Category: x Archive Assignments

Bibliography-Philly321

Annotated Bibliography

  1. Levenson, Richard L. “Why Departments Need to Develop Mental Health Programs for Cops” PoliceOne. PoliceOne.com, 27 June 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article examines the idea that in a predominantly male culture that emphasizes toughness and a suck-it-up mentality, officers are forced to withhold their emotions and resort to detrimental methods of coping with their stress, including alcoholism, drug use, risk-taking behaviors, etc.

How I used it: This article helped me discover that a police officer’s health, confined by cultural beliefs, is not being dealt with in a healthy, productive matter. I used this article to demonstrate the impact of cultural influence in law enforcement, which has a negative impact intellectually and physically on a police officer’s performance.

  1. Patton, Mary Claire. “Suicide leading cause of death among police officers.” KSAT. Graham Media Group, 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article focuses on a study conducted by Badge of Life, a national surveillance of police suicide, that lists the amount law enforcement officers who have committed suicide in 2015 as a result of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It also highlights the emotional effects that a distraught officer has on his or her family. The overall well-being (of police officers and their families) is put in jeopardy by offering little assistance to help officers cope with their anxieties.

How I used it: Since this article focuses entirely on the death toll of police officers, I used it as a basis for my argument that officers are not getting the type of support they need to be efficient in their line of duty.

  1. University at Buffalo. “Impact of Stress On Police Officers’ Physical and Mental Health.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 September 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article gives statistical analysis of how an officer’s stress level can put him or her at risk for several health complications, such as high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. It also shows that suicidal thoughts are three times higher in law enforcement than in other municipal workers.

How I used it: I used the evidence of this source to demonstrate that health complications and suicidal tendencies among law enforcement officers are becoming more prominent because of high levels of stress.

  1. Robinson, Holly M. “Psychological Reports.” Duty-Related Stressors and PTSD Symptoms in Suburban Police Officers81 (1997): 835-45. ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1997. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article focuses on a study conducted by Cleveland State University that says 63% out of the 100 suburban cops surveyed stated that critical debriefing periods following a life threatening scenario fail to help them cop with their stress or emotional trauma. The article states that police officers often feel alone and isolated despite the exponential funding that Assistant Employee Programs have received in 1997.

How I used it: This survey is extremely useful because it supports my claim that officers are not given the proper care needed to maintain a level of stability in a highly stressful job. I used this to expose the flaws in Assistant Employee programs by using this survey. The evidence is clear that these programs don’t do their job and there is clearly room for improvement.

  1. Allmers, Gary. “Employee Assistance Programs.” Personal interview. 11 Nov. 2016.

Background: This personal interview explains the lack of support that police officers receive from Employee Assistance Programs. This interview specifically examines the disconnect between a therapist and a police officer. It uses first hand incite to examine the lack of understanding that therapists, who fail to relate to a mass shooting or a murder, have for police officers.

How I used it: Quite often, police officers feel lonesome in their line of duty from the lack of understanding between a therapist and an officer. Gary Allmers felt that he was not getting the support he need from a therapist. He needed to talk to someone who could relate to the position he was in, such as a retired police officer. This obviously is a major flaw in law enforcement, which I exposed with the help of this interview as it uses first hand insight into the emotional uneasiness among police officers.

  1. Freed, Betsy B. “Aversion to Therapy: Why Won’t Men Get Help?” Pacific Standard. Pacific Standard, 25 June 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article discusses the shame that police officers feel when they reach out for help from a therapist, family members, other police officers, etc. It focuses on the negative stigma surrounding therapeutic facilities in police departments and on police officers who neglect to receive help due to the ignominy that comes along with it.

How I used it: I used concrete examples of police officers that refused to seek out help because of the stigma of appearing weak. The evidence is clear that police officers whose lives are being damaged from their incapability to seek out help are at a detriment to themselves and others around them.

  1. Mooney, Chris, Indre Viskontas and Chris Mooney, Erika Eichelberger, Jaeah Lee, Inae Oh, Russ Choma, AJ Vicens, and Andy Kroll. “The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men.”Mother Jones. Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress, 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article examines the origin of racial prejudices. Prejudice draws on many of the same tools that help our minds figure out what’s good and what’s bad. In evolutionary terms, it’s efficient to quickly classify a grizzly bear as dangerous. The trouble comes when the brain uses similar processes to form negative views about groups of people.

