Social constructionism and its effects

Social constructionism and its effects Social constructionism is a general term sometimes applied to theories that emphasize the socially created nature of social life. Social Constructionism is something that a group in society has constructed, for example brotherhood is a social constructionism. It is something that is created socially but happens because society supports it and encourages it to occur. It is something that has been created at some point, but may be considered a social norm now. It has a label and continues if people continue to talk about and put time into it. Social constructionism is regularly traced back to the works William Isaac Thomas and the other Chicago sociologists, as well as the phenomenological sociologists and philosophers such as Alfred Schutz. Such approaches emphasize the notion that society is actively and imaginatively produced by human beings. They describe the world as made or invented rather than simply given or taken for granted. In social theory, constructivists stress the social construction of reality. This is the philosophically idealist component of constructivism which contrasts with the materialist philosophy of much social science positivism. According to constructivist philosophy, the social world is not a given: it is not something out there that exists independent of the thoughts and ideas of the people involved in it. It is not an external reality whose laws can be exposed by scientific research and explained by scientific theory. (Marshall, 1998) The political and social world is not part of nature. There are no natural laws of society or economics or politics. History is not a developing external progression that is autonomous of human thought. (Hacking, 1999) One of these socially accepted norm is racism , although much of society believes that racism does not exist in a modern society whoever there is many circumstances that differ from this and prove that in todays society there is still many forms of racism and it has become one of these social norms . Racism is the term used to explain the hostile or negative feelings of one ethnic group towards another and the consequential actions from such attitudes, but sometimes the hostility of one group toward another is expressed and acted upon with a single-mindedness and cruelty that goes far beyond the group centred prejudice that seem to constitute an almost universal human failing. Racism is not just xenophobia, a phrase invented by the ancient Greeks to describe impulsive feelings of hostility to another, xenophobia may be the preliminary point upon which racism can be constructed but it is not the actual thing itself. Racism has two components power and difference; it originates from a state of mind that regards them as dissimilar from us in ways that are stable and unbridgeable. (Fredrickson, 2002) In Australia racism is still evident although much of society believes that racism does not exist in a modern society however there is many circumstances that differ from this and prove that in todays society there is still many forms of racism and it has become one of these social norms. The nature and frequency of Australian racism varies over time and across space: it is not a static phenomenon (Vasta and Castles, 1996)pp. 5, 20 There are many different terms that are currently used to describe racism which include intolerance, ethnocentrism, prejudice, racialism, bigotry and discrimination all to describe racism. (Vasta and Castles, 1996) The increased exposure of individuals to cultural variation gradually improves individuals tolerance of a cultural dissimilar to their own. Therefore, the residents of areas that have a strong established cultural diversity may be expected to develop greater admiration of cultural difference, and have a lesser dependence upon cultural similarity if they are exposed to other cultures, the preliminary stages of contact between different cultural groups are likely to involve racisms. There are a variety of theories that attempt to explain the geographical discrepancy of racisms. These range from the traditional urbanists through neo-Marxist explanations, Social Construction approaches. Social constructionism about race more politically correct than essentialism. Existentialism, can form a picture of a self with absolutely no centre, a self that constructs itself by free acts of will. The constructed self must, however accept agonizing responsibility of what which it has constructed, later thought of the self as being constructed in a social matrix .this suggest a genuine distinction in which some constructions of the self are social ,and some are not ,This is called Social existentialism and is worth reviving. One which sees the self as a social of people , an attitude which is strongly reinforced by cultural background ,This psychological essentialism is proposed , in part ,to explain the prevalence of concepts of race and the ease with which they can be conscripted for racism (Hacking, 1999) Social constructionism is often contrasted with essentialism because it moves away from the ideas of the naturally given or taken for granted and questions the social and historical roots of phenomena Most anti racialist writing denounces essentialist attitudes to race. They may not use the label social construction, much but they are regularly grouped among social constructionist about race. (Hacking, 1999) This theory suggests that race is a socially constructed category rather than a natural order. (Jackson and Penrose , 1993) (Vasta and Castles, 1996). These races are constructed in different ways, these way are reliant upon the specific location and the identity of the specific place. Jackson and Penrose stated that place contextualises the construction of race, generating geographically specific ideologies of racism. (Jackson and Penrose , 1993) Place is significant in the construction of race and therefore it is imperative in the construction of racism. The precise forces that determine race in any location will also strengthen racism. Constructivism has become the dominant approach for geographical study of racisms. (Bonnett, 1996) A social construction approach should be predominantly positive for unscrambling the geographies of racism. It would definitely be crucial for formulating place-sensitive anti-racism interventions. A constructivist theory of the geographies of racism has both explanatory and policy contributions. Constructivism clearly allows for a more spatially sensitive understanding of the construction of race and the development of racisms. Theorising the causes of spatial variations in racism is not straightforward. Nevertheless, some of the established theories of racism can be of assistance in understanding the geographies of racism. There is some evidence of a rural and urban variation in ethnocentrism. The uneven