Category: Sociology 7256

An Address to the Slaves of the United States of America

An Address to the Slaves of the United States of America is an appeal to black slaves first presented at the Buffalo National Convention in 1843. Its author, Henry Highland Garnet, was a social and religious leader, abolitionist, and orator. At the end of his life, he taught at a college in Pennsylvania and became the US Ambassador to Liberia, which illustrates his authority as a speaker. Thus, he turns to his people with a suggestion to realize their divine right to freedom and equality. The main point expressed in the appeal is the assumption that the white oppressors would not be able to harm the slaves more than they already did. Even death, according to Garnet, is not nearly as dire compared to the forced labor and exploitation imposed on blacks. He argues that numerous leaders have already achieved freedom through suffering, however, ensuring the prosperity of their fellows. The author notes that his address was rejected by the audience of the Convention, as they considered it as a calling for an armed uprising. The Address is an important document illustrating discrimination against black slavery problems.

A Petition of Absalom Jones and Others

Many people have sought to use the right provided by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and write a letter to Congress about issues of concern to them. A Petition of Absalom Jones and Others is a petition signed by seventy-three black people of Philadelphia and sent to Congress in 1799. The author is Absolom Jones, an African American Church priest, and leader of the Philadelphia abolitionist movement. He was elected the first African American priest of the United States Episcopal Church, which illustrates his authority. In the document, the author also refers to the divine right to freedom of all people and equality. He also addresses the authorities with respect and invites them to examine the issue without requiring immediate action. The main point to which Jones appeals is the injustice that slavers can kidnap free blacks with impunity and return them to slavery, according to the Fugitive bill. To support his claim, he argues that the slave trade still exists, which contradicts the foundations of liberty proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? is a speech by Frederick Douglass addressed to the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society, delivered on July 5, 1852, at Corinthian Hall. The speech was written by an abolitionist, writer, and speaker, leader of the black liberation movement. Douglasss main point is that the formation of the United States did nothing for black slaves. He argues that people of color do not have equal rights in the state, despite the fact that they are called men. He also emphasizes that the Christian Church supports slavery, while freedom is an innate right for all. Douglass urges his audience to recognize the need and the possibility of change since the United States, while proclaiming liberty and equality, is hypocritical about blacks. The author emphasizes the positive aspects of the liberal legislation, however, excluding the presence of an advantage for the oppressed part of the population. The speech, thus, notes the exclusive position of whites in the new state, whose law ignores the rights of black slaves, despite the rights of the entire population enshrined in the Constitution.

References

Douglass, Frederick. What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? Speech, Rochester, July 5, 1852.

Garnet, Henry H. An Address to the Slaves of the United States of America. Electronic Texts in American Studies, no. 8 (1843): 1-10.

Jones, Absalom. A Petition of Absalom Jones and Others petition, 1799.

People from the lower social classes frequently encounter devaluation patterns and respond in stigma management ways, similarly to other stigmatized groups. Thus, the study conducted by Robert Granfield in 1991 intended to examine the socialization of the working-class university students getting higher education in elite Ivy League law schools. First, the article explores ways in which working-class individuals experience a sense of differentness. Second, it examines how students behaved in response to the class stigma by managing information related to their origins. Third, the author suggests why research on social stigma can significantly benefit from Goffmans works. Granfield utilized a versatile methodology, including fieldwork, interviews, and surveys, to conclude his study.

Initially, students were feeling proud of their working-class background and desired to contribute to a social change. However, their association with the working-class began to diminish after they started to be perceived as different. Therefore, their background shifted to be a burden rather than a source of pride. Additionally, working-class students were facing high levels of stress, lack of confidence, and societal pressure from being perceived as outsiders (Granfield, 1991). Consequently, they had a choice of either embracing their differences or challenging social status. The ones that chose to confront their class identity soon realized that they could effectively imitate the habits and apparel of their upper-class peers; thus, they started to conceal their origins more actively. This later led to identity ambivalence, as they could not fully let go of their background or embrace their working-class past, leading to identity conflict and guilt. Lastly, some were able to resolve ambivalence by immersing themselves in higher social classes for specific purposes.

