Television and Cultural Change

Television and Cultural Change Research Paper: 1. Introduction Once considered a complete luxury for a family to own, the television has become a stable fixture in British and American households over the past few decades. In recent years, it has become unusual for a family not to own a television set and now it is just as uncommon for a family to own just one. In Britain, the years spanning from 1955 to 1969 saw an increase from 40 percent to 93 per cent of the population owning a television set (Silverstone, 1994, p. 67).Television or â€Å"TV† has become a prominent source for news and entertainment for billions of people around the world. For this, among other reasons, the concept of TV and its content has been the subject of much academic discourse and controversy. A lot of this discourse focuses on the ways television affects changes in societies’ behaviour and culture. This is visible via various scholarly communities. For example, up until 1982, psychologists ha d conducted over 2000 studies regarding the imitation of violence in the mass media.Economists and market researchers have performed similar types of empirical studies regarding imitation and suggestion in advertising (Bollen and Phillips, 1982, p. 802). This paper will combine findings of similar studies in an aim to examine the way television both mediates and contributes to cultural shifts in societies, particularly in Britain and the United States of America. 2. The Interplay of Institutions, Markets and Audiences Television drama, news, factual programming and the transformation of public service broadcasting have all played a huge role in the development of British and American society and cultural change.These changes currently present themselves through communications held between institutions, markets, and audiences. For instance, the consideration of an audience as a market instead of as the public by all types of institutions is the source for much controversy and debate (Walter, 2000, p. 67). This point will be further touched upon when discussing pubic service broadcasting and market-led broadcasting but first we must grasp a general understanding of cultural response to television as media. 3. Positive and Negative Response in SocietyThe communications that develop can be positive, in the case of an increase in democratic involvement or participation in the community but it can be also be negative, in the case of controversial programming, which can arguably contribute to the loss of a child’s innocence and even impair one’s ability to develop critical thinking skills. According to Bernard Berelson, a prominent American behavioural scientist, those with the greatest mass media exposure are much more likely to know a candidate’s stance on various issues (McCombs and Shaw, 1972, p. 77). On the contrary, Kenneth Bollen and David Phillips reported a prime example of how news can lead to a negative change in a society. A study tha t was performed and then replicated for a different time period showed that suicides had increased immediately following (10 days proceeding) a news report of a suicide in the surrounding region (1982). In order to ensure that changes are beneficial and that they contribute to the greater good of people, in this case in Britain and the U. S.A, studies such as this one must be produced and analysed. The study should offer insights, convey patterns, and report facts that can be applied in a practical way. As in the aforementioned case, it is evident that those who produce media have a responsibility for what they produce, whether it is fiction or fact. If watching a news report can incite someone to act on something as extreme as the contemplation of suicide, it may very well do the same for matters of a different nature 4. Public Service Broadcasting and the Free MarketWhen television was invented, it altered all preceding media of news and entertainment as well as many of our instit utions and forms of social relationships (Williams and Williams, 1992). In the public service broadcasting system, the consensus was that television media should be used for the good of the public and that access is guaranteed for all citizens (Walter, 2000, p. 67). Instead, private profit and gain enforced by market-led broadcasting, has compromised the idea of equality in terms of ability to receive information.This dissipation of equality stems from the differences in the general understanding of the roles that broadcasting plays (Walter, 2000, p63). The role that public service broadcasting plays is relevant today even with the new communication technologies of cable and satellite as the former provides quality programming which aims to raise cultural standards and provide a forum for democratic discussion and debate while the latter provides choice merely through exclusion, predicated by the ability of the consumer to pay for the additional services provided (Walter, 2000, p. 4 ). The Protocol to the Amsterdam Treaty dated June 1997 on public service broadcasting states â€Å"the system of public service broadcasting†¦is directly related to the democratic, social and cultural needs of each society†¦ to preserve media pluralism†, and it is in itself the reason why PSB is still relevant today, even for those states who did not sign on this treaty. 