Summing up the course

Summing up this course in one word, random! Some parts the course have been entertaining, people sharing some of their strange and funny experiences, on certain topics, with the group. However, some sessions have been much less interactive, with the lecture not fitting in time for discussion, or the lecture having to finishing early.
Some of the topics, you can see, have a forward link between the idea of ‘being bad’ with the taboos that are stereotyped as being bad in society. Such as masturbation, body modification, gambling and so forth. However others, such as ‘being too religious’ and ‘bandits and out laws’ were very disappointing, having little or nothing of interest.
One think that has been made clear though the module is that, most of the sessions have revolved around us having to put something into the session for us to get any interest out of it. Also, that most of the topics covered are still relevant taboos that still reside in society, thus still having relevance for us today.

response

"15 March 2007
Bondage prt deux
ok sorry but i had to put this pic to show what many people consider asd improper sex and needless violence in the bedroom

enjoy"


Ok, that was Gordon’s random picture of bondage, and this reinforces my point that I made about our modern society and porn. Women have to do more now in their sex life, in this modern society then they had to 30 years ago. 30 years ago, men were turned on by women showing a boob, now we don’t buy anything in a cloths shop if it isn’t showing some boobs! Going back to the picture, people get off on this sort of stuff but why? It’s strange and some would say that it is down to the male mind and porn.
However, sometimes it’s not the male’s idea, some women enjoy this stuff. So maybe, 30 years ago, women were also as ‘dirty’ as men’s minds, yet they just didn’t want to come out with it?

"SMOKING is it bad ?????

and the answer is .... NOOOOOO!!!

its just another bloody excuse for you liberal lefty "people" to moan about something else in the world because you lot have nothing to do in your spare time.

all we ever here is anti smoking this and anti smoking that well........

what about an advert promoting ciggerettes for the youth of today 'cause surly they wont want to do it then because it wouldnt be rebellious!!!

RADICAL I KNOW BUT HEH !!!"

Again another one of Gordon’s ideas. Why doesn’t the government want a smoking society, because it damages health, not just the smokes but the people around them too (check out the website that I put up for damage smoking causes). The government wants a help nation so that it has a health, long living work force, which maintains the country’s stability in the world. When the smoking ban comes in, the idea is that it will encourage less people to smoke, people lifestyles will become healthier, thus a healthier nation! Face it Gordon, smoking is bad!
Binge Drinking Youngsters

"Underage drinking is a bit of an issue at present. The government fear that drinking underage will possibly cause alcohol dependency in later life, and so they are trying to prevent it. Most people I know started drinking before they were 18, myself included; its almost expected today, but the age people are starting to drink at is getting younger and younger.


I was 14 when I first started going out and hanging around the streets, drinking. There used to be a really big group of us that would meet up on a field by where I live and just get drunk. At the time when I was doing it I didn't think much of it, the police would often come to us and try to move us on due to complaints from people who lived near by, but we would have none of it. When I think back to the fights and arguments that took place and how loud we must have been, it was bad really. Its scary how much alcohol can change you, hence the reason why a lot of the times our weekly binge sessions would turn to violence.
This kind of behaviour that I once indulged in is the kind that can get you an ASBO nowadays. Hooliganism and violent acts such as rape and murder, take place because of underage drinking, where people get out of control. When I think about what I and others have put our livers through, it was probably not the most sensible thing to do, but I think this kind of behaviour is getting much worse.
I don't really regret hanging around the streets drinking, because I think its just part of growing up, almost like "a right of passage!", although its not really acceptable"

Something from Nat there, and she is right. Binge drinking is an issue, for the nation as a whole but especially in youngsters at the present. I mean at the moment I’m writing this my little brother who is 17 is texting me asking me if he can come to the club with me tonight. I know full well that he is going to get as pissed as a tart and have a smashing hangover in the morning. However, I’ll let him come in with me. Why? Well he has got to learn one way or another that drinking is not the only way that he can enjoy a night out. You don’t have to get so drunk that you can’t stand and then have a good fight and a kebab on the way home to enjoy your self. Yet I know that if he is out with me then I know where he is, if he goes out somewhere else, then I can’t keep an eye on him.
Anyway, my point is that kids have to learn, as did we, that drinking is the only way to have a good night, regardless what sort of actions the government imposes, kids are still going to drink.

