History of the Black Lives Matter Movement

History of the Black Lives Matter Movement A Change Overdue Throughout history, protesting and standing up for a cause has been very common. It’s essentially a part of American history. However, some make bigger impacts than others.   Peter Katel states in his article titled Racial Conflict, â€Å"Three words — Black Lives Matter — have sparked a new argument over race in America. Demonstrators chanting and tweeting that slogan have protested the deaths of African-Americans, many of them unarmed, at the hands of police officers — most of them white — in cities across the country in the past two years.† (15) The Black Lives Matter movement has fueled the fire for the discussion of racial equality in America. Most people felt, before the rise of the movement, that this topic of discussion was not necessary to discuss. The idea was that racism was non-existent in America and was not as bad as previous years throughout history. The movement has become very controversial and has resulted in some changes regarding police procedures but also an increased amount of violence in the black community. There are differing moral and political opinions, therefore the issue has no resolution as of now. Opposition has always been a part of American politics, but it is believed that Donald Trump’s election has sparked a larger era of protests. In an article titled Citizen Protests Alan Greenblatt says, â€Å"Fueled by social media, demonstrations have arisen over Trump administration policies on such issues as health care, climate change and immigration. Meanwhile, alleged police brutality and the removal of Confederate monuments have aroused mass protests, some violent.† (1) The size of today’s protests is reminiscent of the many protests in American history and especially the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The United States was founded in an act of protest, a rebellion against British colonial power. The Revolutionary War was followed by protests, such as the Boston Tea Party in 1773.Greenblatt goes on to say, â€Å"There was no time in American history when all views could be aired without some restrictions†¦There have always been some views that so me people thought were so repugnant and dangerous that they couldnt be allowed to be heard.† (8) The recent opposition of Trump’s presidency and protests related to Black Lives Matter follows right along with the U. S’s history of mass demonstrations. Today’s racial tensions began in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. New attention was focused on dangers to black males in 2012 when a neighborhood watch volunteer kills black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida. The slogan Black Lives Matter first showed up in media reports after the 2014 shooting of black teenager Michael Brown by Ferguson, Mo police officer Darren Wilson, resulting in Brown’s death. A series of mass demonstrations grew into the Black Lives Matter movement after multiple unarmed black men and boys were killed by police in New York City, Ohio, North Carolina, etc.   Criticism of the movement grew as African Americans became more violent towards police. Incidents include the December 2014 killing of two New York City officers and the September 2015 shooting of Houston Deputy Sheriff Darren Goforth. This sparked a counter position labeled as Police Lives Matter. Today’s conflicts between police and African Americans have stimulated debate about the larger issue of race in America. Over the past three years, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement has inspired protests across the country against police violence. Some were continual over several weeks and drew a massive, militarized response from law enforcement. Some cities who held these massive demonstrations include: Ferguson, Mo, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Baltimore, Maryland. Collier Meyerson stated in an article titled When Protesting Police Violence Puts you in the Crosshairs, â€Å"†¦SWAT teams equipped with tear gas, armored vehicles, and rifles patrolled the streets, and protesters were subject to mass arrests and police brutality. In Ferguson, 10 days of protesting led to 150 arrests—80 percent of them for failure to disperse. Nearly 200 protesters were arrested in Baton Rouge. In Baltimore, a group of aggrieved residents sued the city† (20). Advocates for the Black Lives Matter movement argue that the emergence of the movement is mainly due to the impacts that police brutality and injustice in America has had on people of color. The impact is not only emotional but psychological as well. Over the past two decades, the militarization of police forces has given black Americans more to fear. â€Å"With current technology, police killing of Black people is recorded for public scrutiny and consumption. Access to these videos has led to unprecedented public discourse on what constitutes brutality, its connections to White supremacy, and the consequences for Black lives† (Alang 662). After the terrorist’s attacks in 2001, because of the severity of the attack on the country, police resources increased massively. Police officers now are trained as if they are in the military and use military strategies to manage protesters. Poor treatment by law-enforcement officers has been a reality of African-American life since before the United States existed. Even after the success of the civil-rights movement, police brutality and discrimination in the criminal-justice system didn’t end, they just became hidden. Over the course of the past three years, the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement has inspired protests. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Today, black men are six times more likely to be incarcerated than white men, and black women more than twice as likely as white women. Black men are three times more likely than white men to die at the hands of law enforcement. While advocates of the Black Lives Matter movement argue that the movement is a positive, productive way towards change that brings awareness to the racial tensions in America, opposers of the movement believe the movement promotes violence and is wrong and could even be classified as a hate group. Most opposers believe that both sides are to blame for the violence that comes from protests and rallies related to Black Lives Matter. Recently, Donald Trump stated that he agrees with the idea that both sides are to blame for violence. Trump’s election brought a new agenda for the movement’s opposers. Efforts were made to undo the things done during the Obama administration. The views of Trump brought on a debate from advocates and opposers of the Black Lives Matter movement. â€Å"As the 2016 presidential campaign unfolded, BLM activists gained a reputation for using disruption as a way to push the movement’s key issues† (McLain 13). The Black Lives Matter Movement has created a conversation within the country as well as across the world. â€Å"Black Lives Matter represents one of the most influential and controversial of the contemporary protests movements.   Much of the controversy is connected to misunderstanding, distorted portrayals, and attempts to discredit the movement† (Hoffman 596) Most minorities in America believe The Black Lives Matter movement should be recognized and challenged. During the civil rights movement, students protested and created movements like the Freedom Rides, people young and old marched on Washington, and many activists spoke out against injustice and locked arms with black men and women to demand change. In this era where racial tensions are at a high because of recent events, each of us should think about how we can effect change in all our communities and work to make it happen. It is time to speak up and speak out against injustice and wrong As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people. Work Cited Alang, Sirry, et al. Police Brutality and Black Health: Setting the Agenda for Public Health Scholars. American Journal of Public Health, vol. 107, no. 5, May 2017, pp. 662-665. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303691. Greenblatt, Alan. Citizen Protests. CQ Researcher, 5 Jan. 2018, pp. 1-24, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2018010500. Hoffman, Louis, et al. An Existential–Humanistic Perspective on Black Lives Matter and Contemporary Protest Movements. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, vol. 56, no. 6, Nov. 2016, pp. 595-611. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0022167816652273. Katel, P. (2016, January 8). Racial conflict. CQ Researcher, 26, 25-48. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/ McClain, Dani. The Future of BLM. (Cover Story). Nation, vol. 305, no. 8, 09 Oct. 2017, pp. 1216.EBSCOhost, libraries.ou.edu/access.aspx? url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ou.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=125280009&site=ehost-live. Meyerson, Collier. When Protesting Police Violence Puts You in the Crosshairs. Nation, vol. 305, no. 16, 18 Dec. 2017, pp. 16-21. EBSCOhost, libraries.ou.edu/access.aspx? url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=126492359&site=ehost-live.

