ktmeng/mec huggingface dataset:
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After analyzing and providing evidence that Disney uses their power to influence young children on stereotypes, Giroux supports his claim that in order to change society, parents need to be aware of the dangerous messages Disney is portraying to fix the endangerment of their children’s morality. Not only is sexism seen in The Lion King, but among various other films: The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and Aladdin (1992). Children can often associate these films in real life. Since Disney movies are often introduced at such a young age in a child’s life it can be assumed that the films will have some type of effect on the child’s views of many things.
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The Lion King expresses gender roles predominantly by always having the male as the superior. Even when Mufasa died and Simba ran away, his wife was still alive to step up and rule over the Prideland but instead another male character stepped into the role. Disney clearly implies the male’s dominance over the women. Throughout the beginning of the film the male lion is looked to for the protection of the pack, as well as making all the big decisions and the mother is the caretaker, which is another typical female stereotype in society, which teaches young children that only men can save the day and that women are incapable of fighting back or sticking up for themselves. Perhaps Disney should have made the female lion defeat Scar and save the day but that is too morally right for them to write. When Disney was writing the film, they would rather use stereotypes to support the role of a man, rather than empowering women. Giroux’s claim that Disney is sexist is supported throughout the film.
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Although the messages Disney is putting out into the world is wrong, it is a trusted enough company to many around the globe that others don’t notice. The public is too ignorant to see the effects it is having on the children watching these films. As a child I never recognized the meaning behind such films but now as I get older I fully understand how morally disgusting these animated tales are. For that reason, Robertson states, “Parents must reclaim their children from the clutches of film makers like Disney” (44). The children need their parents help in protecting them from the gender roles and stereotypes that can have a negative effect on such a young child’s brain. Instead of not paying attention, parents should sit with their kids and help them to recognize what is right and what is wrong. Don’t let Disney be the “teaching machines.” Protect the youth from the harmful messages and stereotypes. The children are shaping the future, and that means Disney is, too.
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The general idea behind the effects of screen-time come from how technology has taken over most mediums of learning, and the idea of placing the boundary between how much of it is okay and how much is not. Screen-time can be anything from phones, tablets, computers, video games, televisions, etc. As these types of technology advance, so does learning and both often overlap in certain aspects, however, it can be highly detrimental for the development of children. This is important because a child between birth and 3 years is going through highly critical brain development and screen-time during this stage can create difficulties in further development.
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The controversial topic on how and why technology has been an issue for the developmental years of infants, toddlers, and early preschool aged children has been existent throughout many years that technology has innovated. Modern culture technology is usually viewed negatively in early childhood development and everyday educators are trying to find ways in which parents and schools can use it effectively within the classroom and home environments. The dilemma is not that technology is bad or should be relinquished completely from children’s lives, but moreover that it should be taken into consideration what it can cause as a long-term effect.
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From smartphones to tablets, e-books and more, the rapid increase of market in technology has taken over the lives of many who posses them. It has been both a positive and negative journey of innovation but the debate still stands on how is this influencing the lives of children? When becoming a parent, there also comes that underlying responsibility of making black or white decisions on many different things. For instance, choosing breast milk or formula, spanking or no spanking, immunizations: to do them or not? Nonetheless, another important issue to discuss in the twenty-first century era is frankly whether or not to use screen-time as a form of pastime in the daily life of a young child.
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The use of technology in infants, toddlers, and preschool age children is important because children in these early stages are beginning to develop in critical areas of the brain. They are beginning to understand themselves, others, and the world around them. When screen-time is placed in the middle of those years, it can be detrimental to their healthy growth. Parents should be aware of the issue and at least have knowledge of how to properly monitor their screen-time. The purpose of this issue is to educate parents, teachers, or caregivers about why screen-time should be remotely removed or extremely limited in the lives of very young children and if not removed, how they can effectively use it so that it won’t negatively affect their development in the long run.
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In order to understand why technology is unhealthy in the lives of early childhood, it is important to know what an infant, toddler, and preschooler needs in order to have a healthy development. A newborn baby’s brain is composed of millions of neurons that are constantly connecting with other neurons and some are not. As repeated experiences happen within that baby’s life, these connections become stronger and as the baby grows, these early experiences literally shape the child’s behavior, habits, values, and responses to future experiences. Neuroscience discoveries have proven that these early experiences are critical because they are always ongoing and evolving which, begin before birth and continues into adulthood. On the other hand, the synaptic connections that are not used are removed completely. This is vital because it means that the way children are spending their time can have a consequence in their brain development.
