U.S Attitudes Towards Transgender People

U.S Attitudes Towards Transgender People In the United States, there are unassigned â€Å"rules† and standards of which people are expected to conform to, gender being one of them. Throughout history people have only known two types of sex, female and male, but what about other gender identities?   People tend to develop attitudes about those who identify themselves as the opposite gender. These attitudes are influenced by a variety of factors: religion, morals, political ideology, just to name a few. I wanted to see what really influences the attitudes the nation holds towards transgender people. The articles I discuss address U.S. attitudes towards those individuals and provide insight of why they feel have those attitudes. The article, â€Å"Heterosexuals’ Attitudes Towards Transgender People: Finding from a National Probability Sample of U.S Adults,† by Aaron T. Norton and Gregory M. Herek, introduces a study that describes the correlations of men’s and women’s attitudes towards transgender people. They surveyed 2,281 participants, and the survey focused on five hypotheses, each hypothesis focusing on different aspects that contribute towards heterosexual men and women attitudes towards transgender people. The first, â€Å"heterosexuals’ attitudes toward transgender people are positively correlated with their attitudes toward sexual minorities† (Norton & Herek, 2012, p.5). The participants attitudes were measured with a series of feeling thermometers, and the participants were told, â€Å"using a scale from zero to 100, please tell us your personal feelings toward each of the following groups†¦ The warmer or more favorable you feel toward the group, the higher the number you should give it,† vis-versa. (Norton & Herek, 2010, p. 6). If the participant felt neither warm or cold toward the group, they would rate it 50 (Norton & Herek, 2012, p. 6). The participants were also told to use a 5- point scale, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree, for Attitudes Towards Lesbians (ATL) and Attitudes Towards Gay Men (ATG) (Norton & Herek, 20102, p.6). The higher the scores indicated higher levels of sexual prejudice. The results for this hypothesis show that transgender people are highly correlated with the four sexual minority groups: gay men, lesbian women, bisexual men, and bisexual women, and they are also negatively correlated with the scores of the ATG and ATL. (Norton & Herek, 2012, p.7). Like the first hypotheses, the four-other focus on similar aspects that correlates towards the negative attitudes people have towards transgender people. The second hypothesis states, â€Å"they [attitudes] are more negative among men than women,† was proven to be true (Norton & Herek, 2012, p.4). According to the study heterosexual man have more negative ratings to all â€Å"men† targets (Norton & Herek, 2012, p.8). Men also scored higher than women, meaning greater prejudice on both the ATG and ATL scale. Hypothesis three stated that â€Å"to the extent heterosexual respondents endorse a binary, conception of gender, their attitudes toward transgender people are more negative† (Norton & Herek, 2012, p.4). 46.5% agreed that â€Å"there is not enough respect for their natural divisions between the sexes,† while 19.5% disagreed, and 34.0% reported they were â€Å"in the middle.† In all the results concluded that attitudes towards transgender people w ere correlated with endorsement of gender binary beliefs (Norton & Herek, 2012, p.8). â€Å"Transgender attitudes are correlated with the same social psychological variables that have consistently been observed to correlate with heterosexuals† attitudes toward sexual minorities, is what the fourth hypothesis stated† (Norton & Herek, 2012, p.4). This hypothesis looks at four different correlations: authoritarianism, political ideology, religion, and personal contact with sexual minorities of attitudes toward transgender people. I focused on three of the four, political ideology, religion, and personal contact with sexual minorities. 48.2% described their political ideology was moderate, while 26.5% were liberal and 30.7% were conservative (Norton & Herek, 2012, p. 9). The conservative respondents gave lower thermometer rating (25.39%), followed by moderate (32.18%), then liberals (39.23%), thus meaning that conservative individuals had more negative, prejudice attitudes toward transgender people (Norton & Herek, 2012, p.9). The second of the four correlations I focused on was religion. It was found that women who have â€Å"a great deal† of religious guidance in their day-to-day living, had transgender ratings that were significantly more negative (Norton & Herek, 2012, p. 9). The results also concluded that prior contact with gay or lesbian people meant that thermometer scores were higher, less prejudice, than respondents who had lacked such contact (Norton & Herek, 2012, p.9). The fifth and last hypothesis that the survey tested was, â€Å"men’s attitudes toward both groups are linked I similar ways to the variables specified in hypotheses 3 and 4 If sexual prejudice is controlled, between those variables and men’s transgender attitudes should be reduced to no significance consistent with previous findings.