The Beginning Of Modernity In Europe Sociology Essay

The Beginning Of Modernity In Europe Sociology Essay Modernity, began in Europe, but yet it affected every nation in the West and, to some degree, all the nations of the world. The transition from traditional medieval society to modernity is easy to identify. The Enlightenment brought about a period of change. God was no longer thought to be at the centre of the universe, there was a move from agriculture to industry which saw three revolutions signalling the advent of modernity in the forms of the industrial revolution in England 1780-1840 the democratic revolutions of the United States of America in 1776 and France in 1789 and the The scientific revolution (1500-1700). Capitalism became the predominant economic force and sociological concept of modernity is therefore associated with industrialization, urbanization, secularization, bureaucracy and progress. Kramnick, Isaac. Thematic Essay: Political and Social Thought of the Enlightenment, Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopaedia 2009 http://encarta.msn.com  © 1997-2009 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Essentially, the English and French revolutions were significantly different. The nature of the Industrial Revolution within England provided the people with an ideal towards greater freedom and cultural expression, as consumerism began to dominate society. France on the other hand, was more visibly concerned with the issue of religion than England was. Medieval Europe thought the authority was the word of God and was revealed through the teachings of the Roman church. The enlightenment challenged this whilst accepting new ideas of religion, myth and tradition thus helping create a new faith through knowledge and reason. The enlightenment ushered a period of uncertainty for religion in Europe, and Christianity in particular was criticised by the enlightenment writers. One theory that gained wide attention in the enlightenment suggested that religion was the invention of cultic leaders or priests, whose prime consideration was the furtherance of their own interests (Yolton et al 1996: 447). Yolton, J et al (1996) Enlightenment (Blackwell) Galileo was in fact imprisoned and nearly killed because of his beliefs and theories that questioned the traditional ideas and attitudes of the church. In order to escape Galileo had to swallow his pride and admit he was wrong, even though he knew has was correct. Although the philosophers involved in the enlightenment continued to believe in God, the findings they made meant the basis of knowledge was no longer seen as the word of God as the church believed, as described by Hamilton in his book The Enlightenment and the Birth of Social Science (1992: 55-56). For the first time man could dare know about the social arrangements under which he lived, rather than have them presented to him through the obscuring haze of a religious ideology. By knowing about these social arrangements their operation would become clear and thus open to change. In other words the enlightenment leads to science and natural philosophy replacing religion as the means of knowledge. During the enlightenment faith in divine revelation, and the authority of the Church, were increasingly undermined by the new confidence in the ability of human reason to provide an understanding of the world. Similarly, the understanding of history as the chronicle of the fall of man from Gods grace, with spiritual salvation only attainable in the next world, was largely replaced by a belief in human perfectibility and the increasing faith in mans power and ability to use his new-found knowledge to improve mankinds state. (Badham 1986:79) Badham (1986) Theories of Industrial Society Enlightenment brought about a cultural change in what creates knowledge and what the purpose of knowledge is. After the enlightenment, history was no longer seen as synonymous with God working his purpose out. (Smart, 1992, Pg8) Smart, B (1992) Modern Conditions, Postmodern Controversies (Routledge) Power of human reason was now used to create knowledge. The enlightenment period challenged sources of authority dramatically, never before had people dare question the word of church until this time, and the enlightenment brought about a great deal of change in the way people perceived the world. The idea of a social contract is another important feature of the Enlightenment. The central concept in Jean-Jacques Rousseaus thought is liberty and most of his works deal with the mechanisms through which humans are forced to give up their liberty. . This issue which Rousseau confronted most of his life is summed up in the first sentence of his most famous work, The Social Contract: Man is born free but everywhere in chains. (Rousseau (1762), 1973: 165).Rousseau, J.J ([1762] 1973) The Social Contract, Everyman The liberals welcomed the dramatic changes because individuals are naturally rational and should be able to pursue their own interests, the removal of traditional restraints and the emergence of governments which guaranteed the rights of the individual were therefore seen as progressive developments. For socialists this did not go far enough, human beings are naturally sociable and their needs can only be met collectively, this necessitates the replacement for capitalism which divides people by socialism which enables them to cooperate. On