Water Rationing in Malaysia

Water Rationing in Malaysia Definition of Water Rationing Water is the most essential single element required in order for people to accomplish the universal human right to a standard of living adequate for the health as well as well-being of himself and his family. Lacking of access to fresh water, health and well-being are severely jeopardized. This is because people cannot live without basic water supplies. Water is the important need so that people continue to survive. Without water, people could only survive for a few months before they had some serious health problems or even death. Fresh water protection is a huge responsibility that involves in the individual, industrial and even the government. Every single person has a vital role in trying to protect the continuous supply of fresh water. One of the main concerns regarding water is that of there will be enough water for the request within the next 25 to 50 years later. Current rising problem today is the lack of drinking water. Once every twenty years, the consumption of water is double. The supply of fresh water is not renewing at the same speed anymore. The lack of drinking water has caused a much larger problem. The problem is that the water is polluted. Currently, about half of the hospital beds in the world are filled with patients with water borne diseases. In the Malay Mail newspaper, it shows that â€Å"The water supply from the dams is not enough to supply water to more than 7 million users in the Klang Valley.† In the Klang Valley together with Wilayah Persekutuan and Selangor states, the current water rationing program initiated in last February 2014. It consists of alternating two days with water then two days with dry taps in the areas allocated by the government. Water rationing is not always regarding water shortage. Sometimes it is related to the demand is greater than the supply. Supply may actually be sufficient in certain place but in some places with irresponsible user, the water is water at an uncontrolled level which led to nowhere to find fresh water. Thus, the government will create a solution for this problem such as water rationing to meet the requirements of every citizen. During Malaysia water crisis in 1998, 4.2 million people had to survive on 2553 million litres of water per day. This resulted in a shortage of 105 million litres per day. For year 2014, 7.1 million people need about 4900 million litres per day but with only 4367 million litres per day is available. Figure 1 shows the comparison of water needed between year 1998 and year 2014. In year 1998, there are 1.8 million people in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur that were affected by a six month long water rationing exercise which is from March to September as the result of El Nino phenomenon. The dry weather and lesser rainfall weather during year 1998 led to almost critical water levels in four dams which is Batu, Klang Gates, Langat and Semenyih. El Nino is actually a band of warm ocean water temperature that occasionally develops off the Pacific coast of South America. The Causes and Effects of Water Rationing Water shortage that resulted in water rationing does not happen in a single day. There are many causes of water shortages. Some of the examples are population growth, overuse of water by industries, pollution, global warming, drastic weather changes and others more. One of the causes that result in water rationing is the growing water shortage in the growing demand resulting from the population increase. The increase of demand of fresh water is directly proportional with the increasing population. The increase in demand arises out of a few factors which include the direct consumption demands of the increasing population and the demand from development and food production to give food to the increasing population. But then, the fresh water is not increasing but decreasing rapidly due to the over usage. Thus this will lead to the demand is more than the supply in which related to water shortage. Climate change has affected the whole water cycle, decreasing water resources and resulted in water shortage. Global warming too has speeded up the hydrological cycle and amplified evaporation will make drought conditions more rampant. One of the example of climate change is droughts occur more occasionally in some certain area while will be hit by flash floods which could destroy dams and reservoirs. Land use changes have a variation of influences on water resources. Whilst decrease of vegetation cover may result in better runoff, it decreases groundwater infiltration as well as the storage capability of dams and lakes through siltation. The significant draining of wetlands or extensive deforestation may change the microclimate of a region. This is a consequence of people cutting trees for numerous reasons including illegally felling of trees for sale. Some of the cause of water shortage is mismanagement by government officials. The government official lacked of law enforcement to stop water from being wasted. Water shortage is the whole nation as well as global problem which are happening at an alarming rate. It can be effective to increase consciousness among all people regarding age towards the seriousness of water shortage and the benefit of saving water. This is very important as it could make people realize the importance of water and not waste them uncontrollably. The government should implement laws to solve the problem like having hefty fines to those who waste water