No Universal Definition of Human Rights Essay -- Argumentative Persuas

In the minds of many people human rights are defined as a set of governmental Do’s and Don’ts that protect people from their governments in terms of the freedom of speech, assembly, etc. without infringement. Of course, most people would agree that these are fundamental rights and deserve to be upheld, however many feel that there are a set of universal human rights that can be used to secure the freedom of all people around the world. One such document, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights written by the United Nations, claims to be the â€Å"common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations†. While I agree with most of the points made in the declaration, I simply do not believe that the human race is homogenous enough for a single piece of paper to encompass human rights issues for all cultures and types of people, and I find this very assumption to be problematic. I believe that human rights are relative to every culture and/or nation, and should be left to the people to decide. I think that on the issue of human rights, people will not go wrong if they are allowed a fair forum for voicing their opinions and an equal manner in making decisions. Cruel and unusual punishment from a Western point-of-view may be an African tribe using neck braces to elongate the necks of women, whereas others may think the same of the death penalty in use in the United States. My personal experience of moving from Iran to the United States and witnessing many different atrocities in both cultures has led me to this view. For instance, in Iran there is no freedom of speech or assembly and any resistance to the government is smashed by imprisonment or oftentimes death. This is clearly a violation of human rights by most people, and if... ...ny the ownership of private land, and many people in those countries are happy with that. Many of these people believe that private ownership is the basis for inequality in a society. They would not consider lack of private property a human rights violation. Again, the Universal Declaration is attempting to umbrella all nations and people while in reality contradicting itself. Overall, from my own experiences I have come to the personal conclusion that it is impossible to create a doctrine that addresses human rights for every culture and nation in the world. In my opinion, human rights are a set of rights determined by people of individual nations or cultures for the purpose of living best in society. These rights cannot be pre-determined nor can they be forced upon people in the form of a list, such as is attempted by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Progressivism Essays -- essays research papers

Progressivism implies a philosophy which welcomes innovations and reforms in the political, economic, and social order. The Progressive movement, 1901 to 1917, was ultimately the triumph of conservatism rather than a victory for liberalism. In a general sense, the conservative goals of this period justified the Liberal reforms enacted by Progressive leaders. Deviating from the â€Å"traditional† definition of conservatism (a resistance to change and a disposition of hostility to innovations in the political, social, and economic order), the Conservatist triumph was in the sense that there was an effort to maintain basic social and economic relations vital to a capitalist society. The Progressive leaders essentially wanted to perpetuate Liberal reform in order to bring upon general conservatism. Expansion of the federal government’s powers, competition and economic distribution of wealth, and the social welfare of American citizens concerned the many leaders of this era. The business influence on politics was quite significant of the Progressive Era. Not only did the three leading Progressive political figures, Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, bring upon new heights to government regulation, but also the great business leaders of this era defined the units of political intervention. With political capitalism rising to fame, Progressive politics experienced new themes and areas. The inevitability of federal regulation policies, reformation of social welfare, conservation, and various innovations with banking led to one conservative effort: the preservation of existing powers and economic/social relations. The political leaders of this ear were conservative in that they all believed in the fundamentals of basic capitalism. The various forms of anti-trust legislation presented by each president made the nation one step closer to providing a stable, predictable, and secure, therefore, conservative capitalist society. Theodore Roosevelt’s statist tendencies brought new meaning to government regulation. Roosevelt’s Anti-Trust policy of 1902 pledged government intervention to break up illegal monopolies and regulate corporations for the public good. Roosevelt felt that â€Å"bad† trusts threatened competition and markets. in order to restore free competition, President Roosevelt ordered the Justice department to prosecute corporations pursing monopolistic pr... ...ed and are Liberal indeed. However, the Liberal reforms reinforced the original conservative goals. Business and political leaders accepted the growing competition. Laissez faire, complete Liberalism, hardly ever existed and will not appear in the near future. Political capitalism, by definition from Gabriel Kolko (author of â€Å"The Triumph of Conservatism), is the utilization of political outlets to attain conditions of stability, predictability, and security in the economy. The fact that federal regulation of the economy was conservative in its effect in preserving existing power and economic relations in society shows that federal regulation in the economy was conservative as well. Through the many antitrust acts and various economic and social policies, the Progressive Era ultimately operated on the assumption that the general welfare of the community could be best served by satisfying the concrete needs of business. The big business and business leaders influenced the regulation and the government worked for the people, promoting competition and decentralization. Hence, the Progressive movement served to preserve original goals, not reform society with Liberalism.

