A baseball player Jackie Robinson - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2043 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/08/02 Category People Essay Level High school Tags: Jackie Robinson Essay Did you like this example? To the public eye Jackie Robinson was just a baseball player who helped desegregate professional sports, though this is not the case. Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was a Decorated American Veteran, Actor, Civil Rights Activist, Professional Baseball player, and an American Hero to the unheard American population. He has been the subject of controversy, and a prime example of fearlessness, his essence showed the power of actions without uttering a single word. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A baseball player Jackie Robinson" essay for you Create order Although Jackie lead our nation through difficult times through his position as a baseball player, he also deserves to be recognized for his many other great achievements. His presence in professional baseball broke the color barrier, which also led to many other professional sports, organizations, and even the military to desegregate. Robinson was born in the small town of Cairo, Georgia, but his family moved when he was 6 months old to a predominantly white neighborhood in Pasadena, California after his father had abandon them. This new neighborhood happened to be a more progressive, and a more forward thinking place out of the deep south, which had basically been untouched by the great depression. During this time, Jackies mother, Mallie, had worked many odd jobs to support her family. The Robinson familys arrival to the west coast was met with just as much racism and hatred as would be expected. Mallie, however, was a no nonsense woman who did not antagonize the whites who lived in their neighborhood and had won over the respect of many of them after years of living there. Jackie wrote my mother never lost her composure, as well as the fact that she didnt allow us to go out of our way to antagonize the whites, and she made it perfectly clear to us and to them that she was not afraid of them and had no intentio ns of allowing them to mistreat us. This had affected Jackie later in his life as he had to deal with racism as he tried to break the color barrier in Americas favorite pastime. In his younger years, Robinson attended John Muir High School where he was inspired to take up sports by his older brothers. This is where Robinsons freakish athleticism came into play. During this time Jackie lettered varsity all four years in Baseball, Football, and Basketball as well as track and field, and by the summer of 1935, he had established himself as the most versatile of the muir terriers. (Rampersad 36) After high school Robinson continued his career at Pasadena Junior College where he also played those same sports. As a young man Robinson was known to be very aggressive and violent against racist individuals. Jackie even got into a rock throwing fight with a middle aged white man over the fact that his daughter called him the N-word, and he reacted by calling her a cracker, which angered her father, and as Rampersad describes in Jackie Robinson: A Biography stones were flying between boy and man until his wife came out to scold him for fighting with a child. (Rampersad 24) In college, his attitude towards these individuals who discriminated him had gotten him into some trouble. Robinson was once arrested for arguing the arrest of a friend by the police. This, along with other run-ins with the law due to their racially charged motives, gave him a reputation of being violent to those who were racist around him. Jackies eagerness to talk back to the police became mixed up in legend with the fact of his raw physical power and then became conflated into a habit of brutality when in fact he drew a li ne early between protest and violence (Rampersad 51). During his time at Pasadena, a preacher convinced him to attend church on a regular basis and to allow God into his life. Around this time Robinsons brother Frank (who was also the brother he was closest to) was killed in a motorcycle accident which motivated him to enroll at The University of California, Los Angeles to stay closer to his family. During his time at UCLA Robinson became the schools first athlete to letter in four sports. He also was teammates with Kenny Washington who coincidentally was the first African-American to sign a professional football contract. Robinson also met his wife, Rachel Isum at UCLA in his senior year. Right before graduation Jackie decided to leave UCLA, going against the advice of his mother and girlfriend who wanted him to get his degree. Jackie, however, felt it was useless getting his degree as a black man in America. After playing at UCLA Robinson took a couple jobs with different sports both semi-professionally and professionally. However, in December 1941 after the attacking of Pearl Harbor he was drafted into the United States Military to fight in World War II. During his time in the military Robinson and other African-American soldiers including Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis were very open and vocal about the segregation in the military, protesting their admissions into the Office r Candidate School. Robinson made it to be a second lieutenant. This would be an early example of Jackies activism protesting the Civil Rights in America as well as the event that followed. Robinson also got apprehended for refusing to move to the back of the bus when ordered to by a white bus driver, and due to his arrest he never saw any combat and was honorably discharged, however, a friend of his suggested that he try out for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro League. While playing for the Monarchs, Robinson had a great run in the 47 games he played for them, yet he was unhappy with the disorganization of the league and gambling that occurred. He wanted to tryout for a Major League team instead but the last black man to play in a major league game was in 1884 so it seemed far fetched to even think a team would have picked him up. He ended