Should Tennagers Be Allowed to Get Birth Control Essay Example for Free

Should Tennagers Be Allowed to Get Birth Control Essay This raises the question, should teenagers be allowed to receive birth control methods without their parents’ permission. The answer is teenage girls should not be allowed to receive birth control without parent consent. There are many reasons why birth control methods should not be available to teenagers without their parent’s knowledge. Among the reasons are because this encourages premarital sex, it hinders communication between parent and child, and it forces the child to make adult decisions about medication, and that can be harmful to the teen. Foremost, I believe it is appropriate to keep in mind that one is not granted the ability to vote until they reach the age of 18. Laws and procedures vary from state to state, even though most states do not have a law about receiving birth control methods. But the idea of teens making a decision to add medication into their daily lives is ridiculous, even more since the government has already determined that they are not ready to make an extremely important decision as far as voting. Therefore allowing teens to obtain prescription birth control without parents’ knowledge interferes with the parent/child relationship. There are rules and regulations that require government funded hospitals to contact parents if their teenager would like to receive prescription birth control and sometimes this encourage sexual activity among teenagers. I feel that if teenagers under 16, need have to have their parents’ consent to have surgery and to receive medical treatment, birth control should not excluded. Birth control should also be of importance. I believe that parents should know what activities their teenagers are participating in; and since the government holds the parents responsible for our children. Being a parent I feel the parent should have in the situation. I feel that any great parent should care about the interest of their child wants to know whether their teenage daughter is going to the public clinic to get receive birth control; and any good parent would want to help their teenager make the right choices and good decisions on the matter, and to help the teenager from making bad choices without the parents’ consent. Certain states have laws against people who are under the age of sixteen, when it comes to them having sex. Health risks that are associated with prescribed birth control make it unethical to allow children to obtain these medicines without parent consent. Common side effects of early usage of birth control include nutrient deficiency, weight gain, mood changes, and depression (www. kidshealth. org). A prescribed birth control method also puts users at a higher risk of PMS, depression, migraines, and all kind of maladies (www. womenhealth. org) due to the risk of developing yeast problems. But without having the proper research, a teenager really has no way of knowing or understanding the health risks that comes with taking birth control methods. Therefore, it is important that parents’ know and be involved in their children’s life decisions. Even though their argument is that birth control reduces the number of teen pregnancies, prescribed birth control does not protect an individual from STD’s. If teenagers were able to obtain prescription birth control without prenatal consent, we may actually see a jump in STD’s among teens. Teenagers that are sexually active are a problem that has to be addressed. Curiosity arises in the minds of teenager every, they want to know what sex is all about. My religion which is Christianity, instructs us to wait until they are married to have begun to have sex. But not only in churches is abstinence being preached, but public schools is adding this to their curriculum, and teaching the teenagers about the greatness of keeping their virginity. Teenagers having sex before marriage is a growing issue among teenagers. Sex before marriage is the cause of teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and emotional distress. Sexually transmitted diseases show in a society of teenagers that are having premarital sex, because teenagers have so many different sex partners. Therefore, a result to teenagers having sex is the different disease which is becoming more common in the teenage population. Because, for this is that the teenagers don not know how to use the different birth control methods. Many teenagers believe that the pill or condoms stop the spread of AIDs, other diseases, and herpes so, the contraceptives do not prevent these diseases from spreading. Three million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers are reported each year. (www. helpme. com) There are so many teens that feel that there is nothing wrong in having sex before marriage, but having sexual relations with numerous people from age 15 and 19 doubles the diseases that have been spreading to different people every time. Because teenagers are having more sexual relationships, it seems that it is being more accepted among the public, and this is causing even more teenagers to start in having sexual relationships. Many teens believed that they were pressured into having sex. But if the community has the strength to pressure teenagers into having sex, then society should be using education to help teach teenagers about how bad sex is before marriage. Teenagers that is engaging into sexual activities before marriage is a major cause of teenage pregnancy. Teenagers often believe that they cannot get pregnant, or being a parent cannot happen to them, but the teenage pregnancy rate is on the rise every year. Being careless is a great factoring in teenage pregnancy, whether it is the use of contraceptives, or choosing their sexual partner. Teenagers use the different methods of birth control wrong. Teenagers do not have the adult mentality to choose a partner they want to be with at their age, which causes them to make the wrong decisions about their partners, which cause them to make wrong decisions and here is an unwanted pregnancy. The majority of unwanted pregnancies occur because teenagers do not really do not see how easy it is to become pregnant, or how they should know how to use birth control methods correctly. A lot of teenagers feel that