Gender Inequality in the Work Place

Gender inequality and The Work Place The society in which we live has been shaped historically by males. The policy makers have consistently been males and therefore it is not surprising that our society reflects those biases which exist in result of this male dominating society. One might think that gender inequality in the work place is rooted in what shapes future employees and employers. Whoever said men and women are equal?Women have always taken a back seat to men in American society. This is not only found in the United States, but in other countries as well. The problem of men and women not being equal can be traced back to the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all men are created equal. There was no mention of women being equal, only men. At the time of the drafting of the document, the men had all the power.The document was even drafted by a man; Women were confined to the home to take care of the domestic housekeeping duties. Soci ologist Perspective In my research on work place inequality, I read a perspective from a sociologist named Sandra Bem who focuses on gender. However, unlike most female sociologist, Bem chooses not to focus on the differences between males and females, but rather on their similarities.She says that polarized gender socialization, the way that we assign masculine or feminine characteristics to things such as walking and talking to make males and females appear to be different, keeps us from realizing that the sexes are more alike than they are opposite. Men and women have the same needs for food, clothing, shelter, affection, belonging and so on. Whether by choice or economic necessity, woman have entered the paid labor force in numbers recent years, and so they should be entitled to equal pay and respect.Although many people who know these statistics are optimistic about the gain women have made in the United States specifically in employment, it should be noted that women’s positions as a social category in the labor force is lower than men’s in term of status, opportunities and salary. Feminist researchers have used the advancements of women into top-tier management jobs as a litmus test for how well women are faring in the labor force as a whole. Studies continue to confirm that women hold a small percentage of the top positions. Causes of Gender Inequality in the WorkplaceThe causes of gender equality in these positions stem from four stereotypes; Sexism : American cultural belief that women are best suited for jobs that emphasize service, nurturing, housekeeping, men best suited for careers of high-level decision making and authority, Lack of qualifications: Men typically have more education and job experience than women 28% of men age 25+ have completed at least 4 years of college 27% of Women Men have more job experience because women loose time during pregnancy and child care, The glass ceiling: subtle and unconscious discrimination that prevents them from reaching higher and better-paying positions for which they are qualified. Women and minorities make up 30% of middle managers in U. S. but less than 1% of chief execs, networking: Men use golf clubs, other rec places where women were discouraged from going. The Functionalist PerspectiveAccording to functionalist Talcott Parsons (1955), gender inequality is inevitable because of the biological division of labor: Men are generally stronger than women and have certain abilities and interest. Parson said, men find themselves more suited to be goal oriented and women to expressive. Other functionalist explanations of gender inequality focus on the human capital that men and women bring to the workplace. According to human capital explanations, what individuals earn is based on choices they have made, including choices about the kinds of training and experiences they accumulate. For example, human capital analysts argue that women diminish their human capital when they leave the labor force to engage in childbearing and child care activities.So this is why they have less experience. It takes two to tangle that’s unprecedented. Conclusion/Solution Inequality has kept in place because of beliefs and practices that have been drilled into people’s minds for so long. When will women be treated as equals to men in the work place? I don't see a change happening in the near future. Women are slowly being treated more as equals to men but the gap will never narrow to complete equality. Women should, not only be treated as equal in the work place, but also in everything else as well. Whether it is a computer scientist, an athlete, or a president of the United States, women should be treated as equal to men.Gender discrimination has gone too far and we, as a society, have to draw the line. We can’t change past issues, but we can certainly change the future. Work Cited: â€Å"The Declaration of Independence. † The Declaration of In dependence. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. Greenbuam, Vicky. â€Å"Seeing through the Lenses of Gender: Beyound Male/Female Polarization. † English Journal 88. 3 (1999): 96-99. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. Kendall, Diana Elizabeth. Social Problems in a Diverse Society. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Web. 10 Feb. 2013 [ 2 ]. Greenbuam, English Journal 88. 3, 1999 [ 3 ]. Kendall, 2013. [ 4 ]. Kendall, 2013, Pg. 94

