Sunday, December 29, 2019

CONSUMER RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 11 Words: 3370 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Type Analytical essay Level High school Tags: Consumer Rights Essay Human Rights Essay Did you like this example? CONSUMER RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN. Every human being has certain set of rights which help them in having a purposeful existence in the world, we call those rights as human rights. There are no fixed set of rights that we have declared human rights, they are evolved over the period of time according to the change of human needs. Human rights cannot be static as human needs and they will keep evolving according to the change in human needs. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "CONSUMER RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS" essay for you Create order In the consumer driven society, consumer rights should be included in the purview of human rights. Continuous Journey of Evolution of Human Rights. The evolution of Human rights can be traced back in 6th century when the Persian Empire Cyrus The Great[1] declared freedom to their people to follow religion, freedom to live in any region, freedom from slavery, freedom to take up job of his or her choice. Since then several charters and declaration has been framed and codified different rights at different place of the world according to changing needs like the Magna Charta Libertatum of 1215, the Golden Bull of Hungary (1222), the Danish Erik Klippingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s HÃÆ' ¥ndfaestning of 1282, the Joyeuse EntrÃÆ' ©e of 1356 in Brabant (Brussels), the Union of Utrecht of 1579 (The Netherlands) and the English Bill of Rights of 1689. The American Declaration of Independence of 4 July 1776 declare the rights for the people of their states which were later become the part of Bill of Rights.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“All men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.[2]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  The term Human Rights was appeared for the first time in the French Declaration ,French DÃÆ' ©claration des Droits de là ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢Homme et du Citoyen (1789)[3] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The representatives of the French people, organized as a National Assembly, believing that the ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and of the corruption of governments, have determined to set forth in a solemn declaration the natural, unalienable, and sacred rights of manà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  After the end of world war 2nd, The United Nations came into existence in the year 1945 with the objective to bring peace in the world. A committee of persons with different legal and cultural backg rounds formed which was headed by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of US president , Franklin D. Roosevelt, wrote a special document à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ Universal Declaration of Human Rights[4] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ which was on 10 December, 1948. This was the first milestone document on Human Rights which was intended for the whole world. Once the declaration was made for human Rights so there was need for its acceptance and implementation. Then International Covenant on Civil and political Rights[5] and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights[6] came in 1966 and enter into force in 1976.When it was felt that there is need for the international contribution for the development and implementation of human rights, Right to development came into picture. The right to development was proclaimed in the Declaration on the Right to Development[7], adopted in 1986 by the United Nations General Assembly. The need to create the right to development as human right was arised because the international community failed to realize Political, Civil; social, cultural and economic rights individually at the international level. The right to development is one human right which needs the realization of all the other human rights for its realization and for the first time, state is not the only duty bearer however international community as a whole is responsible. Now the declaration was made however there was a need for the international body that could monitor and promote the realization of human rights. Keeping this objective, The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) was established by the UN General Assembly on 20th December 1993 in Vienna Declaration[8] and Programme of Action, 1993. Consumer rights V/s Human Rights Human rights are those rights which any human being needs to live a life as human being. Right to have food is not human right ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a living right and it is a need for all living bei ng even we give food to our cattle also but right to have food with dignity and of such quality that the person who is having it do not fall ill but get the nutrition of it which is the primary objective of having food, right to live a healthy life is a human rights and I believe it has been recognized 66 years back when intellectuals of that age declare human right and include the right to live with standard of living included in the human rights. According to Article 25, Universal declaration of Human Right[9]s,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including foods, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his controlà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  According to Article 11[10], Internat ional Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions. The States Parties will take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right, recognizing to this effect the essential importance of international co-operation based on free consentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  The aim to make consumer protection strong is to assist people in realizing an adequate standard of living. The phrase à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-beingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  