Definition – BabyGoat

Posted on October 12, 2020 by BabyGoat

The Effects of Music

Sounds… No. Music… Yes! Music is a language that can connect people from all over. Even if we can’t quite understand the words of a foreigner, we can still hear them. Better yet, we can still feel their music. Music has this weird magical ability to send a message to our brain and  make us react, whether we know the words or not. Is music some type of witchcraft? Should we be worried about the control music has over the human body?

As humans, we have five senses, and we can choose to please all five. With our sight, we like to see pleasing images. For some, that may be a bright sunny day with bright colored flowers. With our sense of smell we may choose the smell of a freshly baked cake before we chose the smell of rotten seafood. Same with taste. Why punish your mouth with the rotten seafood? The ability to feel and touch determines what material we want to touch our skin, and what we think about when we run our fingers down that lizard’s back. Sound. Would you rather listen to a baby cry and scream or would you rather listen to a soft piano playing? Most people would pick that soft piano playing. I say all this to remind you that we can choose to be happy and please all of our senses. And believe it or not, the way we use these senses has an obvious physical affect, as well as mental. 

Tunes. Jam. Bop. Banger. All similes for the collection of sounds we call music. Hearing is the ability to perceive sound. In the world, we have disturbing sounds and we have pleasing sounds. We have good music and we have bad music. But for the most part, that is based on opinion. According to Oxford Languages, music is “vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.” But isn’t it weird how music can cause most of our senses to react? We obviously can hear and listen to music, but have you heard a song and seen a movie in your head? Has a song brought you back to a happy place where you can feel the energy, raise those hair on your arms? Well, maybe you haven’t smelled or tasted something from a song unless it brings back a specific memory. If so, then music most likely has affected all of your senses before. If music can affect all of these senses physically or mentally, what else does it affect?

Do different types of music have different effects? We have slow music. We have fast music. We have dark music. We have bright music. With research published back in 1998, we have insight on whether the question at hand may be true. In Alternative Therapies Volume 4, Number 1, the test results stated, “With grunge rock music, significant increases were found in hostility, sadness, tension, and fatigue…” also stated, “…after listening to the designer music (music designed to have specific effects on the listener), significant increases in caring, relaxation, mental clarity, and vigor were measured…” We could speculate that this is may be because of various variables. Usually grunge music has a darker tone with harsher instrumentation. And this designer music has brighter instrumentation with a happy tone. Think of grunge music as motocross. Loud sounds of motorcycles, dirty images. A very dirty setting, with a very strong since of risk taking. The term grunge even means dirt. Now lets think of designer music. Maybe a skating rink and arcade would picture this perfectly. The fast paced, happy people in the middle, while there are still some people chilling out the side. The programmed drums and synth sounds are very inviting. While rap music gets a bad rep for the explicitness, we have to wonder, what benefits come from such music? Well, if you think about the image of a rapper, it is one of hard work and success. Most people associate the rapper image with nice cars, a lot of women, and a lot of jewelry. So what might the listener think about? Exactly! Rap music can help promote confidence. Maybe the rawness and flashy music isn’t so negative after all. But what about sad music? Why do people like listening to sad music if sadness is associated with pain? With research done by a group of Japanese collectives, they pronounce that, “the results revealed that although sad music was perceived to be more tragic, listening to sad music actually induced participants to feel more romantic, blither, and less tragic. Thus, the participants seemed to experience ambivalent emotions when listening to sad music. This is possibly because the emotion induced by music is indirect, that is, not induced by personal events, which somehow induces participants to feel pleasure as well.” For something to make us feel more romantic, blither, and ambivalent, we must feel vulnerable. And maybe the feeling of vulnerability in a safe place is what can make us happy. In a society with pressure and expectations, we have the need to be strong. But you can’t be strong 24/7. And maybe this when the need to feel vulnerable comes into play. When you feel vulnerable, you want to be comforted. To feel comforted, you would want someone to be by your side who can understand your pain and will listen to you. Most people would not go out to a party to feel comforted, most people would call that avoiding the issue. So we can think of sad music as an emotional connection. We have the singer as the friend by your side and the instrumentation telling you that it’s human to feel weak. 

Now that we see the relationship between music and emotions, maybe we can figure out how to use it to our advantage. Hearing these instruments and people have an affect on us but what is this weird science behind it all?

The word References appears centered above your references without punctuation and not bold. I appreciate the bitly link. Very nice. But a 1000-word essay for a research paper is likely worth three references AND they must be represented by an appropriate bibliographic citation in the references section, not a mere link.—DSH

References:

https://bit.ly/2GQ9ZY4

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00311/full?library=true&Sid=1&reviews_page=2&_ga=2.52726120.1920369772.1540154968-215345474.1536196549
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Defintion/Categorical Essay- gabythefujoshi

Posted on October 12, 2020 by gabythefujoshi18

‘You’re Crazy!’

Mental health awareness has been a topical issue for years and is something that needs to be addressed given the thousands of people that suffer through mental health illnesses.However, there is no doubt that over the centuries, mental illnesses have fallen into the category of taboo subjects and that there is a massive stigma surrounding it. In the more recent years, the discussion and acknowledgement of mental health illnesses has increased, but it still falls into cultural stigma. The cultural stigma regarding mental health is most apparent in minority groups because of their distinct beliefs and the americanization of mental health. 

The cultural stigma in minority groups such as Latinos and Asian Americans is mostly a matter of prejudiced, negative, and static beliefs which devalue mental illnesses.

