Exposit both Sartre's account of freedom and Kant's. Which of the two Essay

Exposit both Sartre's account of freedom and Kant's. Which of the two is the most cogent (compelling or convincing) or is th - Essay Example Nevertheless, looking at the universal aspects of morality and rationality, Kantian â€Å"freedom† is more cogent to get it and further put in action. First off, the existentialistic ideas proposed by Sartre follow the idea of absurd and determinism. To be precise, Sartre is likely to suggest a free will when he talks on freedom able to override people’s rationality (Palmer 283). In other words, he pinpoints that a man is allowed to do what he/she wants to notwithstanding possible negative outcomes after possessing such a freedom. Obviously, Sartre highlights the concept of freedom in keeping with the best tradition of the existentialism. As opposed to Kant’s interpretation, Sartre underpins the idea of freedom by the idea of values people get thereafter: â€Å"Sartre has radicalized Kant’s view that the source of value is always the human being, and he has prioritized freedom over rationality† (Palmer 292). Henceforth, Sartre does not rely on the o mnipotence and power of reason. Regardless of it, he shows up the pleasure of freedom as if behind the social life. In turn, Kant would oppose this characterization by giving more grounds to freedom which is a result of a man’s rationality. Immanuel Kant worked out his own vision of the moral philosophy when highlighting the need for freedom. However, he suggests lots of arguments to make his vision out. Thereupon, Kant outlines the meaning of autonomy going hand in hand with what he claims to be freedom. Although Sartre is likely to denote the authorship of a man in what he/she does, Kant is driven by giving some contrast to justify morality and freedom. Thus, he points out morality as a contradiction between duty and inclination and freedom as a controversy between autonomy and heteronomy (Sandel 117). The latter is an opposition to being autonomous, as might be seen. In this vein, Kantian philosophy states that freedom and justice go hand in hand. That is, a person subject to the law is one to accept freedom in its core values. Ostensibly, such evaluation of freedom goes apart with Sartre’s understanding thereof. In fact, Kant’s philosophic treatment of people’s actions can be simply narrowed down to his well-known categorical imperative which is all about mutuality in actions people commit toward one another. Kant’s claims are possible through his close attention to living within the society and complying with the rules and norms of social life. His moral position touches upon the â€Å"intelligible† realm when he remarks: â€Å"†¦we transfer ourselves into the intelligible world as members and recognize the autonomy of the will together with its consequence - morality† (Sandel 128). Membership comes first as a prerequisite of sharing similar ideals and values between individuals. Societal constraints like the law and its execution serve to strike a balance within the society leading toward freedom. In the European tradition, it is all about the democracy as a weighed sum of people’s wants and needs so that to make all of them free and autonomous as well. When Sartre is quite straight-forward paying much attention to the freedom of action despite of the legal limits shared within the society, Kant just traces back to the basic rules of a civilized social life so that to construct the most applicable and unrepugnant concept of freedom. The difference is that Kant is more obliged to the norms of the society seeing a human being as a biosocial creature equally dependant on the natural

Water and Air Pollution Plan Essay Example for Free

Water and Air Pollution Plan Essay According to the peer material provided for review entitled â€Å"Water and Air Pollution Analysis† dated September 19, 2007, among the main environmental problems of Arkansas is water pollution. The paper stated that polluted water caused people to be sick, obliging them to file a lawsuit against several big poultry farms believed to have caused the problem brought about by chicken waste. This hints at the problem of ground water contamination. The paper also said that because of the proliferation of chicken farms in the area, chicken waste is being widely used as fertilizers by farms, resulting to agricultural runoff which pollutes their streams and rivers. Elsewhere in the paper, the author also claimed that the agricultural runoff which is being conveyed by White River to the Mississippi River â€Å"leads to algae blooms that take oxygen from the water and kills fish. † This is a case of surface water pollution. The leading environmental issue in Arkansas, therefore, is ground water and surface water pollution from agricultural runoff. The chicken waste being used as fertilizer contains harmful elements which seeps through the layers of soil and contaminate the sources of ground water. According to information released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), chicken waste contains a combination of fungus, bacteria, and arsenic. Arsenic is found in chicken waste because â€Å"organic arsenic compounds are extensively added to poultry feed to enhance growth. † Therefore, if the chicks grow rapidly, the profit of the poultry company is increased. According to the EPA, â€Å"the most common arsenical poultry feed is Roxarsone [and ] by design, most of the arsenic, which is number one on the EPAs toxic substance list, is excreted in the manure of the chicken. † (Lundy Davis, 2003) In other words, if this organic arsenic manages to seep through the layers of soil, it could easily contaminate the groundwater which is the source of the people’s drinking water. In the face of this hazard, it is paramount that efforts should be exerted by the residents of Arkansas to push for the illegalization of adding organic arsenic to poultry feeds. The people should organize themselves into a lobby group, hire lawyers if necessary to assist them, and approach government officials to achieve this objective. A broad united front is needed for this purpose because poultry