An Analysis of Political Elitism Essay -- Elitism Democracy Sociology

An Analysis of Political Elitism It is easy to believe that the middle-class working individual, whether he or she be white collar or blue collar, wields little political power except for during an election. It is also easy to think that we don’t have true democracy; political representation elected by the people, for the people, and controlled by these people. This is an ideology that is often worn out. Instead, these elected representatives are controlled by political à ©lites: high-ranking political "gladiators", the media, lobbyists, and, though it may not seem evident, big business. It is, in essence, commonly believed by most. Some reasons why political à ©lites at times dominate government and who these groups are will be examined in this essay. Also, there will be an analysis of those who were political à ©lites in Canada over the past centuries. Also, some new discoveries may be turned up that help us have a better understanding of this elitism. Finally, we will discuss if interest groups and mino rities have real political power, or perhaps they are just given token compensation. Hopefully, by the end of this essay, there will be a better understanding of who really has political power in Canada. Though this paper is an analysis of elitism, we must also dissect the concept of democracy. Needless to say, without democracy in a political system, elitism would not exist. Democracy was a concept developed by the Greeks and the Romans during the classical period. It comes from the Greek word "demos", which means "the people"; and "kratien", which means "to rule". In essence, democracy is a nation’s people rule themselves through elected representatives. Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedia reminds us of an important point though. Though the words "democracy" and "republic" are used together universally, they are definitely not the same thing. For instance, Canada is defined as a constitutional monarchy. It is not a republic, yet, we use a democratic system. Another is China, who’s official title is "The People’s Republic of China"; yet, China is far from democratic. Furthermore, democracy is seen as ambiguous. Democracy is not only a concept on which our great natio n is based, but it is also a source for which government can use its authority, and it is also a process. This is where elitism is spawned. Elitism can be seen, from a certain point of view, as ... ...oronto: Key Porter Books Ltd., 1994. Dunn, Christopher. Canadian Political Debates. 1st ed Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1995. Filemyr, Anne. "Conflict and Mainstream Reporting." Canadian Business and Canadian Affairs. 28.3 (August, 1996): 97-101. Francis, Diane. Controlling Interest: Who Owns Canada? 2nd ed. Toronto: Scorpio Publishing Ltd., 1986. Funk & Wagnalls. "Democracy" Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, Inc., 1983. Guy, James John. How we are Governed: The Basics of Canadian Politics and Government. 1st ed. Toronto: Harcourt Brace & Company Canada, Ltd, 1995. Jackson, Robert J.; Jackson, Doreen. Politics in Canada. 4th ed. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1998. Letter to the CBC ombudsman from the Prime Minister’s Office. Dated October 16, 1998. (www.tv.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/extlnk.cgi?/national/pgminfo/apec/pmo2.html) Penguin Books. The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology. 2nd ed. London: Penguin Books Ltd., 1994. Van Loon, Richard J.; Whittington, Michael S. The Canadian Political System: Environment, Structure and Process. 3rd rd. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Publishing Ltd., 1981. An Analysis of Political Elitism Essay -- Elitism Democracy Sociology An Analysis of Political Elitism It is easy to believe that the middle-class working individual, whether he or she be white collar or blue collar, wields little political power except for during an election. It is also easy to think that we don’t have true democracy; political representation elected by the people, for the people, and controlled by these people. This is an ideology that is often worn out. Instead, these elected representatives are controlled by political à ©lites: high-ranking political "gladiators", the media, lobbyists, and, though it may not seem evident, big business. It is, in essence, commonly believed by most. Some reasons why political à ©lites at times dominate government and who these groups are will be examined in this essay. Also, there will be an analysis of those who were political à ©lites in Canada over the past centuries. Also, some new discoveries may be turned up that help us have a better understanding of this elitism. Finally, we will discuss if interest groups and mino rities have real political power, or perhaps they are just given token compensation. Hopefully, by the end of this essay, there will be a better understanding of who really has political power in Canada. Though this paper is an analysis of elitism, we must also dissect the concept of democracy. Needless to say, without democracy in a political system, elitism would not exist. Democracy was a concept developed by the Greeks and the Romans during the classical period. It comes from the Greek word "demos", which means "the people"; and "kratien", which means "to rule". In essence, democracy is a nation’s people rule themselves through elected representatives. Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedia reminds us of an important point though. Though the words "democracy" and "republic" are used together universally, they are definitely not the same thing. For instance, Canada is defined as a constitutional monarchy. It is not a republic, yet, we use a democratic system. Another is China, who’s official title is "The People’s Republic of China"; yet, China is far from democratic. Furthermore, democracy is seen as ambiguous. Democracy is not only a concept on which our great natio n is based, but it is also a source for which government can use its authority, and it is also a process. This is where elitism is spawned. Elitism can be seen, from a certain point of view, as ... ...oronto: Key Porter Books Ltd., 1994. Dunn, Christopher. Canadian Political Debates. 1st ed Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1995. Filemyr, Anne. "Conflict and Mainstream Reporting." Canadian Business and Canadian Affairs. 28.3 (August, 1996): 97-101. Francis, Diane. Controlling Interest: Who Owns Canada? 2nd ed. Toronto: Scorpio Publishing Ltd., 1986. Funk & Wagnalls. "Democracy" Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, Inc., 1983. Guy, James John. How we are Governed: The Basics of Canadian Politics and Government. 1st ed. Toronto: Harcourt Brace & Company Canada, Ltd, 1995. Jackson, Robert J.; Jackson, Doreen. Politics in Canada. 4th ed. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1998. Letter to the CBC ombudsman from the Prime Minister’s Office. Dated October 16, 1998. (www.tv.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/extlnk.cgi?/national/pgminfo/apec/pmo2.html) Penguin Books. The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology. 2nd ed. London: Penguin Books Ltd., 1994. Van Loon, Richard J.; Whittington, Michael S. The Canadian Political System: Environment, Structure and Process. 3rd rd. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Publishing Ltd., 1981.

