Didions on Morality Essay Example for Free

Didions on Morality Essay What is it that forms and drives our â€Å"moral behaviors†? Are we born with a basic sense of morality or do we develop a set of moral â€Å"social codes† to keep society from falling into chaos and anarchy? In her essay â€Å"On Morality,† Joan Didion dissects what lies beneath the surface of humanity’s morality. By recounting several stories and historical events, she shows that morality at its basic â€Å"most primitive level† is nothing more than â€Å"our loyalties to the ones we love,† everything else is subjective. Didion’s first story points out our loyalty to family. She is in Death Valley writing an article about â€Å"morality,† â€Å"a word [she] distrust more every day.† She relates a story about a young man who was drunk, had a car accident, and died while driving to Death Valley. â€Å"His girl was found alive but bleeding internally, deep in shock,† Didion states. She talked to the nurse who had driven his girl 185 miles to the nearest doctor. The nurse’s husband had stayed with the body until the coroner could get there. The nurse said, â€Å"You just can’t leave a body on the highway, it’s immoral.† According to Didion this â€Å"was one instance in which [she] did not distrust the word, because [the nurse] meant something quite specific.† She argues we don’t desert a body for even a few minutes lest it be desecrated. Didion claims this is more than â€Å"only a sentimental consideration.† She claims that we promise each other to try and retrieve our casualties and not abandon our dead; it is more than a sentimental consideration. She stresses this point by saying that â€Å"if, in the simplest terms, our upbringing is good enough – we stay with the body, or have bad dreams.† Her point is that morality at its most â€Å"primary† level is a sense of â€Å"loyalty† to one another that we learned from our loved ones. She is saying that we stick with our loved ones no matter what, in sickness, in health, in bad times and good times; we don’t abandon our dead because we don’t want someone to abandon us. She is professing that morality is to do what we think is right; whatever is necessary to meet our â€Å"primary loyalties† to care for our loved ones, even if it means sacrificing ourselves. Didion emphatically states she is talking about a â€Å"wagon-train morality,† and â€Å"For better or for worse, we are what we learned as children.† She talks about her childhood and hearing â€Å"graphic litanies about the Donner-Reed party and the Jayhawkers. She maintains they â€Å"failed in their loyalties to each other,† and â€Å"deserted one another.† She says they â€Å"breached their primary loyalties,† or they would not have been in those situations. If we go against our â€Å"primary loyalties† we have failed, we regret it, and thus â€Å"have bad dreams.† Didion insist that â€Å"we have no way of knowing†¦what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong,’ what is ‘good and what is ‘evil’.† She sees politics, and public policy falsely assigned â€Å"aspects of morality.† She warns us not to delude ourselves into thinking that because we want or need something â€Å"that it is a moral imperative that we have it, then is when we join the fashionable madmen.† She is saying this will be our demise, and she may well be correct. Hitler’s idea that he had â€Å"a moral imperative† to â€Å"purify the Aryan race† serves as a poignant reminder of such a delusion. In 1939 Hitler’s Nazi army invaded Poland and started World War II. World War II came to an end in large part due to the United States dropping two atomic bombs. If the war had continued and escalated to the point of Hitler’s Nazis and the United States dropping more atomic bombs we could have destroyed most, if not all, of humanity, the ultimate act of â€Å"fashionable madmen.† We may believe our behaviors are just and righteous, but Didion’s essay makes us closely examine our motives and morals. She contends that madmen, murders, war criminals and religious icons throughout history have said â€Å"I followed my own conscience.† â€Å"I did what I thought was right.† â€Å"Maybe we have all said it and maybe we have been wrong.† She shows us that our â€Å"moral codes† are often subjective and fallacious, that we rationalize and justify our actions to suit our ulterior motives, and our only true morality is â€Å"our loyalty to those we love.† It is this â€Å"loyalty to those we love† that forms our families, then our cities, our states, our countries and ultimately our global community. Without these â€Å"moral codes,† social order would break down into chaos and anarchy.

