Tuesday, December 24, 2019

An Unspoken Cycle That Determines The Success - 975 Words

When talking about inequality, it should be mentioned that there is an unspoken cycle that determines the â€Å"success† of the average individual. The cycle goes as follows: education in most cases directly affects the type of job you have. The type of job you have affects your wealth, which in turn affects your ability to buy a house (mortgage or not) in a â€Å"quality† area. The quality of the area, then affects the type of education you get. This is a cycle that while was once racist, now unintentionally constrains people to the same socioeconomic class as the one they were born into. It just so happens that due to the previous intentions, many African-Americans are trapped in a low socioeconomic class and are unable to advance. In fact, America today according to a few large studies, is less mobile (moving up in socioeconomic class) than other comparable nations. One study for example found that around 42% of American men who were brought up in the bottom fifth of American incomes, stayed there throughout their lives. This same study found that only around 8% of American men gained access to the top fifth from the bottom, a number lower than others like the Danes or the British (â€Å"Harder for Americans to Rise From Lower Rungs†). Unfortunately, minorities in America are at the largest disadvantage economically due to this cycle. From the very beginning of this cycle, specifically African-Americans were legally forced to be separated from the rest of America because of the JimShow MoreRelatedSoccer Community Description Of Soccer Essay2091 Words   |  9 PagesIt is almost like a continuous cycle of knowledge, as you grow up and play with people from different cultures and backgrounds, you continue to gain knowledge and continue to pass it along. One of the most important aspects of literacy is reading development, an evolution of skills that starts with the capacity to understand spoken words and interpret written words, and concludes with the deep understanding of text. Yet once written literacy is learned, the unspoken rules for literacy become evidentRead More Knowledge M Essay3249 Words   |  13 Pages2003) having information is no longer a source of competitive advantage. In today’s business environment, organizational knowledge is recognized as a significant source of competitive advantage, how quickly organizations determines knowledge and creates value out of it determines its competitiveness. (Shukla) In an economy where the only certainty is uncertainty, the one sure source of competitive advantage is knowledge. When markets shift, technologies proliferate, competitors multiply, and productsRead MoreEffective Communications in Project Management2206 Words   |  9 PagesCommunications provides the wings for you to fly to success. -Anonymous Effective Communications in Project Management: What do I know? Who needs to know it? And Have I told them. Prepared For: Research Paper: Communications Skills Statement of the problem: How do we insure effective communications in the project management environment? Background: The purpose of this paper is to recommend that Project Management is a concept that focuses on the dynamic characteristics of a multi-facettedRead MoreBsa 375 Wk 5 Team3935 Words   |  16 Pages When a customer checks out at the register, no information is gathered about the purchase. The amount of products sold is not tracked or cross referenced against the company’s inventory. There are three department managers in each store that determine requirements for the items their department sells. Managers are responsible for finding the best price, delivery, and quality from various vendors. Each manager places the order directly with the vendor, receives, and verifies all orders when deliveredRead MoreThe Perils And Pitfalls Of Leading Change Tma012865 Words   |  12 Pagesbefore it is fully set in is a good way to ensure that more people ‘buy in’ to what is happening and why. 3. Evaluate, Review and Report on Change Careful monitoring of the entire change process is important in order to be able to determine its impact and evaluate its success. People need to be kept informed about how things are progressing, the results that are occurring and whether the change program has met its objectives. An organization’s intention when it decides to embark on a change program isRead MoreBusiness Studies Marketing Notes5463 Words   |  22 Pagesinfluence an individual’s motive to buy a product, e.g. the desire to emulate a sporting hero. o Attitudes- an attitude is a person’s overall feeling about an object or activity. Customer attitudes to a business generally influence the business’s success or failure of the marketing strategy. o Personality/ self-image- an individual’s personality is the collection of all the behaviours and characteristics that make up that person. This influences the types and brands of product a person buysRead MoreChapter 19 Staffing And Leading A Growing Company MCQs And T F5526 Words   |  23 Pagesmanagement style, one built on command and control. Today’s successful entrepreneur, however, is more like the leader of a jazz band, which is known for its improvisation, innovation, creativity, and freewheeling style. â€Å"The success of a small [jazz band] rests on the ability to be agile and flexible, skills that are equally central to today’s business world,† says Michael Gold, founder of Jazz Impact, a company that teaches management skills through jazz.1 Business leadersRead MoreQuestions On Social Arrangement Norms3287 Words   |  14 Pagesleadership styles: 7 a. Laissez Faire 7 b. The Democratic 7 c. The Authoritarian 7 5. Three decision making styles: 7 a. Conceptual 7 b. Analytical 7 c. Behavioral 7 6. Groupthink: consequences/effectiveness 8 7. Avoiding Groupthink 8 8. Team life cycle 8 a. Birth stage 8 b. Early childhood stage 8 c. Schooldays stage 8 d. Teenage adjustment stage 8 e. Maturity stage 8 f. Fulfillment and completion stage 9 g. Withdrawal stage 9 9. Three Cultural influences 9 a. Power Distance 9 b. Masculinity/femininityRead MoreMarriage Guidance: Summary Notes19959 Words   |  80 Pagesfamily, with a subordinate position to the mother in law who has much say over their lives. Formation of values → Cultural beliefs, expectations and practices shape the individual’s values and guide personal behaviour. Culture and family life cycle transitions → Dating, courtship, marriage, child rearing and retirement may be strongly influenced by the early cultural messages each partner received from their family of origin. → Hindu/Muslim – early age proposal → African – young adult encouragedRead MoreThe Emergence of the Fast Fashion Business Model and Imposed Quick Response Challenges for Chinese Fabric Manufacturers14773 Words   |  60 Pagesretailing industry and its impacts on how the Chinese textile manufacturing industry has adjusted to remain competitive. Fast fashion evolved at the turn of the twenty-ï ¬ rst century into a business approach characterized by fresh fashions, shorter life cycles, and faster production, placing signiï ¬ cant pressure for rapid delivery, quality products, and low prices for each segment of the supply chain in a highly competitive environment. Manufacturers must utilize dynamic capabilities to maximize their competitive

Monday, December 16, 2019

Handling Complaints How Did the Employee Respond Free Essays