To understand the cultural stigma of mental health, it’s important to note what exactly is being stigmatized and the general sense of why it is, in this case it’s people who have mental illnesses in specific cultures. The article, “Living with a Concealable Stigmatized Identity,” goes in great detail about the specific kinds of stigma that exist and how its impact on the mental well-being of those stigmatized. The writers of this article define concealable stigmatized identity as an aspect of one’s self that must be hidden from others because it is devalued and there are negative stereotypes surrounding the matter. The article further discusses these different types of stigma such as anticipated stigma, which is how much the person with the concealable identity will be discriminated against. There is also centrality which focuses on the importance of self-identity in regards to their race, ethnicity, or sexuality, being open and accepting of those parts of yourself. 

All these aspects regarding concealable stigmatized identity and negative stereotypes are mainly apparent in minority groups such as the Latino and Asian communities. In regards to mental health, latinos view this to be something of little importance compared and they share different values on how to deal with the issue. Latinos are not big on receiving therapy or consultation for depression or anxiety because they value strength and determination, fighting through their problems without seeking help. Strength is a major cultural value of the Latino community that is mainly the cause of negative viewpoints of those with mental health illnesses. This trait is especially common in Latin men because of the “macho” attitude that they are expected to portray. If a Hispanic male were to be clinically depressed, this would be considered, as mentioned in Diana M. Quinn and Stephenie R. Chaudoir’s article, concealable stigmatized identity. If the man were to reveal he is depressed, he would be discriminated against by family and people of his community. The cultural value of men being the strongest and caregivers of their wives and children is what deems men with mental illnesses to suffer cultural stigma. 

The Latino community is founded by many traditional values that many of them, especially in the older generations, are reluctant to accept the importance of mental health. These traditional values cause prejudice for those that do not follow it. A good example of this is the LGBTQ+ community amongst Latinos. The article, “LGBTQ+ Latinx young adults’ health autonomy in resisting cultural stigma,” discusses the struggles of these group of people having to combat traditional values and their culturally shaped viewpoints. It can be difficult to combat both your culture of heritage and the predominant culture you must adapt to. In the article, there is an anecdote about a bisexual woman who grew up in a Mexican household that never really discussed sex and sexual orientation. These topics were taboo and not to be spoken of in then household. The only main concern as she stated “to not get pregnant” and because of barriers like this, it can lead to miscommunication and lack of understanding. Luckily she was able to overcome this by embracing social diversity and educating herself. Traditional values in Latino communities many times are overbearing and can be static, causing lack of knowledge and prejudices if one of their communities doesn’t conform to these values. 

Overwhelming cultural values all tie into the stigma that mental health faces in minority communities such as the Latin. There are also many cases where one is viewed as crazy or their “overreacting.” These kinds of terms are damaging to the acceptance of mental health being something that should not be taken lightly. 

The Asian community, quite similarly to the Lain community, also has cultural values that deem mental health to be something negative. According to the article, “Cultural Variation in Implicit Mental Illness Stigma”, involving a study on Asian Americans’ perspectives on mental illness, one of the reasons why mental illnesses are stigmatized by Asians is because it prevents them from doing their social obligations in society. The Asian culture does have a history of serving the society they live in. This comes from a sense of nationalism, being devoted to their country, only in most cases, it’s being devoted to your work/educational obligations. Being depressed or having some kind of mental disorder is seen as detrimental to that society. These cultural values of work ethnic and civic duty puts mental illnesses in a negative light. 

Stigma is socially contracted and is a component that greatly affects how people perceive one another. Anything out of the “normal” and what isn’t socially acceptable is deemed to be negative criticism by society. Mental illnesses and disorders have a history of being out of the ordinary and anyone who has them is subjected to many of the stereotypes that come with it. They are seen as weak, crazy, and dangerous. They go from being like everyone else, to be being isolated socially. 

The discrimination is gradually getting better, especially in the U.S, but the cultural stigma that people with mental health issues fall into cannot be rid given the vast minority groups that stigmatize mental health a lot more compared to White Americans. The foundations and traditions set by these distinct cultures are the forefront of cultural stigma in regards to mental health awareness. 

References

Cheon, B., & Chiao, J. (2012). Cultural Variation in Implicit Mental Illness Stigma. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 43(7), 1058–1062. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022112455457

Quinn, D. M., & Chaudoir, S. R. (2009). Living with a concealable stigmatized identity: The impact of anticipated stigma, centrality, salience, and cultural stigma on psychological distress and health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97(4), 634-651. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.rowan.edu/10.1037/a0015815

Schmitz, R., Sanchez, J., & Lopez, B. (2018). LGBTQ+ Latinx young adults’ health autonomy in resisting cultural stigma. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 21(1), 16–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2018.1441443

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Definition-mhmokaysure

Posted on October 12, 2020 by kowiklinski

Why Young Drivers Suck at Driving

When leaving the house to drive somewhere, one expects to come back safely. In fact, driving is a task with two goals, to arrive at one’s destination safely, followed by returning to the point of origin. This unfortunately is not the case for many drivers, as the risks on the road are largely caused by other driver’s errors, not one’s own errors. What if someone was to say that an unproportionally large amount of those errors are due to inexperience, more specifically the inexperience of young drivers. Unfortunately, such is the case across the world. Continuously, young drivers are an increased risk to the rest of the driving population than any other age group, giving one reason to believe that a young driver should be doing anything but driving in order to keep the general population safer.

