Category: critical thinking

The Internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks which links all the computers across the globe. “This leads us to another concept that has been augmented by the popularity of the Internet, and that is ‘helping the buyer to buy’” (Charlesworth, 2010, p.15). The World Wide Web never sleeps and so does the internet which is available 24/7. The Internet has also grown exponentially over the years and has vast untapped uses. “Internet and its graphical interface, the World Wide Web (WWW), are key components of an electronic commerce initiative that is playing an ever-increasing role in the future of the global marketplace” (Nezamabad, 2011, p.1784). It also benefits marketers by removing ‘Brick and Mortar’ businesses which means a traditional way of business that deals with customers face-to-face in an office. Moreover, it creates unprecedented opportunities for marketers. Other than that, internet marketing results are measurable and accurate allowing digital marketers to specify the type of internet marketing tool to attract customers. The Internet provides many advantages such as empowering small businesses, succeeding in marketing, targeting specific customers, and creating different types of marketing approaches.

The Internet has an empowering effect on online marketing for small businesses by equalizing the playing field between large and small businesses despite their size, manpower, and available resources. According to Yurovskiy (2014, p.6), the Internet also extends the market reach and increases the operational efficiency of small and medium enterprises. Besides that, the internet creates a fair and square environment where marketing has been modified in a way that even small businesses can promote on a much larger scale (Yurovskiy, 2014, p.6). For example, by opting for the ‘Brick and Mortar’ method, marketers will not be able to advertise their products across the board. However, by choosing the internet as a medium for marketing, marketers will surely earn some profit. Chaffey, Chadwick, Mayer, Johnston, Shah Alam & Fikry (2012, p.20) claimed that store growth increases can be seen remarkably. Marketing online enables store growth at a much quicker rate than traditional marketing or retail businesses. This is possible because major media networks may identify those businesses via online channels and report that particular business to consumers. Internet marketing gives a chance to nearly any business no matter its size, to grow and have the same potential as larger businesses.

Subsequently, the internet can be used as a medium to obtain success in marketing. The Internet provides a greater resource than the traditional way of advertising (Yazdanifard, Venpin, Wan Yusoff & Rabiul Islam, 2011, p.2). For example, an alternative that is offered is E-mail which is used to transfer text and multimedia messages specifically to a group of consumers whereas a newsgroup is referred to as electronic conferencing leading to the development of ideas and also worldwide networking opportunities. Moreover, the internet also enables high-speed file transfer which is known as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) (Yazdanifard, Venpin, Wan Yusoff & Rabiul Islam, 2011, p.2). File Transfer Protocol acts as a virtual fax and is efficient compared to the traditional way of mailing. Other than that, advertising through the Internet helps target specific customers by attending to their needs (Nezamabad, 2011, p.1787). Besides the emailing capabilities and high-speed file transferring provided by the internet, customers will be able to specify what they want by obtaining more information through interactive marketing. By utilizing the internet, marketers will be able to save costs and advertise freely to gain profit; eventually, marketers will succeed in marketing.

Furthermore, the internet removes geographical barriers and spans across the world. So, the Internet enables extensive global reach and lowers the cost of marketing (Yurovskiy, 2014, p.6). However, due to the huge cost of traditional media, advertising on a global level was impossible for small businesses and can only be achieved by huge multinational corporations but since advertising online is cost-effective, the internet has enabled smaller businesses to benefit from this kind of reach. No longer considering geographical barriers as a limitation, internet marketing reaches a wider audience spectrum (Yurovskiy, 2014, p.7). Internet marketing has brought the world closer allowing businesses from one corner of the world market to another as if they are just one step away. Geographical distances do not matter anymore with Internet marketing which facilitates businesses to reach and interact with targeted customers efficiently than traditional marketing could do. Chaffey, Chadwick, Mayer, Johnston, Shah Alam & Fikry (2012, p.21) identified that the Internet also enables purchases to be made from anywhere in the world instead of traveling to another location where that business resides. Thus, having a global market reach means potentially having customers around the globe without the limitations of traditional media or geographic boundaries.

Last but not least, the internet with its vast untapped resources provides marketers with various types of marketing. Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of them (Chaffey, Chadwick, Mayer, Johnston, Shah Alam & Fikry, 2012, p.25). SEO is a fundamental internet marketing technique that optimizes a business’ website by removing all the unnecessary stuff that stands in the way of traffic reaching that particular website. Thus, the website is made more search engine friendly such that whenever a keyword is typed by the user, they will be directed to this website. Next is E-mail marketing (Athshaya & Rungta, 2016, p.32). This method is considered effective because email is used for sending promotional messages to internet users and is one of the most rampant ways for businesses to gain customers. Having higher response rates and lower costs turns E-mail marketing into an invaluable tool in Internet marketing. Moreover, affiliate marketing is also one of them (Nosrati, Karimi, Mohammadi & Malekian, 2013, p.59). Affiliate marketing is a type of marketing in which a company rewards certain affiliates with its marketing efforts for each visitor or client. For example, the advertisements played on YouTube are adapted by this marketing such as when an internet user watches the advertisement, the uploader of that particular video will be rewarded by the company itself.

In conclusion, the internet is a good tool for marketing and marketers have to fully utilize it for their benefit. Creating a diversified approach to Internet marketing, targeting specific customers, enhancing success in marketing, and enabling the empowerment of small businesses are some of the benefits that the Internet provides marketers. Marketers will be able to increase their sales as geographical constraints do not hold them back anymore. Internet is also available at a lower cost which everyone can benefit from. Internet marketing is much more cost-effective compared to traditional mass media marketing and also does not require large sums of investments as businesses in the past have done with mass media marketing. Therefore, success can be brought to any size of business with the simple condition that they have internet access. Looking at how fast the world is advancing and with the cutting-edge technology that currently it has, soon internet marketing will rule the marketing sector.

