Thursday, November 28, 2019

How important were the Womens Suffrage Campaigns in the decision ot grant women the vote in 1918 Essay Example

How important were the Womens Suffrage Campaigns in the decision ot grant women the vote in 1918 Essay On June 19th 1918, the House of Commons voted 385 to 55 to accept the Representation of the Peoples Bill, thus granting the vote to women for the first time. This represented the culmination of a long process of change in the 19th and early 20th century, when many middle class women had made significant advances into the male sphere, especially in work and politics. Womens suffrage was constantly kept on the political agenda. They had become much more involved in a range of serious activities across society which made it harder for politicians to justify not giving them the vote. With ? of adult males having the vote by 1884, it seemed unfair that women, like mentally unstable people and criminals, were denied the basic right to vote.Therefore, as no one in any political party was campaigning for votes for women the Suffrage societies formed. Both the Suffragist, and later the Suffragette, campaigns were extremely important in convincing politicians to grant women the vote, as they b rought the cause to a national audience and highlighted the political inequalities between men and women at that time. However, there are other factors such as the Great War, which gave women the opportunity to show that they could keep the country going in a time of need that played significant roles in the decision to extend the franchise to women in 1918. It is largely assumed that the decision was made as a reflection of MPs appreciation of the womens war work, though historian Martin Pugh suggests that it was just a continuation of the pre-1914 majority in Parliament for womens suffrage. Above all, the campaigns of the womens suffrage societies were vital in the passing of the 1918 Bill, as the vote may not have been granted to women had they not been so effective before the war. It is certain that the pre-war suffrage movement, especially that of the Suffragists, prepared the basis for votes for women.The National Union of Womens Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) was formed in 1887 u nder the leadership of Millicent Fawcett. They were the first group of women to argue for women to receive the vote. All suffrage movements before this were localised and so had no real impact on politicians. The NUWSS was made up of middle class women who campaigned in reaction to the further enfranchisement of men after the Second Reform Act of 1867, where skilled working class men gained the vote, yet all women were excluded.These middle class women campaigned in the NUWSS as they had free time and comprehensive social networks, and were influenced by liberal equal rights ideology, such as On Liberty by J.S Mill, a philosopher and MP who, in 1865, became the first member in Parliament to call for the vote to be given to women. The campaign brought this issue to the attention of politicians, and although many women were opposed to them gaining the vote they saw it as threatening to both their comfortable status and identity as women the Suffragists, as they became known, grew fr om local suffrage societies all over the country and had thousands of members. Their peaceful tactics, such as petitions, silent protests and public speeches aimed to raise awareness and win wider support by persuasion.In February 1907, for example, over 3000 women marched through the streets of London from Hyde Park to Exeter Hall advocating for womens suffrage in the cold and wet, proving to the WSPU that the NUWSS was equally vigorous in fighting for reform. These tactics were designed to undermine the stereotypical view that women were disorganised, irrational and politically illiterate. They won over many politicians such as Lloyd George, who even though the rest of their party were against the idea both expressed support towards women. The Suffragists campaign was pretty successful pre-1914, as is evident from the 1911 Conciliation Bill. By 1914, with 53,000 members across 480 branches, the Suffragists were having an impact on the views of politicians towards them, as seen by politicians such as most Liberals who had growing support for these women, clearly shown in the 1911 Conciliation Bill, where 255 MPs were for votes for women, and many abstained, whilst 40 Private Members Bills were also taken to Parliament between 1867 and 1907 requesting the enfranchisement of women, showing the growing backing for them.The Suffragists also won Labour supporters from the 1912 pact, where Labour candidates would stand for election in constituencies where the Liberal candidate opposed votes for women. This meant that Labour candidates could benefit by gaining votes of Liberals who favoured votes for women. Sandra Holton states that what can be confidently asserted is the importance of womens suffragists own efforts, especially the efforts of the democratic suffragists, in securing the strong position enjoyed by their cause at the outbreak of war. It can also be argued that the cause was more or less won by 1914 and that women receiving the vote was inevitable in th e near future, thanks to the Suffragist campaign. By 1914 most Liberals were in favour of extending the franchise to women, portrayed in the Conciliation Bill of 1911 when approximately 1/3 of the Liberal party voted for granting votes to women, but were not obvious because the government collapsed and the Bill did not become law, thus illustrating the success of the electoral pact.However, there is evidence to suggest that politicians just ignored the Suffragists. Their success can be questioned, as all 40 of the Private Members Bills were rejected, and in the 2nd Conciliation Bill, MPs voted against enfranchising women. Also, without having the support of Asquith, Prime Minister at the time, the Suffragists were never going to be able to gain women the vote before 1914. In order to stop women gaining the vote, Asquith dropped the Second Conciliation Bill of 1911 and instead wished to put forward a bill that would give more men the vote, initially angering the WSPU. It is clear tha t some politicians did not see the Suffragist campaign as much of a threat, as in 1905 they held a mock debate, where MPs discussed a measure that would force horse and cart owners to have lamps, just to avoid even debating womens suffrage. This angered many members of the Womens Movement, the group of upper middle class women who wanted to gain more political rights and a more prominent place in society for women, and some even broke away to form their own, more forceful Womens Movement.The breakaway movement from the NUWSS was formed in 1903 and named the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU). Led by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters, Sylvia and Christabel, they were prepared to be more active in an attempt to gain women the vote. Nicknamed the Suffragettes, they were rather extreme, with some of their tactics including pouring acid on golf courses where the MPs played, cutting telephone wires and even chaining themselves to railings during loud and often violent protests. T hese women even went to the extreme of destroying major works of art for publicity, for example, Mary Richardson who became known as Slasher Mary, attacked the Rockeby Venus by Velà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½zquez in the National gallery seven times with an axe in 1914, which gained a lot of news coverage. Suffragette militancy was the result of politicians trying to ignore the issue of votes for women in the early 19th century.It is arguable that their militancy set the cause back, as seen by the rejection of the idea of votes for women in the results of the 2nd Conciliation Bill in 1912, and Asquiths refusal to consider concessions until all militancy stopped. Even some women did not believe that having the vote was necessary, as they were content with their position in society. Many men were also opposed to women having the vote, and in 1909, a petition by the Mens League Opposing Womens Suffrage was signed by thousands of males like Lord Curzon, Vice President of the above league and of the Con servative Party who firmly believed that militancy resulted from the mental instability of women. These factors all seemed to prove that the militant approach did not work, and when Sylvia was kicked out of the WSPU in 1913, it was regarded that the Suffragette movement was too radical and aggressive by many. Their tactics angered politicians, who claimed that they showed women to be untrustworthy and unworthy of the vote. MPs thought that these women were mentally unstable and so were not in a suitable state of mind to vote sensibly. When Asquith agreed to meet in June 1914, he only met with the East London branch of Suffragettes. At this meeting, he agreed that it would be unjustified to grant limited suffrage to women with unlimited suffrage to men.This suggested a willingness to accept womens suffrage if it was part of a broader scheme. Yet, he did not meet with all Suffrage organisations. Suffragette militancy took the cause to the attention of the whole country. For example, t he Cat and Mouse