and not just a tab on the wrist. Due to rapid industrialization and a lack of wastewater treatment system, a large number of surface and ground water is contaminated and thus not safely available for human use. Water contamination can result from a numerous causes which include agricultural return flows, industry, and domestic uses. Both surface and groundwater are regularly affected. Destruction of the riverine environment decreases the ordinary ability of a river to deal with with pollution. The largest water using sector is agriculture. This is a common reality worldwide. As population increases, ever greater pressure is placed on agriculture to produce food. This in turn results in increased water demand. Water scarcity and food security are therefore directly related. In addition, using additional water than is returned in rain, people are polluting the water that they have. For example, most of the pesticides as well as fertilizers used in agriculture, sewer overflows and oil and grease from road will run off into water system. The other source of excess nutrients such as lawn fertilizers, pet and farm animal waste, decaying plant material. Industrial plants waste water treatment plants can also contribute the level of toxic substance enter the river and lake which will resulted in polluted water. Politicians and decision-makers are the people who have highest influence on the distribution of improve water shortage budgets and the adoption of policy. Unfortunately, a lot of politicians do not agree with the parameters of practical water resource management and this result in judgements are being made on the basis of short-term political feasibility. The effects of water shortages are the most noticeable to the everyday man. More than half of the worlds hospital beds are filled by people suffering from water linked diseases as well as nearly 20% of deaths to children under age five being credited to water related issues. Water related diseases include a wide variety of well-known and feared ailments such as Malaria, Lice, dengue fever, Hepatitis and other more. Water shortage will pose major nation or global challenges as it would reduce agricultural production as well as lead to an increase in food and water prices. This will greatly affect consumers disposable income, businesses profits and economic growth. Water can also become a source of conflicts among communities, states and countries. Developing countries such as Malaysia are more harshly affected by water shortages problem. Lack of clean and fresh water will caused health concerns and human loss as a result of poor hygiene. A lot of people who cannot get supply of clean water on a regular basis will end up using unclean water from streams which are usually contaminated. Those who are using contaminated water will develop health complications like cholera, diarrhea and other more in the long run. Besides that, hunger is another negative effect related with water shortage. Water shortage will link to agriculture. With lesser water, the crops produce will be lesser thus in the long run will leads to hunger and thirst. Water Rationing Survival Water rationing means the water company will limit the fresh water supply to domestic and industrial area. During water rationing period it is needed for people to save water and prevent from wasting it. There are a few survival skills during water rationing such as greywater recycling. Greywater recycling is the waste water generated from washing machine and dishwasher is used for other stuff. The greywater can be used for cleaning the house compound, flushing toilet and many more. So, never pour water down the drain when there may be additional use for it for example watering a plant or garden, or for cleaning. This can be done by while taking showers, place a bucket in the showers to catch excess water and use the water for cleaning or flushing the toilet. This can be apply when washing dishes or vegetable in the sink. Next, it would be turning off the main water valves when it is not in used. As during water shortage, water is very limited. Thus when the local officials advice on the water rationing, it is better to off the main water valves to prevent those already in the tank is contaminated. Apart from that, during water rationing, it is best to repair broken or leaking pipes. This is to prevent extra water being wasted unnecessarily. This can be done by repairing dripping faucets by replacing their washers. Another method is to check for toilet tank leaks by adding food colouring into the tank. If the toilet is leaking, colour will appear in the toilet bowl within 30 minutes to an hour. It is good to check the toilet for worn out, corroded or bent parts. Most of the replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available as well as easily installed. During shower, it is better to take shorter shower instead of long bath. Replace the showerhead with ultra-low flow version. Some of the ultra-low flow version allows users to cut off the flow without adjusting the water temperature knobs. In the shower, turn on the water to get wet and turn off after the body is wet then turn back on to rinse off. Repeat it when washing the hair too. Avoid flushing the toilet unreasonably. Throw of tissues, insects and other related waste in the dustbin rather than the toilet bowl. For the lawn, do not overwater the lawn. As a general rule, lawns only need watering every five to seven days in a week. Heavy rain will eliminate the need of watering for up to two weeks. If