ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Founded by Guy Debord, the Situationist International movement was a revolutionary avant-garde project intended to carry out counter-cultural activities as a kind of protection against the capitalist system. The main object of criticism of the Situationists was the late capitalist society with its inherent forms of social alienation, the phenomena of total commodification, and conformism (Debord 19). The Situationists did not separate politics and art, perceiving their project as a universal attitude to life. Through performances and texts, the Situationists sought to combat the “spectacle” and falsification of capitalist society. Using the concept of “spectacle,” Debord explained some modern cultural and ideological phenomena: the specifics of industrial societies in developed countries, the problem of globalization, the dominance of visual culture, and much more. A “spectacle” was described as an economy that developed for its own sake (Debord 4). The Situationists argued that alienation, fundamental to bourgeois society, penetrated all areas of social and cultural life, and led to the fact that people became detached from their emotions, creative impulses, and desires. In his book Society of the Spectacle, Debord also reflects on time, claiming that consumable “pseudo-cyclical time” consists of an infinite number of equal intervals. When this abstraction of “irreversible time,” dominates in society, humans have no space for development (Debord 22). The ruling class imposes a favorable perception of time on the entire society. However, among the endless cycles, there is one change, which is completely excluded by the spectacle. That is the revolution that fades away the social measure of time and benefits it “playful character,” which means that independent times exist simultaneously. The Situationists wanted to produce this playful form of time and put an end to art as a kind of commodity, a specialized, alienated activity. They were seeking to make it a part of everyday life. Thus, their key technique of detournement involved turning appropriated images, texts, or events into subversive situations (Trier 65). This artistic technique was intended to reveal the ideological nature of art and transform it for political use. Detournement manifested itself in documentaries, advertisements, comics, and social films with the author’s text. All these forms of art were used to awaken people’s consciousness from the lethargic sleep of passive consumption of goods and images. The Situationists marked the beginning of the artistic, cultural, and poli
Introduction Inspiration plays an important role in art. Its peculiar feature is that no one can understand where true sources of inspiration may be found, as well as to be aware of its results and further growth. All artists are in need of inspiration, especially when they choose politics or social movements as their main topics. The creation of a political message is a complex task that may result in conflicts and ambitions of diverse groups (Pittman 28). Therefore, it requires the evaluation of the current situation in the country, the comparison of past and future experiences, and the necessity to reunify society, offering new goals and visions. Muralists are probably one of the most influential groups of painters who achieved considerable success at the beginning of the 20 th century. Muralists created their works for the masses who were concerned about such themes as racial identity and capitalism and considered paint as “the only weapon… to fight” (Lefalle-Collins and Goldman 38). Their impact promoted by Mexican muralists on African American modernists has to be mentioned as all these people were not satisfied with current attitudes, emigration conditions, and a historical change. They had to do something for their demands and expectations to be recognized. This paper aims at investigating the impact of Mexican muralism on African American modernists and the idea of social protest as the only means to focus on workers’ rights, unfair labor conditions, and racial prejudice and educate on social freedoms, unarmed demonstrations, and new reforms. Literature Review One of the main goals of this paper is to understand the methods chosen by Mexican muralists to demonstrate their dissatisfaction and concerns about unfair and unstable social, working, and political co
In the modern society, it cannot be disputed that effective leadership styles are elemental for enhancing organizational performance. It is the responsibility of organizational leaders to adopt management styles that are suitable for diverse work environments. The X and Y management styles have been employed by different leaders over time. They offer useful insights that can guide leaders in ensuring that their organizations perform optimally at all times. This paper provides a review of the two theories in light of their pros and cons. In addition, it underscores the relevance of the two theories in organizational management. In his review, Sidhan (2010) details that theory X of management contends that workers do not like work and in most instances need to be coerced before they can attend to their duties. Workers according to this theory tend to avoid responsibility at all times. Further, they do not employ their personal initiative when addressing