Bumper Stickers to Express Views

Bumper Stickers to Express Views Sticking It to Bumper Stickers Think for a second about how social media has changed the way people interact with one another; websites like Facebook and Twitter have provided a highway of free expression. People can express their views openly and confidently without much concern about what someone with an opposing view might think. As a result, said websites are teeming with opinions. Sure, there are some benefits to having means to express ones values freely and openly, however this becomes problematic when the act of expression closes off the possibility for conversation. When people are flooded with personal opinions, as seen on the likes of Facebook and Twitter, there is no conversation or even a healthy debate. There is only opinion. This phenomenon is not limited, nor began, with social media. Yet, there is another medium for the use of language to convey peoples values and identities: the bumper sticker. As much as social media plays a central role in the lives of many Americans, the bumper sticker has become a vehicle for strong public expression. Almost nowhere else in this society can people show their feelings to such a large audience with so little effort. Partisan politics may have once been the basis of bumper sticker content, especially after World War II and at the height of the Cold War when propaganda was so pertinent. Yet nowadays, just a quick glance at parked cars shows that a broad range of themes exist (Newbagen). Whether it be advice on driving etiquette Brighten my day, get off the road existential commentary A bad day at the beach beats a good day at the office or comments about U.S. foreign policy -, bumper stickers provide a window into a persons political, philosophical, and socioeconomic ideologies. Bumper stickers themselves are not problematic for society. However, similar to social media, bumper stickers dont elicit conversation and instead spark controv ersy, society grows more and more divided. Expressing opinions publicly has become a gauntlet of disaster. Societys problem with public display of opinion is growing because bumper stickers spark controversy and contribute to an argumentative environment. Since the definition of success in this environment is based on one-upmanship and/or criticism, the path to bringing people back together starts with using value in oneself as a means of expression rather than expressing ones values. The controversy created by bumper stickers is rooted in the philosophy behind bumper stickers. First, the motivation behind using bumper stickers must be uncovered. People are always trying to make their beliefs and values known. Somehow, by projecting ones beliefs and values to the outside world an identity crisis is averted. A person needs the world to know what he stands for in order to reach a self-understanding. Bumper stickers allow for this expression. Have a kid on the honor roll? Great! Put on that bumper sticker and tell the world. Fan of sports team X? Perfect! Theres a bumper sticker for that. Voting Democrat in the next election? Might as well use the back of the car to show exactly that. These stickers represent a unique paradox. On the one hand, they are distinctly personal, attached to the owners car for friends to see. On the other hand, they are anonymous. The vast majority of readers are unknown to the bearer of the sticker. This allows for the expression of highly personal opinions about strongly held views to a large audience without any commitment to interact with them. This combination of personal statement and anonymity provides the opportunity for the expression of public emotion not usually available to ordinary people in their daily routine, ultimately giving way to create controversy. Yes, bumper stickers are short, catchy, and seemingly harmless, but because of their nature they contribute to a growing problem in society. This can be seen through the concept known as bumper sticker philosophy, (Haussmen). Basically, the bumper sticker philosophy is that because bumper stickers are such short messages, it is impossible to fit an entire philosophy or ideology on the back of your car. It is simply not possible to tell the entire story. The ideology shown is only superficial. Going along this line of reasoning, this allows bumper stickers to oversimplify social issues. People see them in a hurry and theres no time to digest the argument . Bumper stickers dont bring forth conversation, but rather end the conversation with a cursory position on any given issue. This controversy has created a hostile, argumentative environment which is dividing society more and more. Because the ideology shown on a bumper sticker is superficial, the reaction to seeing a bumper sticker is most likely also superficial. After all, how can an onlooker derive an entire ideology or philosophy from such a short message. The reactions are knee-jerk, pure gut instinct. Take for example a story from Denise Grier. Her son was threatened jail time for not removing a bumper sticker that read Bush sucks. Dick Cheney too (Haynsworth). Clearly, Griers son was expressing his political beliefs and the police had an alternative opinion. There is nothing wrong or problematic with having different viewpoints, especially when it comes to politics. There was no conflict until the bumper sticker evoked a knee-jerk reaction. Because there was only a bumper sticker and a reaction, and no discussion, a conflict was created. People display bumper stickers to either connect to a communi ty or to argue against one, but because there isnt a complete ideology which causes an instinctive violent, judgmental reaction, a connection cant be formed and society slips farther apart. There are, however, benefits to having an argumentative environment; one that fosters conversation and debate. Society needs opposing viewpoints in order to progress. The world was flat until someone questioned it. Furthermore, there is a connection between expression and identity. Hilde Lindemann, in her book Holding and Letting Go: The Social Practice of Personal Identities, articulates, To have livedas a person is to have taken my proper place in the social world that lets us make selves of each other, (159). Lindemann here identifies why being an individual with personal beliefs matters morally, why it deserves closer philosophical attention, and also why it is so dependent on the many interpersonal practices of empathetic recognition through which people can see each other as their own person. Individuality and personhood are not qualities that one can seek and find within a particular human specimen. Instead, personhood is something people reify through actions, attitudes, and attunements toward others. Both socially and morally, people judge others and hold them in certain lights. Identities are maintained through stories about what matters most to a given person; his loves, hates, commitments, and so on. The moral personhood of individuals is then very different from the one envisioned by supporters of the view that personhood is just a collection of qualities or attributes that add up to something more than the sum of their parts; or, as a designation that does not refer to much of anything in particular, other than a desire for moral, social, and political recognition. Lindemann suggests that missing the background conditions of how people become persons is precisely where philosophy has taken a wrong turn. In a non-trivial way, what and who people are is not constituted solely by a collection of reasoned positions or endorsed choices, but by moral communities that work to create, or to undo, themselves and their individual