† (Norton & Herek, 2012, p. 4). While hypothesis five had little support, it concluded that heterosexual menâ€⠄¢s attitudes toward transgender people and their political and gender beliefs reduced when their attitudes toward gay men were statistically controlled (Norton & Herek, 2012, p. 110). It also concluded that with ATG scores controlled, women’s attitudes were predicted by â€Å"authoritarianism and anti-egalitarianism,† and so were men’s; showing gender differences in the psychological roots of transgender attitudes were not observed (Norton & Herek, 2012, p.11).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Aaron Norton and Gregory Herek’s article about the attitudes heterosexuals have about transgender people was very interesting, I found that the study focused on some of the main aspects that influence heterosexuals’ attitudes towards transgender people in the U.S. I also gained knowledge about why people may have such attitudes. I feel that the content included throughout this article is very relevant with some of the topics we have discussed in class, such as, ‘ethic, religions, and sexuality’, and gender identity as a whole. The article included many finding that I agree with. One being that, â€Å"attitudes towards transgender people were more negative among heterosexual men than heterosexual women† (Norton & Herek, 2012, p.1). I believe that to be true, statistics prove it, but also though out the community I live in. I have observed the attitudes and stigmatizations transgender people face in my community, and I have witness more negative attitu des coming from the heterosexual men that I have contact with. I also agree that being exposed to more sexual minorities, leads to people having less sexual prejudice toward transgender people. I have found that by having contact with those who identify as lesbian or gay, makes me more accepting of transgender people. I believe that the survey as a whole helps readers gain more knowledge about the prejudice attitudes people, especially heterosexuals, have towards transgender individuals within the Unites States. The article, â€Å"Boys Don’t Cry’ or Do They? Attitudes Toward and Beliefs About Transgender Youth,† by Hogler Elischberger, Jessica Glazier, Eric Hill, and Lynn Baker-Verduzco present a survey study that examines the attitudes U.S. adults have toward transgender children and adolescents. There were 281 individuals (128 male, 152 females, and 1 missing information) that participated in the survey and reported that had â€Å"generally favorable attitudes toward transgender minors† (Elischberger, Glazier, Hill, Verduzco, 2016, p. 199). The survey first assesses the attitude adults had toward transgender people by asking a series of questions. It then assesses their behavior intentions with two hypothetical situations. The study concluded with the ‘presumed causes of gender atypicality, where the participants were asked to indicate how strongly biological (nature) and environmental (nurture) cause affect atypical behavior (Elischberger et. al., 2016, p .203). The article, â€Å"Boys Don’t Cry’ or Do They? Attitudes Toward and Beliefs About Transgender Youth,† by Hogler Elischberger, Jessica Glazier, Eric Hill, and Lynn Baker-Verduzco presents a survey study that examines the attitudes U.S. adults have toward transgender children and adolescents. There were 281 individuals (128 male, 152 females, and 1 missing information) that participated in the survey and reported that had â€Å"generally favorable attitudes toward transgender minors† (Elischberger, Glazier, Hill, Verduzco, 2016, p. 199). The survey first assesses the attitude adults had toward transgender people by asking a series of questions. It then assesses their behavior intentions with two hypothetical situations. The study concluded with the ‘presumed causes of gender atypicality, where the participants were asked to indicate how strongly biological (nature) and environmental (nurture) cause affect atypical behavior (Elischberger et. al., 2016, p.203).      The survey first assesses the participants attitudes, with a series of attitude statements. The participants used a 10-point Likert type scale ranging from 1, completely disagree, and 10, completely agree to see rate their attitudes toward the list of statements provided.   