friends and nobody knows who you are. The challenges kids face when moving, however is trying to fit in when everybody knows each other. The surroundings are new and you don’t really know anyone. For me moving when I was 13 it was the scariest thing in my life. I, like, everyone else had a hard time making friends, but eventually I did. Falling in love is also another issue teen’s face. When in high school there is always that boy or girl who catches your eye. When Miles started hanging out with his roommate Chip, he met Alaska Young. Alaska was the girl that didn’t care what anybody thought of her. She smoke, she drank, and she even pulled pranks, but Miles started falling in love with her. The issue that Miles had to face with falling in love was that he was starting to turn bad. Miles started smoking and drinking just to look cool for Alaska. I think many Teenagers do things that they normally don’t do to impress a girl or boy whether it’s good or bad. After a night of partying Miles wakes up and gets a phone call. The person explains to miles that Alaska got in a car accident while intoxicated and died. Miles thinks it is one of Alaska’s pranks and starts to laugh. When Chip opens the door sobbing, Miles realizes that what the person said on the phone wasn’t pulling a prank. Sobbing, Miles realizes that the girl he loved is dead. During her funeral, Miles is nowhere to be seen and is skipping class to get drunk and high. Many teens have to deal with a loved one dying. When a loved one dies many teens get the mindset that their live is not important without that person in it. All in all Miles did have to face more issues than many teens, but the struggles Miles had to face made him who he is. We all face issues during our teen live whether it’s trying to fit in, falling in love, or the death of a loved one. We must move on from these issues in the end, and they will make us the people we are. Looking for Alaska Looking For Alaska In life we face many issues and challenges. Perhaps the most challenging time is when we are Teens. Being a teen means being in that time period when we feel invincible, reckless and we are still trying to figure out who we are. For Miles Halter, he was just like everybody else. John Green’s novel Looking for Alaska tells the story of Miles Halter, a shy teenager who transfers to Culver Creek Boarding School for his junior year of high school, in search of the â€Å"Great Perhaps. † While at Culver Creek, Miles faces many issues including trying to fit in, falling in love, and death. When Miles lived in Florida he had no friends. He would always eat lunch by himself and everybody picked on him. When the chance came up for Miles to go to a boarding school in Alabama, he begged his parents to let him go. When Miles arrived at Culver creek he was greeted by his roommate Chip. The first night at his dorm Miles was awoken to some boys who picked him up and threw him in the lake. For many teenagers moving to a new place means starting over. You get to make new friends and nobody knows who you are. The challenges kids face when moving, however is trying to fit in when everybody knows each other. The surroundings are new and you don’t really know anyone. For me moving when I was 13 it was the scariest thing in my life. I, like, everyone else had a hard time making friends, but eventually I did. Falling in love is also another issue teen’s face. When in high school there is always that boy or girl who catches your eye. When Miles started hanging out with his roommate Chip, he met Alaska Young. Alaska was the girl that didn’t care what anybody thought of her. She smoke, she drank, and she even pulled pranks, but Miles started falling in love with her. The issue that Miles had to face with falling in love was that he was starting to turn bad. Miles started smoking and drinking just to look cool for Alaska. I think many Teenagers do things that they normally don’t do to impress a girl or boy whether it’s good or bad. After a night of partying Miles wakes up and gets a phone call. The person explains to miles that Alaska got in a car accident while intoxicated and died. Miles thinks it is one of Alaska’s pranks and starts to laugh. When Chip opens the door sobbing, Miles realizes that what the person said on the phone wasn’t pulling a prank. Sobbing, Miles realizes that the girl he loved is dead. During her funeral, Miles is nowhere to be seen and is skipping class to get drunk and high. Many teens have to deal with a loved one dying. When a loved one dies many teens get the mindset that their live is not important without that person in it. All in all Miles did have to face more issues than many teens, but the struggles Miles had to face made him who he is. We all face issues during our teen live whether it’s trying to fit in, falling in love, or the death of a loved one. We must move on from these issues in the end, and they will make us the people we are.

