Instrument of oppression Essay Example for Free

Instrument of oppression Essay To what extent is any state an instrument of oppression. (50 marks) Anarchism holds the primary view that the state oppresses its citizens. They believe that we are all capable of living together peacefully in a society without authority. According to anarchists, the state is oppressive because humans are naturally free and equal but the state takes this away from them and therefore oppresses them. The belief is that true freedom can only be obtained with the abolishment of the state and the rejection of power. Furthermore, the fact that we did not consent to the state (we were simply born into it) then we have no political obligation to obey the laws and uphold their society. Two other main views that the state can be an instrument of oppression are held by Marxists and Liberalists. The Marxist view is that the superstructural features of the state (e.g. legal and political institutions, social consciousness, morality, religion etc.) only serve the interest of the dominant class and reinforce the oppressive power structures. Furthermore, Liberalism states that the role of the state should be limited to protecting the life, liberty and property of the individuals (Locke’s Law of Nature) and this can only be achieved when the state is a neutral umpire in affairs. If the state ever goes beyond this then its power becomes oppressive. The anarchists criticise the state by saying that it is, by its nature, authoritarian, it employs centralised power structures and claims a monopoly on legitimate violence (this means that if anyone else apart from the state were to use violence to, for example, protect themselves then this is classed as illegitimate and they can be punished for this). Anarchism outlines the following reasons as to why the state should be abolished and replaced by social organisations: the state is sovereign and claims complete authority to define the rights and obligations of the citizens, the state is compulsory and all citizens are forced to oblige and the state is a distinct body (which means that its roles and functions are separated from others) and those who make up the government tend to form a distinct class. This forms the most fundamental reason why the state should be abolished with is that the state violates and undermines liberty. One could argue that the state is useful because they provide protection from individuals against  others and co-ordinate productive work. Furthermore, Hobbes puts forward the view that because human nature is naturally egotistic, anarchy would give free reign to exploit each other and that without laws human society would descend into a war of all against all with everyone serving their own interests and not co-operating. However, anarchists argue that for both of these essential functions, we do not need the state. We need some form of collective body or bodies, but these need not claim sovereignty and need no more power than what is required for their specific function. They can be voluntary, with people allowed to join or leave as they choose. There need not be just one body providing these functions as these could be competition between associations and they could be run by everybody together. Overall, the anarchist view is not entirely convincing. They seem to have misunderst ood human nature and think too highly of how humans would behave and co-operate with a governing body to direct them. Marxism holds a similar view of the state as an instrument of oppression but proposes another way around this. It states that the state and its superstructural features only serve the interests of the dominant class and it reinforces oppressive power structures. They believe that liberal and conservative ideological justifications of the state only reflect the dominant class’s interests. Marxists believe that oppression stems from exploitation. They say that the state exploits its subjects in two main ways: it extracts profit from workers by paying them less wages than what their labour is worth and they alienate individuals from the means of production, products of their labour and any sense of community or private ownership. They believe that this stops genuine freedom and therefore the state becomes oppressive. Furthermore, the exercise of political power is against our natural rights. We all have natural right to freedom which the state removes. Nobody can justly subordinate to another’s authority without their consent and since we were either born into the state and therefore did not ask to be involved and do not have to obey the laws or because no state can obtain the consent of all the citizens then its use of power must therefore be illegitimate and oppressive. The solution proposed by Marxists is that of communism. Pure communism states that there will be no state, no money, no private property and no crime. They believe that humans are  malleable and can grow, develop and realise their potential through their relationships with each other. The view is that humans will live co-operatively in a society without the state. However, Marxism seems to have an idealistic view of human nature and misunderstands that people would not work together and live peacefully. Furthermore, history has shown us that communism simply doesn’t work as a leader will always be needed to start a revolution and from then on they will become the state which we would have consented to and therefore would not be oppressive. Overall, the Marxist view makes good points on how the state is oppressive but the alternative of communism would simply bring us around to a state that we have consented to through our support of the revolution and therefore this state would not be oppressive. Liberalism believes that the state should be limited to protecting the life, liberty and property of individuals (Locke’s Law of Nature). They propose that the state should become a neutral umpire which is only there to stop you causing harm to others. Anything beyond this and the state becomes oppressive. The state becomes oppressive when it legislates within the private sphere (e.g. when it becomes concerned with our moral improvement, when it adopts a paternalistic concern for the welfare of the citizens, when it over-regulates the economy or when it outlaws freely chosen economic transactions. They believe that the use of coercion by the state goes beyond what is needed to ensure good order as their laws are excessive and punitive. Furthermore, the way that the state intervenes in the private life of its citizens (by, for example, criminalising private affairs such as drug use) means that it does not act as a neutral umpire and is oppressive because it restricts the individuals freedom to do what they want with their private life. In conclusion, the state is naturally oppressive to the individual’s freedom and the fact that we haven’t consented to it yet still have to follow its laws further restricts this. However, the alternatives to the state would not work (as history has shown us with Marxism, for example). Furthermore, Hobbes seems to have an accurate view on human nature (that we are all self-interested) and therefore, regardless of whether the state is  oppressive, we need it to protect us from harming each other. In this sense, the state is not oppressive because it actually protects our life, liberty and property (even if we haven’t consented to it and do not want to live by its rules it is still there to help us).

