Materialism and Social Well-Being Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Materialism and Social Well-Being - Essay Example Just like any other issue within society, the issue of materialism faces both negative and positive criticism as will be revealed as we proceed by my research. Social well-being on the other hand is an end result state, in which human needs are met, most especially the basic human needs, bearing in mind that the not so wealthy also make up a considerably huge portion of the entire population. Social well-being also considers a fact that the people involved, even in the wider picture, are able to coexist peacefully and harmoniously in the community tending to even show signs and opportunities of the general public growing. It is common to hear or maybe participate in debates arguing upon how materialism in society affects the social wellbeing of the same. I set out to research a much similar case in which the main argument covered is whether or not materialism or what would in other terms be considered as income inequality in a country would or wouldn’t bring down and deteriora te the social well-being level of persons in the same country. It’s a common scenario to see a variation in individual’s lifestyles throughout the society. ... It came out clear that in the western countries, as well as in the UK and its environs, social well-being has faced increased collapse of intergenerational mobility. It is proven that, in developed countries such as the U.S. and the United Kingdom, the young youth, as well as children live a totally contrasting life to that of their parents and grandparents. It is evident that these children grow with very little expectation to improve from the condition in which they were born. In this case, the poor stay poor and the trend continues. Those individuals whom we could refer to as financially stable are in most cases ruled by materialism. This escalates to levels that, it comes a point when every decision they make is materialistic in nature at least to a certain extent. This only results to further degradation of the morals in society, as social well-being is given less consideration every time. Social well-being is best showed when members in a society or an entire community show emp athy towards their fellow members. In view of the current life styles as mentioned above, it is only true to say that there is an inverse relationship between materialism and social well-being. This is in that, individuals who have very high regard for material wealth or else those individuals and parties whom are considered to be materialistic in nature, tend to have little or no regard for social well-being on the other hand. They view with less regard issues concerning others and could at times be deemed to be selfish. It also works vice versa, that individuals who treasure and have high regard for social well-being, have little or no interest in material wealth. Social well-being also sees to it that the general state of affairs meets the basic needs of the populace.

Analyze 3 different newspaper articles Essay Example for Free

Analyze 3 different newspaper articles Essay In this piece of coursework I am going to analyze 3 different newspaper articles. The articles are taken from The Mirror, The Times and Newsweek All three articles are about the same event, they are just portrayed in the different ways. The articles are about a jet cutting through a cable car wire allowing the cable cars to plummet to the ground, killing 20 people. The incident happened on the 3rd of February 1998, Cavalese, Northern Italy, on Alpe Cermis. The first two articles from The Mirror and The Times are reporting the story where as Newsweek is reflecting on the accident, Newsweek also issues the story a week and a half late, therefore cannot report the facts but reflect on them. Newsweek doesnt contain that much information on what actually happened in Cavalese, it skips over the details of the accident and seems to be more about what Europe, and in particular Italy are concerned about. The Mirror article tends to leave certain facts out, such as the time it occurred, which is included in The Times account. Newsweek provided no date of the event but say last week The Times article is definitely more factual as it contains a lot more technical jargon than The Mirror. It includes information about the U. S. fighter jet The Prowler is used to jam enemy signals electronically. none of which is found in The Mirror article, Newsweek also contains information about the fighter jet and also information about the military issues between America and Italy. The Mirror account includes a greater amount of detail, by listing the names of each of the witnesses alongside their quotations. In The Times, it tends to be vague and just use the term one witness said. Newsweek uses quotes from military officials and local authorities. The Times and Newsweeks report relies heavily on official interviews rather than the passers by which The Mirror relies upon. The Mirror also includes more quotations from the witnesses than The Times does. Newsweek does not use any quotations or interviews from eye-witnesses at the scene. Both The Mirror and The Times specify who the victims were 9 women, 10 men and 1 child. And also their nationalities at least 6 were German, 2 Hungarian and 2 Polish. This causes a greater sympathy because it makes the deaths seem more important and more in depth. But Newsweek says 20 tourists from seven European countries but it is reported it is only tourists from 3 different European countries. Even the sub-headline says that Europe questions Americas character. This all starts to confuse the reader and so does not give an accurate picture of the incident. The words used also try to disagree with the facts of the incident. Words