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Given that the child is spending large amounts of time in front of a screen, the consequence of it does not fall short. The more time a young child spends in front of a screen, the more they will watch later on, and the more difficult it will be to turn off as they become older. The reason for this is because of a biological substance called dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, reward, and alertness. This chemical is not only released after the consumption of some addictive drugs, but also during the active use of video games, which is the reason why some children are believed to be “addicted” to video games.
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In addition to watching excessive amounts of screen-time, there are other negative effects that come with introducing it to a young child’s life. It diminishes interactions with adults, reduces learning and school performance, increases chances of childhood obesity, and may cause sleep disturbance. Consequently enough, when young children are watching television with other adults or other children, they are spending less time engaged in conversation and developing social skills. In fact, new technologies such as e-books take away from parent-child bonding with traditional books that encourage literacy skills. According to [NAEYC and Fred Rogers’ Center Position Statement on Technology and Interactive Media in Early Childhood Programs] position statement, technology is effective if it is active, hands-on, engaging, empowering, and child-controlled (Sharkins, Newton, Albaiz, & Ernest, 2015, p. 439).
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Findings also touched on the opposite side of the issue by giving parents, caregivers and educators a guideline of how to facilitate positive viewing habits for young children with five simple steps. In conjunction to their conclusions, studies also found how technologies in early childhood settings can actually tribute to positive learning outcomes through play. These ideas overlap by reminding twenty-first century teachers and caregivers that the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) actually encourages teachers to use technology to benefit children. Unfortunately, this idea has not been implemented because American society is not focusing on teaching appropriate uses of technology in early childhood settings, even though there are ideal ways to do so (Parette, Quesenberry, & Blum).
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Again, children from birth to age 3 need to be playing with nature, doing hands-on activities, creative play, and face-to-face interactions with loving adults. Any early child educator understands these needs, but as parents, sometimes it is necessary to understand them as well. Children need to spend much of their time developing and fulfilling these needs. When children spend most of their time, however, engaged in video games, television shows, or phone apps, they take away from these important lifelong ramifications and instead develop unhealthy habits. Having a strong foundation in the early years will reveal positive results later on in life and building a weak foundation will just do the opposite.
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In conclusion, infants, toddlers, and preschool age children should be spending their developmental years focusing on hands-on creativity, time with nature, and face-to-face interactions with loving adults. They need to be physically active and learn to develop healthy sleeping and eating habits. If screen time is given, it should be carefully monitored by quantity and quality, which means giving them a restrictive time daily and also administering educational content that is productive in their learning. Whether at home or in school, screen time is a chance for technology to be positively effective in the crucial developmental years of all children, no matter what age.
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Advancement is based on the project of “modernization” (rationalization and scientification of the world in arrange to create it distant better; a much better; a higher; a stronger; an improved “a higher put to live). Having children or working near with children in this show time and age can never be compared to the days of the past. Anybody who has the obligation of raising children can effortlessly concur to the reality that there is a part of sensational changes within the present-day days, which have been lighted by present-day culture.
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Innovation is a critical angle of the lives of people. Numerous children, due to modernization have had to get to essential instruction. Numerous of them have been instructed utilizing instructive models that have been based on advancement consequently procured the present-day culture, which has had a gigantic impact on their childhood. 1 The development of culture and technology is changing so much rapidly than that there are some disadvantages to childhood as it is limiting them to only electronics.
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‘The learning openings are nearly perpetual, and they can interface with other children and instructive specialists from all around the globe.’ Whereas usually genuine, there are numerous things that kids shouldn’t be uncovered to at such a youthful age. The web has no channel. Children can discover anything on the web such as erotica, dating websites, virtual recreations with getting to millions of individuals online whereas anyone may be behind the account. There are so numerous threats to the online world. One of the most issues is that children would incline toward sitting interior all day long playing video recreations or observing YouTube recordings than to go exterior and investigate the magnificence of the exterior world with other children. In this era, children don’t get the opportunity to encounter inventive play.