The statements given included â€Å"Personally, I view this gender atypical behavior as a problem because Six of these statements were provided that differed in terms of the reason cited for the disapproval: it is against my morals, it contradicts my religious views, Bit will hurt the child’s [teenager’s] current relationships with their peers, Bit will be a bad influence on other children [teenagers],it may have an effect on the child’s [teenager’s] sexual orientation it goes against nature. A seventh option, the child’s behavior is not wrong for any one specific reason, it is just inappropriate† (Elischberger et. al., 2016 p.201). These statements allowed the participants to express their attitudes without giving a specific reason. The attitudes result for this part of the survey, although relatively low, showed that attitudes were less positive in the participants who had religious affiliation, conservative social-political views, and stronger conformity to certain traditional gender norms; however, the endorsement level of participants was highest (7.34 out of 10) with the statement, â€Å"I do not find the behavior a problem† (Elischberger et. al., 2016, p. 202). Thus, meaning that the majority of participates did not have a problem with transgender people. The second part of the survey consisted of how participants might act in two hypothetical situations that involved a gender-atypical child or adolescent. The scenarios were (a) using the restroom appropriate for their gender opposed to sex, and (b) sharing a cabin/room on a school trip with peers of the same gender (Elischberger et. al., 2016, p.203). The participants were asked to put themselves into the positions of the: parent of the nonconforming child, the parent of one of the child’s peers, the child’s teacher, and a school administer (Elischberger et. al., 2016, p.203). The response ranged on a 1(lowest and 10 (highest) possible scores, with higher numbers indicating a â€Å"stronger intent to limit gender expression in each scenario† (Elischberger et. al., 2016, p. 203). On average, all the average results ranged between 4 and 6. In the restroom scenario, the results indicated that if the participant was the parent of the transgender child they would more than likely want their child to use the restroom of which they identified with, however, if they were in the administrator position they would be less likely to want that child to use their assigned restroom (Elischberger et. al., 2016, p.203). In the third part of the survey was ‘Presumed Causes of Gender Atypically.’ This part consisted of asking the participants to indicate how strongly they believed different factors cause gender atypical behaviors. The participants determined whether biological (nature) causes genetics, hormones, and brain development, or, environmental (nurture) cause: mother, father, media, and other environment caused gender atypicality (Elischberger et. al., 2016, p. 203). The results showed that on average the participants agreed that environmental factors played more of a role in gender atypicality than biological factors. It shows that the participants believed other environmental factors and media were the highest causes of gender atypicality.   I find the research done in the â€Å"Boys Don’t Cry’ or Do They? Attitudes Toward and Beliefs About Transgender Youth,† to be very interesting. I believe that I am, and am becoming, more open to allowing transgender people express their gender identity. I agree that the media and environmental factors play a key role in gender atypicality, but I also believe that it comes from within. This article includes some stuff that we have discussed in class, but we have yet to go into depth about transgender people, so I am not able to find a lot of connections between the class content specifically. Discussing the research that is found in this article would be beneficial for a larger population because it assesses the attitudes of people who believe that they are â€Å"okay† with transgender children and adolescence, and determine if they actually are. Overall, both articles included information that was accurate to how the U.S. populations feel towards transgender people. They both state that being more religious and having more conservative values correlate to people having more prejudice attitudes towards transgender people. If I were able to conduct my own study or include a category, I would include children’s point of view. I know they would not fully understand all the factors that go into nonconforming or transgender individuals, but I believe it would be interesting to do a study that focused on how their mindset changes over the years about the topic and what, if any, biological and environmental aspects contribute to their attitudes.   References Elischberger, H. B., Glazier, J. J., Hill, E. D., & Verduzco-Baker, L. (2016, March 22). Boys Dont Cry-or Do They? Adult Attitudes Toward and Beliefs About Transgender Youth. Retrieved March 23, 2018, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-016-0609-y Norton, A. T., & Herek, G. M. (2013, June 01). Heterosexuals Attitudes Toward Transgender   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   People: Findings from a National Probability Sample of U.S. Adults. Retrieved March 22, 2018, from https://www.scholars.northwestern.edu/en/publications/heterosexuals-attitudes-toward-transgender-people-findings-from-a

Double Standard Of Masculinity In Gender Role Socialization Essay