they love their significant other, and so they began plan for a baby but their focus is not to look at the financial obligations that follow. Sex before marriage can play a great role in a teenager’s emotional factor. Teenagers feel all kinds of, emotional loss after they engage into having sex before marriage. Some teenagers may not feel the emotions of having sex now, but as they get older, life begins to sink in. Rather the teenager experienced having an STD’s or an unplanned pregnancy, they began to regret and this causes the teen to feel bad about them and it causes depression. â€Å"In fact, a great number of teens, active in sexual relationships, and ninety percent actually regret their choices to have sex (www. helpme. com)†. Teenagers feel the shame when their relationship ends because, having sex before marriage is a great causes of depression among teenagers and the parents that feel they are responsible for their childish choices. Many teenagers claim, that abstinence is not cool and that being abstinent is impossible but I am here to tell you it only takes one word â€Å"NO†! They are economically dependent, and the teen moms are not able to spend time with their children. Whether the parents know that their child is pregnant this really affects the women emotionally and psychologically, her ability to continue going to school, and her finances are affected. Parents should be able to make sure they get all the love that their teenagers need. If the teenagers parents do not know are not aware, there is a problem that the parents and their teenage daughters bond will be messed up at a time when parental support is most important. Now in some cases, I feel that the teenager might not want to tell her parents that she needs birth control or that she is engaging into sexual activities, for example, if a teen has been abused by their parents maybe if they were to tell their parents they would feel threatened for their safety. This may be a circumstance which could get the law involved, it should not be taken advantage of to make it seem like the parents should be consulted over whether underage children should be able to receive birth control or not. For teenagers nearly around the ages of 16 to 18 the case for parental consent is clearly less convincing. There has to be a line drawn somewhere because society has these teenagers feeling they can do whatever they feel and it’s not right. I grew up in a very religious family, and of course my mother did not believe in having sex before marriage. That is why I feel that teenagers both boys and girls should not be able to receive any kind of birth control without their parents knowing. I feel that when a teenage should decide to worry about contraceptives parents should be notified. Too many things are going on in today’s society. And this just helps with the parent and child relationship because a parent and a child should have a bond that is unbreakable

Advertisements Information Or Manipulation Media Essay

Advertisements Information Or Manipulation Media Essay These are some of the common advertisements that we can see and hear in our everyday life. Advertisement according to oxforddictionaries.com means that a notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event or publicizing a job vacancy. Advertisements are everywhere around us. Whether we noticed it or not, it has been long existed. In fact in Egyptian time, they used papyrus to make sales messages and wall posters to attract the consumers. With todays advancement of the media, the numbers of magazines increasing, newspapers, TVs and radio stations, people are bombarded with thousands of advertising daily. Advertising is in fact important because it creates awareness to the consumers about products that are available in the market. With the presence of the advertisement, it helps to increase the demand for a certain products. It also let the consumer to choose from a number of products available in the market. But does all these advertisement really give the information to the consumers or just plain tactics to manipulate us to buy or use the services? A lot of the advertisements nowadays are actually manipulating us rather than giving us the real information. The advertisers are in fact intelligent people. They know that normal advertisements that only contain facts are plain boring and seem dull. Therefore they created fantasies to make the advertisement look more appealing. We can clearly see that most advertisement created used our desire, such as sports, sexy women and superstars so that we become attracted and intend to purchase them. As an example this one commercial about a deodorant, AXE, that being use by this man. After he uses it, he is able to attract hot and sexy women towards him. People are being trick by such advertisement and they started to buy these products. After they put it on, they feel as they are the same as in the commercial. This clearly shows that they are playing with our emotions. Think wisely why they use such act. Does this have connections with the quality of the product they release to the market? We consumers should be more cautious to the method used in order to prevent us from being manipulated by the advertisers. Be alert that the advertisers worldwide are succeeding in making people change their lifestyle. In this case, they know that popular artist can play their role in making people especially their fans to follow their way. For example popular artist from Japan, Gazette. Their appearances: clothes that they are wearing and their hairstyle, are so cool that many fan decided to follow their style. By using such influence, most people dont mind in spending their money just to be same as their idol. Doing this kind of advertisements is in fact quite expensive. However, they are prepared to spend a lot of money in the advertising so that they can sell their products. It has been estimated that the price of a product may go up over to 40% due to advertisement costs. Still, due to the success of manipulating the consumers, the advertisers get a lot of money. As an example, according to Welt-Online, they reported that the US pharmaceutical industry spent almost double the amount on advertising ( 57.7 billion dollars) than it did on research (31.5 billion dollars). Yet few consumers noticed