Act of 1913, which was passed as hunger strikes were making the Suffragette prisoners ill, so they were sent home from prison to recover, then ordered back to serve their full sentence, allowed the whole nation to see how serious these women were about the cause, and at what lengths they would go to, to get their point across. Britains awareness was further raised when Emily Davidson ran out in front of the Kings horse at the Derby in 1912, subsequently killing herself. She was perceived by some as a martyr to the cause, but mainly as a fringe lunatic, as the WSPU didnt even know of her plan. In addition, the Suffragettes proved to politicians that they were responsible and dedicated to helping the nation when they ceased their campaign when war broke out in 1914.During the late 19th and early 20th century, women were advancing in the workplace, being employed as secretaries and typists, working in offices or shops and even as teachers in schools. This was due to th e growth of the Civil Service and the building of new department stores throughout Britain. These jobs were permitted because they didnt require the women to have much training, although women were paid less than men. By 1911 366,268 women were employed as shop assistants and 39,773 as civil servants. Women were granted more legal rights, such as being able to divorce their husbands if they were being violently abused and gained more rights over their children and money.They were even granted the right to vote in local elections in the Municipal Franchises Act of 1869, but only if they owned property themselves. As women were granted a better education in the late 1800s, the range of subjects taught to young women broadened and were improved, some women were permitted to go to university; a change which would have been seen as unacceptable in previous decades. However, educational opportunities were very different for working class women and middle class women. They were offered dif ferent access to education, which led to unequal job opportunities. These new educational rights for women benefited the middle class, but reinforced the working class domestic role by limiting their educational choice. The changing status of women during the early 20th century was rapidly sped up by the outbreak of war in 1914.The Great War was significant in the decision to grant women the vote, as women made a vital contribution to the war effort. Their work impressed politicians and convinced the Government of the political and strategic importance of women in a total war situation, as they were prepared to step up and help their country in a time of need by working in munitions factories, in the Womens Royal Air Force working on planes as mechanics, on farms in the Womens Land Army and also in shipyards.They quickly adjusted to their new role in society. It is evident that politicians like Asquith were convinced of womens importance, as shown by his backing of the 1918 Bill. Th e suspension of the Suffragette campaign at the outbreak of the Great War allowed the Government to grant votes to women once the war had ended. Moreover, the creation of a National Government in 1916 helped the womens campaign, as it brought sympathisers into Government, especially when Lloyd George became Prime Minister. Women now had much more of a chance of gaining the vote, since the PM was in favour of votes for women, as shown by his advocation for womens suffrage at various meetings. He only opposed the First Conciliation Bill of 1910 because it offered too limited a franchise. The Great War introduced many politicians who supported womens suffrage into Parliament.The Coalition Government contained several of them, and political opinion was coming round to support a limited form of womens suffrage. It is also supposed that women were enfranchised because the war had changed male perceptions about womens role in society. It was now evident that women were being accepted into the public world of work, which then led on to the acceptance of women into the world of politics too. In addition, the war allowed a number of hostile MPs to end their increasingly weak position of opposing women. They realised that reform was inevitable and so used the war work as a pretext to save face. Politicians such as Asquith didnt necessarily change their attitude towards women, but had been proved wrong that women were not trustworthy enough to receive the vote. These politicians were also reluctant to support a basically sexist position, and were outnumbered by the growing majority of politicians who now supported votes for women, and couldnt be seen to reject a plausible argument based on fact.Immediately after the war, however, there was a severe backlash of women in the workplace, and they were treated as though none of their war work mattered anymore. Men came back from fighting and wanted their jobs back in the factories and on the farmland. Women were angered by a t rade union conference in 1918 calling for women to be banned from unsuitable trades, and some women were even attacked by protesting, unemployed ex-servicemen in Bristol. By 1921, most women had left their wartime jobs as a result. These events show that for many, the womens war work was expected and was not seen as the womens capability to survive in what was considered a mans world.The Great War was the best opportunity for women to show that they were responsible enough to have the vote and of serious use to the country when it needed it most, although the Act which followed it did not please many of the women who had worked during the war in the hope that they would be enfranchised. The war did accelerate changing social attitudes, however, which had already been in existence before 1914 as shown by womens advances into the male world in the early 1900s. This social change greatly affected the decision to pass the 1918 Bill, as the government would have been reluctant to introdu ce the radical and traditionally opposed idea of votes for women without the major social change.The Suffragist campaign continued even after WW1 had started, and the Speakers Conference was held to try and resolve the franchise issue. The conference delayed considering the decision until January 1917 as it was so controversial, but realised that it had to be resolved to avoid further protest. The members of the conference indicated support for womens suffrage by a vote of 15 to 6, but rejected equal suffrage by a vote of 12 to 10. They decided that an age limit should be introduced as to how old women had to be before they could vote, but left it to Parliament to decide whether that age should be 30 or 35. This was a major step towards reform, but it did not guarantee that women would get the vote.As a result of this, Fawcett led a deputation from 22 suffrage societies that met with the Local Government Boards President in February, 1917. Fawcett was arguably the most important fig ure in the Suffrage campaigns, as she argued strongly against anti-suffragists and kept the Suffragist campaign going during WW1, even though the Suffragette movement ceased. It was decided that if the government put the Speakers Report in its bill, then the womens societies would have to accept it and not argue for more reform, like equal franchise. The Boards President urged the Cabinet to agree to this as it would prevent any further radical activities. Fawcett was critical to this also, as she persuaded the Suffrage societies to accept the agreement.The Speakers Conference was very important, as it indicates the importance of the Suffragist campaign. Gradually, the traditional perceptions that a womans role in society was to cook, clean and to look after their children, was eroded and generations of men, women and politicians witnessed the growing influence of women. These made the common male argument that women shouldnt get the vote appear illogical. After 1918, this reason be came less and less sensible, and there was little serious opposition to the 1928 Bill giving the vote to all women over 21, which was never in danger of being defeated. The changing social and political status of women before 1914, however, can be considered as the biggest impact in the decision to give women the vote, as it helped to create a political conscience on votes for women and reinforced the Suffragist message, even though the majority of the public werent in favour of women getting the vote.Overall, the Womens Suffrage campaigns had very significant importance in the decision to grant women the vote in 1918 because they demonstrated that women were not just housewives of less importance than their husbands and who were of no use, and that they were smart and determined people who had a dedicated desire for society to change to include women more. The Great War was important as it proved that women were more skilled that originally thought and gave politicians the chance t o recognise this, but postponed the decision to give women the vote. However, without changing social and economic status of women before the Great War, it can be assumed that Britains people would never have supported womens suffrage and thus the vote may not have been granted to women by 1918.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Reasons for Imperialism essays