Masculinity is a topic that has been debated in our society extensively, through research as well as in informal settings. Many wonder what it means to be masculine, and if we can really assign a definition to such a subjective term. After all, shouldn't one's own perception be the determinant of what constitutes masculinity? This self-construction would be the ideal in our society, but unfortunately, it represents a false belief. Masculinity has certain characteristics assigned to it by our culture. In this paper I will explore the many facets of masculinity and demonstrate how certain beliefs pertaining to it are perpetuated in our society. I will also uncover many of the contradictions between society's assigned definition of masculinity and the expectation that males will somehow learn how to act contrary to that assigned and learned meaning.Definition of Masculinity Men are primarily and secondarily socialized into believing certain characteristics are definitive in determining their manliness and masculinity. These characteristics range from not crying when they get hurt to being and playing violently. The socialization of masculinity in our society begins as early as the first stages of infancy. A child's burgeoning sense of self or self-concept is a result of the multitude of ideas, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs to which he is exposed (Witt 1997). Later in this paper the question of whether there are genetic factors will be discussed. However, to further my argument at this point, I will discuss masculinity as it is socially defined. From the outset of a boy's life he is socialized into the belief that he should be 'tough'. Often when boys get hurt, 'scrape their knee', or come whimpering to their mother or father, the fated words, "Little boys don't cry", issue forth. Children internalize parental messages regarding gender at an early age, with awareness of adult sex role differences being found in two-year-old children. One study found that children at two and a half years of age use gender stereotypes in negotiating their world and are likely to generalize gender stereotypes to a variety of activities, objects, and occupations (Witt 1997). This legitimization teaches males that boys and men are not allowed to cry. There also exists the belief that boys are often required to do 'men's work' outside of the home such as mowing th... ...iographyBetcher, William R. et al. (1993) In a time of fallen Heroes. New York, NY, Macmillan Publishing Company. Bowker, Lee H. (1998) Masculinities and Violence. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications, Inc.Buss, David. (1994) The Evolution of Desire. New York, NY, St. Martin's Press, Inc. Gwartney, Debra. (October 17, 1998) "Double bind of boys concerns psychologists." Oregon Times.Katz, Jackson. (1995) "Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity" In Dines, Gail and Humez, Jean. (Eds.) Gender, Race and Class in Media. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications. Pollack, William. (1995) "Deconstructing Dis-identification: Rethinking psychoanalytic Concepts of male development." Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. 12(1)30-45.Stearns, Peter N. (1990) Be A Man! Males in Modern Society. New York, NY, Holmes & Meier Publishers, Inc.Thompson, Neil. (1995) "Men and Anti-Sexism" British Journal of Social Work. 25(4)459-475.Witt, Susan D. (1997) "Parental influence on children's socialization to gender roles." Adolescence. 32(126)253-257.Wrangham R. et al. (1997) Relationship Violence in Demonic Males. New York, NY, Routledge.

Chinese Immigrants :: essays research papers

Chinese Immigrants lived in really poor conditions. Small rooms were packed full of 20 to 30 immigrants. Rats and mice were everywhere, and catching diseases were often and deadly. Since there were no good vaccinations, many died from diseases caught from their workers. Sometimes the dirt would be inches high. Living in these conditions would be very harsh, yet still more and more immigrants from China came to mine and work on the railroad. The Chinese played a very important, yet dangerous job building the railroads. They would be lowered in small buckets down cliff faces to stick explosives in the side of the cliff, then be brought back up. Many people died from either galling off ledges or being blown up, and it was sick and sad to watch your friend being blown up. The Chinese were willing to do this because it was basically the only thing that they could do. Discrimination against them was high, so they wanted to do something that they would not be made fun of doing. They were willing to work for low pay, since even as low as their salary would be, it would still be more than they got paid in China, because of overcrowding and the Civil War. I think that Chinese railroad workers were definitely exploited by the owners. With very low wages, and poor working conditions, I don’t see why the Chinese put up with that. The owners didn’t really care for them like they did for white people. Also, the owners convinced the Chinese that work would be safe, saying that nobody would get hurt. This made them feel better about dangerous jobs, but after many deaths, the immigrants found out that it was not safe at all. "Whereas,...California and pacific coast having proved that...The Chinese and their competition with free white labor is one of the greatest evils...Therefore be it Resolved, that we rid this monstrous evil by urging the United States congress the necessity of... prohibiting the immigration of Chinese.