up trying out for the Boston Red Sox with other Negro players but the try out ended up being a ploy to humiliate black players and try to make desegregation seem like a joke. On the other hand, other teams had taken the signing of African Americans much more seriously, such as the Brooklyn Dodgers, whose General Manager, Branch Ricky, had scouted Robinson in his Negro league games. Ricky chose Robinson out of a list of black players and interviewed him. This led to the famous interaction between these two gentlemen where Robinson asked, Are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back? and Rickey replies t hat he needed a negro player with guts enough not to fight back. After their three-hour long interview Robinson swore an oath to Ricky to look the other way when he was being antagonized, both on, and off of the field. Robinson played briefly with the minor league affiliate Montreal Dodgers, and then got called up to the Major leagues. During his time in the minors Robinson had faced all kinds of racism everywhere he went, even having police departments calling off games that he would be attending. His reception in Brooklyn was met with a mostly positive welcoming with some racial issues mostly coming from the opposing teams and even his own teammates. Yet, Robinson paid no mind to this as he became a star player, who began winning many awards, such as the first Rookie of the year, and Most Valuable Player, as well as taking the Dodgers to the world series five times in a row, which was the greatest award of them all. Jackie even starred in his own movie The Jackie Robinson Story which rose up to be a great success. In the end, he played ten seasons and was announced a hall of famer a few years after his retirement. Even then, he wanted to be recognized for the way he played, not only for breaking the color barrier, as he encouraged anyone voting to vote based on his playing rather than focusing on his impact on changing the face of the game. Robinson not only changed baseball through the desegregation of the league but also the sport itself, where instead of just using raw power to hit the baseballs as hard as they could to bring in runs, Jackies style and strategy of aggressive base running, such as his famous stealing home to score, was implemented by other teams. He was even dubbed the father of modern day base-stealing by author David Falkner. Robinson was also a remarkable fielder at any position he played. On April 15, 1997, Jackie Robinsons number, 42, was retired throughout the whole league as a way to commemorate and honor the man who changed the game. Jackie Robinsons integration into Major League baseball was so influential that he even began to change the way that his white teammates felt about racism and the segregation laws. Between Jackies first season playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the following fall season, most of Jackies teammates became accepting of the fact that integration was happening, and Jackie played a huge role in making them change their beliefs. Many of Jackies teammates were never necessarily against the idea of integrating Americas favorite pastime, but yet they were not publically supportive of it either and their silence was just as bad, if not worse, than the people against it. This feeling of loneliness continued for Robinson until a game played against the Cincinnati Reds in 1947. Most people recall a very famous event happening at the game on this day, though there is no existing photographs or news articles, of it ever happening. The story claims that when the Brooklyn Dodgers took the field, a s usual, nasty slurs were being screamed from the audience directed at Robinson. As no other teammate showed their support, Dodgers shortstop Pee Wee Reese approached Robinson and threw his arm around his shoulder in a form of acceptance. This event isnt completely proven to be true, but it remains one of the most famous events from its time. After baseball, Robinson became a very big Civil Rights activist supporting famous leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. as well as participating in marches and protest. Robinson decided to use his baseball career as the foundation for his political movement, and started his work in the Civil Rights movement by speaking out on the slow integration of African Americans into Major League baseball. In 1958, Robinson worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. as honorary chairman of the of the Youth March for Integrated Schools. After his time in the major leagues Jackie Robinson had no trouble speaking his mind as he later became the author of a famous newspaper column in which he spoke about racial and political matters. To add to the insanely long list of contributions that Robinson made to the Civil Rights movement, he also founded a black owned Freedom National Bank in order to assist minorities who were struggling financially by providing them with the necessary loans that they may n ot have been able to receive otherwise. Robinson also criticized the MLB for the lack of minorities coaching, as well as protested against them by refusing to show up for the old timers game in 1969. The list of Robinsons accomplishments during his time as a Civil Rights activist is extensive, making him one of the greatest contributions to the movement. Jackie Robinsons debut into baseball ended the segregation line in the world of all sports. That being said, his effect was not only felt in sports, as the president of the time, Harry Truman, decided to end segregation in the military as well. Every April 15, every player in the MLB wears the number 42 so that no one is seen differently for the day. Robinson had done in a lifetime what many could never do. Jackie Robinson was an extremely talented and inspiring baseball player, but he was also a real-life superhero to those who faced the tragedies of oppression and discrimination. He saw the world for what it was and never backed down or looked away. He made the public love and accept him not through his words but through his character and actions. He is a legend in every regard of the word and forever will be.

