ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
An integral part of the present-day life, political sensibilities play a significant role and pertain to various spheres. Culture is not an exception. It is possible to identify some peculiarities in terms of movies, and My Own Private Idaho created by Gus Van Sant illustrates the way it is probable to combine both documentary and feature-length movie texts. While the former group reflects the events and tendencies that touch upon the reality directly and become the part of the history, the latter one is characterized by the personal interpretation. In this paper, the possibility to transfer one’s political sensibilities, the correlation between movie texts and feature-length non-documentary texts, and the way My Own Private Idaho has influenced my personal political sensibilities are examined. First and foremost, it is necessary to point out that political sensibilities are changeable. However, I suppose that a piece of art alone cannot reshape them because the initial implications and inclinations should be present. In this particular case, power becomes an essential concept, and the choice is the central issue since the characters, Mike and Scott, have to face the world based on the necessity to find one’s place and interact with the authorities whether they like it or not. I believe Scott had already known what he would do, and it is similar to the real-life persons: in terms of politics and decision-making, one’s political sensibilities are more or less steady until an individual feels the urge for changes, and the external events are not enough. They may trigger some actions, but the roots are, again, in the inner world. As for the balance between two types of texts found in the movie, it is possible to state that the director did not intend to make this contrast the focus of the viewers’ attention. Nevertheless, the intertwined political and social statements may be traced. From the feature-length non-documentary perspective, the main idea refers to the personal relationship and the tragedy of people: politics should not interfere with love, friendship, and so on. The documentary text component is also remarkable: street kids and their environment are not only pictured authentically – they are documentary. Thus, both types of movie texts are closely connected. In my opinion, this movie has not reshaped my political sensibilities to a large extent. On the contrary, I suppose that My Own Private Idaho supported the ideas that I have already had. Understanding that art, even its best patterns, fails to provide the overall picture of life, I can argue that this movie mirrors the perpetual problems that will always be relevant to all people. For a long time, I regarded the contradiction between political power and relationships as one of the most significant challenges, and the movie only confirms my ideas. In other words, my opinion and political sensibilities have not been reshaped. To sum up, My Own Private Idaho makes viewers ponder and sometimes reconsider their opinions. It can reshape political sensibilities in case a person feels the necessity of c
Introduction As the mysterious new cult, the Ghost Dance, founded by Jack Wilson or presented through the Native American musical scene by Robbie Robertson, might be a good ethnographic example to identify the concept of religion. Three leading approaches for the religion and culture study include functionalism, symbolic or interpretive anthropology, and poststructuralism. Therefore, it is possible to define if religion fulfills social and psychological needs, serves sacred symbols to facilitate humans’ communication with the world, or it is a reaction to colonialism history and exercise of authority. Functionalism Ghost Dance is considered as a complete religion with its transcendental origin in the prophet’s visit to God and the enduring power of Father. It implies the universal idea about earthly rebirth suitable for anyone. From the functionalist point of view, the essence of Wilson’s guidance is “a clean, honest life” achieved through the circling dance of congregations that follow his gospel (Kehoe, 1989, p. 7). By dancing this belief, one may manifest faith and love to fight the evil, which certainly performs the basic social functions, including “renewing goodness from youth and health to abundant food” (Kehoe, 1989, p. 7). With regard to the “Ghost Dance” song by Robertson, it is a powerful statement of survivance that addresses the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. The notions of love and prayers are highlighted here as spiritual forces that resist hate and despair, which serves psychological functions. Symbolic or Interpretive Anthropology The cult of Ghost Dance symbolizes the gathering of people embraced by God and Wilson as His representative on earth; therefore, Wilson plays the role of a conduit to the divine. The process of the main ceremony, involving circling dance and trances, led to the “profound emotional catharsis” that unified all the participants and honored the Indians that passed into the afterlife (Kehoe, 1989, p. 8). Furthermore, the red ocher paint in the tomato cans symbolized life as he was guiding the followers, together with other items such as magpie feathers, pine nuts, and rabbit skin robes. According to Lee (2007), red paint represents healing and happiness in L
