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Blended Humor and Horror in “The Final Girls”

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Introduction

Horror and humor, when observed on the surface, are opposing genres. Horror as a genre is developed to horrify and scare audiences, while humor amuses and ensures audiences laugh (Crowther, 2021). However, these two genres are considerably linked more than one can imagine through absurdity and high willingness by filmmakers to provide going over the top. The constant tension usually occurring in serious horror movies is exhausting. Thus, using humor to relieve tension can be an essential tool. Thus, films that typically blend horror and humor have emerged to be horror’s primary cannon. Rather than the films having possibly unintentional laughs in the various scenes, the films are a straight humorous take concerning the horror tropes. These films are referred to as horror-comedy, where they have become their own subgenre. “The Final Girls” is among the best horror-comedy with Todd Strauss-Schulson as the director, where the film does an outstanding job of blending humor and horror.

The unique concept in “The Final Girls” focuses on Max, whose mother passed away before being known by her daughter. She was mainly a scream queen in the 80s. The movie is a horror film that occurs in another horror film’s world. Various black-and-white flashbacks concerning teens that are over-sexualized are present in the movie. Also, there are flashbacks relating to individuals who mainly reference horror films’ rules. Looking at its official trailer, it portrays an exceptionally meta-horror movie, and this film pokes fun specifically at its genre; this appears unique. In addition, the film is self-aware, bright, funny, and scream-inducing. Usually, horror films are best when they turn out to be suspenseful and scary (Martin, 2019). They also perform if they are self-aware. In case they fail to cause utter terror to the audience, being concerned about the joke can assist them to be carried more seriously as a movie. “The Final Girls” excellently blends these different elements.

Horror

An emotional element is provided by a girl coming into contact with her deceased mother. The other cast offers an ideal balance of horror and humor. Duncan, who is nerdy, says, “Everyone who has sex in this movie dies” (Sweet Dreams Studios, 2021). Thus, this idea becomes the base of every joke in the film. The final girl, Paula, utters, “You just messed with the wrong virgin,” in the movie “Camp Bloodbath,” which is within the movie (Sweet Dreams Studios, 2021). The final girl is a virgin, unlike her licentious friends. The teen gang finally becomes aware that they are in a film; this is terrifying for geeky Duncan but rather heavy emotionally for Max. She views her dead mother again, who is in the flesh, although it is not her, indeed. Max also gets completely freaked out by her deceased mother being 20 years younger compared to her last memories of her. In addition, the teen gang can be assassinated by Billy Murphy, the film’s villain, and upon realizing they are not safe until they kill Billy to escape the film. Therefore, this shows the horrifying features of the film.

Humor

Moreover, “The Final Girls” has several humorous redeeming qualities. The present fake 1980s movie has B horror-quality jokes that make one cringe-laughing. For instance, Duncan says, “the writing is so bad” (Sweet Dreams Studios, 2021). Duncan explains the future occurrences in the movie. The film is also clever with meta-aspect, where its title cards are solid brick-concrete, and the flashback root stories change the setting in particular to black and white. Also, the horndog character Kurt turns out to be hilarious due to his exceeding-top masculinity and eagerness involving humping all the girls in sight. Adam DeVine plays this character Kurt entirely very well, dropping homophobic and casual anti-feminist remarks. Resident Slut, Tina is another exceptional and humorous character who requires duct-taped hands to survive by ensuring she does not undress and join any sexy misconduct. Tina is ridiculous and a riot.

Additionally, there is a hilarious strip show scene that results in one cackling where Nancy continuously refers to herself as the shy girl containing the guitar and the clipboard while Blake serves as an artsy alt boy who is token black. Ironically, the least memorable of the teen gang is Paula. Thus, these parody show portrays how film characters that are anticipated, conventional, and slasher look like; “The Final Girls” is a bit effective to that extent. However, following the virgin joke, all eyes induced hyper-meta comments after rolling, and the film fails to do something new for the genre.

Conclusion

Although humor and horror appear different on the surface, they are considerably linked more than one can imagine. “The Final Girls” excellently blends humor and horror and is among the best horror-comedy films. Looking at its official trailer, it portrays an exceptionally meta-horror movie, and this film pokes fun specifically at its genre; this appears unique. It has horrifying elements, such as Max getting freaked out by her deceased mother being 20 years younger compared to her last memories of her. There are also humorous features where Duncan utters that every individual involved in sex dies; this becomes the basis of every joke in the film. Therefore, “The Final Girls” effectively portrays the connection between horror and humor.

References

Crowther, S. (2021). Bloody Disgusting! Abjection, Excess & Absurdity: The Carnivalesque Cohesion Between Horror & Comedy in Film & Television.

Martin, G. N. (2019). (Why) do you like scary movies? A review of the empirical research on psychological responses to horror films. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 2298.

Sweet Dreams Studios. (2021). FINAL GIRL – Full Film. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKeTMmLOWck

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A Rhetorical Analysis of David Freedman’s, “Are Engineered Foods Evil?”

“To eat or not to eat?” The subject of Genetically Engineered Foods is one that is shrouded with controversy. The dispute involves numerous groups such as consumers, farmers, biotechnology companies, scientists, politicians, government regulatory organizations, and even religious groups, all who contribute to conflicting sides of the argument. In his article, “Are Engineered Foods Evil?” science journalist and author David H. Freedman, tackles this debate by analyzing evidence from advocates and critics of Genetically Modified Foods, weighing the risks and benefits, and finally comes up with a clear solution of this dilemma. Freedman employs a more informative and defensive tone and rhetorical devices when discussing pro-GM arguments to convince his audience that genetically modified foods are not harmful but rather have multiple advantages.

