20 Disney Research Paper Topics

20 Disney Research Paper Topics The legacy of great men go through many trials and tribulations due to the fact that most writers tend to either exaggerate   good or bad sides of their â€Å"characters†, which leaves most autobiographies flawed and this will be the same for Walt Disney. The iconic animated man’s achievements which helped make him a cult hero to some, have also tainted him in the eyes of others and since he is a public figure with the posthumous tag, just about anyone can write about Walt Disney without fear of legal retribution. Therefore, if you have received an assignment to write a research paper on Walt Disney, you have nothing to fear and as there is plenty of facts   about the creator of Mickey Mouse. But for those struggling to find a direction on how to proceed with writing a research paper on Walt Disney, this article is intended to serve as a guide in organizing your thoughts and putting them on paper in such a way that it makes excellent reading for any audience. In that note, we will provide you with 20 Disney research paper topics as well as a sample essay written to give you an example of a structure. So stay tuned. 20 Captivating Disney Research Paper Topics Analyzing the Alice Comedies, Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit as an Introduction into Walt Disney’s Early Creative Years The Tragic Loss of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and the Future it Spurned How Walt Disney Learnt the Importance of a Contract Exploring Walt Disney’s Creative Journey as a Glimpse into 18th Century Animation The Animated History of the Academy Awards in Relation to Cartoons The Creation of Disney Studios and Its Mainstream Appeal Recognizing Walt Disney’s Genius through the Oscars The Role of Animation in Driving the Red Scare Movement in the United States Exploring Walt Disney’s Anti-Communist Views in His Animated Works The Story behind the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals Animation as a Tool for Propaganda in the Second World War Understanding the Motives behind Walt Disney’s War Propaganda Using Animation as a Training and Recruiting Medium: The Hollywood Story How the Locomotive Train Inspired the Disneyland of Today Dressing in the Workplace: A Walt Disney Perspective Exploring Walt Disney’s Personal Relationships and Charity Works Tracing Walt Disney’s Footsteps in the Sands of Time Finding Truth in Walt Disney’s Alleged Anti-Semitic Views Analyzing Walt Disney’s Workplace Misogyny and 19th Century Influences Did Walt Disney Share and Encourage Racist Views? Wow! Here are 20 hard-hitting topics that are sure to raise both your and your audience’s interest to the icon and the beliefs that drove his deep convictions. These topics are intended to help you truly explore Walt Disney in your own terms and discuss the legacy he left behind in an educated manner. So do not hesitate to be inspired by them when drafting your research paper. Sample Essay on The Tragic Loss of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and the Future It Spurned In 1923, a young bright-eyed boy with great creative ideas for the motion picture industry, moved to California as most people looking for fame still do till this day. As a great but unproven talent, the young Walt Disney quickly put himself to work and by 1927, he had come up with his first major breakout animated series titled Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. And not unlike most first time entrepreneurs, artiste and athletes, he was at the stage of his career were any distribution deal placing his ideas in front of the masses would fit his dreams to be a successful cartoonist. So in 1927, Walt Disney signed a distribution deal with Universal Studios with the help of Charles Mintz. Desperate to receive help in bringing his ideas to life, the young Disney signed the contract without due diligence and as luck would have it, the Oswald series became best sellers. The contract signing was followed by a successful 26 episode stint as stipulated by the distributors and when the time to renew the contract approached, Walt Disney discovered that he had signed away the entire rights of the cartoon series to Universal Studio. This marked the end of an era, as a semi-successful Walt Disney vowed to produce his own cartoons, seek distribution deals favorable to him and more importantly own all the rights to his future creations. This decision marked the turning point in Disney’s career as it led to the creation of the iconic Mickey Mouse which went on to outdo the Oswald series. That singular decision led Walt and his brother, Roy Disney, to seek a new studio which they promptly used as a springboard in revitalizing their careers. A decade later, Walt Disney Studios had delved into the creation of animated motion pictures and in 1938, their sophomore effort under the Disney name- Silly Symphonies- landed the Academy Award for the best Animated Short Film. It was the first award Walt Disney received as well as the first time the Academy recognized the importance of animation in telling stories. This success paved the way for more than ever creative Disney brothers to