the other hand to these two optimistic responses to social change, conservatives exhibited horror; human beings are naturally a member of a social organism, unequal but depending on each other. These revolutions in their disregard for tradition and their rupture of the natural order were seen as dangerous developments. The three most commonly mentioned sociological perspectives are Functionalism, which is a system theory. Marxism which is often seen as a conflict theory and in addition there is also Social Action Theory. August Comte, Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons are known as the three best-known Functionalists. When you look into the Social Action Theory you come across many articles by Max Weber, who is one of the earliest known Social Actionist and George Herbert Mead. Very few sociologists actually write about Marxism other than Karl Marx himself. Functionalism is a theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can be best explained in terms of the functions they perform, that is the contributions they make to the continuity of society. Moreover, they view society as a complex system whose various parts work in relationship to each other in a way that needs to be understood. (Giddens 4th Edition, 2001, page 689). Functionalism is based on a systems theory. The ideas behind the perspective are that our behaviour is governed and constrained by social forces. In other words, we are what we are because of the social groups that we belong to. Functionalists see society as a system based upon the same lines as the human body. The analysis used to describe functionalism is often compared to the working of the human body. Therefore, if you describe how the human body works, you can compare society to the same system. Each part of the body i.e. the heart/family, lungs/workplace and brain/government, have a particular j ob to fulfil within the overall system. However, you need them to be working in conjunction for the system to work properly. In a similar way it is the contribution we make within our society, which enable us to flourish. The various parts of the society, such as the family or religion must be seen in relation to society as a whole. (Haalambos and Halborn, 5th Edition, 2001,page 9) The term sociology was coined by a French man named Auguste Comte (1798-1857) in 1838. He wanted to understand the great social changes that had occurred around him and made the earliest contribution to the development of sociological thinking. He set about devising a science of sociology. A science in the manner set down by the scientist and philosophers of the Enlightenment. He believed that the methods used in the natural sciences could be applied to the study of society, thus Comte was a proponent of Positivism, defined as an epistemological position that advocates the application of the methods of the natural sciences to the study of social reality and beyond (Bryman, A, 2004: 542). Bryman A. (2004) Social Research Methods, New York: Oxford University Press Comte has particular prominence given to him because his thinking reflected the turbulent times of his age and also because he coined the word sociology in other to be different from other thinkers. He was a French man who no ticed that the French revolution had introduced significant changes into the society and he also sought to explain and create a science of the society that could explain the social laws of the world just as science explained the laws of the physical world. He argued that the society conforms to the invariable laws in much the same way that the physical world does. His law of three stages claims that the human efforts to understand the world have passed through the theological and metaphysical and positive stages. He was keenly aware of the state of the society that he lived. He was concerned with the inequalities being produced by industrialization and the threat they posed to social cohesion. In his view, the long term solution was the production of moral consensus that would help to regulate or hold the society together. His visions for the society were never realized, his contribution to systemizing and unifying the science of society. Another Key thinker is Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), He did draw on many aspects of Comtes Work but he believed that Comtes ideas where too speculative and vague and that Comte had not successfully carried out his programme (Giddens, 2001: 8). Giddens, A. (2001) sociology (4th edition), Cambridge: polity Durkheim did believe that social life could be studied with the same objectivity as the natural world and he developed the concept of social facts, which should be studied by sociologists; social facts are aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals, such as the state of economy or the influence of religion (Giddens, 2001: 9). Giddens, A. (2001) sociology (4th edition), Cambridge: polity for him his main intellectual concern of sociology is the study of social facts. He stated that the aspects of social life shape our actions as individuals, such as the state of the economy or the influence of religion. However, he conceded that social facts are difficult to study beca use they are invisible and intangible and they cannot be observed directly. He instead states that they must be revealed indirectly which is by analyzing their effects or by considering attempts that