Csr Programs And Corporate Social Responsibility - 1728 Words

Since 1998, Bank of America has become one of the most successful financial institutions in the industry. With the mission to â€Å"make financial lives better, through the power of every connection†, Bank of America has maintained aligning operation with its vision. While assisting its clients understand their money, the company also puts a lot of effort into helping the communities by executing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It is undeniable that the company has successfully addressed many critical problems in the environmental, social and economic arenas, as it continually receives awards and recognitions for its CSR efforts. One of the highlights of the CSR programs is a $50 billion commitment to address climate change by changing†¦show more content†¦The evolution of your CSR programs has produced tangible results and I am confident to see the positive outcome once again. $50 Billion Investment Towards Renewable and Low Carbon Solutions According to Bank of America’s 2013 CSR report, the company’s 10-year, $50 billion environmental business initiative is created in order to help address climate change, reduce demands on natural resources and advance lower-carbon economic solutions. Emphasize on lending, carbon finance, and investment solutions for clients globally, the project builds on the previous 10-year, $20 billion project that was successfully attained four years ahead of the schedule. At the same time, the company also rigorously track and manage its progress toward the following new operation goals for 2015: †¢ Minimizing its global water consumption by 20% (2010 baseline) †¢ Minimizing its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% (2010 baseline) †¢ Minimizing its energy consumption by 25% from 2004 †¢ Reaching 20% LEED certification within its corporate workplace portfolio To achieve the goals, Bank of America shows its commitment to support positive environmental change through transformational finance, operations, employee programs and nonprofit partnerships, and environmental policies under its environmental sustainability program. With

Analysis Of The Shakespeare s Coriolanus - 1360 Words

The Analysis of Honor in William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus The play, Coriolanus by William Shakespeare was first published in the 1623 folio edition of Shakespeare’s play. The first performance of Coriolanus was on December 1607-1608. I found Coriolanus unlikeable at first as the main character, Coriolanus was arrogant, insulted the citizens of Rome, and threat to kill his own men as well as set Rome on fire. As the play progresses, I found Coriolanus a likable character as he had honor as he become a Roman war hero even when he wanted to impress his mother, Volumina and a true Roman. Coriolanus is a character that speaks his mind as he is not afraid to go into war and showed what a tragic hero was about as he s not willing to compromise his values just to get popular votes from the citizens. In the introduction on page twenty-seven, it points out that Coriolanus is a main character that makes himself a â€Å"fascinatingly perverse charismatic figure.† He is a character that holds the attention of the characters in the play a nd theater audiences who detest him. Shakespeare presented the unsympathetic main character, Coriolanus as a complex challenge to himself and to the theater audiences. The play, Coriolanus celebrate the warrior version of masculinity as honor is a significant theme of the play. Volumina, a Roman matriarch and the primary female character in the play established the value of honor above life and honor immediately upon her entrance into the plot in 1:3:2-13,Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s King Lear3086 Words   |  13 PagesJerion Young Ms. Woods English IV 4 March 2015 King Lear William Shakespeare uses several literary elements in his writing, elements which are especially apparent in his play, King Lear. Shakespeare uses excellent creativity and description when writing this tragedy. â€Å"Neither has Shakespeare placed in the mouth of any other character in this play such fatalistic expressions as may be found in King Lear and occasionally elsewhere†(A.C. 2003). The way King Lear talks in this play is very evil comparedRead MoreHamlet, Prince Of Denmark1869 Words   |  8 PagesHamlet and His Problems, he discusses all the major points he found superfluous. KEY WORDS: Hamlet, William Shakespeare, Artistic failure, Revenge Tragedy, Objective correlative, Hamlet and His Problems. HAMLET AS AN ARTISTIC FAILURE. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is undoubtedly the most successful play or tragedy ever written by the William Shakespeare between the time period of 1599 and 1601. The longest ever play with 1536 lines, which obviously groundedRead MoreEssay on Interpreting Hamlet’s Ophelia3518 Words   |  15 Pagesthe mind of Hamlet, this drastically reduces the goodness of womankind generally. Hamlet chooses to use an â€Å"antic disposition† to disguise his actions as he maneuvers to kill the one who poisoned his father in the garden. Wilkie and Hurt say that Shakespeare â€Å"is particularly fond of double-plotting.