Violence in Society

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 the “Invisible Children” video on violence in society especially concerning youth I have become more aware of the dangerous affect of our powerful and persuasive media system can have on society. The invisible children video discussed how young men are given a distorted perception of what a “real man” should be. In the video Jackson Katz presents the “crisis of masculinity” and explains how young men are pressured to put on a tough guise. Katz illustrates our dominant culture creates a persona that boys and young men should be strong, powerful, intimidating, muscular, and tough. Through movies and TV shows, such as the expendables or lights out a famous boxing television show, the media creates a perception that men need to be violent in order to be respected and to be considered a real man. This negative persona can be reflected in our society through the high violent criminal actions of men in contrast to women. For example, the developing nation of Uganda has an extremely high crime rate, especially concerning gang violence. The purpose of gangs is to display superiority and power by corrupting civilians through violent criminal acts of killing, mutilations, and even cannibalism. Uganda is filled and corrupted with gang violence. However, Uganda is not the only country plagued by gang violence, these offenders also exist at home. The other day I was told about a violent gang story that took place in down town Hamilton. In order to be initiated into the gang you had to seriously injury or disfigure someone, resulting in the assault of several pedestrians. Where does such violence stem from? The tough guys persona presented by media, peers, and society with the help of gang members prowling for potential young children to join in such violence, are the root causes of this horrific behavior. Evidently, this issue of a “tough guise” and violence among youth is undoubtedly a serious concern. Not enough is being done to create awareness of the issue and our governments as well as society have taken little to no action of solving this problem.

Human Rights

What are your Human rights? A question every living person needs to know. According to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights created by the United Nations in 1948 every human being, whatever your nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status are all equally entitled to the following rights without discrimination. http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible. Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law, general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.

AIDS and Disease

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes the fatal disease called Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). HIV attacks the immune system, resulting in a chronic, progressive illness that leaves infected people vulnerable to opportunistic fatal infections, illnesses, and cancers. The median time from infection to AIDS diagnosis now exceeds 10 years. AIDS is fatal if left untreated and there is no cure! Currently, the government of Canada is taking a federal initiative of engaging the following organizations:

• Public Health Agency of Canada;
• The Canadian Institutes of Health Canada;
• The Canadian Institutes of Health Research;
• and the Correctional Services of Canada.

The initiatives aim is to prevent the spread of the deadly disease, slow progression, and improve the quality of life for those people infected with HIV and AIDS. This strategic initiative also focuses on those people most affected and prone to HIV and AIDS, such as, people who use injection drugs, youth at risk, aboriginal people, homosexuals, and people from countries for where HIV is an endemic.

The epidemic of HIV and AIDS is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. As this fatal disease continues to spread through globalization there is virtually no country left that’s remains unaffected. According to the United Nations and other World Health Organizations there were approximately 34 million people living with HIV in 2007. Challenges the world needs to overcome in order to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS are inadequate funding, weak infrastructure, and shortages of health workers in the worst affected countries. In addition, political or cultural attitudes are a major obstacle. For instance, some authorities are opposed to condom promotion, while others refuse to support needle exchanges for injecting drug users. Many are reluctant to provide young people with the proper education or education an education at all about sex and sexual health. Thus, because of this cultural attitude it is impossible to create awareness of the issue let alone solve it. Another very serious issue is stigma and discrimination. People known to be living with this deadly disease are often shunned or abused by community members, employers, friends, and even health workers. As well as causing much personal suffering, this sort of prejudice discourages people from seeking HIV testing, treatment and care. A wide range of interventions, including a strong commitment to preventing new HIV infections as well as treating people already infected, is necessary to tackle the global AIDS epidemic.

Canada has responded to this global crisis through the Canadian HIV vaccine initiative which contributes to global efforts to accelerate the development of safe, effective, and globally accessible preventions of HIV and AIDS.

Doctor Assisted Scuicides and Euthanasia

When the person we love is diagnosed with a terminal illness, is it better to respect their wishes and allow them to die with dignity or prolong their suffering because we are unwilling to let them go. The other day while visiting an older friend with a terminal illness, I began to question whether it is truly right to extend the death and suffering of the ones we love because we are unwilling to accept that it is their time. During the first few visits when my friend had been recently diagnosed, he still seemed to be in good condition. But as time passed, he gradually deteriorated to the point where he was not even half alive. He had a series of small strokes loosing the ability to communicate and perform simple functions. A feeding tube had been deposited into his stomach, but then removed because of vomiting. He slept most of the time because the only strength he had was to open his eyes, and see the beautiful world around him that he could no longer share. He was trapped in a decaying shell with no escape. Hearing the gruesome details of his last few days was difficult to bear, but experiencing them is unimaginable. We did not prolong his life but his agony, and instead of reminiscing on good memories that we shared with him throughout his life, we simply created bad ones. My friend was loved, but did not go gently into the night.