develop more animated films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, The Three Little Pigs etc. which were high grossing films during the 30’s. Further laurels were added to Walt Disney’s cap when he received his star on the Hollywood walk of fame alongside his iconic character, Mickey Mouse. In Walt Disney’s case, a tragic contract dispute spurned the creative genius to higher heights which can be seen in his personal works as well as the animations it continues to inspire till this day. Here we come to the end of the sample research paper on Walt Disney and the reader can tell that we have included some facts about his life in making this paper accurate. You too can achieve such accuracy by checking out this article containing 10 facts for a research paper on Walt Disney. Article dedicated to writing a research paper on Walt Disney may help you to write well structured coherent essay. It is recommended that you go through these supporting materials for they will aid your writing abilities in the long run. References: Prince, S. (1993). : Behind the Oscar: The Secret History of the Academy Awards. Anthony Holden. Film Quarterly, 46(4), pp.63-63. King, M. (1981). Disneyland and Walt Disney World: Traditional Values in Futuristic Form. The Journal of Popular Culture, 15(1), pp.116-140. Holmlund, C. (1979). Tots to Tanks: Walt Disney Presents Feminism for the Family. Social Text, (2), p.122. Neuman, R. (1999). â€Å"Now Mickey Mouse Enters Arts Temple†: Walt Disney at the Intersection of Art and Entertainment. Visual Resources, 14(3), pp.249-261. Wasko, J. (2008). Review: Michael Barrier, The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney. University of California Press, 2007. Animation, 3(3), pp.306-309. Davis, A. (2014). Book review: Demystifying Disney: A History of Disney Feature Animation. Animation, 9(3), pp.355-358. Jackson, K. (2012). Book review: The Mouse Machine: Disney and Technology. Animation, 7(2), pp.211-213.

Diversity management Essay Example

Diversity management Essay Example Diversity management Essay Diversity management Essay The talent pool of the organizations is undergoing a dramatic change and advent effect of this Is faced by the Managers who have to deal with a diverse working force. Such an event raises the importance of diversity management which includes recruiting and retaining the diverse talent and managing them effectively mining maximum productivity. It is to be understood that the definitive objective of implementing an effective diversity management strategy is to increase customer satisfaction, Improve communication between teams and eventually enhance organizational performance. Any multinational company at a point of expanding and scaling Its operations can use the Ideas and concepts discussed In this report. To keep up with the competition in global market a solution addressing diversity at its work place is of great significance. As a report from a consultant, this document aims at throwing light on several key concepts and theories that has to be addressed when developing a diversity management strategy for a Multinational Company (NC). The report further will try to generalize the principles and challenges that would be faced by a multinational company In Introducing a diversity management scheme. This document will also Inform the policy makers regarding the hurdles In Implementing such a change and helping them find possible solutions for the same and thereby increasing the competitiveness of the company in the global market. The report recommends a basic method for the company for managing diversity based on the findings from previous case studies of Macs that are referenced from journal articles or books. Table of Contents Executive summary 2 1 . Introduction 4 2. Introducing Diversity 5 3. Implementing Diversity Management: A Systematic approach 6 4. Diversity priorities 7 5. Benefits of introducing diversity 9 5. Competitive advantage: Measurable benefits 9 5. 2 Competitive advantage: Immeasurable benefits 10 6. Challenges in diversity management 11 7. Conclusions and Recommendations 12 Bibliography 13 1. Introduction Setting Introducing diversity in an organization is regarded as a long term investment that unsurprisingly involves complexity and constructive conflict (Holding et al. 2004). However diversity drives organizational behavior and will lead to customer satisfaction. One immediate effect of diversity is it drives creativity, when people from ideas. The targeted audience for this report is supervisors and managers who are he key drivers of change. It is important that they realism the importance of this factor to equip themselves and other people in the organization on the fact that every employee/customer would expect to be treated with respect and dignity. Katharine Est., in her book Workplace diversity, defines diversity as Diversity is generally defined as thoughtful, acknowledging, valuing, celebrating and accepting differences, among people with respect to sexual orientation, race, physical disability, status, masculinity, femininity, traditions, family situation, hierarchy, class, and religion. (Est. et al. , 1995). . Introducing Diversity