Reasons for Imperialism essays Major European powers had for centuries engaged in colonialism however the phenomenon of the period 1870-1914 was expansion in a form never before witnessed. Competitive industrial nations, Great Britain first and foremost set out on a race to divide the world, at least the parts unoccupied namely Africa and Asia between them. In the three decades after 1870 European nations divided up the remainder of the world; by 1900 Europe controlled almost all of Africa and Southeast Asia. Britain had taken over 345 million non-Britons in Africa, India and the Pacific region, France had raised its flag over 56 million people outside Europe, the Netherlands controlled 35 million and Germany almost 15 million. So what was the actual cause of this unprecedented expansion There are several reasons why the European nations competed with each other for colonies but a prime factor was economic motivation. The colonising country could control important markets for its exports and deny these markets to its competitors. Colonies were also important sources of raw materials providing in particular rubber, as well as being the source of more exotic goods for the affluent European market and as opportunities for investment. A country often also increased its wealth by conquering another civilisation and taking its riches or exploiting the mineral wealth of another land. The discovery of gold and diamonds in Africa greatly increased European interest in the continent. Industrialised countries often produced more manufactured goods than their people needed or could afford to buy. Colonies served as markets for these unsold products; Africa and to a lesser extent Asia were seen as a market for industrialised goods produced in Europe. Production costs abroad were lower than at home. The Europeans began to build plantations where they grew peanuts, palm oil, cocoa and rubber. The Congo produced copper and tin. As industrialis...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Ethical Perspectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Perspectives - Essay Example The analysis of Betty’s ethical dilemma’s are studied based on four different philosophical ethical perspectives. Four different types of ethical perspectives that can be applied to ethical dilemmas are utilitarian, deontology, relativism and virtue. Each of these four ethical theories visualizes the application of ethical judgment based on completely different assumptions. The deontology ethical perspective says that goodness resides in making decisions that recognize and keep moral obligations such that the actual consequences of the action are a secondary concern (Maricopa). As a bookkeeper Betty is in a profession that places a high level of importance to ethical behavior. Managers sometimes feel a lot of pressures from shareholders and executive to deliver results fast. At times unethical bookkeepers are asked to cook up the numbers by creating false entries into the accounting system. Betty ethical profile and characters traits would not allow her to perform such an action. She is a person that believes in integrity, honor and actions that demonstrate moral excellence. By applying the deo ntology perspective view to this situation Betty would not be involved in any type of cooking up the number accounting scheme because the consequences of those actions are criminal charges, civil charges and expulsion from the profession. These consequences mean the act is unethical and would never be performed by Betty. Utilitarian ethical perspective says that actions are considered right or wrong based on their consequences and the optimal solution is the one that brings the best overall outcome (Scu, 2007). Betty’s ethical profile contradicts the utilitarian ethical perspective. Betty believes that the right choice may not appear to be the most beneficial choice, in the short-run, for the organization you have agreed to support. The right

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Policy recommendations in counter-terrorism Essay

Policy recommendations in counter-terrorism - Essay Example Second, all terrorists are treated as criminals (Global Focus 2010). Third, the United States can and does apply considerable political, economic, and military pressure on the states that are known to be supporting terrorism (Global Focus 2010). Based on these principles are the four rules on which U.S. counter-terrorism strategy currently builds. First, there should be no concessions or deals made with terrorists (Global Focus 2010). U.S. government will never make any concessions or deals with the foreign terrorists taking American hostages. Second, the U.S. will always seek to bring terrorists to justice for the crimes they have committed (Global Focus 2010). No matter how long it takes, America will track down, catch, and convict all terrorists who have ever attacked the American state, an American citizen, or their interests (Global Focus 2010). Third, the United States works hard to force the states that sponsor terrorists to change their attitudes and behaviors (Global Focus 2 010). Fourth, the U.S. believes that it can bolster its allies to work individually or cooperatively against terrorists (Global Focus 2010). Needless to say, the current counter-terrorism strategy demands huge financial and intellectual investments. Simultaneously, while President Obama claims his counter-terrorism strategy to rely on cooperation, collaboration, and resilience, the scope of violence and military efforts applied against domestic and international terrorism cannot be ignored (Obama 2011). These are not the only problems facing the United States in its fight against terrorism. To begin with, most, if not all, counter-terrorism efforts developed in the U.S. rely on an implicit assumption that global terrorist organizations have narrow support and can be... U.S. government will never make any concessions or deals with the foreign terrorists taking American hostages. Second, the U.S. will always seek to bring terrorists to justice for the crimes they have committed (Global Focus 2010). No matter how long it takes, America will track down, catch, and convict all terrorists who have ever attacked the American state, an American citizen, or their interests (Global Focus 2010). Third, the United States works hard to force the states that sponsor terrorists to change their attitudes and behaviors (Global Focus 2010). Fourth, the U.S. believes that it can bolster its allies to work individually or cooperatively against terrorists (Global Focus 2010). Needless to say, the current counter-terrorism strategy demands huge financial and intellectual investments. Simultaneously, while President Obama claims his counter-terrorism strategy to rely on cooperation, collaboration, and resilience, the scope of violence and military efforts applied against domestic and international terrorism cannot be ignored (Obama 2011). These are not the only problems facing the United States in its fight against terrorism.  To begin with, most, if not all, counter-terrorism efforts developed in the U.S. rely on an implicit assumption that global terrorist organizations have narrow support and can be easily eliminated (Lempert et al. 2008). In reality, terrorist organizations originating from the Islamic world have already gained broad support across a number of Islamic states.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Teams are seen as a necessary condition in contemporary organisations, Essay

