The Reality Of Reality Television - 1790 Words

Reality television is one of the most popular genres featured on broadcast media. Although its name implies an honest and impartial story, reality television is one of the most-edited and manipulated forms of television, where producers decide what is seen by the audience through their careful selection of music, footage, camera angles, and lighting among many other important features. Through their design choices and careful edits, producers are able to create narratives and meanings that otherwise would not exist were a single uncut take been what was aired. One such example of a narrative being constructed is found in episode 19 of season 8 of the hit reality television show, Shark Tank. In this episode, a narrative about the allure†¦show more content†¦In addition to the narration, the visuals that are shown also highlight the message that you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps and become a successful businessperson. The beginning of the clip features photograp hs of the sharks before they were well-known for their business endeavors. In these shots, the photographs of the sharks are intentionally blurred or left uncolored as to signify that they were at a less-fortunate time in their lives, or that they were inferior at that point in time. As the scene progresses, and the narrator begins to talk about how the sharks became rich, photographs and videos of a very different theme and quality are shown. In the pictures where the sharks have become rich, the outlines of their bodies are highlighted with a sort-of mixture between the soft-edge and glowing-edge effects found in the Photoshop image editing software. This simple edit gives the sharks an ethereal or heavenly appearance, insinuating that they have achieved greatness and are radiant sources of knowledge and business wisdom. What is especially interesting to note about this particular episode is that the producers actually chose to forgo the theme song. In order to keep the epis ode within its allotted amount of time, factoring in the amount of advertisements that would be played to fill the thirty minute time slot, the iconic Shark Tank theme was skipped in favor of the special intro. While this may not seem like a big deal on theShow MoreRelatedThe Reality Of Reality Television936 Words   |  4 PagesThe reality show phenomenon Have you ever wondered what attracts millions of Americans each week to watch this cultural phenomenon know as reality television? It first started in 1948 when Allen Funt created a TV series called Candid Camera, this is the first known reality television show series. â€Å"Reality television episodes have increased up to 57% of all television shows that can be found on your TV guides† (Shocking). Big Brother was one of the first successful and most viewed reality televisionRead MoreThe Reality Of Reality Television882 Words   |  4 Pages What is it about these reality shows such as: Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Bad Girls Club, and The Real Housewives that we cannot stop watching? After watching reality shows like this, it leaves people craving the next episode of the next week. Reality television producers are exploiting people by giving the public a â€Å"sense† of reality but not the real version of it, but rather exploit people and use stereotypes to make money for entertainment. The specific points of this argumentRead MoreThe Reality of Reality Television1699 Words   |  7 PagesThe Reality of Reality Television Jacqueline Knudsen ENG122: English Composition II Jenna Fussell February 2, 2013 The Reality of Reality Television Have you ever set there watching your favorite reality television show and wondered what effects it could have on you, your family or your friends? Truth is most people do not think about the effects television shows can have before watching them or allowing their children to watch them. ThisRead MoreThe Reality Of Reality Television1499 Words   |  6 PagesAgainst Reality TV For close to a decade, the ethics behind the existence of reality TV have been questioned. While there are ardent viewers of reality TV, researchers and other scholars disapprove them, and claim that the world would have been in a better place. Reality TV shows, especially in America, are extremely profitable to media owners, and this has increased their popularity in the recent years. The main target audience for these shows are teenagers and women, who spend a lot of time discussingRead MoreThe Reality Of Reality Television927 Words   |  4 PagesBehind the Reality of Reality TV There are many different opinions when the subject of reality television is discussed. Although reality television shows are thought to be negative they really are just mindless entertainment. Many can argue that these shows are misleading and disturbing. On the other side of this, people merely use these shows for entertainment and allow people to forget about stress in their lives. The cause of these different opinions is a result of different age, gender, religionRead MoreThe Reality Of Reality Television1511 Words   |  7 PagesReality TV is defined as television programs in which real people are continuously filmed, designed to be entertaining rather than informative.(Dictionary) As we all know, in today s world we are presented with numerous Reality TV Show such as Keeping up With the Kardashians, Basket wives and The Real Housewives of Miami. These shows give a false message to their viewers of what is reality and what is purely entertainment. Many reality programs create an artificial environment for the show thatRead MoreThe Reality Of Reality Television991 Words   |  4 PagesWe see content on television every day either to see the news, watch a movie, series or any program we would like to watch. Television give us a different and visually perfect way of entertainment. Reality television is a genre of television which seems to be unscripted showing actions of â€Å"real life†. The viewer sees the reality shows for entertainment but neither the pressure, competitiveness nor loneliness that lives in imagines. To be real -time and people- admiration from viewers, thinking thatRead MoreThe Reality Of Reality Television Essay1287 Words   |  6 PagesReality television is now one of the most consumed television genres broadcasted to the general public. Reality television has become more about mindless watching and creating the most unrealistic environment possible, rather than creating a show for an important purpose. Today, shows like Beauty and the Geek, Big Brother, and every other reality show fit into this mold, but when viewed critically lessons appear. In the case of TV today, reality shows depict an altered reality because of the unrealisticRead MoreThe Reality Of Reality Television Essay1973 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction Reality television has turned into a noteworthy piece of our way of life. The shows are described to be fun, engaging and acquaint society with new points of view. In the wake of a monotonous day at work, it s decent to return home and watch something careless on television, while unwinding. While the debate that violence in the media is making for a brutal culture has been made a million times, sometime recently, I am striving to make an alternate relationship. As we are aware, theRead MoreReality Television : Is It Reality?849 Words   |  4 PagesIs it Reality? Pop culture is popular culture that dominates a society at a point in time. Today, reality television is a part of the society’s popular culture (Johnson 289). The question is why? Reality television is a genre of television programming that focuses on members of the public living in conditions made by the creator, and displays how people are intended to behave in everyday life (Johnson 290). Reality television is debasing and should be strictly controlled, if not banned altogether