An Overview of Neo Colonialism

An Overview of Neo Colonialism What is Neo-colonialism? Discuss with reference to specific examples. Neo-colonialism is the control of less-developed countries by developed countries through indirect means. The term neo-colonialism was first used after World War II to refer to the continuing dependence of former colonies on foreign countries, but its meaning soon broadened to apply, more generally, to places where the power of developed countries was used to produce a colonial -like exploitation-for instance, in Latin America, where direct foreign rule had ended in the early 19th century. (halperin, n.d.) When the Queen of Britain felt that her duty her duty is to extend the model of government and culture to other parts of the world. Hence, she started neo-colonizing while exploited the resources of all such colonies. This happened primarily not with the white colonies. These were usually self-governed colonies with large number of settlers. The main problem makers or rebellions were only brown colonies which were dealt with a divide and rule policy together with a string of home treaties with sociable splinter groups who had their hidden interest involved to gain much from continued British Rule; like the Indian maharajas. Examples of neo-colonialism have been studied in most corners of the world since the end of the Second World War. In fact, its difficult to find a place that scholars do not claim has been subject to cultural imperialism of some sort since 1945. From Egypt to Belize to India to Britain to the United States of Americaall of these countries have observed some sort of influence over their culture from another country (Reid 57; Everitt 42; Altbach 902; Cooper and Cooper 61). This is hardly a surprise; after all, globalization is no secret. Cultural imperialism and hegemony, however, are not concepts that can be described so simply as globalization. Neo-colonialism, the modern colonialism, has emerged as an influential force; used by powerful countries for a variety of reasons, it is continually shaping not only individual cultures, but the global culture. There are two terms that most completely bring out the subtleties of neo-colonialism: cultural imperialism and cultural hegemony. Cultural imperialism is best summarized as the way that certain cultural products have attained a position of dominance in a foreign culture through a process of coercive imposition, usually through their ties to political or economic power (Dunch 302). While imperialism is characteristically determined by military control, this is definitely not the case with cultural imperialism. Cultural imperialism also differs slightly from the idea of cultural hegemony, which is an aspect of Marxist philosophy that calls attention to the promotion of one culture over another with the objective of that the ruling class worldview becomes the norm. This cultural assimilation is particularly useful in that it creates a situation ripe with potential for the economic benefit of the ruling class. By persuading the subordinate group that the profits from agreement outweigh the losses of not working together, the ruling culture is able to maintain their superior status (Schultz 275). It is the intertwin ing and collective definition of these related concepts -cultural imperialism and cultural hegemony that paint the ultimate picture of neo-colonialism and cross-cultural promotion in the interests of one country, often at the expense of another. It exists the power exercising control is often the State which formerly ruled the territory in question, but this is not necessarily so. For example, in the case of South Vietnam the former imperial power was France, but neo-colonial control of the State has now gone to the United States. It is possible that neo-colonial control may be exercised by a consortium of financial interests which are not specifically identifiable with any particular State. The control of the Congo by great international financial concerns is a case in point.The means by which a country may impose an unequal cultural relationship on another are wide ranging, but economics is by far the most common tool used in neo-colonialism (Petra 139). By providing monetary support and forming economic partnerships, the financial institutions, governments, and particularly the multinational corporations of the colonizing power ingratiate themselves to their subjects and integrate them into their own capitalist system. Th ere are two particular concepts that deeper explore this culturally hegemonic relationship. One is another Marxist theory, complimentary to cultural hegemony, which is understood as dependency theory. This theory declares that by the penetration of multinational corporations, economic sanctions, partnerships, and the like, developed countries intentionally foster and enforce a culture within developing countries that is economically dependent on their own. Dependency theory contends that the weaker nation is further impoverished to the benefit of the stronger country due to the subsequent capitalist use of the weaker countrys resources and labour. This practice continues because of the strong hegemony of the colonizing power. A concept that is similar, yet more functionalist than dependency theory is the world systems theory. This theory says that the world is divided into segments of a powerful core, a moderate semi-periphery, and weak periphery nations. The three categories of nat ions each engage in neo-colonialism with varying degrees of success on the other two kinds of nations. Essentially, world systems theory explains how the core can dominate and take control of the resources and labour supplied by the periphery for a profit. Just as in dependency theory, the core benefits because of these mechanics. Dissimilar to dependency theory, however, the peripherys marginal benefits are acknowledged since they are provided with some economic gain. World systems theory can definitely be extended to the broader methods of neo-colonialism if we think of the cultures of the core and periphery in the same way we would otherwise think of their economies. In the present era, we can also look to two key case studies of neo-colonialism: Sino-African relations and The United States of America as an economic power. To this day, more than one million Chinese are African residents, and Chinese investment in Africa exceeds 40 billion dollars. They have spread their money and culture throughout the continent, and are now trading in excess of 166 billion dollars per year with Africa; securing 50 billion in minerals. Africa receives goods in return, and most of these goods support further resource extraction and industrial development. While this relationship was once seen as quite exploitive, views are changing as China fosters goodwill in these nations with more equitable agreements (Africa and China). Similar Chinese examples of economic neo-colonialism have been identified all over the world, from Canada to Ecuador (Kay; Scheneyer and Perez). The United States of America is another core country that is heavily invested in neo-colonial pursuits. One of the most astute concepts that illustrates the worldwide flow of American culture by mostly economic means is called Coca-Colonization. This concept calls attention to Coca-Colas global pervasiveness as a symbol for the Americanization of nearly every corner of the earth (Kuisel 98). Through huge multinational corporations such as Coca-Cola, American values and culture have been strongly infused all over the world. As one of the most influential countries in the world, there are certainly many other tools that America uses to engage in neo-colonialism, (including many of the ones already mentioned), but economics and multi-national corporations are by far the most commonly referenced (Petras 2070). These historical examples, and others like them, provide a solid basis for examining the exact motivations that nations might have for their neo-colonial pursuits. This is because they show how core countries have benefitted from the cultural assimilation of the periphery, and identifying these benefits then exposes their motivations. Indeed, there are inherent economic benefits for powerful nations to realize as a result of their cultural imperialism: core countries can expand their business to the nations theyve culturally assimilated and also make use of the low-cost resources and labour that they are able to obtain from the periphery. Often times, the subordinate culture becomes dependent (as described by dependency theory) on these foreign operations within their own borders; they rely on outside multinationals for jobs and goods. Because of this dependency, the core is able to set low wages and prices for raw goods and operate at a