possible, do buy a rain gauge and use it to measure the rain that land on the lawn. Water lawns during the early morning hours when temperatures and are the lowest. This reduces water losses from evaporation. Another method is having bigger water storage. With less water used on days when the water is rationed, it is best to realigning the use of fresh water. Having extra storage in the house will be good if water rationing period is extended for a day or two. If the water storage is on the roof, it had to be big enough to store water for drinking, bathing and cooking. Recommendation to the Causes Identified There are a lot of steps that can be taken to solve water shortage issues. One of them is rainwater harvesting system. Rainwater harvesting system will cut down the usage of treated water used for car washing, toilet as well as general cleaning. This will save up on the water bills. One huge problem is finding sufficient space for the rain water harvesting system to be installed. It is not a small piece of device that one can just plug and play. Another recommendation for water shortage is desalinization. Desalinization is system which can filter the salty water through membranes and removing the salt through electro dialysis and reverse osmosis process. Desalinization process has worked for about 130 nations in North Africa and Middle East. With the use of this system, these nations are currently producing around six billion of fresh water daily. Since Malaysia is surrounded by sea, it is possible to introduce desalinization process. Besides this, another recommendation is to protect water catchment areas. Water consumption is normally divided into domestic, industry and agriculture. Most of the water consumption is for domestic sector as most of the industries and agriculture use raw water instead. Government should introduce more water catchment areas for example forest and lakes. These are the areas that must take into consideration of future need of raw water. These areas should be register as national park so no deforestation and no development could be done at that area. Thus, this would ensure the future supply of raw water. Government should improve the water supply infrastructures as a method to prevent water shortage. The government could build more service reservoirs to prevent water shortage. A service reservoir could store up to a minimum one or two days of storage of water. On top of that, government should use meters as a method to monitor how much water does people are sending down the drains, flushing in toilets and pouring over their gardens. Meter is the fairest way to charge for water and the people need to be held responsible for what they use. For example, a family of four uses as much water in a day as a sprinkler uses in an hour. If people are using sprinkle and swimming pool, they need to pay extra. Apart from that, the government should persuade and educate people to use less water. Small actions like turning off the taps during washing up could save a lot of water. For example, by turning off the tap while brushing teeth would save a lot of water. If a normal tap runs at five litres a minute, people do brush their teeth for two minutes for twice a day. It would be 20 litres that goes down the sink. Another method is by charging the water based on the water quality. A raw water quality based raw water tariff should also be in place to ensure the governments are receiving income by safe guarding the water catchment areas to secure raw water resources. Safe guarding water catchment areas will preserve the raw water quality and reduce cost of treating water which will be translated to affordable water tariff. Conclusion In conclusion, stopping water crisis from reaching tragic level needs more concern of people as well as governments. It can be an effective ways to increase consciousness among all people from all walks of life regarding the shortage of water and what people have to face in the future if the uncontrolled water usage is not stopped. Governments should implement laws to penalize uncontrollable use of water. People should be wiser and miser in using water. Everyone must think of better ways to discipline oneself so that water is not wasted. It is better to come up with precaution than solution. Finally, people should safeguard the environment and filter unwanted pollutants before it is release to the environment Reference Toltal Words: 2598 words 1

“Beijing EAPS Consulting, Inc.” Case Study Essay

The case study, â€Å"Beijing EAPS Consulting, Inc.† in the Custom Book, (2011), examines the project management structure of the Beijing EAPS Consulting (BEC) company. This case study also addressesabout project plan itself and how the co-workers are struggling with this communication between bothmangers. This project plan has demonstrated many strengths and weakness. The one thing that theproject plan needs put into action is safeguards to insure that the project is completed on time.BEC has taken on the matrix organizational structure. This type of structure combines functional anddivisional organization structure styles. There are advantages and disadvantages in utilizing this type of organizational structure. Advantages include resource utilization, specialization, cross functional areas,communication and flexibility. Resource utilization allows for the project departmental managers tofocus on their strengths. Also, it allows for the managers to all the workers to specialize in an area of important for that project. In turn, it uses people across the company who specialize in a field thatrelates to the project at hand. This matrix structure permits cross departmental communication andflexibility to work on different projects across the company structure.