Coursework 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Coursework 6 - Essay Example For instance, the physicist Hans Bethe was briefed on SDI in 1983 and his reaction was doubtful that it would work to defend the U.S. (â€Å"Strategic...†). Apparently Soviet scientists had the same reaction. Compared to the U.S., which still spends 4 billion dollars a year on Star Wars, the Soviet Union spent very little on it. The largest cause of the end of the Cold War was Gorbachev, and his dedication to reform. Gorbachev was not afraid to make economic reforms such as glasnost (liberalization), perestroika (reconstruction) and uskoreniye (acceleration of economic reform), even though these reforms were considered radical by apparatchiks (bureaucrats of the Communist Party) in the Soviet government(â€Å"Mikhail...†). Gorbachev democratized much of the Soviet Union and went so far with reforms and freedoms that an unintended wave of nationalism and call for independence was created within the Soviet republics. Eventually Gorbachev was put under house arrest by hard-line apparatchiks and the Soviet Union collapsed, effectively ending the Cold War. The Colombian government has been involved in a civil conflict for four decades with the left-wing rebel group Farc, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Farc rebels recently killed several police with a roadside bomb (â€Å"Colombian Rebels...†). The police were attempting to destroy coca bushes, which are the source of cocaine that finances Farc. Another left-wing rebel group active in Colombia is the ELN, or National Liberation Army. The left-wing groups are blamed for kidnappings, assassinations and extortion. The rebel groups are fought by right-wing paramilitaries such as the AUC, or United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. Paramilitaries were supported by rich landowners who descend from the Spanish settlers. These right-wing groups are involved in drug-trafficking as well. They are blamed for massacres and torture. The Colombian conflict

Marked or Unmarked Essay Example for Free

Marked or Unmarked Essay Marked or Unmarked status for both men and women still remains to be an indirect type of cultural norm practiced by different societies. This type of connotation often is a manifestation of collective practices, actions, and norms promoted by a certain society. This is one of the facets that separate us from every other specie in the world – our ability to create meanings out of something. With this, one can clearly just say that there could be no such thing as an unmarked woman. But, for it to hold ground there must be sufficient explanations and arguments that would justify the particular claim. It is thus important for an elaboration the difficulty of creating an unmarked woman. The first important thing is to establish the real meaning of the concept. One can see that the real debate concerns again the inequality of achieving a marked or unmarked status between male and female. Tannen argues in the article that marked â€Å"refers to the way language alters the base meaning of a word by adding a linguistic particle that has no meaning on its own† (p. 1). On one hand we see again the way man has created meaning over symbols to the extent of even creating one over nothingness. This argument goes to show that only men are subject to be unmarked. Tannen mentions that â€Å"the unmarked forms of most English words also convey male† (p. 1). Seeing such definition, there is a sexual distinction to people who are unmarked (male) and those who are â€Å"marked† (female). Though there seems to be no problem with such sexual distinction, problems often arises when different interpretations go into the picture. Tannen points out several important characteristics on as to why such distinctions became so eminent among women. The tendency of women to be criticized for their every action subjects them to the notion that they are indeed marked. Tannen elaborates this claim by pursuing the way people perceive women’s hairstyle. According to (Tannen) â€Å"the range of women’s hair styles are staggering, but women whose hair has no particular style is perceived as not caring about how she looks, which can disqualify her for many positions, and will subtly diminish her as a person in the eyes of some† (p. 1). Such example only proves one thing for women; it is indeed difficult for women to be unmarked since the continuous knots are in place for marked perceptions, actions, and ideas. It is like a continued cycle of being ‘marked’ and curtailed with only several moves that will also still connote the same thing – being ‘marked’. This is one argument as to why women cannot be considered or classified as unmarked. However, thinkers who see such scenario often attest and complain about the particular setup of things. Though it may be wrong to associate them to feminist, but somehow these people are often pointed toward such orientation due to its