members. Lindemann describe s the personal identity of individuals, To describe a moral practice we engage in constantly, but that has not received much recognition as a moral practice: it is the practice of initiating human beings into personhood and then holding them there, (ix). Lindemann is asserting that the acts of conversing and listening is fundamentally moral work that has the capacity to create the objects of its practices; but perhaps more relevant, also has the power to destroy. The need to criticize or out-preform someone diminishes personal beliefs and values, however people need personal beliefs. Control over the ideas, symbols, and meanings within society are central to the control of society itself. In a scientific study, Charles Case notes, The ruling ideas of each age have been the ideas of its ruling class. This classical analysis of the role of ideology in the struggle for domination over society has evolved into the more recent concept of hegemony. Hegemony theory asserts that the ruling elite control all institutions which disseminate ideas and values. Schools, churches, youth organization, the mass media, among others, all produce false consciousness to facilitate the maintenance of political and economic control by the ruling elite. Attempts are often made to limit or eliminate means for self expression. These attempts are typically met with creative innovations and use of non-conventional vehicles for communication. Jail inmates, for example, w ho are stripped of most normal roles, statues, and means for interaction make heavy an effective use of tattoos to display affiliations, personal uniqueness, perspectives, and philosophies. Modern urban society is characterized by interactions among anonymous strangers and communications received through mass media sources. Within this environment, very few opportunities exist for individuals to contribute to the cultural store of ideas, symbols, and perspectives. This perspective of symbolic interaction describes how the display of symbols and relationships create social and self identity. Through the acquisition and demonstration of desirable roles, values, and qualities, individuals seek to create and maintain an esteemed and acceptable self. Those whose abilities to define themselves are impaired by a predefinition imposed by society and are described as stigmatized. However, as seen in prison tattoos, public personal expression can also be used as a unifying power. The unifying factor of personal beliefs lie in both the motivation behind and in the act of expression. In the modern age of mass communication and urban life, the means and methods available to influence the discourse of ideology and symbols have proliferated. Prison tattoos, underground newspapers, pirate radio stations, and graffiti are examples of opportunities for common citizens to affect their cultural environment. The perspectives of conflict and symbolic interaction suggest that people have a need or desire to communicate symbolic messages to the persons who share the same social environment. The history of human cultural development is intimately tied to the accumulated development of symbols, meanings, and ways to share these symbolic meanings among a growing range of sources and recipients. Therefore, the possibility exists that people use these symbols, such as bumper stickers, to progress society. However, within modern urban environments, most of the symbolic meanings encountered by individuals come from commercial mass-mediated sources (Case). This means face-to-face sources of interactions and ideas such as schools and churches allow relatively little opportunity for individuals to offer their unique perspectives. People are not really expressing their own beliefs, but rather beliefs from a marketplace. The bumper sticker is, after all, a product that is bought and sold. Bumper stickers show the influence of marketing language, with its colloquial, pseudo-informality. Public expression of opinions is thus part of the shifting relationship between culture and commerce that puts the consumer in a seemingly new position. This is where change can occur. Its not possible to find ones own personhood when one is buying his values and beliefs from a marketplace. The conundrum is that people find their identity by expressing their values and their beliefs; however, the values and beliefs that people are currently expressing are not coming from themselves. How does that make sense? How can someone realistically make their own identity from an ideology that is not his own? Quite literally, people are getting value from the wrong place. People have become reflections of what society wants them to be. This is why society is breaking down. A collection of individuals creates society. But when there are no individuals, there isnt much of a society either. Creating more individuals is a step on the path to bringing people back together. Individuality can be formed when people recognize what they themselves believe in, not what something like a bumper sticker tells them to believe in. Therefore, this change must c ome from people. This is an issue about expression and identity. Something like outlawing bumper stickers wouldnt really do much good not to mention its not feasible either. No, this change will start with people looking inward for something to believe in, rather than outward for validation. When people look outward for validation, they are really looking for judgement; to be able to say that they fit in. However, if society was built by people who understand their personhood and believe in their own identity, they would be able to create their own society and thus eliminate the need to fit in. This in turn would stop people from expressing commercialized ideologies and would bring people closer together. The term express yourself might sound clichà ©, but it should be taken seriously. People just need to be themselves and understand who they really are. Creating a society of more individualized people is a solid foundation to start bringing people back together, but change probably wont be realized until people also change how they view others. People can have the same blood, brains, and emotions, but act hostile because they have different thoughts and opinions. People think being an individual means embracing what makes you different from society. While this can be an empowering thought for some, it has created a tear in society. Individuality should really lead to a path of connecting with others, not winning or losing or validation. Real personhood and individuality extends beyond valuing ones own opinions. Society cant come back together unless individuals are allowed to share their opinions without creating controversy. Works Cited Newhagen, John E., and Michael Ancell. The Expression of Emotion and Social Status in the Language of Bumper Stickers. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 14.3 (1995): 312-23. ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. Case, Charles E. Bumper Stickers and Car Signs Ideology and Identity. Journal of Popular Culture 26.3 (1992): 107. ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. Haussamen, Brock. PUNS, PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND POSTMODERNISM. Visible Language 31.1 (1997): 52. ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. Lindemann, Hilde. Holding and Letting Go: The Social Practice of Personal Identities. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2014. Print. Haynsworth, Leslie. My Volvo, My Self: The (Largely Unintended) Existential Implications of Bumper Stickers. Fourth Genre 10.1 (2008): 21,34,200. ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