As a society, we have rules and laws to follow which have been set in order to provide us with a safe and peaceful society to protect us from violence. Are these terminally ill patients really being protected from our laws? Because of our laws, patients with terminal illness are forced to suffer an extended pointless and painful death. For instance, Sue Rodriguez had the courage to challenge our laws. Rodriguez suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease, which is a terminal disease that attacks the central nervous system. Rodriguez wanted to be able to end her life at a time of her choosing, but knew that she would be physically incapable of killing herself when the time came. Rodriguez was afflicted with the deadly disease as she fought for euthanasia laws to be changed in the early 1990s, but never lost faith in her argument and continually persisted till she changed history. When Rodriguez took her case to court, she lost her legal battle when the Supreme Court of Canada decided by a vote of five to four that assisted suicide should not be legalized in order to protect the life of those who are vulnerable. She died by suicide in 1994. Since then Canadian doctors and scientists spent the past two years examining end of life issues, and are adamant that their recommendations would not lead to compelled euthanasia of those who are vulnerable. It’s been almost twenty years since Canada's laws on assisted suicide have been challenged by a terminally ill person, and now a similar right to die case has plunged the issue back into the spotlight. The issue had been presented to the courts during August, the summer of 2011. The British Colombia Supreme Court is heard a case from a Kelowna woman who suffers from the same degenerative disease, ALS, who requested that her doctor be permitted to end her life before she becomes unable to move. She had been working with the Farewell Foundation however; the foundation lost its court battle to have the laws changed because its plaintiffs were anonymous. If the last few days of her life will be nothing but pain, and there’s no hope, then she should have the option to pull the plug. Canada should have a permissive yet carefully regulated and monitored system with respect to assisted suicide.

In my opinion, doctor assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia should be legally permitted for such individuals who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and are competent to make free and informed choices that their life is no longer worth living. The irony is that in the modern western world, we have the right to live how we want, but we don't have the right to die as we want. Which is more important to you? Shouldn’t the dying depart this earth with dignity and peace or endure the relentless stripping away of their physical and mental abilities?

Biodiversity

Thousands upon thousands of plant, animal, and microorganisms species within different ecosystems of the planet such as rainforests, oceans, coral reefs, and deserts all making up are planet is known as biodiversity.

Why should we care about declining biodiversity? Biodiversity boots ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role. For instance, a large number of plant species means a greater variety of crops, greater species diversity ensure sustainability for all life forms, and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.

Currently, a major threat to Canada’s biodiversity is invasive species. Invasive species are “pests” that come from other countries or regions and are called “alien” when they move outside their native environment. Invasive species degrade habitat, introduce parasites and disease, and lead to species at risk. Invasive speciecs move into ecosystems and take over, killing local species and harming food webs.

In addition, fishing, hunting, forestry, tourism and agriculture can all be affected by invasive species. Some examples of invasive species are zebra muscles, sea lamprey, and emerald ash borer. In the Great Lakes Basin, invasive species foul water intakes, reduce the value of commercial and recreational fisheries, and reduce property values. Every year invasive plants cost the agriculture and forest industries in Canada about $7.5 billion. In the Great Lakes, damage associated with zebra mussels has cost between $3 billion and $7.5 billion. Fighting and preventing the spread of invasive species is also extremely expensive. That’s why the best plan is to prevent invasive species from entering Ontario in the first place.

Lastly invasive species can be dangerous to human health. For example, giant hogweed, a plant introduced from Asia, is toxic. The plant’s sap can cause painful burning blisters on skin and  temporary or permanent blindness if it gets in your eyes.

ISU Reflection Presentation: Human Trafficking

What was the most important/interesting thing that you learned during the presentations of your peer, and how does this change your perspective on the world.

In our World Issues class the presentation thus far that has impacted me the most is “Human Trafficking” presented by Robin. Although I am quite familiar with the issue of human trafficking in developing worlds, Robin’s presentation brought to my attention some dreadful specifics I was not aware of. The United Nations highlights human trafficking as one of its key concerns. In a study of 155 countries it found that sexual exploitation is the most common form of human trafficking, with 79% of victims used for the sex trade; 18% are used for forced labour. Human trafficking is a crime against humanity and violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights set by the United Nations. It involves the act of recruiting, transporting, harbouring or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them. Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad. Trafficking often occurs from less developed countries where people are rendered vulnerable to trafficking by virtue of poverty, conflict or other conditions. Most trafficking is national or regional, but there are also notable cases of long distance trafficking. Europe and Asia are the most prominent for victims from the widest range of destinations.

Although human trafficking is mainly seen in the third world we cannot forget this problem also occurs at home. With forthcoming federal laws targeting human trafficking, analysts say youth need to know criminals prey on young adults to feed prostitution rings in Canada's big cities. The RCMP website notes that youth, runaways, and new immigrants as well as anyone who is economically disadvantaged could be a potential victim. After viewing this presentation my perspective on the World remains the same, however I feel much more informed and inspired.

In addition, Robin’s presentation was quite motivating by creating personal connections from statements of victims and successfully captured the audience’s attention through her introduction. However, although Robin was self assured she needed to maintain eye contact audience and an enthusiastic tone instead of reading word for word from a script. Robin was able to initiate a heated debate on whether prostitution should be legal in Canada and whether legalizing it will protect the victims of trafficking or make them more vulnerable.

Global Gender Equality

Education is widely recognized as the gateway to economic security and opportunity. In developing countries, particularly for girls and women, education remains elusive. For instance, in many areas of Afghanistan, young girls are often taken out of school once they reach teenage years and are eligible to become mothers. Cultural factors and the reluctance to send girls and boys to the same school after third grade also play a large role of preventing girls from attend school. Furthermore, China’s one child policy has heightened the ratio between males and females. Naturally, 105 males are born for every 100 females. However, the desire to have males has caused an increase of 114 males for every 100 females among children from birth through the ages four years. Similarly, the number of females born and surviving in India is significantly less compared with the number of males, due to the disproportionate numbers of female fetuses being aborted and baby girls deliberately neglected and left to die. Abortion, neglect, abandonment, and infanticide have been known to be more prevalent to female infants. The normal ratio of births should be 950 girls for every 1000 boys, however in some regions the number is as low as 300. In my opinion, creating awarness of the issue, reducing poverty, and giving equal education opportunities from governments and NGO’s is the best way to solve this issue.