have been made at their expression, such as laws, religious texts or written rules of conduct. He was concerned with the changes that were transforming society in his own lifetime. He was particularly interested in social and moral solidarity; this was in other words what held the society together and held it from descending into chaos. He stated that there are two types of solidarity and he contrasted them together, mechanical and organic, relating them to the division of labour and the growth and distinctions between the different occupations. However, the forces of industrialization and urbanization led to a growing division of labour that contributed to the breakdown of solidarity. Karl Marx (1818-1883) Marxs ideas were strikingly different from that of Comtes and Durkheim. Marx ideas where inspired by the industrial revolution and argued that the system of capitalism affected human experience. He focused on conflicts between the classes, and the need for substantial social change to a communist society. His political activities brought him into conflict with the German authorities, after a brief stay in France, he settled permanently in exile in Britain. He however witnessed the growth of factories and the inequalities that resulted. His viewpoints were grounded in what he called the materialist conception of history. According to this view, it is not ideas or values human beings hold that are the main sources of social change. Rather social change is prompted primarily by the economic influences. He believed in the inevitability of a workers revolution which would overthrow the capitalist system and usher in a new society in which there would be no classes, t he rich and the poor. Marx gave names to the haves and have nots, they are known as the Bourgeoise and the Proletariats. One way of assessing the power of the upper class is through the study of elites (people who fill the top positions in each of the major institutions of society); most of the sociological debates have centered on economic elites and political elites. (Sociology in focus 5th Edition, 2000, page 53) They differ from functionalists in the way that they see the difference. He did not mean that inequalities would disappear; he rather stated that society would no longer be split into a small class that monopolizes economic and political power and the large mass of people who benefit little from the wealth their work creates. He believed that in the society of the future production would be more advanced and efficient than production under capitalism. Karl Marx is quoted as saying ideology is a distortion of reality, it binds members of society to the contradictions and conflicts of interest that are built into their societys. (Haralambos and Holborn, 5th Edition, 2002, page 13) Max Weber (1864-1920) was influenced by Marx, but saw class conflict as less significant and believed that ideas and values had as much impact on social change. He developed the idea of ideal types, which are conceptual and analytical models that can be used to understand the world. Weber made use of ideal types in his writing on forms of bureaucracy and the market. He therefore simply cannot be labelled a sociologist as his interest and concerns ranged across many areas. He was born in Germany where he spent most of his academic career. He was most concerned with the development of modern capitalism and the ways in which modern society was different from earlier forms of social organization. In common with thinkers of his time, he sought to understand the nature and causes of social change; he was influenced by Marx but was also critical of some of his views. He saw class conflict as less significant than Marx. ` He believed that sociology should focus on social action, not structur es; he argued that human motivation and ideas were the forces behind change. According to him, individuals have the free will to act and shape their future. Social Action Theory is often described as the alternative theory. Social Actionists see people as individuals who have a right to react as and how they wish. They say that how we react with each other in our society is largely up to us as individual social being. It is a social perspective that focuses on the meaning and intensions that underpin human actions. Social active perspectives are concerned with the way in which the human actively and creatively interprets the world around them. Rather than the external forces which could be used as a guide (Giddens 4th Edition, 2001, page 698) It is worth pointing out here that sociology did not become the institutionalised and professional discipline that we know today until the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. As Jenkins puts it Comte first gave it a name and Marx sketched out some of its most enduring ideasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦sociology as we know it today was establishedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦by Weber, Simmel, Durkheim and Mead (Jenkins, 2002:21). Jenkins R. (2002) foundations of sociology, Basingstoke: Palgrave The enlightenment period is often referred to as the age of reason. The enlightenment influenced people lives a great deal, and without this period, the world would not be how it is today. It enabled people to have the right to express their views freely and publicly without the fear of being imprisoned or even killed.

