How have culture and ethnicity been politicised in South Africa Essay

How have culture and ethnicity been politicised in South Africa - Essay Example The nation attained internal self-independence in 1994 following a successful fight against Apartheid. Since the end of the apartheid movement in 1994, South African politics has been majorly dominated by the ruling party; African National Congress (ANC). The ANC has been winning all the previous elections with 60 plus percentage. The lowest percentage of those coming in the last general election where ANC garnered 63% of the votes while the strongest opposition party known as the Democratic Alliance attained 18% of the votes. South Africa is among the most advanced states in Africa and the world over. However, the electorate that has been handling political matters has majorly been hinged on the race, the culture and the ethnic line from which the individual originates. For starters, the blacks majorly dominate ANC; the ruling party. The officials in charge of the party are blacks. The blacks also control the different wings of the party majorly the ANC Youth League as well as the ANC Women’s League. The South African situation contrasts the nations where the ruling party tends to embrace all the races within the nation. In the United States, for example, president Barrack Obama, serving final term in office, is regarded as of African American origin. The Democratic Alliance, the major political party in South Africa, is mostly associated with citizens of white origin. Politics is said to be hinged on races because out of all the elections that have been carried out in South Africa, the blacks who form the highest population of voters, have not accorded the Democratic Alliance much support. In as much as the ANC has always promised them radical change in terms of development and failed to honor most of the pledges, the blacks have normally rallied behind the ANC with the Democratic Alliance receiving support from the coloured people of various origins. Observers and stakeholders in various sectors have

Media as the main branch of society that sway Gender Essay Example for Free

Media as the main branch of society that sway Gender Essay In the current era, media had been greatly influencing the society. Through the variety of information and mediums the industry could utilize, seemingly media could create numerous impact in the lives of many people. In the movie Bodyguard which was publicized in 1992 provides one of the most distinct examples which could be highlighted to see the power of the media. In terms of gender topics, media had been the main industry that has the authority to proclaim what should or should not be for various genders in the society. The movie Bodyguard starred the most popular actors during the early 90s such as Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Both of these actors have their own image which the masses view of them. Therefore, there is an immediate connotation when it comes to the characters they portray. Kevin Costner is known to be a very good actor who had been acknowledged in many award giving bodies. Whitney Houston on the other hand is a very popular singer who is idolized by many. In the movie, Houston sort of, portrayed herself while Costner captured the role of a masculine, â€Å"only-doing-his-job† body guard who is very much protective of Whitney for the reason that she has a stalker. Houston on the other hand is a famous singer who was being harassed by a stalker. Thus seeing the main personalities, the characters does portray a very â€Å"in-the-box† nuance of what a male and a female should be. Just like in fairytales, the woman must be saved by a man in order for her to get through the evil witches who were often abusing the helpless lead character. In conclusion, media and the concept of media go together. The perspective of the media of what should or should not be is immediately absorbed by the society. Moreover, the movie Bodyguard supports the concept of the typical male and female responsibilities which is practiced by the society. Thus, the media supports this type of perspective of gender which strictly assumes that men are strong and protective while women are vulnerable and weak. References Costner, K. , Kasdan, L. Wilson, J. (Producers). Jackson, M. (Director). (1992). Bodyguard. [Motion Picture]. United States: Warner Brothers.