can serve as the basis that the consumer protection can be treated as the part of human rights. In present scenario where food adulteration, degraded quality of foods, misleading advertisements and medical negligence are so common, consumer protection need to be stronger. Adequate food includes the good quality of food, free from any kind of adulteration, which is one of the objectives of consumer protection. Adequate hosing includes two elements, one access to affordable house, which is public policy, and second, the house of good quality and safety, it would cover whether builder has utilized the proper material in the construction, whether builder has obtained all the permissions required to construct the building before selling it to consumers. Today consumer victimization in real estate is very common. According to Article 12[11], International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental healthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Article 12 under International covenant on economic social and cultural rights elaborates right to physical and mental health. Consumer protection meant to protect the consumer from hazard to his health and safety by restricting deficiency in delivery of goods and services. Consumer protection are needed for the protection of consumer health, to improve the standard of living and for the overall wellbeing of the individual, the objectives of consumer protection is synonymous to Human Rights protection. According to Article 3, Universal declaration of Human Right[12] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Right to life does not mean only to be alive but a healthy life, life where a person enjoys the life of human being which is not possible without have an access to safe, affordable healthcare. A person is alive but has been disabled due to medical negligence or improper treatment, can we say that he is enjoying the right to life. According to Article 5, Universal declaration of Human Right[13], à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“No one shall be subject ed to torture or to cruel, Inhuman or degrading treatment or punishmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Although framers of declaration were not intended to refer cruelty and torture from consumer point of view however when consumers are being tortured is that not cruelty. Here want to narrate two examples: Example 1: Medical Negligence Deprived off woman from her Motherhood. Complaint no: 502698 / National Consumer Helpline This is the incident of medical negligence where a complainant from Rewa, reported complaint against Guru Kripa Nursing Home Madhya Pradesh. She was pregnant and had bleeding so she visited the nursing home in May 2012. The Doctor advised her to abort her child as it was a miscarriage and charged her Rs. 3000 as fees for the same and prescribed her medicine for a month. But she was not getting well and still she was experiencing severe pain, she consulted another doctor in Varanasi and Doctor informed her that the abortion has not been done and her uterus is infected a nd may blast any time. Doctor suggested her for operation which cost her 70,000 rupees and risk to her life. Due to this operation she cannot conceive in Future. She made a complaint to Lok Sunwai branch of Local Police (MP) but no action was taken.[14] In this case, Consumer cannot conceive in future, medical negligence has taken the right of a lady to enjoy her motherhood and also put her life in danger, this is the example of Human Rights violation. Example 2: Consumer was deprived off his right to Liberty and experienced great metal torture due to negligence of Airport Authority.[15]Complaint no: 466314 / National Consumer Helpline / June 2013 The complainant boarded at New Delhi Airport for Journey to Bangkok on Indigo Airlines on 29 May, 2013. The passenger was detained at Bangkok Airport for 4 hrs for investigation and later released. The complainant when reached Hotel, they asked him to show his passport, passport was not stamped and they made a complaint to police for non stamping. Police kept him in prison for 2 days. One of his relative has to go to Bangkok to help him to release from there. This complaint was against Delhi Airport Authority / Indigo Airlines for their mistake of not stamping the passport for which consumer had to embarrassed, spent 2 days in locker and faced lots of harassment at the hands of Immigration Officers at the Bangkok Airport. When I called the National Consumer Helpline from where I took these examples of consumer grievances, I came to know one more grievance that to make complain is also not easy. I tried for two days to call them to know the result of such complain but I could not connect to any human voice and was keep connected to the IVR. Acceptance of Consumer Rights as Human Rights In International Community. The importance of consumer rights has received the acceptance by international Community. Some nations have also accepted consumer right as constitutional rights in their constitution ho wever it has not been completely accepted as human right which I believe is the next thing going to happen. 1985 United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection (UNGCP)[16] UNGCP is the first and most important document which has given acceptance to the importance of consumer protection at international level. Although it is different from treaties as these guidelines are not binding on any nation. However it can be considered as an important step towards the acceptance of consumer rights as human rights. Esther Peterson[17] who supports the view that consumer rights be treated as human rights wrote in an article published after the adoption of United Nation Guidelines on Consumer Protection: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“International guidelines can serve as a Charter of Human Rights in the consumer area. That does not mean that every nation would scrupulously obey and implement those principles. Many may not. But the existence of a UN-sponsored Charter of Consumer Rights can simply not be ignored by any nation which wishes to be considered civilized.