like griped and claimed both suggest that there was nothing wrong and everyone was ganging up against America. In The Times, the witness interviewed is not British, so the Times keeps the story international. An unreasonable complaint is made in the first line, which may show their guilt: Cavalese had griped about the fighter jets that regularly roar up their Alpine river valley. In addition to this the paper attempts diluting the blame by saying that the fighter jets were just hot-dogging, also claiming that the Italian authorities condone low-flying: Italian military officials routinely defended low level flights Finally, the last paragraph of the report supplies an extravagantly tenuous link: The pope had personally pleaded for the convicted murderer to be pardoned. This is designed to conceal. All three articles made use of interviews, but the manner in which they were used differed; For example in The Mirror, a British couple, Neil Harmar and his girlfriend, Stacey ODonnell, gave a lengthy interview and informed us that they missed the second car by minutes. They said that all hell let loose and stated that they were shook up. Furthermore, they described the village as being in a state of complete pandemonium. The couple reiterated how thankful they were that they missed that car, and the fact that they were incredibly lucky to be alive. Even though the British couple did not provide a lot of information about the incident itself, they did help to describe the atmosphere and their feelings on the situation. The British couple were interviewed primarily because of the fact that they were British; the target audience of this British paper are British people, therefore, the majority of people would be interested in hearing about events concerning British citizens. All three articles had interviews with people who possessed various details about the aircraft prior to it hitting the cable car wire. In The Mirror, this interview was quite brief. Cristina Antoniazzi, the owner of a nearby hotel, said that she heard and saw a plane flying at a very low level. This message was also present in an interview in The Times. An anonymous witness said that the jet had seemed to have technical trouble, and described the jet as screaming through the sky like a thing in torment. Another source in The Times also stated that the jet had been flying very, very low. All three of these interviews were supplied using direct speech. In contrast, the interview in Newsweek was given using reported speech- Italys Air Force chief, Mario Arpino, said that the Prowler was four miles off course and was also flying 3,300 feet below the altitude designated in the flight plan. These particular interviews were used in order to provide an image of the events immediately before the plane hit the cable car. Each article also had interviews with people who objected to low flying by the Americans. In The Mirror, Regional President, Carlo Andreotti, was quoted as saying Weve had enough of these war games The headline of The Mirrors article is, 20 skiers killed as jet slices cable car wire The writer has used the word skiers to create more sympathy to the people that died as it shows that they were just innocent people on holiday who wanted to have a good time. The headline says killed as to imply it was not totally accidental and could have been prevented, it also shows it was unprovoked. It also says slices as this makes the incident sound more violent and deliberate and gives the reader the idea that there was no chance for the skiers inside the cable car. The article also has a few more presentational devices which the broadsheet the times does not. It has a subtitle Brits tell of horror in snow which relates to the reader as they will be British too and will want to know what this horror is. The first paragraph is in bold, which shows it is different from the rest of the article because it is there to sum up the rest of the article. The article has a box with a quote in it It opened up like a cardboard box This would attract attention to the article if the reader was flicking through the newspaper and would want to know more. At the end of the article there is a big bullet point which contains a fact about cable car accidents. This article uses language to create a much more emotional impact than The Times as it says things like, They were killed instantly when the car was ripped apart like a cardboard box. Using this metaphor is very effective as it makes the people inside seem totally helpless and creates a lot of sympathy for them. They also say, Rescuers found now survivors amid the tangled wreckage and bloodstained snow. I think this is a very effective paragraph and it creates an atmosphere of destruction and complete devastation. A graphical picture of the event in The Mirror lets the readers visualize what the scene of the accident was like, using essential details and words so that the reader can effortlessly understand the unpleasant incident. The Mirror also provides a photographical image of the scene and annotates it using dramatic words such as doomed. The Times shows a map of the area where the event was situated, making readers aware of the location of the tourist venue. And the image of the EA-6B Prowler shows readers the cause of the tragedy. The main image above the text is eye catching in the way it shows workers trying to rescues any survivors. Newsweek not using any pictures, but a headline that will catch attention Blood on the Snow. The sub-heading in a box of two lines standing out making the reader aware of what the article is about. In conclusion the news was best portrayed in The Mirror, it provided names of witnesses making the news much more reliable, and British citizens used as witnesses was also a good way to grad attention of British readers.