An analysis of attempts deal with the problem of smuggling of human beings Essay

1. Introduction There are many factors that entice some people to use illegal means to reach the United States, the member states of the European Union and other countries. One of the illegal means is through human smuggling. Two of the main reasons are pegged on social as well as economic ties. Other reasons could be   the political instability, armed conflict, rapid population growth, environmental degradation, widening economic disparities between countries, and a worsening unemployment crisis in the Asia Pacific region are only a few of the reasons that have sparked several waves of human smuggling activities. Human smuggling always entails people leaving their home country where their loved ones are waiting for them to send back home money to pay for their family’s daily expenses. For, humans exhort to violating the immigration laws of their decision countries by entering through the smuggling channels because in order to acquire that elusive bag of gold offered in the destination country. In Congo, humans are smuggled to Europe by passing them off as musicians and dancers (Bafalikike 2003, 65).   This bag of gold includes protection from dangers to their life back home, employment, higher wages and a better life. Thus, these people are forced to leave their country of origin either voluntarily or   even involuntarily to improve their life to secure their lives, to secure their families and friends and their properties back home (Hampson, and Hay 2004). 2. Smuggling Operation-The Organisation Human Smuggling   from China to the United States has a long history. This started with the United States interpretation of the term refugee in 1996. Consequently, the last ten years saw the human smuggling of Chinese citizens   has increased   from a small –scale regional movement to a major global enterprise (Kung 2000, 1271). The Chinese smuggling network is run by big snakeheads that have institutionalized networks of small snakeheads, debt collectors and enforcers. With the good relationship with local Chinese government officials, many snakeheads   present themselves as philanthropists for they donate large sums of corruption money to improve their chosen home villages (Smith 2002). The smuggled humans do not ever meet these snakeheads but are only in communication with the snakeheads’ representatives or employees. Some of the smaller snakeheads are local Chinese residents who entice customers and collect down payments. In addition, droves of middlemen   tour the human smuggles from one transit point to the next until they reach their destination – United States. Upon arrival on the United States shores, these human smuggles are then imprisoned by the tour guides until they pay their fees. The big snakeheads normally hire gang members to collect the human smuggles’ debts. However, there is no flagrant evidence that organized crime holds the strings in the Chinese human smuggling business (Ruddock 2001). Evidently, the Chinese human smuggling business is controlled by so -called enterpreneurs who are involved in several criminal activities(Jandl, 2004). The tour guides and entrepreneurs juicily talk to their hapless victims that they have to pay only a small monetary price in exchange for a richer life in the United States. Thus, the willing Chinese victims endure the dangerous travel by sea, air and land in inhuman conditions that are worsened by the violent abuses of the enforcers (Chu 2000, 111). The entrepreneurs or Chinese smugglers   charges very exorbitant fees ranging from $30,000 to $60,000 for each person for their human smuggling services. To ensure success, the human smuggles pay   the smugglers lots of money in exchange for   passage through the high seas. The Chinese smuggles then are not forced to as indentured servants in American food services establishments or sweatshops to pay their smugglers. In fact, human smuggling has increased in alarming rate more (O’Rourke 2002, p1). For, the smugglers immediately collect the human smuggles’ debts from the friends and relatives of the newly arrived Chinese human smuggles in full upon arrival in the United States. Consequently, the smugglers will torture the human smuggles and inform the relatives that further harm will continue thus forcing their relatives and friends to pay the human smuggles’ debts if payment has not been made generally in one week’s time (Jandl, 2004). Usually, the Chinese human smuggles come from the Chinese province of Fujian. The smuggling networks starting the 1980s have already smuggled more than ten thousand Fujians into the United States. Fujian lies along the coastal Mainland side of China which is the main Chinese shipping route for export and import of goods.   