tolerance of cultural diversity could be explained in part by the differing experiences and expectations that arise from an urban way of life. As in Chicago School thinking, the assumption is that the long-term exposure to otherness or difference eventually spawns an accommodation, or tolerance, of at least the cultures that are encountered. This model is confounded, however, by the persistence of racism against some minority groups. The most remarkable such persistence in the Australian case is the racism long endured by Indigenous peoples. (Dunn and McDonald, 2001) Australia is known as a multicultural country with many foreign individuals making Australia their permanent residence. As Australia is a multicultural society the idea of racism is minimal, however this is not the case. The highest form of racism in Australia is that of the indigenous people not only the majority of white society also by the government policies that the leaders that approve these policies. Since the colonization of Australia the Indigenous population have been disadvantage in all aspects of life. This can be due to many different forms of racism from the white population and the Australian Government that have left Aboriginal people in this disadvantaged state. Aboriginal people up to the twentieth century were not constitutes as Australian citizens .They had no rights compared the white population ,they were not allowed to owned land or were not about to vote in national elections .It was this that continued to reinforce that the white society was superior to the Indigenous population These racist beliefs restricted the Aboriginal peoples from achieving the same basic rights as white Australians and it was not until the 1960s that all Aboriginal people around Australia were able to vote in State and federal elections. (Lyons, 2005) The main form of racism by the Australia Government was the creation of the white Australian policy. The White Australia policy arose from a Commonwealth government objective of creating and maintaining a mono racial Australia, termed racial integrity. Although there were other racist policies in the earlier years, by the 1950s, this usually meant only restrictions on immigration. It was the most significant and lasting policy adopted in 1901, described as providing an impetus to our national life. White Australia was not some strange abnormality for Australias rulers. This policy of institutionalised racism had deep roots in the interests of Australias ruling class. (Lyons, 2005) Racism against Aboriginal people helped open the door to other forms of racism especially for the Chinese immigrants during the gold rushes of the 1850s, they were treated as appalling as the indigenous population they were segregated onto protectorate camps these camps were modelled on previous colonial experience including the protectorate camps that had recently been imposed on the survivors of the wars of extermination against Aboriginal people. (http://www.sa.org.au/component/content/article/126-edition-48/1069-100-years-or-racism-federation-and-the-white-australia-policy) This Racism towards Aboriginals in Australia is widespread and the effects of racism affect the lives of Indigenous people in their day to day lives. This is due to the continuing effect of White invasion and the dispossession that followed. These effects have resulted in low socio economic status and therefore leading to poor health, higher rates of imprisonment and less job opportunities then the rest of white society within Australia. (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 1991, p. 72) The level of intolerance differs between cultural groups in Australia. White society from varies backgrounds suffer majority less ethnocentrism or racism compared to other ethnic groups. The groups, who suffer from racism and the relative follow on effects of racism, could therefore be expected to differ in each locality. It can therefore be assumed that racism will differ across space according to the presence of different cultural groups. There are substantive strands of racism running throughout Australian society. (Dunn and McDonald, 2001) Research into racism in NSW found that results shows there is consistent racism still in Australian society .The results suggest that for the Australians shows that a large majority of respondents in NSW felt that Indigenous Australians were treated over generously by the government names such as dole bludgers have stemmed from this in regards to the Centrelink payments , almost a quarter of those respondents were supportive of calls for the scrapping of multiculturalism, the majority of respondents felt that migrants should learn to live and behave like the mainstream Australians do, therefore returning to racial Government policies of the past , such as assimilation and the white Australia policy .Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2000) Although the Past Government policies have excluded the beliefs and the wellbeing for Aboriginal peoples , current Government policies are beginning to bridge the gap between the Indigenous and non indigenous population .These policies included improved policies on health and education , this improved policies are important in lessening the effects of colonisation and the racism felt by the Indigenous population. This policies however has not improved the health socio economic status of the Indigenous population, it is only recently that these policies are inclusive of the cultural beliefs of the indigenous society. (Dunn and McDonald, 2001) The effects of racism by Europeans through assimilation, the stolen generation, white Australian policies and other non cultural appropriate policies have been Aboriginal Australian health, education and law have been horrific and destructive to the Indigenous population. The Aborigines peoples face problems in their struggle for equality of opportunity and toleration. Generations of Europeans have attempted to exterminate the Aboriginal Australians or to exclude them the rest of Australian society. The Aboriginal people have showed considerable resistance and cohesion and laws introduced by Europeans has helped to create and preserve the present condition of Aborigines, and changes to that condition depend largely on changes to the law and its administration. Social construction exists in Australia in the form of racism however there are acts to try and correct some of the socially constructed issues. Apologies to the stolen generation, the possibility of a referendum to recognise the aboriginals as rightful owners of the land are both steps to address the issues that aboriginal people face, however it is still not enough. Racism is feed by those who have fear of others and accept stereotypes as being fact. Unfortunately in order to change a social construction there needs to be a complete change of society and that takes time.