that they are the ones paying for every cent the US pharmaceutical spent for public relations, advertisements, rebates, packaging since they ordinarily get included in the price calculation. In the end the consumers will pay more to them while the advertisers gain more profits. Another interesting fact is that they also know how to attract people according their age group. In one case, they try to persuade a group of age between below 8 years old. According to American Psychological Association, they found out that young children are unable to understand and interpret televised advertising messages wisely and thus are likely to consider commercials as truthful, accurate and unbiased. This can lead to many problems like unhealthy eating habits as evidenced by todays youth obesity epidemic. The young children also being targeted as they can also persuade their parents to buy the things that they are being attracted to like toys, sweets and ice cream. One successful commercial like the car models from Hot Wheels where they had successfully sell thousands of their toys. As the children are unable to think wisely it is more likely easier to manipulate them by putting more of what they desire in the advertisement rather than supplying information. On one research , it is found that advertisers had spent more than $12 billion a year on messages aimed at the youth market. The average child watches more than 40,000 television commercials a year. This clearly shows just how they are willing to spend money in order manipulate the consumers rather than giving them much more useful information. The young ones are also not the only one being targeted by the advertisers. Todays adolescences are also being seduced by them. Most male adolescence love sports especially football. The advertisers take this chance by using the football stars in their commercial to market their product. It is likely of us nowadays to follow our idol way. No wonder some brands become top in their games as they are able to increase their selling products and gain more profit. One example of one popular brand company, Nike, where they hired Lebron James, a professional NBA player to be one of their ambassadors. The female adolescences also being manipulate by the advertisement. Not being biased but the female is most likely easy to be trick by certain advertisement. Just see how many women are willing to spend their money and time just for shopping. Younger women especially in Malaysia nowadays are attracted and had followed the Japanese style which also known as the Harajuku style that have been started by some of the popular artist like Ayumi Hamasaki and Kumi Koda.It is likely of them to answer like this: Well, this is the latest trend for the season. They buy things like clothes that are being considered popular for the season. Rather than What should I wear today? it has become What trend must I wear for today?. Not only just clothing, even other things like hairstyle, shoes and even skin color are being considered. It makes us set our mind that it is more important to look good rather than the real purpose of wearing clothes. This proves that advertisement manipulate rather than giving information. The advertisers also use tactics like the linking of sporting heroes and smoking through sports sponsorship, the use of cigarettes by popular characters in television programs and cigarette promotions. Like what is happening in India, as the actors smoke, the viewer intend to do the same thing as they feel it is macho to smoke. People rarely think deeply on the effect that might be faced by them on long term side as they think only for short time. Same thing goes to other products like alcohol drinks. The consumption of alcohol is being glamorized and shown without consequences in advertisements, music, magazines, television programs and even in movies. With the media overwhelmed by these kind of advertisements, no wonder more people especially the youngster below aged drink, even though the fact that alcohol bring harmful to the human body. Not all advertisement told the truth. Some of it sometimes hides the real information or facts that are supposed to be told to the consumers. In fact they are just sweet talk so that people will be attracted to what they offer. For example advertisement about shampoo that can make the hair smooth and straight. As nowadays people are eager to have such hair, they are easily influence by these kind of commercial and purchase the product without knowing the fact whether it really do make the hair to be as what they desire for or just bluffing. On top of hiding the real information they also send a blurry fact to the consumers. Just like a fog or mist that we encounter in the early morning, we cant see clearly of what we are facing in front of us. We are not sure whether it is safe or danger in front of us. This implies just the same as the blurry advertisement. It may be good for us and it may be the opposite. In summary, advertisement do contain both information and at the same time trying to manipulate the consumers. However based on the points given earlier, it clearly shows that most advertisement are actually manipulating the consumer rather than giving them full information on certain things. To prevent this from happening, the government should regulate on which advertisements are appropriate to be shown in the mass media so that less consumers are being trick by these kind of advertisement. Still, it is up to the consumers to be alert on what is happening so that they would be cheated easily by some advertisements. Work Cited: Advertising, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising [retrieved 7 September] Criticism of Advertising, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_advertising [retrieved 9 September] ADVERTISING: Information or Manipulation? http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2010/05/advertising-information-or-manipulation/ [retrieved 9 September] Information or Manipulation? Regulators Urged to Further Limit Ads Aimed at Children http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A659-2004Feb23.html [retrieved 12 September] ADVERTISEMENTS:Manipulation of innocent people http://isariamwende.blogspot.com/2005/05/advertisements-manipulation-of.html [retrieved 14 September] Power of advertising http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2010/4/13/lifefocus/6018920sec=lifefocus [retrieved 14 September]