Almost everywhere in the United States, someone by the age of 17 has already embarked on their first car ride without supervision. Whether it’s a trip to the store around the corner, or a trip across the state, this young driver encounters countless other drivers on the road they share. That is due to the low age restrictions on receiving a driver’s license in the country. Not only can one acquire their permit and eventually license at a young age, the requirements to receive one are far lesser than that of other countries. Having acquired my license at the age of 17, all it took was a written theory exam, to which the answers are widely available on the internet, a measly six hours of driving practice with an instructure, which in itself is not necessary to receive a license, only to receive a permit, and finally a five minute practical exam conducted in a parking lot with an examinator who clearly showed no care in who he handed a license to. This of course is the case in New Jersey, the only state to conduct its practical examinations in parking lots, and not on the actual roads these new drivers will be travelling on. Compare this quick and streamlined process to get everyone on the road at a young age to the rigorous testing and long list of requirements to receive one’s license in a country such as Germany, famous for being home to some of the best drivers of the world. There, students must first pass an eye examination, along with a first aid course in order to begin their theoretical learning. This must be done through a licensed school, in preparation for a two part theoretical exam. Upon completion of the theoretical exam, hopeful drivers must then complete thirty hours of road training in preparation for the practical exam. This exam, unlike the one in the United States, consists of driving on the Autobahn, the world’s fastest highway, driving at night, and finally driving in an urban environment. One mistake on any of these portions results in a failure, forcing further training and preparation for another take. When comparing these two standards, one must stop and think whether the youth in America is truly ready for the challenges of the road.

Taking this into account, the fact that AAA’s Research Brief titled Rates of Motor Vehicle Crashes, Injuries, and Deaths in Relation to Driver Age, United States, 2014 – 2015’s opening statement states that “drivers ages 16-17 continue to have the highest rates of crash involvement, injuries to themselves and others and deaths of others in crashes in which they are involved.” is unfortunately not at all surprising. Young drivers have, and continue to pose a larger risk to those around them on the road than any other age group. Driving as most people know requires a large amount of focus, concentration, and mechanical ability to safely and properly operate a motor vehicle. The tasks required to safely drive are much more than simply getting into a car and going, which may be the kind of approach young drivers take. Whether it’s due to inexperience in split second decision making scenarios, or the need to impress others, the age group of drivers who have just acquired their license or permit statistically poses a larger threat to the general public.

Another major aspect behind the disproportionate accident statistics among young drivers is the biological component behind decision making. Critical thinking, and proper risk management are skills that develop over time. It is not something that is commonly found in younger people, although there are obviously exceptions. As a majority however, young adults do not possess the cerebral capacity and development in order to properly assess and react to stressful situations. In fact, authors Figner and Bernd of Affective and deliberative processes in risky choice: Age differences in risk taking in the Columbia Card Task, a psychological study conducted to test risk taking skills across different age groups stated that “risk taking increases when individuals reach puberty, peaks in adolescence and early adulthood, and decreases again during adulthood” clearly supporting this theory in relation to a lack in driving abilities.

With driving being a skillful task that requires multi-step analysis of the situation at hand, the disproportionate accident statistics support the idea that there is a lack of development in young drivers’ decision making abilities in terms of driving. There is no reason why someone who is not fully developed should be trusted with a task that is statistically the most dangerous form of transportation. This combined with the fact that the age group has consistently led all other age groups in accident rates goes to show that age does in fact play a large role in the ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. Not only is there a disparity in age groups, we also see that the preparation and requirements for being able to drive are severely lacking in comparison to other countries. By not taking into account the lack of development, while failing to conform to the standards set by other nations, young drivers in the United States pose a danger to all with whom they share the roads.

Resources

Figner, B., Mackinlay, R., Wilkening, F., & Weber, E. (2009). Affective and Deliberative Processes in Risky Choice: Age Differences in Risk Taking in the Columbia Card Task. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 35(3), 709–730. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014983

Tefft, B. (2020). Rates of Motor Vehicle Crashes, Injuries and Deaths in Relation to Driver Age, United States, 2014-2015. Retrieved 13 October 2020, from https://aaafoundation.org/rates-motor-vehicle-crashes-injuries-deaths-relation-driver-age-united-states-2014-2015/

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Definition-Hailthegreat8

Posted on October 12, 2020 by hailthegreat8

Authoritarian vs. Authoritative parents. These two types of parenting styles can affect your child in many ways. So supposed you grew up with an Authoritarian parent, you should know that they are stern and strict. “It insists on unquestioning obedience, and enforces good behavior through threats, shaming, and other punishments.” While an Authoritative parent, they are “responsive to the child’s emotional needs while having high standards. They set limits and are very consistent in enforcing boundaries”(Leslie De Jong). These two parenting styles can affect your child positively and negatively.

To go more in-depth about an Authoritarian parent, as said in my first paragraph, they are controlling. They instead have absolute authority; they don’t even reward their children for their positive behavior, and the only feedback they are willing to give their child punishment for when they don’t listen to what they told them. Authoritarian parents are genuinely demanding. “Authoritarian parents have lots of rules and may even micromanage almost every aspect of their children’s lives and behaviors, at home and in public” (Kendra Cherry, 2020, paragraph. 6). They have way too many rules in their household that their children must follow. Authoritarian parents are hard on their children; they give no emotional love to their children, no applause, or uplifting their child. Authoritarian parents don’t want you to have fun in your life.

Authoritarian parents won’t allow their child to make their own choices. Their whole life is basically planned out for them. I can go into more, but you get the gist of what I’m explaining; know that this type of parenting can have these effects on your child. Your child can be hostile to other people, be shy when talking to people, be depressed, etc.

Now to go into Authoritative parents. Unlike authoritarian parents, these parents listen to their children and want them to express their opinion. Authoritative parents help their children with their feelings and show them how to express it. For example, when their child is angry and starts throwing objects, they don’t only punish them but explain to them what they are doing is wrong and teach them the right way to handle it. These types of parents consider their child’s feelings.

Having an authoritarian parent could be useful in specific ways. I understand these types of parents want their child to follow their rules, but they shouldn’t be overbearing. They should look for a way to combine both Authoritarian and Authoritative parenting styles.

References

Cherry, Kendra. “What Is Authoritarian Parenting?” Verywell Mind, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-authoritarian-parenting-2794955. 

Amy Morin, LCSW. “Strategies That Will Help You Become More Authoritative to Your Kids.” Verywell Family, 26 Oct. 2020, www.verywellfamily.com/ways-to-become-a-more-authoritative-parent-4136329. 

