During his lifetime, Mahatma Gandhi contributed to different social issues. This paper evaluates three main issues that Gandhi addressed. These include solving the difference about worshiping God, adoption of non-violence in revolution and discrimination amongst the Hindu caste system.
Muslims, Hindus and Christians worship the same God
According to Gandhi, all people worship the same God despite their religious differences. Gandhi appreciates the existence of difference in the name of God amongst the Muslims, Hindus and Christians. However, he asserts that the various names used to refer to God are not a representative of His individuality but His attributes. As a result, Allah in Muslim, Ishvara in Hinduism and God amongst the Christians refer to the same spirit.
In his reference to God, man has made an effort to give God different attributes in an effort to illustrate His mighty. However, Gandhi is of the opinion that God is immeasurable and indescribable. He further advices people to live like brothers and sisters and respect all religions.
Additionally, no religion should be considered as being superior to another which means that no one is justified in trying to convert other people to his or her faith. In summary, Gandhi advices people to understand the fact that God is omnipresent and all-powerful and that He searches a person’s inner-being in order bless him or her.
Incorporation of non-violence when seeking for justice
Gandhi played a critical role during India’s struggle against the British imperialism. In his leadership, Gandhi advocated for non-violence as a methodology of fighting against the British rule. According to Gandhi, non-violence is an effective mechanism in advocating for peace (Mayton 4).
In order for the concept of non-violence to be applicable, Gandhi is of the opinion that it is critical for individuals to appreciate the difference between an individual and his or her actions (Mayton 6).One should ‘hate sin and not the sinner’. All individuals should consider one another as being children of one creator. Additionally, truth, empathy and patience should guide one in seeking justice.
Difference between the Hindu caste systems
The Hindu community is organized into two main social orders referred to as the caste system. The caste system has been in existence within the Hindu community for centuries. The caste system divides the society into two which social orders which includes the upper caste and the lower caste.
The upper caste is considered to be for the privileged people in the society while the lower caste is considered to be composed of the poor. People within the lower caste are considered to be condemned by those in the upper caste. Despite being born in the upper caste, Gandhi was very compassionate about people from the lower caste. This is due to the fact that the lower caste was extensively being discriminated.
During his lifetime, Gandhi had experienced different forms of discrimination. As a result, he appreciated the importance of fighting for the ‘untouchables’ in the society. He pressurized for a stop in discrimination within the society just because of difference in social status.
Summary
The analysis has evaluated three main contemporary social issues that Gandhi advocated for. These include the fact that God is one despite the differences in religion amongst Muslims, Hindus and Christians. Gandhi also recommends people to adopt non-violence means when seeking justice. Additionally, Gandhi asserts that there should be no discrimination in the society on the basis of social status.
Works Cited
Mayton, Daniel. Non-violence and peace psychology; intrapersonal, interpersonal, societal and world peace. Heldelberg, DE: Springer, 2009. Print.
In this article, Beale (2011) reflects on the notion of infallibility and inerrancy in the Bible. Aside from the usual arguments that utilize church scripture, he discusses the arguments on the Bible’s infallibility in the book “The Divine Authenticity of Scripture: Retrieving an Evangelical Heritage,” by A. T. B. McGowan.
Beale (2011) points towards the spiritual, historical and divine origins of the bible and utilizes this as the reinforcing factors behind his belief in the bible’s inerrancy and infallibility.
Not only that, he argues based on the views of John the Evangelist on the connection of Jesus Christ’s flawlessness to that of Scripture in the Bible’s Book of Revelation.
He also comments on the confusion on the use of the word inerrancy as a biblical concept and explains its proper usage within the appropriate context.
Critical Interaction
Combined with the supposedly moral and ethical guidelines set forth by the Old Testament, Beale (2011) believes that what is written in the bible is absolute truth and is the means by which God communicates his plan for us.
From a certain perspective, such a view can be considered accurate given that the original plan for God for humanity was to live moral and ethical lives with the bible acting as the cornerstone of this transformation into a more “humane” society.
The author builds up on this by combining such a perspective with the historical and spiritual origins of the bible in order to justify current church approaches towards aspects related to abortion, birth control, population control and other such factors that are related to current social issues.
Overall, the goal of the author in this particular case was to justify the actions of religious groups (particularly the Roman Catholic Church) on their stance on such issues and the manner in which they actively try to impose religious morals, edicts and doctrines on the rest of the populace.
The inherent problem though with the method utilized by the author is that he tries to justify such concerns by insisting that the bible is truly infallible and inerrant. He did not take into consideration the fact that some aspects of the bible were never meant to apply to present day social issues.
It is only through self-serving reinterpretations by religious groups that certain sections of the bible appear to apply to current issues when in reality they were never meant to apply to such situations.
Beale (2011) never takes into consideration that the bible was only meant as a means of establishing better social relations such as promoting peace, charity, generosity and love.
Instead, what Beale (2011) has done is to apply the same thought process established by numerous religious groups wherein they think that the events, morals and social concepts found within the bible are applicable to the present day social landscape despite the historical, technological and environmental divergence between the time bible was written and the present day era (Beale, 2011).
Conclusion
Overall, it can be stated that the author actually did a great job in justifying the position of religious groups on various social issues based on the inerrancy and ineffability of the bible.
His arguments, which combined a variety of academic sources, revealed a great deal of the manner in which people consider the bible to be inerrant and ineffable.
The only problem though is that the entire work neglects to take into consideration the historical and social context of when the bible was written and immediately assumes that everything within in it is 100% applicable to present day situations.
This leaves people wondering if the concepts of inerrancy and infallibility in the bible can be utilized as sufficient justifications for the legitimacy of religious positions on social issues”.
Reference List
Beale, G. K. “Can the bible be completely inspired by god and yet still contain errors? A response to some recent “evangelical” proposals.” Westminster Theological Journal 73, no. 1 (2011): 1-22, www.EBSCOhost.com .
This paper discusses a number of social and political issues. First, it discusses about the actual rulers of the United States of America. Second, it discusses about problems affecting the family and how the society can help solve those problems. Lastly, the paper examines the relevance of religion in a culture.
Ruler of the United States of America
The politics of 12st century in the United States of America is quite different. This is because it no longer centers on leadership but on the pursuit of private interests. The rulers of the United States of America are the multibillion dollar corporations and the wealthy individuals. The wealthy Americans who own means of production have very significant influence in the United States of America.
It is important to point out that the corporations and the wealthy individuals have business interests both locally and internationally. Due to this, their primary interest is to protect their local and international investments. This can only be done effectively when they have significant say on the way United States is being ruled. The corporations and the wealthy have powerful influence on both domestic and foreign policies, especially those with economic implications.
The men and women in the United States’ political scene are both owners of businesses and investments. They are also representatives of major corporations with significant influence on national and foreign policies.