high profit. As such, these practices pay off financially for the multinational corporations and (by the extension of taxes) the governments of the colonizing power. It can be concluded that the substantial fin ancial gain to be had as a result of neo-colonialism is definitely a motivating factor. While financial profit is one of the most straightforward ways that a nation can benefit from neo-colonialism, there are more motivations that might cause a country to engage in these pursuits. One of these is national security. Just as in the Cold War, nations have an interest in fostering goodwill and dependence in other parts of the world; creating allies and dependent states that would not go to war against them, or support them in the event of the war. Another motivating factor is to acquire resources. As the worlds population multiplies, valuable resources are being stretched thin. Growing countries such as China and India need to secure access to fuel and food to provide for their citizens, and neo-colonialism has been shown to allow them the influence to negotiate access to these resources. Diplomatic power also seems to be a reason to engage in neo-colonialism; countries that have similar cultures are likely to agree and vote identically on international issues. Even if they dont agree, countries that are dependent on another nation may feel obligated to act in the wishes of their neo-colonizer, as a derogatively titled puppet state. The new face of colonialism has shown itself in a wide variety of places around the world, and we can see that countries have benefited in various ways; exposing their motivations. It is also important to look at future implications should these activities continue. Cultural homogenization (most commonly referred to as globalization) is perhaps the most powerful force affecting the global landscape today. For instance, estimates include a ninety percent reduction in the number of languages spoken around the world by the year 2100 while others clearly show that the number of speakers will be highly concentrated in a handful of languages by this time (Ryan; Graddol 27). Global trends such as these are directly related to the practice of neo-colonialism. While the future prevalence of some languages is due to rising populations, it is no surprise that the languages at the top of these lists also have homelands that are known for engaging in neo-colonialism in the past and present. So, while the term globalization seems to indicate that the result is a diverse global culture, the reality is that this ongoing homogenization of ethos is more composed of the cultures that are most aggressive in neo-colonial pursuits. The core nations culturally imperialistic practices reduce the influence of other cultures and strengthen the influence of their own, indeed leading to a global culture that is more comprised of the core than the periphery. If neo-colonialism continues to be practiced, then the current situation of nations can be expected to expand. Many will be quick to point out that the periphery nations benefit in the same way as the core; that they would be a lot worse off should they limit their relationship with the core, and that their loss of culture is not all that significant (Bowen 179). Still more point out that these benefits are marginal, and require that the periphery countries submit to the exploitive objectives of the core pointing primarily to the issue of human rights, they contend that the wages received and benefits incurred (cultural or otherwise) are not nearly enough to compensate for the capitulated resources, labour, autonomy and culture; especially when considering the relative profits of the core (Koshy 26). Most agree that relatively small cultures will eventually be washed out by the cultures of the most powerful nations; that human rights issues must continue to be questioned. If neo-colonialism continues to perpetuate itself in this way, there is little hope that conditions will change for these nationsthe core will remain at the core, and the periphery and semi-periphery will struggle to flourish. This school of thought is quite large, and has given most of the terms already discussed an overwhelmingly negative connotation. However, as already mentioned in the case of Sino-African relations, the core is beginning to realize their own dependency on the periphery which is slowly improving these human rights conditionsthough the general cultural assimilation remains. The modern colonialism benefits countries that spread their culture throughout the world. The tools employed by those countries to this end are varied, ranging from economics to education. As beneficiaries of the financial, military, diplomatic, and resource stability that comes from having nations culturally assimilated to them, there seems to be no reason for powerful core nations to cease in their neo-colonial activities. Illustrated by concepts such as dependency theory, world systems theory, and Coca-Colonization, the forces of cultural imperialism and cultural hegemony are contributing to the globalized world in a way that favours the most powerful of nationsfor better or for worse.

Mother Courage and her Children Essay -- Bertolt Brecht Plays Tragedie

Mother Courage and her Children "Mother Courage and her Children", by Bertolt Brecht, is a play which can be seen from varying perspectives. Some consider it to be a comment on the socio-economic aspects of war, others as a criticism of bourgeois capitalism intended to encourage change in modern society. The somewhat tragic events of the play enable critics to consider it a "tragedy", but one which, to some extent, diverges from the Aristotelian definition. Aristotle believed that tragedy must revolve around a central character: the "tragic hero", on whom the plot focuses and who exhibits certain characteristics, which leads to his, though in this particular case, her, downfall. The role of such a figure is pivotal to the presentation of a play as a tragedy; yet it remains largely unclear with which character within the play this identity lies: Mother Courage herself, or her daughter, Kattrin. Perhaps the most obvious potential tragic figure is the lead character within the play: Mother Courage. She demonstrates an ability to survive, through which the audience recognizes her strength of character and instinct of self-preservation. This links closely with her sense of capitalism, which she prioritizes over alternative, more virtuous qualities presented within the play, such as Swiss Cheese's honesty and Kattrin's selflessness. Mother Courage's rigid capitalist stance can be interpreted as her "tragic flaw", or "hamartia", the term Aristotle uses to describe the mistake leading to the protagonist's downfall. It is a flaw that Mother Courage consistently exhibits and a mistake which occurs thrice in the deaths of her children, as she is absent conducting business on all three occasions. However, despite her apparent detachment towards her children, it is evident that Mother Courage harbours genuine concern for the well-being of her children: in a discussion with Cook over fu ture prospects, she states, "all I'm after is (to) get meself and children through all this with my cart". In the juxtaposition created by the reluctant combination of the roles of the mother and the tradeswoman, it is perhaps foremost a tragic contradiction within Mother Courage's character, rather than her role as a tragic heroine, that is emphasized. Alternatively, this contrast could be interpreted as an indication that Mother Courage is morally "neither all good nor all bad"... ...her tragic flaw. There is a clear obstacle in Kattrin's position as a tragic heroine in that she is not the central character, making it difficult to envisage her as the true tragic heroine of the play. However, she could not realistically carry the lead role in such a play due to her muteness, as it would hinder characterization and plot development. Nevertheless, Kattrin is on stage for a considerable proportion of the play, suggesting that although she may not hold the most prominent position, she acts as a closely connected tragic antithesis to the lead role, Mother Courage. In conclusion, it could be argued that either of these two women in "Mother Courage and her Children" could be described loosely as a tragic heroine, but I believe that Kattrin displays the heroism and virtue that are required to be considered worthy of this title: Mother Courage is absorbed in a society where the possession of heroic qualities is not only impossible, but irrelevant. The combination of tragic circumstances with Brecht's "Verfremdung" technique prevents tragedy from overpowering other aspects of the play, which accounts for the difficulty in identifying a true Aristotelian tragic hero.