Depression in Teenagers Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Depression in Teenagers As a teenager, I have experienced depression countless number of times. Many times, I just feel sad, and other times, I feel like the world is not worth living in. Innumerable incidents also have occurred where some of my friends get badly depressed. Since many of my friends would try to talk to me about how they feel when they are depressed, I see a lot the pain and dejection they are going through. Through these experiences, depression began to scare me because of how inferior and worthless it can make a person feel, and where these low feelings would lead to. I realized that depression should not be allowed to dominate a person’s life as it would slowly eat him away. I felt I had to find out what depression really is, what causes it, and most of all, how to deal with it. There are two main types of depression: minor depression and major depression. First of all, minor depression is the type of depression that is encountered most in our lives. It is usually preceded by problems such as adverse relationships, doing badly in school, or the loss of a job. In minor depression, people feel sad and anxious, cry, or are pessimistic. Second, major depression is a type of abnormal depression that might occur when a person experiences trauma such as having a loved one pass away. It can also occur when a person has hormonal imbalances or abuses drugs. In addition to what people feel in minor depression, people in major depression feel helpless and guilty, have insomnia, are lethargic and lose self-esteem. The causes of depression are not clear-cut, but the biochemistry of the brain, the environment, and personality all seem to have an effect on how prone a person is to depression.... ...d gets depressed, I have also learned that there are ways to help ease him out of depression. Through my various experiences with depression in others and myself, I believe that many people are ignorant or badly misinformed about depression. Even though depressed people tend to block out sound reasoning to wallow in disconsolation or anger, some knowledge of depression would help them get out of depression. Works Cited Bootzin, Richard R., Gordon H. Bower, Jennifer Crocker, and Elizabeth Hall. â€Å"Personality, Abnormality, and Adjustment.† Psychology Today: An Introduction. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1991. p. 547-550. Cush, Cathie. â€Å"Feeling Bad.† Teen Hotline: Depression. Austin: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers,1994. p. 32-36. Goleman, Daniel. â€Å"The Cost of Emotional Illiteracy.† Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books, 1996. p. 274-283. Depression in Teenagers Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers Depression in Teenagers As a teenager, I have experienced depression countless number of times. Many times, I just feel sad, and other times, I feel like the world is not worth living in. Innumerable incidents also have occurred where some of my friends get badly depressed. Since many of my friends would try to talk to me about how they feel when they are depressed, I see a lot the pain and dejection they are going through. Through these experiences, depression began to scare me because of how inferior and worthless it can make a person feel, and where these low feelings would lead to. I realized that depression should not be allowed to dominate a person’s life as it would slowly eat him away. I felt I had to find out what depression really is, what causes it, and most of all, how to deal with it. There are two main types of depression: minor depression and major depression. First of all, minor depression is the type of depression that is encountered most in our lives. It is usually preceded by problems such as adverse relationships, doing badly in school, or the loss of a job. In minor depression, people feel sad and anxious, cry, or are pessimistic. Second, major depression is a type of abnormal depression that might occur when a person experiences trauma such as having a loved one pass away. It can also occur when a person has hormonal imbalances or abuses drugs. In addition to what people feel in minor depression, people in major depression feel helpless and guilty, have insomnia, are lethargic and lose self-esteem. The causes of depression are not clear-cut, but the biochemistry of the brain, the environment, and personality all seem to have an effect on how prone a person is to depression.... ...d gets depressed, I have also learned that there are ways to help ease him out of depression. Through my various experiences with depression in others and myself, I believe that many people are ignorant or badly misinformed about depression. Even though depressed people tend to block out sound reasoning to wallow in disconsolation or anger, some knowledge of depression would help them get out of depression. Works Cited Bootzin, Richard R., Gordon H. Bower, Jennifer Crocker, and Elizabeth Hall. â€Å"Personality, Abnormality, and Adjustment.† Psychology Today: An Introduction. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1991. p. 547-550. Cush, Cathie. â€Å"Feeling Bad.† Teen Hotline: Depression. Austin: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers,1994. p. 32-36. Goleman, Daniel. â€Å"The Cost of Emotional Illiteracy.† Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books, 1996. p. 274-283.