overall principle – equality for both men and women. It is through this that several people sought to argue that ‘unmarking’ of women in society is possible. The article points out several scholars who argue how men have and society continued to tolerate such status of women. Tannen stresses in her article that â€Å"language and culture are particularly unfair in treating women as the marked case because biologically it is the male that is marked† (p. 1) He cited several works of Fasold who advocated an alternative approach in explaining that indeed men are the ones who are ‘marked’ contrary to the original notion. One example cited by Tannen in Fasold’s study includes the notion concerning genetics and says that biologically males are the ones that are really ‘marked’. Tannen says that â€Å"while two X chromosomes make a female, two Y chromosomes make nothing. Like the linguistic markers s, es or ess, the Y chromosome doesnt mean anything unless it is attached to a root form an X chromosome† (p. 1) Pursuing Fasold’s ideas further, he again pointed several important reasons as to why women should not be considered ‘marked’. Tannen stipulated that â€Å"Fasold points out that girls are born with fully female bodies, while boys are born with modified female bodies. † (p. 1) Lastly, Fasold points out his argument by making establishing a possible relationship with biology and language. Tannen points out that â€Å"if language reflected biology, grammar books would direct us to use she to include males and females and he only for specifically male referents. † (p. 1) Arguing on this matter, Tannen clearly dismisses the claim of Fasold’s due to his inability to strike a relationship between his study in biological makeup of man and man’s sociological makeup. Yes, it can be argued that Fasold’s argument may hold water, however there is a huge differences in perspective on how to view the issue. Biological makeup/component for that matter is more standardized with a definitive value for everything. However, with regards to sociology and gender, there is a diverse and multiple levels of interpretations that can be made to ascertain an occurrence of something. Establishing such difference, Tannen contends with the argument of Fasold’s by focusing that the parameters of biology differ in scope compared to language particularly in the realm of using the term ‘he’ or ‘she’. Tannen points out that â€Å"use of he as the sex-indefinite pronoun is an innovation introduced into English by grammarians in the 18th and 19th centuries, according to Peter Muhlhausler and Rom Harre in Pronouns and People† (p. 1) By establishing such argument, it was mentioned that the ‘she’ word again is marked. It is through this that the argument pertaining to women can be unmarked remains to be bleak and difficult to achieve. However, I am not saying that it is unattainable, but it will take a radical effort for women to achieve such status. Even the author attests the difficulty. If ever you fight for something that will challenge the status quo, labeling shall be given to you – feminist, male basher, etc. This in turn again promotes the process of being ‘marked’ for women. In the end, after careful analysis of arguments, it can be justified that there are no unmarked women. Women may strive for such status, however such endeavor may only be futile since even the author of the article attested its relative difficulty and grasp among females. Tannen said that â€Å"I felt sad to think that we women didnt have the freedom to be unmarked that the men sitting next to us had. † (p. 1) In the end, the only scenario is accepting the fact that women shall be subject to being ‘marked’. The only thing that they can do is create an environment where their ‘mark’ is more on the positive side compared to a degenerative idea. Work Cited Tannen, Deborah. Marked Women, Unmarked Men in The New York Times Magazine 1993 accessed 14 April 2008

Centre of Mass Impact on Roll of Dice

Centre of Mass Impact on Roll of Dice Harrison Back In physics, the centre of mass is defined as The unique part in an object or system which can be used to describe the systems response to external forces and torques (Center of Mass, Hyperphysics.com). It references the overall average mass of an object and assigns that average to a point on or within the object, usually near the centre. This can be seen in Figure 1. Changing the location of the centre of mass affects how the object reacts to external forces. This can be seen though the objects rotational axis. An objects rotational axis is the theoretical line drawn through an object to show how it will rotate. Unless an axle is deliberately created, an object will attempt to rotate around its centre of mass. This can be shown in Figure 2. As pictured, the bats centre of mass is closer to the end than it is the handle. As the path it draws as it circles through the air traces the travel of the centre of mass, the bat appears to