Saturday, May 23, 2020

A New List of Anti-Suffragist Reasons

Alice Duer Miller, a writer and poet, wrote a column in the early 20th century for the  New York Tribune  called Are Women People? In this column, she satirized the ideas of the anti-suffrage movement, as a way of promoting womens suffrage. These were published in 1915 in a book by the same name. In this column, she sums up reasons given by the anti-suffrage forces arguing against the womens vote. Millers dry humor comes through as she pairs reasons that contradict each other. Through this simple pairing of mutually contradictory arguments of the anti-suffrage movement, she hopes to show that that their positions are self-defeating. Below these excerpts, youll find additional information about the arguments made. Our Own Twelve Anti-Suffragist Reasons Because no woman will leave her domestic duties to vote.Because no woman who may vote will attend to her domestic duties.Because it will make dissension between husband and wife.Because every woman will vote as her husband tells her to.Because bad women will corrupt politics.Because bad politics will corrupt women.Because women have no power of organization.Because women will form a solid party and outvote men.Because men and women are so different that they must stick to different duties.Because men and women are so much alike that men, with one vote each, can represent their own views and ours too.Because women cannot use force.Because the militants did use force. Reasons #1 and #2 Arguments #1 and #2 are both based on the assumption that a woman has domestic duties, and is based on the separate spheres ideology  that women belong in the domestic sphere, taking care of the home and the children, while men belong in the public sphere. In this ideology, women ruled the domestic sphere and men the public sphere—women had domestic duties and men had public duties. In this division, voting is part of public duties, and thus not a womans proper place. Both arguments assume that women have domestic duties, and both assume that domestic duties and public duties cannot both be attended to by women. In argument #1, its assumed that all women (all being an obvious exaggeration) will chose to stick with their domestic duties, and thus wont vote even if they win the vote. In argument #2, its assumed that if women are permitted to vote, that they will all then abandon completely their domestic duties. Cartoons of the time often emphasized the latter point, showing m en forced into domestic duties. Reasons #3 and #4 In  arguments #3 and #4, the common topic is the effect of a womans vote on marriage, and both assume that husband and wife will discuss their votes. The first of these arguments assumes that if the husband and wife differ on how theyll vote, the fact that she is able to actually cast a vote will make for dissension in the marriage—assuming either that he wont care about her disagreement with his vote if he is the only one to cast a vote, or that she wont mention her disagreement unless shes permitted to vote. In the second, its assumed that all husbands have the power to tell their wives how to vote, and that the wives will obey. A third related argument, not documented in Millers list, was that women already had undue influence on voting because they could influence their husbands and then vote themselves, assuming apparently that women had more influence than men than vice versa. The arguments assume different outcomes when a husband and wife disagree about their vote: th at the dissension will be a problem only if the woman can vote, that the woman will obey her husband, and in the third argument which Miller doesnt include, that the woman is more likely to shape her husbands vote than vice versa. Not all can be true of all couples who disagree, nor is it a given that husbands will know what their wives votes will be. Or, for that matter, that all women who will vote are married. Reasons #5 and #6 In this time period, machine politics and their corrupting influence was a common theme already. A few argued for the educated vote, assuming that many who were uneducated voted merely as the political machine wanted them to. In the words of one speaker in 1909, documented in the  New York Times,  The great majority of the Republicans and Democrats follow their leader to the polls as the children followed the Pied Piper. The domestic sphere ideology that assigns women to the home and men to public life (business, politics) is also assumed here. Part of this ideology assumes that women are more pure than men, less corrupt, in part because they are not in the public realm.  Women who are not properly in their place are bad women, and thus #5 argues that they will corrupt politics (as if its not corrupt already). Argument #6 assumes that women, protected by not having the vote from the corrupting influence of politics, will become corrupted by participating actively. This ignores that if politics is corrupt, the influence on women is already a negative influence. One key argument of the pro-suffrage activists is that in corrupt politics, the pure motives of women entering the political realm will clean it up. This argument may be criticized as similarly exaggerated and based on assumptions about womens proper place. Reasons #7 and #8 Pro-suffrage arguments included that womens vote would be good for the country because it would lead to needed reforms. Because there was no national experience with what would happen if women could vote, two contradictory predictions were possible by those who opposed womens vote. In reason #7, the assumption was that women were not organized politically, ignoring their organization to win the vote, work for temperance