Factors That Influence Person Self Concept Sociology Essay

Factors That Influence Person Self Concept Sociology Essay I have been asked to reassess a case study on Isaac Barlow and Zac Barlow. In my assessment I shall include aspects that influenced the brothers self concept. Also, I shall include an outline how these factors can influence the growth of their self esteem. Finally, I shall include an explanation on how these factors can influence the development of their self concept. (P3) State factors that influence an individuals self-concept and give a clear and full account of the factors that might have influenced the brothers self-concept. I shall state the factors that influence an individuals self-concept and I will give a clear and full account of the factors that might have influenced the brothers self-concept. Factors that can influence an individuals self-concept are education, media, appearance, culture, abuse, relationships, gender, income and age. Education: Education can influence an individuals self-concept by having supportive teaching staff who continues to encourage a student to keep up the good work. Also, another factor that can influence an individuals self-concept is the lack of employment due to having a poor education. Education can impact on a persons self-esteem if they cannot get into employment and the person will get a negative self-image and low self-esteem. Media: Media can influence an individuals self-concept through provision of educational sources such as, promoting enrolment on academic courses and information on current situation happening in our society. A further reason that can influence an individuals self-concept is displaying of images of models or celebrities being underweight. For example, pictures of Victoria Beckham and Nicole Richie. Appearance: Appearance can affect an individuals self-concept both constructively and harmfully. For example, appearance constructive influence will be pictures displayed by sports encouraging individuals to keep up a healthy lifestyle. Further to point, appearance can have a negative influence on a persons life through advertising photos of underweight models and this can influence young women to try to seem very thin. Culture: Culture is a belief that you have or self values. This can influence our self concept if we do not endorse other individuals culture. Cultural diversity can have a positive influence if we embrace the differences of others, but if differences are used to discriminate against others, its harmful. Example req. Also, this can be the way you were brought up by your parents or a guardian. Abuse: There are different types of abuse; they are physical, emotional, neglect and sexual. These or any type of abuse can be detrimental to a person, however, abuse can influence a person if they have been neglected and they will develop a low self esteem. In addition, a person has been neglected may feel socially excluded and may suffer from mental health conditions. Relationships: Relationship can influence an individuals self concept if you do not have a supportive family, peers. This will may lead the individual to have a negative self concept with socialisation. Furthermore, having high expectations can also have a negative self concept of an individual, additionally if the person has been compared to other peer groups or siblings can have a negative influence. Gender: Gender is characterised by being a man or woman. This categorisation can influence a persons self-concept of stereotyping job roles for both genders. For example, men should play football and women should stay at home and cook the meals also take care of the children. Finally, I believe that these factors may influence an individuals self-concept everyone should be treated equally regardless of their gender. Income: Income can influence individual self concept if they do not have enough income they may be despair that they cannot afford to live a normal life. For example, with insufficient low income a person cannot maintain their lifestyle factors, such as paying their rent, afford heating facilities within their home plus have a balance diet. Age: It can be said that self-concept can fluctuate throughout different life stages, for example. Also, age can influence a persons self concept during childhood and adolescent development. Through comprehending his ideal self receiving peer pressure. Self concept is the way an individual visualise them self. For example, self concept can be very influential in the way we see our self; by receiving critical comments by peers or family member, which can cause low self esteem. Self concept is made up of factors such as self image, ideal self and self esteem. Haworth et al (2010) suggests that there are numerous factors that can affect your self- concept. They are age, education, media, appearance, culture, abuse, relationships, gender, and income. These factors are also known as socioeconomic factors. (M2) Outline how factors can influence the development of an individuals self-concept, or Outline how the factors that influenced the brothers self-concept. (D1) Describe how the factors influenced the brothers self-concept. Factors that influenced Zac Barlow self-concept Age: During Zacs infancy years he was unable to distinguish what gender he was. During Zacs childhood years he was able to distinguish his family. During he was able to identify that he was a student and what year he was in school and able to identify his likes and dislikes. He was able to tell who is friends were and express his emotions. During adolescent life stage he was able to compare himself with others and express his relationship with peers. Also, he was able to describe his beliefs and acknowledge what is right from what is wrong. During his adulthood life stage he should