Effects of Migration Into Cities

The effects of moving into a new city or town Today everybody is going in the glamorous world of cities where one can progress and make the best use of his or her life. Parents†¦.. Listen to their talks with their children. They say that my son or daughter will settle or go to abroad one day. And with this they start imagining and forcing their child to get highest degree and run away from where they are. Each parent today has this mentality that there is heaven like something in abroad and much else. There are many such examples to discuss. But for now one is enough I think.In terms of living a life in a new city there are many possibilities of advantages as well as disadvantages as can be seen in education, employment and settlement point of view. These three things can be much better improved in a city where there is much scope to put a step forward towards his or her aim. In a city each one who is settled there has only one intention to earn a gallon of paper notes and coins and live a luxurious and easy way of life. This luxurious life is expected by all people. But there is something called feeling of attachment.There is an attachment towards his or her native place. One cannot forget his or her childhood days or their neighbours and the love between them. Emotions are not allowed in a city or the town. Today since all the places are becoming industrialized there is no space for emotions but only profit. And because of this all the people are running after them. There is a great effect on especially the country. Since all the citizens are settled in abroad and the income they earn is of no use to the country, the country’s economic status lowers as compared to other countries.The newer generation is no longer staying in their native country specially India. India is full of corruption, they say. But it is not so. If the abroad based thinkers try, the situation can be changed. The major disadvantage of moving to a new city is the loss of attach ment to the native place and their neighbours. From birth we are attached to our villages or town, its nature, its culture and its people. But as we move to a new area, far from ours, we cannot accept its culture and people very easily. We cannot adjust there due to our unforgettable habits with our ulture. As we move to a new city, we have to accept the people, the culture, and their behaviors and accordingly we have to adjust. But it is not so easy. Since the people are keenly interested in earning money and luxurious life they are ready to do anything for this. According to me, I can’t accept the concept of moving to a new place permanently. Because it affects our native place or country. Earlier during the British rule all the intelligent brains of India were sent out to England or the other countries out of India.So that the foreign countries would progress better in terms of technology. But with this, India had to suffer in its progression. Today after British rule is n o longer still their mentality always exists in each Indian that to go to abroad but not to stay here in India. The aim of writing this article is to aware the people of not to go to abroad but it is better and much better to stay in your own country and sacrifice your talents to your people and their future. – Prachiti Ganpule SYBA, St. Xavier’s college, Mapusa Goa

