The Social Construction of the Amish Community

Sociology 1101 The Amish Community, an Example of Social Construction The Amish culture qualifies as an example of social construction because it is a belief that has important consequences for a large group of people. The people of the Amish community have specific rules they must follow. They believe that the outside culture has a morally polluting effect and that it promotes pride, greed, immorality and materialism. Some of the Amish beliefs include the concept that God will judge them on how well they have obeyed the church rules during their lifetime and that contact with the â€Å"outside world† makes it harder to obey their rules.This is the reason for their extreme isolation. Even though the Amish culture believes that the â€Å"outside world† has a polluting effect on them and their children, there is a time within the Amish community that the parents throughout the community allow their children to participate in events and activities that they usually wouldnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t be allowed to participate in. This time is referred to as Rumspringa. Rumspringa is also referred to as â€Å"running around† This is the term used to describe the period of adolescence Amish experience starting at around the age of sixteen.The parents of the children who choose to participate in this opportunity feel that their children cannot be shunned from the Amish community because they are not yet baptized and they are not yet under the authority of the church. Rumspringa helps the young adults to choose whether they want to join the church or not. The young adults can choose to join a youth group on the weekends usually. These different youth groups have different activities or events they participate in. There are two main groups; one considered the slower or plainer group and the other considered the faster group.The slower groups participates in activities such as volleyball games, and singing groups and are even sometimes supervised by adults while the fa ster group participates in parties and other activities considered less conservative. Although most people seem to think that the youth who participate in these groups are participating in heavy partying, drug use, premarital sex or other extreme behaviors this is usually not the case although these are not unheard of throughout the faster youth groups. The Amish community serves as an example of social construction because the ideas of this culture are passed along by xplaining each aspect of the community through personal interactions and friendships, people begin to believe these strict aspects are what are to be expected because so many other people of the Amish community are believing them and practicing them. Then the strict aspects of the Amish culture are eventually accepted and passed down from generation to generation. â€Å"The Amish people are direct descendants of the Anabaptists of the sixteenth century Europe. Anabaptism is the religion that came about during the ref ormation era.The term Anabaptist first started out as a nickname that meant re-baptizer, because this group rejected the idea of infant baptism, since an infant doesn’t yet have the knowledge of good and evil. The Anabaptists were seen as a threat to Europe’s religious and social institutions and were therefore persecuted. † The idea of Rumspringa first begins because of this specific aspect of the Amish culture, the belief that their children cannot be shunned by the Amish community because they are not old enough to know the difference between good and evil.This then allows the people of the Amish community to consider what the specific age of knowing good from evil is and then they present the specific idea of Rumspringa to the Amish culture. The Amish community passed through the three phases of Berger and Luckmann’s analysis by first; externalizing the ideas of the culture by putting an explanation of the ideas â€Å"out there† The Amish commun ity first presented the idea of Rumspringa to the entire community when they felt that their young adults should have a choice whether or not they wanted to continue to practice the Amish believes and pass them down to their children.Although it may seem that this act of Rumspringa is going completely against what the Amish community believes, the Amish parents do not encourage their youth to leave home and participate in sinful behaviors but they feel there must be at least some room for free choice in the decision to become Amish. Rumspringa was also explained as the time the Amish community allowed their young adult children to participate in youth groups that would lead them to finding a spouse and if this happened and the two young adults decided to get married their time of Rumspringa was over and they were now to be baptized.The second phase they passed their belief through is objectivation. This is the most crucial phase of construction. The strict rules of the Amish communi ty led the people of the Amish community to believe that being exposed to the outside world would pollute their minds. But, when the idea of Rumspringa was first put out there for people to consider, it showed that this would allow their children to participate in activities and groups that they were not usually allowing them too.At first the people of the Amish community felt this idea was crazy, but after it was explained that their children would not be shunned from the community because they had not yet been baptized and were not yet under the authority of the church and that their young adult children needed free choice in whether or not to continue the practices of the Amish culture, people began to really consider this idea. Many Amish families decided this was a good idea and began to practice this new belief.They felt this could actually help their family continue from generation to generation. The third phase of Berger and Luckmann is the phase of internalization. This new ly introduced belief of the Amish community was spreading quickly and more and more people began practicing this belief. More people of the Amish community began to involve this belief into their everyday lives because they felt this could lead their children to marriage and then they would soon be baptized and be considered under the authority of the church.People of the Amish community had children and has these children grew up they were introduced to the idea of Rumspringa and as these children grew into adults and had their own children they passed down the belief to their children and eventually the belief of Rumspringa throughout the Amish culture was now passed down from generation to generation religiously. Even though the idea of Rumspringa was doubted when it was first presented to the Amish community, the people of the Amish community began to actually consider the aspects of this new idea and realize this could help their children and even their families for generations .This is how the beliefs of the Amish community passed through the third phase of Berger and Luckmanns reality of construction. I believe that the beliefs of the Amish community could either be effectively challenged or accepted depending on the person who is examining and judging the culture. The Amish culture thoroughly explains each aspect of their culture and why they participate in each aspect. They have specific background information on why they now accept the idea of Rumspringa.I feel he Amish culture could also be effectively challenged because, even though the Amish culture presents their ideas of Rumspringa and explains that they feel this certain period of time in their children’s lives could effectively alter their lives for the better, this time doesn’t actually let their children move outside the community or even the home. The young adults of the Amish community don’t actually get to experience what it is like to live in a house where there is te levision or dress differently or even eat food they have never tried before.I feel the period of Rumspringa should be widened completely. The young adults should be able to spend six months to year physically living and working in a whole different world and this would actually allow them to make a completely honest choice about whether to join the Amish community church without the heavy influence of their parents. I feel this would effectively allow the young adults experience Rumspringa.