† (2156) Ophelia is shortly affected by the protagonist’s mad conduct. And immediately she goes to her father, Polonius, to explain how she is â€Å"so affrighted† as a result of Hamlet’s visit: My lordRead More Shakespeares Hamlet - The Character of Ophelia Essay3341 Words   |  14 Pagesthe mind of Hamlet, this drastically reduces the goodness of womankind generally. Hamlet chooses to use an â€Å"antic disposition† to disguise his actions as he maneuvers to kill the one who poisoned his father in the garden. Wilkie and Hurt say that Shakespeare â€Å"is particularly fond of double-plotting† (2156).    Ophelia is shortly affected by the protagonist’s mad conduct. And immediately she goes to her father, Polonius, to explain how she is â€Å"so affrighted† as a result of Hamlet’s visit:

Driving While Black - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 315 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/10/10 Did you like this example? Being a black in America has got many issues mainly discrimination being the cause of all the problems. The Africans rights are not put into full consideration compared to the White that is the European American. It is well known and elaborated by the Black leaders who tried to fight for the rights of the Africans in America (Davis, 2001). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Driving While Black" essay for you Create order At that time many were assassinated one of them is Martin Luther King whose remarks still said up to today. Being an African American driving becomes an issue. This is seen across the highways in American nations whereby the African Americans are being mistreated, harassed and put in police cars where there are police dogs and threatened if anyone tries to escape. An instance of the above case is where the Blacks are mistreated it happened in 1998 August where a 37 year old Black man and his son were caught by a nightmare on the highways of America they found out that they could barely travel for more than thirty minutes without being stopped twice by a police patrolling the highways (Davis, 2001). Second they were stopped by the troopers who terrorized them and in this case they were locked in a police car where there were police dogs and it is here where they were threatened that in case they tried to escape the dogs would be released to them. The police officers had at that point shut all the video cameras in the car and therefore there was no any evidence that the Black man and his son were terrorized. (Davis, 2001) The Black man was named Gerald and he understood the history of oppression of Africans that existed in America and hence feared of being victimized. Basically, the problem of African driving was being terrorized and mistreatment also the incarceration that existed was slavery where the Africans were put into custody to work for the Whites.

The Necklace and Story of an Hour; a Comparison Essay

The Necklace and Story of An Hour; A Comparison Megan Ford ENG125 Instructor Reljic August 19, 2012 At first glance, Chopin’s Story of an Hour (1894) and de Maupassant’s The Necklace (1884), appear to have very little in common. Chopin’s story, as displayed in its title is quite short; while in comparison, de Maupassant tells a much more detailed account of the beleaguered Loisel’s, who must learn from the self-centred Madam Loisel. With de Maupassant’s depiction of his female protagonist as selfish and ungrateful; it is difficult to fathom Chopin, known for her active role in describing womans oppression in the nineteenth century. Interestingly, Chopin, a realist, did consider de Maupassant to†¦show more content†¦In discussing content, like all great authors, Chopin use symbols and metaphor to allow us to look within the subtext of their works. And many of these symbols and metaphors work to build upon their style, heavily composed of irony. As these are discussed, the themes of the obligations of women in marriage and illusions of ind ependence, will come forward. Chopin’s short work is masterfully interspersed with clues to the subtext of her work. One set of metaphors which should be more often discussed is the freedom with which Brently Mallard is able to enjoy. The text discusses both the train and the telegram, avenues to communicate with outside worlds. It is worth noting that while these things are readily available to Brently, they are not to Mrs. Mallard. Chopin uses common household features as a metaphor for Mrs. Mallard’s exclusion from the outside world. When she first learns of Brently’s death, Louise looks out an open window into an open square. Next, Chopin chooses to use treetops a quiver with new spring life as the first thing Louise sees prior to having her revelation, with a description of the delicious breath of rain in the air. Spring, of course is when things grow anew, and we know that water, as a a symbol cleanses ill pasts. This type of rich symbolism, returning t o form, helped Chopin to make her story into simply â€Å"an hour†. As well, Chopin, makes use of parting clouds to provide Louise a blue sky, again, freedom like theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Comparing â€Å"the Story of an