become more confident within his personal relationship and establish himself within a particular career. Appearance: Zacs appearance seems to have been influence negatively, because he was not interested in sports. This may have impacted on him because within the norms males are expected to do physical activities. Also, this will have an impact on his self esteem, although his self image might be different on what others think about him. He may not feel attracted to form any relationship with the opposite sex at school because of his appearance. Moreover, his self concept may decrease due to how others perceive him. He had a very thin physique which might be an influence from the media. He may be affected by his appearance. His appearance may affect by how he attires or carries himself and called gay; he may feel within his ideal self that he is gay. Also, hearing negative words all the time can make him believe whatever they mimic him and this will lead to negative social interaction with his peers. Media: The media may have an impact on how he feels about himself. Media may impact on his appearance. May has impacted the way he feels about himself or may have an impact on his image which may encourage him to keep his body built. Contribute to self concept development; social, academic, emotional physical may impact on his appearance which is his ideal self. Media can also provide positive educational opportunities which can help to develop a persons academic growth. Culture: He believes he was the norm. In the western culture boys meant to be masculine and girls meant to be feminine. His culture can be influenced by his family also by his peers. He did not have a girlfriend at school plus how he was brought up might impact on his self esteem. Gender: He was male. He meant to have masculine physiques. He faces gender stereotype because he was not taking part in sport activity at school. Because of his gender stereotype it decreases his academic performance at school. At a certain age people can identify or chose which group to follow so he hangs out with older boys. Education: He was influenced by his parents to study because he did not have a choice. He was influenced by teachers, peers and parents to study. May start to compare himself with his peers including siblings. Receiving additional support from the school could help to develop his self concept. Being compared to other pupils or siblings can affect his views on himself. Been teased Zac may feel unwanted and be ashamed of who he is as a person and as a part of that he would have a low self esteem which he may possibly continue through to adulthood. This may also affect his relationships and employment prospects. Constant teasing can affect Zac overall mood and that is why he was unsociable. Because of this he may lose interest in sports activities and was able to build a relationship with older boys. He will also develop mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. He may feel reluctant to try and build relationships with his peers. Being teased can also has a significant consequence on his academic performance, reason being, he has been teased and this will make him divert from paying attention on his studies. This will have a result on his academic study by not making it into six forms or college. Also because he has been teased he did not want to take part in certain lessons. There is no indication of how long the teasing took place but there was speculations of Zac being bullied by his peers. Additionally, if he have been bullied this will show signs that his teasing was going on for a while then potentially lead to bullying. Furthermore, this will allow Zac to be in fear and have a negative self-concept about himself or have a negative self-image, self-esteem, self-value and ideal self. These mental scars can affect Zac in both past and present conduct and decrease his chance of academic and psychological hardship throughout school and into adulthood. Income: He was raised in a middle class family. So his parents had enough money to live an above normal lifestyle. Having brought up in a middle class family, would mean that some of his needs were financially. Also, been used to a lot of money during his development he may be used to materialistic things. He may influence to steal because he cannot afford his lifestyle needs which can have a negative self image. Relationship: There are different types of relationships, which are family, mutual, ect. He did not have a good relationship with his peers because they taunted him. He did not have good relationship with school staff as he always gets into trouble at school He may introvert his social behaviour. He did not have a good relationship with his parents as he has been neglected and he would not speak to them. He did not have good social interaction with any of his peers family and staff at school. He develops relationship with older boys as they share similar value this will strengthen his self concept and extrovert his social conduct. Abuse: He was verbally abused by peers which will have an emotional impact on his self esteem. He was neglected by his parents, for example, his emotional needs were neglected. He may be abuse by the older boys which influenced him to smoke because he was vulnerable. He may be stereotyped because of his role of his gender, for instance, males meant to be muscular and females were meant to be gorgeous. Factors that influence Isaac Barlow self-concept Age: Isaac self-concept changes throughout his life. Age: He is the eldest of his siblings. Appearance: Media: Culture: Gender: Education: Income: Relationship: Abuse: Self-image: this is how a person thinks about or see them self. Ideal self: this is what you would like to be Self-esteem: this is how you value yourself. Conclusion