Humorous Wedding Speech from the Father of the Bride -- Wedding Toasts

Humorous Wedding Speech from the Father of the Bride Well, good afternoon everyone, for those of you that don?t know me my name is Lee and I?m Janie?s dad, and in keeping with tradition, it is my honor and privilege to deliver the ?Father of the Bride Speech?. Having to make this speech is one of the few opportunities in a married man?s life when he is allowed to do all of the talking...and I intend to make the most of it. Now, giving a speech can be a little stressful so I will put into practice what I preach, that is...always remember the ABC to the XYZ of public speaking. ABC..Always Be Confident, ?XYZ..Xamine Your Zipper. (check zipper). It won?t be a long speech on account of my throat?.no, it?s not sore, it?s just that Janet threatened to cut it if I go on too long! So I?ll start...Distinguished guests, those of dubious distinction and those of absolutely no distinction whatsoever, family, relatives, friends, relatives of friends, friends of friends, hotel staff, freeloaders and hangers-on, on behalf of Janet and myself, I extend a warm welcome to Janie and Martin?s wedding celebration reception. You know, delivering the ?Father of the Bride? speech feels a bit like a sheikh walking into his harem for the first time...you know what to do, but you don?t know where to start. I will start however by taking this opportunity to thank especially Janet for not only being chief worrier and organise... ... we marry. It is very obvious that they have found in one another a perfect match; their happiness shines like a beacon. Janie and Martin, there is no challenge in a marriage that cannot be overcome by the following three, three word sentences: I was wrong. You were right. I love you. So, approaching the toast, ladies and gentlemen, please stand and make sure your glasses are fully charged?mine is being charged to Barclaycard? Janie and Martin? Here?s to the past for all that it taught you Here?s to the present for all that you share And here?s to the future for all that you can look forward together Ladies & gentlemen please raise your glasses. The toast is?Janie & Martin, Bride and Groom

Comparing The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? :: Compare Contrast Matrix Androids Essays

Comparing The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? For the common moviegoer and book aficionado, the movie, The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? are bizarre and peculiar. These works are not the usual themes of normal movies and books. These works have a lot of elements in common. Both works have matrices. The movie and the book stress the idea of reality. In both works the idea of what s real and what s not is the central theme. In the movie, The Matrix there are many similarities with the book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? One similarity is that of the matrices in both works. The movie has a matrix of dreams. According to the movie, humans are dreaming. Dreaming means that the reality humans think of, is not reality. The reality humans think of, is a dream. Confusing, isn t? An easier way of understanding this matrix is to think of human dreams. When humans experience dreams, it is not perceived as a dream until the dream ends. The movie exemplifies humans in the dream state of mind, similar to the dreaming stage. Neo is exposed to his real matrix. The matrix outside of his perceptual reality. He is able to perform with an incredible flexibility and high speed thinking. He is no longer dreaming, or as Neo called it, living. Neo has waken up. The book shares this matrix as well. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? the androids are dreaming. The Tyrell Corporation has programmed these androids to think, feel, and act as instructed. The androids are in a dream matrix just as humans are in The Matrix. The androids don t know what s real. What s real for them is not real. For example, Rachel can play the piano. She doesn t know she can play the piano, until she actually starts playing it. It s a computer generated simulation. She didn t really learn how to play the piano. One difference in both works is the matrix of existence. In the book, Deckard doubts his existence. He starts to wonder what a human being is.

educating the global citizen :: essays research papers

Educating the Global Citizen Quote: â€Å"Washing one’s hands in conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.† Paulo Friere who was a Brazilian educator and a human right activist wrote this quote. He was born in 1922 and died in 1997. The quote means that that if you don’t to anything to change the issue of the powerless then the powerful people are the ones that succeed. All the powerful need is for no one to stand in the way. If you grant them this then you truly helping them. If you side with the powerless then you are trying to help them and you are not being neutral which means doing nothing at all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An example is when the Europeans used African Americans as there slaves. The Europeans were the powerful and the African Americans were the powerless. Before the Underground Railroad people were being neutral about the situation. When they started this network of freeing slaves, the sided with the powerless, so that they could be free in Canada.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This quote is trying to make us make a difference in the world, instead of doing nothing at all. By helping someone in need you are making a big difference in our global village. To make a difference it not only takes the government but also us citizens. People all around the world are connected in someway or another. One issue can affect the whole world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One way that we can apply this quote to the present is how the world has allowed Iraq and Afghanistan to be attacked. Many innocent people, including children have been harmed because no one protested. The world helped the powerful and defeated the powerless. An issue that we are helping is the tsunami that happened in parts of Indonesia, Thailand and India.