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Sometime recently there were innovative gadgets; children would take part in exercises with their companions. They would go exterior and play for hours until their guardians called for them. Since at that point, present-day culture has harmed childhood. One might contend that innovation benefits children more. In any case, children learn through play and redundancy. On the off chance that you clarify to a child and give them one or two of squares. They may learn so much. They might learn something so simple such as checking, colors, letters, and much more. You have got to be quiet when managing with children since a few might not learn from the primary time. The caregiver must too be beyond any doubt to assist them at whatever point they star. Guardians can set up parental direction which sets restrictions for kids. It controls what they can get to. There are so numerous ways around the parental direction. If a child needs to go more profound into something, they will discover a way to do so. For occasion, they might go on a diverse gadget and pick up get to.
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One way frustration levels in children could be reduced would be to slacken the particularly strict health and safety rules in primary schools. Boisterous play is a natural way for children to play. It would be wise for schools to permit this type of rough play, however in controlled conditions in an environment where the children would feel safe, with a supervisor, for example. That way the children can learn the rules of engagement with guidance and this reinforcement will help the child in analysing situations and should aid self-control development.
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The third assumption is that boys develop a special bond with their fathers during childhood, “There is something special about rough-house play with dads “. Freud believed that during the phallic stage, the boy would develop an intense sexual attraction towards his mother and because of this, he sees his father as the rival and wishes to get rid of him. The boy however, realises the physical difficulties of doing this and therefore attempts to identify with the aggressor and imitates his father’s behaviour.
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This could explain why children who play fight with their fathers tend to be more controlled and less aggressive, as they are imitating their father’s manner of control. Freud suggests that young boys aged from 3-6, develop an increasingly passionate love for their mothers, and as a result of this they come into conflict and rivalry with their fathers. This is known as the phallic stage of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. This love for the young boy’s mother becomes so intense that the boy does not wish to share her with anyone.
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However, he is fearful of the father as the father is much bigger than him and eventually comes to fear that the father will castrate him. To resolve this dilemma, according to Freud, the boy represses this desire for his mother and identifies with his father. He comes to feel, think and act as if he were his father. This way at least he retains his male organ and can have the mother vicariously, since becoming like his father, he can indirectly have what his father has.
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Therefore the “something special” between father and son is created by a repressed longing for the mother on the boy’s part, according to Freud. It would be useful for parents to understand the issues that arise during child development, such as a boy’s anxiety in the phallic stage of the Oedipus complex where he loves his mother but tries to avoid castration by adopting behavioural similarities with his father. If parents understand these issues, they can try to resolve them. One way to resolve an issue such as the one given previously would be for both parents to spend ‘quality’ one on one time with the child.
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Parents are asking a question when they take their offspring to their pediatrician. Do we have to vaccinate our children? Many parents question the importance or even the need for their children to receive vaccinations. The reasons for their objections or doubts vary from religious beliefs, a lack of understanding exactly what immunizations really are, or fear that their children may acquire a serious reaction to the vaccines themselves. Immunizations are safe and effective, yet many still question their importance and place in society.
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The purpose behind vaccinations is to create an environment where children are safe and free from disease. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2007), “Vaccines interact with the immune system and often produce an immune response similar to that produced by the natural infection. They do not subject the child receiving the vaccine to the disease itself or its potential complications.” After all, who would intentionally want to put a child at risk?Immunization programs are among the most noteworthy public health achievement stories.
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Through safe vaccine monitoring to evaluate precisely the stability and regulate immunization guidelines, these two diseases neared global eradication. Polio once created widespread panic. Defined by the CDC (2007), “Polio (the disease) is the effect of poliomyelitis virus on the spinal cord that leads to the classic outcome of paralysis.” An innocent swim at the local pool might have caused a child to spend his life in a wheelchair or in leg braces.
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Just to put it into perspective, consider this…according to the CDC (2007), “before polio immunizations began in 1955, polio reached a peak in the United States in 1952, with more than 21,000 paralytic cases. However, following introduction of effective vaccines, polio incidence declined rapidly. The last case of wild-virus polio acquired in the United States was in 1979.” Today, there are no cases of polio to report in the United States. Consequently, problems linked with the vaccine go beyond the dangers of the disease itself. By virtue of its absence, the disease is no longer a reminder of the importance of immunizations.
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Getting all children vaccinated is not only important for are own child, but also important for other children as well. Maintaining civic assurance in vaccinations is vital for avoiding a drop in immunization rates. New outbreaks of disease will result from non-compliance and indifference. While a large part of parents consider the benefits of vaccinations and have their children immunized, there are still parents who worry and fear about the safety of immunizations. According to the CDC (2007), “In the 1980’s, there were public concerns about the safety of whole-cell pertussis vaccine.