Reflection on Reading Essay

Looking Back In Order to Move Forward As a future elementary school teacher, I have always thought the task of teaching kids could be a rewarding and gratifying experience. However, I recently realized that in order to obtain these rewarding experiences the teacher and students must work hard and with determination. Learning to read can be a very daunting task for a youngster. Therefore, as a teacher, it is your job to facilitate positive reading strategies from the start. Looking back at my experiences as an early reader, I can gain some insight as to what might help or hinder my future students. I believe that one of the most important things you can do for your child is to start reading to them at an early age. Before I even became a school aged child my mother would sit on the couch with my brother and I just after lunch and read books. Sometimes it was a favorite book that we had picked and other times they were early reader books like Dick and Jane. I remember being snuggled up on the couch helping her point to the words as she read along. Then at bed time she would read aloud from a chapter book. My brother and I would eagerly open our minds to the words as they came off the page. Some of my fondest memories as a child are listening to my mother read Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little to us. Since I consider reading to a child one the best ways to open their imagination to new worlds, I fully intend to different forms of literature into my classroom. I think by hearing an adult read aloud to a child, the child is then able to properly hear and feel the author’s intentions for tone and emotion of his or her book. I don’t think you are ever too old to sit and listen to a book, especially if you can open up a child’s mind to a book that he or she would never pick up on their own accord. I firmly believe that my mother laid the foundation for better success once I entered elementary school. My elementary school experience probably started out a little different than most kids. I lived in a little valley in East Napa County which currently has a population of 488. I sense that the population has stayed around 500 people since I was little. As I entered elementary school the class sizes were extremely small. In fact the school only had three classrooms total for grades kindergarten through eighth grade. My first teacher taught kindergarten through the 2nd grade all  in one classroom, while 3rd-5th was taught in the second classroom and 6th-8th in the last classroom. I had 4 other students in kindergarten with me at the time, a girl and three boys. Some might think this to be the ideal situation because of the attention that each student would get. However, I felt the complete opposite. The teacher was constantly busy trying to make sure the curriculum for each grade level was being taught and there was very little time for students that were struggling. I remember being put into groups and given workbook pages with very little instruction or guidance as to what was expected. Many of the boys had trouble with this approach and needed more guidance to get started in their tasks. The teacher often mistook the fact that they did not fully comprehend what was expected of them on the workbook pages as disobedience, which often lead to punishment. In order to curb the potential for punishment, the students who excelled helped those who struggled. I don’t really think this environment is particularly beneficial to children in elementary school. However, there were some great things about this learning environment that I really enjoyed. My teacher loved to sing and play the guitar and brought her love into the classroom with her. Every morning we would get into a circle and sing songs with her. Some of the songs were just plain fun songs to sing, but many of the songs taught us letter sounds, and phonics. I remember loving circle time and singing the songs to my mom when I got home from school. I believe that music can play an important part in helping children learn to read, and even though I am not a singer or musician I intend to use music in my classroom to enhance my students learning atmosphere. I feel learning the phonics of letters through the rhythms of music truly helped me as I began to sit down with my first readers. As I began applying what I was learning in the songs to some basic basal readers like Dick and Jane I was able to find patterns between the phonics in the songs and the words on the page. We had books that were themed each week with certain phonic sounds. The sound was then repeated throughout the book but in different words. We were able to take these books home and practice with our parents. I think that practice and repetition are key in continuing to recognize letters with their phonic sounds. I feel these books served the purpose of achieving good reading skills for me as a child, and continue to be helpful to children today as they learn to read. There are two other techniques that my teacher used to help teach us how to read. One I consider to be a good strategy and the other I am not too fond of. The first approach was using a tape recorder and head sets. We would sit down with a book and follow along with our finger as a voice was reading the book to us in our ear. I think this particular approach works because it releases the anxiety and stress of having to pick apart the words on a page in order to learn them. By following along they are able to develop listening skills and hear the correct pronunciation of the word and associate it with the word on the page. After listening to the book, we were asked to answer a few questions about we had just listened, which gave us our first exposure to comprehension. I feel this method works fairly well but could be enhanced by taking five to ten minutes to ask the students questions out loud about what they had just listened to, so they get accustomed to forming thoughts and speaking about books. The last tactic that my teacher used I found a little repressive. She would sit us down on the floor with sock puppets and speak to us in baby voices. Each week the puppets would present a new constant and vowel sound to us. I remember feeling a little disturbed, and telling my mom that my teacher was trying to pretend like she was on Sesame Street. My mom reminded me that I did not take too kindly to the puppets, and that I found them rather babyish. In our text book, Mosaic