Obesity in Western Culture Essay

Within our constantly evolving and ever-changing Western world, what is deemed as being deviant has shifted and adapted to suit the norms and values of society at large. Thus, deviancy can be defined as behaviour that violates the normative rules, understandings or expectations of social systems. The issue of obesity has become increasingly prominent within Western society and is deemed as being deviant due to its wide unacceptance throughout society. In applying the ‘Functionalism’ perspective of deviance on obesity, the ways in which society attempts to handle and understand this issue is further outlined and explained. Obesity is a term used to describe body weight that is much greater than what is considered the healthy range. Individuals who are obese have a much higher amount of body fat than is healthy or recommended. Adults with a body mass index (BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) greater than 25 kg/m2 but less than 30 kg/m2 are considered overweight (Insel, Turner, Ross, 2009). The ways in which those who classify as ‘obese’ are perceived and portrayed by society are, within a Western society fixated on image and obsessed with reaching physical ‘perfection’, often negative and highly critical. The media plays a crucial role in shaping the idea’s and values our society holds. As we are constantly bombarded with images of ‘idealistically thin celebrities, it becomes evident that those who do not fit this normality are excluded from social acceptance and pressured into losing weight and fitting in. A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald stated that; â€Å"while there was sympathy for underweight models because of possible eating disorders, those with overweight body shapes were blamed for not doing something to lose weight† (Gray, 2010). It is evident here that although there is some negativity urrounded with being ‘underweight’, super-thin models and celebrities continue to be represented as acceptable throughout the media, whereas those classified as ‘obese’ are rejected from mainstream society and blamed for not taking the initiative to lose weight. As we concentrate more on what is considered to be ‘physically attractive’, we lose sight of the various biological, genetic, and noncontrollable etiological factors (Puhl, Shwartz, Brownell, 2005) that relate towards obesity. Thus, negative stereotypes and stigmas are placed upon the obese, further strengthening heir label of deviancy. In a recent study conducted by Yale University, the perceived social consensus on attitudes toward obese people was tested. Three experiments were created towards educating the participants on the issue of obesity in hope of reducing the bias stereotypes and stigmas our society has successfully created towards the obese. (Puhl, Shwartz, Brownell, 2005). The study describes how the consensus attitude towards obesity prevents the reduction of stigmatizing and excluding the obese from mainstream society as people in general feel a sense of security and ‘approval’ in following the beliefs of the majority. Thus, if we as a society take greater acknowledgment in the causes of obesity and perhaps even empathize towards those labeled as obese; the idea of obesity as being a form of deviance could potentially shift throughout the long term. The ways in which the ‘obese’ are negative stigma held towards obesity by society at large. According to David F. Williamson of The New England Journal of Medicine (1999), it is crucial that doctors encourage greater weight loss towards obese patients as obese people are â€Å"twice as ikely to die from any cause as people of normal weight. † Society then not only recognizes obese people as being â€Å"obscene, lazy, slothful and gluttonous† (Adler, Adler 2000) but also as ill, and in a sense, ignorant towards the consequences of their poor state of health. As modern technology continues to develop and treatment options further increase, obesity becomes more and more deviant throughout society. Procedures such as ‘liposuction’ are becoming more available, with surgeries having increased 21 5 percent since 1992 (Naisbitt, Naisbitt, Philips 2001). Although ndergoing plastic surgery has not yet attained complete social acceptance, procedures such as liposuction reduce the consequence of the obese being labeled deviant due to their status. In contrast, the way obese people perceive and view themselves is largely impacted by the constant discrimination and criticism carried out by society at large. Although it can be said that in the presence of other obese people there is a greater sense of acceptance and understanding, the self-representation of obese people is generally negative and painful. According to an article on ABC news, one obese female stated hat â€Å"(you feel like) you have no right to exist as you are. Feeling as though this body is an outlaw body’ (Stark, 2004). The majority of obese people often view themselves as outsiders to the social norms of image and feel as though there is a ‘culture of blame’ (AN’, 2008) constantly against them. There have been studies undergone which illustrate the reluctance amongst obese patients to seek preventive health care services due to the embarrassment of their weight, and perhaps even the feeling of being criticized by physicians (Fontaine, Faith, Allison, & Cheskin cited in Puhl, Shwartz, Brownell, 2005). This clearly shows that obese people themselves are not content within their condition and recognize their deviant label within society. Although they inevitably feel the pressure to lose weight, the embarrassment of yet again being Judged and criticized by healthcare professionals prevents them from doing so. The Functionalist approach to deviance can be applied to obesity in many ways. Functionalism was developed by Emile Durkheim and illustrates how the institutes within society function and maintain social equilibrium. A functionalist analysis of eviance begins with looking at society as a whole rather than focusing on the individual. â€Å"It looks for the source of deviance in the nature of society rather than the biological explanations or psychological nature of the individual† (Covington, 1999). In this regard, applying functionalism to obesity becomes difficult as obesity is initially a personal health concern. Both biological and psychological aspects contribute towards obesity which then labels the individual as deviant, proving that rather than focusing on the nature of society at large for explanations on deviancy, it is equally ital to focus on the obese individual to understand their deviant label. Inevitably, this can be recognized as a weakness within the functionalist argument. In contrast, applying functionalism to obesity presents much strength in understanding why education have had to shift and develop in order to combat the obesity epidemic and create greater equilibrium within Western society. Australian schools have recognized the deviant nature of obesity, mainly due to its associated health risks, and have recently began enforcing healthy eating and exercise habits (Hareyan, 006). School systems have recognized that many families are unable to teach their children healthy habits, so have taken upon this role to maintain the social order within society. Alongside this, there has been a vast increase in weight-loss alternatives (rather than simply the gym, or perhaps surgery) to suit the modern, working individual. ‘Quick weight loss pills and detox diets are now more on the market than ever before and are available to anyone willing to pay. Functionalism revolves around creating solutions to maintain social order, and in regards to obesity, any actions have been taken as obesity is seen as a deviant act which disrupts the balanced functioning of society. In conclusion, obesity has been labeled as a deviant act within modern Western society as it violates what the consensus recognizes as ‘normal’ behaviour. It is increasingly less acceptable with those carrying the status left facing the consequences of social Judgment and exclusion. In applying the functionalist theory, the deviant nature of obesity can be further outlined and understood as a problematic issue within contemporary society.