The Conversion Therapy Is A Suitable And Ethical Practice

In light of the 2016 election, there have been some question as to weather or not conversion therapy is a suitable and ethical practice. Conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy or ex-gay therapy, is used to try and change a persons sexual orientation and/or a persons gender identity. United states President Donald J. Trump has not yet said anything about his views on the matter, however, Vice-President elect Mike Pence has ‘advocated diverting taxpayer dollars to so-called conversion therapy’ and stated, during one of the republican debates, Congress should support the reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act only after completion of an audit to ensure that federal dollars were no longer being given to organizations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus. Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.† (Chris Nichols- Politifact) He also supported reparative therapy when he started to run for congress in 2000. Conversion therapy, unlike many other therapies, can be extremely harmful to a person, especially a minor’s, mental health and self esteem; Therefor, conversion therapy should be illegal in all 50 states because it puts lgbtq+ youth at a greater risk of experiencing high levels of depression and suicide, is often biased to fit one set of religious beliefs and is ‘unethical’. Conversion therapy, or reparativeShow MoreRelatedHolistic Approach14986 Words   |  60 Pagesmind, body, spirit and environment. Holistic healing includes a wide range of therapies with inherently complex philosophies about the prevention and treatment of illness. Questions still exist as to the safety of complementary and alternative medicine (otherwise known as CAM), which are an integral part of holistic healing and whether they really heal the conditions and diseases they are treating . Holistic Therapies The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) definesRead MoreThe Admissions Committee Is Doing Gaining More Insight Into You As A Person1935 Words   |  8 Pages1. The admissions committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience and what you may have learned about yourself as a result. (3500 char) â€Å"I don’t know† I can still distinctlyRead MorePharmaceutical Industry Ethical Practices13569 Words   |  55 Pages| Ethics in Corporate Society | | PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING-the growing ethical concern? Analytical Report | | | Madiha Raza Noama Naeem Sheikh Zargham Zaigham LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION November 5, 2011 Dear Readers, As students of BBA, our course instructor of Ethics in Corporate Society, Ms. Tania Danish authorized us to make a report on the â€Å"PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING-the growing ethical concern?† We were required to make a report in accordance to our learning in the courseRead MoreA Christian Approach to Homosexuality7265 Words   |  30 PagesObama’s position puts him squarely at odds with that of Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee. It is obvious that the past 30-40 years have witnessed a massive shift in perceptions of homosexuality and it is no longer just a religious or ethical issue but a legal and political one too. Evangelicals can no longer ignore the issue. The situation is exacerbated by some denominations and movements including some evangelicals who have taken a pro-homosexual stance. The so called Gay ChristianRead More An Analysis of GlaxoSmithKline Essay11294 Words   |  46 Pagescommercialisation GlaxoSmithKline has in place ensures the company is always known and revered in the local, national and international societies. GlaxoSmithKline’s wide range of pharmaceutical products is in the areas of The central nervous system therapy, respiratory, anti-viral, metabolic, gastro-intestinal, vaccines, oncology and others. Their list of consumer healthcare products, of which many are household names, includes Panadol, Aquafresh, Lucozade and Nicorette. The success in increasingRead MoreMba Solved Assignment Papers52670 Words   |  211 Pagessurvey may as well provide information about the practical possibilities for doing different types of research. 3. Analyses of ‘insight-stimulating’ examples are also a fruitful method for suggesting hypothesis for research. It is particularly suitable in areas where there is little experience to serve as a guide. This method consists of the intensive study of selected instance of the phenomenon in which one is interested. For this purpose the existing records, if nay, may be examined, the unstructuredRead MorePacific Cataract And Laser Institute10047 Words   |  41 Pagesthe principle of bringing human touch to the art of healing and eight different core values were defined around this principle. Reflect the organization?s culture Consistent with the desired image Acceptable to stakeholders Consistent with vision Ethical Represent a clear commitment 1. Desired behaviors 2. Organizational norms 3. Shared beliefs 4. Share assumptions 5. Explicit philosophy 6. Fundamental principles Objectives Strategic Managers Board Top Managers A. External EnvironmentRead MoreWorkplace Mediation36362 Words   |  146 Pagesagainst the employee. The employee can be accompanied by a trade union official or a fellow employee of their choice at the meeting The primary purpose of this grievance procedure is to enable staff to air any concerns that they may have about practices, policies or treatment from other individuals at work, and to produce a speedy resolution where genuine problems exist. It is designed to help all employees to take the appropriate action, when they are experiencing difficulties, in an atmosphereRead MoreRetail Management30153 Words   |  121 Pagestheir exteriors. Overall, Szymanski stresses, suppliers should be seeking to help retailers achieve significance, rather than just success. Ethical Issues in Retailing Retailers expect their employees to be honest in their dealings with the business and with their co-workers. Customers expect the business and its employees to be honest and ethical in their dealings with them. Employees expect the business, its owners and management to be honest in dealings with them. These are fair expectationsRead More7 Megatrends 203026297 Words   |  106 Pages  divergently      convergently Establish   efficient   knowledge   management Make   the   working   environment   attractive   to   women Improve   your   global   hiring   strategy Use   business   opportunities   resulting   from   global   cooperation    Establish   an   ethical   management   approach    Optimize   cooperation   with   the   nonprofit sector 12 T1 CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS T2 GLOBALIZATION FUTURE MARKETS T3 SCARCITY OF RESOURCES T4 THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE T5 DYNAMIC TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION T6 GLOBAL