The article is related to the topic of socialization, especially the Ervin Goffman ideas related to the presentation of the self. The technique called impression management implies the change of individual self through appearances transformation to serve particular audiences. The working-class students adopted distinctive features to merge with the group of middle-class peers and get a well-paid job. Goffmans definition of social stigma also corresponds with the articles characterization of the working-class in the context of an elite educational facility.

Reference

Granfield. R. (1991). Making it by faking it: Working-class students in an elite academic environment. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 20(3), 331-351. Web.

Introduction

Presentation is an important way of communicating ideas to public. The oral presentation in the 5903LAL course was an important experience for future presentations at bachelor degree, as well as for speaking in public. This assessment task focuses on the summary of presentation, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as the possible ways to improve my presentation skills. The video clip called Good and Bad Presentations on YouTube and the peer feedback from classmates are used to support the discussion.

Summary of presentation

The presentation consisted of three sections: 1) background information on environmental disasters; 2) aims, curriculum and student evaluation; and 3) Question and Answer time. The background information on environmental disasters was explained by using two articles on a more current event (the oil spread in the Gulf of Mexico) and a more historical one (the nuclear hazard in Chernobyl in 1986). Then, the reasons for developing the course in environmental disasters, the three main aims of the course, the course curriculum and student evaluation were discussed. At the end of the presentation, our group members answered the audience questions.

Advantages

The speed of the talking/delivery is an important factor for an effective presentation. In this presentation, I could speak slowly and clearly and make meaningful accents. I could also answer some questions from audience because I understood the content of presentation and further information regarding environmental disasters.

As a group, we could gain attention of the audience as we showed the video clip of oil spread in the Gulf of Mexico from ABC news and other visuals. We could help each other with changing PowerPoint slides as well. Prior to the presentation, we met three to four times to discuss the PowerPoint slides and the contents of presentation. It helped to create better presentation materials.

Disadvantages

Body language, such as eye-contact and gestures, is an important presentation factor as well. During the presentation, I lacked eye-contact and gestures since I was reading from palm cards and my classmate had advised me to put my hands in my pockets. This lead to the loss of audience attention.

As a group, we had not practiced the complete presentation. As a result, we exceeded the time limit by 10 minutes.

Future presentation

To improve my presentation skills, I have to practice presenting the materials many times. It is a better idea not simply to read words from the palm cards but also to have eye-contact with the audience and to support speech with appropriate gestures. In addition, preparation lets me know the time length of the presentation.

As for the group presentation, I should arrange more times to meet with the members for preparing materials as well as for practicing.

Conclusion

The presentation given on the environmental disasters course was well-structured and supported by visual materials. The presentation lacked body language and the time limit was exceeded. Since presentation is significant for expressing ideas in public, it is necessary to learn the appropriate presentation style for the future.

References

Becker S.M. (2000). Environmental disaster education at the university level: an integrative approach. Safety Science 35, 95-104.

DellAmore, Christina. (2010) Seeing and smelling the oil approaching Louisianas shore. National Geographic News Watch. Web.

Good and Bad presentations. (2008). Web.

World Nuclear Association (2009) Chernobyl Accident. Web.

Introduction

Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act was a plan by the American senate to allow a few immigrants to enjoy permanent residence. This act was forwarded to the Senate by Dick Durbin in 2001 for consideration (Mahony 98). He suggested that all non-Americans who graduate from American schools or have stayed in America since childhood for at least five years be allowed a permanent residence. However, only those with good morals and exceptional behavior would be considered. The Act further stipulates that if an immigrant is involved in a 2-year military training or a university then a temporary residence for six months should be allowed to such an individual (Mahony 98). Special consideration will apply to an alien who provides professional service to the Americans for two years after graduating from the military or the university. In such a case, the individual is entitled to permanent residence. In case an individuals residence status is terminated for any valid reason, the act stipulates that such an individual will assume the initial residential status. Reasons for termination of the residential status can be either through false identification or using invalid documents. The DREAM act as proposed by Dick Durbin is a legislative framework that has threatened the economy and security of Americans. The Senate should look into this legislation.