Comedic Violence in The Medea, The Oresteia, and Antigone Essay

Comedic Violence in The Medea, The Oresteia, and Antigone      Ã‚  Ã‚   Almost no Greek tragedy escapes the use of violence. The Medea, The Oresteia, Antigone, and other classic works of Grecian tragoidia all involve huge components of violence in many prominent places, and for all of these stories, violent action is an integral part of the play. Medea, especially, is a character worthy of note in this regard; her tumultuous life can be plotted accurately along a path of aggression and passionate fits, and her bloody history lends tension and ascendance to the cathartic events of the gripping Medea. In contrast to this turbulent streak of brutality in Grecian tragedy stands the world of Greek comedy. Violence in comedy is just as much a part of the plot as it is in tragedy; however, this superficial parallel ends the similarity between the two types of stories. Violence in a comedy has its own motives, its own consequences, and its own types of influence, and these differences accumulate to bring a whole new, non-tragic light to the ideas of violence and action in the overall storyline. Between Greek tragedy and comedy, every aspect of violence is different, and the ramifications of this disagreement are far-reaching.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A first comparison of violence between The Medea and Lysistrata leads to an important and ironic conclusion. In The Medea, violence is a pivotal component of the story's message. Medea herself is easily the most physically violent character in the story, and her methods in its plot resort to pain and death when there is conflict in need of resolution. Despite this, the actual tension in the story is not born of violence; rather, it is born of love and social strife. Jason, Medea's husband, is taking a n... ...akes something a comedy and what makes something tragic.    Works Cited    Aeschylus the Oresteia trans. Robert Fagles, New York: Penguin Books, 1976.    Antigone by Sophocles. Translated by R. C. Jebb. no pag. http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html    Euripedes. Medea, in Euripedes I. Ed. David Grene and Richmond Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1955.    Goldhill, S. Reading Greek Tragedy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986.    Heidegger, Martin. "The Ode on Man in Sophocles' Antigone." In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Lucas, F.L. Euripides and His Influence. NY: Cooper Square, 1963.    McDermott, E A (1989) Euripides' Medea: The Incarnation of Disorder. Pennsylvania State University:USA