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This resulted in decreased vaccine coverage levels and the return of epidemic disease in Japan, Sweden, United Kingdom, and several other countries.”Try to imagine seeing one of our children contract a disease that could have been prevented by a vaccination. For example, mumps is an acute viral illness that travels from person to person by respiratory droplets. Side effects of this disease can range from headaches and swelling of glands in the neck region to having a fever, vomiting, and possible breathing problems, arthritis, arthralgia, and nephritis. None of our children ought to suffer, especially from an immunization preventable disease that could have been stopped with the appropriate immunization. The scenario below illustrates a particular mother’s refusal to get her child vaccinated.
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I concluded that this mother is taking advantage of the fact that other children are immunized and relies on the immunization of others to protect her child from diseases. I suggested that she think about the benefits of immunizations and remain open to changing her mind. (Kimmel, 2003, p. 651)Many parents do not have their children immunized because of religious beliefs. Since potential harm could possibly come from some vaccinations, parents believe they cannot allow their children to receive them. According to the CDC, “…states that provide a religious exemption do not report any higher rates in vaccine preventable diseases.” (Klicka, C. 2006.) Keep in mind children receiving vaccinations can help stop epidemics from spreading or reoccurring. This may be an explanation as to why these states with religious exemptions do not report a higher rate in diseases.
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So, what can happen if we do not vaccinate our children? Why not take the chance on beliefs, or luck, that our children will not contract any disease and survive without any complications through life. That is a chance we would have to think long and hard about. There is always that factor…what if? What if our children came down with a case of the whooping cough? Our children could develop coughing spells and that would eventually make it difficult for him/her to complete normal everyday activities, such as eating, drinking and breathing. Try to imagine cradling a child while they are wheezing and trying to catch their own breath night after night for a couple of months.
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Unforeseen consequences may follow if we choose not to vaccinate our children. Consider for a moment that our children have contracted a vaccine-preventable illness. You may be forced to stay at-home, and care for that child. In turn, one or more of the parents may have to miss countless days of work, and the child misses days of school. A sick child also translates into numerous doctor visits and monies spent not only on those visits but medication as well.
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Stated in a recent newspaper article, “Adding to public concern about vaccines is the fact that immunization is mandated by many state and local school entry requirements. A state enforced law passed in Suffolk, Virginia states, those children who do not show proof of vaccination, will not be allowed to attend school.” (Walson, K. Feb2006.) Mrs.Tine-Reichardt of Prevention Magazine suggests, “childhood immunizations an important topic we need to discuss with our child’s physician. It is normal for a parent to question medical practices, such as skipping the rumor mill and discussing our fears. She also suggests, to delay in getting our children vaccinated if they are currently under the weather with a cold or the flu.” (Van Tine-Reichardt, J. Dec2004).
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The CDC (2007) states, “Prior to federal licensing, vaccines, like other pharmaceutical products, undergo extensive safety evaluations in the laboratory, in animals and in human clinical trials. The vaccines undergo testing for purity and potency. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensure occurs only after the vaccine has met rigorous standards of efficacy and safety, and when its potential benefits in preventing disease clearly outweigh any risks. Manufacturers must submit samples of each vaccine lot and results of their own tests for potency and purity. Only after the FDA approves them can they be released for public use.
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“Vaccine-preventable diseasesThe World Health Organization reported (2002), “an estimated 1.4 million of deaths among children under 5 years were due to diseases that could have been prevented by routine vaccination.”According to the CDC (2007), “Approximately 100 million doses of childhood vaccines have been distributed during the past decade, as well as millions of additional doses given to adults.” When the time comes, we need to make certain we as parents have all the important facts and details available to us.
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We are fortunate that we have stopped the epidemics of smallpox, polio, diphtheria, and measles. The introduction of vaccines has accomplished more than we dreamed they would. Vaccines have become a necessary part of our world-for the current health of our children and for future generations. But because each act of administering small bits of disease and foreign substances to children opens the door to the possibility of debilitating consequences or even death, every possible attempt must be made to ensure that today’s vaccines and those in the future are as safe as possible.
