Gun Culture And The American Identity - 3571 Words

Gun culture is engrained in the American identity; there are about 300 million guns present in the United States, which is about one gun for every citizen (Birnbaum, 2013). While guns have a strong presence here, there have been an increasing number of violent tragedies in which the assailant used firearms. On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho shot and killed 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus (Lipka 2008; No Guns Left Behind, 2007). The question quickly became ‘how do we stop guns from coming on to post-secondary campuses?’ to prevent such tragedies. The gun debate has been around for decades, but only after the Virginia Tech Massacre has the focus increased (Lipka, 2008). Colleges and universities quickly placed their focus on the topic of gun control. There is a great deal of confusion among institutions are to what their rights are in developing and implementing firearms policies on campus (Alger, 2008). The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution states, â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed† (Amendment II, 1787), there is not explicitly stated that determines how individual states should handle gun control in higher education. The federal government has left it up to the states to decide and it varies across the country (Alger, 2008). The major of states have developed legislation in response to the recent gun tragedies that focuses on creating a saferShow MoreRelatedThe Death Of The Native American Population1470 Words   |  6 PagesSuicide in the Native American Population of the Northeastern United States While the Native American population encounters many health disparities; of growing concern, is the rates of suicide among these communities. The U.S. National Library of Medicine defines health disparities as â€Å"the variation in rates of disease occurrence and disabilities between socioeconomic and /or geographically defined population groups†. When looking at the Native American population of the northeastern United StatesRead MoreGun Control : The Importance Of Gun Violence And Gun Control835 Words   |  4 PagesArtifice; the chicanery committed everywhere yet perceived by so few. Unfortunately, easily deceived Americans have engendered a reality replete with this phony yet prevalent skill pinpointed in numerous aspects of today’s society. In his book Empire of Illusions, Chris Hedges argues that â€Å"the most essential skill . . . is artifice,† ranging from political theater to consumer culture. In Hedges’ quote, essentiality is best defined as unfortunate but necessary, as artifice causes undesirable effectsRead MoreAfrican American And Post Colonial Criticism1341 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican American and Post-Colonial Criticism The discussion of African American theory must begin with the discussion of the exclusion of African American history and literature in education in order to maintain what Tyson calls â€Å"the cultural hegemony†, which is the prominence and control of white people in America. The reason why they are not included is because, as Tyson says, the inclusion of African American writings and history upsets the racist stereotypes presented about African American peopleRead MoreAn Informative Essay on Gun Control1289 Words   |  5 Pages Due date Informative Essay on Gun Control Introduction The right to possess guns is a fundamental element to American identity. The right to own and operate guns under certain circumstances is in fact guaranteed as part of the United States Constitution. Over the course of American history and particularly in the 21st century, there exists a great debate over the possession of guns of private citizens. Both sides of the debate argue with fervor. There are those that argue fervently forRead MoreHip Hop, By Maya Angelou Essay1432 Words   |  6 PagesMos Def’s â€Å"Hip-Hop† and Maya Angelou’s â€Å"Africa†: Identities That Have Been Exploited Many people find identity in their culture, art and literature. Both in Maya Angelou’s â€Å"Africa† and Mos Def’s â€Å"Hip-Hop† both have themes of identity and exploitation. Both show that the black experience in the Americas and mostly all over the world is based on being the one’s who are exploited. Both poems have to do with one’s identity or autonomy being stolen from them. They do differ when it comes to theRead MoreThe Issue of Guns and Gun Control in America1146 Words   |  5 PagesIn America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, to hunt for food and to engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control takes on a proportion of extreme magnitude. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precar ious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one ofRead MoreGun Control versus Gun Rights Essay1445 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, hunt for food and engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control is complex. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issuesRead MoreThe Right to Bear Arms1196 Words   |  5 PagesIn the United States the right to own a gun is enshrined by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The text of the Second Amendment reads: â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed† (Adams, 2004). The founding fathers borrowed this idea from Niccolo Machiavelli, the Italian thinker. He wrote about the weapons nece ssary for freedom to defend themselves, to hunt, and to protect the stateRead MoreThe Freedom Of Speech Across The Globe1266 Words   |  6 PagesLebanon, opening the Malala Fund’s â€Å"Malala Yousafzai All-Girls School† near the Syrian border, which will provide quality secondary education to more than 200 Syrian girls living in informal camps and out of school in the Bekaa Valley region.† As Americans, we sometimes take the numerous amount of rights we have for granted. Unknowingly, it can be difficult to understand how important freedom is to our country. When it comes to important topics, it can feel that others are being repetitive. This isRead MoreCauses Of School Shootings1131 Words   |  5 Pagesstrike into the heart of every American. From Columbine to Virginia Tech to Sandy Hook, the thought of innocent young students being mercilessly mowed down wrenches one’s heart. Yet these events continue to happen, and in ever increasing numbers. What c ould possibly drive a person to commit such a horrifying act? That single question has created a fierce debate over the causes of school shootings and what should be done to prevent them. Experts and pundits have discussed gun control, mental illness, bullying

Analysis Of `` Lorraine Hansberry `` And Langston Hughes ...