Ectasy and its Effects :: essays research papers

Club Drugs: Ecstasy In developing prevention efforts that target young people, prevention managers must design strategies to counter the increasing use and widespread availability of the club drug Ecstasy. Known as â€Å"the party drug,† Ecstasy is both a stimulant and a hallucinogen, and its effects are potentially life-threatening. Because it is inexpensive and easily accessible, Ecstasy is gaining in popularity. As reported in the Monitoring the Future Study (National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] 1999), 3.6 percent of 12th graders, 3.3 percent of 10th graders, and 1.8 percent of 8th graders said they had used the drug in 1998. From 1991 through 1998, use by college students increased from 0.9 percent to 2.4 percent and by adults, from 0.8 percent to 2.1 percent (NIDA, Facts About MDMA, 2000). What Is Ecstasy? Ecstasy is the street name for methylene-dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a chemical substance that combines methamphetamines with hallucinogenic properties. It is also known as X-TC, Adam, Clarity, and Lover’s Speed. Like all club drugs, Ecstasy is a combination of other illicit drugs. Because many different recipes are used to make Ecstasy, the risk of death and permanent brain damage are heightened when some substances are combined. It is available in tablet, capsule, or powder form; some manufacturers of the drug package it in capsules or generic tablets to imitate prescription drugs. The average cost is between $7 and $30 per pill. Among the variations of the drug is a new substance, Herbal Ecstasy, that is composed of ephedrine (ma huang) or pseudoephedrine and caffeine from the kola nut. Sold in tablet form, this drug may cause permanent brain damage and death (NIDA, Club Drugs: Just the Facts, 2000). What Side Effects Are Produced by Ecstasy? Ecstasy’s effects can last up to 24 hours. The drug produces immediate side effects, and some—such as confusion, depression, sleep problems, anxiety, and paranoia—can occur weeks after it is taken (NIDA, Community Drug Alert Bulletin on Club Drugs, 2000). Because Ecstasy alters serotonin levels in the brain, researchers have found that chronic use can lead to long-term or permanent damage to those parts of the brain critical to thought, memory, and pleasure (NIDA, Facts About MDMA, 2000).