Families, friends, and visitors came to visit the memorial in Washington for different reasons. It was not a simple memorial to honor soldiers who died and served in the war, but it was a place to mourn and heal for the country. The Vietnam War was a National trauma which is a trauma that needed to heal (Hobbs 1). Otherwise, it becomes bigger and will haunt them later. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was a black wall that gathered more than 57 661 names of soldiers who died in Vietnam (Hobbs 1). It was considered to be a tombstone for many soldiers whose bodies were never found or were missing over the past decades. Families and friends came to mourn the loss of their loved ones since it was the only way to communicate with Vietnam veterans. They had feelings of emptiness in their heart and they suffered in silence in front of the black wall. The wall was the only way to get in touch with their loved one who unfortunately died from the war. The black wall also represented the people who died physically (Sturken 120). Some families tried to touch the wall or put their faces near the wall to have physical contact with the soldiers. In addition, the wall also marked the end of a terrible chapter of the Vietnam War for the veterans (Sturken 123). It was time for the Vietnam Veterans to go away from this tragedy to begin a new chapter that they will never forget. The creation of this memorial enabled the nation to heal itself from the horrific actions that have been done in the past.

The Vietnam War had an impact on the Vietnam Veterans, their families, and the country itself since they lost for the first time a battle. Most of the soldiers witnessed the violence in the war, which resulted in a psychological problem (Laufer 66). In addition, they lost several colleagues during the war and it demoralized them. Once they got home, they had a hard time adjusting to normal life. They were not used to live in an atmosphere where peace reigned. They were used to live in a place where people were constantly fighting (Laufer 67). Families were extremely sad when they knew about the death of their loved ones. When the Americans heard that the United States lost the Vietnam War, many Americans were very disappointed. The veterans were exhausted and all they wanted was a welcome ceremony where all Americans welcomed them with open arms. It had not happened as they had expected. The Americans did not welcome them, but they rather criticized them for coming home with a defeat. They said repeatedly that it was a shame for the whole country (Sturken 122). Veterans and their families were very demoralized when they heard the criticisms made by other Americans. The veterans were relieved to be able to come back home after fighting for 20 years in Vietnam, but it seems that no one could understand their sacrifices (Sturken 63).

After returning home, approximately 500,000 soldiers were diagnosed with health issues such as cancer, diseases related to the herbicide orange agent, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress (Hendrix & Anelli 87). Most of the soldiers had post-traumatic stress disorder. They were affected psychologically by the experiences of living in war. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health caused by a horrible event that the person has experienced or witnessed the situation (Laufer 66). They had tortured and killed their enemies with an inexplicable atrocity. From time to time, those bad memories came back into veterans memories and it scared them. Families who lived under a roof with a veteran found that was tough to live with them. The veterans started to isolate themselves from their families and became more distant (Hendrix & Anelli 87). They felt lonely and empty inside. They were indifferent when their family spoke to them. The fact that they isolated themselves from others could lead to other mental health such as depression and anxiety. It was tough, they came back home with health issues and bad memories that will follow them all their lives.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial also influenced the visitors who passed by. For them, it was a place of commemoration and education at the same time. A place where they could commemorate the sacrifices of men and women who fought in the Vietnam War. The memorial allowed visitors to feel the pain of families who had lost their loved ones and the value of the wall. The black wall had a great effect on visitors, it was a poignant, emotional, and moving memorial for them (Hobbs 2). Some visitors had been able to identify themselves with the names on the wall as if it were their name. Since the wall is made with reflective material, visitors can see themselves while looking at the names (Hobbs 4). The more they watched the names of these Vietnam veterans, the more they were attached to them. When the visitors stood in front of the wall they could also make a connection with the past and the present (Hobbs 3). For them, it was not an ordinary name, but a name that told a story. While other visitors came to educate themselves on the history of the Vietnam War. A place that will help them to reconstruct the past of America, a history that was unforgettable for the Americans. They could learn about the consequences of the war and what America has lost. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was not only a place to commemorate the death of soldiers but also a place to educate visitors.

Sources

1. Hendrix, C & M. Anneli, Lisa. “Impact of Vietnam War Service on Veteran’s Perceptions of Family Life”. National Council on Family Relations. Vol. 42, No. 1 (Jan. 1993), pp. 87-92. (2017). Retrieved from https://dc153.dawsoncollege.qc.ca:2182/stable/pdf/584927.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Aad878a48ed5afa45ae48643ef0cd7c53. Accessed 8 November 2019.
2. Hobbs, R. “A Place to Mourn: Why the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is Crucial American Healing”. Ball State University. Vol 1. (2014). Retrieved from http://bsuenglish.com/dlrOLD/past/issue1_hobbs.pdf. Accessed 9 November 2019.
3. Laufer, R et al. “War Stress and Trauma: The Vietnam Veteran Experience”. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Vol. 25, No. 1. (2019). pp.65-85. Retrieved from https://dc153.dawsoncollege.qc.ca:2182/stable/pdf/2136705.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A10a5eec79ee9031b4d4186c7e521fe70. Accessed 8 November 2019
4. Sturken, M. “The Wall, the Screen, and the Image: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial”. Representations. No. 35, Special Issue: Monumental Histories. (1991), pp. 118-142. Retrieved from https://dc153.dawsoncollege.qc.ca:2182/stable/pdf/2928719.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Aa7a7e665ee7a2ae3f4f5ffcc67aac8d0. Accessed 9 November 2019.

Dystopian themes where a future society is suffering is a thread that runs through the books ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley and ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau’. They both represent a dystopian nature. ‘Brave New World’ is a new society that has been shaped where there is a faultless human. However, an individual called Bernard Marx rebels against society’s norms. Additionally, the ‘Island of Dr. Moreau’ is about a doctor called Moreau who carries out harsh experiments on human-animal hybrids and challenges society’s norms and ideals.

During the times in which these books were written, the shared values and norms in the society within the two books differed from scientific discovery and social change in the Victorian period to the strain and struggle of the different social classes in the 1930s after the great depression of 1929.