Amnesty proposed by the act

The act proposes a form of amnesty to the aliens. The regulations set to determine the eligibility of an alien are below the standards. According to the act, any college graduate who has graduated from a high school in American would be considered for permanent residence (North American Integration and Development Center 102). It is estimated that thousands of students will qualify as per the acts regulation. This will allow a continuous migration of students to the country. In addition, this will increase the chances of illegal immigration because each state has its version of the act. Permanent residence under the act changes an individuals status to become an American citizen. However, when that alien commits a crime, the deportation procedure becomes difficult.

Threat to the economy by the act

The American economy is at risk with the full implementation of this act. The aliens who become citizens are given sponsorship for tuition fees. Each state is allowed to set its level of sponsorship. A lot of money will be pumped into this scheme. In addition, more immigrants will apply for the sponsorship plan. Money spent on this scheme would have benefited the American-born students. Therefore, this act is a threat to the economy (Maze 67).

The act as a military recruitment tool

The act is a military recruitment tool. Amnesty that is accompanied by the act will lead to a continuous flow of illegal immigrants. Once eligible, they can join the military. However, this is a threat to the security of the states because the military will be formed by non-Americans. Also, the act will facilitate the importation of cheap labor (Barnett 147). The immigrants are poor and would do any job at any cost to earn a living.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the DREAM act has a lot of loopholes. It will lead to a continuous flow of immigrants, reduce economic growth, and pose a security threat to the states. Proper amendments should be included in the act. For example, a temporary visa and renewable work permit should be introduced for illegal immigrant students.

Works Cited

Barnett, Pamela. Gutierrez Ties Immigration Proposal to Education Status. New York: Oxford University press, 2006. Print.

Mahony, Ruth. (2012). DREAM Act: We all benefit?. Notre Dame: Notre Dame college publishers. 2012. Print.

Maze, Rick. Bill would grant citizenship for service. New York: Oxford University press, 2007. Print.

North American Integration and Development Center. No DREAMers Left Behind. Los Angeles: University of California press, 2012. Print.

With the growing number of organ failures that lead to fatal consequences for patients, organ trafficking has become a falsely advertised solution despite leading to a number of serious consequences. Since the demand for replacement organs exceeds the supply, with patients dying every day unable to receive the treatment they need. In this paper, a brief overview of organ trafficking was provided, the key aspects of the problem were outlined, a case of patients who suffered its consequences was mentioned, and prevention methods were proposed. It was concluded that unified efforts were needed to eliminate organ trafficking was needed because regulations differ from one country to another.

Organ transplantation has shown to be a very effective method for addressing the problem of organ failure and is currently practiced by most healthcare systems in countries worldwide. However, the lacking supply of organs available for transplantation is a universal issue, especially due to the limitations associated with existing donation programs being hampered by various legal, cultural, religious, legal, and other factors. Even in countries where organ donor programs are well-developed, the supply fails to meet the demand. Thus, organ trafficking appeared as an illegal answer to the problem of the limited supply of organs for transplantation.

As demand for organs is continuously on the rise, international organizations have invested into researching the cases of trafficking occurrence, and their findings are unfortunate. According to the report by Small-Jordan (2016) that combined the findings of multiple reputable organizations, 123,000 people in the United States only are on the waiting list to receive an organ transplant, with 12 new names being added to the list, and 21 people dying each day of the inability to receive the needed treatment. The black market has become the leading underground economy for passing transactions of organ trafficking since the 1980s and continues being the most used vehicle that criminals use to sell organs to those willing to purchase them illegally. However, there are also occasions when patients travel to countries such as China, Mexico, Costa Rica, India, and others to undergo surgeries organized by local brokers (Rinquist, 2016). Such procedures not only lead to the abuse of citizens who willingly give up their organs for low payment but also can result in serious complications linked to the poor quality of materials and equipment used in illegal surgeries.

Davis (2017) reported several cases of illegal organ transplant surgeries going wrong. For instance, over 100 patients from dialysis units at United Arab Emirates hospitals traveled with their private doctors to China to receive a kidney transplant. Similar to most cases of illegal organ transplants, Chinese brokers recruited people in slums and poverty-stricken areas since they were the most likely to sell their organs for lowest amounts of money. In addition to this, the brokers did not pay as much as they initially promised. As a result of the procedures, many of the 100 organ tourists struggled with post-surgery complications such as serious infections (Hepatitis C and HIV) while others did not survive.

