Conformity Vs. Nonconformity Essay

Nonconformity is a force from one’s personal self to step outside of the norm and bring a sense of individuality to a world in which there is very little originality anymore. As a society, we are ruled by the media. They force their points of views down everyones throats without one’s consciousness even acknowledging so. We walk past billboards, view commercials, peek around all of our social media websites, and all the while our minds are being bred to be biased towards a certain fashion, a certain point of view, as far as even a music choice which is most preferable. To step outside of this commonality in today’s society to the eye doesn’t seem too difficult. In everyone’s minds they are â€Å"unique†, â€Å"original†, and â€Å"creative†. What we don’t notice is how this seems to be what everybody believes, yet the fashion, attitude, whatever is as a phase and a trend. To truly step outside is a great leap and itâ€⠄¢s not simply acknowledging just how original you are, it’s to live your life everyday in not simply the same consistency but in such a way that you aren’t driven to stand out or fit in. It’s a numbness to either side of the spectrum. Being able to cope and not be judged based upon an individual’s nonconformity today is not as hard as it was in the past, however it is still picked upon. It’s only natural to separate the one that does not belong, as seen in many animal species when an animal is bred with a genetic deformity causing it to not belong, thus being shunned by the rest of the basic of the species. Today, even, one of the main controversies is homosexuality. Despite all the recent movements and reformities of the law, gay male and females are still ridiculed. Sometimes to the point of suicide or even such bizarre, violent bullying leading to near fatal wounds and mental scars. So in a sense, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous aphorism is correct. â€Å"For non-conformity the world whips you with displeasure.† From personal experience, I cannot recall a certain point in time when my nonconformity has been looked down upon, however I do believe that I fit in such a space between conformity and nonconformity. If you were to judge based upon pure physical factors, I would say that I do not choose to dress myself in a way to stand out, simply on p ersonal taste with a hint of outside influence. Mentally, I believe I do have an abstract method of thinking. I enjoy questioning things and learning, which is growing more  uncommon in today’s generation. Colleges tend to lean towards the unconventional way of thinking. After a professor has read so and so many papers from his hundreds to thousands of students, things can get a bit repetitive and uninteresting. A writing that stands out tends to create excitement with extra attention. This is how you show yourself, as a student, just the potential that you do harness. The ability to think outside of the box and express your thoughts and perspective in a way that invokes thought is a way to prove not only that you understand yourself, but it also is a way to even provoke questions that would allow somebody to learn something new. However abundant and appreciated nonconformity may be in today’s society in the novel â€Å"Brave New World† by Aldous Huxley, this approach to life is completely opposite. Within the â€Å"Brave New World† conformity is a method in which this society prospers and maintains control. From the time people are born in this society they are ta ught how to think, what to believe, and where they belong. This method forces people to grow just exactly how the government wants them to grow. This society is controlled using various methods. If you feel any sort of emotion, which would then create individuality, you just take a â€Å"Soma†. This drug eliminates every feeling. If you feel sad, take a Soma. If you are overly excited or ambitious, take a Soma. Another method is how it is a norm to sleep around with other people frequently. In today’s society if you practice â€Å"free love† or do not have emotionally attached sex then you are awfully judged and are pegged names that deem you somebody not to get close to. In â€Å"Brave New World† the opposite is so, and if you have sex with a person regularly you are then criticized. This operates control in order to detach love from sex, for love is a feeling which would separate you in this world. John the Savage is an excellent example for what happens when a nonconformist steps foot into this society. After his displeasing trip, he tries to change the way things are run. He spreads word of how he was raised. Even hearing the word â€Å"mother† gives people there an uncomfortable feeling because they were not raised, they were not nurtured, t hey were engineered. After all is said and done John is banished, but before he can reach that point he simply falls to depression causing his most unfortunate suicide at the end of the book. To conform is an easy task for the simple minded. It is a meager achievement to breeze through life without  questioning outside of what you are taught to accept. To go above and beyond displays a true thinker, someone worth remembering for what they believed- a nonconformist.