Analysis Of The Movie Blade Runner Film Studies Essay

Analysis Of The Movie Blade Runner Film Studies Essay The Blade Runner is a science fiction movie that was directed by Ridley Scott in 1982. The movie was written by David Peoples and Hampton Fancher, and was based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?† a novel that was authored by Philip K. Dick. The film depicts a 2019 dystopian Los Angeles, a period that is characterized by the construction of genetically modified organic robots that are referred to as â€Å"replicants.† Tyrell manufactured the robots and other big corporations around the world were physically indistinguishable from adult human beings. The replicants are banned and are only used for menial and dangerous works in the off-world colonies. Special police operatives referred to as â€Å"Blade Runners† hunt down the replicants who defy the ban. The film rapidly became a typical sect, with a great following of devoted fans (Hills, 2005). However, as with all sect classics, the movie has had countless critics, and the majority of these critics have gen erated incredibly similar criticism of the movie. They dismissed it as a good-loooking movie formed on the flimsiest of tales, a conquest of creation plan over substance. This statement even though incredibly vital and intrepid is not wholly without matter, with lots of plot turns and variations in the course, the themes are time and again difficult to track, as is the character conversation and the universal run of the plot which can irritate a lot of people and as a result, result in such awful critisism. When talking about this statement, one must assess a number of main scenes in the movie itself, make an analysis of both the story creation design and its content, and form a close reference to both. The first scene of key significance to both the story and the creation design is the prospect in which the observer first gets to know about Racheal. One gets to know about Rachael in the narrative as a Tyrell’s secretary, and a new outline of replicant, which is more or less human. However, she afterward becomes deckards love concern, which is relatively a satirical concurrence due to the reality that it is deckards occupation as a blade runner to execute replicants. Nevertheless the conversation is complex, and presumes too much of the watcher, in the logic, that it presumed that the watcher identifies more with the new globe than is told in actual facts.What is relatively astonishing, are the visuals in this scene which arrest the eye of the watcher easily. There is filming of the movie is done from a distant end of the room, in the evening. This looks out of the base to the ceiling removable window, of more or less prehistoric looking scenery, with pyramids and other prehistoric kind of buildings. The room itself has a distinct sentiment of the Mediterranean. It is in complete dissimilarity to the feeling of architecture of the movie, which has typically been that of grey dull buildings and dark uninviting streets. This is used to indicate the tremen dous disparity in riches amid tyrell, and the rest of the globe. This scene is occupied with classic narrative, although it is frequently difficult to understand the knowledge that is expected by the watcher. The visuals of the scene are exceptional, it is a good-looking backdrop and a visually striking scene, which as well distracts the sight from the character conversation, and creates difficulty to understand the slight scheme particulars in the scene (Sammon & Paul, 1997). In general, this scene is geared in the direction of the creation design side of the movie, and needs to utilize extra time on the story side.

Electoral Record and Contentious Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Electoral Record and Contentious Issues - Essay Example Jack Layton, who was considered as universally respected led the NDP to elections in 2011, although he died from cancer in a tragic manner several months before the onset of the elections. The new leader for NDP, Tom Mulcair, as in the case of Layton, was bilingual and came from Quebec. However, the political career for Layton was based in Ontario, which was an English-speaking region, where Mulcair used to serve as a Minister for the provincial administration of Quebec. The Liberty Party was unsuccessful during the 2008 elections, while under the leadership of Stephane Dion as well as in the 2011 elections when Michael Ignatieff, a previous professor from Harvard led the party (Michaels, 2015). After the loss of the two academics, the party has decided to select a new leader, John Trodeau, whose name was popular as he is the son of Pierre Trudeau, who served as the previous Prime Minister (Michaels, 2015). At the birth of John Trudeau, his father served as the Prime Minister, meaning that in case the Liberal Party succeeded, then Trudeau would manage to step to the house, the Prime Ministerial dwelling situated at 24 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, since that was where he was raised (Brewster, 2015). Unfolding Count Canada is usually spread in times zones of about 4 hours, although the close times gap for the polls are compressed to approximately three hours. With the announcing of the results, bans have been put in place in the recent years with regard to reporting results for those provinces whereby voting is still taking place.