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I am not suggesting that we return to the days without vaccines. But we must seriously address what appears to be an obvious link between the epidemic of developmental delays, autoimmune diseases, and the increasing number of mandatory vaccines. Every parent should know the advantages as well as the dangers associated with each and every vaccine, each and every time it is given. They should know the positive and negative consequences of refusing that their children be vaccinated, and be made aware of how they can go about getting exemptions.
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And the government, industry, health-care professionals, and parents must band together to get the research needed to determine the safety of these vaccines. The stakes are too high for us to do otherwise. (Cave, S. 2001)If questions or concerns arise, we as responsible parents need to consult with our doctor or local health department about the facts, not our friends about the stories or rumors. The failure to do so could be deadly and hit close to home.
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The issue of gap between rich and poor has still been significant over recent decades in our society. At present, the article “Issue Area: Gap between Rich & Poor”, Joyce deBoer and Ryan Warmouth inform growing gap between rich and poor will pose unstable feature for society in the near future by surveying and comparing the statistical evidences from Golden and Area A. In addition, authors hope this issue must be mentioned by the society and anticipate it will be controlled by developing policy.
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Obliviously, growing economic gap can cause the the evolution in some sense. Even so, this view should be too idealized for the current intense social competition. In my opinion, it has detrimental influence in aspects local stability and evolution. According to the description of the article, this issue can cause the local wealthy people can change to be rich increasingly and have adequate money to buy the local tracts and stores. In addition, along with the huge immigration of the new comer, the majority of them are wealthy or retired.
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Thus, the local rich people increase the price of land and food for high interest from immigrants. However, the local income does not grow, thereby causing the economic burden for local young people and low income earners. Apparently, this tendency causes the rich people more abundant. But, it can also cause the growth of criminal rate in the local. On the other hand, an increasing number of people can no longer afford to live there and move out to others place, thereby causing the loss of local labor force. This can impact the evolution of local economy.
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To sum up, growing gap between rich and poor have drawbacks for local stability, which cause the high burden live for local young people and low income earners. On the other hand, it can also bring about the loss of local labor force. I would concede that growing economic gap can create the competition of the society. Despite that this opinion should be too unreal. This article talks about the Canadian area has lived in the gap rich and poor. However, under financial crisis, this issue has already altered to be severe in some developing country. Afterward, I will research some articles about this problem in developing country.
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A person with less purchasing power is deeply affected because he cannot afford Goods and services, which the rich can afford and it’s safe to say that, he cannot change his life style and standard of living. Poor and rich gap can be in different forms, some of which are – Education, Income, Life style, Housing requirement and food needs to name of few. Since long, poor people have been ignored by the government but ignoring poor and their demands is not the solution because with poverty not only poor suffers but country suffers as well. Poverty is one of the big hurdles in the way of Indian Economy. Though, government has formulated number of concepts as part of the five year plans, corruption always comes in the way of their execution and implementation.
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As the poor cannot compete with the rich in pursuing higher education, they have to solely rely on their physical strength for earning their livelihood. Their earnings are so meager, that they are the true victims of inflation. According to the data of 2004-05 the crude literacy rate of India is 63%. Lack of education and medical awareness make them vulnerable to various health aspects. According to the 2009-2010 data 70% of all the hospitals in India is privately owned.
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Corruption as we all know is a chronic disease in India which creeps into the roots of the country to such an extent that no one can even think of getting his or her job getting done without paying bribe. According to a study carried out by Transparency International in 2005 it had been come into the fact approximately 75% of the population engages in bribing to get their work done in any public office. The key challenge for the government is to provide equal opportunities to everybody, in order to bridge the gap between the rich and poor.
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A person may have experienced living in poverty and also experienced being wealthy. Some others might still be living in poverty and some others can born wealthy. “Being rich isn’t all about money. It’s about well being, abundance, having time, success, and the right mindset (Laura).” The difference between being rich and poor is divided into two. For example, the United States is one of the richest countries. The areas around Africa and Asia tend to be the poorest country. But, that doesn’t mean people in the United State are all wealthy. Poverty and hunger are way less in the United States than in other developing countries. The United States is one of the richest country but there’s still a lot of people out there who live in poverty. Many people believe there is not much hunger in the United States but it is also a serious problem. Living in poverty mean not having enough money, food, and shelter. A person who is born wealthy wouldn’t know anything about the struggles of living in poverty. Things like money, food, clothes, and shelter. Here are the reasons how it leads people to poverty.
