Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Fast Food Transforming American Society Essay Example for Free

Fast Food Transforming American Society Essay Fast food has grown to be a big part of American Society. According to Eric Schlosser, â€Å"Over the past few decades, fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American Society† (3). In a sense, his statement about fast food is not too exaggerated. Today, we see fast food all over America, whether it is through television advertisements, billboards, and magazines. America has grown to be the number one fast food country in the world. The increase of fast food has resulted in good business for the fast food industry: â€Å"In 2000 Americans spent about $110 billion on fast food compared to $6 billion in 1970† (Schlosser). Why are Americans spending huge amounts of money on fast food? How has the fast food industry grown to become a huge influence on American society? Seyhan Sipahi states, â€Å"Recent global economical crisis†¦had a crippling effect on almost all financial sectors in many countries. Surprisingly, the fast food industry had not be adversely affected†¦Ã¢â‚¬  What is keeping the fast food industry alive? Could it be that more families are turning to fast food because recent economic crisis? The fast food industry has grown to be more efficient than when it first started. Making food selling more convenient, fast and for a cheap price has attracted customers. There are multiple ways the fast food industry has transformed American society and what it is to live in America. In this generation, more mothers are in the workforce than there were in the past. Since â€Å"Womens labor force participation is significantly higher today than it was in the 1970s, particularly among women with children† (Labor Force Participation of Women and Mothers, 2008, The Editors Desk) ever since then the rate has been going up. Now that both parents are away from home working it makes it harder for them to make home cooked meals. Due to the lack of home cooked meals, many Americans families have turned to fast food. According to Schlosser, â€Å"three generations ago more money was being spent on food in the United States to make meals at home† (3). Fast food has taken over the diet of many American families. It is more convenient to buy something that is near by, prepared fast, and is reasonably priced for its proportion. Another reason why people choose fast food is because frankly it is delicious. Nothing that is made at home can compare to something made at a fast food restaurant. It is hard to get sick of fast food because there are so many restaurants to choose from that each have their own tastes in foods. The largest class in America is the middle class. Since middle class makes up the majority of the American population it is reasonable to say these families with lower income tend to buy fast food more often. Fast food restaurants have grown to be more efficient in the way that they produce their meals. On â€Å"Dec. 12, 1948, when Richard and Maurice transformed their barbecue joint into the first McDonalds restaurant, focusing on speed, value and high volume. † (Hill). This helped build a kind of assembly line of workers, each worker in charge of one job. For example, in order to make a hamburger, one would be in charge of getting the buns, another in charge of putting the patty, another in charge of putting the lettuce and tomato, and on. In doing this, production of the food becomes much faster. Food being frozen before preparing it is another way that fast food restaurants have grown more efficiently. Schlosser gives an example with guacamole that is made in Mexico, frozen, and shipped to the restaurant (40). Many fast food restaurants do this with the products they serve, although their advertisements may say fresh. Drive-throughs and computerized cash registers have also helped fast food restaurants speed up time for their consumers. An example of how drive throughs are so successful is Victoria’s experience: Theres just one place that Victoria Vollaire stops every day. Its not the supermarket. Its not the ATM. Its the drive-thru. This costs her $400 a month right out the drive-thru window. I dont like getting out of the car, explains Vollaire, who lives in Ontario, Calif. , and works as a hotel guest service aide. More than half the money spent on fast food rolls in through the drive-thru lane. (Horovitz) Drive-throughs give restaurants the ability to take multiple orders and give convenience for customers that are in a hurry. People like the conscience of not even having to get out of there cars to get their food. Computerized cash registers with buttons for every order possible help to make orders quick and precise. These days it is not surprising to see a fast food restaurant almost at every corner in America. A study was made on how fast food restaurants cluster around schools in America. Steven Gortmaker, in charge of this study, states, â€Å"78% of schools had at least one fast food