Being Self-Employed vs. Working for Someone Else

Being self-employed vs. working for someone else Self-employment and working for someone else has many of the same benefits and disadvantages. Although self-employment will allow a person to be his or her own boss and have endless financial possibilities, it also can be harder than working for someone else. Just because a person is able to work for their self, it does not mean that it will be any easier than working for someone else or even be more successful. Self-employment allows individuals to create his or her own schedule, allowing flexibility in the time that will be spent working.The flexible schedule of a self-employed individual is a good benefit. However in order to be successful at it, a lot of time has to be invested in it. If time is not put into the job, it will be difficult to maintain it. Having a flexible schedule allows the individual to have more time at home and also enable’s the person to work the hours convenient for their schedule. People normally find it easier to be self-employed because they feel that the freedom of working whenever they want or feel the need to may make the individual feel like they have power and authority they would not have working under a supervisor.However, good time management is essential to for self-employment. It is imperative that a person who is self-employed manages their time wisely and maintains themselves organized. It may take some time to get organized properly, but if the person practices how to best maintain organization with time, they will eventually come up with a work routine that best fits their work. Discipline is the key to being self-employed. If not, they run the risk of disorganization to the point where they will no longer be able to run their business or continue with their work.Without discipline and disorganization, the chances of financial success will be slim. Self-employment can be a financial success. There is the possibility of living very well when owning a business or si mply just work on your own. It also depends on what type of business or career path the person chooses in order to work for them selves. A person must consider that there are sometime’s many cost’s in initiating a self-owned business. Maybe start-up materials, hardware and financial management software to keep track of finances will often be needed when a person is self-employed.Organization and financial responsibility is crucial when owning a business or being self-employed. If the person that is self-employed does not manage money well, they run the risk of losing their business due to mismanagement. This will be a great disadvantage because not only is the person not able to be self-employed but they might have been out of the work field for a long time and did not gain much experience in a field that they would go out and try to work in after they figure out that working for themselves is not going to work for them.When the person tries to find a job and the hirin g manager sees how long they have been out of work and not enough experience, they may be hesitant to hire the individual. Working at a place of employment for someone else also has many benefits. For the most part, the employee will have a set schedule weekly and the employee will have to follow that schedule. Normal business hours are 8:00 a. m. to 5:00 p. m. unless of course the person works part-time, they work at a restaurant, a retail location, or maybe just a job that will schedule the employee when they are needed.In this case however, the employee does not set their own schedule, their supervisor, or boss will be responsible for that. There is not much flexibility with the schedules at a place of employment. While working for someone else, he or she is normally working under someone that they need to answer to and flexibility is very rare in the corporate world. A supervisor however, will take any time off needed as in vacation time, personal and sick time. Employees are en titled to the time off when working at a place of employment.Depending on the work field and if the individual is a full-time or part-time employee, the time off will be paid by the employer. The rate of pay at work place may not always be what the employee needs or is looking for. It could just be enough to make ends meet but it can also be exactly what the individual is looking for. Many companies require college degrees in order to make what the individual needs or should make with regards to their salary. Along with having a college degree, experience is absolutely necessary to earn top dollar.A degree does not necessarily mean that a person will be the most qualified to do the job but it does give the hiring employer that the employee they are considering has a sense of discipline, responsibility and knowledge that comes from a person with a college degree. Without the requirements, it will not be easy to obtain the type of salary the person wants. There are instances where eve n if the person meet’s the requirement’s needed to obtain a high or decent salary, some small companies are not able to pay these high salaries even if they wanted to.That is when individual either settle for what they are offered, continue searching for a job that meet’s their expectations, or become self-employed. Being self employed vs. working for someone else has many of the same advantages and disadvantages. To be self-employed, an individual needs to make sure they are organized and are prepared for the overhead cost’s that come with either owning a business or possibly just providing for your self and not having to answer to someone else. Working for someone else is not bad.A person has to be prepared and make every effort they need to in order to be successful at their place of employment. People in life have to make choice with regards to their careers. Do they work for themselves or do they work for someone else? In the end, he or she must choo se what makes the most sense and what he or she will know they can handle or not. Just because someone works for themselves, it does not necessarily mean that it will be easy. It can be just as hard as working for someone else.