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There are so many people that are hungry, millions of people go to bed without eating anything. World hunger is a major global issue because people are dying every day. “People are hungry not because the population is growing so fast that food is becoming scarce, but because people cannot afford it (Anup).” When people can’t afford to buy food, then they don’t eat enough and end up dying. Hunger is all around the world and mostly happens in Africa and Asia. It seems impossible to fix or even decrease world hunger since there are billions of people out there who went through poverty.
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“Over 9 million people die worldwide each year because of hunger and malnutrition. 5 million are children (Anup).” The starving population is mostly women and children. Most people would likely die within 3 to 4 days without drinking water and eating food. China and India are the most populous and also the poorest countries. They have the largest number of people who went through hunger. Families with young children were living on the street with no shelters and food. Sometimes parents would tell their own child to steal. That one of their way to survive. In American, the homeless are everywhere on the street. They lose their job and home so they had nothing. Well, for rich people in America, they’re likely to waste food
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Education is a major issue when living in poverty. Children who raise in poverty don’t have the opportunity to attend school. This can lead to a person’s lifelong struggle. This mostly affects young children. Millions of children in Asia and Africa Don’t have the chance to go to school. This reason is also because of hunger. “66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone (Samir).” Being hunger ruined children’s brains. Their brain doesn’t develop properly and concentrate on things. They have to walk to school without food and they also have to help out in the house or family to make a living for their families. That what keeps them away from school. Children in America has the opportunity to attend school at a young age. A lot of students in America dislike school; this is mostly High School students. High School students hate school is mostly because of homework, things they were forced to learn and their interest. Now, that a whole different reason between the countries. There are also other side of not attending school in America. Those who didn’t finish school and drop out were living in poverty and there is a reason for that. Family problems, low income, and even stuff like depression or stress. When children have no access to education, they don’t have the knowledge to know what’s happening around them.
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A person can work really hard to reach their success and some others can do the same and still cannot provide for their families or themselves. A person can make thousands of dollars in a short period of time. A person can make as low as $10 a day and some others don’t have a job at all. They have too little to provide a family that why young children end up working instead of going to school. That where they don’t have any education and don’t lead them to not be successful. A person who earns lots of money has no worries about how they spend their money. And tend to even buy stuff they don’t really need. For a rich person, their power would be money because it is true that nothing in the world is free. But being wealthy doesn’t mean a person is always happy, money can’t buy happiness.
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A wealthy person has a better opportunity than people who aren’t very wealthy. This can lead to so many ways like lack of education, food and having no shelter. Being poor is not a choice. Those people living in poverty can’t get the help they need and nor help each other. People who are wealthy are happier but that doesn’t mean they are also happy but they can also be greedy sometimes and easy when it comes to judgemental. “People who are poor are always looking for problems instead of solutions. They end up blaming their environment, circumstances, jobs, weather, government and will make an extensive list of excuses as to why they cannot be successful. Rich people understand that everything happens for a reason. Rather than letting life happen to them, they take direct action and make big things happen. They put aside all the excuses and eradicate their blame lists because they have to do what must be done (Daniel).”
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“Social inequality is a more pressing socio-economic challenge than poverty in contemporary South Africa.” South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world, but not the poorest (with reference to income). We can see that the inequality in South Africa has worsened over time by looking at the country’s Gini Index score. In 1996 the score was 0.66 and in 2008, 0.70. The score has also deteriorated in terms of population groups: the score went from 0.54 to 0.62 between Blacks and from 0.43 to 0.50 between Whites (The World Bank, 2012). Countries such as Japan and Denmark have index scores around 0.25. The difference is quite visible. This essay will define poverty and inequality, discuss the measures and consequences of poverty and inequality, and discuss why inequality is a more pressing socio-economic challenge than poverty. Poverty can be defined as the failure to achieve certain basic capabilities and the inability to live a valued life. Basic capabilities include life, health, education, emotion and affiliation (Nussbaum, 1990:143).
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However, in the context of South Africa, no official definition has been adopted. It is important to note that income is not the best measure for social relations. Social inequality is known as the biggest socio-economic issue in South Africa. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, social inequality can be defined as “Unequal rewards or opportunities for different individuals within a group or groups within a society.” (Scott & Marshall, 2009). There are various types of social inequalities in contemporary South Africa. This includes life cycle and population, education, income and poverty, and health, nutrition, sanitation, disability and AIDS. Especially with regards to the current South African political system, the process of equality for all is a long, slow one (Wilson et al, 2012:13). In order to understand poverty and inequality, and also to understand why inequality is a bigger issue than poverty, we have to look at statistics.