Direct Labor as a Variable Cost

Throughout the corporate world, businesses are transforming labor into a more flexible (and variable) cost. Among such companies are Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, DuPont, Sun Microsystems, and British Airways. Discuss whether direct labor is a fixed or a variable cost. What are the pros and cons of management treating direct labor as a variable cost? Are there ethical issues to be considered here? Direct labor can be classified as a fixed cost or a variable cost, depending on how flexible the employer needs to be/can be with the labor force throughout the year. Direct labor will be classified as a variable cost if the employer employs the practice of hiring/firing (or laying off) permanent employees throughout the year depending on seasonal business. This is a common practice in the US & UK, where management is legally & customarily given much more latitude to fluctuations in the labor force. Where direct labor is classified as a fixed cost, firms typically see laying off personnel during a business down-turn as letting go skilled/trained workers not easily replaced when business picks back up. These types of firms will also employ the practice of hiring temporary employees in times of upturn, so as to not need to lay-off any permanent employees when business returns to normal. The pros of management treating direct labor as a variable cost is giving management the latitude to keep producing at optimal staffing levels whatever the fluctuations of business. This means a leaner, more competitive business. The cons of management treating direct labor as a variable cost are that valuable employees are often laid off, and are not easily (or inexpensively) replaced, and lay-offs can undermine the morale of those remaining employees. The ethics of the situation is that management could be toying with a person’s psyche if they’re repeatedly laying off an individual. If you hire an individual knowing of the likelihood of laying him off in the future, you’ve taken away the opportunity for that person to find permanent employment with another firm. (Brewer, P. C, Garrison, R. H & Noreen, E. W. (2011). Managerial Accounting for managers (2nd ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. )