Awareness, paying attention, and being conscious of one s thoughts are some of the few things that can improve how people live and think. If more people start to become more aware of others thoughts and feelings, then it will affect those other people and oneself in positive ways. A few writers who discuss this topic are David Wallace, Lorraine Hansberry, and Langston Hughes. In his commencement speech, Commencement Speech, Kenyon College, David Wallace explains the importance of getting a degree and that education should teach others how to think. Moreover, Lorraine Hansberry s story, Raisin in the Sun, is about a poor African-American family that try to move into a different neighborhood and break free from poverty. Also, Langston Hughes poem, Theme for English B, is about a black student who explains to his professor what is true for black or white people and that everyone is the same. Beneatha from Raisin in the Sun and the black student from Theme for English B would agree wit h David Wallace s ideas in his commencement speech. On the other hand, Walter from Raisin in the Sun would disagree with Wallace. Within David Wallace s speech, Commencement Speech, Kenyon College, he discusses that the most important thing about receiving a degree and getting an education, is learning how to think. Furthermore, he continues to explain that people need to change the way they think and take more control over how they think because everyone thinks in a self-centered way.Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem Harlem 1303 Words   |  6 PagesJames Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet; a Joplin, Missouri native and an active, versatile writer, earning acclaim as a poet, novelist, playwright and columnist. He was one of the first poets to explore an innovative sing-songy, stylized delivery called jazz poetry. As an African-American, his point of view, collectively synergized with this then-new literary art, catapulted his writings between the 1930s - 1960s. He is often credited as the leader of the Harlem Renaissance, and â€Å"famouslyRead MoreComparison of Oedipus Rex and a Raisin in the Sun Essay1874 Words   |  8 Pagesthe world. Oedipus Rex (King Oedipus) brings out the worst fate any society can think of, as it deals with the societal taboo of incest. So deep is the taboo, that a mental condition in psychology has been named as the â€Å"Oedipus Rex Complex†! Analysis of the work. Oedipus Rex is an Athenian tragedy that was first performed 429 BCE. I have found pride and integrity in this play. Oedipus the king thought highly about himself and in his pride, thought himself above everyone. And said to the peopleRead MoreAmerican Dream in a Raisin in the Sun4319 Words   |  18 Pagesher for 2. One’s Own Conception on Identity The poem â€Å"Harlem† captures the tension between the need for black expression and the impossibility of that expression because of American society’s oppression of its black population. In the poem, Hughes asks whether a â€Å"dream deferred† withers up â€Å"like a raisin in the sun.† His lines confront the racist, dehumanizing attitude prevalent in American society before the civil rights movement of the 1960s that black desires and ambitions were, at bestRead MoreThe Discourse Community Of The English Subject2328 Words   |  10 Pagesdiscourse community of English some of these people include author and playwright William Shakespeare, author Mark Twain, author and poet Jane Austen , and a slew of famous African-American authors some including Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Lorraine Hansberry, and poet Maya Angelou. African American Literature: Urban Fiction The aspect of the English discourse community I will be focusing on in my report is Urban Fiction. Urban fiction is a subgenre of the genre of African-American literatureRead MoreBlack Lesbian And Gay Families7002 Words   |  29 Pagescontributing to social justice and to the overall development and visibility of Black culture. Historical contributions of icons of Black civil rights and culture who were also lesbian, gay or bisexual such as Audre Lorde, Bayard Rustin, Langston Hughes, Lorraine Hansberry, Alvin Ailey, James Baldwin, Josephine Baker and others are well documented and continue to have a defining impact on Black scholarship, education, culture and the arts. More contemporary social justice leadership by formal Black

Social Facts Free Essays

string(64) " one example of this, where social facts ought to be different\." A. Social Facts Durkheim defined social facts as things external to, and coercive of, the actor. These are created from collective forces and do not emanate from the individual (Hadden, p. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Facts or any similar topic only for you Order Now 104). While they may not seem to be observable, social facts are things, and â€Å"are to be studied empirically, not philosophically† (Ritzer, p. 78). They cannot be deduced from pure reason or thought, but require a study of history and society in order to observe their effects and understand the nature of these social facts. In The Rules of Sociological Method, Durkheim begins by noting features such as the following (quote 3): Social Facts. When I fulfil my obligations as brother, husband, or citizen, when I execute my contracts, I perform duties which are defined, externally to myself and my acts, in law and in custom. Even if they conform to my own sentiments and I feel their reality subjectively, such reality is still objective, for I did not create them; I merely inherited them through my education. (Rules, p. 1). As examples of social facts, Durkheim cites religious beliefs, currency used to undertake transactions, and factors such as â€Å"the practices followed in my profession† (Rules, p. 2). These types of conduct or thought are not only external to the individual but are, moreover, endowed with coercive power, by virtue of which they impose themselves upon him, independent of his individual will. (Rules, p. 2). While obligations, values, attitudes, and beliefs may appear to be individual, Durkheim argues that these social facts exist at the level of society as a whole, arising from social relationships and human association. They exist as a result of social interactions and historical developments over long periods of time, and come from â€Å"varying collective representations and diverse forms of social organization† (Hadden, p. 04). As individuals who are born and raised in a society, these social facts are learned (through socialization) and generally accepted, but the individual