Introducing diversity involves a great deal of effort for implementation and requires care. The first step is including diversity in the company vision and making sure that it aligns with company strategy and values, this will in turn give an assurance to employees and customers that the organization has made a long term pledge to diversity rather than limiting it to a pilot project across the organization (Egan et al. , 2003). It is important to pull the matchless offerings of people from diverse backgrounds and experience to help the company serve an equally diverse customer ease for this we need to come up with an action plan. The approach towards diversity management is modeled in two ways, a multi-domestic approach which concentrates on individual demographical areas and tailor diversity strategies taking into consideration the social, political, legal and cultural differences across countries and the second model of global approach which concentrates on extent of globalization in its operations (Egan et al. , 2003) . But it is agreed and argued that a stand between multi-domestic approach and global approach is ideal for company planning to enhance the competitiveness in the global economy (Nisei et al. 007). The brave feat of maintaining the diversity management schemes relies with the corporations Human resource management team (HARM). The relevance of setting up a corporate business culture is significant to be able to work efficiently in the global scene. A corporate culture involves convening multiple cultures represented by a number of employees from different backgrounds converging to work in a m ultinational enterprise (Manhandle et al. , 2003). 3. Implementing Diversity Management: A Systematic approach Diversity Management is a disciplined approach across the company. In an organizational culture that promotes fairness and inclusiveness; diverse perspectives are merged in the core business practices. According to Michele (Moor Bark, 2005), the diversity management has 3 characteristics. Firstly, Diversity management is and is not coerced over any one. Secondly, the policy makers use a very broad definition for diversity management the main objective of this is to make the diversity programs inclusive and acceptable to the larger section of the community. Thirdly, it aims at providing strategies to tap maximum potential out of the employees and averaging outputs helping the organization gain competitive advantage. The systematic approach aims at viewing the company as an inclusive workplace, which refers to companies that realize that they constitute of not only the employees and the customers by also the communities in which they live and interact with collectively (Moor Bark, 2005). The organizations that implement strategies are to be bound by four levels of the inclusive workplace (Moor Bark, 2005). Level: The Company has to take initiative in conducting training and assessments and interventions that would mould organizational culture. This is important as the company has to value the individual and inter-group differences within the organization. Respect individualism and open doors in recruitment. It was identified that there was a discriminatory attitude at the managerial level which affected the lower employee behavior at Dynes restaurant chain (Lebanon, 1994). But as a result of organizational initiatives to improve culture among employees the group emerged out of allegations (Anon. 2002). Levels: The Company has to take initiative in contributing to the community in which it resides, more like community building. The multinational Shell Co. Trained children aged 14-18 on understanding the work environment, being in the office on time etc leaving a positive impact on the community (Moor Bark, 2005). Level 3:- The Company at this level is matured well and aims at helping and reaching out to the wider section of the area company resides in and helps the unfortunate individuals who are on welfare. Level 4:- Organizations at this level will restrain itself from exploiting local workforce or depleting resources of the community without check. They work with the local community to foster a culture hat benefits the community services, encouraging the downward groups of the society to contribute hence the organization abides with their corporate social responsibility. The case of Body shop where the company supports community fair trade by sourcing cocoa and shear butter from Ghana and helping the local artisans lead a stable life (typhoons, 2012). This can be utilized as a marketing strategy attracting global attention and hence giving a competitive edge and advantage to the company. 