The R-word and Racist Native American Sports Team Logos Essay

Racial epithets have long existed and plagued our society, Native Americans throughout the country consider the R-word a racial, derogatory slur along the same lines of other hurtful, slanderous, and offensive ethnic insults including the N-word among African-Americans, the K-word for the Jewish and the W-word amongst Latinos. Above all, the portrayal of stereotypical Indian images is common in American popular culture (i.e. Jeep Cherokee, Land O’Lakes butter). Moreover, the use of Indian logos or mascots at both the professional and high school level in sports has become increasingly controversial. Thus, the removal of Native American mascots from sports teams is necessary to fight the injustice of the negative connotations and stereotypes that are typical in the depiction of Indians. Our society must become aware of how very racist the word â€Å"redskin† is and how very derogatory the portrayal of the Native American is in so many commercial and sporting events. Interestingly, Merriam-Webster’s definition defines â€Å"Redskin† as a very offensive slang used as a disparaging term for a Native American and should be avoided. The fact that many Americans are not aware of the definition of the term â€Å"redskin† or are blind to see into believing that this term means strong, brave, and courageous gives them a false sense of understanding to the true testament of the word â€Å"redskin† that is heavily misunderstood and overlooked in today’s society. First, by considering the term â€Å"Redskin† has for centuries been used to belittle and humiliate an entire people. The meaning originated in colonial times when traders and local government paid for skins. There was a certain price paid for various animal skins. On that list was the term â€Å"Red-skin,† which referred to bloody scalps of American Indians resulting from a Native American crossing the path of a bounty hunter. Most of the affected tribes were Penobscots, Passamaquoddy, Wampanoag, Mashpee Wampanoag and others along the New England coastal line. The reason they were paid for these scalps, the colonists were working to remove the American Indian presence and take over their land. Furthermore, the original name was a European one used to describe Algonquins who painted their face with bright red ocher and bloodroot, consequently making their  face red with war paint. In addition, red is the most common color used by Native Americans in painting their skin. According to Dress Clothing of the Plains Indians by Ronal P. Koch, â€Å"Red is generally accepted as being one of the colors most easily available to and most used by Indians for decorative and ceremonial purposes.† In recent developments, the Non-Disparagement of Native American Persons or Peoples in Trademark Registration Act of 2013 (H.R. 1278) introduced by U.S. Congressman Eni Faleomavaega of the Territory of American Samoa states that this bill would require cancellation of existing trademark registrations for trademarks using the term â€Å"redskin† in reference to Native Americans. It would also deny registration for new trademarks so using the term â€Å"redskin† would be deemed improper, the bill has begun to pick up steam and has garnered nation wide support through the backings of Native Americans and Non-Native American organizations in advocating an end to the use of the term â€Å"redskin† which constitutes a racial slur and is disparaging, derogatory, demeaning, and offensive to Native Americans. According to the United States House of Representative’s website, documented in a letter to Members of Congress, the National Congress of American Indians (NC AI) which is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving tribal governments and communities recently stated: This legislation will accomplish what Native American people, nations, and organizations have tried to do in the courts for almost twenty years – end the racist epithet that has served as the [name] of Washington’s pro football franchise for far too long. The Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism (TICAR) asserts that the â€Å"R-word† is â€Å"hurtful and injurious to our youth, as well as the entire Native American population.† Accordingly, the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA) affirms: The term has never been acceptable in the Native community and causes harm to the collective self-esteem and status of American Indians in the larger society. . . What should be viewed as a national embarrassment has somehow turned into a  celebrated namesake for a national sport? Further, the American Indian Movement West (AIM-WEST) sustains that: Our organization supports the goal of ridding the sports world of the disparaging name of the Washington pro football franchise. There is no question that this is a racist term that causes harm and injury, whether or not it is intended to do so, and must not be tolerated in decent society. As well as, the United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET) expresses: Overcoming the social challenges resulting from industry branding and media exposure has taken generations for other groups. Native communities are on a similar journey. In our work to protect and promote our sovereignty rights at all levels, existing stereotypes, bigotry, and racist views about our people often get in the way of progress. This legislation will assist Tribes in promoting an understanding of American Indian culture, positive images of Indian Country, the effects of historic trauma, and the modern-day successes and challenges Tribes face as we seek to improve the standard of living within our communities. In addition to the above organizations, there are 50 other organizations that have either pledged their support for this bill or rejected the use of the term ‘Redskin,’ among them are the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, the Oneida Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the National Indian Youth Council, the National Indian Child Welfare Association, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the National Indian Education Association, the National American Indian House Council as well as a long laundry list of other notable organizations. Second, the stereotypical Indian images in American pop culture known as â€Å"Tribalism,† as Ruth Hopkins, a columnist for the Indian Country Today Media Network concedes â€Å"as a mainstream trend largely based on false, stereotypical notions of who indigenous people are has become a pop culture phenomenon.