Vividly, these corporations and wealthy Americans are the ones controlling the nation’s economy; they are to be found in the real estate industry, agricultural and financial industries. These are key industries in the development of the nations.
Therefore, they will do everything possible to ensure they influence the way policies are formulated and implemented both domestically and internationally. Besides, the wealthy, corporate organizations and the military personnel also have significant control over the nation’s rule.
The military has been used by the corporations and the wealthy individuals to protect the interests of the nation, which are actually the interests of the corporations and the wealthy. The military is therefore rewarded by being allowed to have some influence on the rule of the United States, especially when it comes to implementation of foreign policies with respect to national and international security.
What the society should be doing to help the family
One of the major problems facing the families today is that of divorce. Divorce in the American society is rising at an alarming rate. The consequence of this has been the broken families. Many children are being brought up in dysfunctional families; this is quite detrimental to the society at large since families are the primary units of the entire society.
Moreover, with the growing information technology, information has become so easy to obtain that the contents of information are not being appropriately regulated to ensure only target recipients are reached. This has led to the problem of pornography in families. Children can now access pornographic materials. This has contributed to moral and ethical decadence not only within the family, but also within the society at large.
The federal government should take an initiative to reduce the rate of divorce. This should be made a national goal and every citizen be sensitized on the importance of maintaining marital sanity within the family units.
The non-governmental organizations, in collaboration with the government, should also play an important role in finding out the real courses of divorce and hence recommend and encourage the citizens on the dangers of divorce on individual selves and the children.
Besides, even though there is freedom of worship within the entire American society, it is important that Christians and Muslims take a lead in teaching the public on the importance of having a unity family where children grow up with both parents, unless either of them dies.
The marriage principles of both religious groups promote a harmonious family environment. In relation to pornography, both the federal government and the parents should be obliged to ensure children and underage individuals do not access pornographic materials. The government should play the part of coming up with legislations prohibiting use of pornographic materials in public places.
The legislations should also restrict the availability of pornographic materials in certain websites. Parents’ role is to openly talk to their children about the dangers of accessing the pornographic materials and the moral implications such materials have on them.
Relevance of religion to a culture
Religion is good for a culture. At individual level, everyone has some spiritual need that needs to be satisfied. In this case, it is important for the social cultures to tolerate religion irrespective of the kind of religion one subscribes to.
Moreover, religion has played a major role in creating harmony in the society. For instance, the Christian belief on forgiveness and good neighborliness has served to promote good morals amongst the members of many cultures.
In other words, religion creates a sense of togetherness and belonging amongst a group of individual subscribing to particular religious beliefs. The fact is that culture defines what a society is, but it does not tell where life originates from. This is where religion comes in to bridge the gap. Culture may explain what kind of society there is; however, religion plays a major role in helping the societal members to reflect on the beginning of life and existence.
Conclusion
The big corporations, the wealthy and also the military are the ones ruling the United States of America. Also, families have problems related to divorce and pornography. The government and parents should be concerned. Religion also is important to cultures for various reasons.
President Barack Obama once said, “we didn’t raise the Statue of Liberty with her back to the world” (“Immigration” par. 1). American public policy welcomes immigrants because “generations of immigrants have made this country into what it is” (“Immigration” par. 1). However, in recent years, the US immigration system has been broken, and now, more than ten million people in the US live in the shadow.
To deal with this problem, Barack Obama has decided to take three actions. Firstly, he is going to secure the borders to make sure that if an individual is trying to enter the country illegitimately, he or she will be caught. Secondly, people who jeopardize public safety are to be deported. Finally, he has contributed to the accountability of undocumented immigrants.
The article is brief and precise. Besides, as far as it is published on the official site of the White House, it provides people with reliable information only.
The Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act was signed and entered into force in order to strengthen American medicine in general and Medicare in particular. This act provides people with “the stability and flexibility they need to make informed choices about their health” (“About the Law” par. 1).
Its main strengths are the coverage for young adults, the absence of limitations because of pre-existing conditions in child healthcare, a guarantee of the right to appeal, better insurance coverage, etc.
As the practice shows, people rarely read the whole law because it usually takes a lot of time. In view of this, the article is useful since it provides readers with brief and structured information regarding the differences that The Affordable Care Act makes. Besides, the Full Law is available at the same site.
Marijuana Legalization and Regulation
Marijuana legalization is one of the most topical issues of drug policy in the United States. Many people think that the prohibition of marijuana should be abolished, and cannabis products should be “regulated in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco” (“Marijuana Legalization and Regulation” par. 1).
The article shows at what stage the movement to legalize marijuana is at the current moment, and what has already been done for effective regulating, standardization, and testing of marijuana in areas where it is legal. For example, to guarantee safety and quality, “cannabis products sold to consumers should include cannabinoid profiles” (“Marijuana Legalization and Regulation” par. 8).
The article contains useful and reliable information on the topic, gives historical and statistical data.
Death Penalty Disparities
The death penalty policy is a huge part of the Criminal Justice of the United States. The recent study conducted by Frank Baumgartner and Tim Lyman in Louisiana reveals “stark disparities in the use of the death penalty, depending on the race and gender of the victim” (1).
As the study shows, people taken into custody for murdering white victims are more often convicted to death that those who have been arrested for murdering black ones. Moreover, they are four times likely to be executed. What is even more interesting is that the researchers have found “no cases in the entire history of Louisiana where a white person was executed for killing a black male” (Baumgartner and Lyman 1).
The article provides statistical data, many diagrams, and schemes, which makes the information comprehensible.
An Overview of Abortion Laws
Besides the laws that are established and regulated by the federal government, every state has its own as well. And an abortion law is not an exception.
The article overviews the states’ laws regarding abortion and summarizes the regulations and limitations, as well as determines “when and under what circumstances a woman may obtain an abortion” (“An Overview of Abortion Laws” par. 1). For example, 43 states allow this manipulation only in particular cases, 38 states require it to be performed by a licensed physician, 27 states want a woman to wait a few days before a procedure is performed, etc.
The article is useful since it provides detailed statistics, which is presented in both the text and a table. The table contains information about every single state in the United States.
What is EPA Doing about Climate Change?
Since EPA (or the United States Environmental Protection Agency) is aimed to protect the environment, public safety, and human health, the problem of climate change is one of its primary concerns.
To address the climate change issue, the agency takes several actions. First of all, it collects and analyzes different types of emissions data and tries to reduce those emissions (“What EPA is Doing about Climate Change” par. 3). Besides, EPA contributes to various studies concerning climate issues and participates in both local and international activities. Finally, this agency is a connecting link between all state governments.
The article is brief, well-structured, and helps to comprehend the principal tasks of the Environmental Protection Agency in the frames of the climate change problem.