Despite the high number of cases unsuccessful illegal organ transplant surgeries, the global black market continues thriving from transactions not only because the demand is not dropping but also because laws in some countries are not as strict as in the United States. Also, there is a large number of organ trafficking cartels that operate in different destinations worldwide because the underworld economy has developed into a lucrative business that attracted criminals. The most notable rings include the Kosovo Crew, the Knights Templar Cartel, Eritrean Migrant Smugglers, Gurgaon Kidney Racket, Hebei Hookup, British Child Smugglers, and several others (Rinquist, 2016). While the operations of these illegal organizations are known, there is not enough authority and universal regulation to stop their activities once and for all.

Health care and criminal regulators worldwide have widely debated the way in which global organ trafficking should be prevented. According to Capron and Delmonico (2015), the removal of legal prohibitions on purchasing organs that is promoted in wealthy countries is unlikely to eliminate the problem because vulnerable populations whom criminals target will still be encouraged to give up their organs for cheap. The worldwide ratification of the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs supported by the United Nations and the World Health Organization will be the first solid step in the direction of eliminating organ trafficking. Programs to encourage post-mortem organ donations should be encouraged to push the agenda of sustainability and self-sufficiency as well as help the healthcare system overcome the high demand for organ transplantations.

Organ trafficking has transformed in a pervasive issue that is threatening to the loves of both donors and those willing to pay for surgery that is being performed illegally. The problem requires addressing because organ trafficking has become a business in the black market, and criminals abuse the vulnerability of citizens who live in poverty to pay them a minimum to sell organs to rich patients. The implementation of a universal policy that will make organ trafficking illegal is the first step while the encouragement of self-sufficiency through deceased donations can push the agenda and help in resolving the issue.

References

Capron, A. M., & Delmonico, F. L. (2015). Preventing trafficking in organs for transplantation: An important facet of the fight against human trafficking. Journal of Human Trafficking, 1(1), 56-64.

Small-Jordan, D. (2016). Organ harvesting, human trafficking, and the black market. Web.

Rinquist, A. (2016). 10 black market organ trafficking rings. Web.

Davis, A. (2017). Organ trafficking. Washington State University. Web.

The address under analysis was delivered in 1992 by Mary Fisher, a woman who had HIV and wanted to change Americans treatment of the disease and those infected by it. The speechs call for action was changing the publics and governments attitude toward HIV and AIDS. The appeal was aimed both at increasing peoples awareness of the issue and encouraging the US citizens, as well as people from other countries, to understand the depth of the catastrophe presented by these conditions.

The speaker was Mary Fisher, a woman who contracted HIV from her second husband (Center for AIDS research, n.d.). Fisher had two young children at the time when she delivered her famous speech. In 1992, she was sure that she was about to die soon, and her passionate arguments made many people change their minds about HIV and its status as an epidemic. Despite the risk of being stigmatized, Mary did not conceal her problem. Instead, she became an ardent activist and speaker advocating individuals with HIV-positive status (Center for AIDS research, n.d.). At present, Mary is an author, artist, and speaker famous all over the world.

A detailed analysis of Fishers appeal to the three modes of proof will make it possible to evaluate the speech from different angles. The appeal to ethos is defined as the reputation, authority, and integrity of the speaker (Pearson, Nelson, Titsworth, & Hosek, 2017, p. 353). Fishers right to deliver the address was justified by her right to speak, which she earned due to being one of the victims of the problem she was discussing. By making the audience believe what she was and what she was going through, Fisher managed to sound persuasive. The credibility of the speaker served as a means of appealing to ethos.

Pathos was probably the most vividly represented in Fishers address. Pathos, which is referred to as the emotional proof, was emphasized in the speech by means of the authors narrative (Pearson et al., 2017, p. 354). Fisher gave many examples of how people felt isolated because of their HIV-positive status. She made her address rather emotional with the help of using antonyms to draw attention to the subject of the speech.