raisers, a rather strong lobby group itself, would not take things sitting down since removing organic arsenic compound from poultry feeds would inevitably mean reduced profit for the industry. Over-fertilization should also be avoided. The amount of chicken waste being spread over the fields should not be overdone so that the seepage could be contained. Crop specialization should likewise be avoided because specialized crops usually require more fertilizer to achieve a high production level. The tendency to provide more fertilizer to specialized crops therefore could lead to over-fertilization. For the farming community of Arkansas, crop rotation and the planting of cover crops is advisable. Crop rotation is planting different kinds of crops alternately in order to enhance the quality of the soil and allow reduced use of fertilizer. Cover crops, on the other hand, refer to the types of crop which has a rooting system capable of storing nitrogen. If farmers could plant these kinds of crops, they could avoid the use of large amounts of fertilizers. (Pedersen, 1997) Surface water pollution due to agricultural runoff could be prevented or reduced in several ways. One of them is the maintenance or restoration of natural riparian zones. A riparian zone is an area of vegetation which is usually found near the waterways. In some areas, farmers destroy these riparian zones to enlarge their farms. If they had done this, it is time that they restore them because riparian zones act as buffers which prevent the agricultural runoff to go down the streams or rivers. (Overmann, n. d. ) In areas where the farms are situated in steep hillsides overlooking the rivers, constructing â€Å"terraces† is a good solution. Terraces refer to the short slopes planted with grass or other types of cover crops which are alternating with the level areas planted with crops. These terraces â€Å"hold the slope in place† and prevents agriculture runoff from easily reaching the waterways. â€Å"Contour farming† could also be practiced by farmers in Arkansas. Iowa farmers have applied this method with some success. In the traditional method of farming, the crops are planted in straight rows. Under this method, however, water could easily run down the slope or hill following the rows. In the contour farming, the crops are planted in rows which circle around the slope in curves, thereby breaking the flow of water. This prevents runoff from going down directly to the river. (Iowa Association of Naturalists, n. d. ) In New Orleans, the situation is slightly different. Water pollution is also caused by runoff but here it comes from the industrial plants which pour their industrial wastes into the rivers. Mining activities are also a source of runoff in New Orleans. Floods and storms also contribute to water pollution in the area. For instance, when Hurricane Katrina struck, it caused a lot of havoc in the area including polluting the waterways. The sewerage system was destroyed, causing liquid and solid wastes to be spilled into the rivers and the ocean. Air pollution is caused by geothermal plants which are emitting harmful substances into the environment. Turbulences popularly known as Building Wakes accelerate the rate of diffusion of these substances to the environment. The frequent occurrence of dust storms is another source of smog while the greenhouse effect contributes substantial emissions of hydrofluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere. Water pollution in New Orleans has caused people to suffer from dysentery and cholera and even displaced some residents from their homes because of polluted drinking water supply. The overt effects of air pollution, on the other hand, are asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The causes of pollution in the two areas may differ, but the effects are similarly destructive and, in some cases, life-threatening. Arkansas and New Orleans should both fight pollution, mustering all the resources available to them. References Iowa Association of Naturalists. (n. d. ). Iowa Water Pollution. Retrieved September 23, 2007 2007 from http://www.extension. iastate. edu/Publications/IAN103. pdf Lundy Davis. (2003). Something Fowl in the Air – Poultry Industry Contamination. PR Newswire. Retrieved September 23, 2007 from http://www. animalsvoice. com/PAGES/writes/editorial/news/invest/fowl_air. html Overmann, S. R. (n. d. ). Water Pollution by Agricultural Chemicals. Retrieved September 23, 2007 from http://agripollute. nstl. gov. cn/MirrorResources/10087/update30. html Pedersen, T. L. (1997). Agricultural Run-Off as a Source of Drinking Water Contamination. Retrieved September 23, 2007 from http://extoxnet. orst. edu/faqs/safedrink/ag. htm

No child left behind and school accountability education essay

No child left behind and school accountability education essay The United Nations Convention on The United Nation Rights of the Child (1999) is not law but it has been ratified by 177 countries throughout the world and Scotland is bound to it by international law. It gives children a broad group of economic, social and cultural rights. The UNCRC (1999) has influenced legislation in this country today for example The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 reflects a number of articles such as Article 23 States Parties recognize that a mentally or physically disabled child should enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions which ensure dignity, promote self reliance and facilitate the childs active participation in the community. The Disability Discrimination Act (1995) is very important due to the fact it brings to the forefront that fact you cannot discriminate against people with disabilities. It tackles discrimination against disabled people enabling them to have equality in all areas of life. It is illegal to refuse a child a place in a nursery setting due to their disability. Children in nursery settings must not be treated less favourably than their mainstream peers and should be included in all activities with adjustments made if required in order for them to participate. The standard of care and education must not be lower than that of