Food Insecurity A Brief Issues Paper Written For The...

Food Insecurity In India A Brief Issues Paper Written for the Pacific Food Summit Savanna Griffis (43819206) Words: 1572 Introduction Global food security has become one of the most prominent issues of the decade, as the world’s population, and thus the number of mouths to feed, is expected to reach 9.1 billion people by 2050. Despite growing income levels and overall economic growth, India continues to be one country that is severely affected by food insecurity, with a steady decline in calorie consumption per capita and a rise in levels of the population that have become food-insecure. Due to this confusing and contradictory nature of India’s food security condition, it has become significant in the realm of global food stability. Identifying the major reasons for food insecurity and the uneven impacts associated with food production in India, as well as opportunities for improvement within the country, are essential in hopes of understanding the nature of the global food crisis. While there are undoubtedly several reasons for current threats to food security, a close examination of the current so cial, economic, and environmental status of India demonstrates that a lack of crop diversification, climate change, and increasing westernization of Indian agricultural systems are three major contributors. Key Issues of Concern- Crop Diversification According to the Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, diversification can be defined as â€Å"diversion of sizable acreage fromShow MoreRelatedWater as a Source of Future Conflict in Sa26984 Words   |  108 Pagesalready lack water supplies. Water use has risen six-fold over the past 70 years. By 2050, it is estimated that 4.2 billion people live in countries that cannot meet people’s daily basis needs. South Asia is a region of water abundance and scarcity. â€Å"Issues concerning water allotment are the basic strategic distress over the state relations billion people will be† (Kshatri 2004, 4). 2. The melted snow of the Himalayas plays an important role in Water Resources of South Asia, which are shared by IndiaRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pages978-1-4399-0269-1 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-4399-0270-7 (paper : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-4399-0271-4 (electronic) 1. History, Modern—20th century. 2. Twentieth century. 3. Social history—20th century. 4. World politics—20th century. I. Adas, Michael, 1943– II. American Historical Association. D421.E77 2010 909.82—dc22 2009052961 The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library MaterialsRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesprior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. Many of the designations by manufacturers and seller to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designationsRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 Pageseducational purposes only. In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the Publishers or a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd., Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. This book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwiseRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesmain text of this book includes 87 short illustrations and 15 case examples which have been chosen to enlarge speciï ¬ c issues in the text and/or provide practical examples of how business and public sector organisations are managing strategic issues. The case studies which follow allow the reader to extend this linking of theory and practice further by analysing the strategic issues of speciï ¬ c organisations in much greater depth – and often providing ‘solutions’ to some of the problems or difï ¬ cultiesRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesprior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products areRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words à ‚  |  1186 Pagesor by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 WVR/WVR 0 9 8 7 ISBN 978-0-07-340334-2 MHID 0-07-340334-2 Editorial

The Future Economy Free Essays

Imagine yourself living the dream of being an entrepreneur. You are a business man of the 21st century; you have a popular product that many firms want to purchase. You feel financially secure with your future because of the amount of buyers for your product. We will write a custom essay sample on The Future Economy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Then 5 years go bye, and the once abundant number of firms has dwindled down to a couple of major corporations. You try to think to yourself how did this happen? You then realize that all the little companies that fought for your business, and helped you get the highest capital are gone. They were acquired by or merged with larger firms. You know that when this happens the market gets smaller and there are less people to buy your product. With fewer options of companies to sell your product to, comes a smaller amount of profit for you. Two more years go bye and the market gets more concentrated, the remaining giants can now offer you any price they want. If you choose not to accept it, you don†t sell your product. Your dreams of being your own boss and selling a quality product for a fair price are fading away. Some people may think that this story couldn†t happen, but mergers and acquisitions take place everyday in the corporate world. This story that I just told you about is real. Instead of being about business men of the 21st century my article was about the beef cattle farmers of southwestern Wisconsin. The article talks about Virginia-based Smithfield foods, acquired American Foods Group and Packerland Holdings Co. Smithfield is the nation†s largest pork processor; they have a 20% market share. Besides the two recent acquisitions Smithfield also has ownership of Cudahy-based Patrick Cudahy Inc. As a result of this Smithfield will now be the nation†s forth-largest beef processor, with a 9% market share. Smithfield†s merger is part of an overall consolidation among the