Slavery Reparations Are Wrong Essays - Slavery, Racism,

Slavery Reparations Are Wrong Ladies and gentlemen; I don't believe that anyone in this chamber would move to disagree with the idea that slavery was an atrocity, committed from the depths of the darkest parts of the human sole. Africans were seized from their native land, and sold into lives of servitude into a foreign land. Indeed, it was a tragedy on such a scale that cannot be measured nor quantified. And it is this very notion of unquantifiable tragedy which speaks to the matter of reparations for slavery. To be quite blunt, reparations, even if they may be deserved, are not feasible under any system or economic tangent - indeed such an undertaking would only not remedy the situation, but it would sink Africa and her people deeper into the cycle of poverty and oppression that they have so struggled to free themselves. While the arguments against reparations may seem shallow or self-serving to advocates of such a system, upon examination, the logistics of what to give, and whom to distribute it to, preclude any potential benefits of such a system of indemnity and requite. The point of the follow critique is not to say that Africans were not mistreated, nor that they are not worthy of reparations, but that perhaps reparations are not an adequate solution to this situation, and indeed will only serve to worsen. Africa is a continent in dire straits. European colonization and colonialism damaged the native structure and society - some might say that this simply proves that European man caused, and ought to pay for, the damages done to Africa and her people. However, I would argue that simply placing a 'band-aid' blanket over Africa, would serve only to mask their problems, and relieve us of our guilt. It was this same attitude that the early European missionaries took with Africa - that they are not capable of dealing with their own problems and situations. Authors suggest that reparations should take the form of capital transfers and African status in the International Monetary Fund (Mazuri, 22). Does this sound like mending the deep running wounds and damage done to Africa, or like a transfer of monetary funds in order to "fix" Africa? Indeed, this idea of presenting money to Africa in order to "apologize" for what we have done is nothing more than a quick fix solution - it is not a long-term remedy for the underlying structural damage. The very center of Africa has been changed, for better or for worse. Surface solutions, while some may claim they are "a good beginning" or perhaps just a token of our apologetic state, will only further social damage and entrench abusive African regimes. A cognate situation with African Americans is with that of Afrocentric history (Asante, 174); many suggest that perhaps we ought to provide black student with their own curriculum, such as to instill in them a sense of pride that will improve their education. The U.S. News and World Report comments: "The Afrocentric curriculum is usually presented as an attempt to develop pride in black children by giving them a racial history? But what kind of pride and self-esteem is likely to grow from false history? And how much more cynical will black children be if they discover that they have been conned once again, only this time by Afrocentrists? ? It is a sure-fire formula for separatism and endless racial animosity (Leo, 26)" This author suggests that indeed, conferring upon youths of African descent their own "different" history will not only further the racial segregation, but also provide them with a false sense of history, fueling the animosity. If the rest of the world were to suddenly step down and bestow upon Africa special privileges and grants, it would only create a sense among the global village that Africans are 'different' and require some sort of special assiezce in order to succeed. This type of compensatory system would not only be insufficient to ever repay blacks for the injustice to them, but also further the rigid separatism that plagues African Americans today - what they need is equality, not special programs catered to what guilty-feeling Europeans feel they "owe" them. Aside from

Johnson Johnson

Johnson Johnson JOHNSON JOHNSONJJ presents us a very unique situation in that it has been able to maintain a decentralized organization even in the face of very rapid growth. The issue at hand, is in fact, managing further growth of the organization while still maintaining the unity of JJ.The success of the corporation has developed by following fundamental philosophies that have guided JJ since its inception. At the core of this philosophy we find three main components: firstly, the company's credo, which emphasizes the adherence to ethical principles of behavior, secondly, avoiding to become "a large and ponderous organization", and lastly, long term commitmentHowever, we find there are new emerging problems that threaten the current integrity of the company's structure. Namely, we find there are operational problems creeping up to the executive committee level. JJ would like to keep its executive committee from dealing with operational issues; yet, on the other hand, there exists the problem of too many existing layers of decision making between the operating manager and this committee.English: Minsk CIS executive committee building vi...ANALYSISA Visionary CompanyIn our view, JJ fits into the category of a visionary company, such as premier in industry, widely admired, made an indelible print in the world we live in, multiple products and life cycle. Nevertheless, we would like to add to the list, the characteristic of adapting successfully to the environment and the demands for growthJJ started as a company focused on the sale and manufacturing of medical pharmaceutical, surgical, and antiseptic specialties and analgesic goods in 1887. In 1982 the expansion of their products has grouped them in four major categories: consumer; professional; ethical pharmaceutical; and industrial. The key to this enormous expansion has been the success of each new product launched, from which we can induce, they have been able...