“Authoritarian Parenting: What Happens to the Kids?” Parenting Science – The Science of Child-Rearing and Child Development, www.parentingscience.com/authoritarian-parenting.html. 

Li, Author Pamela. “What Is Authoritative Parenting? [With Examples].” Parenting For Brain, 29 Oct. 2020, www.parentingforbrain.com/authoritative-parenting/.

“4 Types of Parenting Styles and Their Effects on Kids.” Wellness Mind, 14 July 2019, wellnessmind.org/4-types-of-parenting-styles/.  

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definition- cardinal

Posted on October 12, 2020 by cardinal7218

Streaming: A Colorful Future for Entertainment

John Boyega, a 28-year-old black actor, was in Star Wars. It sounds like a dream come true. That is, if the dream involves getting death threats from hateful fans because of your race, having your appearance controlled by stylists who don’t embrace your culture, and getting narratively sidelined in favor of a white character. Boyega broke through into “an industry that wasn’t even ready for [him],” as he told Jimi Famurewa in a 2020 interview for British GQ. Essentially, he felt used by entertainment behemoth Disney; he’d been marketed as a lead to make the company seem progressive, then pushed to the side.

John Boyega has since signed a deal to produce films with Netflix.

Hollywood is rotten with racism. There has been outcry against it for years, with actors, writers, and consumers alike clamoring for more diversity and representation on movie and tv screens. It seems, though, that little changes in any meaningful way when it comes to conventional Hollywood. Maybe, then, a newer, less conventional branch of entertainment is where quality representation must be established. Enter streaming services.

Streaming services, such as Netflix and Hulu, are spearheading the campaign for good representation in entertainment since Hollywood won’t. To evaluate the successes and failures of streaming and Hollywood, though, “good representation” must be understood. Good representation is more than just including non-white characters. The existence of a non-white character only does so much good if that character is “stereotypical” and “one-dimensional” rather than “multi-dimensional” and “multi-faceted,” according to Maryann Erigha’s article “Race, Gender, Hollywood: Representation in Cultural Production and Digital Media’s Potential for Change.” Characters of color need to exist outside of a white lens. They need to hold their own narrative significance. They need to be main characters. In the words of Rashad Robinson, executive director of racial representation organization Color of Change, the writing for non-white characters has to be “authentic, fair, and have humanity” for it to be good representation. Non-white characters can’t exist just to support or prop up a more important white character. They can’t exist just for comic relief. They can’t exist just on the sidelines. Their race can’t be portrayed through the white perspectives alone. These common practices in media perpetuate stereotypes about people of color and enforce the idea that they are less important than white people.

Another aspect of good diversity is what Maryann Erigha refers to as “centrality.” People of color should be “located in institutions that are in the core…of cultural production” in order for the industry to be truly diverse. If people of color don’t have access to core talent agencies or the inner circle of production companies, their stories remain on the periphery of the entertainment industry. When there isn’t diversity at the center of the industry and white actors and creators are given a disproportionate amount of opportunity, diversity doesn’t reach a general audience.

These factors that work against meaningful diversity are all too prevalent in Hollywood. Ashley Nicole Black, a writer for “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” put it succinctly in saying “the system is racist.” Hollywood was built on white supremacy. White men controlled the business at its inception. White men dictated the structures and the unwritten rules within the business. White men did it all in such a way that allowed themselves to remain in power. The concept of centrality is key to true diversity. Agencies don’t adequately support people of color, which essentially locks them out of the business. Entertainment giants continue to have the majority of their highest executive levels occupied by white people. 

Attempts at diversity often contribute to mere tokenism. A television show will hire one writer of color and one director of color and think that’s good enough. Creators of color get hired, but from there, companies don’t care “how quickly they’re promoted and elevated,” according to Black, which leaves them struggling to rise past low-level positions. Hollywood checks boxes for doing the bare minimum and pretends it’s sufficient without making any change. It’s even a struggle for people of color to tell their own stories. It’s common that a story centering on characters of color will be told by a white director or writer because companies want a recognizable name behind the camera or they want someone who has impressive credits. The problem with that is “you can’t get credits if you don’t get opportunities,” and white people have historically been the ones getting opportunities, says short film director Matthew Cherry. Since the current status quo benefits the white Hollywood executives in power, they won’t try to change the system in meaningful ways. It might not be worth hoping for. A structure with rot running that deep cannot be salvaged. A new structure, though, could be the solution.

Netflix changed the entertainment game when it launched a video streaming function in 2007. Streaming evolved from merely being a convenient way to access pre-existing content to being on the cutting edge of original content. Streaming has changed the face of the entertainment industry with services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ offering scores of original TV shows and movies that garner audience and critical approval alike. Streaming is an entirely new branch of the entertainment industry, which means its structure is more malleable as far as diversity and inclusion. The system isn’t stuck due to decades of white supremacy.

Already, the difference between streaming and the more conventional side of Hollywood is clear. Streaming services have more characters of color in their shows, largely in part because it’s easier for creators of color to tell their stories. The people behind streaming platforms seem to better understand that diversity isn’t just about quantity, but quality as well. Their effort is reflected in audience responses, where 65% of consumers of color feel that streaming shows are “more reflective of America’s diversity” than their network cable counterparts according to a recent Horowitz Research survey. Streaming services can deliver the diversity that Hollywood is too far gone to incorporate.