restaurant within 800 meters. Fast food restaurants tend to cluster near schools and offices because it is more convenient, with the idea to gain more business. Many fast food restaurants are close to places where children and adolescent are close by. They do this because these two age groups are the most targeted by the fast food industry (Fast Food Targeted Marketing). Another study, on a high school that sold fast food products concludes that fast food is 70% of all food sold at the school (Calderon. ) As the expansion of fast food companies continues to increase, more restaurants are seen closer together. Before, companies use to stay away from competition, but now they are clustered all over the place. It seems as though fast food restaurant expansion has forced them to cluster even to the extent of having fast food shopping centers. Fast food has greatly transformed popular culture in America. By looking at McDonalds as an example, McDonalds has far surpassed any other fast food chain in America and possibly the world. McDonalds has grown very close to many children: â€Å"A survey for American schoolchildren found that 96 percent could identify Ronald McDonald† (Schlosser). What makes fast food so popular in America? Many people appraise fast food industries for their products because they are delicious and affordable. Did affordability of fast food make it so popular? Fast food transforms popular culture in America mainly through advertising. Whether it is on television, sponsoring professional athletes, or even promoting events like the Olympics or the World Cup. It is said that â€Å"In 2009, teens saw 5 fast food ads each day† (Fast Food Targeted Marketing). The majority of the commercial on TV are based on fast food companies. Fast food has become a trend in American society, eating it is in the norms of society today. Fast food advertisement has a monkey, see monkey do effect on people. If people see famous celebrities on TV eating or promoting the fast food company, it encourages them to go. The constant selling of fast food causes higher demands in agricultural resources. According to Schlosser, â€Å"The fast food chains now stand atop a huge food-industrial complex, taking control of American Agriculture† (59). It is getting harder for farmers outside of this â€Å"food industrial complex† to find business. Many times farmers and cattle ranchers become hired hands for the agribusiness giants† (Schlosser). Although the giant agriculture business may seem powerful, it is still on the bottom of the fast food companies because they are what make their business. â€Å"The fast-food industry changed the nations retail economy, eliminating small businesses, encouraging the spread of chai ns and uniformity, fast food has transformed American agriculture† (Schlosser). Apart from agriculture fast food, companies have also influenced how cattle should be raised, killed, and made into ground beef. The influence of the fast food companies on slaughterhouses has made the work environment a dangerous place. These slaughterhouses sound dangerous for the workers as well as for those consuming the meat. Meatpacking as grown to be one of the most dangerous jobs in America (Gardner). There is a lot of equipment that is dangerous and can cause severe injuries to workers. According to Gardner, â€Å"at least 29. 3% of meat workers suffered injury or illness compared to 9. 7% for the rest of manufacturing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Working Conditions in American Slaughterhouses: Worse than You Thought). Carl Karcher started his fast food business by buying one hot dog cart and then from there he bought another three hot dog carts in Los Angeles. Not too much time past before Karcher had some competition. Recently moved from New Hampshire, the McDonald brothers came to California to find jobs. They opened up a hamburger shop and became famous for their delicious hamburgers. The brothers strived in coming up with new ways to make more money until finally one day they closed down their shop. A few months later the McDonald brothers reopened their shop, with a bigger grill, and a whole new process to make hamburgers. They would divide the food preparations into tasks. This is what started the whole assembly line style to preparing fast food and has been implemented by many fast food restaurants ever since. Two groups that fast food companies look to for hiring are teenagers and illegal immigrants. Having these two types of groups as a workforce allows fast food companies to spend less money on hired hands and more on advertising and expanding (Schlosser. ) Having workers that are not looking for a long-term job lets fast food companies have fewer benefits for their workers. The wages for fast food employees is far too little in ratio to the work that is expected. Fast food companies hire teenagers because they can survive with low pay and most are dependent on their parents. The statistics from the ages, 16-20, alone makes up 25% of the fast food