has nothing to do with establishing these. While society is composed of individuals, society is not just the sum of individuals, and these facts exist at the level of society, not at the individual level. As such, these social facts do exist, they are the social reality of society, a reality that constitutes the proper study of sociology (Cuff et al. , p. 33). The study of social facts is the â€Å"distinct object or subject matter of sociology† (Hadden, p. 105). Durkheim istinguishes social facts from psychological, biological, or economic facts by noting that these are social and rooted in group sentiments and values. At the same time, he distinguishes the study of social facts from philosophy by noting that the real effects of social facts are â€Å"manifested in external indicators of sentiments such as religious doctrines, laws, moral codes† (Hadden, p. 105) and these effects can be observed and studied by the sociologist. The study of social facts is thus a large part of the study of sociology. In order to do this, the sociologist must â€Å"rid themselves of preconceptions† (Hadden, p. 07) and undertake objective study which can â₠¬Å"focus on objective, external indicators such as religious doctrines or laws† (Hadden, p. 107). Each social fact is real, something that is constraining on the individual and external to the actor. The social fact is not just in the mind of the individual – that is, these facts are more than psychological facts. That these exist in society as a whole, over time, and sometimes across societies, provides some proof of this. At the same time they are in the minds of individuals so they are also mental states. Ritzer notes that social facts can be considered to be mental phenomena that are external to and coercive of psychological facts, such as human instincts. The individual mental state could be considered to intervene between social fact and action (Ritzer, p. 105). Durkheim may not have provided a sufficient analysis of the assumptions underlying, or the characteristics of, these mental states. For Durkheim the study of sociology should be the study of social facts, attempting to find the causes of social facts and the functions of these social facts. Social facts regulate human social action and act as constraints over individual behaviour and action. They may be enforced with law, with clearly defined penalties associated with violation of the sentiments and values of the group. Sanctions may be associated with social facts, for example as in religion, where resistance may result in disapproval from others or from spiritual leaders. Individuals may be unaware of social facts and generally accept them. In this case, individuals may accept the values and codes of society and accept them as their own. Two types of social facts are material and non-material social facts. Material social facts are features of society such as social structures and institutions. These could be the system of law, the economy, church and many aspects of religion, the state, and educational institutions and structures. They could also include features such as channels of communication, urban structures, and population distribution. While these are important for understanding the structures and form of interaction in any society, it is nonmaterial social facts that constitute the main subject of study of sociology. Nonmaterial social facts are social facts which do not have a material reality. They consist of features such as norms, values, and systems of morality. Some contemporary examples are the norm of the one to three child family, the positive values associated with family structures, and the negative associations connected to aggression and anger. In Durkheim’s terminology, some of these nonmaterial social facts are morality, collective consciousness, and social currents. An example of the latter is Durkheim’s analysis of suicide. Social facts can also be divided into normal and pathological social facts (Hadden, pp. 08-9). Normal social facts are the most widely distributed and useful social facts, assisting in the maintenance of society and social life. Pathological social facts are those that we might associate with social problems and ills of various types. Suicide is one example of this, where social facts ought to be different. You read "Social Facts" in category "Es say examples" For Durkheim, the much greater frequency of the normal is proof of the superiority of the normal. Durkheim later modified the notion of a single collective consciousness, and adopted the view that there were collective representations as part of specific states of substrata of the collective. That is, there may be different norms and values for different groups within society. These collective representations are also social facts because they are in the consciousness of some collective and are not reducible to individual consciousnesses (Ritzer, p. 87). The social structures, institutions, norms and values that have become part of the study of sociology can be derived from Durkheim’s approach, and today there is little difficulty distinguishing sociology from psychology. B. Suicide After Durkheim wrote The Rules of Sociological Method, he tackled the subject of suicide as an example of how a sociologist can study a subject that seems extremely personal, with no social aspect to it – even being anti-social. It could be argued that suicide is such a personal act that it involves only personal psychology and purely individual thought processes. Durkheim’s aim was not to explain or predict an individual tendency to suicide, but to explain one type of nonmaterial social facts, social currents. Social currents are characteristics of society, but may not have the permanence and stability that some parts of collective consciousness or collective representation have. They may be associated with movements such as â€Å"enthusiasm, indignation, and pity. † (Ritzer, p. 87). Hadden notes that Durkheim wished to show that sociological factors were â€Å"capable of explaining much about such anti-social phenomena† (Hadden, p. 109). In the case of suicide, these social currents are expressed as suicide rates, rates that differ among societies, and among different groups in society. These rates show regularities over time, with changes in the rates often occurring at similar times in different societies. Thus these rates can be said to be social facts (or at least the statistical representation of social facts) in the sense that they are not just personal, but are societal characteristics. This can be seen in the following quote (quote 12): Suicide Rates as Social Facts. At each moment of its history, therefore, each society has a definite aptitude for suicide. The relative intensity of this aptitude is measured by taking the proportion between the total number of voluntary deaths and the population of every age and sex. We will call this numerical datum the rate of mortality through suicide, characteristic of the society under consideration. †¦ The suicide-rate is therefore a factual order, unified and definite, as is shown by both its permanence and its variability. For this permanence would be inexplicable if it were not the result of a group of distinct characteristics, solidary with one another, and simultaneously effective in spite of different attendant circumstances; and this variability proves the concrete and individual quality of these same characteristics, since they vary with the individual character of society itself. In short, these statistical data express the suicidal tendency with which each society is collectively afflicted. †¦ Each society is predisposed to contribute a definite quota of voluntary deaths. This predisposition may therefore be the subject of a special study belonging to sociology. (Suicide, pp. 48, 51). Durkheim takes up the analysis of suicide in a very quantitative and statistical manner. While he did not have available to him very precise or complete data or sophisticated statistical techniques, his method is exemplary in showing how to test hypotheses, reject incorrect explanations for suicide, sort through a great variety of ossible explanations, and attempt to control for extraneous factors. Some of the factors that others had used to explain suicide were heredity, climate, race, individual psychopathic states (mental illness), and imitation. As an example of Durkheim’s method, consider how he analyzes cosmic factors, such as weather or season. Durkheim (Suic ide, p. 107) notes that in all countries suicide is greater in the summer months, that no country is an exception to this, and that the proportion of suicides in the six warmer months to the six colder months is very similar in each country. Durkheim notes that this has led some commentators to say the â€Å"heat increases the excitability of the nervous system† (Suicide, p. 108). But suicide may result from depression as much as from over-excitement, and heat cannot possibly act the same way on both causes. Further, a closer analysis by Durkheim considers temperature variations and shows that while suicides increase in number as temperature increases, suicides reach a peak before the temperature does. In addition, if temperature is a cause of suicide, warm countries might be expected to have more suicides than cold countries, but the opposite tends to be the case. A related explanation that Durkheim considers is that great changes in temperature are associated with suicide, but again he finds that there is no correlation between suicide rates and the fact of temperature change. Rather, the causes must be in some factor that has continuity over time. He then notes that the rates are more closely connected to the length of day, with suicides increasing as the days grow longer, and decreasing in number as the length of day declines. But it is not the sun itself which is the cause, because at noontime there are fewer suicides than at other times of the day. What Durkheim finds is that the factors associated with higher numbers of suicides must be those that relate to â€Å"the time when social life is at its height† (Suicide, p. 119). The time of day, the day of week, the season of the year, and so on, are not in themselves the reason for the changes in the number of suicides. Rather, the times when social life and interaction among people are greater, are also those associated with increased suicide. Durkheim concludes this section by saying (quote 13): Four Types of Suicide The manner in which social integration and regulation work can be better seen by examining the four fold classification of suicides that Durkheim developed. Durkheim ends his discussion of the organic-psychic and physical environmental factors by concluding that they cannot explain â€Å"each social group[s] †¦ specific tendency to suicide. † (Suicide, p. 145). By eliminating other explanations, Durkheim claims that these tendencies must depend on social causes and must be collective phenomena. The key to each type is a social factor, with the degrees of integration and regulation into society being either too high or too low. (The following discussion is drawn from Ritzer, pp. 90 ff. ). 1. Egoistic Suicide. This is the type of suicide that occurs where the degree of social integration is low, and there is a sense of meaningless among individuals. In traditional societies, with mechanical solidarity, this is not likely to be the cause of suicide. There the strong collective consciousness gives people a broad sense of meaning to their lives. Within modern society, the weaker collective consciousness means that people may not see the same meaning in their lives, and unrestrained pursuit of individual interests may lead to strong dissatisfaction. One of the results of this can be suicide. Individuals who are strongly integrated into a family structure, a religious group, or some other type of integrative group are less likely to encounter these problems, and that explains the lower suicide rates among them. The factors leading to egoistic suicide can be social currents such as depression and disillusionment. For Durkheim, these are social forces or social facts, even though it is the depressed or melancholy individual who takes his or her life voluntarily. â€Å"Actors are never free of the force of the collectivity: ‘However individualized a man may be, there is always something collective remaining – the very depression and melancholy resulting from this same exaggerated individualism. ‘† Also, on p. 214 of Suicide, Durkheim says â€Å"Thence are formed currents of depression and disillusionment emanating from no particular individual but expressing society’s state of disillusionment. Durkheim notes that â€Å"the bond attaching man to life relaxes because that attaching him to society is itself slack. †¦ The individual yields to the slightest shock of circumstance because the state of society has made him a ready prey to suicide. † (Suicide, pp. 214-215). 