History Of Light Infantry Essays - Infantry, Peltast, Hoplite

History Of Light Infantry Essays - Infantry, Peltast, Hoplite History Of Light Infantry For a long time peace was understood in negative fashion, simply as the absence of war. -Yvon Garlan Kendrick Pritchett in the introduction to the book The Greek State at War points out that in order to write history of Greek Warfare one would require a knowledge of many aspects of Greek life. The would-be investigator would have to be familiar with terrain in the case of any given battle, have an acquaintance with the archaeological artifacts of various types, close familiarity with the written sources, and most important, an understanding of the general economic picture. He would also need some insight into ancient religion and acquaintance with military and naval procedures and strategy. There is a definite truth about the statement. Even such narrow subject as development of light infantry in ancient Greece requires inquiries in multiple areas of overall Greek history. The knowledge of what ancient Greeks considered light infantry, an insight on development of ancient Greek infantry in general, agricultural warfare, key historical event that assisted in changing Greek outlook on war: these areas are absolutely essential in researching the subject of light infantry in Ancient Greece. Researching the primary sources for the subject of light infantry an investigator would find a puzzling fact; there are little or no references to the subject of inquiry. Ancient historians Thucydides, Xenophon, Herodotus, do not refer to light infantry troops, instead they use term peltast. It appears that the term peltast signifies a light armored warrior for the ancient historians. The term itself comes from pelta or pelte - a small shield that inhabitants of Thrace used as their battle armor. We find descriptions of Thracian peoples in Herodotus The Histories. The Thracians in the army wore fox-skin caps on their heads, and tunics on their bodies; over these they wore embroidered mantles; they had shoes of fawnskin on their feet and legs; they also had javelins and little shields and daggers. Climate in Thrace, both political and weather wise contributed to development of specific armor (or lack of it) and way of fighting. Ancient Greek historian Xenophon had served under Odrysian prince Seuthes in Thrace and recorded one of the campaigns in his treaties Anabasis. From the description, Thrace appears to be very cold and snowy which is not uncommon for northern parts of Greece. It also explains why Thracian peltasts had no heavy armor, relied on maneuverability and preferred skirmishing techniques to battle in formation. Also, there is no account of Thrace developing a city-state or any other kind of political organization other than tribes. Which explains predominance of primitive way of fighting over organized formation. Arthur Ferrill argues that although there definitely was a contact between ancient Greeks and Thracians, it had little or no affect on Greek warfare in general. This point is arguable, since there is evidence (mostly pottery, unfortunately) that Thracian shield and helmet designs were used by Greeks from 460 BC and on. Also the appearance of ekdromoi - runner outs in Greek phalanx, was probably a result of contact with Thracians. Ekdromoi were young, physically fit warriors that were instructed to run out and prevent Thracian peltasts from harassing Greek formation. Consequently, ekdromoi had to give up some of their heavy armor to gain in maneuverability. Considering evidence in hand, Ferrills argument appears to be more plausible since history shows that it would take much more than skirmishes with Thracians to change Greek outlook on war and fighting. Agricultural warfare, Greek Hoplites. Placing light infantry on the battlefield by the ancient Greeks signified the change in general Greek way of fighting. Roughly, general way of fighting is associated with hoplite phalanx warfare. Understanding hoplite warfare is essential in uncovering the origins of light infantry aside from it setting the pace of Greek life for almost five hundred years. Sometime between 700 BC and 650 BC formation of heavy infantry or hoplites began to take place. The changes took place primarily due to social and political developments within Greece itself, appearance of polis, Greek city-state and extensive agriculture, which created communities of equal property owners. It is plausible to assume that Greek farmers out of concern that somebody would traverse their land began to arm themselves, farmer solidarity developed.

