Music and Media Can Be Detrimental to Children :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Music and Media Can Be Detrimental to Children Parents will argue that other people are the reason their children are violent and usually take absolutely none of the blame, when in reality they should be taking a lot of the blame for violence among children. I believe media as a whole, including television, radio, movies, video games, news, etc, can be very detrimental to society and leads to a lot of this violence among children with which we are dealing. I was always taught what goes in your head has to eventually come out, so shouldn't you put in only good stuff? "Critics claim that music negatively affects teenagers by repeatedly exposing them to themes such as Satanism, substance abuse, murder, suicide, and sexual violence, which may be heavily reinforced and normalized by the frequency of their portrayal" ("Youth and Violent Music"). I think there are too many television shows that run between the hours of three and five in the afternoon, which is when most children watch television, that make violence their main theme. Also during those hours, there are music video countdowns playing on just about every channel to which you flip. The only things kids learn when they watch these videos is how to abuse their wives, how to shoot a gun at someone, how to violently deal with a bully at school, how to dress so sexy that all the boys will like them, etc. Kids idolize anyone on television, especially if they're a popular songwriter or singer. Most parents know that children imitate whatever they see and hear, so wouldn't you think if parents let them watch these over-sexy and violent videos that their children are going to want to look and act just like what they're watching on television? "Several major rap artists have been charged with violent crimes in real life, and many worry that their actions seeming ly condone the violent messages in their music. Their celebrity status also serves to glamorize their violent behavior" ("Youth and Violent Music"). There are many cases dealing with the death of one or more children due to them "trying-out" a move they watched on television that "look real cool". Even if there was only one case, that would be one too many for me not to think we had taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Three Major Perspectives in Sociology Essay

Three Major Perspectives in Sociology Sociologists analyze social phenomena at different levels and from different perspectives. From concrete interpretations to sweeping generalizations of society and social behavior, sociologists study everything from specific events (the microlevel of analysis of small social patterns) to the â€Å"big picture† (the macro level of analysis of large social patterns). The pioneering European sociologists, however, also offered a broad conceptualization of the fundamentals of society and its workings. Their views form the basis for today’s theoretical perspectives, or paradigms, which provide sociologists with an orienting framework—a philosophical position—for asking certain kinds of questions about society and its people. Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the symbolic interactionist perspective, the functionalist perspective, and the conflict perspective. These perspectives offer sociologists theoretical paradigms for explaining how society influences people, and vice versa. Each perspective uniquely conceptualizes society, social forces, and human behavior (see Table 1). Read more: Functionalist Conflict and Interactionist Perspectives The symbolic interactionist perspective The symbolic interactionist perspective, also known as symbolic interactionism, directs sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life, what these symbols mean, and how people interact with each other. Although symbolic interactionism traces its origins to Max Weber’s assertion that individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of their world, the American philosopher George H. Mead (1863–1931) introduced this perspective to American sociology in the 1920s. According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, people attach meanings to symbols, and then they act according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols. Verbal conversations, in which spoken words serve as the predominant symbols, make this subjective interpretation especially evident. The words have a certain meaning for the â€Å"sender,† and, during effective communication, they hopefully have the same meaning for the â€Å"receiver.† In other terms, words are not static â€Å"things†; they require intention and interpretation. Conversation is an interaction of symbols between individuals who constantly interpret the world around them. Of course, anything can serve as a symbol as long as it refers to something beyond itself. Written music serves as an example. The black dots and lines become more than mere marks on the page; they refer to notes organized in such a way as to make musical sense. Thus, symbolic interactionists give serious thought to how people act, and then seek to determine what meanings individuals assign to their own actions and symbols, as well as to those of others. Consider applying symbolic interactionism to the American institution of marriage. Symbols may include wedding bands, vows of life†long commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers and music. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but individuals also maintain their own perceptions of what these and other symbols mean. For example, one of the spouses may see their circular wedding rings as symbolizing â€Å"never ending love,† while the other may see them as a mere financial expense. Much faulty communication can result from differences in the perception of the same events and symbols. Critics claim that symbolic interactionism neglects the macro level of social interpretation—the â€Å"big picture.† In other words, symbolic interactionists may miss the larger issues of society by focusing too closely on the â€Å"trees† (for example, the size of the diamond in the wedding ring) rather than the â€Å"forest† (for example, the quality of the marriage). The perspective also receives criticism for slighting the influence of social forces and institutions on individual interactions. The functionalist perspective According to the functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society’s functioning as a whole. The government, or state, provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running. That is, the family is dependent upon the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own families. In the process, the children become law†abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state. If all goes well, the parts of society produce order, stability, and productivity. If all does not go well, the parts of society then must adapt to recapture a new order, stability, and productivity. For example, during a financial recession with its high rates of unemployment and inflation, social programs are trimmed or cut. Schools offer fewer programs. Families tighten their budgets. And a new social order, stability, and productivity occur. Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus, or cohesion, in which members of the society agree upon, and work together to achieve, what is best for society as a whole. Emile Durkheim suggested that social consensus takes one of two forms: Mechanical solidarity is a form of social cohesion that arises when people in a society maintain similar values and beliefs and engage in similar types of work. Mechanical solidarity most commonly occurs in traditional, simple societies such as those in which everyone herds cattle or farms. Amish society exemplifies mechanical solidarity. In contrast, organic solidarity is a form of social cohesion that arises when the people in a society are interdependent, but hold to varying values and beliefs and engage in varying types of work. Organic solidarity most commonly occurs in industrialized, complex societies such those in large American cities like New York in the 2000s. The functionalist perspective achieved its greatest popularity among American sociologists in the 1940s and 1950s. While European functionalists originally focused on explaining the inner workings of social order, American functionalists focused on discovering the functions of human behavior. Among these American functionalist sociologists is Robert Merton (b. 1910), who divides human functions into two types: manifest functions are intentional and obvious, while latent functions are unintentional and not obvious. The manifest function of attending a church or synagogue, for instance, is to worship as part of a religious community, but its latent function may be to help members learn to discern personal from institutional values. With common sense, manifest functions become easily apparent. Yet this is not necessarily the case for latent functions, which often demand a sociological approach to be revealed. A sociological approach in functionalism is the consideration of the relationship between the functions of smaller parts and the functions of the whole. Functionalism has received criticism for neglecting the negative functions of an event such as divorce. Critics also claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of society’s members. Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such change may benefit them. Instead, functionalism sees active social change as undesirable because the various parts of society will compensate naturally for any problems that may arise. The conflict perspective The conflict perspective, which originated primarily out of Karl Marx’s writings on class struggles, presents society in a different light than do the functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspectives. While these latter perspectives focus on the positive aspects of society that contribute to its stability, the conflict perspectivefocuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever†changing nature of society. Unlike functionalists who defend the status quo, avoid social change, and believe people cooperate to effect social order, conflict theorists challenge the status quo, encourage social change (even when this means social revolution), and believe rich and powerful people force social order on the poor and the weak. Conflict theorists, for example, may interpret an â€Å"elite† board of regents raising tuition to pay for esoteric new programs that raise the prestige of a local college as self†serving rather than as beneficial for students. Whereas American sociologists in the 1940s and 1950s generally ignored the conflict perspective in favor of the functionalist, the tumultuous 1960s saw American sociologists gain considerable interest in conflict theory. They also expanded Marx’s idea that the key conflict in society was strictly economic. Today, conflict