Impact of Gender on Communication Essay -- Gender Roles

Throughout human history gender has had a significant, if not the most significant, role in human life. It is clearly a fork in the road at birth that will determine many things you will barely ever have any control over. What you wear, what you eat, what you do; all is directly influenced all throughout your life based on your gender. These â€Å"gender-roles† have been long assigned without personal say, or even our parents say. In fact, it stems from almost pre-historic times to the beginning of our evolutionary chain. Regardless of more current acts that have meshed these rolls together, I think it is obvious to say we will always look at a man and women differently. It only seems logical that they two will also communicate very differently, which they do. Now we all have expectations of what the roles of each gender are. We all have an idea in our head about what the â€Å"real American man† is. He should boast a confidence that he is the main competitor. He can probably accomplish any task almost entirely on his own, and always does it better than anyone else. A male child is raised to aspire to have these qualities, therefore striving to display them in almost everything they do. Almost every â€Å"boy activity† revolves around some type of competition, always one versus the other. This ranges from recreational sports, like soccer and football, to silly games boy play on their own, like cops and robbers. Growing up in a highly competitive environment leads to standard characteristics we say amongst adolescents to young men. Men tend to be honest, direct, and factual. This leads to a communication environment where the main goal is to exchange information in order to solve a problem. This is where women will fi... ...any corporate cultures would even consider this innovative, and very effective. You are seeing more rising female executives and more stay at home dads than any other generation. Mainly, because now it is not out of the norm, and genders are encouraged to explore all opportunities. Not just those historically restricted to their gender. Obviously these gender roles are almost impossible to escape, but our society has shown great growth in regards to social equality. We have grown able to mesh the polar opposites together, and possibly have more robust communication now than ever before in history. We definitely are born and bred to have certain traits, but more than ever before we have more choices to actually satisfy what we ourselves want. The home is no longer a definitive place for women, and the executive office no longer a private lounge for men.