† Among those are celebutantes, pop princesses and hipster  wannabes have been wearing obtrusive, exaggerated war bonnets and headdresses, wearing â€Å"war paint,† and playing dress up in Native American â€Å"inspired† costumes in record numbers. She goes on to illustrate that the perpetuation of stereotypical images of Native peoples is unacceptable and discriminatory for a plethora of reasons. (Hopkins) Clearly, Non-natives who wear American Indian costumes are pretending to be someone of another race. Those who play â€Å"dress up† by wearing an American Indian costume, headdress or war bonnet are not only failing to acknowledge the existence of over 500 recognized Native nations, each separate and distinct from one another, they are making light of centuries of suffering, oppression and massacre endured by the indigenous people of this country. Enforcing racial stereotypes of Native peoples as savages in characterless feathers and fringe also perpetuates the myth that American Indians are not active members of modern society and casts them aside to make them feel further disrespected and unworthy as a depleted and lost society. (Hopkins) Actually, not all American Indian tribes include war bonnets or headdresses as part of their traditional insignia. Of those who do, headdresses and war bonnets were worn by men, and have nothing to do with fashion or the sexual objectification of women. Hopkins expresses that â€Å"each eagle feather contained in a war bonnet is individually earned, often bestowed upon the owner through ceremony, and represents a significant event or acknowledged act of bravery, leadership, or self-sacrifice.† Much less, powerful, respected American Indian men with a history of valor who are leaders in their Tribal community specifically wear war bonnets. In other words, the only people who should be wearing war bonnets are chiefs or well respected warriors, such as Tatanka Iyotanka or Chief Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Lakota not these so-called reality stars such as Chloe Kardashian, or the pop star Ke$ha. It’s sad and pathetic that such an inconsiderate display would be similar to th e wearing of a war bonnet by someone who hasn’t earned it. (Hopkins) Because many people have such a limited knowledge of Indians, Native Americans are arguably, among the most misunderstood ethnic groups in the United States. Native Americans are also among the most isolated groups. What people know is limited by their sources of information and,  unfortunately, much of the information about Indians is derived from popular culture. Stereotyping is a poor substitute for getting to know individuals at a more intimate, meaningful level. By relying on stereotypes to describe Native Americans, whites come to believe that Indians are drunks, get free money from the government, and are made wealthy from casino revenue. Or they may believe that Indians are at one with nature, deeply religious, and wise in the ways of spirituality. Indeed, American mainstream media have always tended to distort Native American images. In a research conducted by Liu & Zhang on the representation of Native Americans in pop culture, â€Å"the film Dances with Wolves; the radio and TV Western, The Lone Ranger; and the novel, by Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans, are just a handful of TV shows ad movies that present negative or romanticized images of American Indians, either nasty or cruel, or subservient and short, but all disappearing.† For instance, the fabricated Indian images on TV and in the Hollywood films influence the identity formation of individual Native Americans. Consequently, Hollywood and TV have created simulated Indians and have played and replayed these images so many times that the Indian viewers take them as real. These romantic and stoic characters hardly speak in the films; nor do they get heard. Especially, Liu & Zhang point out the discrepancies that in Hollywood films and TV plays, Indians ar e paid to die, to fall off the horse, to confirm the â€Å"Vanishing Noble Savage† stereotype, so endings are important. Further propagating that these stereotypical images can be seen in the â€Å"westerns† movies and even in some cartoons such as Peter Pan. Moreover, other stereotypical images showed them with painted faces smoking peace pipes, dancing around a totem pole (at times with a captive tied to it), sending up smoke signals, wearing feathered head pieces, scalping the heads of their enemies and constantly chanting the word â€Å"um† promotes a damaging misconception and negative inferences towards Native Americans. With regards to discrimination, when the highly popular Twilight series received the Hollywood treatment, Taylor Lautner played the Native American character Jacob Black and his casting became steeped in controversy. As Dow points out that â€Å"Lautner’s presence seemed out of sync with Hollywood’s recent pro-Indian stance. Lautner claimed to have discovered his Indian  ancestry after being cast. Actions like this show film producers’ hesitance to hire an actor in spite of the character’s ethnicity. Rick Mora, an actor who resides in California, who plays a Native American in T wilight disagrees with the casting of Taylor: â€Å"There is plenty of Native talent in town (Hollywood) to play that role.† Furthermore, she yields that the movie could be â€Å"applauded for representing Natives as more than simply a dying race, instead appearing onscreen as people with their own unique personalities.