References

Erigha, M. (2015). Race, Gender, Hollywood: Representation in Cultural Production and Digital Media’s Potential for Change. Sociology Compass, 9(1), 78–89. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12237

Famurewa, J., Maoui, Z., & Johnston, K. (2020, September 02). John Boyega: ‘I’m the only cast member whose experience of Star Wars was based on their race’. Retrieved October 09, 2020, from https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/john-boyega-interview-2020

Low, E. (2020, June 30). The Reckoning Over Representation: Black Hollywood Speaks Out, But Is the Industry Listening? Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://variety.com/2020/biz/features/black-representation-hollywood-inclusion-diversity-entertainment-1234693219/

Umstead, R. (2019, December 07). Diverse Characters Increasing On-Screen, but Viewers Want Better Portrayals. Retrieved October 15, 2020, from https://www.nexttv.com/blog/diverse-images-increasing-screen-viewers-want-more

White, A. (2017, August 28). How can TV and movies get representation right? We asked 6 Hollywood diversity consultants. Retrieved October 09, 2020, from https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/8/28/16181026/hollywood-representation-diversity-tv-movies

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Definition–dayzur

Posted on October 12, 2020 by dayzur

Not All Knowledge is Useful

High school students tend to generally get the same curriculum, with some students partaking in similar courses of higher demand, but in all, pretty much the same structure and skeleton of courses year by year. Each student gets their general education, but is it really useful? Now, we can think about “useful knowledge”,  knowledge that prepares the students for the outside world of college and beyond. For me, I think that I received much useful knowledge from my time before college. I attended a vocational school with a wide range of career focused academies, which I had partaken in the engineering academy here. We had our normal classes that each student would have but mixed in courses made specifically to teach us about the fields and give us knowledge to pursue career options in the future, as well as to prepare for college with an understanding of what we are going in for. Whereas, at some non-vocational schools, this isn’t the case. These courses aren’t available to students and their readiness for the world after high school is much less decorated than those who have such experience. I went into high school thinking about what I wanted to do and ultimately being driven away from it, as I am now pursuing computer science over engineering. I made this decision while I was in high school, where some students are going into college thinking they want to do something and two years later realizing it isn’t for them, wasting their time and money when they could have been exposed to this years before. 

Not all students will know what they want to do in the future when coming into high school, or even college for that matter. Whereas others feel as if they know exactly what they want to do. Based on the school, these two completely different students may get the exact same curriculum regardless of what they are pursuing because of the lack of availability of courses. Or maybe, even the first student may have considered following some of these courses and getting an early head start on their college path. Both of these students, devoted to a career or not, may still be at the same level of understanding when entering college when either may have the potential to exceed what has been given to them. This is the importance of variety. Yes, everyone should get their general knowledge in school, but general just is not enough. For example, let’s say a student who wants to pursue computer science may be stuck into a curriculum where they have to take a course that does not correlate with their intended path at all, is easily replaced at a different school with a full computer science focused course. This student may be completely left behind, where they could have gotten this education and been right on track with everyone else in their same field. 

As said by the author of Career Education Now, Sidney P Marland Jr, “It is terribly important to teach a youngster the skills he needs to live, whether we call them academic or vocational, whether he tends to make his living with a wrench or a slide rule or a folio of Shakespeare. But it is critically important to equip that youngster to live his life as a fulfilled human being”. She is 100% correct in this judgement. Say, for example, a student is looking into internships or job options after high school and each one describes a specific set of requirements that they would not even think possible at their age because of what they have been given. All the while, another student was given the exact subjects and materials that they need from their schooling system for this position. In any case student A with the right resources could be much more capable of a task than student B, but because student A wasn’t exposed to any of these such things, they are ages behind. Falling behind can lead to needing more classes which can result in more work and more unnecessary stress for students who would otherwise be excelling in their fields. 

A portion of students do tend to drop out and this can be for a multitude of reasons. Another reason for this tendency to drop out, and you wouldn’t think of it at first, the knowledge these kids are receiving is just plain boring. The students aren’t engaged in the courses and feel as if dropping out will be better for them. In the writing College Knowledge the authors, Sarah Hooker and Betsy Brand state, “High school dropouts report that their primary reason for leaving school were that the classes were uninteresting or irrelevant to the world beyond high school or that they felt alienated and unsupported”. These students are looking for something that they can look forward to that can help them achieve a bright future and the result of it not being given to them is truly sad. “Approximately 7200 students drop out of U.S. schools each day, adding up to 1.3 million students annually”. It is a ridiculous number to think about. 1 of those 1.3 million students a year could do something spectacular in this world and create a bright future for us all if they had stuck to the schooling path, but instead we lose just one more bright pupil to the absolutely dull curriculum of modern day schooling. 

Keeping students engaged is one of, if not, the most important thing for schooling. Teaching every student, no matter where they wanna go or what they wanna be, the same knowledge produces a bad look on the schooling system and really makes you think, what are we even teaching the kids these days? Students should be given the resources they need and be taught things that will progress their education to a point where they feel confident and ready to enter college, and soon after the working world. Schooling that gives a student the right tools to further their education tends to show much greater results than schooling which does not. Sometimes it feels like these schools aren’t trying and results will show their “general knowledge” is simply outclassed by the “useful knowledge” achieved by those eager and ready to enter adult life.

References

Marland, Sidney. “Career Education Now.” Sagepub, 1 May 1971, journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.rowan.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/019263657105535501. 

Hooker, Sarah. “College Knowledge: A Critical Component of College and Career Readiness.” Onlinelibrary-Wiley-Com, 2010, onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.rowan.edu/doi/epdf/10.1002/yd.364. 

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Definition- Pardonmyfrench

Posted on October 12, 2020 by pardonmyfrench13

“It’s Social Suicide”

Social media presence has grown over the past decade, allowing users to create and share content with followers and friends. The content then either receives negative or positive feedback from the audience it was shared with.  Social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and dating sites like Tinder, have all been linked to a person’s self-esteem and self-worth based on number of likes and shares. Now in days cell phones enable us to open these apps at the touch of a button, which can alter a person’s outlook on life and mood instantly. These sites have taken over the internet, drawing people of many different backgrounds. Users consist of several races, genders, ages, and sexual orientation, growing the sites diverse crowd. Younger users are the most frequent visitors to most social media sites along with the type of person most effected. Some effects of negative social media interaction have even been proven to lead to depression, anxiety and even suicide among teenage users who do not feel verified enough through their profiles. Social media likes are leading to a recipe for disaster among the teenage community, leading to the question; would getting rid of them increase moral and decrease suicide?