For instance, Fisher emphasized that HIV was not a distant threat but a present danger (EIUPublicSpeaking, n.d.). Also, Fisher employed comparisons to make the argument more emotional. For instance, she mentioned that though she was female and contracted this disease in marriage, she was one with the lonely gay man sheltering a flickering candle from the cold wind of his familys rejection (EIUPublicSpeaking, n.d.). With the help of these and other forms of emotional persuasion, Fisher appealed to the listeners pathos.

Finally, it is necessary to discuss the logos of Fishers address. Logos is the kind of persuasion involving the use of logical argument (Pearson et al., 2017). The representation of this dimension of proof in Fishers story was the weakest. She did not infer any statistical data in her address, mentioning that forty million, sixty million, or a hundred million people might be infected in the next few years (EIUPublicSpeaking, n.d.).

However, despite the lack of logical argument in her speech, Fisher managed to make it brilliantly persuasive and impressive due to the effective use of the ethos and pathos modes. The address remained one of the most popular speeches in the history of the USA.

References

Center for AIDS research: School of medicine. (n.d.). Web.

EIUPublicSpeaking. (n.d.). Mary Fisher: A whisper of AIDS 1992 [Video file]. Web.

Pearson, J. C., Nelson, P. E., Titsworth, S., & Hosek, A. M. (2017). Human communication (6^th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Personal Reactions

In this study, the authors results about a lack of correlation between the attitude to the topic and credibility seem to be surprising. It would be more reasonable to reveal that the participants put trust in the speaker who attracts their attention. As a rule, people who evoke the trust of the audience are also likely to be persuasive from the point of the viewers. In this regard, it is possible to suggest that this connection should be explored in future research.

The methods used by the authors can be considered appropriate since the sample size is adequate, while the control and experiment videos are provided. In addition, the statistical method of analysis allowed for integrating all the variables and achieving accurate results based on the data collected from participants.

In general, the quantitative method used by the authors is beneficial to analyze the problem of speech persuasiveness. Among the strong points of this method, there are information reliability and generalization opportunity. However, one may suggest that the study by Scherer and Sagarin has the bias related to the participants and the topic chosen for the persuasive speech to indicate the role of swearing (143). It is evident that students are always interested in reducing tuition fees, which makes their responses prone to subjectivity. It would be better if another controversial theme of the opioid crisis or gun control was chosen.

Plans for Follow-Up Study

As the continuation of the original study, it is beneficial to focus on students as the target audience. Since the political discourse presents the opportunity to convince people in changes, it seems advantageous to build a follow-up study on the students specializing in political science. The sample size is to be approximately 150 persons, who must receive informed consent forms before being surveyed. The latter as well as the voluntary participation in research would ensure ethics. To make the new study broader, it may be useful to contact at least three educational institutions and ask them to contribute to the follow-up study.

It is important to understand how the number of obscenity words affects speech credibility and persuasiveness from the perspective of viewers. More to the point, the comparison between pro-attitudinal and counter-attitudinal speeches is likely to help in understanding the problem better. In this connection, it can be encouraging to compose two different groups and offer them the same video with some changes. The first group members would receive three videos based on pro-attitudinal speech with one, three, and five swear words, respectively. The second group of participants will be given the same number of words in videos, but their connotations will be counter-attitudinal. The words damn and shit will be used as the key swear words to be explored.

Conclusion

The three surveys on the political views of students, their attitude towards the speaker, and their speech perception will be conducted to collect data from participants. To control the bias, the topic of the speech should be out of the participants interests, or they should be assigned to the groups according to the systematic sampling. The consideration of the alternative explanations of findings would also contribute to maintaining objectivity.

The analysis of data should be based on detecting the positive correlation between the greater number of swear words and the levels of persuasiveness, yet not credibility. The latter can also be explored as a part of the different research, but it is better to study them gradually. Another analysis goal is to find that counter-attitudinal speech containing swear words is more persuasive to the participants compared to pro-attitudinal speech in terms of the same topic.

Work Cited

Scherer, Cory R., and Brad J. Sagarin. Indecent Influence: The Positive Effects of Obscenity on Persuasion. Social Influence, vol. 1, no. 2, 2006, pp. 138-146.

