The Impact Of Events On Host Areas Tourism Essay

The Impact Of Events On Host Areas Tourism Essay Introduction Within the growth directions of the tourism industry, which currently represents the fourth largest industry in the world in terms of export, events act as catalysts for attracting visitors and image-makers, creating destination profiles, positioning destinations in the market, and providing competitive advantages (Bowdin et al. 2006). Their significance prompted a new subject type known as event tourism, described by Getz (1997) as: 1) the systematic planning, development, and marketing of events as tourist attractions, as catalysts for other developments such as infrastructure and economic growth, as image builders, and as animators of built attraction and destination areas; event-tourism strategies should also cover the management of news and negative events; 2) A market segment consisting of those individuals who travel to attend events or who can be motivated to attend events while away from home. The term event tourism was coined in the 1980s, and it formalized the link between events and tourism (Getz, 1997). According to Getz (1997), it is not possible to establish a universal, standardized definition of events. Indeed, one of the most frequently quoted definitions of events, offered by Ritchie (1984), explicitly emphasizes this role by describing them as major one ­time or recurring events of limited duration, developed primarily to enhance the awareness, appeal and profitability of a tourism destination in the short or long term. This definition is taken as embracing the other subcategories of events, including community festivals and mega-events, as Goldblatt (2002) defined events as a planned culture, sport and political and business occasion: from mega-events like Olympics and world fairs to community festivals; from programs of events at parks and attractions to visits by dignitaries and intergovernmental assembles; from small meetings and parties to huge conventions and competitions. It is widely agreed that events have a meaningful potential to be partly responsible for positive improvement of the society that host them. As a result, events have become one of the popular methods used to attract visitors to the region. Events are widely recognized to generate numerous impacts on the host communities and other stakeholders (Grosbois, 2009). Ritchie Smith (1991) say that a centre or region that hosts a world mega-event and attracts global attention is affected both positively and negatively in many aspects. Depending on the way the process is conducted, these changes might have a lasting positive and structuring effect on the city. Event tourism impacts the economy and the lives of many societies, that has proven to be a lifesaver for many destinations (Gawler visitor Information Centre, 2005). According to Bowdin (2006) all events have a direct impact on their participants. Negative impacts on communities must be minimised and measured against the benefits that tourism brings. The impacts of an event can be summarised in terms of a range of dimensions identified by Ritchie (1984). These are: economic; tourism and commercial; physical; sociocultural, psychological; and political. Social impacts can be characterized as any effects that potentially affect the quality of life for local people. Thus, economic outcomes of events, political issues and environmental effects are included because perceptions of such impacts are likely to contribute to residents overall reactions to an event (Fredline et al, 2003). This is one of the reason why is complicated to separate all these mentioned impacts separately. This assignment fill focus on events possible impacts on the economy and communities of host areas. Types of Events In the field of tourism, the term event is used to describe the different categories of events, many of which may have noticeably individual aspects. It includes events from the Olympic Games as the mega-event to small events, such as regional festivals (Fredline et al, 2003). The classification of events is generally of a limited time frame and diverse in nature. According to Bowdin (2006) in the events industry today the type of events can be classified according to their size and scale, and are usually done in the following way: Mega Events, Hallmark Events, Major Events, Cultural Events, and Business Events. However, events can also be classified according to their purpose and the motivation behind either holding or attending the event, not to the particular sector to which they belong. Mega events broadly fit into two categories: sporting and cultural (Mintel, 2010). In essence, Bowdin et al. (2006) believe that mega events are those events that affect whole economies and have repercussions in global media attention. These events are mainly developed in competitive spheres and include events such as the Olympic Games, FIFA and UEFA Football Championships, and World Athletics. Hallmark events, according to Bowdin et al. (2006), refer to events that become so closely identified with the place that they become strongly linked. Among classic examples of hallmark events are the Carnival in Rio, the Tour de France, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Jazz Festival of Juan les Pins in Antibes, and the International Motorcycle Rally in Faro. Such events are culturally unique and distinctive, with resident communities contributing to the tourism revenue, creating a sense of local pride and international interest. With time, these events become inseparable from the des tination. For instance, it is difficult to imagine the Rio de Janeiro Mardi Gras occurring in a city other than Rio de Janeiro. The growth of mega sports event might be ascribed for three most important reasons: first, modern technologies of mass communication that helps to reach all world population; secondly, sport media business alliance creation, which changed professional sport in the late 20thcompletely; and thirdly, these mega events offer a variety of benefits to cities, regions and countries, where they are hosted (Horne and Manzenreiter, 2006). Importance of the Events for destinations According to Jago et al (2003) events have become an increasingly important part of many destination branding. Event tourism can be used as a tool for raising awareness (North American and international awareness of Calgary was dramatically increased as a result of the Olympic Games coverage. Top-of-mind awareness increased from about 19% to over 43% in the U.S. In Europe, it rose from 10% to 40%) (See Appendix 1: Example 1). Local product branding helps to develop regional identity together nationally and internationally (Gawler visitor Information Centre, 2005). France and Roche (1998) stated that creation of mega-events today is regarded as an opportunity to regenerate cities. A good example of this was the 1992 Olympic Games held in Barcelona, where the public works to prepare for the event revitalized the city and repositioned it as a tourist attraction in Spain (Moragas Botella, 1995). Barcelona Olympics changed the image of the cities and the Spanish tourism, which has traditionally been associated only with sun and sea holidays (Robertson and Guerrier, 1998). Events can enhance the status of smaller states, as in the Seoul Summer Olympic Games, as well as non-capital cities such as the Barcelona and Los Angeles Olympics, the Adelaide Grand Prix, the Calgary Winter Olympic Games or the Victoria, British Columbia, Commonwealth Games (Bull Lovell, 2007). Large hallmark events are one way that cities can create an image internationally and attract internal investment with the aim of promoting long-term growth. Mega sporting events can help improve the image of the host country that is many cases could be a great benefit. Florek (2007) reviews the development of Germanys image according to the research conducted among a consistent group of New Zealand football fans before, during and after their visit in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Findings suggested that the