Teams are seen as a necessary condition in contemporary organisations, but are they effective - Essay Example ey are working independently and they don’t share any common responsibility and the end result of their efforts is not interdependent (Thompson & Mchugh, 2009). Teamwork is not a new phenomenon, it is a strategy that has been in operation for a long time but its structure and organization is changing with time (Smith, 2004). Several contemporary organizations have structured team-based networks which are very different from the hierarchical structures of the industrial era. Advanced communication technologies have suddenly changed the course of teamwork from control-based traditional teams to virtual teams which are evenly distributed within the organizational structure. The traditional Industrial age teams were basically hierarchical and the employees were bound by fixed rules as a means to keep them under control and this inhibited freedom and risk taking (Grey, 2009). With regard to contemporary business organizations, it is fundamental to efficiently utilize the available scarce resources to overcome the challenges which have risen as a consequence to globalization in addition punctually responding to the demands of market place. Since the demand of quality products and services has risen, it has been a prerequisite for companies and organizations to timely adapt to the changing market demands where there is an ever increasing call for employee satisfaction as well as increased efficiency coupled with reduced operational costs. Thus, as a result, organizations are turning to team-based style of organization (Thompson & Mchugh, 2009). The degree of hierarchy which used to be dominant in traditional organizations has transformed to a uniform structure (Wellins, 2006). The members of a team used to cooperate with one other rather than being obliging their single performance to a single manager. The members of a team in a contemporary organization have a great influence on the decision making and planning of the tasks to be executed ad how they will be

Friday, November 15, 2019

What is Reality? Philosophy Essays

What is Reality? Philosophy Essays In this essay we look at the theories of Plato, Descartes and Locke and their views on what reality is, we look at what perception means to reality, and how everyones view on reality is different. As we begin to question what reality is, we learn more about ourselves and our perceptions of life, we begin to question ourselves, and we slowly learn what reality means to us, as individuals. This essay should hopefully encourage deep thinking about reality and existence; it aims to bring individuals to closer to understanding what life means to them. Every day we trust in our senses to tell us the truth, we believe what we see, smell, touch, hear, and taste, but do we ever question whether or not our senses are lying to us, do we ever stop to think that perhaps our senses are being manipulated? If we can doubt if our senses tell us the truth, than how can we know what really exists? An Individuals perception is completely their own, the way that one person perceives things, may be completely different than the way another individual perceives things. In one passage from Renee Descartes, he questions if beliefs are impossible even though they are derived from the senses. He asked himself how could it be denied that these hands or this whole body is mine? He then compares himself to mentally disturbed people saying that mentally disturbed individuals sometimes believe that they are somewhere, or that they see things, that are not correct. Who are we to question someone elses sanity? What is it that makes our perceptions reality and a mentally disturbed persons perceptions incorrect? (http://www.writework.com/essay/descartes-view-real) When a sentient being acknowledges that they exist in a world of physical objects, they also confirm that their sense perception functions to an extent which allows them to reason, even to a small degree, their physical existence. What is a physical object? Does a physical object have to be something you can see, touch, feel, taste, or smell or can a physical object exist without one being able to confirm its existence? Is the sensory perception of a fly wrong just because it has over a 1000 eyes or is the way humans view the world incorrect because we do not? A blind man can still help a person distinguish a colour because no one perception is ever totally interpreted by only one sensory organ. Many other animals on earth do not just rely on their sight for information about their world. For instance fish in totally dark areas of the ocean have no eyes and yet can still maneuve r around in their environment by sensing ripples in their area with special sense organs on their body. Birds also seem to use the magnetic lines of the earth to navigate south for the winter each year. It would be foolish to make the statement that all sensory perception of the world is circumspect and is exactly the same for all creatures. Firstly, we need to look at what perception and reality mean, the definition of perception is the  act  or  faculty  of apprehending  by  means  of  the  senses  or  of  the  mind;  cognition;  understanding. This means that perception is what we sense in our environment from what our senses and mind tells us. The definition of reality is the state or quality of being real (dictionary.com) but if we know what is real because of our perceptions and senses, how do we know our senses can be trusted to tell us the truth, and thus how do we know what is real? Every philosopher has searched within themselves for the answer to what is reality, and how we know what is real, but every philosopher has their own views on reality, to begin idealist Renee Descartes argued that sensations and experience can be doubted, so it is pure reason, not the senses, that must form the basis of Truth and what reality is. Next, an Idealist, Plato who claimed that the world of ideas, for example the ideal nature or essence of a tree or a circle or a color, was more fundamental, more real, than physical reality, and that physical reality, a tree for instance, comes into being as an imperfect instance of the ideal.  John Locke an empiricist said that the mind starts out without any knowledge and everything one knows is built up from experience through the senses. So who is right? Is there any one way to know what reality really is? In Descartes his first and second meditations he claims that all our beliefs can be doubted because our senses could simply be just an illusion, he goes on to say that although all our beliefs cannot be certain, because we think and experience, our minds must exist. Descartes argued that our ordinary experiences and views of the world cannot give us the kind of affirmed foundation on which all other knowledge and beliefs can be based. We are often dismayed to acknowledge that what we have learned is simply detriment, or that what our senses tell us is not certain. That should make us wonder about whether all the other things we believe might also be uncertain. So is there anything that we can know for certain without a doubt? We can doubt whether there is a physical world and whether we have a physical body. We can doubt whether our own reasoning can be trusted, so then what can we absolutely know for certain? Descartes gives an example that even if a higher power deceives us about a ll our other beliefs, there is one belief that we can be certain about, which is that we are thinking. Even to doubt this belief is proving that we are thinking. And since thinking cannot occur without there being something that does the thinking, this proves that we exist. When we think, it proves we have a mind, regardless of whether we have bodies. The body we experience as our own is not an essential part of our self because we can doubt its existence in a way that we cannot doubt the existence of our mind. Plato believed that reality was in the form of two separate worlds, he believed that something was an individual object, but could be put together into a larger group. For example there are multiple breeds of cats, but they all fall under a larger group, which is cats, or felines. Another analogy that Plato came up with was the allegory of the cave. Here the physical world is in the form of a cave, in which the humans are trapped from the beginnings of our life, where we are stationary and cannot move our heads, so we perceive only shadows and sounds. Without reason, one of us is released and is encouraged to travel upward to the entrance of the cave. This revelation is very confusing to the person. Then he is pulled to the entrance of the cave, where the light is hurting his eyes that are accustomed to the dark, which threatens the only security his life has known. The world of daylight represents the realm of Ideas. His eyes grow accustomed to the light and he can look up to the sun, and understand what the ultimate source of light and life is. This is symbolic of the Idea of the Good in the Realm. This gradual process is a metaphor of education, and enlightenment. Yet the real lesson of Plato is that the enlightened person now has a moral responsibility to the unfortunate people, still in the cave, to rescue them and bring them into the light. This lesson brings about Socrates famous quote, As for the man who tried to free them and lead them upward, if they could somehow lay their hands on him and kill him, they would do so. This is ironic in nature. The fact that this man is trying to help these people and they are so uneducated masses will resent him and threaten his life. Lastly, John Locke stated that we define objects by primary and secondary properties; primary properties being undeniably objective features such as size and shape, and secondary properties being subjective such as colour and taste. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dQpDNtsIAE) Lockes theory on reality is called Representative Realism, it is the view that sense data (an immediate object of perception, which is not a material object; a sense impression) somehow represents the objects and that these objects are causally involved in our production of the sense data. Our perception of objects is thus indirect; hence, representative realism is a kind of indirect realism. (An Introduction to Epistemology, second edition, 277) This view argues that we experience reality indirectly by perceptions that represent the real world. So, if we see a brown table, what we are actually seeing is not the table itself but a representation of it. In this way, differences of perception which occur due to c hanges in light conditions, position of viewer, etc., can be easily explained: it is not the object which is changing, only the perception of it. As an example, a man is standing on the corner of a busy road and witnesses two cars collide. Neither driver is hurt, but both step out of their cars to inspect the damage. Driver A is a young mother with a young child in the back of the car; driver B is a business executive in a hurry; the witness is an old man wearing glasses. As the two drivers argue about whose fault it was, the man approaches them and offers to confirm what he saw happening. What does each of them see? Whose is the correct view?   It is evident that the mind knows not things immediately, but only by the intervention of the ideas it has of them. Our knowledge therefore, is real, only so far as there is conformity between our ideas and the reality of things. But what shall be here the criterion? How shall the mind, when it perceives nothing but its own ideas, know they agree with things themselves? (John Locke, 452) So who is right? These are just three different views on reality out of hundreds, and possibly even thousands from other philosophers, but is there any one way to know if one philosophers theory is right over another? One thing most of these theories have in common is that our perceptions of reality, how we view things through our senses and the different objects we see, may not be what is certainly real, they suggest that what our perceptions of reality are, are not really what reality is. What this means is that for the average person living, their reality is based upon ignorance towards other truths. Throughout the span of humanity, we as a species have looked upon the workings of the universe through the lens of religion, using it to explain the unexplainable. However, secularized sciences began to surface and thus, scientific explanations began to replace religious beliefs. What was previously the affliction of ignorance towards the people who used religion to perceive the world around them transformed into a truth. However, as the sciences and technology grew more advanced, previous scientific theorems began to be disproved by newly discovered ones. Again, the ignorance transforms into truth; nonetheless, each and every time ignorance converts to truth new ignorance manifests. As an example in while inside the matrix, Neo had no idea that his reality was created by the workings of a machine. To him, the food he ate was real, and the punches he took in the face were painful. He perceived the mechanical world he resides in to be reality, to be real. However, as soon as he awakens to the new reality, outside of the machine, his previous life became an obsolete truth to him, and this new one became his new reality. Reality is a cycle of truth and ignorance, and will continue to be so eternally. Unless one is omniscient, there will always be a truth, a fact, in existence that will carry the potential to disprove everything we know. As humans we struggle to know why we exist and what reality is, but many of us are too afraid to give up the comfort of believing what we see to be true to discover the answers to what reality is, because of this there are select few individuals who question their life and what it means, these individuals give insight to others and are able to teach other individuals about what it means to question our existence and perceptions. Although for many of us the theories of philosophers such as Descartes, Plato, and Locke may seem wildly unlikely, the more we question what reality is, the more we ourselves create new theories about reality, and they themselves may seem far-fetched to other individuals. We may look at what other philosophers have theorized in the past, but for us, as individuals, to discover what reality means to us personally, we must think deeply ourselves, we must theorize and question ourselves until we are so confused by our questions we no longer know what it means to exist. We cannot rely on other theories of reality because everyone perceives reality differently, what one person may perceive is different than what another person may perceive, and because of this not everyone can have the same views and theories on what reality and existence means. Some of us may see God as an important part and influence in our reality, while others may not. Some people may say nothing truly exists, and that we are just an illusion and others may say everything they see is real. No one is wrong; our individual views on reality are personal, our perceptions are not the same as other individuals perceptions, and that does not mean one is wrong or right. What it means is that we as humans have the responsibly to question ourselves, to question what it means to live. In order for any of us to achieve true happiness we must question reality, existence, and our perceptions. If we live in ignorance, we are not truly being happy; we are letting ourselves be satisfied with not understanding the world. Thinking deeply about reality inspires growth, it inspires us to realize there is more to the world then what we can see, the world is a limitless place of our desires.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Is Shortening the Length of College the Answer? Essay -- Education Col