In our case, a guest is having meal in The Hong Kong Jockey Club. She has order an a la carte with steak. She would like her steak with well done. We will write a custom essay sample on Handling Complaints: How Did the Employee Respond? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Unfortunately, the waiter gives her a wrong meat temperature dish, i. e. medium. The guest is not satisfy with the dish and begin lose temper asking for explanation. The waiter has do the following step to provide the right and quality service to the guest. Firstly, the waiter tries to calm the guest down. Secondly, he is listening to the guest’s grievances, so as to provide the right service to the guest again. And he is allowing the guest to vent, to let the guest express her unsatisfactory. Thirdly, the employee tries to apologize for the wrong service, to give the image that our restaurant is willing to correct our mistake and not to happen again. Fourthly, the employee has done the corrective action. He asks the chef to cook the dish again as soon as possible. And with the correct meat temperature i. e. well done. This can show to the guest that we have a positive â€Å"can do† attitude. Finally, servicing the guest with politeness again. The skills and theories that we have apply in the case: For the procedural side: We have attempt timeliness. When the guest has problem regarding the steak she ordered. The employee has taken immediate action to approach to the guest. Listening what is her concerns and grievances. Then make a corrective action. Therefore, we can practice the moment of truth to the guest. Communication skill also applies on our case. When the employee notice that the food production section have cook the wrong dish to the guest. He immediately asks the chef to cook it again with the right meat temperature. And this dish is the first priority to be cooked. So the guest needs not to wait for longer time. This can show that we apologize for our fault. For the personal side: Firstly, positive attitude can be found in the case. When the guest is complaining with the wrong dish, we immediately apologize for our fault. And we do try clam the guest down to let her vent her dissatisfy feeling. Also the employee listens to her concerns and grievances as to give the right service to her again. Secondly, guidance also can be found in the case. The employee use positive wordings like â€Å"Please wait; let me order a new one for you. This shows that we are willing to be of assistance. And we are concern of every customer’s needs. No one we will miss out. Lastly, we have solved the problem immediately when guest has a problem. The employee immediately calls the chef to cook the right dish as soon as possible. Therefore, the guest no needs to wait for long time to have her meal. So the guest tempers being recovered very soon. And do not affe ct her feeling while dinning out. Recommendations for improvement To avoid the problem happen again, I suggest when taking order from the guest, repeat what items the guest had ordered. It is because double check of order can prevent mistake, sometimes the environment is noise, and service provider may not listen well to what the guest has ordered. Also, the chef can ask clarification from the front line staff when come across some rare food order. It is because in tradition in cooking steak, cooking steak with well done are not commonly found in western eating culture. When the chef comes across with this kind of rare cooking method, he can ask the front line staff to make clarify. Then mistake can be minimize. How to cite Handling Complaints: How Did the Employee Respond?, Essay examples

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Behavior And Promotes Prosocial Responses -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Behavior And Promotes Prosocial Responses? Answer: Introduction During a short contract as the unit manager in a global insurance company, I faced different ethical and leadership dilemmas. However, one occasion put to test my management skills in leadership, ethics and multiculturalism. As a sales oriented company, my team was under pressure to perform. We undertook projects based on result and each team was putting up enough efforts to outperform the other. My colleague Timothy advised me that nothing comes easy in marketing and I had to engage in corrupt dealings in order to sell the products. I had to use false information about the price in order to convince more clients. In his opinion, Insurance brokers from his home country excel because of skillful marketing tactics that do not conceal the hidden charges. Timothy points out that marketing does not look at the fairness in practice, competition nor pricing. This discussion brought about critical issues in leadership, ethical management and personality traits. This essay unfolds the ethical dilemma faced by leaders in the insurance industry. It focuses on the unit manager as a personal leader (Qi Ming-Xia, 2014). Level managers are responsible for setting a good example to subordinates or followers. Employees in the global businesses come from different backgrounds hence are guided by varied values and principles. Credibility Issues The main components of leadership focus on each leader as an individual. This is a personal approach to leadership. Aristotle one of the founding fathers of virtue leadership theories stated that effective leadership is a combination of ethics coupled with action(Levine Boaks, 2014). Although I had a different opinion about Timothys approach to leadership, we were both recognized leaders within the insurance company. In fact, it was commendable that his team received awards severally for sales performance. I could not help but admire his charming attitude and charisma, which endeared him to his teammates. Credibility in management practices calls for emotional intelligence as propagated by Daniel Goleman(Mohler, 2012). Leaders are different because of the influence that they have. Timothy was the best manager in the company because he had a rare ability to influence individual choices. However, he had his own perspective about leading and managing his team. His ideas of success were different from mine. Although he depicted performance through tangible results in sales activities, his model had questionable virtue. Goleman highlighted six models of leadership including commanding, pacesetting, democratic and visionary. In the case of Timothy, he was a pacesetter in the marketing department because of his vision to sell. Timothy focused on the acquisition of more customers regardless of the channel he used. In this case, the end justifies the means(Kemeny, et al., 2012). He set his pace based on self-direction and not standard procedure. We had both gone through business classes and Ethics was part of our professional training. However, my approach to leadership leans towards excellence and I like to build consensus through effective leadership that supports quality standards. I found this missing in Timothy because the corporate environment calls for affiliative leaders who connect with team members within a harmonious system. Visionary Leadership and Personality Traits In support of Goleman, contemporary leaders today develop ethical standards in personal leadership styles (Goleman, et al., 2013). In business leadership, emotions have a critical function because of self-awareness and decision making processes. I have personally faced challenges that made me choose between earning more money and making quality, sustainable decisions. Having personal values about business choices guides the self-regulation process. When I encounter huge business deals that may not have ethical procedures, I find myself tempted to ignore ethical values. Timothy was aware of the importance of performance in a result-oriented industry. Personal leadership defines a leaders attitudes, and practices. Engraved in cultural and ethical frameworks, this leadership approach is subjective. This explains why Timothys style of leading was different from mine. Although we were both unit managers, we approached our responsibilities from a different point of view. Despite the fact that Timothy was leading in the performance charts, I could not envy his management style because I felt that it was short-lived and did not have personal fulfilment. I had the right perception of success and it did not matter whether this had tangible results because my approach was more sustainable. In my opinion, my behavior did not focus on pleasing people but on doing the right thing. In order to develop the right management and leadership