Primary and Secondary Education in the Netherlands and China Essay

In the Dutch education system one ought to have 12 years of education, starting at the primary school from the age of 4. After 8 years of primary education the children will do a CITO-test that determines to which level of secondary education they can attend. The Dutch secondary education consists of three levels, respectively: VMBO, HAVO and VWO. VMBO is a 4 year program that has a more practical focus than the remaining levels and it is subdivided into four groups: BBL, GL, KBL and TL. A VMBO degree gives access to the subsequent vocational programs (MBO), which are 2 to 4 years depending on the chosen courses. The intermediate level of the secondary education is the HAVO program of 5 years. After completion and obtaining the HAVO degree, one can choose to do either a higher vocational program (HBO) of 4 years or a MBO. However, recently the Dutch government has declared a HBO degree to be equivalent to a university’s bachelor degree and therefore it is more attractive to HAVO graduates to pursue a program in HBO. Finally, the highest level in the Dutch secondary education is VWO. After completion of this program of 6 years, one has access to all universities in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, some popular courses, such as medicine and psychology, do have a minimum grade as entry requirement and therefore students willing to pursue a career in those fields will have to face a strong competition. In the Chinese education system one has 9 years of compulsory education, starting at the primary school from an age of 6. However, before the primary school many Chinese children will go to a preschool to develop their linguistic skills. After 6 years of primary school, the children will do a national test that ultimately determines to which secondary school they can attend. In china there are no distinctive levels in the secondary school system, but reputation and ranking distinguish the schools. Therefore there are the so-called key-schools that only accept students with high grades or have rich parents. The first 3 years in the secondary education is the junior-stage, wherein one will have a central examination in the last year. The results of that examination will either allow the student to the senior-stage of the secondary education or direct the student to another school specialised in vocational education. The students who are able to enter the senior-stage will do another central exam in their last year. The results of that exam will subsequent give the student access to the universities in China. The popular universities usually have a good reputation and high national ranking, therefore only the students with the highest scores in their final exams can fulfil the entry requirements. In comparing the two education systems, one should have noticed that the Dutch primary education is extended over a longer period than the Chinese primary education, respectively 8 and 6 years. Moreover, the more complex Dutch secondary education system allows students to jump between levels. In other words, a hardworking student could start in VMBO-BBL in the first year and end up in VWO the next year. This switch between levels is not possible in the Chinese secondary education system and the central exams determine the future destiny of the students.

The Positive and Negative Effects of the Curfew in...

Introduction In 2003 the Labor Premier of Western Australia Geoff Gallop, introduced legislation that enforced a after-dark curfew on all civilians under the age of eighteen, unless they were accompanied by a legal guardian. The curfew was restricted to the city’s entertainment precinct know as Northbridge. This report will be looking into both the positives and negatives of the curfew and if there is a community need to extend the curfew to other areas of the city and surrounding areas. The Legislation 26 June 2003, Labor Premier Geoff Gallop announced the introduction of The Young People in Northbridge Policy. It was designed to address the growing problem of youth that were unsupervised in Perth’s largest entertaining precinct,†¦show more content†¦Gallop’s curfew policy was announced due to a climate of growing concern over Community safety in the Northbridge area. These community concerns were documented in the Northbridge: Shaping the future report, released by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) in 2002. While the domineering concern by the report was the increasing rate of assault within the district, the report also acknowledged â€Å"anti-social behaviour, particularly by young people†, (DPC, 2002, p. 3). By restricting the presents of juveniles during the hours of the curfew the community becomes safer due to two main factors, reduction of juvenile crime and the reduction of juvenile harm, (Brown, 2000; Simpson Simpson, 1993). A study in conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) proved that juveniles were more likely to commit crime then adults 3,532 per 100,000 juveniles compared to 1,492 per 100,000 adults between the years 2005 – 2006, (AIC, 2009, p. 58). However since the introduction of the Northbridge curfew crime rates have dropped by 20% for juveniles in the first year alone,(Department of the Premier and Cabinet, 2004). These statistics show that the Northbridge curfew is making the community feel safer and that less violence is happening between juveniles in the Northbridge and city area. By having a curfew in place the opportunity for juveniles is decreased as they are less