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In 2008 34% of South Africans and 78% of people in Swaziland lived on less than $2 a day. However the Gini index score for South Africa was 65 (2005) and 50.4 for Swaziland (2001). (The World Bank, 2012) This is a clear indication that poverty does not mean that a country is unequal. Also, we have to keep n mind that the history of South Africa, with regards to colonialism and apartheid, will always have an effect on the amount of inequality that exists in the country. Stewart et al (2007) asks a very relevant question, “Should we expect definitions and measurement indicators applied in one type of society to be transferrable to other societies?” This statement will now be answered by looking at how we measure inequality and poverty and what the social consequences of these socio-economic issues are. Social inequality is measured mainly through the Gini coefficient, a statistical measure of income inequality.
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The coefficient works in the following way: a score of zero means all individuals earn the same and a score of one if a single individual had all the income. This means that a higher number means less equality in terms of income. The score for South Africa in 2008, as previously mentioned, was 0.62 for Blacks, 0.54 for Coloureds, 0.61 for Indians and 0.50 for whites. In terms of area it was 0.56 for rural areas and 0.67 for urban areas. The overall score was 0.70. (Leibbrandt et al, 2010). Another measure of social inequality is capabilities or, in other words, the power and ability to do something. The measure looks at capabilities in terms of education, health, disability and social power. Inequality in general has had little change in the past 8 years, inequality between groups is declining and inequality within groups is rising (Leibbrandt et al, 2010). Poverty is mainly measured in the following two methods. Firstly, the monetary system/approach is a general acceptance of a value and measure of wealth in a specific country or area.
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It can also be used in exchange and as a basis to compare things like education systems, for example (Stewart et al, 2007:7). The monetary system/approach is only valid in the following ways: “whether utility is an adequate definition for well-being, whether monetary expenditure is a satisfactory measure of utility and whether a shortfall in utility encompasses all we mean by poverty.” (Stewart et al, 2007:8). The latter should be placed in the context of the country that is being looked at. The ‘welfare indicator’ is used in the monetary system when data is being analysed. It is argued that monetary poverty is better measured by the data of consumption. Consumption is a closer measure of income in the long run (Stewart et al, 2007:10).
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The second method is the capability approach (CA) or maximisation of utility. This refers to the maximum that a person is capable of or able to do. The pioneer of this approach, Amartya Sen, states that development should be seen as the growth of human, rather than the maximisation of utility. This approach measures well-being and not income (Stewart et al, 2007:15). According to CA, well-being is the freedom to live a valued life. Even though the monetary system is an effective way of measuring poverty, I think that the capability approach is a more effective way of measuring poverty because of the following reason: Just because an individual does not have a lot of money, it does not mean that he/she is not capable of doing the maximum. It is true that resources become limited when an individual is stuck in a poverty trap, but a person’s income is not as important as their well-being. Inequality and poverty in South Africa have social consequences. It threatens social cohesion.
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This means that the inclusivity of communities is very poor. Secondly, it creates ethnic conflict. In other words, it turns into a ‘battle of the races’. Thirdly, crime and insecurity levels are rising. Sociologists are very intersted in the impact of inequality on crime rates because it has such a huge influence on society, especially in a country like South Africa. The crime levels usually go up with the unemployment rate because people are trying to survive. Crime rates are usually higher when especially income inequality is present. Inequality in the workplace can create the issue of insecurity because there has been a lot of change over the past ten years in terms of inclusivity or exclusivity. The denial of creativity and talent is also a huge consequence. The reason people waste their talent is because they are stuck in a ‘trap’ of poverty and inequality. They are not motivated to excel in their lives because they believe they have nothing to live for but to, for example, stand at a traffic light and beg.
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After looking at statistics and research done in the field, the opening statement of this essay will now be proven. Inequality is definitely a more pressing socio-economic issue than poverty in South Africa. Firstly, South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world but not the poorest. Firstly, South Africa is unequal in terms of education. In the white communities which are mostly urban, pupils have better teachers, better textbooks and more resources (internet, libraries). In the black communities in South Africa, which are mostly rural, the resources are very limited. Some schools do not even have teacher who show up and some pupils do not even own textbooks. Internet and library access is very limited. This prevents pupils from excelling in their education. However, we do see a connection here between poverty and inequality because in this context a person’s income can have an influence on the standard of education they receive.