Civil Rights and Violations
America has strong laws and government regulations aimed to protect and strengthen the powers of basic human rights. Nevertheless, there had been many cases when those rights still were violated.
The article reveals the weaknesses of different categories of American public policy and gives the examples of particular situations when the law has been broken, but the justice system “has failed to bring those responsible for torture to justice” (“World Report 2015” par. 4). The article discusses several controversial topics such as racial disparities, harsh sentencing, drug policy, health policy, the rights of women and girls, national security, and some others.
Although the information provided in the article is rather interesting, further examination of additional sources would not be superfluous.
State and Local Sales Taxes
Sales taxes are the ones that people pay when they buy different products or goods. Those are the most transparent and understandable – “consumers can reach into their pockets and see the rate printed on receipts” (Drenkard and Walczak 2). Besides sales taxes established by the federal government, the majority of the US states have the local ones as well. A study conducted by Drenkard and Walczak brings this topic to light and reveals the tax rates that people paid in 2015.
As statistics shows, 38 states have established their own local taxes, and those vary widely (Drenkard and Walczak par. 1). For example, the highest sales tax rate is 9.45%, and it is collected in Tennessee (Drenkard and Walczak par. 1). Besides the differences between the tax rates, the article also discusses the consequences of those differences.
The information is clear, comprehensible, and useful because it helps people to understand how much they pay and for what.
Money in Politics: State Campaign Finance Laws
Although “there is no right answer to the question of how large role money should play in politics,” many laws and legislations still regulate this impact (Cruikshank par. 3). As far as money can significantly affect the outcomes of political events, such as elections, its usage in politics should be as transparent as possible. And that is the central aim of the majority of the state campaign finance laws.
The article focuses on several methods of the regulation of political spending. The first one is reporting and disclosure, the second is the limitation of the amount of money that can be contributed to candidate’s campaigns, and the last one is public financing of elections.
The article is laconic, concrete, and easy to understand. Besides, it provides additional materials for a better understanding of the concept.
Illegal Immigration in the USA
Illegal immigration is one of the biggest political problems, which the US government has been trying to deal with for many years. As Krogstad and Passel state, the process of illegal immigration has noticeably slowed at the current moment, even though it still remains on the high level (par. 1).
As a proof of it, there have been “11.3 million unauthorized immigrants in the US in 2014,” and this number is hardly less now (Krogstad and Passel par. 4). The article gives interesting statistics on this topic and provides a brief explanation of the US President’s actions towards immigration.
The article is interesting and easy to read. The information is well-structured and laconic. However, to explore this subject deeper, additional sources should be used.
Baumgartner, Frank R. and Tim Lyman. “Race-Of-Victim Discrepancies in Homicide and Executions, Louisiana 1976-2015.” Loyola University of New Orleans Journal of Public Interest Law (2015): 1-10. Print.
Cruikshank, Brian. State Campaign Finance Laws: An Overview. 2015. Web.
Drenkard, Scott and Jared Walczak. State and Local Sales Tax Rates. 2015. Web.
Children are more prone to the surrounding factors that can pose a threat to their health. For example, they are prone to lead poisoning as a result of the paint that is used in households. The change in eating habits and the lack of regular exercise have resulted in many children becoming obese and overweight. The metropolitan areas have been affected by the built environment in a profound way. This paper aims to address these issues, while at the same time linking the policies involved in addressing them.
Public Policy in Addressing Childhood Lead Paint Poisoning
Children are highly susceptible to lead poisoning, especially in their homes, where the paint that is used to decorate their houses has traces of lead. The introduction of lead in household paints dates back to many years ago when the paint producers mixed the lead with different paints with a view that it would act as an excellent adhesive aid to the paint. The lead was also used in paints in order to enhance the viscosity of the paint. However, little did the paint manufacturers know that lead would eventually cause poisoning.
Following this revelation, the US government has come up with effective policies that will see a reduction in the amount of lead that is used in paints. These policies are also meant to encourage the paint manufacturers to look for better forms of adhesives that can be used together with paints than the use of lead, says explained by the US Department of Health and Human Services (3).
The best form of policy that the US government uses to control lead poisoning in children is the increased awareness to prevent the use of lead in household paints. In 1992, the Housing and Community Development Act (Public Law 102-550) was enacted to address the regulation of the amount of lead that was used in housing paints (US Department of Health and Human Services 4). The main agenda that this policy sought to address was the prevention of lead in paints so that children could have maximum levels of lead at BLLs< 10ug/Dl. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) continues to advocate for the prevention of the use of lead in housing paints. This is achieved through particular means like public awareness, effective monitoring, and taking corrective actions against those found to violate the set standards on the maximum levels of lead in household paints (US Department of Health and Human Services 4).
Another policy that the US government employs in the regulation of lead poisoning in children is the use of local officials to identify the households that have high cases of lead contamination in their houses. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the addresses of the houses that have recorded high amounts of lead in their household paints have been recorded by the local officials (5). This is done in order to regularly monitor the blood lead levels of the children in such houses so that effective measures can be taken in case their level goes beyond the maximum allowed levels. The identified houses are then marked as “high-risk areas,” giving the visitors a chance to know the kind of risk that they will be exposed to if they wish to visit such places.
The Lead Safety and Housing Code was implemented in a move to address the issue of lead poisoning in household paints in a more holistic way. In this code, the manufacturer of any household paint is required to indicate the level of the lead element that was used in the paint. That way, the user can know the amount of lead in the paint and make an informed decision about the use of such paint (Rabito, White, and Sharter 271). Also contained in the policy is the provision of surveillance by the particular officials who regularly visit suspected houses to evaluate the level of lead that was used in the paint and the vulnerability of the children to poisoning. In such a move, the authorities can monitor and regulate the use of lead in the paints applied in houses. However, more awareness is being done to encourage the adoption of “Lead Safe Work Practices.” These practices encourage the control of lead in areas that will pose a serious health threat to children (273).
How New York Compares with Philadelphia and Rochester in Addressing Childhood Lead Poisoning
Most of the cities in the United States have implemented policies to counter the increasing lead poisoning in children. New York is one such city where the local authorities are vigilant regarding the increasing cases of childhood lead poisoning. This city compares with Philadelphia and Rochester in addressing the crisis in a number of ways. All the three cities emphasize the need to promote primary prevention of lead poisoning (Korfmacher, Ayoob, and Morley 309). The authorities in the three cities have made considerable efforts to conduct public awareness and training to all the sectors involved in a move to sensitize every player on the need to have minimum amounts of lead in the paints used in households.
Screening of all children who are in areas that are said to be “high-risk areas” is done in all the three cities (310). This is done mainly to identify the blood lead levels of the children. If the blood levels are beyond 10ug/Dl, then adequate measures are taken to ensure that no more children are exposed to lead in such areas. Training of personnel that will screen the individuals in the high-risk areas is done in the three cities to ensure that the screening is done using the correct equipment, and only correct results are obtained (310).
