Youth Gangs in the American Society

Randall Shelden is a well-known sociologist who has a Ph. D. from the Southern Illinois University. The different branches of his studies include understanding the young generation as to how their lives and their dealings particularly relate to the ways by which they react to the changing society that include gang formations and juvenile delinquency issues. There are different books of which he has already published that also include the said issues and of such well-written publications is the one that tackles the â€Å"Youth Gangs in the American Society†. About the Book The â€Å"Youth Gangs in the American Society† is a reading that presents both the reasons behind and the qualifying results of gang issues in the United States. Through the gathered psychological as well as psychosocial explanations that reason out with the existing situations in the society today, Shelden presented the necessary points of consideration needed to be understood in presenting the discussion of youth gangs and how should be well treated with. Content and Summary The youth are the hope of today’s society. This line has long been recognized by many industrialized as well as developing countries worldwide. This is the primary reason why it is evident that government organizations are trying to invest their best possible available assets to the development of the young generation. However, not all of the members of the young generation actually get to have an access on the said programs. Most of them, who belong to the minority groups of the society, are the ones who are in need of these programs. Yet, they are the ones who have lesser access on the said governmental set-ups. As a result, young people who get charged with juvenile delinquency cases are increasing every year. The fact that they have nothing better to do than to simply stay at home or wander around in the states, they become the target of numerous gangs that are encouraging youths to join them in their unlawful acts. If not, many of these youths bring forth several chaotic movements that particularly disturb the entire community. These youths certainly need help. Furthermore, as the children grow up, the young adults become more prone to different influences from the environment. The people that they deal with everyday become the source of the different values that they take in for themselves as they personally grow up. There are at least four major reasons why young people develop in the behavior that they grow up with. These four major dimensions of development could be noted as follows: †¢ The family and the parents: usually, the young children get the examples of acts from their parents which in turn they carry in themselves as they grow up. It is through this particular process that the young ones are able to comprehend with the impact that their parents are making on them as young adults. The Environment and the Society: As the young children grow older, the impact of the people living around them aside from their family members begins to leave an impact on their personality. True, the situation has been much more proved by the psychologists that the effect of the family and the society differ from each other. As for a fact, the percentage of effec t that the society makes on the individual is far much higher than that of the effect of the family with development of the youngsters. †¢ The psychological need for acceptance: young ones aim to be accepted especially if they have the capacity of being recognized. This is the reason why they usually take sides on those who they seem are able to recognize their capabilities. †¢ The decision making system of the youngsters: They are usually deciding in different ways, most of the time, confusion gets in the way. This is the reason why it is very important that they are given fine attention as they are being assisted with the personal development difficulties that they are dealing with at present. To understand the four dimensions better, the diagram shall show the necessary illustration to explain better: DIAGRAM 1: Dimensions of Effects on the Personal Development of Youngsters These four dimensions of impact on youths’ developmental progress actually shapes the way that they ought to understand the way that they are to progress as individuals. This is the reason why the difficulties of the young should be given fine attention to. It is certainly important that the young ones are given the guidance that they need to be come well endowed to a better life that is much more different from the destructive ways that they are merely brought up by the massively destructive human society at present. This is where the issue on peer pressure enters. As noted earlier, the situation becomes hard-to-deal-with especially when it comes to the effect of the society [particularly referring to their peers] on the development that happens within the personality of the youngsters. Peer pressure can be deceptive—in fact, we may not notice it at all. Clearly, people want to fit in with those around them—so much so that most will even deny what they know to be true. Many young people have observed this pressure in action. Understanding the fact that people have this certain need of being accepted, it could not be denied that as they [particularly referring to the young generation], are most likely the target of peer pressure. This is mainly because of the fact that they deal with different people almost everyday. Hence, as noted earlier, the people are more susceptible to change of personality as they are gradually involved with the ways by which other people are living their lives with. Communities around the world, especially in the multicultural environment that the United States is dealing with right now, are in dire need of support as to how they are supposed to take care of the young generation that is mainly making up the entire population of the American society. It has been noted through reports that at least 48% of the immigrants from different countries around the world entering the premises of the American society belong to the young population. They are most likely to have been noted to move with or without their families in the country. Some of them are even less knowledgeable of the American society and thus are having a hard time in actually adjusting to the American lifestyle. As a result, most of them end up in becoming part of gangs that are known for their delinquent acts. Sadly, this report is known all over the American territories. Most of the time, the communities that are primarily affected are those which are playing as hosts to the immigrants, most likely, the poor areas of the country. Reactions and Critique As noted from the details presented above, it could be observed that the author intently researched on the binding issues that support the claims about the things that pertain to the growth of the number of youth gangs in America. Considerably, as an expert of the said study in sociology, Shelden was able to present the different elements that needs to be understood with regards the importance of knowing what gangs are and why are they particularly formed by their leaders. Most likely, the approach on research and explanation that the author used is indeed considered an important matter that affects the ways by which social workers are able to understand the reasons behind the situation and thus act upon it. Understandably, the simplified yet profound way of making the discussion much more understandable and clarified for the particular target audience of the author was rather an effective manner of contemplating the different factors that contribute to the manner by which gangs are flooding the society today. It is through this particular reading that the readers would have a better view of why the youth are joining gangs thus be able to act upon the said matter and affect the situation in the society as well as lighten up the burden that the youth are carrying making them much more capable of facing a better future later on in their lives. As noted, the author simply makes it easier for people to help well together for the betterment of the young generation towards the years to come. Reference: Randall Shelden. (2003). Youth Gangs in the American Society (Contemporary Issues in Crime and Justice Series). Wadsworth Publishing.

