Category: Discrimination

Introduction

Gender equality, one of the essential human rights, plays a crucial role in ensuring peace and harmony in society and the full realization of human potential through sustainable development. However, humanity has a long way to achieve full equality for men and women in terms of their rights and opportunities. A vivid example of the effect of political disagreements on womens rights is the Syrian conflict. For most women in Syria, the civil war turned into a disaster, but at the same time, this conflict created the conditions for new opportunities.

New Opportunities for Women

In February 2011, a war broke out in Syria as part of the Arab Spring movements. The conflict involved many parties, such as the Syrian government, rebel groups, terrorist funds, international authorities, and religious groups (Boulos, 2019). The war-affected the Syrian social structure, culture, economy, and gender roles. On the one hand, political conflict or war can lead to social changes, part of which is the political and economic status of women, which has led to increased political activity and gender awareness.

The main reason for a low percentage of women in the workforce is Syrian social norms, which stereotypically reflect the role of women in homes serving their husbands and in the private sector. The Syrian government has begun to open up new types of jobs for women; for example, the companies accept women as bus drivers; this decision was the result of labor shortages. A transformation occurs in the Syrian workforce; women currently work in areas and opportunities that were previously only associated with men (Boulos, 2019). While Syrian men were involved in armed conflict, which led to the fact that many were away from their families, women became heads of households and were responsible for them.

Violation of Womens Rights

The war was a turning point for all Syrian society, especially for Syrian women. When the Syrian individuals attempted to keep the rebellion as quiet as conceivable, ladies from diverse ranges and religions organized peaceful demonstrations (Habib, 2018). Nevertheless, insecurity and discriminatory restrictions on women intensified when the peaceful era of rebellion ended, and violence increased in most Syrian areas. The opposite development took place under the control of armed extremist groups: women and girls were discriminatory, including strict dress codes, restrictions on womens participation in public life, access to education and employment.

The change in gender roles has affected the lives of Syrian teenage girls who have been forced to drop out of school to maintain the economy of their families. For some of them, the war forced them to ask for money or provide sex for survival. In the south of the country, Syrian women are sexually exploited by men who distribute aid delivery items on behalf of international organizations such as the United Nations (Ahram, 2019). Women were even afraid to go to distribution points because society would assume that they would offer sex to get help. According to Ms. Spencer from an international care organization, sexual exploitation and abuse of women and girls have been ignored, it has been known about and ignored for seven years, the UN and the system as it currently stands have chosen for womens bodies to be sacrificed (BBC News, 2019). World leaders are also trying to draw attention to womens situation, but until the political conflict stops, it is impossible to intervene in this problem.

Besides, there are many examples of gender-based violence against refugee women, especially when they move outside their homes, such as sexual harassment, physical abuse, and rape (Habib, 2018). Women and girls are considered vulnerable groups, chiefly widows or women, without any protection from men. Some women in camps pretend to talk to their husbands on the phone to protect themselves from violence. Moreover, Syrian security forces regularly and with impunity use sexual abuse to humiliate and crush detainees. The actual extent of sexual violence in and around prisons remains unknown (Banwell, 2018). However, prisoners who were sexually abused in prison did not receive any medical or psychological assistance.

Many women who have been humiliated by husbands, soldiers, and the government express their opinions in the international arena. According to pregnant 16-year-old women, Womens circumstances have worsened a lot. Our husbands are constantly nervous and tense. They often curse us and use physical violence against us. (The Independent News, 2020). Women want to be heard and helped, but in some cases, women conceal acts of violence, as this is considered improper and shameful action from Syrian society.

Conclusion

The individual transformation destroys the gender stereotype around the typical image of Syrian women, from passivity to active actors in society through participation in socio-economic life. These changes in the status of women still occur on an individual level to support positive transformations and expand them to transform society, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and stakeholders must intervene. These participants can play two roles in parallel, on the one hand, strengthen positive factors and reduce negative factors, through special organized programs and events. On the other hand, it is working on several strategies to introduce new laws into the Syrian legal framework to protect womens rights and support the positive changes taking place in gender roles.

References

Ahram, A. I. (2019). Sexual violence, competitive state building, and Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Journal of intervention and statebuilding, 13(2), 180-196. Web.

Banwell, S. (2018). Security, peace and development: Unpacking discursive constructions of wartime rape and sexual violence in Syria. International journal of peace and development studies, 9(2), 15-30. Web.

BBC News. (2019). Syrian women made to trade sex for aid. Web.

Boulos, C. (2019). The change in gender roles in the Syrian conflict and its effect on womens rights [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Essex.

Habib, N. (2018). Gender role changes and their impacts on Syrian women refugees in Berlin in light of the Syrian crisis, WZB Discussion Paper, No. SP VI 2018-101, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin fur Sozialforschung, Berlin.

The Independent News. (2020). Syrian women still gravely suffering nine years on: Husbands refrain from having a sexual life with them. They just leave them. Web.