Slavery is The South essays

Slavery is The South essays Slavery played a dominating and critical role in much of Southern life. In the struggle for control in America, slavery was the Souths stronghold and the hidden motive behind many political actions and economic statistics. By dominating Southern life, slavery also dominated the economic and political aspects of life in the South from 1840 to 1860. By the 1840s and 50s the Southern economy had almost completely become slave and cash crop agriculture based. Without slaves in the south a person was left either landless and penniless or struggling to get by on a small farm. However, even though slaves dominated the southern economy, slaveholders only included about 2 to 3 percent of the population. This small percentage was the amount of people successful in a slave based, cash crop agricultural, Southern economy. Therefore, the Southern economy was controlled and dominated by those who did and did not have slaves. Furthermore, with the high demand for Southern items in Europe and Northern America more slaves were needed in the South to produce these cash crops. Without slaves there would be no cotton, tobacco, or sugar production and without these integral items the Southern economy would absolutely fail. The South depended on slaves to fuel their economy and therefore slavery dominated their economy. Between 1840 and 1860 many political issues, debates, and actions were inflamed by slavery. As America grew, the South wanted more slave states and the North wanted more free states to increase their hold in politics. One important act that fueled the slavery dominated political world of 1840 to 1860 was the Kansas and Nebraska act written by Stephen Douglas. This act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and called for popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska which under the Missouri Compromise had been free. The Missouri Compromise was originally an act to ...

Relevance in Modern Society Essays

Relevance in Modern Society Essays Relevance in Modern Society Essay Relevance in Modern Society Essay This essay will look at social influence and explore the concepts of conformity and obedience looking at related studies and their relevance in modern British society. The term social influence refers to the way social situations can influence our behaviour and beliefs. This essay will focus particularly on the reasons and the extent to which people conform to group pressure or majority influence and obey the orders of authority figures. David Myers (1999 cited in Cardwell et al. 2004, p.155) described conformity as â€Å"a change in behaviour or belief as a result of real or imagined group pressure† this is something most people can identify with; the feeling that we are under pressure to act a certain way so that we are accepted or do not stand out of the group. There are two main reasons why people conform; Normative Social Influence – wanting to be liked or accepted by the group and Informational Social influence – not wanting to be wrong or seem out of place. In Asch’s original 1951 experiment he wanted to test whether people would give an incorrect answer because of the influence of the group even though there was a clear correct answer (Lawton et al, 2011, p155). To test this Asch used 50 male college students as naà ¯ve participants. Believing that they were taking part in a vision test, the participants were put into groups with 6 other male students who were confederates of the experimenter. They were each shown two cards; one test card showing one vertical line and another showing three vertical lines of varying length. One of the three lines was always obviously of equal length to the test line. They were asked to call out in turn which of the three lines they thought was the same length as the test line. The naà ¯ve participants were always last but one to answer. In 12 of 18 trials the confederates gave a unanimous incorrect answer, these 12 trials were called the critical trials. Participants conformed on 32 per cent of the critical trials, 74 per cent of participants conformed at least once and no participant conformed on all of the critical trials. In post-experimental interviews Asch found that some participants said they conformed because they didn’t want to look silly or be the minority even though they knew they were giving an incorrect answer. These participants were affected by normative social influence; they conformed so that they would be accepted by the group. However most participants said they conformed because they thought that their perception of the lines must have been inaccurate as everyone else had seen something different. This is informational social influence; the participants questioned their own judgement because they felt the majority could not be wrong. Although Asch’s study provided a controlled way of measuring conformity, there are some criticisms of his research. This type of situation is unlikely to occur in everyday life, showing the experiment lacks ecological validity. Another criticism is Asch’s limited sample of participants. Not only does this sample not represent cultural differences; non-Western cultures like Japan and China are generally more likely to conform than Western cultures like the USA (Gross and Rolls, 2003). But also, a group of all male college students may be more or less likely to conform because they are among their peers. As people in the USA in the 1950s were more conformist and conservative than our current more liberal and individualist society, Asch’s research has little relevance to modern day British society. Zimbardo et al (1971) conducted an experiment that aimed to investigate how readily people would conform to social roles and whether brutality of prison officers was due to the individual’s personal characteristics or the prison environment (Simply Psychology [online]).  Zimbardo et al (1971) selected healthy, emotionally stable, male volunteers to take part in a two week experiment. The volunteers were randomly assigned roles of prisoner or guard. Prisoners were then arrested by local police, blindfolded and taken to a mock prison in the basement of Stanford University where they were issued with prison uniform and a prison number. The guards wore military-style uniforms with reflective sunglasses and carried a truncheon and handcuffs. The experiment was abandoned after just six days as the guards conformed so enthusiastically to their role, becoming aggressive and abusive towards the prisoners. After guards tackled an initial rebellion two days into the study the prisoners because submissive and began to develop signs of depression and anxiety. Some prisoners showed such severe symptoms that they were released from the experiment early.