A FIgg For The Oh Death Essay

Edward Taylor was a pastor, physician and an American poet. He lived between 1642 and 1729; a time of devastating living conditions. At this time America was still a colony of Britain a fact that increased human problems (Jerrett, 384). Edward, as everyone else, lived in terror of his life and home being in danger. Yet, during these terrifying moments, he drafted poetry one of them being _A fig for thee oh! Death._ Being a strong believer of Christian faith, Edward was determined to ascertain his belief of life after death. Just like most of his poem, â€Å"_A fig for thee oh! Death†_ aimed at criticizing death. The analysis in the succeeding sections focuses on the poem in details paying special attention to his description and attitude towards death. In addition, an analysis is provided concerning Edward’s central message, which was firmly founded in his unending faith in God. The poem’s title insinuates that the main idea was basically focused on the death phenomenon. However, perhaps it is possible to derive a different meaning from the manner Taylor addresses the subject matter. In the poem, he vows vehemently his lack of confrontation to save his life, his body, from cruelty of passing away, for God protect his soul (Jerrett, 386). Accordingly, it can be concluded that Edward attempted to prove that there was notable disparity between soul and body. At the same time, he also shows his attempt to reconcile the huge gap between body and soul. From the start of the poem, the poet creates two edges that form a man, the human Saul and body, â€Å"_Kernel†¦..nut_† (Taylor 306). Death is embodied as a ghastly monster that is a man-eater, characterized by terrible â€Å"_Ghastly eyes†¦.bare bones_.† Its attempt to destroy human body does not scare Taylor. He adds that the  soul is safeguarded by the Almighty God â€Å"_its heavenly Kernel’s box abides most safe.†(Taylor_ 306). It can be noted that the speaker is eager to abandon the body and that is why he compares it to the body of a temptress, a hedonist. Thus the central idea of the poem swings from contemplation of natural death, to the mortal body which is portrayed as a liability to the speaker (Jerrett, 389). Moreover, the narrator looks at death as a savior, a weapon strong enough to conquer the evil. Indeed, he considered death the wiles and temptations of the body. Therefore, he suggests that it the monster should be welcomed as destroyer of human body and not the soul. In fact, he is fully confident that the only thing that prevents him from going to heaven and from realizing grace is the fresh (Jerrett, 391). The poet is also confident that disposal of the fresh through death will mark the beginning of the judgment day, † _Till she hath slept out quite her fatal sleep. When the last cock shall crow the last day in†¦_† (Taylor 307). Thereafter, the destroyed, imprisoned and ultimately faulty body will accompany the soul to heaven. Death changes from being a monster to a necessary element crucial in attaining grace of God. However, later on perspective of the speaker changes where he admonish death for killing the fresh so slowly thereby keeping the narrator from ascending to heaven. He says â€Å"_is this the worst thy terror then canst. Why then should this grimace at me terrify?†_(Taylor 307) The poem helped Taylor to resolve the scuffle of the soul and the body. He manages to illustrate how the human body can offer numerous temptations and still allow a person to go to heaven. The main message that Edward is putting across is that there is life after death. Therefore he feels that people should not fear death because the savior (Jesus Christ) also died, resurrected and ascended to heaven. Works Cited Taylor, Edward. â€Å"A Fig for Thee, Oh! Death.† _The Norton Anthology of American Literature_. Gen. ed. Nina Baym. 8th ed. Vol. A. New York: Norton, 2012. 306-307. Print. _Jerrett, M. â€Å"American Literature to 1900.† Years’ Work English Studies, (1978), 57(1): 382-397_

Ethical Implications Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Implications Report - Essay Example As long as the user will be connected with this system, it will be possible for third parties to extrapolate user’s thoughts and rewrites them (Heather & Graves, 2012). This will guarantee third parties permission to hack into users bodies and be able to cause significant personal concerns without the user knowledge. This system does not give up limits of which a third party can track user’s thoughts and actions. This implies that some matters that we uphold as private and confidential will never have a guarantee of privacy because of this system that will always be connected to user’s bodies. Another ethical fix this system poses is crime. If user thought will control the computer devices in their bodies, then criminals may figure out ways to reverse the system and read the user thoughts (Heather & Graves, 2012). This means that these criminals may successfully access the users’ eyes and view password of highly critical cards like ATM. This will allow them fulfill their criminal activities. Sixth sense technology will make it easy for hackers to plant virus in people’s personal computer (Heather & Graves, 2012). This may cause damages to these users immune system. The virus may also cause a heart attack to the user. All these ethical issues must be put into consideration before accepting the sixth sense