Introduction

The prevalence of one ethnic and racial group over others has always been embedded in the global psyche of populations throughout the long history of its development. Thus, white supremacy represents a controversial topic referring to the sentiment that the white race is superior over others and, therefore, should be treated with greater respect, offered more opportunities, and have a right to dominate over others (Perez and Hirschman 2). This essay discusses the issue of historical blindness toward White supremacy and explores the new tendencies regarding the topic.

Historical Amnesia

In its political, social, and historical ideologies, white supremacy encourages the enjoyment of various structural advantages, privileges over other ethnic groups on both individual and collective levels. However, as cleverly mentioned by Charles Mills, white supremacy in the context of historical studies has been treated with a certain degree of historical amnesia and conceptual blindness, both of which refer to the forgetting of facts and the failure to admit the implications of such facts, even in cases when they are remembered (120). Thus, I would like to argue that the concept of white supremacy has not been put at the forefront of historical studies and was intentionally hidden or veiled in order to avoid explanations of its origins, development, and social impact.

Failing to Acknowledge the Past and Rectify the Present

The information pertinent to white supremacy has not been taught before, as it could have encouraged opposition from learners, especially those of the white race. Today, the domination of the white race over others is seen as such that has never existed, as well as represents a tribute to the self-transforming success and the rewriting of the terms of public discourse. Because of this, many white citizens fail to acknowledge their past, which cannot and should not be overlooked or changed to fit the current narrative of liberal democratic politics. What many fail to understand is that the history of white supremacy can teach the modern world that overcoming gaps between ethnic groups is imperative for reaching a great degree of unity and respect both in specific regions and worldwide.

White supremacy issues have been hidden from the mainstream narrative to shield people; however, it is imperative to include them in the discussion because racial division continues to persist, especially as the United States moves geographically from a white-majority to a nonwhite-majority society and the discontinuity between the First and Third world countries continues to deepen (Blow). It should be noted, though, that the said discontinuity is observed not only between the countries belonging to different income groups. Certain discrepancies exist and shape millions of peoples lives within the United States since it has yet to address the power dynamics properly.

One thing to highlight about White supremacy is that it is not an ideology imposed from top-down in its entirety. To a certain extent, it is: for instance, it is a well-known fact that the criminal justice system of the United States mistreats people of color. Statistically, out of the 2.2 million people in the countrys jails and prisons, Black people constitute one-third of the total number.

At the same time, a 2018 Pew Research Study revealed, African Americans make up only 12% of the US adult population (Chavis), which makes them disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. Other sources report that African American men are incarcerated at more than five times the rate than While American men (Chavis). Racial bias in the criminal system is difficult to expose. White legal workers often manage to present the situation in a way that makes legal sense but falls short of justice and consistency when compared to similar cases involving white people.

With that being said, one should not forget that it is not only the government overtaking and directing the power dynamics. White supremacy permeates society at all levels and allows for bias in the most mundane, everyday interactions.

This may include unequal treatment when hiring people of different racial backgrounds, handling credit scores, and deciding on whom to promote. This is exactly why it is so challenging to unveil and fight White supremacy  no number of laws and regulations are able to bring about a change that would transform the social sentiment once and for all. The demands of social justice grow louder and more intense, which is why it is imperative to acknowledge the existence of white supremacy, communicate its implications, and move forward as a society that is free of inequality and judgment.

Conclusion

The global polity throughout the centuries has been white-ruled, which allowed white supremacy to flourish. Learning the information about how racial dichotomization shaped our society is imperative for facilitating the discussion on the morality of supremacy and its adverse impact on the development of nations. While this information has not been taught before, it is opening new opportunities for historical exploration and the shaping of a worldview in which there is no place for the dominance of one race over another.

Therefore, naming global white supremacy and acknowledging its historical impact can become an imperative prerequisite for the issues concerning inequality to be honestly addressed. Another essential point to understand is that until populations of the white race admit the history of their supremacy over other races, they will continue to be complicit with it.

Works Cited

Blow, Charles. White Supremacy Beyond a White Majority. The New York Times, 2019. Web.

Chavis, Benjamin F. Criminal Justice Reform Long Overdue for Black America. The Philadelphia Tribune. 2018. Web.