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ [18] OECD Guidelines for Consumer Protection in the Context of Electronic Commerce (1999)[19] OECD guidelines for Consumer protection is another important document for the protection of consumer at the international scale. These guidelines are also not legally binding however there is strong moral obligation among nations to implement and accept these guidelines which has been jointly drafted by them. Constitutional Acceptance Many countries like Spain, Brazil, Portugal, and Switzerland have integrated consumer protection in their constitution. Provisions for consumer protection in constitution make the state responsible to protect the consume rights. What change will it bring in consumer protection? It will not change the picture of consumer conditions over a night; it may also not bring much change in the consumer protection laws however it will bring the change in the attitude of companies/authorities/courts to take the consumer more seriously. Declaration of consumer rights as human rights at the international level will bring unanimity of consumer rights at the international level and no nation can easily ignore it. It will promote the international trade because today consumer is not limited by national boundaries if they have a sense of protection and security; they will cross the national boundaries easily to purchase goods/ services in the international market. Today different countries have different consumer protection laws but they are not unanimous and international consumer are not aware of those laws and how effective those laws are to protect consumer, therefore consumer hesitate and restrict themselves to national boundaries. United Nation Guidelines for Consumer Protection[20] is the good step towards the acceptance of importance of consumer protection at international level however it does not have any binding force. Nations may follow it or may not however if it would be considered as human rights then it would have better protections and acceptance at the international level. The need of Consumer rights as human rights are felt when there is conflict of interest between consumerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s rights and other rights. For example Freedom of Occupation[21] is a constitutional right. This law states that every citizen can practice any occupation and that the freedom can be restricted only by a statute enacted for a proper cause and for the public benefit. If a license to practice any trade is denied due to the consumer protection. The court has to determine the proper cause. The tendency of court is to restrict the infringement of constitutional right, the court may decide that the occupation right, as constitutional right, overrides consumer right. However if consumer right be declared as human right then it would enable them to be considered equally with constitutional rights. The need of Consumer rights as human rights are felt when there is conflict of interest between consumers and the business organization. There is inequality in the bargaining power as an individual consumer is one party and a strong economic organization is the other party. The business organization can impose its will on the consumer on take it or leave it basis. This inequality of bargaining power can be eliminated by strong consumer protection legislations. Consumer rights are meant to prevent abuse of powers of big business organization which is similar to economic human rights which protect individual from the abuse of powers of government. For example, in Gurgaon Haryana toll, the toll authorities increase the charges of the toll tax even more than double, it is simple example of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“take or leave ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . My understanding says that if consumer rights would be human rights , these authorities would have thought twice before doing it this what is required that authorities / compa nies think twice before taking any action which may go against consumer. In India we call customer as god however we are not ready to accept consumer as human being. Conslusion Human rights are individual rights and it implies the obligation on government of not only refrain from certain action but also has the duty to protect those rights of an individual from infringement by other individuals. Similarly consumer rights are individual right of every individual in the consumerism society where we cannot separat consumer from human being . when a person born till his or her last funeral an indivdual is consumer of end number of insitutions. Starting from hospital where a child is born, education is taken, till his body is cremated at cremation house . Change is the part of life and we need to accept this change that consumer rights are not different from human rights. The only reason it is not yet accepted because the governments of developed countries are capable of protecting their consumer rights by different ways however the governements of developing countries where people are not able to fulfill their living needs are busy other things that they are not able to protect their consumer rights. Despite of all the laws and legal system we have, malpractices continue to occur, food adulteration, delinquency in delivery of services are common. Then we need to think something is missing something more prominent and strong is needed which can put stop on these malpractices and today we are living in global world , deals globally , sale purchase of goods or services are also happening at global level. Consumer rights may dealt differently in different nations, international convention on consumer rights are not binding it would be the right thing to accept consumer rights as human rights and Human rights which cannot protect human needs are useless. Today it is the need of the day to accept that consumer rights fall within the purview of Human rights. As we all know that the Malaysia aircraft is disappeared in the sky with 250 people and it is discovered that two people are with fake passport and there could be the chances of hijacking and there is also some