2. Altruistic Suicide. This is the type of suicide that occurs when integration is to o great, the collective consciousness too strong, and the â€Å"individual is forced into committing suicide. † (Ritzer, p. 91). Integration may not be the direct cause of suicide here, but the social currents that go along with this very high degree of integration can lead to this. The followers of Jim Jones of the People’s Temple or the members of the Solar Temple are an example of this, as are ritual suicides in Japan. Ritzer notes that some may â€Å"feel it is their duty† to commit suicide. (p. 91). Examples in primitive society cited by Durkheim are suicides of those who are old and sick, suicides of women following the death of their husband, and suicides of followers after the death of a chief. According to Durkheim this type of suicide may actually â€Å"springs from hope, for it depends on the belief in beautiful perspectives beyond this life. † 3. Anomic Suicide. Anomie or anomy come from the Greek meaning lawlessness. Nomos means usage, custom, or law and nemein means to distribute. Anomy thus is social instability resulting from breakdown of standards and values. (Webster’s Dictionary). This is a type of suicide related to too low a degree of regulation, or external constraint on people. As with the anomic division of labour, this can occur when the normal form of the division of labour is disrupted, and â€Å"the collectivity is temporarily incapable of exercising its authority over individuals. † (Ritzer, p. 92). This can occur either during periods associated with economic depression (stock market crash of the 1930s) or over-rapid economic expansion. New situations with few norms, the regulative effect of structures is weakened, and the individual may feel rootless. In this situation, an individual may be subject to anomic social currents. People that are freed from constraints become â€Å"slaves to their passions, and as a result, according to Durkheim’s view, commit a wide range of destructive acts, including killing themselves in greater numbers than they ordinarily would. † (Ritzer, p. , 92). In addition to economic anomie, Durkheim also spends time examining domestic anomie. For example, suicides of family members may occur after the death of a husband or wife. 4. Fatalistic Suicide. When regulation is too strong, Durkheim considers the possibility that â€Å"persons with futures pitilessly blocked and passions v iolently choked by oppressive discipline† may see no way out. The individual sees no possible manner in which their lives can be improved, and when in a state of melancholy, may be subject to social currents of fatalistic suicide. Summary. Durkheim’s analysis of suicide shows the manner n which the social as opposed to the psychological and biological can be emphasized, and how it results in some useful ways of analyzing the actions of individuals. Suicide rates as expressions of social currents are social facts that affect societies and individuals within those societies. The study of psychology is still useful in attempting to determine individua l motives and the manner in which the specific circumstances can lead to an individual deciding to voluntarily end their life. But an analysis of these circumstances should be set within the context of the social currents to which that individual is subject. The method of analysis of Durkheim should prove useful even today. In terms of suicide, the social causes are now well recognized, and any analysis of suicide would have to include these. Some combination of egoistic, anomic, and fatalistic types of suicide may help explain and understand this phenomenon. More generally, the method of Suicide is exemplary in providing researchers with a means of understanding the social factors that are associated with particular phenomena. Durkheim examines patterns on the data in an attempt to determine how social factors can play a role in explaining these phenomena. This might be applied to sociobiological arguments today. The trends themselves are not the cause, but indicative of a cause, a social explanation has to be found. C. Conclusions about Durkheim 1. Contributions a. Social Facts and Social Aspects. These are real things that do affect people. He had a strong structural view of society, and the manner in which each of us is influenced by these social facts and how we must fit into these. Durkheim attempted to see a role for the social as distinguished from the economic, psychological and biological. This can be seen in his view of the social influences on suicide rates, where he takes a wide variety of factors and considers their influence on the tendency or aptitude for suicide. The effect of each of these factors is not a simple connection between the factor and the tendency to suicide, but must be mediated by social factors. In particular, the social factors that he identified were the degree of integration and the degree of regulation. For modern theories of sociobiology, and the influence of genetics, Durkheim’s approach could prove a useful counter. References Cuff, E. C. , W. W. Sharrock and D. W. Francis, Perspectives in Sociology, third edition, London, Routledge, 1992. HM66 P36 1984 Durkheim, Emile, The Division of Labor in Society, New York, The Free Press, 1933. Referred to in notes as Division. HD 51 D98 Durkheim, Emile, The Rules of Sociological Method, New York, The Free Press, 1938. Referred to in notes as Rules. HM 24 D962 Durkheim, Emile, Suicide: A Study in Sociology, New York, The Free Press, 1951. Referred to in notes as Suicide. HV 6545 D812 Giddens, Anthony, Capitalism and Modern Social Theory: An Analysis of the Writings of Marx, Durkheim and Max Weber, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1971. HM19 G53. Ritzer, George, Sociological Theory, third edition, New York, McGraw-Hill, 1992. HM24 R4938. Social Explanation. If voluntary deaths increase from January to July, it is not because heat disturbs the organism, but because social life is more intense. To be sure, this greater intensity derives from the greater ease of development of social life in the Summer than in the Winter, owing to the sun’s position †¦ , the state of the atmosphere, etc. But the physical environment does not stimulate it directly; above all, it has no effect on the progression of suicide. The latter depends on social conditions. Suicide, pp. 121-122). While this is not a proof or determination of what causes suicide yet, Durkheim notes that the causes must relate to collective life and must be such that these time factors can be incorporated into an explanation. But the explanation must be social in nature, and cannot be simply related to natural factors, these natural factors must work soc ially, and affect some social aspects which are related to suicide. Note that Durkheim ‘s