How to Get Help from Your Professor

How to Get Help from Your Professor Few students make it through college or graduate school without seeking assistance from a professor for help at one time or another. In fact, its important to seek help rather than let problems fester and intensify. So, how do you approach a professor for one-on-one time? First, lets look at common reasons students seek assistance. Why Seek Help? What are common reasons why you might seek out professors for assistance? Youve fallen behind in class because of illnessYouve failed a test or assignment and do not understand the course materialYou have questions about the requirements of a given assignmentYou need advice on the subject of your majorYou cannot reach the class teaching assistant during his or her posted hoursYou need clarification on policies and/or schedules OK, so there are lots of reasons to seek assistance from professors. Why Do Students Avoid Seeking Professors Help?Sometimes students avoid asking for assistance or meeting with their professors because theyre embarrassed or intimidated. What are common anxieties experienced by students? Feeling out of the loop after missing several classesFear of asking a dumb questionFear of confrontationShynessDiscomfort over approaching a professor of a different age, gender, race, or cultureTendency to avoid interactions with those in authority If youre going to progress as a student and especially if you wish to attend graduate school, you must set your intimidation aside and ask for the help that you need. How to Approach Your Professor Contact. Determine the preferred mode of contact; check the course syllabus as professors indicate their preferred methods of contact and related information. Ask yourself: Is this urgent? If so, then contact by phone or stopping by his or her office during office hours is probably the most logical step. Otherwise, you can try e-mail. Wait a few days for a response (remember that teaching is a professors job, so dont expect replies over evenings, weekends, or holidays). Plan. Check the syllabus for the professors office hours and policies before you make your request so that you are already familiar with their schedule. If the professor requests that you return at another time, do your best to meet at a time which is convenient for him or her (e.g., during office hours). Dont ask a professor to go out of his or her way to meet you at a time that is inconvenient because professors have many more responsibilities than teaching (e.g., lots of meetings within the department, university, and community). Ask. Asking is the only way to learn your professors preferences. Say something like, Professor Smith, I need a few minutes of your time so that you can help me with a question/problem Im having with ___. Is this a good time, or can we set up something that is more convenient for you? Keep it short and to the point. Prepare for Your Meeting Pull your thoughts together beforehand (as well as all of your course materials). Preparation will permit you to remember to ask all of the questions that you need to be answered and arrive with confidence to your meeting. Questions. If you are anxious at all about talking with your professor, prepare a list of your questions beforehand. Be efficient and try to accomplish everything in one meeting, rather than coming back time and time again with further questions. Materials. Bring your class notes and syllabus with you to refer to, if you have questions specifically related to course materials so that you have all the details you need. If you need to refer to a textbook, bookmark the pages that you will need to refer to so you can get to them quickly. Notes. Come prepared to take notes (i.e., bring a pen and paper to your meeting). Notes will help you record and remember the responses to your questions and prevent you from asking the same questions later in the course. At the Meeting Be punctual. Punctuality signifies respect for your professors time. Do not arrive early or late. Most professors are pressed for time. If you need to meet with your professor again, ask him or her if you can set up another appointment, following the suggestions above. Use the appropriate form of address. Unless your professor has indicated otherwise, address him or her by last name and with the appropriate title (e.g., Professor, Doctor). Show some gratitude. Always thank the professor for his or her time and express any gratitude that you feel is appropriate for the specific help that he or she has provided. This rapport will leave the door open for future appointments.

Gangs in America Why are they so out of control Essay - 2

Gangs in America Why are they so out of control - Essay Example Through the advanced technology in the entire United States, drug trafficking has been simplified and even gang recruitment is easier where the activities are mastermind through the use of technology leading to killings and other insecurity issues (Schneider, 1999). The expansion of gangs in the States has also increased in the streets due to the usage of social networking. The use of drugs and drug trafficking is unlawful and it is unethical to the States. To address the problem the federal government together with the Federal Bureau of Investigation should make sure that the advanced technology that is being used by individuals is monitored. Each and every activity that is taking place in United States should be tracked through the use of social media. Gangs are being recruited and expanding in the social media and thus close monitoring of all the activities should be done to ensure all those unethical practices in the States are curbed and eliminated in New York and California States among others. In California, landmark legislation referred to as Juvenile Crime Enforcement was passed in 1996 and Accountability Challenge Grant Program worthy $50 million was started to reduce the crime and prevent young individuals from conducting criminal activities. Young individuals associating themselves with gangs who threat and others cause mass killing in the States has been an ethical issue in entire United States. The young individuals who engage themselves in criminal activities die in many circumstances since they are confronted by the security officers making the youths to be reduced in the society. To curb this unethical issue, it is important for the federal government to fund and implement the program where juvenile rehabilitations centers will be structured where the violent and chronic juvenile offenders will be accommodated. Counseling and other disciplinary acts should be conducted to ensure that