( Guzman, 2012)However, with advantages come disadvantage with this type of matrix organizational structure. Thisstructure increases complexity within the organization by leading to confusion among both workers andmanagers. The managers may not know what a certain employee has on their plate. In reverse, theemployee will obtain an overload of work because they are receiving work from two different types of managers. Another disadvantage is an increase in overhead cost for the company due to the need fordouble management. This double management can lead to confusion between managers as to who hasthe higher priority of work creating a power struggle. (Johnson, 2012) The case study, â€Å"Beijing EAPS Consulting, Inc.† in the Custom Book, (2011), reveals many advantages anddisadvantages to this matrix organizational structure. For instance, the project manager, Ms. Song, andthe departmental manager, Mr. Yang, are having a problem deciding who makes the final decisions onwork to be completed because they are the same level in the management structure. Ms. Song feels like she does not have the authority to give direction to Mr. Yang’s employees. She is also wary about asking Mr. Yang to give his employees work from her because of his temperament. The loud and  abrasiveattitude of Mr. Yang represents the rational personality type. A rational trait is more forceful and can getangry quickly. (Lewis, 2003) Mr. Yang knows he has this type of personality; however, he does not doanything to curve this problem when he notices that Ms. Song is not communicating with him. Also, theemployees do not know which manager to listen to or how to prioritize their work at hand. This causesmore conflict between the employees, the project manager and departmental managers. In addition,these employees are not sure if the project manager or the department manager is their directsupervisor. This in turn causes conflict between both managers.There are some strengths and weaknesses that have been made clear about the project plan in the case study, â€Å"Beijing EAPS Consulting, Inc.† in the Custom Book, (2011). These weaknesses include an overload of individual and team projects. The employees need to work extra hours to keep up with tightdeadlines. They are also working across department lines meaning they have to meet the demands of more than one manager at a time. When urgent matters arise they a re required to add the new work tomeet a new deadline on top of the current work load which now causes more stress on the employees.

Mental Disabilities Struggling With Loss And Grief

Doka, K. J. Individuals with intellectual disabilities: Struggling with loss and grief. In RESCARE NZ. Retrieved from http://www.rescarenz.org.nz/Publications%20%20Papers/ciwid.pdf In his article Dr. Doka addresses the reasons that persons with ID need counseling, and how to better support them during times of grieving. He explains there are several reasons for improved bonding in the disabled community. These include a longer lifespan, and better community activities in group homes. He points out that everyone experiences loss, but an ID person may also be subjected to secondary losses to include a change in residence, friends, and neighbors. The author next delves into grief reactions in disabled individuals. He states that each grief reaction is unique based on the intellectual level of the individual along with the type of relationship said person has with the person lost. These reactions include physical, mental, behavioral, and religious aspects. Explaining that this pop ulation may often have their grief â€Å"disenfranchised† he goes on to give several examples. One of these examples explains that many feel that disabled individuals are unable to recognize attachment, or have an understanding of grief. In the next section of his article Dr. Doka addresses how to counsel people with intellectual disabilities. He stresses that early intervention, group support, and equal opportunity for involvement are important components of this process. The article wraps upShow MoreRelatedClient And Agency Variables And Contest For Work1510 Words   |  7 Pagesyear and a half worth of law school from SUNY Albany. Mr. Winchester is not married and does not have any children. Sam is currently single and has no potential partners in his life. Mr. Winchester is also an atheist. He has decided to reach out for grief counseling on his own. Before coming into the agency Sam was living out of his car and traveling the country. 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In his book, Sittser discusses various insights he has gained, such as how Christian’s view sorrow, how families recover when someone they love develops a mental disorder, and the Christian view on suffering and forgiveness. I believe that the author has written a book that has many universalRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Perfect Chaos Lov e 2704 Words   |  11 Pagesworld to hurt myself (p.111).† It is clear that millions of individuals are the one going through the traumatic experience of mental illness. Another interesting thins based of the book is that in the US by itself, 60.7 million individuals have been experiencing mental health issues and struggles in a given year whereas just one in 20 Americans undergo pain from a mental health disorder. This is amazing account of the Johnson family, an unwavering glimpse at the disorder going on within, the distinctiveness