laws, work for social reforms. If women werent organized politically, then their votes wouldnt be very different from those of men, and there would be no effect of women voting. In reason #8, the pro-suffrage argument about the influence of women in voting was seen as something to fear, that what was already in place, supported by the men who voted, could be overturned if women voted. So these two arguments were mutually incompatible: either women would have an effect on the outcome of voting, or they would not. Reasons #9 and #10 In #9, the anti-suffrage argument is back to the separate spheres ideology, that mens sphere and womens spheres are justified because men and women are so different, and thus women are necessarily excluded by their nature from the political realm including voting. In #10, an opposite argument is mustered, that wives will vote the same as their husband anyway, to justify that women voting is unnecessary because men can vote what was sometimes called at the time a family vote. Reason #10 is also in tension with arguments #3 and #4 which assume that wife and husband will often have disagreement about how to vote. Part of the separate spheres argument was that women were by nature more peaceful, less aggressive, and thus unsuited to the public sphere. Or, in contrast, the argument was that women were by nature more emotional, potentially more aggressive and violent, and that women were to be relegated to the private sphere so that their emotions would be held in check. Reasons #11 and #12 Reason #11 assumes that voting sometimes is related to the use of force—voting for candidates who might be pro-war or pro-policing, for instance. Or that politics itself is about force. And then assuming that women are by nature unable to be aggressive or support aggression. Argument #12 justifies being against women voting, pointing to the force used by British and later American suffrage movements. The argument calls up images of Emmeline Pankhurst, women smashing windows in London, and plays into the idea that women are to be controlled by keeping them in the private, domestic sphere. Reductio ad absurdum Alice Duer Millers popular columns on the anti-suffrage arguments often played on similar  reductio ad absurdum  logical argument, attempting to show that if one followed all the anti-suffrage arguments, an absurd and untenable result followed, as the arguments contradicted each other. The assumptions behind some arguments, or the conclusions predicted, were impossible to both be true. Were some of these strawman arguments—that is, a refutation of an argument that wasnt really being made, an inaccurate view of the other sides argument? When Miller characterizes the opposing arguments as implying that  all  women or  all  couples would do one thing, she may move into strawman territory. While sometimes exaggerating, and perhaps weakening her argument if she were in a merely logical discussion, her purpose was satire—to highlight through her dry humor the contradictions inherent in the arguments against women getting the vote.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

The Definition of Ethnicity in Sociology

In sociology, ethnicity is a concept referring to a shared culture and a way of life. This can be reflected in language, religion, material culture such as clothing and cuisine, and cultural products such as music and art. Ethnicity is often a major source of social cohesion as well as social conflict. The world is home to thousands of ethnic groups, from the Han Chinese—the largest ethnic group in the world—to the smallest indigenous groups, some of which include only a few dozen people. Almost all of these groups possess a shared history, language, religion, and culture, which provide group members with a common identity. Learned Behavior Ethnicity, unlike race, is not based on biological traits, except in the case of ethnic groups that recognize certain traits as requirements for membership. In other words, the cultural elements that define a particular ethnic group are taught, not inherited. This means that the boundaries between ethnic groups are, to some degree, fluid, allowing for individuals to move between groups. This can happen, for example, when a child from one ethnic group is adopted into another, or when an individual undergoes a religious conversion. It can also happen through the process of acculturation, whereby members of a native group are forced to adopt the culture and manners of a dominating host group. Ethnicity should not be confused with nationality, which refers to citizenship. While some countries are largely composed of a single ethnic group (Egypt, Finland, Germany, China), others are composed of many different groups (United States, Australia, Philippines, Panama). The rise of nation-states in Europe in the 1600s led to the creation of many countries that are still ethnically homogenous today. The population of Germany, for example, is 91.5 percent German. Countries that were founded as colonies, on the other hand, are more likely to be home to multiple ethnicities. Examples Different ethnic groups do not use the same criteria to define group membership. While one group may emphasize the importance of a shared language, another may emphasize the importance of a shared religious identity. French Canadians are an ethnic group for whom language is paramount. It is what connects them to the French colonists who first settled Canada in the 1600s and what distinguishes them from English Canadians, Scottish Canadians, and Irish Canadians. Other aspects of culture, such as religion, are less significant when it comes to defining who is and is not French Canadian. Most French Canadians are Christians, but some are