Most teenagers are just trying to find their way in the world. Today it is much harder to be a teen due to social media. There are certain body standards being represented through social media, as well as goals of being an “influencer”, and getting enough “likes” on pictures. Teens are the most heavily influenced group of people on whether or not they gain approval or disapproval from their peers. During the teen and young adult years you are developing emotionally, physically and mentally which can lead to stress without a solid network of support. Without this network, or when other troubling situations occur, this group can fall through the cracks leading to a heavier consideration for suicide. Teen suicide has been on the rise for years. In 2019 the highest amount of suicides among teens was recorded. Teens and young adults have outstripped the title of the group most likely to take their own lives. This is clearly a large issue that needs to be addressed and solved. There are tons of warning signs that need to be caught and ways to prevent this outcome.

Since teens are most likely to seek approval from peers and these days anyone online, negative responses or disapproval can really crush one’s ego. Teens in general are looked at to suffer from a lower self-worth and self-esteem than that of an older, more matured age group. They are more easily influenced by other’s opinions of them, which makes them an extremely vulnerable group. Once negative self-image has crept in it takes over every thought and can affect everyday life. Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks (Unilever). The teenage brain is also nowhere close to developed which could be one of the reasons they are so easily influences by other people’s opinions. The frontal lobe doesn’t develop until mid-twenties, which is in charge of processing and reasoning and making rational decisions. As for self esteem and social media platforms, that also goes hand in hand.

Social media sites are one of the main places people, especially teens, experience feedback in their everyday lives. These platforms thrive on fitting in and social acceptance of users. The sites are sometimes known to host rude comments and bullying. 90% of teens have been known to use social media sites, which if left with social disapproval could be detrimental to one’s self-esteem. Posting to specific sites such as Instagram and Facebook, can be due to many different motivations. Feeling loved or a place to belong, as well as getting to know people better and present oneself to many users at once are just some of the reason’s teens engage with these sites. When a selfie is posted or other aspect of a person’s life, if it is received well and shared this can lead to gratification in someone’s life. Strange the way your mood can now be determined by something completely online. Now if the opposite happens and negative words or not a lot of “likes” are given out, then that user will not feel as confident and not as validated. This can become a dangerous cycle by determining acceptance via social media and strangers. Why is it that likes can determine someone’s social status? Maybe it’s because likes and comments are seen as real-life affirmation teens seek.

Likes on social media are the main driver and reason people post to social media. Seeing which users like and comment on the media you have posted gives a feeling of instant gratification. Some people view every like as positive affirmation of their character. These likes become addictive and stimulate your brain, believe it or not. They begin to symbolize your reputation and where you socially stand. Users might start to constantly compare themselves to others with more likes them. Other things such as comments can also be misinterpreted. Not enough comments or likes as well as certain emojis being used can be misunderstood and lead to the beginning of a downfall not only on a user’s profile but internally in their head as well.

As a whole, social media platforms these days are leading down a rabbit hole of negative effects. Teenagers interaction with the sites and how easily they are influenced and seek approval is just the start of the volatile mix. Teens are also the neediest for approval over other groups leading to lower self-esteem and bigger reactions. They are the group misinterpreting content from other users and most effected all together. Suicide is also on the rise for this age group making the mix of these triggers high and putting teens at risk. Social media needs to be placed on a lower pedestal in everyday life, in order to save teens lives and mental health.

References

https://online.king.edu/news/psychology-of-social-media/

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-teens-and-self-esteem#fnref3

https://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-suicide-rates-rising-teens-young-adults-20190618-story.html

https://harvardmagazine.com/2008/09/the-teen-brain.html

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Definition–SmilingDogTheProfWants

Posted on October 12, 2020 by SmilingDogTheProfWants

Was Malala Yousafzai just another advocator for girls education in the middle east or was she truly willing to risk everything? Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani girl who won a Nobel prize at the age of 17 for her actions in Pakistan from 2009-2014 is widely regarded as a true advocate for a women’s right to education and has gone above and beyond to speak her mind. However, despite the grand celebration of her struggles in Pakistan the people there do not support her, or at least are not very open about it as they risk the might of the Taliban that rules over most of their lives where she grew up. 

Malala began her rise to fame from a blog for the BBC that was to cover the Pakistani Taliban’s growing influence in Swat (where she lived) that her father signed her up for. This put her and her family at risk of death if the Taliban were to find out, but Malala kept writing the blog with the approval of her father and recapped the important events that occurred, mainly, the prohibiting of women going to school after January 15, 2009 (Peer). This blog she kept up inspired journalist Adam B. Ellick made a New York Times documentary that gave Malala a line of interviews for television and news articles across the globe.

Malala during the ban wrote: “Our annual exams are due after the vacations but this will only be possible if the Pakistani Taliban allow girls to go to school. We were told to prepare certain chapters for the exam but I do not feel like studying.” In the face of the Taliban bombing schools and killing people who oppose them, she shows that she still thinks about her education. But the schools did reopen for girls (all the girls only schools were still banned or destroyed) and the Taliban were supposedly working an agreement with the government to end the fighting but fighting only grew worse. Malala in these hard times spoke out against the Taliban on the national current affairs show Capital Talk 3 days before it was announced that the ban on female education would be lifted (BBC News).