In his article, Freedman does not rely on emotional appeal to persuade the reader but employs logos to support genetically modified foods. He uses statistical evidence from credible scientists and renowned bodies such as Robert Goldberg, Gregory Jaffe, Alan Mcguhen, David Zilberman, the USDA, and the European Commission to support his claim. For instance, Freedman states that the European Commission, “has funded 130 research projects carried out by 500 independent teams, on the safety of GM crops. None of these studies found any special risks for GM crops” (Freedman,633). He strengthens this argument on the safety of genetically modified foods by stressing Alan McHughen’s viewpoint, “Under current testing standards for GM- crops, most conventionally bred crops wouldn’t have made it to the market”(Freedman,633). Freedman uses viewpoints from anti-GM scientists who are not as credible to weaken the argument against genetically modified foods. For instance, he points out that David Schubert, an “Alzheimer researcher” describes that a switched gene, “can go forward, backward, at different locations, in multiple copies, and they all do different things” (Freedman, 636). By intentionally quoting Schubert’s job and vague words, he renders him a barely credible as a scientist and source. Freedman, therefore, ensures that there is internal consistency in his argument for genetically modified foods by using research and data from credible scientists and reputable organizations to support his claim and simultaneously discredits the counterargument indirectly.

Freedman aims to establish his ethos by taking care to show both sides of the debate on genetically modified foods. He appeals to character by trying to portray his objectivity and impartiality on the matter. However, a keen reader notices that he mainly argues for genetically modified foods and uses the anti-GM analysis as a counterargument. Despite his intentions, the fact that he shows opposing sides of the issue before explaining his thesis establishes his credibility. His career as a science journalist also convinces the reader to rely on his reputation of providing information on scientific matters. However, his career is not as persuasive since journalists are known to take on different stances based on their employers.

What Freedman lacks in ethos and pathos, he compensates in diction. Freedman persuades the audience by employing well-chosen diction that illustrates the power of words in creating a specific tone. By using certain words, Freedman strengthens his case for genetically modified foods and weakens the counterargument that is against genetically modified foods. The title for instance, “Are engineered foods evil? Has moral and religious connotations. The term ‘evil’ is not consistent with the scientific diction he applies. Words that would have been more compatible with the text include dangerous, harmful, or detrimental. He therefore implicitly implies that the opponents of genetically modified foods base their arguments on moral or religious grounds rather than scientific ones. The use of phrases such as “exasperating” “exonerating evidence” “PERSISTENT DOUBTS”, “A CLEAN RECORD” and “But as medical researchers know, nothing can really be “proved safe.” (Freedman, 633, 630, 631,).One can only fail to turn up significant risk after trying hard to find it-as is the case with GM crops.” His diction proves that he wholly supports genetically modified foods and aims to convince the reader into supporting them too.

In conclusion, the fact that Freedman provides both sides of the argument does not portray his impartiality, but rather, his attempts to give a ‘balanced standpoint’ contribute to false equivalency fallacy. He uses this to his advantage to get his point across, that is, by giving both sides of the debate, he paints himself as ‘impartial’. However, he strongly argues for genetically modified foods and weakly advocates against the foods. He strongly relies on logos and persuasive diction to persuade his audience into supporting the adoption of genetically modified foods. This works in his favor, because from a reader’s perspective, genetically modified foods ‘win’.

Works Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY Freedman, David H. “Are Engineered Foods Evil?” Lunsford, Andrea A. Everything’s An Argument: With Readings. Boston: Bedford, 2018. 630-638. Print.

MACRO AND MICRO ECONOMICS

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Macro and Micro Economics

Money can be defined as an asset used as a means of exchange. Money has a narrow and broad definition. Narrow definition includes checking deposits, currency in circulation, and debit card accounts while broad definition of money includes deposits of currency. Money is also a liquid asset used to pay for goods and services or used to settle down debts. According to Murphy, (2009, 102-3), assets can be grouped into liquid assets and illiquid assets. Assets such as checking deposits, currency in circulation, savings deposits, debit card accounts, and time deposits are more liquid than assets such as loans, bonds, real estate, stocks, and other assets. The circulation of money in the economy is controlled by the central bank. In the United States, the central bank is a Federal Reserve System charged with the responsibility of regulating the circulation of money in the economy. The central bank influences the amount of debit card accounts, checking deposits, and other monetary assets.

Monetary demand refers to the amount of monetary deposits that individuals are willing to hold instead of non-liquid assets (Murphy, 2009, 78-9). Demand for money is the desire to hold financial assets in monetary forms; in the form of cash or monetary deposits. Money is required for purposes of carrying out transactions (provides liquidity). This brings about a trade-off between the advantage of holding money (liquidity advantage) and the advantage of holding other assets (interest advantage). The demand for money comes about because of such kind of trade-off with regards to where an individual chooses to place his wealth. An individual’s motivation to hold his wealth in monetary form can be divided into asset motive and transaction motive.

There are several factors that influence people’s demand for money. This aspect can be considered in terms of aggregate demand for money and individual demand for money. The first factor that influences individual demand for money is interest rates or the expected rate of return on money. The next factor is the risk involved in holding money arising from unexpected inflation; thereby reducing the purchasing power of money (Cesaran, 2007, 89). The last factor that influences individual demand for money is the aspect of liquidity, which occurs when transaction prices increases. On the other hand, the factors that influence the aggregate money demand include interest rates or rates of return associated with holding monetary assets. The next factor in this aspect is the price, which involves the cost involved in purchasing of goods and services. Such prices will dictate people’s willingness to hold or not hold money. Higher prices would mean a greater need to hold more money for transaction purposes. The last factor in this aspect is income. High income means that more goods and services can be purchased; thereby implying that more money is required for transaction purposes. Higher real national income implies that there is more production of goods and services, thereby increasing the demand for money for transaction purposes. The other factor influencing the demand for money is the aspect of consumer spending. It is often observed that when consumer spending is high; such as during Christmas, individuals prefer to cash in other forms of their wealth like bonds and stocks in exchange for cash. They need money to buy goods and services. This implies that if consumer spending increases, there would be a likely increase in the money demand. The other factor is the transaction costs for bonds and stocks. If it becomes expensive or difficult to buy and quickly sell bonds and stock, they become undesirable thus making people to desire to hold more of the wealth in form of money (Cesarano, 2007, 78-9). This leads to increase in the demand for money.