The residential schools that the Canadian government used to assimilate indigenous people represent an example of the aggressive imposition of culture against ones will. The case of Aggie George, described by the Legacy of Hope Foundation (2022), illustrates the violent, intolerant treatment of Native Canadians in such an institution. It also demonstrates the interviewees attitude towards residential schools from a survivors perspective.

The cultural genocide against Indigenous children highlighted in the interview Aggie George makes me think about ethnic discrimination in current Canada through the following aspects: the poor living conditions and cultural oppression in residential schools.

Overall, the authorities imposition of Canadian residential schools was a severe manifestation of cultural genocide since these organizations adopted many practices that oppressed the Indigenous people and culture. According to Schwetizer (2019), such institutions were characterized by poor conditions, heavy workloads, and the oppression of cultural attributes, through the use of which the government expected to adapt the aboriginal people to societys standards. The purpose of residential schools was to incorporate indigenous people into society without considering the students interests and needs. In this aspect, the religious part of education was central to assimilating Native Canadian children into European-American culture. School officials prohibited students from using their mother tongue for communication, which led to a decrease in the number of speakers of several languages in Canada (Florence, 2021). As can be seen, restricting peoples cultural attributes is an improper way of social integration because it violates fundamental human rights.

In this regard, the interview with Aggie George reveals that poor living conditions in residential schools contributed to the cultural genocide against Indigenous people in Canada. More specifically, adverse environmental factors and inhumane treatment of students resulted in poor health, deaths, and dissociation from their own culture. As stated in the video by Legacy of Hope Foundation (2022), Aggie George is a former Lejack Indian Residential School student who survived the genocide. It is evident that the conditions at Lejack were severely oppressive, as they included laborious household chores, strict restrictions, poor accommodation, nutrition and healthcare, and mistreatment by school staff. Aggie George reported that Lejack Indian Residential School students had to do many chores, while school staff practiced corporal punishment for children who failed to demonstrate the expected behavior or level of knowledge (Legacy of Hope Foundation, 2022). Moreover, the interviewee mentioned a lack of appropriate nutrition and multiple examples where restricted access to healthcare services resulted in illnesses and deaths among children (Legacy of Hope Foundation, 2022). The case of Aggie George makes me feel angry because it involves the exploitation of child labor and the violation of several human rights. Combined with an intolerant approach to students and disregard for peoples cultural backgrounds and needs, such conditions exacerbate the overall negative impact on people. In my view, the use of child labor shows that the residential schools were designed to assimilate indigenous peoples in the easiest and cheapest possible way. Moreover, using corporal punishment for incorrect answers during lessons can also cause children to develop negative associations with learning and educational institutions in general. As a result, the living conditions in residential schools were a serious adverse factor contributing to the cultural genocide of indigenous people.

Furthermore, the cultural oppression in Canadian residential schools can be considered another critical factor that contributed to the cultural genocide against Indigenous people. Namely, the prohibition of the native language, religion, and culture reported by the interviewee became one of the reasons why she felt dissociated from her own culture (Legacy of Hope Foundation, 2022). Aggie George recalls beading with her mother as the only culturally significant activity from her childhood (Legacy of Hope Foundation, 2022). It is evident that there were punishments for violating school instructions which included prohibitions of native culture and forcing children to follow specific instructions (Legacy of Hope Foundation, 2022). Attendance at Christian services, specifically Catholic ones, was an integral part of the residential school experience. I believe that restricting peoples religious freedom harms cultural diversity within the country, which may cause self-identity issues. Using prohibitions on native culture is not a rational way to socialize people, and forced assimilation may not achieve the desired positive effect and, in doing so, may significantly worsen the lives of Indigenous people. The case of Aggie George makes me sympathize with Lejack students due to the intolerant attitudes toward indigenous people in residential schools, including critical restrictions on the expression of native culture and choice of religion. Thus, using direct prohibitions to assimilate Native Canadians violated fundamental human rights and contributed to the overall cultural genocide of these people.

To conclude, staying in residential schools was a severe challenge for many Native Canadians, not all of whom were able to survive such an experience. The story of Aggie George illustrates some negative aspects of being in boarding institutions, including poor living conditions, intolerant attitudes, and prohibitions on expressions of native culture and language. Thus, residency schools in Canada have significantly contributed to the oppression of Indigenous people as the personnel of these schools employed cruel and intolerant treatment methods toward students.

References

Florence, M. (2021). Residential schools: The devastating impact on Canadas Indigenous peoples and the truth and reconciliation commissions findings and calls for action. James Lorimer & Company.

Legacy of Hope Foundation. (2022). Aggie George [Video]. Legacy of Hope. Web.

Schwetizer, D. (2019). [Review of the book Residential schools and reconciliation: Canada confronts its history, by J. R. Miller]. The University of Toronto Quarterly, 88(3), 122-123. Web.

What does whiteness mean and why werent these groups initially considered white?

Considering all the white ethnics, such as Jews, Italians, Irish, and many others, the white skin significantly contributed to their overcoming discrimination. The advantages of white skin imply better job positions, higher income, better education, as well as living in less segregated neighborhoods compared to non-Europeans nations (Aguirre and Turner, White Ethnic Americans, 97). Hence, whiteness means to see ones origins as European. They were defined primarily as different due to prejudicial beliefs and discrimination; they were considered to pose threats to European-origin white ethnics.

