Psychosocial Orientation to Sexuality Essay Example for Free

Psychosocial Orientation to Sexuality Essay Environment has always been one of the major factors affecting our decisions and personality. Psychologists say its either â€Å"nurture† or â€Å"nature† which determines our personalities as we grow up. Nevertheless, our sexuality is also part of who we are. How we act or think in regard to sexual issues is also developed as we mature into adolescents. Various social factors affect a person’s sexuality. Primarily, it is the parents’ responsibility to make sure that their children are properly educated about sex. As a kid, I was oriented by my parents and older relatives that sex is a process designed by the heavens to unite married couples so they can procreate. As a young Christian, I have this notion that I was conceived by this process and only couples who were united by marriage have the permission from God to perform them. Talking about sex at home was actually limited if not restricted. There was a certain uneasiness enveloping the ones belonging in a conversation where a I would suddenly bring it up. It was awkward in a way that my parents believed I was not ready yet to comprehend the real nature of sex. However, I guess sexuality is an inescapable issue amongst children who are beginning to notice changes and differences between their private parts and their playmates’. A friend of the opposite sex definitely has dissimilar body parts than me. It has always been fun to explore and observe friends’ parts especially when it is in a group. Of course, not until we reached the 11th year of our age. Suddenly, things were getting too awkward for us. My playmates were starting to get aloof. Others have stopped invitations to look and some just plainly said, â€Å"My mom said they’re private. † How the privacy of such thing has never occurred to me until I was able to see certain pars of my body grow. Most of my physical parts were getting weirder each day and they did not feel comfortable at all. One of the huge factors which influence my sexuality is the depiction of sex in the television. Media have absolutely bombarded me with concepts that are in direct contrast to my early education of sex. Television series, movies, reality shows, magazines and even anime shows are transparent in portraying sexual activities as normal between two people in a relationship. Sometimes even same-sex relationships. Pornography is also widespread in our society today which I believe has a great impact on the fact that teenagers today in America are sexually active. In my case, it is reasonable to admit that I have my shares of hidden fantasies and desires but one good thing that I am proud of is that I am able to control them in a decent way. Religion also plays a major part in expressing one’s sexuality. It is widely know that Christianity does not allow couples outside marriage to have sexual intercourse. Pre-marital sex is a sin and is not tolerated by the Church. Contraceptives are also not encouraged therefore, if I were to ask how I think religion has affected my sexuality; I would claim that it did not lessen or eliminate my sexual desires rather it remained as a mere reason to control it and repress it. The topic of sexuality is widespread among religious, social and political debates. It comprises of a general idea which is too sensitive to be disregarded easily. However, I believe that one has his/her own rights towards his/her sexuality but are limited to what the law constitutes. A person can be gay, lesbian or bisexual but the mere idea that a person’s sexuality is being developed and identified with different names shows that it is a psychological issue that needs to be studied more thoroughly. It is a subject too complex that must also be given enough education and protection from families and authorities.

Rent: The Musical Essay -- Rent Musicals Descriptive narrative Essays

Rent. To most people it is associated with an apartment, house, or another object. This word rarely conjures pleasant memories, but more often annoyance and stress. However, when someone mentions rent to me, my mind races to some of the most memorable experiences in my life. When I hear the word Rent, I immediately see an eclectic Broadway production, overflowing with talent, adventure, and magic. I picture scantly clad actresses, strutting across the stage. I envision stunning duets and thought-provoking lyrics. That single word transports me to a different time and place. In order to adequately depict my feelings, I must start at the beginning. In the fall of 1996, I embarked on my maiden NYC voyage. Armed with a camera, city guide, and my little sister, I headed for New York to discover myself. As I began this adventure, I had no idea how it would end. When I landed at JFK I was a little girl, trying to have some fun, but by the time I boarded the plane to head home my world had changed. We began with the typical touristy attractions; the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Soho, Central Park, and shopping. We had been planning this trip for months and had poured over every detail. From the time the plane landed, we were living by a minute-to-minute schedule. This was a well organized trip and The Great White Way was not on the agenda. Or so we thought. Our second to last day in New York started like all the others. Breakfast. Shopping. Sites. Back to the hotel. However, upon returning to our rooms, my stepmother (who was escorting us on this journey) handed me three tickets. Across the top of them, it read: The Nederlander Theatre presents Jonathan Larson’s RENT. I was completely stunned and my ey... ... my sister and I returned to New York. Once again we made the trek to the Nederlander. We took our seats and relished the memories. While the cast was different, the affect was similar. It opened our eyes and renewed our appreciation for those that are different than us. I feel in love with it all over again. Even though I had seen the show in Indianapolis and Chicago, there was something about sitting in that theater that made it special. RENT is only a musical. It was written by a man that was passionate for life. Jonathan Larson took his dream and made it a reality for everyone that sits in the audience. That passion is the reason it remains one of the most influential productions in Broadway history. If it weren’t for his dream and devotion, it would not be what it is today. That passion is what changed my life and the lives of thousands of others.

