Race & Ethnicity in Social Sciences Essay Example for Free

Race Ethnicity in Social Sciences Essay Defining identity can be complex and therefore we have to investigate the factors involved that make us who we are and how we are seen by others, collectively or individually. Social scientists have to consider the key elements which shape identity, the importance of social structures and agency involved. The differences and/or similarities between us are the focus that categorise and label us in society. Knowing who we are is important for many reasons including, social rights, obtaining a passport, housing, health, employment, marriage, and over all, being able to ascertain who we are, and belong. The terms ? race and ? ethnicity are central features in the process of categorisation. ?Racial or ? Ethnic identifications are produced as part of a social process, which is dynamic and changing. Therefore we know that identities are not static and terms such as ? race and ? ethnicity cannot cover the changing categories without being dynamic terms themselves. The use of quotation marks with these terms is adopted to emphasise that the terms are broad terms and aim to avoid discrimination or misrepresentation of groups under the umbrella term.? Race is commonly used by media and society to portray the physical differences between people, however, social scientists choose to show that the term does not refer to exact biological differences, is stereotypical, and the quotation marks emphasise the concept as more of an assumption which has political implications. The term is socially constructed and therefore does serve an essential purpose in society as it has real affects and associations. The term ?ethnicity refers to cultural practices and history, such as religion, language and territory, where a person or a group derives from, summarising their beliefs and traditions, therefore, ethnicity applies to everyone, necessitating the birth of terms ? minority ethnic group and ? majority ethnic group (Questioning Identity, Ch 4, P124, section 2. 3) to subcategorise identities in relation to ethnicity. Social scientists use quotation marks around these terms to signify that the blanket term does not distinguish between personal and social identity, but acts mainly as a collective identity concept. For example, identification on a British passport may categorise the holder as being ? British although they may be Scottish/Chinese. Social scientists prefer to call UK society a ? multi-ethnic society. These subgroup identities highlight the relational factors which exist in categorising identity, each requiring the other in order to make the comparison between ethnic differences, power and status. Racialization and Ethnicization are preferred concepts as they contribute more to the idea that the identities we adopt are part of a process and are not static, referring to a dynamic process rather than a fixed state. Categorisations from the 1970s onwards, such as the definition of ? black or ? white, were too vague, and failed to recognise the specific needs of other ethnic minorities. In order to monitor and measure statistically the discrimination and underachievement of such groups, collecting ? ethnic statistics in relation to ? race and ? ethnicity was necessary and these can be found in official government censuses. Over the years it became apparent that categorisation of ethnic groups in the censuses rendered some groups ? invisible (Questioning Identity, ch 4, p 137, section 4. 1. 1), for example Irish and Welsh. The category of ? white has had to be expanded into subcategories as the ? white grouping classification remained singular within the censuses until 2001, and ethnicization of ? whites was too generalised. (Questioning Identity: Kath Woodward ch. 4 p138 Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, 1991) These amendments show us that there have been changes in ethnic representation and that there is more awareness regarding ethnic identities and needs. The sub-categorisation of ethnic identities is used in everyday life such as in the media, job applications and insurance documents. The importance of the emergence of new and changing identities in a multi-ethnic society has led to uncertainties about what it means to be ? British. In the 1980s for example, the Commission for Racial Equality sponsored research into the claims by Irish ethnic groups making claims that they were discriminated against by public and private agencies as their ? invisibility misrepresented their particular needs. (Questioning Identity: Kath Woodward, ch. 4, p145). The 1960s Black is Beautiful movement (Questioning Identity: Kath Woodward, ch4, 2. 2, p118) campaigned the category of ?black, inclusive of Asians and any other non-white groups, as inappropriate and too wide an assumption. Collective group action and social creativity disputed the terminology of ? black and involved a struggle to alter the social meaning of blackness, as opposed to the more ? powerful ethnic majority status of being ? white. This redefined black social status and proved that black identities were not fixed but dynamic, changing from a term with connotations of disrespect, to one of pride, proving identities are collective and political as well as individual and relational, Whiteness is used as an invisible marker against which other ?ethnicities are judged (Kath Woodward, Questioning Identity, Ch 4, p 136, Section 4. 1). REFERENCES DD 121, Questioning Identity: gender, class, ethnicity. Kath Woodward, The Open University, Routledge, 2004. DD121, Workbook 1, Norma Sherratt, David Goldblatt, Maureen Mackintosh and Kath Woodward, The Open University, Routledge, 2004. DD121, Block 1, The Open University, TV02 Defining Moments DD121, Block 1, Audio 2, The Open University, Audio 3A DD121, Block 1, Audio 2, The Open University, Audio 3B.