With most of the world economy trying to recover from the reeling affect of the global recession over the past two years, a new education concept seems to be emerging. In recent times, authors like Jennifer Epstein and Lamar Alexander have posted articles on websites, such as USAToday.com and Newsweek.com explaining how giving newer opportunities to students to finish their four year bachelor’s degree within three years will prove extremely beneficial. While both the authors sport similar sentiments, we will take into consideration those as projected by Jennifer Epstein. The article is a comprehensive piece explaining how most students will benefit from the introduction of three-year courses within universities, especially in terms of monetary benefits. While most of the arguments presented by the author in favor of three-year degrees stand valid, it may be taken into account that some of the crucial aspects with regards to the education system remain untouched and unexplored. If these few unexplored facets were to be considered, I am sure the conclusion of the author’s article might have differed alternately. In the counter-arguments I present further on in the paper, I will explore how introduction of three- year degree courses would rather mar the entire purpose of higher education and how the students will relatively suffer intermittently if subjected to the said change. However, to be fair to our opponent, we will first consider and reflect upon the points mentioned by her. Jennifer Epstein is of the view that with the downturn in economy, it has become extremely difficult for the college students to manage to pay for the college fees. Further, with incessantly rising costs, the entire task of meeting the expense of a coll... ...ly well students remain as a minority. If one does not take into account the arguments mentioned above, the future workforce of America looks incompetent. Without the proper education and training that can only be provided to them through a thorough education process involving the entire four years’ rigorous training, the students of today and the workforce of tomorrow will face grave imperils. This will in turn affect the entire nation’s future as well. Therefore, I suggest that before taking any major resolution, the policy makers and educators should take all these factors in account. Works Cited Jennifer Epstein. "More colleges offering 3-year degrees." USAToday 11 Mar. 2010: Lamar Alexander. "The Three-Year Solution." NewsWeek 17 Oct. 2009: Valerie Strauss. "Colleges Consider 3-Year Degrees To Save Undergrads Time, Money." Washingtonpost, 2009.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Personal Philosophy Paper Assignment Essay