practices, I focused on a positive trait while Timothy represented a callous approach that did not emphasize on the process. He showed less commitment to his team members despite the fact that they liked his personality. His approach is popular in marketing and advertising where there is a tussle between ethics and business success(Boone Kurtz, 2013). Globally, insurance firms and service providers arise suspicion because of questionable ethics in product placement, pricing, professional conduct and quality service delivery. Multiculturalism According to Chhokar, et al (2013) leading people is about the core personality traits and unique values. These determine the type of leadership taken by industry leaders. Run by Indians, our insurance firm had no restrictions on morality and my colleagues included a conglomerate of Muslims, Christians and Buddhists. My perception of leadership is strongly based on spiritual values. I am a Christian who believes in making concrete decisions based on love for the neighbor and doing the right thing in fear of a supreme being. On the other hand, Timothy did not commit to any religion. Purporting to be an Atheist he ascribed to his own values defined by personal success factors. It is good that he respected all kinds of faiths,but his actions failed to show enthusiasm for any moral guidelines. His apathetic leadership practices did not consider service oriented leadership and he prefered to lead a small team than a whole group. In his vision plan, unit managers had better deals than branch managers because of the commissions. His idea of morality was centered on reflection and not action or exemplar leadership. He ascribed to the right management practices, which supported his outcome(Czinkota Ronkainen, 2013). Cultural values influence personal traits and some leaders are realistic while others are impractical. If I chose to follow Timothys approach of dishonesty, I would be pessimistic about building credible teams. During a HR appraisal process, it was evident that most of my team members found motivation in group participation while Timothys team members were indifferent and disorderly. They had no personal connection even though they produced positive sales reports. I came to the conclusion that the professional work environment provided a perfect setting for leaders to demonstrate their abilities as leaders and to gain the right perception about work. Leadership Theory So what exactly is leadership? Timothy stands out as a leader in his own way but I recognize my personal leadership style as more respectable. One of the critical assumptions about leadership is that it comes naturally. However, I ascribe to the behaviorist approach, which concentrates on tasks and relationships(Goleman, et al., 2013). This is different from traits based leadership adopted by Timothy, which comes out as selfish. In his style of leadership, competition was key to performance. His functional group in the organization often encountered challenges helping customers to understand the importance of life and health insurance. On the other hand, my unit had a convincing approach because we were honest when explaining our business approach to our clients. Behavioral leadership looks at the characteristics of the leader, and the connection to the followers. In my team, people are more important than money. My followers were keen on the clarification of each activity we undertook because it brought out our skills in sales and unique attributes. We overcame barriers and took advantage of opportunities while emphasizing on values. We organized our sales strategies around the companys core values among them integrity and customer service. On the other hand, in Timothys team individuals had divergent goals based on assumptions like charisma and performance ability. Professional expertise calls for effective leadership, collaborative teamwork, and behavioral support systems. Like other leaders, Timothy had the ability to engage others into sales actions. However, his team lacked a leadership model to define the teams core traits and values. Influenced by individual philosophies, Timothys leadership style lacked morality and missed the critical professional ethics. In order to harmonize his leadership approach with quality leadership, he needed intellectual abilities that remain intact when tested. In Machiavellis word, I support leaders who remain true to virtue in the midst of competing interests(Chervenak, et al., 2013). Conclusion The consequences of following virtuous leadership may not always bear immediate positive results. However, in the end virtue comes out as successful. Timothy may have won a number of awards for leading the best performing team, but his approach exhibited vices. A deeper analysis of his victory reveals loopholes and unnecessary risks. Like other businesses today, insurance companies incur loses and legal suits because of failure to commit to their agreed service plans. Customers around the globe feel duped in business by money hungry business leaders who focus on profits while neglecting the non-tangible value approaches. I have learnt to differentiate between leadership and personal interest because of real life examples by counterfeit leaders who promote chaotic leadership. My primary function as a leader is not to gain popularity but to provide service to humanity. I choose to implement rational leadership based on people. References Boone, L. E. Kurtz, D. L., 2013, Conetmporary marketing. Cengage Learning. Chervenak, F. A., McCullough, L. B. Brent, R. L., 2013, The professional responsibility model of physician leadership. American Journal of Obstetrics Gnecology, Vol 208, no. 2, pp. 97-101. Chhokar, J. S., Brodbeck, F. C. House R, J., 2013, Culture and leadership across the world: The GLOBE book of indepth studies of 25 societies. Routledge. Czinkota, M. R. Ronkainen, I. A., 2013, International Marketing. Cengage Learning. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E. McKee, A., 2013, Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Press. Kerneny, M, E., Foltz, Cavanagh, J, Cullen, M; Giese-Davis, Jennings, P; Roseberg, E, L, Gillath, O; Shaver, P, R; Wallace, B, A; Ekman, P. 2012, Contemplative/emotion training reduces negative emotional behavior and promotes prosocial responses. Emotion, Vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 338. Levine, M. P. Boaks, J., 2014, What does ethics have to do with leadership?. Journal of Business Ethics, Vol, 124, no. 2, pp. 225-242. Mohler, A., 2012, The conviction to lead: 25 Principles for leadership that matters. Baker Books. Qi, Y. Ming-Xia, L., 2014, Ethical leadership, organizational identification and employee voice: Examining moderated mediation process in the Chinese Insurance industry. Asia Pacific Business Review, Vol, 20, no. 2, pp. 231-248.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Social Identity Theory and Realistic Group Conflict Theory Essay Example