The equations representing aggregate demand for money can be represented as:

Md= P x L (R, Y)

Where:

P-Price level

Y-Real national income

R-Interest rates for non-monetary assets

L (R, Y) – Aggregate demand for monetary assets

Alternatively:

Md/P=L(R, Y)

Aggregate demand for money is a function of interest rates and national income

Graph showing the relationship between interest rate and the aggregate demand for money

From the diagram above, it is observed that there is an inverse relationship between the aggregate real money demand and the interest rates. At lower interest rates, there is high demand for monetary assets since individuals would demand more money for transaction purposes. On the other hand, at high interest rates, few individuals would be willing to hold money for transaction purposes thereby lowering the aggregate real demand for money.

Graph showing the effect on the aggregate demand schedule of an increase in real income

From the graph above, it can be observed that increase in income levels would result into a shift in the aggregate demand for money from point L (R, Y1) to point L (R, Y2). This is because increase in the levels of income for individuals will increase their purchasing power, thereby leading to increase in the aggregate real demand. On the other hand, increase in income levels would also lead to increased interest rates (Kaushik, 1987, 78-9). This results in the positive shift of the graph as shown in the diagram.

References

Cesarano, F., 2007, Monetary theory and Bretton Woods: The construction of an international monetary order. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Kaushik, S. K., 1987, International banking and world economic growth: The outlook for the late 1980s. New York [u.a.: Praeger.

Murphy, A. E., 2009, The genesis of macroeconomics: New ideas from Sir William Petty to Henry Thornton. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Memory Types and Stages

1. Define memory and briefly explain the stages

Memory refers to the ability of a person to take in information, store it, process, and recall the information later in time. The phases of memory that include encoding stage, storage stage, and retrieval (McDermott, Kathleen and Henry). Encoding refers to the process by which the brain receives information, process, and combine it. Through encoding, external information is allowed to the senses as a stimuli in form of both chemical and physical and which requires processing. Storage refers to the development of a permanent record of the received data, where it is maintained awaiting retrieval. Retrieval if the third stage and refers to the calling back of the information stored in the memory in order to be put in use.

2. What is flashbulb memory?

Flashbulb memories in psychology refer to the memories that occur after learning something so shocking or surprising that it develops a strong and seemingly very accurate memory of learning in regard to the event, but not the event itself (Hirst and Elizabeth). It can also be regarded as a snapshot of a moment and circumstances of surprising and consequential news that has just been learned about. For example, during the 9/11 attack, not everyone witnessed the incident, but some photographers took a snapshot that still reminds people of the event to date.

3. How do you study effectively to remember?

The human memory works through processing information and storing it. Reading for the purpose of remembering depends on the duration of retrieval, and this impacts on the types of memories that include sensory, short-term, and long-term memory. If a person is required to remember something after a few days, then they make use of short-term memory, which is also referred to as the working memory. However, if the information is required after a long duration, then the long-term and sensory memory is put into use. To ensure the effectiveness of the memory, even after an extended duration, a person is required to perform processes such as rehearsals (Oberauer). And which will ensure that the information is easily recalled even after an extended time as rehearsals work to train the brain.

Works Cited

Hirst, William, and Elizabeth A. Phelps. “Flashbulb memories.” Current Directions in Psychological Science 25.1 (2016): 36-41.

McDermott, Kathleen B., and Henry L. Roediger. “Memory (encoding, storage, retrieval).” General Psychology FA2018. Noba Project: Milwaukie, OR (2018): 117-153.

Oberauer, Klaus. “Is Rehearsal an Effective Maintenance Strategy for Working Memory?.” Trends in cognitive sciences (2019).

Andrew Extejt

Mrs. Scarola

GSW 1120

13 March 2018

Mental Disorders in Millennials Due to the Rise of Technology

Technology has been on the verge of growth in the current days in comparison to the past where people had access to limited technology. In the past, the available technology was used in the manufacture and the construction industries to make products, and therefore there were minimum technological effects in the past. Currently, the technological know-how has almost doubled with the use of internet and smartphones to the disposal of every individual. The rising technology has been accompanied by both positive and negative effects to the users, especially for the active users. Today, it is easy to communicate with anyone around the globe and get information easily with the help of the internet connection, televisions smartphones and so forth. However, the rise of technology has affected many people around the globe negatively especially the young people. Millennials are the main users of technology, and they connect to each other and anything around them through the help of platforms brought about by technology. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are among the most used platforms by the youths to connect with one another and the world. Due to the increased use of technology for data storage and communication, there has been an increase in the levels of mental disorders affecting the moods, thinking as well as the behaviors of the youths such as schizophrenia and depression. Addiction is the primary cause of the corresponding psychological disorders and in the paper focuses on discussing how the teens today are negatively affected mentally by the technology.

Millennials also referred to as Generation Y, are experiencing quite high depression, suicidal idealism, and anxiety levels when compared to the previous generations. Majority of the youths spend most of their time on various social media platforms and therefore do not find time to engage in activities that could lead to the development of the community as well as improve their social aspect of being. According to Berger, 2017, it is evident that most of the information found on social media is not regulated and the content is not filtered according to age, and therefore, the youths can be in touch with information that is harmful to them. Due to this unrestricted behaviors, the majority of the young people watch content such as pornography leading to loss of moral values. Addiction to watch such content leads to the development of youths who are evil-minded and those that cannot engage positive development of the community. The continued use of the social media leads to addiction that eventually turns the person to be less human; this makes the individuals lack the social values that can make them fit into the community leading to withdrawal and eventually may encourage suicide as they are not able to handle things appropriately.

