Equality For African Americans - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1926 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/04/02 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Black Lives Matter Essay Did you like this example? Shootings of unarmed African Americans by law enforcement have exacerbated rhetoric on both sides of the political spectrum and has sparked an activist movement. There have been marches and protests as a response to police officers not being held accountable for the slaughter of unarmed people of color, and the social movement that has emerged as a result is exemplified by a twitter hashtag #Blacklivesmatter. This civil rights movement is housed within a particular discourse of American society. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Equality For African Americans" essay for you Create order The idea of a post-racial society is one that many people living in the United States believe that they are not racist and that we all live on an equal playing field, regardless of skin color. It ignores historical injustices, and systematic repressive policy that has disadvantaged people of color drastically throughout American history. One could argue that it instead has led to an even more disparate racial impact. The idea of colorblindness is a direct result of the false ideology of a non-racial United States. The idea that we as a society have moved passed race has launched a counter-movement which is #Blacklivesmatter. This idea of colorblindness is exemplified with the counter twitter handle to #Blacklivesmatter, which is #Alllivesmatter. #Blacklivesmatter has received much backlash which draws parallels to the backlash of Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement began as a response to the killing of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. It continued to grow in strength with each act of police brutality. BLM was created as a counter to police brutality. It also functions to humanize and depict what Black lives actually are. The movement works as a counter balance to a society that targets People of Color and systematically works to maintain a regime of white supremacy. BLM works to change Americans perspectives, to free Black lives from inequality and empower communities of color. All Lives Matter.(ALM) was crafted as a counter to the Black Lives Matter movement. This is not a valid statement. It twists the ideology and message of BLM and portrays them as anti-white instead of being pro-black. While all lives do matter; black lives have been systematically devalued and dehumanized throughout our nations history. In our history slaves were only counted as ?†¦Ã¢â‚¬â€ of a person when counting population for the census. Why even today in our supposed post-racial society do we continue devaluing the lives of people of color? The answer lies in our society, one where institutional racism is baked into the pie, and that ripples of our blatant past racism is just bubbling to the surface today as overt racism. Race consciousness is defined as the understanding or awareness that there is a difference between one persons physical characteristics, culture and history. It is a modern phenomenon. Race was not a factor used to divide people in a society until the last few centuries. The first theories on race were based on biological characteristics of humans. When the first European explorers came to America and saw individuals who had different skin pigmentation as themselves, they began to question if they were of the same species (Omi and Winant 1986). This line of questioning lead to a desire to categorize humans in the same way animals were being classified.Race as a concept was tied to biological theory. Classification of peoples came next. The classification of these different races of people categorized by their skin color was further refined into the creation of the Great Chain of Being. The Great Chain of Being was a classification of all things on earth in a hierarchical order. It st arted with inanimate objects at the bottom, going up through inferior species, and then to humans that were the closest to God (Omi and Winant 1986). At this point in time there was further classification, deciding which group of people based on skin pigmentation was more perfect than another. The Essay on the Inequality of Races was based off of the scientific studies that saw race as a biological feature (Omi and Winant 1986). Its main theme was that superior races produce superior cultures and still acts as the basis for racist ideology even today. Race then shifted from being thought of as biological to being thought of as a social construct. The belief of one culture being lesser than the other based biological theory was being rejected. In its place was race as being defined from both a social and historical perspective. Each racial group and its importance was now being determined by a combination of social, economic, and political forces (Omi Winant 1986). This new conceptualization in which race was being formed now caused a persons skin color to be an indicator of personality traits. Biological factors were still being taken into account, but they were no longer the main reason that made one race inferior to the other. In its place, stereotypes that developed out of social, political and economic forces were linked back to the color of ones skin and it is those characteristics that society believed everyone of a certain group possessed. Racial formation, the theory developed by Michael Omi and Howard Winant, looks at race as a social construct. This theory says that what makes up a racial category and the importance of each racial category is based on a mix of social, economic and political forces (Omi and Winant 1986). In the United States, racial formation started with the birth of slavery. Before slavery, a main source of labor came from indentured servants. During this period of time, both blacks and whites were in the same social class and it