Tom Brennan Speech

In life, everybody faces obstacles that have to be encountered. Sometimes they are good, and other times they are bad. I think it’s the individual coping with these new experiences that leads to significant rewards and life skills that help make growing up and transitioning into society easier. This is shown in the text we studied in class; ‘The Story of Tom Brennon’ by JC Bourke which is a story told through the eyes of 17 year old Tom Brennon. He has to encounter new experiences due to a horrific car accident his brother Daniel caused, killing two and paralyzing his cousin. The whole family suffers as they are forced from their hometown of Mumbilly due to society’s reaction to the death of their loved ones. This is hard on the whole family as they were so loving and devoted to their home town, especially Tom who was exceptionally close to his brother Daniel. Tom finds it quite hard to come to terms with all the new changes: a new town, no brother, living with his Nan. These are all things Tom finds difficult to adapt to. It makes it not just hard on himself, but also to the other people trying to help him. Tom learns to cope with his misery, adapt and fit in to a new school and make new friends. His involvement in rugby makes it easier to start to transition into a new town. Tom starts to build a strong relationship with his uncle Brendan who helps the family make their transition into their new town Coghill. Tom feels as though his Uncle is finally someone he can talk to about his emotions. Brendan encourages Tom to go for runs and the ‘ascent’ becomes a metaphor for his mental and emotional progress. As the runs get easier, Tom begins to become more flexible to the idea of new experiences. Towards the end of the story you get to see the old Tom Brennon again, happy and full of life. This is shown through his relationship with Chrissie a girl who Tom falls in love with. Old Tom never used to speak to girls as that was always Daniels talent, but things have changed. Through their relationship, Tom begins to talk about the accident, and how he felt about it and was affected. By talking to Chrissie he starts to realise that he isn’t the only one who has lost someone they are close to. Chrissie lost both of her parents to alcohol and other substance abuse, she doesn’t let this pull her down. Chrissie shows how she has also had to experience hardship but comes through these obstacles with a greater awareness of life. Encountering obstacles is also highlighted in the magazine article ‘2 of Us’ by Carla Grossetti, a tragic story of twin brothers Jamie and Andrew Daddo. They encountered a similar experience to Tom and Daniel, with both having to make dramatic changes to their lives and how they cope. This was caused when Jamie was in a drunken state and was hit by a car causing a serious head injury when he was only 18, permanently placing him in a wheel chair. In the article readers are told of the accident through the perspective of each twin, which gives an insight like Tom, of their reactions to each obstacle. The brothers tell you how they had to stick together, as it was hard times for both of them. Both brothers successfully made their change into the new world and have gained significant rewards. Jamie has learned to accept his dilemma and has learnt valuable life lessons. Jamie now paints and he says that this is something that makes him feel ‘normal again’. Jamie has also found his love, a lady Annie who is a special needs teacher. Andrew has also learnt valuable lessons from the accident and is now a father of three and also a children’s author/ TV presenter. Both texts talk of how individuals have faced difficult and extreme circumstances. These new experiences highlight how they have to encounter challenges and then overcome these obstacles. With the help of their families and friends they gain significant rewards. This is summed up with Jamie Daddo saying â€Å"I now value what I have and appreciate it’s the little things that are important. I think I’m a better person now. †

