Trends in Contemporary Society - Personal Statement Example

 1.0 Exercise One 1.1 Skills on arrival at University From high school, you reckon that a student will be regarded as still requiring some more training so as to fit in the university environment which presumably requires particular skills for one to complete his/her degree programme. It is evident that once one gets into university; there are quantitative and qualitative changes that take place. It is nevertheless important to not that as one leaves high school to join university there are skills which are amassed. Education is continuous and this is the reason why the student will at least have some of the skills required for survival at the university. When I arrived at the university, I had communication skills which would enable my self-expression at whatever level at the university. In high school, I had a network of friends which sharpened my communication skills. Therefore, by the time I was joining university, my communication skills were already polished and if anything, they only required minimal enhancement. When I talk of communication skills I refer to the entirety of communication as it may be. Both listening and speaking. As mentioned earlier, I am a good speaker and can express myself easily without much problem or appearing to be trying. Similarly, communication is about listening too. I am an ardent listener and pay particular attention to intent and content and these both enable me to understand both the spoken and unspoken word. This kind of understanding has since enabled me to understand each particular personality that come my way and thus explaining the numerous friends that I possess and have been able to keep. At entry, I had particular expertise in the spoken word and the written word required much polishing. At high school much of the assessments we did, did not require much of academic writing except for the basic essays in the scientific and social subjects. As I entered university, I reckoned that much of my academic writing skills or just say all my writing skills required much enhancement and improvement. At university, I learnt that besides the essays we wrote at high school, there were theses, research papers, desertions, book reviews, etc. To be precise, all kinds of writing are practiced throughout the four years or more one spends at university. It is for this reason that I decided to polish my writing skills. Time management skills were yet something that required much commitment. Inasmuch as my time management skills prior to entry at the university were commendable, commendable alone was not enough. Time management was something that a university student would not avoid. Mostly, there is a variety of choices of what one can or cannot do at the university but efficient management of time is out of question; it is mandatory and one with poor time management skills soon realizes inadequacy because this skill is quite central in every aspect of stay and study at the university as far as academics and social life are concerned. My sporting skills at entry to the university were commendable too. I used to play volleyball at high school and I was the captain in the volleyball school team. I believed in exercising to keep fit and as such reckoned that indeed all work and no play make jack a dull boy. I not only did volleyball but I was also able to swim and momentarily play soccer among other indoor games that helped me refresh after long hours of study. My leadership skills were however challenged. In high school I only held the capacity of volleyball school team’s captaincy and as such did not get a chance to develop my leadership skills fully. Therefore as I entered university, I realized that I specifically required a chance to put into practice my leadership skills. I always felt that deep inside me I could make a competent leader and this is why I kept on trying to develop my leadership skills on whatever little chance I got. 1.2 Attempts to Develop My Skills and the Much Needed Skills All the time since I entered university I have been trying to develop two major skills. These are my writing skills and my leadership skills. I realized that to become an all round polished student and personality I required to perfect my writing skills so as to not only excel in my studies but also maintain a scholarly orientation after university. To actualize, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I reckoned that my leadership skills had to be polished and this can only be possible by seeking leadership positions at whatever level at the university. The best way I figured out was to start from junior positions in the study groups where I would voluntarily take leadership when everybody else turned down the opportunity. I also offered to be the class representative among other positions I hold in a number of organizations in the university. I decided to take this large scale dive into leadership because I required challenging scenarios and circumstances so as to sharpen my leadership skills. Finally, as mentioned earlier, I only required to minimally develop my already competent communication skills which I am proud about and which have hitherto made me believe that I can lead. My leadership ambitions have hitherto been tied to my competence in communication. Albeit that my speech eloquence needs minimal attention, I otherwise pass as a competent communicator. Having realized the skills that I have and the ones that I require to develop, there are skills that I lack that are quite central in university life. These skills include but are not limited to those that will enable me the much required competency in my future career. These skills include second language skills so as to enhance my chances of securing a job after university. Of late, people are going multilingual because of the market demand and employees are keen on this. Secondly, evaluative, analytical, decision making and problem solving skills need to be attained in order to succeed in my future career. 