greatest impact on the image was created by so-called soft factors such as safety, peaceful locals, and multi-cultural environment. According to Matheson (2006) significant intangible benefits of mega-events is national and international acknowledgment. Supporters of the sport might enjoy their visit to the city and return later increasing tourism revenue in the future. Corporate visitors may move the production facilities and company center of operations to the city. Television viewers may decide to take a trip to the host city in the future based on what they see on a mega-event duration. Finally, hosting an important event can help to raise the awareness of the city that it becomes a major league or world class city and travel destination (Matheson, 2006). Fredline et al (2003) noticed that if event went unsuccessful poor opinion and attitude might emerge, which would damage the reputation of destination (see Appendix 1: Example 2). Malfas et al (2004) confirms that by adding that the role of the media is essential to create awareness about the host city or region (see Appendix 1: Example 3). Studies showed that, for example, a television production of the English cricket tour to the West Indies increased package tourism of the islands as much as 60%. In addition, Calgarys image before and after the 1988 Winter Olympic Games improved, as it became clear that the Games had a huge impact on the awareness and knowledge of the city of Calgary in Europe and the United States compared to other Canadian places (Malfas et al, 2004). More and more often cities are using cultural events to enhance their image, promote urban development and attract visitors and investment (Richards and Wilson, 2004). This phenomenon may be related to a general increase in competition between cities for getting of valuable stakeholders, including consumers, investors and politicians. Cities, as a result, need to find new ways of differentiate themselves from their competitors. For example, signature buildings often have a function of the citys strategy to create the image or brand and create a competitive advantage. Recent examples include the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, the Tate Modern gallery in London (Richards and Wilson, 2004) and the Baltic Flour Mills in Gateshead. The cost of building such notable sight is probably one of the main reasons why the events are becoming an increasingly important aspect of long-distance competition in recent years (Richards and Wilson, 2004). Events are often cheaper way of separate and acknowle dge locations and often creates a lot of media interest. Yeoman (2004) confirms that events can lengthen tourist seasons, extend peak season or introduce a new season into the life of a community. According to Boo and Busser (2006) developing new festivals is considered as a new strategy to lengthen the life cycle of destinations. For example, Glasgow festival Celtic connections of music, arts, dance, which happens in January, shows a great way of extending tourism season. Impacts of Events Economic impacts of Events Much emphasis is often placed on the economic impact partly due to the fact that the organizers of the event and government must meet budget targets and to justify the cost, and partly because these impacts are easiest to assess (Pasanen et al, 2009). According to Jago and Dwyer (2006), the economic impact of an event on a region is the net sum of the economic consequences of all of the cash inflows and outflows that occur because of an event. Substantial contribution to the economic impact assessment is a cost that occurs after an event. The fraction of the cost, which represents new money into the area, i.e. money that is not yet in the region, is particularly important (Pasanen et al, 2009) and often gives new opportunities and advantages for communities living there, as well. Variuos methods can be used to assess the economic impacts of events (see Appendix 1: example 4). According to Florek (2007) economic benefits are often used to justify hosting mega sporting event. However, economic benefits might be complicated to predict and therefore a bit dangerous justification. For example, in 2006 FIFA World Cup, Germanys organising committee earned à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬140 million from the tournament, which is more than expected, but tourists only spent about à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬50 million in Germany, half of what was expected. In addition, most of it was for food and drinks with no important impact on retail (Florek, 2007). Mules and Faulkner (1996) point out that even such as mega-events as F1 Grand Prix races and the Olympics, has not always clear economic benefit for the cities that host the event (see Appendix 1: example 5). They point out that, in general, staging major sports events often results in the loss of money for the city government even though the city itself can benefit greatly in terms of extra incomes in the city. Matheson (2006) gave example when during the 2002 World Cup in South Korea, the number visitors from Europe to the area was higher than usual, but this increase was offset by a similar amount of decrease in regular tourists and business travelers, which did not give such great economic increase. Special events are now highly sought after in many countries, regions, and cities, internationally. Governments are often prepared to offer generous funding incentives to attract events and to allocate large expenditure to upgrading the facilities needed for the events (Dwyer et al, 2005). However, Carlsen and Taylor (2003) warns that the creation of major tourism and sports facilities may get little used after the event. There is a possibility for mega-events like the Olympics to be viewed as white elephants. Very large investments are required to stage mega-events such as the Olympics and World Fairs, which usually mean that the short-term returns are usually negative and the money spent in such events rarely pays off (Getz, 1997). But event tourism development that uses existing attributes often brings a range of benefits to host communities. Better infrastructure (electricity, water, and telecommunications), access, services (banks, roads, transport) and new investments, all help to strengthen community life. Perhaps the best example of a mega-sporting event being used in this way was given by Malfas et al (2004), when in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics major investments have been invested in new transport systems and to update the coastal area which now has a new marina, leisure facilities and attractive sandy beaches. Events attract more investment and visitors, and thus create new jobs and contribute to the economic growth of the city or region. Of course a mega-sporting event is likely to produce many jobs, not only those directly related to the event but also those who works in the tourism and retail industry and in the construction industry especially when the staging an event requires significant infrastructure development, such as in the case of the Olympic Games (Malfas et al, 2004) (see Appendix 1: example 6). Nevertheless it should be admitted that staging an event creates new jobs, the focus should be on the quality and duration of these workplaces: sporting events usually create service-related jobs that are often part-time, poorly paid and short-lived. Pasanen et al (2009) noticed that the staging of an event may also generate wider economic intangible benefits and costs, such as caused by the development and construction costs, additional marketing and business development, and increased property values, long-term tourism promotion, locals relocation and termination of business. Intangible assets are impossible to quantify as accurately and objectively as are the financial impacts, but they should be taken into account when evaluating the overall economic impact on the local people. But at the same time there might be some negative aspects, such as local goods can become more expensive because tourists might pay