What did the process of becoming white entail?

The white ethnics managed to blend with the overall population and advance the educational and occupational aspects by adhering to culture, speech, value, and other features of the Anglo-Saxon core. White ethnic communities eventually overcame the discrimination of the Anglo-Saxon core and moved up the socioeconomic ladder (Aguirre and Turner, White Ethnic Americans, 77). Such a successful outcome ironically contributed to current negative stereotypes about other ethnic groups and continuous discrimination towards them. The white immigrants advanced significantly by imposing the culture that dominates the modern United States. They assimilated into the predominant culture and secure resources.

How important was an Anglo-Saxon core?

The Anglo-Saxon culture always used to dictate and define the conditions and development paths for other ethnic populations. As such, every ethnic minority was obliged to adapt to the Anglo-Saxon core, which was accompanied by the discrimination from those who managed cultural symbols and institutional structures of the core. According to Aguirre and Turner, the Anglo-Saxons descendants still hold the senior positions (The Anglo-Saxon Core and Ethnic Antagonism, 67).

Up until now, the Anglo-Saxons can determine the cultural climate and institutional policies of modern American society. The core embodied the environment to which other ethnic populations had to adjust or, otherwise, address severe consequences.

Works Cited

Aguirre, Adalberto, and Jonathan H. Turner, The Anglo-Saxon Core and Ethnic Antagonism. American Ethnicity: The Dynamics and Consequences of Discrimination, 7th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2011, pp. 6176.

Aguirre, Adalberto, and Jonathan H. Turner, White Ethnic Americans. American Ethnicity: The Dynamics and Consequences of Discrimination, 7th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2011, pp. 77100.

Introduction

Language accent describes the sound that attributes to pronunciation of certain or the entire verbal sounds of a variety of vowels and consonants among others. There has been a variation in the way the different individuals within any given societal setup produce verbal sounds attributed to a variety of common words with respective to the language spoken.

The English language is a foreign language, which is learned gradually, because a variety of individuals has the first language of their lives being the mother tongue (local community language within any given society).

Accent discrimination refers to the unequal treatment experienced by individuals by virtue of the peculiarity of the quality of voice, and pronunciation as viewed by their immediate individuals, location, or nation.

It occurs when negative attitudes toward or prejudice against certain accents evolves into actions that harm in social, education, and employment settings. A combination of different society dialects affects a persons pronunciation. The language spoken during childhood is native as compared to the second language acquired due to society changes, immigration to foreign places, and influence of modern times.

Effects of Accent discrimination

Accent prejudices peoples interests, and the overall view about other individuals (accented speakers). Such accent discrimination is usually brought about because of stereotyping (associating the speech patterns to certain prejudiced groups), if the accented speech has complexity in terms of comprehension, and has intelligibility issues (Valle, 2003).

ESL learners are those individuals who are learning the English language as the second language, but have another language of communication. The original language used influences the accent of pronunciation, which is also influenced due to migration to different places occupied by diverse communities with a variety of language variability.

The learners of English as a second language have been greatly affected because of the discrimination faced from other individuals because of the difference in pronunciation. This has brought about the feeling of inferiority for the accented speakers compared to the native speaking individuals.

It has limited the freedom of accented individuals in terms of association, and involvement in the overall productivity. Accent discrimination has drastically influenced the entire learning process of ESL, as they are viewed as being unintelligent and not able to fluently communicate to the entire community, they are viewed as being antisocial due to speech defect and of a low social class compared to those without accent.

There has also been development of negative attitudes from the natives towards accented persons, including the ESL teachers, for example, the learners may fool around with pronunciations heard which affects the entire learning process, or they may be viewed as slow learners who are unable to grasp and understand the concepts of basic pronunciations.

There has been a limitation in terms of immigration of individuals because of the feeling developed by persons wishing to move from one place to the other, limiting their freedom of movement.

Accent discrimination has gradually influenced the glass ceiling effect in the employment sector. Majority of the employees seeking jobs have been side lined and marginalized on grounds of language fluency in terms with regard to their pronunciation, and required skills, which is viewed as being a bona-fide occupational requirement.

Although the individuals may possess a minimum of the required working skills, the encroachment of accent discrimination from the respective employers denies such individuals the opportunity because the employers have a prejudice feeling that accented individuals will not either represent the organizations effectively, or are unproductive and incompetent in their endeavors (Munro, 2003).

Also, due to accent stereotyping of individuals from specific originalities, which has led to linguistic profiling, and has resulted into the denial of certain vital services to individuals who are viewed as being not worthy for the services.

Harassment of the individuals occurs because of the prevailing constant ridicule and criticism from the natives concerning language skills. These individuals face bullying, harsh treatment, and degrading comments from other superiors who tend to look down upon such individuals possessing limited knowledge and language accent.

Such ridiculing of the accented individuals is associated with disrespectfulness and negative behavior towards persons with accent, making them to be seen and identified as outsiders or strangers who are unwelcome within the various settings, and in totality the overall result is preliminary negativity of all the attributes that concern the accented individuals (Chen, 2010).