Research is an effective method of addressing various challenges that modern mankind is facing. New York, Philadelphia, and Rochester have realized the need to engage and incorporate research in the fight against childhood lead poisoning. Korfmacher et al. report that there are a lot of resources that are geared towards research in lead poisoning (311). The research is aimed at assessing other avenues that would allow the manufacture of paints without the lead element in it. Korfmacher et al. admit that the provision of resources by the authorities in the three cities has led to profound advancements in addressing lead poisoning in children (311).
Public Policy in Addressing Childhood Obesity
Obesity is a condition that is proving difficult to address throughout the United States. More children are now becoming obese or overweight due to the change in lifestyle and the lack of physical exercise than it was in the past. However, the authorities have devised policies that are addressing this issue so that future generations can be healthy and contribute positively to the development of the country. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the policies on childhood obesity are updated yearly (1). This is a move that ensures current and emerging issues of childhood obesity are addressed.
One of the policies that the US has enacted is the introduction of the “Student Fitness Screening at School.” This policy makes it possible to identify the students who are likely to be obese or those who are currently obese or overweight. The National Conference of State Legislatures admits that this method has been effective because almost all children residing in the US are easily found in schools (4). After identification, a comprehensive program is put in place where the students, together with their parents, are educated on the importance of healthy eating lifestyles and the need to engage in regular physical exercises. Regular monitoring follows this screening, were those marked as obese and overweight are monitored through the process of recovery.
The “School Nutrition Legislation” is a policy that various states have enacted in schools within their jurisdictions. This policy allows schools to introduce and implement school feeding programs to enable students to have access to better diets than the general community offers (Frieden, Dietz, and Collins 357). Through this move, the majority of children can differentiate what a balanced diet meal is and communicate the same to their parents and guardians back at home.
The health coverage through insurance on obesity prevention and treatment is another approach through which the US government can address childhood obesity. Insurance is for the adults, but with the provision of covering their children. Therefore, insured families have the chance to access education, as well as preventive approaches to prevent and treat obesity. This is a great move whereby children are in a position to be safeguarded from becoming obese and be treated in case they become obese (360)
Critique of the policies addressing Childhood lead Poisoning and Obesity
One can argue that a lot of facts, education, and human rights have been considered in coming up with policies that address childhood lead poisoning and obesity. For example, every human being has the right to better housing. In this light, the US government has enacted various policies that have addressed the issue of lead poisoning in household paints. In such a move, children are given a chance to reside in better houses that are free of lead.
It is on record that there are many children in the US who are becoming obese. This is a fact that the US government has used to address the issue of childhood obesity, especially in schools. Another fact used in this example is that most of the children are found in schools. Therefore, the policies that have been enacted to address childhood obesity have been placed primarily in schools. One can agree that education, facts, incentives, and human rights have been considered in coming up with policies addressing childhood lead poisoning and obesity
Impact of Built Environment on Mental Health, Public Safety, and Social Capital
The built environment in metropolitan areas has resulted in untold suffering to the residents of the urban areas. The mental health is one example, where a number of those residing in the metropolitan areas face depression (Korfmacher et al. 313).
This condition has been ignited by the fact that the increased noise, smoke, traffic jams, and such sufferings make many urban dwellers rethink of their relocation to rural areas. The fact that the land is limited, and the residents have limited options makes them depressed. Another form of the mental health impact that urban residents face is associated with driving. This type of mental health impact is called “driver’s stress.” It is the stress that is associated with the long traffic jams that occur during peak hours in the metropolitan areas. Korfmacher et al. agree that many of the drivers who are normally caught in this kind of traffic jams are reported to experience heart attacks at a higher rate than rural dwellers (314).
Public safety in metropolitan environments has been affected by the built environment. The numbers of road accidents that are reported in the cities are more than those that are reported in other areas, such as rural areas (315). Terrorism mainly occurs in urban areas. It implies that those residing in the urban areas are more prone to terror attacks in the public areas, such as bus and train stations than residents in other areas. Korfmacher et al. report that crime is more in metropolitan areas than in other places (314). Therefore, it is evident that the built environment has resulted in lesser public safety in areas that have urbanized.
The social capital in the urban areas is reported to be more than in rural areas because of the easy access to facilities such as health sectors, recreation areas, and other necessary amenities that human beings require for better social capital (Public Health Advisory Committee 2). The fact that a good number of urban residents drive to work raises the social capital of urban dwellers to higher rates than the rural dwellers. This is attributed to self-satisfaction and the ability to meet other people in various urban occasions.
There are policies that address the issue of the built environment, especially in metropolitan areas. One such policy is the Environmental Policy (2). This policy has been implemented by almost all states in the US. It is this policy that ensures the level of wastes produced by manufacturing companies is regulated to the amounts that are permissible for release to the environment. This policy also addresses the issue of roadworthy vehicles. The vehicles that are not fit for use are restricted from using the US roads, until such time that they are fit. Other issues that are addressed by the environmental policy include the rules on the construction of houses and the guidance on waste management from the homesteads. This policy uses the information available on the impact of built environments to address the impacts.
Conclusion
Childhood lead poisoning has been attributed to the household paints that have been in use since ancient times in the history of the US. The prevalence of childhood obesity is at an alarming rate in the US. The built environment has contributed to the untold sufferings of the residents of the metropolitan areas. However, there have been policies that have effectively addressed these issues using various sources of information, such as education, existing facts, and human rights.
Works Cited
Frieden, Thomas R, William Dietz W. and Janet Collins. “Reducing Childhood Obesity through Policy Change: Acting Now to Prevent Obesity.” Health Affairs 29.3 (2010): 357- 363. Print.
Korfmacher, Katrina Smith, Maria Ayoob, M. and Rebecca Morley. “Rochester’s Lead Law: Evaluation of a Local Environmental Health Policy Innovation.” Environmental Health Perspectives 120.2 (2011): 309-315. Print.
National Conference of State Legislatures. Addressing Childhood Obesity: Legislative Policies. 2015. Web.
Public Health Advisory Committee. Review on International Evidence Linking Health and the Urban Built Environment. 2008. Web.
Rabito, Felicia A., LuAnn White E. and Charles Shorter. “From Research to Policy: Targeting the Primary Prevention of Childhood Lead Poisoning.” Public Health Reports 119.1 (2004): 271-278. Print.
The US Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children. Washington, D.C.: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2005. Print.