These social conventions greatly affected the works of Huxley and Wells. For example, Wells wrote The Island of Dr. Moreau towards the end of the 19th century, new technology and scientific advancements were an innovative way of life for Victorian society. Many were intrigued and even anxious about what this would mean for the future of Victorian society. Wells’s personal life affected the events and themes running through the novel. Wells’s personal zoology teacher, Edwin Lancaster, stated that if it was possible to manipulate the evolutionary scale to advance the knowledge of science, it was possible to decline it. This ‘theory’ worked in union with the moral panic about the decline of Victorian civilization. This advancement and fall created a haunting nightmare for the British Empire to a worryingly large extent. Showing this through the character Moreau, without him there to command the beast folk, they will decline down the evolutionary scale back to their original animal state. Scientists like Moreau can now puppeteer the gap between us humans and the ‘beasts’ and fog the boundaries between the two.

“I did not know yet how far they were from the human heritage I ascribed to them” Predicts discourse would have made the typical Victorian reader question the morals and beliefs of the audience at the time the book was written. Arguably, Prendick agreeing with the idea of vivisection as a way of accumulating more scientific knowledge runs with the thread that the dystopian theme of the novel was not agreed with during the time that the book was written. Moreover, the impact of ‘humans’ creates an atmosphere in which we are distantly related to animals but we still have to distinguish the differences between us. Moreover, in prendicks epilogue when he is back in England claims that ‘men are just animals in suits’ implying that humans and animals are different from each other, but have more likelihood than what people thought. Additionally, towards the end of the 19th, the publication of Darwin’s Origins of the Species’ noted that treating animals more ‘humanely’ created a sense of moral force with the Victorians, and as a result, animal rights protests were occurring, however, it also created a new mindset for the Victorians and they began questioning if God was even real at all. Wells’s novel can be seen as a warning against the use of animals for science, he depicts human control through Moreau and creates horrific imagery therefore making this an ideal dystopian novel to impact society in the way that it did.

Wells challenged the religious conventions of society by creating Moreau as a god-like feature by performing vivisections and altering God’s creations. Being in control of life only exists within God and religion but by Moreau doing this, it becomes detrimental to society, therefore creating a sense of moral panic with science progressing rapidly. Darwin and Wells together opened up anxieties about the gap between humans and animals and thus it became unclear in which direction humanity was going. Debating vivisection shows how far scientists will go and to stretch morality to gain more knowledge and Moreau crosses over a boundary that should have not been crossed.

Dystopian Literature has key aspects of religion and how that religion affects the society that the book is set in. Many authors integrate society’s morals and views into their work to see what it would be like if they were challenged and a future where they are no longer viable. In the Island of dr Moreau, the law of the beast folk represents religion through their law, and that Law is meant to mock religious views. Here, Moreau is represented as a god-like figure to the beast folk through the way that they speak to him. ‘His is the hand that feels’ can closely relate to the bible quote Colossians 1:17 ‘And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together’. The two quotes can relate because, on the one hand, Moreau is the creator of the beast folk and uses them in a way to benefit his ideal suggesting that Moreau is portrayed as an anti-catholic as he believes he can manipulate God’s work by creating the beast folk. Additionally, the bible passages about God and his hands show how the hand of God is what keeps his creations, us, going in life. Moreau playing god and rebelling against the Victorian ideal of a heavily religious society can be seen as a note from Wells about his own experience with religion due to his mother being religious and Wells having a rebellious attitude towards this. Wells still however believed in God, in the novel ‘The Invisible King’ it stated that Wells still had a strong belief in god it was the detailed and complex theory of God. The way that God had affected society and people’s lives was what was confusing to Wells, the idea that people were something that they were not. In conjunction with this, wells’s own experiences and the typical ideals of Victorian society at the time were influenced by religion and the idea of religion being questioned by figures like Darwin and novels such as The Island of Dr Moreau created feelings of anxiety about what future society would be and if victorian standards would continue, displaying dystopian feelings and attitudes. Wells may have intended to create Dr. Moreau as an example or even as a warning of how religion can be shaped into an ‘excuse’ for ethical scientific experiments. Creating a distorted reality and creating a dystopian atmosphere regarding religion and how it can be warped to fit the new generation’s ideals.

Even with Dr Moreau evoking interest, the reader could never truly fully understand what drove more urge to create and explore the natural order of creation. While Moreau’s creations have a range from curious and bizarre to hellish and abominable, Moreau never really claims any effective moral exception. Moreau’s perverted god-like figure through his affiliations with vivisection and moral justification may be from the only religious or legal authority he acknowledges. However, it can be argued that Moreau is not like this at all because it may be seen that Wells is subtly trying to get the thoughts of the reader’s own faith and scientific beliefs involved. This can be shown through themes of a god complex through predicting the perception of Moreau and predicting his thoughts and actions regarding the beast folk. Maybe the reader’s confusion surrounding more likeliness with religious ideas is pinpointed to what Wells intended. He demonstrates how religious beliefs can be shaped and distorted for the diabolic causes that Moreau intended to fill. This shows how dangerous religion can be because of the way it can be so easily manipulated.

Every day people fight for equality in protests while others battle for it in offices by proving their intelligence and value. While there is lots of discussion about gender equality it is still arguably very difficult to change in society. The film, Hidden Figures, directed by Theodore Melfi, and the article “Why Is Silicon Valley So Awful to Women” by Liza Mundy both show examples of technology companies being a gendered institution. Originally, Silicon Valley was a good fit for females because it was secretarial, however, once people realized the profitability that came with technology, quickly turned into a boy’s club. This critical reflection will address how the technology industry is gendered through unconscious bias, conforming and rejecting stereotypes, and the sexual harassment that leads females to leave after getting there.