Dropbox It Just Works Free Essays

Dropbox: â€Å"It Just Works† (HBS 9-811-065) Kunal Sharma Advanced Entrepreneurship March 11, 2013 100410018 Word Count: 854 Question 1 a) The reason that Dropbox is such a universal concept is because anyone in the world can be a buyer of Dropbox. It can be an individual trying to save and access their pictures on different platforms or it can be a multinational firm who uses the product as a â€Å"file collaboration† software within the firm. â€Å"The idea is to get people using it inside companies without IT’s permission. We will write a custom essay sample on Dropbox: It Just Works or any similar topic only for you Order Now Once IT sees that Dropbox is in heavy demand and that it works reliably, we’ll get certified for use across the company. (Pg3, P3, Dropbox: it just work’s, 2012). So basically the buyer can literally be anyone with a need for easy access to storage of data across multiple platforms. Usually in other industries the buyers would be a small group of people or companies for whom the product was specifically made and marketed for, as well as each industry tries to capture a part of the market share. Whereas in terms of Dropbox, as we can see that the buyers differ in a way that anyone can become one as the service is offered free of charge for users who do not wish to store too much data. Identifying buyers is one of the key steps of opportunity assessment. In order to see whether if a product or service will have sales depends on its buyers and if they exist or not, if a product or service is launched and there is not a real need for it then that product will not have sales. Therefore, to conduct an opportunity assessment the buyers must be identified in order to see the potential of a product or service in a limited market space as well as to see if it is worth approaching a certain buyer or not in terms of the return business to recover the costs for marketing to that buyer. Question 2 ) In my opinion, Dropbox was an extremely attractive opportunity mainly because of the fact that there was nothing else like it on the market in terms of an online storage system that catered to the needs of the individuals as well as small to large businesses. The competitive landscape for Dropbox seems to be very high due to the fact that before they even went into business there w ere already 80 or more websites that offered similar services as well as due to the fact that competition on the internet is fierce since market space is very limited only the company with the best product can survive in the long run. The biggest threats to a startup such as Dropbox would be the industry giants who can easily offer the same services as Dropbox for a much lower price due their power in the industry and market share; their costs are much lower as well because they have been in the industry for so long the resources available to them are unlimited and these giants have entered the market as Microsoft’s SkyDrive and the Apple iCloud. â€Å"But recently, Dropbox has garnered all the press. Why? Because  Steve Jobs wanted to purchase it for Apple, but Drew Houston, Dropbox’s CEO, said, â€Å"No, thanks. † Why didn’t Dropbox sell out to Apple for a likely nine-figure sum? Drew Houston thought he could build a bigger company. Jobs disagreed. He allegedly said Dropbox was â€Å"a feature, not a product. † (Joshua Gans, 2011) As we can see that even Steve jobs believed in the potential of Dropbox and although it wasn’t sold this showed the world that Dropbox was now a recognizable brand on its own and didn’t need the help of their competition. Question 3 The Dropbox business model was made to be as simplistic as possible in order to target an extremely large market so in essence, Dropbox has basically implemented a â€Å"freemium† business model, offering its product/service to users for free (like 2 gigs of cloud storage), but charging a fee for access to the premium features (more storage). Resource requirements for Dropbox were dealt with in several different ways, the first of which was done by raising capital through ‘Y Combinator’ a firm that invests in start-ups and provides companies with the necessary industry networking tools and business advice. Initially they were given $20000 as well as an office space to further develop their product and at the end of the 3 month process Y Combinator and Dropbox managed to raise just over $1. 2 million. Although the product was successfully launched for both consumers and businesses the simple file syncing service has grown, in just a few years, to 50 million active users approximately 96% of the users do not pay anything to use Dropbox. The remaining 4% pay for more storage and purportedly make it profitable. This wasn’t sufficient for Dropbox so their tried to attract customers through paid advertising which cost them an acquisition of $300 per paying customer which was way too high since a premium account had an annual fee of only $99 making it extremely costly. However they overcame that by an additional $6 million in financing from Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners. References 1. LAUREN BARLEY, MICHAEL PAO, THOMAS R. EISENMANN â€Å"Dropbox: It Just Works† Harvard Business School Case 9-811-065, January 2012. 2. 2, Joshua Gans  Ã‚  |  Ã‚  11:37 AM November, and 2011. â€Å"Where Is Dropbox’s Power? – Joshua Gans – Harvard Business Review. â€Å"HBR Blog Network – Harvard Business Review. N. p. , n. d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. http://blogs. hbr. org/cs/2011/11/where_is How to cite Dropbox: It Just Works, Essay examples

Intro free essay sample

Surd Dares (Blocking the means) Ruff (custom) 4 In general, the framework of Islamic finance is the same framework used by the conventional finance practices. These frameworks are, inter alai legal and regulatory framework, taxation framework, accounting and auditing standards, etc. Might have different or additional framework, such as accounting and auditing standard, etc, due to its peculiarity. In certain jurisdiction, Islamic banking and finance might be regulated by different sets of regulations, either separate or additional, e. G. BIB 1983 5 However, Islamic Finance, as the name suggests, has another framework, which is considered the major element that differentiates BIB from the conventional banking and finance. Any violation of this framework will definitely effect the validity of Islamic finance itself. Shari Compliance Framework 6 Three main interrelated terminologies: Shari, Fish Mulatto Shari, when viewed from legal perspective is the fixed elements of Islamic law, i. E. What has been clearly stipulated and mentioned in the text. We will write a custom essay sample on Intro or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page E. G. Five time prayers, prohibition of rib, etc.As such, it is revealed in nature 7 Shari, in this sense, is wide and encompassing various branches of Islam Normally, it comes in its generality and it emphasizes only on the principles and not the detailed rules (not all the time) It is the duty of the judge (quad), mufti and jurisdictions (llama) to exert their intellectual efforts in deriving and applying these principles on certain given scenarios. The result of human reasoning and understanding to the Shari is known as fish Fixed v. Flexible Agreements v. Differences 8 However, in its general usage, it is called al-Assyria al-elastically (Islamic law).Islamic commercial law is one of the components of Islamic law Other components of Islamic law include: Islamic law of purification and worship family law criminal law away of evidence and procedure law of inheritance, etc The main subjects of Islamic commercial law are commercial contracts and the rules governing them 9 Original rule of permissibility: Initial legal ruling in commercial contract is permissibility Contrary to acts Of devotion (EBITDA)