Foreshadowing in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men Essay

The word foreshadow is a literary term used to describe how the author discreetly gives clues to the reader of the events later to occur. The touching realistic fiction novelette Of Mice and Men is written by John Steinbeck. George and Lennie, two men who have become close friends over time, travel together to a ranch to pursue their dream as a team. George is considered to be Lennie’s caretaker, for Lennie is mentally challenged. Throughout the novelette Of Mice and Men, foreshadowing takes a considerable role in the most important chapters of George and Lennie’s journey together. The events that develop foreshadow other events that will echo the primary event in a distinctive way. John Steinbeck uses foreshadowing and other literary elements as the structure of his many literary works of art. The three events that foreshadow the future are George telling Lennie to return to the river if trouble occurs, Candy having to kill his dog, and a heron killing a snake. In the beginning, when George and Lennie are at the river, George tells Lennie to return to that exact location to silently hide in the brush and wait for him if he gets in any trouble. Lennie has done bad things in the past, and George wants to make sure that Lennie has somewhere to go that’s out of harm’s way. â€Å" ‘Lennie – if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush’ † (15). In the past, Lennie has gotten into trouble while working on a ranch, and both George and Lennie didn’t have anywhere to go. George knows that Lennie is bound to have history repeat itself, and make the same mistakes, so he tells Lennie to remember where the river is located. George’s action foreshadows that later on, Lennie will have to return to the river. George makes sure that he can get Lennie away from any danger that can harm him, but would also know where heà ¢â‚¬â„¢d be. As the story progresses, Candy tells George that he should have shot his dog himself instead of a stranger, because he knew the dog the best and his moment of lacking authority allowed him to regret his decision. Candy has had his dog since it was just a puppy, so he has a strong connection with his dog. Carlson thinks the dog is smelly, ancient, and becoming more and more useless everyday, so he convinces Candy to allow him to shoot his dog. â€Å" ‘I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t have ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog’ † (61). When Candy confides in George, he admits that he is in the wrong when he decides to allow a complete stranger kill his dog instead of doing it himself. Candy, wanting to have shot his dog himself, foreshadows how George will feel about how Lennie will be disciplined. Although Candy didn’t have the strength to kill his own dog, George realizes that he’s strong enough to discipline Lennie i n a fair and painless way. Lastly, when Lennie is hiding in the brush at the river, a water snake is killed by a motionless heron off in the distance. The water snake was gliding on the river and is unaware of the heron that was standing still awaiting its arrival. â€Å" A water snake glided smoothly up the pool . . . and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak glanced down and plucked it out by the head . . .† (99). The snake was gracefully moving across the water, and swims to its death, negligent of its future. When Lennie is killed, he is looking at the scenery of the mountains and at the river imaging his and George’s dream, completely unaware of George, standing behind him with a gun. In the end, both Lennie and the snake met their fate of death. Overall, Steinbeck’s usage of foreshadow is applied to show how life’s events are clues to the future. George wants to protect Lennie, but he also wants to make sure that Lennie has a safe place to run to. Candy fails to accomplish a difficult task and helps George to identify if he’ll have the strength to do what is right or not. Death meets Lennie and the snake face to face unexpectedly. In life, has the reader ever looked at a painting and thought, â€Å"What did every brush stroke accomplish?† The creator of a work of art wants the viewer to see their artwork as a whole, but to view the specifics that created the image as desired. Each brush stroke accomplishes forcing mankind to experience various emotions, memories, inspirations, and an understanding of the meaning the piece was supposed to contain. A single brushstroke can foretell what the future may hold, although it’s not always distinct.