How policies/laws may affect family life Essay

In this essay I will be writing about what changes state policies and laws have made to the society and how they may affect family life by doing so. There are many policies/laws out there that have had an effect on family life and one of these was the ‘Child Support Act’ which led to the formation of the ‘Child Support Agency’. Other policies/laws include the Family Law Act of 1996, Rewarding marriages with tax breaks, Working Families Tax Credit, and the attempt of the removal of child poverty. Among this I will be talking about the new right theory and their points and views on the family and what laws should be put in place. One of the Conservatives policies that were passed in 1991 was the Child Support Act which then led to the formation of the Child Support Agency. What this policy aimed to do was reduce the amount of fatherless families by forcing absent fathers to pay a certain amount of money for their children that they’ve left behind. The government thought of this as a good idea as it would reduce the amount of welfare payments being giving to lone mothers therefore helping the economy. However this didn’t really benefit love mothers as the money paid in from the father would be deducted from the mother’s benefits so she would be receiving exactly the same amount. As a result, this policy didn’t have a major effect on family life although it may reduce the amount of fathers that walk out on their families. Another one of the Conservatives policies this time introduced in 1996 brought about a period of wait that a couple had to undergo before they could officially get divorced. The main purpose of this proposal was to try and reduce the amount of divorces by encouraging the couple with as much time as possible to save their marriage. This policy would affect the family life by keeping more families together and happy however the act was never finalised as judges deemed it as unworkable. Labour introduced one of their policies to do with the Working Families Tax Credit that was designed to help people find paid employment. This one was specifically aimed mostly at lone parents as since April 2001, they were required to attend an annual interview about  job opportunities. The Working Families Tax Credit would help lone parents move benefits to low paid jobs by topping up their wages. This policy may affect family life as it pushes lone parents into work and although they may be earning similar money as they would’ve if they were on benefits, it provides them with a starting point to hopefully earn more money as they climb up the ranks. One of Labours aims was to remove children out of poverty and one of the ways that they’ve attempted to do so is by increasing the amount of Child Benefits being provided. From 1997 to 2001, Child benefits have increased by 26 per cent and by doing so it has lifted 600,000 children out of poverty as stated by the children’s secretary Ed Balls. This may have a positive effect on family life as it provides the children with a positive childhood and helps the family to be financially stable. However, according to the Guardian in 2007 the number of children that are living in poverty rose for the first time in six years by 200,000 to 3.8 million in 2005 to 2006. More recently, the conservatives proposed a policy that provides married couples with a tax break. This clearly shows that David Cameron clearly favours the ‘married family’ as his policy does not apply to cohabiting couples with children. This tax break is worth around one thousand pounds and it may affect family life as it would encourage people to not only get married but stay married which would create or maintain stability in the family. The New Right leans towards the same views of the Conservatives as they clearly support the idea of the Nuclear Family as they think that Nuclear Families should be encouraged and family diversity should be discouraged. In 1999 and 2000, Morgan and Saunders wrote that The New Right believe the government should favour married parenthood by rewarding them and providing them with special legal rights and safeguards. They also believe that the increase in Lone-parent families is due to over generous welfare benefits and that they should be reduced to tempt people out of this decision. Another way in which they want to discourage family diversity is by denying unmarried couples the rights and privileges given to married couples and by making divorce much more difficult. There has recently been a cap on benefits introduced. This means that the  amount of money claimed by a family cannot exceed the average wage for a working family. It was introduced to keep things ‘fair’ although some people saw it as unlawful. This new policy could encourage more parents to get into work in the attempt to earn more money. All of this is the government’s way of saving money and therefore keeping the economy running. In conclusion most of these state policies/laws introduced have a positive effect on family life, others could be deemed as unfair however all in all they try to create a stable society as the family is a key factor in the make-up of a good society.