mainstream children. All these measures help to encourage inclusion in society. The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 fulfils the governments obligations to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Act has three overarching principles one of which is In relation to the provision of services for children by local authorities, due regard should be given, without discrimination, to a childs religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background The Equality Act (2010) is very important today as it promotes integrated services. It places the onus on public bodies to fulfil certain duties, one of which is working closely with their key partners, enabling and supporting organisations. This act brings together 9 existing discrimination laws, simplifying them and making it a more cohesive approach to equality and inclusion. It tackles barriers that hold people back giving everyone an opportunity to succeed. It shows a commitment to narrowing gaps in society arising from social class and income between rich and poor. These acts meets the needs of disabled children and are in place to protect them from discrimination. Children should not be treated any less favourably than mainstream children in the setting. It is important that practitioners are supportive and positive about peoples differences as stereotyping can stop you seeing the child as an individual. Making assumptions about someone based on stereotypes could lead to limiting of expectations of their abilities. Young children do not have any fixed ideas about society and therefore practitioners could affect change through being good role models and accepting everyone for who they are. This would help to stop stereotyping. According to Siraj-Blatchford (2000) children can only learn to be tolerant, challenge unfair generalization and learn inclusiveness and positive regard for diversity if they see the adults around them doing the same. In this setting there is a mixture of mainstream children and children with disabilities and I have obser ved that all children interact with each other, accepting each as friends, not noticing the differences. These children with disabilities are clearly valued. This will affect the way they see themselves and should give them confidence that they are accepted which in turn will help to achieve a positive identity. Children in this setting are growing up without prejudice. In this setting children with disabilities are encouraged to participate fully in all experiences and are not treated less favourably than others in accordance with The Disability Discrimination Act (1995) eg in order for this child to participate no specialist equipment was required. The experience was adopted to her level of ability. This meant that she could engage fully with her peers. According to Dickins and Denzilioe (2003 pg61) Whenever possible, our aim should be to make the usual range of play and learning opportunities offered by early years services accessible to disables children. Having special activiti es for the special children and buying lots of expensive special needs equipment does not help the development of inclusive services. Staff in this setting work with other agencies in order to break down the barriers of participation that children face. A child in this setting has speech and language communication difficulties but by making reasonable adjustment with the help of a speech therapist and the use of a number of communication tools she is able to make her views known and can engage with others in the setting, see task 1b, observation 1, appendix ? 1, and task 1c appendix 1 (The Equality Bill 2010). Local authorities cannot discriminate against children with disabilities with regards to their education, they must identify the childs needs and ensure a child can attend a mainstream setting or special school, whichever is in their best interest of the child (The Children (Scotland) Act 1995). This setting works in partnership with parents and other professionals in order to decide what is the best decisions for the child, see task 2b, appendix 1 ?. Principles of equality and inclusion should underpin all work in the setting but practitioners will have to look at their own belief system when dealing with children with additional needs. Legislation wont change anything if they do not have an open mind when dealing with children. Their actions could damage childrens self esteem, affecting how they feel about themselves. This legislation has made it possible for children to attend a mainstream setting and through the interactions with other children they have felt valued and made to feel included. This will shape their multiple identity in a positive way. The Scottish Government policies put the law into practice. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child underpin all policy. The Scottish Government is committed to tackling the increasing social divide in society today. With 17% of the population affected by relative poverty, of which 210,000 are children, the government has put in place policies that aim to tackle the root causes of these significant inequalities (Scottish Government (2008a). A cause of these inequalities is poverty. According to Giddens A (2001) there are two approaches to poverty. The first being absolute poverty when an individuals basic needs such as food and shelter cannot be met. The second being relative poverty which relates to the overall standard of living in a particular society. Poverty and social class can have a major impact on childrens lives. According to Yeo and Lovell (2002) class affect peoples life chances. Yeo and Lovell note in general middle class people are wealthier and healthier than working class people. Children may find it difficult to break out of cycles of deprivation because of discrimination relating to social background. People can end up being socially excluded through poverty, a lack of money preventing them from engaging with the wider society. The Scottish Government (2008a) have introduced the policy Achieving our Potential which is a framework put in place to try and address problems that are related to