Hour† and â€Å"the Necklace†1632 Words   |  7 PagesComparing â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Necklace† Short stories are always very enjoyable to read. They are very concise but mostly have such a deep message resonating throughout the text that the reader is left pondering over an extension of the story to imagine the possible ending if they were novels instead. The works under consideration are meant to be compared because of their unique theme which reflects how two authors can write similar yet distinctive stories in different times. Kate Chopin’sRead More The Necklace Essay1346 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"The Necklace† Around the world, values are expressed differently. Some people think that life is about the little things that make them happy. Others feel the opposite way and that expenses are the way to live. In Guy de Maupassant’s short story, â€Å"The Necklace†, he develops a character, Madame Loisel, who illustrates her different style of assessments. Madame Loisel, a beautiful woman, lives in a wonderful home with all the necessary supplies needed to live. However, she is very unhappyRead MoreTheme Comparison3403 Words   |  14 PagesTheme Comparison: The Necklace amp; The Story of an Hour A short story, â€Å"The Necklace† (â€Å"La parure†) by Guy de Maupassant in 1884 and a poem, ‘The Story of an Hour† written by Kate Chopin in 1894 are literary works that are very comparable yet are different. The two women, Madame Mathilde Loisel and Louise Mallard, portrayed in these literary works are protagonists who have trouble because of conflicting expectations imposed on them by society. Both Mathilde Loisel and Louise Mallard want somethingRead MoreMoral Dilemma Essay5127 Words   |  21 Pagesapparent conflict between moral imperatives such that obeying one will result in transgressing the other. This paper will demonstrate choices, tragedy, respect, individuality, and values in the following stories: The Moose and The Sparrow by Hugh Garner, The Yellow Sweater by Hugh Garner, The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant, The Painted Door by Sinclair Ross, and David by Earle Birney A choice is something one must make frequently throughout each and every day of ones lifetime. Some choices may be easierRead MoreSocial criticism in The Great Gatsby and Great Expectations2248 Words   |  9 Pagescharacterization in Great Expectations. The most poignant example of this is the storys protagonist Phillip Pirrip, referred to throughout the novel as Pip. Pip portrays the abuse of children through example. During childhood he receives regular beatings and constant harassment by his sister and guardian Mrs. Joe. Being an orphan he is considered a burden not only by Mrs. Joe but also by her family and friends, as expressed early on in the story by the unanimity of all present (save Joe) around the dinner tableRead MoreNon Verbal Communication : A Coffee Shop1939 Words   |  8 Pagesside-by-side, arms linked and both looking straight ahead as they entered the coffee shop. One woman had brunette hair, which was styled and shoulder length. She was dressed all in black, w ith black leggings, top and black boots. She had a silver necklace and black purse. The other woman had short blonde, tussled hair. She too was dressed all in black; black pants, shoes and a black t-shirt. She was also carrying a backpack. The blonde appeared to have some visual disability as she was carrying aRead MoreMedia Magic Making Class Invisible2198 Words   |  9 Pagesgives examples as to how the media portrays the poor in a demeaning way. For example, Mantsios says: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The media routinely centers on the black urban population and focus on perceived personality or cultural traits that doom the poor. Women in these stories exhibit and attitude that leads to the trouble or a promiscuity which then leads to single motherhood, the men possess a need for immediate gratification that leads to drug abuse or and unquenchable greed that leads to the pursuit of fast moneyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ (MediaRead MoreEssay about The World through Graciela Iturbides Camera Lens2039 Words   |  9 PagesMerriam - Webster dictionary, â€Å"Anthropology is the study of human races, origins, societies, and cultures†. Where as, â€Å"Photography is the art, process, or job of taking pictures with a camera† (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). With this being said, a comparison is drawn between using Graciela Iturbide’s ability to take pictures that allows embellishment human races, origins, societies and their cultures. There are two specific photogra phs in which Graciela Iturbide merges anthropology and photography.Read MoreUnit 3 Study Pdf Essay2704 Words   |  11 Pagesthe De Lacey cottage? She found letters intended for her father that included the directions to Felix. Page 2 of 15 LITERATURE STUDY QUESTIONS Chapter 15 Save Assignment 8. After reading the books that he finds in a satchel in the forest, what comparison/contrast does the creature make between himself and Adam from the Bible? 9. What other reading material does the creature suddenly find in his coat pocket? Now that he can read, what does he learn about Victor from this material? He finds VictorsRead MoreWhy Homosexuality Is Abnormal And Homes11892 Words   |  48 Pagesuncontroversial case of misuse, a case in which the clarity of our intuitions is not obscured by the conviction that they are untrustworthy. Mr Jones pulls all his teeth and strings them around his neck because he thinks his teeth look nice as a necklace. He takes pureed liquids supplemented by intravenous solutions for nourishment. It is surely natural to say that Jones is misusing his teeth, that he is not using them for what they are for, that indeed the way he is using them is incompatible with