Conclusion

Language is a vital tool for effective communication between varieties of individuals without any regards to personal background. The accents that are developed by different individuals are brought about by the different pronunciation of vowels and consonants, which occur due to influence of the native languages exhibited by individuals, who adopt and learn the second language, and immigration of new individuals to a given location, region or state.

Such differences in pronunciation has caused varied discrepancies that have drastically led to accent discrimination within various settings in the entire community, resulting into marginalization and unequal treatment of accented individuals in terms of education, employment, and the general view from the society.

Accented discrimination effects have been mostly felt in the western countries due to the diversity of languages spoken in various states. In general, accent discrimination has denied individuals equal treatment from the native society.

References

Chen, W, E. (2010). Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today, Volume 1. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Web.

Munro, J, M. (2003). A Primer on Accent Discrimination in the Canadian Context. Web.

Valle, D, S. (2003). Language rights and the law in the United States: finding our voices. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Web.

Introduction

Anthem is a fiction book written by Ayn Rand. The book highlights the theme of discrimination. In the book, a certain category of people is treated as inferior and lacking any rights, and they are required to serve the interests of others. This is the perfect definition of discrimination in society, and this shows that the author is clearly abreast of the theme of discrimination. For the reader, taking this topic to the end was an effective way to present the theme; here, the book comes out as focused, allowing the readers mind to concentrate on one topic.

Here, it is important to point out that through this focus on one topic, the book deals with the theme in the most extensive way. From the book, one can indeed learn all which relates to discrimination, and as an example, this book teaches that with discrimination, a groups basic rights are denied. This is presented in the book from the way the narrators are denied the chance to advance in learning as well as excommunicated when they make the discovery. Analyzed this way, the conclusion is that this book is informative. It teaches the whole topic of discrimination for anyone to fully learn it.

The theme of Discrimination in Rands Anthem

The use of symbolism by the author is also important to note. According to the author, those discriminating used politics as well as social structures to continue the same. In the book, these elements of discrimination include, among others, palace of corrective detention&council of the home, home of scholars, homes of the useless among others (Ayn 14). In the book, these names represent forms of leadership that are supposed to treat people equally but which have been framed to continue discrimination and persecution on the category of those who are discriminated against.

The use of symbolism in the book achieves three objectives. First is that it makes the reader get the connection between leadership in this country (setting) and the leaders themselves. Reading the book, and coming across the symbols of discrimination used in it, the reader discovers that discrimination was being hatched by leaders and also implemented by the same group. To this end, symbolism in the book helps the reader to understand the theme of discrimination. They also help the leader to connect the different elements of the whole theme of discrimination.

The thematic correctness of the book is also worth something; this is clear when liberty, as discussed in the book, is considered. In the book, the theme of liberty is presented as the opposite of discrimination, and there is a category representing liberty in this book. As presented in the book, this group does possess an important quality of confidence (Ayn 14). Analyzed against what is known of liberty heroes, one concurs that this is a true description of liberty heroes. No hero walks with his head down. The group of liberty, as described in the book, indeed highlights the motivation of freedom.

In the book, they are described as having no guilt. This should be the case, and to fight for liberty is basically a resolve, which means a determination to bring down an aggressive system. This, in the end, means that there should be a full belief in what one is doing and a complete lack of second thoughts. For the group of liberty to be presented this way, the author must have thought of the trends in the personality of freedom and human rights advocates. The decision to present the truth about them is a correct step that allows the book to be trusted for a read. In the book, many things are presented in the way one would expect them to happen if the incidences were happening for real.

Besides seeking to be true, the author also seeks to make this book only an act of art. The author does use the technique of narration to bring about the events, as they would be ordered (Ayn 13). In the book, the narrator suffers the brunt of discrimination as the author views it. In this sense, the narrator is lashed, locked up, banished, and receives such harsh treatments because the author believes such is what discrimination and authoritarian systems do. This is artistic on the part of the author as he makes the book emotional. As the reader suffers from the narrator, the author achieves the objective of teaching the intended message that discrimination and authoritarian is not good. Basically, no one reading this book will fail to be emotionally affected; anyone will feel pity for the narrator and anger to the perpetrators.

This is what is intended in the book by being a good strategy of appealing to the emotions of the reader. By this strategy, the book comes out as achieving the impact of being owned by the reader. It makes each reader passionate not only on the incidences in the book but also on the theme of discrimination and authoritarian discussed. The suffering which the narrator goes through is used in the book to create a somber mood. For the book, this somber mood helps in creating a desire to help the narrator and others in the same category of persons discriminated against.

This is analytic terms, which means that the book achieves the impact of bringing about awareness on civil rights as it connects the reader with the need to fight for equality in employment, education, and in other areas of social participation. As the reader reads this book, he or she becomes aware of civil liberties and how much can exist as denied. He or she becomes aware of the point that education is a right that should be given to all. He or she also learns that employment for the sole benefit to the employer and never for the economic benefit of the employee is a form of discrimination. All these make the book a good read for civil rights awareness in society.