The technology industry is a gendered institution because it reproduces gender relations between men and women through the gender hierarchy. There is an unconscious bias on how females are treated in the workforce that stems from our gendered society. Society has identified qualities that are deemed to be acceptable or not acceptable to men and women. For example, when a woman is in a leadership position, she needs to be aware of her demeanor because people will think she is being “bossy” rather than assertive. Society and employees tend to be unaccepting and criticize everything one does but even more so for females. Tracy Chou claims that “male coworkers [like] to pop up behind her and find fault with her work,” because of their unconscious bias that women are not as capable as men (Mundy, 2017). Looking for mistakes and double-checking a female’s work is a way for a male to stay in control of their position. It is a competition, but it is also this stereotype that a woman cannot outperform a man. This environment is something many females in the workforce must deal with and consistently; proving to people they are strong and more capable. The perception we have can impede opportunities for women’s advancement shown by Sir Micheal Martz’s comments that hiring a female for his company is a hard task because “[the company’s] not prepared to lower [they’re] standards,” (Mundy, 2017). This demonstrates that there is this predisposition that females are not at the same intelligence level as men. This bias shows that female is held to different standards, which gives women going into STEM the viewpoint that they are already at a disadvantage. Another unconscious bias found in the technology industry is that there are foundational views that success in tech comes from being an “innate genius” tendency which is believed to be a male trait (Mundy, 2017). The stereotype for females is that they are born with caregiving because biologically speaking women carry the child. We know that there are debates on the school of thought of nature vs nurture. In this case, there is an assumption that males are born with intellectual talent. Every day people must decide whether they will let these biases control their lives or if they will choose to fight against them and prove people wrong. The article suggests some companies are conducting unconscious bias training or online training modules (Mundy, 2017). Programs and training are more effective when people are inclined and want to participate otherwise it is very difficult to have people admit or voice their biases. Even though these methods seem like genuine measures it is complicated and not easy to alter biases.

Female in the workplace make daily decisions in their interactions with others. Choosing to accept and move on, or to stand up for themselves; has consequences for her position, particularly in the workplace. Connell’s idea of “emphasized femininity” can be explained as going along to get along (Kimmel & Holler, 2017). A direct example of sexism from the article is a male attendee saying, “You’re hot, no one expects you to do well,” to a female who was waiting to present at a conference (Mundy, 2017). A female’s appearance should not determine her level of knowledge in her field of expertise. An indirect example would be females who are expected to tolerate sexist comments or be tasked to take notes at meetings. Calling out the sexism at work could result in backlash and could make their environment at work considerably worse. Thus, Connell’s theory tells us that females will not speak out to make the circumstances worse. Blount expresses regret in feeling that she should have done more to address the bias that she faced which is no different for younger women entering the tech industry. Although, she says she “didn’t have time to be pissed”, it still speaks to how she needed to portray herself by not talking about gender to help her succeed (Mundy, 2017). Conforming to stereotypes only sets back women from doing amazing things and making vertical moves in industries. In the film Hidden Figures, all three females had to push through the intersectionality of gender and race stereotypes. There are many examples in the film where these women worked to exceed barriers surrounding them in the eyes of men who doubted their minds because they were African American females. Kathrine Johnson is seen by her co-worker, Paul Stafford, as incapable of checking his work. She attempts to put her name on work she was a part of, but Paul always removes it before heading into the conference room. Eventually, not getting the recognition she rightfully deserves, Katherine is done conforming to him and pushes to join the meeting, breaking down the barrier that women should not be in meeting rooms to make important decisions (Melfi, 2017). When she received this temporary position, she knew she had to make a sizable difference to prove she belonged there. All three women did not let others hold them back, instead, they all went above and beyond to change their lives.

Women and minorities are more likely to leave the industry because of the hostile environment that impacts their participation. Gendered stereotypes have caused this hostile work environment for females in technology but also any male-dominated profession. Sexual harassment is the unwanted sexual attention that one suffers in the workplace. Susan Wu refers to the countless times she has “had to move a man’s hand from [her] thigh,” in a skillful manner that rejects him without damaging his ego (Mundy, 2017). Sexual harassment is often used by males to show their power and control in the workplace. This is a core element as to why females and minorities leave the tech industry as they will not conform to these actions. After constant, repetitive harassment, it becomes draining, demoralizing, and not worth the work. Similarly, there is the Quid pro quo sexual harassment which is the idea that trade is offered for unwanted sexual contact for advancement. This idea is that trading sexual demands for job benefits or continued employment is about repulsion (Mundy, 2017). It is about making the worker feel unwelcome and uncomfortable than anything. Conferences in this industry are known as “breeding grounds for unwanted sexual advances and assaults,” however, females cannot avoid these events because they are important for networking (Mundy, 2017). Many feel they have a duty to brush it aside for the success of their company and the harassment may threaten their position at the company. The Elephant in Valley Report statistics in the article report that “60% [of females] had fended off unwanted sexual advances,” indicating that the majority of women are experiencing sex segregation (Mundy, 2017). This statistic also tells us that females and minorities are stuck in positions because they say no to quid pro quo sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is a strategy of dominance to keep women out of the workforce. In most cases, it is fundamentally about power. It takes a lot of willpower for someone to tolerate being victimized, but many are no longer willing to abide by the harassment in the workplace. This gendered division of power and subordination within the tech industry is another example of how it is a gendered institution. Blount now uses her power and influence to speak out along with other women to help companies and industries be better when it comes to sexism and harassment in the workplace.

In conclusion, the tech industry is gendered because it reinforces the gendered divisions and biases towards women. Females and minorities are more likely to leave the industry once they have arrived because of the hostile environment they experience. Along with the environment, the social construction that hiring females and minorities is seen as lowering the corporation’s standards. Females may not even want to join or apply to certain companies because of the reputation they hold. In general, they leave because of multiple levels of undermining and sexism at work. Sociologists consider institutions as contributing to gender normative and express gendered logic which supports the reinforcement of gender social order (Kimmel & Holler, 2017). Sexual harassment is an example of how we bring gender to our interactions and produce them at the same time. Women will continue to push through barriers and make opportunities for themselves.

References

1. Kimmel, M. S., & Holler, J. (2017). The Gendered Society. Oxford University Press Canada.
2. Melfi, T. (Director). (2017). Hidden Figures [Motion Picture].
3. Mundy, L. (2017, April). Why Is Silicon Valley So Awful to Women? Retrieved from The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/04/why-is-silicon-valley-so-awful-to-women/517788/

In America, one out of every six women have been sexually assaulted in their lifetime (Tjaden, 2000). Young women are especially at risk and 499 known gymnasts’ athletes can account for this. Recently, Michigan doctor Larry Nassar was charged with multiple accounts of sexual assaults against female gymnasts. (Howley, 2018). Larry Nassar was a sports doctor who specialized in female gymnastics, working with many gymnasts ranging from amateur to Olympic-level athletes. His actions toward female athletes carried on for decades without any consequences towards himself or his medical license. The collaboration of numerous gymnast athletes going through media outlets to get attention to their stories was when they finally could find justice. The very vibrant question is how this was achievable for Dr. Nassar. This ongoing behavior can be attributed to conformity through authority, roles, belief perseverance, and cognitive dissonance theory.