An Exploration of Mob Mentality in The Visit

An Exploration of Mob Mentality in The Visit The actions involved in ‘mob mentality’ are a prominent and recurring trend in history, dating back to the beginning of human interaction. Complete social unity was once necessary for the survival and comfort of a group of people. Mob mentality is not solely â€Å"social unity† or the way in which people are influenced by their peers or a leader to behave and think a certain way; it usually includes an element of violence. People in a mob tend to forget their individual inhibitions and follow the impulses of the group, therefore making violent acts ‘easier’ to commit (due to the perceived lack of individual consequences). In the play The Visit, a town of impoverished people becomes the center of attention when a wealthy native comes back to exact long awaited revenge. She offers them a bargain that could save them and the future of their town for the price of one man’s head, sending the entire group into a tailspin centered on the decision of w hether to go through with the terms of the bargain or not. Friederich Dà ¼rrenmatt showcases the evolution of groupthink and the violence of mob mentality through the people of Gà ¼llen as they contemplate how to go about handling their portion of the bargain and begin to act in response to the deal presented to them. The Visit starts out with a group of people sitting by the town train station awaiting the arrival of the famous and immensely wealthy Claire Zachanassian, an event in which everyone in the town has taken part in. They hope to receive a sizeable donation from the heiress to save their wretched home. Upon Claires appearance, the expected gift is offered through a Faustian bargain that Zachanassian has waited years to present. At the town dinner party she calmly states, â€Å"One billion for Gà ¼llen, if someone kills Alfred Ill† (Dà ¼rrenmatt 35). Following a brief moment of shocked silence, the Mayor of Gà ¼llen stands up and retorts, â€Å"In the name of the town of Gà ¼llen, I reject your offer†¦ We would rather be poor than have blood on our hands.† This proclamation is met with tremendous applause (35). The ‘tremendous applause’ that the group immediately responds with is a signal of the townspeople’s affirmation of the Mayor’s re sponse to Claire’s offer, and serves as a primitive indication of the groupthink that is developed throughout the play. It is important to note that, often, mobs that commit acts of violence usually first come together as a group for a benign reason or commonality (such as this non-malicious agreement). While agreeing with the mayor’s decision provided the immediate consequence of getting no money and keeping a clean conscience, this agreement also biased the thoughts of each townsperson from the outset due to the influence of whatever the group and its leaders were also thinking. The expansion of groupthink and the behavior changes of the townspeople are further probed as Zachanassian awaits her justice. The actions of the Gà ¼lleners develop steadily throughout Act II, going from subtle behavior changes to actual physical intimidation (the closest they get to violence until that point). This change showcases the complexity of mob mentality and the evolution of group behavior. Dà ¼rrenmatt also incorporates significant foreshadowing that greatly adds to the suspense of the inevitable mob killing of Ill. It is very important to note that there is not a single, defined leader who directly interacts with the townspeople to influence these changes (as the Mayor did in Act I). There is also a direct contrast between the changes being experienced by the townspeople and Claire, as she is static during this act, continuing to order people around while sitting on her balcony and watching the townspeople below. She is not the â€Å"official† leader of group, but it is easy to argue that her unchanging presence and expectation of the completion of her bargain puts her in a position to (indirectly) influence the evolution of the townspeople’s behavior. These changes are also not shown through the entire group at once, but through smaller groups and then through the town leaders. At the beginning of the act, the audience sees Ill’s insecurity within his own family situation, as he tells his children that their mother could be there for them even if he was not. Customers then come into his store, wearing new, expensive clothing and proceeding to charge even more expensive items to their accounts. Ill notices and points out the fact that the day before, they could not afford any of those things. One of the customers responds, â€Å"It’s because we stand by you. We stick by our Ill. Firm as a rock† (41). These people are not charging such expensive things to their accounts because they have the money to pay for them or because they are in support of Ill; they are anticipating getting the money that they need to buy things such as these. Int eractions with the Police Officer, Mayor, and Pastor all add suspicion and evidence for Ill’s insecurity, as they too have new shoes, a gold tooth, and advice for ‘following the way of repentance’. The townspeople continue to deny that they are changing because of the money, but it is obvious to the audience that each of them has decided that someone else is going to complete the town’s end of the bargain. While this dominant groupthink is an important aspect of mob mentality, the real violence usually associated with mob action is inched towards at the end of Act II at the train