Over-consumption = More Waste :: Essays Papers

Over-consumption = More Waste The single most important environmental issue today is over-consumerism, which leads to excess waste. We buy too much. We think we always need new and better stuff. Will we ever be satisfied? There will always be something better or cooler on the market. Because we live in a capitalistic consumer culture, we have absorbed things like: â€Å"Get it while the getting’s good,† â€Å"Offer ends soon, buy while it lasts,† â€Å"For great deals, come on down†¦Sunday Sunday Sunday!† We, kids from 1 to 92, have become saturated with commercials like: Obey your thirst. How much of our consumption is compulsive buying, merely obeying our momentary thirst? Do we actually need all that we buy? Could we survive efficiently, even happily, without making so many shopping center runs? Once after I made a Target run with mom, I noticed that most of the bulkiness within my plastic bags with red targets symbols on them was made up of the products’ packaging. I t hen thought about all the bags that were piled on the floor near us†¦all of the bags piled on the floors of many homes throughout America daily. There are realistic solutions that we should look into in order to curb this detrimental trend. Because we can do quick little time-saver runs to the nearest mega-store, we really have lost the need and, in some cases, the ability to be creative or resourceful. Instead of contributing to consumerism by buying new clothes and household goods, we can try finding and using things that were already purchased and perhaps slightly used. (Obviously not toiletries, food, or undergarments.) There are oodles of resale shops and rummage sales that contain great products for almost always half the price or even cheaper. By not shopping at such places as Goodwill, Salvation Army, and the like, we just keep adding more and more to the already vast amount of products that are already out there and not in use. It is wise to not contribute anymore to consumerism and waste-increase by buying used items. Perhaps we should only buy new things to supplement our needs. It is unrealistic to advocate that e veryone in America stop buying new things altogether. We should buy them in moderation, but there are things we can do before and after purchasing these things. Three simple solutions are pre-cycling, re-cycling, and re-using. Pre-cycling is used to prevent as much waste as possible by simply seeking out products with little, less, or no packaging.