In social psychology, there are peripheral weapons on how we feel, think, or act in situations and one of those weapons includes authority. Authority gives someone the right to do something or enforce obedience (Chapter 6). Authority figures are assumed to be the one who knows best, therefore they are often viewed this way due to cues. In particular, Larry Nassar was an authority figure to the gymnasts based on his age, his doctorate credentials, and being the one who took care of their injuries. Hundreds of females had to go to this man for their basic medical needs. Therefore it was very attainable to assault these women in small ways because of his authority figure. He would touch them in very inappropriate ways and his reasoning would be relied back to medical reasons.

This can then be transitioned into the abused power of roles. Roles are sets of norms to define how someone in a particular social situation or position should act. In this case, the doctor vs patient roles. As a patient, it is assumed that the doctor’s behavior revolves around helping you (the patient) with medical problems or any assistance needed. Being the role of the patient, you are often relying on trust when working with a doctor. That is indeed what hundreds of female athletes did when they went to Larry Nassar for assistance. When he started to abuse his role and assault these women, he did it in ways that made them not even realize what was happening to them. Some women would object to his actions but he would enforce the idea that he was doing what was necessary for their medical needs. This would then put these women back into roles of just being patients who are supposed to do what the doctor tells them to do.

Many of these females were very uncomfortable with what was going on in their sessions with Dr. Nassar, but rarely would they speak out. Cognitive dissonance theory assumes that to reduce discomfort, we have to justify our actions or also state that behaviors and attitudes/beliefs conflict with one another (Chapter 4). These women are experiencing a very uncomfortable situation that they have negative attitudes towards yet their behavior shows as if they are fine with what is happening. They are not truly accepting of the actions Dr. Nassar is utilizing on them, but rather they know that if they spoke out nothing would change. These girls developed feelings of degradation and manipulation, and sometimes it was better to bury those feelings rather than confront the situation. The feeling these women had to endure is indescribable and awkward, which explains why deep down they found a way to justify Larry Nassar’s actions on them.

Perseverance of an initial conception, such as when the basis for one’s belief is discredited but an explanation of why the belief might be true survives is the concept of belief perseverance (chapter 3). This is easily attributed to how Nassar was able to get away with his actions. Nassar would invite some athletes that complained of back pains over to his house and perform certain stretches and within the exercises, he would penetrate the vagina with his fingers or around the pelvic area. Some girls would be uncomfortable and file complaints to police enforcement or other members apart of the gymnastics organization about his undesired touching. Nassar was immediately ready to counterargue their claims with the idea of Pelvic Floor Therapy. This is the concept that pelvic exercises can reduce pain or discomfort in the back or hips (Howley, 2018). As soon as one of the gymnasts would discredit his actions on certain exercises, he would use the explanation of the pelvic therapy to gain access to secretly molest these women.

In conclusion, Larry Nassar was able to get away with an abundant amount of sexual assault cases through social psychological principles. The power of authority and roles, the effect of belief perseverance, and cognitive dissonance theory were all huge factors in how Nassar was able to use power and the principles behind these theories to manipulate these athletes and even the justice system. Even in the end, it took 499 female gymnasts to break their silence on how they had been sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar. The larger numbers and use of social media are what led to Larry Nassar being sentenced to life in prison for the endless amount of pain he put these girls through. It is truly remarkable that through the principles that were previously listed, he was able to go decades of hiding his true self, a sexual predator.

References

1. Howley, K. (2018, November). Everyone Believed Larry Nassar The predatory trainer may have just taken down USA Gymnastics. How did he deceive so many for so long? Retrieved from The Cut.
2. Tjaden, P. (2000, november ). Findings From the National Violence Against Women Survey.

Night, however, is completely different from Maus and is an autobiography. Elie Wiesel talks about his encounters during the Holocaust, and how it transformed him as an individual. It doesn’t skip around forward and backward between the past and the present and does not even have the comical feel that Maus has. Elie writes his story in chronological order from when he and his family thought the Jews being removed was a legend to him looking in a mirror 3 years after the fact and seeing dead eyes and a fragile body. Whereas Maus shifts back and forth between Art’s perspective and Vladek’s. At whatever point the novel is in the present with Mala and Art, it is from Art’s perspective. However, the Holocaust stories were obviously from Vladek’s perspective. Also at whatever point the novel is in Vladek’s perspective, he describes, and Art draws it out, giving some understanding of what most likely occurred on each occasion.

In both Art and Vladek’s purposes of perspectives, they talk in the first individual, yet it is still in the third individual. Night, then again, is from the perspective of a 14-year-old Jew, Elie, who composed the book about himself without anyone else’s input. The book Maus is never completely serious, even when Vladek is relating a difficult issue, the drawings and the jokes he has with his child and wife give the circumstance a more of a happy tone than it would be if the novel just centered around Holocaust stories. Albeit everything Vladek and his friends and family experienced amid the Holocaust was intense, the novel is never dreary. This is demonstrated in the book when Vladek expressed, ‘They’ve removed four Jews for managing merchandise without coupons… The following day I strolled over to Modrzejowska Street and I saw them… They hanged there one entire week,’ to expressing, ‘Look-Even from my dead eye tears are coming out!'(Spiegelman 83-84) The seriousness of the Jews being hanged is helped by Art’s capacity to switch the focal point of the story back to his dad.

Even though Vladek is not kidding when he says even his dead eye is tearing up, his announcement comes up short on the reality of what he says prior regarding the hanging. Another case of the absence of seriousness of Vladek in regards to the Holocaust is prior in the novel when he educates Art concerning being a prisoner of war. Vladek says, ‘Another German took 4 or 5 of us to a stable. ‘See this chaos?? It should be perfectly spotless in 60 minutes. Comprehend!’ It was difficult to do in 60 minutes… What’s more, by one way or another we made the activity in just 90 minutes. Be that as it may, look what you do, Artie!'(Spiegelman 52) Vladek is looking at being compelled to clean a stable, yet he changes out of the past and advises the present-day Art to be increasingly mindful of what he is doing. This story may not be that terrible contrasted with a portion of alternate stories, however, its earnestness is helped by Vladek getting occupied by Art dropping cigarette fiery remains on the cover.