Anxiety is another problem that has been brought up by the continued technological development in the world today. Anxiety was officially documented as a medical condition in the year 1980 by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM) (Wakefield, 2016). Many young people are always curious to know what is new on the internet and different social media platforms. The concentration of the young people has therefore shifted from things such as school to none educative content found online, and this has made most youths to become lazy and are never ready to be involved in physical activities (McCloughen et al. 2016). Due to the shift to online content, the millennials, therefore, want to ensure that they can access various technological devices which they use to stay connected and they will sacrifice a lot to ensure that they get in touch with at least an online device such as a smartphone. In the cases to which they are not able to access the technological devices, they become stressed up, and this can lead to serious cases such as depression and committing suicides. The reason behind is the view that they are not able to accomplish the demands of technology that are present.

Majority of the millennials yearn to look like the famous people in the community such as musicians, politicians and models. In the process of trying to look like another person, the millennials always find themselves stressed up. The reason behind this is because most are jobless and cannot afford such lifestyles which they see with the celebrities as adorable. Also, we cannot have the same lives while we are different from the other (Sternheimer, 2014) and as a result, most of the millennials will search for ways that they can use to be in possession of the things they see with the famous people (Jagodzinski, 2017). These activities could include stealing from others, selling of hard drugs among others. Engaging in such activities will result in more stressing life for the young person who chooses this way. They are usually at risk of being jailed due to engagement with activities that are not legal. Results from the previous studies indicate that there is no connection between the real and online worlds of the millennials. But according to recent findings of a new study conducted by the UK (Jagodzinski, 2017), the millennials are affected by high levels of perfectionism which lead to elevated expectations and the outcomes are anxiety and depression disorders.

Hugh Mackay, an author, and social researcher states that “We are a society in the grip of epidemics of anxiety, obesity, and depression – 20 per cent of Australians experience some form of mental illness. It’s already clear that many of us are severely stressed by the struggle to keep up with the rate of change in our lives, and one of the consequences of that stress is anxiety” (Mackay 2018). He goes ahead and points out that it is even more difficult for millennials compared to their predecessors and that most of the victims are offspring of the parental generation which experienced high levels of divorce. As a result, there have been high rates of stressed adolescents who are dealing with consequences of family breakdown. Besides, if both parents are present, they are continually working implying that they are always too busy and tired of having time for their children hence leading to the development of emotional challenges for the millennials.

Through technology, video games have been developed and to add to the social media; they have continued to attract many young people to play, spending most of their time in video games (Greenfield, 2014). The video games have been found to be very addictive, and they affect the social behaviors of the children. Children who play the video games more often develop habits of addiction such that they cannot go for a long time without playing and act as if they have withdrawal syndromes. Their minds are set in such a manner that they think about playing the video games at any one given time. The academic performance of such students is affected since they concentrate very little on reading.

Data that is sourced from the National Institute of Mental Health in 2015 shows that approximately 20% of boys and 30% of girls of age 12-17, a total of 6.3 million teens, have experienced a severe anxiety disorder which has impaired their normal functioning (Hill and Curran 2015). In today’s world, being a teenager can be classified as a full-time job which is continuously draining the teens with loads of activities. Some of such activities include managing social-media identity, fretting about sexism and careers, and as well doing schoolwork requiring the millennials to document every slight or fight on the social media platforms for days or hours after the incident which becomes quite exhausting.

According to Faith-Ann, a victim of the anxiety disorder as well as suicidal idealism, we are a generation to which we cannot escape our own problems as we are like volcanoes abstaining the pressure from the social media and current relationships. Ann is backed up by Steve Schneider, who is a counselor at Sheboygan South High School who says that the situation that the millennials currently find themselves in can be likened to a scab which is being picked continuously yet there is no possible way to detach oneself from it (Mackay, 2018). The situation makes it more difficult for parents to understand the intensity of emotional damage caused by the life revolving around the small screens on the millennials’ phones.

Thomas Curran asserts that the results of individual improvement over the years are being exhibited with the millennials. Perfectionism refers to a blend of critical self-evaluations and abnormally high personal standards. The young adults find themselves in a pressurized society which requires them to measure up to a continually growing list of criteria. The millennials strive to attain impossible standards raises the risk of depression, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, and anxiety (Hill and Curran 173).

The study classified perfectionism into self-perfectionism, socially prescribed, and other-oriented perfectionism. The rates of perfectionism increased with the millennials generation due to anxious and overbearing parents, increased competitiveness, and continued attention on individualism. More so, the demands of high education, as well as the need to find a well-paying job, have also shot up, both of which require perfection. The social media platform has contributed significantly to the perfectionism ideology as well (Jagodzinski 240). Millennial peers are portrayed to have perfect bodies while others are described as heroes by achieving noteworthy goals. As a result, insecurity rises which leads to increased competitiveness. As a result, the millennials are faced with mental disorders and social isolation issues. Curran and Hill 2015, have resolved that “American, Canadian, and British cultures have become more individualistic, materialistic, and socially antagonistic over this period, with young people now facing more competitive environments, more unrealistic expectations, and more anxious and controlling parents than generations before”.

It is evident from the above context that the millennials are greatly affected mentally by their engagement in technological activities to which they learn and see online through the social media. The mental effects can range from a variety of disorders from depression, suicide and illusions regarding the content to which they get exposed. Addictive materials such as pornography significantly affect the brain of the young adults which can make them indulge in irresponsible sexual behaviors as well as indulging in substance abuse as they get influenced by the media. From the above context of this paper, various causes of mental disorders have been explored that include anxiety and depression, to which have continued to affect the youths mentally. It is evident that the society has focused on personal entitlement instead of civic responsibility hence rising competition rather than cooperation with every person trying to outdo the other one in the media and this also has resulted to cyberbullying that eventually may lead to suicide.