Catholic and others are Protestant. In contrast, religion is an essential part of ethnic identity for groups such as the Jews. Unlike French Canadians, Jews do not define themselves based on a single shared language. In fact, Jewish communities throughout the world have developed a variety of different languages, including Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), Judeo-Arabic, and Judeo-Aramaic (not to mention the many Jews who speak English, French, German, or any other of the worlds many languages). Because ethnic groups are self-defined, it is important to remember that no single aspect of group identity (language, religion, etc.) can be used to sort people into one group or another. Flashpop / Getty Images Race vs. Ethnicity Unlike ethnicity, race is based on physical traits that are inherited, such as skin color and facial features. Racial categories are broader than ethnic categories. Today, for example, the U.S. Census divides people into five racial categories: white, black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native,  Asian, and  Native Hawaiian  or Other Pacific Islander. Modern scientists regard race as a social construct, and racial categories, like ethnic categories, have changed over time. What Is My Ethnicity? Because ethnicity is more of a cultural practice than a science, you probably grew up understanding your own ethnicity in a way that tests will never be able to measure. The food you ate, the traditions you practiced, and the language(s) you spoke are all essential aspects of your ethnic identity. If you are interested in learning more about your exact ancestry, you can do so using a variety of DNA testing services. DNA Testing for Ethnicity DNA testing—available through services such as 23andMe, MyHeritage, and LivingDNA—allows people to explore their genealogy using their genetic information. Examining DNA can reveal information about a persons ancestry and ethnic background. While the principles of DNA testing are sound, the private companies that offer this service through home-testing kits have been criticized for their methodologies. Sheldon Krimsky, a scientist at Tufts University, says that these companies don’t share their data, and their methods are not validated by an independent group of scientists. Since each company uses a different database of genetic information, Krimsky says the tests can only give an indication of probabilities: The results are in no way definitive; instead each company uses common genetic variations as the basis for saying the  probability  is that 50 percent of your DNA is, for example, from North Europe and 30 percent is from Asia, based on how it compares to the information in its database. However, if you send DNA to a second company, you might get different results, because it has a different database. The popularity of DNA testing for ancestry has also generated concerns about data privacy.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Prisoner †Creative Writing Free Essays

At least the sun’s shining on this old decrepit prison. I can’t understand why they’ve put me in this remote room, alone. I’ve just arrived. We will write a custom essay sample on Prisoner – Creative Writing or any similar topic only for you Order Now From the 1st of December until my last breath, you would expect to be greeted with open arms, wouldn’t you? It’s not like she didn’t deserve it†¦ Meeting our new friends will be as amusing as reading – I can’t think of anything worse. I’d rather listen to her baby wail, scream and shriek again. I sometimes wonder what happened to that baby, watching its mum suffer. Time is valuable, so I won’t waste it with those ‘freaks’, they’re all the same – worthless vermin. Well they’ll see, I have got it all planned out. Dear Jason, It’s hell here. I feel like Satan’s minion, sweeping, scrubbing, and sweating in this ‘hell-hole’. An insignificant ant challenging the irrefutable Mount Everest – each step is an anxious challenge; as for every single stride I make, I end up stumbling back. Pointless. There is a burden of anxiety and mental suffering depicted in the face of every man, as we are all pampered like peasants; especially Little Bill, he can’t defend himself so everyone takes advantage. I’ve just been placed with Derrick my new cellmate, the old fool’s fifty, twice my age; his senseless stories of driving his own crane in ‘the good old days’ shuttles you towards insanity – without mentioning his nauseating scar which runs the length of his face; my stomach convulses when I gaze upon it. Sneering when he answers ‘How did that happen?’- He fell down flight of stairs; he must think I’m mad to believe him. That’s the other problem, I can’t trust anyone – I will need to eventually though. ‘Bro’, when you next visit Mum’s grave can you leave a bunch of roses from me; she always cherished the aroma they produced: even though I still hate them. Do you know she’s the only thing that’s keeping me going? If only she hadn’t taken that job as ‘her’ assistant none of this would have happened. Mum didn’t deserve so much pressure, she was only the ‘messenger’ doing as she were told, without a wink of sleep in over two weeks a car accident was inevitable. But I have no remorse for what I did to ‘June’, revenge is sweet. Jake I am gazing through the confined window; the icy steel bars obstruct my route from death. The frenzied frost tearing at my tender hands. I’ll be out there soon, we will be free, I can smell it. Old, dilapidated and weathered; these bricks can’t withhold us. From slavering away in the kitchen at a Kings pace a few helpful utensils have been gathered; a carving knife, spoon and fork. These can be stored inside the T.V; no one would bother looking there. ‘Derrick? Where are you, idiot, get here. You’ve worked in the demolishing business for long enough; tell me, can we burst through now?’ ‘Too right son, too right.’ ‘Luckily this fork and spoon has lasted from wear, but it looks the knife won’t be needed ‘aye Del’.’ ‘It’s getting late my boy, move your rock of a bed back to its normal spot. The incessant stomping of the pigs will soon pass our cell. We must wait until dusk.’ The moon’s beams of lurid light echoed through the prison. A steely smell of anxiety overhauled the sound of the snoring from the convicts. This was nearly it. Weeks of planning boiled down to this. Thankfully, I’m fearless, this time I will get away, we will be free ‘Jimmy.’ We could go, now? Just leave Derrick; he’s someone we can’t trust anyway. We should desert him; he would soak up all the blame. Droplets of blood were dripping on the floor; my hands sore and weeping from pounding powerful punches like a boxer at the gapping hole in the corner of the cell – I only had to make it half a foot wider whilst being quiet as possible. A seed of adrenaline sprouted inside me, the round circle in the wall had subsided. It was time. Psyching myself was easy, I knew what had to be done. ‘ESCAPEE, AN ESCAPEY!’ I turn around horrified, standing still paralyzed. Derrick? ‘No it can’t be, y-you set me up?!’ Glaring him straight in the face – I had no choice†¦ How to cite Prisoner – Creative Writing, Papers

Friday, May 1, 2020

New Submarines for Royal Australian Navy-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Why the Australian Government Chose France to Build the New Submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. Answer: Introduction In 2016, the Australian government announced its decision to select France to construct new submarines for the countrys royal navy. As expected, the decision was a major blow to competing bidders such as Japan and Germany who offered cheaper and timely deals for the project.[1] The French company is expected to design and build a 4500-tonne conventionally powered version of its 4500-tonne nuclear powered barracuda. It is also expected that the submarine will be designed for high stealth operations and will be ideal for long range missions to deep waters..[2] However, while submitting its bid, the French company warned that it would deliver the submarines at much slower pace and higher overall cost as compared to its competitors. By and large, the decision to choose France over Germany and Japan is controversial and many believe that the decision was guided by political influences. However, the Australian government insists that the Japanese bid was a better offer and design that met Australias unique navy needs. Discussion and Analysis Firstly, the Australian government argues that the French design and offer was the best option as it would involve building the boats within the country, in Adelaide. In turn, this would result in great opportunities for hundreds of construction workers and companies within the country.[3] The government estimates that the project would create approximately 2800 job opportunities for the Australian workforce as the construction of the new vessels begin. In turn, this is expected to boost the financial and economic position of local Australians in the country. Thus, the government chose the French proposal due to the fact that in the long run, the project would bring about an improvement in the economy of the country. In addition, the Australian government chose the French design as a means to secure their political positions in the South Australia region. Specifically, the Liberals under Tony Abbott were concerned that they would lose three federal seats in the region; Boothby (7.1 percent), Hindmash (1.9 percent) and Sturt (10.1) percent. At the time, Sturt was held by Christopher Pyne, the industry minister and he feared that it would fall to labor. Notably, Pyne was prominent during the submarine announcement and needed to maintain his position after the awarding of the contract. In turn, this led to the decision that would maintain his popularity among the south Australian people, forcing him and other liberals to opt for the French design. Therefore, the willingness by the French company to perform construction work within Australia made the decision more appealing, as it would cement the political position of the government while creating significant opportunities for the local Australian s uppliers. One may also argue that the contract awarding was influenced by the fact that the Japanese company, DCNS possessed great experience in the designing and building of submarines.[4] Particularly, in its submission, DCNS claimed that its experience and propulsion technology from its nuclear and conventional submarines rendered it as the best and most preferred candidate to construct the new submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. Additionally, the DCNS technology incorporates the most sensitive passive sonar ever utilized in traditional submarines. The design also meets the high endurance and long range requirements specified by the Australian Navy. Furthermore, the French designed equipment will offer operational capability beyond the Royal Australian Navys requirements[5]. In turn, the use of these technologies made the French offer more attractive than the German and Japanese designs. According to the countrys minister of defense, the design and building capabilities offered by the DCNS was the best possible match to the countrys unique requirements for its royal navy submarine. The minister refuted reports claiming that the contract with France will cost the country a lot money for a vessel that will do way too little for the