poverty such as income, poor housing and poor health. The Scottish Government (2008a, pg13) note that the distribution of poor health has an impact upon income inequality and can pass from generation to generation. This is not a stand alone framework, together with The Early Years Framework the government hope to tackle inequality, which is closely linked to poverty. The Scottish Governments (2008b pg4) policy Early Years Framework vision states children should be able to achieve positive outcomes irrespective of race, disability or social background. This policy focuses on working in partnership with children and families, supporting parents to support their children to secure the best outcomes for them. One of its key aims is prevention rather than crisis management later on in a childs life. It advocates play as a way of raising educational outcomes. According to Siraj-Blatchford (2000 pg 3) Researchers have shown the connections between academic success and self esteem. Positive interactions and relationships are very important if a child is to develop good self esteem therefore practitioners should use the curriculum to develop this. The Curriculum for Excellence is followed in the setting using play based learning. The child is at the centre of practice, engaged in active learning, see task 2a, appendix 1. Together with using child led plan ning and positive interactions children will have better outcomes and hopefully this will set a template for lifelong learning. This should mean better job prospects and a way out of the cycle of deprivation caused by poverty. It is important for practitioners to engage with parents advising of the importance of the home learning environment in relation to social and cognitive development as this may counteract social deprivation. Caneiro, (2006) as cited Johnson (2008) showed that children with good social adjustment stayed in education. Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is another Scottish Government approach to help improve the outcomes of children and families which complements the above frameworks. This sees the child at the centre of practice. Early intervention is the key to this policy. Children and families are at the centre of the framework working together with inter agency services such as health and education. One key worker will co-ordinate the plan to support the child and family. This approach also recognizes the importance of the childrens voice. The Scottish Government (2008a) Believe There is a strong positive relationship between having the best start in life, enjoying good health , a good education, and having enough money to provide for yourself and your family. All these policies emphasise the importance of putting the child at the centre and treating each one as an individual, catering for their own needs which can only be a good thing for inclusion and social justice see task 2, appendix 1. These policies all advocate working closely with children building nurturing relationship which will help the children build a positive identity. To promote inclusion and equality in the setting staff must adhere to government frameworks and be aware of legislation that affects children such as UNCRC. Working in partnership and having good relationships with parents is important to continue the childs learning across home and the early years setting, see task 3, appendix 1. The ethos of the school should help children feel valued, safe and nurtured in order to help children learn. Good adult interaction with the child, listening to their ideas and acting upon them will make the child feel valued and respected (UNCRC). All planning should be centred around the individual child see task 2 appendix 1. S Blatchford pg notes 116 All children have the right to an early childhood curriculum that supports and affirms their gender, culture and linguistic identities and background. Treating each child as an individual is very important to ensure that their needs will be met. The Nation Framework for Inclusion is a tool that can be used by practitioners to help them embed inclusion into their practice. It challenges practitioners to think about their values and beliefs and how they may affect others. The Child at the Centre (2007) is a government issued guide which enables settings to evaluate their practice against performance indicators. Practitioners can reflect on the quality of their provision and identify the way forward for children. The type of exercise is useful as practitioners can become aware of their strengths and weaknesses. HMI Inspectorate of Education (2007) note Since the first publication of The Child at the Centre, self evaluation has become increasingly embedded across Scottish Education and has contributed well to improving achievement for all children. The National Care Standards provide a framework for assessing the services provided in the setting and focus on the quality of the setting (Scottish Executive 2005). The standards are underpinned by the rights of children laid down in the UNCRC (1999). This can be used by the setting as a guide to monitor service provided in the setting. A policy of inclusion should be available for anyone to see in the setting which is easy to understand Jones (2004). Legislation exists to affect social change. It is the duty of local government and their partner agencies to work together to address the issues associated with poverty and disability that children face. Steps are being taken in the right direction with early years staff working in partnership with parents, see task 3, appendix 1 in order to improve childrens outcomes.. Children are having their voices heard and their learning experiences are tailored to their needs, see task 2a, appendix 1 The laws on equality and inclusion regarding disability do seem to be having an effect. Children with additional support needs are having their needs met in an inclusive environment, see task 2b, appendix 1. The policies are working towards eradicating poverty in the future therefore it is impossible to say if they are effective. Childhood practice has changed in the last twenty years, staff are required to be more highly skilled. The Scottish Government (2008b pg17) note The skills knowledge, attitudes and qualifications of the workforce are a key focus in improving quality, and the mix of those skills is also critical. We want the best people working in early years where they can have the biggest impact on outcomes. The issue of knowledge and skills for existing staff has to be addressed in order for them to meet the aims of government policies. Quote Middle class children as still more likely than working class children to be successful in education. This is so even when the children are of the same measured IQ. Inequalities of income between the classes are important in this, but so are attitudes. Yeo, A. And Lovell, T. (2002)