theorists find social conflict between any groups in which the potential for inequality exists: racial, gender, religious, political, economic, and so on. Conflict theorists note that unequal groups usually have conflicting values and agendas, causing them to compete against one another. This constant competition between groups forms the basis for the ever†changing nature of society. Critics of the conflict perspective point to its overly negative view of society. The theory ultimately attributes humanitarian efforts, altruism, democracy, civil rights, and other positive aspects of society to capitalistic designs to control the masses, not to inherent interests in preserving society and social order. Feminist theory is one of the major contemporary sociological theories, which analyzes the status of women and men in society with the purpose of using that knowledge to better women’s lives. Feminist theorists have also started to question the differences between women, including how race, class, ethnicity, and age intersect with gender. Feminist theory is most concerned with giving a voice to women and highlighting the various ways women have contributed to society. There are four main types of feminist theory that attempt to explain the societal differences between men and women: Gender Differences: The gender difference perspective examines how women’s location in, and experience of, social situations differ from men’s. For example, cultural feminists look to the different values associated with womanhood and femininity as a reason why men and women experience the social world differently. Other feminist theorists believe that the different roles assigned to women and men within institutions better explain gender difference, including the sexual division of labor in the household. Existential and phenomenological feminists focus on how women have been marginalized and defined as the â€Å"other† in patriarchal societies. Women are thus seen as objects and are denied the opportunity for self-realization. Gender Inequality: Gender-inequality theories recognize that women’s location in, and experience of, social situations are not only different but also unequal to men’s. Liberal feminists argue that women have the same capacity as men for moral reasoning and agency, but that patriarchy, particularly the sexist patterning of the division of labor, has historically denied women the opportunity to express and practice this reasoning. Women have been isolated to the private sphere of the household and, thus, left without a voice in the public sphere. Even after women enter the public sphere, they are still expected to manage the private sphere and take care of household duties and child rearing. Liberal feminists point out that marriage is a site of gender inequality and that women do not benefit from being married as men do. Indeed, married women have higher levels of stress than unmarried women and married men. According to liberal feminists, the sexual division of labor in both the public and private spheres needs to be altered in order for women to achieve equality. Gender Oppression: Theories of gender oppression go further than theories of gender difference and gender inequality by arguing that not only are women different from or unequal to men, but that they are actively oppressed, subordinated, and even abused by men. Power is the key variable in the two main theories of gender oppression: psychoanalytic feminism and radical feminism. Psychoanalytic feminists attempt to explain power relations between men and women by reformulating Freud’s theories of the subconscious and unconscious, human emotions, and childhood development. They feel that conscious calculation cannot fully explain the production and reproduction of patriarchy. Radical feminists argue that being a woman is a positive thing in and of itself, but that this is not acknowledged in patriarchal societies where women are oppressed. They identify physical violence as being at the base of patriarchy, but they think that patriarchy can be defeated if women recognize their own value and strength, establish a sisterhood of trust with other women, confront oppression critically, and form female separatist networks in the private and public spheres. Structural Oppression: Structural oppression theories posit that women’s oppression and inequality are a result of capitalism, patriarchy, and racism. Socialist feminists agree with Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels that the working class is exploited as a consequence of the capitalist mode of production, but they seek to extend this exploitation not just to class but also to gender. Intersectionality theorists seek to explain oppression and inequality across a variety of variables, including class, gender, race, ethnicity, and age. They make the important insight that not all women experience oppression in the same way. White women and black women, for example, face different forms of discrimination in the workplace. Thus, different groups of women come to view the world through a shared standpoint of â€Å"heterogeneous commonality.