nation†s larger food processors, which includes the companies of the nation†s beef industry. Wisconsin is known to many people as the dairy state because of our cheese and milk production. While this is true, when the dairy cows get older and there milk production drops they get sold to beef processors. Due to this, Wisconsin†s number of beef cattle has been increasing. Wisconsin had 1.29 million dairy cows as of July 1, according to the Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service. The state had 260,000 beef cattle, a 2% increase from July 2000. If I had the other three firms information on the market value they have. I could figure out if the market is highly concentrated or somewhat competitive using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index which you showed us in class. Wisconsin beef producers are definitely concerned about the latest news of Smithfield†s plans involving Packerland and American Foods. Tom Thieding, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation said, â€Å"Any time in a consolidation, you just lose the marketing and price opportunity.† State Agriculture Secretary Jim Harsdorf also expressed his concern about the consolidation saying â€Å"we need to make sure there†s still opportunity and competition out there, or the producers are the ones who are going to see their margins cut.† The nation†s livestock sector is already highly concentrated, a point that is made repeatedly by farm organizations and others. Serious questions have been raised about vertical and horizontal integration and market power that puts small livestock producers at a disadvantage and puts consumers at risk. The farmers know that the Smithfield acquisitions further concentrate U.S. meatpacking and eliminate an important competitor in the purchase of livestock, very likely resulting in lower prices for producers. Smithfield believes that it must consolidate in order to keep up with other companies and to provide for their customers. But to make a profit the beef and pork processors will be under pressure to pay fair prices to farmers. But the farmers have a very important role in this equation, they supply the product. If the farmers don†t have an economic incentive to produce, the processors will not be able to deliver to their customers. Smithfield†s plan to buy American Foods could be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice to address the possibility of an antitrust. As we learned in class the antitrust policy tries to promote competition and discourage collusion. But Smithfield believes that American Foods is small enough that the deal won†t need regulatory review. The deal with Packerland foods was reviewed and approved by the federal government. Smithfield believes that they are a growing company; they will not approach the size of industry leaders IBP, ConAgra and Excel. To beef producers the debate is not theoretical. Mike Riechers, a cattle farmer in southwestern Wisconsin said he believes the competition among cattle buyers dropped in 1998 after Packerland took over the operations Murco Foods. With Smithfield buying Packerland and American Foods farmers are concerned that competition could drop even further. In conclusion, consolidation is taking many other forms: â€Å"mergers,† â€Å"partnerships,† â€Å"integration,† and similar terms are being used to describe a variety of business arrangements that result in the same final product: fewer people making decisions in agriculture. In many ways, agriculture is just catching up with the rest of the business world, which has been consolidating at a record pace for the past several years. Meanwhile the farmer will become a grower, providing the labor and often some of the capital, but never owning the product as it moves through the food system and never making the major management decisions. Most consumers already put no thought into the financial cost of growing the hay that fed the cow that ends up on your plate. How to cite The Future Economy, Essay examples

Boeing free essay sample

In late 2003, the company of Boeing was the worst of its life. However, it was changed some market demand and solved the technology issues, then slowing to improve. According to the case study (Boeing), the six-box organisational model provides a framework that succinctly identifies the key factors at the centre of the Boeing situation. 1. Strategy was to update their technology systems, downsize their operations, and re-establish relationships with their suppliers and the only feasible way costs could be cut. Structure the problem of 1994 airbus which shocked the management executives and began a series of changes that were implemented to overcome the bureaucratic structure, outdated technological systems, and unnecessary processes in a company that had reportedly changed. 3. Systems Boeing adopted the principles of lean manufacturing and aimed to rejuvenate their reputation by making their production more efficient. The object of the project was to implement an automated system of assembly lines. 4. Style the decision was made to diversify from the traditional commercial airline industry and the many acquisitions that were made created integration issues for the company. We will write a custom essay sample on Boeing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The aim again was to add more stability to the business by diversifying into information services and the space industry that providing services with elevated margins that would reflect on Boeings bottom line. 5. Staff- according to the CEO of Airbus Noel Forgeard, the process of diversification was extremely demoralizing for Boeing mployees, but Boeings vice president of marketing, Randy Baseler, claimed that What affects morale right now is that we are in a down cycle. Regardless of the reasoning behind it, Boeings employee morale was at a low and this issue needed to be addressed. 6. Skills Boeing has bet its future on the market developing a partiality for smaller aircraft, like their new 7E7. Airbus. On the other hand, the projects will the airlines to purchase larger aircrafts in the future.