Violence

Do films promote violence or is it that violence is such apart of our society that we seemingly can not watch a good film with out a good punch up in it? “Movies don’t create psychos, movies make psychos more creative.” (From ‘Scream One’)
Fact, people enjoy watching violence. Even children’s films have violence in them, not to such an extreme, and it is usually where the good guy wins, but there is still violence. We have fighting sports such as boxing and wrestling, competitions for violence, karate, judo and so on. Fighting, or so form of violence, plays a huge part in our society thus why should it not be a part of media and film industry.
When a director wants to make a film, he attempts to do it in such away to make the film as realistic as possible, also they want to make the audience feel as though they are part of the film, so why not add something into the film that is such a big thing in society such as violence.
However, it is a fact that violence does seem to have increased more, especially in the youth of society since more and more films have increased in the amount of violence within them. Children attempt to imitate what they have seen in the films, thus if they see violence it is likely that they will attempt to imitate it. However, this maybe down to the responsibility of parents. Films have age ratings now, thus limiting children to what they can watch without the responsibility of a parent. Thus it is the parents responsibility to allow their children to watch what them deem fit.

Therefore can we blame directors of films for such an increase in the amount of violence, even though they place violence in nearly every film in the world.
Society enjoys to watch violence, whether they find it comical or just breath taking, violence sells. Therefore, it would be silly for the directors, film industry, not to take advantage of something that they know is going to sell their product. Violence has been around since the beginning of time, well before films and the media.

Lying

Is lying ever a good thing, is there ever a reason to lie, or is it always a bad, immoral thing to do to someone else? This is an argument debated by philosophers for centuries and no answer was ever found. The old scenario of, if a mad man came in with a gun, he asks for someone that you know he is going to kill, is it right then to lie to someone for the sake of someone else’s life?
Some people don’t refer to this situation as ‘lying’ but refer to it as a ‘white lie’. People see a white lie as, ‘a consciously untrue statement which is not considered criminal; a falsehood rendered venial or praiseworthy by its motive.’ (O.E.D online). People look as a white lie being less than a lie, that it isn’t so immoral as it is attempting to save someone from harm, sometimes.
People lie for all sorts of reasons. Because they need to in order to save their own skin. Others lie to help others. Many people lie in order to make them selves look a better person than what they are. People lie to one another in order to try and impress others around them. This may start from an early age with children lying to their parents in order to gain some thing. Here is a website telling us how children, from various ages, lie in order to gain and that lying is apart of development for a child;

http://www.parenting-ed.org/handout3/Specific%20Concerns%20and%20Problems/lying.htm

Teenagers can lie about fights they have been in or sexual activities that they have participated in. This can then lead to more lies when a person gets older, lying to a women to lead her to bed…
It seems sad that people have to lie to impress others, if someone isn’t impressed with you for the person you are then it isn’t worth you attempting to get to know the person.
However, the lowest form of lying for me, must be when someone lies with an intent, they choose to lie to people in the hope that it may bring about the downfall of someone else. This you can see is done with politicians. However, this is not the only place that it can take place, as is the same with another types of lying. Lying with intent is shallow and immoral, in my opinion you are considered lower than scum!

Bad Comedians

What makes a comedian good, or bad? Is their any such thing as a good or bad comedian? If so then what classifies them as good or bad? Can we call Chubby Brown a good comedian against Peter Kay? Both comedians can be said to make us laugh, yet both have different audiences to entertain. Chubby Brown has an audience that appreciates his sick humour. However is it sick humour? In a society such as today, is he being racist etc or is he just voicing his opinion? Everyone has a voice of opinion in to days society, thus should his be looked down on any differently? Perhaps it should, his opinion, is not placed in private but publicly on stage. He is also making fun of others to fund his living. Is he really just a low class politician? He is voicing his opinion public ally and getting paid for it.
What is true is that, when people attending his performances, he does not get people laughing at him and his ’comedy’ but people cheer, as though the event is something political, reflecting a rally of some sort. It is not a political event, its stand up comedy! He is a comedian, not a politician, people get confused.
Chubby Brown is considered a bad comedian because he uses offensive material and taboos of society to fuel his material and crowd, this offensive, which what this country is trying to disband, is what is funding this person’s livelihood. Peter Kay is considered a good comedian, he rarely swears, and entertains the whole family with his stand up. Although, but they both have a social following o as long as they produce the material that their 'public' want to hear then it shouldn’t be a problem