Basic Approaches And Contemporary Issues In Leadership Management Essay

Basic Approaches And Contemporary Issues In Leadership Management Essay The first complete contingency model for leadership was presented in 1967 by Fred Fiedler’s. His contingency hypothesis was the first to identify how situational factors interrelate with the traits and behaviors of leaders to have an impact on the effectiveness of leadership. The theory proposed that the â€Å"favorability† of the circumstances is what decides how effective the task and the behavior of the person-oriented leader will be. Favorability is established by (1) the amount of trust and respect that devotees or rather followers have for their leaders; (2) the degree to which the responsibilities of individuals who are second to the leader can be organized and the performance measured; and (3) the power that the leader has over the rewards of followers. The circumstances is most encouraging when subordinates have trust and respect for their leaders, respect and trust the leader, the job is greatly structured, and the control over rewards and punishment is held by the leader (Barnett, 2010). The research done by Fiedler showed that leaders who were task-oriented were more valuable and effective when there was either an extremely â€Å"favorable† or extremely â€Å"unfavorable† circumstance, however, leaders who were person-oriented were more valuable if the circumstances were either â€Å"moderately favorable,† or unfavorable.† This hypothesis did not really suggest that in various situations, the leader could become accustomed to their leadership styles, but rather that leaders who had various styles would be more valuable when they are put in situations that go with the leadership style that they prefer (Barnett, 2010). Fiedler is of the assumption that the leadership style of an individual is â€Å"fixed† because if the circumstance has a need for someone who is task-oriented but the person who is in that leadership position is relationship-oriented, then either the leader has to be changed or the situa tion needs to be altered (Robbins, and Position power: The leaders power by virtue of the position in the organization and the extent to which, as the leader, he or she can implement power on followers so that they obey and receive the leaders’ guidance and leadership (â€Å"Feidler’s contingency model,† 2009). Feidler’s position is that leader-member relations are either good or poor, task structure is either high or low and position power is either strong or week. The healthier the relationship between the leader and followers the more organized the job will be and the more resilient the position of power the more command the leader will have (Robbins, so the whether the intellect and know how of an individual has any bearing on the performance of leadership is determined by the level of stress. Other studies corroborated the fact that when the level of stress is low and the leader instructed followers on what he needed done, intellect was key to the effectiveness of the leader, but if the circumstance was a high stress one then intellect did not help as much because the leaders’ thought process was strained. In the same manner, if the leader does not tell his followers what he wants done then intellect do not help because of his reluctance (Robbins, & Judge, 2009). The recommendation of Feidler is that organizations employ and choose persons with the essential intellect, know how, and understanding, and then allow those individuals to work under those situations that let them use the resources that they have cognitively. Additionally, the feeling that the leader has of being in control of the circumstance and the level of stress that he is experiencing is essential (Carter, III, 2006).