Malala’s family was soon displaced as the war was raging harder than before, her family stayed to protest while she was sent to live with relatives, quoted saying: “I’m really bored because I have no books to read” knowing that her education meant everything to her and her family even in those desperate and unsure times. While there, Malala’s father received a death threat over the radio and that’s when the girl who always wanted to be a doctor began to openly speak about becoming a politician as her father always wanted (Ellick). From 2009 to 2010 she was the chair of the District Child Assembly of the Khpal Kor Foundation through 2009 and 2010 and by 2011 she began training with local girls’ empowerment organisation, to get advice on women’s rights and empowerment to peacefully oppose radicalisation through education as a way to help her stand up for what she believes in. Yet, for all of the work she’s done in private life (the classes and schooling) and public (tv and newspapers) she lost the international children’s peace prize to Michaela Mycroft.

October of 2012 was the last month Malala would be in Pakistan for the next 6 years. It was month that a Taliban gunman would get on her school bus and shoot a single bullet into her head. She survived the shooting and began a long recovery lasting until january of 2013 when she was released from the hospital but continued to have some major surgeries that took a long time to heal for about the next 6 months. This awful situation was widely covered by the media and her story was spread throughout the world and became a symbol of peace and dedication to a cause. At least for the rest of the world,the Taliban and some extreme political parties in Pakistan claimed that Malala was being brainwashed by her father and some even claimed the shooting was staged so she could gain popularity for her cause (the News). The members of the Taliban that were suspected to be the gunman that stopped the bus were released from trial based on a lack of evidence after having two girls on the bus give their testimonies to the events that happened only a few minutes before. 

Malala remains an active advocate for the education of women across the globe while also pursuing the higher education she always wanted as a child. Upon her return to Pakistan the region she visited declared it “I am not Malala Day” as a direct form of protest against her push for change in the country. She declared that “I am proud of my religion, and I am proud of my country,” despite the hateful sentiment. And in August of 2019 she again pushed for change claiming that she spoke to Kashmiri girls that claimed they were sad they weren’t allowed to take their exams on August 12, the day of a national holiday in which no classes would be held, and has received hate and controversy since.

Peer, Basharat (10 October 2012). “The Girl Who Wanted To Go To School”. The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2020.

Adam B. Ellick (2009). Class Dismissed. The New York Times (documentary). Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2020.

“Pakistan media condemn attack on Malala Yousafzai”. bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 9 October 2012. Archived from the original on 22 April 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2020.

“Child Assembly ensures a voice for youth affected by crises in Swat, Pakistan”. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020.

“TTP labels Malala as ‘an American spy'”. The News. 16 October 2012. Archived from the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
Huma Yusuf (18 July 2013). “About the Malala Backlash”. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2020.

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Definition-ComicDub

Posted on October 12, 2020 by comicdub

Crash Compatibility

The fatality rate of car accidents has been a topic of discussion over the last century, ever since Henry Ford made the automobile widely available in the 1920s. Soon after automobiles were commonplace in America, people experienced traffic jams for the first time, as well as traffic accidents and, of course, fatalities. This caused demands to make vehicle safety regulations on the state level which were met with the introduction of speed limits, traffic lights, and stop signs. For over a century now, safety regulations such as the ones listed have been some of the main focuses of keeping drivers safe and preventing fatalities on roadways. These safety regulations have worked well and are without a doubt essential but there is one aspect of vehicle safety that does not get enough attention as it should, that is crash compatibility.

When looking into the relationship between vehicle size/weight and the fatality rate of car accidents, it is essential to understand the deeper meaning behind the phrase “crash compatibility,” not only on a scientific level but on a social level as well. According to the authors of the article, VEHICLE COMPATIBILITY IN CAR -TO-CAR FRONTAL OFFSET CRASH, “Vehicle [crash] compatibility is defined as the ability of a car to protect both its own occupants and partner car’s occupants.” So if two vehicles in a car-to-car crash accident have the same death ratio as well as lower numbers of fatalities, then the compatibility of these two vehicles is said to be good. Data collected from FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System), shows the ratio of fatalities to different sizes of vehicles in car-to-car collisions. When in an accident between regular cars and trucks, minivans, SUVs, and full-sized vans, cars have always at least double the deaths up to even a 6 to 1 ratio when in collisions with full-sized vans. These deaths are easily preventable if more attention was brought to the current crash incompatibilities between current vehicles on the road.

In the article titled, Crash compatibility between cars and light trucks: Benefits of lowering front-end energy-absorbing structure in SUVs and pickups, the author Bryan Baker claims, “In response to growing concerns about incompatibilities in collisions between cars and light trucks (i.e., pickups and SUVs), representatives from automobile manufacturers, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and other international vehicle safety organizations agreed in 2003 to develop collaborative recommendations to improve vehicle crash compatibility.” This sounds like it’s a step in the right direction like it’s some progress towards addressing the issue of crash compatibility, but it’s not. The collaboration of vehicle specialists formed groups to identify vehicle design features that cause the crash incompatibilities between small and large vehicles. One of the tests conducted by IIHS, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Transport Research Laboratory in the United Kingdom demonstrated that the energy absorbing structures of vehicles seemed to be the leading design feature that needed changing to make cars more crash compatible. Through tests of head-on collisions between vehicles with mismatched energy-absorbing structures it was shown that this resulted in more override and underride. This means that the larger vehicle with a higher energy-absorbing structure would go right over the structure of a smaller car causing the passenger compartment to be crushed, resulting in fatalities. This is where I believe they went wrong. It was pretty much unanimously decided that the only issue with crash compatibility was the mismatch between energy-absorbing structures. This assumption was made after only testing frontal collisions between small and large vehicles meaning accidents from the side of the vehicle are still just as deadly even after structure changes. This is once again due to simply the difference in size and weight of different types of vehicles.