5. Understanding and Critiquing News Programming If one should ever listen in on a families’ after dinner conversation, one could often hear a parent commanding his or her offspring to â€Å"Turn that junk off! or questioning them as to â€Å"Why don’t you watch something educational instead? † and other comments of similar nature. The non-junk and educational content they are often referring to is factual programming such as the news. However, even with something as objective as the news there are still a few elements that one should consider when determining its quality and contribution to the viewing audience, as the point of contact between the people, events and politics. The objectivity of a news report should always be considered, just as the bias in a study or an experiment is considered in scientific communities.Many networks, even those provided through PSB, often have agendas and side with a political group. Furthermore, news stations are often pressured to deliver information that will grasp the attention of the viewer foremost, with the achievement of a quality report being a secondary goal. Considering factors such as the frequency and threshold of reported events can help in one’s appraisal. To exemplify the former, one can reflect on a news program dealing with the economic status of the country.If it focuses on temporary events that will not re-occur and do not help draw a picture of the economy as a whole, it is not a quality report. As for threshold, for instance, after the murder of John Lennon, events, which would normally not be considered newsworthy, received more coverage than they should have due to the public’s demand for therapy (Hartley, 1992, p. 76). A rule of thumb for news reporters is that bad news is good news (Hartley, 1992, pg. 76). However, as mentioned in a previous section of this report, empirical evidence shows that this is definitely not he case for the audience, considering the outcome suicide reports have on the subjected audiences behavioral changes. 6. Conclusions 6. 1. The Effects of Television on Society Television has many supporters and critics alike. Some argue that it brings people closer and some maintain that it can cause a divide in a community or even in a family. The way that one comes to these conclusions is by drawing questions such as the following. Do those who are not entitled to as much information due to economic reasons going to feel excluded and unworthy?Does media, such as television, contribute to a decrease of peoples’ participation in politics , the social environment and traditional leisure programs? Does locally produced programming strengthen the local community? These questions, among many others , should be answered in a proper analysis of television’s effect on people. Because those who are raised within a society develop and contribute that society’s culture more, it is vital to pay attention to its younger population. 6. 2. The Effects of Television on Young PeopleYoung people, in particular, have very malleable minds and are greatly affected by the things they see on television. In Sonia Silverstone’s Young People and the New Media, this phenomenon is thoroughly examined (1994). In this article, Silverstone reports of a British team of researchers who posed these types of questions in the form of survey questionnaire and interviews. The subjects ranged in age, gender and social and educational backgrounds in hopes of correlating media usage and effect across different segments of population.F indings showed that although television is considered an adequate source of information, it is also used to fill in the boring gaps of a child’s life. Television has the ability to shape a child’s emotions and it has effects on family life (Silverstone, 1994, p. 64, p. 68). 6. 3. The Effects of Television on the Domestic Space A crucial position in which TV has affected society can be viewed from within the domestic space. The television set has visibly transformed domestic arrangements over the years.In prior times, only the wealthy homes had a set in the family room. In more recent years, television has overtaken individual space as well, allowing for less family communication, a pattern which is now repeating itself with personal computers. Domestic time was also affected as television-viewing time has gradually increased over the years, once again allowing for less family time and communication. An outstanding statistic shows that at one point, Europe’s high est television viewing times belonged to the British population aged 9-16 (Silverstone, 1994, p. 69).In the same year, every age group from 10-16 years old reportedly preferred to watch TV alone as opposed to with friends, siblings, parents or anyone else (Livingstone, 1994). 6. 4. Representation of Reality Our perceptions of reality have been transformed by contemporary celebrity culture via television. The role played by television is that of reinforcement for both the state (which, today can be any figure appearing on a network) and the citizen (the audience). The validation that is provided serves as a means of centralised opinions and styles of behaviour (Williams and Williams, 1992).This is why anxieties about ‘dumbing down’ are in fact legitimate. Let us take an actor who believes that which is not presented in his character on his daytime drama. The audience who views this actor/ actress may adopt to a notion, feeling or belief portrayed by the character, in tur n validating the actor/ actress himself of a new belief system, one that he/ she had not previously considered. Should this belief system be one, deemed by professional opinions and the general public, of bad taste, it would mean that this is not quality television, and it does not produce a good quality of change for the general public as a culture.