The Long Awaited Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Long Awaited Freedom - Essay Example They should be taught about things that could affect their lives in one way or another, like peer pressure. Specifically, I would like to relate a personal story that shows how strict parenting can give rise to teenagers who want explore and experience things they are not exposed to at the very opportunity they get, sometimes with unspeakable consequences. My parents are very strict, have always been, but this strictness has heightened with governments and security agencies issuing terrorist alerts all over the world. The thought of not having them for a fortnight was more than welcome in my mind, already having well laid plans. I helped them make the necessary preparations and even reminded them things they could forget, just in case the trip was cancelled as a result of missing some important document. The day finally came; I offered to take them to the airport, asking the driver to take an early leave, quite surprising to them, as this was not something I liked to do. What they di d not know was that I was hell bent on making sure they left. The drive to the airport seemed long, perhaps due to the long awaited freedom, only hours away. I watched as their documents were scrutinized, luggage screened and watched again as they boarded the airplane, scheduled for arrival the following morning. Freedom, which was long overdue, had come. The plans in my head overwhelmed me as I called my friends to give them the news. It had been difficult proving to them that I could do what they did on a weekly or daily basis, due to my parents’ strict nature. My parents’ business trip had coincided with the Muscat festival. Things could not get better. This is a 22-day-long festival observed annually between January and early February at various beaches, parks and shopping centers in Oman’s capital city, Muscat (Darke 111). The festival, arranged by the Muscat Municipality, focuses on Omani culture and heritage, and entertainment includes funfairs, fireworks and raffles. Omani culture and crafts are demonstrated and celebrated in traditional villages put up specifically for the festival. There are also camel races, poetry recitals and art exhibitions, as well as Arab singers performing in temporary amphitheatres. The festival begins in the late afternoon, at around 4 pm and goes on until 11 pm. Three of my friends joined me at the Qurum Park, one of the locations where the festival was taking place. The evening was promising. We moved from one stall to another, watching the dancers, took part in the camel race and even had an artist draw our portraits. When the festival closed for the day, we decided to go into town and have more fun. I was not afraid that my parents would call, constantly nagging me to get back home. This was the kind of freedom I had been missing. My friends suggested we have a drive by the beach, with the argument that the Royal Oman Police (ROP) would not be on patrol that night. Their focus was obviously on the Mu scat festival. We had a car borrowed from my friend’s brother who was out of town. This part of the beach was particularly quiet, perfect for our escapades. We decided to race for a distance one by one, each showing his prowess in the process. My friend went first, and he drove in a style I have never seen before. He started normally, but later used a raised hip of sand to tilt the car. He was now driving on two wheels. What? I had to try this, keeping in mind that I was here to prove myself. All except me viewed this as normal; I was astounded. The three of them drove in the same manner. It seemed like they had practiced for quite some time. I had to do it too, lest I be labeled naive. It was finally my turn, my heart raced. I started out like all the others and quickly

Martin L. King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Martin L. King - Essay Example aged by the successes of the civil rights movement, activists worked to reverse the discriminatory laws restricting the influx of darker-skinned peoples into the western cultures. The movement’s struggle for civil rights and liberties was based on lawful civil rights and had its roots in moral motivations. The righteousness of the cause was personified by King whose character and courage was applauded and supported by an increasing number of American citizens of all colors. In 1955, Rosa Parks a black woman, refused to relinquish her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery Alabama, a violation of existing Jim Crow laws. This act of civil disobedience became the spark that ignited the masses during the 1950’s and 1960’s in protesting the racial inequalities. Segregation, during the Jim Crow era, was not limited to transportation mediums. In Alabama, hospitals, whether public or private, could not require a white nurse to care for blacks. (Sowell, 2005) In Mississippi, a law stifled freedom of the press by stating, â€Å"Any person who shall be guilty of printing, publishing or circulating printed, typewritten or written matter urging or presenting for public acceptance or general information, arguments or suggestions in favor of social equality or of intermarriage between whites and negroes, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both† (â€Å"Jim Crow L aws†, 1998). When Parks was arrested for refusing the driver’s request to give up her seat to the white man, a group of area ministers formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) which coordinated what would become a 382-day boycott of the bus company by the entire black community. The ministers took this non-violent action to avoid the possible rioting that was widely rumored to soon ensue and to organize their collective congregations into one, larger and stronger common voice. In addition, had they not elected