What is the function of racist stereotype in Blackface Minstrelsy? Essa

Blackface minstrelsy became a popular form of entertainment in the early nineteenth century. Predominately, minstrel shows were performed to crowds of white working class men, by white actors who would use burnt cork, or shoe polish to blacken their skin and would create racist stereotyped characters of black people. These characters functioned to instill conceptions of white superiority into popular culture whilst at the same time oppressing black society. The characters invented were often portrayed as childlike, unintelligent and dependent on the civilisation of white society in the form of slavery. By examining the changes that minstrelsy underwent during the nineteenth century, the function that the racist stereotypes performed will become evident. Blackface minstrelsy was an established nineteenth century form of onstage entertainment most popular in the northern states of America which intentionally created exaggerated stereotypes of black people for prominently white working class male audiences . White performers would blacken their faces with burnt cork or black grease and perform skits, songs and dances and act out their image of black people. Rather than present an accurate depiction of African Americans and authentic portrayals of the qualities of ‘negro’ life, minstrelsy reflected the ideas and conceptions of white society . The content of the shows however was altered to create images of blacks and slaves that suited white northern public opinion . White actors now had the opportunity to manipulate black identity and reinforce notions of white superiority, and by portraying blacks as uncivilised it reinforced the need for slavery. This white produced black identity served to reinforce racial differences, and all... ... Cain: Blackface performance from Jim Crow to Hip Hop. Massachusettes: Havard College. Lott, E. (1993) Love and theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class. New York: Oxford University Press. Pfeiffer, K. (2002) Race passing and American Individualism. Massachusettes: University of Massachusetts Press. Pieterse , J. (1992) White on Black Images of Africa and Blacks in Western Popular Culture. London: Yale University Press. Sussman, R. (2001) The Carnavalizing of race. New York: Columbia University press. Toll, R. (1971) From Folktype to Stereotype: Images of Slaves in Antebellum Minstrelsy . Indiana: Indiana University press. Watkins, M. (1994) On the Real Side: Laughing, Lying, and Signifying—The Underground Tradition of African-American Humor that Transformed American Culture, from Slavery to Richard Pryor. New York: Oxford University Press.