Social Identity Theory and Realistic Group Conflict Theory Paper A group comprises two or more individuals, who interact with each other, share common goals, are interdependent and acknowledge their formation as a group. People join groups for several reasons. Amongst these reasons are, for interpersonal needs, support and commitment and group synergy. Interpersonal needs include ones desire for inclusion, where the individual is desirous of establishing an identity with others, which is often used as a way of self-verification. Individuals need affection and joining a group is an excellent way of establishing relationships and making friends. Another component of interpersonal needs, is a sense of control, where the individual wants to prove his/her abilities and being in a group serves as an outlet to demonstrate these abilities. Support and commitment is important to an individual, as he/she may want to undertake a project but finds that he/she would be far more motivated, if working in a group. Also, the support given to each group member, by the other members reinforces commitment to the project being undertaken. Group Synergy refers to the idea that two or more heads are better than one, and that groups are more capable of producing higher quality work than the individual would. Group Synergy also recognizes that groups make better decisions than individuals. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Identity Theory and Realistic Group Conflict Theory specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Social Identity Theory and Realistic Group Conflict Theory specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Social Identity Theory and Realistic Group Conflict Theory specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Groups go through five (5) stages of development. It is important to note that to move from one stage to another can only be achieved on the basis of the success of the goals of the preceding stage. The first stage is forming. At this primary level, group members come together and each individual collects data about the similarities and differences of the other members. The major task of forming is orientation, where its members become oriented to the group task(s) as well as each other. Discussion is centered on the approach(es), as well as similar concerns about the task(s). The second stage is storming. As the groups members attempt to organize the task(s), conflict is inevitable, due to personal beliefs or ideas. At this stage, members compromise their own beliefs to suit the groups organization. Because of fear of exposure or failure, there will be an increased desire for structural clarification and commitment. Questions concerning leadership and responsibility roles arise during this stage, as well as the reward system and criteria for evaluation. Once these concerns are addressed, the group moves on to the third stage, norming. Norming is characterized by cohesion. At this stage, members are concerned about problem solving and are willing to change preconceived ideas, on the basis of facts which are presented by other members and actively ask questions of one another. During this stage, members begin to identify with one another and acknowledge that the group is working in a unit. This contributes to the development of group cohesion. Assuming that the goal(s) of the three preceding stages are accomplished, the group moves on to stage four, which is performing. At this level, the need for group approval is past and members are capable of working independently, in sub-groups or as total unit with equal facility. Group unity is complete, morale is high and loyalty is intense. There is support in problem-solving and an emphasis on achievement. The final stage, adjourning, involves the termination of tasks and disengagement from relationships. Members are recognized and acknowledged for their contribution, participation and achievement, and are now ready to part company and disintegrate as a single unit. Social Identity Theory and Realistic Group Conflict Theory have different assumptions about the nature of groups. Social Identity Theory was developed by Henri Tajfel and John Turner in 1979 and 3 central ideas; categorization, identification and comparison. In order to understand our social environment, one has to categorize individuals. For example, to classify an individual as a black person is quite vague. However, when the same individual is classified as Jamaican, teacher or Baptist, the individual takes on a clearer meaning. Identification carries two meanings. At times, individuals may refer to themselves as we versus them and at other times I versus him/her. This indicates that there are times when individuals think of themselves as members of a group and times when the individuals think of themselves as a single unit. When individuals refer to themselves as we, the we represents the individuals in-group, or group to which the individual belongs to. When the individual refers to them, the them is the out-group, or group that the individual does not belong to. The final component of Social Identity Theory is social comparison. Individuals need to feel good about them themselves and so in the context of being part of the in-group, the individual seeks to maximize the difference between the in-group and the out-group so that the in-group is always reflected in a more positive light than then out-group. In 1971, Tajfel et al conducted an experiment which they called the Minimal Group Experiment. This experiment was conducted to ascertain whether competition was a necessary condition for ethnocentrism, the belief that ones in-group is superior to ones out-group. The experiment used a group of Bristol school boys as its subjects. These boys were show slide projections with varying numbers of dots. The boys were told that there some people in the group who were under estimators and over estimators of the dots being displayed. The second task involved splitting the boys into two groups, which they were made to think that one group consisted of over estimators and the other group consisted of under estimators. What the boys did not know, was that in actuality, they were selected randomly. The task was to allocate points redeemable for money. What was discovered was that in-group favoritism was displayed even though each boy did not know who the other in-group members were. They still allocated more points to members of the in-group. Even though these same boys were linked in various ways, through sport teams or as neighbors, this did not have any meaning or impact on the way they allocated points and demonstrated in-group bias. A second experiment was conducted to endorse the findings of the preceding experiment. The boys were shown a series of paintings by two artists, Klee and Kadinsky. They were asked to choose their preference and were then divided into two groups. Again, the boys were unaware that the groups were not being divided according to artist preference. Again, the boys demonstrated in-group favoritism by allocating more points to in-group members. Based on these two experiments, Tajfel concluded that indeed, by categorizing the boys into meaningless groups caused blatant discrimination. A more recent display of Social Identity Theory in action is the of the Serbs uniting in solidarity to support their leader Slobodan Milosevic as he went before the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia. While Milosevics policies had contributed to brutal war, economic ruin and widespread corruption, Serbs saw themselves as a group/nation going to trial, instead of Milosevic as an individual on trial. The trial came across as a threat to Serbs as a unit. They could not escape the social identity of being a serb, so the best mechanism they could use was to categorize themselves and distance themselves from the out-group, which are western countries. Realistic Group Conflict Theory is the idea that prejudice sometimes stems from competition between groups for scarce resources. In 1961, Sherif et al, set up the Robbers Cave Experiment. This experiment was a summer camp which consisted of 22 boys from similar backgrounds and family structure, who were all Caucasian. The boys were not acquainted prior to the camp, so they were allowed to get acquainted with each other, by sharing in various activities. The boys were then split into two groups; the Rattlers and the Eagles. Each group independently engaged in their own activities, which led to a more intimate relationship, where they had developed codes, jargon and nicknames. The next stage involved pitting both groups against each other for a prize, to determine what would happen when they came together after bonding with their own in-group. This was done via an organized tournament which included a treasure hunt and a baseball game. By the end of the tournament there was visible hostility as the groups began to call each other names and launched a food fight in the dining room. In a 1949 study, one school of thought for reducing hostility was to introduce a third group, which would