Compare and contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 25

Compare and contrast - Essay Example tly, Barbara Ehrenrich’s piece, â€Å"Serving in Florida† relates a very personal tale of the hardship that an individual seeking to earn a living on minimum wage faces. Taking this experience on as a project, Ehrenrich soon realizes that in order to afford the rent, utilities and fuel that will take her back and forth to her minimum wage job she will need to take on another minimum wage job to break even. Although it would have been possible for the writer to engage the reader on a purely economic level of understanding, Ehrenrich’s piece is instead deeply emotional as the reader comes to an appreciation of the fact that the current system creates a virtual trap by which people are forced to work themselves to an early death; just as a function of â€Å"breaking even† (Ehrenrich 9). As Ehrenrich notes, this is in stark contrast to the sacrifices that previous generations have made in order to save and slowly lift themselves out of poverty. Moving on to the second article, entitled â€Å"Culture of Success†, the reader can note that the personal tone that Ehrenrich engages is missing. Instead, the focus is placed on the fact that the labor market is flooded with college graduates; which in turn reduces the incentive for an individual to saddle themselves with mountains of debt that a college degree necessarily creates. The hardship, as the article implies, is the fact that the college degree no longer guarantees economic success for the future aspirations of the individuals that receive it. Instead, a saturated job market is proliferated by individuals with college debt and rather useless college degrees; creating a situation in which the incentive to gain higher education has all but evaporated (Brinck 4). Another differentiation that is impacting upon the job market has to do with the fact that fewer and fewer minorities are making the decision to invest the time and money that is required for a college degree . Reviewing this decision from the standpoint

The Main Developments of E-Marketing Based on a Comprehensive Essay

The Main Developments of E-Marketing Based on a Comprehensive Literature Review - Essay Example The main interest of a business is to know what their consumers’ need. The advantage of this type of marketing is that it customizes its offers, personifies the sites, and this provides added value. The customer can choose whatever he wants and other varieties that have been offered. This also improves the loyalty of the customer. The traditional type of marketing was only focused with the physical appearance of the product. Using the internet the cost paid by the consumer and the profit expected are both put in check. The customers can purchase whatever they like on the internet wherever they are, and get the item delivered to them instead of them going around physically and wasting time. Internet marketing offers a two way communication. These means that a business could easily fit in a customer’s needs, and provide whatever the market needs. Another advantage of internet marketing is that it reduces the many advertisements done on TV and radio, hence minimizing costs of selling the business. The speed of communication is also favored between the buyer and the seller. Time is saved unlike the way it was done traditionally. During the transportation of the products purchased, there could have been delivery obstacles, leading to insufficiency, but e-marketing has really reduced such inconveniences. It can also be noticed that transportation costs are reduced as the customer will not travel from point to point in search of a product in the market. A customer will also enjoy the reduced transaction costs and will not be suffocated by time and space. Internet marketing has helped the upcoming business in their difficult areas like unskilled labor, reduced business costs and increased productivity, inadequate capital and unavailability of good infrastructure. HOW TO DETERMINE IF E-MARKETING IS WORKING FOR YOU OR NOT When determining this, one should look at the effectiveness of a marketing strategy. It should be cheaper, faster and better than previou sly. There are some ways in which industries and organizations can measure if E-Marketing is working for them or not. As (Mokhtar & Burgess, 2002pp1368) suggests, â€Å"Increased revenue per employee, customer satisfaction, reduced inventory, increased sales per salesperson, an increase in market share and increased profits† are some of the ways in which the success of internet marketing can be determined. LIMITATIONS OF E-MARKETING ESPECIALLY TO SMALL ENTREPRISES Most of these enterprises lack E-infrastructure, they are not aware of what is happening, limited capital, low technology skills, unskilled labor, social and cultural inhibits just to mention but a few. These barriers have always pulled their business backwards. Strict policies in some countries could also affect the good performance of the businesses. Culture can be a barrier when looking at the ICT adoption. ADVANTAGES OF E-MARKETING It is vital to note that the traditional marketing activity occurs in three main channels. Distribution Transaction Communication. These advantages are divided into three main parts. They include Communication channel: information can be easily exchanged from the buyer to the seller. This can improve how the organization interacts with the customer and have a perpetual experience. By communicating directly with the customer, on is able to gather