4. Setting diversity priorities One key dimensions that need to be addressed as a part of diversity management initiative of the company is age. In current scenario the importance of employing mature age employees is high. Increase in life expectancy results in community working longer. For the organization to become successful it needs to utilize the experience and responsibility the mature aged workers bring with them. For instance the roll out of Reconciliation Action Plan by Woolworth in June 2011 has seen widespread acceptance from the community. The plan realizes the efficiency of diverse work force and implements measures to employ mature aged workers providing them adequate training. Strengthening your business through diversity A guide for employers highlights that mature aged workers are loyal, more productive and they bring life experiences into business (Reconciliation Australia, 2012). The emphasis on the fact that disabled employees who are referred to as differently abele employees bring with them reliability, better than average attendance and productivity (Graff et al. , 2002). The Journal also highlights that retention rates of disabled workers are also very high. Opening doors for long term unemployed, this is an untapped resource as they would have multiple transferable skills. This category of work force is vulnerable to discrimination due to their employment status, once they are on board their skills can be used across any number of positions in the organization (Reconciliation Australia, 2012). Gender equality is another area which organization has to account, currently over 53. 1% of employees in Woolworth are women and the number is increasing in managerial roles (Anon. , 2014). Hence it is important for organizations to include the women employee count and motivate them. Higher career involvement, or employing women in executive positions is at rise across all organizations. Including employees of different sexual orientations has always been a highly sensitive area for organizations. Recent developments of mainstream companies like Apple Inc. Openly supporting LIGHT communities have helped ease the tension (Crook, 2014). A very high percentage of Top level executives declaring their LIGHT statuses has strengthened the community and has drawn way for many to follow (diversifying. Com, 2014). Rewarding diversity role models improves the diversity management efforts in an organization; resources that are making a positive impact on the workforce should be recognized. For example physically kissable employees can serve as a motivation for other employees and these small changes can drive organizational culture betterment (Hubbard, 2004). Employment of people from different race, ethnicity, and nationality in an organization has to be an integral part of diversity strategy. Not biasing with any perspective employee based on their religion is a trait that has to be exhibited by organizations willing to adopt diversity strategies for getting into global economy. Diversity management is still in an ambitious state when considering implementing policies against racism as a diversity priority. Since its an underlying issue collective long term efforts are required to reduce racism and prejudice in any form. This is particularly an area of concern as currently a very good percentage of employees in a company are from diverse back ground and if proper action plan to safeguard their respect and honor is not in place the organization might end up losing employees to competitors. 5. Benefits of introducing diversity As an NC scaling up its operations worldwide it is important to clearly understand successful diversity management strategy Figure 1 Direct benefits of diversity management strategies (Miners, 2011) . Competitive advantage: Measurable benefits A well managed diversity management will nurture the bottom line of a company and give the company a competitive advantage. The company can gain competitive advantage in the following ways. Increase in productivity: In a working community that feels respected, cared, valued, involved and included the individual productivity will start increasing. Increasing marketing capabilities: Diversity in the talent pool will attract customers from di fferent backgrounds and geographies. It helps them identify their values and goals with the company values. Attracting new clients can be the seceding factor between surviving and going out of business completely. It definitely gives a chance to the organization to thoughtfully highlight its diversity values. Reduction in the number of Lawsuits: The grocery chain lucky Stores faced legal action due to gender bias. It later lost the case and was fined $107 million (Est. et al. , 1995). When in a work culture the employees are respected for what they are, there will be fewer lawsuits. Keeping the business: Several organizations these days employ attention in demographics of organizations or teams with which they conduct business with. A number of cases has been raised by clients where they are not convinced about the diversity policy of the organization. A Midwestern company refused to do business with a tech company whose entire team was white (Est. et al. , 1995). Employer of choice: This gives a spear edge to the company as the word of mouth would spread about the company that is good for women, the company that provides paid leave for pregnancy. Or a company that openly recognizes the LIGHT community, or even for example is being a company that employs disability. On the other side the word also spreads on which company is tough for blacks or for working arenas. Most importantly introducing diversity in the Company creates a large pool of resources Hiring top quality employees has become easier with the access to diverse talent pool. 5. 