Monetary policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Monetary policy - Essay Example Therefore, to realize economic stability, it is paramount for the economic policies enacted to be in correspondent with the state of the country in terms of resources and economic endowments. Two approaches are used to realize the economic goals of price stability, growth and development, and stability in the exchange rates. These two ways include monetary and fiscal policy mechanisms. While fiscal policy frameworks focus on aspects such as government expenditure, taxation, and subsidies, the monetary policy represents the stipulations enacted to regulate the flow of money in the economy. Besides, the monetary policy mechanisms are used by the financial institutions to regulate an effective interest rate. The main objective of regulating the flow of money in the economy is to stabilize the currency and control inflation within a manageable or planned level. The monetary policy is an effective aspect and framework of the Central Bank of England that impacts on the effective cost of bo rrowing which has a direct effect on the amount of money in circulation and consumer expenditure. The stability of the monetary policy is measured by the stable prices, stable exchange rates (confidence in the currency), and low inflation rate. All the key decisions regarding the monetary policy are made by the Monetary Policy Committee. MPC of the Bank of England The Bank of England, through its Monetary Policy Committee, attempts to regulate and influence the general economic pattern and expenditure by changing its official interest rates. This is because it is important to maintain a steady growth rate between the level of output and money expenditure in the economy so as to eliminate inflation. Through this approach, the MPC therefore desires to control inflation by adjusting interest rates either upward or downward (Cobham, 2003 p. 61). After setting the national renting rate to major financial institutions, these then affect the entire economy from building societies, trading institutions, to consumers. Besides, the interest rates set by the MPC of the Bank of England is reflected in the exchange rates markets and equity stock markets. The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) charged with the responsibility of determining the interest rates was accorded the power by the Labor Government in 1997. This followed periods of high inflation rates and soaring bench mark of 15% after it was realized that ministerial interest rate control was ineffective in maintaining long-term sustainable economic stability. This was because the economic decision were clouded by political factors. The MPC of the Bank of England is a nine member committee chaired by the Governor of the Bank of England, the Deputy Governors, four appointees by the Chancellor, Chief Economist, and Executive Directors of the Market Operation. Monetary Policy Statistics (2002-2012) Year 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 CPI 1.3 1.4 1.4 2.0 2.3 2.3 3.6 2.2 3.3 4.5 2. 7 Interests Rates 4.0 3.75 4.75 4.5 5.0 5.5 4.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 From these statistics, it is observed that the MPC of the Bank of England has been very consistent in its policies and interest rates. From 2002 to 2012, the highest inflation rate ever reported in England wass 4.5% in 2011 while the lowest inflation rate in the economy of England is 1.3% recorded in 2002. However, over this eleven year period,

IT Project Management, case study business report Essay

IT Project Management, case study business report - Essay Example The target of the new E-Health strategy was to provide the right care to the right patient, by the right physician, at the rite time to deliver the right outcome. The idea was to use integrated care systems, virtual electronic patient records and electronic communications to provide better services to the patients. The execution of this strategy was a big challenge keeping in mind the scale and complexity of the issue. Achievement of same standards and quality throughout the country sought proper project management and constant monitoring. Moreover the resources needed to achieve the required results were also a concern. A lot of technical infrastructure, skill set and knowledge base were required. 14 territorial NHS boards, 8 special NHS boards, all hospitals, and all the GPs including community care services were the stakeholders to the program. To help with the challenges, the Scottish Government formed a new e-Health Directorate with the prime responsibility to manage and guide t he e-health program including strategy formulation, resource acquisition, resource deployment, and strategy implementation. The Scottish Government Health Department worked with the collaboration of the Deloitte to implement an e-health program all over the country to achieve the required results which also meant considerable improvement in health department. The project proved to be a major success. The case study then carries on with the reasons and stimulators of success, as described by the involved personnel. The purpose of this paper is to study the reasons in detail, analyze these reasons, identify the key knowledge areas, describe their relation to success, and prioritize these knowledge areas based upon their effectiveness. Key Knowledge Areas Project Integration Management Project integration management involves the processes and activities needed to identify, define, unify, and communicate the project processes and project management activities. Activities of project mana gement which can be directly related to integration management include unification, consolidation, ratification and integrative actions. These actions are quite crucial to project success and completion within the right framework (Boddy & Boonstra, 2005). The e-Health program had a vast scope and there was a huge degree of complexity. The program had to be carried out on a national level and the targets of the new strategy included standardization. The achievement of such kind of targets on a national scale requires accurate and timely use of integration management. A lot of stakeholders involved in the program, mainly the practitioners, the service providers and the authority departments. The scope and autonomy of each department was interrelated, and this meant that the boundaries of responsibility and authority had to be clearly defined. Moreover proper communication channels were vital to the success of the project. Coordination of objectives, responsibilities and resources had to be carried out on a huge scale. All these required dimensions fall with in the scope of Project Integration Management. Project Scope Management The first step of a project is to define its objectives. The objective of a project then determines the resources, processes and figures involved in the project. The inputs and outputs of a project have to be determined in detail and all the needed processes to reach the outputs are