Descriptive Essay The Things Fate - 923 Words

It s funny the things Fate shows you when she thinks you ll need it. Funny, weird, or downright terrifying. My mind was clouded as I slipped down the street, dodging other people who seemed to flow around me almost as if I were invisible, a mere stone diverting the flow of a rushing river. In a way, this ignorance helped me, soothed me. In another, it ripped apart my already fragile mind, sending the voices within my brain reeling with criticisms, fortifying my decision like the bookshelves I stacked against my bedroom door as a child, trying like hell to keep the demon in my mother away from me. At the thought of my mother, the burn scars along my shoulder blades twinged, and I shook my head violently to get the voices to shut up. My†¦show more content†¦My pace quickened, the voices stirring me forward. The natural fight-or-flight reaction in me faded, leaving me feeling like a weak, pathetic bowl of pudding. The quiet ripple of fog in my mind raged into a deadly sandstorm , and I sped up, almost running now, not caring who I knocked over or hit. Tears rolled down my cheeks, the voices within ripping into me with their rotten claws, cackling. People stopped and stared, some concerned, but no one stopped me to help. No one ever had. Finally, amazingly, my feet slowed to a stop at the bottom step of the Eiffel Tower and I look up, heart flipping. This is it... Am I really going to throw myself off of this? As it would have it, Fate had my answer all ready and waiting for me, bottled up in the body of a man flinging himself from the top of the tower amongst shocked screams and wails of the people around him. He fell in slow motion. I could almost see the fearful bliss on his face, as he finally ended what he came here to. His body, limp, spiralled and cartwheeled once and slammed into the ground with a sickening crunch, mere feet from me. 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Native Son highlights the unjust distribution of social power betweenRead MoreThe Iliad Or The Poem Of Force1472 Words   |  6 PagesIn her essay, The Iliad or The Poem of Force, Simone Weil argues, â€Å"The true hero, the true subject matter, the center of the Iliad, is force,† (152). â€Å"Force† is defined as, â€Å"that x that turns anybody who is subjected to it/ into a thing,† (153). Weil perceives force as an active entity that is capable of profound, negative, influences on the lives it touches (153). For a hero, force replaces his rational sensibilities by an uncontrollable urge to slaughter his opponent in an animalistic fashion,Read MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey 1418 Words   |  6 Pagesimmortality’ skin and be reborn to understand the peaceful human existence in the cosmic universe. 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Essay on Flood Legends From Around the World - 1695 Words

There are flood stories from many cultures. The flood stories usually consist of a higher power that floods a civilization due to some act that has made the higher power angry. The stories talk about one specific family and how the flood consumes the entire globe. So many cultures have a story about a great flood that have many similar details that it is hard to not believe that it is not true, but whether the story of a great flood is true or not, it is up to the individual to decide. Judaism is religion that many Hebrews are a part of. Many Christian religions like Catholicism also believe the same story that the Jews do about the great flood. They believe that God had become so upset with mankind’s evil ways, he wanted to†¦show more content†¦He then sent out a dove that came back without anything. A week later Noah sent the dove out again, and the dove returned with an olive branch. The next week the dove did not return to the ark. After a year and ten days of be ing in the ark, Noah and his family emerged with the animals. Noah sacrificed some of the animals to God, and God was so pleased he vowed to never destroy all of the living creatures with a flood again. The rainbow that appeared was like the signature to an agreement that he would never do it again. The animals ran wild and began to produce and God told Noah’s family to repopulate the earth (Genesis 6-9). In Greek mythology, Zeus wanted to destroy the men of the Bronze Age so he sent a flood. He thought the people of this age were very wicked. â€Å"Prometheus advised his son Deucalion to build a chest. All other men perished except for a few who escaped to high mountains† (). After Deucalion and his wife floated in the chest for nine days they land on Parnassus. Then, he made a sacrifice to Zeus in which he threw stones and they became men. Then his wife threw stones and they became women. This story focuses on one family in particular, Deucalion and his wife. There is a great flood that wipes everyone out but them, and a great higher power, Zeus, did this to the earth. In Roman mythology, which is very similar to Greek mythology, there is a flood story as well.Show MoreRelatedTracking Myth to Geological Reality800 Words   |  4 Pagesinformation about natural disasters like: tsunamis, floods and volcanic eruptions. It is hoped that this information will save human lives in the future. With all of these new discoveries it is important to remember that it is easy to go too far. Myth cannot account for all geological phenomenon