“And Justice for All”. These are the last four words of the American Pledge of Allegiance which represents the concept that every American is free and not to be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” as stated in the Bill of Rights. In a typical community, the citizens rely on the power of the court and law to protect them and the people they love. When those who are responsible for serving justice abuse and misuse their supremacy, it calls for tragedy in the town. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, a play based on the dreadful events of the Salem witch trials, the irrational and unjust actions of the court lead to catastrophes that will forever be an important fragment of American history. They deserve a large portion of the blame since they are responsible for determining the fate of the accused during the trials. Instead of being righteous voices of authority, the court acts with intolerance, is more concerned about maintaining their authority instead of serving justice, and is gullible which leads to a result of unjust accusations.

To start with, the court is intolerant. This is clearly shown when John Proctor and Giles Corey attempt to inform the court that Abigail is the one to blame and that she is spreading lies. Danforth, a man of haughtiness, is not convinced by the evidence they present. Instead, he begins to believe that they are trying to undermine the court’s power. Danforth makes his point clear by saying, “You must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between” (Miller 94). Since the court does God’s work, anyone against the court is therefore against God. Danforth accuses the two of intolerance because they diverge from his beliefs. Hale is also shown to be intolerant in the novel. He takes it upon himself to go around Salem and search for the source of witchcraft. He has suspicion towards John Proctor because of his infrequent attendance in church and inability to recite all ten commandments. He then tells Proctor, “Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small” (Miller 67). Proctor failed to prove his competence to Hale and as a result of their different perspectives, Hale was intolerant to him. Similar to Danforth, Hale believes that people are either with God or the Devil; with the court or against it. Both of them don’t believe there is any middle ground and those who choose to differ from them in the slightest, are considered to be an opposition. Intolerance is an action that is a major part of the Puritan community, and unfortunately still encountered nowadays. In the article, “How Trump’s Antitrust Witch Hunt Could Hurt U.S. Automakers”, intolerance makes another appearance, but in the modern world.

Next, the court’s main concern is maintaining its authority instead of serving justice. This is shown when Danforth offers Elizabeth to live for one year and have the baby if Proctor promises not to go to court. Proctor, being a truthful man, cannot do this. Danforth is still proving that he is in power and thinks he is being reasonable. He knows how bad it would look on his reputation if he were to execute a pregnant woman, but he doubts that Elizabeth is pregnant. Instead, he believes she is just saying this in an attempt to save her life. He acknowledges how bad it would look if Proctor brings his charges to the court and that he is in a tough spot willing to do whatever he can to stay in control. Danforth also refuses to accept the truth because to do so would humiliate him. Reverend Parris also attempts to position himself as a deputy to the court. He has no official position within the court, but he is attempting to get on Danforth’s good side while also trying to strengthen his position and power. He is willing to support Danforth’s verdicts regardless of whether they are unjust. Parris’ main concern is his reputation in Salem as he says at the beginning of the novel, “I have sought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character” (Miller 11). In essence, the court is proven to be unjust as a result of its moral corruption.

Finally, the court is gullible and makes accusations without any solid evidence. An example of Danforth’s gullibility being shown is in the court when Abigail puts on an act ultimately claiming that Mary Warren is using witchcraft against her. While Proctor attempts to get Danforth to recognize that Abigail is pretending, Danforth falls for her pretense and questions Mary, ‘A little while ago you were afflicted. Now it seems you afflict others; where did you find this power?” (Miller 116). Despite Danforth’s intelligence and prestige, he sees everything in black and white, believing that everyone and everything belongs to either God or the Devil. While modern audiences find the idea of witches ridiculous, Danforth reflects on his time, an era when many people believed in witches and witchcraft. However, even then in Salem, some people did not fall for the girls’ act as easily as Danforth. An example of an accusation being made without evidence is when a doll was found with a needle stuck in its belly in the Proctor’s home. Coincidentally, that same evening, Abigail had tripped and pulled a needle out of her stomach, claiming Elizabeth’s spirit had pushed it in with the work of voodoo. However, Abigail stabs herself with the needle to cast suspicion on Elizabeth and ends up getting together with John again. John recognizes that these accusations and evidence are based on jealousy, ignorance, and revenge then says to everyone, “Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God’s fingers? I’ll tell you what’s walking Salem–vengeance is walking Salem…common vengeance writes the law. This warrants vengeance! I’ll not give my wife to vengeance!’ (Miller 77). The court, on the other hand, defined this as ‘hard proof!… I never warranted to see such proof of Hell!’ (Miller 75) as Cheever, the arresting officer, tells John. An example of convictions being made without solid evidence can be found in the article “Protecting child ‘witches’ in Africa”. In this article, it states that people of less importance are being accused of witchcraft because of natural disasters. There is no evidence to justify that the people accused are actually behind the disasters and they are often tortured, killed, and condemned from their families. This relates to the same issue that the accused are going through in The Crucible because they are both facing consequences and hardships despite their innocence.

In conclusion, the court displays its moral corruption and is truly to blame for the undeserved casualties of the Salem witch trials. They act with intolerance, are more concerned about maintaining their authority instead of serving justice, and are proven to be gullible which leads to the result of unjust accusations. Ending conflicts with a positive outcome is always a relief and leaves us with a feeling of satisfaction. However, when injustice is present it leaves us with grief, pity, and sorrow as shown in the Salem witch trials, African witch accusations, and modern-day witch hunts. As Martin Luther King, a fighter for justice, once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

In the 1940s, America was living in fear. Hiding in plain sight, Communists were infiltrating the country. Everyone from government employees to actors was being subpoenaed to testify before Congress. However, the truth behind this story is that an ambitious Senator named Joseph McCarthy had scared the country into alienating large groups of innocent Americans. The paranoia that ensued led to a congressional committee accusing and in some cases imprisoning these citizens only for their alleged beliefs. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible explores a similar period, a period of great fear and meritless accusations. Miller explores the similarities between The Salem Witch Trials and the House Un-American Activities Committee and the damage they inflicted on their communities.