The Moon Hoax Essay -- Publicity Stunt Media

The "Moon Hoax" has been around since 1835, when the New York Sun printed an article about this whole ordeal. The New York Sun used and credited Sir John Herschel, who was a British Astronomer. Herschel claimed that he had tried out a new type of telescope on the Cape of Good Hope in January of 1834. While in Cape Town, he said he'd set up an Observatory. Using this, he claimed to have observed what he thought of as the "Real" Moon. He claimed to have seen vegetation, bodies of water, and living creatures. He also said he had seen "Bat People" who were described as being furry winged men. This took the People at a shock, and the "Evidence" and science astounded them. So many began to believe this is true. Today, there is still talk of this "Moon Hoax". There are many things that one can say doesn't make sense about the whole idea of landing on the moon. Most astronauts that have landed on the moon have brought back samples of a type of Lunar rock. According to Dr. Sten Odenwald, we have accumulated at least 841.6 pounds of moon rock.. ?Moon Hoax? Believers say that this Moon Rock could be any thing, and that if you take an unfamiliar type of rock, and call it a Moon Rock, people are going to believe it. There is one major problem with this theory. ?Dr. David McKay of NASA's Johnson Space Center says that faking a Moon rock to fool scientists around the world would be next to impossible. ?It would be far easier to just go to the Moon and get one!? he says.? (2) Moon Rocks have been tested, and tested, and tested. Each time scientists have found many different minerals in Moon Rocks that aren?t in Earth rocks. Earth rocks contain many clay minerals, which is exactly what Moon Rocks don?t have, clay minerals. In the... ....astronomycafe.net/qadir/q1019.html. This site is a good source because it?s a recollection of common known data. 4. Percy, David, and Mary Bennett. "The Faked Apollo Landings." 15 Oct. 2007 http://www.ufos-aliens.co.uk/cosmicapollo.html. This site is not a good source because it uses doctored and biased pictures and arguments to prove its points. 5. Phillips, Dr. Tony. "The Great Moon Hoax." Science@ Nasa. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. 15 Oct. 2007 http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast23feb_2.htm. This is a good source because it was written my a team of space and engineering specialists. 6. "The Moon:3 Exploring the Moon." The Worlds of David Darling. 15 Oct. 2007 http://www.daviddarling.info/childrens_encyclopedia/Moon_Chapter3.html This site is a good source because it?s information can be backed up with other good sources.

The Chemistry of Natural Waters Essay -- Science Papers

Defined in Chemtrek as â€Å"The presence of the dissolved divalent cations Ca2+ and Mg2+. . . (which) gives natural waters chemical properties†, hard water has always been a curse to both animals and man 1 . It promotes scale, the buildup of magnesium and calcium to the point where a rock-like substance forms in household and industrial pipes, disrupts natural habitats and reproductive cycles of fresh water fish, and causes many health-related problems in humans 2 . To avoid such problems, it is important to understand ways that commercial businesses and homeowners can test for hard water. This experiment examines two possible methods of testing water hardness. They include: AA spectroscopy, which measures a water sample's absorption of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ , and EDTA titration, which uses a titration's end-point to determine the concentration of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ present in a water source 1 . It is also important to learn about water softening, a process that removes calc ium and magnesium from water sources 3 . For this experiment, I explored water softening techniques such as divalent cation removal ion exchange and water softening with a commercial water-conditioning agent 4 . My group decided to test AA spectroscopy, EDTA titration, and water softening techniques on four natural water samples from Little Chickies Creek in Mount Joy,PA; Allegheny River in Warren, PA; Stone Valley Lake in State College, PA; and a pond on Orr Avenue in Apollo, PA because it is imperative to know about the quality of Pennsylvania's waterways. My hypothesis stated that the water from Little Chickies Creek would be the hardest because it is located by several limestone quarries, which deposit calcium and magnesium into creeks and streams 5 ... ... Prentice Hall, 2003. 5 McClintok , Michael. â€Å"A Hard Look at Soft Water.† The Washington Post 28 August 2003 : H.02. 6 â€Å"Threats to Western Pennsylvania Waterways.† Creek Connections . 13 October 2003 . 7 Van der Leeden , Frits; Troise , Fred L.; Todd, David K. The Water Encyclopedia . 2nd ed . New York : Lewis Publishers, 1990. 8 Krogman, Nick. Chemistry 14- AA Spectroscopy Calibration Data Charts. 9 Anderson , Troy . Chemistry 14-Lab Notebook, Experiment 10. p. 54-59. 10 Angiulli , Alayna . Chemistry 14-Lab Notebook, Experiment 10. p. 41-45. 11 Toms, Jarrett. Chemistry 14-Lab Notebook, Experiment 10. p. 49-54. 12 Robb, Gordon A. and James D.F. Robinson . â€Å"Acid Drainage from Mines.† The Geographical Journal March 1995: 47.