Porn

Porn, is it a bad thing?
Well, most men what state that porn is the best thing since sliced bread with butter, and most women would turn around and say that they think that it is disgusting and is wrong. So, now we have the stereotype ideas out of the way, lets get down to it.
Many would consider porn as an industry, that generates billions of dollars a year through the sales of merchandise, T.V channels and internet sites. It generates jobs and careers for people, people who believe that they can then call them selves a ’porn star’.
Yet, not all people see porn as an industry, or an honest industry at least . Many think that it is an industry that exploits, abuses and then finally abandons their young ‘stars‘. Once they reach and then pass their peck in their career they are abandoned by the major money making industry to fend for themselves, usually with not much to show for their contribution to the industry, in terms of money.
People believe that directors of porn take advantage of the youngsters that come into the industry, and then those that are vulnerable and know no better. They start promising them fame and fortune and everything else that they could ever want. Then they begin to tell them that they must do x y and z in order to reach the fame and fortune that they so want. This can then lead to extremes which can, and does, leave people scared from the experiences.
However, others have a neutral grounding on porn. Porn is a huge industry that generates jobs and billions of dollars, thus gives the industry power. If the industry does not abuse its power and influence then there is no disagreement for some people, “as long as its not exploitative then its Okay” (Lisa Waltho).
I did attempt to find stories of how the porn industry as used and abused young people into participating in acts that they didn’t want to, however, all I found was advertisements for free porn sites. This takes me to my next point that porn is now everywhere, and in most cases free. But what does this say about us as a society, that we can not feel satisfied with just sex from our partner? That we must look for some alternative form of pleasure? This article shows one view, which I think is very relevant and made me laugh through the truth that it brings forward, http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/trends/n_9437/

In conclusion, something that I find strange is that, nearly everyone has seen porn in some form or another, many of us possible own some version of porn, yet most of us would be embarrassed to admit to it. Porn is everywhere, yet, like masturbation, we are embarrassed to admit to it.

Drugs

Are drugs ever bad? People always presume that when we say drugs we mean the illegal forms of drugs that frazzle our brains into a supernatural world state. Everyone fails to see that drugs also come in forms that the doctors prescribed to us to make us better from an illness. Also people fail to see that substances such as alcohol and tobacco are also an addictive drug that can, eventually, kill you.
However, getting back to the original questions, it depends. It depends on what drugs you happen to take and in what dose. Silly things, such as ‘weed’, in such a society that we are living today, really isn’t a big issue. For example, I think that the police now don’t even arrest you, if you are over age, for having, under a certain amount, of ‘weed’ on you person. If you are under age then all they do is just take you home. It seems as though we only have to walk down the street to get high off someone else’s fumes.
Although, sometimes, we don’t just stop with the small class drugs. Most people always want to try the next step, the next big thing. This is when, I disagree, and it becomes highly dangerous to you and people around you. When people turn to drugs such as heroine, it is much easier and quicker to become addicted. This can then lead to awful situations, such as stealing off you won family to fund your addiction.
If you want to read true stories of people on drug addictions, here is an website that maybe of some interest;
http://www.drugfree.org/portal/stories/

Alcohol

Lets get one thing sorted from the get go, everyone that is going to read this now, I can safely say, has been as intoxicated to their hearts content more than once, for many, possible before the legal age of when we are allowed to be served with alcohol, correct? Therefore, I can safely lead to the assumption that all of you have had on of the worst feelings in the world, a hangover. And I can then say that, for most of you, you properly responded with, “I’m very going to drink again!” Correct? However, I also presume that you have all drank again, and possible got as bad, if not worse than the last time you said, “Never again!” Does this therefore lead that we are all alcoholics? That we are all addicted and need alcohol in our lives?
Working in a pub and nightclub in the middle of Wolverhampton, I can say that the temptation for alcohol is always there, and I can easy get as fubared as I want every night. Yet I choose not to if I don’t want to, if I want to go out and spend the whole night drinking J2O or pop I can quiet easily do so.
So I presume that that doesn’t make me an alcoholic because I don’t need a drink every time I go out. I have the will power and the to turn around and say that I don’t want to drink.
Yet for some, people don’t have the will power to turn around and say that, they need a drink every time they go out, to “enjoy their selves.”
For me alcohol can be one of the most dangerous, in that it can kill you and hurt others around, drug that we can become addicted to. It comes down to will power and to have the responsibility for our actions in the amount we drink, which I know is very hard for us students to accomplish.