Racism and Anti-Semitism in the United States

Racism and Anti-Semitism in the United States Racism and Anti-Semitism in the United States With The election of the first black president of the United States, Barrack Obama people believed it to be the end of racism in the U. S. Although The United States has made tremendous progress and racism and anti-Semitism are discouraged and not tolerated in many U. S. organizations, it is still a wide spread problem facing Americans today. There are large amounts of evidence reguarding racial profiling in our justice systems, schools, and financial institutions.Hate crimes and race inflicted vandalism continue to be a problem in our culture. It is apparent that even though we have made great strides away from racism the United States still continues to struggle with acts racism and Anti-Semitism. Racism can be found throughout the United States, from government to schools and even churches. While most would say that Obama was elected because of dedication to public service, intelligence and a great campaign, others would argue it was more than that that got him his presidency. With everything the U. S. as experiencing from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, increasing unemployment, People were reaching for any kind of change that could have made a difference. Since President Obama came into office there has been a 400% increase of threats since President George W. Bush, reaching the highest number of threats in history (Chelala, 2010). This can be mostly contributed to the race of president Obama, while threats against the president are common due to policy and beliefs there are many groups whom do not wish to have a black man running the country.Racism can also be found in our law enforcement systems, in the form of racial stereotypes. While these racial stereotypes have lessened over the years, and become less apparent, or common, there are still many concerns about its presents in our legal system. Though racial stereotyping is illegal the statistical evidence is overwh elming. In an article by D. E Rogers, He argues that â€Å"Simply being an African-American greatly increases your chances of being pulled over by police. One study in Maryland found that 76 percent of motorists stopped on a stretch of highway wereAfrican-Americans, while African-Americans only held 20 percent of all drivers licenses in the state† (Rogers, 2010). In another study, published by Stanford Business, Lowery demonstrates â€Å"how racial stereotypes subtly operate in the penal system. Los Angeles police and probation officers were asked to make judgments about a hypothetical adolescent (whose race was not identified) who had allegedly either shoplifted or assaulted a peer. Certain officers were first subliminally exposed towards commonly associated with African Americans (such as ghetto, homeboy, dreadlocks, etc. on a rapidly flashing computer screen so that they took in the information subconsciously. In contrast to subjects who did not receive this â€Å"primin g,† officers with the subconscious messaging attributed more negative traits and greater culpability to the hypothetical offenders, and they endorsed harsher punishment—all typical responses to black as opposed to white offenders. â€Å"What's particularly interesting is that many of the officers were African Americans themselves,† Lowery notes. â€Å"This shows the degree to which even African Americans can be affected by the negative associations in the environment† (Rigoglioso, 2008).African-Americans are one of the highest groups to be stereotyped there are many other groups that are targeted as well. According to American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) since the event of September 11th 2001, Muslims, Arabs and other Middle Eastern citizens are widely targeted by law enforcement and other organizations. This set of stereotypes has become more targeted than African Americans do to the uncertainty of their crimes or what they are capable of. Citizens of Mi ddle Eastern decent are not only stereotyped on the streets but in businesses and air ports. September 11 had a substantial impact on Arab American communities. In every site, Arab Americans described heightened levels of public suspicion exacerbated by increased media attention and targeted government policies (such as special registration requirements, voluntary interviews, and the detention and deportation of community members). Although community members also reported increases in hate victimization, they expressed greater concern about being victimized by federal policies and practices than by individual acts of harassment or violence† (Henderson, Ortiz, Sugie ; Miller, 2006).Today racism is discouraged and crimes against race or hate crimes are a federal offence. Most Americans who do experience racist thoughts and or ideas would most likely never admit to them, and yet there are still increasing numbers of acts of racism in our country. â€Å"Even among the most well-i ntentioned and consciously egalitarian people non-conscious associations about ethnic groups still have a pernicious effect on behavior and attitudes†(Rigoglioso, 2008).Lowery also explains that his research â€Å"confirms that children who identify strongly with parental figures tend pick up their parents' racial views† (Rigoglioso, 2008). This observation can be both bad and yet promising, because children can also pick up and spread non-racist behaviors as well. Though groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and other racist organizations are social out casts, they are still existent in American culture today, but do not freely announce their beliefs in the streets as they did many years ago.So does the evidence remains in the continuous acts of violence that are apparent to racial aspects? From beatings to killings and all around cruel behavior towards and against many different races all across the United States continue to take place daily and numbers continue to rise. Is the American culture truly free from Racism and Anti-Semitism? There are those who believe that Racism is going away or has even become non- existent in the United States.Many people sometimes refer to this as racism denial, those who do not see or choose not to see the growing racial occurrences in the United States. Racism is defiantly not as blatant as it once was, is it possible that we have just moved on or transitioned to a new definition of racism? It can be said the new form of racism is in the denial of racism. According to John McWhorter, racism in America is gone; he stated that even though Americans will continue to be imperfect, and races will still be stereotyped, some races will still receive special treatment or different treatment than others.But he believes that as a whole or majority of America has moved past racism as it is no longer a huge problem in the United States, as it once was in the past (McWhorter, 2008). Most who believe that racism in the United Stat es of America is over, believe that it officially ended in 2008 when we elected our first black president. These people or groups of people can most likely be categorized as denying racism. Does the election of a black president truly mark the end of racism in our country? America will always suffer from the results of slavery and will always be tarnished with these memories.But for many years America has allowed citizens of every race to achieve anything and attend any school, but the fact remains that some Americans hold racial beliefs and tend to target or inflict these beliefs on others. So maybe America as a country is no longer suffering from racism, but the evidence remains that many Americans as individuals still hold to racist beliefs. So due to continued acts of racist crimes, comments and stereotyping found in our schools, law enforcement and business, the fact remains there is still racism in our country, even if we choose not to see it or acknowledge it.The election of a black present was a great turning point for our country but was not the end of racism and anti- Semitism for the United States of America. References Chelala, C. (2010, April 02). Is racism still alive in America? Retrieved from https://www. commondreams. org/view/2010/04/02-7Hillen, John. Henderson, N. , Ortiz, C. , Sugie, N. , & Miller, J. (2006, June). Law enforcement & arab american community relations after september 11, 2001. Retrieved from http://www. vera. org/download? file=147/Arab+American+community+relations. pdf McWhorter, J. 2008, December 30). Racism in America is over. Retrieved from http://www. forbes. com/2008/12/30/end-of-racism-oped-cx_jm_1230mcwhorter. html Rigoglioso, M. (2008, January 01). Racial stereotypes can be unconscious but reversible . Retrieved from http://www. gsb. stanford. edu/news/research/hr_racialstereotypes. shtml Rogers, D. E. (2010, June 30). Racism vs. African-Americans in America. Retrieved from http://theworldofdavid. wordpress. com/2010 /06/30/racism-vs-african-americans-in-america-today-at-a-glance/ http://www. aclu. org/racial-justice/racial-profiling