Agricultural Development

Agricultural development can be defined as; an improvement in all aspects or practices of agriculture that can lead to better yields or output. Green revolution also refers to the introduction of modern farming practices such as improve seeds, tractors, pesticides, weedicides among others into agriculture Institutional bottlenecks on the other hand refer to a set of long standing factors that militates against the development of agriculture overtime. It therefore clearly indicates that the development of agriculture is green revolutionary dependant; the institutional factors that hinder the total implementation of the green revolution agenda of agricultural development include the following; Cultural belief system and ideological orientation; the cultural practices, values, norms, and views of most Ghanaian communities are anti-modern and difficult to change. It is in this sense that most beliefs system is so rigid that any other practices seen contrary to them are mostly rejected. The Ghanaian beliefs such as constructions of mounds as a method of farming is seen as the best as against the use of tractors for ploughing the lands, to an extent that, though others can afford the services of tractors to plough their land, they rather claim that the use of tractor for ploughing distract the soil profile, hence reject it which could have led to higher yields. They therefore stick to the old methods of farming. Besides that, there is low technological development in less developed nations like Ghana which also affect green revolution of agriculture in the sense that most agricultural inputs are imported into these nations hence there is persistent low productivity. Low level of education is one of the impediments to green revolution of agriculture in Ghana in particular. The educational level of most farmers is so low that, it becomes difficult to teach the peasant farmers modern farming practices, the few extension officers who are trained to educate farmers on better farming practices finds it difficult to do so as dissemination of information to local people becomes difficult due to language barrier. English language as the common medium of communication is not understood by the local people and if an extension officer does no understand the native language of the people his work is affected, the roblem of inadequate trained agricultural workers and appropriate logistics is yet another challenge to green revolution in Ghana, informal education that is being organized to educate farmers, also lacks the commitment of the local farmers and mostly fails. The nature of agricultural institutions in Ghana is also one of the outstanding factors that militated against the development of agricultural in Ghana. Most agricultural institutions are located out of reach of the peasant farmers.  Most of these institutions are located in urban areas whereas most farmers in the country live and work in the rural areas, these institutions are also filled with people with little or no knowledge in modern farming practices and the few available personnel have to battle with a large population size of farmers as it is noted in Ghana that the extension officer to farmer ratio is one officer is to one hundred and forty thousands farmers (1: 140000). This clearly indicates that it is impossible for the few extension officers to carry out their work effectively with this large farming population. Moreover the few officers are not motivated enough to give up their best. Furthermore, government policies in Ghana towards agricultural development are nothing to write home about. Agriculture as the mainstay of the economy, which should have been given the highest attention on yearly budgetary allocation most at times receives the least attention of government in resource allocation. This has inevitably led to the inability of agricultural institutions to supply farmers with inputs in order to boost their production levels. The little funds that are allocated to agriculture are also face with the problem of poor distribution as the target areas are not reached. The poor agricultural nature is also faced with unfavorable competition in the international markets with the advance nations like U. S. due to trade liberalization; which makes it possible for countries to be able to export its agricultural goods or produces to other countries. This has led to unhealthy competition and to the killing of the local agricultural industries in most less developed nations. The advance nations with better agricultural inputs couple with high level of technology and quality agricultural produces simply take over the market and display our local farmers. This has led to l0ow productivity as they are faced with strong competition in the market and at most times they are the hard-hit. These advance nations brings into the less developed countries their cheap and subsidized agricultural products, hence get better patronage than their local competitors. This is evident in Ghana, as imported rice is better patronized than the locally produced rice. Hence trade liberalization among nations has affected agricultural development among less developed nations like Ghana. Lastly, the poorly organized nature of our farmers is also another problem militating against the green revolution of agriculture. The farmers are not united to be able to access financial support for large scale farming; in other words they do not form co-operative societies which could give them a well developed foundation to ask for financial assistance from financial institutions and corporate bodies to embark on commercial farming activities this imply that these peasant farmers can not increase productivity and continue to remain in the peasant cycle. The above are some of the institutional factors that have militated against the smooth green revolution of agriculture in Ghana; hence the reforming of such institutional bottlenecks forms the main path to well green revolution of agriculture in Ghana

First Crusade

The First Crusade (1096–1099) was a military expedition by Roman Catholic Europe to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquests of the Levant (632–661), ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem in 1099. It was launched on 27 November 1095 by Pope Urban II with the primary goal of responding to an appeal from Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who requested that western volunteers come to his aid and help to repel the invading Seljuq Turks from Anatolia.An additional goal soon became the principal objective—the Christian reconquest of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land and the freeing of the Eastern Christians from Islamic rule. During the crusade, knights and peasants from many nations of Western Europe travelled over land and by sea, first to Constantinople and then on towards Jerusalem, as crusaders; the peasants greatly outnumbered the knights.Peasants and knights were split into separate armies; however, because the peasants w ere not as well-trained in combat as the knights, their army failed to reach Jerusalem. The knights arrived at Jerusalem, launched an assault on the city, and captured it in July 1099, massacring many of the city's Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. They also established the crusader states of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Tripoli, the Principality of Antioch, and the County of Edessa.Because the First Crusade was largely concerned with Jerusalem, a city which had not been under Christian dominion for 461 years, and the crusader army refused to return the land to the control of the Byzantine Empire, the status of the First Crusade as defensive or as aggressive in nature remains controversial. The First Crusade was part of the Christian response to the Muslim conquests, and was followed by the Second Crusade to the Ninth Crusade, but the gains made lasted for less than 200 years. It was also the first major step towards reopening international trade in the West since the fall o f the Western Roman Empire.