Pearl Harbor :: essays research papers

Pearl Harbor was certainly one of the most dramatic turning points in United States history, with all the elements that go along with an epic drama: heroes, villains, propaganda and conspiracy theories. It propelled the country from an isolationist continent into the spotlight on the world stage. World War II changed the way the world viewed the United States and how Americans viewed themselves. As a result of Pearl Harbor and the war the United States accepted the predominant world leadership role. The tragedy of Pearl Harbor shocked and united the American people into a singular purpose and goal to a greater extent than any other event before or since. As Americans awoke on a lazy Sunday morning in paradise, little did they know that within a few short minutes their lives would be changed forever. Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen watched in horror as the United States fleet including the mighty dreadnoughts burned and sank to the bottom of the shallow blue harbor. The calamity incited mass chaos and confusion. Numerous false rumors were spread including that Japanese paratroopers were invading Hawaii and that follow-on assaults were imminent. Above all, no one knew how to react since this was the first time since the War of 1812 that Americans were attacked on their own soil. As the nation was just recovering from the Great Depression, with optimism in the horizon the American people really had no desires to involve themselves in foreign wars. However President Franklin Roosevelt was aware of the actions taking place in Europe and Asia and could foresee the United States inevitable danger to the free world if the United States didn't take a stand in the war. While Americans favored neutrality the United States administration knew that it would only be a matter of time until the United States would enter the war. The convenient timing of Pearl Harbor allowed Roosevelt's unhindered pursuit of his interventionist agenda. This along with certain details, such as the lack of aircraft carriers at Pearl Harbor, led some to believe Roosevelt had forewarning of the attack and intentionally provoked the Japanese to open the backdoor to war. Twenty three hours after the initial aggression, Roosevelt declared war and ensured that, "This day will live in infamy†¦" in his address to Congress. In the end Americans pulled through and became their own heroes; Admiral Yamamoto's made a prophetic remark shortly after December 7, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve". Pearl Harbor :: essays research papers Pearl Harbor was certainly one of the most dramatic turning points in United States history, with all the elements that go along with an epic drama: heroes, villains, propaganda and conspiracy theories. It propelled the country from an isolationist continent into the spotlight on the world stage. World War II changed the way the world viewed the United States and how Americans viewed themselves. As a result of Pearl Harbor and the war the United States accepted the predominant world leadership role. The tragedy of Pearl Harbor shocked and united the American people into a singular purpose and goal to a greater extent than any other event before or since. As Americans awoke on a lazy Sunday morning in paradise, little did they know that within a few short minutes their lives would be changed forever. Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen watched in horror as the United States fleet including the mighty dreadnoughts burned and sank to the bottom of the shallow blue harbor. The calamity incited mass chaos and confusion. Numerous false rumors were spread including that Japanese paratroopers were invading Hawaii and that follow-on assaults were imminent. Above all, no one knew how to react since this was the first time since the War of 1812 that Americans were attacked on their own soil. As the nation was just recovering from the Great Depression, with optimism in the horizon the American people really had no desires to involve themselves in foreign wars. However President Franklin Roosevelt was aware of the actions taking place in Europe and Asia and could foresee the United States inevitable danger to the free world if the United States didn't take a stand in the war. While Americans favored neutrality the United States administration knew that it would only be a matter of time until the United States would enter the war. The convenient timing of Pearl Harbor allowed Roosevelt's unhindered pursuit of his interventionist agenda. This along with certain details, such as the lack of aircraft carriers at Pearl Harbor, led some to believe Roosevelt had forewarning of the attack and intentionally provoked the Japanese to open the backdoor to war. Twenty three hours after the initial aggression, Roosevelt declared war and ensured that, "This day will live in infamy†¦" in his address to Congress. In the end Americans pulled through and became their own heroes; Admiral Yamamoto's made a prophetic remark shortly after December 7, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve".