Health Care Policy in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Health Care Policy in the United States - Essay Example Health care in the United States has evolved considerably since its inception. Prior to 1990s, people rarely spoke about health care coverage issues, as health care was considered exclusively for the upper middle class of the society (Kronenfeld, 2002). Over the years of economic development in the United States, the health care policies came to include the middle and lower income classes of society. Over the course of 50 years, the United States has transformed the health care system into a billion-dollar industry. The companies, shareholders, and stakeholders associated with the health care system experienced huge gains and rapid growth throughout the period. The general health care was viewed important by each and every American; they took pride in the development of the system within the country, the increasing use of ever-evolving technologies, and the growth of modernized hospitals located throughout the country (Kronenfeld, 2002). Americans across the nation started believing that health care system was one of the contributing factors behind the enormous economic growth. A series of statistical studies regarding the health care system of the country revealed that they system was collapsing. Several independent researchers within the system concluded that the health care system was in a position of providing proper health care to only 60% of the chronically ill of the country. One of the main reasons supporting this theory was that about 15.8% of Americans were not covered by health insurance despite the United States spending 12% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1990 on health care (Patel & Rushefsky, 2006). The other industrialized countries of the world – mainly Canada, West Germany, and Japan – spent much less on the health care of the country, yet were still able to provide comprehensive coverage to a greater portion of their populations. Use of the most advanced techniques for improving health care thus did not translate into a h ealthy population (Kronenfeld, 2002). Key amongst the problems with the health care system of the United States was the existence of more than one health care system. According to the study made by Torrens in the year, 1988 there were four different health care systems in the country. The first system covered the middle and the high-income group of the country – those were regularly employed and possessed comprehensive health insurance policies. The second system covered the poor population – those without any insurance coverage. The third and the fourth system of health insurance covered the working military personnels and their dependents and the retired military people, respectively (Kronenfeld, 2002). The health care system of the United States in essence had most of the population covered by private insurance and the government providing insurance mainly for the backward section of the society. To overcome the loopholes of the system of health care of the country and to alleviate the problems relating to the presence of more than one health care system in the country, one option is to form a nationalized health care system with the government of the country acting as the single player of the health care system. The total spending of the system of health care would be done from the government budget. Hence the government

What do subcultural theories have to offer our understanding of youth Essay

What do subcultural theories have to offer our understanding of youth crime - Essay Example You wonder why kids, especially the male gender before 18 years of age already have a bad reputation from school, which the criminal courts can also support. These young people already understand their cultural values and what their society upholds to be morally right and wrong, yet they go against it to prove it wrong. They form independent social structures, in which they set their own rules and conduct activities to satisfy their ambitions. Sub-cultural theories have put forward motives that drive most of the young people into crime and deviance. Lynch (2000) mentioned that crime does not necessarily happen because people have been imperfectly socialized, but instead occur, for they get to be socialized in a deviant group and learn its values. Their formulated values and beliefs are what they use to justify their illegal conduct in the midst of the dominant culture. It is the desire for most people to achieve and live the American dream in their lifetime. Acquiring wealth and living a satisfactory life seems challenging and only few in the society have managed that. Although people can get a good salary, the life standard has gone up increasing the expenses incurred. This puts a barrier between the rich and the poor in the society, which determines their power to access their needs and their position in the society. According to Vito, Maahs and Holmes, the American sub cultural theories stem out of anomie and social disorganisation perspective; focusing on the lower class in the society, and the formation and activities that explain the delinquent subcultures (2007, p. 160). The concept of psychological strain on the lower social group in their state of idleness and poverty, make the people to look for alternative means to sustain their lives. Often, it is possible to see states and countries that have low economic and safety nets than others, which have high crime rates. The chances of economic and socially powerful families

Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Analysis - Essay Example For example, men are depicted as people who do not value women and hence despise their importance. On that prospect, there is a loss of personal identity among the women because of the persistent male domination. This loss of identity is apparent in the marriages of Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Wright. Therefore, when Mrs. Wright who was initially called Minnie murders her husband John Wright, the two women conspire to protect her â€Å"†¦I might have known she needed help! I tell you, it's queer, Mrs. Peters† (Glaspell 17). Another view of marriage depicted by the playwright is that women are making efforts to reclaim their respect and dignity. From the play, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are seen showing extreme sympathy toward the wife of the victim in a sense of solidarity. In other words, both women make attempts in comprehending the guiding motives that led Minnie to wring the neck of her husband, John Wright. The women decide to settle on this idea because men taske d with the investigations are emotionless and cold with the existing material facts. The suggestions from these acts indicate that women are deemed as nothing in the eyes of the law. Apart from the aforementioned reasons of marriage offered by Susan Glaspell, there is the disregard by the law towards marriage. For example, the county attorney does not find pride in Mrs. Peter because she has been married by a cop. On that note, the attorney remarks she is â€Å"married to the law†¦ (Glaspell 14) meaning she is a person who is dominated by husband. There is also a conduct of timidity displayed among the two women especially when they are conversing. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are fond of sitting together suggesting a lack of strength among themselves even in their matrimonial homes. Furthermore, it depicts an inferiority complex complimented by the body language when investigation is being conducted concerning the murder of John Wright. Alternatively, the incompetency of men to show compassion for Minnie who is accused of murdering her husband shows a lack of dignity for marriage. Moreover, the death of the bird belonging to Minnie is a symbol of the destruction of women’s fancies in marriages. Another aspect is the men constantly ridiculing the roles played by women from the county attorney who is tasked with investigations to the sheriff. This is exemplified when the sheriff dismisses the fruits that have frozen in the cupboard instead of complimenting the hard work of the women. On the same perspective, views of marriage in, ‘Trifles’ is that of men who are constantly blaming women for their woes. This is apparent when the County attorney disparages the housekeeping skills of Mrs. Wright when they go to conduct investigations. However, in solidarity with her friend, Mrs. Hale comes to her defense by stating that housework is tough on a farm. This leads the County Attorney to minimize his ridicule and continue with other investigative roles inside the home of Mrs. Wright (Glaspell, 2010). Another defense fronted by Mrs. Hale that exposes the desperate attempt by women to defend their marriages is when she confronts the County Attorney. This is concerning the murder of John Wright. She explains to the investigation team that the home of Mrs. Wright was not a cheerful place, but Mrs. Wright had exceptional homemaking skills. However, the County Attorney continues to level blame on Mrs. Wright by claiming it’

Case Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case Studies - Essay Example The key market players of the pharmaceutical industry are the companies originating from USA, Japan, Europe, China, and Brazil. The medicines manufactured by the leading pharmaceutical companies are prevalent across the globe. USA is regarded as the world’s largest market of pharmaceutical and is the also the world leader in the Bio pharmaceutical research. 80 Percent of the research and development in pharmaceuticals is conducted in the laboratories of USA (Select USA, 2013). However, USA is largely dependent on the import of generic drugs and 40 percent of the pharmaceutical is consumed in USA (Select USA, 2013). It is believed that the present market situation of Biologic, over the counter (OTC), and generic drugs reflect the potential of the pharmaceutical market (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). As per the reports of House of Commons, UK around 650 million prescriptions are prescribed by the general practitioners of United Kingdom (UK) itself (House of Commons, 200 5). The National Health Service which is one of the leading medical organizations of UK sells medicines worth ?7 billion every year and 80 percent of these medicines are manufactured by branded companies (House of Commons, 2005). In the UK the pharmaceuticals industry is regarded to be the most profitable sector after Finance and Tourism. Majority of the pharmaceutical company’s revenue is generated from the USA because it is the world’s largest free pricing market for pharmaceuticals. Marketing Environment Analysis The marketing environment analysis will help us in indentifying the factors that affect the company directly and indirectly. The macro environmental factors affect the activities of the company directly and the micro environmental factors affect the activities of the company indirectly. The micro environmental factors constitute of environmental factors like suppliers, distributors, competitors etc. The macro environmental factors constitute of demographic, economic, socio cultural, political, physical and legal factors. The PEST analysis will be instrumental in determining the external threats and opportunities faced by the pharmaceutical industry in the USA. Political Factors Department of Health The US department of health is a government body which regularly monitors the activities of the pharmaceutical companies. The main task of this government body is to scrutinize the license, clinical trials etc of the pharmaceutical companies. Economic The medicines manufactured and sold by the pharmaceutical companies are expensive because these companies incur huge amount of research and development costs. Post recession majority of the established pharmaceutical companies have closed down their research sites because the cost of research and development is too high and the profit earned by these companies is minuscule (The Guardian, 2013). It is observed that the most of the pharmaceutical companies are incurring losses due to the current economic slowdown (Gallagher, 2012). Socio Cultural Factors The sales of the medicines in the USA are largely influenced by the ageing population and the increasing obesity among the youth. Although, post recession the purchasing power of the common people has reduced the demand of the medicines and