One key element to both the Salem Witch Trials and the House Un-American Activities Committee was punishment for refusing to confess. This system essentially rewards those who falsely confess, perpetuating the cycle of fear and accusations. This is evident when Tituba is being interrogated by Hale. “No, no, don’t hang Tituba!” she cries, “I tell him I don’t desire to work for him.”(44) She continues to name Sarah Good and Goody Osburn as witches, continuing the witch hunt. According to Puritan ideology, confessing to witchcraft means you wish to return to God, and therefore are not punished. A similar situation occurred in Congress during the McCarthy era. In 1947, the HUAC subpoenaed several members of the Hollywood film industry concerning suspected communist activities. When ten witnesses refused to cooperate with the committee, citing First Amendment freedoms, they were charged with contempt of Congress and sentenced to prison time. Others who cited Fifth Amendment protection from self-incrimination could often avoid charges, but many still lost jobs by doing such. When one is faced with public humiliation or even death if they refuse to confess, they will often say anything to clear their name. Both systems encourage lying and lead to further false accusations.

Another key element would be the fabrication of evidence by the House of Un-American Activities Committee and the Salem witch trials. The rapid accusation of people with evidence that holds no merit is shown to be able to arrest people who have done nothing wrong. The claim is proven when Cheever exclaims “I like not to search a house. So will you hand me any poppets your wife may keep here.”(77) Cheever suddenly calls out “Herrick, Herrick,”(78) in the discovery of a needle in the poppets waist. A poppet in the voodoo religion meant that the person would call upon the Devil to take control of a victim, yet everyone except Tituba was devoted Christian meaning that the evidence was feeble at best. McCarthy implemented the same tactics to arrest innocent citizens. McCarthy’s tactics often involved imitation by threatening the citizens with a prison sentence if they did not give information on other soviet spies. This then escalated to accusing Hollywood stars because of their leftist views and homosexuals because they were homosexual.

The trials conducted by Salem and the House of Un-American Activities Committee were unjust and were against basic human rights. When the trial first begins the audience can see how blind the judge is. Giles is trying to tell Danforth that “they be tellin’ lies”(89), but Danforth replies “Disrespect!”(89) Danforth is claiming that Giles means disrespect when he tries to defend his wife. The audience is shown more ways Danforth is blind to the real evidence. For example, when Francis comes with hard evidence to prove that the girls are lying Danforth takes it as though it is an attack on his character. He shows how biased and one-sided a McCarthy jury was. They would not accept any evidence that was not what they believed was true. One key example is when McCarthy started to berate an army official. He told the official “he was not fit to wear the uniform”(McCarthy) even though that official was a renowned hero who earned the respect he deserved. McCarthy and Danforth both show how one-sided the trials and hearings were.

Both witchcraft and communism were extremely serious accusations in their periods, and simply being suspected could drastically alter one’s life. In the highly religious community of Salem, Massachusetts, witchcraft was a hangable offense. In the process of sorting out the wicked from the worthy, nineteen people were hung, countless lives were ruined and an entire town plunged into infamy. While nobody died as a result of the Red Scare, the careers and reputations of many important and influential Americans were ruined. The drastic outcomes of these situations show the consequences of a paranoid and xenophobic society. It is difficult to think that in modern America, the leaders of our country would not stand up against the persecution of men simply for their beliefs. However, Joseph McCarthy and other congressmen worked hard to make sure that anyone who questioned the threat of communism was seen as communist and un-American. Miller brings attention to this by showing a similar situation in Salem. Anyone who publicly questioned the validity of the witch trials would automatically be suspected of Witchcraft. As Judge Danforth describes, “a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between.” (58) It is possible that those with doubts about the accused witchcraft, such as Hale, could have prevented the executions had there not been such pressure to agree with the court. After these various witch hunts had ended and their damage done, those who persecuted the innocent saw their downfall. In an epilogue, Miller notes that Abigail would become a prostitute in Boston, while Parris “was voted from office, walked out on the highroad, and was never heard from again.” (146) Senator Joseph McCarthy suffered a similar fate after the Red Scare era ended. After being formally condemned by the Senate for his tactics, McCarthy left public office. He continued to rally against communism, with little support and eventually died of an inflamed liver. These endings are symbolic of the nature of these characters. Parris, Abigail, and McCarthy all accused others of gaining power and destroying lives in the process. Ironically, these actions would come to destroy their own lives and define them as people.

We are told to learn from the mistakes of history or else we are destined to repeat them. We would like to think that our society has advanced to an age in which a witch hunt could never happen, and yet the McCarthy era shows us that we are still capable of irrationally accusing innocent people and forcing them through a broken system. Arthur Miller’s portrayal of the Salem Witch Trials shows us how quickly a witch trial can escalate and forces us to think twice before condemning others based on hearsay or perceived beliefs.

Gender is constituted in time – an identity instituted through a stylized repetition of acts. Further, gender is instituted through the stylization of the body and, hence, must be understood as the mundane way in which bodily gestures, movements, and enactments of various kinds constitute the illusion of an abiding gendered self.” (Butler 1988: 519).

In other words, gender is not something ingrained in us, but rather a social construct with which we actively choose to comply. Mulan performs as an ‘unrefined’ female character, as she displays the characteristics of a tomboy. My identity as a female has been constructed through how women are ‘supposed to’ act – wearing makeup and dresses, having long hair being polite, etc. This indicates that gender does not exist before it has been performed as well as nothing within your identity is fixed (Gauntlett 2002: 135). When Mulan joins the army, she is performing as a man. Mulan performs as an ‘unrefined’ female character, as she displays the characteristics of a tomboy. However, she does not challenge gender stereotypes, as she succeeds by acting like a man and abandoning her girl-like weaknesses, suggesting that women can only be strong if they do not act like women. Mulan performs as an ‘unrefined’ female character, as she displays the characteristics of a tomboy.