Hack Me Once, Phreak Me Twice :: Computers Technology Hacking Hackers Papers

Hack Me Once, Phreak Me Twice There are a few elite in our technology-driven world that possess the unnatural ability to understand and wield the power of computers. To the media they are known as hackers, threats to computer security everywhere. To the underground they are known as "console cowboys", samurais, and the last defenders of free information. To the common man they are young teenage boys that break your computer and ruin your e-mail. Hackers are not criminals or mischievous kids with no purpose. They play an important role in our culture and are the fuel behind our technological revolution. Before we can fully understand the mind of a hacker, we need to look at the history of hacking. Hacking is usually broken up into three time periods: The Elder Days, The Golden Age, and Zero Tolerance. The Elder Days were the years from 1965-1979 when the "hackers" emerged from the computer labs of MIT, Cornell, and Harvard. These computer geeks of the 60's had an incurable thirst to know how machines worked, specifically computers. While professors were trying to teach structured, mathematical programming, students were staying up late nights "hacking" away at their programs until they found shorter and more elegant solutions to the problems. This process of "bumming code" contradicted the professors' methods, and so began the defiant and rebellious origins of hackers. This time period produced one of the best hacks of all time, when Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thomson of Bell Labs created the operating system UNIX in 1969. This primitive operating system was written by hackers, for hackers. There was now a standard to run programs on, although it required an enormous amount of knowledge of computers for even the simplest tasks. As a consequence of UNIX, the 1970's became all about exp loring and figuring out how the computer world worked. In 1971, a hacker found out how to get free calls from AT&T by emitting a 2600 MHz tone into the receiver. He called himself "Cap'n Crunch" because he used the free whistle that came in the cereal box to give off the 2600 MHz tone. From this, a new type of hacking gained popularity, one that did not deal specifically with computers but rather with telephones. Hackers like Cap'n Crunch were called "phreaks", for "phone freaks." So, fittingly, hacking phones is known as "phreaking." As more phreakers and hackers emerged, they needed a way to communicate with each other.

Nike †SWOT Analysis Essay

STRENGTHS Nike is a very competitive. It has a huge and healthy dislike of its competitors. At Atlanta Olympics, its competitor Reebok went on expense of sponsoring the games but Nike didn’t take this step. It sponsored top athletes and gained much coverage. Nike does not have factories. It does not let its cash to tie up in buildings and manufacturing employees. This model makes it a very lean organization. They manufacture high quality product at a location which offers low prices. If price gets increased, it shifts to other production location. Nike has a very strong research and development area which can be seen in its innovative product range. Nike is a global brand. It is at top position in sport brand in the World. Its famous â€Å"Swoosh† logo is instantly recognizable by people. Nike is a very professional company. It has offices in 45 different countries. It offers products all over the world. It is a fortune 500 company. It has very strong marketing campaign that increases the familiarity of its brand. It employs over 30,000 employees across the world. It has got its retail chain – Niketown. It has taken initiatives in many different branding opportunities and resulted in impressive outcomes. It provides lightweight shoes by using lunarlite materials. (Nike SWOT Analysis) WEAKNESS Though Nike has varied range of sports products but still its business’s income is depends heavily on the share of footwear market it has got. So, in case its market share decreases, it can leave the company becomes vulnerable to come down. Though Nike has got its own retailer: Niketown, its huge part of income comes from selling into retailers. And retail sector is very sensitive as well. Retailers also provide same set of experiences to customers. So, the profit margin will get affected if retailers try to sell off the products at lower prices. It has got charges against labor violations; experienced bad publicity with issues of sweatshops and practicing unethical patterns has degraded its image to some extent. Its  history involves the violations of minimum wage rates in Vietnam. For cheaper prices, it has been charged for exploiting workforces which will be employed at lower price in overseas countries. It’s been accused of providing poor working conditions to the workers. It gets constant negative criticism from anti-globalization groups. Its production is carried out at a cheaper location, so majorly it happens outside U.S. But this practice is not considered good in U.S. (Swot Analysis Nike) (Nike SWOT Analysis) OPPORTUNITY 1. The development of product range offers Nike many opportunities. Though Nike owners don’t consider its brand as a fashionable one but its customers consider it so. They don’t buy it for sports activities only. It has become a fashion trademark among customers especially the youth. This creates huge opportunities for Nike as the product could come under unfashionable tag before it wears out i.e. shoes gets replaced by the customers. 2. Opportunity also lies in developing sports wears, sunglasses and jewellery. These high end valued items will surely get associated with their mainline products. 3. It can develop its business internationally which can give strength to its global brand recognition. There are many emerging countries like China and India which offers disposable income to be spent on high value sports products. These countries have growing number of customers especially the working population. 4. There are many global sports events such as the World cup (So ccer) and the Olympics, which can be used as global marketing events. They can support the brand of the company. 5. Company can extend its reach in trendy and fashionable industry where not only Athletes but general population is also targeted. 