news that it can turn into 09/11 for India as per its directions. we cannot exclude that there is some deficiency of service on the part of airport authority by which these two people escaped with fake passport. It is important understand the seriousness of consumer protection which cannot separated from human protection. In India there is a saying that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“customers are equivalent to godà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . However we are not ready to accept customer as Human Being, I just want that we treat the consumer as human being that will be enough. [1]Cyrus Charter of Human Rights Cylinder/Available at https://www.farsinet.com/cyrus/ [2] Robert Hole / The American Declaration of Independence of July 4th, 1776 /Available at https://www.historytoday.com/robert-hole/american-declaration-independence-july-4th-1776 [3] Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen/ Available at: https://www.constitution.org/fr/fr_drm.htm [4] Universal Declaration of Human Rights/ Available at https://www.ohchr.org/en/udhr/pages/introduction.aspx [5] International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights/ Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/ccpr.aspx [6] International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights/ Available at https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx [7] Declaration on the Right to Development/ Available at : https://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/41/a41r128.htm [8] Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action/ Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/profes sionalinterest/pages/vienna.aspx [9] Universal declaration of Human Rights/ Available at :https://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ [10] International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights/ Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx [11] International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights/ Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx [12] Universal declaration of Human Rights/ Available at :https://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ [13] Ibid. [14]National Consumer Helpline/ Available at https://www.nationalconsumerhelpline.in/interesting-cases.aspx [15] Ibid [16] United Nations Guidelines For Consumer Protection/Available at: https://www.unctad.org/en/docs/poditcclpm21.en.pdf [17] Esther Eggertsen Peterson (December 9, 1906 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" December 20, 1997) was a lifelong consumer and womens advocate, Esther Peterson was a representative of the International Organization of Consumer Unions (Iocu) before Ecosoc at the United Nations. She served under two United States Presidents as Special Assistant to the President for Consumer Affairs and as Chairman of the Presidents Committee on Consumer Interests. From 1970 to 1977, Ms. Peterson was Vice President of Consumer Programs and Consumer Adviser to the President at Giant Food Corporation [18] Sina Deutch /Are Consumer Rights Human Rights /Available at https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1668context=ohlj [19]OECD Guidelines for Consumer Protection in the Context of Electronic Commerce (1999)/Available at https://www.oecd.org/sti/consumer/oecdguidelinesforconsumerprotectioninthecontextofelectroniccommerce1999.htm [20] United Nations Conference On Trade And Development /Available at: https://unctad.org/en/docs/poditcclpm21.en.pdf [21] Article 19(1)(g), The Indian Constitution/ https://www.indiankanoon.org/doc/1218090/

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Unequal Distribution of Wealth Essay - 1487 Words

The way money is distributed within the United States is unbalanced, with the majority of the wealthy owning the bulk of the country’s wealth. Wealth can be defined as a person’s assets and monetary gains. This unequal distribution has caused numerous economic and geographical problems, such as how resources are divided among countries, how developed or industrialized a country is in relation to wealth distribution and the wide spread of disease and lack of medical attention due to an absence of money. In this paper I will address the negative and positive aspects associated with wealth distribution. I will explain how resource distribution contributes to an area’s economic growth. I will also discuss varying ways to measure wealth†¦show more content†¦This is due in part because of the unequal wealth distribution. The top one percent of the richest people own forty six percent of the global wealth. This wealth being held by the rich would not be a problem if they were not so selfish with their earnings. The distribution of wealth leads to the subsequent unequal distribution of resources. Some issues this raises are human settlement and population distribution, economic activities, trade and quality of life. Certain indicators can be expended in order to measure a nation’s wealth and they include: Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Gross National Income (GNI) and Human Development Index (HDI). The Gross Domestic Product is the total value of all goods and services. This is a good indicator of what the country is like in relation to their products being sold. The GNI is the GDP plus the income from foreign investors minus the money paid out to foreign investors. The GNI and GDP are not always equal between or within countries. The HDI captures the health, education and income of any given area. It is often a more accurate depiction of what the people are like. The HDI determines what the people are like but in order for citizens to obtain health care, education and jobs, there has to be some sort of equal distribution to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to health care an education and a job. America is not exempt from these findings.Show MoreRelatedUnequal Distribution Of Wealth1477 Words   |  6 PagesThe unequal distribution of wealth has always been a huge problem that has plagued society throughout the ages. As forms of governments of each nation have changed, the unequal distribution of wealth has remained a