and vice versa. It is crucial to make sure that scientific integrity remains the focus when linking myth and geology. It is important that people learn from history. Recently, it has become apparent that mythsRead MoreEssay on The Foundation of the Netherlands1396 Words   |  6 Pagesof its population is located below sea level, and fifty percent of its land lies less than one meter above sea level (Molenaar) This makes the Netherlands out of all the countries in the world the land with the most land below sea-level. The Netherlands currently has more than seventeen thousand kilometers of flood defenses (Molenaar) Dikes were the foundation of the Netherlands because they made the Netherlands grow, well-known, and made them a pro at building them, but the dikes also wounded theRead MoreTruth of Illusion: The Purpose of Myths749 Words   |  3 Pages From before the dawn of civilization as we know it, humanity has formed myths and legends to explain the natural world around them. Whether it is of Zeus and Hera or Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-mikoto, every civilization and culture upon this wor ld has its own mythos. However, the age of myth is waning as it is overshadowed in this modern era by fundamental religion and empirical science. The word myth has come to connote blatant falsehood; however, it was not always so. Our myths have reflectedRead MoreThe Influential Book of the Bible886 Words   |  4 PagesHabakkuk 2:14 states, For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. To many people this statement depicts a picture of what it will be like when Christ comes back to the world, to others its merely a prophecy to when Jesus came in the New Testament. What is so miraculous though is that we, as humans, have had the knowledge of God with us through generations. Even non-Christians who never read the Holy Word gain some knowledge of the glory of the Lord without even realizingRead MoreThe Three Paradigms of Biblical Studies Essay852 Words   |  4 Pagesthousands of scholars from around the world. These scholars use various methods developed by other disciplines in order to study ancient texts along with other approaches that are distinctive to the biblical studies. Biblical scholars have recently divided the profession into three paradigms which are commonly referred to as the three worlds. Particularly, some scholars focus on the world within the text; others explore the world in front of the text; and others focus on the world behind the text. Read MoreComparing Cherokee And Lakota Creation Stories1721 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican Military University 08 July 2017 A Comparison of the Cherokee and Sioux Creation Stories There are many cultures throughout the world, and each has its’ own creation story, and many of them are very similar; however the creation stories of the First Nations’ People are some of the most magical. These stories not only tell how the world was created, but give a glimpse into who the Cherokee and Lakota were, and their views of the relationship between human beings and creation, andRead More`` Mesopotamia `` By Pirieenzo And Narrated By Simon Chilvens1250 Words   |  5 Pagesthe country between two rivers. The question that many people wonder is Why this civilization developed in this part of the world? Director of Studies of the Practical School of Higher Studies, Paris, Jean-Claude Margueron, states that â€Å"We think that it began with the Greek civilization that influenced the development of classical civilizations.† Mesopotamians used the water from the Tigris and Euphrates river to irrigate their geographical area. Having agriculture, they lack of wood, stone, and metalRead MoreThe Myth Of A Myth1612 Words   |  7 Pagesall around the world Something that is found a lot in every culture is storytelling. The majority of people love listening to stories. 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GodRead More Comparing the Great Flood in Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark1162 Wor ds   |  5 PagesComparing the Great Flood in Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark Many of the same ancient stories can be found in different cultures. Each story differs in a small way, but the general idea remains synonymous. One story that is paralleled in several cultures is the legend of a great flood. The epic of Gilgamesh resembles the Bible’s story of Noah’s Ark, but specific details differ in several aspects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story of Gilgamesh originates from twelve fire-hardened,

Defining Social Problems Free Essays

A distinction is made between the definition of a social problem and sociological problem by Peter Worsley (1972). The latter refers to the problem of explaining social behaviour in terms of a sociological theory, whilst the former is some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction and or private misery and calls for collective action to solve it. The study of social problems is a complex and very controversial undertaking. We will write a custom essay sample on Defining Social Problems or any similar topic only for you Order Now Broadly speaking, this is not understandable to the average layman whose concepts of what constitutes a social problem is firmly established by the rhetoric of his/hers everyday social discourse and indeed the classification of acts or situations as social problems seem to be a relatively simple exercise. It is becoming more and more evident by present day sociologists