I think that individuals in a society should function in a way to help each other to sustain a community alive and well. In order to keep the flow within a society continuous, the individuals in the society should abide by the rules of their community, which are set to prevent disorder or avoid a halt a community’s progress, and in this way a society can go on with its processes. Individuals should respect each other, and the rest, within their community; it is on these bases that humans have evolved with the basic morals that we recognize today. However religions have improved and â€Å"streamlined† basic regulations of ancient communities, and those â€Å"dogmas† or rules, from whatever origin they’re from, are what influenced organizations to get to how they are today, like the Puritan, Anglican, and traditional British influences on the US Constitution. I believe that people should be educated especially if they are interested in receiving that knowled ge, preferably with vocational schooling or internships, just like the apprenticeships that were popular in Europe long ago, but as for less technical subjects or careers, the traditional lectures should be adequate, like it should be in a university. I think that schools should be free for those that would truly benefit and thrive in them, but they’re not. However some reasons why people do not support free college are not unjustified. Students who wouldn’t commit themselves to take advantage of that free education would be obviously wasting people’s tax money. But unfortunately I’m not sure that’s the only reason why college isn’t free, like it is in Europe and elsewhere. Along the lines of morals, I believe them to be as they are in the Christian tradition, but as for culture, since religion can’t explain that, I am left to decide myself what is better for me. I personally find the culture of 21st century America to be repulsive in some respects but worthy of credit in others, I find customs of other cultures to be interesting. Here in America, many are interested entirely in materialism in life and are often driven by greed and vain pleasure. There are too many that (specificall y and especially around the neighborhood and community where I live) steal, kill, fornicate, and commit all kinds of crimes and immoralities. One of the most heartrending things is the lack of spiritually zealous individuals, most are totally uninterested in what they participate in, and I think it has to do with the fact that they don’t know the history, the reason or rationality behind things. This is why I don’t have any close friends because none that I know of, or rather scarcely any fall into the categorizations that I respect. I have high regards for Sir Thomas More for keeping to his stand in the face of death and against the violation of what he held to be true and just. I also respect G F Handel for following through with his artistic passion, even when the situations where grim and difficult. There are several others, who I revere for their works and deeds, but I can’t make much use of these people’s legacies – I know I don’t have the capacity to accomplish feats at their level. I hardly have any skill, talent, or much else that is uniquely useful or applicable to anythi ng, and whatever qualities that I may genuinely have, they are of little use because I’m usually lacking in some other aspect that would otherwise allow me to accomplish a task effectively. I believe people in society do have responsibilities that are not written down, nor written out in some special contract, rather there are those responsibilities that are expected to be followed regardless of the circumstances. Raising a child to be compatible with social norms, communal requisites, and the law, is an example of these responsibilities, but of course there are other such responsibilities that are followed by people of all walks of life; but as everyone in this world had parents at one point in their life, the position as a parent is thus of upmost importance. Technically, as a parent or guardian you are required by the law to be the caretaker of your own son or daughter (i.e. not just expected), but the law doesn’t get too specific on other details, and as a result these seemingly minor but meaningful details often go unaccounted for. Because some people are unprepared to have children and they do unexpectedly, a â€Å"gap† is left in each individual thereafter, where ordinarily there would be certain skills that would help a person to be socially adept as well as have the ability to pass on those attributes or skills if that individual decides to have children of his/her own. Personally I know that I do have such a chink, and it is also present in both of my parents as well – my father grew up with about a dozen other siblings, and his father had to work in the fields from sunrise to sunset, while his mother had to do what else she could, such as tailoring or making dresses to raise some extra money, my mother on the other hand, grew up as if she was an orphan, her mother being the eldest of again about a dozen other siblings, my mother’s father having been lost to a casualty, her mother set out to find work, leaving my mother to live on her grandparents’ farm with her other uncles, au nts, and cousins, as if they were siblings. As you might expect, my parents grew up in poverty, never went to college, and had to find work in new frontiers, ending up in occupations unlike those of their own parents. I don’t think having children is wrong at all – far from that mentality – but I think that people should plan or be ready to have a child and provide them with all the nurture and attention they are supposed to give him/her, or else, a pattern of spiritual, mental, social, and emotional poverty could possibly repeat itself. If you ask me if I’d like to be employed in a trade like the one of my father, I would have to decline, because put simply, I have never even received any kind of preparation from my father (not that I need much) in the occupation that he is in today, and I don’t blame him. My father has always told me that he wants the best for me, and that he wants me to get a proper education in order to lead a better lifestyle than his own. However, I don’t feel as if I’ve been adequately prepared to achieve that.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Comparing the accuracy of the volatility forecasting models, GARCH, SV and EWMA under different scenarios The WritePass Journal