George Mead Theory Essay

â€Å"the self is something which has a development; it is not initially there, at birth, but arises in the process of social experience and activity, that is, develops in the given individual as a result of his relations to that process as a whole and to other individuals within that process.† * was an American philosopher, sociologist and psychologist, primarily affiliated with the University of Chicago, where he was one of several distinguished pragmatists * He is regarded as one of the founders of social psychology and the American sociological tradition in general. * Mead is well-known for his theory of the social self, which is based on the central argument that the self is a social emergent. * Mead’s most widely read work, Mind, Self and Society, gives priority to society over the mind and highlights the idea that the social leads to the development of mental states. * Mind is a process, not a thing, and it is found in social phenomena rather than within individu als. * The self occupies a central place in Mead’s theory. * Self is essentially a social structure and it arises in social experience. It is the unique combination of the roles and individual play in relation to others – the complex blending of individual motivations and socially desirable responses. * The self consists of an â€Å"I† which the active side and as object, called â€Å"me†. * Infants begin with no self. As they learn to use the language and other symbols, the self emerges through play which involves taking the roles of significant others. * Gradually children move from simpler games to more complex ones involving others such as team sports. Mead called this generalized others to refer to the general cultural norms and values people use as references in evaluating others. * Mead defines self as the ability to take oneself as an object and identifies basic mechanism of the development of the self as reflexivity – the ability to put ourselves into the place of others and acts as they act. * Self can arise only through social experiences, and the traces its development to two stages in childhood: the play stage and game stage. * Play stage – children learn how to take the attitude of particular others themselves. * Game stage – children learn how to take the role of many others and the attitude of the generalized other. * I – is the immediate response of an individual to others; it is unpredictable and creative aspect of the self. * Me – is the organized set of attitudes of others that an individual assumes; it is how society dominates the individual and is a source of social control. Mead’s theory on social self * The social conception of the self entails that individual selves are the product of social interaction and not the logical or biological preconditions of that interaction. It is not initially there at birth but arises in the process of social experience and activity. * Language – allows individuals to take on the â€Å"role of the other† and allows people to respond to his or her own gestures in terms of symbolized attitudes of others. * Is communication via â€Å"significant symbols† and it is through significant communication that the individual is able to take the attitudes of others toward his/herself. Language is not only a â€Å"necessary mechanism† of the mind, but also the primary social foundation of self. * Play – individuals take on the roles of other people and pretend to be those other people in order to express the expectation of significant others. * This process of role-playing is the key to generation of self-consciousness and to the general development of the self. * In the play, the child takes the role of another and acts as though he/she were the other. This form of role-playing involves a single role at a time. Thus, the other which comes into the child’s experience in play is a â€Å"specific other† * Game – individual is required to internalize the roles of all others who are involved with him or her in the game and must comprehend the rules of the game. * Is the stage of social process at which * Generalized other- organized and generalized attitude of a social group. * consists of a composite of all those who contribute and participate in one’s society * The individual defines his or her own behavior with reference to the generalized attitude of the social group(s) they occupy. When an individual can view him/herself from the standpoint of the generalized other, self-consciousness in the full sense of the terms is attained. * Me – represents the expectations and the attitudes of others (generalized others). It is the organized set of attitudes others that the individual assumes. * Is the social self * The organized set of attitudes of others which one himself assumes * is that part of the â€Å"self† which comes about as a result of the individual’s internalization of society’s values and behavior expectations * I – is the response to the â€Å"me†, or the person’s individuality. * Response of the organism to the attitudes of others * is that part of the â€Å"self† which is spontaneous * Self – develops by internalizing the norms of one’s society * Significant other – are those with whom the individual has an â€Å"important† relationship

teds1 essays

teds1 essays Since 1989 all shrimp nets have had to have TEDS or Turtle Excluder Devices sewn into them. A TED is a metal grate that is sewn in the body of a net so when a turtle hits it, it is launched out the top of the net, supposedly returning it to the wild. In my opinion TEDS are a good thought but they have done nothing but hurt the fishing Since the introduction of TEDS in 1989 there has been a 10% decline in the number of shrimp caught each year. This is because when trash is caught it becomes entangled in the TED holding it open and releasing the catch. These TEDS dont come free to anyone. A basic TED cost two hundred dollars and each boat has about eight nets so that means sixteen hundred dollars. With the lose of production and price of the TEDS many fleets have gone bankrupt. The fleet in Texas alone has dropped from 5,200 boats to about 3,500 today. As more and more of these boats are filing bankruptcy the burden of helping the families who run these boats is Besides the cost of the TEDS they are also a danger to the crew. The average TED is four foot by 2 1/2 feet with an average weight of 40 pounds. A boat will have four of these on deck so there is a danger of being hit by one. If someone was to get hit and killed by one the money to help the family would once again come from the boats account. The settlement could set a boat in bankruptcy once again putting a family on The argument of the opposition is that there were a lot of turtles being caught before the introduction of TEDS. If you talked to anyone was a shrimping before TEDS were introduced they will tell you that they have never seen one or have only caught one in thirty years of shrimping. My father has been shrimping for over thirty years and he says that he has never even seen one of them. TEDS are also ineffective at excludin ...