of Thought, Ellin writes that too often we draw negative conclusions about a child’s ability to comprehend and think at high levels when the problem is his or her ability to articulate that thinking. I believe that my teacher really underestimated her student’s ability to learn by teaching them with sock puppets. In all actuality, it really was not necessarily the sock puppets that really came into question, but the baby voices in which she used. These baby voices simulated that of someone talking to a toddler who is beginning to learn to speak. I think as children enter elementary school they want to feel important and what they are learning is significant, but I feel my teacher imposed the opposite effect on her student. She devalued the process of learning by speaking in baby voices and using puppets. After a few years my mom began to see the affects the school was having on my brother and I, and she decided to drive us thirty minutes each way to an elementary school in a nearby town. This change in atmosphere did wonders for both my brother and I, but the change did not happen until I was entering the 3rd grade. Once at this new school a whole new world opened up to me. We began reading newspapers, and sharing articles that we had read with the class. We started writing book reports and began to question what we were reading. I think the best part of the new school was having a whole classroom of students that were in the same grade. We were often separated into groups based on our reading level in order to read and discuss what we were reading. This helped my confidence tremendously. However it was not until I was in high school that the teachers began to try and teach active reading strategies, by seeking out the meaning in books like Catcher in the Rye and a Wrinkle in Time. I struggled with these new concepts, and still do as an adult. I think I could have greatly benefitted from starting this process at a younger age. As a future teacher, and parent, I firmly believe that in order for a child to become an active reader, and really learn to love books we need to unlock their minds to all possible reading strategies. We must have them begin questioning books and theories early, so that they learn to be active readers. I also believe that students need a parent who is actively in tune with the child’s learning process. When a parent shows the student how important reading is and shows gratitude towards progress being made, the child will excel in his class work. I think as a future teacher I will use some of the tried and true strategies like listening stations, and bringing words alive with music and rhythm. However I will not be afraid to deviate from the norm and experiment beyond the workbook pages in order to connect with my students. One of my greatest joys is reading, and I hope one day I can bestow that upon young children.

Assisted Suicide-Rebuttal

Rebuttal: Physician Assisted Suicide Rebuttal: Physician Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide has been a controversial topic since long before this past election. Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is when a physician gives a patient, usually terminally ill, the means to end their life by self-administered lethal injection or an overdose of drugs (Marker). PAS should not be confused with euthanasia, which is when a person other than the patient causes the death. Ben Mattlin’s article, â€Å"Suicide by Choice?Not So Fast,† argues that the Massachusetts measure to make physician assisted suicide legal in cases for those who have six months or less to live, should not be supported. Mattlin contends that passing the â€Å"right to die,† will lead to abuse and coercion of patients that feel forced to end their lives (Mattlin, 2012). Mattlin’s article cites that in Oregon, Washington, and Montana, where physician assisted suicides have been made legal, there has been scant evidence of abuse and in Massachusetts alone there were over 200,000 cases of elder abuse in 2010 (Mattlin, 2012).He uses two seemingly similar points to support his own rationalization and applies a scare tactic to substitute fear for reason (Moore, 2009). Mattlin bases his claim on comparing the abuse of physician assisted death in other states to elder abuse in Massachusetts, committing a rhetorical analogy. This is also an example of the slippery slope fallacy (Moore, 2009). Since elderly abuse is already so prominent, â€Å"how will assisted suicide be abused if it becomes legal? † While the context of abuse is similar, Mattlin states nothing to support that elder abuse leads to assisted death abuse but implies that PAS abuse will rise if legalized.The Massachusetts measure would apply to those having terminal illnesses with six month or less to live, however, Mattlin uses his own experience as a sufferer of disbilitating spinal muscular atrophy to argue his opini on. This is an example of the straw man fallacy (Moore, 2009) because Mattlin’s initial prognosis of not living past the age of two (Mattlin, 2012), is a misinterpretaton of legalizing PAS for terminally ill patients with less than six month to live. In the article, it is evident that Mattlin concedes his situation is atypical, but he uses his anomoly to support the validity of his point.Now nearly 50 years old, a husband and father with a career, Mattlin points out that doctors’ needs to render judgement and opinion is a source of coercion that limits patients’ alternatives to continue living. He argues that if not for his family’s support for continued medical intervention to keep him alive, his seeming diagnosis and prognosis left doctors questioning whether to extend his life. To have survived his affliction for this long and been able to have a fulfilling life does not make him an authority on the options for those suffering from terminal illnesses.U sing his own illness as a credible source is an appeal to authority even though he is not a medical expert nor has he claimed any other reputable sources for his opinion other than experience. Mattlin leads the reader to conclude that physican assisted suicide is not really a voluntary, free choice, decision made by the patient to end their pain and suffering, but a limited decision that does not take into account depression and coercion. He makes emotional arguments on why the right to die should not be legalized, but the opinions are not based on reliable, credible, or valid data to logically support his argument.