spin around in an erratic manner. The path drawn shows the bat circling its rotational axis, which is in the same position as its centre of mass. Another result of the location of the centre of mass of an object is its stability. The closer to the ground an objects centre of mass is, the susceptible to being tipped over it is. This is why professional fighters always recommend you get down low to the ground. In order for an object to successfully be tipped over, its centre of must be moved to a position in front of the base of an object. This can be seen in Figure 3. When it comes to (fair) dice, the centre of mass is in the exact centre of the object. This means all the faces are equidistant from it. The result of this is, after a roll, every face has equal opportunity to come up. However, if the centre of mass is moved from the geographical centre of the dice, then the axis of rotation is changed, and the dice is no longer fair. This is known as weighting the dice, as it is done by making one face effectively heavier than another, causing the opposite face to roll more frequently. In the following experiment, the degree to which weighting two dice affects their average roll. The centre of mass of a cube with uniform density is at the geographical centre of the cube. Because of this, only relatively simple math is necessary to locate it. If the dice edge length is equal to 10 centimetres, then the following reasoning would indicate the geographical centre: a2 + b2 = c2 52 + 52 = 7.0712 52 + 7.0712 = 8.6602 This means that the diagonal length between two opposite corners is equal to 8.66 centimetres, and as the geographical centre falls at the midway point on that line, the centre of mass for that object would be exactly 4.33 centimetres along the longest diagonal line. As the dice being discussed in this experiment are 1cm3, the above calculations can be scaled back by one decimal place to give an end result of 0.433cm along the diagonal line. Unfortunately, these calculations only hold true in the situation where the object has uniform density. As melting the dice will change the density throughout the dice, it is nearly impossible to find the exact centre of mass of the adjusted dice, as one would need to know exactly how dense any portion of the dice is. As the centre of mass is moved further from the middle of the dice, the effectively lighter face will roll upwards more often than not.       Firstly, two six-sided dice were rolled 100 times by the same person to record a baseline to compare against. The same dice were used throughout the experiment for consistencys sake, and the same person rolled the dice every time so as to keep a relatively continuous roll style. After this control was set, the dice were placed one side-down on an oven tray, so as to make that side heavier and thus theoretically cause a six to be rolled more frequently. They were then moved into an oven which had been preheating at 180 ° Celsius for five minutes and left to bake for an additional five minutes. These times were chosen because, in the case of the former, five minutes provided adequate time for the oven to get to temperature, while also not expending unnecessary time, and in the case of the latter, 5 minutes supplied ample time for the dice to become viscous enough to change their centre of mass, while still maintaining a somewhat cubic shape. Of course, they couldnt be expected t o remain perfectly cubic, however, they were to remain cubic enough that they could be easily mistaken as such by a casual onlooker. After the heat treatment, the same dice were rolled by the same person 100 times and the average roll was determined. This was then compared against the initial control group and a conclusion was drawn thusly. .Average: 3.46 Average: 3.22 Unexpectedly, melting the dice so as to lower their centre of mass did not yield the expected result. In fact, even though it was expected that the melted dice would roll a six more frequently, the opposite occurred instead; ones were rolled more frequently than before the melting. This can be seen through the lowered average after the melting, from 3.46 to 3.22. Every piece of background research would suggest that lowering the centre of mass would cause that side to roll downwards more frequently. This means that it was most likely not a flaw in the hypothetical realm, rather one in the practical. The various uncontrollable variables, as well as recommendations should this experiment be repeated, will be discussed further below, in the Evaluation portion of this report. There were many instances in this experiment which could have corrupted the results and caused the hypothesis to not be supported. These include, but are not limited to, the fact the dice were melted by a relatively uncontrollable heat source, the method by which they were rolled, the surface on which they were rolled, and the fact that the dice were not preserved perfectly as they were during the