more, shops might stock products for tourists and not everyday goods needed by locals, debt risk for the city and increased taxation, prices increase that does not decline after the event ends (Fredline et al, 2003). As an example, Jones (2001) refers to the Olympic Games as a mega event in which accommodation that needs to be provied for athletes, tourists, and promoters creates a lot of pressure and problems with housing and real-estate market. An influx of tourists can also cause or exacerbate crowding, traffic congestion, and increased prices, and normal community lifestyles may be displaced or disrupted. In fact, the increased costs of dining out in Auckland in the new Viaduct Basin restaurants were one indicator of the inflationary impact of the event. Similarly, increased property rental costs in downtown Auckland, forced displacement for tenants for developments were also evident (Hall, 1992). Events impact on communities In addition to economic events consequences, events have other positive and negative effects on host communities. They can revive the cultural and social life of the local people, build community pride, provide a sense of identity, increase community participation and pride of the area or enhance the image of a destination (Pasanen et al, 2009). It has been suggested that socio-cultural impacts occur as a result of the unique interaction between tourists and a destination area with its population. Whole destination becomes visible as an event takes place, so it has real opportunity to develop socio-cultural impacts (Small et al., 2005). Host community dissatisfaction can threaten the long-term success of an event and thus the acceptance by the locals is vital for the continuity of the event (Small et al., 2005). Teo (1994) defines social and cultural impacts of event tourism as: the ways in which tourism is contributing to changes in the value systems, morals and their conduct, indiv idual behavior, family relationships, collective lifestyles, creative expressions, traditional ceremonies and community organization Fredline et al (2003) noticed that unlike economic impacts, social impacts of events can be difficult to measure objectively since many of them cannot be measured, and they often affect differently various members of the community. Despite the fact that the measure of socio-cultural impacts may cause some problems, some systems and scales have been developed to assess them (see Appendix 1: example 7). Tourism can encourage community pride as visitors choose to visit the place for a reason. Well presented towns and well-maintained facilities for visitors help them to feel welcome and can contribute to the sense of community pride (Gawler visitor Information Centre, 2005). Festivals and events provide an opportunity for community cultural development (Getz, 1997) and bring a sense of belonging and sharing to the community, excitement, spectacle and self-esteem brought about by being the focus of international attention (Fredline et al, 2003). According to Liang et al (2008) events and organizers of the festivals uses the themes of culture and history to develop and prepare annual events to attract visitors. These festivals provide opportunities for the local communities to share their culture and, in addition, they help the local community to create and develop its own identity. There was a substantial increase in the participation of the community in active sports in the next years after the Barcelona Olympic Games. There has been around 50 000 new customers in the citys sports centers following the 1992 Games, with women participating in sporting activities increase from 35% in 1989 up to 45% in 1995. In addition, in 1994, more than 300 000 people participated in sports events that become a part of the urban population on the streets of Barcelona, such as athletic competitions, popular marathon, the festival of bicycle cycling and the roller skating festival (Malfas et al, 2004). As this example shows increased participation in sports can make a significant contribution to the local resident quality of life. Shone Parry (2004) names negative impacts that include a range of anti-social behaviors, crime, congestion, crowding, prostitution, disruption of community life, community alienation and displacement. Mega sporting events draw attention of large crowds and there is a great possibility of antisocial behavior emergence, as for example In Americas Cup defense there was noticed 36% increase in arrests for anti-social behavior (Faulkner, 2003). The decision to hold an event, especially a large scale event, is essentially a political decision (Richards and Wilson, 2004). According to Barker et al (2002) events and their subsequent publicity can lead to significant status ramifications pertaining at both macro- and micro-political levels. Political aspects, however, can equally work to the detriment of tourism events. The potential for terrorist or politically motivated activity, demonstrations, and boycotts to utilize the publicity generated by international events is not uncommon. Such political agendas at major events have instigated demonstrations at the 1981 Springbok rugby tour to New Zealand and 1998 Commonwealth Games, boycotts of any number of Olympic Games, and terrorist attacks at the 1972 and 1996 Olympics (Barker et al, 2002). So there is a great risk and questioning for local people, when holding mega-events. Many environmental impacts may result as a result of hosting an event particularly as a result of major and mega events, along with traffic congestion, parking, crime and vandalism, noise and littering, crowding energy and water usage and waste (Pasanen et al 2009). The negative impact of events tourism develops when the level of visitor use is greater than the environments ability to cope with this use within the acceptable limits of change (Lorant, 2009). Uncontrolled activities pose potential threats to the natural and built locations everywhere in the world. It can create huge pressure on an area, causing effects such as land degradation (erosion), increased pollution, discharges into the soil, natural habitat loss, increased pressure on endangered species and heightened vulnerability to forest fires, etc. (Lorant, 2009). This interruption often increase pressure and it can force local populations to compete for the usage of necessary resources with tourists. Companies and different organizations should consider principles of sustainable planning and development in order to have more friedly impact on the environment. Examples of these activities could be given from Sziget Festival, when Clean Air Action Group increased of the number of mobile toilets or created automatic volume-control devices of the waste collecting system (Raj and Musgrave, 2009). Or another example would be The London 2012 Olympic Games has forming Environmental Management System (Bowdin, 2006). Hackbert (2009) noticed that over time finances generated for the community development will concentrate on projects such as redeveloping downtown, preserving and restoring historic buildings, planting trees, and installing holiday decorations. Significant improvements may dominate over short-term environmental negative impacts. Hackbert (2009) found indicators of negative effects that local community of Mdina, the walled city in the cultural center of the Maltese islands, acknowledged. Tourism accounts for 40 percent of total economy. Residents of Mdina complained of visitor invasions blocking roads, polluting streets, being noisy and dressing indecently (Hackbert, 2009). In addition, some residents voiced dissatisfaction in services like street lighting, better tourist routes, irruption of privacy, and sacrifice of tranquility for the public good without compensation from either government or tour operators (Hackbert, 2009). So, as tourist attractions begin to grow stronger ties outside the area, local resident may become annoyed and transit an economic benefits negatively. Local people therefore need to understand the importance and benefits of tourism to their