was the white ruling elite that were the upper class. The growing demand for cheap labor in the South and the large size of the lower class led to the enslavement of African Americans (Takaki 1993). The elite white land owning class was oppressing the lower class blacks and whites by controlling the majority of the land, money and politics. The elite class was terrified that the lower class would overthrow them. In order to maintain power, the white ruling elite prevented the laboring class made up of black and white from joining together (Kendi, p.40). To justify the enslavement of black people the elite planter class used the excuse that blacks were a lesser race, thus both slavery and racism was born. To further reinforce this idea that black people were inferior and to divide the laboring class, whites were given more rights and positions of power (through policing and patrolling slaves) over the black people (Kendi 2016).In the time period prior to the Civil Rights era the racist ideology was centered on African Americans inability as a culture and their lesser intelligence. It was during this time that racism was also completely overt. During this time period societal norms allowed for overt racism and it wasnt frowned upon, as it is in todays society. Policy, attitude and rhetoric were all more blatantly racist than they are in our current climate. Since this period of time, racism ha s evolved. When the Civil Rights Movement was first started, the agenda was to fight these forms of racism and get the government to guarantee fundamental citizenship rights for blacks (Kendi p.387). While the Civil Rights Movement removed some legal barriers of discrimination, it did not end all forms of discrimination. Since the end of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, there has been a major shift in the expression of racism. The overt discrimination against groups of people based off of biological factors is no longer the main form of racism, it has been replaced by covert racism or the idea that we live in a post-racial America. One of the beliefs is that discrimination no longer exists and that Americans do not see the color of a persons skin; they are colorblind (Kendi, 2016). Also there is a belief that seeing race is admitting that it matters and it does still have an effect on the lives of people of color. This dichotomy of societal expectations have changed all across America in the post-Civil Rights era. Saying certain things in public or discriminating against someone based on skin color is no longer socially acceptable. Instead it is more acceptable to criticize a group due to cultural and social failings online, and most likely anonymously. Stating that America is a colorblind soc iety is also assuming that we as a nation are able to leave behind the racial divisions that have been present in our society even before the inception of the United States. That is not the reality, in fact America has simply developed a new form of racism that has replaced the overt racism of the past as the most common type of racism. This new form of racism is a culture-centered subtle form of racism, unlike the biological founded racism of the past (Kendi p.498). One of the first things people notice about someone is their race. It is used as a gauged to who they are as a person. The differences in skin color, facial features and other biological characteristics are used as a clue to determine who a person is on the inside (Omi and Winant 1986). There has been a change in what American people believe inequality is caused by. The overt form of racism instilled the belief that persons of color are born with lesser potential and ability to whites is disappearing while the colorblind form of racism shown in the belief that its black peoples lack of motivation or willpower that leads to inequality (Kendi 2016). This means that American people say inequali ty has nothing to do with the color of ones skin but instead about their individual ability. This fallacy of individual meritocracy completely ignores that past history of oppression that black people suffered. It instead puts focus solely on stereotypes that are used as excuses to justify the oppression. Since the beginning of America, black lives have been disvalued. Black people were put into bondage solely on the basis of the color of their skin and other biological characteristics. After the emancipation of slavery, black lives were still discriminated due to their skin pigmentation. The predominant form of racism is no longer overt or based on biological characteristics. This subtle form of racism has greatly influenced various parts of American society including the criminal justice system. The All Lives Matter response is a product of a colorblind society.It is used as an excuse to end conversations about race, and how it still plays a large role in our society. The Black Lives Matter Movement is a civil rights movement to fight against overt and covert racism. Its stating that race matters in a society where race is stated to be insignificant and a thing of the past by many. BLM is arguing that instead of colorblind, we need to be color conscious. BLM is not ignoring that racism is still a problem in the United States, instead it brings our current inequalities to light; especially in the wake of killings of unarmed persons of color. Race matters and Black Lives Matter. It is Black Lives Matters charge to shift public perception and make changes to the criminal justice system so that way we can live in a society that is more equitable for all lives. Works Cited KENDI, IBRAM. STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING: the Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. THE BODLEY HEAD LTD, 2017. Omi, Michael, and Howard Winant. Racial Formation in the United States. Routledge, 2015. Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: a History of Multicultural America. Little, Brown, 1993.

Rollercoaster of Arts and Architecture Brought About by...

