A Gentlemen's Agreement - Assignment Example

College: GENTLEMANS AGREEMENTS Thesis: Amongst the Dutch, a gentlemens agreement may be enforceable by law. A gentlemans agreement is one that should not be administrated by law yet should bind two or more people in an honorable manner. Essentially the two or more parties do make a pledge that they will honor a matter or issue at interest. (Grosheide 1). An example of a gentlemans agreement is a private debt that one advances to another party. Thus when a gentleman gives a writ promise that they will pay back a debt as an honor, this would ordinarily fall short of a legal binding and be categorized as payment of honor. (London & Maxwell 1254) This failure to pay is a failure of natural obligation. This must therefore be honored and may be enforceable under certain civil law that will probe the obligation from a willingness point of view. Thereafter if the debtor does not still honor then the wider law can be applied and full justice will be administered. The civil law in this case will deeply probe the debtor’s good faith that is applicable to contract law with the view to declare the debtor as being either honest or at least honorable or otherwise in both cases. (Grosheide 2). The second example of a gentlemans agreement was experienced in Europe during the time of war or just before war. The pastoral would agree to share some pasture for their cattle until such a time the normalcy had returned. This was in full knowledge that land was a sensitive issue and whoever lost it would also lose honor in the society. (Grosheide 1) This all means that honor has a central place in the law of many countries such as the Dutch and the English. Its role is both pivotal in the protection of interest that may also have legal backing. But surprisingly honor does not form a legal obligation on its own and thus has been the dynamism that is facing such agreements today. The morality gets the center stage in such agreements until when the debtor or one party fails to meet their side of the agreement. (Grosheide 2) The place for gentlemans agreements has been very active today as a supplement and substitute for contract law. In this case they soften the stance for legal implications and agree to amicably square out any disagreements from dishonor. This is therefore a bridge to relationship sanctions with the worst case being the ability to frustrate such person socially and business wise. (Grosheide 23). Honor will traditionally come from a certain field or trade. This means that the meaning of honor will vary across fields. Even the governments have got their own standards of deciding on dishonorable behavior due to variations in culture. The mere move to verbally declare party’s intentions not bind themselves legally does not belittle the law by any means. The law will haunt particularly if contracts are involved and deals go sour. (Grosheide 23). Thus if such a case ever picked up, the law will be applied on two fronts. From the general force, the intentions will be probed and adjudged. Even if the law allows parties to make agreements outside law, the court can still intervene in contracts substantially because parties’ agreements are protected by law consequentially. (Grosheide 23) Specifically, this therefore means that if agreements are not done they are not enforceable legally. But in aggregate, the court has the discretion of treating parties’ mere agreement as a contract especially if it is likely carry with it other added legal tags such as tort. (Grosheide 24) STEREOTYPES AND CAUSES TO THE MEDIA Thesis: There are beneficial stereotypes and harmful stereotypes that have been developed by the media A stereotype is a perception of image that tends to associated with a group of people or just individuals. This is summed up by opinions that people will tend to have about a certain character and trait. Stereotyping can be done from the shortest time people are in contact or view as the judgments are quickly made. After the judgment, the name calling and classification will promptly follow. (Forgione 1) There is a heavy presence of stereotypes in the media fraternity. Amongst the stereotypes are the gay positives. The stereotyping arises from their regard of being queer with there role modeling coming coming up in question. This gay stereotyping is even more differentiated amongst the sexes. The men seam to be drawing much attention of late about their homophobia as compared to the women who the media is becoming lesser and lesser concerned about. These men are becoming very successful. (Ferrish 1). The media shows such as “Will and Grace”, even though entertaining, is getting a negative stereotype that those who watch it are gay. The fact that the show is a fictional invention and cast has not gone well with the publics who have nevertheless managed to view it as gay. This negative view has led it to be discriminated by potential viewers. (Ferrish 1). The media has also not managed to get the “Will and Grace” program to discuss issues like HIV and Aids and this is yet another issue that has made the participants gay as queer. The media was able to project the antics and humor in this program yet after the show, the citizens hardly discuss it for fear of being perceived as gay oriented even though this is their human right. (Ferrish 1) There are states in the US such as Massachusetts that have laws that allow gay marriages, even though popular opinion poll by the media has been very resistant. Had the question been leading and inclined to the “Grace and Will” cast the polls figures could be much more positive. (Ferrish 1) The other negative issue about the stereotyping is the personality that the media brings to people houses when they are viewing such inclined shows. In the end people are not themselves due to the influence or views. Thus, even though stereotypes have been used to segregate queer communities psychologically, the are likely to cause succeed now than in the