2.0 Exercise Two 2.1 Changing Patterns of “Race” Inequalities in the UK Racial inequalities in the UK simply boil down to what is commonly called racial discrimination or racism. Racism is the strong belief that the race of an individual is the main determinant of that individual’s traits and capabilities. As such, differences in race bear inherent superiority orientation of one race against all other races. For instance, the whites in UK are deemed much capable, experienced, qualified, financially capable etc more that all the other races such as blacks, Asians, coloureds, etc. Such beliefs or stereotypes make one harbour prejudices against individuals based on their race. Based on such prejudices, members of other races are denied some rights, privileges or benefits especially in an institutional set up in what has come to be termed as institutional racism. Racism is also evident in social gatherings, government sectors, etc where there are classes of amenities and the best, first class facilities (hospitals, schools, hotels, gyms, etc) belong to the whites because they believe they are better and superior to all the other races and as such they deserve the best (Troyna & Williams, 1986: pp101-103). Initially, in the UK, racism was quite rampant and the whites could look down upon and despise other races openly. Social classes were formed; particular neighbourhoods were only for whites and they received the best services from the municipal serving that area. Other races were not allowed residency in these neighbourhoods. People of other races especially the blacks would not secure good jobs because these belonged to the whites even when these blacks had beautifully qualified for the sought jobs. Meritocracy was simply a dream or an illusion rather for the white community in the UK then. Most superb hotels were for whites and no member of any other race was served leave alone allowed to access the facilities in the hotel. As such, other races were relegated to second or even third rate facilities and social amenities (Goldberg & Solomos, 2002: pp77-79). The best medical covers and hospitals were for the whites and the list of all the best things imaginable were for the whites. This prejudice and discriminatory behaviour of the whites against members of other races went on for some time until the UN and human rights activists started to detest the demeaning treatment of other races by the whites in the UK. Racism by this time had scored poorly in the ethics and moral scales. The government, which had all along condoned such practices, was therefore put under pressure to legislate policies to enable equality. The government changed policies and sensitized the white public against racism. The changing world trends also influenced this change of heart. However it should be noted that the change was not complete. Still, there are some racial prejudices though they are held secretly. The prejudice is often displayed as suspicion where other races are believed to be behind all the social evils such as crime. The racism trends have changed tremendously but the precipitate is being conducted secretly as opposed to the prior open acts of racism. 3. 0 Exercise Three 3.1 Global Division of Labour Division of labour or sometimes called specialization is the breakdown of cooperative labour into circumscribed roles which are then assigned to individuals. These individuals will then be expected to focus on the roles assigned only as a way of gaining experience and specialization sufficient to tremendously boost productivity. The historical growth of total out put, industrialization and trade and the emergence of capitalism are often cited as causes of division of labour (Ross & Trachte, 1990: p110). Division of labour is now a global phenomenon and most researchers have ventured into the study of global division of labour. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has massive data about global division of labour. One of these studies in the global division of labour conclusively found that more than 2,470 million people contributed to the global labour by the mid-1990s of which 15%- worked in industry (58% of which were wage & salary earners and the rest were self employed), about 34% worked in the service industry (65% of which were wage & salary earners and the rest were self employed) and 40% worked in the agricultural sector. 3.2 The Consequences of Global Division of Labour On a positive note, global division of labour necessitates trade which is the major cause for the economic interdependence seen globally today (Waters, 2001: pp71-72). Secondly, more repetitions seen in division of labour make workers to learn quicker ways to carry out tasks thus causing global division of labour to be time efficient. This leads to an increased productivity. Productivity increases because training time reduces (due to simplification of the task as a result of division of labour) and the workers achieve productivity within a short period of time because they have to focus on one line of activity. Moreover, when workers repeat one activity over a long period of time, they achieve competitive skills in performing that task. Global division of labour limits the time spent in moving from one task to another and as such the overall time wasted is minimized. Most notable of all is the fact that global division of labour greatly enhances the product quality and thus bringing forth welfare gains to the end users. Finally, with global division of labour, it is easier to influence and control production and as such production can be managed to bring about the desired economic outcomes (Ratto & Schnedler, 2006). However, on the negative note, global division of labour leads to lack of motivation. The repetition of tasks becomes boring thus killing motivation. Repetitive motion disorders have also been noted to result from division of labour especially in the manual tasks. Secondly, there is growing dependency and as such any short break in production will affect the entire system. Finally, there is lack of flexibility in workers. If their line of specialization is phased out, they have limited chances of getting employed elsewhere. Similarly, such workers continue to earn unsatisfactory wages but cannot move because not too many employment opportunities are open to them due to their specialization. 4. 0 Exercise Four: Short Essay 4.1 Discuss the view that the media is ‘male’ dominated? Illustrate your answer with at least two examples of the way women are treated differently to men. It is common knowledge that the media has hitherto been invested with gender stereotypes that have seen it portray men and women differently. The media’s portrayal of men and boys generally falls within a cavalcade of stereotypes. For instance, the media portrays the male characters as the Jock, the Big Shot the Strong the Action Hero and Silent Type. The Jock for instance is willing to compromise his wellbeing to protect others, fights other men if necessity demands, avoids being soft and is often aggressive. The Jock demonstrates strength and power and as such ends up earning not only the approval of fellow men but also the adoration and admiration from women. The Strong Silent type male character portrayed by the media contains emotion, makes decisions and acts decisively, always in charge and mostly posts success with women. This stereotype leads to the assumption that male (boys and men) are supposed to be in control and devoid of emotion (expression of emotions is deemed as a weakness in men). The Big Shot on the other hand is an embodiment of male character which is the personification of success. He acquires the possession that the society considers to be very valuable. This stereotype propagates the fact that a real man must be economically powerful and socially successfully. The above illustrations are only examples to show how the media qualifies to positively portray men at the expense of women. Women have often been portrayed as weak, emotional, sexy and men’s possessions and any woman who falls short of these is labelled a feminist. The media is dominated by men and women are treated differently. Media coverage concentrates on male activities such as politics, sports, social gatherings etc. The following sections only show how the media is dominated by male characters. 