The Narmer Palette Politics in Early Dynastic Egypt

The Narmer Palette is the name of an elaborately carved shield-shaped slab of gray schist made during the Old Kingdom of Dynastic Egypt (ca. 2574-2134 BC). It is the earliest monumental representation of any pharaoh: the carvings on the palette depict events in the life of King Narmer, also known as Menes, considered the founding ruler of Dynastic Egypt. Narmers palette was found in a deposit with 2,000 other votive objects within the ruins of a temple at his capital city of Hierakonpolis south of Luxor. British archaeologists James E. Quibell and Frederick Green found the main deposit during their 1897-1898 field season at Hierakonpolis. Palette and Palettes The Narmer Palette is 64 centimeters (25 inches) long, and its shield shape is the same as that used for the domestic tool called a palette, which was used to hold cosmetics. Plainer, smaller domestic cosmetic palettes had been made by Egyptians for at least a thousand years before the date of the Narmer Palette. Thats not unusual in Egyptian iconography—the Narmer Palette is one of a series of elaborately carved, portable objects dated to the formative period of Dynastic culture in Egypt, around the turn of the third millennium BCE. Many of these objects are ceremonial replicas of long-used domesticate objects. Other examples of large carved objects depicting the deeds of Old Kingdom pharaohs include the Narmer Macehead, which illustrates the presentation of animals and people to a seated ruler, likely Narmer; a flint knife with an ivory handle showing a scene of combat found at Gebel el-Arak; and a slightly later ivory comb bearing the name of a different king of the First Dynasty. All of these are oversized, elaborate versions of common artifact types found in the Badarian/Khartoum Neolithic-Naqada I periods, and in this manner, they represent references to what would have been  ancient history to the people of the Old Kingdom. Who Was Narmer? Narmer, or Menes, ruled about 3050 BCE  and was considered by the First Dynasty Egyptians as the founder of that Dynasty, the last king of what archaeologists call Dynasty 0, or the Early Bronze Age IB. Egyptian dynastic civilization began over 5,000 years ago with the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt into a single Upper Egyptian Polity based at Hierankopolis, that unification attributed to Narmer in historical Egyptian records. Numerous later Egyptian writings claim Narmer as the conqueror of all the societies along the length of the Nile River,  but some scholarly doubt persists. Narmers own tomb has been identified at Naqada. Cosmetic palettes began to be used as prestige objects in Egypt as early as the predynastic Naqada II-III period (3400-3000 BCE). A depression on such palettes was used to grind pigments, which were then mixed into a colored paste and applied to the body. The Narmer Palette was probably never used for that purpose, but there is a circular depression on it. That depression is what makes this side the obverse or front of the palette; despite that fact, the most often reproduced image is that of the back. Iconography of the Narmer Palette Carved into the top scrolls on both sides of Narmers palette are cows with human faces, sometimes interpreted as the goddesses Bat and Hathor. Between the two is a serekh, a rectangular box containing hieroglyphs of the main protagonist, Narmer. The main central relief of the reverse side of the palette shows King Menes wearing the white crown and dress of Upper Egypt kings and raising his mace to smite a kneeling prisoner. A falcon representing the Egyptian sky god Horus perches on a rebus listing countries defeated by Menes  and a human arm coming from the falcon holds a rope securing a prisoners head. The Obverse Side On the front or obverse side, the king, wearing the red crown and costume of Lower Egypt, marches out to view the stacked and dismembered bodies of his slain enemies, preceded by the souls of the kings of Lower Egypt. To the right of his head is a catfish, the schematic representation of his name Narmer (Nmr). Below that and twining around the depression are the long necks of two mythical creatures, serpent-leopards borrowed from Mesopotamian imagery. Some scholars such as Millet and OConnor have argued that this scene functions as a year label—the palette represents events that happened during the Year of Smiting the North Land. At the bottom of obverse side, the figure of a bull (probably representing the king) threatens an enemy. In Egyptian iconography, Narmer and other pharaohs often are illustrated as animals. Narmer is illustrated elsewhere as a bird of prey, a scorpion, a cobra, a lion or a catfish: His Horus name Narmer could be translated as mean catfish, and his name glyph is a stylized catfish. The Purpose of the Narmer Palette There are several interpretations of the purpose of the palette. Many perceive it as a historical document—a bit of political braggadocio—specifically of the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Others feel it is a reflection of early Dynastic attitudes towards the cosmos. Some, such as Wengrow, believe the palette illustrates a Mediterranean cattle cult dating back to the Neolithic. Given its recovery from within a temple deposit, the palette may be a dedicatory object for the temple in which it was found, and it was probably used in rituals that took place in the temple and celebrated the king. Whatever else the Narmer palette might be, the iconography is an early and definitive manifestation of a common image among rulers: the king smiting his enemies. That motif remained an important symbol throughout the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms and into Roman times,  and arguably is a worldwide symbol of rulers. Sources Hendrickx, Stan, et al. â€Å"The Earliest Representations of Royal Power in Egypt: the Rock Drawings of Nag El-Hamdulab (Aswan).†Ã‚  Antiquity, vol. 86, no. 334, 2012, pp. 1068–1083.OConnor, David. â€Å"Context, Function and Program: Understanding Ceremonial Slate Palettes.†Ã‚  Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, vol. 39, 2002, pp. 5–25.Wengrow, David. â€Å"Rethinking ‘Cattle Cults’ in Early Egypt: Towards a Prehistoric Perspective on the Narmer Palette.†Ã‚  Cambridge Archaeological Journal, vol. 11, no. 1, 2001, pp. 91–104.Wilkinson, Toby AH. â€Å"What a King Is This: Narmer and the Concept of the Ruler.†Ã‚  The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, vol. 86, 2000, pp. 23–32.Williams, Bruce, et al. â€Å"The Metropolitan Museum Knife Handle and Aspects of Pharaonic Imagery before Narmer.†Ã‚  Journal of Near Eastern Studies, vol. 46, no. 4, 1987, pp. 245–285.