Essay about Socrates - 2048 Words

SOCRATES THE PHILOSOPHER Socrates is a noteworthy and important historical figure as a philosopher, because of his and his pupils’ influence on the development of the philosophical world. His teachings, famous arguments, and ideas began the outgrowth of all later western philosophies. Born in 469 BC just outside of Athens, Socrates was brought up properly, and thoroughly educated. He was raised as most Athenians; developing both physical and mental strengths. Socrates then went on to learn from Archelaus the philosopher. Here he studied astronomy, mathematics, and was introduced to philosophy, which was a new concept at the time. Archelaus taught of explanations for the world with a scientific approach. Socrates, however, turned away†¦show more content†¦This means, for example, that when we think of characteristics such as roundness, we only picture ideas of it like a ball or a wheel. Therefore, he assumed that we only understand specific things that participate in o ur lives. In his search for the inner truth of oneself, Socrates theorized the explanation to the question of what the goals of life are. He concluded that everyone tries to find the meaning of happiness and goodness in their existence. This is the purpose of life. However, true happiness comes in many forms and is disguised in a way that people spend their lives looking for goodness, but finding only the evil in which it is concealed. The only way to discover true happiness, goodness, and the right way, is to fully understand oneself. Socrates did not believe in the Greek gods or religion. He had his personal view of god. Socrates felt that there must be some form of divine power because everyone seemed to believe in some kind of god and religion. He also believed in a sort of immortality. He hypothesized that there was an afterlife. His explanation for it was that people who had achieved goodness in their lives knew where they were going afterwards, and that evil people tried to i gnore the fact that immortality existed. He preached that the soul was a person’s true being, and that our goodness in life reflected on the goodness of our souls. According to Socrates, each individualShow MoreRelatedSocrates : The Suicide Of Socrates1405 Words   |  6 PagesSocrates was born in 470 BCE in Athens, Greece. His father was Sophroniscus, a sculptor and stone mason from Athens and his mother was a midwife by the name of Phaenarete (30 Interesting Socrates Facts 2014). Socrates original profession was masonry and sculpting, before becoming a philosopher. On a day in 399 BC, Socrates ( roughly 71 years at the time) went to trial.Now why would anyone want to send an old man to court? Three answer is that Socrates was accused of refusing to recognize theRead MoreSocrates And The Apology Of Socrates1322 Words   |  6 Pages Socrates is quite the unique individual compared to most, if not all, other Greeks at that time. In the Apology, Socrates gives an analogy of himself being a gadfly and that his gadfly like actions are favorable for Athens and that the actions are goods he is providing. From his service he claims to live a more private life than a public life when discussing virtue. This paper is going to discuss Socrates and his analogy of a gadfly, approach to others about virtue, his conduct effect on democracyRead MoreSocrates As A Martyr And Socrates927 Words   |  4 PagesIn philosophy class this semester we spoke a lot about Socrates and his trial. We were required to read the dialogue ‘Apology’ by Plato. The à ¢â‚¬ËœApology’ Dialogue is what Plato recorded during the speech Socrates gave to the court defending himself against the charges of corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes† these two were the main charges, but underneath that there were also other significant charges such as being considered an antidemocratic or pro-SpartanRead MoreSocrates : The Problem With Socrates908 Words   |  4 PagesThe Problem With Socrates: The problem with Socrates concerns the problem with the role of value and reason. Nietzsche believes that the bulk of philosophers claim that life is a corrupt grievance for mankind. Nietzsche reasoned that these life deniers were decadents of Hellenism, as a symptom of some underlying melancholy. For someone to paint life in such a negative light they must have suffered a great deal through the course of their own life. Furthermore, these no-sayers agreed in various physiologicalRead MoreSocrates Worldview Of Socrates1855 Words   |  8 PagesPart 1: Socrates’ Worldview Socrates is a widely renowned teacher, who has taught and demonstrated a variety of lessons that regard how he views the world. Socrates has described his view on morality, purpose, death, and the ultimate. He has spoken about these views through multiple texts including The Last Days of Socrates and they have been interpreted through the text Socrates by George Rudebusch. Through these worldviews, Socrates has given people the opportunity to expand their wisdom andRead MoreSocrates1461 Words   |  6 PagesSocrates was one of the greatest Greek philosophers. His work was not to propose any specific knowledge or policy: it was to show how argument, debate, and discussion could help men to understand difficult issues. Most of the issues he dealt with were only political on the surface. Underneath, they were moral questions about how life should be lived. Such is the influence of Socrates that philosophers before him are called the Presocratic philosophers. Socrates made enemies, three of whom broughtRead MoreSocrates1099 Words   |  5 PagesSocrates the Greek Philosopher December 14, 2014 PHI/105 In the beautiful city of Athens, Greece, there was a philosopher Socrates, and his Socratic method, was laid on the groundwork for the Western systems of logic and philosophy. Socrates did believe that he didnt know anything, and It was because of this that the Oracle told Socrates that he was wise and that he should seek out the wise men to hear what they had to say. So Socrates began to travel to different parts of Greece to questionRead MoreSocrates659 Words   |  3 PagesSocrates Socrates was accused of many things in the Athens market. Socrates was accused of being a man who makes the worse argument into the stronger argument. A man who knows about the heavens and earth and therefore any one who believe this must not believe in the gods. Socrates was accused of being an atheist. Most of the people that followed him around his quest were inquisitive. Where as most adults would walk by Socrates with his â€Å"annoying question† the youth stopped to see what heRead MoreSocrates : A Man By The Name Of Socrates963 Words   |  4 PagesIn 469 B.C. a man by the name of Socrates was born. Socrates was a very wise man that cared about doing the right thing. He believed that the best ways to develop ideas was in the give and take of conversation, and that the best way to educate people was to ask them a series of questions leading in a particular direction (now named â€Å"Socrates method). Socrates had been quick to identify the drawbacks of democracy, and he had also been the teacher of two men who in different ways harmed Athens: AlcibiadesRead MoreSocrates s Views On Socrates1314 Words   |  6 PagesSocrates could undeniably be described as one of the most influential philosophers and greatest thinker of his time. His views can be interpreted many different ways, but most would agree that he sought out wisdom and truth for the betterment of himself and his community. Though Socrates was one of the most intelligent men of his time, he was very foolish to never write his own book. For this reason, after his passing, one of his students, Plato, began to write a book about his teachings and ideas

Racism In America Essay Example For Students

Racism In America Essay History essayGot an A on it!A case for the connection of Americas colonial and revolutionaryreligious and political experiences to the basic principles of theConstitution can be readily made. One point in favor of this conclusionis the fact that most Americans at that time had little beside theirexperiences on which to base their political ideas. This is due to thelack of advanced schooling among common Americans at that time. Otherpoints also concur with the main idea and make the theory of theconnection plausible. Much evidence to support this claim can be found in the wording ofthe Constitution itself. Even the Preamble has an important idea thatarose from the Revolutionary period. The first line of the Preamblestates, We the People of the United States . This implies that thenew government that was being formed derived its sovereignty from thepeople, which would serve to prevent it from becoming corrupt anddisinterested in the people, as the framers believed Britains governmenthad become. If the Bill of Rights is considered, more supporting ideasbecome evident. The First Amendments guarantee of religious freedomcould have been influenced by the colonial tradition of relative religiousfreedom. This tradition was clear even in the early colonies, likePlymouth, which was formed by Puritan dissenters from England seekingreligious freedom. Roger Williams, the proprietor of Rhode Island,probably made an even larger contribution to this tradition by advocatingand allowing complete religious freedom . William Penn also contributed tothis idea in Pennsylvania, where the Quakers were tolerant of otherdenominations. In addition to the tradition of religious tolerance in thecolonies, there was a tradition of self-government and popular involvementin government. Nearly every colony had a government with electedrepresentatives in a legislature, which usually made laws largely withoutinterference from Parliament or the