Light and Dark in Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness Essays -- Movie

Light and Dark in Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness    In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Marlow chooses a brighter path than his counterpart in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, Capt. Willard. The two share in the duty of searching for and discovering Kurtz, as well as taking care of his memory, but their beliefs before encountering him place the characters at opposing ends of a theme. These opposing ends are light and dark, representing good and evil. In the opening pages of Heart of Darkness, Marlow begins telling a tale of himself as nothing more than a sailor, who had a taste for adventure and saw the navigation of a river in such a distant and mysterious place as the Congo as a chance to find it. Capt. Willard however, had "prayed for a mission, and for [his] sins they gave [him] one"(AP). Marlow's disposition at the beginning of this journey is that of a bored young man, trying to fill his time: a noble and societally acceptable existence. Capt. Willard is beyond the bounds of normal society as he begins narrating Apocalypse Now from his hotel room in Saigon. He explains: "When I was here [at the war] I wanted to be there [back home]. When I was there all I could think of was getting back into the jungle"(AP). Willard is outside of society but is hanging on slightly by his connection to the Army. This connection is a weak one, because of the nature of war and the fact that in war the laws of normal society are not applicable. Kurtz though, has taken the final step by breaking away from the army; "he broke from them, and then he broke from himself. I'd never seen a man so broken up and ripped apart"(AP). Willard doesn't even know if he will oppose Kurtz when he meets him, because he sees Kurtz in himself... ...v099B/fa/n022/a-e-apocalypse-fortmeyer.html created 1994 (accessed 23 Jan. 2000). Heart of Darkness. Dir. Nicolas Roeg. Turner Network Television (TNT) Pictures, 1994. Heart of Darkness: Theme/Symbol/Allusion/Foreshadow http://164.116.90.3/public/jarvinen/hod.html (accessed 21 Jan. 2000). Nash, Jay Robert, and Stanley Ralph Ross. "Apocalypse Now" The Motion Picture Guide. Chicago: Cinebooks, 1985. Raskin, Jonah. The Mythology of Imperialism. New York: Random, 1971. Urch, Martin. Apocalypse Now: A film review by Martin Urch http://us.imdb.com/Reviews/30/3030 created 1994 (accessed 29 Jan. 2000). Virtanen, Panu S. Plot summary of 'Apocalypse Now' http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/9067/plot.html (accessed 16 Jan. 2000). Watts, Cedric. Conrad's Heart of Darkness: A Critical and Contextual Discussion. Milan: Mursia International, 1977.

My Experience

Nine weeks I’ve spent in this class, learning new techniques on studying, and learning new critical thinking strategies. Nine weeks that I’ve been in school again thinking and challenging myself and learning about a variety of new things. These last nine weeks have reminded me about the long term effects that higher education will have on my future employment and current job. This class has gave me so many tools that I can use in my everyday life. These last nine weeks have helped me get my mechanics back together academically I would say. I been out of school for about six months and I haven’t been reading, just working since I came out of school. Recently in class I relearned how to take Cornell Style notes, it’s like a lost art nowadays this note taking. My experience in this class was great overall for being my first time taking an online class. I enjoyed my time because with my work schedule always varying, this class came in handy letting me log in at times when other classes are long finished. This specific course was helpful in that it helped me see there’s more ways of doing things and not to worry about stressing yourself out. One of the most important things this class taught me was collaborative learning is an important aspect of life. I say that because every time we comment on things the atmosphere on the forum is good because it seems like we were constantly feeding off each others answers. The posts always seemed to drag on and for most of week, and I believe that collaborative learning works best in environments like this. The other most important thing I learned here was the value of setting goals for yourself. Whether they be big or small, important or non important setting goals is helpful in accomplishing certain tasks in a fast and secure manner. What also makes it worth while is when you have a big goal and you have little goals in between set in front of you that you must overcome. To me goal setting has usually made me strive to do things better and faster. I believe that the long term benefits of having a education will help you with employment opportunities. I think that having a degree from University of Phoenix will greatly increase my chances of getting promoted because the school has a name for itself at several different companies. At my job alone we have 7 people that graduated from this school in the past year. I also think that with an education you’re more likely to have stability in the workplace, when there is a mass let go phrase, companies tend to keep their educated employees over noneduacated. The tools and assessments in from this course will help me in my future courses and jobs because one of the tools I learned was goal setting. Which will help me keep focus at the task at hand. I also Learned that its okay to learn different things, in an collaborative environment its okay to feed off each, but not steal each others ideas. Which in my current position at work ripping off peoples ideas is spreading like wildfire. Its like some people at my job have been biten by the copy bug. One of the most useful things I learned in this class was how to use the library. I think a lot us take it for granted because they don’t know how to use it. The library allows me to search for articles pertaining to any subject. Also the library tools such as the plagiarism finder, it checks your paper for any plagiarized material. Also the citiation tool is very helpful because it sites everything for you. So, in conclusion; nine weeks have come and gone. Finishing this class is just a goal I set when I started this program. I think collaborative learning is something that can be useful whether it be in a classroom environment or business environment. This class has taught me if you apply yourself and use critical thinking when striving for a goal you can achieve what you set your mind to. My Experience Nine weeks I’ve spent in this class, learning new techniques on studying, and learning new critical thinking strategies. Nine weeks that I’ve been in school again thinking and challenging myself and learning about a variety of new things. These last nine weeks have reminded me about the long term effects that higher education will have on my future employment and current job. This class has gave me so many tools that I can use in my everyday life. These last nine weeks have helped me get my mechanics back together academically I would say. I been out of school for about six months and I haven’t been reading, just working since I came out of school. Recently in class I relearned how to take Cornell Style notes, it’s like a lost art nowadays this note taking. My experience in this class was great overall for being my first time taking an online class. I enjoyed my time because with my work schedule always varying, this class came in handy letting me log in at times when other classes are long finished. This specific course was helpful in that it helped me see there’s more ways of doing things and not to worry about stressing yourself out. One of the most important things this class taught me was collaborative learning is an important aspect of life. I say that because every time we comment on things the atmosphere on the forum is good because it seems like we were constantly feeding off each others answers. The posts always seemed to drag on and for most of week, and I believe that collaborative learning works best in environments like this. The other most important thing I learned here was the value of setting goals for yourself. Whether they be big or small, important or non important setting goals is helpful in accomplishing certain tasks in a fast and secure manner. What also makes it worth while is when you have a big goal and you have little goals in between set in front of you that you must overcome. To me goal setting has usually made me strive to do things better and faster. I believe that the long term benefits of having a education will help you with employment opportunities. I think that having a degree from University of Phoenix will greatly increase my chances of getting promoted because the school has a name for itself at several different companies. At my job alone we have 7 people that graduated from this school in the past year. I also think that with an education you’re more likely to have stability in the workplace, when there is a mass let go phrase, companies tend to keep their educated employees over noneduacated. The tools and assessments in from this course will help me in my future courses and jobs because one of the tools I learned was goal setting. Which will help me keep focus at the task at hand. I also Learned that its okay to learn different things, in an collaborative environment its okay to feed off each, but not steal each others ideas. Which in my current position at work ripping off peoples ideas is spreading like wildfire. Its like some people at my job have been biten by the copy bug. One of the most useful things I learned in this class was how to use the library. I think a lot us take it for granted because they don’t know how to use it. The library allows me to search for articles pertaining to any subject. Also the library tools such as the plagiarism finder, it checks your paper for any plagiarized material. Also the citiation tool is very helpful because it sites everything for you. So, in conclusion; nine weeks have come and gone. Finishing this class is just a goal I set when I started this program. I think collaborative learning is something that can be useful whether it be in a classroom environment or business environment. This class has taught me if you apply yourself and use critical thinking when striving for a goal you can achieve what you set your mind to.