Virtual Private Network Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Virtual Private Network Architecture - Essay Example Basically, the cloud computing platforms (virtual clouds), both private and public, offer an excellent framework for both all the organizations (small, medium and large) to host their applications (e.g. enterprise resource planning systems) by hiring resources on rent, on-demand and paying charging depending on actual usage. In this scenario, an organization’s IT services can be distributed all through the corporation’s data centers and systematically assigned resources in cloud data centers (Wood, Shenoy, Ramakrishnan, & Merwe, 2011; Tchifilionova, 2011). Cloud computing allows enterprises to obtain as much computation and storage resources as they require, while only paying for the precise amount that they use. In this scenario, a VPN (virtual private network) is established by creating a secure communications link between two nodes by following the characteristics of a point-to-point private link. Additionally, a VPN can be employed by the organizations to smooth the process of secure remote access in the cloud, establish and maintain a secure data channel within a network or securely connect two networks together (Researcher's Blog, 2011; Wood, Shenoy, Gerber, Ramakrishnan, & Merwe, 2009; Rittinghouse & Ransome, 2009). ... advantageous that cloud resources be flawlessly incorporated or combined with an organization’s existing architecture without the need to deal with management, handle substantial configuration, or security concerns. On the other hand, present cloud service providers provide virtual cloud servers as remote units with their own IP address space that is beyond the reach and control of the customer. In addition, this isolation of enterprise resources and clouds augments software and configuration challenges and complexity while putting into practice the services that must communicate with an enterprise’s private network. There emerge various problems when moving an organization’s information system such as enterprise resource planning systems to a virtual cloud. In this scenario, poor communication and lack of coordination between virtual cloud and network resources make the customer once more accountable for autonomously managing for bandwidth guarantees and traffic separation with a separate network service provider. Thus, in order to deal with these challenges, there is a need to improve the cloud computing architecture to flawlessly put together virtual private networks (VPNs) (Wood, Shenoy, Gerber, Ramakrishnan, & Merwe, 2009; Rittinghouse & Ransome, 2009). In addition, the majority of business organizations are adopting incremental approach for the migration of their enterprise resource planning systems to virtual cloud. However, organizations that are planning to move their resources to virtual clouds must keep in mind that any migration, no matter it is associated with the cloud or not, engages one-time expenditures and a lot of opposition to migration for instance some of the staff members can be against the migration. In addition, there can be some cultural

The Motion Picture Association of America Essay Example for Free

The Motion Picture Association of America Essay American Psycho, A Clockwork Orange, Boys Don’t Cry, and Clerks. What do all these movies have in common? They were all rated NC-17 at first viewing. The reason why they were rated as such is the real issue. They were rated NC-17 for the sexual content, either shown or talked about. The way in which it was presented in these movies made the MPAA give it an NC-17 rating. The MPAA found it offensive and inappropriate. The violence, some of it quite gruesome, was seen as less offensive and inappropriate according to the MPAA. Despite their best efforts in trying to protect children and what they’re subjected to, the MPAA is utterly useless. The internet provides easy access to pornography and other sexual content by the click of a mouse. The boundaries made by the MPAA in regards to sexual content are unclear most of the time and the rating is inconsistent and gender biased. The MPAA has worn out its usefulness and should be entirely eliminated and replaced with a more democratic, fair and open rating system. A rating system for film has been around for quite a while. Since 1926, the film industry has been rated in some manner. Back in 1926, much more was banned sexually and in terms of violence. â€Å"For almost 40 years the US film industry was governed by the Motion Picture Production Code, which banned nudity, drug use, religious ridicule, disrespect for the law and other depictions in film that would have the effect of lowering society’s moral standards† ( Feiser, np). Many movies back them were quite subtle compared to today’s day and age. Many filmmakers didn’t get adventuress and stayed well within the parameters of the rules because our society was more modest and pure. There was a much harsher strain on sexuality. Romantic scenes were heavily scrutinized to uphold ‘the sanctity of the institution of marriage’ and ‘excessive and lustful kissing, lustful embraces, suggestive