Stranger Than Fiction Lit Critical Appreciation Essays

Stranger Than Fiction Lit Critical Appreciation Essays Stranger Than Fiction Lit Critical Appreciation Paper Stranger Than Fiction Lit Critical Appreciation Paper Essay Topic: The Stranger Stranger Than Fiction is another original yet broadly appealing movie to add to Kaufmans list of Impeccable Cinematographic Creations. This is one movie where two distinctly different themes, Comedy and Tragedy, are intelligently mangled with, occasionally even bordering on the lines of melding with each other.The movie, briefly put, scripts the life of its protagonist- Harold Crick, a Chicago IRS auditor whose world comprises of nothing but facts and figures. He epitomizes every characteristic a person is required to possess for society to label them a drone. From the eerie extent of obsessing over the proscribed number of toothbrush strokes each session must receive, to his genius ability to mentally solve large multiplication problems, this fastidious male is unknowingly, in a skewed yet extraordinary manner, the perfect lead character for a story book.The realization that the British voice narrating the movie was intended for not only the audience, but in fact specifically at Har old also, appalls many. This interesting use of an omniscient narrator draws in audience related themes such as Determinism and Fate and more blatantly surfaces the existence of yet another character- Karen Eiffel.Harbouring a Sylvia Plath sort of disposition, this chain smoking recluse of an author is adamant to find the appropriate closure for the main character of her latest downbeat novel, who happens to be none other than Harold Crick. However, the plot gradually reaches its climax when Karen, so desperately trying to find inspiration for a tragic ending, is put in contrast with Harold, who is urgently trying to pinpoint the problem with the perceived hallucinations or voices in his head. With the wisdom and advice of literary professor Jules Hilbert, he eventually understands the book he is living in and most vitally, the possible ends he would eventually have to face.Determinism is greatly exemplified here, where any possibility of free will Harold originally had the right to was ruled invalid and denied. Most pertinent to him, of course, was the fact that death was inevitable and there was no other alternative but it. Hhis fate was controlled by the antecedent script of the book. This prevailing theme brings the film to an entirely deeper level, much different from the regular bland, brainless on-screen entertainment we are usually provided with these days.Harolds contiguous brush with death allowed his character to concentrate on the emotional essentials of life, as opposed to the usual mundane and routine aspects he previously focused on. Like any other movie, romance is a necessity and topping this one of with tasteful humor and a tinge of predictability, Harold falls in love with an alterative bohemian baker whom he was delegated to audit. She fits comfortably in the category of a political non-conformist who refuses to pay the income taxes she deems objectionable. Moreover, she finds Harold Crick the root cause of the wrong in America, which makes their growing love for each other an uncanny yet amusing watch.The cerebral notion of suspense the movie entails is what keeps any viewers eyes glued to the screen. Kaufmans design of Stranger Than Fiction never once provides a moment in time where questions about the plot stop popping up in ones mind despite the many hints apparent throughout the film. With the assistance of a respectable supporting cast, this movie does not steer off tangent from start to finish. Regardless of the somewhat abrupt ending, Stranger Than Fiction is in a odd and eccentric way a must-watch and by far one of Kaufmans greatest portrayal of clever cinematography.

American Pie review essays

American Pie review essays American Pie, 1999, Directed by Paul and Chris Weitz, Written by Adam Herz Jason Biggs- Jim Levinstein, Chris Klein- Chris Oz Ozstreicher American Pie is a movie that centers around four normal teenagers, two of whom who are experienced with sex and two who have no idea what third base feels like, to which one of the friends exclaims, feels like warm apple pie. The movie is a funny ride through the last couple weeks of the high school career of these men. The men make a pact to all have sex by the end of prom night, giving them a few weeks to try and seal the deal. The men find that losing their virginity isnt as easy as it seems, as they each encounter their problems. Jim (Jason), seems to be a late bloomer to the world of sex and displays a video on the internet that gets him into trouble with all of the girls in the school, except for band geek Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) has a girlfriend but she doesnt think the time is right for sex, but after reading the sex dictionary in the school library, he convinces her that prom night is the time. Chris (Klein) joins a vocal jazz choir and meet s a girl in there who he decides to take to prom but after seeing a incident involving Chris best friend Steve Stifler (Seann William Scott) degrading her in front of the whole lacrosse team she decides its a bad idea. After some begging Chris finally gets her to go with him again. Finch is the worst off of the group, as he pays a girl to spread some rumors about him but still cant find a date after Stifler puts some ex-lax in his mochachinno and embarrasses him in front of the whole student body. One of the best aspects of the movie, is its crude humor. The jokes probably wont seem funny to adults or young children who wont understand the humor, but one of its biggest draws is that its not afraid to do what other films are afraid to do. In a s...