Employee Handbook Non-Discrimination Section Essay

Discrimination of any individual on the basis of their origin, sex, religion or appearance is not only an unethical crime but the most irrational thing to do to anyone. People, no matter what their origin should be treated equally whether a workplace or a community. However, organizations need to be careful regarding their policies concerning non-discrimination. It should clearly outline the real emphasis as to why they have been drafted as well as the consequence of the violation of any of the non-discriminatory rules. In response to the non-discrimination rules, the organization should be fair. Policies devised should be in the favor of the employees. This normally aids the mental efficiency of the employee in the workplace as he or she knows that they have their rights that wouldn’t be violated in any way (Tomei, 2003). As more and more businesses and organizations are evolving, it is necessary to note that a policy that befriends every need of the employee can be the only way to reduce or avoid any kind of discrimination. Robyn D.  Clarke in his magazine article entitled, â€Å"Workplace bias Abounds: New study confirms the American workplace has much farther to go to achieve true diversity† states, â€Å"For an organization to embrace diversity, it must be supported from senior leadership and built into the foundation of the organization. Companies need to appreciate and value the unique differences, perspectives, and experiences of every employee,† says Dexter. â€Å"Then, they must translate that understanding into a clear strategy for diversity infusion into the business model. They must create a culture of inclusion–an environment that gives everyone the opportunity to succeed† (Clarke, 2005). Therefore, a policy that embraces and addresses all the discriminatory issues of an employee is the one that succeeds. If any such policy had to be devised in order to limit the organization’s liability, it is important to educate all the employees of the organization. Education of the organization’s policies’ regarding the discrimination rules and the consequences of breaking them inevitably helps in avoiding the roughest situations that would otherwise would have to be dealt by the organization. An organization that shows a strict compliance to its rules and procedures is the one that succeeds. Another method to limit an organization’s liability regarding the discrimination issues is by joining the Business Coalition for workplace fairness (Human Rights Campaign, 2007). If any such realistic policy had to be devised; apart from stating the general non-discriminatory issues such as sex, color, origin, religion e. t. c. , the policy would also deal with a universal dress code that would help in creating a fair working environment. Another feature that can be added to this policy is to deal with pregnant and maternity leaves with fairness. Many women today are subjected to discrimination due to their pregnancy where managers often deprive these women of the opportunities they deserve. Currently, the organizations that have discrimination policies that are trans-gender friendly are the ones that are able to avoid most of the lawsuits. Tegan Jones, in the article entitled, â€Å"Lessons from Largo: Non-discrimination policies in the public and private sectors† state that any individual’s transition or any sex should not be a workplace issue. He states that is extremely vital to add â€Å"sexual orientation and GI&E to their nondiscrimination policies, create gender neutral dress-codes, have guidelines that set a time-frame and protocol for transitioning workers and ensure employee’s privacy† (Jones, 2007). Therefore, a policy that deals with all the elements mentioned above should limit a company’s liability towards lawsuits and further enhance the quality of the work environment as well.