Ben Folds Five essays

Ben Folds Five essays Ben Folds Five is a band who started in 1994. Ben Folds Five is a trio not a quintet, which it is often mistaken for. The band originated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Ben Folds Five is known for its half punk and half alternative sounds. The famous band Styx and the famous band Journey have given Ben Folds Five music the title of punk rock for sissies. In the late 1980s, Ben Folds played bass in a band called Maj=sha. The band was not very successful. Maj=sha only cut one record not giving itself a big name. In the early 1990s, he played drums in a group called Pots and Pans. Folds then moved to New York after Pots and Pans broke up. He did some theater work and signed a publishing deal with Sony Music for his singing. This publishing deal allowed him three weeks to return to Chapel Hill and form a new band. Ben Folds Five then originated. The trio includes three band members with much experience under their belts. The lead singer and pianist Ben Folds has been in many bands mentioned earlier. The bassist Robert Sledge formerly played with a band called The Toxic Popsicle. The drummer Darren Jesse was a former member of Limbo. Soon after the trio got together, they released a single, Jackson Cannery, which lead to a deal with a New York based publishing company called Caroline. Ben Folds states he feels more comfortable in littler towns like his own back home. So for their first year or two, they only stayed in local towns and small Getting the piano sound popular was not easy for this band. The sound popular then was the grunge distorted-guitar sound. Ben Folds knew it was going to be tough to become popular without that guitar sound. But still persued Folds states, I wont compromise-we just dont play if theres no piano. If ...

5 Reasons You Should Attend Academic Conferences

5 Reasons You Should Attend Academic Conferences 5 Reasons You Should Attend Academic Conferences Remember that scene at the start of The Lion King where animals gather from miles around to celebrate the birth of Simba? That’s pretty much what academic conferences are. The main difference is that academic conferences have scholars in place of animals, cutting-edge research instead of a royal lion cub, and less music by Elton John. Its the one thing academic conferences are missing. [Photo: Heinrich Klaffs] However, in case the tenuous Lion King analogy hasn’t already convinced you to take an interest in academic conferences, we have a few additional factors to consider†¦ 1. New Ideas and Theories The main reason for attending an academic conference is to learn about the latest research in your field. Many researchers present new ideas at conferences, so if you’re looking for an envelope to push, there are worse places to get inspired! 2. Meeting People is Easy We academic types tend to spend a lot of time locked away in labs, libraries and archives, so any opportunity to get out and meet like-minded people has to be welcomed. This is especially important for postgraduate students, as making connections with fellow academics can benefit your long-term career. Even if you’re not thinking that far ahead, academic conferences and workshops provide opportunities to learn from and speak to leading thinkers in your subject area. Which is something any budding intellectual should embrace! 3. Something for Everyone While most conferences are aimed at postgraduate students and professional academics, these days there are conferences for almost everyone. For instance, the Council on Undergraduate Research holds a conference to promote undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity every year, while trade events are held all over the world for those working in specific industries. European International Design Management Conference. [Photo: Wiki4des/Wikimedia] 4. You Don’t Even Have to Leave the House Seen a conference somewhere that seems relevant to your work, but can’t make it along in person? You’ll be happy to hear that most conferences publish a selection of the papers presented, so you can still see what was said by reading the proceedings. 5. Presenting Your Own Work This might not be for everyone, since you can attend conferences as a guest. But giving a presentation at a conference is a great way to get feedback on your work and looks awesome on your resume. You also get to practice your presentation skills, which are essential to academic life.

ITIL Release process documentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ITIL Release process documentation - Essay Example This process helps teams in responding to the irregularity of developing software (release). Notification sent to Release Manager: Information concerning events required conveyed to different users, such as beneficiaries, requesters, or managers. This information conveyed with the assistance of notification service of notification e-mail messages. Define and Priorities Release: The word release is applicable to illustrate a collection of approved changes to an IT system. It is described by the request for comments (RFCs) that it executes (UCISA 1-2). Releases need unique identification according to a system described in the release policy. The identification includes a reference to the change that it denotes and a version digit that will habitually have two or three sections. For instance, major releases: IT_System v.1, v2, v3, and minor releases: IT_System v.1.1, v.1.2, v.1.3 and emergency fix releases: IT_System v.1.1.1, v.1.1.2, v.1.1.3 (UCISA 1-2). Plan and Schedule Activities – Governance: The plan defines the scope and materials of the release, clients or users influenced by the release and risk evaluation and outline for the release. It also defines distribute and deployment approach, group responsible for the release and materials for the release and deployment (UCISA 1-2). Release team roles and responsibilities: The approach to effective team formation is creating harmony while appreciating the individuality capabilities of each team member. Team is accountable for a release; individuals are responsible for their commitments. Release core team consist of change owner, engineering manager, architect, quality assurance manager and program manager (UCISA 1-2). Document training, logistics and communication: Once the release and deployment strategy comprehended, the team develop the logistics and delivery strategies. The document for training, logistics and communication is created to generate harmony among team members. The logistics