2 Competitive advantage: Immeasurable benefits The competitive advantage generated by the companies by employing diversity strategies are not limited to measurable benefits, these are the benefits that are hard to quantify Self-esteem is boosted and morale is lifted when the workplace you indulge is diverse, people tend to be more active and involved. Creativity improves in an environment where there are people from different backgrounds. They differ from one another in several other aspects, and are often successful in coming up with innovative solutions and ideas to problems. Improved decision making Decisions are improved when decision makers are from varied back grounds as they think and pursue different things differently in their own viewpoint (Est. et al. , 1995). 6. Challenges in diversity management Every workplace will have some agents resisting change; it is a challenge to manage the individuals who do not take diversity strategies seriously. These few can affect the employee morale adversely (Holt, 2010). The need to open up the labor pools of the organization is inevitable but a diverse workforce also means the resources has to managed more carefully that otherwise would lead to organizational tension, the companys commitment towards equal opportunities, there can be cases in an organization where fair treatment is missed (Maxwell et al. , 2001). The main challenge in diversity management is finding a balance between the global initiative and domestic diversity initiatives. Managers may be challenged with legal action against the company or loss of productivity due to discrimination or prejudice (Devote, 1999). They are the drivers of change; the difficulty of finding a manager who can work with diverse teams is also a challenge in diversity management. Negative behaviors in the company like racism, discrimination, racial bias and stereotyping should never be used by senior management for retention, recruiting or for termination as these can lead to legal action by the employee and might prove costly for the company (Green et al. 2002). Since diversity management is voluntary, it might not survive in the event of an economic crisis as the benefits of diversity management takes time to materialize (Moor Bark, 2005). . Conclusions and Recommendations The globalization of economy and the fact that most Macs are making diversity management a standard part of their strategy is driving more and more companies to adopt robust diversity management strategies (H olding et al. , 2004). Making diversity an unambiguous target in the recruitment strategies seems to be an effective solution. Any amount of measures to promote diversity will be effective only when proper education or information is provided to the employees. It is essential that diversity management is based not only on the physical benefits but also on a throng moral and ethical commitment towards diversity (Moor Bark, 2005). The emphasis on the business advantages of diversity management and the success stories of companies gaining competitive advantage through adoption of diversity management strategies is a good motivator for companies to include it in their vision (Moor Bark, 2005). Being said that the primary responsibilities of the company and other ethical missions should not be overlooked. Another observation is that the implementation of diversity in organization and successful management of it would lead to the system becoming less determinant, less standardized and hence more laid. This improves flexibility within the organization and among its teams to react to any changes; henceforth the reaction would be faster and saves money (Cox Blake, 1991). In todays context organizations should recite the diversity slogan over and over again as the young generation which is a fresh talent pool is no longer homogeneous, its heterogeneous and therefore diversity management is very significant to position your company as the preferred employer. One primary recommendation for a company is to create a Diversity team. The team would include employees ranging from CEO to the administrative assistant. Each team member from different backgrounds, their role as a team would be as change agents identifying areas of action. The team would be responsible for formulating measures and methods and reporting it to top management. Reporting the progress and impact of diversity management is very significant to remodel the strategies after evaluating if its effective or not. Benchmarking the company with a company sharing similar interests will ensure that the new policies and processes were inclusive. Lastly, since the managers are the change agents as decision makers its their moral eave to make sure the diversity goals are merged into the company culture and the diversity management initiatives are correlated to other changes of the company like reengineering or communication. The last observation leaves us with the scope of a future research which would be enabling managers to effectively adapt to the demanding diversity within his team and organization in a broader perspective.