The author, in discussing this theme of discrimination, also makes a connection of the same to an idea or a possession. In the view of the actions in the book, in the case of discrimination, possessions are usually denied even when they are unalienable. In teaching the idea, the book ensures that it sinks through appealing to the emotions of the reader. Here, the author highlights an incidence that depicts strong emotions relating to possession of a place; here, the narrator identifies readiness to die for this place. The book is clever in using this technique; it not only presents a true picture of a true activist but also brings about a sense of nationhood towards civil changes. This considered the book itself could be defined as a force of activism.

Corporal punishment has been described by the author as the epitome of this discrimination by a dictatorial and authoritarian system. In the book, corporal punishment is depicted by detention in poor conditions as well as lashing. The book also presents a true scenario here; this is because the reality of this happening is there. These (punitive) strategies have been used for many decades by authoritarian leaders. Seeing that their leadership has been exposed to its negatives (discrimination), such leaders usually take to fear instilling techniques.

They take to punishing the lowly in the cruelest manner such that they would not desire to take the path of finding their state (Reisigl and Wondak 131). From the book, this is the dimension on which activism is created. The book is of activism in nature basically because this section of the book highlights advice to those who chose activism. The book does advice them to expect suffering and repulsion from the leadership promoting discrimination.

Looking at all these stylistic and thematic good of the book, one could easily be tempted to conclude that the book has no mistake. This is not true. The first is from the presentation of the content. The book does not mention any theme. It only discusses actions and scenes relating to themes. This approach creates many gaps. Overall, one does not really know the exact theme being discussed. It creates room for much of guesswork from the reader. Besides the content, the symbolism used is also hard to understand. For the reader, the book may come out as very vague when discussing these symbols of leadership and dictatorship (Kellough 98).

This book is an artistic production that is supposed to depict how society is. It depicts how society views discrimination and heroes. It identifies how politicians would behave in such systems. This, however, does not mean it is true. The political state today is that discrimination on any ground is not abhorred and can even lead to loss of votes or political oblivion. It does not matter which side one comes from; discrimination means political suicide. This considered.

Thus, the book comes out as out of reality because, unlike divide and rule, which is suggested in the book, todays leadership is driven by strive for inclusion (McCauley et al. 144). This way, in all the developed counties today, leaders who come out to publicly or privately discriminate are not given that chance to lead. In addition, as opposed to the book where the international community lends a blind eye to the process of reforms, the situation in the world today is that the world cannot tolerate discrimination in any country. In many cases, it is the international community which brings about liberty.

Conclusion

As discussed, this book is effective in teaching on the theme of discrimination. As discussed, the symbolism used as well as the activism approach taken on by the book, is important in making it effective in this role of teaching and influencing beliefs on civil rights in a political system. As discussed too, the book fails on presenting the reality of leadership and political approaches today, because, unlike in the book where discrimination rules, inclusion is the case today.

Works cited

Ayn Rand. Anthem. Paris: Feedbooks, 1938. Print

Kellough, J E. Understanding Affirmative Action: Politics, Discrimination, and the Search for Justice. Washington, D.C: Georgetown University Press, 2006. Print.

McCauley, Cynthia., et al. The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership Development. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2010. Print

Reisigl, Martin, Wondak, Martin. Discourse and discrimination: rhetorics of racism and anti-semitism. New York: Routledge, 2001. Print

Introduction

Anthem is a fiction book written by Ayn Rand. The book highlights the theme of discrimination. In the book, a certain category of people is treated as inferior and lacking any rights, and they are required to serve the interests of others. This is the perfect definition of discrimination in society, and this shows that the author is clearly abreast of the theme of discrimination. For the reader, taking this topic to the end was an effective way to present the theme; here, the book comes out as focused, allowing the readers mind to concentrate on one topic.

Here, it is important to point out that through this focus on one topic, the book deals with the theme in the most extensive way. From the book, one can indeed learn all which relates to discrimination, and as an example, this book teaches that with discrimination, a groups basic rights are denied. This is presented in the book from the way the narrators are denied the chance to advance in learning as well as excommunicated when they make the discovery. Analyzed this way, the conclusion is that this book is informative. It teaches the whole topic of discrimination for anyone to fully learn it.

The theme of Discrimination in Rands Anthem

The use of symbolism by the author is also important to note. According to the author, those discriminating used politics as well as social structures to continue the same. In the book, these elements of discrimination include, among others, palace of corrective detention&council of the home, home of scholars, homes of the useless among others (Ayn 14). In the book, these names represent forms of leadership that are supposed to treat people equally but which have been framed to continue discrimination and persecution on the category of those who are discriminated against.

The use of symbolism in the book achieves three objectives. First is that it makes the reader get the connection between leadership in this country (setting) and the leaders themselves. Reading the book, and coming across the symbols of discrimination used in it, the reader discovers that discrimination was being hatched by leaders and also implemented by the same group. To this end, symbolism in the book helps the reader to understand the theme of discrimination. They also help the leader to connect the different elements of the whole theme of discrimination.