Political Discourse Essay

Political incivility has been around for a very long time. According to the article â€Å"The Rise and Fall of Nasty Politics in America†, a number of studies have been conducted to prove that politics has always been â€Å"a bit rough†. Many people in and out of the political world are agreeing that politics these days have turned in to a horrible cycle. Politics today involves nasty language about fellow members families, angry protests and violent outbursts. Sometimes racial slurs and discrimination is also involved in bringing down your opponent. Furthermore, political incivility has caused a variety of problems in American politics throughout the years. Knowing this, what are some of the things that can be done to help increase political civility? Political incivility has caused a variety of problems in the political process. Politics today is often biased based off of the partisan media and views of opposing sides of various parties. According to the article â€Å"What Is Civil Engagement Argument and Why Does Aspiring to It Matter? † the partisan media only shares those facts that are inconvenient to their opponents, engage emotion, and replace argument with ridicule causing many of the listeners or viewers to have angry views of the policies on the opposing side. Allowing the partisan media to be broadcasted for Americans to see causes outrage and incivility in the world around us. This brings me to my next point where the violence in the political world is getting out of control. The violence that occurs includes both physical and emotional attacks by the opposing parties. For example, the district office of a Georgia representative was defaced with a swastika, and the lawmaker, who happens to be African American, has been the recipient of racist hate mail (Shea and Sproveri, 417). There have also been many other instances where racial violence was used including during the final health-care reform meetings. A lot of the protesters yelled out racial slurs at the African American members of Congress. Also during this time one of the legislators was spat on while entering the Capitol Building to cast his vote (Shea and Sproveri, 417). This type of violence causes politicians to lack the motivation to run for office. Olympia Snowe, a former Senate member, finds it very frustrating that the atmosphere of polarization and the â€Å"my way or the highway† ideologies has become persuasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions (Maisel, 408). She is resigning from office and decided not to run for her forth term in office. Other politicians are afraid of ridicule about their families and therefore will not be running for office any longer. Another reason that political discourse is harming the American political process is it is influencing the ability of govern. â€Å"Incivility leads to an inability to govern and, therefore, more can be done in other areas† (Maisel, 408). The inability to govern leads the government officials to detach from politics and take interest in other areas. Also, politicians in today’s era have only one thing on their mind and that is to win. They do not care about the common good or the similar believes of the opposing parties. All they want to do is finish on top. This situation is causing the president and other officials to lack the ability to pass laws that may benefit the whole population. â€Å"According to NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll conducted in the fall of 2011, more than four out of five voters felt that the Congress’s decisions on the debt ceiling were decisions made for partisan political advantages† (Maisel, 408). This is problematic because it brings other officials to not want to run for office and for the population to be dissatisfied with the whole system of government. This can lead to outburst and protests by the people of the nation. So, what is the best way to increase civility in American politics? First, we can follow the ways of the people during the World War II period where partisan differences still existed but at the end of the day the government officials went back to their families where their wives and children were interacting with the wives and children of those with whom they had been debating with (Maisel, 409). In those times, the politicians worked together for one cause, which was to be united and progress with the well being of the nation. That is what the politicians in today’s world need to realize. The politicians in that era had certain rules they needed to abide by like they had to treat others involved with respect and civility. They also relied strictly on truth and not on the fact that they need to win no matter what the consequences to the nation are. This seems to be one of the biggest problems that the American politics has today. The US House of Representatives has it’s own set of rules that ensure that there is civility. The Congress has a set of rules that ensure that the disagreements in Congress are purely philosophical but not personal and that their views are legitimate even if they are wrong (Jamieson and Hardy, 412). This is exactly the type of rules that need to be set for regular debates and this will ensure that the members do not over step those boundaries. The House makes sure that the members do not call each other bad names or over step any boundaries that may cause them to lie. They are not even allowed to call their fellow members hypocritical even if they are being hypocritical. Their understanding is that each side needs to be heard and then they will come up with a compromise to make both parties accept it. In conclusion, the political incivility going on today is effecting the government in ways unimaginable. Politicians are not willing to run for office because of their fear of having their families or themselves ridiculed and talked about in an inappropriate manner, there is a big increase in violence during debates and the politicians of today are only focused on winning and not on the benefit of the greater good. There is a lot that needs to be improved before there could be any type of change in the political world. The government needs to set a variety of rules for debates just like the House of Representatives or the Senate has that will set a limit to the type of things the politicians can say to each other. This will minimize the political discourse today and help new politicians accomplish more and help the nation prosper in the future.