represent the common enemy to both groups. This solution was not desirable to Sherif, as he thought it would widen the inter-group conflict to a larger scale. In order to resolve the hostile conflict, Sherif noted that the groups need more than just contact. They needed a series of goals which could only be accomplished when both groups efforts were combined. These goals are termed super ordinate goals. The series involved a water supply crisis, where both groups had to locate the fault by working together. A second goal which was set up is the hiring of a film. The camp had no money to pay for it, however, if both groups combined their financial resources they would be able to rent the film for the benefit of all. The third challenge was towing a broken down food truck together, using a rope they had used previously in a tug-of-war game, to get the truck started. The realization of success from working together gradually reduced conflict to the point where the boys became friends, from these experiences. This experiment supports that the use of super ordinate goals, which means that both groups share the same agenda of accomplishing a specific goal together, can reduce conflict. While both theories seek to reduce group conflict, Social Identity Theory leans towards a cognitive approach of in-group bias. If group members believe that they are in a group with others who share similar identities and goals, then bias towards in-group members exist. The reward does not have to be a physical one, as the aim is towards achieving high self-esteem. Group members will do all possible to preserve their superiority so that their self-esteem will always be high. Through re-categorizing individuals, prejudice and conflict may be reduced, as individuals tend to categorize in reference to self. This would mean that each time a group is re-categorized, individuals would be identifying with each group he/she is being classified with, hence reducing out-group discrimination since the individual would be identifying with others at different times. Realistic Group Conflict Theory leans towards a behavioral approach to conflict resolution, as demonstrated in the Robbers Cave Experiment. Initially, it was a case of survival of the fittest as they groups clamored for the scarce resource (tournament prize). However, through their collective actions, they were able to pool physical and financial resources to benefit both groups. It is through series behavioral actions that both groups realized they could accomplish the super ordinate goals set before them. Another difference between Social Identity Theory and Realistic Group Conflict Theory is that Social Identity Theory places an emphasis on social competition, which has more to do with pride and self-esteem, while Realistic Group Conflict Theory uses objective competition which is vying for an object of social reality.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Harlem Renaissance Essay Example

Harlem Renaissance Essay Example Harlem Renaissance Essay Harlem Renaissance Essay Essay Topic: The New Negro Summary of Book When Harlem was in Vogue. David L. Lewis’s celebrated history of the Harlem Renaissance. was published by Knopf in1981. The latest edition. a Penguin paper-back book with a aglow new foreword added by the writer. appeared in 1997. In Lewis’s position. the1919 Fifth-Avenue parade observing the return to Harlem from World War I of the celebrated 369th Regiment of the New York National Guard signaled the reaching of a black America ready for the phenomenon that became known as the Harlem Renaissance ; and the bloody 1935 Harlem public violence reflected the dramatic brusqueness with which the Great Depression had already prematurely extinguished the Renaissance’s brief starburst. The heroic 369th – wholly black except for the18 white officers who led it in combat – had so impressed the Gallic High Command that ( contrary to the uttered wants of senior American commanding officers ) they chose it among all Allied forces as the regiment to take the concl uding March to the Rhine. : It was the lone U. S. unit awarded the Croix de Guerre. Its lone black commissioned officer was Jim Europe – a widely-known bandleader – who conducted the regimental set. When America entered World War I. the most influential black rational – W. E. B. DuBois – counseled inkinesss of contending age to function their state unstintingly despite the nation’s acrimonious history of racism and a sequence of dissing determinations by the U. S. military demonstrating that they had small assurance that American Negroes had the bravery or intelligence to function in the armed forces in any but the most humble noncombat functions. DuBois emerged as the steering spirit of the Renaissance. Lewis describes him as the senior rational activist of his people. a symbol of brainy. complex. chesty uprightness. who. although short of stature towered over other work forces. defiant. sturdy ( but maddeningly inconsistent. ) DuBois was a ardent integrationist. His older challenger. Booker T. Washington. was non. Washington. a descendent of slaves who was born to poverty. had counseled American inkinesss to be patient. accepting. hardworking and low. He had led Tuskegee Institute in Alabama from its initiation as a one-room school to its development into a first-quality trade school developing American Negroes for success in the sorts of occupations they could anticipate to happen. Fisk University in Nashville was a black college more to DuBois’s gustatory sensation. Fisk’s end was to be for inkinesss a broad humanistic disciplines college in the finest American traditiion. Washington died in 1915. The following decennary and a half belonged to DuBois and his Talented One-tenth: the black clerisy ( novelists. poets. dramatists. painters. sculpturers. composers. faculty members and the like. ) And a absorbing batch they – and those they interacted with – were. DuBois believed that if educated. enlightened Whites were decently exposed to a go oning watercourse of first rate art from a broad array of black creative persons. they would come to acknowledge a black Talented Tenth every spot as intelligent. cultured and originative as the brightest. best educated. most cultivated Whites. And that. he believed. would be the accelerator for stoping racism and inequality non merely for the Talented Tenth but for inkinesss of all categories. He would turn out distressingly incorrect. During the daredevil mid-twentiess. there was a close bond between Manhattan’s black and white Bohemia: Harlem at the northern tip of the Island and Greenwich Village at the southern terminal. It was a clip. harmonizing to Langston Hughes: when at about every Harlem upper-crust dance or party. one would be introduced to assorted distinguished white famous persons at that place as invitees. . . . when about every Harlem Negro of any societal importance at all would be likely to state casually: As I was noting the other twenty-four hours to Heywood’ – intending Heywood Broun. Or: As I said to George’ – mentioning to George Gershwin. . . . [ a clip ] when local and sing royalty were non uncommon in Harlem. Not all of the creative persons. intellectuals and reformists consisting the Harlem Renaissance or the Lost Generation lived in Harlem or the Village. The two black writers whose fiction launched the Renaissance – Claude McKay and Jean Toomer – were Harlem foreigners who chose to populate anyplace else. Iconoclast H. L. Mencken who set much of the rational tone for both Bohemias lived in Baltimore. Several white authors from the South. including DuBose Heyward. writer of the novel Porgy that Gershwin adopted and adapted. were accepted as satellite members of the elect fraternity of black creative persons and intellectuals that black author Zora Hurston impishly dubbed the Niggerati. Lewis’s point is that the two Bohemia. Harlem and the Village. were besides topographic points in the head – concepts of civilization to be encountered [ at black colleges located elsewhere. ] the