Violence in Society

What do you think causes violence in society? 

Throughout all fo the resources that we've used, I feel as though the main driving force behind violence in inequality and people trying to take shortcuts. People who want more out of their life, who want to have something faster, who can't get what they want because they don't have the skills to achieve it can do it violently.  Jealousy is derived from inequality; it is the ultimate cause for violence.   

Think of your classic mugging. People who see someone carrying something that they want, they beat them up and steal it from them. Instead of trying to find a way to make more money, to work harder in school or the workplace, they take the violent shortcut that is, generally, easier and takes less time.  Child soldiers is a problem based around someone wanting to rule the government because they didn't have a strong enough say in what was going on in their country. Rape is caused by people who lack the skills to be intimate with women and therefore force them into doing these horrible things.  It is the desire to have something that other people have that leads to violence. 

Non-Violence

Which is a more effective strategy in terms of social action - non-violent peacekeeping and activism (MLK, Gandhi) or aggressive peacemaking (Malcom X)? Consider both sides in your answer.

Though interesting, I found that the ten minute presentation was not necessarily valid. What bothered me about her plea to see more non-violent protests was that she compared it to a child having a tantrum. You can't compare an army to a child throwing a tantrum. Armies will do what they want to, regardless of the press... it is in nobody's best interest to have the world see you in a bad light. I believe that many non violent protests turn violent whether or not it is how they were intended. 

To answer the question of which type of protest is most effective, I can't say that I have a strong say in this. Both means of protest have proven to work and to get a point across, however the world would like to see more non violent protests. Every group has their own means and their own points to promote, it really depends on the situation; you would not hold a violent protest to end a war, you might hold a violent protest if the economy crashes and you lose all of your money. 

Child Soldiers

After watching "Invisible Children," what have you learned about the "psychology of violence"? What are the root causes of the abductions and youth violence in Uganda and the surrounding region? How has this affected the mental health of these children? 

After watching this movie, I find myself in a very disturbed state. What is happening in Uganda is almost disgusting because of the manipulation and corruption that is seen throughout the LRA. This group, the LRA, are a group of rebels that are trying to overthrow the Ugandan government; no adults continue to join this group and so they resort to abducting children to fight for them. The advantage that child soldiers give to the LRA is the psychological warfare. As talked about in class, could you, as a soldier, take it upon yourself to shoot a child if they were shooting at you- could you do that without a second thought?

This movie also addresses the brainwashing of the abductees. They must either chose to accept the brutal life style that has been put upon them, or be murdered by other children or members of the LRA. These child soldiers have been so corrupted at a young age to the point where one of them, to quote the movie, gets a headache when he doesn't see blood.

The issue of child soldiers is clearly wrong, it is a shame that the government isn't working full tilt to stop it. 

Racism

Do you think a teacher/parent/guardian should be permitted within their freedom of expression to convey discriminatory thoughts to their child(ren) against a certain race, religion, belief, etc?

In my opinion, teachers and parents should hold a very different role. Teachers should be able to share their views if their views are labeled as simply views and not facts. Because teachers are there to give children a threshold for learning skills, they should not be objective with their views but in a way that children are given their own space to chose to believe what they want. 

Parents play a very different role than teachers. Though they maybe shouldn't tell their children whatever they want to, we can't stop parents from saying what they want to their kids. We physically can't. 

Gender Equality

The main problem with gender equality in Africa is the fact that women are not given equal opportunity to education. Without a proper education, one can not expect to have a meaningful source of income or impact in the future. The fact that men are given more rights than women to education is simply wrong. In first world countries, many women hold very prestigious jobs proving that they are worthy and able to work hard with much success. Women should not be disallowed entrance to a school or given other roles that take priority over education.
However, this problem of gender inequality isn't only found in the third world. Many first world countries, even in the west, experience a large degree of inequality throughout the workplace. An example of this is that at Goldman Sachs, regarded as the most powerful and influential company in the world, it is known that if a woman is promoted it's because she's a woman (to avoid another female rights violation lawsuit). These problems should be taken care of to give women, of the same species as men, the same rights in the same work places.

HIV AIDS

AIDS is widely known to be rampant in the poorest nations of the world. There are many reasons as to why this is, but it all boils down to money. If African nations could afford proper birth control, proper medication, and proper food they would not be affected nearly as much by this disease. 

Being able to afford proper birth control would allow poor nations to stop this problem to be stopped at the root. Because AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease the transmission can be stopped by something as simple as wearing a condom. Poorer countries where the majority of the population live on less than a dollar per day can not afford birth control thus allowing the spread to occur faster than it would in a richer, first world nation where people can practise safe sex without hurting their bank accounts. 

Anti-Retoviral drugs have slowed the evolution from HIV to AIDS in first world countries. The problem with this medication is the price tag. As AIDS is fatal, corporations can charge large amounts of money for their drug because people will pay anything for their lives. However, where people in Canada can pay thousands of dollars for this medication, people in the third world will likely never see more than one thousand dollars at a time and thus not be able to purchase this live saving drug. 

As heard in Stephan Lewis' podcast, malnutrition causes the transformation from HIV to AIDS to be much faster. Also, when AIDS is rampant in the body, malnutrition will only kill you faster. Not being able to afford a proper diet allows for the spread and maturation of AIDS to be faster. 

Stephan Lewis' NGO is designed to slow and maybe even one day stop the spread of AIDS. They run fundraisers with simple things such as book exchanges and tea parties, but also go to Africa to try and help these families on a one to one basis.