† For some younger viewers this may be their first contact with Native American culture, so acknowledging Indians as Americans on screen was an achievement on the part of Hollywood. In addition, the summer release of X-men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 and the highly popular character Silver Fox made her first onscreen appearance in the movie series. In the original comics, Silver Fox is described as a Native Canadian Black Foot. The character is to be played by Caucasian actress Lynn Collins, and the decision to cast a white actress has upset many fans of the comics. Hollywood producers have also decided to change her name to the more American-sounding Kayla Silverfox. Clearly, not only does Hollywood still find it difficult to include a Native American in a blockbuster, but also they e ven refuse to leave the traditional ethnic names intact. (Dow) Whereas names, images, and mascots that symbolize Native Americans are used extensively in the United States, particularly in sports and advertising. In sports there are the Washington Redskins football team, the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians baseball teams, and the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team. Fans of the Atlanta Braves use the â€Å"tomahawk chop† accompanied by a chant to intimidate visiting teams, while the Cleveland Indians use the mascot Chief Wahoo and the University of Illinois uses the mascot Chief Illiniwek. As a result, Native Americans across the country have been protesting the use of their symbols and heritage in sports arenas for over a decade. Most particular in the realm of professional sports, these protests have not generated significant changes in attitudes and practices. As an illustration, Hatfield designates that logos used by the Washington football team and the Cleveland and Atlanta baseball teams are offensive for many reasons, as are the logos formerly used by Dartmouth College and the University of Illinois. (They are no longer used because the NCAA banned teams with racist names and ma scots from post-season play.) He implies that  these logos appropriate the identities of Native Americans, many of whose languages and cultures have been destroyed by Euro-Americans. They take sacred religious symbols from Native American cultures – eagle feathers, face paint, and peace pipes – belittle them, and exploit them for the commercial and entertainment purposes of Americans. And they perpetuate outdated, demeaning stereotypes of Native Americans that make it difficult for Native Americans to represent themselves as part of contemporary American society.  Be that as it may, these logos reduce Native Americans to savages, to defeated enemies who have been â€Å"erased† from today’s world. Indian mascots objectify and commercialize Native Americans and their cultures. Cigar store Indians were used as advertisements to sell tobacco. Urban Outfitters used Navajo patterns to sell clothes, at least until lawyers representing the Navajo Nation filed suit against them and won an i njunction forcing them to stop. (Hatfield) Other nicknames of professional and college teams, such as Indians, Braves, Chiefs, and Seminoles may not in themselves be offensive. However, the portrayal of these words is often very demeaning. For example, the 1995 World Series, the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves, with Chief Wahoo as the mascot for the Cleveland team and the â€Å"tomahawk chop† exemplified by fans of the Atlanta team, portrayed Native Americans in an extremely degrading manner. Suzan Shown Harjo, Director of the Morning Star Institute, says that this portrayal of Native Americans is â€Å"racist, derogatory, demeaning, pejorative, offensive and ignorant at best.† On the other hand, Dr. Cornel Pewewardy, a visiting scholar in the Department of Education at Cameron University, has written extensively about the struggle of unlearning ‘Indian Stereotypes’ for both Native Americans and non-Native Americans as learned from the demeaning public portrayal of the American Indian through mascots, the movie, Pocahontas, and the â€Å"tomahawk chop.† Being that there are 62 high schools that use the name Redskins, the term has vanished from the collegiate landscape. Accordi ng to Capital News Service, â€Å"the last two colleges that used Redskins changed the name in the late 1990s. Miami University of Ohio changed from the Redskins to RedHawks in 1997 and the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm dropped the name in 1999. If the two universities had not changed their name by 2006, they would have been unable to play in the postseason under a NCAA policy adopted in 2005 that bans the use of Native American mascots by sports teams during its tournaments.† The postseason ban convinced colleges with mascots like Braves, Indians and Savages to become the Red Wolves, War Hawks, Mustangs or Savage Storm. In view of the fact, the CNS denotes that the policy made an exception for teams that have the consent of local Native American tribes like the Florida State University Seminoles. At the high school level, there is no single national sports organization like the NCAA to pressure schools to abandon Native American mascots. But officials in a growing number of states are taking similar steps as the NCAA to force schools to change. Wisconsin passed in 2010 the nation’s first state law banning public schools from using Native American names, mascots and logos. It left exceptions for schools that had the approval of local Native American tribes. In 2012, the Oregon State Board of Education issued a ruling banning all Native American team names, mascots and logos. Affected sc hools must comply by 2017 or risk losing state funding. Alternatively, according to Munson, â€Å"Indian† logos and nicknames create, support and maintain stereotypes of a race of people. She asserts that when one or many of society’s institutions support such cultural abuse, it constitutes institutional racism. Further, the logos, along with other societal abuses and stereotypes separate, marginalize, confuse, intimidate and harm Native American children. They create barriers to their learning throughout their school experience. Additionally, the logos teach non-Native American children that it’s all right to participate in culturally abusive behavior. Children spend a great deal of their time in school, and schools have a significant impact on their emotional, spiritual, physical and intellectual development. As long as such logos remain, both Native American and non-Native American children are learning to tolerate racism in our school. Understanding the history of Native Americans is important to understanding why this is such a controversial topic. The Native American community for 50 years has worked to banish images and names like Chief Wahoo, Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Braves. It is important to remind people of the cognizant use of the symbols’ resemblance to other historic, racist images of the past. She adds that Native Americans struggled to survive in harsh situations. The support of these mascots only  brings back memories of their ancestors and the suffering and pain they went through for their children and grandchildren. The debate is about more than sports teams and what they call themselves; it is about how Americans treat one another. It is about the respect that different ethnic groups have for those different than themselves in terms of