postures and gestures, are not to be shown’† (Feiser, np). Filmmakers had no option, they needed to comply with the code or their film would not be released. When the times changed, the rules needed to as well. â€Å"In 1966 the standards of the production code were relaxed, and two years later it was replaced with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) film rating system, which, in modified form, we follow today† (Fesier, np). However, with this rating sysyem, filmmakers have the option to not follow the guidelines set in place. â€Å"Filmmakers can opt out by not submitting their films for rating and accept an NR (not rated) designation. But by taking NR rating, a film will have less theatrical distribution and will attract fewer viewers to movie houses. Thus, for mainstream films, participation in the rating system is a practical necessity† (Fesier, np). Many filmmakers are stuck when it comes to getting their movie rated because the MPAA is the only company out there that rates films so what they say goes. Even though filmmakers can make their films NR, the film won’t get any publicity and will most likely fail. All filmmakers can do is hope for the best when they submit their film for rating. No filmmaker wants to receive an NC-17 rating because it would require severe editing and cutting of the film. Every filmmaker knows that sex is the only thing that will drastically effect a rating but the rules and guidelines of what sexual things are and aren’t allowed have never been stated by the MPAA and often times, it is shocking what is allowed in one film and not another. Let’s first discuss the issue of masturbation in films. For example, Kevin Smith’s film Jersey Girl, released in 2004, was made by Kevin Smith for his daughter. It’s about one man’s struggle to be a single father after his wife dies in childbirth. The movie contains no nudity or sex scene. When Kevin Smith gave it to the MPAA for rating, Kevin Smith said â€Å"The MPAA gave Jersey Girl an R rating for a scene where Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck’s characters discuss masturbation in a diner† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Kevin Smith, who disagreed with the film’s rating, talked to the head of the MPAA and her response was â€Å"It’s uncomfortable to think of my 16 year old daughter listening to this† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Kevin Smith then said in response, â€Å"Do you really think your daughter hasn’t masturbated? † (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Kevin Smith’s response, although quite brave, brings up quite a valid point. Masturbation is a natural part of life but the MPAA don’t want kids knowing about it. The MPAA is incredibly gender biased when it comes to rating a film that includes physically showing masturbation. For example, in the film But I’m a Cheerleader, in its original viewing, it received an NC-17 rating. The director Jamie Babbit said that â€Å"The MPAA told me that in order to get an R rating, I would have to cut a scene where one of the girls is touching herself fully clothed† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). The director, furious, then makes a great comparison when she uses the example of American Pie. Jamie Babbit says â€Å"In American Pie, Jason Bigg’s character masturbates in an apple pie not fully clothed and yet that only received an R rating† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). A scene much more vulgar and inappropriate receives an R rating because it’s a male and not a female that does the masturbating. A girl fully clothed rubbing herself or a male, with his pants down, masturbating in an apple pie. It’s almost as if the MPAA views guys masturbating as inappropriate but natural but a female masturbating is unnatural and worse. That is insulting to women and angering as a film watcher. The MPAA is also quite harsh in their issue of physical sex between two people and sex scenes in movies. There are many perfect examples of movies being rated harshly, including NC-17 simply for sexual content over extreme violence like blood and gore, and mutilation. One example is when Marry Harron, the director of American Psycho, sent her movie to the MPAA for a rating. She asked the MPAA why it was rated as such and she paraphrases, saying â€Å"It was rated NC-17 but not for a scene of brutal mass murder with a chainsaw. No brutal murder scene was the issue; the issue was a rear entry three way sex scene† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). One scene determined this movie’s harsh rating. One sex scene was enough to overlook several scenes of brutal mass murder. This is just one of many movies that have gotten an NC-17 for one sex scene and not for anything else. For example, Blue Valentine was rated â€Å"NC-17 for a scene of explicit sexual content† (Berkeley Library, np). Crash, as well, was given an NC-17 rating for â€Å"numerous explicit sex scenes (Berkeley Library, np). Even This Film Is Not Yet Rated was given an NC-17 rating due to â€Å"some graphic sexual content† (Berkeley Library, np). Maria Bello is an actress that was in The Cooler, which is another movie rated NC-17, this time because of Maria Bello’s pubic hair being shown in the sex scene. She gives her opinion in This Film Is Not Yet Rated when she says â€Å"I’ve always been such a fan of the way European filmmakers in the way they view sexuality which is real people and real bodies and it’s a way of life and human nature† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). She goes on to say that â€Å"We’ve desexualized sex because we’ve taken it out of being a day to day function. We’ve desexualized because we’re afraid of it† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). David Anser, a film critic for Newsweek says that â€Å"Europe has always found America odd in sexual matters† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Finally, Allison