Race and Racism

Sierra Druyon February 23, 2013 Prepared for Dr. Dugan ENG 101 Paper 1 Argumentative Synthesis on Race and Racism In comparison to the almighty universe in which people all live in, human beings are merely a speck of dust at the size of it all. Then here are these beings on planet earth, with all 7 billion people under the same moon, divided. No longer are human equals as beings, but separate because of the system of ignorance, exploitation, and power used to oppress people on the basis of ethnicity, culture, mannerisms, and culture (Marable 1).Racism is the issue Americans have swept under the rug; the problem is being ignored, leaving cultures in the dark of their own history causing blame to be shifted on to all sorts of hosts, and it’s time to pick up the rug to dust. Society as a whole seems to have broken down what makes a person unique, dehumanizing them and leaving them susceptible to oppression (Marable 2). One must not be so quick to forget that every single human be ing is made up of the same genetic material, to forget something so broad is to undermine the gift of thinking itself.Manning Marable writes in Racism and Sexism that stereotypes are at the heart of every form of racism today. Racism is not a topic that sits around at the front of everybody’s brain. Racism does not twist on the tip of your tongue begging to be talked about. Racism is something that is ignored and denied. Shocking statistics from Tim Wise’s On White Privilege were discussed, stating that in 1962, 80% of white folk believed that racism was not even a problem.In the same year, 90% of white folk believed that colored children had equal education opportunities as white children. To believe that racism was not even a problem would be to say that over the 750 race riots 228 people were not actually killed, 12,741 people were not critically injured, and that the 15,000 acts of arson did not leave black urban neighborhoods in ruins, in the same year of 1962 (Po strel). White people are completely unburdened by race; where as colored eople constantly feel their capabilities are always being second guessed. However, Charles M. Blow, author of Escaping Slavery, explains to the reader that apparently white people think their actions are justified! And Blow goes as far as to say that â€Å"the idea that progress toward radical harmony would or should be steady and continuous is fraying† (Blow 1). In On White Privilege, the speaker Tim Wise pointed out that white people were asked in 2009 if they believed that racial discrimination is still a problem and only 6% said ‘yes. To put that into perspective: more people would believe that Elvis is still alive than to believe that racial discrimination is still a problem (Wise). Perhaps the density of the universe compromised the carrying capacity of the human brain causing a malfunction making it so the only thing people can think about is them self. Definitely not progress (Blow 2). The white system of ignorance and exploitations is causing the cultures of color to completely lose track of their own histories (Marable).People who are oppressed themselves begin to lose touch with their own traditions of history, community, love, celebrations, struggle, and change (Marable). Tim Wise reminds viewers whose history we are truly learning in school- text books are filled only with white history; people of color are forced to regurgitate white history, white literature, white art, white theater, etc. , while if a white person does not know an ounce of black history, it can go virtually unnoticed in this country (Wise).Actions speak louder than words and people seem to continue to prove their ignorance. As part of the Civil Rights Movement and an effort to create a solution to unlawful discrimination in housing based on race, color, sex, nation origin, or religion, the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 (Russell). Fast forward 38 years later where 2006 showed the highest level of discriminating housing complaints based on race (Wise). 38 whole years later and the only thing society can show on terms of progress is the lack of acceptance being distributed around the country.There is not enough change taking place as a country in order to move forward into truly being the United States of America; home of the Brave but we still fear what we do not know. It is always easier to accuse other forces for a problem than to admit that you are actually making the mess yourself. It has been said that if one is not a part of the solution then one is a part of the problem; however, some people are purely unburdened by race, they don’t know racism because they have never had to experience it- people are completely surrounded by and completely oblivious of the problem.Failure to talk about racism feeds the denial (Wise). The finger can be pointed in any direction, and instead of calling it â€Å"blame† the word â€Å"cause† is used instead bec ause that is more constructive, and let’s face it, we need as much progress as we can get. However, progress seems to be unbearably intangible when Blow points out that the pillars of the institution- the fundamental devaluation of dark skin and stained justifications are for the unconscionable- have proved surprisingly resilient (Blow). The ignorance and lack of education only feeds the pillars’ strength.Completely blinded by utter fear, America seems to be in a standstill of progress towards the issue on racism. Starting with Charles Blow’s work in Escaping Slavery, down to Manning Marable’s Racism and Sexism, and what Tim Wise said in On White Privilege, it can be assumed that progress will always need to be made to bring this country closer to unity. Breaking down racial barriers and stereotypes have proven to be an especially lengthy process, however that does not justify the slothfulness of it all. Open minds and hearts is what it is going to take t o shatter the structure that leaves this country divided.Word Count: 1,100 Works Cited Blow, Charles. â€Å"Escaping Slavery. † New York Times 4 January 2013. Marable, Manning. â€Å"Racism and Sexism. † Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, 5th ed. Ed. Paul Rothenberg. New York: Worth Publishers, 2001. 124-129. Pring. Wise, Tim. On White Privilege: Racism, White Denial, and the Costs of Inequality. The Media Education Foundation, 2008. DVD. Postrel, Virginia. â€Å"The Consequences of the 1960's Race Riots Come Into View. †Ã‚  The New York Times. N. p. , 30 Dec. 2004. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.