method here is very empirical, and he searches through various sorts of data and evidence to find factors associated with suicide. But the explanation is not simply a relation between these data and suicides. Rather he is searching for social causes or conditions that are expressed through these. That is, he uses data to discover patterns, but the patterns themselves are not the cause of the phenomenon. Rather the cause is social, and the observed, empirical patterns constitute a means of finding underlying causes. Another factor that Durkheim considers is religion. While he does find that religion is associated with suicide, in the sense that Protestant countries and regions have higher suicide rates than do Catholic ones, religious doctrines are not an important factor in explaining these differences. That is, suicide is condemned more or less equally in each religion, and doctrinal statements concerning suicide are all negative. If there is a difference between the two religions with respect to suicide rates, it must be in some aspect of social organization that differs between the two churches. But if this is the factor related to suicide, then it is the social organization that is the cause of the difference, not religion in itself. Giddens notes (p. 83) that Durkheim finds further proof of this in other factors related to social organization, that is, family structure. Where there is more integration in family structure, the suicides are lesser in number. Durkheim argues that the most important aspects of social organization and collective life for explaining differences in suicide rates are the degree of integration into and regulation by society. For Durkheim, integration is the â€Å"degree to which collective sentiments are shared† and regulation refers to â€Å"the degree of external constraint on people. (Ritzer, p. 90). Catholicism is a more highly integrated religion than Protestantism, and it is in this that the difference in suicide rates is expressed. That is, it is not the religious doctrines themselves but the different social organization of the two religions. As Giddens notes (p. 83), degree of integration of family structure is related in the same way to suicides. Those in larger familie s are less likely to commit suicide, whereas those in smaller families, or single, are more likely. Over time, various social factors also make their influence felt. Durkheim notes that there was a decline in the number of suicides in all the European countries in 1848, a year of revolution and political change throughout Europe. Times of political crisis, war, and economic change are also associated with changes in the rate of suicide. Each of these great social movements could be considered to be examples of social currents that have widespread impact within and across societies. Ritzer (p. 89) notes that Durkheim was making two arguments. First, he argued that different collectivities have different collective consciousness or collective representation. These produce different social currents, and these lead to different suicide rates. By studying different groups and societies, some of these currents can be analyzed, and the effect of these on suicide can be determined. Second, changes in the collective consciousness lead to changes in social currents. These are then associated with changes in suicide rates (quote 14): Sociological Explanation. The conclusion from all these facts is that the social suicide-rate can be explained only sociologically. At any given moment the moral constitution of society established the contingent of voluntary deaths. There is, therefore, for each people a collective force of a definite amount of energy, impelling men to self-destruction. The victim’s acts which at first seem to express only his personal temperament are really the supplement and prolongation of a social condition which they express externally. †¦ Each social group really has a collective inclination for the act, quite its own, and the source of all individual inclination, rather than the result. It is made up of the currents of egoism, altruism or anomy running through the society under consideration with the tendencies to languorous melancholy, active renunciation or exasperated weariness derivative from these currents. These tendencies of the whole social body, by affecting individuals, cause them to commit suicide. The private experiences usually thought to be the proximate causes of suicide have only the influence borrowed from the victim’s moral predisposition, itself and echo of the moral state of society. (Suicide, pp. 299-300). How to cite Social Facts, Essay examples

Dynamic Role Of State And Nonstarter Actors -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Dynamic Role Of State And Nonstarter Actors? Answer: Introduction: Financial crisis is one of the economic phenomenons that seem to occur in a cyclical process. With ever-increasing connectivity among the different economies, effect of the financial crisis now a days have far reaching effect more or less on every economies. It not only affects the epicentre of the economy, moreover spreads like an epidemic throughout the various other economies leading them towards a dwindling situation (Bntrix, Lane and Shambaugh 2015). Among many economic crises, Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008 is a remarkable one, owing to its magnitude, range and effects. It not only crippled the economy of the United States (US) moreover, affected almost 8 countries from European Union (EU) along with Mexico, Egypt, South Africa, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and several other countries worldwide (Dijkstra, Garcilazo and McCann 2015). GFC is acknowledged as the second largest global economic crisis next to Great Depression of 1929 due to its magnitude and far reaching eff ect. This essay is going to analyze the effect of GFC on the various countries and trace out the reason for its occurrence. Besides this, it will try to find out the whether there is any possibility to occur GFC again or not. To conclude, the essay will analyze various reforms taken by the government to control the GFC and proposed reform to make the world economy better. Possible causes of Global Financial Crisis: GFC is one of the largest economic disasters that shook the whole world gradually. Since 2006, there were various signs that entailed the US economy regarding the occurrence of this financial disaster; however, government authorities deliberately overlooked them (Claessens, and Kodres 2014). Once the effect of recession started to phase out, there