Intercultural Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Intercultural Communication - Essay Example What I have learned during the course on intercultural communication is that in today’s world of growing contacts in every part has resulted in effective communication among the people of different languages and cultures. In this present scenario, communication has got to be as positive as possible without any possibilities of breakdowns and misunderstandings. I believe that research on the characteristics of languages and similarities and differences in cultures will provide a definite outcome (Nasreen, â€Å"Some Views about Intercultural Communication†). The above pictures show the eating styles of two different cultures: the Western and the Arabic. In the Arabic countries, people dine in a different style than that of the people in England. In Arab countries, a carpet is first put on the floor where the people wish to dine. Then cushions are set on the carpet for the people to sit on. Instead of cushions, at times small stools are used for the purpose of sitting. Then placing the plates, glasses, cups and dishes on the carpet, they start dining (Fairfax Country Public School, â€Å"Arabic Upper Levels > Scientific and Creative Advancement†). In England, people eat in continental style where knives are placed in the right side and fork in the left. Moreover, there are number of eating etiquettes that they follow while dining in England. These etiquettes are taken as a rule of eating in England and the people put much emphasis to the table manners during dining (Barrow, â€Å"Acceptable Behaviour in England†). During our semester, I came across students of various cultures and groups and developed friendship with them in due course of time. When we used to have dinner in any of our Arabic friends’ place, we used to dine in the floor in their traditional manner. The dining style of my English friends was not new as this was considered as the standard style in the world. By

The Pioneers Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Pioneers - Term Paper Example This paper is a critical analysis of contributions of Isaac Newton and Aristotle, some of the most distinguished scientific pioneers in the history of humanity. Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton, a distinguished English philosopher is considered as the most creative and prominent scientific theorist of all times. His most remarkable contribution in mathematical and scientific fields includes the discovery of infinitesimal calculus and pioneering theories in the study of light and color. Moreover, Isaac Newton revolutionalized physical science by the discovery of the three laws of motion and the law of gravitational pull (Westfall, 1971). His contribution in science and mathematics resulted to development of classical mechanics, a very influential scientific discipline. Though Isaac Newton is considered to be one of the most original thinkers, he collaborated the works and ideas of other scientists in the 17 century and before such as Kepler, Galileo, Descartes and Copernicus among others . Isaac Newton asserted this fact by acknowledging in one of his most famous quote that if he had seen further, it was by standing on the shoulders of giants (Alexandre, 1965). He distinguished himself as a brilliant physicist, astronomer, mathematician, alchemist and as a natural philosopher. According to Westfall (1971), Isaac Newton was born in January 4, 1643 to Hannah Ayscough and Isaac Newton. His actual place of birth was at Woolsthorpe, a rural town in Lincolnshire County. During his birth, the Gregorian calendar was not used in England then and hence his birth date was recorded using the Julian calendar as 25 December 1642. The Gregorian calendar, which is the modern style, was adopted in 1752 in England and it was ten days ahead of the Julian style (Westfall, 1971). Isaac Newton was born prematurely and his father had died three months prior to his birth. Later, his mother Hannah remarried when the boy was just three years old, an incident that most Newtonian biographers c onsider as traumatic to his childhood and adulthood. Soon after his mother remarried, Isaac Newton was left under the care of his maternal grandmother Margery Asycough (Westfall, 1971). Isaac Newton was separated from his mother until 1653, when she returned to her motherland after the death of her second husband. He enrolled at King’s school after refusing her mothers attempt of dropping him out of school to train him become a farmer. Isaac Newton’s early academic life was lackluster, but he later, he discovered his abilities after joining Cambridge University from Woolsthorpe in 1661 (Hall, 1980). Cambridge University is a renowned institution of higher learning but at the time of Isaac Newton admission, the centre had not yet grasped emerging scientific changes in its curriculum (Hall, 1980). In this regard, Ackrill (1981) noted that the curriculum was based on ancient works of Aristotle and other classical authors. In this respect, most biographers affirm that Isaa c Newton’s undergraduate studies involved a lot of Aristotle, resulting to his undistinguishable academic performance. However during this time, Isaac Newton concentrated and mustered the works of