history, physical characteristics, values, and most importantly, emotions. (Munson) In essence, I have came to the conclusion that the Washington Redskins were originally known as the Newark Tornadoes and then the Boston Braves. Most accounts can agree that team owner George Preston Marshall changed the franchise name from the Boston Braves to the Boston Redskins in 1933 to recognize then coach, William â€Å"Lone Star† Dietz. Dietz, who claimed half-German, half-Sioux background, embraced what he perceived to be a Native American heritage. So, since many Native Americans are outraged about the symbolization of Native Americans in sports and advertising, and since society would not tolerate equivalent symbols of other minorities, it is clear that Native Americans are discriminated against, regardless of how others may feel about the matter–and that their civil rights are violated by such racial discrimination. These are important reasons for eradicating the use of Native American names in sports, advertising, and elsewhere. Consequently, Native American organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) are making a strong push through legal action in a bid to force the Washington Redskins to change their name. Most notable of these cases are Pro Football vs. Harjo and Blackhorse v. Pro-Football, Inc. that have made strong efforts in the fight against the discrimination of Native Americans. Works Cited Hatfield, Dolph L. â€Å"The Stereotyping of Native Americans.† The Humanist Sept. 2000: 43. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 July 2013. Washington, d.c.—members of congress urge snyder and the national football league to change the washington team’s name. (2013, May 28). Retrieved from http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/as00_faleomavaega/eniredskins.html Miller, Jackson B. â€Å"Indians, Braves, And Redskins: A Performative Struggle For Control Of An Image.† Quarterly Journal Of Speech 85.2 (1999): 188. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 July 2013. Soong, Kelyn. â€Å"The Other Redskins.† . Capital News Service. Web. 15 Jul 2013. . Koch, Ronald P. Dress Clothing of the Plains Indians. University of Oklahoma Press, 1977. Examination of the design and construction of Plains Indian formal †¦ www.minnesotahumanities.org/Teachers/3-04plains.htm Hopkins, Ruth. â€Å"Indian Country Today Media Network.†Tribalism as Pop Culture Phenomenon and the Perpetuation of Offensive American Indian Stereotypes. N.p., 19 Aug 2011. Web. 14 Jul 2013. . Liu, Kedong, and Hui Zhang. Self- and Counter-Representations of Native Americans: Stereotypical Images of and New Images by Native Americans in Popular Media. Harbin Institute of Technology, China, n.d. Web. 15 Jul 2013. . Dow, Madeline. â€Å"Race, Gender, and Mass Media Blog.†Native American Portrayal in Cinema. N.p., 06 Nov 2012. Web. 14 Jul. 2013. . Munson, Barabara. Common Themes and Questions About the Use of â€Å"Indian† Logos. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jul 2013. .

Echoes of Heaven Analysis Essay

With the state of the modern world being what it is, sometimes it can be very difficult for even strong believers to hold on to their faith absolutely.   There are so many questions that need answering and it can all seem so overwhelming.   There are, however, solutions and there are respites one can find in their belief.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hello, my name is Charles Elephant, or â€Å"Njoguâ€Å" in my language.   I am a master’s degree scholar at New York University, a born-again Christian, and a former resident of a small town in Kenya called Mukurwe-ini.   Through my unique life-experience I have gained the advantage of having had many different perspectives regarding the mysteries of spiritual life and the world in general.   It was because of this, in fact, that I decided to write a book that would delve into questions such as:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Why is there so much violence in the world today?   Are Muslims or Christians truly right?   Why would God allow so many slayings in His name to take place?   What is the true nature of Christianity?   What are the fundamental differences between the major religions of the world and why are they all so at odds with one another?   Why must there be so much religious turmoil in contemporary society?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All of these questions, and many others, are addressed at length in my book, Echoes of Heaven:   God’s Love is Better than Life Itself.   I, too, was once haunted by such uncertainties.   Today, though, I have found a spiritual peace and sense of direction that is so amazing that I feel utterly compelled to share it with others.   Today, I have access to a well of faith-based power so deep that I can’t bear to see others without it.   Today, I found when I once was very lost and I don’t want anyone else to go on feeling forlorn and as if they’ve wandered astray.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If any of that describes you, then Echoes of Heaven:   God’s Love is Better than Life Itself, is definitely for you.   More than that, though, if you’re simply another interested and keen mind on the path of life, than the book is for you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   So, what are you waiting for?   The answers that you’re looking for are just a few hours of reading away and the rewards of doing so are myriad.   Find more strength in your faith and solidify your spirit today! ———————————————————————————————————    Praise for Charles Elephant’s Echoes of Heaven:   God’s Love is Better than Life Itself: -â€Å"Charles Elephant has written a truly magnificent piece.   Full of wonder and a depth of religious inquest lacking in many other novels, Echoes of Heaven is a truly masterful work.† -†Deeply moving†¦an inspiration.† -†Without question one of the most interesting religious works of the year.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Echoes of Heaven:   God’s Love is Better than Life Itself is a highly spiritual work written by a born-again Christian from a small town in Kenya.   The story details some of the author’s life and then goes on to present unique insights on religious topics as varied as the true nature of the soul and the roots of religious discord in the world today.   Whether you are a true believer, an agnostic, or an atheist, Echoes of Heaven has something very valid and beautiful with which it will touch your life.