region, including tourisms contribution to economic activity in the area. In combination with other negative impacts and limited community consultation, locals may become resentful and frustrated with tourism. However, locals may tolerate the negative aspects of tourism events in the knowledge of the positive benefits to the community and that their lives will soon return to normal (Barker et al, 2002). So Gawler visitor Information Centre (2005) advices that community participation in the planning and implementation of event tourism gains more positive attitude, becomes more supportive and has better chance to make more profit than a population passively reject or exceeded by tourism. As Moscardo (2007) argued that even if an event attracts substantial numbers of tourists and generates revenue but does not create community involvement, it is unlikely to have much of an effect on regional development. It means that without the local involvement the event remains disconnected to the locality. Conclusion Event tourism is often understand as increasing the economic and, therefore, the social wellbeing of communities. The importance of events as device for growth of tourism is expected to increase in the future (Pasanen et al, 2009). However, it should be remembered that mentioned growth is more than just economic development in different areas, social and cultural angels are also very important for the success of the events as well as of the destinations. According to Faulkner (2003) event planners and the tourism industry in general, therefore, take a grave risk in ignoring community impacts of an event. Hall (1991) implies that the most effective action should take the form of a consultative or community based approach to plan ­ning. For the success of any event, the host population, public administration and event organisers must work together. All these mentioned parties need to identify and predict impacts and then to manage them to achieve the best balance for everyone (Bowdin, 2006). It is not always easy and simple, but events can be more beneficial when everyone is involved. Events create some disbursement of locals life, but until everyone is informed, involved and understand the events potential, it could bring enormous possibilities, advantages and well. Events does not only attract an increasingly audience, but also shape world tourism patterns, highlighting new tourism destinations and creating lasting heritage in the host cities or countries.

Public Schools then And Now Education Essay

Public Schools then And Now Education Essay Desegregation of the nations public schools was mandated by the Supreme Court on May 17, 1954 with the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling. Nine years later, racial tensions related to segregation reached a critical point. Early in 1963, the Alabama Governor George Wallace kicked off his reign by stating segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever (Elliot, 2003). Later that year, Wallace would stand in the doors of the University of Alabama in an attempt to physically prevent African-American students form enrolling. Civil rights leaders championed Wallaces failures as a victory for school desegregation and proof that the movement was progressing. Wallaces failed attempts did not kick start the movement as most civil rights leaders had hoped, however. In 1975, Marian Wright Edelman (1975) of the Childrens Defense Fund in Washington, DC, wrote: The current status of school desegregation is complex. Twenty-one years after Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, school desegregation is caught in a crossfire of opposition. There are those who have always opposed it; those who say they are for it but eschew the means to achieve it; those who feel the costs of achieving it are not worthwhile because the early experiences have not produced instant brotherhood or IQ gains; and those who, after twenty years of resistance, struggle, and mixed progress, pronounce it irrelevant and a failure because three hundred years of slavery and segregation have not died by decree. Edelman went on to conclude that if school desegregation continued to progress t the same pace as housing desegregation in the 1960s, then America would see schools desegregated in about twenty-five decades. While the ruling most often regarded as the foundation for school desegregation is Brown v. Board of Education, not much changed in public schools following the Supreme Court decision. A full decade following Brown saw less than one percent of black students in the south begin attending previously all white schools. It was not until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed that desegregation began transforming the face of public schools, especially in the south. While the broad language of the legislation gave minorities the right to file suits forcing desegregation, Title VI of the Act allowed the federal government to withhold funding for any programs that discriminated against students based solely race. By the end of 1968, the percentage of black students in the south enrolled in previously all white students had climbed to twelve percent. By 1973, these numbers had climbed from less than one percent in 1964 to over forty-six percent (Edelman, 1975). While the desegregation movement has hit stumbling blocks along the way, the policy has long been instituted in the nations public schools. What have been the results? Some would argue that todays public schools are more segregated than schools prior to Brown. Much of the discussion about school reform in the United States in the past two decades has been about racial inequality. While goals of the No Child Left Behind Act and institution of high stakes testing in high schools have been to end a perceived low-expectation from all students, especially minority students, a disproportionate number of the schools being officially labeled as failures have been segregated minority schools. Inner-city school systems are making major efforts to break large segregated, high-poverty high schools into small schools. This is being done in an attempt to create schools better equipped to reduce inequality. Some argue that charter schools and private schools could substantially reduce racial inequa lities, even though both of these settings often create more segregated schools than traditional public schools. Additionally, Harvard University researchers have found no evidence to support claims for either of these school settings (Orfield Lee, 2005). Even so, court orders and plans for equal opportunity and desegregated schools are being challenged in court and sometimes terminated. Leaders of the small number of high achieving segregated schools in some inner-cities are being heralded as proof-positive we can have educational success within the context of existing segregation (Thernstrom, 2003). It appears that the new movement champions the idea that separate schools can be equal. In fact, since the 1980s, there has been increasing segregation among both African-American and Latino students. A common misconception over the issue of re-segregation of schools is that many people view segregation as a simple change in the skin color of the students in a school. If skin color were the only variable and other issues associated with inequality were not linked to varying skin tones, then skin color would be of little or no significance to social policy, including educational policy. In our society, however, no issue is so simple. Race is linked to many other issues in society. Like some experts, I take the position that schools today are more segregated than schools of yesterday, but not necessarily by race. Instead, it is socioeconomic status of families and students that have led to segregation by income in many cases. Socioeconomic segregation multidimensional and causes much of the educational inequality in todays society. Our nations schools contain less Caucasian students than ever. Forty-one percent of all students are not white and the great majority of the nonwhite students attend schools which