The thematic correctness of the book is also worth something; this is clear when liberty, as discussed in the book, is considered. In the book, the theme of liberty is presented as the opposite of discrimination, and there is a category representing liberty in this book. As presented in the book, this group does possess an important quality of confidence (Ayn 14). Analyzed against what is known of liberty heroes, one concurs that this is a true description of liberty heroes. No hero walks with his head down. The group of liberty, as described in the book, indeed highlights the motivation of freedom.

In the book, they are described as having no guilt. This should be the case, and to fight for liberty is basically a resolve, which means a determination to bring down an aggressive system. This, in the end, means that there should be a full belief in what one is doing and a complete lack of second thoughts. For the group of liberty to be presented this way, the author must have thought of the trends in the personality of freedom and human rights advocates. The decision to present the truth about them is a correct step that allows the book to be trusted for a read. In the book, many things are presented in the way one would expect them to happen if the incidences were happening for real.

Besides seeking to be true, the author also seeks to make this book only an act of art. The author does use the technique of narration to bring about the events, as they would be ordered (Ayn 13). In the book, the narrator suffers the brunt of discrimination as the author views it. In this sense, the narrator is lashed, locked up, banished, and receives such harsh treatments because the author believes such is what discrimination and authoritarian systems do. This is artistic on the part of the author as he makes the book emotional. As the reader suffers from the narrator, the author achieves the objective of teaching the intended message that discrimination and authoritarian is not good. Basically, no one reading this book will fail to be emotionally affected; anyone will feel pity for the narrator and anger to the perpetrators.

This is what is intended in the book by being a good strategy of appealing to the emotions of the reader. By this strategy, the book comes out as achieving the impact of being owned by the reader. It makes each reader passionate not only on the incidences in the book but also on the theme of discrimination and authoritarian discussed. The suffering which the narrator goes through is used in the book to create a somber mood. For the book, this somber mood helps in creating a desire to help the narrator and others in the same category of persons discriminated against.

This is analytic terms, which means that the book achieves the impact of bringing about awareness on civil rights as it connects the reader with the need to fight for equality in employment, education, and in other areas of social participation. As the reader reads this book, he or she becomes aware of civil liberties and how much can exist as denied. He or she becomes aware of the point that education is a right that should be given to all. He or she also learns that employment for the sole benefit to the employer and never for the economic benefit of the employee is a form of discrimination. All these make the book a good read for civil rights awareness in society.

The author, in discussing this theme of discrimination, also makes a connection of the same to an idea or a possession. In the view of the actions in the book, in the case of discrimination, possessions are usually denied even when they are unalienable. In teaching the idea, the book ensures that it sinks through appealing to the emotions of the reader. Here, the author highlights an incidence that depicts strong emotions relating to possession of a place; here, the narrator identifies readiness to die for this place. The book is clever in using this technique; it not only presents a true picture of a true activist but also brings about a sense of nationhood towards civil changes. This considered the book itself could be defined as a force of activism.

Corporal punishment has been described by the author as the epitome of this discrimination by a dictatorial and authoritarian system. In the book, corporal punishment is depicted by detention in poor conditions as well as lashing. The book also presents a true scenario here; this is because the reality of this happening is there. These (punitive) strategies have been used for many decades by authoritarian leaders. Seeing that their leadership has been exposed to its negatives (discrimination), such leaders usually take to fear instilling techniques.

They take to punishing the lowly in the cruelest manner such that they would not desire to take the path of finding their state (Reisigl and Wondak 131). From the book, this is the dimension on which activism is created. The book is of activism in nature basically because this section of the book highlights advice to those who chose activism. The book does advice them to expect suffering and repulsion from the leadership promoting discrimination.

Looking at all these stylistic and thematic good of the book, one could easily be tempted to conclude that the book has no mistake. This is not true. The first is from the presentation of the content. The book does not mention any theme. It only discusses actions and scenes relating to themes. This approach creates many gaps. Overall, one does not really know the exact theme being discussed. It creates room for much of guesswork from the reader. Besides the content, the symbolism used is also hard to understand. For the reader, the book may come out as very vague when discussing these symbols of leadership and dictatorship (Kellough 98).

This book is an artistic production that is supposed to depict how society is. It depicts how society views discrimination and heroes. It identifies how politicians would behave in such systems. This, however, does not mean it is true. The political state today is that discrimination on any ground is not abhorred and can even lead to loss of votes or political oblivion. It does not matter which side one comes from; discrimination means political suicide. This considered.

Thus, the book comes out as out of reality because, unlike divide and rule, which is suggested in the book, todays leadership is driven by strive for inclusion (McCauley et al. 144). This way, in all the developed counties today, leaders who come out to publicly or privately discriminate are not given that chance to lead. In addition, as opposed to the book where the international community lends a blind eye to the process of reforms, the situation in the world today is that the world cannot tolerate discrimination in any country. In many cases, it is the international community which brings about liberty.