6. There is a scope of new sponsorships. These new sponsors usually have successful ways to brandize an organization. 7. It can create new products by using waste from usual manufacture. 8. It can expand into jewellery and sunglasses items. 9. It can change its product development strategy with change in trends. 10. It can reduce controversy occurring around its business practices. (SWOT Analysis Nike, Inc.) THREATS 1. Nike has its business in several countries i.e. it is been exposed to international behavior of trade. It manufactures and sells in different  currencies. Hence costs and profit margin will fluctuate over a longer period of time. This nature of trade can put Nike on loss side. 2. The market of sports shoes is very competitive. Hence the business model developed by the owners of Nike is no longer in use. It needs to come up with a sustainable model so as to remain in the race. 3. Market is flooded with competitors who are developing alternative brands to take Nike’s market share. 4. As we have observed that retail sector is very competitive. This means customers have got lot of options available at one’s end. So if one store charges a price for a product, consumer can go to other store if that store is selling the same quality price at lower rates. Hence price sensitivity is a huge threat to Nike. 5. A global business usually experiences hiccups because abroad busin ess operations are exposed to risks of fluctuations in currencies, quotas, safeguard measures, restrictions in trades and terrorism. 6. Its exposed to risks associated with importing costs because of international barriers 7. It needs to maintain reputation as one of the eco-friendly organizations. 8. It is difficult for them to manage financial conditions in today’s economy. 9. Its association with Kobe Bryant. 10. It’s been accused for unfair labor practices. (Nike SWOT Analysis) Works Cited Nike SWOT Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.teamonedesign.com: www.teamonedesign.com/aio/mk/Nike_SWOT_Analysis.doc Swot Analysis Nike. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.quality-assurance-solutions.com: http://www.quality-assurance-solutions.com/swot-analysis-nike.html SWOT Analysis Nike, Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.marketingteacher.com: http://www.marketingteacher.com/swot/nike-swot.html#

Hangover Remedies and Prevention

Hangover Remedies and Prevention A hangover is a name given to the unpleasant aftereffects of drinking too much alcohol. While a lucky 25%-30% of drinkers are naturally resistant to experiencing hangovers, the rest of you might want to know how to prevent or cure a hangover. Heres a look at what causes a hangover and some effective hangover remedies. Hangover Symptoms If you have had a hangover, you knew it  and didnt need to read a symptom list to get a diagnosis. Alcohol hangovers are characterized by some or all of the following symptoms: dehydration, nausea, headache, fatigue, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence, sensitivity to light and sound, trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, and poor depth perception. Many people experience an extreme aversion to the smell, taste, sight, or the thought of alcohol. Hangovers vary, so the range and intensity of symptoms may be different between individuals and from one occasion to another. Most hangovers begin several hours after drinking. A hangover may last as long as a couple of days. Hangover Causes According To Chemistry Drinking an alcoholic beverage that contains impurities or preservatives can give you a hangover, even if you only have one drink. Some of these impurities may be other alcohols besides ethanol. Other hangover-causing chemicals are congeners, which are by-products of the fermentation process. Sometimes impurities are intentionally added, such as zinc or other metals which may be added to sweeten or enhance the flavor of certain liqueurs. Otherwise, it matters what you drink and how much you drink. Drinking to excess is more likely to cause a hangover than drinking moderately. You get a hangover because the ethanol in the drink caused an increase in urine production, leading to dehydration. Dehydration causes headaches, fatigue, and dry mouth. Alcohol also reacts with the stomach lining, which can lead to nausea. Ethanol is metabolized into acetaldehyde, which is actually a lot more toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic than the alcohol itself. It takes some  time to break down the ace taldehyde into acetic acid, during which youll experience all the symptoms of acetaldehyde exposure. Prevent a Hangover The only sure way to prevent a hangover is to avoid drinking. While you may not be able to totally prevent a hangover, drinking a lot of water or other rehydrating drink will go a long way toward preventing or lessening most hangover symptoms. Hangover Remedies If drinking water didnt help you out enough or its too later and youre already suffering, there are some potentially beneficial remedies. Drink Water: Youll feel miserable until you are rehydrated. Water is an excellent hangover remedy. So is orange juice, unless your stomach is too upset to handle it.Eat Something Simple: Eggs contain cysteine, which may help combat hangover symptoms. Milk is more food than water, but it serves to rehydrate you while supplying calcium, which may ease your misery.Sodium Bicarbonate: Try a spoonful of baking soda in water to help quell the hangover queasiness.Exercise: It raises your metabolic rate, which helps you clear toxins associated with metabolizing alcohol. Exercise helps you deliver oxygen to your cells, which can increase the speed at which you detoxify harmful compounds.Oxygen: Supplemental oxygen is another way to speed up detoxification after drinking alcohol, without having to exercise.Vitamin B1 or Thiamine: Thiamine helps prevent the buildup of glutarate in the brain, which may be associated with part of a headache associated with a hangover. Other B vitamins are deplete d when you drink, so taking a B vitamin complex may be beneficial. Hangover Dont While it may be alright to take a couple of aspirin to deal with a hangover, dont take a couple of acetaminophen (Tylenol) tablets. Alcohol with acetaminophen is a recipe for potentially lethal liver damage.