Book Review on the Third Side by William Ury

Book Review of â€Å"The Third Side: Why We Fight and How We Can Stop â€Å"by William Ury Reviewed By: Syed Shahzad Ali Class: M. Phil ( DPA) Review Submitted to: Dr. Anila Amber Dated: 17th October 2012 Book Review of â€Å"The Third Side: Why We Fight and How We Can Stop â€Å"by William Ury This is a state-of-the-art book on conflict management and negotiation by well known negotiator and mediator William L. Ury, an American National, who is world's leading negotiation expert, he has mediated situations ranging from corporate arena to wildcat strikes, and from family disputes to ethnic wars in the Middle East, the Balkans, N.Ireland and many other places. He has also worked on the problem of how to prevent nuclear war as a consultant to The White House Crises Management Center. He received his B. A from Yale and his Ph. D. in social anthropology from Harvard University. The structure of paperback â€Å"The Third Side† is concerned, it’s 251 pager light weight wi th blue cover page book which is easy to carry and read any where even in a train or bus while travelling or in coffee shop or at bed time, the font of Times New Roman has been used in the book with Bold heading ; text of book is justified.It facilitates the all state of affairs and human situations whether they belong from corporate arena to management ; labor disputes and from family crises to negotiation or peace talks between two warring countries i. e. its transforming conflict at home, at work and in the world in to Peace. This book has been written ; published in USA by Penguin Books. The title of the book is quite attractive and self explanatory for the affairs of conflict and its resolution i. e. â€Å"The Third Side † . The cover page content, color and logo again, portray the whole theme of paperback, its xplanatory subtitle on cover page of â€Å"Why We Fight And How We Can Stop† and In logo two human have been depicted in front and the word Third has been placed in between, in which the Alphabet â€Å"I† has been presented as Human which for surely complement the main Title of Book. The Purpose of book is to diminish the possibilities of conflict and change the culture of conflict within our families, our workplaces or organizations, our communities, and most importantly within our world. The idea of paperback is to explore the reasons we are in conflict and sets forward a roadmap to resolution.The author has given ten roles convincing manner for the prevention (Provider, Teacher, Bridge-builder), containment of conflicts(Mediator, Arbiter, Equalizer, Healer) and its resolution(Witness, Referee, Peacekeeper). These ten practical roles described as managers, teachers, parents, and citizens–that each of us can play every day to prevent destructive conflict, but much detailed has not been given about which sort of personalities can adopt to which role/s or Can anyone play the all roles simultaneously?And in our Pakistani s ociety where we have limitations to interfere into the other affairs as third side by using all ten roles cannot be possible to play by one individual. Apart from mediation, all roles lack in to tell someone that how one can develop the qualities to perform such roles and how you can do it? As far as his methodology is concerned so it's quite simplified but more hypotheses can be created region wise graphical representation but book lacks in it for instance author can segregate the chapters region wise that how one conflict resolves in one society i. . in east or west etc and variation in conflicts level in different societies or cultures. Much of examples are from his personal cases or experiences which have been discussed over again and again throughout the book but case studies from some other references can be included to prove his point of view which must give his work more authentication. Author is an anthropologist that’s why he has given too much depth in first too ch apter where he specifies about the history of human being and its evolution, culture development, population growth on earth , agriculture istory, industrial & Knowledge revolution, Development of weapons & wars etc, which some time distract the reader ‘s attention from its main theme of conflict management. Tone ; Expression of author was strong in beginning but it has become soften when third segment of book started from How can we stop? And at the end again tone ; expression of author found strong. Ideology of an author is ideal which might be varied from culture to culture ; Society to Society. Argument presented in the paperback with lot of enthusiasm ; conviction, one should appreciate it as well.Grip on content were sufficient within a single part of book and linkages among thr paragraphs were better but among the three parts it bit distracted as first part of book was bit lengthy ; over detailed and reader may lost the direction if he is not reading it in a one sitting . Conclusion has been depicted in a very persuasive ; suggestive manner which left the profound impression on the reader mind about the third side ; Conflict Management. It’s a significant contribution by William Ury to the domain of conflict Management.It's not only give the new meaning to manage the relationships while dealing with difficult people which is need of today's world specially for the society of Pakistan, but also it is equally instructive for the students of social sciences or psychology. One should read it once in his/her life whether one is professional or not or student of conflict management, to create a better understanding about the third side ; conflict resolution. It is the prime need of our society in Pakistan to include this special gift on Conflict resolution to make it the part of our educational curriculum.