emergent concerns but rather prefer to be guided in all their undertakings. Above all, employees from the theory’s point of view have limited ambition and tend to place undue emphasis on personal security. Employees in theory Y on the other hand derive great satisfaction from their jobs. As such, they are very committed to the organization that they serve and take all measures to ensure that organizational goals are attained. In his research, Cuban (2011) indicates that employees in theory Y are responsible and self driven. In most instances, they perceive work as play and enjoy performing the various duties that are accorded to them. As indicated earlier, each theory is suitable in different environments as well as situations. In this regard, no particular theory can be considered suitable for all situations. At this point, it is worth appreciating that organizational environments differ considerably and have varied needs. Customizing a leadership style would go a long way in ensuring optimal performance
Introduction The problem of gun violence has always been an ongoing issue for numerous states whose laws accept the firearms usage and possession. The ambivalent character of this concern gave rise to vigorous debates related to the further perspectives and possible solutions to the given problem. However, despite all these discussions, there is still a tendency towards the significant deterioration of the situation, and it’s becoming a real threat to the national security of various countries. Latin America could be considered the region which suffers from gun violence most of all because 47 of the world’s 50 most murderous cities are located in this region (Muggah para. 3). Gun Violence When analyzing the issue, the pernicious impact of the spread of guns becomes obvious. The fact is that violence is one of the phenomena which undermine the basis of modern society and promote the weakening of social institutions. Being not able to feel secure, members of society become disillusioned with the necessity to adhere to the accepted patterns and preserve the appreciated values. This process leads to anarchy and the further sophistication of the given problem. For these reasons, the further disregard of the nagging problem might result in the collapse of the above-mentioned states where the problem is especially topical. Gun Violence and State Fragile Besides, the above-mentioned disregard results from the states inability to find some efficient approaches and solve the problem. Yet, protection and the provision of a safe environment are the core functions of any commonwealth which condition its necessity and further evolution. However, the inability to defend its citizens and guarantee punishment to peace-breakers evidence the states helplessness and its inability to control the situation. The threatening statistics related to the number of crimes resulting from the gunshot injuries (75 percent of all homicides in Latin America) (Muggah para. 4) proves the governments perplexity and the absence of any efficient mechanism to alter the situation and attain success. That is w
Abstract Assessing the importance of law in Canada, it can be said that jurisprudence became essentially vital for its practice, with the establishment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ( the Charter hereinafter). The Charter makes the moral justification of legal norms and decisions the main part of Canadian law. Accordingly, Canadian courts do not have a choice other than to examine the fundamental meanings of specific terms’ morals, such as freedom of expression, equality, human safety, etc, to determine whether a specific part of the legislation or legal norm is compatible with the Charter or not. An important part of the Charter is contained in its first section, which basically can be interpreted as a declaration of a guarantee of the rights and freedoms, contained within the Charter. The inclusion of certain conditions in this section, such as stating that the rights and freedoms are guaranteed “only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society” (Constitution Acts 2009), allows the interpretation of this section to be used as a limit of these rights. In that regard, the examination of the “reasonable limits” in the court might lead to instances, where the judgment on the lack of reasonability in limits “justified in a free and democratic society”, is only about finding a loophole to justify infringing the freedoms and the rights. Thus, the challenges before the court in certain cases revolve around living up to the expectations of the Charter maintaining the balance between freedoms and rights, and the law. In that regard, the analysis of the following cases in this paper will be addressed toward examining the implementation of the first section of the Charter in practice, stating that the section’s main purpose is the protection of infringement rather than its justification. The First Case The first case, Montréal (City) v. 2952-1366 Québec Inc. (2005) was concerned with the appeal lodged by the City of Montreal on the decision of the Superior Court, which quashed the conviction of 2952-1366 Québec Inc., a strip club accused of producing noises on the street. The decision was based on the infringement of the respondent’s, i.e. the club, freedom of expression, a decision which the City of Montreal