Introduction This is a review of Moon Over Buffalo , which is a farce set in Buffalo, New York in 1953. It has a repertory of Cyrano de Bergerac and Private Lives , which the couple, George and Charlotte struggle to perform as they face challenging family affairs with the hope of a visit from a Hollywood director. Description of the plot Moon Over Buffalo shows George Hay who is an actor and tours small theaters with his plays like Cyrano de Bergerac and Private Lives . George acts with his wife Charlotte Hay, who wants to have a career in movies. Rosalind (Roz), the daughter of George and Charlotte, also acted alongside her parents and dated the manager, Paul. However, Roz leaves for a ‘normal life’ where she meets a weatherman presenter on television, Howard. Eileen replaced Roz as an actor, but set the drama through her illicit affair with George. Other characters, who influence the play, are Ethel, a near-deaf mother-in-law to George, and Richard, the family lawyer, who has admired Charlotte for long. Moon Over Buffalo uses a situation comedy approach accompanied with humor, slapstick elements, and sexual allusion. George must achieve some physical vigor in the play as he takes on a mock fencing match alongside Charlotte. High-levels of physical performances are also in a wrestling match between George and Howard. George draws viewers’ attention by his physical and emotional aspects in the drama. The actors use fast-paced conversation and actions because of endless backbiting and hysterical efforts to end confusion among themselves. The news about the coming of the Hollywood director, Frank Capra to watch a play by George and Charlotte, heightens comical moments within the drama. These actors cannot believe their luck because this is what they crave for and deserve. However, these actors do not accept their difficult financial conditions. This element contributes to constant bickering in the play. The two plays within the play ( Cyrano de Bergerac and Private Lives ) reveal how Charlotte and George discuss issues about film and theater. The tension and discussions about the illicit affair, alcohol consumption, and mistaken identities, wearing wrong dresses, and a fall in the pit all draw the audience’s attention. Finally, in this chaotic play, actors shall resolve their problems after the show. Discussion of the main characters and actors and their performances Robbie Shafer captures the audience’s attention by portraying Charlotte Hay as a jealous wife who wants to elope with Richard over her husband’s affair with Eileen. Shafer portrays Charlotte perfectly well in a manner she engages George about their family troubles and a sword-fight. Shafer and Miller portray the characters at their best as they keep the audience laughing all along. John Miller did an incredible job in the portrayal of George Hay. Miller grabs viewers’ attention in his drunken stupor and acts, the wrong costume, the wrong drama, later arrival and the pit accident. Miller plays George’s role perfectly well by matching bodily and expressive aspects of the character because of comic acts with his wife throughout the drama. Phil Parker plays the role of Howard,
The important role of leaders in the process of promoting the ethical behaviour in the workplace has always been a discussed topic since leaders are supposed to set the tone for the behaviour as well as the goals of an organization. Furthermore, apart from positively influencing the behaviour in the workplace, an effective and ethical leader usually possesses potential to be promoted to higher positions in management, especially in such companies where leaders are put under pressure to perform well (Rubin, Dierdorff & Brown 2010, p. 216). Two Principles of Ethics and the Contingency Leadership Theory When it comes to the principle areas of ethics, there are two different sides of the debate. On the one side of the argument there is deontological ethics while on the other – teleological ethics. The deontological side of the argument is linked to a general category of several theories of morality. These theories make a definition of the right actions within the framework of moral rules and duties. Thus, the proponents of this point of view usually put a focus on the ethical act itself, paying little attention to what this act can cause. The most important aspect of the deontological point of view is the requirement for the right action, and the aim of the moral and ethical behaviour is for it to take place. Within the deontological framework, right stands apart from the good. This means that for the supporters of deontology, the moral action ends with its taking place. The concept of deontology is opposed to teleological theory where the moral and ethical good lies in the consequence of the behaviour rather than the behaviour separately. In accordance with the teleological theory, all actions human beings perform are considered teleological since they first think about the means of an action in order to achieve a particular consequence. Thus, moral behaviour is directed by a goal. For example, if a mother considers sending her son to the store on an icy day, she will take into consideration the consequences of her action. The son may fall on the slippery pavement and get an injury. From the point of view of teleology, all human behaviour can be divided into two directions: right or wrong, depending on what it causes (White n.d., p. 11). To further explore the concept of ethical leadership, it is beneficial to review a specific leadership theory. Contingency theory has been chosen to achieve this aim. The contingency theory relates to the ‘refinement of the situational viewpoint’ (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano & Dennison 2003, p. 6) which puts a focus on the identification of variables in different situations, trying to predict the most ethical and moral style of leadership that will fit in a certain situation. Furthermore, the contingency theory is ef