king.Jamestown, the earliest of thecolonies, had an assembly, the House of Burgesses, which was elected bythe property owners of the colony. Maryland developed a system ofgovernment much like Britains, with a representative assembly, the Houseof Delegates, and the governor sharing power. The Puritan colony inMassachusetts originally had a government similar to a corporate board ofdirectors with the first eight stockholders, called freemen holdingpower. Later, the definition of freemen grew to include all malecitizens, and the people were given a strong voice in their ow ngovernment. When did this arise? Racism has been around for thousands of years. Groups of peoples generally fear or form opinions on people and things that are foreign to themselves. They say examples of this have been found in ancient Chinese texts, where they believe God made a mistake when creating whites and blacks. It was by their scholars that black were allowed to bake too long in the sun and therefore their skin was burnt. When he created the Caucasians, he allowed the to bake too little leaving them raw. When he created the native Chinese, he finally rectified his mistakes by making them a perfect golden colour. This belief by the Chinese lead them to ethnic groups, which is the belief that ones race is the best, and then all other are poorer. This would explain for their policy of issued that they maintained for hundreds of years. Native Americans were also ethnic in that if one of their tribe married a white person, he/she was generally looked on as selling out and abandoning their pe ople. The history of racism in the United States traces back to origins in Europe and the triangle trade, responsible for bringing Africans slaves to the New World. European explorers came upon America, a vast land of plentiful natural resources, with little manpower with which to do anything useful. Thus, it was decided that native Africans, familiar to unfair working conditions and the scorching heat encountered in the American South, would make the best labourers. Europeans redefined the Africans as of a separate race; THEY WERE CONDSIDERED NOT TO BE HUMAN, BUT RATHER AS ANIMALS LACKING SOULS. Since then, the Americans of all colours have been guilty of racism, believing that each of their peoples was better or more important the next. The first American culture affected by racism was the Native American population. Effects The effect of racism are that racism destroys any sense of patriotism within the group, and presents a clear threat to national unity because of that it can r esult in the emergence of two separate nations within one land. Racism is very expensive. Not simply in a direct way for example the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage to the city of Los Angeles caused by the race riots in 1992, but also the maintenance of separate physical facilities, legal costs in race- related law suits, and the cost of welfare and unemployment payments. Racism makes a country simply look bad, one may point to the universal condemnation of South Africa for so many years, and how it was excluded from participation in world events and world trade. Articles Of Confederation (527 words) EssayWhat can be done to stop it? Through the teaching of God. Because we believe that God is the creator of all people and all are God s children is one family, and we believe that racism is a rejection of the teaching of Jesus Christ, we believe that racism denies the redemption and reconciliation of Jesus Christ, we believe that racism robs all humans beings of wholeness and is used as a justification for social, economic, and political exploitation, we believe that our strength les in our racial and cultural diversity and that we must work towards a world in which each persons value is respected and nurtured, and we believe that our struggle for justice must be based on new attitudes, new understandings and new relationships and must be reflected in the law, policies, structures and practices of both the church and the countrys; we commit ourselves as individuals and as a community to follow Jesus Christ in the word and indeed and to strugg le for the rights and the self-determination of every person and group of person. It also is help stop through education and that discrimination against other races is wrong and that it should be law to discriminate against another race period. Who is Involved? The people in involved with racism is the Europeans and their ethnic groups like the KKK. The Europeans is a race that thinks they the own race that controls this world and they are greater to all other races. The races they though they were greater over are the Blacks, Italians, the Irises, the Germans, and the polish immigrants among many others were subjects to abuse, harassments, and generally unfair conditions upon coming to the New World. WASPs dominated American politics, business and society, and these newcomers, though white and mostly English- speaking, were made quite unwelcome. Worker applying for jobs in Americas cities were faced with window signs proclaiming Go home Italians! or Irish need not apply, showing th at discrimination is not necessarily based on the colour of the skin.