Works Cited

Berger, A. A. “Postmodernism and Millennials.” Cultural Perspectives on Millennials, 2017, pp. 85-100, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-69685-0_8.

Greenfield, Patricia M. Mind and media: The effects of television, video games, and computers. Psychology Press, 2014.

Hill, J., and P. Curran. “Millennials Report Higher Rates of Depression, Need Support.” Applied Sociology, vol. 21, no. 2, 2015, pp. 157-174, doi:10.1016/s0143-6228(01)00002-9.

Jagodzinski, J. “Teen Depression and Anxiety: Why the Kids Are Not Alright.” Youth Fantasies, 2017, pp. 233-240, doi:10.1057/9781403980823_15.

Mackay, H. “Why millennials are the most anxious generation in history.” The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2018, doi:10.1002/9781405165518.wbeosi043.

McCloughen, Andrea, et al. “Physical health and well‐being: Experiences and perspectives of young adult mental health consumers.” International journal of mental health nursing25.4 (2016): 299-307.

Mortich, A. A. “Millennials and the Media.” Cultural Perspectives on Millennials, 2017, pp. 47-62, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-69685-0_5.

Sternheimer, Karen. Celebrity culture and the American dream: Stardom and social mobility. Routledge, 2014.

Wakefield, Jerome C. “Diagnostic issues and controversies in DSM-5: return of the false positives problem.” Annual review of clinical psychology 12 (2016): 105-132.

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Macro and Microeconomics

Question 3 (Test Yourself)

Transactions included in the GDP are; a) Payment by Smith for garage building which raises GDP by $50000.b) $ 60000 used by Smith to build himself a garage which will increase the GDP by $60000. d) Joneses $ 500000 used in purchasing the house which will raise GDP by the same amount. f) $ 25000 used in purchasing a new frame computer from IBM that would increase GDP by $25000, i) $100 gained from the stock market, which will increase GDP by $100 and j) Purchase of a new economic book from the university, which will raise the GDP by $100.

Question 3(Discussion question)

Gross Domestic product is not suitable for measuring well-being of a nation because it does not include inequality in the distribution of income and wealth. The general assumption is that wealth is equally distributed among the citizens yet it is a few individuals who are rich. Secondly, the quality of goods and services that comprises the output and externalities like pollution are not taken into consideration. In addition, increase in output may be attributed to long working hours with less leisure time. There is a lot of money in the black economy like prostitution, which is not included in the GDP computation. Non-market transactions such as volunteer and household chores are also not included. Sustainability of growth is not considered in the calculation of GDP because the country may have exploited its resources hence increasing its GDP.

Computation of college Price index;

Market basket for 1982=(10*1)+(25*1)+(10*3)+(12*12)+(12*3)+(5*11)=300

Market basket for 2009=(25*1)+(55*1)+(3*35)+(12*40)+(3*30)+(11*14)=909

Price Index for 2009=Market basket for 2009* 100=909*100

Market basket for 1982 300

=303

Real GDP for each year; Real GDP=Nominal GDP*100

GDP deflator

a) 1981=3131*100 = 5017.63 1991=5986*100= 6673.36 2001=10206*100=9329.1

62.4 89.7 109.4

b) % change in nominal GDP is calculated by change in the GDP *100; from 1981 to 1991 and 1991 to 2001 , the nominal GDP has changed by 91.18% and 70.50% respectively while the real GDP has changed by 43.75% from 1981 to 1991 and by 21.96% from 1991 to 2001. (b)

Percentage Change in Nominal GDP

Between 1981 and 1991

5986-3131 ÷ 3131 × 100

= 91.18%

Between 1991 and 2001

10206 – 5986 ÷ 5986 × 100

= 70.50 %

Percentage Change in Real GDP

Between 1981 and 1991

6673 – 5018 ÷ 5018 × 100

=32.98 %

Between 1991 and 2001

9329 – 6673 ÷ 6673 × 100

= 39.8%

c) Rate of inflation = Nominal growth Inflation (1981-1991) =5986*5017.63 =1.44%

Real growth 3131*6673.36

Inflation (1991-2001) =10206*6673.36= 1.22%

5986*9329.1

2) Real GDP=Nominal GDP *100

GDP deflator

Question 2

Statistics 1999 2000 2001

Nominal GDP 9269 9869.68 10206

Real GDP 8857 9224 9329

GDP deflator 104.65 107.0 109.4

Nominal GDP 2000

Real GDP × GDP deflator ÷ 100

9224 × 107.0 ÷ 100

= 9869.68

Real GDP 2001

Nominal DGP ÷ GDP deflator × 100

= 10206 ÷ 109.4 × 100

= 9329

GDP deflator 1999

Nominal GDP ÷ Real GDP × 100

9269 ÷ 8857 × 100

= 104.65

Question 3

The last few years after the crisis have witnessed a gradual decline in productivity growth and the situation may persist for much longer (Orszag). Projections indicate that the trend is likely to persist for a much longer period. One of the reasons behind the slowdown in productivity growth is the fact that a significant percentage of the population is not engaged in active productive engagements. An aging population has also been cited as one of the reasons behind the slump in productivity. The author points out that workers usually display less enthusiasm and productivity after a crisis. The impact of the crisis manifests at the level of confidence on the part of the workers as many of them become affected by insecurities that hamper their capacity to produce.

The studies indicate that the levels of productivity have been going down even before the crisis reached its peak in 2007 (Orszag). This is an indication that much of the challenges in productivity are rooted in certain structural and environmental realities that adversely influence the capacity of the economy to recover from the crisis. The study points out that much of the negative implications of the crisis are felt on a long-term basis. Total factor productivity is one of the areas that was adversely affected by the crisis. In essence, the reality poses practical challenges in the relationship between capital and labor. A disharmonious relationship between the two naturally impacts negatively on the score of productivity.