constant. Even in Communist countries, which were supposed to eliminate this problem by abolishing the private ownership of land, the unequal distribution of wealth was still a problem in their society. It is difficult for society as a whole to make advancements, because of the unequalRead MoreUnequal Distribution of Wealth Essay792 Words   |  4 PagesSmith was very conscious of how the wealth was unequally distributed amongst the poor versus the wealthy, and how an d if this distribution continued it would leave the poor at a disadvantage, in the sense they will never have the opportunity to move ahead and will always be at the mercy of those who possessed more wealth. Mr. Smith viewed economics contrarily than the mercantilist. Compared to the days of old, the views of economics and mercantilism based wealth on the amount of gold and silver theRead MoreUnequal Distribution Of Wealth, Unethical Behavior949 Words   |  4 PagesBesides unequal distribution of wealth, unethical behavior may arise due to imbalance knowledge. Asymmetric information is perceived to be the root of unethical behavior (Kolb, 2008). 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Once money was introduced though, this allowed the accumulation of wealth, without waste, so Locke says â€Å"†¦thus came in the use of money- some lasting thing that men might keep without spoilingRead MoreAn Unequal Distribution Of Wealth And Power Across The Nation2049 Words   |  9 Pages Living in America, I have always been aware of fact that there is an unequal distribution of wealth and power across the nation. However, I was unaware that there is such a significant gap between the rich and the poor. It was made clear in the video â€Å"Wealth Inequality in America†, that the top 1% has more power and wealth than the middle and poor classes. The rich can get away with not paying their taxes and sitting on their pile of free money. In the meantime, the poorest people are down to theRead MoreSociological Explanations of Unequal Distributions of Wealth and Income in Contemporary Britain1304 Words   |  6 PagesSociology Homework: Examine the sociological explanations of unequal distributions of wealth and income in contemporary Britain (24 marks) There are five main sociological explanations of unequal distributions of wealth and income in contemporary Britain that I will be discussing as well as explaining within this essay. One sociological explanation for the unequal distribution of wealth and income in contemporary Britain is because it is necessary for the maintenance of society. This is arguedRead MoreThe Unequal Distribution Of Wealth Affects Students From A Young Age1489 Words   |  6 Pagesdevelopments of these opportunities. The unequal distribution of wealth affects students of all ages in the education system. In order to reduce education inequality, the funds allocated to the low-income neighborhoods in a state should to be increased not only to decrease the gap between rich and poor and decrease the amount of poorly paid teachers, but also to provide schools with enough resources to ensure success. Although in the past the biggest cause for unequal opportunities in education has beenRead MoreEquality And Social Inequality Of Class And Class Equality1400 Words   |  6 Pagesethnic social divisions and how they highlight an unequal distribution of wealth, privilege and power. Unequal distribution can be seen in a variety of ways, such as income and wealth inequality for the working class, and unequal opportunities for ethnic minorities in the workplace. This essay will also be discussing how ethnic and class divisions interlink. Firstly, the sociological study of ethnic inequality highlights the unequal distribution of wealth, privilege and power. â€Å"Racism is built into theRead MoreAccounting Practice Contributes to a Just Distribution of Resources1602 Words   |  7 Pagesregulations, which can result in unequal treatment or unequal distribution of goods and services among different people. Some laws favor certain members within a community while putting a burden on other members. An economic system is, for the most part, a result of political processes developed by humans and the processes are ever evolving within societies. The legal structure of an economic and political system are important because certain resource distributions are a result created from the systemRead MoreAn Annotated Bibliography On Household Wealth Essay729 Words   |  3 PagesHousehold Wealth in China. Chinese Sociological Review 47.3 (2015): 203-229. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Oct. 2015. Xie and Jin examine the leve l, distribution, and composition of household wealth in contemporary China. The study reveals that the richest one percent of the population owns over one third of the total national household wealth, while the poorest twenty five percent owned less than two percent in 2012. Housing assets in China show to be the largest component of household wealth, comprising

Friday, December 13, 2019

The Book Boofheads Free Essays

Essay on Boofheads by Mo Johnson. The book Boofheads is a story based on prejudice. Prejudice is here in every day society. We will write a custom essay sample on The Book: Boofheads or any similar topic only for you Order Now This book was written by Mo Johnson for teenagers that have the same problem. The problem is sexism. The prejudice in the book is sexism and how it can affect people in such ways that they have to give up one of the most important things in life. With the three seventeen year old boys Ed, Steve and Tom sexism is a big problem. In the book Boofheads by Mo Johnson sexism is a problem between young boys and girls. The ‘girl’ saying about girls being smart and boys being dumb. This was a clear demonstration of prejudice in Boofheads. In chapter three the three best-friends Ed, Steve and Tom were all in English class. Their teacher had asked Tom a question about the book ‘Pride and Prejudice’ which the class had been given to read for homework. One of the girls in the class named Amy Jones had spoke up before Tom could start to answer his question. Amy then answered the question correctly and turned to Tom and Steven