were various studies regarding the possible caused of GFC. Most of them have similarities to some extent; however, each research came up with different theories regarding the possible reason of GFC. According to the Harvie and Van (2016) one of the main reasons for the global financial outbreak was real estate bubble of the US economy that deliberately brought in the subprime mortgage crisis into the economy since 2006. Back in 2004, Federal Reserve enhanced the Fed Funds Rate and it effectively decreased the housing prices. This reduction in prices of the houses made it affordable to the US citizens and the demand started to rose gradually, which ultimately forced the price of the affordable houses to go up. Community Reinvestment Act aided the realtors to enhance the supply of the house and grabbing the opportunity, lenders started to provide loans at 100% or more than the real value of the new houses. Besides this, banks of US found that it is more beneficial to sell derivatives than providing loans. Capturing the opportunity of unregulated derivative market, US banks sold derivative in a large amount overlooking a major concern; if the derivative business needs to be continu ed, then the banks required continued flow of mortgages (Kapan, and Minoiu 2013). Once the prices of the houses started to fall, supply suppressed the demand, which trapped the owners into the cobweb of mortgage and the flow of newer mortgages started to reduce. In order to check this, banks reduced their lending standards; however, the breaking down of the mortgage framework already has been started. Once the boom in the mortgage sector ended back in 2006, cost of the derivatives started to decrease. Everyone now wanted to cash their securities; however, banks did not have that much cash during that time leading to a chaos in the economy. According to the researches of Treeck (2014), income disparity among the US citizens is one of the main reasons that lead the economy towards this vicious cycle. With rise in Fed Rate, houses become cheap, however, excessive demand lead to higher price. One the other hand realtors provided loans to the house buyers at a higher rate and invested all the money into derivatives that become plumped, once the economy started to cripple. Income disparity lead to discrimination among the citizens and it constrained the US citizens to afford the house at higher price. Claessens and Kodres (2014) argued that, main reason for GFC is Gramm-Rudman Act, which allowed the banks to engage themselves into trading. Post the Gramm-Rudman Act, banks started to sell their profitable derivatives to the investors and the greed for more profit started to increase. Overlooking various important parameters bank relied upon the Mortgage Backed Securities to safeguard their derivatives. However, once the economy started to break down it did not came to any help, rather it lead to too many of toxic assets in the banking framework. As the rumours of economic system breakdown started, stock market also started to cripple. The Repercussion effect of the fraud activities of the mortgage agencies of US and the banks lead US into a largest financial crisis and the financial disaster has been spread to various economic systems worldwide. According to the researcher of this essay, besides the above-mentioned factors, Commodity Futures Modernization Act is another reason that allowed the GFC. It allowed credit default swaps that overruled the state laws regarding gambling. It allowed the banks to trade in energy derivatives that aided to the growth of subprime crisis. Examples of effect of Global Financial Crisis: Subprime mortgage crisis is one of the largest effect that brought in GFC, which not only affected the US economy, moreover hit hard several other economies over the world. Subprime mortgage being a mortgage backed security, collateral, which essentially need to be home loan. This derivate introduced an insatiable demand in the market for mortgage leading the derivatives impossible to price. Besides this, Credit Default Swaps can be treated as another example of effect of GFC that lead the US banks resold the mortgages in tranches. Moreover, Libor rate also rose up and intra-banking lending stopped that lead the bankers to panic and absorb the respective losses due to lack of money to support the Credit Swap. Impact of Global Financial Crisis in Australian economy: Australian economy is connected with US economy well. US economy depends upon on the Australias mineral resources largely and thus, the financial crisis of US has affected the country too. Signs of distress started arise, when two US financial companies, who deal in the Australian market, displayed serious problems with their holdings of Mortgage Backed Securities (Reinhart and Rogoff 2009). As the result, Australian banks refused to provide loans to the US banks. Besides this, export gradually reduces to some extent and it increased the interest rate in the Australian market. However, according to the assessment of the Australian Bureau of Statistics the financial crisis did not affect the Australian economy largely owing to its strong domestic economy that efficiently absorbed the shock in the market. However, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia, Australian stock market faced largest ever reduction in the equities during the period of GFC. During November, it reduced almost 54 percent, which is the highest reduction in the chart of Australian equities and it recovered sharply during the January to march of 2008. However, if compared with the equity market of other countries, then the reduction is the lowest among all and it portrays that Australian economy is potent enough to absorb any external financial shock. During 2008 to 2009, share prices of Australia dropped by 3% and there were high volatility in the market (Ravenhill 2017). Though there was a reduction, in cash rate during 2008 to 2009, overall interest rate was high at that time and bond pricing of the Australian banks has been reduced substantially. Considering this, it can be stated that Australian market is more resilient compared to the other economies that deal with the US. Chances of Global Financial Crisis repetition: GFC had taken place back in 2008 in the US economy, which affected almost every economy more or less, that are attached with the US through trading. According to the economic cycle, as shown in the figure 1, Global financial crisis returns after 7 year once an economy survives through recession and reaches to peak, suppressing the recovery stage (Xu and Couch 