Why I Dance

Ever since I was a little girl dance has always been in my life. I can still remember as a three year old putting on my favorite pink sparkly costume on, and applying bright red-hot lipstick all over my chirpy face. I would put glitter all over my face and run around the house twirling. I felt like I was a princess whenever I danced, but sometimes I think I got so into my own fantasy, that I got so dizzy I knocked myself into the wall. And the wall wasn’t the only thing I got myself knocked into, I got myself into chairs, tables and even a lamp!Usually I would just cry for a couple minutes and my mother would comfort me but then I’d get right back on my feet and start twirling. But once I knocked into my mother’s lamp, I think that was the last straw she finally said to me, â€Å"Honey, if I put you in a dance class will you PROMISE me you wont dance in the house again? † and that’s how it all began†¦ Now 10 years later I still keep dancing. Da ncing is not so much as a choice to me as a need. When one is thirsty, one drinks water.When I hear music, my body naturally starts moving because this is what I need to do to stay alive. Dance is and will always be my passion. People tend to ask me why I love dance so much, but words can’t explain, you have to be a dancer to completely understand the love of this art. Maybe it’s the control of the dancers body to execute each move flawlessly that enraptures me? Or it could be the look on the dancers’ face that that says they love what they’re doing? Either way I love to dance. It brings such joy to so many people, both the dancer and the people watching.Some people may disagree and say, â€Å"Dance is not a sport! † But I say it is. Sports require pushing your body physical body to reach its maximum performance level. Some people consider throwing a ball and tackling a sport. But in my mind that is not a sport. Dance is a sport. Dance requires gra ce and elegance. Dance requires you to feel the music, and let the music seep into you. To dance you have to take all your emotions out and mix them with your body and muscles and you get a beautiful aroma of dance.Dance requires pushing your bodies to the ultimate limit, to dance you have to stretch daily and get as flexible as you can be. Dance requires patience and practice. In dance you may not get a new move right away, so you have to be patient with yourself and keep practicing and practicing till you finally get the move. So when you combine all these elements passion, practice, patience, flexibility and emotion you get something beautiful, you get dance. In a way dance is like life. Whenever I’m learning a new move I always find myself landing on the ground head flat hard.I yelp in pain from the sore in my thigh, but I just get right back on my feet for more. In life you always find yourself facing new challenges. But if you run into a new challenge you just need to g et right up back on your feet, live your life, and face the challenges. The shiny lemon-scented smooth wood bar tightly screwed onto the wall is like my friends and family. The ballet bar is like my family because when I’m going through tough things in life my friends and family are always there to comfort and help me through the problem.Well the ballet bar is like that to because when I dance or use the bar to stretch and I feel I a little off balance I just grip the bar. So the bar is like my family and friends because it gives me the support I need when I dance. I remember the day I bought my first pair of Pointe shoes. They were so perfectly wrapped and pretty. They were a beautiful shade of light pink leather and smelled like a new car. They were as soft as velvet and just absolutely perfect. In Ballet each time I master a new step, its like life, my ballet shoes represent new beginnings.When I graduate college, that will be a new beginning, and when I am older and get m arried, that will be a new beginning. All throughout life, we begin new things whether there good or bad we just have to keep living our lives and enjoy it because we only have one. Now ten years later from twirling around my house and knocking into walls, and lamps I think about how much I’ve grown as a dancer and a person. Dance has helped me in a lot of areas; I am very athletic, strong, and have high self-esteem.I am encouraged now more than ever to try my best in class, at competitions, and in life in general. So in conclusion, dance is a perfect example of everything I want to be when I’m older: Strong, beautiful, smart and hopeful. I know I’m not completely those things now, but I can strive to become them, as I get older. I love dance, and I hope to dance for the rest of my life, and when I’m 60 years old I’ll still be able to do my splits. And that’s why Dance is and will always be my passion.

Obstacles Older Adults Nutritional Food Health And Social Care Essay

As concluded by a reappraisal of the literature, the subject of hungriness and older grownups is drastically understudied. However, hungriness is an issue impacting the older grownup Afro-american population peculiarly in hapless, developing metropoliss such as Chester, Pennsylvania. The intent of this survey is to look into the barriers to nutrient security among the aged life in this country and farther heighten the current research ; the focal point will be on deficiency of mobility, socioeconomic position, and deficiency of cognition on proper nutrition and where to entree equal nutrient. The information will be gathered by a subjective question/answer study entitled Household Food Insecurity Access Scale ( HFIAS ) . This study will be distributed to Afro-american grownups 65 and older life in the Chester, PA country. The informations acquired from this survey will ease the execution of future plans in order to give older grownups in the Chester, PA country equal entree to nutrit ionary nutrient. The troubles of turning old frequently make one think of an addition in furrows, trouble with mobility, finance problems, worsening wellness, and loss of sight. However, a common happening non thought of when discoursing the predicaments of an older individual is hunger stabs ; the aged often experience a deficiency of equal nutrition, trouble affording repasts, jobs with mobility impacting trips to a food market shop, and a figure of other factors impacting their entree to nutritionary nutrient. The combination of these factors make it highly hard for aged grownups, particularly those populating in ignored metropoliss like Chester, Pennsylvania, to achieve equal nutrient and nutrition in order to pull off a healthy life style. To do affairs more hard, the aged are frequently excessively proud to inquire for aid when it comes to any of the battles they face as a member of the older population, doing an inauspicious consequence on their wellness, wellbeing, and quality of life. The Current State of the Problem The continuity of hungriness in a development, hardworking state like the U.S. is â€Å" the most profound contradiction of our age † ( Cohen & A ; Reeves, 