The Second World War (WWII) Essay -- World War 2 II Two

WORLD WAR TWO   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second world was is the ugliest brutally violent emotionally damaging war ever. Through out this term paper I will use various references to inform you about how the United States wanted to stay out of the dangers of war with powerful ruthless countries. How Americans battled through many conflicts and various attacks, and finally builds up to the mighty United States of America becoming a huge world power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The war came about because of the depression. The world powers were struggling, but they still had their natural resources to maintain their way of life. Germany, Italy, and Japan however relied on foreign trade for food and raw materials. If these countries were going to be able to survive and compete they would have to overtake other lands with valuable natural resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When German's newfound Nazi-leader Hitler obtained control of a huge group of men to do his deeds. His mass number of men overtaking Europe made many Americans start talking. These Americans were talking as though they lived in the ship sailing days. They felt as though their two oceans would keep them out of war and they could remain at peace if they simply refused to fight. Those Americans were against alliances with other countries so they were referred to as isolationists. Roosevelt opposed the isolationists. In nineteen hundred and forty when German bombs fell on the British Isles, the fight between Roosevelt and the isolationists escalated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teddy Roosevelt was elected to a third term and begins building aircraft's for over seas governments as well as other various war equipment, but still refused to shove the United States of America into war. The German's were upset about this and used this rage to inflict more pain on the Jews. On August third, nineteen hundred and forty-one President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill meet at Placentia Bay to discuss the war in Europe and the far east. The two spoke of an eight-point system. At this meeting the two men pledged to aid Russia's struggle with axis powers it also sent out a warning to Japan to leave the Far East alone. Japan was expanding all throughout Asia. The Japs were getting ready for war and on July twenty forth, nineteen hundred and forty-one her troops occupied all ... ...ing Americans. Men were smothered to death in dirt thrown by explosions. The foreign fighter pilots would attack hospital wards. This would force the patients to run for their lives even amputation cases tried to hobble out in the confusion. Prayer was the only escape for the disabled victims. Two days later the Japanese overran the Bataan peninsula. The battered American forces withdrew to Corregidor there they made another brave stand. By May sixth, however, they could hold out no longer, and were forced to surrender. Of the 40,000 soldiers that became prisoners to the Japanese, more than half died- some from the long march under the hot sun without food and water, some from mistreatment in the prison camps. This was a war that was fought on far away lands many people had to go find forgotten geography books just o see were their families were being sent to die for a cause of freedom. As president Roosevelt said â€Å"The news was all bad.†(1 page 753). German subs were sinking ships in Chesapeake bay. The Russians continued to advance on France. And , in England, German bombers were showering down explosives on London, Coventry, Liverpool, and Bristol all populated with civilians.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Teacher in the Lls, Module Epf 135

Marie Appleby Module EPF 135 Roles and Responsibilities of a Teacher in the Lifelong Learning sSector The Lifelong Learning UK (2007) standards, highlight the complexity of the role of the FE teacher as follows â€Å"teachers have a responsibility for ensuring high standards of teaching and learning, as well as contributing to curriculum development and to the development of their subject knowledge† http://dera. ioe. ac. uk 21/10/11 Identifying Needs A key role of the teacher is to identify the needs of all learners so effective learning can be developed. The teacher may conduct tutorials at the beginning the course, to review and record personal information, barriers to learning, academic and vocational achievements. The information can be used to develop a learner pro? le, ensuring lesson planning and learning materials are appropriate and increase the chance of successful teaching and learning. Learners may feel uncomfortable disclosing or discussing personal information, therefore it may be advantageous to issue an anonymous questionnaire to the class. All information must be handled in a professional manner and kept con? ential. Planning and Design Teachers could plan and design a learning schedule. Changes can be made to these plans throughout the teaching cycle using assessment and evaluation. Teachers need to ensure that learning outcomes, objectives and aims for the course are covered in an appropriate way e. g. order in which outcomes are planned, delivery strategies, length of time, resources and assessment methods. Courses may be planned with an aim to ensure learning outcomes are met in the time