You want to know what it like for a real alcoholic, read this, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/closetohome/stories/html/peggy.html

Gambling

There are many things in to days society that we can fall victim to and become an addict. Drugs, alcohol and smoking. However, one thing that seems to be missed out on many occasions, yet can be equally as dangerous, is gambling.
Gambling, is seemingly everywhere in our modern society. In every town there is must at least be on ‘Quick Silver’ or ‘Play’, gambling centres, where we can stop off into on the way round town to attempt to win ‘a couple of quid’. We even have a capital gambling city, Las Vegas. Las Vegas is world known for its huge casinos and gambling centres, just check out this web site;

http://www.visitlasvegas.com/vegas/index.jsp,

Every bloody hotel has a casino attached to it. The thing is, people will save for years just for the one chance to take a holiday here, years! Yet, we don’t really even need to leave the comfort of our own home now to gamble. We can do it twenty four seven over the internet, every other pop up is either asking us to join a porn or gambling site.
It seems that gambling, although can be as addictive as a drug, is seen as just another social norm. I mean, in every gangster film there seems to be a casino or card game scene. A ‘Bond’ film wouldn’t be a ‘Bond’ film if it didn’t have some card game in it.
Yet, why do people do it, why do people gamble? The risk, in my opinion is just to high if you become addicted. People have lost their homes, jobs and family’s to fund their addiction. Gambling can take over peoples lives.
On the other hand, with some form of gambling everywhere we turn, there is really no surprise why the temptation for people is so high.
We, I don’t gamble, don’t even have a go on the lottery (which yes, is a form of gambling). I couldn’t even tell you how to use the machines in the pubs, yet I wouldn’t want to start either. Yes, it would be great to win so much money, but a sad shame to loose so much.

Masturbation

In modern times, we have so many shows on television that talk about sex, sex activities, just general sex. We have them going on all through the day on certain channels. The morning chat shows, such as Trisha, always have some reference to sex in some way. Yet, when it comes to masturbation, there is little, or no discussion about the matter. Why is this?
People are very open to talk about whatever they do in bed with another partner. However, when it comes to what a person does in bed on their own, the conversation goes cold.
It seems that people are embarrassed or ashamed about what they get up to on their own. But, regardless what anyone says, everyone masturbates, its natural, isn’t it?
Also, if you think about masturbation as a sexual act, then it is usually the fist and perhaps the most frequent sexual act that people participate in. so then people should be more open about the topic, as they are like with sex. That’s just my opinion though…

Being too religious

In my opinion, I have nothing wrong with people being apart of a faith/religion, whether they are strongly devoted or not. There is nothing wrong with people practicing an organised religion. The problem, for most people I believe, is when people are pestered and harassed, in extreme cases, by others, in an attempt to convert people to their way of thinking. This is when we get the problem of extremists and being too over religious.
The easiest example for me in the situation of extremists is the cowboy man in Wolverhampton city centre. The man is persistent in his actions of attempting to convert people to his ideas of a Christian life. However, he is one person that takes his views to the extreme. Serveal times he has had the police talk to him for his methods of converting people, which some say is harassment. But this leads me to question, what sort of institution is this man from, if any, if the leaders are sending him freely out into the city centre attempting to convert people like this?
This is the only single extreme case that I can think of. Another organisation that intrudes on your personal time in an attempt to convert you to their view of a religious life is the Jehovah witnesses, yet not in such an extreme case as the cowboy man.
Jehovah witnesses come to your door and ask if you would mind talking to them about God, your religion and how they live their lives. They are by now where intimidating in their approach, from what I can see, and are not persistent.
As I stated, I am not a religious man yet hold no grudge against those that choose to practice a religion. The problem that I have is when people intrude on your own personal time and attempt to, some may say, brain wash you into believing in something! It is an extreme manor for an orgainised religion to take on in an attempt to covert more to their way.

Body Modification

The most basic body modification could be as simple as cutting your hair. However, it seems that body modification seems only to stand out in a society, depending on what society deems fit to be classed as a social norm. Yet even this changes, given a certain time and place. At the moment, in our western society, the stand out for body modification is extreme piercing and tattoos, full body tattooing, streaching piercings. Although, even this is changing.
Body piercing and tattoos are taking to the next extreme level. With scarification and branding seemingly taking the place of tattoos, it seems that now body modification is taking its next stand out into a twenty first century.
Another example is in certain areas of Africa it is attractive for a women to wear large metal bangles around her neck, which makes their neck longer. The longer the neck, it is deemed the more attractive the women. Although in our western culture, we would find this abnormal, as to why a women would do this to their body to impress a man.
For me, I find nothing wrong with body modification, in the form of tattoos and piercing. It is our body, we can choose to modify anyway we see fit, even though I wouldn’t like the idea of being branded my self.
if you want to see more then look here, http://www.bmezine.com/