Minimum Entry into Nursing

The minimum entry perquisites for nurses have been a hot issue for the last three to four decades. All through this era, position proclamations have been frequently impending from a variety of specialized associations, undoubtly the most considered being the ANA â€Å"First Position on Education for Nursing† of 1965. These statements have lead to arguments and debate, in particularly within the area of registered nurses. The argument of these diverse proclamations have been to shift official nursing education out of the service division and into educational spectrum, to propose the nature of education desired for the coming years, and to deal with projected future of the profession of nursing. In general, entry into practice has been one of the most controversial subjects regarding nursing. (Gosnell, 2002) Disagreement concerning associate degree nursing as an entrance level for registered nurses has been surfacing from the time when it was initiated. Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) education offers a vibrant trail for entry into registered nursing practice. ADN provides handy, inexpensive, excellence teaching to an assorted populace. Commenced as a research assignment in reply to communal requirements, this instruction is repeatedly developing to be a sign of confined society needs and present health care inclinations. Graduates of this program are equipped to function in numerous health care circumstances, together with societal practice sites. In spite of the pertinent important impact this teaching has had on the entry into nursing subject, Mahaffey tells that assessments were occasionally made with no noteworthy demonstration of all curriculum categories. There is a necessary requirement for addition of the influence of ADN mentors, with nurses on job, in the groupings who are conniving an apparition for nursing. (Mahaffey, 2002) References Gosnell, D. (May 31, 2002)   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The 1965 Entry into Practice Proposal – Is It Relevant Today?† Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. #7 No. #2, Overview and Summary. Available: http://www.nursingworld.org/ojin/topic18/tpc18ntr.htm Mahaffey, E. (May 31, 2002)   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Relevance of Associate Degree Nursing Education: Past, Present, Future† Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. #7 No. #2, Manuscript 2. Available: http://www.nursingworld.org/ojin/topic18/tpc18_2.htm   

What is Meteorology

Meteorology isnt the study of meteors, but it is the study of metà ©Ã… ros, Greek for things in the air. These things include phenomena that are bound by the atmosphere: temperature, air pressure, water vapor, as well as how they all interact and change over time -- which we collectively call weather. Not only does meteorology look at how the atmosphere behaves, it also deals with the chemistry of the atmosphere (the gases and particles in it), the physics of the atmosphere (its fluid motion and the forces that act upon it), and weather forecasting. Meteorology is a physical science -- a branch of natural science that tries to explain and predict natures behavior based on empirical evidence, or observation. A person who studies or practices meteorology professionally is known as a meteorologist. More: How to become a meteorologist (no matter what your age) Meteorology vs. Atmospheric Science Ever hear the term atmospheric sciences used instead of meteorology? Atmospheric sciences is an umbrella term for the study of the atmosphere, its processes, and its interactions with the Earths hydrosphere (water), lithosphere (earth), and biosphere (all living things). Meteorology is one sub-field of atmospheric science. Climatology, the study of atmospheric changes that define climates over time, is another. How Old Is Meteorology? The beginnings of meteorology can be traced back to the year 350 BC when Aristotle (yes, the Greek philosopher) discussed his thoughts and scientific observations on weather phenomenon and water evaporation in his work Meteorologica. (Because his weather writings are among the earliest known to exist, he is credited with founding meteorology.) But although studies in the field stretch back millennia, significant progress in understanding and predicting weather didnt happen until the invention of instruments like the barometer and thermometer, as well as the spread of weather observing on ships and in the 18th, 19th, and late 20th centuries AD. The meteorology we know today, came later still with the development of the computer in the late 20th century. It wasnt until the invention of sophisticated computer programs and numerical weather prediction (which was envisioned by Vilhelm Bjerknes, who is considered the father of modern meteorology) that. The 1980s and 1990s: Meteorology Goes Mainstream From weather websites to weather apps, its hard to not imagine weather at our fingertips. But while people have always depended on the weather, it hasnt always been as easily accessible as it is today. One event that helped catapult weather into the limelight was the creation of The Weather Channel, a television channel launched in 1982 whose entire programming schedule was devoted to in-studio forecast programs and local weather forecasts (Local on the 8s). Several weather disaster films, including Twister (1996), The Ice Storm (1997), and Hard Rain (1998) also led to a boom in weather interest beyond daily forecasts. Why Meteorology Matters Meteorology isnt the stuff of dusty books and classrooms. It affects our comfort, travel, social plans, and even our safety -- everyday. Its not only important to pay attention to the weather and weather alerts to keep safe on a daily basis. With the threat of extreme weather and climate change threatening our global community now more than ever, it is important to know what is and whats not. While all jobs are affected by the weather in some manner, few jobs outside of the weather sciences require formal weather knowledge or training. Pilots and those in aviation, oceanographers, emergency management officials are name a few.