In recent years, the terms Socratic and critical have been used interchangeably to describe a mode of thinking that is questioning, probing, and reflective. While the two certainly overlap, they are not the same. In this essay, we will explore the different beliefs and connections between philosophy and the perspective of social issues. In addition, the study aims at providing insight into dialectic and outlining the differences between other conversations and Socratic dialogue. Socrates was a Greek philosopher who laid the groundwork for Western philosophy (Bjelde, 2021). The Greek philosopher is acknowledged to have developed the Socratic method, discussion, and inquiry aimed at revealing the truth. According to the Socratic method, an effective way to learn and understand something is to question it. Socrates believed that by asking questions, we could force ourselves and others to think more deeply about the issues.
Discussion
Dialectic, a type of reasoning where two persons with opposing viewpoints converse to discover the truth, is the foundation of the Socratic method. Dialectic differs from other forms of conversation because it is not simply a back-and-forth exchange of ideas. Rather, it is a process of inquiry in which each person tries to understand the other’s point of view and, in doing so, comes to a deeper understanding of the issue at hand (Mitchell, 2019). Socratic dialogue is a dialectic particularly well suited to exploring philosophical issues. This is because philosophy is not about getting the correct answer but about asking appropriate questions. By engaging in Socratic dialogue, we can force ourselves to think more deeply about the issues we are exploring and consider different viewpoints.
These two thinking methods are fundamental to understanding people’s beliefs about social issues. For instance, one belief that people have about social issues is that the government causes them. The Socratic method can be used to question this belief. Questions that could be asked include: What is the evidence that the government is the cause of social issues? What are the different ways that the government could be causing social issues? What are the consequences of the government being the cause of social issues? These questions can help us better understand the belief and see if it is true. In addition, the critical thinking method can also be used to analyze the belief that the government is the cause of social issues (Bjelde, 2021). Some questions that could be asked include: What are the assumptions that this belief is based on? What are the implications of this belief? What are the consequences of this belief? Thus, the Socratic and critical thinking methods are essential to explore different beliefs about social issues.
There is a big difference between having an opinion and having knowledge. Socrates illustrates this difference in Meno and The Republic. In Meno, Socrates talks with a slave who does not know geometry. The slave has an opinion about geometry, but he does not know. He cannot explain his opinion or answer Socrates’ questions about it. In The Republic, Socrates talks with people who have opinions about justice. They cannot explain their opinions or answer Socrates’ questions about them. But Socrates knows justice; hence, he can explain his opinion and answer questions about it. Socrates believed that knowledge is more significant than opinion. He believed knowledge could be proven true (Mitchell, 2019). An opinion is not necessarily true and cannot be proven. The perception of Socrates towards knowledge reveals its significance over an opinion since there is a higher likelihood of being true, thus making it more helpful while making decisions.
There is no certain truth that human beings can know. Individuals can only know what is true based on their experiences and perspectives. Our beliefs may be based on what we have been taught, but they are not necessarily true. We can only know what we know, which is subject to change. It is nearly impossible to obtain the perfect wisdom concerning various kinds of ideas explored by philosophers. In essence, the point of philosophy is not to achieve perfect wisdom but to explore different beliefs and perspectives to better understand the world and our place in it (Altorf, 2019). Philosophy helps us to question our assumptions and to think critically about the issues that matter to us. It is a journey of discovery, and the more we learn, the more we realize how much there is still to learn.
Conclusion
Socratic and critical thinking are essential tools for living a meaningful life. By critically examining our beliefs and perspectives, we can gain a deeper understanding of the world and our place in it. Additionally, individuals can develop greater empathy for others and a better appreciation for different points of view. Philosophy is a discipline that can help us to think more critically about the world and our place in it. It aids people in connecting the dots between different social issues and thinking more deeply about the world and the place of humans in it. By understanding the root causes of social problems, we can develop more effective and lasting solutions.
Being told in the context of entertainment, Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron contains novels that touch on the subject of tragic love, which often can be intersected with social issues, characteristic of that time. In that regard, this paper touches on those social issues in the context of tragic love, based on the first and the fifth tale of the fourth day of Decameron.
Main Body
The first and the main issue can be seen through the importance paid to social classes and the difference between them. In both tales, the difference between Chismunda, Elisabetta and their lovers was the main reason for the death of the former and subsequently Chismunda and Elisabetta following them. In the case of Chismunda, the lower class of her lover-Guiscardo, was merely pointed out as “a man of very humble birth” (Boccaccio, Musa and Bondanella 294), while in the case of Elisabetta, her lover – Lorenzo, was simply a worker for Elisabetta’s brothers (327).
Accordingly, it can be stated that the established norms of morals at that time was a major factor in the love stories turning tragic. In that regard, these norms enforced the distinction between love and marriage, where in the case of the latter, with marriage being arranged by the parents, there was little chance for love to occur between the man and the woman. At the same time, the tales obviously point out to that despite the norms and the values, the need for love as well as the sexual desires of the man and the woman were as natural as at any historical period. In that regard, such distinction led to that love relationships were held in secret, and considering the origins of the lovers in both tales, it can be stated that the finale of these love stories was initially predetermined as tragic, even before being exposed by the father and the siblings in the tales.
Additionally, it should be stated that the aforementioned social issues, i.e. distinction between social classes and established morals and norms, were multiplied by a third factor, through which they were significantly enforced, which is the position of the woman in a man dominated society. In that regard, it can be seen that those social issues were specifically true for women rather than men. For example, in the first tale of Chismunda, despite that fact that she was not under aged, and she was a widow, having been married before (294), she was not capable of ruling her own destiny in choosing the one to love or the one to marry. In the fifth tale, the position of Elisabetta was even worse, where her brothers killed her lover without even notifying her, saying “If you ask about him again, we shall have to give you the answer you deserve!” (328).
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded that tragic love and social issues are closely connected within Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron, often making the love story being predestined to be tragic since its beginning. The examples provided such as the social classes distinctions and the enforcement of marriages between corresponding social classes, the values and the norms established in the society, and the domination of men over the women at that time, all contributed to that many love stories were determined to become tragic.
Works Cited
Boccaccio, Giovanni, Mark Musa, and Peter E. Bondanella. The Decameron. New York: Signet Classic 2002. Print.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof represents a title of a brilliant play composed by Tennessee William, an American playwright. The play focuses on a non-adaptive southern family that is pushed by life to handle concealed deceit and hypocrisy. The issues presented in this play transcend time and realm. William has succeeded in producing a modern tragedy which looks into the consequences of social change, human heart deception and portrayal of the ordinary tragedies that are faced by ordinary people in a dynamic world.
Generally, the play emphasizes tragedy in contemporary troubles such as alcoholism, mendacity, regret, betrayal, bitterness, greed, cancer and death. The play also explores homosexuality and infidelity which in part, play a role in bringing these terrible and sorrowful events. Cat on a Tin Roof is, arguably, A Tragedy. Yet, this is a somewhat a vague term; broad, certainly. This essay aims to discuss “tragedy” as presented in various ways in the play.