Rollercoaster of Arts and Architecture Before the 1800’s, Europe went through many trials of major events, both good and bad, that gave people new outlooks on the world and changed many of their lives. In particular, the way art was developed and appreciated changed dramatically in most part because of the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. Soon enough art would become a way for people, (even those without high-level education) to express themselves. The new styles of architecture and visual arts that Napoleon introduced in France sparked new eras of art like Romanticism that he used to make himself popular; it caused Napoleon to be noticed, not just because of his military conquests, but also because of his artistic vision and innovation. The†¦show more content†¦For a long time, architectures had rounded arched vaults, God-like images, and represented Gothic style that began in 1140’s. As time progressed, styles began to change. During the 1000’s, a period of reconstructing in Europe, churches were built that had a Romanesque theme to them. An example of the theme would be the Abbey Church influenced by Abbot Suger. With these new creations, the shapes seen in building were beginning to differ than before. The arches of the building were pointed instead of rounded; and there was a three dimensional that gave buildings a more natural look. The new styles of art and architecture could be seen in the buildings Bonaparte had created. A building that was created lorded by Bonaparte was Arc de Triomphe, he wanted it to be in honor of his French Army, the Grande Armee. The building’s texture was neoclassical (Leland, Lelan M. Arc de Triomphe.). A new era, called The Renaissance began in Italy and in French it meant â€Å"rebirth†, it eventually moved throughout other countries in Europe. The Renaissance was a return of learning arts of the traditional age, and Renaissance artists focused on the human figure. Strange colors and unusual sculptures and painting were added. The architecture of the Renaissance continued to be Gothic but added coloring to the churches. Neoclassicism was a new style/term

A Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift - 1333 Words

â€Å"A modest proposal† by Jonathan Swift is an essay, which was written to elaborate the poverty of people in Ireland. Where poor viewed as having an absence of worth in the public eye, playing no essential part in more noteworthy else s benefit of the people. Swift uses situational irony in this essay which also represented a work of satire. By definition situational irony happens when the final outcome is opposing to what was expected. Basically his proposal was for poor children roaming around the streets. This proposal would protect these poor children from future inequality and being burden on their parents. In this essay situational and verbal occurs due to the economic crisis in Ireland during 1700s. Having looked at the title, â€Å"The Modest Proposal†, which is ironic itself because the word â€Å"modest† means to be fair or acceptable, but people did not felt fair or accepting this proposal. The economy was not stable in Ireland during 1700s; large amount of people went into poverty, hence Swift came up with a proposal. This was for poor children who were seen as burden on their parents. Here swift suggests that Ireland’s overpopulation problem has redefined the physical landscape of the country. In other words, that Ireland has become very populated, which is affecting the country’s physical appearance in terms of agriculture. It’s ironic that restrictions on agriculture prevent the land from being develop, while landowners are neglecting their responsibilities on dailyShow MoreRelatedA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift Essay836 Words   |  4 PagesIn Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, we are exposed to the timeless issue of homelessness and the state’s role in their social welfare. Swift was a fervent Irish patriot who was disgusted by the flourishing trend of beggars and hungry children that flooded the streets of his beloved country. This topic is relatable as this is a social issue that plagues many countries in the present age. Swift presents a satirical argument in which he proposes Ireland adopt the horrific practices of eating theirRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1647 Words   |  7 PagesSatire in â€Å"A Modest Proposal† and Different Articles Jonathan Swift, author of â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† tries to present different ideas in order to change the situation of Ireland. Through his proposal, he is able to get people’s attention, and the way he uses satire throughout the article made his argument more successful. He wrote this essay to show how ignored and bad the state of Ireland and its social classes are. In â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, Swift effectively uses rhetorical exaggeration to expressRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift982 Words   |  4 Pages Jonathan Swift, author of â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† tries to present different ideas in order to change the situation of Ireland. 