Military Spending in the US Essay

The majority of college students in the US today, do not know what it is like to live in a nation that is not at war, and this is no different for myself. One of my own memories in elementary school was the attack on the world trade center on 9/11. I am sure that I share that memory with many others. Throughout our lives, we have known our country to be one that is constantly fighting with another. As I grow older, I realize how surrounded we are by issues concerning our military presence in other countries. I also begin to feel the consequences of our actions as a country. Much of our politicians’ time and effort is put into figuring out how to â€Å"bring our troops home† or how to â€Å"support our troops† while still keeping taxes down. In the end it is the American public who are funding our war with our taxes as well as paying the consequences with things such as raised oil prices. For my research paper I am going to discuss American military economics; it’s effects on the American public, and our current presidential candidates’ stances on military spending. The military budget is a portion of the United States’ federal budget. It is used to pay the salaries, training, and health care of military personnel. It is also used to maintain arms, equipment, facilities, funds operations, and develops and buys new weapons. According to the Department of Defense Budget for the 2010 fiscal year, the president’s base budget for spending on overseas operations was $663. 4 billion. The 2009 U. S. military budget accounts for approximately 40% of the total global arms spending. The US’s 2012 budget is 6 to 7 times larger than the $106 billion of the military budget of China. It is greater than the next twenty largest military spenders combined. Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts claims â€Å"if we do not make reductions approximating 25 percent of the military budget starting fairly soon, it will be impossible to continue to fund an adequate level of domestic activity†. Some argue that now is not the time to cut military spending. Republican historian Robert Kagan argues, â€Å"A reduction in defense spending this year would unnerve American allies and would be taken by the world as evidence that an American retreat has begun. The increased military spending since 9/11 has stimulated the US economy to a degree. However the jobs and income that it has created is offset by the massive increase in debt created. According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, the defense budget has increased from $432 billion in 2001 to $720 billion in 2011, an increase of around 67 percent. Increased military spending has been funded almost en tirely by borrowing. There are many reasons why the debt has grown so much since 2001. These reasons include tax cuts, increases in other government spending, and the largest postwar recession the US has experienced. However, military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have raised annual deficits by about 1 percent of GDP, a trend that is expected to continue through 2020. Since we decided to borrow money instead of increasing taxes or cutting other spending, if war spending continues as forecasted, the country can expect to have paid about $1 trillion in interest by 2020. If the investments in the military over the last decade had been made in U.  S. education, it would represent an 18. 5 percent boost in terms of capital improvements nationwide. This would finance the investments in public school facilities required to return the country’s schools to good condition. Traditionally the Republican Party has been the more inclined towards increased national security and previous presidential candidate Mitt Romney described Obama’s plan as a â€Å"hollowing out† of the military. 2012 running mates Ryan and Romney make the point that it is Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security that are the majority of the deficit. Though they are right, the American public still wants to cut spending even more than the $487 billion already cut by the Obama administration. Romney and Ryan had a plan to go in the exact opposite direction if they had won the election. They planned to boost defense spending by $100 billion, or nearly 20% in 2013. The Republican Party, otherwise known as the grand old party or GOP, traditionally follows Ronald Reagan’s stance on national defense. That stance is represented by the motto of peace through strength. Today, that means protecting America’s homeland by confronting terrorism and maintaining a defense against arising threats of nuclear power. The Republican Party is fully committed to America’s Armed Forces to make sure that they are prepared for any challenges they may need to face. While the United States is involved in various international organizations, which serve the cause of peace and posterity, the Republican Party argues that these organizations must never substitute for principled American leadership to protect our vital national interests. All of the information I gathered about the GOP’s stance on national defense was pulled directly from their official website, www. GOP. com. Current president Barack Obama has sought to end the war in Iraq and accelerate the transition in Afghanistan in part to lower defense costs. He has proposed a number of defense cuts over the next decade. Rather than following the words of a president who was in office over 20 years ago and during the cold war, the Democratic Party feels that as our threats have evolved over the years, so too should our ability to respond to them. President Obama has made significant steps to restore America’s image around the world by rebuilding strategic alliances with countries that share our values and face common threats. As far as the situation overseas, the President plans to bring home 10,000 troops by the end of this year, 33,000 by next summer, and complete the transition by 2014. Just as I did for the Republican Party, I got all of this information directly from the official website, www. democrats. org. What originally inspired my interest in this subject is when I began to notice issues such as how much our educational system is suffering across the nation. Also, with a little bit of research, I learned that the NASA budget has been cut about a billion dollars in the last three years. Yet, at the same time, the military budget is increase by about the same amount as the entire NASA budget. Maybe it’s just my nature, but I feel that it is a huge waste of time and assets to be spending most of our money fighting other countries, when we could be exploring and making discoveries for the betterment of mankind. As I mentioned earlier, the US has funded all of our wars solely on borrowing, and we have racked up quite a large amount of interest in doing so. On the other hand, a paper written by Douglas A. Camstock, Director of Innovative Partnerships Office, NASA Headquarters, and Daniel P. Lockney of Innovative Partnerships Office, NASA Headquarters, the return rate for NASA research can be as high as 32 times the initial investment. At the very lowest, they estimate that for every dollar invested in NASA, there is a return of at least seven dollars as a result of technological advances. Not only is the lack of support for research a shame for the curious minded, but it is bad fiscal planning as well. Single bombs can cost the military about one million dollars each. Here in the state of California, an average teacher’s salary is about $40,000 a year; this is one of the states with the highest averages. For the price of one bomb or missile, twenty-five teachers can be paid to work for a full year. It doesn’t take a professional economist to tell you that investing in education is well worth it. Educated adults grow up to become working, contributing members of society. Politicians seem to always be looking for ways to create jobs. What better way than for an educated individual to go out and become an entrepreneur, start a business, and hire people to work for them? A study from the University of Massachusetts in 2011 says that for every billion spent in education, about 26,700 jobs are created. Among the different departments that were researched were health care, clean energy, tax cuts, and of course education and defense. Of those five, the military had the least amount of jobs created per billion spent at 11,200 jobs. Once again, it doesn’t take an economist to recognize a poor investment. Over the course of my research paper, I learned about the details of our defense budget and military spending trends in the US as well as our overall deficit. I also found the effects that war has had on the American Public as well as on our economy. During the election I paid close attention to our current presidential candidates and their plans for our defense budget. Only the future will tell if these trends continue or whether our president will take action against our deficit and the fate of national security. I was also able to look into what sparked my interest on the topic in the first place. I got to compare our spending on the military with other departments like education and NASA research. With the President’s plan to begin our transition out of the Middle East in these upcoming years, we will see if we begin a shift to a more progressive, intellectually motivated America. As a member of our educational system as well as a proud American, I sure hope we do.