Breakfast of Champions Essay -- Essays Papers

Breakfast of Champions When one hears the phrase â€Å"Breakfast of Champions,† he envisions a grinning picture of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan slam dunking, or Dale Earnhardt in a racecar on a box of Wheaties, a popular breakfast cereal. A few avid Saturday Night Live fans might recall a skit performed by James Belushi. In the skit, Belushi’s â€Å"Breakfast of Champions† was beer, cigarettes, and donuts. Neither of these examples are the subject of Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions or Good Bye Blue Morning. A â€Å"Breakfast of Champions† is actually a martini. Breakfast of Champions is a work of fiction with semi-autobiographical allusions. The main characters of the book are Kilgore Trout, Dwayne Hoover, and Philboyd Sludge. Kilgore Trout installs aluminum combination storm windows and screens and writes science fiction novels and short stories. He has no ambition to be a famous writer, so he sends his works to pornographic magazine companies to be published. The names and characters of his works are often changed in the process, and he is rarely paid for his efforts. Dwayne Hoover owns a successful Pontiac dealership. He slowly loses his sanity as the plot unfolds. Philboyd Sludge creates these characters and appears in the story to watch the characters as the story progresses. Breakfast of Champions depicts the story of Kilgore’s travel to Midland City to speak at a festival of arts. Kilgore, at first, rejects the invitation, but he decides to go because h... Breakfast of Champions Essay -- Essays Papers Breakfast of Champions When one hears the phrase â€Å"Breakfast of Champions,† he envisions a grinning picture of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan slam dunking, or Dale Earnhardt in a racecar on a box of Wheaties, a popular breakfast cereal. A few avid Saturday Night Live fans might recall a skit performed by James Belushi. In the skit, Belushi’s â€Å"Breakfast of Champions† was beer, cigarettes, and donuts. Neither of these examples are the subject of Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions or Good Bye Blue Morning. A â€Å"Breakfast of Champions† is actually a martini. Breakfast of Champions is a work of fiction with semi-autobiographical allusions. The main characters of the book are Kilgore Trout, Dwayne Hoover, and Philboyd Sludge. Kilgore Trout installs aluminum combination storm windows and screens and writes science fiction novels and short stories. He has no ambition to be a famous writer, so he sends his works to pornographic magazine companies to be published. The names and characters of his works are often changed in the process, and he is rarely paid for his efforts. Dwayne Hoover owns a successful Pontiac dealership. He slowly loses his sanity as the plot unfolds. Philboyd Sludge creates these characters and appears in the story to watch the characters as the story progresses. Breakfast of Champions depicts the story of Kilgore’s travel to Midland City to speak at a festival of arts. Kilgore, at first, rejects the invitation, but he decides to go because h...