Everything Bad Is Good for You free essay sample

The Innovation of Educational Tools Playing video games and watching TV shows are beneficial types of popular culture. Conventional wisdom would argue that new media is a bad influence and that the only way to be intelligent is by reading. In the book Everything Bad is Good For You, author Steven Johnson, argues that even though our popular culture seems to get dumber, it is actually getting smarter. Johnson proves his arguments by comparing and explaining the benefits of the complexity of modern video games, television shows, and movies that require active participation and critical thinking in order for players and viewers to understand what is going on. Modern popular culture requires a lot of mental work, active engagement and problem solving. Rather than being the mindless, mind-numbing time-wasters as conventional wisdom believe, these activities strengthen problem-solving, reasoning abilities and skills that can help people in their daily lives and professions. In addition, Johnson explains that the reason why popular culture is becoming harder is because our brain likes to be challenged and the entertainment industry makes a profit by creating complicated video games, TV shows and new technology because that is what people want. As a result, new media should be approached as a new tool that helps society to become more analytically prepared for real life situations. According to Johnson, popular culture improves the way young people think. Video games for example require that players improve their skills and master certain levels before moving to the next one. Popular culture critics judge video games by its content, not by the way it is played, which challenge the players to solve problems. Although the old fashioned entertainment of reading has a lot of rewards, so do video games. For example, Johnson at one point points out that, â€Å"the culture is getting more intellectually demanding, not less† (9). Our culture is getting more complex; therefore, we are getting smarter in mastering it and video games are part of that reason. Johnson says that people get smart because video games are not just about eye and hand coordination; video games require thinking: â€Å"when you put the game down and move back to the real world, you may find yourself mentally working through the problem you’ve been wrestling with, as though you were worrying a loose tooth† (25 26). Games are clearly not just shooting something down; it requires strategies, it is challenging, it is frustrating and not always fun. Gaming improves the way people think because even after playing the game, players continue formulating ideas in their brain on how to overcome challenges they face in video games. As a result, video games are not â€Å"dumbing people down;† it makes players â€Å"think outside the box† in order to understand its complexity and overcome obstacles. Video games are popular, not because of their flashy graphics, but because of the way it inspires players to think and seek out rewards and explore environments. Johnson describes how video game players have to work mentally while playing in order to progress in a game: â€Å"†¦the mental labor of managing all these simultaneous objectives [is] ‘telescoping’†¦ this skill lies in focusing on immediate problems while still maintaining a long-distance view. You can’t progress far in a game if you simply deal with the puzzles you stumble across; you have to coordinate them with the ultimate objectives on the horizon† (54). In order for a player to beat the game, the player must organize short and long term objectives psychologically while playing the game. It shows that playing video games requires critical thinking to prioritize objectives and be successful. Conventional wisdom believe that playing video games does not require thinking. However, playing video games clearly requires a more complex type of thinking than reading books because the player has to act in the moment, while planning his/her next move. Therefore, playing video games are not making a person stupid. Popular culture has been growing more sophisticated with each passing year, and far from rotting our brains, it’s actually setting new cognitive challenges that are actually making our minds measurably sharper. Like video games, popular culture is cognitively enhancing its audience through modern TV shows. Johnson demonstrates this by comparing early TV shows to the modern ones. Johnson describes a scene of an early TV show where a girl left the door open: â€Å"As the door shuts behind her, the camera swoops in on the door knob, and we see that she’s left the door unlocked. The camera pulls back, and then swoops down again, for emphasis. And then a flashing arrow appears on the screen, with text that helpfully explains: ‘door unlocked! ’† (73). In order for a viewer to understand this scene, the viewer simply has to follow the arrows. The scene clearly does not require the viewer to think about what is going on because everything is explained with details and the viewer already knows what to expect. On the other hand, Johnson explains the complexity of modern TV shows that require