workforce (Food Services and Drinking Places). Immigrants, on the other hand, cannot complain if they get paid so little because they are illegal and will work under most circumstances. The expansion of fast food companies has created many jobs over the years. Out of all food services and drinking places, fast food companies make up 47% (Food Services and Drinking Places). In the past few decades, food-related illness has increased (Schlosser). The way food is processed has affected its quality. Many of the livestock used to produce that typical hamburger patty are mistreated. The most common sickness that the livestock catch is E Coli. In December 2006 â€Å"71 people became sick with E. coli after eating at Taco Bell restaurants in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware† (OShea). It is hard to know for sure what is in fast food because most of the time this side of the story is covered up. Aside from meats getting pathogens, artificial flavoring is another key aspect of many fast food products. Many fast food companies injected their products with artificial flavoring. McDonalds for example â€Å"infuses its fries and chicken sandwiches with essences that mimic beef tallow† (Tamminen). Does the food taste that bad that places like McDonalds has turn to artificial flavoring? Can the chemicals being put in fast food be harmful to humans? Although there maybe some companies using artificial flavors, there many other companies that live up to natural flavors. What is the future of fast food industry in America? Will the fast food industry just keep growing until one day it not only becomes a big part of American life but also other places around the world? Fast food companies are expanding at an increasing rate causing high demands for more food. At this rate, could it be possible that someday the fast food industry will control all of the food distribution in America? They practically do already because they are the greatest contributors in meats, corn, potatoes and more. What will be the future for fast food in America? At its grown rate, the fast food industry seems to be taking over many Americans highways. Having many fast food chains by highways makes it all most impossible to not run into a fast food restaurant. Will the constant expansion of fast food restaurants bring down the big grocery stores and replace them? America has grown accustom to convenience when it comes to food. What do other countries think when they see America? Should America be proud because it is the number one fast food country in the world? It is hard to say where fast food will take America in the future, but one thing is certain: fast food and America can never be separated.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

The History of Computers :: Technology Computers Essays

The History of Computers To those of us that have grown up during the computer age, computers seem like a normal part of our everyday lives. The idea that only a few decades ago computers were virtually unheard of is inconceivable. Computers are now so essential that they basically run our society and the whole of the modern world. They track hurricanes, forecast the weather, predict natural disasters, control satellites and missiles and keep countries around the world in constant contact. The technology that revolves around the computer industry is forever changing and growing, becoming more advanced and doing things that seem beyond anyone ¦Ãƒ s wildest dreams. The development of computers during the last few decades is astronomical and could be one of the fastest developing inventions ever created. The dawn of the computer age can be traced back to the period of 1936  ¡Ãƒâ„¢ 1945, when the first computers were being built in several countries (Tomaselli vii). Although they came about as a result of the war, it is certainly safe to say they would have developed on their own in the business industry. Regardless, computer technology has grown by incredible leaps and bounds since the very beginning and as Barnes says,  ¡Ãƒ we have been living amidst the fastest technological revolution of all time ¡ÃƒÅ" (vii). Every couple of years something completely new and more advanced comes out and takes over the previous style of production and pretty much exterminate it as well. The technology is forever changing and constantly growing. There are so many technologies associated with the computer industry that it ¦Ãƒ s almost hard to keep track of. The technology that is most directly related to the greater society in this country at least is the personal compute r, or the PC. A personal computer can be defined as a computer built around a microprocessor for use by an individual, as in an office or at home or school. The PC, also known as the microcomputer, was developed from the semiconductor industry (Barnes 622). In 1968, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore created Intel and started developing a photolithography method to put three components on a single chip (Barnes 622).