Algonquin Hotel dining room or. . . the Left Bank of the Seine. Lewis calls intolerant. anti-intellectual America the common antagonist of the two Bohemia: The black Talented Tenth and the white Lost Generation shared the common premiss that humanistic disciplines and letters had the power to transform a society in which. until deeply altered. there was no topographic point for. . . [ them ] . He concludes. nevertheless. that the two motions drew diametrically opposite decisions from their common premiss. In the Village. Bohemia was a value ; in Harlem it was a scheme. [ The Lost Generation ] were lost in the sense that they had no wish to happen themselves in a mercenary. Mammon-mad. homogenising modern America. [ The ] . . . New Negroes really much wanted full credence by mainstream America. Many of the movers and Shakerss who led the Renaissance were among the really most elegantly educated Americans – white or black. DuBois was an early black alumnus of Harvard. His protege . Howard Professor Alain Locke. graduated from Harvard Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude and went on to Oxford as the first ( and. for 60 old ages. the lone ) Afro-american Rhodes Scholar. Locke. harmonizing to Lewis. was overzealous on civilization. and by culture’ [ Locke ] . . . intend all that was non common. vulgar or racially unsavory. Locke yearly told Howard freshers that the highest rational responsibility is the responsibility to be cultured. Charles Johnson. a masterful booster of African American authors. was a grad pupil at the University of Chicago when he emerged into public position by authoring a 700-page study for a select Commission appointed to analyze the violent 1919 Chicago race public violence which had left 38 dead. 537 wounded and more than 1. 000 homeless. The National Urban League hired Johnson as editor of Opportunity. the League’s new monthly. Johnson’s end for Opportunity was to redeem through art the standing of his people. In Lewis’s position. although Johnson had considerable self-importance. it was his nature – and passion – to work in secret and patiently behind the scenes. recruiting and steering others into the limelight. It was Johnson who orchestrated the 1924 dinner sponsored by Opportunity magazine that resulted in the Harlem Renaissance being foremost recognized as a motion and having its name. Johnson chose as locale for the dinner Manhattan’s Civic Club. The lone upper-crust New York nine without colour or gender limitations. the Civic Club had become an of import meeting land for black and white progressives. The apparent ground for the dinner was to observe the publication of There Is Confusion. a novel by Jesse Fauset. a immature Afro-american adult female who was adjunct editor to DuBois of The Crisis. the NAACP’s monthly magazine. Fauset. like Locke from an established old-Philadelphia black household. chose as her topics for the novel educated. upper category inkinesss. Johnson’s program for the jamboree. nevertheless. extended good beyond honouring Fauset. He asked Frederick Allen. so Harper and Brothers editor. to choose and ask for a representative group of noteworthy white authors and intellectuals. including Mencken. Eugene O’Neill and Carl Van Doren. Johnson himself invited non merely the best known black authors and intellectuals. including DuBois. James Weldon Johnson. Locke. McKay and Toomer. but besides a broad array of talented but still vague black authors. including Hughes. The event was a immense success. The victors of Opportunity’s first literary competition received money awards. Carl Van Doren forecast a sparkling hereafter for Afro-american authors who. he thought. would convey sorely needed energy and verve to a slightly pale American literary landscape. Reasoning the evening’s celebrations. Johnson announced that Opportunity would patronize another competition and feast the undermentioned twelvemonth. After the plan. the editor of Survey Graphic magazine offered to give an full issue to the work of gifted black authors. Survey Graphic’s particular edition entitled: Harlem: Mecca of the New Negro appeared the following twelvemonth to rave reappraisals. Gross saless exceeded twice the magazine’s normal circulation. Opportunity’s 2nd feast was even more successful than the Civic Club matter. 316 invitees attended. At the banquet’s terminal. Johnson announced that support for the undermentioned year’s competition and feast was already in manus from a man of concern: Casper Holstein. Holstein’s concern was the Numberss racket. a concern he had invented in New York and would entirely command until the 30s when Dutch Schultz shouldered him to the side. During the four old ages following the Civic Club dinner. there was an avalanche of black creativeness: novels. poesy. dramas. picture. sculpture. music. the acting humanistic disciplines and unfavorable judgment. DuBois. Locke. James Weldon Johnson. Fauset. Walter White ( the NAACP’s Assistant Executive Secretary ) and a host of others – white every bit good as black – provided advice. and leading and led the cheers. The magazines of the two civil rights organisations. Opportunity and The Crisis. played cardinal functions. printing poesy. short narratives. essays and exposure of pictures and sculptures eve ry bit good as critics’ pieces measuring the literary. acting and other artistic work of Renaissance creative persons. When the work of a author or other creative person appeared in The Crisis. that work received broad circulation. DuBois’s editorship of The Crisis had been so successful that. by 1919. it was selling 100. 000 transcripts monthly. Lewis notes that during a clip of rampant illiteracy when harsh demands on their laboring hours left black workers small clip. the magazine someway found its manner into sharecroppers’ cabins and cramped mill workers’ tenements. frequently lying following to the household Bible. Among the many white authors who gave support to the Negro Renaissance were Sherwood Anderson. Theodore Dreiser. John Dos Passos. Malcolm Cowley. Lewis Mumford. Lincoln Steffens. Robert Benchley and Fanny Hurst. Generous support and sponsorship for Renaissance creative persons and for the civil rights organisations every bit good. came from a figure of foundations and besides from affluent persons. Chicago concern leader Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Foundation were among the most generous. The Garland Foundation did much to promote Afro-american artistic accomplishment. patronizing awards competitions. doing money grants and confabulating gifts. among other things. Another foundation. the Harmon. sponsored a Traveling Exhibition of the Work of Negro Artists. which shipped a big aggregation of pictures and sculpture to 50 metropoliss. accompanied by many transcripts of a thick expensively illustrated catalog with text by Locke. More than 150. 