Aesthetic Attitude Is A Myth Philosophy Essay

Aesthetic Attitude Is A Myth Philosophy Essay In ‘The Myth of the Aesthetic Attitude’, George Dickie argues that the notion of the aesthetic attitude is a myth and attempts to argue against all forms of the idea. Whilst there are other compelling theories concerning the existence of the aesthetic attitude, he presents a strong case against it, arguing that all attempts to precisely describe such an attitude fail. His argument focuses on the notions of the aesthetic attitude proposed by Bullough and Stolnitz, which I will outline in this essay. Initially, Dickie considers Edward Bullough’s theory of psychical distance. Bullough suggests that in order to obtain an aesthetic attitude and judge an object aesthetically, the subject must distance themselves from that object and separate â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the object and its appeal from one’s own self, by putting it out of gear with practical needs and ends.†Ã‚   [ 1 ]   In doing so, Bullough says that â€Å"contemplation of the object becomes al one possible†Ã‚   [ 2 ]   and you are no longer directly involved with the object. Bullough illustrates his idea using his fog at sea example, where he describes how unpleasant and dangerous the fog might seem to a person, but also how beautiful the fog is. Bullough thinks that it is the aesthetic attitude which enables one’s view of the fog to change through a â€Å"transformation by distance†Ã‚   [ 3 ]   as the fog is allowed to â€Å"stand outside the context of our personal needs and ends† and one can look at it objectively. For Bullough, only the right amount of distance enables the aesthetic attitude to be employed and he discusses â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦cases in which people are unable to bring off an act of distancing or are incapable of being induced into a state of being distanced.†Ã‚   [ 4 ]   Bullough’s example of â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the jealous husband at a performance of Othello†Ã‚   [ 5 ]   unable to concentrate a s he is thinking of his own wife’s suspicious behaviour demonstrates being under-distanced as the subject is too emotionally involved with the play. Similarly, a light technician working on the play might be over-distanced as he is preoccupied with the lights and missing any emotional involvement with the play itself. Dickie may undermine Bullough’s concept of distance here as he questions whether one can deliberately distance oneself or whether one can be induced into a â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦consciousness denoted by being distanced.†Ã‚   [ 6 ]   Dickie undermines the concept of distance here – suggesting that there is no such experience as being distanced – and so undermines Bullough’s theory. Furthermore, Dickie criticises Bullough’s use of new terms referring to distance, as he thinks to introduce these terms â€Å"does nothing but send us chasing after phantom acts and states of consciousness.†Ã‚   [ 7 ]   Dickie infers that â€Å"there is no identifiable psychological experience of being distanced†Ã‚   [ 8 ]   and so no value in Bullough’s idea of distance. Furthermore he suggests that being under or over-distanced is simply being more or less focused on something and just â€Å"two different cases of inattention.†Ã‚   [ 9 ]   Therefore, being distanced means just focusing one’s attention on something and is not a new â€Å"kind of act†Ã‚   [ 10 ]   or special â€Å"state of consciousness†Ã‚   [ 11 ]   .