According to the author, the crisis also poses a negative effect at the level of spending. Many factories and businesses usually cut down on capital expenditure. There is less spending on improvements, investments, or expansions. As a result, the economy experiences a drastic reduction in development, which may persist for a long time with the attendant effects such as increased unemployment and a reduction in the productive capacities of the existing systems. The author points out that the reduction in productivity could bring down economic growth to the point of 2.1 percent.

INCLUDEPICTURE “http://www.oecd.org/media/oecdorg/directorates/statisticsdirectorate/42580241figure2.jpg” * MERGEFORMATINET

Source: HYPERLINK “http://www.oecd.org/employment/labourstatistics/therealeconomyandthecrisisrevisitingproductivityfundamentals.htm” http://www.oecd.org/employment/labourstatistics/therealeconomyandthecrisisrevisitingproductivityfundamentals.htm

Works Cited

Orszag, Peter. It’s too Soon to Celebrate a Recovery. Bloomberg. 30, Jan 2012. Web. 11 Feb, 2013.

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In Season 5 episode 18, Eddie goes for her first undercover in order to investigate the underground rig that was sex trafficking women. Frank Regan also helps out a person that she had met from the past to confront an inmate who was in prison for killing her parents. Sarah whose family had been murdered by a man and she had been a witness to this horrifying event as a child an event that had scarred her. Frank thought that this was among the most horrifying cases that he had encountered with in his life as a cop having served as detective for three decades.

The episode highlights the Restorative Justice Program where Donald Berry ascends a text to Sarah. Donald as well as his priest believed that he was now a changed man and had undergone the rehabilitation. The paper highlights the importance of prisons including the rehabilitation of inmates. The role of our prison system is to rehabilitate the inmates and give them a second chance to go back to the society. Most often than not, people in the society fee this is not the case and that is why there is always cases of stigmatization and most of these inmates feel left out in the society a factor that contributes to high recidivism cases as they are unable to even secure employment opportunities for themselves.

Frank is portrayed not for the idea which is not a shock as often throughout the movie he is always against the releasing of the inmates. Frank Reagan feels that Donald Berry has not really served his time and that his release is not worth for the crime that he had committed. Baker on the other hand feels differently about the case. She believes that Berry has changed and that he can be released having served his time and learn from his mistakes. These two individual’s area a clear portrayal of our society as we will always have those that support releasing of inmates including those that have committed heinous crimes and they can be taken back to the society. There are also those that believe in eternal condemnation of criminals especially those that have committed heinous crimes including murder should not be released from someone.

The form of punishment presented mainly in the episode is prison system. The aim showed in the movie is that inmates can be rehabilitated including those that committed serious crimes and having served their sentence then. The episode also tries to prove how most victims of crimes are able to deal with situation that requires them to confront their perpetrators. The episode also brings out the idea of mental illness and the reasons crimes are committed. Donald explains about the mental illness that he had that may have contributed to him committing the heinous crimes. With the help and treatment that he got while in orison he believes that he is changed and can be reintegrated back to the society.

Frank Reagan and Sarah seem to support the form of punishment that condemns the inmates completely for their crimes and that they should stay in prison for time served. For Sarah it may be a little bit understandable for the fact that she witnessed a man slaying the entire family. Frank on the other hand being a detective he should have a belief in the system that the criminals can be rehabilitated. Baker on the other hand is in support of the Restorative Justice Program and supports the idea that criminals can be rehabilitated and they can change and become better people and thus should be given a second chance in the society.

I support the Restrictive Justice Program because people should be given a second chance in the society. Most of the times when these people get to commit crimes they may not be in the right mental space including the fact that they may lack the affection of their parents. Being in prison gives them a chance to reflect on their deeds which may help them understand that the crimes that they may have committed and by understanding the crimes they may change. There have been inmates in prison who have enrolled in classes and by the time they are getting back from prison then they can guide youths away from committing crimes.

Aside from prison system there should be other forms of punishment that help restore people in the society including classes and meetings for example those caught for minor crimes instead of taking them to prison. There should also be favorable re-entry programs favorable for inmates. With the support from the community, this basically transforms to the fact that the rehabilitated prisoners will het employment and thus they will be able to leave an honest life. Lack of economic empowerment often leads to released convicts going back into crime life as eventually they will need money to settle their bill.

In conclusion, this episode brings out key issues in the prison system. These issues include roles of prison especially in the rehabilitation of prisoners and the views people have on rehabilitation of prisoners. There should be so much done to give confidence to the public that the offenders released are rehabilitated and changed.

A Rhetorical Review on the Article " A Good way to keep gun from predators” by Brent Staples

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Introduction

In 'A Good Way to Keep Guns from Predators', Brent Staples argues whether Gov. Scott should invest his energy in the forceful collection of the guns he gave out to his people to improve the security among the residents. According to Staples, Governor Scott Walker signed a bill that let babies carry guns. However, Scott Walker did not allow one group of people to have guns. There is a 22% lower rate of intimate-partner homicide by gun in states where people are advised to give up their weapons (Staples, 2017). Brent Staples employs three major rhetorical strategies to present his arguments and convey his message to his audiences. This paper will discuss the rhetorical strategies used by the author to communicate to his audience appropriately.

The author claims that Gov Scott Walker signed legislation that requires people placed under a restraining order to be informed that they must turn in any guns they own within forty-eight hours or get arrested. It also established that all firearms held by civilians be confiscated by the authorities as soon as possible. "Gun-relinquishment laws have been enacted with broad support in rural, conservative states like North Dakota and Tennessee, along with swing states like Pennsylvania and Colorado" (Staples, 2017). It was meant to reduce the number of weapons in the public because it put humanity in a vulnerable position. The Governor's target was to reduce or eliminate domestic abuse in the community. Limiting gun ownership allows the state to protect victims or potential victims of domestic abuse from traumatizing events or, in extreme cases, loss of lives. It prevents fatal consequences of domestic abuse among intimate couples.