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Swift’s technique of audience, tone, and pathos help determine the advantages and disadvantages of â€Å"A Model Proposal†Read MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift860 Words   |  4 PagesI was informed to read â€Å"A Modest Proposal† by Jonathan Swift as an assignment for creating annotated bibliographies, I began to develop an interest on how Swift came about the matter of his request into rebuilding Ireland s economy and way of life. I believed that Swift added cannibalizing children to the subject matter to give his proposal a more profound and eye-opening effect, but my readings further piqued my interests on the topic. As a result, I researched Jonathan Swift’s motives and styleRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1057 Words   |  5 Pages A Modest Proposal â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, written in 1979 by Jonathan Swift, is a fascinating sardonic, overwhelming hyperbole. He explores the miserable fate of poverty-striven Irish whose struggle in vain in an effort to feed their huge emaciated families. In the essay, Swift advocates that the penurious Irish should sell their babies to the rich ladies and gentlemen and obtain monetary power required to ease their economic predicaments. The straight-faced parody that features predominantly in theRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1340 Words   |  6 PagesA Modest Proposal was written in the year 1729 by the famous satirist Jonathan Swift. In his work he outlines the pros of eating unwanted children of Ireland for economical benefits in a time of great poverty. While the reader can obviously discard the idea of eating children, in his proposal, in a roundabout way, Swift speaks to hard pressing issues of the time. The state of Ireland is well described by Swift in this piece. He speaks of woman who â€Å"instead of being able to work for their honestRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1795 Words   |  8 PagesHave you ever thought about eating an infant to ease your economic hardship? You’re not the only one! Jonathan Swift wrote an entire pamphlet about it (satirically, of course). Satire has the ability to point out societal inadequacy and ridicule political policies in a way that is humorous in its absurdity while masking its true intent. In A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, the author’s use of exaggeration and irony to draw attention to the meaningless lives of the Irish people to English ruleRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1032 Words   |  5 PagesJonathan Swift’s satirical pamphlet, A Modest Proposal, as a way to ironically find a way For the CommonWealth of Ireland to benefit from the starving children. He proposes the idea that an un wanted child should be fattened up then feed to landlords or have their meat sold in the market. In turn curing the nation’s problem of overpopulation and contribute to the economic well-being of the nation. Swift’s satire exploits the fundamental human function of eating. The need to eat is a driving humanRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1001 Words   |  5 PagesThe story ‘A Modest Proposal’ makes the readers feel a sense of dread and disgust. ‘The Modest Proposal’ is a pamphlet written by Jonathan Swift, a satirist from the Dublin literary world, and it is a proposal being proposed narrated by â€Å"the economic projector [and] an ostensibly genuine voice which can usefully be called Swift s† (Phiddian 610) such as in previous writings, the proposal is a plan to make 20,000 poor people breed, sell the rest for money for the 20,000 poor, to raise 20,000 of the

Diversification in Mitsubishi Essay Example For Students

Diversification in Mitsubishi Essay Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy. The Mitsubishi group of companies form a loose entity, the Mitsubishi Keiretsu, which is often referenced in Japanese and US media and official reports; in general these companies all descend from the zaibatsu of the same name. The top 25 companies are also members of the Mitsubishi Kinyokai, or Friday Club, and meet monthly. The Mitsubishi. om Committee is meant to facilitate communication and access of the brand through a portal web site. The Mitsubishi company was first established as a shipping firm by Yataro Iwasaki (1834–1885) in 1870. In 1873, its name was changed to Mitsubishi Shokai ( ). The name Mitsubishi ( ) consists of two parts: mitsu meaning three and hishi (which becomes bishi under rendaku) meaning water caltrop (also called water chestnut), and hence rhombus, which is reflecte d in the companys famous logo. It is also translated as three diamonds. Mitsubishi Corporation Technos is a trading company specialized in industrial machines and mainly dealing in machine tools. Mitsubishi Corporation Exploration (MCX) operates EP projects including exploration, development and production in many regions throughout the world including West Africa as core area, US Gulf of Mexico, UK North Sea, Asia, and North Africa. Since founded in 1907,Mitsubishi Cable Industries has been contributing to the development of society by providing excellent products,such as electric wires and cables for general-purpose as well as telecommunication and more. At Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc. , not conventionally tied to the company name itself, we live up to our goal to be fresh and flexible in perspective to create new value at every opportunity. Mitsubishi Chemical specializes in developing Karl Fischer Moisture Meters and Reagents for almost a half-century. We believe that our technology and our passion for driving will help us lead the way to a new future for motoring. [emailprotected] earth. Toward a sustainable future for driving pleasure.