appealed, and which was subsequently dismissed. The dismissal of the case was based on the fact of infringement of the freedom of expression under s.2 (b) of the Charter, which states that everyone has the fundamental freedom “of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication”. It can be seen that the noise produced by the club was falling under reasonable limits which guarantees the protection of the fundamental rights. In that regard, the appeal of the City’s municipal lacked a justification, which in connection to article 9(1) in by‑law concerning noise, did not pass the test of justifying the infringement. It can be said that the justification was lacking in the part that establishes that the issue is pressing and substantial, while merely relying on the fact that the measure will minimally imp
One of the most peculiar aspects of a contemporary living is the fact that nowadays, it is specifically the extent of a particular individual’s integration, within the society, which defines his or her chances to attain self-actualization. This creates a certain contradiction – in order for just about anyone to be able to realize its full existential potential, the concerned individual should be willing to act the manner, consistent with the ways of society, which in turn presupposes the lessened extent of his or her existential sovereignty. Emil Durkheim and Georg Simmel, however, had successfully addressed this seeming paradox within the conceptual frameworks of their sociological theories. In this paper, I will illustrate how it has been done, on the part of both sociologists, while outlining the specifics of their approaches to addressing the concerned subject matter.  1. The three major principles of Durkheim’s sociology can be outlined as follows:  2. Society is an integral part of the surrounding objective reality. As such, it functions in accordance with basic societal laws, consistent with the laws of nature.  3. Society is in the position to regulate the functioning of its systemic components.  4. The ‘social facts’ (dialectically predetermined specifics of how people interrelate with each other within the society), studied by sociology, are thoroughly objective, which in turn presupposes the possibility for them to be subjected to a scientific inquiry. As the sociologist noted, “We (sociologists) must penetrate much more deeply into reality, in order to understand it… We must look for a means of comparing historical data, and establish a series of phenomena which vary on parallel lines” (Durkheim 1982, p. 218). According to Durkheim, the sociology’s primary objective, is to gain an insight into what causes people to subscribe to the communal forms of existence, while willing to consider the maintenance of the undermined social order (by the government), as such that represents a universally applicable and fully objective sociological category. Durkheim’s sociological paradigm allows the division of human societies on archaic (simple/primitive) and industrial (complex). In the archaic society, people’s individual identities are being ‘dissolved’ within what happened to be this society’s ‘collective archetype’. This explains why in primitive societies, people tend to lead highly ritualized lifestyles, while striving to objectualize themselves within the surrounding environment – hence, their endowment with the essentially
Introduction There are several approaches that have been used from time to time in planetary missions. These approaches have either been market based or non-market based approaches. Market based approach is what we seek to address and discuss in our paper. This paper seeks to discuss different projects that have been carried out, identify problems that might have been encountered, give an analysis of each of this project, its schedule and the risks involved. In essence, the paper discusses and analyses the processes of management applied on NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn. Cassini was first launched in October 15, 1997 as an international mission to explore planet Saturn. This mission was unique in the sense that the science team was allocated a whole science instrument resource (Randii and Porter, 245). The market based approach system majorly uses currency as a way of showing demand for a limited resource. The currency is used in exchange for a desired commodity. This approach has been preferred for ages. Its first successful venture was done in 1992. It was tried out on the Cassini mission to Saturn. The market based approach system involves creating an economy by defining 3 quantities (Arrow, 944). These quantities are:  1. Currency and its use.  2. Resources to be allocated.  3. The rules for making and keeping track of trades Background Instrument development for planetary missions begins with the acceptance of proposals from many investigators to build and operate instruments for a specific mission. Companies and organizations running projects assign resources like data rate, mass, power, and money to the identified investigating organisations and groups depending on whether their missions are approved based on their proposals. These supporting officials also have to take into consideration the mission constraints. They do it by going into details of previous missions, their successes and failures. However, most previous missions had a recurring trend of going past their resource allocation. This creates a burden and a constraint on the officials when it comes to allocating resources to new ventures and investigators. Initially, missions were organized by committee driven processes in carrying out their scientific planning. These were also referred to as serial dictator processes. In this approach, there is the introduction of an impartial third party who is brought in to help allocate resour