† Comparing the Four Sociological Theories Introduction to Sociology: 4 Basic Theories Conflict Functionalism Symbolic Interactionism Social Exchange Macro Macro Micro Micro -Inequality lies at the core of society which leads to conflict -Resources are limited -Power is not evenly distributed -Competition is inevitable (winners & losers) -Negotiations based on influence, threats, promises, and consensus -Threats and coercion -Any resource can be used as tool of power or exploitation -War is natural -Haves and have nots -Privileges are protected by haves -Order is challenged by have nots -Examples of: Gender & Feminist -Uses biological model (society is like a living organism) -Society has interrelated parts -What are functions or dysfunctions of parts -Society finds balance and is stable -Equilibrium -Society adjusts to maintain balance -How are parts integrated -Manifest functions -Latent functions and dysfunctions -Example of: Systems Theory -Society is an ongoing process of many social interactions -Interactions based on symbolic context in which they occur -Subjective perceptions are critical to how symbols are interpreted -Communications -Meanings -Significant others -Roles -Relative deprivation -Self -Reality shaping in self and with others -Key Ideas: Social construction of reality Thomas Theorem Definition of situation -Example of: theories of self -Society is an ongoing series of exchanges which occur during interactions -Interactions based on formula: (Rewards- Costs)=Outcomes Rewards -Costs -Profit/Loss -Comparisons -Limited resources -Power -Legitimacy -Equity -Negotiations -Tradeoffs -Example of: Levinger=s model on divorce: (Attractions +/- Barriers)=/-(Alternative Attractions)

Community News Article: Promoting Health Drinks and Lifestyle Essay

Resumen: This article discusses how in the Appalachian areas of the United States children as young as 6 month are given this high-sugar, highly caffeinated cheap soda to drink called Mountain Dew. This may be because Mountain Dew is cheaper than milk. Parents are allowing far too much caffeine in their systems which cause potential bone damages and mailing causing teeth to rot in the toddlers as young as age two. Lemon and Lime drinks are very damaging to the teeth and Mountain Dew has both. Citric acid is in a lot of lemon or lime- flavored beverages and all carbonated beverages have phosphoric acid that which erode the teeth. Many dentist have tried to educate families and have offered free services to help but these programs can’t work if parents refuse to carry good dental hygiene. The Organization of Public Health Law Research says that West Virginia is so bad that legal action may be necessary, such as implementation of an excise tax on soda, limiting purchases of the drinks with food stamps, educating young mothers and making dental care part of the well-baby visit, especially since many don’t visit dentist until they are 5 years old. Reversing this problem is what health providers are trying to do especially since in West Virginia tooth decay and rotten teeth is normal. Opinion After reading this article, I was very shocked that mothers are given toddlers soda to drink, especially because they find soda cheaper than milk. Parents need to think about their children’s health and their future. I use to love drinking Mountain Dew and I am so glad I don’t drink it anymore. Promoting health drinks and lifestyle is very important to do especially in this century where parents have no time to feed or give children a healthy meal and just solve the solution with fast food or soda. As nurses this is something we must always try to educate families about. If we don’t teach children how to take good care of themselves who will?

Antifeminism in Medieval Literature Essay

Literature throughout the middle ages was often extremely antifeminist, in large part due to the patriarchal nature of society and the lack of female writers. Women were portrayed as vile temptresses, whose very existence revolved around causing man misery. This style of writing is strongly evidenced in The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight where Geoffrey Chaucer and the Pearl Poet create characters to strongly reinforce the sentiment. These writers used historical and mythological examples, as well as The Lord’s Lady, and Alyson, the Wife of Bath, to portray women’s’ loathsome nature. In The Wife of Bath, the fifth husband of Alyson owns a book filled with examples of women of poor character. Unlike Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, they come from all of history, including Socrates, Sampson, and Hercules along with many others, and how their wives and lovers betrayed them. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the examples of incorrigible women are solely biblical. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain first mentions Eve, the original sinner, who, after being tricked by the serpent, went on to poison Adam’s mind also. She caused man to be cast out of the Garden of Eden, for women to suffer in childbirth, and for man to have to work the ground to produce food (NKJV, Gen. 3). Solomon is next mentioned, the man whom God gifted with riches and great wisdom. Indeed, Solomon did say â€Å"I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets (NKJV, Ecc. 7. 26),† but he also praises the good wife, telling man to live â€Å"joyfully with the wife whom you love (NKJV, Ecc. 9. 