Saturn Essays (728 words) - Astronomy, Planetary Science

Saturn Jessica Alcalde Earth and Space Saturn SATURN Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and it is the second largest of the nine planets in the solar system. In Roman mythology it was believed to be the god of agriculture, he ate his children. Its Greek name is Cronos. Saturn is distinctively known for its ring system, which was first seen by Galileo in 1610. Of all the planets Saturn has the most moons, with a total of twenty-eight. Until recently, there were only 18 known moons that were orbiting Saturn. In the last ten months astronomers have discovered ten more, making the total twenty-eight. The diameters of Saturn's moons range from 20 to 5150 km. They are mostly made up of ice, gas and dust nebula form which the solar system was formed and from where the sun could not evaporate the frozen gases and ice. The five largest known Saturn moons are Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione and Rhea. Dione's surface is believed to be 40% rock material and it has many craters that have been caused by meteorite impacts. Many astronomers think that there is tectonic activity happening on Eceladus. Dion and Rhea look very similar on the outside because they are both very bright and wispy streaks on their surface, caused by ice from the interior that has moved to the surface. Last week, a Canadian astronomer named J.J. Kavelaars, discovered four of the ten new moons. These newly discovered moons are different from the other moons. The new ones are much smaller and their orbits are highly inclined relative to Saturn's rings and its equator. Also, they are highly elliptical. Some of Saturn's moons orbit in the same direction as Saturn and others go in the opposite direction. Because of the unusual orbit of some of the moons, many astronomers believe that Saturn captured these moons after it was formed 4.6 billion years ago. The density of Saturn compared to Earth is eight times less because Saturn is made up of mostly hydrogen. It has 88% hydrogen, 11% helium and also has methane, ammonia, ethane, acetylene and phosphine. Probes that have gone to Saturn have sent back images that show whirl winds and clouds in a deep haze. The enormous weight of Saturn's atmosphere causes the atmospheric pressure to increase significantly toward the center of the planet, where the hydrogen gas becomes condensed into a liquid. Toward the center of the planet, the liquid hydrogen is compressed into metallic hydrogen which is an electrical conductor. Electrical currents in this metallic hydrogen are what is the cause for the planet's magnetic field. At the center of Saturn, the core is thought to have a temperature close to 15,000? C. The average temperatures of Saturn's clouds are ?176 degrees Celsius. On Saturn, the time it would take to make a full rotation is ten hours and eleven minutes. Because of Saturn's fast rotat ion it concludes that the winds of Saturn's equator go as fast as 1060 mph. The rings of Saturn are named in order of their discovery. They were named after the letters in the alphabet. From the planet outward they are called D, C, B, A, F, G, and E rings. These rings are now known to comprise more than 100,000 individual ringlets. All of the rings of Saturn circle the planet. There are dark spots in some places on the rings and in the past have been mistaken for some of Saturn's moons. One of Saturn's moons Enceladus, is thought to give particles to one of the rings and they orbit together. Saturn's visible rings stretch out to a distance of 84,650 miles from the center of Saturn. But in some places the rings are only 5 miles thick. Saturn is definitely one of the more unique planets. Because of its distinctive ring system, and it's twenty-eight moons. From earth Saturn appears to look like a bight yellow object, one of the brightest in the sky. The sixth planet from the sun and it is the second largest of the nine planets in the solar system. In Roman mythology it was believed to be the god of agriculture, he ate his children. What a fantastic, great planet. Bibliography References http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/ http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?ti=01369000 www.looksmart.com/eus1 www.astronomy.com www.universetoday.com www.nasa1.com Science

The Consequences of Globalization on The Nation State †Economics Essay

The Consequences of Globalization on The Nation State – Economics Essay Free Online Research Papers The Consequences of Globalization on The Nation State Economics Essay In order to answer this question, I will first explore the main theories regarding the role of the nation state within today’s global economic order, to gain an understanding of the academically accepted view regarding the question. I will then go on to identify what is meant by the term ‘political power’, and investigate how each part of this is affected by the process of globalization. It is important to note that each nation state has been affected by the process in different ways, dependent upon the strength of the state. For the purposes of this essay I will use two examples, placing them in the loose categories of ‘Western European’ and ‘Newly Industrialising Countries’. Firstly then, let us look at two of the main hypotheses surrounding the question of the power of nation states in a global age. Some commentators argue that the process of globalization is nothing new, indeed it is a continuation of the period pre-1914, which had it self been an accumulation of progress for several centuries. Some upholders of this view believe that since the end of the cold war, alliances and oppositions between industrialised states