future. (Ferrish 1) One of the positive aspects of stereotype in the media is the listening or viewer ship that they gain due to curiosity. There are program just like the “Grace and Will” and the media houses stand to gain from the commercial adverts that are associated with these programs. (Ferrish 1) The second positive example of stereotype is the Greek community and their tendency to like and associate with their fellow Greeks in foreign places. They are normally clustered in houses as they go round partying. The positive side is that they stand out for each other even though there is overwhelming evidence that they do not necessarily like one another at one on one level. (Forgione 1). Overall the media seems to curtail the public opinion and perception of stereotypes in our society today. But people should be left alone to be what they are as long as it is their human right and they are not infringing on other peoples space. The standards for judgment should be left for each person rather than be self arrogated to people with varied opinion following some media propositioning. In summary, there are beneficial and non-beneficial stereotypes in the society today that have been promoted by the media. (Forgione 1); JOURNALISM FOR WOMEN VS. WHITE COLLAR GIRLS Thesis: Women in Journalism have not been very articulate in roles and deliveries from time immemorial but have been very successful in film making industry. Bennett E. A. (1898) noted that women have been unperfected in their journalism career not because they are women journalist, rather as journalist women. As is evident in the Fleet Street, there was a strong classification journalism careers as either being journalist (male) or being women journalist. This feminization of the journalism career can be adjudged as unfair, mediocritically motivated. (Bennette 10). Women journalist has not been looked at as serious business person in the course of their duties as and their sexuality has always been a culprit of ulterior motives. True to this fact, the women have been conceived as not being very keen in these duties and have been irresponsible to the final outcome of some of their coverages. Thus, as Bennette (1898) asserted, they are not classic in their work as journalist. They have then used their sexuality as a reason for being victimized in their career. They do not see any fault in their laxity and lack of apology when they fall short of standards. (Bennette 11-15) Women have also been seen as paying lesser attention to details as far as reporting and journalism is concerned. Many are famous for the past achievements that they got in this fourth estate career but simple rules like grammar are their undoing and manifestation of ignorance. It may be prudent to offer them more training but again this will depend on their patience and willingness. However there is some good women journalist as far as this field is concerned. (Bennette 15-17) The other issue about women journalist has been the restraint deficiency. Literary speaking and writing, they are addicted to italicizing what they are unable to explain in other ways. This has the effect of exaggerations and lack of clarity. This can only be attributed to their sex rather than to training since they all go to the same journalism school as the males. Which calls for the analysis of whether they are morally and intellectually prepared or just wishful career pursuant? (Bennette 17-25) Following the concepts explore in 1948 newsreel “White Collar girls”, there were a lot of fictional movies that showed women as week emotionally and hence morally. The women in these movies have been portrayed as negatively as run away brides, club dancers, suicide mongers, and weapons of private intrusion. (Library of Congress Online) There are very many movies that covered stories that frequently started from the women knee height dresses to the role of wind blowing these upwards in the glare of cameras. The description of women in the movie arena and big picture industry has only changed in vocabulary and slang. But the meaning has all been the same in implication and direction of the women’s sexuality. (Library of Congress Online). From the 1948 running to 1979, the women seem to have changed roles. The were more and deeper in the actual movies casts and performance acts than in the field of journalism itself. They realized that they could become more popular in the movies than as scribes. This was a shift from telling the story to performing the stories. (Library of Congress Online). But this was just for a while. Women are featured every where in the movies describing real life stories, drama, fiction and melodramas. The famous and infamous have been covered in these movies with the former getting more coverage. But the good news is that they as now beginning to take part in the film production as well as equal partners. The have become film directors and movie company studio owners. They have now realized a new potential field that has been catapulted by the industry and fashion world. (Lizzie 6). They are aided by the all round experience that they have gained in their past careers and engagements. The women are taking center stage to advocate for social and moral issues like abortion and capital punishment. Behind the scenes the women are developing acting liking for roles like designing, writing, reading, and direction of shootings in casts. Today, women have remained in influential positions such as chief’s editors and production leaders. (Cari 11) Cited Work List: Bennette, E. A. Journalism For Women: A practical Guide. 1898. p. 1- 25. Cari Beauchamp, Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood. (New York: Scribner, 1997; PS3525.A6549 Z54 1997), p. 11. Ferris Josh: Gay Presence in the Media helpful, stereotypes harmful. The Pitt News. April 12, 2003. Available at Accessed on April 2, 2008. p. 1. Forgione Heather: WMU stereotypes seem harmful to social order. Western Herald. September 26th, 2005. Read More