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Despite this, the government should offer free, standardised education for pupils of all races, cultures and backgrounds. The area they live in and their parents’ salary should not determine the level of educational resources they receive. The same goes for health care. Citizens of South Africa pay thousands to afford good quality healthcare. The monthly premium is determined by a person’s income. The higher the income, the higher the premium. On the other hand, people who cannot afford medical aid, have to make use of the services the government has to offer. In South Africa, state healthcare are in most cases not very good. Thirdly, a country like South Africa’s past should not have an effect on the quality of people. The country has been a democracy for ten years. Unfortunately, the running government is trying to justify apartheid by actually making inequality worse.
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No equality exists in the workplace, education, income and health. Inequality is more pressing than poverty because it keeps individuals from having opportunities and to maximise their abilities to do something in society. Poverty is also pressing, but the individual has access to aids that can help them maximise their capabilities. In conclusion, this essay has defined poverty and inequality and also discussed the social consequences it can have. The measurement of poverty and inequality has been discussed and statistics have been used to argue the opening statement. This essay has proven, with reference to research and statistics, that inequality is a more pressing socio-economic issue than poverty in South Africa.
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Leibbrandt, M., Woolard, I., Finn, A. & Argent, J. 2010. The Policies for Reducing Income Inequality and Poverty in South Africa. A Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit Working Paper Number 64. Cape Town: SALDRU, University of Cape Town Nussbaum, M. 1990. Poverty and Inequality. Stanford: Stanford University Press Scott, J. & Marshall, G. 2009. The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology. Oxford: Oxford University Press Stewart, F., Laderchi, C. & Saith, R. 2007. Alternative Realities? Different Concepts of Poverty, their Empirical Consequences and Policy Implications. Oxford: Oxford University Press The World Bank. 2012. 2008 Annual Report. [Online.] Available:
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“Due to recent outbreaks of diseases which until recently have not been seen for decades, such as measles, some governments have introduced mandatory vaccination legislation. These attempts to force vaccinations have focused on vaccinating children, because most of these diseases are not only highly contagious in the school environment, but also a greater threat to children rather than healthy adults. This controversy has raised the debate whether parents should avoid vaccinating their children. After reviewing recent articles of both sides of the debate, I believe parents should vaccinate their children, because the public’s right to be healthy outweighs individual rights asserted against vaccination.
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According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, vaccination rates have been consistently high. However, the percentage of children under two years old who are not getting vaccinated is growing (Ortutay). In March, Facebook said they would no longer recommend ads from anti-vax groups that spread false information about vaccines. Scientific studies have shown vaccines are a safe and successful way to fight infectious diseases. A professor who studies social media and vaccines states social media creates echo chambers that can reinforce bad information (Ortutay).
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Fortunately, vaccination rates are still high even with social media having such a big influence on the topic (Ortutay). Many parents do not want their children vaccinated due to religious beliefs. Very few states allow parents to opt out of having their child vaccinated for personal, moral or other beliefs. When there is a loose policy surrounding vaccinations, it puts too many children at risk. Washington has a law that allows children to be exempted from required vaccinations if the decision to vaccinate conflicts with the family’s religious beliefs (Tribune). There are many questions about philosophical and religious exemption on social media and in print media such as newspapers (Collin 1).
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Personal reasons give people too many excuses to not have their children vaccinated, but leave society as a whole more concerned about their health. Parents should not be able to avoid vaccinating their children for any reason that is wholly detached from science (Tribune). Seven year old Rhett Krawitt, suffering from leukemia, expressed his support along with his family for proposed state legislation that does not allow parents to impose their beliefs as jurisdiction to prevent their children from getting vaccinated before entering school (Law to prevent). Ethical and public policy questions are often raised with Refusal to Vaccinate forms (Phillips). Parents of unvaccinated children are often forced to sign a Refusal to Vaccinate form for some pediatricians. Many Refusal to Vaccinate forms coerce parents to choose an option so their children are not vaccinated, but that option often contains language that ignores some reasons for refusal, such as religious or philosophical. With the heightened controversy, many jurisdictions have seen an increase in the amount of Refusal to Vaccinate forms required, with physicians claiming legal reasons for requiring such forms (Phillips).