Monday, January 13, 2020

Macbeth and Political Force Essay

Adversity is something that one will always go through from the moment they are born to the moment they die and this is a fact that everyone knows as they grow up. One many not know about adversity while they are young but they eventually understand the meaning to it. Many are able to overcome the many adversities that lie in their path but there are a few that are not able to endure it and give up half way. Those who are able to endure the pain and suffering that comes with adversity will then receive the reward of pride. Eventually after overcoming many adversities, one will gain much confidence and one’s identity will change depending on how they overcome it, how many they have overcome, and most importantly, why they have overcome that specific adversity. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the titled protagonist is shown as a loyal member to the kingdom of Scotland’s political force and is an example and role model to others as he is a man who completes his duties as a warrior and endures the many hardships and adversities for his kingdom and king. Presenting him a new opportunity of a future and a short cut to his ambition, Macbeth struggles with himself, as he is unable to react properly and indecisively must choose a path that will bring unnecessary problems and bloodshed for the future. Through Macbeth’s struggle of loyalty, Shakespeare reveals the many choices of paths that will lead to one’s destruction. Struggling to maintain his loyalty and values towards his kingdom and king, Macbeth falters and hesitates as he is presented with a shortcut to his ambition and wish. As a shortcut is presented to Macbeth to his wishes, Macbeth chooses the short and easy pass and therefore gives up on overcoming adversity and avoids any adversity that lie in his path. After fulfilling his duties as a political force and respected thane of Scotland, Macbeth is greeted with supernatural figures that present him all the glory and wealth that any man would want, a sudden different adversity that lie before him and is unable to react properly due t the difference from his original plain adversity. Life is full of surprises and therefore one should be ready for sudden changes and consequences that would happen in their life. Only then would one be able to brag and show off to others of the many different adversities that they have overcome. Once again trying to overcome this new type of situation, Macbeth tries to hold into his beliefs and values to serve the kingdom and king, but is influenced by the verbal abuse of Lady Macbeth. Macbeth’s values fall into the depths of hell. Many are not able to stay true to their beliefs and falter but eventually regain their balance and continue on, but Macbeth is one of those few people that are not able to regain their balance until the end. Now not knowing what to do, Macbeth follows the words of Lady Macbeth and follow the road to destruction. Choosing to move forward while ignoring adversity, Macbeth puts himself in a deeper hole by committing murder and deceiving others. Only thinking about the path he chose from the influencing Lady Macbeth, Macbeth has lost all motivation to overcome the adversities that fly towards him. After losing his righteous path and committing murder of King Duncan, Macbeth is filled with guilt and sorrow that drives him insane and causes him to lose the ability to see reality and illusion. Many, like Macbeth, lose control and cause themselves even more pain and this pain causes them to go insane but rather than continuing on, many find themselves back on the right path. Unable to stop the bloodshed, Macbeth continues to commit murder and causes him to dig a bigger hole. The murder of Banquo proves the path that Macbeth has chosen and this path causes Macbeth to eliminate anyone and everyone that lie in his path. Proceeding with his path of bloodshed and guilt, he no longer is able to endure the adversity that would lie in his way and depends on the witches. Those who have lost their way of life depends on something else and Macbeth now relies on the witches instead of his own will power that he once had to overcome any adversity. No longer able to control himself, Macbeth leads himself to the road of destruction that has no return. Though anyone has the ability to retrieve him or herself from any situation, those who have forgotten the endurance that they must face will cause them to give up. People who have avoided many adversities would have forgotten the feeling of overcoming adversities and especially sin the long avoided adversity would come back with much greater difficulty. Macbeth finally realizes the many problems he has caused himself but is still not able to overcome the adversity that he has avoided for so long. Still having his pride, Macbeth shows the die-fighting attitude many people would have if they caused many sins. Many are not able to convey their feelings very well and are misunderstood and Macbeth is unable to convey his message of defeat and would rather die than admit defeat. Also having much guilt within her but unable to move on, Lady Macbeth commits suicide to ease her pain permanently. Many run away from the fearful truth until the moment where they are not able to take any more guilt and pain. Being unable to bear any longer, the common and easy method to escape is to die which lady Macbeth has done. Macbeth’s death causes Macbeth to escape from his guilt and pain and his death also benefits the kingdom. The adversities that one must face are an important part of life and Macbeth realizes