Cloud computing risks & security concerns Essay

Cloud computing risks & security concerns - Essay Example They could be deployed as private, solely for an organisation; public, accessible by the public; community, shared by organisation; hybrid, bringing together multiple clouds between which application and data portability could occur; and partner, offered to a limited and definite number of parties (Pearson & Yee 2013). With cloud computing, organisations do not have to invest in physical infrastructure. Instead, they contract computing services based on demand. This therefore presents immense benefits and cost savings to organisations. For this reason, over 33% of UK companies compute in the cloud (Buyya, Broberg & Goscinski 2011). However, the technology has aroused numerous risk and security concerns in organisations across the world. This paper reviews the risks associated with cloud computing and based on the three service models of this technology, the security concerns would be evaluated. This would inform the recommendations put forth to foster data, network and infrastructure security. There are three layers of cloud services referring to the varied types of service models with each providing discrete capabilities. According to Pearson and Yee (2013), consumer capabilities involve the use of the applications in the cloud infrastructure of the provider in the Software as a Service, SaaS model. Clients access the applications through a thin interface like a web browser using their devices as per their demand and pay as per use. In Platform as a Service, PaaS, the consumer would be given the capability to deploy individual applications onto the cloud infrastructure without the installation of tools or any platform on their machines. It provides platform layer resources that could be used in building higher-level services. Finally, the Infrastructure as a Service, IaaS model provides consumers with the capability to provision storage, networks, processing and other basic computing resources but would not control or

Unilever AxeDove controversy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Unilever AxeDove controversy - Case Study Example Unilever AxeDove controversy The company has a large work force of more than 180,000 people in the world with revenue of more that US$58 billion. The company was established from Roternd and London companies which also act as the mother companies for all other branches in the world. Recently the company has been engulfed in one of the most heated controversy in the history of business world arising from its advertisement. The company has been engaged in a various criticisms before but the recent one seems to have attracted the attention of unlikely quarters from politicians to the human reign activists. It has become a subject to social conversation all over the world due to its mode of advertisement. There have been many blogs in the internet that have been used against the company and its advertisement strategy especially the recent one Axe/dove advertisement which has attracted most criticism even before they make their impact on the market. The market of the two brands Axe and Dove have attracted the advocacy groups who have been campaigning for the need to have commercial-free childhood advertisements. The dove product advertisement has been used as a marketing strategy that is said to be promoting real beauty. In the advertisement there is a dove that is promising the girls a good care if they use the products. In this regard no one can understand how a dove can promise the girl a good care. The company has however described the advertisement as showing the need to have real beauty rather than acting as an advisement to encourage girls to use the products and has therefore started a campaign that is aimed at funning projects for girl child. But this is contradicted by another advertisement of its products Axe deodorant which has been described as having an effect of 'epitomizing the sexist and degrading making that has been undermining girls'. This has been shone to be a potential harm to the health development of grid as contradicted to the other advertisement of the Dove which promotes health self-image for all women. (Newman, 2007) The company has been on the defense saying that the Dove brand is meant to show women the need of feel beautiful always which has been expressed by wide way in the today's stereotyping of beauty and it is meant to inspire women to be taking car of them. For this reason the company has created Dove Self-Esteem Fund that is meant to educate and act as inspiration to girls. On the other hand the Axe campaign shows 'the mating game' and expressed the desire of men to get noticed by women. (High, 2007) The above advertisement has been casusign a lot of criticisms for the company not only from the civil activists but also from political arena. It has been descried as the higher hypocrisy in marketing and there have been threat of taking of civil action by not allowing the Dove Fund to take seminars to school unless the Axe advertisement is changed. Let us analyze the effect of the advertisemen