Attitudes on Immigrants

Attitudes on Immigrants Introduction Attitudes can be described as narrow when they mirror positive or negative assessment of an entity and wide ranging when they comprise principles with the character of assessment (Schuman, Charlotte, Lawrence Maria, 1997). Either way, they can be positive and accommodating or negative and stand-offish.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Attitudes on Immigrants specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More White people generally hold varying attitudes towards immigrants and pro-immigrant policies, that is, policies that favour immigration. Pessimists feel that immigrants should not benefit from pro-immigrant policies for various reasons. They are of the opinion that immigrants seize career opportunities from American born citizens, the state uses up a lot of money aiding them and that their presence leads to escalation of delinquency and law-breaking. Optimists on the other hand have entirely different views. They belie ve that immigrants contribute to advancement in America by coming up with fresh initiatives, enhancing their culture and are beneficial to Americas economy in general. They further express that officially authorized immigrants who are not American citizens should be given similar rights and freedoms to those of citizens and that children of non-citizens who are born in America should have the right to citizenship. These attitudes and subsequent opinions are shaped mainly by core networks (a person’s contacts), group threat from immigrants or intergroup contact with immigrants. They are further influenced by race, education level, age and religion of members of the core networks. Core Networks Core networks focus on particular people and those with whom they socialize. It is believed that a person’s opinion is often shaped by the opinion of their friends and acquaintances (Friedkin, 1990).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is because a friend is someone you trust, open up to, compel, aspire to please and who enlightens you when you are shaping your opinion on people of different races and ethnic backgrounds and the government procedures that affect them (Friedkin 1990). In a community setting, white peoples’ opinions on immigrants are influenced by the total number of people from other races, how learned the occupants of the community are, the period for which they have been acquainted and how close they are. Ordinarily, in a community with many people, close associates reduce hence the likelihood of being compelled to be consistent with the accepted communal tendencies dwindles. This raises the probability of encountering recent facts and knowledge concerning a wide range of topics. Core networks however, tend to consist of people of similar ethnicity hence diminishing the possibility of encountering recent knowledge. This is due to the fact that people of the same ethnicity have the same understanding of ethnic benefit (Blau, 1977). On the other hand, when core networks consist of members of diverse cultural backgrounds, they share knowledge that benefits the different cultures (Bienenstock, Bonacich Oliver; 1990). White people who associate with other races have a high probability of being informed on immigrant-friendly reason thus improving their attitude towards immigrants. Peoples’ attitudes are also affected by how learned they are. Highly learned people associate with more people of diverse racial backgrounds. This is mainly because they work with a wide range of people. This cultivates a sensitive stance towards immigrants and immigration policies that favour them.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Attitudes on Immigrants specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A professor in a college, for instance, is likely to have students of different ethnicities in his classes. This exposes him to their beliefs, practices and helps him see their contribution to America’s culture and economy. Subsequently, he exposes his colleagues, friends and family to those views and they do the same in their social circles. This shows that an educated network can influence peoples’ views on immigration and immigration policies. Age on the other hand seems to have an unenthusiastic association with immigration issues. Mature people see immigrants more as a burden than as profitable contributors in society thus support more constraints being placed in immigration processes and immigrants. Accordingly, in deep-rooted core networks, people are likely to be convinced not to uphold pro-immigrant views. The closeness of the members of a core network also determines their ability to influence each others’ opinions on immigrant issues. When people in a core network are very close, they are constantly in contact with each other and therefore reserve little, if any time for the people outside their social circles (Oliver Wong, 2003). This kind of behavior drastically lowers their chances of encountering notions that differ from their points of view and makes it much easier to convince ones’ contacts to maintain ancient views on issues such as immigration. In most cases, the maintained views are usually negative and unsupportive of pro-immigration policies. Group Threat and Intergroup Contact In the surroundings of a community, white residents are likely to either get acquainted with immigrants, known as intergroup contact, or feel intimidated by the large numbers of immigrants around them, referred to as group threat.