How I used it: It is entirely possible that police officers learn to be suspicious of individuals that the general public do not fear. I used this evidence to show that police officers react to certain cues on account of the race of the suspect. Police officer have developed reflexes that we don’t have, causing them to react faster or with more force than we would.

  1. Levs, Josh. “Column Defending Cops in Ferguson Sparks Online Fury.”CNN. Cable News Network, 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article from CNN covers the fatal shooting of Michael Brown and puts into question whether officer Darren Wilson was within his rights to shoot Michael Brown. It provides specific examples of police officers who defend officer Darren Wilson by stressing that law enforcement is constantly under heightened scrutiny even when they are acting in self defense.

How I used it: I used concrete examples of police officers that have been in similar situations as officer Darren Wilson and support his decision. The evidence is clear that victims who show signs of aggression should be dealt with in a forceful manner. The fact that Michael Brown may not have had a weapon in no way diminishes officer Wilson’s fear for his life. I also used officer Darren Wilson as a strong anecdote to help the reader understand the point I am trying to make.

  1. Willman, Elizabeth A. “Alcohol Use Among Law Enforcement.”The Journal of Law Enforcement. 2.3 (2008) 1-4. Print.

Background: This journal discusses the prevalence of alcohol in law enforcement. While this journal does not fixate on Employee Assistance Programs, there is a large portion of it that suggests that alcoholism in law enforcement is the result of police officers not receiving the necessary support they need to help cope with their trauma.

How I used it: I used this journal to stress the growing problem of alcohol abuse in law enforcement. This journal helped me discover the most common reasons of why alcoholism is so prominent among police officers. The journal highlights exactly how large of a problem alcohol is in law enforcement by using statistical data to prove how many officers have used alcohol as a method to cope with their problems rather than seek out help, something I proved in my essay on a larger scale.

  1. Gustafson, R.D. Timi. “Keeping Your Emotions Bottled Up Could Kill You.”The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article from The Blog focuses on a study by the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Rochester found that suppressing emotions may increase the risk of dying from heart disease and certain forms of cancer. This evidence confirms earlier studies conducted by these Universities that have linked negative emotions like anger, anxiety, and depression to the suppression of emotions.

How I used it: I used this to show the emotional and physical effects that occur as a result of Employee Assistance Programs failing to accomplish their goal to help police officers deal with their stress. This obviously is a major flaw in law enforcement itself, which I exposed with the help of this article as it offers incite on the damaging effects of a failing support system.

Rebuttal Rewrite- Tiggs18

Pre-Determined Surgery

As athletes move on with their careers, we realize that there are many injuries that they can come by.  Some can so much as end an athlete’s career while some have a smaller recovery time.  Knowing there are some that we can prevent but some that will just happen out of no where.  Obviously seeing an athlete get injured is terrible because it is what they live for and put their bodies out there day in and day out. Certain injuries are more popular in different sports.  Finding that there are many processes that we can choose to go through to get better in each case.  Many procedures such as surgery, physical therapy, or rest or icing.  All injuries differ in their own ways.  If we zero in to a certain sport like baseball, we’ll find one of the hardest injuries and something that happens to a lot of pitchers.  The injury is called Tommy John, or a UCL tear which is the ligament inside the elbow in which holds the arm together from the inside.  Many will strive to see the surgery be performed before the injury comes around. A lot of people think that the name Tommy John came from a doctor that performed the first surgery and not that it came from a pitcher in which had the injury first.  An article from fox sports points out a few good things inside.  They say “a lot of young players have become more reckless because they figure they can always get Tommy John surgery, but also fifteen percent of people lack the tendon that’€™s most commonly used to repair the damaged ligament.”  This means that kids are pitching their arms out when they are young without the fear of getting hurt because they think that they can just get the surgery but in some cases, they may not even have the ligament needed to perform the surgery.  Kids can not go out there thinking that it is ok to get hurt because they can just have it it fixed.  People don’t understand that we should never want to fix what is not broken and especially not on the human body.