9)†. One of the wisest man Who does not know the tale of Sampson and Delilah? Only the betrayal of Judas is better known. Delilah caused Sampson to be imprisoned, and his eyes to be poked out after he foolishly trusted her (NKJV, Judges 16). Lastly, there is Bathsheba, who made a man â€Å"after God’s own heart† to sin. This last example is extremely questionable, as Bathsheba’s minor sin of being indecently exposed cannot be blamed for the terrible actions David committed (NKJV, 2nd Sam. 11). Certainly there are many examples of morally upright women throughout history and in the Bible, but Chaucer and the Pearl Poet do not seek these out, instead choosing to reinforce the antifeminist sentiment popular at the time. Two of the three women mentioned in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight attempt to corrupt the noble Gawain. Morgan Le Fey, after hearing of his renown, sends the Green Knight to attempt to put a blemish on Gawain’s stalwart reputation. Despite being sent with such evil intentions, the Green Knight makes it clear he wished only to test Gawain’s morals, rather than having any malicious intent. The Pearl Poet seems to go out of his way to exonerate the Green Knight, while making Morgan Le Fey and The Lord’s Lady out to be extremely ignoble individuals. The Lords Lady entered Gawain’s chambers every morning, essentially holding him hostage, as it would have been unseemly to be seen undressed in front of a lady. She then began to use his honor and courteousness against him. Honor dictated for a knight to do almost anything a lady asked, and the Lord’s Lady used this fact at every opportunity. She showered Gawain with compliments, fawned over his achievements, and asked him to teach her of love. When he still ever so courteously put off her advances, she scolded him for being cold and stern. She insisted he kiss her, first upon leaving, then upon seeing her, always working to get closer to him. Her persistence after Gawain had made it clear multiple times that he would not be tempted, reveals a severe lack of a conscious. It is not unnatural to be tempted, and many will even act upon a temptation, but the Lords Lady made a great effort to commit adultery. She has no qualms over the sinful nature of her actions, as morning after morning she doggedly pursued Gawain. Women were represented as temptresses, who will only cause men to sin and lower themselves. The Lord’s Lady from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an example used to reinforce the antifeminist sentiment popular during the time. Alyson, the Wife of Bath, makes the actions of the Lord’s Lady seem trivial. She proves herself to be extremely temperamental, manipulating, backwards, selfish, lewd, and all around amoral. Alyson began in the prologue of her tale by quoting examples from the Old Testament of men who had multiple wives as her defense for having had five. She states that God made no mention of the number of husbands a woman should have, so why should men make anything of it? However, later in the text, when others quote scripture, she â€Å"gives not a gnat. † Alyson was willing to use whatever she could to justify her argument, and dismiss the same source when it didn’t suit her. She worked tirelessly to manipulate her husbands for whatever she wanted. She gained all of her three old husbands’ riches, and laughed at how pitifully they struggled to please her. For as she said, â€Å"I have the power during all my life over his own body, and not he†. Her fifth husband was â€Å"a scoundrel† and the only one who was indifferent to her. He stood a chance against her, but only for so long. Eventually she gained dominion over him as well, after her stubbornness outlasted his and he gave her leave to do as she pleased. Indeed, as she states in her tale, a woman’s greatest desire is dominion over her husband. While she desired her husband’s money and power, she desired sex even more. She makes it clear that she will work at her husband and â€Å"not desist† until he is both â€Å"her debtor and her slave†. She will use her â€Å"blessed instrument† to give it to her husband both morning and night, â€Å"as freely as my maker it sent. She made her three old husbands work hard to fulfill â€Å"their debt,† and all her fifth husband had to do was lie with her for her to forget of all the wrong he had done. Her obsession with the act of sex is nothing less than repugnant. As one might expect, she also condones adultery, prostitution, and even sex before marriage. She even goes as far as to compare a woman to a household item, to be tried out. When her husband committed adultery against her, she made â€Å"him fry in his own grease for anger, and for pure jealousy,† however she did the same with the clerk in a field. Once again Alyson reveals inconsistencies in what she believes is right for her and what is right for others. In the story she tells, a young man who rapes a woman is essentially rewarded for the crime, further reinforcing her skewed sense of right and wrong. She clearly believes she is above them, and that the consequences for her own actions should not apply. She proves to be extremely selfish, not bothering to please her husbands after getting their land and their money. Further, she does not even mourn for her fourth husband, because she has already found someone to fuel her desires. All in all Alyson, the Wife of Bath, fulfills the role of the vile temptress to perfection. Chaucer created a character malignant and nearly evil in nature, which should strike fear into any man who might ever want to marry. With the creation of such incorrigible female characters with such noble male counterparts, there can leave little doubt about the stance of Chaucer and The Pearl Poet on antifeminism. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale, as well as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight provide ample amounts of support to the antifeminist stereotype in medieval times.