4.1.1 Sports Masculinity and the Media More than 98% of the sports media in UK are consumed by boys and men and this is basically because professional sports are dominated by men ranging from the athletes themselves, the coaches, the team doctors, team managers, commentators, reporters and interestingly, fans are majorly male. Therefore, you reckon that most of the sports reporting and sports media in general will be male dominated. Sports media has the potential of communicating influential ideas about masculinity. For instance violent masculinity is perpetrated by praising the athletes who continue to play in spite of injuries. Similarly, the sports commentators use war and aggressive language to describe male sporting action (Craig, 1992: pp169-171). This is not portrayed in the female sports. If anything, the female sports are portrayed as careful and devoid of aggression. The women athletes are portrayed as delicate and if anything misplaced; they shouldn’t be sporting. The female games are often boring as portrayed by the commentators if any. Commentators prefer to use aggression thus enacting societal attitude that violence and aggression is a natural characteristic of the identity of masculinity. If a woman athlete portrays these fierce competition and aggression, she is called a ‘man’. Male domination in sport media is also evident when most of the commercials targeted at men are shown during sports time. Most of the time women are absent in these commercials and if present, they are portrayed in a rather stereotypical manner. Finally, there is a marked inconsistence in sport covering by sports media. Almost more than 90% of sports covered by the media anywhere in the world are male sports. This has even led to a common believe that professional sports are for men because minimal coverage is given to female sporting activities. 4.1.2 Media’s Voice of Authority Most of the authoritative voices in the media are from the white middle aged professional men. Such men dominate not only the opinion-shaping fora in both radio and television news commentaries but also their voices are phenomenal in radio and television commercials (Romaine, 1999: pp48-50). The scenario in the foregoing sentences is now a global phenomenon and not only limited to UK or Europe. For instance, a Canadian independent organization, NewsWatch, conducted a 1996 survey of the national media and realized the following: More than 84% of the News sources were male Approximately 90% of the sports and other commentators were male Similarly, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), a US media supervisory body, carried out a survey in the early 90s and posted rather interesting facts about the US media: Approximately 90% of the guest speakers on the ABC's Nightline were men and this has not changed markedly and if there has been any change it is minimal Similarly, 87% of the PBS's Newshour were male 4.1.3 Media’s Beauty and Female Body Image Ask most children where they have seen more of the female body lately and the answer will be overwhelmingly unanimous; in the media. The images of the female entire body and body parts are everywhere in the media. The common user of the female body is the advertising section of the media. The female body has been used to sell almost everything including food and cars. The female magazines also crown it all; they urge women to lose weight in promise of success, perfect marriages, exhilarating sex and even rewarding careers (Kearney, 2006: pp180-182). Beauty standards are being imposed on the media-consuming women majority of whom are not only older but larger than the any of the models used in the media. These models are used to present an almost hard top attain beauty and female image such that he economic gain going to both the cosmetics and food industries can be guaranteed. According to the media, age in women is a disaster and has to be combated. Youthfulness coupled with thinness represent an ideal beauty and female body image which most women fight to achieve and in the process become loyal consumers of cosmetic and food products. Conclusion Marketers of most male targeting products use the female body to market or advertise these products. Most of these products include but are not limited to cars, houses, shaving apparatus (smooth chin as that of a woman or the kiss-hampering moustache), body fitness products, sunglasses, drinks (most drinks associated with vitality), motorcycles, clothes, etc. The list is just inexhaustible and these marketers will use the female body even in the least of imaginable products such as pens all in a bid to arouse male interest in these products. Basically, the female body is used in a sexist manner. The cosmetic, food and the clothing industries use it to market their products which are meant to make the other women achieve the sexy standards modelled by the female bodies that appear in the media. Other industries that make male products use the female body as a sexy bait to have men buy these products. Generally, there have been opposition to the manner in which the female body is used in the media. It contrasts the way the male body is used. Male body is used rarely and when used, it is used decently. Female body is often used as a sex object, often exposed and used to market male products. These oppositions are not only sourced from feminists but also the human rights activists who argue that the manner in which the female body is used in the media is demeaning to female dignity. Women are portrayed differently and most of the time men are favoured in terms of their portrayal in the media. References Ratto M & Schnedler, W, (2006): Too Few Cooks Spoil the Broth: Division of Labour and Directed Production, The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 8(1), article 27 Troyna B & Williams J, (1986): Racism, Education, and the State, Routledge, pp101-103 Goldberg D & Solomos J, (2002): A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, pp77-79 Waters M, (2001): Globalization, Routledge, pp71-72 Ross R J S & Trachte K C, (1990): Global capitalism: the New Leviathan, SUNY Press, p110 Craig S, (1992): Men, masculinity, and the media, Sage, pp169-171 Kearney M C, (2006): Girls make media, CRC Press, pp180-182 Romaine S, (1999): Communicating Gender, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp48-50 Read More