and social scientists alike the complexities involved in defining, identifying and classifying a social situation as a social problem. This process has far-reaching implications on the focus, scope and projected recommendations of studies conducted of a particular social situation. There are two major conceptualizations of defining a social situation as a social problem. The first is centered around the self-explanatory phase â€Å"public opinion approach†. This approach contends that a â€Å"social problem cannot exist for a society unless it is recognized by that society to exist† (Blumer, 1971) the inference here is that it is the members of the society that define and construct their social reality and that via socialization these interpretations of societal phenomena and value consensus is conveyed to the offspring. Individuals and social situations that do not conform to the norms and values of society are often viewed as social problems. In Blumer’s definition of social problem he uses a broad concept of society but fails to further refine his definition. Merton writing in Contemporary Social Problems also utilizes in his definition of what is a social problem the broad and in my opinion ambiguous term â€Å"people†. His definition of social problems is as follows â€Å"a social definition exists when there is a sizeable discrepancy between what is and what people think ought to be†. One discovers that each society has their own conceptualizations and interpretations of their social world and furthermore as contemporary sociologists, namely M. G. Smith and his pluralist model of society (adapted from the research of J. Furnival of Burma), have suggested different fractions of society have competing and contrasting ideologies. The use of such terms suggests social union and cohesion of meanings and oversimplifies the above mentioned complexities of societies. A branching school of thought emerging from the public-opinion approach in the defining of social problems is in my opinion the quantitative approach. Perhaps realizing the aforementioned pitfalls of the definition proposed by Blumer and Merton some sociologist have attempted to further refine their definitions by assigning a seemingly quantitative value to them. Sheppard and Voss’s definition is critiqued by Manis [Contemporary Social Problems] They define a social problem as â€Å"a social condition which a large proportion of society †¦ see as undesirable or in need of attention† Here the quantitative term â€Å"large proportion of society† refines the initial term â€Å"society† and â€Å"people† utilized in the definition of Blumer and Merton respectively. Julian writing in Social Problems, 10th edition, too in his definition utilizes the term † significant proportion of people†, Kornblum includes the term â€Å"most people† and likewise Fuller and Myers in their book The Natural History of a social problem, â€Å"American Sociological Review’ quantifies his definition by added the term † a considerable number of people†. Though the inclusion of some additional factor concentrates the overall definition of what is a social problem it still does not give a full representation of the other forces at work that lead to a social condition being classified as a social problem. We have moved from the ambiguity of the term â€Å"society† to saying that it’s the majority who decide or define social problems. The supporters of the public opinion approach contend that this approach limits the subjectivity of the researcher. Turner and Beeghley believe that by relying on the public’s conceptualization of what constitutes a social problem that the sociologist remain neutral and value-free thereby playing a passive rather than active role in the process of defining social problems, since he/she is unable to impose his values, morals and ethnics. Gross dismisses the proposed objective rational proposed by the supporters of the public-opinon approach. He believes that for the sociologist even to interpret a public response to a social situation as negative or positive, good or bad is in itself a value judgment! This method of defining social problems is not as value free and objective as Beeghley and Tuner insinuate. If one is to speak of the majority, then what of the minority. In all fairness some public-opinion supporters have attempted to address this aspect of the debate around the definition of social problems. Sheppard and Voss have included in their definition the point that not only is a social problem defined by the â€Å"large proportion of society† but by â€Å"powerful elements of it† who see a social condition as undesirable and in need of attention. Julian makes an intuitive juxtaposition of the words to further develop this point. In his definition he contends that a social problem is so defined when â€Å"a significant number of people or a number of significant people† †¦ agree that the condition violates an accepted value or standard†¦. It confuses the definition somewhat since one is unable to determine whether the values of the majority are the ones violated by the social condition and it is thus defined as a social problem or if a social problem is so defined because the accepted values of the powerful (assumption here is that individuals who share the same social status or class have the same values) have been threatened. In the book, Defining Social Problems, there is considerable evidence to suggest that power groups play a significant role in the defining of social problems. Here the writer contends, and correctly so, that