Kolin argues that, the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, with its classic antecedents, share a basic principle: “Man is not the master of his soul. The great decisions are made by forces beyond control (1)”. In the play, superior forces that the characters fight against are biological, social, psychological and economic. As the play commences, one observes that there seems to be lack of communication among the characters as they appear to be suffering from lonesomeness.
Tennessee looks to be leery of the alterations in the social measures and household unit dissolution resulting from social and global modifications. This is a fear that is reflected by Big Daddy’s phrase; “Sometimes I think that a vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature replaces it with”(122). This basically means that emergence and development is in accordance with nature but the result brought about by the change is often damaging and unanticipated.
Big Daddy, as a matter of fact is an American Dream embodiment and via his character. Tennessee depicts how the society of America has made a sacrifice of all values in the name of the most appealing value in the globe; money. Ambition has an atrocious aspect, and Big Daddy is an achiever in the world of business, but a failure in some other facets.
As a human, he has gone wrong by concentrating his small empire upon himself rather than becoming sensitive to the opinions and demands of his family. He acts as though money were his mere value as a man, as evidenced by this; “Y’know how much I’m worth? Guess Brick! Guess how much I’m worth!” His being a failure in other aspects and a sorrowful character is by itself a form of tragedy (Kolin 122).”
A conspicuous battle ensues in Big Daddy as he makes an effort as a father, to make advances Brick just as a caring dad goes up to his son, revealing his inmost affection and anxiety. The struggle is betwixt his great affection for his boy and his finding the facts, and the mindset of his miserable upbringing by which the dad was normally a removed and an unreachable figure.
The stage directions of the play hints this; “glancing quickly, shyly, from time to time, at his son”, “pressing his head quickly, shyly against his son’s head, then coughing with embarrassment…” this implies that he is embarrassed to display affection, which displays a form of tragedy within himself (Kolin 134).
Via the difficulties experienced by Brick and his father to freely converse about the matter, deficiency in message conveyance is exhibited thus resulting to desolation and closing off.
The two men continuously talk while saying nothing of importance and not paying attention to each other at all, as pointed out by Brick’s speech; “We talk, you talk in circles! We get nowhere, nowhere!” (124) Big Daddy is however determined to converse with his son and he says, “Don’t let’s- leave it like this, like them other talks we’ve had…it’s always like something was left not spoken”. To some extent, the two men are tragic characters.
At the earlier stages of the play, there is a family gathering aimed at celebrating the patriarch sixth-fifth birthday of Big Daddy when they barely discover that he had cancer and they start to quarrel and finally had to deal with many other prevarications and hypocrisy in their livings.
The destiny of Big Daddy is determined by cancer for which he battles his life against. Meanwhile, Mae and Gooper compete against Maggie for the inheritance that insures economic security in the materialistic society apathetic to the needs of the poor. Big daddy has never made a will and now he is on the brink of dying thus he might end up having inheritance disputes within his family (Kolin 127).
The tragedy of existence makes the troubles of Brick to look petty. Brick’s troubles however, are directly associated to the reality that exalted him at one time and he so much adored that he took on its entire preconception. When he had grown old and imperfect, the very world dropped him as a hot brick.
At once the reality sickened him, and was displeased for becoming its part, and therefore he set himself apart. Contrariwise, Big Daddy learned to assume the untruthfulness of living, and this hard-boiled and made him misanthropic. Brick attempts to define himself either as homo or heterosexual. Simultaneously, as an idealistic individual, he tries to wage war with a realistic society of America (Kolin 122).
Brick has become unhappy, unemotional, detached and hard to get on with ever since the death of his friend Skipper. He becomes a drunk and nobody, not even Maggie, his wife, could make him happy. He badly misses Skipper and blames himself on what happened to his friend thence sees alcohol as the only remedy to his sorrow.
The reason why Brick is very bitter toward life is that he feels there are lies all over in his life which are impossible to get away from. He believes that his wife betrayed him with his closest friend, Skipper. Moreover, everybody was lying about the condition of his father and his family including his brother, are doing all that is possible to make sure that they inherit his father’s fortune after he passes on.
With all this occupying his mind, he finds it best to become unemotional and detach himself from his entire family and life. He supposes that if he drinks into oblivion each day of his life, then it will come to pass or he will have nothing to deal with at the least. From his past happy life, Bricks life turned into hell- it had an unhappy ending which brings in the definition of tragic. Due to him not responding to his friend’s call for help, Skipper died leading to his tragic end (Kolin 122-126).
Another victim who suffers tragedy is Maggie, Bricks wife. She is constantly rejected by her husband who is supposed to love and comfort her as a soul mate; therefore she suffers that tragedy of rejection and loneliness. When Maggie complains about the trail that their marriage is taking, Brick coldly tells her to have an outside affair if she so wished to have sexual satisfaction.
He goes on to tell her that they only shared a roof because she wanted to and had agreed to do so only in name, “I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to! Now, you keep forgetting the conditions on which I agreed to stay on living with you.” Such treatment is inappropriate regarding the reality that they were man and wife; hence Maggie continually suffered silently.
Maggie on her part is unwilling to go out and have an affair. She opts to remain “a cat on a hot tin roof” till her husband appreciates her. While being angry and frustrated with the entire situation, she hopes that her husband would change for the better. She does not seem to matter to Brick at all as he becomes bitter and cold toward her and is amazed that Maggie could actually want to bear child with a man who does not love her (Kolin 123). This is truly a tragedy in that it is an unhappy event in life.
Families are perhaps the most difficult to understand in human relationships. In the play, they seem to lend themselves towards tragedy naturally. Tennessee’s family greed tragedy is encountered when the news of Big Daddy’s illness is learned of. Mae and Gooper want to gain Big Daddy’s favor and they aim to achieve this by discrediting Maggie and Brick. They claim that they have five kids with the sixth one on the way while Brick and Maggie do not have any (Kolin 128-130).
This way, they are trying to impersonate that the estate of Big Daddy will be in good hands with the responsible family members, “Suspicious of her greedy, prolific relatives who have produced five grandchildren for Big Daddy, she explains to him why they have assembled – to battle over the vast inheritance of the 28,000 acre Mississippi cotton plantation/estate… (131)” The two form a team of public relations, blandishing Big Daddy as they tear down their contenders at every opportunity.
They always take caution in maintaining their polite and civilized appearance while betraying Big Daddy’s back. Doctor Baugh and Reverend Tooker also portray the same traits as Mae and Gooper while hoping to be included in the will (Kolin 122).
The characters’ stories in the play is in reality a mere means through which Tennessee delivers his message and captures the volatile depth of feelings experienced by groups of people during times of crises. Tragedy, basically defined as an unhappy ending of an event or a sorrowful character with a disastrous conclusion, has been dealt with by Tennessee in his play.