Femininity and Masculinity

The notion that women are to be homemakers is prominent in the first 10 minutes of the film. The song “Honour to Us All” shows eligible women parading while dressed as a doll to be matched with a husband, which will bring honor to her family. The consequence of not conforming is destroying her family’s image. She disgraces herself in front of the matchmaker, which leads to the song “Reflections”, where Mulan considers the duality of her identity – she has been asked by her family to fulfill a role of conservative femininity, yet she knows she will never be the person her family expects. She rebels against these expectations and joins the army in place of her father.

In the camp, she is met with signs of classic masculinity: boastfulness, roughness, and repellant social habits such as spitting and picking their toes. This image of masculinity is the total opposite of the vision of traditional femininity, as experienced with the matchmaker. Mulan reinforces the stereotypical ideas of masculinity in the scene where Li Shang, the Captain, sings the song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You”. Masculinity is defined by power, strength, and activity. The lyrics portray the clichéd representation of men because it asserts that they are the only sex who are worthy to fight – “Let’s get down to business, to defeat the Huns. Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?”. Li Shang aims to “make a man” out of the recruits. Not only is this scene discriminatory to women, but it also presses that having womanly qualities is not acceptable in war.

Many action films during the 20th century portray females as damsels. To bring more prominent female heroes into light, filmmakers tried to combat this by showing them as strong characters. However, all they did was give women more masculine qualities such as strength and agility. They would have to prove themselves against a man to show they possess such qualities. This rigidity indoctrinates young women, feminine men, and other genders to feel insecure about not being strong enough or worthy of life because they do not naturally display traditionally masculine tendencies.

Conclusion

The fluidity of sexuality, like gender, sets Mulan apart from other animation films. It produces a narrative that continues to work as a benchmark. Mulan skips romance and embraces this element in a way we rarely see. Mulan reinforces female gender roles in the song “You’ll Bring Honour to Us All,” in which Mulan is preparing to see the matchmaker who will transform her into a bride. This scene highlights the idea that a woman can only bring honor to her family by becoming a bride: a servant to the man who is there to pour tea and be gracious. The film portrays the message that a woman’s main goals should be to find a husband, marry, and take care of the home. Watching this film discourages girls from a young age from trying to pursue a career, and instead makes them desire to find love and become a wife above all. Despite some feminist images, Mulan is not free from stereotypes and gender roles. This film may be more harmful, as it conceals gender inequality by shielding it within overarching messages of female empowerment.

Oral health is essential for good chewing function, which can influence food selection and nutritional well-being. Diet or malnutrition can lead to tooth loss, pain, caries, periodontal disease and these are only a few. The lack of teeth, in particular, may affect a person’s digestive ability and nutritional status Vital teeth and well-fitting prostheses have been linked to a larger variety of food intake, making it easier to eat a fiber-rich diet. It is important to maintain a good nutritional level because poor health can lead to weight loss, increasing the risk of infection and death or overweight, which increases the chance of chronic diseases such as hypertension, and diabetes. In this situation oral health and nutrition relationship in the elderly is very complex and explosive. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between non-institutionalized elderly people’s oral health status and nutritional condition.

In older adults, nutritional deficiency, especially protein-energy malnutrition, is very common. There are many causes of malnutrition, and it’s not always easy to tell the difference between age-related and pathological malnutrition. Malabsorption is a condition that affects several people. Poverty, disability, false diet values, depression, and cognitive impairment are all predisposing factors. In healthy people, teeth are not needed for proper digestion. Those who are edentulous and have bad masticatory function, on the other hand, take more medications for digestive problems than those who have good masticatory function. This study aimed to see if there was a connection between malnutrition and oral health in elderly people. Our theory was that nutritional deficiency would be linked to poor dental or prosthetic health. Longitudinal research on the oral health, general health, and nutritional status of older people was chosen at the canton of Geneva’s second-largest nursing home. Both residents were 65 or older and mentally or physically impaired, and the home was a long-stay care facility with medical supervision. Before the report, no dentist had been directly involved in the treatment of residents. The majority of residents (69%) had their dental care paid for by the state. The data for this analysis was collected between March 1993 and March 1995. The research was approved by the Geneva Dental School ethical committee.

A total of 324 people were questioned. The average age was 85 years (SD 6.9), and 70% of the participants were female. Around half of the residents (56%) or their husbands were unqualified employees, 31% were skilled workers, and 11% were housewives. Just one (an architect) had attended college. The subjects were edentulous in half (49%) of the cases.

While tooth loss has been linked to malnutrition (Carlos and Wolfe, 1989; Posner et al., 1994; Mojon et al., 1995), there is a serious lack of evidence to back up this argument, and far less to show the existence of any relationships. Geissler and Bates (1984) stated in a systematic analysis of the nutritional consequences of tooth loss that the level of evidence was poor, with many methodological flaws. The oral well-being report of adults aged 65 and over who took part in the British National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) used two different demographic groups living in the United Kingdom: one a representative sample of the independently living population aged 65 and over, and the other a representative sample of adults aged 65 and over who lived in institutions (Finch et al., 1998). Medical Research Ethics Committees approved the procedure, and all participants gave their informed consent. Previous research has found that oral health, specifically the number and distribution of natural teeth, has an impact on eating capacity and masticatory effectiveness. There isn’t enough information to say how this could affect elderly people’s food intake. The consumption of nutrients by older people was linked to their dental health in this research.

Oral health is essential for good chewing work and can influence food selection and digestive well-being. The connection between oral and nutritional health in the elderly is complicated and contentious, and our current understanding is poor. This research aimed to see whether there was a connection between oral health and nutritional status in non-institutionalized elderly people. The elderly patients studied had an average age of 71.75.35 years and were split into two groups: the Young Senior Group (39.4 %) and the Elderly Senior Group (60.6%); 97 % were female and 3% were male. We discovered in this study that changes an individual’s nutritional status. According to a review of the literature, patients with significant tooth loss are more likely to reduce their consumption of foods with a thick consistency, which is a good source of vitamins, nutrients, fiber, and protein.

As a result, the importance of nutrition to oral health is quite high. Tooth loss, chewing muscle problems, and periodontal disease may be caused by nutrition. Therefore, old people should pay attention to their nutrition both for their general health and for oral health.