time between the initial, pre oven rolls, and the final, post oven rolls. As the only apparatus available for use with melting dice that was available was a standard kitchen oven, its use could have caused unexpected results. The temperature was not perfectly monitored; rather it was presumed to be approximately 180 ° Celcius. The surfaces the dice were rolled on varied between their pre-oven and post-oven states. Before they were melted, the dice were rolled on a hard, synthetic laminate, while, afterward, they were rolled onto a softer, malleable desk mat made from fabric and a pla stic polymer. This could have resulted in differing roll averages, as the softer surface absorbed more kinetic energy from the falling dice, thus reducing the duration of their roll. During the time between where the dice were unchanged and where they were, they were kept in one of three places. These included a compartment in a school bag, the pocket of a pair of formal pants, and open on a glass desk. This resulted in the dice being moved frequently, interacting and possibly reacting with surrounding elements, as well as each other. The throes of everyday wear could very well have caused minute damages and changes in the dice which could have lead to inaccurate results from them.In summary, if this experiment were to be replicated, several changes would have to be made to the methodology. Firstly, a finely controlled and monitored oven would have to be used. This would result in a more deliberately variable melt; one could precisely decide how much the dice should be exposed to th e heat. Also, a robotic arm should be used in place of a human one. The dice should have specific receptacles by which their roll begins the exact same way every time, and the arm (while still having some degree of variability) would be far more specific with its rolling method. The dice should remain in an airtight, pressurised container. This would function to keep the dice in as pristine condition as possible, and reduce interaction with eroding compounds to a minimum. The dice should be rolled onto a specific surface, and its properties should be closely documented and monitored. Lastly, the experiment should be done in one sitting, as prolonging it increases the risk of a change occurring in any of the many points of failure throughout the procedure. As a result of the experiment being performed in such imprecise ways, the results were different to what was expected. However, as is the case with many high school science experiments, the necessary precision required for this kind of procedure caused inaccuracies in the experimental process and resulted in an unsupported hypothesis. As the background research supported the aforementioned hypothesis, the only plausible fault is as a result of the imperfect nature of the experiment. Work Cited   Ã‚   (Center of Mass)Center of mass. Hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu. N.p., 2017. Web 8 Feb. 2017 (Center Of Mass)Center Of Mass. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web 1 Mar. 2017 (Torque And Angular Momentum | Physics | Science |Khan Academy)Torque And Angular Momentum | Physics | Science |Khan Academy. Khan academy. N.P., 2017. Web. 1 Mar. 2017 (Socratic.org, 2017)Socratic.org, (2017). Why is the center of mass important in physics> | Socratic. [online] Available at: https://socratic.org/questions/why-is-the-centre-of-mass-important-in-physics [Accessed 1 Mar. 2017]. (Bbc.co.uk, 2017)Bbc.co.uk. (2017). BBC GCSE Bitesize Science Moments : Revision, Page 4. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/triple_aqa/using_physics_make_things_work/moments/revision/4/ [Accessed 1 Mar. 2017]. Farside.ph.utexas.edu. (2017). Centre of mass. [online] Available at: http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/node102.html [Accessed 18 Mar. 2017]

The Character of Leggatt in The Secret Sharer Essay -- Joseph Conrad S

The Character of Leggatt in The Secret Sharer        Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay examines Leggatt as an independent person, rather than as a symbol connected to the captain-narrator, a view shared by many critics.   Leggatt is not a negative influence on the captain per se.   From an objective point of view, it can be seen that Leggatt's portrayal depends entirely on how the captain (as narrator) perceives him, and that he deserves to be treated as the individual being that he is.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many of Conrad's critics, most notably Albert J. Guerard , Robert W. Stallmann , have taken the view that Leggatt, of the novella "The Secret Sharer," is either some sort of symbol of the captain's dark side, a kind of role model for the captain, or that he is part of the captain.   