Anders, a director, says that the US has become so strict in their policies of sex that it’s become a â€Å"denial of women pleasure, but of pleasure in general† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Despite all of what is said, there are people who believe that movie censorship is a good thing. Jack Valenti, founder of the MPAA, has had to defend the MPAA and his opinion on censorship for years. He sent an article to the LA Times where he discusses why things are the way they are and why the MPAA is in fact successful. In the article, he states that â€Å"For the last 15 years, more than 70% of parents with children under 13 find the system to be Very Useful to Fairly Useful in helping them guide their childrens movie going† ( Valenti, np). He then mentions that the 2006 poll showed that â€Å"an increase in approval by parents with children under 13 to 80%. Those who said the rating system was Very Useful rose 10% higher than last year. This latest poll underscores my central theme that parents, for whom the system was designed, are highly approving of what it does they trust it† (Valenti, np). First of all, parents with children under 13 years of age are infected by the higher ratings because they can’t even be allowed into a PG-13 movie without a parent. The high ratings are the ones that affect ages 15-18. He should poll those parents and see how many parents agree with the R to NC-17 rating, or even the PG-13 to R rating. Secondly, Matt Stone, co creator of South Park states that â€Å"Valenti brings up these statistics that say that 70% of parents find the ratings useful. I always felt like that was because they’re the only game in town. As compared to nothing at all, they probably are useful† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Having no ratings board at all would be chaos. There needs to be a ratings board, there is no doubt about that. Having nothing at all would is not acceptable but since the MPAA is the only rating board that rates movies, they should be fair in their ratings as well as listen to directors arguments and try their best to accommodate. The MPAA refuses to ever change their minds or hear what anyone has to say. It’s their way or the highway. Unfortunately, the MPAA is not the end all be all in censorship. The internet, although a great tool, has little to no censorship and someone can find just about anything on the internet. As John Waters put it â€Å"All teenagers, because of the internet, have seen more hard core pornography then their parents have seen. They’ve seen the most hideous things you can find on the internet and they’ve all seen it. All kids have searched and gone deep into web porn sites† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Although film is a huge media outlet, kids aren’t seeing any less hideous things just because they’re not allowed to see this movie or an inappropriate sex scene was cut out of a movie. According to Internet Pornography Statistics, â€Å"The average age of a child’s first exposure to pornography is 11. A total of 90 percent of children ages 8-16 have viewed pornography online† (Ropelato, np). Another striking statistic is â€Å"15-17 year olds having multiple hard-core exposures is 80% and 8-16 year olds having viewed porn online is 90% (most while doing homework)† (Ropelato, np). Unfortunately, kids have so many options when it comes to pornographic sites. â€Å"There are 4. 2 million (12% of total websites) pornographic websites and 420 million pornographic pages† (Ropelato, np). By censoring or harshly rating films based on sexual content, all the MPAA is doing is forcing kids to go online to find pornographic material and as proven, it is as easy as the click of the mouse. â€Å"Encino, California inside the headquarters of the Motion Pictures Association of America, an anonymous group of parents gather to rate film G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17. But the MPAA won’t let anyone inside to see who these people are or how they make their decisions and among their most controversial decisions are the movies they rate NC-17† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). The MPAA has been anonymous and their members have been unknown since the MPAA’s inception. This has come under much scrutiny with filmmakers and film producers because they believe they have a right to know who these people are that rate their films. There are many opinions as to why the MPAA members are unknown and one opinion is by Kimberly Pierce, director of Boys Don’t Cry. She says â€Å"You’re dealing with a very powerful, cultural censorship group that doesn’t want to be disempowered. If you made those names public, you might disempower them† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Kirby Dick, the director of This Film Is Not Yet Rated asks John Lewis, author of Hollywood v. Hardcore â€Å"Is there any other review board in this country that you can think of in any industry besides the C. I. A. that is secret that operates in secrecy. † John Lewis’s simple is a simple but powerful â€Å"No. † The MPAA is the only other association besides the C. I. A. hat operates in secrecy. There is something seriously wrong with that picture. All the MPAA does is rate movies, the C. I. A. helps keep our country from being destroyed. The C. I. A. risks their lives every day to protect us and MPAA members sit in a dark room and rate movies. There is no good reason why the MPAA should be secretive. Naturally, Jack Valenti had something to say as to the reason why board members names are unknown. He told the L. A. Times â€Å"First, the Motion Picture Assn. f America withholds the names of the rating board members so they wont be harassed by disgruntled producers. Grand jury members names are withheld; so are criminal jury members, all for the same reasons. Theres nothing sinister about this. We convey to the press, upon