allocated, using appropriate resources and methods. Teachers’ need to be aware of the requirements issued by their awarding body and organisation. Delivery Delivery of a course should be appropriate for all learners using clear aims and objectives. Activities should be differentiated to accommodate different learning styles. Resources should be well prepared, with suf? cient copies that support the learning activities. Sessions should be divided using an introduction, main and a conclusion to help the lesson progress logically and consolidate learning. Teachers need to ensure they have the 1 Marie Appleby Module EPF 135 knowledge and skills to deliver the course and be able to answer questions. Teachers should be smartly dressed and use a professional manner when teaching never using discriminatory, judgmental or offensive language. Teacher / student relationships should be based on mutual trust and respect with a responsibility to uphold safeguarding procedures, keeping learners safe, both physically and emotionally, within a safe learning environment. the process of safeguarding protects individuals who may be at risk from abuse or neglect, which could cause an impact on their education, health and development. safeguarding aims to ensure individuals are provided with a caring environment that is safe, promotes optimum life and learning chances†. (safeguardingchildren. org. uk (20/10/2011) Assess Methods of assessment should be planned, fair, reliable and linked to activity tasks. Learner achievement and progress can be mon itored throughout the learning process. Clear, concise and accurate feedback can be given to learners on their progress and achievement. Feedback should be given as quickly as possible, based on the quality of submission or performance, using positive and developmental comments. Information should be recorded in preparation for submission to the course awarding body. Teachers should avoid assessment tasks that do not link directly to the learning objectives, and ensure planned assessments are at the correct level for learners. Evaluate Evaluations should be conducted after each session, including strengths of the session, and areas for development and improvements. Learners could also be asked to re? ect on the sessions; this could be done verbally, through an evaluation form or by an evaluation activity. Conclusion The teaching/training cycle provides a cohesive structure within which roles, responsibilities and boundaries can be assessed and re? ected upon. The structure of the cycle is such that a successful teacher will multitask stages in a constantly evolving way. This ensures that teacher and students’ re? ctive growth of role, responsibilities and boundaries remains core to reaching a greater understanding of the aims and objectives relating to development with the course. 2 Marie Appleby Module EPF 135 Bibliographic References lluk 2007. (2007). National Occupational Standards (NOS) for the role of learning support practitioner in the lifelong learning sector . Available: http://dera. ioe. ac. uk/2332/1/ lspnosdraft. pdf. Last accessed 21st Oct 2011. Ofstead. What is safeguarding. Available: http://safeguardingchildren. org. uk/. Last accessed 20th october 2011. Word Count: 650 3 Marie Appleby Module EPF 135 4

Advertisement and Vice Product

When is the last time you go to order a burger in fast food shop? And recently have you ever went to a convenient store and purchased a pack of cigarette? Nowadays advertisement of fast food, tobacco and alcohol product are catchy in magazines, newspapers, TV commercials or bus stop stations and it seems these products have become part of our daily lives. Fast food, tobacco and alcohol products are advertised as our â€Å"trusted friends† and fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies are targeting not only adults but also teenagers and children to be their potential customers. What are the possible adverse effects brought by these â€Å"vice† or unhealthy products to us and our young generations? It is a known fact that consuming too much fast food, tobacco and alcohol can link to certain health problems such as obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, elevated cholesterol intake and related cancers. In fact, it is estimated in 2010 there are 222,520 new cases of lung cancers and the number of deaths from lung cancer is 157,300. Cigarette smoking accounts for at least 30%of cancer death and 87% of lung cancer. Excess consumption of alcohol drinking is the key factor for developing certain cancer and this may increase the risk in having lung cancer. Nevertheless, the issue of consuming too much fast food have drawn the attention of the public too as it contributes the tripled rate of overweight among adolescents and the doubled rate among small children since the 1980s. Despite of such threat to the health of the public by excess consumption of such fast food, tobacco and alcohol products, why is the public still spare their money on purchasing such health-risking product? Rpgger Parloff, â€Å" Is Fast the nest tobacco? For Big Food, the supersizing of America is becoming a big headache, Fortune Magazine, 8/3/2000, page 1 paragraph 1 and 3 ) Perhaps the answer to such question is how much faith we have in these products. It seems we always believe that companies like McDonald, Burger, Heineken or Marlboro are trust-worthy and everything they tell us in their advertisement is true and they claim they are doing their best to serve their customers. But the fact is we are already scammed by these advertisements which are aggressively prompted by companies intentionally abetting us to have confidence in their products. What are the advertisement strategies used by these companies? Fast food companies attract children to purchase fast food by launching advertisement with imaginary characters such as Ronald Donald, including toys in their fast food meal and creating kid clubs or building more playgrounds in their chains. The fast food companies know that children are too young to judge what is right and what is wrong and they are not able to comprehend the purpose of the commercials and believe that