Tips to Make Learning German Easier

Tips to Make Learning German Easier The first time most of us come in touch with a foreign language or at least with the need to study it, is in school. But learning a language in school is like learning to swim in one of those Japanese public swimming pools. It is simply an artificial situation and all efforts to make learning a language in a group worth everyone’s while are pretty much bound to fail. They call it the conversational or interactive approach. But isn’t using a language always interactive? And is a classroom really the right place to practice a language? Wouldn’t it suffice to instruct learners on how to learn it own their own and how to find a way to put it to good use? Overhaul your Learning Techniques Most of us get by in school as our brains are learning and survival machines. But only rarely have I come across someone who has actually learned how to learn a language. We all still often rely on those techniques that we have acquired or developed on our own in those times because they simply worked well enough. And it is these learning strategies that you might still use to learn German nowadays. But with the difference that nowadays it is not to improve your grades or to make your parents proud, but to deal with a real live situation. There are but there are two elemental factors that make a significant difference when you are learning German. The Main Keys to Success in German Language Learning The first thing that I demand from every learner is that they will take an exam at the end of our cooperation. And although this goal is just part of their success, it sets a very clear direction, enables us to develop a structure for our actions and sets a measurable time limit to our efforts. Without a clear goal and structure, any language will simply be overwhelming. There are thousands of words to learn, the grammar, and German grammar, in particular, seems impenetrable. When we try to speak we feel like there’s goo coming out of our mouths.   Setting up an exam date right away  does wonders for your learning. The problem is that we usually have no idea how long it will take us to reach a certain level. And that’s why I always recommend†¦ Get a Guide You are not the first to learn another language and there have been many men and women pulling their hair out over the question of how we can learn a new language the most efficient way. Some pulled a bit stronger and came up with miraculous methods which very often claim to teach you a language with very little effort and/or in very little time. Needless to say, you’d better refer to your gesunder menschenverstand, your common sense, when you come across anything that seems too good to be true. Good teachers are among the most undervalued people in this world. If you find a good teacher, you have an invaluable companion by your side. She will fight off the wolves, pick up the pebbles and thorns from your barefoot path and get you to just go a few meters farther when you waver and doubt whether you can reach your goal which still seems so far away. She is your walking cane, the whistled tune on your lips and the umbrella when it rains.   Of course one could also learn German on one’s own with ones proven techniques but I can state that from my experience, learning German with a tutor and with a clear goal makes a big difference. You will still have a lot of work to do but you will suffer significantly less.

Reading Assingment and Answer the Questions Article

Reading Assingment and Answer the Questions - Article Example Please include in your discussion the effects of the following: the lifting of interest rate caps; the permitting of bank investments in commercial real estate; the role played by net worth (owners’ equity), or capital- especially the inclusion of "goodwill" as part of a banks net worth. It was a situation of too little, too late. The restrictions of commodities were let loose but too late. By this time almost 50% of banks were insolvent and were having a net worth that was negative. There was duration of risk in the rising interest rates that led to both income and balance sheet problems. During the time of deregulation, banks did not make profits as a result of excess regulation as deregulation process was slow. Banks resorted to riskier high returning loans to reinstate profitability. In most cases, this worsened the situation. S and Ls ultimately had up to forty percent of its assets in real estate, 10% in direct investments and junk bonds and 30% in lending consumers. After excessive regulation, it got itself into problems by expanding finance and credit areas where there were no background, experience or expertise. What effect did government insurance of deposits for up to $100,000 have on depositors and banks? Does it seem fair to you that banks making risky, speculative investments paid the same deposit insurance premiums as those making safer, more conservative loans? Moreover, brokers and depositors exploited how to manipulate the 100000 dollars limit using brokered deposits. If one had 10 million for investments in banks, he would be insured to an optimum of 100000 dollars. Therefore, a broker would break the amount into a hundred investments if hundred thousand dollars each and will buy $100000 100 CDs with 100 banks. This limit would be 100000 dollars for each account and not each depositor. Consequently, very rich individuals get insured using the tax payers’ money. Riskier speculations in

Final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Final exam - Essay Example From the belief of Christianity on the trinity of God, it reveals their encounter with God as being a spiritual experience. Christians also believe that God is not like human beings, but more powerful than human beings are. In the worship services of Christians, he plays a central part. Christians believe in the justification of faith. The Christians believe that through their belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God who died and resurrected. Christians believe in forgiveness when they confess their sins; the forgiveness was given when Jesus died on the cross. Finally, Christians believe in life after death, and as a result, they strive to live a holy life so as to go to heaven and wait for the resurrection. 2.Decide what basic perspective about Christian understandings of God, Jesus and the Church make the most sense to you and give your reasons why by applying these views to the issue of how Christians should live their lives. Christians view God as the creator of the universe and all living things. Jesus is also seen as God’s son who came to the world to save the world from its sins. The word Jesus means â€Å"the savior.† In Old Testament the name, Joshua is the same as Jesus. The church is a place where the faithful go to fellowship God. Christians view the church as the body of Christ, the fellowship in faith and the people of God. When we look at the church as a fellowship in faith, it is probable to say that the holiness of Christians is based on God’s continuing activities. The holiness of the church originates from God, for instance, the book of peter 1:15-16 â€Å"you shall be holy, for I am holy† this show that the church is supposed to be holy since he is also holy. When Christians view the church as the body of Christ, it means that they partake in the redemptive works of Jesus Christ. Through this, Christians live in unity with one another without differentiating others based