is obsolete, and therefore erases the need and validity of the nation state. As Gray points out, though, their are major differences between today’s economic order and that of the pre-1914 world, and these differences discredit nation state power disappearing as a stage of an evolution. The international market before the outbreak of the First World War was relatively ordered, with goods mostly flowing from colonies to the western powers, yet today the balance of advantage has swung to a number of different areas of economic acti vity. Also, today’s economy cannot be managed as efficiently, or indeed as predictably, under the risks and uncertainties of a global economic and finance network, as was able under the Gold Standard. National States still have their place, yet their job becomes more difficult. A rival school of thought recognises the novelty of the global market, yet also hold that the phenomenon has rendered the nation state irrelevant. ‘Hyper globalization’ theories see the transnational corporation becoming rootless, and as such able to move freely around the world in order to maximise profits, thus eclipsing the nation state. â€Å" Like a mothball, which goes from solid to gas directly, I expect the nation state to evaporate†¦ without question, the role of the nation state will change dramatically and there will be no more room for nationalism than there is for smallpox.† Such companies, it is argued, act out of self interest determining such things as interest rates, exchange rates and the allocation of capital. From this stand point transnational companies (TNC’s) take political power into their own hands, and increasingly citizen’s wishes are subjugated to the wishes of ‘big business.’ Gray also argues against this theory, by explaining the still present relationship of TNC’s and their ‘home’ countries. Most TNC’s retain strong links in their country of origin, even whilst dividing production globally. Ownership and executive boards are based in the country of origin, and a large percentage of sales are made in the ‘home’ country. With these ‘all encompassing’ theories discredited, we must now look at more discreet ways in which globalization is effecting the political power of the nation state. In order to do this coherently, it is first important to understand what exactly is meant by the ‘political power of the nation state’. Beck gives us a good definition to work with: â€Å"The central task of politics†¦is to define the basic legal, social and ecological conditions under which economic activity first becomes possible and legitimate.† I will argue that globalization has the effect of reversing this equation by subjugating the needs of law, society and ecology to those of the economy. Nation states are in competition with each other to secure investment, and only the state which offers the lowest costs will secure the interest of the company. There are three ways in which states offer competitiveness, through low taxes (law), deregulation (all three areas) and by shrinking the welfare state (social). The promise of investment, or the threat of withdrawal means that TNC’s now have â€Å"significant leverage on the policy options of the national government.† These companies can now â€Å"limit the politics of state† An example of how the needs of the economy take priority over a nations law is the tax demands made by TNC’s. As Beck points out, the principle of levying taxes is the main principle underlying the nation state. It gives the government of said state authority to organise the economic activity of the country. The power of TNC’s and the extent of globalization means that a company can produce goods in one country, pay taxes in another, and demand infrastructural improvement in yet another. The effect this has is to create large profits for companies, but of which nothing is paid back into the national economy, thus the rise in wealth of companies becomes grossly disproportionate to the rise in wealth of the ‘home’ country. Beck gives us some examples of this based on Germany. From 1997-2000 corporate profits rose 90%, whereas wages rose by only 6%. Between 1990 and 2000 income tax revenue has doubled, whereas corporate tax has fallen by 50%. â€Å"The glad iators of economic growth who are so courted by politicians erode the authority of the state by demanding its services whilst denying it tax revenue.† The recent rolling back of social welfare programmes in much of western Europe is another consequence of the global economy, and the erosion of political power of nation states. As mentioned above, in order for a country to be competitive on a global scale, it must offer a company low costs, and this includes labour costs, as well as such programmes such as pensions and insurance. Since 1973 there has been a downturn in the international economy which has resulted in a stagnation/recovery cycle, and therefore instability. Yet there has not been a 1944 style conference to deal with the problem, instead there has been a drive to oust the welfare state, due to its uncompetitive nature . Gray argues that countries with social democratic ideologies are incompatible with globalization, as they install too many responsibilities upon TNC’s, (this, coincidentally, is why firms from the USA have the advantage) but they also rely on the assumption of a closed economy in order to survive. By policies of social democracy, Gray is referring to policies of full employment, a comprehensive welfare state and egalitarian tax policies, as well ideals of equality. In a practical sense, he argues, in an open economy it is impossible to regulate the implementation, or to enforce, programmes of equality and justice. The final sector