In fact, Fujian is the birthplace of the founder of the Chinese Triad, San Lian Hui, which is the center of Chinese Smuggling. Human smuggling here was ignited when the war brought about by the Qing dynasty in the 19th century where thousands of Fujians fled the island to escape the war   and financial hardships then. The main source of the Fujian human smuggles are people living around Fuzhou City in the northern part of Fujian province. Here, several villages are housed many Chinese whose relatives are in the United States. The residents here are dependent on the money sent from their relatives in the United States. Unquestionably, money is the push factor that has forced many Chinese to illegally enter the United States. Along this line, many Chinese officials are being corrupted to allow a smooth transfer of the Chinese smuggles outside of China which weakens most levels of the Chinese society (Jandl, 2004). Further, one expert clarified that corruption of Chinese government officials plus the decentralization of the Chinese economy erupted into a massive unrest in the Chinese Society. Thus, this unrest increased the number of Chinese smuggled outside of China. The Chinese government could not stop the human smuggling because the Chinese officials in the smuggling areas were corrupt and cared more about the money they will receive through bribes than implementing the Chinese government’s efforts to curtail human smuggling in China. The ordinary Chinese citizen finds it an uphill climb in terms of procuring travel documents to enter the United States. On the other hand, the rich, educated and professional Chinese residents can easily travel abroad including the United States and members of the European Union States. For, the Chinese government are very strict in giving out passports to Chinese people applying for permission to go abroad. Normally, the legal way to go the United States includes applying for a passport from their local village officials. Then, the visa and passport applicant will apply at the United States Embassy in Beijing or the Consulate in Guangzhou.   After, the Chinese applicant must   apply with the Public Security Bureau for the final document needed to leave China. The final paper is the exit permit. However, there are many bureaucratic obstacles hounding the application in every step of the application process (Lubbers 2002). The human smugglers ply their trade by giving their clients fake documents   and passage to the United States.   Also, the lax immigration checkpoints in China and the transit countries until the United States have made human smuggling a very profitable and happy encounter. For, the smugglers make lots of money in return for a happy arrival into the United States. In addition, other authorities offer high prices to give their passports to clients. In addition, Chinese government officials themselves pay the human smugglers to smuggle their families and friends into the United States at an obviously discounted price.   The human smuggling travel passes through several transit points. There are dangers along bend of the way. The trip takes from a few weeks to even a year. The ride passes through Southeast Asian countries, Europe and South or Central America The human smuggles are at the mercy of the snakeheads and the enforcers. Not all human smuggling was successful. On June, 1993, the freighter Golden Venture ran aground in New York. It was discovered that more than three hundred Chinese smuggles were packed in 800 square feet of cargo space and had been at sea for more than three months with little food and water, no lifer preservers and only one ladder as escape route in case of danger. Upon discovery, an estimated two hundred Chinese smuggles jumped ship and swim across the literally ice –cold New York waters ashore where more than ten people died from froze bite   swimming in the freezing water. Ten of the migrants died while trying to reach the shore(Schneider, Steiner, and Romaine 2003). In addition, the early nineties saw thirty two ships carrying a total of more than five thousand Chinese migrants traveling towards the United States that were caught   many stop –over points in Asia, South America and Europe. After the Golden Venture Crackdown, still continued to brave the odds that were heavily stocked in miniscule fashion in the Chinese smuggles’ favour in fishing boats. In fact, one United States INS   officer   stated that at any given point in time, thirty thousand Chinese are   literary packed in sardine like safe houses around the world waiting for that rare and opportune time to enter the United States through the discreet smuggle entry points. Importantly, any clear and fast distinction between human smuggling and human trafficking seems spurious (Skeldon 2003 p.1). In 1998, the United States INS service uncovered a criminal syndicate that focused on smuggling up to one hundred fifty Chinese people per month into the United States through the Canadian border (Smart, 994, p 98). The criminal syndicate’s network encompassed five continents because they earn lots of money in this illegal activity. The method was to smuggle the Chinese through Canada by giving them fake passports. The Chinese smuggles then   were sent to New York City passing through the Saint Regis Mohawk Territory at Akwesasne. This was an American Indian Reserve the lies between the boundary of the United States and Canada.   This smuggling was busted and thirty seven members of the smuggling ring were jailed.   