The American Civil War of 1861 – 1866 was a crucial historical event that had a considerable impact on the further development of the USA. The outcome of the war was too severe, as the slavery was abolished but numbers of people were killed (Frisby, 2002). The Civil War influenced the ethical, political, and communal principles of the country and it had a great impact over the life of every individual. The political and social life of people inhabiting the western North Carolina communities in Appalachian Mountains was also considerably affected by the Civil War, and this paper focuses at the specific analysis of the Civil War influences on Appalachian politics. The Civil War took a tremendous toll on the South in the way that after the civil war, the churches in the north and south broke relations with each other as they had different views on slavery (Frisby, 2002). The point was that in the South, slavery was perceived as something natural; people are born unequal and trying to make them equal contradicts the very order of things on Earth and even the Bible views slavery a natural phenomenon (Frisby, 2002). The controversy over slavery reached even such remote regions as Appalachian Mountains, where people divided according to their support of either Federal government or the Confederates (Osment, 2008). The Appalachian region was especially affected by the war as far as instability of the war years made this border region a favorable place for attacks of Mexicans, Indians, etc. This war caused utter poverty to the people in this region because of short supply of rations. The guarantees of proper food supply given by the US Government to the Appalachian people were not fulfilled as the Government was focused on military issues and had neither resources nor time to concentrate on a single region when the future of the whole country was at stake (Osment, 2008). They failed to supply anything which was needed to satisfy day-to-day needs of Appalachian people. As the living conditions became so pathetic, the Shelton Laurel Valley in Madison County became the center of mass protests that took a rather violent form with the time spent (Osment, 2008). The supporters of the Union resorted to robberies, violence against the military officers and civilian people, etc. The cases of looting became numerous when the rebels ran into houses of their opponents, took their food and behaved violently towards the hosts. This cruelty of Madison people enraged each and every citizen of the Marshall and the latter, as a result, started to attack the invaders. Many of the trespassers were killed by the citizens of Marshall (Osment, 2008). The numerous burials of the victims of those tragic Civil War events can still be observed in the ar
Aristotle tells us the highest human good must meet the following two criteria: it is complete, meaning it is desirable solely for its own sake, and it is self-sufficient, meaning it lacks nothing. Among the suggestions he considers for what might be the highest good, including wealth, honor, and pleasure, only happiness meets both of these criteria. Therefore, happiness must be the highest good. Aristotle’s conclusion that happiness meets both criteria is supported by reflecting on our ordinary attitudes about happiness. Regarding the first criterion, it does seem wrong to say that someone could be seeking happiness instrumentally. It is difficult to understand how someone could want happiness for any reason other than its own intrinsic properties. Furthermore, happiness, when offered an explanation for an action, puts an end to all chains of reasoning. If someone explains why he is doing something by saying that it would make him happy, no further reasons are necessary. If we wish to understand the nature of happiness, we need to learn about virtue, which involves the state of a person’s soul. Aristotle’s idea is that one element in the soul is irrational, and the other has a rational principle. Since there are two elements the soul consists of, there are two corresponding kinds of virtue, one relating to the intellect and the other to one’s character. Therefore, happiness requires one to possess moral and intellectual virtue, both of which mutually reinforce each other. On the other hand, having a virtuous soul is not sufficient for happiness. The virtuous person must also be sufficiently equipped with external goods, such as money, health, an attractive physique, good friends and family, and a certain amount of good fortune. All virtuous people avoid both excess and defect, and they strive for moderation in their feelings and actions. Aristotle’s view implies that feeling our emotions moderately is essential for achieving virtue and living well. He views the emotions as an essential part of reacting in the right way to a situation, and Aristotle’s view reflects our commonsense intuitions. The distinct virtues never stand-alone nor, with the exception of justice and honesty, are good without qualification. All the several virtues are expressions of conscientiousness and a sense of responsibility. It may be supposed that justice and honesty as the one unqualifiedly moral virtue, could fulfill the role of the fundamental virtue as it can also be noticed in the case of righteousness, the general intention to do whatever is right (Allen 98). Another important virtue is magnificence. It is the virtue of proper public spending on a large scale. We are reluctant to call it a moral virtue, and there are two reasons for that. First, it is explicitly limited to the rich. Second, the forms of excess and defect that characterize the analogous vices seem even more clearly not to be moral failings, but lapses of taste. Magnificence is not a moral virtue, and the magnificent person demonstrates the proper sense of taste and decisive