Why would someone want to be operated on if they do not have an injury?  Nothing says that the injury is going to happen, but the way youth baseball is going, we can guess that it is more common.  Some studies show that getting the surgery brings pitchers back stronger then they ever were because the support in the elbow is so strong that it is basically adding another spring into the elbow which helps throw harder.  Many myths that people are told and believe which are stated in an article by Mike Reinold and they come in the following,”Everyone Returns From Tommy John Surgery, There are No Complications with Tommy John Surgery, Recovery From Tommy John Surgery is Quick and Easy, Velocity Improves After Tommy John Surgery, and All Tommy John Rehabilitation is the Same.” These 5 myths are common reasons why everyone thinks that it is ok to get hurt and get this surgery.  In some cases, people do say that the surgery should be performed before an injury is occurred.  Reasons why this is not a good idea include the following:

Surgery is always something to be afraid of because no one wants to be knocked out and cut open to fix something that is not necessary.  Surgery is not always safe, there are times when people get infections, sometimes nerve injuries can happen, and sometimes Chronic Regional Pain System.  This is something that usually happens to a limb after an injury is occurred where pain is always inflected.  That is a first reason why we should not be having the surgery done if there is no reason to.  Number two, if an athlete is on their way and doing great just the way they are, why would we change that?  There is a saying that goes by, “Don’t fix what’s not broken.”    No reason to put athletes in danger of these problems for no reason.

Like said, injuries to athletes are always terrible to hear and we never want to see that happen to anyone.  If we bring up this argument on whether or not we should put pitchers through the surgery before they have the chance to get injured.  People will more or likely respond with no.  It just doesn’t make sense.  Yes the recovery rate is very high and it makes pitchers strong but we should shouldn’t change what is already working.  In a sense, we can think it is cheating.  Of course if a pitcher gets hurt who was doing great then we will have to get the operation done so they can come back to their old selfs or maybe even stronger.

Athletes go through so much in their lives that when a career ending event happens, it’s almost as if their whole world and life has ended.  Athletes live for what they do and they love every second of it.  A quote from a great motivation video for all athletes states one thing in which is, ” when you want to be succeed as much as you want to breathe, thats when you’ll be successful.”  This goes to show that we have to have a passion for something as bad as we want to stay alive so that day in and day out, we work as hard as we possibly can to reach the top and say we did it at the end of the day.  It goes to show that we all need to respect the athletes between their highs and lows because no one besides them really knows how hard it really is.

Work Cited

Miller, Sam. “Why Pitchers Will Always Have Tommy John Surgery.” ESPN.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

“What Can Go Wrong.” In Surgery with Dr. Chris Chiodo. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

https://www.facebook.com/mikereinold.pt. “5 Myths of Tommy John Surgery – Mike Reinold.” Mike Reinold. N.p., 26 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

 Smiley, Brett. “12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Tommy John Surgery.” FOX Sports. N.p., 25 June 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

Rebuttal Rewrite-Princess272

 

Human stem cell research is plagued with the notion that stem cells can only be found from an unborn or dead fetus. This in fact is untrue. Since majority of the opponents of this research are religious and anti-abortion groups, it makes sense for these groups to attack the idea of stem cells coming from human embryo cells. Pope John Paul II, is among the stem cell protesters; he stated, “A free and virtuous society, which America aspires to be, must reject practices that devalue and violate human life at any stage from conception until natural death”.

The religious and anti-abortion groups use the argument that life starts at the moment of conception and killing an unborn baby is inhumane. Looking at this from this point of view does make anyone question the morality of stem cell research. Thinking this way without facts to support the statement is the most intellectual thing a person or group could do. One week old embryos are considered blastocysts still and not human; blastocysts are a cluster of cells that is all. A cluster of cells is by no means a human being. Majority of scientists do not consider embryos to be a person until at the very least two weeks old when it develops its primitive streak/ first evidence of a nervous system.