Ethan Frome and Feminism Essay

Ethan Frome is the main subject of the book Ethan Frome. Ethan’s wife Zeena from Ethan Frome represents middle class women. For a long time, social roles of women in the society and within the family were limited by gender stereotypes and social norms dominated since prehistory in a myriad of cultures. These norms were closely connected and influenced by class location of women and their social status. The following paper will focus on the main characters Zeena, Mattie and Ethan of Ethan Frome and their presentation as literary characters and their attributes of the real world struggle for feminism. It is with Zeena and Mattie that the story hinges upon an idea of the lifestyle of women during this time period and the needs which they staunched through patriarchy. The paper will focus on how the values of this time period did not leave room for independent women and the reaction of women to this societal assignment will also be analyzed. In the work, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton the author explores questions concerning the role of social class and social position in life of ordinary people especially in reference to the gap between women and men in reference to equality. The female characters are influenced by false social values and traditions accepted by society’s mores, but their ‘awakening’ is caused by different events and life circumstances, so they choose different methods to resist social oppression and tyranny. The dissection of women’s social roles and their ability to traverse these roles will be examined through character analysis of the literature mentioned. Ethan’s story is told, or discovered by the reader when the narrator becomes fascinated by the history of this lone man who comes into town to pick up mail. Interest sparks greater when the silent ride to Corbury Flats is bridged by a hint or two of what Ethan lived, or had done in his life. There are elements of feminism in this book as they relate to the strength of the women of the story, such as Mattie. The main focus of this paper will explore the dual role of feminism and strength of the women through love. A snow storm comes which permits the narrator to spend the night at the Frome farm. Here the reader is shown the complete past of Ethan Frome as told by Mattie in the kitchen. Mattie and Ethan had a forbidden love because Ethan was married at the time of their tryst. Ethan was married to a woman named Zeena and Ethan was logical with himself and thought that it would be better to run away with , and as Lawson states, The warmth of the evening is brought to an apprehensive end by the accidental breaking of one of Zeena’s sacred, never-used pickle-dishes. That the pickle-dish, a wedding gift, has never been used makes it a strong symbol of Zeena herself, who prefers not to take part in life. The depth of Zeena’s reaction to its being broken is revealed by her angrily twitching lips and by â€Å"two small tears†¦ on her lashless lids. † (Lawson 30). And their love could flourish outside of the watchful eye of his wife. Their fate together however was doomed. One winter night when the moon was high in the sky, in desperation for fear of dying slowly without eachother Ethan and Mattie decided a double suicide would be a better fate and symbol of their love. Here certain feminism elements in the story can be examined such as the lack of strength in the character Mattie, but as critic R.  Baird Shuman states, â€Å"there is probably no more pervasive single element in Ethan Frome than the symbolism. † Although Mattie loves Ethan, she does not attempt to ask Ethan for a divorce from his wife, but her ‘logical’ thought pattern suggests to there that suicide is the answer for both of them. There is a definite emasculation in this action as it does not allow the lovers to actually be together in a life, but rather to die dramatically and when this type of death is decided upon it is purely an act of attention to say to the world, or to Zeena that they are better off dead than with her in their lives. Thus, the act of suicide is not a strong feminist action but merely a cowards way out of a live neither of them want, without each other nor understand. The suicide attempt is done by sleigh riding into a tree together. The plan ultimately and tragically fails and they live with Zeena where the narrator finds them. It seems that the true feminist in the novel is Zeena. Despite the fact that she was abandoned by her husband for his new lover, and in the fact that she takes both of them back in, her strength as a character comes through. Ethan Frome was a strong young man doing what he thought was right. It was a sad thing that he married Zeena but then he wouldn’t have met Mattie. Ethan is an upright man with enough loyalty to love to end life with love and enough honor toward marriage to not run off like he was going to do. Ethan was a man with few woes but the ones he did have were seemingly too large to bear. How could he live without his love, but in living at all live being changed by guilt to his wife. He was a sad man that life couldn’t do without because it made him live through the torment of having a faithful wife, this is what Kenneth Bernard speaks of when he mentions ‘true dimensions’. These true dimensions center around the revelation of character through landscape; such as the snow as a symbol of things being dormant between Frome and his wife. Although Ethan was an honorable man there does seem to be a striking difference between Zeena’s honor and Ethan’s honor; could both of them be considered feminist? Feminism is not an theory based primarily on the injustices done to women, but is in fact a statement that women have had injustices done to them, and there is finally action and unification among women and men to stop such actions. So, the question becomes how is Wharton’s book about feminism. The concept of feminism in Ethan Frome is arranged around how the characters react with one another. Zeena is a strong willed woman who does not cheat on her husband and thus is an upright and outstanding wife, except for the fact that Ethan is not in love with her. Zeena does not appear to have any character flaws, but she does seem to be overbearing in parts, unless that is the impression the other characters want to give of her. However, it does seem that the characters only exhibit qualities of feminism during parts of the book. It may safely be surmised that Zeena was only a faithful wife out of spite. She used her faithfulness as a weapon to shove into Ethan’s face to keep him chained to her. Zeena was a typical wanna be invalid: Complaining about anything for attention and if someone found something to be good at she despised that thing and that person. She wanted to be the perfect Christian girl and be good to Ethan and Mattie just so that