country. In his argument, Mr. Payne insists that through consistent advice from specialists in the field, there are no military-off-the-shelf submarine options that meet the countrys unique requirements[6]. He argues that a modified off-the-shelf submarine is an oxymoron. In retrospect, the French design and rapid advancements in the companys underwater military technology is the best alternative as it sufficiently matches the unique requirements of the RANS[7]. It is, therefore, for this reason that the Australian government awarded the winning bid to the French company. Irrespective of the various justifications made by the government for selecting the French company to undertake the project, the fact remains that the completion of the project by France is way too costly and time consuming than if the project was awarded to either Germany or Japan. At the onset, the project is expected to cost $50 billion[8]. The building of the submarine fleet will cost about $20 billion whereas the approximately $30 billion will be spent to sustain them after they come into operation in the middle of the next decade[9]. In addition, the French company will take a significantly longer time to complete the project as compared to the Japanese and German proposals. Conclusion All in all, all factors taken into consideration, the Australian government made the decision to award the contract to France to build the New Submarines for the Royal Australian Navy for various reasons. Firstly, the decision was made based on the fact that the French design, according to the government, would offer was the best option as it would involve building the boats within the country, in Adelaide. Consequently, it would result in promotion of local industries, local suppliers as well as create employment opportunities for the Australian people. Furthermore, the government selected the French proposal with the hope of securing its political position in the South Australia region. Likewise, the decision was informed by the fact that DCNS possessed great experience in the designing and building of submarines. Regardless, awarding of this project to France is way too costly and time consuming for Australia than if the project was awarded to either Japan or Germany. Recommendations It is recommended that before awarding any contract to a bidder, it is important for the management of a company to consider all factors such as the cost and time to be undertaken by the bidders to complete the project. Afterwards, the least costly and time efficient bidder that guarantee the highest quality should be awarded the contract. Reference List Australia, France officially sign Australias Future Submarine deal. (2016). [online] Naval Today. Available at: https://navaltoday.com/2016/12/20/australia-france-officially-sign-australias-future-submarine-deal/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Australian Government selects DCNS for the SEA 1000 Future Submarine Program. (2016). [online] Naval Group. Available at: https://www.naval-group.com/en/news/australian-government-selects-dcns-for-the-sea-1000-future-submarine-program/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Gady, F. S. (2017). Australias Government Under Attack Over Submarine Deal. [online] The Diplomat. Available at: https://thediplomat.com/2017/10/australias-government-under-attack-over-submarine-deal/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Henderson, A. (2017). Australian submarines to be built in Adelaide after French company DCNS wins $50b contract. [online] ABC. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-26/pm-announces-france-has-won-submarine-contract/7357462 [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Karp, P. (2016). France to build Australias new submarine fleet as $50bn contract awarded. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/26/france-to-build-australias-new-submarine-fleet-as-50bn-contract-awarded [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Laird, R. (2016). Building a New Class of Conventional Submarines: The Australian Case. [online] Second Line of Defense. Available at: https://sldinfo.com/2016/09/building-a-new-class-of-conventional-submarines-the-australian-case/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Ohff, H. (2016). Why the French submarine won the bid to replace the Collins-class. [online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/why-the-french-submarine-won-the-bid-to-replace-the-collins-class-58223 [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Stewart, C. and Nicholson, B. (2016). Submarine contract: Turnbull takes expensive long road to new subs. [online] The Australian. Available at: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/defence/submarine-contract-turnbull-takes-expensive-long-road-to-new-subs/news-story/32ee7d50f2c5338973b47d160f746e9f [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018]. Stewart, C. and Nicholson, B. (2016). Submarine contract: Turnbull takes expensive long road to new subs. Karp, P. (2016). France to build Australias new submarine fleet as $50bn contract awarded. Stewart, C. and Nicholson, B. (2016). Submarine contract: Turnbull takes expensive long road to new subs. Ohff, H. (2016). Why the French submarine won the bid to replace the Collins-class. Laird, R. (2016). Building a New Class of Conventional Submarines: The Australian Case. Gady, F. S. (2017). Australias Government Under Attack Over Submarine Deal. Australian Government selects DCNS for the SEA 1000 Future Submarine Program. (2016). Henderson, A. (2017). Australian submarines to be built in Adelaide after French company DCNS wins $50b contract. Australia, France officially sign Australias Future Submarine deal. (2016).