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The probability of these two occurrences is frequently estimated using the population of immigrants in a particular area (Krystan, 2000). White people are set in various core networks within their communities which are depended upon by researchers to influence the connection between immigration issues, group threat and intergroup contact. Whites feel threatened by the large numbers of immigrants in urban areas such as cities and counties. This depreciates their general outlook on immigration issues specifically when their level of education is low and also in cases where they happen to have few associations of different racial and ethnic backgrounds in their social circles. Then again, when members of a social circle are well learned or have numerous relations in it, including several of varying ethnicities, they tend to feel less threatened by the presence of many immigrants. This is due to the fact that they obtain current knowledge concerning immigrants and immigration policies f rom their contacts and co-workers (Oliver Wong 2003). In the same way, places that experience constructive intergroup contact such as residential estates and zonal localities, these relations encourage an optimistic outlook on immigration policies and immigrants in the case that correlations are poorly educated and have few contacts of different races. This is because the views of the immigrants seem more genuine than those of their fellow whites. However, in those very areas, social circles of the incredibly learned that also have numerous contacts of different ethnicities may appear less supportive of immigration policies and immigrants. This is caused by their various negative personal experiences with their associations of different ethnicity. They feel that direct dealings with people of various cultural backgrounds gives more insight than that gained from a particular inter-racial contact (Friedkin 1999). Likewise, the members of a social circle in an ancient close knit commu nity or neighborhood are less likely to be impressed by intergroup contact. Such people constantly stay in touch hence maintain their beliefs since they have limited knowledge from other quarters. The members are mostly compelled to disapprove any positive opinions on immigrants and immigration policies social circles. In addition, these core networks may experience more intense feelings of group threat as opposed to the more amicable youthful social circles which share positive knowledge of immigrant issues hence fell less threatened by the number of immigrants among them. In a strong and mature religious core network, members hold on to old teachings. Some old religions, for instance, did not allow mixing of people from different races. Members of such groups are likely to remain unyielding to recent opinions supporting immigration policies. Members of newly rising religions however, will probably be more accommodating of the recent pro-immigrant policies. Conclusion Based on the studies conducted by various scholars over several decades, it is evident that attitudes of white people towards immigrants and pro-immigrant policies are influenced by both dependent and independent variables. Independent variables are those that remain constant and do not change from person to person whereas dependent variables are those that vary from one person to another. A survey conducted using data collected by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) confirms the opinions of the numerous scholars. In my opinion, Americans should strive to be more open-minded and receptive to new ideas. All people should endeavor to make their social networks broader so as to accommodate more people. This kind of contact will allow people of all races to take part in improvement of their lives socially, economically, religiously and politically. This will be a major team player in the advancement of many sectors including the economy and will lead to overall national development. After al l, there is nothing to lose in setting out to try something new, which in this particular case does not cost money. People should also learn to take responsibility and avoid the blame game. For instance, Americans should acknowledge that there are as many white felons as there are those of other races, whether white or blue collar. They should also realize that contrary to some peoples’ beliefs sharing opportunities with people of other ethnic groups does not limit them to Americans. References Bienenstock, E.J., Bonacich, P., Oliver, M. (1990). The Effect of Network Density and Homogeneity on Attitude Polarization. Social Networks, 12, 153–72. Blau, P.M. (1977). Inequality and Heterogeneity: A Primitive Theory of Social Structure. New York: Free Press. Friedkin, N. (1990). Social Networks in Structural Equation Models. Social Psychology Quarterly, 53, 316–28. Krystan, M. (2000). Prejudice, Politics, and Public Opinion: Understanding the Sources of Racial Polic y Attitudes. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 135–68. Oliver, J.E., Wong, J. (2003). Intergroup Prejudice in Multiethnic Settings. American Journal of Political Science, 47, 567–82. Schuman, H., Charlotte, S., Lawrence, B., Maria, K. (1997). Racial Attitudes in America: Trends and Interpretations. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.