station, when the townspeople come together to intimidate Ill into staying in town. While no one touches him, the crowd encircles him, making him feel as if he cannot leave. He misses his train because he thinks that one of them will hold him back if he tries to step off of the platform. The entire group coming together and acting the same way at this point shows that the â€Å"mob has made up its mind† and that the bargain is being accepted. Each individual townsperson came to the same conclusion, and even though such a conclusion is the opposite of what the town originally planned, the loss of individual consequence that a member of a mob experiences allows violence to come easier to everyone. The inescapable ending to the bargain is brought about by an act of true violence, under the direction of the Mayor as the distinct leader in Act III. Inevitably, the agreement is completed and the townspeople of Gà ¼llen get the check to save their town. The true emergence of Claire Zachanassian’s role as the indirect orchestrator for the formation of the mob is shown in Act III, when she is conversing with the Teacher and the Doctor. As they are detailing the devastation of their town, she calmly states an unexpected truth about their situation: â€Å"I own [the factories]I had my agents buy the whole mess and shut every business down†¦..I decided I would come back one day. Now I set the conditions, I drive the bargain† (71-72). She decided to force the town to betray one of their most respected members, after causing their economic downfall, for her long awaited vengeance. Her exclamation also points out the idea that she is the true, although somewhat indirect, leader, as she is the one setting the conditions of their agreement. Later, there is a town gathering in the Golden Apostle Hotel where a vote is tak en, unanimously in favor of killing Ill. The violence of murder is obviously going to occur, marking the final development in the escalation of the mob violence in Gà ¼llen. The Mayor leads the Gà ¼lleners by directly speaking about the crime that Ill has committed and saying that it is time for the town to exact justice upon the man who caused them their poverty. The Teacher reiterated this justification prior to the gathering when he told Ill, â€Å"The temptation is too great and our poverty is too wretched† (85). The townspeople huddle around Ill, and when they step back, he is dead. The completion of the escalation of violence ends with this group murder, an act committed by the entire mob, not just one person, and the bargain that they once fervently refused has been completed. Friederich Dà ¼rrenmatt showed the evolution of groupthink and the violence of a mob through Gà ¼llen as its people contemplated how to handle their portion of the bargain and began to act in response to the deal, which eventually resulted in the death of one of their most respected friends. In the final lines of the play, the consequences of the murder are already evident, as everyone prays together for the â€Å"preservation of peace and freedom†. Already being worried about losing their â€Å"good fortune† shows the effect that the murder had on them, even if they did it as a group. Each person will have to spend the rest of his or her life with the death of Alfred Ill on his or her conscience, as individual consequences come back when the mob dissolves.

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Applying the 4 Models of the BGS (Business Government & Society) Relationship to the current debate over U.S. HealthCare Reform - Research Paper Example health insurance system would be more beneficial on the part of the children as well as the older and senior women who do not have the financial means to support their medical health expenses. In the absence of access to health care insurance, millions of Americans will be worried about not have the benefit of receiving high-quality and affordable health care plans for themselves and their family members in case one of them suddenly becomes ill (Sebelius). Likewise, it would be difficult on the part of the U.S. government to control hundreds of billions of dollars that can be wasted because of the ineffenciency in the federal health care programs such as the Medicare and Medicaid including some of the health insurance companies that do not exert effort in increasing the services they provide to the people (Hitchcock). Specifically the market capitalism model illustrates businesses that are operating within the market environment in response to economic forces (Steiner and Steiner, pp. 9 – 12). In this model, the market serves as a shock absorber between the non-market forces and the business sector. (See Figure I – The Market Capitalism Model below) This model clearly represents the relationship between the American people and the health care insurance companies that was present way before the current U.S. health care reform. Upon informing the Americans about the health care insurance products, consumers are given the opportunity to make a decision on whether to purchase health care insurance plan or not. (See Figure II – Buying of Health Care Insurance Process below) The problem with the use of the market capitalism model is that health care insurance companies could easily take advantage of the people by charging them with higher premiums for the costs of health care services. For this reason, the health care practices in the United States needs to be changed by implementing the current health care reform. Under the dominance model, it