The study of societal change is a significant topic for many scholars. Exceptional importance is given to the subject of mass media, which is an essential part of human history (Hiebert & Gibbons, 2017). Despite the harmful effects of the information industry, it maintains a significant influence on people’s lives. This essay addresses the definition and the history of mass media and investigate its connection to sociology. In addition, it explains the relationship between mass communication systems and members of the society and describes this theme’s relation to my life. To properly discuss the topic of mass media, it is essential to understand its meaning. It is most commonly defined as “large scale organizations that use print or electronic means to communicate with large numbers of people” (Kendall, 2017). Nowadays, many news companies use advanced sources of delivering information to the public, such as websites, mobile applications, and other technologies based primarily on the Internet. Kendall (2017) describes several functions the media serves, including procuring communication between people and providing various entertainment options. The globality of broadcasting services is a crucial reason behind its influence on people’s behavior. Overall, mass media has a substantial impact on different society members due to its close connection to the information sphere. Characteristics of the mass media organizations have changed significantly during its history. Communication companies’ origins lie deep in pre alphabet societies, where the primary means of information transfer were oral interactions (Hiebert & Gibbons, 2017). The technological development changed the qualities of media services, starting from stone and clay tablets and arriving at newspapers and web-based interfaces. Therefore, the 20 th century has been the most prominent age for the mass media, as many technological innovations were presented (Hiebert & Gibbons, 2017). Altogether, advanced mechanical and electronic devices enabled faster communication and reformed the broadcasting companies. The emergence of mass media organizations is intensively discussed in sociological studies. A potentially objective insight into the societal structure, its features, and characteristics requires the investigation of communication services in society (Thompson et al., 2016). Firstly, news companies, television, and other media organizations are an exceptional reflection of the community producing them. Many television shows, books, and musical records exist due to high demand. Additionally, the mass media services often are filters of information, deciding how and when specific data is introduced (Thompson et al., 2016). Secondly, technological progress ha
The criteria of self-reference and its importance to the emergent firm in the international markets In the twenty first century, international marketing remains one of the most important factors for corporations engaging in the international trade regardless of size and shape. Many medium sized and big global companies engage in the international business since it possesses immense impact on the domestic and worldwide economy. As a result, the entrant companies in the international marketing should consider a number of factors such as culture for their successful operations. Culture denotes people’s beliefs, mindset and conduct. It also refers to the way they think and perform their roles. In brief, culture is a collective mind indoctrination that differentiates members of one group from the other (Lee & Carter 2005). Therefore, any firm planning to venture the international market should have understanding of the purchase trends, society, and the marketplace itself. This owes to the fact that culture influences the procedure of peoples’ thoughts that vary from nation to nation across the world. Different marketers might use their traditional culture to work and think when handling a challenge. The propensity of marketers using insensible attempts in comparing their traditional culture to other culture refers to self-reference standard. According to Lee and Carter (2005), the criterion of self-reference creates problems to the new entrants in the international markets. In fact, the problem is paramount to the marketers attempting to get into the international marketplace. Based on that fact, smooth run and success can be evident when one understands the culture of the other market before entering the international bazaar. The thought by some entrepreneurs that their culture might be superior to the others cultures (ethnocentrism) creates more involvedness when entering the international market as a fresh entrant. In fact, it creates a pessimistic impact when making business choices thus hindering the discernment of marketing needs. The self-reference criterion is significant in that by residing in a particular social order, culture is a pattern learned from behavior (Gilligan & Hird 1986). Indeed, it has great impact on the consumers’ conducts of purchasing. Culture is a basic in the behavior and human wants. Kotler and Armstrong (2004) saw that entering the international market needs great under