May riots in indonesia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

May riots in indonesia - Research Paper Example It is worth noting that these named locations were strongholds of the Chinese community, who had developed fairly than other locals in business economically, and even established their homes around. Many believe that there was misleading information on the influencers of the riots, some accusing the government, military and elite groups’ involvement in the mass destruction to secure their interests. Other violent movements had been conducted as early as in 1965 among others minor cases worth mentioning, to the 1998 May riots, which was the peak of destruction that undermined the country’s reputation; however, all these incidences demonstrated the specific history of anti-Chinese sentiment and oppression in Indonesia. Thesis statement: The riots began as student peaceful movement protesting against the death of their fellow reformist, but later became politically motivated to force resignation of President Suharto. The violence of the riots intensified when the non-stude nts, young and poor people in the urban areas took advantage of the country’s situation to cause lootings, steer destruction and human violation against the rivaled Chinese community. The local Indonesian rioters rage highly impacted on Chinese ethnicity, their women being sexually assaulted and causing many of the locals and foreigners to leave or migrate. The political and economical instability led to the eruption of the riots, whose effects were later characterized as anti-Chinese action. Cause of the Riot In the month of May, the students had been protesting against the death of their fellow reformist and students, who generally hoped to have change considering the economical situation and the political climate that was unsuitable to steer the nation ahead. The Suharto regime was characterized by a lot of corruption and had been in power for thirty two years (Abrash pbs.org). In his position, the public interest was disregarded as he sought to show favourism towards his family and elite groups who were few, but very rich in the development over time. Apart from the potential Chinese businesses, his favorites had established growing businesses, which were believed to have steered the public anger over Suharto rule. Coincidentally, the gasoline price hike as a reform measure that was being implemented by the government, gave an opportunity for severe riots in major contested towns. The incident became serious when 6 of university students were shot dead in a Jakarta on 13 May, in a confrontation with the Indonesian security forces (â€Å"Refugee review† 3). On the same day, the riots spread across Medan, Solo, and Jakarta among other areas as the non-students or young urban men took control of the riots, while the students mourned the fall of their fellow students. As a result of the differences in the economy and power, the Chinese were the major scapegoat beside the minority elites and royal family. The demonstrating students from different universities later marched forth to the parliament building demanding the stepping down of President Suharto, which was later a success. Effects of 1998 Riots Chinese women rape: Following the Chinese community being the targeted group in the country, their women and female children risked being violated sexually in the times of the riots. The families therefore had an obligation to secure their women, even if it meant moving out of the country for their safety.

Cultural Groups and Equal Payment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cultural Groups and Equal Payment - Term Paper Example Money itself is the most vibrant form of incentive for increasing the productivity of employees. This is why organizations use the various methods to evaluate employees. Employees who work properly do not have the fear factor of supervisors. This is because they are scaled according to the amount of work they have done which has been seen in material form. These employees do not have to wait on supervisors to accept the amount of work they have done and they are compensated by the amount of work they have physically completed. This essay would analyze the situation of the cultural groups with regard to the difference in their payment scales. The performance-rated payment system is frowned upon in some societies. This example could be seen where employees who work at call centers are paid a specific sum regardless of the amount of work that has been done. In countries such as India, call center employees are paid a fixed wage rate of Rs. 15,000 (USD 300) per month. They are not even c ompensated by the amount of work they have done whereas for employees working in call centers in USA are paid roughly USD 2000 per month and after reaching a specific target they are compensated with overtime premium amounts and bonuses. This shows how the wage rates in other countries determine how the employees are used and not equally compensated. Performance based work rates are appreciated in these types of countries as it increases the quality of work and gives the employees reasons to improve themselves. Equal payment for equal work is a concept which itself focuses on the title. Employers might not be paying equal wages to workers for a certain task and might be using some kind of medium to keep it that way. Some restaurants and stores hire illegal immigrants on lower wage rates than that of a legal citizen. They use this to their benefit and utilize the pay difference to boost the store profits. The equal pay for equal work context also works in the context of sexual discri mination. Women across the globe are not treated with the same respect that male employees are offered and their benefits are also not properly compensated for. Free market supporters believe that the rules and legislations that are passed are not properly kept in light and it does not protect the people that it has aimed to protect. Where an employer has to hire someone, that employer would prefer hiring a male worker instead of a female because of the workload that the male can take on. Most female employees have this in mind when applying for a job. The employer now has the benefit of hiring a worker who is skilled and will be working for less compensation for work. Employees try to work against the system by formulating labor unions to help them get the rightly deserved compensation that they are asking for. The USA has a law which focuses on equal pay/compensation for work that has been done. The law revolves around mainly focusing on gender inequalities for employees working i n a work place. All forms of pay are covered in this law including bonuses and benefits that the employee would get are covered in this law. (Commission). The government also introduced the Equal Pay Act (EPA) which would require employers to pay men and women equally for any work that they do which is similar. This law was passed in 1963 where the crux of the labor related problems were seen. This law itself covers every state, federal government and mostly all private employers. (All). This law