Objectivity is impossible in journalism, especially in the face of atrocity and on a subject one is passionate about

Introduction Reputable journalists around the world desire to disseminate news in an unprejudiced manner. They focus on furnishing the public with information about local or international occurrences through minimal personal interference.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Objectivity is impossible in journalism, especially in the face of atrocity and on a subject one is passionate about specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While the virtue, of reaching this goal is reasonable, the feasibility of attaining it is another matter altogether. Challenges of striving for objectivity It is possible for people to experience the same reality, but their understanding of the same depends on their perception (Brooks 2006). A microwave may seem like an indispensable device to a restaurant owner, but the same item may be perceived as a box or an awkward piece of furniture by a bushman in the Kalahari Desert. Alternatively, a personâ €™s definition of intelligence may depend on that person’s cultural inclinations. Education, norms, and biases filter what people perceive in their worlds. It is these filters that cause people to have different religious standpoints, gender identities, personalities or economic opinions. For instance, a group of people may witness a mob lynching in a part of town. A lawyer may talk about the possibility of a lawsuit by the concerned assailant; a politician may consider strengthening the city’s security laws; a clergyman may talk about God’s role in sparing the victim from death. All these perceptions stem from old information that the viewers used to understand the new information. Since people subjectively construct the world, then even journalists perceive events against this backdrop. Methods or platforms used to convey information are quite unsteady in the field. Journalists need to use words in order to convey information, yet words can mean different things to different people.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, the statement â€Å"Mergina is an exotic location bursting with native energy† could mean different things to different people. Does the word exotic refer to something bizarre or is or just another way of demonstrating that the location is exciting and different? If it is different, then the author should specify his reference point. Native energy may be translated negatively by the people of Mergina who may assume that the term connotes primitivism. Therefore, journalists may intend on conveying factual information, but their choice of words and interpretations could betray them. Even the sheer notion of doing conflict war zone reporting brings the matter of objectivity into question. An employer cannot force a journalist to enter a war zone unless the correspondent consciously chooses to do so. This means that he or she must feel strongly enough about a certain story to put himself or herself in danger. At that point, the journalist will compromise on objectivity because he or she is passionate about the matter. Reportage requires detachment, but this is close to impossible to achieve when journalists already feel so strongly about something. When engaging in journalistic work, stakeholders must make numerous decisions on news reporting. They must decide on occurrences that qualify as news. Not every event (religious meeting, violent interaction, political episode, and economic matter) that happens will make the news because editors often determine which ones journalists will report.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Objectivity is impossible in journalism, especially in the face of atrocity and on a subject one is passionate about specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although most editors have a lot of experience in the industry, this only proves that journalism pegs on experience as a filter of the newsmaker’s world. Reporters and journalists may dedicate a lot of time and effort towards to the collection of valuable information on conflict. However, their efforts may be thwarted by media houses if they are not politically correct. For instance in the UK, some natives attacked and beat up Iranian girls for wearing Hijabs. No local media outlets reported the incident, yet the matter received extensive coverage in Iranian media houses. It was the decisions of higher powers in those stations that determined what they transmitted. Numerous media houses tend to reflect the ideological preferences of their editors. Although many of them try to show the other side of the story, the vast majority will endorse their superior’s ideologies. Journalists do not exist in a vacuum; they are part of their society and will often implement the perspectives embraced by established pow ers, political or government leaders (Jones 2009). Aside from the decision process, even the process of reporting the news is quite difficult to perform for those individuals who have the responsibility to do so. Besides the choice of words that journalists select, the images they convey can also alter perceptions. On television, cameras may zoom in on ten demonstrators and make them look like a large crowd. Alternatively, cameras may take aerial shots of a large crowd and make it appear as though it was a minor dispute. Even the order in which news reports occur can determine viewers’ or readers’ interpretations. The amount of time dedicated to a story will determine how people will think of it. The reader’s tone of voice or facial expression may also change the way the public perceives the matter.