Rhetorical Advertisement Analysis Essay

Teen pregnancy is one of the most serious issues in the American society. Three in ten teen young women get pregnant before their twenties. We have heard about the bad consequences of teen pregnancy in movies, talk shows, news, and many other social media. The Candies Foundation Organization is a non-profit organization that tries change the way youth in America thinks about teen pregnancy and parenthood. This organization decided to use advertisements to persuade teenagers to consider the consequences of having a baby. Therefore, I chose an advertisement from this organization. And I am here to tell you that this advertisement is so powerful that it is likely to reach its intended audience. The advertisement is composed of two parts equally. On the left side, it is a portrait of a female celebrity with a serious facial expression. On the right side, it is a question written in large font with a small text and an image of a crib below it. The question is: â€Å"Not really the way you pictured your first crib, huh?† The crib has a simple design. The advertisement is basically black and white with a touch of a hot pink color. This color only appears in the name of the organization, which is at the bottom of the portrait, and parts of the question. The rhetorical appeals are included in the advertisement to persuade the audience to think about whether or not they are ready to have a baby. The Candies Foundation Organization uses pathos to appeal to both women and man’s emotions and gain further support for their foundation. It uses sex and emotional appeals and made the advertisement engaging not only to men, but also to women. It uses a more mainstream and modern sex appeal to send the message to its intended audience. There are few advertisements that include a portrait of a female celebrity in them. However, this organization used the advantage that celebrities draw audience’s attention. It used a celebrity called Fergie, who is a well-known singer and actress in the modern days. In fact, the portrait successfully made the ad to appeal only to teenagers. While the portrait is attention catching by taking up half of the advertisement, the organization simply used the celebrity’s facial expression as an emotional appeal. The celebrity’s face is made more beautiful with a touch of make-up focusing on the eyes. The advertisement gains more attention with this portrait for the simple fact that the celebrity is looking straight at the audience. However, the celebrity is not smiling or staring at the audience. It is only a conventional look, in fact, the one that people give when they are talking to someone. It is this look and the emotion she lacks, that creates a strong feeling in the audience. It is also this look that attracts perfectly the audience’s full attention for the advertisement. The celebrity, a female, to the point, adds credibility to the advertisement because a female voice has more strength than a male’s in this situation. Men are always interested in their opposite sex. Women always have the feelings of jealousy and insecurity. Furthermore, the organization effectively opens the advertisement for all genders by using a female celebrity. Now, the advertisement not only attracts teen girls’ attention, but also boys. The organization also uses ethos to appeal a personality in the message. The combination of colors adds a special effect to the advertisement, making it much easier for the audience to relate the portrait with the text. Since the celebrity’s picture is gray and white, it mirrors the question perfectly. As soon as the picture captures the audience’s attention, the attractive color automatically pulls the attention toward the question. The contrast of the colors used in this advertisement effectively brings out the advertisement’s own style. It uses a hot-pink color and white for the question and a dark black color as background. Hot-pink color lover or not, the style surely catches the attention of everybody. The white color also stands out in the dark black background, highlighting the question and giving it more importance. An image of a baby’s crib also lies right below the question, which adds more credibility to the advertisement. The organization is not using an image of a decorative crib in this situation. In fact, it uses an image of a traditional crib. It made the crib look simple, original, and plain, in order to appeal to teenagers rather than adults. I consider that the organization assumes that having an image of a crib in the advertisement will lead the audience to realize the message in depth. Therefore, I consider that they are correct with their assumptions. The crib image does make the question more thoughtful and it encourages teenagers to think seriously about the difficulties of having a child. Unlike other advertisements, the Candies Foundation uses a single question to deliver their message. â€Å"Not really the way you pictured your first crib, huh?† By using logos, this advertisement leads the audience to question themselves about their sexual decisions. The slang word, â€Å"crib†, has a double meaning of â€Å"home† and â€Å"baby’s crib†. The exclamation, huh, has a strong sense of interrogation. The combination of these two words gives a better expression and power to the question. Because the advertisement is targeting teenagers instead of adults, the word huh precisely adds credibility to the question. Using logos and ethos, the question is being asked properly along with an image of a baby crib that strikes fear into the audience. After the audience read the question, automatically they start thinking about few general propositions such as: Do I want to give a home like this one for my baby? Can I afford all the expenses of having a baby? Do I have a permanent job? Am I old enough? Am I ready to be a mother? Am I ready to be a father? Do I really want a baby at all? Without doubt, they will answer: NO. The organization did not ask the audience these questions directly nor gave any quantitative facts about babies. However, it used logos to make its audience reason logically and then the audience themselves can draw a specific truth from the propositions they have made. After the audience had thought about the question, they inevitably agree with the truth that the advertisement carries. In conclusion, this advertisement is effective. It is strong, meaningful, and attractive at the same time. The rhetorical appeals included have successfully persuaded its intended audience to prevent teen pregnancy. The great combination of pathos, ethos, and logos that the organization used in this advertisement builds a positive thought that will stay in the audience’s mind for a long time. This thought deeply discourages teenagers to have sex. This thought can also be a motivation for parents to advise their children and furthermore, the organization gains more outside supports to decrease teen pregnancy growth.

William Faulker And Cry, The Beloved Country, By Alan Paton

There are many comparable aspects between the two novels As I Lay Dying, by William Faulker and Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton. One comparable aspect that can be found in both novels is the many similar themes explored throughout both novels. Many of these themes are prominent throughout literature. When comparing identical themes from two diverse authors, one can understand and appreciate these differences and similarities. Although these themes are commonly discussed, Paton and Faulkner have distinct methods in which the messages in these themes are expressed. Faulkner’s use of expressive visual language, symbolism, different narrators, and motifs bring these themes to life in a very dark manor, which is one reason he is studied by many today. Paton also uses symbolism to discuss these themes, but expresses a different, more intimate tone in this novel than Faulkner projects in his. Although there are many themes to compare between these novels, the most prominent a re sickness, religion, family, and race, as well as comparing the authors’ stylistic approaches. Sickness and suffering is a comparable theme in the two novels. Even in the titles of both novels, this theme is evident. In addition to the title, Faulkner continues on this theme of sickness and suffering and progresses the theme by introducing the theme of death and life. While death is the result of Addie’s sickness and suffering, the morbid scenes described through symbolism throughout the book prompt