True full crash compatibility between all cars on the road can never be achieved unless all vehicles are produced to be the same size and weight. Cars can still maintain their unique designs and features that will make some more appealing than others, but as long as all cars are simply manufactured to the same size/weight specification, the fatality rate of car-to-car collisions will drastically decrease. Well, who wouldn’t want to be significantly less likely to die while driving? So getting the size of vehicles to be mandated should be an easy thing to do right? Well that’s not necessarily true. Big cars are starting to become the new big thing with more people buying and owning SUVs/trucks than ever before. According to Steven Overly at the Washington Post, in an article about the recent rise of SUVs in the US, “…sales of crossovers and SUVs took off at a quicker pace than for cars. Then in the last two years, Americans continued to buy more of every category of light trucks while car purchases declined.” This undeniable growth in the popularity of bigger cars would make putting a vehicle size/weight limit into place nearly impossible. Another, and quite possibly, even larger problem that has developed from the popularity of larger vehicles is how they tend to carry a heftier price than others which means more money for automakers which inturn makes them the new big focus of most car brands. These big automobile companies such as Ford and GM are starting to even go as far as planning to shift their car production abroad to focus more on their line of SUVs and trucks here in the US. But that’s a whole other problem for a different research paper.

Implementing car size/weight mandation will not be an easy task but a necessary one if true crash compatibility is to be achieved on roadways. As I have been preaching throughout this whole writing, forcing all vehicles to be the same size/weight would reduce fatalities from car-to-car collisions drastically, more than any new road sign, that people will most likely not even abide by 100% of the time, would. That is why understanding the phrase “crash compatibility” is essential towards making my hypothesis possible.

REFERENCES

Baker, B., Nolan, J., O’Neill, B., & Genetos, A. (2007, May 22). Crash compatibility between cars and light trucks: Benefits of lowering front-end energy-absorbing structure in SUVs and pickups. Retrieved September 28, 2020.

The Age of the Automobile. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2020.

Bae, H., Lim, J., & Park, K. (n.d.). VEHICLE COMPATIBILITY IN CAR -TO-CAR FRONTAL OFFSET CRASH [PDF]. Korea: Hyundai Motor Company.

Overly, S. (2019, April 17). Americans have fallen in love with little big cars. Retrieved October 12, 2020.

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Definition-SonnyPetro29

Posted on October 12, 2020 by sonnypetro29

From a young age every kid watched movies that had self driving cars or flying cars, we always wondered when they would come around. Cars have evolved over the last hundred or so years. They started off with cars that had wooden wheels, then going to cars that had stick shift, then years later the automatic was invented making the the stick shift car a thing of the past. In about 2015 Elon Musk started his journey a long with many other companies to become the first to have self driving cars. Everyone was excited about the news on self driving cars but not many people took in to account the many questions and many un solved problems with self driving cars. When will every car on the road be self driving? Will it be 5 years from now or 10? Will you allow a computer to drive you and your family around? So many different questions to be answered and it seems like more news on the self driving cars come out each day.

Self driving cars seem to be the next big thing for our generation. In 2019 all of Tesla’s cars come standard with auto pilot technology. The standard self driving feature is called “Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Auto-steer”. If you would like to Tesla does offer “Full auto pilot” this is something you have to pay extra money for and does not come standard. The thing about self driving cars is how can they make the right decision and if they can’t how often can they make the right choice.

The autonomous car mean to have the freedom to govern itself or control its own affairs. Many people dream of having a self driving car but many people have never experienced being in one. It is a totally different feeling when you are in a car with no one driving except for some algorithms and some cameras that will determine if you get to your destination safely. If all cars were self driving cars then that would make things a little bit more safer because the algorithms can be programmed from car to car but if you have self driving cars and human driven cars there are always going to be problems. A study was done in the UK and an articles was written about how the citzens would feel with self driving cars on the road. In this article it stats “The UK government has stated its vision to have driverless cars on UK roads by 2021, but nearly a quarter of the UK public said they felt apprehensive about the prospect of self-driving cars on the roads in the next three years, and a fifth of respondents felt fearful.” If someone was intoxicated and they swerved suddenly into the side of the self driving car will the self driving car be able to see or avoid it? We don’t know there are many ethical and moral decisions for self driving cars and what they will actually do in a life or death situation.

Do self driving cars have morals? Will the self driving car swerve off the road avoiding a dog and drive into some bushes or will the car hit the dog and not swerve off the road. According to a PBS article written about how cars will make life or death decisions is was said that “But some coders say that while these hypothetical situations are interesting, they are misleading because autonomous cars do not make judgments based on value, they make them based on protocol. While moral decisions will come into play when programmers decide how to use which algorithms, an assistant professor in computer science at Carnegie Melon University said the car itself does not have a moral agency.” They are saying the car will already know what to do when that situation arises. The car will know the outcome of what is going to happen before you do, because a group of programmers made these algorithms to help guide the car to make the best decision for the car and the passenger.

In addition to all of these problems that arise from self driving cars there are many problems that will affect humans when self driving cars hit the roads in numbers. These self driving cars will be fully electric therefore that means there will be no more use for gas stations and gas station workers. Also self driving cars last a really long time and many people won’t need to purchase a new car every 3-7 years like most people normally do. It seems that there is a lot of small problems that are rising from the self driving cars. Hopefully none of these things happen and the self driving car actually boost job opportunities.

There are major benefits for self driving cars that could potentially save the earth from pollution. Self driving cars run on batteries therefore there will be no more gas being burned into the air from the millions of cars driving everyday. All cars will be charged by pulling the charger into your house that could be powered by solar panels and that could help save the planet a bit more.

It is inevitable that the world will soon have all self driving cars and the days with humans driving the cars will just be a thing of the past. The only thing that is stopping this from happening a lot sooner is the difficulties in perfecting the technology of the self driving car.

reference

Kelkar, K. (2016, May 28). How will driverless cars make life-or-death decisions? Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/how-will-driverless-cars-make-life-or-death-decisions

Kelkar, K. (2016, May 28). How will driverless cars make life-or-death decisions? Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/how-will-driverless-cars-make-life-or-death-decisions

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