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Journalists are quite human; they can get fully engaged in the conflicts or issues that they are covering if the issues affect them. When a reporter visits a missionary – operated orphanage, where children can only get food when they become Christians, then the journalist will most likely deplore that behaviour. Alternatively, if terrorists kidnap a correspondent in a conflict zone, then this can dramatically alter the individual’s opinion of the terrorists. Even the general experience of war causes many reporters to become empathetic about torture victims. They may be prompted to condemn the atrocities that they witness, and this may undermine their ability to objective. A correspondent who faithfully records violent behaviour without criticizing it will be an upstanding journalist but not a decent person. Dispassionate reports often yield dispassionate reactions from the public. Readers, listeners and viewers often respond to passionate and genuine stories. If journa lists stick to news items, without showing their human side, then they may elicit negative responses from the public. Emotions are what make people human, so audiences do not expect journalists to eliminate this aspect from their work. Furthermore, sometimes certain atrocities are so blatant that it comes naturally to take a stance against them. If a journalist tries to use words such as alleged when the violent acts are so obvious, then the individual may fall into the trap of false objectivity. Sometimes a middle-ground approach may not be tenable. Virtues of objectivity Numerous external parties may interfere in journalistic activities. Perhaps the most notorious ones are politicians. If journalists did not care about objectivity, then they would be reduced to political puppets. In the government, loyalty to one’s group is more valuable than allegiance to the truth. A member of parliament would need to consult and support members of his party in order to get any piece of l egislation passed. However, undesirable results would occur if journalists did the same thing. Some governments have reduced media houses into propaganda platforms. If journalists in those countries committed to objectivity, then they would perpetuate the truth, even when this meant betraying their governments. A case in point was the Nanking Massacre of China. This was an atrocity that occurred at the city of Nanking in 1938. The conflict involved the killing, rape, arson and torture of Chinese people by Japanese soldiers. About 300,000 casualties arose from the war with most of the victims being civilians or unarmed Chinese soldiers. The Japanese combatants raped women and forced them to commit acts of incest. They looted their property and left them with nothing. When stakeholders revisited the matter in the 2000s, some Japanese politicians, such as Mayor Kawamura of Nagoya, Governor Ishihara of Tokyo and Japanese LDP party members, claimed that the Massacre never occurred. Other s who acknowledge its existence have tried to play down the magnitude of the atrocities. Journalists who report these events have also fallen victim to the above sentiments owing to the need to obey authority. If they stayed committed to objectivity, then they would have focused on both sides of the conflict. They would have discussed the varied interpretations of the matter and the need for apology from the Japanese government. As such, their biased journalists have fanned Chinese-Japan mistrust and general relations (Gallichio 2007). Members of the media industry also have the unique challenge of handling stereotypes. Human beings tend to focus on facts that confirm stereotypes and ignore the ones that contradict them. Objectivity in journalism is essential in order to reduce this preference for stereotypes. Therefore, the possibility of staying objective can be considered in this industry. Journalists reporting about violence, conflict, or atrocities have several reasons to striv e for objectivity; therefore, this illustrates that there is a possibility for existence of objectivity. First, atrocities rarely occur in isolation; this means that every conflict has a context that led to the culmination of violent behaviour. A warring society may have undergone decades of polarisation and unresolved issues; it may possess structural issues that perpetuated the violence. Issues such as government neglect, military oppression, and poverty should receive just as much attention as the personal atrocities committed by individuals. Journalists who strive for objectivity would not just focus on irrational aspects of atrocities; they would also explain the factors behind the violent behaviour. It is necessary to suspend judgements when making these calls, no matter how divergent the issue is from one’s worldview. A journalist who endeavours to become objective will not just concern himself with issues that support his perspective; he will try as much as possible t o look at all the facts. De-contextualisation of violence necessitates working towards objectivity. Conflicts or wars are usually quite complex. It is easy for journalists to fall into the trap of dualism. Here, they may reduce the stakeholders in the conflict to just two individuals, yet other external parties such as multinationals may also play a role. For instance, international journalists reported the 1994 Rwandan atrocities as a conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis. While the latter groups were the majority stakeholders, the UN, US, Belgian and French forces also contributed to the conflict. Furthermore, journalists downplayed their role in ending the conflict. If reporters at the time strove for objectivity, then they would not have ignored the role of these external players in the