In this essay I will first examine the captain's portrayal of Leggatt, then argue that Leggatt is none of these, rather, he is a complete person in and of himself, and not simply part of the captain's personality deficiencies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At first glance it would seem that Leggatt is either the antagonist or provides a criminal influence on the captain.   By no means are Leggatt's decisions and actions exemplary.   Murdering mutinous crew members is hardly an acceptable practice, and avoiding justice, and one's punishment-all of which Leggatt do-only worsen the issue.   The captain claims that in swimming to the island Koh-ring, his double had "lowered himself into the water to take his punishment"   (Conrad 193).   However, as Cedric Watts argues, this is only true because Leggatt, by escaping justice, will face an uncertain future marooned on an island   (134).   In reality, Leggatt is doing the opposite; he is lowering himself into the water to escape from the law, ... ...as free as he can be while fleeing from the law.    Works Cited: Baines, Jocelyn.   Joseph Conrad:   A Critical Biography.   London:   Weidenfeld and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nicolson, 1959. Batchelor, John.   The Life of Joseph Conrad:   A Critical Biography.   Oxford:   Blackwell   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Publishers, 1994. Burgess, Chester Francis.   The Fellowship of the Craft:   Conrad on Ships and Seamen and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the Sea.   New York:   National University Publications, 1976. Conrad, Joseph.   Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer.   New York:   Bantam Books,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1981. Graver, Lawrence.   Conrad's Short Fiction.   Berkeley:   University of California Press,    1969. Karl, Frederick Robert.   Joseph Conrad:   The Three Lives.   New York:   Farrar, Straus,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and Giroux, 1979. Watts, Cedric.   A Preface to Conrad.   2nd ed.   New York:   Longman Publishing, 1993.       The Character of Leggatt in The Secret Sharer Essay -- Joseph Conrad S The Character of Leggatt in The Secret Sharer        Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay examines Leggatt as an independent person, rather than as a symbol connected to the captain-narrator, a view shared by many critics.   Leggatt is not a negative influence on the captain per se.   From an objective point of view, it can be seen that Leggatt's portrayal depends entirely on how the captain (as narrator) perceives him, and that he deserves to be treated as the individual being that he is.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many of Conrad's critics, most notably Albert J. Guerard , Robert W. Stallmann , have taken the view that Leggatt, of the novella "The Secret Sharer," is either some sort of symbol of the captain's dark side, a kind of role model for the captain, or that he is part of the captain.   In this essay I will first examine the captain's portrayal of Leggatt, then argue that Leggatt is none of these, rather, he is a complete person in and of himself, and not simply part of the captain's personality deficiencies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At first glance it would seem that Leggatt is either the antagonist or provides a criminal influence on the captain.   By no means are Leggatt's decisions and actions exemplary.   Murdering mutinous crew members is hardly an acceptable practice, and avoiding justice, and one's punishment-all of which Leggatt do-only worsen the issue.   The captain claims that in swimming to the island Koh-ring, his double had "lowered himself into the water to take his punishment"   (Conrad 193).   However, as Cedric Watts argues, this is only true because Leggatt, by escaping justice, will face an uncertain future marooned on an island   (134).   In reality, Leggatt is doing the opposite; he is lowering himself into the water to escape from the law, ... ...as free as he can be while fleeing from the law.    Works Cited: Baines, Jocelyn.   Joseph Conrad:   A Critical Biography.   London:   Weidenfeld and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nicolson, 1959. Batchelor, John.   The Life of Joseph Conrad:   A Critical Biography.   Oxford:   Blackwell   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Publishers, 1994. Burgess, Chester Francis.   The Fellowship of the Craft:   Conrad on Ships and Seamen and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the Sea.   New York:   National University Publications, 1976. Conrad, Joseph.   Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer.   New York:   Bantam Books,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1981. Graver, Lawrence.   Conrad's Short Fiction.   Berkeley:   University of California Press,    1969. Karl, Frederick Robert.   Joseph Conrad:   The Three Lives.   New York:   Farrar, Straus,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and Giroux, 1979. Watts, Cedric.   A Preface to Conrad.   2nd ed.   New York:   Longman Publishing, 1993.      