Comparing the accuracy of the volatility forecasting models, GARCH, SV and EWMA under different scenarios Comparing the accuracy of the volatility forecasting models, GARCH, SV and EWMA under different scenarios Introduction Because of the rapid development of new and complex financial instruments in financial markets, the forecasting volatility of assets is playing a central role on risk management tasks and evaluating asset in finance. However, interestingly, the ability of forecasting accuracy of stochastic volatility always catches people’s eyes, because nobody wants loss his/her profits by inaccurate predictions. Opportunities might be lost due to overestimating of volatility; investors bear risk due to underestimating of volatility. In addition, risk control strategies and profitable portfolio are deeply influenced by accuracy of volatility forecasting models. After the financial crisis happened in 2008, generally, investors concentrate on risk-free investment rather than a risk one. Therefore, my paper is going to examine three different models, GARCH (see, for example, Bollerslev (1986)), SV (Taylor, 1986) and EWMA (see McAleer (2005)), under diverse volatility scenarios. By using those vo latility models, a simulation experiment will take a wide series of volatility scenarios representatives, which are typical in financial market or real assets market, to test their rates of return separately. My dissertation is consisted of 5 chapters including the introduction, literature review, methodology and empirical research, as well as the conclusion. Different chapters focus on different key points, but there are tight relationships within each other and they are constructed as follows. The introduction presents my personal ideas and understanding of fundamental concepts about negative relation between investment return and volatility, as well as three volatility forecasting models mentioned above. Generally, Generalised Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) and Stochastic Volatility (SV) are main two forecasting volatility methodology, nonetheless, considering the diversification of data source would have different effects on different models, it would be better to employ other forecasting volatility model, like EWMA model, to perform the simulation experiment which makes my results more convincing. Employing other people’s ideas of forecasting volatility from journals and papers, literature review will provide the historical developments of volatility forecasting models in asset markets. Simultaneously, several sparking ideas will be explained with the frame work of previous approaches of volatility forecasting models. Moreover, the problems founded in previous researches can also be avoided. For example, the inherent problem of the conditional variance indirect observed in using models measuring volatility, GARCH family models, SV models or EWMA have been advocated widely in literatures related (Michael, M. (2010)). Fundamentally, the journal of Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity with Estimated of the Variance of United Kingdom Inflation illustrated the frame work of ARCH model (Engle (1982)) that helps us deepen understanding of negative correlation between stock return and volatility, as well as the basic frame of forecasting volatility model. Other academi c journals, like Answering the sceptics:Yes, standard volatility models do provide accurate forecasts (Andersen, T. Bollerslev, T. (1988)), ARCH modelling in finance: a review of the theory and empirical evidence (Bollerslev, T. Chou, R. Kroner, K (1992)), Return to RiskMetrics: The Evolution of a Standard (RiskMetrics Group, Inc. (2001)), Forecasting accuracy of stochastic volatility, GARCH and EWMA models under different volatility scenarios (Nigel, M D. Jie (2010)), which provides strong fundamental theoretical evidences, will be referred to my dissertation and support my original hypothesis accuracy comparison of three different volatility forecasting models in the dissertation. From those academic journals or papers with different approaches with volatility forecasting models, some drawbacks of models can be modified. For instance, as observed by Bollerslev, T. (1987), several stylized facts cannot be predicted precisely by a majority of the latent volatility models. Nonethe less, those factors can be caught effortlessly on financial time series. The methodology discusses briefly empirical demonstration of GARCH, SV and EMWA models separately, including notations and data sources, the results of simulation experiment will also be shown in this section. As mentioned by Nigel(2010), â€Å" for the simulated data, we contrast the accuracy of volatility estimated in-sample and out-of sample using a range of error measures.† Besides, another critical point is to make suitable definition of the volatility space according to three different volatility forecasting models with a triplet of coefficients, for instance, CV2garch is determined by coefficients (). Afterwards, applying the process of realized variance, 100 examples of length=500, 1000, 3000 will be generated corresponding to each parameters. Utilizing 100 examples with T=1100 realization, an SV model, a GARCH model and an EWMA model are used to assess volatility with the decay factor suggested (RiskMetrics, 2001). The front 1000 data points are used for in-sample for ecasting, while the remainder is served as out-of-sample estimation. In order to achieve effectively comparison within three models with observed and estimated volatilities (Brailsford and Faff, 1996), three measures of forecasting accuracy are used (RMSE, MME(U),MME(0)). Empirical research section illustrates the findings employing real data source, which is consisted of 16 financial data sets. The data source is comprised of four equities, four commodities, four FX series and four equity indexes. All data are collected between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2010 from data-stream. With difference logarithms of consecutive closing prices, the rates of return of different assets are figured out. In consideration of covering sufficient volatility scenario as much as possible, therefore, in diversified main financial markets, especially, small number of samples with frequent floating price in asset markets would be included. In addition, cross-section data with capturing examples would be chosen and then examined in the simulation experiment. In a word, the empirical research will present strong evidence, with real-financial data source, to prove the original ideas about accuracy comparison of three volatility forecasting models. Meanwhile, due to the im perfection of data source and the volatility forecasting models, which would affect the results of simulation, some acceptable biased results of the simulation experiments will be explained exhaustively. The final section (conclusion) will give a succinct summary of the simulation experiments under a series of volatility scenarios defined with persistence and volatility of volatility. Furthermore, unavoidable drawbacks of the simulation experiments will be explained, and feasible improvements will be promoted in this part, as well as bringing up further research about this topic and its trend of development. For example, analysing typical high frequency data with the seasonal changes, the results of accuracy of these three forecasting volatility models would show any empirical change or not. Reference Anderson, T.G. and T. Bollerslev (1998) Answering the skeptics: yes, standard volatility models do provide accurate forecasts, International Economic Review, 39, 885-905. Bollerslev, T. (1986) Generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity, Journal of Econometrics, 31,307-27 Bollerslev, T. (1987) A conditionally heteroscedasticity time series model for speculative prices and rates of return,   Review of Economics and Statistics, 69, 542 – 547. Bollerslec, T., R. Chou and K. Kroner (1992) ARCH modeling in finance: a view of the theory and empirical evidence, Journal of Econometrics, 52, 2-59 Brailsford, T. and R. Faff (1996) An evaluation of volatility forecasting techniques, Journal of Banking and Finance, 20, 419-38 Ding J. and N. Meade (2010), Forecasting accuracy of stochastic volatility, GARCH and EWMA models under different volatility scenarios, Applied Financial Economics, 20, 771-783 Engle, R. (1982) Autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity with estimates of the variance of United Kingdom inflation, Econometrica, 50, 987-1008 McAleer, M. (2005) Automated inference and learning in modeling financial volatility, Econometric Theory, 21, 232 – 261. McAleer, M. (2010) Modelling and Forecasting Noisy Realized Volatility, Department of Economics and Finance, College of Business and Economics, University of Canterbury RiskMetrics Group, Inc. (2001) Return to Risk Metrics: The Evolution of a Standard, New York Taylor, S.J. (1986) Modelling Financial Time Series, Wiley, Chichester.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