genocide. Alternatively, when reporting about conflicts it is easy to present the most outstanding or dramatic aspects. Reporters may make violence seem like the only option, yet this is not alwa ys true. Journalists ought to strive for objectivity by refraining for Manichaeism; a term that refers to the process of demonising one group and regarding the other one as chaste. No conflict is ever black and white; that is why journalists need to note all the negotiations that may occur in a conflict. Furthermore, ceasefires may not always signify peace. If escalation occurs in a war, then journalists must explain the causes of the occurrence. Alternatively, if journalists ignore the views of the bereaved in news reports, then the public may not understand why an escalation or act of revenge occurred. When reconciliation takes place, journalists have the power to perpetuate healing by showing images of resolution. In order for all these positive outcomes to occur, then journalists working in such environments need to strive for objectivity. Reporters who strive for this objective should exercise self control. They need to suppress their own emotions in order to get to the truth. This means that they ought to embrace the possibility of being a little dull. Outright attacks against certain prominent figures may attract readers’ attention, but they do not necessarily indicate that the matter is true. Most attacks tend to exaggerate the vices of an individual while ignoring the person’s strengths. Journalists should process all the information they have collected and put it in one coherent pattern (Holber Zubric 2000). The act of connecting all the parts takes strong judgment, which may not always be prevalent amongst all reporters. They need to report issues as they are without demonising one group or ignoring certain aspects of the conflict. Such issues provide proof for the possibility of objectivity in journalism. Sometimes attachment in journalism can lead to severe consequences, which points to the possibility and usefulness of objectivity. This is especially so when the concerned reporter is passionate about a certain topic. British corres pondent Marie Colvin died in Syria when one of the warring parties fired a missile at her and her group. Colvin belonged to a group of journalists who ascribed to a school of thought known as journalism of attachment. In this group, members believe that correspondents have a moral duty to the public by taking sides (O’Neill 2012). They affirm that one must identify the evil and pure sides in a conflict and then show a preference for the positive side. Here, journalists cease being reporters only; they transform themselves into moral crusaders. Many newspapers have praised the courage of these individuals; however, they do not realise the danger of such an approach to those crusaders. When journalists abandon objectivity, as Colvin did, then they become players in the war. In one instance, Colvin rescued 1500 people in East Timor when Indonesian forces arrested the victims. The latter event occurred in 1999, and peers commended Colvin for her heroic efforts. The individual als o urged western governments to intervene in the Kosovo conflict during the 1990s because she identified the Serbs as evil and the area’s Liberation army as virtuous, yet these factors changed dramatically. In other similar scenarios, journalists have used their positions as activists to force western governments to intervene in foreign conflicts through military action. A case in point was the intervention of the UK, US and the French in the Libyan conflict of 2011 through bombing campaigns. Activist journalists have the ability to change the direction of a war by garnering support from their governments against sides they perceive as evil. One can thus deduce that such journalists are no longer neutral and objective. They choose to replace their quest for the truth with their moral objectives. Many of them even criticise unbiased journalists as bystanders who have no place in modern journalism. The challenge with taking such a stance is that it causes reporters to become too engrossed with emotion. A large number of these activists will reduce news findings to morality tales and disregard the complexities involved in the conflict. In other words, they will perceive things as black and white. Therefore, one can see the importance of objectivity in such circumstances. Objectivity, or at least its quest, is possible in the face of atrocities in order to present the true picture of a conflict. When journalists get carried away by their emotions, they will detach themselves from reality and loose balance in their work. A case in point was the issue of global warming. Initially, most reporters focused on the impending danger that the world would be subjected to if it did not change its consumption patterns. However, with time, the media realised that there was another side to the issue and started to report it too. Objectivity is desirable and possible especially when covering controversial topics. Journalists who abandon objectivity may also fall into the t rap of becoming targets in the conflict. When reporters take sides, usually against the local regimes in which they are reporting, they often cause those local leaders to turn against them too. Some of them may bomb their media houses or target them for military purposes. Correspondents who urge western governments to participate in a war may ignite anti-western sentiments in conflicts. Therefore, everything that represents western influence, including western reporters will become enemies of the local regime. Not only is the quest for objectivity the best way to ensure that the public gets to see a conflict’s