of political power to examine then is that of creating favourable ecological conditions. This again takes us to the issue of deregulation, and nations competing for investment. Even in this era of increased environmental damage, nations cannot afford to impose policies which add the cost of such damage to the companies creating it. These extra costs will be reflected in prices, whilst companies incurring the costs are competing on a global stage with enterprises who do not. The only possible consequence is that capital will migrate to less regulated areas of the world. Pollution will still occur, yet the regulating country loses the investment. We can see from all of these examples that economic pressure causes by the globalization of industry forces national governments to place the priorities of the economy above those of other policies intended to protect citizens. These examples though show only the effects within developed countries, where regulation was already in place, allowing deregulation to occur. Let us now turn our attention to the effect of globalization on political power in newly industrialising countries. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank were created at the 1944 Bretton Woods conference, and were intended to avert another 1930’s style depression. From the 1980’s, any credit from the World Bank, intended for development, had conditions of IMF ‘structural adjustment programmes’ attached. Countries accepting such loans are forced to implement changes in their own economies which reflect the free market ideology of neo-liberalism, namely capital and trade liberalisation. In 1985 debt-stricken Bolivia accepted the IMF conditions on World Bank debt relief, and in doing so were forced open up its markets to foreign corporations, massively reduce public spending and privatise all national industry. This policy resulted in a 300% increase in domestic water prices, and Bolivia remains today the poorest country in Latin America. Here we can see that governments in developing countries have even less scope to create economic policy than those in the ‘west.’ For the past fifty years, economic growth has been organised and managed by the state. This has been weakened by a number of reasons. Firstly the internationalisation of the finance markets, in particular the floating foreign exchange mechanism has reduced the efficiency of national macroeconomics. For governments acting macro-economically, there are too many risks and uncertainties, due to the unpredictability of the global market. The role of government now resides in the microeconomic realm, by promoting flexibility in labour and production. Secondly, the percentage of economic activity now organised by TNC’s, and the growing interdependence within trade, investment and technology has taken economic power out of the hands of the nation state, thus undermining its authority and legitimacy. Finally the prevailing ideology that market freedom is an essential tool in attracting investment has led to deregulation, and therefore further powers taken from the state. As we have seen above, such deregulation has led to the rolling back of the welfare state, significant environmental compromises and the loss of tax revenue from the state. In less developed countries we have seen that an even greater loss of power has taken place. The consequence of globalization upon the political power of the nation state is the reduced power within the economic sphere. With a global finance market, single state changes in economic policy are unpredictable. With a global industry market, such changes become dictated by business and by the free market ethos. 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Contemp poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Contemp poetry - Essay Example For many contemporary poets, Wordsworth remains an inspiration as they continue to investigate their own feelings of loss and aging. However, they necessarily approach the subject from a more contemporary viewpoint that has only become more abstracted and disorganized with the increased speed of modern life. These ideas can be traced through the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop, Frank O’Hara and Rae Armantrout. Elizabeth Bishop employs imagery of the modern world to highlight the loss of youth and loneliness that she finds in the contemporary madness of everyday life. For example, although â€Å"Filling Station† is a playful exchange exploring synonyms, she uses the everyday image of a backwater gas station to investigate ideas of deterioration, loss of beauty and the feeble attempts of someone to cling to the pure. Everything within the filling station is â€Å"oil-soaked, oil-permeated / to a disturbing, over-all / black translucency† (3-5) which is only interrupted by a small stack of colorful comic books that â€Å"lie / upon a big dim doily / draping a taboret† (23-25). The metaphysical question, â€Å"Why, oh why, the doily?† (30) emphasizes the sense of lost meaning that is embodied in the presence of something beautiful in this world of aged mechanics. While the sense of self is represented in the presence of the doily and the small plant near it, it is nearly entirely subsumed by the oil and grease that permeates everything in the shop, turning all into a postmodern concept of cyborg automaton. The loneliness of the self is complicated by feelings of guilt and shame only acquired through the passage of time and loss in Bishop’s â€Å"Five Flights Up.† While the guilt permeates the poem, the memory of its cause does not make an appearance, indicating the inescapable nature of it in the new world. Any joy in the bird’s or the dog’s greeting for the new day is