Karl Marx Modern Political Thought - 1756 Words

Karl Marx is one of the most influential thinkers in modern political thought. His writings inspired political change, revolutions, and new forms of government. Marx interpreted the past structures of societies and found they shared a similar pattern of progression. This, in combination with his vision for the future, allowed Marx to have a clearly defined outline for the progression of humanity. Marx argues that in history each era can be defined by its mode of labor. This mode of labor subsequently creates an economic class struggle. Marx calls for an end of the current class struggle for mankind to progress to a better more equitable communist society. For Marx, the foundation of a society is its economic structure. Marx believes that mankind in the past and currently lives in a world divided by class. He has a very clear and defined model on how mankind and society changes and progresses. According to Marx all societies in the past have changed and altered following a similar pattern. Marx writes, â€Å"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles† (The Communist Manifesto 22). Throughout written history we see an oppressor and the oppressed. Some of these class struggles are in the open and others are hidden. Regardless of their visibility each time the conflict results in a revolution and reconstruction of societies classes. Marx believes these are always driven by economic factors - specifically economic oppression. Marx’s understanding ofShow MoreRelatedThe Wealth Of Nations By Adam Smith1384 Words   |  6 Pagesthe philosophy of what would one day become modern economics. One author wrote two books that would change the course of history. These books would lay foundations to communism and influence leaders like Lenin and Tse-Tung. 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Marx On Government s First Duty1038 Words   |  5 PagesBryce Hurless Mrs. Sauter World History – Block G 15 December 2014 Topic #1 – Hobbes vs. Locke vs. Marx â€Å"Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives,† said Ronald Reagan. Some political philosophies like John Locke would agree to this statement, while other, like Thomas Hobbes would not, and some will both agree and disagree, like Karl Marx. You will come to learn why the â€Å"social contract† of John Locke is the best through the review of all three philosophers main ideasRead MoreKarl Marx And The German Political System1427 Words   |  6 PagesKarl Marx was born on May 5th 1818 in Trier, Germany, which was then known as the Kingdom of Prussia. Karl was a philosopher, economist, sociologist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His work in economics laid the basis for much of the current understanding of labor and it’s relation to capital, and subsequent economic thought. 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According to the University of Dayton, â€Å"the human person is part of a larger history of life on this planet. Through technology humans have the power to have an immense effect on that life.†[ii] The people of his time found that the impact of the Industrial Revolution would further man’s success within thisRead MoreMarx, Emile Durkheim, And Max Weber : The Unjust Theory Of The New World1470 Words   |  6 Pages Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber were all born from a middle-class background in Europe. First Karl Marx was born in (1818-1883), Durkheim (1858-1917), and Max Weber (1864-1920) was close to Durkheim in age, but forty years later after Marx. Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber are the most essential theorist of the nineteenth century whose theories are well known today. Their thinking was based on the ris ing of the preindustrial, and industrial revolution society. Europe went through