The discussed fateful events can be summarized as; the rich Big Daddy who is now facing a terminal illness and a broken family, Brick who once valued and enjoyed life but has turned to an alcoholic due to his friend’s death, Maggie who hopes to be loved and treated well by her husband but all is in vain, and finally Mae and Gooper who hope to acquire the inheritance.
They have been pushed to battle for the inheritance by their economic situation, thus it is unfortunate that they do not possess enough wealth given the fact that they have many children. Conclusively, the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is indeed a play filled with tragedy.
Works Cited
Williams, Tennessee. Tennessee Williams: A Guide to Research and Performance. Trans. Philip Kolin. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998. Print
Some questions that continually arise in the process of interaction between society and various social groups are discussed as important from the formation of the state system to the present day. This issue is perfectly demonstrated in the well-known novellas “A Solo Song: For Doc” written by James Alan McPherson and “No One Writes to the Colonel” written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Although “A Solo Song: For Doc” and “No One Writes to the Colonel” are not united by a common plot, these novellas are similar in terms of discussing such themes as social unfairness, opposition to the system, and human disparity.
The theme of social unfairness is disclosed in these stories with reference to society’s unjust attitude towards the main characters. McPherson writes about the life story of the black waiter named Doc (Beavers 107). According to the author, Doc tries to make the reader understand that even if a person is young, ambitious, and full of great plans to improve this or that enterprise, there is always “a big black book” that would put him where he belongs (McPherson 48). The main character in “No One Writes to the Colonel”, on the contrary, humbly waits for his pension, “promised by the government more than 15 years ago” (Ortega 26). The black waiter Doc and the Colonel are forced to live in a cruel world and adapt to the dominant system.
For the same reason both authors emphasize the problem of the struggle against the social system. Being a young man, Doc strongly believed in the state’s ideals. Then, having realized the injustice of the complex social structure, the black waiter was entirely disillusioned. (Beavers 111). The internal rising against the system performed by the Colonel is more active. Marquez writes that the main character is not just waiting for the promised retirement. He also engages in illegal activities: keeps his dead son’s rooster, participates in the cockfights hoping to get some money, and sends illegal leaflets with summaries of recent events to the son’s friends (Marquez 35). In fact, the main characters have to survive in the real world face to face with their own ideas about the world. The only difference is that Doc was disappointed in life, whereas the Colonel lives in hope.
An urgent issue of social disparity then and now
Additionally, the authors reveal the world of social disparity and racial prejudices. McPherson identifies “a big, thick black book, given by the Commissary” with all Afro-Americans oppressed by the law (Beavers 112). The Marquez’s Colonel and his wife, suffering from a lack of money and starvation, are trying to hide their distressful situation from the neighbors: they cook stones in a pot instead of food (75). This fact indicates their fear of being convicted of poverty. Currently, the problem of racial and social inequality still remains, especially in Third World countries. The West promotes the laws to protect the rights of all people without exception. However, there are still a lot of disadvantaged groups of people in the world.
Conclusion
Summing up, McPherson and Marquez reflected the social realm with all its disadvantages in their works. However, the authors constructed the book’s universe based on the real world’s model. Consequently, it can be a good motivation to consider the urgent issues mentioned above and change the situation for the better.
Works Cited
Beavers, Herman. Wrestling Angels into Song: The Fictions of Ernest J. Gaines and James Alan McPherson. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015.
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. No One Writes to the Colonel. Penguin UK, 2014.
McPherson, James Alan. Hue and Cry: Short Stories. Fawcett Crest, 1970.
Ortega, Julio. Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the Powers of Fiction. University of Texas Press, 2014.
I grew up knowing that teachers are to be respected at all times. They were powerful and their instructions had to be followed because they were allowed to administer corporal punishments. I remember the day I was punished for failing to address my Mathematics assignment. When I reported the incident to my parents, they told me that I was to blame for having failed to address the assignment. From that day, I learned that I had to follow instructions from all my teachers.
The fear of punishment and the need to not only respect but also please my teachers led to my success in academics. In our society today, things have changed. In the year 2000, the Ministry of Education banned any form of corporal punishment in all schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In fact, Kennedy (31) says that corporal punishments were criminalized by the ministry.
The impact of the move to criminalize corporal punishment was felt almost immediately. Indiscipline in schools became rampant. Learners would come to class with fancy phones to listen to music, make phone calls to their friends in other schools, or to show off to their peers. Teachers were left powerless. They could only watch and rebuke them, but it never went beyond that. Most of them have stopped caring anymore.
They do not bother about the discipline of these students as they try to abide by the law. The recent reports indicate that the level of indiscipline in our schools has reached worrying levels. The students have realized that they are protected by the law of this country. They are now attacking their teachers either at school or outside the learning institutions. This is worrying because this level of indiscipline is reflected in our society. This paper shows the relevance of Social Cognitive Theory in the development of children. The paper will explain how observed experiences define the behavioral patterns of children. When they observe that the immoral behavior of their peers earns them no pain, and then find it easy following their footsteps.
Political-Economic Analysis of my Personal Experience
In our society, children occupy a very important position because they are the future of the nation. My personal experience as a child growing up in a strict legal system is still clear in my mind. At home, we had strict instructions to obey our parents and all the elders. At school, we had to obey our teachers and follow their instructions. I remember corporal punishment was not just meant for the students who were not disciplined.
It was also used as a motivation for learners who were slow or lazy in their academics. I remember an incident that happened when I was in elementary school. I developed some unexplained fear of Mathematics. One day I failed to do my homework and when I went to school, my teacher spanked me. This was strange, given that I had never received such punishment before. That day in the evening, I reported the incident to my parents. I expected them to go to school to reprimand the teacher. However, what I heard from them changed my perception about school and life in general. They told me that the teacher loved me and that the punishment was a motivation so that I would concentrate on my studies.
I decided not to receive such a form of motivation again by doing what my teachers wanted. I became top of my class soon after and remained in that position till the time I completed high school. That incident taught me that in our society, there are consequences in everything we do. When we do what is right, the outcome will be pleasant, but when we engage in activities that are unacceptable, then unpleasant experiences are expected to follow. I can attest to the power of positively designed punishments meant to steer a child towards doing what society expects of it.
In the year 2000, the government of Saudi Arabia, through the Ministry of Education, introduced a law that banned corporal punishments. As a person who had gone through the system when corporal punishments were allowed by the law, I realized that this government’s directive was a recipe for chaos in our schools. The ministry worsened the situation by criminalizing corporal punishments in schools. This meant that any teacher who subjected a student to corporal punishment would lose his job and be taken to court to answer to a criminal charge. Teachers’ reactions to this law were worrying to society, and they were justified. The government eliminated the means through which teachers maintained discipline in schools, and failed to provide an alternative.