Mills, Charles. Global White Supremacy. pp. 120-126.

Perez, Anthony Daniel, and Charles Hirschman. The Changing Racial and Ethnic Composition of the US Population: Emerging American Identities. Population and Development Review, vol. 35, no. 1, 2009, pp. 1-51.

Introduction

This paper is a critical essay concerning an article on DNA tests and their use for finding distant relatives. The author, Robert Imbeault, supplies his story of how a DNA test he took to determine his national lineage led to him finding a half-sibling that he never knew. He uses the story to promote the idea that people should take DNA tests more often and allow the information to be public so that they can search for relatives. However, there are several concerns with the idea, and the maintenance of ones privacy may be considered more important than having such encounters. Overall, the authors evidence is anecdotal and does not make the inaccuracy of ancestry DNA testing or the potential issues that can arise from having ones DNA in open access into account.

Summary

The article is a story of how the author decided to take a DNA out of curiosity to confirm his national identity. Sometime later, a woman named Julie contacted him, claiming that the similarity between their DNA suggested they might have been cousins. Imbeault (2019) then had a disquieting moment of considering the lack of privacy [&] which is something I must have unwittingly agreed to when I accepted the websites terms and conditions (para. 3). However, he read on and learned that the author might have been his half-sister. The authors parents confirmed that such a relationship might have been possible, and the two confirmed their half-sibling status with another test. They then met in person and ultimately formed a loving sibling relationship over the year.

Critique

The author claims that his baseline for happiness has risen (Imbeault, 2018, para. 13) and implies that others may benefit from similar situations, as well. However, his story may be seen as an outlier, as both he and his sibling were raised happily in good families. Koerner (2015) discusses a story where an innocent man was accused of a crime and subjected to a month-long investigation due to a partial DNA match with a crime suspect.

The police began to suspect him after running a familial DNA search, which matched the sample the mans father had donated to a genealogy project long ago. Overall, the author does not provide a sufficiently convincing argument for keeping ones DNA public but implicitly endorses it. His initial concerns about privacy and its violation through obscure terms and services documents are justified, regardless of the outcome.

The second issue with the story is that the author is lucky to have discovered a person who had similar DNA and was his relative. The DNA of siblings may sometimes be significantly different, and that of strangers may appear similar.

As Rutherford (2018) notes, the standards of many companies are low enough to produce enormous failures occasionally. Moreover, many people are not aware of this trend, and close relatives having significantly different DNA can create family tensions. Similarly, faulty DNA test results may be seen as an implication of unfaithfulness in a relationship (Hall, 2001). Overall, DNA comparisons between strangers can create a variety of complications that outweigh the potential benefits.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Imbeaults (2019) story is a description of a highly unlikely coincidence that will rarely repeat itself. He focuses on his example and omits the accuracy issues while only mentioning privacy concerns in passing. These complications can lead to a less happy conclusion than the authors, both within the family and beyond it. Moreover, the public availability of ones DNA results is a significant privacy concern, one that Imbeault (2019) mentions only in passing. In the end, his narrative is not convincing, and the story is closer to a personal experience of an extraordinary event rather than a viable argument for publicly revealing ones DNA and using it to find potential relatives.

References

Hall, M. (2001). False DNA test led the father to reject daughter. The Telegraph. Web.

Imbeault, R. (2019). Just like that, I was a little brother: An online DNA test introduced me to a family connection I never would have expected, Robert Imbeault writes. The Globe and Mail. Web.

Koerner, B. I. (2015). Your relatives DNA could turn you into a suspect. Wired. Web.

Rutherford, A. (2018). How accurate are online DNA tests? Scientific American. Web.

Introduction

The degree to which people might be helpless against starvation is a result of a system, which includes a relationship among material, hierarchical and socio-mental subjection. Climate change influences food generation, and this factor controls food shortage and famine. For example, rising temperatures decrease yields by affecting photosynthesis and soil productivity. The high temperature is another factor that boosts the survival rate of weed and decreases farming yield. Expanded precipitation and dry seasons annihilate cropland and cause food shortage and insecurity. Extraordinary variations in climate prevent local farmers from making precise forecasts on horticultural seasons. Thus, the poor seasonal forecast influences the yield of food from ranchers, which expands food shortage. Food shortage rouses inter and intra conflicts and stimulates the probability of famine.