Jack Kerouacs Road to Postmodernity

Jack Kerouacs Road to Postmodernity Jack Kerouacs Road to Postmodernity: Tracing the Beat Rhythm through Lyotardian Sensibility. Dr. Ashima Bhardwaj Abstract: Jack Kerouac was an author of the iconic text On the Road that gave birth to the Beat Generation in America. He was the spokesperson of this cult movement who also bugled the advent of Postmodernity in America much before than the claimed Euro-centric origins of the movement. The aim of the paper is to critique On the Road utilizing the critical equipment of Jean Franà §oise Lyotard, a thinker of the late 20th century. The clarity of his thoughts helped to define the postmodernist tendencies prevalent in the works of Kerouac. The text showcases that postmodernism did not emerge in the artistic or cultural arenas of European Sixties but was a product of much earlier American Post-war transitional years. His work remains an epilogue to Modernism and a prologue to Postmodernism. The paper would contend that the American Postmodernist in literature begins with Beat writings. Keywords Postmodernism, Beat movement, Paralogy, Metanarrative, Grand narrative, Differend, Sublime. Postmodernism has been a decisive instrument in the tool box of critical theory. Much before the coinage of the term Postmodernism in the criticism terminology, the Beat writer Jack Kerouac had bugled its advent by denouncing the rigid societal structures in his writing style, narration and even in the way he lived. The paper would scrutinize the text of On the Road from the perspective of Jean Franà §oise Lyotards critical framework. Lyotards philosophy highlights the postmodernist tendencies that have been an innate part of Kerouacs repertoire. Lyotardian concepts would be extremely relevant in interpreting the transitional Post-war phase in America. In the process the contribution of On the Road in establishing postmodernity in America would become visible. Kerouacs seminal work On the Road was a stimulus to the tremors of arriving postmodernity in America much before the European claims of the movements inheritance. The novel transformed the American literary landscape and a Bea t Generation raised its head from the sinister alleys, crowning Jack Kerouac- the King of Beatniks. Kerouacs works and life depicts an advent of Postmodernism much before it is registered in the European criticism. The Postmodernism as a phenomenon was prevalent in 1940s in America instead of the claimed decade of 1960s in Europe. Jack Kerouacs lifestyle and the body of his works bespeak of the transitional period where postmodernity began to emerge. The literary notoriety gained by Kerouac, the hyped image of him as the trendiest fashion icon by media and his being a writer for being famous are the effects of the postmodernist tremors in womb. Kerouacs work On the Road plays an important role in giving birth to Postmodernism. Kerouac has alluded to this changing era with his stylistic breakthrough, acuity and originality. Postmodernism, as a term, contains its own paradox. The word post refers to an aftermath as well as it includes the sense of being constructed on the base of Modernism. In Lyotards work The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge, he differentiates between modernist and postmodernist art. He argues that the art forms of these periods incorporate Sublime and also express the inexpressible. Lyotard states that the modernist art reduces the enormity of an event to a recognizable form. But the postmodern work by contrast presents the un-presentable in presentation itself and in the process denies the work to have a recognizable form. Postmodernist art refuses to be contained by the accepted notions of art forms. In this vein, Kerouac has called his novel On the Road an Epos- falling outside the definition of an epic. Kerouacs writing style was the first shock to the accepted ways of book writing. The first version of On the Road was written in record twenty days, single spaced paragr aph of 175,000 words, typed on a 120 foot long taped paper scroll. It is said that Kerouac took the scroll to Robert Giroux, the editor of Harcourt Brace and rolled it out. But Giroux asked him how he could print that. Books could not be afforded to look like it. This novel became a legend. Kerouac was aware of the repercussions as he had given a voice to the silenced and the marginalized communities in the work. He had destabilized the hierarchical standards. Hereby compatibility can be observed with Lyotardss Postmodernism. For Lyotard, Postmodernism is not a chronologically demarcated period. It is a response to a changing culture. Lyotards idea of Postmodernism, stresses on the need of recognizing the failings in a system and resisting the dominant modes in practice. Kerouacs work gives the center stage to the marginalized forms that form the very crux of Beat life. The novel describes a trans-racial, transgendered countercultural backdrop. It defines those changes which surfaced up in the post-war generation. America was the only country to emerge as a leading power from the ashes of the World Wars. The Eisenhower era followed the dictum of least interference. The state absolved from an active participation in the lives of the citizens. The stability so achieved wa s temporal as insecurities were depicted in maniacal car journeys by the heroes of Kerouacs work. In Lyotardian terminology it can be seen as breaking of a grand narrative. Lyotards concept when applied to the novel magnified the areas depicting heterogeneity. In the novel On the Road, Sal Paradise (Jack Kerouac) and Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady) journey across America and towards the end they undertake a trip to Mexico. The journeys of the two heroes emphasized on the multi-perspectives of viewing a nation and strengthened the notions of believing in the necessity of difference. The novel strongly rejected the defining narratives. In Lyotards sensibility, the Metanarratives fail in a postmodern world. In the post- industrial society, the grand narratives of Speculation and Freedom also collapse. Lyotard asserted that no effort should be made to conceive a universalizing narrative. This breaking of narratives was essential. It gave space to the multitudes of stories that were subdued earlier by the Metanarrative. The two American Beats are in the search of IT which is a fathomless ecstasy. They are poor and beaten down but the spiritual search in their c onscious minds elevates them. They gain beato the beatific existence in their journey. Sal and Deans friendship saw many ups and downs but it was always the road which joined them. Kerouacs text is the prophetic roadmap charting a search for life in the fellaheen world lying on the verge of the consumerist western civilization. The novel has an inbuilt tendency of non-conformism. The characters have offered resistance in their own unique way. They use drugs for getting ecstatic experience. Sex becomes a potent tool to shatter the traditional ways of thinking. The non-conformism displayed by the characters synchronizes with the concepts of Lyotard. His postmodernism involves an interrogation of the hegemonic structures set by the society. The journey taken by Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady) becomes a kaleidoscopic search for life. Sal undertakes the journey to escape the monotonous life and to overcome depression from a failed marriage and illness. He takes four trips along with other beat figures across America. Hitch- hiking on his route, he wants to reach the Promised Land of Denver. On his truck ride he becomes aware of multiple narratives which go into the making of a nation. He receives a cultural shock in a Wild West Week celebration. In this event a simulacra of the pristine Texas glory is created. People imitate Texan life in cowboy hats and boots. This simulation is far way from reality. Sals stay at Chad Kings house in Denver reveals the downside of rising capitalism. Chads father had invented a spot remover that was now copied by a big firm. While Chads family lived in poverty, the company was soaring high in profits. Capitalism had made people subservient to its demands. In the name of progr ess, Lyotard says that system becomes a vanguard machine which is dragging humanity and de-humanizing it. People are hegemonized by totalitarian discourses, grand narratives and metanarratives. Kerouac shows how the upcoming Postmodernity is an incredulity displayed towards such metanarratives. There are two types of grand-narratives- the narrative of emancipation and speculative grand narrative. In the grand narrative of emancipation, knowledge becomes a liberating force. Kerouac thus attempts to provide an antidote to metanarrative and grand narrative constructions of prosperity under the garb of Capitalism. The speculative grand narrative ends in a realization of the state of non-progress. Similarly Postmodernist void becomes prominent as in the Wild West Week, and thus the grand narrative of emancipation breathes its last. Sal Paradise also declares that he can feel the world collapsing around him. He has understood the raggedness of America and thus the idealistic visions start evaporating. Sal meets Carlo Marx (Allen Ginsberg) in Denver. Carlo makes him realize through his poems that language itself has a linear progression and dreams are a mosaic of the figments of imagination. Sal witnesses the disintegration of myths thus upholding the advent of postmodernity. In LA he meets a Mexican girl, Terry. They make love and she tells him to believe in manana: tomorrow things would be better. Kerouac makes his protagonist feel the presence of the Grey myth of the West and dark myth of the East. Death becomes the ultimate reality that Sal is afraid of. Here one can see a parallel of Kerouacs beliefs and Lyotards philosophy. Lyotards Postmodernism is differentiated from Modernism as it exhibits a celebration instead of fear. This fear finds a vent in the make-up of Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady) for he is a performer who is not afraid of anything- not even death. Sal sees that Dean was mad in his movements that included: a shaking of the head, up and down, sideways; jerky, vigorous hands; quick walking, sitting, crossing the legs, uncrossing, getting up, rubbing the hands, rubbing his fly, hitching his pant, looking upand sudden slitting of the eyes to see everywhere (Kerouac, On the Road 110) Dean in his madness embodies the Lyotardian principle of Paralogy. Lyotard argues that in modern science the new discoveries that take place open up new language games. They defy the existing norms thus changing our former opinions. Paralogy- the fase logic has the potential to revert the existing understanding of the world. In the novel, Dean becomes the fountainhead of power that destabilizes logic. In Postmodern transitions, Paralogy of Dean helps to from new language games nullifying every other format. Postmodernism is not