show substantial signs of socioeconomic segregation (Orfield Lee, 2004). Achievement scores are strongly linked to school racial composition the presence of highly qualified and experienced teachers (Schellenberg, 1999). The high level of poverty among children, together with many housing policies and practices which exclude poor people from most communities, force families living in poverty into inner-city neighborhoods with housing projects or low-value property. This geographical isolation of low-income families mean that students in inner-city schools face isolation not only from more prolific community members, usually white families, and from middle class schools. With only access to poverty-st ricken schools, children from poverty have limited access to resources that will help break the poverty cycle. Because of this, minority children are far more likely than whites to grow up in persistent poverty. Another reason for the apparent re-segregation of schools is immigration. African-American students are no longer the most prolific minority. As the number of black students grew slowly during the last 15 years, the number of Latinos and Asian students exploded. Proportionally speaking, white enrollment continuously declined. The total number of white students did not decrease, but the percentage of white enrollments compared to minority enrollments has continued to fall. Latinos are now the largest minority group at 18 percent, closely followed by black students at 17 percent. Together, these two groups are now more than a third of the total student population (Orfield Lee, 2005). African-American and Latino students comprise at least 30 percent of the student population in most of the states. Asians now outnumber black students in some regions of the West while Latinos are the most prevalent minority in the Northeast. With the decrease in white students and the increase in minority presence in education, one may conclude that segregation should be a non-issue. It is important to understand that segregation was never just a black-white problem. It was never just a Southern problem and most definitely not just a racial problem. By the time Dr. Martin Luther King organized his last movement, the Poor Peoples Campaign, his approach was openly multiracial, emphasizing poverty as well as racial discrimination. Just a few days before his assassination, Dr. King addressed this issue directly by saying that it was absolutely necessary now to deal massively and militantly with the economic problemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. So the grave problem facing us is the problem of economic deprivation, with the syndrome of bad housing and poor education and improper health facilities all surrounding this basic problem (Washington, 1986). This raises some intriguing questions. What would have happened if Dr. King had not died s o abruptly? Would the relationship between racial and economic isolation have been brought to the forefront of American politics? Would desegregation of public schools actually have addressed the issue at the heart of student performance, socioeconomic status not race? In the purest sense of the words, the civil rights movement was never about blacks sitting next to whites on busses or in restaurants. It was about equalizing opportunities. Opportunities for education are of the utmost importance. If high poverty schools are systematically unequal and segregated minority schools are almost always high poverty schools, it is much easier to understand how schools segregated on the basis of socioeconomic status do not provide the same equal access to educational opportunities as non-segregated schools. Plans must be enacted to addresses what some educators and sociologists have long known to be the greatest barrier to equal educational opportunity: poverty. We must recognize that separate schools for rich and poor are, by design, unequal. Consideration of socioeconomic status also makes sense in the broader context of school desegregation. While it is inappropriate for todays educational leaders to say that predominantly black schools are inherently in ferior or that blacks need to sit next to whites in order to learn, it needs to be understood that if we educate rich and poor students in separate schools, the high-poverty schools will undoubtedly be of lower quality. It is important to understand that regardless of ethnic makeup, research has found that a student of low-socio-economic status will perform worse academically at a low-income school than if that same student attends a predominantly middle-class school. In fact, the converse has been found to be true as well. Students from middle and upper-class families perform worse at high-poverty schools as well (Kahlenberg, 1999). Critics of these findings suggest that steps be taken to supplement high-poverty schools rather than desegregation by socioeconomic status. Some have said to simply provide more funding to supplement needs or to raise standards if the curriculum is watered down. If teachers in such schools are not qualified or unprepared, simply improve teacher training . While each of these ideas may be worthy of consideration, could we not achieve more sense of equality by addressing the underlying cause of school inequality, economic segregation. High-poverty schools, even with extra funding, are problematic. A good school fosters a student culture that values learning. Students learn from one another. For instance, students expand their vocabularies when exposed to classmates who know more words than they do. Often students have a broader vocabulary that comes from experiences outside of the school that are often missing in low-income students lives. Instead, poor practices and misconceptions are often reinforced by peers because actions are accepted as the norm. Some experts point to this phenomenon as the root cause for the developing ebonics dialect among students from some inner-city schools. Rather than encouraging advancement, peers may actively denigrate achievement in high-poverty schools. The extra needs poor students often bring to school can effectively overwhelm schools with large numbers of needy kids. How do we address these issues as a nation? What is the next step? San Francisco officials have implemented a unique approach to school zoning that attempts to address the issue of socioeconomic segregation. Historically, in San Francisco and other cities across the country, policy has not attacked poverty concentrations. Instead, policy has focused solely on racial desegregation, in part because the 14th Amendment has been read to address segregation by race but not by class. Today, school districts are beginning to turn directly to the socioeconomic factors in determining a schools quality. This has led leaders to work to redraw school zones based on socioeconomic considerations. San Francisco is considering many socioeconomic factors in developing school zones, including parental education, income, and geographical location. Children with parents who did not attend college and children who receive free or reduced-price lunch, live in public housing, or live in high-poverty neighborhoods will be integrated with more-affluent students. Goal of the redistricting is to distribute the citys wealth throughout the school system so that no one school is wealthier than another. Likewise, no one school will have a higher percentage of low-income students than another (Kahlenberg, 1999). While this seems like a novel concept, San Francisco has set in motion a plan that, if enacted correctly, will sufficiently desegregate city schools in a manner consistent with the goals of the civil rights movement. The concept is not new. Reaching back to Horace Manns concept of common schools, the plan will provide all students equal access and opportunity to a quality education regardless of socioeconomic status. While the concept may be foreign to many in the education field, this concept, is adopted nationally, is the best process for once again making public schools engines for social mobility.