a social problem can exist for a number of years and still not be classified or acknowledged as a social problem! A social problem is said to ‘exist when an influential group asserts that a certain social condition affecting a large group of people is a problem that may be remedied by collective action. ‘ This introduces the concept that social problems are ‘subjective, value-laden and culturally informed’ a point contested by Manis. Furthermore it’s the influence of the power groups derived from their ‘strength, status or sheer number of people’ that have significantly impacted on social policy at the national level. The example given was centered around the hysteria of the milk cartoon kids. There arose in the 1950’s in the USA an outcry against the seemingly stark increase in the number of kidnappings. This caused a mass hysteria and this ‘social problem’ was deemed acute and severe enough to warrant an increase in police surveillance at schools. The situation was not a real social condition but it was considered as such. This is one of the primary concerns of Manis whereby subjectivity in the definition of a social problem may lead to falsehoods. He suggests rather an objective approach which he labels the ‘knowledge values of science’. He links social facts to values and devises an approach to defining social problems based on: intrinsic values, contextual values and social responsibility values. By utilizing his method, he contends, ensures objective results by the sociologist. Though not part of the Marx theory, the labeling theory in this case exists alongside and supports the theory that power groups play a significant role in defining social problems. Howard Becker was instrumental in the development of the labeling theory. Pierre Bordeaux, a Marxist, studied the education system extensively and acknowledges the ability of the powerful to impose their definition of reality on others. The controversy surrounding the definition of social problems is still going strong. Some may ask why is it important to understand how a social situation is classified as a social problem. The implementation of social policies affects everyone and some policies may not always be to our benefit. For example the Mass Marriage Movement in Jamaica looked to encourage couples to marry because some British sociologists thought that single-parent families were having adverse effects on their children and this was considered a problem. Through the research of dedicated Caribbean sociologist we know differently. In conclusion, I adapt the view points of Merton and Roberts, Contempory Social Problems, that social problems ‘vary among societies and it varies in the same society among social groups and from time to time, since both the social realities and the social norms differ and change. Fuller and Myers to develop a rather accommodating definition of a social problem. They wrote ‘Every social problem thus consists of an objective and a subjective definition. The objective condition is a verifiable condition which can be checked as to the existence and magnitude by impartial and trained observers†¦. The subjective definition is the awareness of certain individuals that the condition is a threat to cherished values. ‘ How to cite Defining Social Problems, Papers

People Appearances free essay sample

I strongly believe that first impressions are usually correct because people’s appearances inevitably reveal their personalities and attitudes. On top of that, people’s clothes reveal the personal statements they are making to the world. To begin with, I strongly believe that people’s appearances and speech can accurately portray their perspectives and attitudes toward life. This is largely because people’s habitual facial expressions and speech, which are the outward expressions of their minds, accurately reflect their emotional responses and reactions to life. For example, experienced interviewers can accurately judge and evaluate candidate’s characteristics during the few minutes of an interview. According to their accounts, an optimistic and outgoing person has brighter facial expressions, a higher tone of voice, and lively hand gestures. On the other hand, a pessimistic person with low self-esteem has more solemn expressions, a quiet voice, and minimal body motions. This proves that people’s appearances can reveal their characters. We will write a custom essay sample on People Appearances or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition, people’s style of dress reveals what statements they are making to the world. An important reason is that clothes serve as a self-expressive kind of uniform to the world. To illustrate, people who wear dirty, torn, or ill-fitting clothes convey the feeling that they are messy, disorganized, and not interested in their appearances. On the contrary, people who wear neat, well-coordinated, and stylish clothes express to the world that they care about how they look and want to make good impressions. Whether a person underneath his clothes is truly neat and organized or sloppy and scattered, his choice of clothes and general appearance tell the world what image he is interested in conveying. In this respect, first impressions are very revealing of how people want to represent themselves. In conclusion, initial impressions are truthful because they reveal people’s characteristics and attitudes. In addition, people’s clothes show what images they are trying to convey to the world. For these reasons, people can safely trust their first impressions.