Brother from another mother Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Brother from another mother - Essay Example It is like I now live in a dream. Before I met Keifer, I worked myself too hard to try and grasp any opportunity that was coming my way so as to succeed and have a good life just like anybody else. Being fresh from college with my ambitions down deep in my veins, I could never find that perfect opportunity that would help me change my life. I was broke and tired of living from hand to mouth. In my sleep, I used to dream of big things; having great wealth; a multi-billion dollar company and a mega yatch I used for my holidays. In my dreams I owned a piece of the world but in reality I was poorer than a church mouse. Keifer became a milestone for me the moment he stepped into my life and the life I had dreamt of owning a piece of the world, started to become a reality. First, he showed me a path that led me to my financial freedom that was basically my goal in life. He enabled me to achieve this by carefully selecting reading books and hundreds of magazines on financial matters and how to deal with the financial issues. This has not only ensured my financial freedom, but has also assisted me in running a business that he assisted me to start. Secondly, he ideally put me closer to God by ensuring that I have changed my thinking in terms of believing in God. He not only took me to church, but also introduced me to his pastor and I began attending the Church service every Sunday. This was unlike me; I never even used to get a hundred meters close to triangular shaped buildings with crosses on them. Lastly, Keifer helped me improve my relationships with other people and cultivate a good relationship with them. He struggled hard to make sure that I realized how terribly I could not control my anger and deal with stresses aspects in my life something that had major contributions to numerous failures in life. Truthfully, Keifer helped me restore a very important aspect in life, hope. Ever since he

Social divisions are now much less significant than they were fifty Essay

Social divisions are now much less significant than they were fifty years ago. Discuss - Essay Example It shall compare divisions in gender and family roles both 50 years ago and today. And it shall also discuss the current continuation of class divisions and the exploitation of women in the home and in the workplace. Social divisions are less significant now than they were fifty years ago. With the advent of women’s liberation and anti-discrimination laws, men and women can now share the same opportunities and privileges in their work. Society has also largely discarded its outdated ideas about ethnic and cultural disparities in society and in the workplace. Women in the 1950s and 1960s were indeed being allowed to join the workforce, however, â€Å"women continued to earn considerably less than men for doing the same job, regardless of whether they worked in a factory of office, or in a profession such as teaching or nursing† (Cliffsnotes, 2009). Even when women were exerting the same effort or even more effort than men in the same job, women were still being paid the same wages or even less than the men. Such was the life of the working women 50 years ago. The 1950s also typified women as housewives. They were expected to stay at home and take care of the home and the children while their husbands were off to work. Any hint of independence they showed was not encouraged nor was it supported by their families and by society in general. And â€Å"the fact that so many women worked outside home ran counter to the myth in popular culture that emphasized the importance of traditional gender roles† (Cliffsnotes, 2009). The media, television, magazines, and advertisements in general all catered to the traditional idea of the women’s role in society and in the home. And when women started to break out of this traditional mould, they were discriminated against and not given the same chances and opportunities as the men. â€Å"Domestic ideology encouraged the post-war housewife to pursue his wifely duties, and post-war developments

Economics - Entrepreneur Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Economics - Entrepreneur Case study - Essay Example This position has further been corroborated by the fact that Peter Druker described innovation as the specific function of entrepreneurship thus the first sign of the fact that Sid is an entrepreneur is the fact that he is an innovator- a person who invented something to enhance the flexibility of working within roofing industry. The so called Rail is typical example of the fact that entrepreneurs are always technically savvy persons. Creating capital is often considered as the most important activity performed by the entrepreneur (Thompson, 1999) and the fact that the assumptions made by Sid to capture 1% of the market is indicating towards the fact that he is going to start the creation of capital which would further increase his business as well as employing other persons to create further employment opportunities. However, what is most important to note here is the fact that just innovation may not be sufficient until and unless it is not backed up by the certain characteristics as well as motivations of the