Corruption in Ken Keseys One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest :: One Flew Over Cuckoos Nest

Corruption in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest As Lord Acton put it in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." This is the truth that is evident both in Ken Kesey book One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. His main characters Nurse Ratched and Randal McMurphy are in a subtle underground war against each other's accumulating power, and corruptness. This idea of great men being bad men is evident in Kesey's book, my experiences, and society in general. Ken Kesey appears to show disgust for people of power in his book One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Throughout the novel, Nurse Ratched, the lady within whom lays all the power of the staff in a mental institution, frequently sends people who she has behavioral problems with off to the disturbed wing, like she did Maxwell Taber. It is there that they experience the pain of either electroshock therapy, or a full frontal lobotomy. Nurse Ratched uses this and her natural dominance to inspire fear in her patients. She tends to agree with old school of thought that a healthy dose of fear makes people easier to control. Thus she was able to easily putdown any uprising against her totalitarian rule before Randle McMurphy. Nurse Ratched tries to use the power that has been given to her as head nurse to change the patients as she sees fit. As Bromden puts it, "Working alongside others... she is a veteran of adjusting things" (p. 30). But to do this she has created a living hell for them. McMurphy, one of the rare man that dares to vocalize his opinion, shows his negative sentiment towards Nurse Ratched when he tells Harding, "Hell with that; she's a bitch a ball cutter..." (p. 58). The entire ward can see how power has corrupted Nurse Ratched into the pseudo-megalomaniac/sadist she now is. I agree with Kesey's view of power. I once had a teacher who would grade harder for people he didn't like. As a result if he disliked one of his students, they were guaranteed a `C' or lower. His abuse of power went unchecked and unchallenged due to his seniority and the difficulty of proving his crime.

Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace Essay -- Literary

Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace Margaret Atwood was born on November 18, 1939 in Ottawa, Ontario, and since then she has lived in various places such as Boston, London, France, Italy, Germany, and Alabama. She currently resides in Toronto. Atwood has written numerous poems, novels, short stories, children’s books, magazine articles, and works of nonfiction. She has also written three television scripts, and she has edited anthologies. Some of her well-known novels include The Handmaid’s Tale, Cat’s Eye, The Robber Bride, and Alias Grace ("Atwood"). Alias Grace is a fictional work based on the true story of Grace Marks, a servant who was accused of murdering her employer and his mistress in Canada in 1843. Grace was a servant in the home of Thomas Kinnear, whose housekeeper and mistress was Nancy Montgomery. When Thomas and Nancy were found murdered, Grace and James McDermott, another servant, were arrested for the crime, and James was hanged. Grace was imprisoned for several years during which people who believed her to be innocent petitioned for her release, which finally occurred in 1872. Atwood’s novel is a blend of fact and fiction in which writers who wrote about Grace during her life are quoted. The story revolves around repressed memories, a common theme in Atwood’s novels. Grace is the only living witness to the murders of Thomas and Nancy, but she claims that she does not remember exactly what happened. Whether she was involved in the murders or the helpless victim of James McDermott is a mystery. Most of the action in the novel occurs during Grace’s imprisonment. She tells her life story to Simon Jordan, a doctor who visits her with the goal of restoring her memory and learning what really happened. In additi... ...possessed by the spirit of her friend Mary Whitney. As in much of twentieth century literature, no definite answers are given, and the reader is left to draw her own conclusions. Atwood’s ambiguity is similar to that of James Joyce’s in "The Dead" and Franz Kafka’s in "The Metamorphosis." In these and other twentieth century works, there are more questions raised than answers given. There is no known solution to the real mystery of Grace Marks, and Atwood leaves the solution to her character’s mystery to the reader’s interpretation. Clues are scattered throughout the novel, and any answer is possible. One can accept the spiritual answer that arises during the hypnotism or choose a more realistic interpretation. It is up to the reader to decide. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. The Margaret Atwood Information Web Site. 21 Apr. 1999. .

Many including Dowshen believe

There is no clear definition of what binge drinking as it is often defined as the process of â€Å" drinking heavily over several days† (Dowshen). However, it is now commonly associated with the drinking of alcohol in heavy amounts and over a very short period of time. (Dowshen).The above definition clearly indicates that apparently binge drinking is only related to the heavy consumption of alchol for a shorter period of time however on the much deeper grounds, this problem outlines many social as well as psychological issues as many argue that binge drinking can be a result of poor relations of the children with their parents specially mothers.Whether, this assumption is true or not, one cleary have to consider whether the rift between the relations of mother and child can lead children to a point where children can involve themselves into such activities. This essay will discuss the possibility of whether the binge drinking is a result of poor mother child relations or not? Mother Child Relations Many including Dowshen believe that kids binge drink because many liquor stores as well as beverages companies create such an image where drinking seems to be a very fascinating activity.Since children, at their raw ages, still cope to learn and accommodate themselves with the society therefore consider drinking as one of the means to associate themselves with the very society within which they live. However, there is a much darker side to this fact also which shots back into the very psychology and upbringing of the children. Numerous studies have clearly established a link between the child maltreatment and the binge drinking and multiple mal-treatments make this behavior complicated and an obvious choice for children to binge drink. (Shin, Edwards and Heeren).Since it is a strong possibility that one of the sources of the child mistreatment is mothering therefore the relations between the child and mother are also one of the biggest contributors towards the culmination of addictive behavior into the children including binge drinking. It is also important to note that the mother child relations are largely depending upon the relative degree of care for the child however, when children face neglect in their childhood at the hands of their parents specially mothers, the negative and addictive behaviors start to emerge into the children which lead them to binge drinking.The studies conducted by Shin, Edwards and Heeren clearly established that link between the neglect and the binge drinking. There can be various reasons for the poor relations between mother and child as early neglect, heavy alcoholism by the parents themselves as well as low income and education result into either voluntary or involuntary rift into the relations between the mother and the child and such behaviors finally resurrect in the form of heavy episodic drinking by the children at their adolescent age.What is also shocking is the fact that addictive drinking by the mothers during their pregnancy can lead to the binge drinking habits into the teens from very early age. (Harshman). Conclusion Studies indicate that poor relations between the mother and child can lead teens to binge drinking habits and as such can impair their ability to progress well into their lives. Works Cited 1. Dowshen, Steven. â€Å"Binge Drinking? † August 2006. Teens Health. 23 March 2009 . 2. Harshman, Cara. â€Å"Study: Mothers’ drinking after child’s birth can be dangerous. † 22 Oct 2007. The Badger Herald. 23 March 2009 . 3. Shin, Sunny Hyucksun, Erika M Edwards and Timothy Heeren. â€Å"Child abuse and neglect: Relations to adolescent binge drinking in the national longitudinal study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth) Study. † Addictive Behaviors 34. 3 (2009): 277-280.