Lack of Communication Essay

When you join together and form a relationship you become part of something greater. You must work together as a team if either partner disregards the relationship suffers. Given a desire and will to make things better it takes communication. Lack of communication in a relationship can make a person feel lonely and isolated. This could come from being busy with life, lack of love, and word vs. actions. Lack of communication only results in unsuccessful human alliances which cause grief not only to you as an individual, but to others as well. Many couples stop communicating with each other because each they are caught up with doing his/her own thing in life. Whether it is work hobbies, children, and school, among other things there is always an excuse. Just as you budget how you spend your money it is important to remember that budgeting in time for your relationship is important as well. Lack of involvement and communication increases distance in any relationship. If you don’t have quality time and communication your relationship and understanding will start to vanish. When you are no longer in love with your spouse then more than likely you are not communicating with each other. When you are not in love anymore it is a horrible feeling because you become unhappy and negative about the relationship. It’s difficult to realize that you just don’t feel the same way about the man/women you thought you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. Falling out of love is inevitable. So much of how we perceive love is what we have seen or read. Whenever you stop communicating you destroy the love that you have for one another. Moved by emotions and excitement of the situation, you can get carried away with words saying things that later will not be backed by actions. Actions speak louder than words. A person who wants to be in a relationship with you will show you with their actions consistently over time. Words are powerful and they can hurt, heal, build up or tear down, comfort or curse the relationship without the action behind it. Sometimes you come to a point where you may not have anything to talk about. Speaking from experience and research it is because you know each better than you did before. Now a days people believe in personal space, but sometimes too much space widens the gap between people. Express yourself to your mate talk about your problems, share your feelings with each other and cherish those moments of life together. When you take a close look at your relationship communication is the foundation that will strengthen your bond. Without this, your relationship will definitely not be a lasting one.

Social Anxiety and Autism Essays

Social Anxiety and Autism Essays Social Anxiety and Autism Paper Social Anxiety and Autism Paper In the journal Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Scott Bellini examines the prevalence of social anxiety in teenagers with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome in his study entitled â€Å"The Development of Social Anxiety in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum.† The author seeks to answer the question, â€Å"Does the combination of social skill deficits and physiological arousal make a significant contribution to the variance in social anxiety?†Ã‚   Basically, his thesis is that both a lack of social skills and a higher prevalence of physiological arousal does contribute in a significant way to the social anxiety levels of adolescents with autism and Asperger’s.   Specifically, Bellini asserts that adolescents with ASD do have higher levels of physiological arousal which makes is â€Å"more likely that the individual will become overwhelmed by interactions with others/† The author supports his thesis first with a discussion of other studies which have addressed certain aspects of his theses.   First, he notes that recent studies do show that people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) do have higher levels of anxiety than people without ASD which can create difficulties in life.   These difficulties can approach debilitating in that they often produce fear, isolation, thoughts of suicide and substance abuse tendencies.  Ã‚   Another study found that children with autism scored higher on anxiety tests than children with other learning disabilities. The author defines social anxiety, then, as â€Å"an intense fear of social situations or performance situations where embarrassment may occur.† He goes on to identify two subcategories of social anxiety:   performance based anxieties and social interaction anxieties.   The author notes a study which found that children with ASD have a more difficult time regulating their own levels of physiological arousal in stressful situations and are more likely to be â€Å"adversely conditioned by negative social interactions. Many studies have asserted that the function of the body’s limbic system can contribute to this situation, specifically, the amygdale.   According to one cited study, the amygdale helps regulate the emotional impact of sensory input such as facial expressions and other types of cues.   If this amygdale is not functioning properly, then the person will be unable to react appropriately socially and emotionally.   This may cause him to avoid social situations. Studied forty-one adolescents, aged 12 to 18,   with ASD; nineteen had autism and sixteen had Asperger’s Syndrome.   Their IQs were all within the normal level.   Each participant was given measurements to assess their levels of social anxiety.   These included the Social Skills Rating System, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children. They then measured physiological arousal, social skill deficits, and social Bellini found that the levels of social anxiety may begin with poor experiences with social interactions but that they are definitely exacerbated by physiological tendencies.   He says, â€Å"social anxiety may be the result of aversive social experiences, but the impact of these experiences may be mitigated by a combination of temperamental characteristics and the environmental supports available to the individual.† He closed by noting his own small sample size, but feeling that his study will be helpful to those that are seeking to continue the study of social anxiety in ASD patients. Bellini, S. (2006). The Development of Social Anxiety in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities 21(3), 138-145