000 viewed the Exhibition. The most colourful of the single frequenters was Charlotte Mason Osgood. a enormously affluent Park Avenue socialite dowager fascinated by the crude and alien in art. Among her many black proteges were Locke ( whom she called her precious brown boy and was her emissary to the Talented Tenth ) ; Langston Hughes ( whom she called her most cherished child ) ; the immature novelist. Zora Hurston ; and painter Aaron Douglas. Promoting them to name her Godmother. she liberally subsidized their day-to-day lives with monthly stipends. autos and the similar and amply rewarded their artistic accomplishments. She thought this entitled her to give way to their work. She repeatedly instructed Langston Hughes to be primitive in more of his authorship. Finally he demurred. inquiring her to release him from her imperium [ and ] attempt to accept his new thoughts. and showing the hope that her friendly relationship that had been so beloved to him would go on. With acrimonious maledictions. the old lady cast him for all clip from her Park Avenue Eden. From the beginning DuBois. Charles Johnson. patrician James Weldon Johnson and other civil rights organisation leaders sought to promote black creative persons to take as their topics educated. upper category inkinesss and to avoid picturing Negro life as crude. alien. animal or titillating – properties frequently associated with the poorly-educated Afro-american lower class life in utmost poorness. They were non peculiarly successful in this enterprise. although they themselves limited their ain originative authorship to the portraiture of decorous upper category Afro-american life. Lewis captures the ultimate result of this contretemps in his treatment of painter Palmer Hayden’s still life. Fetich et Fleurs: It gave back absolutely the ethos of the Renaissance – natural seeming appositions if non perfect brotherhood of refined esthesia and dark powers. One of the more utmost attempts to sensationalize the underbelly of Afro-american life was the fresh Nigger Heaven by white author. Carl Van Vechten. Van Vechten. who had earlier been the New York Times music critic. had famously played a cardinal function as an of import white affair between Harlem authors and Greenwich Village elite. On countless occasions. he had introduced talented immature black creative persons to publishing houses. esteemed creative persons and other movers and Shakerss in the white community who could be helpful toward progressing their callings. He and his married woman. poet Fania Marinoff. hosted legion parties to which they invited both Harlem Renaissance and white creative persons and intellectuals. They besides attended infinite black-hosted. mixed-race parties in Harlem and were familiar figures at the Harlem nines and speakeasies that white New Yorkers were progressively patronizing. In effect. Van Vechten. prior to authoring Nigger Heaven. had been heartily welcomed into the clique of elect inkinesss and their particular white confidants that immature black novelist Hurston had dubbed the Niggerati. Nigger Heaven’s blunt word picture of the Negro lower class made it clearly controversial for the black clerisy. However. in a parallel narrative line. the novel besides portrayed the refined life style of the urbane. sophisticated black clerisy. Many taking Harlem Renaissance figures could easy place themselves among the book’s characters. On the whole. they were depicted rather sympathetically. which likely persuaded many of them. including Langston Hughes and James Weldon Johnson. to praise the book. Other inkinesss. including more than a few Renaissance intellectuals. thought the book repugnant. Arch image breaker George Schuyler. Harlem’s opposite number to Mencken. deplored the ever-present need of white authors in portraying the Negro. to demo that even when he appears to be civilized. it is merely necessary to crush a tom Tom or beckon a rabbit’s pes and he is ready to deprive off his Hart Schaffner A ; Marx suit and sit away wild-eyed on the dorsum of a crocodile. Renaissance authors repeatedly visited the affair of black individuality – peculiarly as impacted by the forced crossbreeding all excessively common to slavery and the attendant pick confronting light-skinned African americans of whether to traverse over and base on balls as white. The writer’s ain tegument colour could deeply impact his position on these affairs. Although Lewis does non expressly say so. possibly mostly mute. but invariably vibrating on the fringe. was an overarching paradox. Expressed at its most utmost: Is a individual – all of whose ascendants are white save one octoroon gramps – black? If so – by that definition – are virtually all of us who consider ourselves white. in fact black. Another common yarn running through much Renaissance authorship was the position that slavery-era hybridization and other facets of the Negro’s debatable history in the U. S. had become insurmountable obstructions to any meaningful go oning connexion to African inkinesss. In Hughes’s short narrative. Burutu Moon. the storyteller. an Afro-american visiting Africa in hunt of his roots. asks his African host to see a Ju-Ju dance. No. him excessively atrocious! White adult male neer go. But I’m non a white adult male. the storyteller objected. You no black adult male neither. Lewis provides a hoarded wealth trove of intriguing item about Harlem life in the 20s. Did you know. for illustration. that Harlem’s celebrated Cotton Club did non acknowledge inkinesss as invitees. but merely as performing artists? Particularly gratifying is Lewis’s colourful description of the rent parties that flat renters threw to raise money for their monthly rent: Saturda y darks were terrific in Harlem. but rent parties every dark were the particular passion of the community. Their very being was avoided or hardly acknowledged by most Harlem authors. like that other rare and challenging establishment. the counter level where varied and frequently perverse sexual pleasances were offered cafeteria -style. With the exclusion of Langston Hughes and Wallace Thurman. about noone. . . admitted go toing a rent party. These were times. Willie ( the Lion ) Smith callbacks. when the mean Negro household did non let the blues. or even raggedy music. played in their places. In fact. though. it often came about that. after a staid parlour assemblage and after the nightclubs closed. poets and authors ( and even an NAACP functionary ) would follow instrumentalists to one of these every night rent-paying rites. If sweet mamma is running wild. and you are looking for a Do-right kid. merely come about and linger – crooned a printed invitation preserved by Langston Hughes to one of the more luxuriant personal businesss. Or Cora Jones’s at 187 West 148th Street : Let your dad drink the whiskey/Let your mamma drink the wine/ But you come to Cora’s/And make the Georgia swot. . . . Rent parties began anytime after midnight. ululation and stomping sometimes good into morning in a miasma of fume. liquor. collard leafy vegetables. and hot music. Willie the Lion Smith called them jumps. ’ shouts. ’ or struts. ’ where. for a one-fourth. you would see all sorts of people doing the party scene ; officially dressed society folks from down- town. police officers. painters. carpenters. mechanics. truckmen in their workingmen’s apparels. gamblers. tribades. and entertainers of all sorts. . . . At the more luxuriant prances. along approximately 3 a. m. pacing would accelerate when Willie the Lion. James P. Johnson. Claude Hopkins. Fats Waller. or Corky Williams – and even Edward Kennedy ( Duke ) Ellington – arrived palm-slapping and tuning up. The Great Depression blew out the visible radiations of the Harlem Renaissance. The awards competitions. grants and gifts dried up. Circulation of The Crisis and Opportunity turned aggressively down. their budgets were reduced and they struggled to last. The two Samuel johnsons left the civil rights organisations for chairs at all-black Fisk University in Nashville. The end product of Talented Tenth authors and other creative persons declined to a drip. And the proposition that racial bias in America could be extinguished by dazing literature and art produced by the Talented Tenth was exposed as the myth it had ever been. Lynchings increased – making a sum of 28 in 1934. Lesser Acts of the Apostless of dogmatism appeared to be distributing. non decreasing. As the White House made agreements to implement a Congressional grant to pave the manner for World War I gold-star female parents to go by ocean line drive to Europe for a graveyard circuit. angry letters from white female parents poured in objecting to its program to hold white and black adult females travel on the same vas. The disposal reversed class. The white female parents sailed off quickly in self-respect on a excellent ship. The black female parents followed well subsequently in a second-class vas. The Renaissance had non even improved the batch of the Talented Tenth. Paul Robeson and his married woman were turned off from the Guild Room of London’s Savoy Hotel after protests by other American tourers. The Robesons had often gone at