Exclusion of Chinese Americans in History essays

Exclusion of Chinese Americans in History essays The years between 1850 and 1880 marked a huge difference in the way Chinese immigrants were treated in California. Numerous economic transformations occurred during these years, changing the way white Californians, specifically Nativists, felt towards the Chinese. This was the beginning of what became a history of exclusion of Chinese immigrants in California that had many long-term consequences for the Chinese. Starting in the 1850s Chinese immigrants came to California in large numbers. They were not so much accepted as tolerated, treated as mysterious foreigners, an Oriental, rather than a threat. But by the 1870s, with the depression of 1873 and the rise of mechanization, Nativists and other working-class whites began to view the Chinese as a serious threat to their economic stability. By the 1870s, capitalists were attempting to rationalize and reduce the cost of production (Lee 54). These same capitalists began to view immigrants as a good, relatively free source of labor. With mechanization came the ability to train almost anyone, immigrants, women and children, on the use of these machines. This took power away from the white man. These white men became increasingly threatened by immigrant labor, specifically the Chinese. While it is true that he Irish were also used as unskilled laborers, by their very whiteness, they were not viewed as the same threat as the brown-skinned Chinese. The use of the Irish and Italian, as well as the Chinese immigrants as strikebreakers became commonplace in the 1870s (Lee 55). Even though the Irish and Italians were used, once again the Chinese became the focus of the anti-immigrant sentiment. Many of these white laborers, having already left the Eastern United States due to the advent of mechanization, turned to the id ea of Nativism as a result of the threat of the Chinese immigrants. In 1870, Senator Cowan warned...