One can put the aborted fetuses argument to rest due to  a team at Advanced Cell Technology in Massachusetts. By extracting one cell from an 8-celled embryo, they were able to use that cell to create more through mitosis.  The 8 celled mouse embryos, now 7 celled embryos, were implanted into a female mouse; the same was done with another mouse, control group, but all 8 celled embryos were left alone. The female was still able to bare the 23 mice to full term the same as the control group from this experiment that had 8 celled mouse embryos. The single cell that was removed and multiplied created 100 stem cells. In this study no mice were harmed, the embryos were safe, and stem cells were still able to be collected without death to the unborn mice. The unborn mice were also viable and fertile offspring indicating no issues occurred during development even with the experiment being done.

Another way stem cells can be obtained without harming an embryo is called “altered nuclear transfer” or ANT for short. In the process known as ANT, the stem cells were extracted from cloned embryos. By extracting human eggs and emptying its nucleus, the group of MIT scientists were able to place donor skin cell nuclei into these cells. This forms something similar to Dolly the sheep that was cloned and produced in the 90’s. Since cloning is considered unethical, this group of scientists infected the donor skin cell with a virus. This virus blocked the action of the Cdx2 gene which is essential for formation of the placenta. Without the placenta, it is unable to be implanted back into the womb. This disqualified the embryo as a “true” embryo making it a “pseudo-embryo”.  As a result, the desired stem cells are able to be obtained without an aborted fetus being utilized. This does not refute the idea that life starts immediately following inception, but if the scientific theory that a cluster of cells is a blastocyte and not a human-being is accepted, research such as this can be done more easily and people can be treated using stem cells.

The American College of Obstericians and Gynecologists Committee on Ethics published what their opinion was on using embryos for stem cell research back in 2006. It stated, “If the preimplantation embryo is left or maintained outside the uterus, it cannot develop into a human being”. The main focus in this statement is the phrase “develop into a human being”. This word’s importance is so great, because in order for something to develop or transform, it must have been something else to being with. This indicates it is not a human being.

 

Sources:

“The Cases For and Against Stem Cell Research.” Fox News. FOX News Network, 09 Aug. 2001. Web. 2 Nov. 2016.

“Two ‘ethical’ Ways to Harvest Stem Cells.” New Scientist. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.

“When Does Human Life Begin?” Council for Secular Humanism. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

Rebuttal Rewrite – darnell18

Racial profiling still exists on the roads in today’s society. Nevertheless, there are many rebuttals that arise from this hot topic. To name a few, some may argue that many traffic stops including black drivers are just a coincidence that they are minorities and actually did something illegal to get pulled over. Others say that a large contributing factor into this issue is what race the officer is that is making the stop. For example, it could be considered to have less discriminatory intent if a black officer pulls over a black man. With all of this being said, both of these are legitimate points and do occur, but yet, they do not nearly account for the majority of stops with an African American in the car.

As far as the color of the police officer goes, it affects how society and the driver view the situation in a way that can seem less discriminatory, but still it is not that way one-hundred percent of the time. An African American officer can still discriminate against a man or woman of the same race. It may seem less suspicious seeing it, but it can not be overlooked. The color of a person’s skin does not always go hand in hand with their mindset and outlook on life. There is no saying that a black man and white man cannot share the same stereotypical mindset towards black people.

In addition to the rebuttal of same-race officers and drivers, people who disagree with the claim that racial profiling while driving is a real issue may counter the argument by saying any one of the stops that happen daily could be a coincidence. The thought is that these black drivers could be pulled over simply because they are breaking the law. While this may hold true for a fair amount of instances, it does not explain why nearly 2 percent more blacks (4.7%) are pulled over without a reason than whites (2.6%), according to Christopher Ingraham in his article titled “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show.” That statistic is unsettling because if somebody deserves to be pulled over for their driving, regardless of race, then so be it. But with that being said, minorities should not double the amount of whites in a category like this. They are called minorities for a reason, and that is because there are less of them in this country. Therefore, to lead substantially in that category leads to a much worse ratio than whites also getting pulled over without a reason.

Another example of the skewed ratios reported by Kim Soften in her article, “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers,” is that “a study of Connecticut traffic stops in 2014 and 2015 — among the states with the most recent data — found that 14 percent of traffic stops targeted black drivers, despite them making up only 9 percent of the state’s population.” Yet again, this supports the claim that these stops are not all simply coincidental. This is also a very recent study, so as we think we made tremendous progress with an African American president over the last 8 years, which we did to an extent, many people still continued to turn a blind eye to racism and discrimination in its various different forms.