Development of Youth Culture Essay

There is no single reason for the development of culture; rather, it came about as a result of the number of different social changes occurring at the same time. These developments included the increasing economic power of young people, the influence of the USA and globalisation, social changes at the end of World War 2, development of the media, demographic change in the numbers of young people and the transition to adulthood. Defining youth culture can be difficult because different cultures and interruptions in employment status’s can affect the perspective of what â€Å"youth† is. Culture is the way we live within our culture and youth culture is the way youth lives within it but because of the difficulties youth culture could mean different things to different cultures. Youth culture developed in the early 1950’s, although the idea of youth as a phase in life has a longer history. Youth culture was first developed in America after World War 2, which then Britain decided to follow due to media and other influences from America. In my opinion the most important factor that developed youth culture was the economic changes in society. Due to the demand in workers after the Second World War there was an economic growth. The first person to realise the impact this was having on young people was Abram’s (1959) who analysed the increased economic power of the ‘teenage consumer’. There was a noticeable pattern in what was getting most money spent on, because young people were the age group spending the highest proportion of their income on leisure activities and music, clothes and cosmetics. This increase in economic power created the conditions for the emerging youth culture to develop. For the first time, young people had significant amounts of money to spend. Another extremely important factor for the development was the social change at the end of World War 2. There was much more opportunities for young people and possibilities at this time. Before the war, Britain was characterized by a class structure. By the time it came to the 1950s, we started to see a change in the economy and this opened up oppurtunities and individual expression. Judging on conventional standards, opportunities were becoming bigger. Cinema, art, literature and theatre began to explore new ideas. Amongst many new ideas was that young people were a distinctive group with new values and ideas about their place in society. The next important development for youth culture in my opinion was the influence of the USA and globalisation. With the changing culture and the growth in affluence of the 1950s, there was a ready market for American goods and culture, which included rock and roll music and other products aimed at the new ‘teenage market’. A quote from Leech (’76) saying ‘youthquake’ explained how a change in the new youth was such a sudden change it was like an earthquake. Globalisation recognised what young people wanted and advertised it more. I think the next development of the youth culture which was important was the growth and specialization of media. Media was becoming a lot more popular and so was advertisement. The media started to advertise the products that young people during that time wanted and this was a massive boost for the economics and spread quickly across the world. The 1950’s saw an explosion of different sorts of media. This was only possible because of the growth in social diversity and an increase in spending power that persuaded companies to spend large amounts of money advertising the new media. As a high-spending and newly discovered group, young people became the target for advertisers and hence the commercial media competed to attract this market. Another social condition that made the development of youth culture possible was transition to adulthood. Transition refers to the movement from being economically and socially dependent on parents, towards independence. The length of transition increased over the 20th century as the average period in education. Due to the longer age of being in education, it meant that typical adult responsibilities were taken on increasingly later in life, leaving young people with a number of years where they were physically mature but without the responsibilities of adulthood. This caused young people to want their own place in society. The last social condition that helped youth culture become possible was the demographic change in numbers of young people. After the war because couple had been split for so long because of hundreds of men being sent abroad, many sexual experiences had been delayed for years. The result was that when the men were released from the armed forces in 1945/46, there was a huge increase in birth rate. Although many of the children born at this time were not ‘teenagers’ until the end of 1950’s, they did ensure that youth culture continued and grew as a cultural form. Around 50 to 60 years ago, for the first time, a youth culture appeared to be emerging – young people appeared to be developing their own values, customs, tastes, clothes, music and language. After studying and discussing all the different social conditions that developed youth culture I have discovered that youth culture wasn’t made overnight. It took all these 6 main factors to create this culture and carry it on until this day. Economics was the most important condition in my opinion due to the fact that it all started because of the economic boost after World War 2. America was the country that started this youth culture and Britain followed it after the war ended. Abercrombie et al. (2000) has suggested that youth culture has three distinguishing features: leisure, style and peer group.

Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Wollstonecraft

Looking to the science of the day, Hobbes determined that there was no soul and attempted to describe human nature as pure mechanics. Human nature was therefore driven by the need to satisfy the physical demands of the body and based on basic passions in life. These are to satisfy physical appetites, to seek power to maintain their wealth and to be superior to others by seeking glory. Hobbes saw the state nature as â€Å"solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. † The state of nature is anarchy, with constant violence (or potential violence) by amoral leaders terrorizing the population.Reason is the answer that will lead to a social contract and government. Individuals will give up their individual rights and freedoms to secure peace. Morality and property can then be dictated by the state, since human nature is not equipped to handle those concepts without conflict. This will allow each person to then pursue their own self-interests without fear of violence. The sovereign au thority is the office or institution of government that is contracted by the people. It is the artificial construct onto which the powers are conveyed by the social contract.The only limits to the sovereign’s powers are self-imposed, since it must exist outside of the population; although it should always strive for the good of the people to remain legitimate. Civil law is dictated by the sovereign. Civil law should be designed to promote well-being and progress for society with appropriate punishments for law breakers. Hobbes believed in an absolute monarchy. By making one man in charge, it would make it easy for the people to understand their roles and obey laws.With no confusing dissension or contrary views, people do not have to waste time and effort making political decisions; after all, that’s why they entered the social contract in the first place. He did not, however, believe in the ‘divine right’ or hereditary kings; the contract was conveyed upon an ancestor, which has no bearing on the legitimacy of the heir to rule. Although Locke’s views are similar to Hobbes’, they are not quite as grim and fearful. Similar to Hobbes, he believes that people are naturally free and equal. Locke believes that man is social by nature and is naturally moral, rational and egoistic.In a state of nature, man will generally act with a mutual trust and respect and honor their commitments and obligations to other. Although he emphasizes these positive traits of humanity, he recognizes that since that is not always the case, people will need to form a type of social contract to preserve their rights and liberties. For Hobbes, natural law is a selfish state where people do not recognize the rights of others’ property and liberty. Locke believes that, although they don’t always act in accordance with it, man inherently knows right from wrong and are capable of acting in a lawful manner.The goal of government is to preserv e the rights to life, liberty, health and property of its society and to pursue the public good even where this may conflict with the rights of individuals. It is also to punish wrongdoers and transgressors of the laws it sets for the common good. Since ones path to salvation and religious preferences fall outside those boundaries, government should not enforce or espouse any one form of religion over another. Class and hierarchy is a natural outgrowth of Locke’s views on property.Credited as the founder of the â€Å"Protestant work ethic†, Locke believed that those who worked hard will possess more. By agreeing to have money be an equalizing factor for trade, this will naturally contribute to some having more wealth than others. This is fine and natural, as long as the producers are working without injustice or injury to others. In retrospect, Locke may be considered the father of feminism. Although he still believed women should be subordinate to men, he also noted t hat women were capable of rationality and equally shared in the paternal power of raising children.Most notably, he claimed that marriage was a contract entered into by both parties and that both should be able to dissolve the contract at will; it took almost 300 years for society to catch up and instigate no fault divorces. Locke believed government should be formed with both an executive and legislative branches. The legislative determines the laws and may assign judicial, or magistrates, to exercise it. The executive is responsible for enforcing the laws and conducting foreign affairs. There should be a system of checks and balances between the two branches, to avoid despotism and illegitimate governments.Since a monarchy puts the power of both branches into one person, Locke believed all monarchies to be illegitimate forms of government. By advocating some form of representative or democratic government, society can insure that there representatives are working in their best int erests. Despotism occurs when either of the two branches of government exceed their authority and begin acting against the benefit of the people. Civil society can then remove the offenders from office through their electoral process or agree to set up a new form of government.When the people are denied these means to choose their government, violent revolution may be the answer. Rousseau believes that the state of nature is solitary existence guided by two principles – self-preservation and compassion. Social interactions were driven by the necessity to satisfy their own needs; war and aggression would be unlikely, since primitive man’s compassion drove him to avoid suffering of others. Civilization and establishment of nuclear families led to the beginnings of society, which corrupted the state of nature and led to human nature.Human nature is based on oppression and inequality, the haves dominating over the have nots. Society and governments were established to prot ect the rights and properties of the few landowners without regard to the rights of the laborers. His path to liberation is paved with a just, moral civil society that works for the benefit of all of its members. People must draw on their compassion and work towards the good of society, rather than selfish goals. In this manner, a social contract can be formed that will benefit all of society.Rousseau’s social contract involves an overhaul of civilization and a community that is willing to that is willing to forfeit all of their rights. Although not necessarily a violent revolution, he suggests that liberated people form a new community and create a government. This moral body of citizens would only consider the greater good and not selfish, private interests. He does not envision this to be without economic inequality, however, as long as it does not interfere with political equality; there should not be a situation where one man is able to buy or sell a vote.The basis of le gislative power is the general will of the people. Although entrance into the community must be unanimous, voting is done by majority. All citizens must participate in open discussion before voting. Votes should only be counted from those expressing the general will; those voting based on selfish interests should be discounted, although no practical way of knowing or enforcing this is described. Since authority and freedoms all reside within the general will, transgressors against the general will can be coerced or forced to liberate themselves.There are underlying conditions necessary for the formation of the social contract. There must be a legislator, a divinely enlightened man who will lead the community into an understanding of its true public interest. He initiates the contract and then retires before he can be corrupted. A civil religion is necessary, one that does not divide the community’s loyalties. The civil religion is founded on the way of life of the citizens, i ncluding customs and traditions. It must include belief in God, immortality of the soul and the social contract.The society must be small, modeled after the polis, and agricultural in nature, rather than founded on commerce or industry. The executive institutions are the bureaucracy of the sovereign. The magistrate lays down the laws and is supported by policeman and jailors. The censor is in charge of compliance with the civil religion, using education to guide people. The censor monitors the arts and sciences to insure people are not whiling away their time and distraction themselves from the common good.Two other offices may be used in exigent circumstances to allow for checks on the government. A tribunate can be used to limit the magistrate or a dictator can be used as supreme commander in war or natural disasters. Government should take the form of a republic, with full participation in the legislature and delegation of authority for the executive. Depending on the wealth and size of the state, monarchy, non-hereditary aristocracy or democracy could be acceptable forms of executive. Rousseau was adamant that men and women were vastly different and should be educated appropriately.Men should learn a trade and how to become an enlightened citizen. Women should learn how to raise children, tend house and be a good wife. He did not consider women rational enough to be citizens. Education is not to be done by rote memorization, but is instead to take the form of exploration and learning through experience. In direct response to Rousseau, Wollstonecraft argues that educating women in the same fashion as men makes them better able to function in the roles of wife, mother and daughter.She argues that virtues are not gender specific, but without equal education, women cannot achieve virtues founded on knowledge. Since education begins in the home and mothers were to raise the children, women must be educated to be better mothers and provide their children with ne cessary education. Wollstonecraft sees human nature as truly equal, including equality between the sexes. The basic capacities of all humans are the same for reason and knowledge and the difference between the sexes has arisen out of the societal constructs that separate them.She supported the concept of a social contract, albeit with the inclusion of women as fully realized citizens. She did not believe that either a monarchy or aristocracy could be a legitimate form of government since it perpetuates the subordination of women. She considers property to be as one of the ills of society because it gives rise to the societal problems, which contribute to keeping women ignorant and subordinate. Civil society must be founded on reason, which women are as capable of as men given the proper opportunities and education.