C-Difficile

In my family, the â€Å"Family Business† is nursing. My mother is a nurse, and an associate professor at NMSU, as well as the chairperson for their CNA program. One of my sisters just finished her nursing program and is studying for her NCLEX and my other sister is an ER nurse just starting her DNP program. So when they each, independently, gave me the following advice, I took it to heart, but assumed they were being facetious, and using humor to help me remember a very important health care worker concept: â€Å"Pretend everything around you is covered in sh*t. † After reading this article, I realize they were not kidding! C-Difficile is a bacteria found in the intestines of a small number of people. Not all bacteria are bad, particularly when the bacteria are where they are supposed to be. C-Difficile becomes a â€Å"bad† bacteria when it overpopulates the intestine, causing stomach cramping and diarrhea. The overpopulation occurs when antibiotics are used to fight the original infection a patient has, and that antibiotic kills off the normal flora living in the intestines. Once that happens, C-Diff is able to make its way out of the intestines and onto health care workers hands, clothing, surfaces (such as call lights and bed rails) and the skin of the patient. It is transmitted via the fecal-oral route, simply meaning that infected feces made its way into someone’s mouth, causing an infection. An infected person can spread the bacteria by having a bout of diarrhea, not washing their hands with soap and water, and then touching an object, leaving spores on it. Another person comes along, touches the same object, and picks the spores up. That second person (with unwashed hands) then touches their face, mouth or prepares food, and ingests the spores, introducing the bacteria into their body. C-Diff is able to lay dormant on surfaces for a very long time because it is both anaerobic and spore forming; meaning it does not need oxygen to live, and it forms a spore, protecting itself from being destroyed by typical cleaning measures. However, a bleach and water solution has been effective in killing the spores. It has been found that it takes ingestion of as few as two spores to infect a person. The spores are extremely hearty and upon ingestion, are able to withstand the gastric acids, passing all the way through to the intestines unharmed. Once they reach the intestines and they are exposed to the bile acids they emit two toxins. Those two toxins are responsible for the damage to the colon, and that damage ultimately causes the symptoms of C-Diff. Namely, in mild cases, abdominal cramping and diarrhea, all the way to severe damage such as pseudomembranous colitis (an illness that’s symptoms mimic colitis). In the most severe cases, fatalities have even occurred in as high as 80% of the cases. The most effective way to prevent the spread of C-Diff is using proper hand-washing techniques. However, it should be noted that hand-washing does not kill the spores; it simply removes the spores from the hands so that they are not carried to another location. Soap and water is a must, as the alcohol-gel based hand sanitizers do not kill the spores. A CNA should don PPE’s (gowns and gloves) when assisting patients/residents who have C-Diff. This will prevent the CNA from carrying the spores on their clothes to another person. Again, the number one prevention that a CNA can utilize is properly washing their hands, especially when travelling from one patient to another.

John D. Perry s Will The Real Negros Please Stand Up...

Marc D. Perry writes â€Å"Who Dat?: Race and Its Conspicuous Consumption in Post-Katrina New Orleans† in an attempt to paint out the social and economic state of New Orleans, and how it worsened for African Americans post-Katrina. Judith M. Anderson’s article â€Å"Will the Real Negros Please Stand Up? Understanding Black Identity Politics in Buenos Aires, Argentina† calls attention to how the Afro-Argentines are trying to gain recognition for their presence in Argentina. The articles are similar in which that they both illustrate the ongoing obstacles blacks have to face where they are discriminated against, seen as incapable of being successful, and have to deal with white privilege. And although there are contrasts within black identity, most†¦show more content†¦Those who aren’t in the entertainment and tourist attraction business are described as criminals. They aren’t just committing crimes in their own poor or middle class communiti es but they also commit them in the richer parts of New Orleans as well, where the majority of residents are white. Perry goes on to provide statistics on how New Orleans is one of the most criminalized cities and has one of the highest urban homicide rates in America. Hurricane Katrina took the biggest hit on African Americans. The state put their basic rights and protections on hold and reduced funding on public programs that helped poor and working class African Americans. The â€Å"new† New Orleans, as Perry put it, became more dedicated to the white and richer class in which majority of the lost jobs went to white people. However there are some African Americans that have become successful. Some bands from New Orleans have done pretty well and have even gone on tour. The article then goes on to to mention that Indians are also a huge part of Mardi Gras as well. Just like the African Americans who are involved in entertaining, Indians who practice their culture and perfor m are usually the ones that stay off the streets and out of prison. The article â€Å"Will the Real Negros Please Stand up? Understanding Black Identity Politics in Buenos Aires, Argentina† digs deep into understanding the black population of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina used to look to Europe as a framework for their