Smoking

People tell you that smoking is bad for your health, can lead to illness and death while also damaging those around you. So if this is the case, that smoking leads to illness then why do people choose to smoke?
Many people begin to smoke at a young age, thinking that it is the cool thing to do, to fit into the group, look like “the hard one”, there are many reasons why people begin to smoke at a young age. However, smoking, like any other drug (which nicotine in cigarette smoke is), is addictive. Thus once people realise that smoking is not as such a cool thing as they once believed when they were younger, it is, usually, too late. People have spent the best part of their life smoking and have damaged their health beyond repair.
Here is a website that explains the risks of smoking;

http://www.ash.org.uk/html/factsheets/html/fact02.html

So is it really worth it, the image that smoking gives, to look cool, even sexy some would suggest, against the dangers that smoking has against your health, is it really worth it? Some would say yes, that we all die eventually so why does it matter how or when, me I’d much rather live as long as I can.

Infidelity

Infidelity, to cheat, lie and betray. All these attributes can lead to people being hurt, both mentally and physically. Yet, why then is it that infidelity is looked on as just an occurrence that takes place in life.
Most people blame the rise of infidelity to images that are portrayed in the media. Through programmes such as ‘Eastenders’ people see actors living lives through their characters which seem to be having affairs at least twice a week, thus the audience, constantly viewing, may see infidelity to be less wrong because it is just a regular occurrence, it becomes a social norm, that you should expect to be betrayed at some point in your life, seemingly.
But what other reasons may there be for infidelity? The phrase, “Once a cheater always a cheater…I don’t think anyone, no matter how strong their relationship is, can avoid the temptation to cheat if they thought they could get away with it.” (Shell Slawinski)
So perhaps it has to do with past. If a person has gotten away with it once, then they believe, psychologically that they can get away with it again. Same as a child getting away with something with their parents, or someone stealing something from a store, they are going to keep pushing and pushing until they know when they reach their limit, or are court. This could be the same with infidelity. When people are in a young teenage relationship, perhaps 17 or so, they wish to look the ‘big one’ in the group and play ‘get with who ever they feel like it, when ever they feel like it‘, knowing that they have the security of someone waiting for them at home.
As they have gotten away with it then, they can perhaps grow up believing that they can continue to do so.
However, because they have not experienced the experience of betrayal themselves, but just betrayed others, they do not know what those feelings are, if they did then perhaps they would have a different approach to their life.
Infidelity is wrong, people end up getting hurt. We are all human, all equal, therefore we have no right to hurt your upset anyone else. Thus you should not enter a relationship if you believe you will have the idea of cheating on your partner.

Shoplifting?

Shop lifting, is it the same as any other theft, or is it in a different league of its own, a league in where people do not see it as such an offensive crime?
I can tell you from working in a store, when someone attempts to steal from the store it could take at least up to half an hour for a police officer to come and sort the situation, and after the officer has arrived, that is if the thief is able to be held for the amount of time it takes for the police to arrive, the most they may walk away with is a warning and say that they are no longer welcome in the shop! Yet if the same person was to go across the round into a jewellers and attempt to shop lift in the store, I can imagine the police would be in the scene much quicker.
Thus it seems that people, including, perhaps, the authority, take a much more relaxed approach to just general shop lifting in a store, as though it is expected to happen and that there isn’t much that anyone is going to be able to do about it.
However, why do people shop lift may be the reason as to why we seem to take such a relaxed approach to it.
Most people shop lifting because they need the money that they raise from the stolen goods to fund another addiction that they have, usually drugs and alcohol. Others shop lift, not because they want or need the goods, but because of the thrill that they generate of it, as seen in the episode of ‘Family guy’. Others, because they want the object that they are attempting to steal, notice I use the word want not need! An example of this is in an episode of the ‘Simpsons’ when Bart is caught shop lifting a game that he wants yet does not have the money to pay for it.
These are all no reasons to see shop lifting as a lesser form as theft, it is just the same as anyone breaking into your house and stealing something that you have. Stealing is stealing, stealing is a crime and should be punished and shop lifting falls into stealing!

Hi this is just to see if this is working, as its like the third try