It could be logical to state that famine is a result of a dry spell, yet it ought to be noticed that drought is not a factor that may cause starvation as presented in the horn of Africa. The impact of drought on food production depends on the political and financial conditions prevailing in the horn of Africa. To give a clear perspective on the effects of drought in Africa, it is outstanding that extremely dry seasons have been reported in the US and Europe (Uchendu, 2018). However, such dry spells did not cause any harm to a food shortage (Uchendu, 2018). Notwithstanding, a comparable force of such dry seasons in the Horn of Africa has been related to disastrous results on corps, ecosystem, and human life. Besides, nations like Burkina Faso, Somalia, and Niger for which dry season is a permanent condition, famine is anything but a changeless element since the state of the dry spell has been acknowledged as should be expected, and the population has embraced adapting methodologies to reduce food shortage and insecurity (Uchendu, 2018). This reality appears to recommend that drought as a factor of the food shortage must be isolated from conceivable results of the dry season in which environmental and human geographical factors contribute. The relationship between long dry spells and famine in the Horn of Africa is subsequently flawed.

Environmental and Human factors

Africa experiences some fundamental issues, including deforestation, soil disintegration, desertification, wetland debasement, and bug pervasion. Endeavors to prevent these challenges have been impeded by a genuine inability to comprehend their temperament and conceivable remedies. Conventional knowledge sees the general population of this region as negligent toward the ecosystem and seeks international aid to tackle hunger. Public opinion blames food shortage on population growth and poverty. However, there is no proof that Africans have been negligent about the nature of the ecosystem. Securing the ecosystem of Sub-Saharan Africa should be inspected and incorporated in the system of economic improvement.

Three factors increase the danger of ecological degradation in the horn of Africa (Uchendu, 2018). The factors include socioeconomic, overwhelming weight on foreign aid and, and political instability. The inability to produce food for a nations population creates famine. The primary driver of famine can be ascribed to physical components, for example, climatic conditions. Although, different nations, for example, Asia, Brazil, and the Philippines experience the ill effects of famine, the level of impact is considerably less contrasted with African countries (Uchendu, 2018). The fundamental reason is that the climatic conditions affecting these regions are a lot milder. Consequently, administrative strategies against famine in different nations are more proficient compared to government institutions in Africa.

The responsibility of the government in alleviating hunger is a human factor. Other human elements causing famine include the impact of colonial rule, financial and social components. Some human components have prompted physical decay of the soil causing poor yield. Another human factor causing famine in Africa is primarily a result of the statistical patterns. Africa is encountering an elevated population blast on the planet. There is simply an excessive number of individuals for the nations assets to help, and there is not sufficient food. Sudan has noteworthy population densities in Africa, and some nations with relative densities like the Netherlands have a high population in Europe. However, the general population in the Netherland is nourished because the country does not experience the ill effects of physical and human emergencies in Africa (Maxwell, Majid, Adan, Abdirahman, & Kim, 2016). Another reason is that the Netherlands can control population growth and is one of the European nations whose population growth rates are drawing closer beneath the substitution level.

Conclusion

The fundamental reason for the famine in the horn of Africa is internal strife and wars. The war in Africa is viewed as tipping the harmony between survival and starvation. Famines were considered as the consequence of cataclysmic events that diminished food generation. However, it turned out to be clear that the disappointment of social foundations, mainly political, financial organizations, and the degradation of conventional ethnicities of social correspondence are causative factors of famine. Current surveys have seen an inversion of the old pattern of food shortage and scarcity. Global proof demonstrates that guaranteeing a sufficient food supply is an important commitment to annihilating hunger.

References

Maxwell, D., Majid, N., Adan, G., Abdirahman, K., & Kim, J. J. (2016). Facing famine: Somali experiences in the famine of 2011. Food Policy, 65, 6373. 

Uchendu, F. N. (2018). Hunger influenced life expectancy in war-torn Sub-Saharan African countries. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 37(1).