this towards his end. Adversity lies in everyone’s path and may cause most to falter and hesitate to re-visit their thinking process of if they are doing something right or not. Macbeth struggles with his loyalty and does not know what to do with his mixed feelings after the contact with the witches. Macbeth hesitates to make a decision and lets the witches control him as he is exposed with a new adversity. He loses the sight of his ambition and starts to listen to the witches and this causes him to lose the will to overcome adversity and causes him to ignore all adversity that lie in his path. Like everyone else, Macbeth has the opportunity to get out of any situations but he does not have the will power to go on so he keeps following the path of destruction that was provided by the witches. Everyone loses their path and loses their sight of reality but is able to regain their conscience and regain their balance to continue on with their path.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Two Aspects of Police Brutality - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1651 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/03/28 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Police Brutality Essay Did you like this example? The Two Sides of Police Brutality Barack Obama once said, Our police officers put their lives on the line for us every single day. Theyve got a tough job to do to maintain public safety and hold accountable those who break the law (Earnest 2014). This statement uses a rhetorical device known as hyperbole. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Two Aspects of Police Brutality" essay for you Create order A hyperbole is used when there is an over exaggeration to prove ones point. In this case, Obama is trying to prove the importance of the police and their difficult jobs that put them at risks everyday. Many individuals, however, have begun to question the work ethics of the police as the rates of police brutality has increased. In todays society, police brutality has become a controversial issue, as the media uses various tactics to showcase the police in different aspects. The media showcases two sides to this issue: the police using improper, excessive behavior to citizens and the police effectively doing their jobs within their rulebooks. Police brutality is a horrific, reoccurring problem that has been going on for a long time. In our culture the rise of technology has made it impossible for unjust treatment from the law enforcement to go unnoticed. Every action is either recorded on body cameras or from handheld devices being used by a bystander watching. The gatekeepers are the news channels and people who personally witness these events. These bystanders often broadcast these issues on social media or television for others to see. This has influenced activists and groups of individuals to create a movements to help those who have been affected by police brutality. There are constantly new articles or videos being released in the media for the public to view. Videos such as that of Eric Garner saying, I cant breathe 11 times until he lost consciousness or that of Diamond Reynolds stating to the police officer, You shot four bullets into him, sir. He was just getting his license and registration, sir (Alang, 2017, p .106). Police officers are not following the correct training and quick to abuse their power. It is causing physical and mental abuse to the citizens who are supposed to feel protected by the police. A moral judgement can evolve when it comes to police brutality. A moral judgment comes from whether or not you think something is morally wrong. Many people think that police treatment against citizens is wrong and unethical. There are many unnecessary lives loss over the assumptions made from police officers. Police officers are using discrimination as a reason for probable cause of their actions Unfortunately, certain races are more likely to become a victim to unfair treatment. Blacks are almost five times more likely than are Whites to have a police intervention-related injury(Alang, 2017, p.106). For this reason, the way people react to this issue can come from a personal bias regarding the color their skin. Since people of color are more probable to encounter this problem it is more likely to anger them and continue to further the division of the citizens and law enforcement. In a series of shootings that has lead to a national debate regarding the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers, the law itself have given little to no guidance on when the use of force by law enforcement is justified (Gross, J., 2016, p 155). In 1985, Tennessee vs Garner, a police officer used deadly force by shooting and killing a teenage boy who was running away from him. In the officers defense, he used the Tennessee statute that an authorized police officer may use all the necessary means to effect the arrest of the suspect (Gross, J., 2016, p 156). This story has led to what is an important guide to law enforcement. In 2014, two Ohio police officers responding to a 911 call of a guy with a gun, who was pointing it at people, shot and killed a 12-year-old boy who was playing with a toy gun. In an incident that could have been prevented had the police officers taken the correct steps, failed to do so by using deadly force. In the article, Judge, Jury, and Executioner, G ross, J. discusses Police Officers aggressive use of force stating that the assumption made by the court, that officers are forced to make split-second decisions regarding the use of force, and they typically must use force