Compare and contrast analysis essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Compare and contrast analysis - Essay Example Other research studies on the subject revealed diverse perspectives noting the popularity that hip hop has gained from the time it originated and spanning a global audience. In this regard, using the two discourse: Chang’s It’s a Hip Hop World and Kiwana’s Erasing Blackness, the current essay hereby aims to present a comparative analysis of these literary works through a closer examination of the following elements, to wit: point of view, character, theme and experiences. There are similarities in terms of presenting both literary works from the third person point of view. Both Chang and Kiwana used the formal essay structure by using narrative and descriptive format and style with examples noted from actual life experiences. The disparities lie in presentation of the literary work, as Chang’s presentation could be deemed more effective in enticing pathos or emotional appeal through the use of carefully selected photographs the break the monotony of a long line of discourse (â€Å"Asian art: Graffiti is one of the original elements of American-style hip-hop that Chinas urban youth have made their own† (Chang 60); â€Å"Cant stop: A South Korean b-boy tears up Seoul with his acrobatic moves† (Chang 61); â€Å"Revisiting roots: Senegalese hip-hop artists tackle themes of poverty and oppression† (Chang 62)). Kiwana relied solely on narrative and descriptive prose with only very minimal sub-headings that assist the readers in defining a well-crafted enumeration on the arguments supposedly supporting white kids as hip-hop’s primary audience. Thereby, it could be deduced that Kiwana used logos as the rhetorical appeal through persuading the readers using logical reasoning. The theme is obviously unified as both focused on the subject of hip-hop. The contrast lies in thrust or focus of discussion. As brief noted, Kiwana’s discussion on the chapter aimed at

Local Police Response to Terrorism Research Paper

Local Police Response to Terrorism - Research Paper Example It is quite clear that the national security agencies cannot work alone in the fight against terrorism. Hence the situation requires team work among the private and public agencies; most importantly along with the local police. All of them must work in tandem to ensure the security of the country. Getting back to the role of local police it is to be said that local police can definitely identify probable terrorists operating or living in the respective jurisdictions and thus coordinate with the other agencies to prevent or even to respond to terror attacks. However, such responsibilities are of extreme significance and may lead to increase in the work load of the police of force, which to be honest is already quite hectic (Jongman, 2005). The present study looks to analyze the importance of the role of the local police in the fight against terrorism. During the course of the study various aspects such as the effect of political, economic and social changes on the law enforcement agen cies including local police; importance of partnership among local communities and local police along with other critical issues such as related to the role of the local police in the battle against terror has been analyzed. ... It has also been claimed by both of them that this role not much different in the role that the authorities play in case of the fight against local crimes. It has also been argued that counter terrorism should be added into the everyday departments. This should be inducted in to the agendas of every meeting. The officers should be communicated and trained regarding the new role to ensure that the prevention against terrorism becomes a part of the daily thought process and routine. However, things are easier said than done. It is needless to discuss that terrorist attacks are quite rare events. Terrorist attacks would not occur as frequently as a homicide or robbery or theft (Miller and Braswell, 2010). The arguments posted by Researchers are absolutely right and has to be agreed. However, the next question that comes to mind would be: What can the local police actually do? One mat say that the local police can collect intelligence about probable terrorism activities; ensure the prote ction of seemingly vulnerable targets are protected; and there would also be the most obvious response, i.e. the local police should always be in a position to respond to any kind of attack. The last topic is quite controversial and hence in the best interest of the research it has been avoided and hence the first two tasks would be discussed. Such an approach is of great significance because if the phrase prevention is better that cure had to come true then it would be for the battle against terrorism. It is needless to discuss about the devastation of terrorist attacks and hence the prime focus should be on avoiding such disasters rather than any other crime such as murder of robbery, where the main focus would be to ensure that the criminal(s)