request, a brief biography of each rater. We could make public their names, but if we did, how would that advance the quality of the ratings? † (Valenti, np). What Valenti doesn’t realize is that he has more disgruntled producers because the member’s names are unknown. Producers have the right to know who rated their movie. Kirby Dick said it best when he told Joan Graves â€Å"It seems like the raters who you are trying to protect from influence actually are in direct contact with the people who can influence them, the senior rater’s especially† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). The senior raters would, in all likelihood, have a huge impact in what rating a movie gets and the other raters would be more inclined to agree and give it the same rating as the senior rater did. This is probably due to the fact that the raters have the opinion that the senior raters would know more knowledge of ratings and have more experience so therefore their rating must be the best rating for the film. Senior raters wouldn’t be the only ones that would influence raters, other raters as well would be able to convince another rater to give a rating. Even though Valenti tried to avoid influence, influence is still a big factor in the MPAA. Valenti also told the L. A. Times about the guidelines required to be an MPAA rater. He told the L. A.  Times that â€Å"They are parents, who see a film through the eyes of a parent. We have three senior raters who give historical knowledge to the system, have administrative duties and whose children, young when they started, are now over 17. The rest have younger children† (Valenti, np). Kirby Dick, director of This Film Is Not Yet Rated, hired a private investigator to discover the identities of the MPAA raters and find out if what Valenti said about them is in fact true. The investigator figured out the names of the raters on the 2005 board and discovered that what Valenti said wasn’t 100 percent accurate. One rater was â€Å"Joan Worden, Age 56, Children: 18 year old twins† and â€Å"Howard Fridkin, Age 47, Children: none† (This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Joan Worden has two twins who are old enough to see an NC-17 movie so how does she know what’s best for children to see? How is someone with no kids like Howard supposed to know what children should and should not see? Ultimately, it’s these factors that make the MPAA utterly useless and really more harm than good. The MPAA and the process of getting a game rated leaves many directors and producers frustrated. The MPAA should be replaced by a rating system which has clear rules and regulations when it comes to how movies are rated. It should also consist of members names that are known so as to give the producers and directors some idea who rated their movie and therefore can discuss easily what needs to be done to get a different rating. This system should also treat violence as being a serious factor, like sex, that determines a movie’s rating. These factors are essential for a successful movie rating system that will benefit not only the movie makers but the audience as well.

Guy Debords The Society of the Spectacle :: Debord Society of the Spectacle Essays

Guy Debord's The Society of the Spectacle    For decades, Guy Debord's The Society of the Spectacle was only available in English in a so-called "pirate" edition published by Black & Red, and its informative, perhaps essential, critique of modern society languished in the sort of obscurity familiar to      political radicals and the avant-garde. Originally published in France in 1967, it rarely receives more than passing mention in some of the fields most heavily influenced by its ideasÑmedia studies, social theory, economics, and political science. A new    translation by Donald Nicholson-Smith issued by Zone Books last year, however, may finally bring about some well-deserved recognition to the recently-deceased Debord. Society of the Spectacle has been called "the Capital of the new generation," and the co    mparison bears investigation. DebordÕs intention was to provide a comprehensive critique of the social and political manifestations of modern forms of production, and the analysis he offered in 1967 is as authoritative now as it was then. Comprised of nin    e chapters broken into a total of 221 theses, Society of the Spectacle tends toward the succinct in its proclamations, favoring polemically poetic ambiguities over the vacuous detail of purely analytical discourse. There is, however, no shortage of justif    ication for its radical claims. Hegel finds his place, Marx finds acclaim and criticism, Lenin and Rosa Luxemburg add their contributions, and DebordÕs own insights are convincingly argued. It becomes evident quite quickly that Debord has done his homewor    kÑSociety of the Spectacle is no art manifesto in need of historical or theoretical basis. DebordÕs provocations are supported where others would have failed. The first chapter, "Separation Perfected," contains the fundamental assertions on which much of    DebordÕs influence rests, and the very first thesis, that    the whole of life of those societies in which modern conditions of production prevail presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles.   All that was once directly lived has become mere representation. establishes DebordÕs judgment; the rest attempt to explain it, and to elaborate on the need for a practical and revolutionary resistance.    By far DebordÕs most famous work, Society of the Spectacle lies somewhere between a provocative manifesto and a scholarly analysis of modern politics. It remains among those books which fall under the rubric of "oft quoted, rarely read"Ñexcept that few ca

Social Media and the Egyptian Revolution