2005 ) . About 800 million in the underdeveloped universe, about 20 per centum of the entire population, are inveterate malnourished ( Cohen & A ; Reeves, 2005 ) . Research has besides shown that at least 2 billion people suffer from vitamin and mineral lacks ( Cohen & A ; Reeves, 2005 ) . The aged are a population enormously at hazard for this terrorization world. As the baby-boomer population is coming of age, there is a important rise in the Numberss of aged people in society ( Metz, 2000 ) . Research shows that people 65 and older represent 37 million people in the U.S. , about 12 per centum of the population at big. With such a representative per centum of Americans in this class, the troubles impacting their quality of life are of important importance. Quality of life in old age can frequently be affected by mobility, finance problems, unequal nutrition, sick wellness, and other troubles, although the relationship is non clear ( Metz, 2000 ) . Literature Review Discussions of the older population normally focuses on the disablements that diminish older grownups ‘ capableness to â€Å" obtain nutrient and and/or prepare repasts † ( Roe, 1990 ) . In a survey of hungriness and the aged, Schlenker ( 1984 ) â€Å" concluded that deficiency of entree to cooking installations may explicate their reported hungriness † ( Roe, 1990 ) . Poverty has besides been identified as a finding factor of diet insufficiencies in the aged ( Roe, 1990 ) . Posner ( 1979 ) â€Å" emphasized that those aged with really low incomes non merely hold less money to pass on nutrient, but they besides may hold more disablements that diminish nutrient entree than less destitute elderly, who have better wellness attention † ( Roe, 1990 ) . These factors have all been identified as critical determiners of hungriness and unequal entree to nutrient, yet no old surveies have determined which factors have a conjoining consequence, a more terrible impact, and how to repair these issues. The day of the months of these surveies, all before 1990 besides necessitate the demand for a more recent survey ; â€Å" Governments and international and national bureaus implementing nutrient and nutrition plans need information on the population ‘s nutrient insecurity to inform determination devising, proctor alteration and measure impact † ( FANTA, 2008 ) . The construct of mobility can hold an impact on many other countries of life, such as it does on adequate entree to nutrition. A research survey to achieve more information in this country is necessitated peculiarly because by look intoing the loss of mobility with increasing age and the impact this has on accessing equal nutrition could heighten the quality of life for an older individual ( Metz, 2000 ) . Adequate nutrition and wellbeing are of import facets of remaining healthy, yet can go progressively hard with old age ; by researching the barriers forestalling good wellness and nutrition in old age, such as mobility, societal workers and research workers will break measure the demands of the aged population and how to supply good services. Socioeconomic factors may besides foretell hungriness and subsequent ailment wellness ( Biros, Hoffman, & A ; Resch, 2008 ) . Surveies have shown and estimated household income to be a factor forestalling persons from accessing equal nutrition ( Olson, 1999 ) . It is to no surprise that those with a lower income experience hungriness at a higher degree ; this is due to the fact they can non afford proper nutritionary nutrient and settle for fast nutrient eating houses or frozen processed nutrient. The aged population is no different. As stated above, this has an highly negative consequence on their wellness, every bit good as their emotional and mental wellbeing. The emphasis that can ensue due to the concerns and concerns an person of hapless socioeconomic position faces are a hapless influence on their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing ( Biros, Hoffman, & A ; Resch, 2008 ) . A combination of these factors, every bit good as the deficiency of equal nutrition, can hold a long permanent negative impact on the wellness of an aged individual. Although money is a major cause of nutrient insecurity, seniors sometimes â€Å" have adequate money for nutrient but are non able to entree nutrient because of transit or functional restrictions, or are non able to decently utilize nutrient because of functional damages and wellness jobs † ( Wolfe, Frongillo & A ; Valois, 2010 ) . Although frequently hungriness in the U.S. is linked to poverty as a status reflecting unequal resources, it can besides be linked to miss of cognition about said resources. In a survey by Carlson, Andrews, and Bickel ( 1999 ) , an estimated 11.9 % of U.S. families ( 35 million people ) were nutrient insecure. Among these, 4.1 % of families ( with 6.9 million grownups ) â€Å" showed a repeating form of hungriness due to unequal resources for one or more of their grownup aˆÂ ¦ sometime during the period † ( Carlson, Andrews, & A ; Bickel, 1999 ) . Many older grownups remain uninformed about the utile beginnings that can assist them discontinue their hungriness, and are hence uneducated about ways to achieve equal alimentary nutrient. Other effects of hapless nutritionary position include wellness, â€Å" in the broadest sense of [ the word ] including societal and mental wellbeing every bit good as physical wellness and overall quality of life † ( Olson, 1999, p. 521 ) . Hunger is associated with chronic hapless wellness and may coerce the aged to do picks that acutely impact their physical wellness and wellbeing ( Biros, Hoffman, & A ; Resch, 2008 ) . It is of import in societal work research to acknowledge how nutrient insecurity can impact wellness and overall quality of life either straight or indirectly through nutritionary position particularly in old age. The wellness effects of nutrient insecurity among the aged population comprise a potentially rich country for future, socially relevant research in the Fieldss of nutritionary scientific disciplines and geriatrics. The scaring hazard of hungriness can be associated with â€Å" compromised psychosocial operation † and other refering emotional provinces ( Olson, 1999 ) ; these are factors of immense concern for persons stand foring at least 12 per centum of our state ‘s population. This survey will find the prevalence of hungriness, the barriers forestalling this sensed hungriness, and its sensed wellness effects among the aged. As concluded by a reappraisal of the literature, and antecedently stated, the relationship between hungriness and older grownups is comparatively understudied. However, as illustrated, hunger is an issue impacting the older grownup population. Similarly, the aforesaid factors are issues blighting the lives of older grownups that can do it even more hard to stay healthy and eat alimentary nutrients. It is necessary to look into more on this subject by planing a survey to farther heighten the current research in this country in order to assist the older, hungry