Conclusion

As discussed, this book is effective in teaching on the theme of discrimination. As discussed, the symbolism used as well as the activism approach taken on by the book, is important in making it effective in this role of teaching and influencing beliefs on civil rights in a political system. As discussed too, the book fails on presenting the reality of leadership and political approaches today, because, unlike in the book where discrimination rules, inclusion is the case today.

Works cited

Ayn Rand. Anthem. Paris: Feedbooks, 1938. Print

Kellough, J E. Understanding Affirmative Action: Politics, Discrimination, and the Search for Justice. Washington, D.C: Georgetown University Press, 2006. Print.

McCauley, Cynthia., et al. The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership Development. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2010. Print

Reisigl, Martin, Wondak, Martin. Discourse and discrimination: rhetorics of racism and anti-semitism. New York: Routledge, 2001. Print

The freedom of religion and associated protections have for the longest time been a part of the US constitution and an important part of peoples lives. As a country largely basing its legislation on the democratic desires of the many, American law has to ensure that the majority of the countrys citizens can properly exercise their rights and beliefs. Following this, some individuals think that their religious beliefs should also guide their business decisions, as well as how they organize their business. This subject, however, becomes contentious when a person decides to discriminate against others based on their religion. While the right of a particular individual to hold beliefs that are in opposition to other groups is perfectly legal and accepted, the practice of denying service or discriminating against customers based on some aspects of their being is a more contentious subject.

Currently, the precedent for such situations is shaky, with two major cases in public record leaning much more firmly to the prohibition of religious beliefs as a justification for discrimination. By the existing information on this subject, however, there are no substantial circumstances where discrimination can be justifiable by religious belief. In both Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, 138 S.Ct. 1718 and State of Washington v. Arlenes Flowers, Case No. 91615-2, one party have denied another service based on their adherence to their religious beliefs (Ingersoll & Freed V. ARLENES Flowers, Inc.). The decisions made in both of these lawsuits regarding the legality of this action were the same, initially, with the first one being overturned by the court later (Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission). Currently, it is difficult to say with certainty that religion-based discrimination is prohibited, but the evidence seems to lean heavily in that direction.

References

Ingersoll & Freed V. ARLENES Flowers, Inc. (n.d.). American Civil Liberties Union.

Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. (n.d.) Oyez.

Introduction

It has long been noticed that particular title choices of legislative documents can significantly affect the minds of citizens and, thus, be used as a marketing tool. For instance, Doctor maintains that lawmakers spend substantial time formulating catchy names and acronyms for their bills, such as the USA PATRIOT Act. Although using this strategy to promote ones views does not contradict the moral or legal foundations of U.S. society, the abusive application of legislative titles as acts of propaganda should be condemned. In this regard, the current essay seeks to analyze the bill HB16 introduced in Texas State Legislature. It is argued that this document primarily intends to discredit abortion among the citizens rather than to serve as law and, therefore, is sexist in nature.

The Bill Summary

The bill HB16 was filed by the Republican Jeff Leach on March 7, 2019, and became a law on September 1, 2019. Titled as Texas Born-Alive Infant Protection Act, the document seeks to protect the rights for the life of children that survived the abortion. It states that a physician-patient relationship is established between a child born alive after an abortion and the physician who&attempted to perform the abortion (Texas Born-Alive Infant Protection Act 2019 (TX), sub-s. (c)). Therefore, according to the bill if a medical professional fails to take the necessary steps to ensure the life and safety of a newborn, he/she should bear the legal consequences. The latter includes imprisonment and a civil penalty of no less than $100,000 (Born-Alive Infant Protection Act 2019 (TX)). On the other hand, mothers that attempted abortion are not liable to any punishment under this document.

The Bills Real Purpose

In my opinion, the bill HB16 may have a far-reaching negative impact on the local society. It is not only sexist as it further stigmatizes abortion and alienates women from their rights but also intensifies the conflict between people of opposite views. Moreover, the existence of such laws indicates that Texas should have more female lawmakers to represent the demands and rights of both sexes adequately.

At first glance, the bill HB16 can be considered practical and beneficial. Indeed, many people would agree that if a baby is born alive due to a failed abortion attempt, he/she should be granted similar protections as any other human being. However, the deeper analysis reveals zero reported cases of children that survived the abortion attempt (Mekelburg). Also, Novack argues that federal laws already ensure the protection of any newborn regardless of how and when the baby was born. Therefore, the necessity of such a bill as HB16 is at least questionable.

Next, to further clarify the real purpose of the aforementioned document, it is suggested to discuss the Texas legal background. The Lone Star State is considered to have one of the most restrictive measures of abortion in the country (Liptak et al.). Such a condition is explained partly by the local culture and partly by the significant numerical dominance of men both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. Moreover, the interviews conducted by Messer reveal that most of the women in the State Capitol were the objects of sexist comments and/or jokes. Therefore, it is maintained that Texas State Legislature fails to adequately and equally include the views of both sexes.