Blue Gold Essay

The short documentary, Blue Gold, presented an issue of our planet’s water supply. Our planet is made out of about 70% of water. However, less than 1% of that water is actually drinkable. The issue is that water is becoming scares and due to lack of rain, the precious water begins to dry out. As the water source rapidly declines, the corporations saw that as a chance to make profit. Therefore, we are forced to buy overpriced water. Summary: Blue Gold did a great job representing the issue and how it affects not only third world countries but first world countries as well. Not only does the documentary talk about the water scarcity problem but they also talk about how the big corporations decided to take control of the situation by owning water and selling it. As the documentary stated, â€Å"water is now a valuable asset†. I am very glad that I got the opportunity to watch this film. Blue Gold opened my eyes to a problem that has been in front of my face the entire time. Shocking information that caught my attention while watching the film is the fact that in Mexico, a plastic bottle of water is more expensive than a glass bottle of Coke-Cola! The idea that Coke-Cola, owner of Nestle, basically took over Mexico and their water supply yet citizens of Mexico are extremely deprived of water is disgusting. Big corporations that are sharks like Coke-Cola are the reason why water is scares. These corporations are they taking over and â€Å"owning† water by literally trapping water in large dams! By doing this, water is not getting is full nutrients because water is suppose to go through the cycle of natural water flow through rivers, lakes, oceans, etc. Not only are these corporations taking over water, they are the ones who are also polluting the water. These corporations dump their wastes into a nearby body of water. Like I stated previously, water needs to flow through a water cycle. As the water is partaking its natural cycle, it is carrying the waste created from the corporations and spreading it through out the world. After watching this movie, it is not even shocking that only less than 1% of the world’s 70% of water is drinkable. Water is no longer available for everyone. It is only available for those who are rich enough to afford it. How sad is that? Children in Mexico drink polluted water from rivers because they are not part of the higher social class that can afford a bottle of clean drinking water. These higher classes are taking over the water source and controlling who gets clean water and who doesn’t. Now that I have watched Blue Gold, I can see how water supply is deprecating. As I drive around, I can see swamps dried out from the lack of rain. We must act now to save this planet’s water because the longer we wait, the more polluted water gets which makes more of Earth’s water unusable. We must spread awareness as well as get some ground rules or laws to prevent these big industries from taking over water as well as dumping whatever they desire. Conclusion: Today, I bought myself a Ethos water bottle from Starbucks and it was sold at a whooping price of almost $3! That is more than a dollar more than a cup of coffee! Watching this movie definitely changed my perspective of water and I am more aware of the situation. I would recommend others to watch this short documentary because the more people aware of the situation, the more people that are willing to prevent and fix this situation.

Deforestation Satire Essay

So, what am I going to talk about? Well, how about I make this easy for you and just spit it out? -pause- *sigh* Well fine then, it you want a proper introduction, then here it is: Have you ever decided to just go for a nice walk outside to get some exercise and enjoy the sun? (well if not, let’s pretend that you have for the purpose of this essay). And then, out of nowhere, you realize that something is missing. That THING, is actually something really quite important. In fact, your life depends on it.Well that THING, ladies and gentlemen, is the forest, and the birds and the bees and the flowers and the, well: trees! OK, I know that this probably hasn't really happened to you, (the whole, â€Å"OMG, the forest disappeared! † thing), but I assure you that it has occurred in Australia and South America, where rain forests are burnt and cut down every year. So there you have it: deforestation. Yes, that's right, I have finally gotten to the topic, and in case you couldn' t tell by now, I am very much against this current issue in our world.Let me explain to you, as best as I can, what the world would be like without trees, and why we need them. All righty then, to start, I want you to close your eyes (please don't actually do this until you have read the following) and try to imagine a world without trees or plants of any kind and there you are – oh wait, I just remembered. You wouldn't be there, because, well, plants and trees are one of our major sources of oxygen, therefore, without them, we would all be DEAD. Unless you want to consider that everyone should wear an air bubble around their heads.That might work, plus the amount of germs would go down. Though you'd probably suffocate from breathing the same carbon-intoxicated air over and over and over again. Of course, you might say, what about a bio dome? Well that option is out of the question, because it would be way too claustrophobic with all those people trapped in one place. Plus, t he smell would be absolutely unbearable. Yuck! To explain further, trees and forests have an essential role in our