2017). Considering this, if US economy can be contested, then it will be found that the economy has gone through recession back in 2008 and now it is under the recovery stage. It is expected that economy will reach to peak by 2020 and later that, according to the economic cycle theory, GFC can arise again (Rey 2015). US Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen has recently said that there will be no more GFC ever again with strong governmental holdings on the market and economic reform plans. However, according to Richard Sylla, there is 70% to 80% chance that GFC will repeat in coming years again. Main reasons for his statements are as follow (Rousseau and Wachtel 2017): Interest rate is still lower that influence the prospect buyers to take loans for new houses. High yield rate in free market is at an alarming rate. With 8% yield rate, US possess the highest yield rate. It portrays that government is manipulating the economy and transferring almost 2.4 USD every year from the US savers to borrowers. Taxation rate is much higher than the natural rate, same as the taxation rate of 2008. According to the thought of the researcher of this essay, scope of occurrence of GFC is considerably low. Though private debt bubble is attractive to the investors; however, they need to abstain them from the trap again. Debt to GDP ratio of US is considerably lower than the other developed nations like UK, China, Australia, Korea and Belgium that aids the economy to sustain in long run (Minsky 2015). However, it can be seen that private debt rate of the country is growing higher, which is an alarming situation. Reforms to control Global Financial Crisis: Back in 2006, alarm bell has already been raised regarding the incoming of GFC in the economy; however, negligence of the US Federal Reserve and greed of the US banks, mortgage firms lead the economy towards the financial crisis (Corbo, De Melo and Tybout 2015). Term Auction Facility from the Federal Reserve back in 2007, in order to pumping in liquidity in the US monetary market in order to raise the growth has made the final blow. To control the deteriorating situation, the US government has introduced various packages. One of the main bailout packages was of US$700 billion that was aimed to safeguard the US banks from bankrupted. Besides this, Economic Stimulus Package was also introduced by the then US President Barrack Obama. Along with this, there were unemployment benefit of $224 and $275 for public works. Moreover, the government tried to aid the economy with a college tax cut of $2500 and $8000 for homebuyers (Or and Aranda 2017). In 2009, government brought in the Homeowner Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) that was aimed to provide affordable home to the homebuyers, without moving into the mortgage trap again. By this time unemployment rate was as high as 10% and to control this US government introduced American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (APRA) as a stimulus package to the economy (Duffie 2017). Moreover, it has been proposed by the government to amend the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act prope rly, then it will be beneficial for the economy. Republicans of the US senate proposed plan to let the economy become capitalist market, where deregulation can be beneficial and it will do its work to ensure GFC does not happen again. Conclusion: This essay has studied the Global Financial Crisis and tried to trace out its possible reason of occurrence. From the analysis, it has been found that fraud activity of the US banks and mortgage firms has been one of the main reasons that took the economy towards the crisis. Besides this, subprime mortgage risk along with disparity in income is the different factors that caused the economy to face financial crisis. The essay has found that, crippling of financial condition not only affected the US market, moreover brought devastating effect for the other economies too. As the measure to control the crisis, there has been various stimulus package and proposed plan. Most of them have successfully triggered the economy to bring in a favourable condition by the end of 2009. With rising GDP of the country and reducing unemployment, the essay suggests that, there will be no GFC again like 2008 Reference: Bntrix, A.S., Lane, P.R. and Shambaugh, J.C., 2015. International currency exposures, valuation effects and the global financial crisis.Journal of International Economics,96, pp.S98-S109. Claessens, S. and Kodres, L.E., 2014. The regulatory responses to the global financial crisis: Some uncomfortable questions. Claessens, S. and Kodres, L.E., 2014. The regulatory responses to the global financial crisis: Some uncomfortable questions. Corbo, V., De Melo, J. and Tybout, J., 2015. What went wrong with the recent reforms in the Southern Cone. InDeveloping Countries in the World Economy(pp. 21-54). Diaz, D., Theodoulidis, B. and Dupouy, C., 2016. Modelling and forecasting interest rates during stages of the economic cycle: A knowledge-discovery approach.Expert Systems with Applications,44, pp.245-264. Dijkstra, L., Garcilazo, E. and McCann, P., 2015. The effects of the global financial crisis on European regions and cities.Journal of Economic Geography,15(5), pp.935-949. Duffie, D., 2017. Financial regulatory reform after the crisis: An assessment.Management Science. Harvie, C. and Van Hoa, T., 2016.The causes and impact of the Asian financial crisis. Springer. Kapan, M.T. and Minoiu, C., 2013.Balance sheet strength and bank lending during the global financial crisis(No. 13-102). International Monetary Fund. Minsky, H.P., 2015.Can" it" happen again?: essays on instability and finance. Routledge. Or, N.H. and Aranda?Jan, A.C., 2017. The Dynamic Role of State and Nonstate Actors: Governance after Global Financial Crisis.Policy Studies Journal,45(S1). Ravenhill, J. ed., 2017.Global political economy. Oxford University Press. Reinhart, C.M. and Rogoff, K.S., 2009. The aftermath of financial crises.American Economic Review,99(2), pp.466-72. Rey, H., 2015.Dilemma not trilemma: the global financial cycle and monetary policy independence(No. w21162). National Bureau of Economic Research. Rousseau, P.L. and Wachtel, P., 2017. Episodes of financial deepening: credit booms or growth generators?.Financial Systems and Economic Growth, p.52. Treeck, T., 2014. Did inequality cause the US financial crisis?.Journal of Economic Surveys,28(3), pp.421-448. Xu, H. and Couch, K.A., 2017. The business cycle, labor market transitions by age, and the great recession.Applied Economics, pp.1-2