then an utterly hopeless era where anything goes, rather it is a continuum where resistance has to take birth. The pinnacle of Deans games is reached where he asks Sal to make love to his girlfriend Marylou in order to see how she makes love to another man. Sex here becomes a beatific experience where, three children of the earth try(ing) to decide something in the night and having all the weight of past centuries ballooning in the dark before them. (Kerouac, OTR 125). At one point Sal justifies Deans fulfillment of physical love. For him it becomes a medium to relish physical sensation of the source of life bliss, and a way of returning to innocence. For Sal, love becomes a refuge. Late in their journey, Dean shows the way to throw off every burden. He convinces Sal and Marylou to strip and run wild celebrating their existence. Sal and Dean visit Old Bull Lee (William Burroughs). They take drugs which become a mode to enter into ecstasy. Old Bull Lees drug intake has led him to an awareness of seven personalities within him, each growing worse and worse.The top personality was an English Lord, the bottom an idiot. Halfway he was an old negro (Kerouac, OTR 137). No authentic self is sustained by him and his body becomes a site of conflict. Lyotard claims that in postmodernism the authentic self ceases to exist. The identity crisis can also be witnessed as a deconstruction taking place due to an instability set in the post-war years in America. The drug induced hallucinations bespeak of cannibalization of real self in a post-industrial society. Old Bull Lees wife Jane (Joan Vollmer) enjoys reading the classified newspaper. When Sal asks her if she is looking for jobs she replies that she was reading the want ads as they are the most interesting component of a newspaper. The classified newspaper advertises the ads that are being produced by a system. In Postmodernist space, as Lyotard says the Denotative and Prescriptive principles fail to sustain themselves. Denotations prescribe the world whereas Prescriptions tend to change it. The classified space is a sheer mockery on the system. In the first instance, modern politics deals in Prescriptions which are based on Denotations, as Simon Malpas writes, if the good of society is X, we should do Y (Malpas 5). Secondly in the Totalitarian regimes as well as democracies, Prescriptions are not given down from any authority but are imbibed by people. In On the Road, Old Bull Lee and Jane challenge the Denotative and Prescriptive principles making every authoritative voice redundant. They thwart the system but Dean madness engulfs it altogether. In the next spring journey a new height is embarked by Dean and Sal. They give lifts to hobos, visit pubs, and listen to jazz. It becomes visible what is common between them- the Road. By living a ragged beat life they are participating in the void of Postmodernism. The void can be discovered in their lives when they discuss their roles in the family. Deans marriages, divorces and the kids from this experience do not curtail his exuberance for life. Through the application of Lyotardian philosophy, in Dean Moriartys case one can observe the formation of a Differend. It is a concept given by Lyotard which refers to a wrong occurring at a particular moment. Differend occurs when both good and evil occur at the same time. Sal sympathizes with Dean saying, Poor, poor Dean- the devil himself had never fallen further; in idiocy, with infected thumb, surrounded by the battered suitcases of his motherless feverish life across America and back numberless times, an undone bird. (Kerouac OTR 178 ) The presence of good and evil breaks the stereotype image of hero-villain boy. Dean embodies the Differend himself. In a Differend one faces the situation where all that remains is injustice. One is prevented from having a role in the game of justice. Language is unable to explain the event and as a consequence the victim is thrown into silence. No one approves of Deans life and he cannot utter a single word to defend himself when a friend scolds him. For Lyotard: The Differend is a moment of silence, a stutter in the flow of language where the right words will not come. It marks a point of suffering where an injustice cannot find a space to make itself heard where an injury is silenced and becomes a wrong. Differends are a point of departure for Lyotards exploration of the politics and philosophy of language in the Differend. (Malpas 60). The Injustice in Lyotardian sensibility manifests in the novel as Dean is blamed by his fellows for being a selfish maniac. But they cannot understand that Dean Moriarty has stopped role-playing. He is only following his urge to MOVE on the road. He inquires, Whats your road man?holy boy road, mad man road, rainbow road, guppy road, any road. Its an anywhere road for anybody anyhow. Where body how? (Kerouac, OTR 237). The next Mexico trip of Sal and Dean is a version of apocalyptic tone of postmodern. Together Sal and Dean challenge certain language games and create their own rules. According to Lyotard language is a medium to explicate the play of language games. There are three features of language games as given by Lyotard. First, the language games are an object of contract between the players. Second rules have to be sustained. Third, every utterance is a move of the game. The language games then decide the relationships and bonding in a society. The language game played in the void, has the ability to say the unsaid. This ability has been achieved by Dean for he is a hipster who has abandoned every responsibility. They traverse tracing the fellaheen civilization of Mexico that offers a contrast to the consumer culture hypocrisies. America has a sense of finite reality which is generated by the consumerist industry. Kerouacs reaction against this is a reverence for residue left in Mexican cul ture with is depthless signifiers. Kerouacs fellaheen world is the pure primitive humanity where ecstasy can be found. This raw ecstatic force is defined as IT. This IT can be treated as a version of Lyotards Sublime. Lyotards presumption is based on the notion of understanding how postmodernist art is empowered by Sublime. It demolishes the mediocrity of general opinion and employs the power of sublimity in analyzing the limit set by the society. The cause of Sublime remains un-deciphered yet it can be conceived. Lyotardian Sublime is understood in two ways: one termed by him as Modern and the other is Postmodern. One symbolizes modernist melancholia and the other is postmodernist jubilation. Modernist sadness is burdened with a longing for the world of stability whereas Postmodernist Sublime discovers new channels of expression. Postmodernist work breaks rules, challenges hierarchy and raises questions against hierarchy. In Kerouacs text, the IT becomes the epitome of Sublime. It is an ambiguous experience that cons tructs and demolishes itself. The aesthetic experience of Kant is bifurcated into the Beautiful and the Sublime. Whereas Lyotards Sublime occurs with a simultaneous existence of pain and pleasure. Sublime brings rapture and horrifies at the same time. The pain represents modernist nostalgia and pleasure embodies postmodernist celebration. The Sublime for Sal crystallizes in Dean Moriarty. Dean has the ability to enter ecstasy through sex, drugs and music. He imparts this wisdom to Sal. Nothing matters if one enters into the labyrinth of IT-the spastic power. Sal also becomes aware that Dean is the victim as much as he is a con-man. In Mexico, Sal gets dysentery and fever and becomes unconscious for many days. Dean deserts him and leaves for New York. A simultaneous existence of dark and light elements emerges in Deans character. The absolute goodness is countered by absolute evil. In such a situation no justice can be excluded. A residue of the feeling of injustice remains. Lyotard has elaborated the concept of Justice in a heterogeneous environment. His concept in context of the novel helps in understanding the injustice done to marginalized communities. Beats are the spokesperson of marginalized voices. They as a community include hobos, pimps, prostitutes, blacks, Hispanics, junkies and drug peddlers. Sal and Dean through their message of liberation provide justice to the down trodden victims of a Capitalist society. Based on Kants Critique of Judgment, Lyotard explains the injustice, by introducing the theory of genre of discourse. J udgment takes place when a specific genre of discourse is selected to understand the particular state of affairs. Judgments can thus be classified into two types- Determinate judgments and Reflective judgments. Determinate judgments take place when we fit in a given idea of a particular formulated context. Determinate judgments are made by the bourgeoisie on the Beats. In case of reflective judgment, a strange new event occurs and a search for context is generated. Lyotard gives an analogy of an archipelago where a navigator has to find his way linking various islands. Judgment becomes the basis of sailing among the islands. Reflective judgment sustains itself in the postmodernist philosophy as there are no pre-fixed laws of attributing justice. Dean becomes the crazy Ahab who then gives direction to the crew. Beats then indulge in Reflective judgments and give a new terminology to the system. Through their freedom they refuse to be judged by the norms of determinate judgments. Inst ead they pass on reflective judgments that initiate a role reversal between the dictator and victim. The quest motif takes the heroes of the novel to various places. This technique helps Kerouac to depict the transition taking place over the whole continent. In the end one realizes that there is no escape from reality. Dean says, No more land! We cant go any farther cause there aint no more land. (Kerouac, OTR 161). The road takes you back from where you started. Dean had come knocking at Sals door and their journey had begun. In the end the madman Dean comes again and leaves without Sal. Deans behavior though muted still carries a resistance. He symbolizes the Lyotardian Seed of Disruption whose impact remains on Sal and at a macrocosmic level, on the generations to come. Dean comes to meet Sal in New York from San Francisco, coming five weeks before the scheduled time. Sal has to leave him around a street corner as he has to go with another friend, but he continues to think of Dean who had come just to see him. WORKS CITED Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. Penguin, 1972. Lyotard, Jean Franà §oise. Le Differend: Phrases in dispute. Translated by Georges Van Den Abbeele. Theory and History of Literature. Vol. 46. University of Minnesota Press. 2002. . The Postmodern Tradition: A Report On Knowledge. Translated by Geoff Bennington and Brian Massumi. Theory and History of Literature. Vol. 46. University of Minnesota Press. 1984. Malpas, Simon, ed. Jean Franà §oise Lyotard: Routledge Critical Thinkers. Routledge 2003.