January 2011 marked the beginning of peaceful protests and movement demonstrations staged by citizens throughout Egypt. Movement actors fought for democratic advances, political freedoms and equality. The genuine commitment for change, the unity of the people and most notably the tactful com/the-effects-of-social-media-on-communication-skills/">manipulation of social media resulted in the disposition of the suppressive regime. Modern social media has significantly changed the traditional forms of activism and has simplified the efforts needed to provoke civic mobilization.Social media applications such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube hold the dynamic power to manipulate, control, inform and motivate. Essentially, they have become excellent tools for activists. This paper seeks to describe and assess specifically the relationship between social media and the Egyptian Revolution. Building on this foundation, this essay will prove that social media platforms were the major catalysts fo r social change in Egypt. To begin, social media, or more precisely Twitter and Facebook, defined and formed the movement's collective identity.These platforms represented safe environments that permitted individuals to consult about common grievances and share revolutionary ideas (Comunello & Anzera, 2012; 466). Furthermore, social media applications played key roles in facilitating the efforts needed for communication, organization, and recruitment (ibid). These applications were highly trusted as they allowed activists to network effortlessly and moreover, assisted in turning rational individuals into constituents. Lastly, social media aided in attracting global support and ‘helped spread democratic ideas across international borders' (Comunello & Anzera, 2012; 466).By referencing the works of scholars such as Kenneth Pollack, Halim Rane and Francesca Communello, this paper will prove social media as the underlying force of the Egyptian revolution. To begin, the con versations held on Facebook and Twitter shaped the collective identity that would make ‘individuals feel capable of effecting change' (Staggenborg, 2008; 191). Twitter and Facebook were the underlying catalytic forces of the movement as they provided a space that would allow Egyptians to publically aspire for changes and ‘express opposition to the existing order' (Doran, 2011; 41).â€Å"We Are All Khaled Said† was a Facebook page that established Khaled Said's death as the spark of the Egyptian movement. With Said's brutally beaten face as the banner, this page quickly spurred anger as it emphasized both the unreasonable level of cruelty that was exerted towards him and as well as the oppression Egyptians faced daily. Remarkably over the course of a few weeks, half a million Egyptians were on Facebook, expressing their anger and sharing their grievances over police brutality, rising food prices and corruption.This platform page assisted in framing the movement â⠂¬Å"in terms of demands for dignity, justice, freedom and democracy† (Rane et al, 2012; 80). The establishment of the movement's frame gave rise to many other Facebook pages. These highlighted the corrupted practices of the government and educated both constituents and adherents to the movement about democracy and its benefits. Facebook succeeded in breaking down the psychological fear barrier that obstructed Egyptians from participating.Once fear was no longer an issue, the Egyptian social capital progressed intensively as the collective consciousness emerged. Facebook was used as a mobilization structure that would undeniably give back the power to the people and restore their self esteem. Correspondingly, Tunisia's success in toppling their dictator, had inspired a wave of revolutions in the Middle-East. Socio-political debates and ideas of democratic advances in Egypt were highly influenced by the current events in Tunisia. These influences had left a marginal impact on th e Egyptian collective identity.By using social media platforms, Tunisian activists guided their Egyptian counterparts regarding the matters of revolution. On Facebook, Tunisians inspired Egyptians by further highlighting the benefits of democratic advancements and by providing words of encouragement and advice ( Rane & Salem, 2012; 85). Tunisians contributed to the empowerment and collective morale of the Egyptian people entirely through the use of social networking applications. Social media is what ultimately allowed the Egyptian people to be galvanized.It created a type of common room that allowed dissidents to speak feely which gave emergence to the movements collective action frame and identity. As Twitter and Facebook were deduced as safe and anonymous environments, the psychological fear barrier had eventually been broken, thus supporting the thesis that social media was undeniably a prominent feature in the outcome in Egypt. (Rane & Salem, 2012; 84) In addition, Twit ter and Facebook had facilitated the movement's needed efforts for mobilization.Activists used these platforms as reliable tools  to propagate their message and contact fellow movement actors. Both Twitter and Facebook contain features that allow statements to be liked, shared or quoted; therefore breaking down all geographical barriers. Egyptian activists, while by passing government restrictions, would use these applications to strategically organize peaceful protests and other forms of collective activities and events. Movement actors would organize ways to contest authorities on Twitter or Facebook as they knew their great power to spread news (Idle and Nunns, 2011, p. 20).Specifically, Twitter played a key role during the revolution as it held the power to potentially turn a simple tweet into a worldwide trending topic. Similarly to the diffusion theory, Twitter along with Facebook became key channels of diffusion. Both these applications accelerated the speed at which the ad opters received the innovations initiated by the transmitters, resulting in the instantaneous mobilization of individuals and