that place in the yesteryear. and he was about to return to America for a concert circuit beginning in Carnegie Hall. On this eventide. nevertheless. the direction informed Robeson that the Hotel did non allow Negroes to come in the suites any longer. ’ Similarly. the founder-publisher of Chicago’s Defender and his married woman were asked to go forth their London hotel after one twenty-four hours because other American invitees had protested their presence and threatened to blacklist the hotel by word of oral cavity. They eventually found lodging in a private place. Carl Van Vechten’s married woman. Fania Marinoff. was quoted as stating that after tast [ ing ] all the drinks in all the speakeasies and traveling to hundreds of parties in flats. dark nines. honky tonks and speakeasies in Harlem and the Village. it all seemed very hollow. I neer liked it. she observed. observing more significantly that Van Vechten was equally weary of that life. Reacting in choler. The Pittsburg Courier. a newspaper widely circulated to the black community. announced: Let that be a warning to Negroes who bow and scrape to sponsoring Whites. Most dramatic. possibly. was the instance of W. E. B. DuBois. DuBois outraged his Talented-Tenth adherents by printing essays in The Crisis. recommending what he provokingly called segregation. which he described more specifically as voluntary action to increase our separation from our fellow work forces. He advocated it as a step toward the ultimate interrupting down of barriers. For Walter White. so the NAACP’s Executive Secretary. this was the last straw. He demanded that DuBois recant or go forth the NAACP. DuBois left. On March 19. 1935. Lewis concludes. the public violence expecting its immediate cause swept down Lenox Avenue with 10 thousand angry Harlemites destructing two million dollars in white-owned commercial belongings. By the following forenoon. three inkinesss had died. 30 people were hospitalized and one hundred were in gaol.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Sociology Essays on Michael Jackson

Sociology Essays on Michael Jackson With the demise of legendary pop singer Michael Jackson, students should expect to be asked by their professors to write sociology essays about this controversial essay topic. The popularity of Michael Jackson had spread across the globe that his music and his persona influenced individuals in the society from different generations. Writing about the sociological significance of the King of Pop would initially appear to be difficult for students; here are some suggested contents for your essay about Michael Jackson:   Ã‚  Ã‚   An essay about prominent people must start with a personal background about the celebrity. Provide a brief biographical account on Michael Jackson. It would also be recommendable to include a background on the society the singer had lived in during his younger years to provide a situational overview on the kind of society the young Michael Jackson had constant interactions.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Describe the influences of the society on the young Michael Jackson during his childhood days. Examine if his environment had inclined him to be a singer and if the people around him had forced him in some ways to enter the world of entertainment at such a young age. Provide a personal view if the society is partly responsible for children in show business to be susceptible to the dire elements of the entertainment industry causing the corruption of the minds of these children. This part of your academic essay must cite Michael Jackson as an example of your personal views.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Writing essays about Michael Jackson and the society should include the reception of society on his music and his rise to stardom with the aid of society. State your opinion on why Jackson’s music was well liked by the public, the sociological relevance of the subjects tackled by his songs, and the impact of the singer’s distinct character on society. Cite examples such as the sociological issues related to Jackson’s songs as well as individuals imitating Jackson’s fashion statements.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Examine the sociological effects of Michael Jackson and his music had imparted on people. Discuss the reasons behind the tremendous effect the singer and his music had on the society. You may also point out your own views on the possible problems or threats posed by this fanaticism of the public on Michael Jackson.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Relatively, provide a section in your essay discussing the positive and negative effects of music icons on the society. Mention the names of some of the biggest music celebrities that had sociological influences around the world. Specify the harmful effects these music legends had conveyed to people and cite particular incidents that would prove this bad influence of some music celebrities. Enumerate the positive ways these celebrities had influenced the public and state examples of these commendable acts. Give your personal analysis if the society tolerates these manipulations done by pop idols and the ways that the society can use this influence in promoting good causes.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Excessive fame and money often causes celebrities to make irresponsible acts. This does not save Michael Jackson; the controversies and issues that hounded the singer’s life definitely had effects on the society. As part of the society, give your opinion on the common perception and reaction of the members of society as well as the sociological consequences of these unacceptable behaviors for both ordinary citizen and celebrity. Sociology essays about Michael Jackson can be completed easily with the help of these suggested contents. A good essay about this topic can be achieved by incorporating some of this important information.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Existentialism According to Two Philosophers Essay

Existentialism According to Two Philosophers - Essay Example   The reader realizes immediately that what is important about this character is not his actions, so much as his thoughts. Actions - if any - are the result of a decision, a choice. Even when he hands ‘the prisoner’ a glass of tea, or takes a pot of ink from a drawer, Daru does so not as a reflexive action, or one taken automatically or without consideration, but as a deliberately thought-out deed over which he seems to have some control. This is a kind of irony that comes from the pen of Albert Camus, an existentialist (although he denied it) writer whose philosophy was one born of the belief that life offers no clarity or meaning (Camus 1991). He places Daru in a spot, literally and metaphorically. From this place, this man cannot emerge unless it is through a deliberate deed. True, he did not ask Balducci to arrive with the prisoner, yet even in the introduction during the blizzard, Camus injects an atmosphere of anticipation and expectation. He seems to tell the reader that life - even if it does take place in a desert; emotional, philosophical, or otherwise - has a habit of presenting one with predicaments and obligations that require accountability (Camus 1991). Daru, in his dead-end job, had to dole out grain to the families of his students, something over which he seemed to have doubts. He is suddenly given the responsibility of taking an Arab prisoner to the prison at Tinguit: a dilemma which is at once perso nal, official and philosophical. Camus does this to illustrate his concept of inescapability: if you are alive, you will encounter this kind of problem that requires some sort of choice. Not making a choice is not an option that life offers. Even doing nothing is a default choice. In his Myth of Sisyphus, he shows this through the absurdity of life’s meaningless tasks, that are repetitive and devoid of meaning, and gives them to Daru to show there are no escaping life’s quandaries.