After the Canada bust, the smugglers focused their entry point through Mexico City (Cholewinski 1997, 4). Smuggling humans through Mexico had declined during the Great Depression of 1929 (Hansen 2006; Spener and Staudt 1998, null5). Recently, the Chinese smuggling ring is using Guam as its stop –over point (Jandl, 2004). Furthermore, many human smugglers use commercial airplanes to deliver their human smuggles so that the coast guard and the border patrol could not find them. Flying the human smuggles through the air lanes was more successful and comfortable as compared to the overly tight border patrols. The Chinese smuggles would wait an average of two months for their fake travel documents to arrives so they could fly to the United States passing through Asia, Europe and other transit points. It is difficult to estimate the magnitude of the human smuggles because of their discreet operations (Guiraudon and Joppke 2001, 107). When caught by the INS people, the Snake heads instruct their Chinese smuggles to say that they are applying for political asylum because they are escaping China’s one child policy (Newman and Van Selm 2003, 9). Then, the snake heads hire lawyers to get the smuggles on parole and out of jail. After leaving jail, the Chinese Smuggles then disappear in the Chinese communities hide from detection. In reality though, the United States benefits from the cheap labor that these Chinese smuggles offer (Jandl, 2004). 3. Protocols The United States INS detention centers could not keep the overbulging Chinese human smuggles who come in droves and in regularly smuggled fashion.   The current US jails could not keep the surge of Chinese human smuggles arriving.   And, a Chinese woman was jailed by the United States INS in October 24, 1999 who gave birth in a United States Jail. The jail guards rushed the pregnant mother to the nearest hospital. Naturally, many human rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union have complained that jailing the human smuggles are a violation of their human rights. For, the jail was a harsh environment taking into consideration the hardships these Chinese had to face for three or more months inside inhuman ocean going containers. Despite the eighteen arrests of Chinese Stowaways in another ship in Seattle and the detention of more then two hundred Chinese human smuggles found in container vans bound for the United States and Canada, there are still more that have not be caught. The series of successful detection of the Chinese smuggles that were smuggled as part of cargo in ships is used by the United States INS as proof that they are successful in their endeavor to decrease or even stop the rampant human smuggling into the United States passing through the European Union countries, Asia, Canada, Mexico and the like. The difficulty in detecting the Chinese smuggles is because there are too many cargoes loaded in a Cargo ship. In addition, many of the shipping companies and their crew do not know if their ship is carrying human smuggles. In response, the United States INS are holding responsible the shipping lines if human smuggles are discovered hiding in their ships. To stave off the proliferation of human smuggling, the United States makes it a criminal offense for anyone to bring or to aid in bringing human smuggles into the United States.   Likewise, it is considered a violation of the United States law if a person aids in the smuggling of persons into the United States. In addition, any person who entices another to enter the United States illegally will be punished with the full strength of the United States law. The penalty for human smuggling could reach up to five years. In addition, the enticing human smuggler will pay dearly if his human smuggle dies on board. However, if the human smuggling is done on a large scale or business –like basis, the penalty would be fifty dollars. However, these sentences will not stop the Chinese smuggles from entering the United States through sheer luck.   The United States Congress in 1996 placed human smuggling and immigration related visa fraud as RICO predicate offense. The RICO approach focuses on the leaders of the smuggling rings and not on the smuggling middle men. The violation of the RICO protocol will give out a fine that may include imprisonment of up to twenty years (Jandl, 2004). The United States had partnered with the United States address human smuggling. However, the focus on the United Nations is on the human trafficking of women and children and also white slavery. Combating human smuggling is a combined world –wide effort. However, corruption of local governments officials in China and other countries had made the curtailment of human smuggling next to nothing.     Ã‚  In reality, the detection of Chinese human smuggles are generally successful if someone secretly tips the border patrols on possible hideouts of the jail escapees   (Kyle, 2003). Developed countries are trying to find ways to curtail human smuggling. However, they   are against any policy that would reduce the demand for illegal workers. Evidently, the more there are strict immigration policies, the more will be the smuggler’s will to smuggle people because of the money involved (Kyle, 2003).