Conclusion

Summarizing all the evidence, it can be argued that the bill HB16 is primarily oriented to propagate anti-abortion ideas and increase social stigma towards this action through misinformation. Indeed, the analysis revealed that this legislative act does not benefit the body of law as there were no reported instances of a child born alive after the abortion attempt. Furthermore, the federal law already protects all newborns, including those who survived the pregnancy termination. Additionally, the prevalence of men and numerous examples of sexism in the Texas State Legislature suggests that this institute may deliver non-inclusive decisions. As a result, it can be concluded that the only reason for the bill HB16 to appear is to disregard anti-abortionists as extremists who support infanticide.

Works Cited

Doctor, Vikram. Catchy Acronyms & Their Masters: How PM Modi Communicates. The Economic Times, 2019.

Liptak, Adam, et al. Supreme Court, Breaking Silence, Wont Block Texas Abortion Law. The New York Times, 2021.

Mekelburg, Madlin. Fact-Check: Have Any Infants In Texas Been Born Alive After An Abortion? Statesman, 2019.

Messer, Olivia. The Texas Legislatures Sexist Little Secret. Texas Observer, 2013.

Novack, Sophie.Lies Into Laws: Texas House Passes Born Alive Anti-Abortion Bill Despite Protest. Texas Observer, 2019.

Texas Born-Alive Infant Protection Act 2019(TX).

Introduction

We are all different. This motto has become almost ubiquitous in the modern world. However, this statement frequently gets twisted up and results in quite the contrary: discrimination. Nowadays it lies within the jurisdiction of the legal system. This paper is only devoted to the judicial procedures against discrimination at work (imagine the ordinary American employee John in a private sector organization who was discriminated by his employer).

The essay starts with the definition of discrimination and proceeds with litigation and mediation processes from the complainants point of view.

Discrimination as a Phenomenon

First and foremost, I looked up the definition of this concept in the online version of the Oxford Dictionary. It defines discrimination as the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex (Oxford Dictionaries). The website of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also adds a few more features to this list such as disability, nationality, pregnancy, religion and etc. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) To exemplify, Jamilah DaCosta, 25 years old, was not hired on account of her skin color (Place & Durkin, 2013) or John McCririck filed a complaint based on age discrimination (Cook, 2013).

Starting with the EEOC

To begin with, complainants are advised to do a test using a special assessment tool to decide whether the EEOC can help them. There are various possibilities to submit a complaint: schedule an appointment, by mail or by phone. So, if John were discriminated against, he would be flexible. He would be asked to report on the main details of the event including his credentials, the employers name, contacts and a short description. It takes usually from 180 to 300 days to file a charge, although it also depends on the type of discrimination (e.g. the rules slightly differ for age discrimination).

Charge Handling

As soon as the charge has been filed John receives notification within 10 working days as well as his employer. Sometimes the procedure of mediation could be applied which is an attempt to reach a voluntary settlement of a dispute. Both litigants have a right to turn it down or they can come down to negotiations and sign a written agreement. Usually, it lasts 3-4 months. Otherwise, the charge will be forwarded to an investigator.

The course of investigations always depends on the case. It contains gathering documents, interviewing the employer, witnesses and victims themselves. This stage endures as a rule for half a year. This might also be the case that no violation was found. In this situation, John would receive a Notice-of-Right-to-Sue that would enable him to make the employer appear before the court.

Remedies

Of course, if the charge is not being advanced to the court, the discriminated person is going to receive some compensation. First, the employer is demanded to put an end to any discriminative behavior on his part. Second, as typical remedies, the abused person can get a placement in the job, back pay or some other benefits. Third, the person can also recover attorneys fees, court costs and so on. As far as employers are concerned, they might be fined for especially ruthless acts of discrimination for the state benefit or be forced to pay compensatory costs, for instance, costs associated with emotional harm.

Lawsuits and Courts

It is also possible to sue the employer regardless of the investigation progress at the EEOC. Discrimination cases appertain to civil cases. The court encourages the parties to settle the case also using mediation. If this doesnt help, the court will schedule a trial. Either of the litigants has a right to request a jury trial. If no one does it, the case is examined by the judge only.

The first instance courts are districts courts. Of course, if the verdict of the first instance court does satisfy either party, it can appeal. So, if John lost the case, he would be able to appeal the verdict. Some of the cases are examined solely by the judge of appellate courts; sometimes the litigants are invited to a so-called oral argument where they are given a certain amount of time to represent their position. The final decision is often made by this court. Nonetheless, it can send the case back for further investigations or the parties may try to employ the Supreme Court which presents the highest instance court in this country to resolve the case (United States Courts website).

Conclusion

To conclude, the legal system as regards discrimination cases and related procedures is highly transparent and simple. John would need just to initiate the complaint and rely further on the agencys assistance. Such a tool as dispute resolution is inherent in the system which signifies that some cases might be closed even before appearing in court. Assistance (e.g. mediators) is provided to facilitate processes even more. I am of the opinion that the US legal system with this respect has a well-structured and conveniently organized system.

References

Place, N., & Durkin, E. (2013). Because youre black. Daily News. Web.

Cook C. (2013). John McCririck loses age discrimination case against Channel 4. Theguardian. Web.

Discrimination. (n.d.). In Oxford Dictionaries. Web.

United States Courts website. (n.d.). Web.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d.). Web.