lives. That role is simply to breathe in and out.And no, I don't mean like us humans, who inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Instead, trees and plants do the opposite: they inhale carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, a cycle that allows plants to create their own food by using energy from the sun’s rays (if only we could do that, then we could cut down all of the forests in the world! ) then, during what is called respiration, plants exhale clean oxygen into the atmosphere just for us! I mean, some people say we can’t live without love, but I think oxygen is more important!Can you imagine couples trying to hug and kiss, meanwhile, they are choking or turning blue in the face? Impossible. Another major consequence of deforestation is the fact that there are hundreds and thousands of species losing their homes. Without their habitations, wild animals such as wolves, foxes and possums will be forced to find a new home. But since there are no forests, they will end up in your garden, or on the side of the road. I highly doubt that you’ll want to wipe bloody guts off of your windshields every morning on your way to work.This is very sad and also inhuman. In what world do we kill hundreds of species just so that we can write on paper and do our homework? I mean, of course I know that teaching and learning are essential parts of our lives, but with today’s growing technology, we should certainly be able to come up with a new way to eliminate the use of paper (and hopefully homework too). On a more personal approach, deforestation also means that the scenery will change. Many people probably don't care about this, but I certainly do.As I’m sure all of the artists, gardeners, photographers, directors, landscapers, hunters, campers and tree-huggers do too. Never mind, that actually does seem like a lot of people, so maybe all hope is not yet lost. Plus, we can’t forget the young members of our future generation who have gotten â€Å"naturalist† on their annoying multiple intelligence quizzes at school. Alright, I realize I have gone off topic, so back to scenery. As I have already mentioned, cutting and burning down forests will leave empty fields where there had once been beautiful, magical woods where fairytales could come to life!Therefore, there will be no shade to hide from the sun, and the earth will quickly become dry and hard. Hence, farmers won’t even be able to use the extra space for agriculture. What is more, large masses of trees also provide extra protection from strong wind and heavy storms. Thus, without them, you will need to watch out when you use your umbrella, or else you just might fly away like Mary Poppins! Hey, that kinda sounds like fun. Though, on a more serious note, the strong winds and changes in temperature can be very harmful to other plants, animals and humans.So watch out, or else nature might just blow you away! To conclude, I will give you a very simple solution to avoid all of the previous statements from happening. All you have to do is never cut down a tree in your life. Not even a single branch! Okay, I realize this isn’t really realistic since everyone â€Å"needs† wood and paper, but the least you could do is plant a tree for everyone you destroy. You could also buy your own piece of land, grow a forest (granted, this may well take your whole life), and watch as animals and other living organisms start to bring it to life.Furthermore, you could have your very own fairytale within its depths, all the while breathing healthy, oxygen-filled air! Well, maybe not completely healthy, but don’t get me started on pollution. Other than that, you will have a happy ending with your prince charming (or princess)! Then, I give you permission to say â€Å"I told you so† about love being more impo rtant that oxygen, though I’m not all that convinced. I’d like to see you write an essay trying to convince me of that!

Environmental Racism and Justice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental Racism and Justice - Research Paper Example During the 19th century, the pollution of the Matanza-Riachuelo began, but unfortunately the matter has become extremely critical, and even dangerous. A catastrophe that will affect people’s health is bound to occur and this is according to the General of the Nation Auditor. Also, the matter cannot be governed, as there are no policies of a public nature, which exist. Three jurisdictions have the mandate of taking care of this matter, thus the reasons why complications have arisen. The population is at risk of suffering greatly, due to the consequences of the Matanza-Riachuelo river basin (Hoshaw, 2008). The environment has not been spared either, as it is degrading fast and its improvement is being hampered. Society will benefit if the river basin is well taken care of. The judges of this court issue, further want to make sure that a healthy environment exists. The government has the responsibility of ensuring that a constitutional mandate exists concerning this matter. All t he companies, which have been implicated in this matter, must provide information concerning the contents in the river and what they have dumped. They should make available their insurance, as well as the treatment used to treat the pollution in accordance to the country’s law on the environment. In environmental racism, often decision making opportunities are not offered to communities who are affected by pollution (Hoshaw, 2008). In the case of pollution of the river basin at Matanza-Riachuelo, environmental racism occurred.