population. The intent of this survey is to place what obstructions, if any, are forestalling older Afro-american grownups in the Chester, PA country from accomplishing equal nutritionary nutrient. This peculiar survey will concentrate on deficiency of mobility, socioeconomic position, and the absence of cognition on nutritionary beginnings of nutrient. The research inquiries will be: Are there barriers forestalling older Africa n American grownups from accessing equal nutrition? Make these barriers include small to no mobility, finance problems, and deficiency of cognition? What can we as research workers to make arrest and prevent this job for the hereafter? With the informations collected from the study, plans will be implemented to ease the distribution of nutritionary nutrient within the country in an attempt to discontinue the bing job of hungriness in the older grownup population. In a similar attempt, participants will have a press release on where to travel to acquire nutrient, consciousness on proper nutrition, and how to manage their fundss in order to properly supply for their households appetites. The Demographics Although much of the research and information stated therefore far reflects the older population at a wide degree, the African American older grownups populating in Chester, Pennsylvania are no different, and may in fact experience all of these negative factors at a much higher degree. People 65 and older represent 11.8 per centum of the population in Chester, PA and 15.6 per centum of the Pennsylvania population at big harmonizing to the 2008 US Census ( US Census ) . Furthermore, the lives of these older grownups are made more hard as Chester, Pennsylvania is a instead developing and unfortunate, neglected community. The average family income in this country is $ 33,365, which is significantly less than the mean Pennsylvania household income of $ 50,713 ( City-Data, 2008 ) . Residents with income below the poorness degree in 2008 was at an dismaying 27.2 per centum while the remainder of the province is at a much more stable per centum of 11 per centum ( City-Data, 2008 ) . The pop ulation in Chester, PA has 16.7 per centum of persons unemployed, a per centum much above province norm ( City-Data, 2008 ) . Similarly, the African American population per centum is significantly higher than province norm at 74.6 per centum ( City-Data, 2008 ) . In footings of nutrient environment statistics, the metropolis does non hold a food market shop within its metropolis bounds coercing occupants to go forth Chester to make their nutrient shopping. Furthermore, Chester is # 84 on the list of â€Å" Top 100 least-safe metropoliss in the U.S. † ( City-Data, 2008 ) . The combination of these unwanted statistics paints a graphic image of the neglected community that is Chester, PA. As if older grownups do non hold adequate jobs impacting their entree to adequate nutrition, it is clear to see that the African American older grownup population in Chester, PA has significantly more factors blighting their wellness and nutrition. In a survey by Wolfe, Frongillo, and Valois ( 2010 ) , Afro-american seniors are one population in peculiar that suffers from nutrient insecurity. Many urban elder African Americans rely on borrowing money from friends, â€Å" purchasing nutrient on recognition from local grocers, trusting on aid from close friends or household who were non ever able to supply the aid needed or making without. † With the bulk of the Chester, PA population in this class, an outstanding 74.6 per centum ( City-Data, 2008 ) , the senior Afro-american grownups who suffer from hungriness in this country demand help achieving satiating, alimentary nutrient. It is clip to acknowledge that adult females and kids are non the lone persons enduring from hungriness and malnutrition ; seniors are besides a group of greatest concern ( Wellman, Weddle, Kranz, & A ; Brain, 1997 ) . The high degree of malnutrition among America ‘s older grownup is non merely unacceptable, but it is preventable ( Wellman et.al. , 1997 ) . It is necessary to increase public consciousness of the issue of hungriness and older grownups through this research survey in order to help older individuals in accessing equal nutrition. On a similar note, the fact that many of the surveies aforementioned in this literature reappraisal are dated by more than 5 old ages warrants a demand for this research survey. The intent of this survey is to look into the barriers to nutrient security among the aged life in this country and farther heighten the current research ; the focal point will be on deficiency of mobility, socioeconomic position, and deficiency of cognition on pro per nutrition and where to entree equal nutrient. RESEARCH QUESTION What are the possible obstructions forestalling older grownups in the Chester country from having equal nutrient and nutrition? MEDTHODOLOGY Sampling & A ; Recruitment Procedures The population in this research survey includes Afro-american older grownups age 65 and older residing in Chester, PA, non in a nursing place or other healthcare installation. The names of the persons will be acquired from the Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging ( COSA ) . The sample will include both males and females in parts reflecting the current population ‘s per centums since the sample is critical to external cogency ; the findings can so be generalized to the larger mark population. The choice procedure will be done indiscriminately ; the topics in the survey will be chosen at random from the population. Every 3rd individual ‘s name on the list of older Afro-american grownups in Delaware County from COSA will be selected to finish the study. The participants will finish a consent missive that assures they understand their namelessness and confidentiality will be ensured. Study Design This is an exploratory survey which will specify the obstructions forestalling older grownups in the Chester country from having equal nutrient and nutrition. The information will be obtained from a assorted method cross-sectional attack. The participants will first finish a self-report study, followed by a more prodding interview in order to derive more cognition on this subject. The study is the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale ( HFIAS ) for Measurement of Food Access is obtained from the United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ) . Measurement/Instrumentation For the intent of this survey, hungriness will be defined as holding â€Å" limited or unsure handiness of nutritionally equal and safe nutrients or limited or unsure ability to get acceptable nutrients in socially acceptable ways † ( Anderson, 1990, p. 1598 ) . Lack of mobility will include troubles traveling because of hapless articulations, arthritis, and other age-related troubles, every bit good as deficiency of a auto, or any other agencies of transit to the food market shop. Low fiscal position will be defined as the inability to decently supply alimentary nutrient, along with other