In conclusion, there are logical and understandable rebuttals to this issue in society. Nevertheless, they can be refuted as well. People who pretend it is not real and deny certain statistics may be part of the problem. If more people in this country were open-minded and socially aware we would have a better opportunity to push for change, justice, and equality.

Works Cited

Ingraham, Christopher. “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show” The Washington Post. 09 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016

Soften, Kim. “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers” The Washington Post. 08 July 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016

Rebuttal Argument – darnell18

Racial profiling still exists on the roads in today’s society. Nevertheless, there are many rebuttals that arise from this hot topic. To name a few, some may argue that many traffic stops including black drivers are just a coincidence that they are minorities and actually did something illegal to get pulled over. Others say that a large contributing factor into this issue is what race the officer is that is making the stop. For example, it could be considered to have less discriminatory intent if a black officer pulls over a black man. With all of this being said, both of these are legitimate points and do occur, but yet, they do not nearly account for the majority of stops with an African American in the car.

As far as the color of the police officer goes, it affects how society and the driver view the situation in a way that can seem less discriminatory, but still it is not that way one-hundred percent of the time. An African American officer can still discriminate against a man or woman of the same race. It may seem less suspicious seeing it, but it can not be overlooked. The color of a person’s skin does not always go hand in hand with their mindset and outlook on life. There is no saying that a black man and white man cannot share the same stereotypical mindset towards black people.

In addition to the rebuttal of same-race officers and drivers, people who disagree with the claim that racial profiling while driving is a real issue may counter the argument by saying any one of the stops that happen daily could be a coincidence. The thought is that these black drivers could be pulled over simply because they are breaking the law. While this may hold true for a fair amount of instances, it does not explain why nearly 2 percent more blacks (4.7%) are pulled over without a reason than whites (2.6%), according to Christopher Ingraham in his article titled “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show.” That statistic is unsettling because if somebody deserves to be pulled over for their driving, regardless of race, then so be it. But with that being said, minorities should not double the amount of whites in a category like this. They are called minorities for a reason, and that is because there are less of them in this country. Therefore, to lead substantially in that category leads to a much worse ratio than whites also getting pulled over without a reason.

Another example of the skewed ratios reported by Kim Soften in her article, “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers,” is that “a study of Connecticut traffic stops in 2014 and 2015 — among the states with the most recent data — found that 14 percent of traffic stops targeted black drivers, despite them making up only 9 percent of the state’s population.” Yet again, this supports the claim that these stops are not all simply coincidental. This is also a very recent study, so as we think we made tremendous progress with an African American president over the last 8 years, which we did to an extent, many people still continued to turn a blind eye to racism and discrimination in its various different forms.

In conclusion, there are logical and understandable rebuttals to this issue in society. Nevertheless, they can be refuted as well. People who pretend it is not real and deny certain statistics may be part of the problem. If more people in this country were open-minded and socially aware we would have a better opportunity to push for change, justice, and equality.

Works Cited

Ingraham, Christopher. “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show” The Washington Post. 09 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016

Soften, Kim. “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers” The Washington Post. 08 July 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016

Definition Rewrite – darnell18

Discrimination still plays an incredibly large role in society today. Varying throughout many groups, races, genders, etc., people are currently continuing to live through the struggle of being judged based off of physical appearance. The dictionary defines the word discrimination as “the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.” Much like any other definition of most words, digging a little bit deeper than a textbook interpretation to fully comprehend the word is a necessity. In relation to the researched topic at hand, discrimination is heavily incorporated in the enforcing of laws, and routine traffic stops in particular.

The concept of discrimination is morally wrong and unjust however it is looked at. What is even worse is that this group of minorities being discriminated against are now potentially getting into trouble with the law based on how they look. In Christopher Ingraham’s article, “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show,” proclaims, “Perhaps most troubling from a civil liberties perspective, nearly five percent of blacks weren’t given any reason for why they were stopped, compared with 2.6 percent of whites and 3.3 percent of Hispanics.” This quote speaks volumes toward the issue at hand. Astoundingly, nearly double the amount of African Americans as compared to caucasians are not even informed as to why they are pulled over. This is where the line must be drawn. There is already no room for racism and discrimination, and now it has been blown so far out of proportion that these people being discriminated against have to pay money for it and possibly have a tainted record.