to comment on how ‘dumb’ they were. Her arguments aim was to prove that girls were clearly smarter than boys and that they were not able to produce a â€Å"single word of half decent English,† Amy had commented. This example explains why this passage from the book has the prejudice of sexism. Boofheads by Mo Johnson has a main story line on three teenage boys pretending to be a 36 year old lady in order to have a column in a teenage girl’s magazine. The three boys Ed, Steve and Tom have had the opportunity to prove themselves right to all the sexist girls in their school. They are going to become a fake lady so that they can answer teenage girls’ problems in Tom’s mother’s magazine. Each month they get an email from Toms mum with problems from girls around the state. They come up with solutions to the problem and send an email back to Toms mum with the answers. They only do this to prove that boys can produce a ‘single word of half decent English’. The girls in the boys’ school are adamant that the boys are dumb and these three boys want to prove that they are not. In Boofheads the seventeen year old boy named Tom has a mother that is a fussy magazine editor. One of the best in the country. She has a messy office and never relies on Tom’s advice. Tom is always giving his mother advice on the look of the magazine, contrasting colours and some fashion ideas. He is usually right as his mother gets the same criticism from her boss. She never even realises that Tom gave the same advice to her rior to her changes. She does not believe that a male has any brain for a magazine and they need to stick to the things that men are supposed to do. Tom could be right on the spelling of a word and she would still not believe him. This shows that women of an older age are still sexist to males when it comes to how smart they really are. In conclusion the book Boofheads by Mo Johnson was a book about sexism. It was mainly based on sexism on males by females. This is why Boofheads is a book about prejudice. How to cite The Book: Boofheads, Papers

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Importance of Ahimsa free essay sample

The Importance of Ahimsa Hinduism Essay Today’s world is an improvement from that of the past; however, the one aspect lacking is peace. Without peace, the world is an aggressive place where people have little or no respect for one another. The solution to this is the practice of nonviolence. Through this practice, society will have the ability to learn the importance of peacefulness and the value of their peers. As a result, society should learn the value of Ahimsa through the actions of Thich Nhat Hanh to understand its significance in today’s world. Ahimsa is a concept, which many consider important to the Hindu religion. The idea of ahimsa is to refrain from violence. Hindus perform this act â€Å"not only to humankind but also to the animal world,† (Brown, 25). The cow, for example, holds a place of holiness and inviolability; therefore, it receives special protection. The idea of ahimsa eliminates abuse and simple hurt and replaces it with compassion towards all living creatures. We will write a custom essay sample on Importance of Ahimsa or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page According to Hindus, all living creatures have a destiny in which they must fulfill. Killing a living creature interferes with its destiny and spiritual progression. Hindus believe â€Å"the act of killing is therefore a bad karma with unhappy consequences for those who indulge it,† (V, 2). Hindus believe the act of killing accompanies terrible consequences. They believe killing another living creature will bring them bad karma. This encourages the concept of nonviolence in the Hindu religion. Consequently, the ethical notion of ahimsa is beneficial to society as it expresses both compassionate behaviour and good karma. Thich Nhat Hanh is a terrific Buddhist who strongly values the idea of ahimsa. He has used it throughout many parts of his life. Thich Nhat Hanh supports a movement recognized as engaged Buddhism, which united traditional meditation with civil disobedience. Furthermore, he founded peace magazine, and encouraged world leaders to use nonviolence as a tool to achieve peace. (http://www. seaox. com/thich. html). Hanh’s hard work to promote peace resulted in conflict resolution of the Vietnam problems. Moreover, Thich Nhat Hanh founded the School of Youth for Social Services in the 60’s. This foundation helped set up schools and medical centers, assisted families resettle, and lastly organized agricultural cooperatives. The School of Youth for Social Services encouraged ahimsa as they â€Å"based [their] work on the Buddhist principles of non-violence and compassionate action,† (http://www. dharmamemphis. com/magnolia/tnhbio. html). Due to the tremendous hard work of the school to reduce violence, they were successful in helping people refuse to accept violence in modern society. This is the reason why Thich Nhat Hanh put a great deal various efforts to promote ahimsa. Thich Nhat Hanh is an ideal role model which humanity should have a high regard for and admire to consequently practice the same concept of nonviolence behavior which he influenced many to practice. Violence is present in today’s society through genocide and wars. Genocide is a deliberate slaughter of a national, racial, political or cultural group. This form of injustice still occurs in various countries today. It is most common in Darfur, Sudan where genocide â€Å"has claimed 400,000 lives and displaced more than 2,500,000 people,† (Darfur, 2). This form of violence and injustice remains in today’s world as the government disregards the problems. If the government chose to practice the idea of ahimsa, the cruelty and unfairness would replace itself with peace and respect. In addition to the issue of genocide, the war in Iraq is another example of violence and injustice in today’s civilization. This war began in March of 2003 and is still taking place today. The war has taken many lives and scarred many others when they think about this painful war. In September of 2004, â€Å"the death toll for U. S soldiers in Iraq passed 1, 000,†