entrepreneur. Creativity is considered as one of the biggest motivators for the entrepreneurs to continue to carry on activities which are not only creative in nature but also have the potential to be economically successful. (Mosakowski, 1998). The so called ladder rail of Mr. Sid is an example of how creativity has been the chief source behind the fact that he continued to work on his creative ideas despite a negative response from his company. Thus from this perspective, it is also clear and evident that Mr. Sid is an entrepreneur. Finally, perseverance is the key in entrepreneurship. It helps entrepreneurs to keep going even in the fact of difficulties. This allows them to have the necessary motivational drive to keep pursuing their dreams as once an entrepreneur decide taking a chance than it become difficult to retract from the position and that is what Mr. Sid showed. Despite reduction in the sales prices offered by the major buyers, the

Killology Essay Example for Free

Killology Essay Do violence in the media and interactive entertainment, such as video games and movies, influence children to have the will to kill? According to Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, an expert on the psychology of killing, both play a big role in child murders. There are several methods to this madness by which people can actually motivate themselves to take another human life, such as, operant conditioning, classical conditioning, brutalization, and role models. These practices are used in the military to train soldiers to kill, just as the media is doing to our children. Monday, December 1st, 1997 began like any other day for the students of Heath High School in Paducah, Kentucky. Student Michael Carneal rode to school with his sister, carrying with him, what he claimed to be, an art project. As his fellow classmates gathered that morning in the lobby of the school, holding a prayer group, he fired eight rounds from a . 22 caliber pistol. Out of those eight rounds he landed five head shots and three upper torso shots, killing three teenagers. Not only did he land all eight shots, but the shots were so precise that elite military and law enforcement agencies were stunned by his expertise. The fact that he had never fired a real gun in his life was something that disturbed authorities even more. Nowhere in the records of military or law enforcement history could the â€Å"equivalent† achievement be found. So what was it that made this young man so violent and deadly at such a young age? (The shooting, 2010, para. 1) It’s one of the methods used by the military to train their soldiers called operant conditioning, a powerful procedure of stimulus-response training techniques that attempt to influence behavior by manipulating reinforcers. They learn to fire at realistic figures that pop up in the field. The stimulus is the target, and the response is, shooting to kill. This procedure is repeated over and over, hundreds of times, until their natural response when someone pops up on the battlefield is to kill. Research has suggested that violent video games played a big role in the choice Michael made that day. He was trained through operant conditioning just as the soldiers are, except his was through violent video games. Following the shooting there was a $130-million law suit filed against the video game manufacturers in that case. This case is said to be working its way through the appeals system of the courts. (Metcalf, Stubblefield, Ettinger, 2011, p. 152) Violent video games train our children to kill, glorify violence, desensitize them to suffering, and trivialize violence. Every time a child plays an interactive video game, he or she is learning the exact same conditioned reflex skills as a soldier or police officer in training. Kids are playing more and more violent video games that are rated for a mature audience. So, ask yourself this question; how do fourteen year old teenagers obtain video games that are rated â€Å"Mature? † Better yet, why are they allowed by their parents to play the evil, sadistic games? Parents should replace the violent video games with non-violent, stimulating, and educational games; those which enhance knowledge, creativity and imagination. The violent crime rate is at a phenomenally high level, not just in America, but worldwide. According to Interpol, the per capita assault rate increased nearly fivefold in Norway and Greece between the years of 1977 and 1993. In Mexico and Brazil, the numbers are skyrocketing, and in Japan juvenile crime went up by thirty percent in 1997 alone. (Metcalf, Stubblefield, Ettinger, 2011, p. 150). The virus of violent crime is occurring worldwide, and the explanation for it has to be some new factor that is occurring in all of these countries. There are many factors involved in the action of violent crime, and we must never downplay any of them. There is only one new variable present in each of these nations, and it is that media violence is now being presented as a viable entertainment option for children. Metcalf et al. , 2011, p. 150) Another method used by the Japanese, in World War II, which we also see done with the media, is classical conditioning. This technique is best remembered as Pavlovian conditioning, associating a stimulus with a response according to a specific