everything claimed by the commercials are all true. The Fast food companies are using all their effort to make children develop brand loyalty and recognition to their business so as to encourage children to be their potential customers. Fast food Companies also attract young people to buy fast food by offering soft drinks and snacks in schools or building more chains in school areas in order to encourage students to buys fast food for regular meals. Unfortunately, tobacco and alcohol companies are using even more aggressive strategies to attract future customers. These companies include elements like sexual content to make teenager have ideas that smoking or drinking can make them more mature and there is nothing wrong with enjoying a materialistic life. It is shocking that in most of the tobacco and alcohol commercials there are sexy models in clubs or parties, making exotic posture to make the readers arouse all kinds of fantasy. For example, I remember there is one alcohol advertisement by Bacardi which there is a young woman with underwear in panther’s pattern is striping her clothes off while she is holding a glass of wine. What would young people think about this advertisement? To most of the teenagers there are plenty of things that they are restricted to know about when they are very young. Many young people are very eager or curious to explore new stuff like sex or even smoking and drinking. Tobacco and alcohol companies are now even focusing 18-to-25 year old markets by promoting events at bars and sponsoring rock and blues concerts. Every year alcohol companies spend $5. 7billions on commercials concentrated in sports programs to make their products part of the fun in the matches. Such advertisement strategies by fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies may seem not a big deal to us, however it would be not wise for us to ignore the potential impacts by such products as they are already influencing our life little by little. Too much fast food not only has brought harm to young people’s health but also distorted their universal values by misleading them that everything are granted when their parents promise to buy them fast food after they constantly nag or beg their parents. For cigarette and alcohols, even though these products are for adults only, we should not underestimate the potential harm to teenagers. More and more teenagers may become pro-longed smokers and drinkers and eventually some of them may end up giving up their future by abandoning their study or jobs. In worst case scenario there may result in family dispute and violence. It would be very sad that teenagers choose to have a materialistic life in which he or she immerses themselves in joy-seeking activities like drinking, smoking or even taking drugs only without searching for the real meaning of life. Is there anything we or our government can do to stop fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies from manipulating our lives and protect teenagers from become overweigh victims of obesity or bad habits of smoking and drinking? Our government has the obligation to advocate and carry out certain measures to restrict fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies to promote their unhealthy products to the public. First of all, our government should implement laws that ban direct advertisement of fast food, tobacco and alcohol advertisement to people less than 18 years old through magazine, newspaper, TV programs or commercials and internet. Most children enjoy watching TV everyday and they receive tremendous amount of information from TV channels. Some of these information are educative while some of them are rubbish only. However children are not mature to distinguish what is purpose of such commercials. For example, when children see a commercial promoting McDonald’s burger with Ronald Donald dancing around, he or she may not know that McDonald wants them to ask their parents to pay them 5 dollars for a meal. Instead they may think eating McDonald meal is enjoyable and Ronald Donald is their trusted friend. Indeed big companies don’t really care what kind of consequences will happen on our ulnerable children after they spend so much money on making advertisements and deliver them to the public without taking any responsibility; they only care about how well the advertisements work and promote their products. Hence It is very urgent that our government should advocate and implement certain law to stop such immoral way of advertising by restricting broadcasting of fast food, tobacco and alcohol commercials until it is 10:00 pm when all children are in bed or requiring fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies to make advertisements without mentioning sensitive terms such as â€Å"cigarette†,†beer†,†smoking† or†drinking†. As cigarette and alcohol are proven to be harmful to our health, commercials related to such products should even be banned from magazines or newspaper. If companies violate such laws they have to pay a large amount of fines and people in these companies who are responsible for posing such advertisement may need to go behind bars. However, somebody may argue that such policy is just a seemingly feasible method to stop big companies aggressively advertisement; there are always loop hole for fast food, tobacco and alcohol companies to advertise their products. But does it mean we should not do anything? According to Eric Schlosser’s book â€Å"Fast Food Nation†, â€Å"The academy did not recommend a ban on such advertising because it seemed impractical and would infringe upon advertiser’s freedom of speech. Today the health risks faced by the nation’s children far outweigh the needs of its mass marketers. † Long time ago people didn’t expect much from banning of cigarette advertisement from radio and television, but now everybody knows that smoking is fatal to their health. Hopefully by doing that the fast food companies will consider change their recipe into a healthier one and ultimately help children get rid of their unbalanced eating habits. Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation, Harper Perennial, USA, 2005, page 262) Secondly, adding more tax to fast food may be a feasible idea to encourage people to eat less fast food. Also more tax can be added to toys which are included in children meal in fast food shop. Often children are attracted to fast food simply just for the toys but at the end parents are the ones who pay for the meal. If the parents think the fast food is not worthy, they will start buying less fast food. People have the choice to ake decision for themselves and they can judge whether to buy an expensive fast food meal or not when healthy and cheaper food becomes an alternative to them. It would be a wise idea to prohibit fast food companies from offering soft drinks or fried food in schools or opening chains in area where schools are nearby in order help children resist the temptation of tasty burgers and French fries. According to administrators in San Francisco and Seattle, â€Å"it’s our responsibility to make it clear that schools are here to serve children, not commercial interest. And indeed recently, according to a research published in Journal of Law and Economics in November 2008, elimination of tax deductibility of food advertisement cost equals to increas ing the food advertisement cost by 54%. (Science Daily, â€Å"Ban on fast food TV advertisement would reverse childhood obesity trends, study shows, 1/27/11, < http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2008/11/081119120149. htm > ) Lastly, our government can consider making it mandatory to require cigarette manufacturer put on warnings on cigarette packing to make sure that all smokers know the consequence of pro-longed smoking to their body. Of course it wouldn’t be effective enough to have words of warning printed on the packing, so in order to make the warning more deterrent, certain kind of photos should be printed on the packing as well. What kind of photos would be suitable? In Hong Kong photos of black lungs or skeleton with a burning cigarette in its mouth are printed on the packing of cigarette to remind smokers that smoking is a self-destructive behavior rather than a relief. According to Lori Ferrsina, advocate for the American Cancer Society of Massachusetts, â€Å"Reducing public smoking is a golden nugget in its impact on youth. You are changing the world you raise kid in, not just telling them it’s bad for them. † We shouldn’t exploit other’s freedom of smoking, but at least we should facilitate an environment in which we can help people stay away from trying their first puff of cigarette. ( Marianne Lavelle, â€Å"An Anti-smoking Ad vs. New Cigarette Marketing Ploy†, page 2, paragraph 10 ) In fact our government can resort to a more simple solution – education, to convince our future generations that taking care of their health is their own business. Education is another effective way to teach our young generations to make choices on what they eat. Education on how to maintain a balanced daily live and conveying the idea of understanding good health and nutrition should be included in lessons in school in order to let students know how much nutrition they can obtain from their daily meal and what would happen if they eat more than they need. Also children should acknowledge that excess smoking or drinking can result in higher risk of having heart diseases or cancers. Perhaps young people are not willing to pay attention to the importance of having balanced diets or staying away from smoking and drinking but at least they should be warned and have a brief idea of what would happen when they are addicted to fast food, cigarette or alcohol too much. It is our responsibility to help children realize they can make a choice on their diet before they are too late to make such choices. However, even our government is willing to do their best to protect us by implementing laws and policies, it is still our own business to take care of our health. What can we do to make sure we and our children can have balanced diets or stay away from bad habits of smoking or drinking? Firstly, it would be a good idea for parents to supervise their children when they are watching TV or browsing the internet. Some parents are not aware of what kind of TV programs or internet website their children are watching. This is definitely not good to children because they need adults to tell them what kind of messages they get from the media Is correct. If parents are willing to spare a little every day to accompany their children to watch TV or browse the internet, they can possibly prevent their children from accepting wrong information from the media by telling them the truth about excess consumption of fast food, cigarette and alcohol. In fact, simply telling children that they are too young to have too much fast food or smoke and drink, without explaining why adults shouldn’t do the same, is not convincing enough to persuade children that having too much fast food or smoking and drinking are unhealthy. So parents need to be role model to their children by having more balanced and health diets like sandwiches or fruits and quitting smoking or drinking. If parents can make lunch box for children to eat in school every day, children can obtain sufficient amount of nutrition and prevent them from being overweighed. To conclude, although it is our own choice to have or not to have fast food, cigarette or alcohol, that doesn’t make a reason for big companies to promote their products aggressively without considering their social responsibility. Now it is not the time to judge who is right or wrong, instead we should figure out what we can do for our future generations. Works Cited: Rpgger Parloff, â€Å" Is Fast the nest tobacco? For Big Food, the supersizing of America is becoming a big headache, Fortune Magazine, 8/3/2000, page 1 paragraph 1 and 3 Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation, Harper Perennial, USA, 2005, page 262) Science Daily, â€Å"Ban on fast food TV advertisement would reverse childhood obesity trends, study shows, 1/27/11, < http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2008/11/081119120149. htm > Marianne Lavelle, â€Å"An Anti-smoking Ad vs. New Cigarette Marketing Ploy†, page 2, paragraph 10