Design and Implementation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Design and Implementation - Assignment Example Design and Implementation Between-subjects design refers to such experimental designs where the participants are exposed to any one condition from among the various conditions. However in this case, a participant cannot be allowed to go for both the conditions. In other words, between-subjects design is used for measuring the effect of a particular thing on different groups, exposing one group to the particular condition and restricting the other group from being exposed in such condition. It never exposes the same subject to different conditions for studying the changes in the outcome. The statistical term for this method is nested design. This method can be applied in the process of measuring the effectiveness of the teaching aids used in modern times. In this experiment, the participants will be grouped randomly independent of their age, gender or educational status. Two groups will be formed namely group A and group B. Group A will go through a learning session where traditional methods like books, lectures and weekly tests will be included. The other group (Group B) will be exposed to audio-visual mediums, internet and group-discussion. After a month, both these groups would seat for an exam and the results will decide which teaching method is more effective. But it should always be noted, that factors like intelligence quotient (IQ), retention capability, slow learning, age etc. plays a major role in the outcome of the test. ... Provide an example of how you could use a nested design to conduct a study on a topic of interest to you. Answer Between-subjects design refers to such experimental designs where the participants are exposed to any one condition from among the various conditions. However in this case, a participant cannot be allowed to go for both the conditions. In other words, between-subjects design is used for measuring the effect of a particular thing on different groups, exposing one group to the particular condition and restricting the other group from being exposed in such condition. It never exposes the same subject to different conditions for studying the changes in the outcome. The statistical term for this method is nested design. This method can be applied in the process of measuring the effectiveness of the teaching aids used in modern times. In this experiment, the participants will be grouped randomly independent of their age, gender or educational status. Two groups will be formed na mely group A and group B. Group A will go through a learning session where traditional methods like books, lectures and weekly tests will be included. The other group (Group B) will be exposed to audio-visual mediums, internet and group-discussion. After a month, both these groups would seat for an exam and the results will decide which teaching method is more effective. But it should always be noted, that factors like intelligence quotient (IQ), retention capability, slow learning, age etc. plays a major role in the outcome of the test. Question 3 In your own words, describe the characteristics of a within-subjects (or, repeated measures; or, crossed) design. Provide an example of how you could us a

Theory of Constraints and the Public and Non-profit Organizations Essay

Theory of Constraints and the Public and Non-profit Organizations - Essay Example The theory of constraints is based on the practical implications of 'how to think' and deals with thinking processes and their applications. The theory of Constraints was originally developed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt who introduced the concept in his book, The Goal. The concept suggests that the world around us could be changed with a better understanding of the cause effect relationships between certain processes. The theory of constraints thinking processes or TPs are problem solving tools that show ongoing improvements raising questions on what to change and how to cause the change within any organisation (Goldratt 1984, Friedman, 2005). Some of the essential management skills that are essential to any system and recognized by TOC thinking processes would be communication, team building and empowerment. The theory of constraints thinking processes could be applied to production units, to distribution, marketing, sales, project management and laying out the direction of a company. In the Goal, Goldratt suggests that within any complex organisational system, there will be weaknesses and as within a chain the weakest link must be identified and corrected, so also within any organisation, the weaknesses will have to be identified as weaknesses coul... thin any organisation, the weaknesses will have to be identified as weaknesses could limit the ability of any system or company from achieving its goal. The TOC thinking processes or TPS provides an integrated problem solving methodology that help in construction of solutions, communications, collaboration and successful implementation of all solutions to problems identified within any organisation (Goldratt, 1984). The TOC Thinking Processes provides solutions to production, project management, distribution, supplier relations, sales and marketing and also provides generic solutions to specific organisational environments. The Theory of Constraints or TOC is based on the fact that there is at least one limiting factor that constraints the revenue generating process of a company (Friedman 2005). By increasing production rate of a company and initial implementation obstacles, TOC approaches could be used to identify constraints or bottlenecks, exploit these constraints to increase eff iciency of the company, elevate and downplay these constraints and repeat all the measures taken to overcome bottleneck. Some of the essential features of the theory of constraints include gaining agreement that a problem or limitation exists for a company, a direction is sought out to provide a solution to the problem, and negative ramifications and obstacles to implementation are overcome. Goldratt's theory of constraints not only helps identify constraints and helps improving organisational success, but also facilitates improvement for organisations and teams using solutions from the Theory of Constraints (Friedman, 2005). The Theory of Constraints is based on cause and effect logic as the cause of any production problems in a company is identified and sorted out and all local

Leadership Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership Styles - Essay Example Today most of the Fortune 500 are from USA, not because of the human capital, diversification, creativity, (although they too contribute in business success) but due to the leaders they have such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Jack Welch and so on. We know that these people have inspired millions through their big ideas, inspirations, their timely decision making processes etc. When Jack Welch took charge of General Electric, the total worth of company was US$ nine billion and at the time when he left General Electric, after almost twenty years, the company's financial worth was US$ 500 billion. This figure itself speaks about the leadership skills Jack Welsh possesses. He is a man who has a lot of energy. During his stay in General Electric he acquired a lot of new businesses, streamlined plenty of strategic business units and plenty of mergers and acquisitions which needed loads of enthusiasm, courage and timely decision making. From day first in the General Electric, Jack always came up with new ideas and notions, which reaped fruitful results for his company. He is a man of change, he believed that keep changing positively will leave the competitors far behind, because while changing you grow according to the needs and wants of the customer.