Investigations conducted by judges, clerks, prosecutors, and police officials following a push from the King County officials revealed that few offenders returned their firearms to the legal authorities despite the increase in domestic violence cases reported and handled in civil courts. Statistics in 2016 showed that only 52 individuals out of 865 returned their guns to the authorities (Staples, 2017). These statistics open a discussion on whether firearms are the leading cause of domestic violence between intimate partners. With or without guns, many families in the state use aggressive strategies to resolve issues, which is unhealthy and quite risky for the partners involved and their families. Washington State legislators prioritized disarming high-risk abusers as a new strategy of confiscating weapons from society and creating a neutral and safe environment for all citizens.

The second strategy suggested by the author is the toughening of federal law that requires the abusers accused of domestic violence to return their guns. The author believes this approach would enable the United States federal team to protect families and the entire population, for that matter. Law enforcement agencies collected 20% as many firearms as collected in the previous year after piloting the policy for six days (Staples, 2017). The success of toughening federal laws prompted the state to employ more staff members to facilitate the reclaiming of firearms from the public especially domestic violence abusers. Like drug abuse, firearms ownership by the citizens affects their public health. The presence of guns in the community threatens the existence of individuals, hence influencing their day-to-day decisions in America. In communities where guns and violence are reported frequently, people tend to live in fear and uncertainty, thus being more cautious and adopting survival tactics that would keep them safe amidst violence. On the other hand, neutral and safe communities live quite freely and comfortably as their safe spaces assure their safety from abusers and reckless unruly firearm owners.

King County, Washington, developed a new and effective strategy to facilitate firearms recovery from the public, particularly domestic violence offenders and high-risk abusers. According to Staples, any legislation must address the Fifth Amendment stipulation that no person should be a witness against himself. To recover as many guns as possible from the public, especially those distributed illegally in the black market, all parties and players society included should cooperate and ensure all criminals and abusers are disarmed and punished according to the law. Staples strongly argues that the community and social media also played a vital role in disarming abusers and keeping America safe. Community members interact and depend on each other in different ways in their day-to-day activities. For this reason, it's easier for them to identify firearms abusers or domestic violence offenders amongst them and their whereabouts. Working hand in hand with the authorities and providing relevant information that could pin or incriminate the abusers in society can help reduce illegal firearms ownership and ensure the safety of many Americans.

Social media also contributes heavily to the fight against firearms abuse by owners. Legal authorities use social media platforms to facilitate their search of abusers and consequent weapons recovery and arrest of the respective abusers. They keep close tabs on abusers and domestic violence offenders and keep track records of their activities and engagements (Staples, 2017). The information collected is then evaluated to determine if they have firearms. The authorities then move on them, disarm them and arrest them accordingly. The state also used various databases to find clues on whether targeted offenders owned guns and their hiding places. Together with statements from victims and witnesses of domestic violence, these databases provide sufficient and incriminating evidence against abusers and their illegal gun ownership.

Conclusion

It is undeniable that the availability of guns to the public, especially domestic violence offenders, is very risky to intimate partners, their families, and friends. The recovery of firearms proves difficult because it is hard to determine if an abuser owns guns. Weapons fall off the system daily, and the authorities cannot account for such losses. The state, through the legal system, should revisit its policies and develop new strategies that will help control the issuing of firearms within the system before dealing with the external problem. There is a need to identify the loopholes through which guns slip to abusers and seal them completely to restore and assure safety for its people.

Reference

Staples, B., 2017. Opinion | A Good Way to Keep Guns from Predators (Published 2017). [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: <https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/19/opinion/restraining-order-guns.html> [Accessed 14 February 2022].

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Black Pride and Unity

The essay, “The Negro Digs Up His Past”, was among the works of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, in which he provided his views regarding the Negros’ history. The essay was written in the year 1925 to disapprove the claim that the black people have no history, and it is through this claim that the author bases his arguments to show the significance of recording the collective achievements by the Africans. Black pride and unity is, therefore, the primary theme that can be traced from the essay as the author puts forth various claims to which make it evident that the Africans do have a history and to which they are entitled to fight for to regain their identity.

Schomburg states at the beginning of his essay that “The American Negro must remark his past in order to make his future” (Schomburg, 670). Based on the above statement, the author emphasizes the importance of the African American to trace their origin and history so that they can mark their future. A generation or race that does not document their history has no chances of being proud in future as they are not bound to any culture of their own but rather depend on assimilation by other major cultures. The statement is a clear depiction that the American Negro should not only trace back and document their past, but also be proud of their culture as a common source of their identity and heritage.

Schomburg further urges the African Americans not to be comfortable for being in the American soil, a country that people doesn’t bother about their past, the Negros should not be in comfort like the other races in the American nation as it should be of prime necessity for the American Negro to trace their past. Schomburg states that “Though it is orthodox to think of America as the one country where it is unnecessary to have a past, what is a luxury for the nation as a whole becomes a prime social necessity for the Negro.” (Schomburg, 670). From the statement above, the author says that Negros have to dig deeper into their history for their affirmation from the continued oppression and discrimination. The Negros should not be comfortable and let other people define them and judge them the wrong way, they should not see it as a luxury lining in a foreign land but should find it more comfortable to trace their deep culture that marks their history to avoid being oppressed for lack of a past. The process of discovering the past is not an individual journey, but a collective process that calls for the union of all the Negros and this is an excellent affirmation of the black unity and pride.

Schomburg uses the works of other individuals to portray the significance of back pride. For example, Jupiter Hammon’s work of 1787, addressed to the Negros residing in New York State, emphasizing the need for black pride and identity, “If we should ever get to Heaven, we shall find nobody to reproach us for being back, or for being slaves” (Schomburg, 671). From the above statement, the author tries to sensitize the people of black origin that there is no one to blame for being black and that there will be nobody to question why they are slaves facing oppression and discrimination. It is through this that he wants the Negros to be proud of their identity for being black and fight against their oppression citing that there will be no one to be questioned or responsible for their mistreatments. For this, they should, therefore, take action and liberate themselves from the hands of the oppressor and as well accept their identity as being black.