the town would feel sorry for her and say what a splendid woman she was to be kid to such a vile husband. She wanted that glory, thus although she was a strong woman in her own character this strength was a curse to those around her. The debate then is, is Zeena feminist or just a spiteful woman. Her husband cheats on her, tries to kill himself with his lover, and she takes him back and nurses Mattie. This may seem like a genuinely good woman according to this unbiased facts, however, it is in Zeena’s reaction wherein lies the true character. This type of characterization does not have to be with patriarchy or developing an equality among women and men but facing the fact of Zeena’s deplorable character in the reasons that she allows Ethan and Mattie back in the home. Therefore, although Zeena is a very strong female character there is no reason except a selfish reason of propriety to allow her husband back in the home, and this is not a feminist woman. Mattie’s character can best be described as sweet, loving, and at least trying to do something nice. She puts up with Zeena silently which is more than what most of the women in the novel could have done. She did what love, or what she love wanted her to do and be, a silent woman. A simple country girl looing for a life to live with someone she cares about. Thus, here is the counter to Zeena’s character. Mattie is not a strong character, so love for her does not prove that she is strong but rather weak since her escape is suicide. She does not stand up to Zeena in any way in the beginning or middle of the novel and thus her character is even further away from being considered a feminist than Zeena. In view of this comparison Mattie is not a feminist but Zeena would be considered one, only in comparison with one another. Mattie is a silent woman, she does not challenge what Ethan says to her, she does not voice her own opinion, and she goes along with Ethan’s suicide attempt without a word of complaint or counteraction. Almost the entire story is told in the kitchen, which in a patriarchal society is considered the woman’s part of the house. Although most people attribute women’s liberation to Betty Friedan’s wakening book Feminine Mystique the dates of women’s freedoms go as far back as 1848. During the freedom’s ferment era, women were contributing their time and ideas to many movements. One such movement included greater power for women. During the late 19th century women were not well accepted or permitted to hold positions of power in any political regime. Their daily duties consisted of housework, and motherly duties not to say that women were not including themselves in political venture, but the common belief of women’s place being in the home was widespread. Thus, it seems that the focus of the book should not be on Ethan Frome but these two female characters. The emotional entanglement of Edith Wharton’s characters to their situations of love, sex and death, the reality for the story is one, is the complete circle of the other, and for Wharton this circle represents the emotions of the characters themselves in their unique situation, as Kuribayashi writes, â€Å"†¦erotic impulses are often born of close encounters with death, either one’s own or that of a loved one, though contact with death may also quench one’s sexual urges†. In addressing these topics the subject of writing style isn’t elusive to its relevance in feminism. It is in postmodern feminism style that Wharton writes. This style of writing begets the transcendence of female writers and characters into a world where not necessarily control but freedom from man exists. This is how Wharton writes, with patches of reality mixed with cerebral counterparts. Wharton’s writing style does not reflect a precise example of postmodernism but a hybrid form of it with feminism. She doesn’t write disjointedly but when looked at as a whole, her story comes together to reveal Ethan Frome as a patriarch of the story despite his honor and Mattie as the typical silent woman and Zeena as the witch of the story, and their story is quilted together with a basis of shared experiences coupled with various reactions. Wharton’s style of writing is one that isn’t intrusive as most postmodern writing reflects but is inclusive allowing the reader to form a cohesive viewpoint once each side of the story is known. Wharton doesn’t focus on the complete picture but the experience and emotional narration of the character’s experiences. For these issues the inclusion of Wharton in a literary canon involves this narrative style which is very avant-garde and deserves recognition in her ingenuity and preference for that state of emotional landscaping (for it is through the details of the lives and events of these women and Ethan that the quilting effect or common thread is revealed). This is the new literary canon as derived from Munro; feminist postmodernism. This metaphoric approach to writing ensures that her craft delivers reference to feminism for each of these three characters. In this the narrative gives space to the character’s desires. For Wharton, these desires aren’t about love necessarily but about being touched and gaining experience and not being lonely as Ethan seems to be. The true genius in Wharton’s new literary canon is that of upsetting the normal devices of narrative. As Nunes states, â€Å"As a metaphor for narrative, quilting/piecing destabilizes notions of unity, coherence, and balance; it becomes a source of disruption for patriarchal narrative structure† (1997). The style of piecing together a story becomes in this new tradition of a canon a feminine aspect. Wharton works her writing style in metaphor. In Ethan Frome each character circles around to the next until they complete eachother, despite this circle having a negative connotation. Her writing style doesn’t necessitate an attachement between the characters but does give concord to their actions. The capacity Edith Wharton has to deliver a unique and persistent narrative exudes her place in the literary canon and the new definitions she lends to it. Her style of writing, at once reflecting her life and at once giving the reader clear identities to the characters and their emotional attachments to each other or to their own experiences makes Edith Wharton a literary genius. It is her writing wit, intelligence, eroticism and her complexities in dealing with these issues through characters and personal development that contribute to the changing face of feminist postmodernism. The association the main characters have with each other and their identities is what makes this story intriguing in a feminist way, and their identities seem to be lost with one another as the story progresses is definitely felt. Through lack of communication between the genders, the characters find themselves imprisoned with one another.