Introduction Literature is one of the oldest and most beloved kinds of art. People enjoy reading both ancient and modern texts as they can always find something valuable and inspiring in the process. Every individual’s taste is different, and it is not possible to predict which literary period one person or another will prefer. However, one issue remains steady, and that is the incorporation of old literature into contemporary arts. No matter how many fantastic new books may be published, humanity will continue to investigate the treasures created by poets and writers of many centuries past. The present paper focuses on the connection between the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf and a recently released movie, Wonder Woman . The central argument of the essay is that Beowulf inspired Wonder Woman and led to the creation of a story that asserts the ability of females to be superheroes. Through the analysis of secondary sources along with examples from primary ones, the paper will examine similarities between Beowulf and Wonder Woman and explain the effect of the former on the latter. Beowulf: The Famous Anglo-Saxon Epic Proclaiming Heroism Beowulf is probably the most famous and beloved among the remnants of Old English literature. This epic poem tells the story of a fearless hero who is ready to defend his native land despite danger and risk of death. The author of Beowulf is unknown, but scholars have determined that the work was probably written in the first half of the eighth century ( Beowulf 29). Over the course of history, people have always needed reliable and trustworthy heroes who epitomized virtue and courage. In that vein, Beowulf was “an almost flawless hero” who became a shining example of bravery and love for his native land (Bhattacharya 14). By a carefully selected use of language to tell the story, the unknown author of this epic managed to create an outstanding legend whose storyline further inspir
Introduction The problem of women’s empowerment belongs to the most significant issues of the modern world. In fact, men have long had social dominance over women despite the great importance of females’ role of child-bearers. The situation was envisaged with the status of men as earners and hence, their economic power. According to Women across Cultures by S. Burn, in trade-based societies, women were underestimated because the unpaid labor of wives was oriented mainly on the household and family. At the same time, men got a reward for their work which had public use. During the 20 th and the beginning of the 21 st century, impressive efforts were taken to eliminate the problem. Women received voting rights and the same opportunities for studying and working as men. However, Burn states that in spite of the great achievements made, the society of the 21 st century still sees an irrespective attitude towards women and cases of gender and employment discrimination. An example of such discrimination when females’ work and results are underrated is the recent U.S. Soccer Federation’s derogative comments on the performance of the Women’s National Team. It was stated that the Men’s Team is more skillful and responsible. The case discussion The case has been covered and discussed by many media sources. U.S. Soccer Apologizes For Saying Male Players Have ‘More Responsibility’ Than Women , an article published on NPR-website on March 11, 2020, gives a summary of the situation. It also cites athletes and a representative of Coca-Cola , the U.S. Soccer Federation major sponsor, who have publically expressed their opinions on the insulting remarks of the organization. In fact, a discrimination lawsuit was filed by members of the team, and the Federation wants the court to dismiss the case. The President of the U.S. Soccer apologized for the offense and stated that the Federation would defend against the lawsuit with respect towards women. However, female football players do not believe that he was sincere. For example, Megan Rapinoe, a star of the football team, claims that the statement was made not for the women insulted but for everybody else. Heather O’Reilly, a former player, strongly disapproved of the comments. As for Coca-Cola , the company has a strong position in the issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment; therefore, it was disappointed with the incident. Conclusion The case was analyzed with the use of the descriptive and review methods because the situation requires examination on the base of the information available. After studying the appropriate material, the following finding is to be reported: the situation was not ignored by society and received a large number of backlashes. The reason is that the case does not correspond with the USA ruling ideas of equal opportunities, the absence of discrimination and the promotion of females’ rights. The finding is important because it shows that