necessities, for oneself and others in the place. The nutrient security study, Household Food Insecurity Access Scale ( HFIAS ) for Measurement of Food Access, will inquire each participant to self-report about their experiences and behaviours that indicate nutrient insecurity, â€Å" such as being unable, at times, to afford balanced repasts, cutting the size of repasts because of excessively small money for nutrient, or being hungry because of excessively small money for nutrient † ( Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project, FANTA, 2008 ) . The HFIAS â€Å" is based on the 18-question U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module ( US HFSSM ) , which asks respondents to depict behaviours and attitudes that relate to the â€Å" spheres † , of the nutrient insecurity experience † ( FANTA, 2008 ) . These spheres include: â€Å" 1 ) anxiousness and uncertainness about the family nutrient supple, 2 ) insufficient quality ( includes assortment and penchants of the type of nutrient ) , and 3 ) insufficient nutri ent consumption and its physical effects † ( FANTA, 2008 ) . The inquiries are designed to be added to a standard baseline and concluding rating study. The consequences from old surveies empirical analyses showed the bulk of the graduated tables to hold good internal cogency for their informations sets. Similarly, the â€Å" external proof consequences were consistent with our analysis outlooks, but as a following measure we recommend that farther research be carried out to prove the external cogency of the index against extra indexs of nutrient insecurity and expected results of nutrient insecurity. The cogency was tested by proving the â€Å" internal, cross-cultural and external cogency of the HFIAS utilizing empirical informations collected by authoritiess, international and national bureaus in a assortment of states and operational contexts † ( FANTA, 2008 ) . Data Collection Procedures The study will be sent out, with anterior warning via a telephone call, to the person ‘s house and if non completed within 30 yearss, will be followed up with another telephone call. The nutrient security position of the person will be assigned based on the figure of food-insecure conditions reported in each of the spheres included. A high mark of nutrient insecurity on this trial will justify an aid plan from the province or local authorities. Other informations will be collected by detecting lodging conditions when with the participant for the in the flesh interview station study. Restriction There are a few possible failings and restrictions of this survey. First, the step of a self-report study is merely every bit accurate as the participant allows it to be ; self-report steps make it easy to be unfaithful when replying inquiries on one ‘s wonts and behaviours and this fact needs to be taken into consideration when analysing the consequences of this survey. In a similar manner, the aged is a population plagued with memory loss. The participants in this survey may non remember the information questioned precisely as it happened or describe the information right because of memory loss. The aged population besides experiences feelings of shame and embarrassment when describing they can non supply for themselves making the same consequence as the following two issues-inaccurate coverage. Significance OF THE STUDY As stated in the literature reappraisal, much of the bing research is really much so out-of-date. In an attempt to spread out upon the research and concentrate more on smaller populations whose hungriness is a concern, this survey will concentrate chiefly on the Afro-american older grownup population of Chester, PA. The survey is important because, as stated before, â€Å" authoritiess and international and national bureaus implementing nutrient and nutrition plans need information on the population ‘s nutrient insecurity to inform determination devising, proctor alteration and measure impact † ( FANTA, 2008 ) . The deductions of these findings will help the older African American grownups in this country in achieving equal nutrition which will increase their quality of life and healthy wellbeing. The consequences of these findings will better the wellbeing of the current societal work patterns in this country by get downing groups, a societal service plan and other sign ifiers of societal work in general. Mentions Biros, M. H. , Hoffman, P. L. , & A ; Resch, K. ( 2008 ) . The Prevalence and Perceived Health Consequences of Hunger in Emergency Department Patient Populations. Official Journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, 12 ( 4 ) , 310-317. Carlson, S. J. , Andrews, M. S. , & A ; Bickel, G. W. ( 1999 ) . Measuring Food Insecurity and Hunger in the United States: Development. The Journal of Nutrition, 99, 510-516. Chester, Pennsylvania ( PA 19013, 19016 ) profile: population, maps, existent estate, norms, places, statistics, resettlement, travel, occupations, infirmaries, schools, offense, traveling, houses, sex wrongdoers, intelligence, sex wrongdoers. ( n.d. ) . Stats about all US metropoliss – existent estate, resettlement info, house monetary values, place value calculator, recent gross revenues, cost of life, offense, race, income, exposure, instruction, maps, conditions, houses, schools, vicinities, and more. Retrieved December 15, 2010, from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.city-data.com/city/Chester-Pennsylvania.html Cohen, M. J. , & A ; Reeves, D. ( 2005 ) . Causes of Hunger. International Food Policy Research Institute, 19, 1-5. FANTA Publications on New Approaches for Measuring Household Food Insecurity and Poverty: Adaptation of the US Household Food Security Scale to Developing Country Contexts 2004. ( n.d. ) . Welcome to FANTA-2 ( Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance II Project ) . Retrieved December 10, 2010, from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.fantaproject.org/publications/hfias.shtml Kendall, A. , Olson, C. , & A ; Frongillo, E. ( 1996 ) . Relationship of Hunger and Food Insecurity to Food Availability and Consumption. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 96 ( 10 ) , 1019-1024. Metz, D. ( 2000 ) . Mobility of older people and their quality of life. Conveyance Policy, 7 ( 2 ) , 149-152. Olson, C. M. ( 1999 ) . Nutrition and Health Outcomes Associated with Food Insecurity. The Journal of Nutrition, 129 ( 2 ) , 521-524. Posner, B. M. ( 1979 ) . Nutrition and the aged. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books. Roe, D. A. , & A ; Schlenker, E. ( 1984 ) . Food Choices of the Elderly. Drugs and nutrition in the geriatric patient ( pp. 27-46 ) . New York: Churchill Livingstone. Roe, D. A. ( 1990 ) . In-Home Nutritional Assessment of Inner-City Elderly1- . Journal of Nutrition, 90, 1538-1543. Wellman, N. S. , Weddle, D. O. , Kranz, S. , & A ; Brain, C. T. ( 1997 ) . Elder insecurities: Poverty, hungriness, and malnutrition. American Dietetic Association. Journal of the American Dietetic Association ; , 97 ( 10 ) , 120-122.