Food Inc. Documentary Essay

Food Inc. is a documentary directed by Robert Kenner targeted towards the general public about the ugly truths behind the food industries. The documentary outlines the procedures taken to process the food that surrounds us, with the aim to expose and change the basis, footprints, and corruption behind this process. Kenner successfully does this through several techniques and strategies used to persuade and motivate others to make a difference. Throughout the documentary Kenner covers the basis of how these products are manufactured through many techniques. One of the main techniques used in this piece is correspondence about how the products are truly made. Most do not think to question where it is that the food they eat comes from and Kenner shows just that with statistics, footage, and interviews. He shows the unethical methods used by food industries in order to maximize profit. Methods such as feeding animals food which makes them obese, at a significantly fast and unnatural rate , to the point that they cannot stand on their own and their organs are beings crushed. Kenner gains the viewer’s sympathy by showing footage of these animals in pain, which in turn pushes them towards his point of view on the subject. Another technique used by Kenner is the illumination of truth of how these food industries have corrupted the government as well as the farmers to their advantage. He does this by showing his viewers government officials who side with the food industries and in fact used to be a part of them. This documentary also shows the workers and farmers, most of which are afraid to talk the crew in fear of losing everything, who admit they have very little control over their farms and the business. One of the farmers even goes as far to say that â€Å"it is degrading; it’s like being a slave to the company†. The narrator also states how once these jobs were seen as the best jobs in the country and now they are struggling to get by. He uses real life experiences and facts to open the eyes of his viewers and is successful in doing so. Once again correspondence plays a big role in this documentary to show the footprints left behind by these companies. Kenner shows footage of people speaking out, who have lost their loved ones due to illnesses they have gained from the infected product, which may have been avoided if not for the unethical procedures used to manufacture it. This immediately gains the viewer’s sympathies towards the families, as well as become more aware of  the danger which these companies present. He also shows statistics of the dangers in genetically modified organisms and how they surround us making us more aware of what it is we are eating. One of the main aspects to the documentary that makes it so successful is that Keener gives alternatives. Throughout the documentary the viewers are asking themselves what can they do and he answers this. He shows the benefits to organic foods and the prosperity in farms independent from the big corporations. All in all, Kenner’s techniques, to spread awareness of what one consumes as well as promoting beneficiary alternatives, is successful in leaving his aud ience wanting to make a change. Work Cited Food Inc.. Dir. Robert Kenner. Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2009.Film.

Essay about The High Cost of Capital Punishment - 855 Words

All across the United States of America, police officers are unfortunately, due to the lack of funding, being laid off, prisoners are being set free, the court systems are being bombarded with cases and the overall crime rate in this country continues to climb higher and higher despite our efforts to lower it. Since the economic crisis in 2008 resulting in our country falling into a recession, the criminal justice system has been forced to make cuts all the way to the very foundation. Many states throughout America were forced to release a large number of their prisoners early because of a lack of funding. For example the State of Florida released over 2500 of their inmates due to the budget crises caused by the recession. The State of†¦show more content†¦In order to carry out the death penalty, a state must have a substantial amount of money on hand. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the state of California has spent a total of four billion dollars on capital proceed ings. (Marceau, 2013) The pre-Trial costs alone totaled $1.94 billion. Another nine hundred and twenty-five million dollars has been spent on appeals and state Habeas Corpus Petitions. Federal Habeas Corpus Appeals can account for another seven hundred and seventy-five million dollars of the four billion that the state has spent on this form of justice. Finally the overall costs of incarceration nears another one billion dollars. If the state of California were to simply get rid of the death penalty, the state would be able to pocket more than 4.5 billion dollars over the next 15-20 years depending on the exact amount of cases the state is presented with. (Marceau, 2013) What is Capital punishment? Capital punishment is defined as the legal process whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime in which they committed. There are a number of crimes that can be punishable by the death penalty. 