The Role of Computer Technology in the human race Research Paper

The Role of Computer Technology in the human race - Research Paper Example This ability to compute large amounts of data within very less time provided the basis of conducting analysis and comprehensive overall views of scenarios. Thus, computing assisted man immensely and was able to put to maximum use all the sources that were at hand to him. Literally speaking, Computer technology refers to the process of planning, constructing, designing and implementing a computer system. Since the basic meaning of ‘compute’ is calculate thus computing something was calculating it The History of computer technology can roughly be traced back to the year 1940 in which the first programmable computers were built for the very first time. The first computer ever built was the size of a typical modern bedroom and consumed power equivalent to that consumed by a couple hundred modern day computers. To give you the perception of the potential this computer was, think about the first generation IPhone. Yes, in fact the Phone was a significantly more powerful machin e than the first â€Å"supercomputer†. Back In those days, institutions had to dedicate a special room just for the computer lab server. The Temperature had to be on point ever single minute of the day or else the computer lab would become over heated. 1971 saw the advent of the microprocessor. The size of computers reduced considerably with this invention. The first Intel microprocessor had the name Intel 4004 associated with it. The advent of microprocessors then paved a very rapid way to the Personal Computers, Laptops and then eventually the present day tablets. Computer technology has excelled manifolds in the past seventy years; think about all the different features available on a modern day computer; you can email, draw, chat instantly with other people around the world, watch movies, download and listen to music, create your own music, build your own computer, design blueprints of the worlds most sophisticated buildings, you can do practically anything you desire on a modern day computer. Technology incorporated in present day computer CPU’s, memory, hard drive space, etc. is multiplying year by year without us even acknowledging how it is benefiting us. Engineers are constantly striving to figure out how to improve battery life, power consumption, and even most importantly, cost. For example, the Apple Ipad is the most user friendly tablet in the market and also the most advance when it comes to the components inside, yet the cost is only a few hundred dollars. Since its initiation the technology of computing devices has been of assistance and productivity for man. Specifically it may be said that this technology accompanies unimaginable horizons of positive aspects within it most of which are yet to be discovered and explored. Everywhere around us we see innumerable advantages of computer technology. May it be education, health or everyday use computer technology has been beneficial for man by extensive means. Though the advent of comp uter technology in the present times has primarily been extremely beneficial for mankind it does accompany certain drawbacks as well. These drawbacks may become potential hazards if not addressed with timely and appropriate measures. This perfectly comes in line with that technology behaves like a ‘double edged sword’ (Kurzweil) and, C. P. Snow, who is a renowned English physicist and novelist, said that, â€Å"Technology†¦is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in

Business english and communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business english and communication - Assignment Example They also manufacture televisions, storage devices, mobile phones, office equipment--like computers, notebook PCS, monitors, printers, and LCD displays--photography equipment, surveillance equipment, and household appliances. Much of this is usually produced in Korea, and it is shipped to other countries to be sold. Communication is done between staff in the department via memos, messages, meetings, conferences, and phone calls. The HR department communicates primarily through email and phone correspondence, as well as in person. The general manager communicates with them via the same means. The marketing department communicates through the use of memos, emails, phone correspondence, and personal meetings with other staff to determine their next steps to take as far as getting products out to the public. The marketing department also uses press releases to give news to the public about new product releases. Once the marketing department and other company staff meet to determine what their next product lines will be, the production staff is then notified, and they work on producing what will appeal to the public. Samsung corresponds with other companies located in different countries, such as between Korea and the US, to distribute their products as affiliates. The affiliates keep in communication with the main company through email and phone. The function and communication structures of Samsung are very solid, cut, and dry. Staff within the headquarters can communicate with one another quickly and efficiently, as they can meet within offices and hold conferences should the need arise. Disputes within the company can be resolved quickly, and sudden changes can be communicated without much delay. The only weakness that can be seen is that their manufacturers are in Korea, which can present some issues with language barriers. Other than that, Samsung seems to be very well run. Then, there is Microsoft. Microsoft is a