real picture, but it also protects journalists from fatal consequences of emotionalism. Conclusion Objectivity is dependent on human interaction, which renders journalistic work subjective. It is, therefore, true that objectivity in journalism is impossible. Reporters cannot leave their moral inclinations behind and then dwell on their jobs dispassionately; this is simp ly contrary to human nature. Nonetheless, the virtues of objectivity cannot be ignored. Journalists who comprehend the influence of subjective views would double check their work for glaring biases and prejudices. Such enlightened individuals would also be aware of other people’s worldviews and will encompass them in their reports. Objectivity should be a goal to be sought even though journalists can never attain it fully. Focus ought to be on the process and not the journalist. Journalists have their own opinions, but the process that they use to present information should encapsulate notions of objectivity. Journalists should also refrain from excesses of emotion; otherwise they may lose sight of reality or may also become targets in conflict zones. References Brooks, D 2006, Objectivity in journalism, Imprimis, Michigan. Holber, L Zubric, S 2000, ‘A comparative analysis: objective and public journalism techniques’, Newspaper Research Journal, vol. 21 no. 4, p p 50-67. Gallichio, M 2007, The unpredictability of the past, Preiger Publishers, London. Jones, A 2009, Losing the News: The future of the news that feeds democracy, Oxford University Press, Oxford. O’Neill, B 2012, ‘Dangers of the journalism of attachment’, Spiked, 4 February, p. 14. This essay on Objectivity is impossible in journalism, especially in the face of atrocity and on a subject one is passionate about was written and submitted by user Brenton Hogan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

American Graffiti essays

American Graffiti essays Can you recall the very last night that you spent with your high school buddies before packing your bags up and leaving for college? The film American Graffiti can help you revisit this night by recreating both the terrible and great times you once experienced. The film is based around a closely knit group of teenagers who will all be leaving each other the next day while adventuring off in their separate directions. This gang of teenagers, despite their differences, all go out together and share their last memorable evening together before splitting up. Many events take place during the course of this last evening together. Throughout the night, friendships are strengthened, conflicting struggles arise, and romances are created and disrupted. Curt Henderson who is a very intelligent man, faces several troubling conflicts. First, Curt must decide if he will accept a large scholarship he has won and attend an eastern coast college. The scholarship would financially help him out, but he begins to have doubts about succeeding there, and would rather attend a local college. However, if he attends a local college, his best friend Steve who had been planning on attending the eastern coast college together, will become terribly upset. Another struggle arises when Curt sees a long-blonde hair women driving a white thunder bird lip motion the words I Love You to him. Curts heart throbs out for this gorgeous babe, and he is determined to chase her around all night and track her down. Unfortunately he receives a rude awakening when this woman tells him that she cant meet him. Curt learns that beauty isnt everything and realizes that his girlfriend Laurie is great match for him. The Pharaohs initiate Curts final conflict. The gang wishes for Curt to join their group and forces him to pull a couple of pranks. However, after successfully completing the pranks, he doe...

Synaptic pruning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Synaptic pruning - Essay Example 114). Researches have shown that there is a direct relation of synaptic pruning with change in brain size. As the synapses get reduced, the size of the brain reduces by a small fraction (Paus et al., 2008). But that is not all of which occurs as a result of synaptic pruning. The neurons that get activated and the synapses that are utilized more and more start to grow and their myelination occurs. Myelin, a fatty substance, gets coated on the neural axons so that they are protected. This also increases their transmission speed (Feldman, 2010, p. 114). The growth of the neurons is much faster than the dying away of the unused neurons, which causes a large increase in brain size during the first 2 years after birth. This has been backed by MRI scans (Paus et al., 2008). Synaptic pruning has been associated with the capacity of glucose metabolism as well as age related changes, but that is not the case (Paus et al., 2008). Rather, changes in the size of grey matter are affected by pruning and myelination of the white matter. T1-weighted images have been used to prove this trend (Paus et al., 2008). It has been observed that the brain development in the initial stages can cover up for certain injuries to the brain because other areas can take over for the injured area. This is not so for adult brains, for which it is hard to recover from a mental injury (Feldman, 2010, p. 114). Researches on non-humans have shown a strong relation between synaptic pruning and the plasticity of a human brain. Plasticity refers to the degree to which a brain is modifiable due to experience. For very young babies, the plasticity of the brain is at its peak. This means that they have a very high ability to learn new things. It also indicates that they have a higher tendency to be influenced by the environment around them. Studies are trying to identify this