resources ( Rane & Salem, 2012; 78). The pertinent example of this phenomenon presents itself a few days prior to the massive revolutionary demonstrations of January 25.To avoid attracting authorities, main organizers of this uprising had avoided disclosing details too early. When details were finally shared, it diffused virally over social media applications at an impeccable speed that would attract 80, 000 protestors in two days, thus proving social media as a prominent inciting force. Social media was used to raise expectations of success and coordinate strategy (Howard et al. 2011; 9). These networks were manipulated in ways that would inspire â€Å"dissidents to organize protests, criticize their governments and spread ideas about democracy† (ibid).Twitter and Facebook supported Egyptian activists by sustaining collective action and by facilit ating the process of diffusion (Rane & Salem, 2012; 90). To deduce, social media simplified the dynamics needed to provoke the mobilization of the Egyptian social movement, thus supporting the thesis that Twitter and Facebook were the catalysts to the movement. Lastly, social media platforms galvanized foreign support and â€Å"helped to globally spread voices against [oppressive] regimes† factors that contributed to the movement's success (Comunello & Anzera, 2012; 466).As previously mentioned, social media networks had broken down the geographical barriers that would otherwise limit activists. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube disseminated images and videos of police brutality towards the relatively peaceful protestors; which heightened awareness in countries. Activists used these platforms in their favour to gain international support, thus weakening the oppressive regime. Simply put, the more Egyptians attracted awareness, the more likely Mubarak would fall.Specifical ly, Egyptians directed these images to Western countries as they recognized that added pressures from these States was paramount (Khamis & Vaughn, 2011). An important speech permitted Egyptian movement actors had known of their success days before Mubarak had actually resigned. When Obama publically stated his discontentment with the Egyptian government's abuse of power, there was a cry of victory in all of Egypt. The Leader of the Free World's statement had rekindled the fire of passion and had empowered Egyptians, inspiring them to continue their pursue for change.Moreover, similarly to the Tunisian Revolution, the Egyptian Revolution had sparked movements throughout the Middle East. Countries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region share many common elements, thus explaining the wave of uprisings (Rane & Salem, 2012; 84). The Egyptian movement was merely a response to a lack of human rights and freedoms and its success, motivated all pro- democratic activist s in the MENA region. These activists learned of the power of social media by following the Egyptian movement on Twitter and Facebook.In hoping to rid their countries from â€Å"adverse social, economic and political situation†, activists look at social media platforms as the initiators for change (ibid).. Consequently, current oppressive governments in the Middle East have taken example from the failures of the Egyptian and Tunisian governments and â€Å"have been subjected to a new level of scrutiny† (Doran, 2011; 43). In Syria, the authoritative government has been behaving with great brutality in response to mobilization efforts. Assad has ruthlessly killed many of the rioting individuals all while censoring the media, in efforts of shielding ‘himself from foreign audit' (ibid).The social media tactics used by Egyptian and Tunisian activists have weakened their respective government all while strengthening other authoritarian governments in the region. Twitte r and Facebook supported Egypt during its plight for social change as they assisted activists in raising international awareness. Because of their abilities to cascade information virally with no geographical limits, the Egyptian Revolution became an international topic in a matter of weeks; ultimately leading to the movements success.Lastly, social media aided with  spreading ideas of revolution and democracy in the MENA region (Rane & Salem, 2012; 84). The diffusion of Egypt's success on Facebook and Twitter, inspired pro-democratic movements throughout the Middle East; thus supporting the statement that social media was the seminal impulse for social change in Egypt and as well as the rest of the Middle East. â€Å"The best practical reason to think that social media can help bring political change is that both dissidents and governments think they can† C. Shirky ( Comunello & Anzera, 2012; 461).The Egyptian Revolution and the contributory role played by Twitter and Facebook demonstrate the predominant effect social media platforms have on social movements. The achievement of the movements objectives didn't solely depend on social media; offline efforts were required. Nevertheless, Twitter and Facebook were the major driving forces of the movement as they accelerated the movement's progression towards success. To begin, these social media applications shaped the collective action frame and defined the collective identity, ultimately leading to the mobilization of the movement.Furthermore, these platforms facilitated communicational efforts and the transfer of pertinent information thus simplifying all the dynamics involved with mobilization. Lastly, Twitter and Facebook helped in the spreading of democratic ideas and attracted the international awareness needed that would essentially overthrow the Mubarak regime. Considering these statements aforementioned, it is extremely likely that without these social media platforms, the revolution wou ld have evolved at a much slower pace, therefore proving that these platforms were verily major catalysts for social change in Egypt.