viewers to think: â€Å"†¦viewers of shows like Hill Street Blues in the eighties no doubt had moments of confusion where the sheer number of simultaneous plots created present-tense mystery: we’d forget why Renko was wearing that busboy outfit because we’d forgotten about the earlier sequence introducing the undercover plot† (76). It is difficult to understand this scene unless the viewer remembers what had happened before to fill in the missing information. Without any doubt, viewers of modern TV shows have to pay more attention and think critically about what is going on, what happened and what is going to happen. TV shows aren’t easy like before, now the viewer has to analyze everything or else they will not understand the show because there aren’t any flashing arrows. Similarly, reality television shows are strengthening society’s skill to solve social problems. Conventional wisdom would argue that viewers watch these shows because they enjoy watching contestants being humiliated. However, people like watching modern TV shows because they are challenging and also because viewers like to solve problems by filling in missing information. Johnson explains where the viewers’ satisfaction comes in watching reality TV shows: â€Å"The pleasure in these shows comes not from watching other human beings humiliated on national television; it comes from depositing other human beings in a complex, high-stakes environment where no established strategies exist, and watching them find their bearings† (94). Evidently, viewers do not watch reality shows to laugh at participants being bullied or criticized, but rather to watch participants strategize in their constantly changing environments. Therefore, viewers learn how to be socially competent by placing themselves in the contestants’ situations. As a result, the audience learns to develop important skills that can be useful in their professional lives. Finally, the reason why society focuses so much on popular media is because it delivers cognitive exercises in the most interesting ways. The driving force behind popular culture is the human brain; our brain wants to solve problems because it desires challenges. According to Johnson, the assumption about the brains cravings for mild amusements and quick pleasures is backward: we are a problem-solving species, and when we confront situations where information needs to be filled in, or where a puzzle needs to be untangled, our minds compulsively ruminate on the problem until weve figured it out (181). If the brain is presented with a problem we want to solve it. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the brain welcomes challenges and is willing to solve problems it faces. Clearly popular culture is a complex medium that provides multiple avenues where our problem solving skills are tested and strengthened. According to Johnson, advancement in technology is one of the driving forces behind the complexity of popular culture. Technology of repetition allows viewers to have control over what they want to watch, having an impact on the quality of television programming and the producers. Johnson explains that in order for the entertainment industry to make a profit, they need to make something interesting and complicated: â€Å"Design each title so that it can be watched many times, and you’ll end up with more interesting and more challenging culture. And you might just get rich along the way† (166). In order for an industry to make money, it must create something that will challenge the viewer so the viewer will re-watch the show. However, to allow the viewer to re-watch the TV show, the viewer needs a repetition technology. Johnson introduces the modern technology that allows viewers to have a better understanding of the TV shows: â€Å"[The] proliferating new recording technologies [or] technologies of convenience: [allows] you [to] watch what you want to watch, when you want to watch it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (168). New technologies of repetition allow viewers to analyze a complicated or interesting modern TV shows to have a deeper understanding. Clearly, a TV show must be interesting and complex in order for a viewer to have some interest in re-watching the show. As a result, the entertainment industry must meet society’s hunger for new challenges in popular culture to continue making a profit. In conclusion, popular culture is a new educational tool that helps society strengthen their problem-solving skills and become analytically prepared for their social life and profession. Modern technology is in fact a positive influence on a person’s intellectual development. Conventional wisdom must realize that everything changes over time. The way we solve problems now is different from back then. We live in a new era; we are now able to face problems in ways we never have before. Because of this, conventional wisdom cannot deny the benefits of popular culture. Popular culture is an improved educational tool that helps society understand the world we live in today. Works Cited Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad is Good For You. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005. Print.