This meant that a vacuum was left in the system. Students started becoming very rude to their teachers when they realized that they had the protection of the government, through the newly enacted laws. Seven years after the enactment of the law, things turned the other way round. Instead of teachers administering corporal punishments to rogue students, it was the rogue students punishing the teachers. I have witnessed over 7 incidents where teachers are assaulted by their students. In 2 of the incidences, the teachers succumbed to their injuries. The report by Jiffry (par. 3) indicates that in 2014 alone, 300 cases of assault against teachers have been reported.
The political class has remained silent over the issue despite the increasing rates at which teachers are considering other professions. I have noticed that whenever the issue is brought to the attention of the leaders, they give it a one-sided analysis. They insist that the government has achieved a major milestone in banning corporal punishments. However, they do not mention the real impact this has had on the teachers, students, and the education system at large.
The international communities, especially institutions that deal with the rights of children, were quick to praise the political leadership for what they consider a big achievement towards liberating children from undue pressure and torture by the teachers. However, the truth is that things are getting worse and soon the economic impact will become evident. Our institutions of learning are now producing graduates who do not obey the law because they do not know about the consequences of behaving irresponsibly.
I have noted that the number of students who fail to proceed to post-primary education in the country has been on the rise since the law was introduced. If this trend continues, then the country will be faced with a human resource shortage. As Kennedy (62) says, no organization- private or public- is willing to hire individuals who have no respect for the law.
Description of an Educational Issue of Interest
Summary
The issue of interest in this study is the trend in our learning institutions where learners have lost their morals and are now turning against their teachers through violent attacks. We need a learning environment where students not only respect but also cherish their teachers. They should be consulting them on various issues about life. They should look at the teachers as role models and parents at school. However, what we have today is the complete opposite. Students are now attacking their teachers and the law is silent about it. As Kennedy (32) notes, the political class was quick to introduce a law that was seen to be working in the West. However, what they failed to realize is that a vacuum was left when corporal punishments were eliminated. The vacuum has now been filled by the students who have the audacity to attack their teachers.
Research question
The researcher is planning to conduct further research on this issue, and this makes it necessary to develop research questions that will be used. The following research questions will be used when collecting data.
What is the impact of the elimination of corporal punishments on students in Saudi Arabia?
How has the law on corporal punishments affected the morale of teachers
What are the possible alternatives to corporal punishment that can be used to address the current situation in our schools?
Potential sources of information
In order to respond to the above questions, the researcher will collect primary and secondary data. The primary data will be taken from teachers, students, school administrators, parents, and officials from the Ministry of Education. Secondary data will be collected from books, journals, newspapers, and other reliable online sources.
Political-Economic Analysis of the Educational Issue
The issue of corporal punishment in institutions of education has been very controversial in our society. When the law banning corporal punishment was introduced in 2000, things turned out to be worse than expected. According to Greco (par. 2), incidents, where students are viciously attacking their teachers, are on the rise. A report by Jiffry (par. 4) revealed that in the month of April 2011, over 17 cases of attacks on teachers were reported.
The first incident in that month occurred when two students attacked one of their teachers in Bisha town. Two days after this incident, a group of students in the capital Riyadh set the administration block ablaze in order to destroy their misconduct records. This was followed by another incident in Onaiza where students used knives and guns to fight in school. Greco (par. 4) reports that on April 18, 2011, a group of seven students attacked one of their teachers using crude weapons. The assault was so bad that the teacher had to be admitted to the hospital for several months. The attackers left him for dead when he became unconscious. The graph below shows the rising cases of assault on teachers in this kingdom.
Figure 1: Statistics on Increasing Violence in KSA.
This is a clear demonstration of the negative trend that students have taken in addressing their grievances against their teachers. The historical analysis of the teacher-student relationship shows that this was unheard of in the recent past. Teachers were highly respected by the students and it was almost impossible to imagine an incident where a student would attack a teacher. However, this changed in 200 when corporal punishments were banned.
Discipline started deteriorating, especially after the Ministry of Education came up with the law that criminalized corporal punishments. The law demoralized many teachers who became less concerned about the discipline of their students.
According to Greco (par. 3), the decision by the government to bow to the international pressure on the issue of corporal punishment in schools was seen as a poor political move. Many countries around the world have enacted laws that prohibit corporal punishments on students. United Nation agencies such as UNCRC, UNESCO, and UNICEF have been putting pressure on the political leaders to enact laws that will limit corporal punishments in countries around the world.
Although this issue has remained controversial in the public domain, many people, especially the educationists, argue that this was a miscalculated move by the political class. When coming up with laws that have serious effects on a section of the society, it is important to have a consultative forum where the parties that will be affected are allowed to share their views. However, the Ministry of Education enacted this law without consulting the teachers and students in this country. To the international community, this was a wonderful step made by the political class in Saudi Arabia to enhance child protection laws.
However, a new monster had been created that had the potential of not just consuming the teachers and students, but also destroying the entire education system. As Jiffry (par. 5) says, teachers, do more than just impart knowledge to the students. They are expected to be role models. They should help students develop academically and socially. When these students do something that is good, they should praise them in order to encourage such habits in school. On the other hand, when they commit a mistake, they have to be rebuked in order to discourage such practices. This makes them grow up into responsible citizens who know what society expects of them. However, this is no longer the case in many institutions of learning. Teachers have bowed to political pressure.
According to Greco (par. 4), the current trend in our education system in Saudi Arabia is becoming unsustainable. Teachers are strictly concerned with teaching and nothing beyond that. Most of them have now turned a blind eye to the unruly behavior of some of their students. Greco (par. 5) says that in many institutions, things have gotten worse to the extent where teachers ignore cases of indiscipline in schools.
This is understandable given the recent statistics which show that a few teachers who have tried to rebuke students when they commit mistakes are viciously attacked. The government is silent about this issue, the fact that has aggravated the whole situation. The ripple effect of this trend will soon be felt in our economy. We are raising a generation that is irresponsible, undisciplined, and gives little importance to the structures and systems in society. If these students cannot respect rules, regulations, and people who are symbols of authority at school, then it may not be easy for them to respect the systems and structures in society.
This generation will not be in a position to take active roles in the economic development of the country. The country will be forced to rely on the immigrants to work in key positions in the government and non-governmental institutions. Some teachers have even considered relocating to other parts of the world where they feel safe. This is a demonstration of tough times to come.
Works Cited
Jiffry, Fadia. Teachers favor corporal punishment. Arab News, 2015. Web.
Greco, Carolyn. Crushing Activists With Harsh Punishments in Saudi Arabia. Human Rights First. 2015. Web.
Kennedy, Janice. “Increasing number of Saudi teachers is now considering other professions.” Journal of Education 18.1 (2015), 23-64. Print.