In a way to demonstrate unity and pride among the people of color, Schomburg uses the case of the campaign against and the abolition of the slave trade. He states that “Just as black men were influential factors in the campaign against the slave trade, so they were among the earliest instigators of the abolition movement” (Schomburg, 671). Here the author shows that the Negros also have a past especially in fighting against the slave trade and played a vital role to its abolition as well as the setting of a free nation where the slaves could be settled.

In conclusion, Schomburg has illustrated through various incidences that the Negros need not complain about their color but be proud as they have a rich culture that is distinct from the rest. He further states that the Negros should not be in comfort when they are oppressed and that they should stand up in unity, just like during the fight against the slave trade and fight against their oppression. Schomburg argues through other works that the Negros will have no one to blame for their mistreatments, discrimination and oppression, neither for being black and therefore should stand firm and fight for their identity, in their realization of black pride and unity.

Work Cited

Schomburg, Arthur A. “The Negro digs up his past.” The New Negro 1975 (1925).

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Blackfish Film and Ethics

Virtue ethics refers to a philosophy developed by Aristotle. It is a character-based approach to mortality. This theory indicates that practice is vital in the process of virtue acquisition. Virtue ethics contrasts with the view that virtue is present in the world as a natural representation of goodness. Virtue ethics being character-based means that there are different traits and forms of virtue, but all come from constant practice in one’s moral character. For instance, courage would be considered a type of bravery and resoluteness, but bravery comes from years of constantly acting bravely, whereas resoluteness is often displayed when you are angry or feel threatened. Virtue ethics also suggests that healthy interpersonal relationships can have their own virtues (Van Zyl, 46). For example, generosity would be one such virtue for many people around the world since it’s seen as a way to give and express care for others without expecting anything in return.

The blackfish film is closely related with virtue ethics. The blackfish documentary shows the lives of people working with Orcas. It follows the life of a famous orca trainer, Dawn Brancheau, who was killed by an orca in 2010 at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. While it seems that few people would care about the death of a whale trainer, this film sparks controversy on how animals are treated in such places. This movie is praised for its engaging and emotive portrayal of animal abuse and exploitation in captivity; therefore, it can be said that it is virtuous. The film portrays the lives of whales and what really goes on behind closed doors at places like SeaWorld.

The documentary titled ‘Blackfish’ is mainly regarding natural history of whales on the basis of how they were treated by humans before shooting one’s attack against them. The Blackfish film illustrates the segregation, hunting practices, and annihilation that face the sea world which comprise of the whales and other animals. These practices are effectively demonstrated in the Tilikum captivity ordeal, the dolphin hunting procedure and many other ways in which the hunt practices are conducted during whale hunts of sea creatures. The movie reveals these incidents to the audience and tells them that there is no need to have a look at these cruel acts which are happening in the field. The people who are involved in these activities have thought it fit to kill whales and other marine animals thinking of their own safety and convenience. In this way, they also avoid being seen as criminals by the people who are watching them doing this activity.

In this film, Orca is discussed to demonstrate great aggressiveness after being incarcerated in the SeaWorld. However, SeaWorld has been fighting against that idea. Since the film was released, it has caused a great amount of controversy on the trainers working in such places and the killers have been removed from captivity. The film is not just about killer whales but also about how they are treated by humans. In general, Blackfish documentary is a great piece on how we treat animals, including whales and dolphins, in captivity at SeaWorld in John Krasinski’s directorial debut. It is an emotional documentary with power conversations to help change our perspective of animal rights and treatment.

This movie has greatly demonstrated the role of ethics in the society and how the society must truly have ethical and moral values to have a better society. The film has shown us that the real leaders of this world are the people who are kind and give love to everyone (Cowperthwaite). The people who are cruel and hate to others will be thrown away from his or her position. This has been showed by the documentary and I can’t state it more properly than that. This article discusses ethical issues surrounding the use of exotic or trained marine mammals for entertainment purposes and how Blackfish, as well as other films such as Dolphin Diary helped to raise awareness in this topic. This is an important discussion that needs to be more widely discussed.

During the film, I felt so sorry for the animals of SeaWorld, who live in small aquariums and must experience horrible things. They are beaten and forced to perform extremely unnatural acts while they were helpless and defenseless. There are stories about orcas attacking their trainers in their habitats at SeaWorld, something that is always talked about in this documentary film. No one seems to believe what really happened to these orcas before the attack or why did it happen at all. Blackfish wants to give its opinion on why those killings happened because of ethical issues inside SeaWorld company.

The film teaches us to always think twice before taking an action. This is mostly vital when those actions tend to infringe other people’s rights of expression or liberty. The people who are cruel like those in this film will never be rewarded and they will be erased from the society. The importance of showing the good and bad sides of this world can never be over emphasized, especially when you are seeing it on large screen. Those who have such values in mind must see this film to foster their ethical and moral values into what they do for a living. In a time where we have to share our opinion about many things whether good or bad, we must still remember that these opinions may not just be expressed by us but also by people around us too. Even if a few people do not support you, it does not mean that you are wrong.

From the film, we can also see how the marine family face harsh training and punishments. These shows the level of lack of empathy in the society and its effects. In this article, we can read the following: “Blackfish would probably be a better film if it had not been produced to make a point about the ethics of keeping marine animals in captivity. Yet despite its intent, Blackfish also humanizes marine animals and exposes their suffering and desperation.”

Works Cited

Cowperthwaite, G., Oteyza, M. V., Despres, E., Ingalls, J., Towey, C., Beal, J., Blackfish. Magnolia Pictures (Firm), Magnolia Home Entertainment (Firm). (2013)

Van Zyl, Liezl. Virtue ethics: A contemporary introduction. Routledge, 2018.