for self defense (2016, p 161). The opposite is actually true-police officers typically use force offensively rather than defensively and do so with at least some degree of premeditation (Gross, J., 2016, p 161). When it comes to the social media or the news, we often tend to read or view what pertains to our personal preference. In that, the news or social media will often use confirmation bias, which refers to the tendency to attach more weight to evidence that supports our viewpoint (Brooke, M. Parker, R., 2017, p 15). When it comes to the safety of the citizens and the police where do we draw the line to say what is excessive and what is not. The media fails to showcase a polices ability to do his/her job properly. Often times, what is showcased in the media neglects certain aspects, such as the citizens behavior prior to his/her arrest. On May 20, 2014, a news outlet showed an African American professor named Ersula Ore being body slammed to the ground because the police believed that she had been jay-walking (Fridkin 2017). During the event, the woman and police officer got into a brawl, which resulted in what appeared to be an aggressive act done by the police. This instance, however, does not show the womans unwillingness to comply to the officer. In fact, the woman, Ore, refused to show her identification even though the officer had asked her 7 times (Fridkin 2017). This incidence, in which the media failed to showcase both sides of police brutality, has happened more than once. This is known as the Strawman fallacy, in which the media misrepresents the issue to fit their argument. In this case, the media focuses on a polices aggressive ways to gain attention to show brutal force done by the police, but fails to show other aspects. An aspect that the media fails to showcase is a citizens behavior. In fact, a citizens excessive involvement in crimes of violence and other serious offenses, and their resistance to authority when placed under arrest has resulted in many misrepresented police shootings (McElvain 2009). Often times, the media uses repetition, a rhetorical device that is used when an individual repeats his or her statements or ideas multiple times, to showcase police brutality to make it appear as if there is an excessive amount of police brutality occuring within the nation; when in fact, there is just more news coverage (McLaughlin 2 015). By showing more news coverage of these events, it will make it appear as if police brutality is occuring more and more within society. In addition, there are other factors that contribute to a citizens arrest, such as intoxication and prior violent criminal behavior (McElvain 2009). These factors, however, are downplayed by the media and viewed as insignificant premises. A downplayer is a rhetorical device that seeks to tone down the significance of something and raise attention to something else (Moore 2017). These factors are important to understand because it will provide more context to the situation and show the reasons why a policeman would exert force to control the situation. It is also important to know these types of information before coming to a conclusion about an issue because it will allow one to understand the background of the event in a better aspect. Police officers are often under credited by the media. The media crops out real stories of people when being arres ted or detained by police officers. These are some questions one should think about when viewing these kinds of videos: what did the person do to be arrested? How were the officers provoked? What actions of the detainee caused the police officer to use excessive force-whether it be resisting arrest or assaulting a police officer? People often use stereotypes against officers due to their image portrayed by the media. A stereotype is a held assumption about a group of people due to an individuals cultural beliefs. An example of a stereotype commonly held is that police are only males. This is a popular stereotype because there are not much female policemen portrayed in the media. Another stereotype is that police use guns to handle situations. This stereotype is popular because of the fact that there have been many instances that showcase the police using their guns to handle a situation. Stereotypes, however, often influence and limit an individuals thinking. In addition, these stereotypes can lead to a fallacy known as hasty generalization, which occurs when there is a generalization of a subject based on a small sample. For example, if a citizen has been exposed to too much news about the police using improper tactics and actions, the citizen may feel threatened by the police and not ask for their help. They may also view these authoritative figures negatively. Instead of creating these hasty generalizations, it is important for an individual to think critically about this issue and examine various points of the situation. The issue of police brutality is shown in two contrasting aspects: police using aggressive, improper actions towards citizens or the police effectively handling situations within their code of ethics. In an era where news can be viewed or shared by the click of a button, and where many individuals can pick and choose what they read or hear. Ways for an individual to critically think about this issue and create a decision are to research, find biases or fallacies within their sources, and identify whether an articles argument contains valid premises. If these steps are done, the individual will be able to gain a bettering understanding of the issue and therefore, be able to form an informed opinion.