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People who have performed heinous crimes can be sentenced to capital punishment in some states; however, this type of chastisement is rarely performed. Capital punishment has more negative aspects than it has positive. The states that have legalized the death penalty face the excessive costs associated with it, which can be damaging to their economies. In addition, there is always the chance of executing an innocent person when carrying out capital punishmentRead MoreCapital Punishment Of The United States961 Words   |  4 Pages Capital Punishment in the United States For centuries, capital punishment has been used as a consequence of capital crime. Criminals who have committed such crimes are subject to facing the death penalty. Pickens shares, â€Å"Capital crimes are considered to be treason or terrorist attacks against the government, crimes against property when life is threatened, and crimes against a person that may include murder, assault, and robberyRead MoreThe Canadian Justice System And Capital Punishment1713 Words   |  7 Pagesjustice system in its views on capital punishment. Two men, Arthur Lucas, and Ronald Turpin was to be executed in Canada for committing crimes. Both had been accused of committing murder, Lucas for killing an officer while fleeing a robbery and Turpin for murdering an undercover narcotics officer. Both were hanged back to back at midnight and buried side by side with no marking on their graves. Lucas and Turpin were the last to be executed under capital punishment and since then Canada has stoppedRead MoreEssay on Preserve or Outlaw?1731 Words   |  7 PagesCapital punishment has been one of the most controversial issues in American history. Its complex history demonstrates how controversial the subject is. Capital punishment is the verdict of execution as a punishment for a person or persons convicted of committing a crime. In 1972, the Supreme Court determined that capital punishment violated the 8th Amendment of the United States Constitution’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. However, this ruling did not last for long. In 1976, the courtRead MoreThe Effects Of Capital Punishment On Society1516 Words   |  7 Pages Capital Punishment Tyra L. Ferguson SYP4514: Patterns of Violence in Society University of Central Florida Introduction Capital punishment was first noted in America in the early 1600’s (â€Å"Part I: History of†, 2014). Much like most of the laws in America, capital punishment was brought here and influenced by European settlers (â€Å"Part I: History of†, 2014). Many crimes that were punishable by death in its infancy in America ranged from stealing fruit to murder. Capital punishmentRead MoreCapital Punishment Should Be Illegal1613 Words   |  7 Pages Why Capital Punishment should be illegal? The Constitution that governs our laws in America is there to protect all of the people and that includes the criminals that are on death row. The death penalty materially violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment, the guarantees of due process of law, and of equal protection under the law. (Bedau, Hugo Adam, The Case Against the Death Penalty) This is the reason why capital punishment should be illegal in all fifty statesRead MoreShould The United States Allowed The Death Penalty?962 Words   |  4 Pagesand examine why they still allow to have capital punishment in their country. Out of 196 countries in the world only 58 of those countries still embrace capital punishment. China is at the top of the list that carries out the highest executions each year than all other country. With an overpopulated country I can recognize why they carry out the highest executions than all other country in the world. One of the reasons that China allows capital punishment is to crack down on crimes. With an overRead MoreEssay about Capital Punishment: An Ongoing Arguement1043 Words   |  5 Pageseffectiveness of capital punishment when concerning future violent crime rates. The death penalty is also costly when compared to the cost of imprisoning a violent criminal for life. With such a definitive punishment and with its finality, there have also been a large number of person s executed who were in fact shown to be innocent at a later time. Although there is a lengthy history of the death penalty in the United States, there is an immense disparity in regards to those who support capital punishmentRead MoreNo Easy Way Out814 Words   |  4 Pagesbetween capital punishment and life without parole is an ongoing debate being waged between the states. Capital Punishment, or the death penalty, is the process by which an individual is put to death by the state for a capital offense, whereas life without parole is when a capital offender is sentenced to a life behind bars with no opportunity for freedom. The choice to adopt or abolish capital punishment is up to each state, and it is the state’s verdict to determine if capital punishment is unjust