A Look at Buprenorphine and its Effectiveness Essay Example

A Look at Buprenorphine and its Effectiveness Essay Example A Look at Buprenorphine and its Effectiveness Essay A Look at Buprenorphine and its Effectiveness Essay Justin Sampson Psych 531 Psychobiology Paper Assignment Buprenorphine is a semi-synthetic opioid that can be used to treat opioid dependence of various types including heroin, and a vast array of prescription opiates/opioids. It is a drug thats use is relatively new in the field of opioid addiction/ treatment compared to traditional older drugs like methadone and LAAM (Levacetylmethadyl), however the drug itself is not new. Since its discovery by Reckitt Benckiser in 1980 (then called Reckitt Colman) is has been used in low doses ( Buprenorphine has been gaining otoriety in the field of pharmacological opioid treatment as a better alternative to methadone because of its easier availability/dispensability as a C-lll controlled substance as opposed to the more strict and regulated C-ll status of methadone, less side effects, less severe withdrawal syndrome, among many other things (Wesson smith, 2010). The first article I chose to examine, (Awgu, Magura, Rosenblum, 2010) examines two pharmacological treatments for opioid dependence, methadone and buprenorphine/naloxone (specifically, Suboxone) and how inmates in the Key Extended Entry Program (KEEP) at Rikers Island Jail felt about their experience with either drug they happened to receive in a parent experiment. Awgu et al. (2010) describes the parent study, was a short-term clinical trial of buprenorphine that voluntarily randomly assigned inmates to either maintenance with methadone, the standard care of the Rikers Jail, or with buprenorphine (Suboxone) while in Jail, followed with referrals to those respective treatments in the community after release (p. 340). According to Dr. Maugura, the buprenorphine group entered post- release treatment in the community significantly more often than did the methadone group, and were also less likely to withdraw voluntarily from medication while in Jail (as cited in Awgu et al. , 2010). Awgu et al. , (2010) interviewed those participants and used their responses as their data, making this an observational study. Because of the randomization of subjects in the parent study, the present study is able to compare opinions and experiences of similar heroin-dependent individuals receiving lternative medication-assisted treatments. The research being done in this study can easily be classified as applied research. Magura Rosenblum argue that the issue of discontinuation of treatment with and other options need to be made available to lessen recidivism back into drugs and Jail (as cited in Awgu et al. , 2010 p. 345). This study looks at reasons why inmates dont stay with methadone post-incarceration by finding out what exactly they dislike about the treatment, and also explores the relatively new world of buprenorphine reatment and how it might better suit certain individuals, thus keeping them in treatment after leaving incarceration. The conductors of this observational study interviewed the participants of the parent study immediately before their re-entry into society. A variety of questions were asked as to their like or dislike of the independent variable they received, Suboxone or methadone, and the answers were recorded. Some questions asked were open ended where the subject could answer any way they liked and their responses were taken down verbatim, and other uestions required a rating on a five point Likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Because of this method, the independent variable would be the subjects responses, and the dependent variable would be the drug group they were assigned to, either methadone or buprenorphine. According to Awgu et al. (2010), at the time of the release from the KEEP program, 93% of patients in the buprenorphine group vs. 44% of methadone patients claimed they play to enroll in their current treatment modality in the community when theyre released (p

Monday, November 4, 2019

Fundamentals And Applications Of Programmable Logic Controllers Research Paper

Fundamentals And Applications Of Programmable Logic Controllers - Research Paper Example The vast number of advantages offered by Programmable logic controllers in industrial automation has ensured their predominance over the last decades and some years to come. Programmable logic controllers are cost effective for the control of complex systems, flexible and can be easily reapplied to control other systems, simplified programming and reduced downtime given their troubleshooting aid, sophisticated control owing to their computational abilities and long-term operation capability without failure given their reliable components. (Evans, 2006) The central processing unit (CPU) is involved with the performance of logic and arithmetic functions of a PLC. It utilizes the program stored in memory to process the accepted input signal from the input modules into the desired output. It sends the desired output signal to the output modules which converts it into an appropriate actuator signal. In general, the CPU performs the functions of updating the input and output, logic and arithmetic functions and memory communication. The CPU is further divided into three major subsystems; Control Unit (CU), Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) and the Registers. Instructions are fetched from a specified location and loaded into the registers then decoded by the Control Unit. The arithmetic and logic operations such as the subtraction, addition and basic logic operations such as OR/AND are done by the ALU. Control Unit directs the results into a special memory location for storage. Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) is a logic gate collection with outputs, inputs and control bits for determining operation type.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Value of Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Value of Music - Essay Example Music listening is such an involvement that facilitates a healing environment. Music allows people to relate their emotions with themselves and gives them a feeling of self-awareness which leads to a better life overall. Music is a safe, cheap and easily used tool for helping people to manage pain, confusion, and other such issues that are wrongly interfering in their lives. Music sure can lead to an emotional response and arouse certain emotions in a person; however, it can also form emotional habits in a person and when he listens to a certain kind of music his emotions do not need another stimulus to arise. Aristotle wrote about this phenomenon in these words â€Å"by music a man becomes accustomed to feeling the right emotions† (Marshall, 1953, p. 229). If music is used in healing environments it would prove to be helpful and would assist in the promotion of mental as well as physical health. It is said that music is a universal language that allows understanding among dif ferent cultures; similarly, music is also a universal language within the body and it leads to better living (Gardner, 1990). Several genres of music exist all around the world. One such is hip hop which reflects the feel that women are objects to be used and disposed of; they do not have any value. It is assumed that anyone who would listen to such music would get against the female population since music does affect the emotions and habits of the listener. Powell has argued that such sexism exists in hip hop in order to â€Å"silence feminist critiques of the culture† (McLune). However, what about the fact that the females grow up in such an environment as well yet their character is not questioned like that of black men? If we look at Powell’s argument it would be very apparent that it is perfectly okay for sexism to exist if there is the phenomenon of poverty. This, however, makes no sense because whites can also do what black men do, there being no difference betw een them besides the colour of their skin. If there is no such difference where does the difference occur in sexism in music? And then there is the fact that female rappers also exist. How can a person go against his own kind like these women who talk shit about the rest of the female population? Of course, they mean it for the actual bitchy women, and not everyone. But is this excuse even valid? Music has a psychological aspect to it and it can affect an individual very positively or negatively, depending on the kind of music being listened to. It can improve a person’s mental health, calm and relax him and prove to be intellectually stimulating. Such is the case with adults, teens and children alike. Music has an effect on our emotions and affects the way we think. Through music we can successfully communicate and discuss concepts. Music is a way of life. It even unites people and bridges gaps among those who may not have anything else in common. It soothes us and conveys a message of brotherhood. Music is something which awakens from the extreme depth of a person’s soul, his emotion and thus it is an important aspect to be studied in emotion psychology. Every kind of music has its own way and thus a distinct interpretation. It all depends on the composer that is how he chooses to convey his message, whether it is in sadness, loyalty, anger or any other emotion. In fact, music has proven to be a very emotional communication tool. The kind of music we listen to can have a great effect on the kind of person we are and the type of personality we adopt. The intensity and frequency of music can surely affect our mental health, whether it is positively or negatively since that depends on what kind we are listening to. However, an argument presented by (Jones) says that violent media is good for kids. We just talked about the different genres of music affecting people in different ways, with the violent, negative and strong music disturbing individual s and negatively affecting their habits and