reinforcement schedule, such as violence linked to pleasure. As Pavlov did with the dog, by associating the bell with food and eventually the dog could not hear the bell without salivating, the media does with the children. How often do we watch the news and learn of something good that has happened in the world? They are always focusing on all of the violence that is going on in the world. Our children see this as well, and they learn to associate death with pleasure. To better understand the role that violence and the media inherit, in the entertainment complex, plays in the increase of murders among the young and impressionable. We must first look at the methods by which killers can be made. Though such a difficult subject cannot be completely explained by these factors alone, it is important to note the contribution each one makes. Throughout the course of human history, it is thought that healthy members of most species have a natural resistance to killing their own kind. However, when human beings are overwhelmed with anger and fear, thought processes become primitive. We slam head-on into that hardwired resistance against killing. One of the methods that shift this natural resistance is what is commonly known as brutalization. Quite similar to a military boot camp, brutalization is a forced shift in values. The subject is made to conform to a new set of rules, abandoning all sense of individuality. They are trained relentlessly in a total immersion environment and the end result is a person who not only embraces the violence and the discipline, but accepts them as normal and an essential survival skill in a new and increasingly brutal world. (Metcalf et al. , 2011, p. 151) A very similar thing is happening to our children through violence in the media. At eighteen months old, a child can begin to understand and mimic what they see on television, and up until the ages of six or seven they are physically, developmentally, and psychologically unable to distinguish the difference between fantasy and reality. When they see an instance of rape, murder or degradation on the television or in the media, to them it is real. Some of them welcome the violence and accept it as a normal and vital survival skill in a cruel, new world. In nations, regions and cities where television is a constant source of entertainment, there is an immediate eruption of playground violence, and within fifteen years, there is a doubling of the murder rate, but why fifteen years? That’s how long it takes for a desensitized toddler to reach their â€Å"prime crime† years. Metcalf et al. , 2011, p. 151) By the time the brutalized toddlers have reached their teenage years, they have developed role models. Today, violence in the media is providing our children with role models. When the images of young killers are broadcast on television, they become role models. The media has every right and responsibility to tell the story, but they have no right to glorify the killers by presenting their images on television. (Grossman, 2000, p. ) The ultimate achievement for our children is to get their picture on television, and with such vulnerable, young minds they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that. I say it is time for the world to stop televising such violence and let law enforcement deal with it. If they know who the killer is then why does it have to be broadcast for our children to see? I truly believe that the media is highly responsible for a lot of killings in this world, along with the violent video games, and I pray that one day there will be something done to stop it.

Graduation Speech: The Beginning of Your Life :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Parents, teachers, families and friends, welcome and thank you for joining us tonight at the County High School graduation ceremony for the Class of 2012! Graduation is a time to look fondly upon memories which have been made over the past three years. I am sure all of us have our own memories which we hold close to our hearts and make us grin when we think of them. Events which become very vivid in my mind are football and basketball games, dances, pep assemblies, at least the ones from our sophomore and junior years, and especially time spent with a group of friends just doing whatever. It hurts to think of all these memories and then realize this time period in our lives is coming to an end. From the lyrics of Dave Mathews, "So why would you care, to get out of this place, you and me and all our friends, such a happy human race ... As we all go our separate ways ... I will remember." Graduation is also time to look at what the future has in store for each of us. It is a very serious time, a time to take a look at what path our lives are going to take once the caps and gowns are taken off and we are thrust into a world which is not so well known to most of us. Will you be successful? Will you be unsuccessful? This success I am speaking of has nothing to do with monetary gains but is measured solely by happiness. Are you truly happy? Will you be five or ten years down the road? Begin planning for your future tonight, set goals. Figure out ways to achieve these goals and fulfill your dreams. If you do not like the path your life has taken thus far, if it does not make you happy, re-