America Needs Prayer in the Public Schools :: essays papers

America Needs Prayer in the Public Schools Education is a very valuable thing. It gives us knowledge and understanding of the world we are to someday face on our own. Yet education is always a seriously debated issue. What should be taught? What shouldn't be taught? How should we teach it? For example the issue of whether or not God should be allowed to be taught in schools is a fiercely argued subject. In an article taken from the Waukesha freeman on December 5, 1999, a public school teacher had been fired and faces up to 6 months in prison all because a little child asked him how the world got here and he replied "God put it here". The written law forbids public school teachers to refer to God or creation in any manner. The theory of creation can not be taught in class rooms because of its direct relation to the Christian religion. Religion is not to be taught in public school because it is believed that it is pushing a faith onto the kids against the parents will. Was the teacher wrong for simply sharing his view with his student? In todays world, we are quickly learning that it doesn't matter how you say it, "Jesus is always bad". It baffles me that education is so limited and pointed in one direction; They refuse to teach Christ in the schools, but yet, they happily teach the theory of evolution, the big bang theory, and basically any other means of creation the school system can find. For a country that is so worried about what their children are learning, they still struggle with the fact that there are kids that attend public schools and still can't read by their junior year in high school. The funding is non-excitant and the teachers are few. What a mess. In the Arabian countries, they too have operated there schools according to beliefs and religion. In the past four years, they have declared that women are not allowed to hold a job of any kind. Their religion states that females are to stay at home and be good house wives. According to Time magazine of June 1995, 78% of the Arabian school teachers were women.