Understanding and Defining White Privilege

Understanding and Defining White Privilege White privilege refers to the collection of benefits that white people receive in a racially structured society in which they are at the top of the racial hierarchy. Made famous by scholar and activist Peggy McIntosh in 1988, the concept includes everything from whiteness being equated with being normal and native to the U.S. to being represented in the media, being trusted, and easily finding makeup products for ones skin tone. While some might view some of these privileges as trivial, its important to recognize that no form of privilege comes without its counterpart: oppression. White Privilege According to Peggy McIntosh In 1988, Peggy McIntosh, a women’s studies scholar with sociological inclinations, penned an essay and cemented a concept that has become a mainstay for the sociology of race and ethnicity. â€Å"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,† provided real-world, tangible examples of a concept and social fact that had been acknowledged and discussed by others, but never before in such a compelling way. At the heart of the concept  is the assertion that, in a racist society, white skin confers on those who live in it an extensive array of unearned privileges not available to people of color. White privilege is for the most part invisible to those who have it and unacknowledged by them. McIntoshs list of fifty privileges includes things like regularly being surrounded - in everyday life and in media representations - by people who look like you, and the ability to avoid those who do not; not being  interpersonally or institutionally discriminated against on the basis of race; never feeling afraid to defend oneself or speak out against injustice for fear of racially motivated retaliation; and, being viewed as normal and belonging, among others. The key point made by McIntosh’s list of privileges is that they are not typically available to or experienced by people of color in the U.S. In other words, they experience racial oppression and white people benefit from this. By illuminating the many forms that white privilege takes, McIntosh urges readers to exercise a sociological imagination. She asks us to consider how our individual life experiences are connected to and situated within large-scale patterns and trends in society. In this sense, seeing and understanding white privilege is not about blaming white people for having unearned advantages. Rather, the point of reflecting on one’s white privilege is to recognize that the social relations of race and the racial structure of society have created conditions in which one race has been advantaged over others, and that many aspects of everyday life that white people take for granted are not even available to people of color. Further, McIntosh suggests that white people have a responsibility to be conscious of their privileges and a responsibility to reject and diminish them as much as possible. Understanding Privilege in the Greater Sense Since McIntosh solidified this concept, social scientists and activists have expanded the conversation around privilege to include things like sex, gender, ability, culture, nationality, and class. This expanded understanding of privilege is premised on the concept of intersectionality popularized by black feminist sociologist Patricia Hill Collins. This concept refers to the fact that individuals in society are simultaneously recognized as, classified by, and interacted with on the basis of a variety of social characteristics, including and not limited to race, sex, gender, sexuality, ability, class, and nationality. Thus, our everyday life experiences are shaped by all of these things. In terms of privilege, then, sociologists today consider a variety of social characteristics and classifications when determining the level of privilege one possesses at any given moment. White Privilege Today Yet, in societies fundamentally structured by race, understanding one’s white privilege, regardless of other social characteristics or positions one embodies, is still deeply important. And, given that the meaning of race and the forms that racism takes are ever-evolving in the process of racial formation, it is important to update our sociological understanding of how white privilege has changed over time. While McIntoshs descriptions of white privilege are still perfectly relevant, there are some additional ways in which it manifests today, like: The ability to speak and write from an unchallenged position of authority (see, for instance, commenters online);The ability to hold onto wealth during economic crisis (Black and Latino families lost far more wealth during the home foreclosure crisis than did white families);Protection from experiencing the brunt of negative implications of climate change (economically vulnerable and politically unstable populations, mostly people of color in the global south, are disproportionally affected);Protection from the lowest wages and most dangerous labor conditions cultivated by the globalization of production;Being able to deny that racism exists;Believing in and cultivating sympathy from others for â€Å"reverse racism;Being unconcerned with the racial implications of political candidates one supports;Believing you worked hard for and earned everything you have without receiving any help or advantages;Believing that people of color who have achieved success have been given racially moti vated advantages; The ability to adopt a victim status rather than engaging in critical self-reflection when accused of racism;Believing it is acceptable to be â€Å"ironically† racist;Believing that people need to â€Å"get over it† or â€Å"move on† when they point out racism; and,The belief that cultural products and practices that come from communities of color are yours for the taking. There are many other ways in which white privilege manifests today - take a moment to think about the forms of privilege you can see in your life or in the lives of those around you.