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HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT - Labor Laws and Unions - Essay Example The Company’s mission is to â€Å"connect people with their world everywhere they live, work and do it better than anyone else†. AT & T Inc has been accused of inhuman treatment of their employees and overtime payment row to their middle managers in a number of states (Sterling Attorneys, 2011). In the first case, AT&T was accused of requiring employees to stand all day when attending to customers in newly acquired stores notwithstanding the extended hours of operation to 12-13 hours a day. AT&T was in breach of The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) which stipulates the minimum wage and overtime pay. It is not only individuals that enjoy a wide range of benefits arising by virtue of being a member of a trade union but also organizations. For instance, organizations stand a better chance of identifying challenges faced by their workers owing to liaison with workers representatives. This gives an opportunity to tackle the problems faced by employees in due time. The Unionization process begins with gathering information about whether there is an existing union in the organization. If there is an existing union then an individual will contact them for further information. In case no union exists in the organization then employees will have to build their own union by coming together to sign an â€Å"Authorization† card. The next step involves making the union official by holding a secret ballot election under the supervision of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The workers can also make their union official by asking the employer to voluntarily recognize the association. The trade unions tend to bargain through collective bargain whereby the union agents on behalf of the unionized employees, petition the employer to take into consideration a particular interest of the employees such as pay rise or improved working condition. Unions bring about serious implications on employers. In case the union disagrees on

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Hoe does Beth Israel west side comprehensive cancer center in NY operate with the collaboration of aptium oncology and continuum - Essay Example Beth Israel Comprehensive Cancer Center is a chief product of Continuum Cancer Centers of New York (CCCNY). CCCNY, a non- profit organization, beforehand used to look after more than 6,000 new cancer patients per year. This new addition to CCCNY makes it one of the biggest and most effective multi- site cancer research centers of the North East (Beth Israel Medical Center Officially Opens Its Manhattan West Side Comprehensive Cancer Center, 2010). The Beth Israel Comprehensive Cancer Center will be working in collaboration with Aptium Oncology, Inc., a Los- Angeles based prime profit organization with more than 25 years of practice in cancer research program development that provides support and enhancement in oncology related programs to private physicians and hospitals. It also provides consulting and organizational expertise to leading institutions around U.S. Aptium Oncology also boasts of having a large and advanced clinical research facility in cancer through the Aptium Oncolog y GI Cancer Consortium (AGICC), and in myeloma through the Aptium Oncology Myeloma Cancer Consortium (AMyC) (Research, 2011). ... Here one needs to first understand the definition of Alliance and the differences in the concepts of Alliance, Partnerships and Collaborations. Alliance is a formal agreement that establishes an association among partnering organizations to achieve a particular aim wherein both organizations agree to share the responsibility through common goals. Partnerships generally mean co existing and usually voluntary relationships among participating groups that are ready to share responsibility of achievement of certain specific goals. Partnerships also contain mutual sharing of available resources, risks and returns realized on terms of pre- agreed legal bindings. Collaborations, on the other hand is a combination of the previous two concepts and is generally used to describe various different joint or multiple efforts. This term is more often than not used to refer long lasting and durable relationships wherein the parties join hands to bring separate organizations into an innovative struct ure with full fledged commitment towards fulfilling a common mission. The associating parties jointly optimize the resources available to them and also share the outcomes and the rewards. Regardless of the name of the associative relationship, working together requires proper policy formulation and policy formulation can be done through thinking backed with evaluation (Evaluation and Collaboration, n.d. pp.1). â€Å"Alliances are a big part of this game [of global competition]†¦They are critical to win on a global basis†¦.The least attractive way to try to win on a global basis is to think you can take on the world all by yourself.† Jack Welch, CEO, General Electric (Speech at Harvard Business School,

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