On the other hand, while discrimination is real and potentially harmful in today’s society, it is also interesting to take into consideration what race the police officers happen to be in the same situation. For example, the statistics show that roughly five percent of African Americans are not given a reason for why they are stopped, but would these traffic stops be considered equally as discriminatory if the police officer making the stop was a minority as well? It is most certainly a very intriguing factor in all of this, because if a black police officer pulls over a black man, very few people’s initial reaction is that the cop is racist. Whereas if it were a white cop in the same situation, the very first thought that comes across most everyone’s mind in society today is that it was for discriminatory purposes. This does not automatically make it acceptable for a black police officer to pull over another black man without a reason, but in the big picture, it simply raises suspicion about an officer’s motive.

One of the worst parts about this issue is that the discrimination does not begin and end with simple traffic stops. From illegal searches of a vehicle to license suspensions and tickets, how an officer chooses to discipline a man or woman that they went out of their way to pull over because of their appearance can be equally discriminatory. Recently, it has even been escalated to these citizens having their lives taken away from them in what could have just been a routine traffic stop. Just recently this past July, a Minnesota police officer shot and killed a black man after pulling him over for a broken tail light. In this instance, it is not clear that he was pulled over because he was black, given that there was a tail light out. Nevertheless, this is something that is rarely ever heard about with a white man on the fatal end of gunpoint. It has gotten so bad that in many places, whenever a police officer even approaches a minority, people take their phones out to record what happens in anticipation of it going awry. When it becomes expected that these stops will go wrong to this extent, something must be done about it.

If our country chooses to turn a blind eye to this, we have seen that a revolt is not unrealistic. In her article, “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers,” Kim Soften asserted that following the fatal shooting of Philando Castile, snipers in Dallas killed five police officers and injured more. This country is not far from potentially going into a civil war between police and African Americans, and the root of it all is none other than the negative power of discrimination.

In conclusion, many different problems stem from judging and disciplining somebody based off of their race and appearance. Racism and discrimination have been around for hundreds of years in this country and it would be nice to be able to say that we have come such a long way as a country, but the fact that this is still an issue in 2016 is proof that laws may have changed, but many people’s mindsets have not. It is that toxic belief in discrimination that has set the progress of this nation back.

Works Cited
Ingraham, Christopher. “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show” The Washington Post. 09 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016

Soften, Kim. The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers” The Washington Post. 08 July 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016

Causal rewrite–childishharambe

 

Television is making me fat

We see advertising for more unhealthy eating than we do for healthy and it’s beginning to become a problem. In recent years, the obesity rate has nearly doubled since 1980 according to the Obesity Society.  This would lead one to believe that the media can influence people to do .  The media glorifies McDonald’s french fries and will continue to do so until we decide to do something about it. The Obesity Society led by their corresponding author, Youfa Wang states, “On average, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased steadily among all US population groups over the past two to three decades.” Obesity does not have a preference on gender or race. This may lead one to wonder “Will all Americans one day become overweight or obese?”  We can put an end or regress the spiraling upward trend of obesity in Americans but it is going to take a revolution to do so.

It’s known that children can be more easily swayed compared to adults.  Everyone else in the household to go with it.  Going out with children can be stressful because children have a hard time deciding what they actually want.   Parent’s raise their children hoping that their children will begin to understand the difference between want and need.  Parents need to be held responsible for their children and their health. The World Health Organization and other leading institutions both international and domestic have provided or atlas [atleast] attempted to create a body mass index or BMI. The purpose of a BMI is to determine what weight is a healthy weight depending on height and age. According to the LA County Department of Public Health, “42% of children are obese or overweight.” That is almost half of the entire county and should alarm anyone who has kids or plans on having kids.

We see children that would rather play online instead of outside with their friends. Parents who allow their child to become obese should be subject to punishment for a list of reasons starting off with they have total control in what their child puts in their stomach.  The media is good at tempting viewers. The media makes it seem like it’s okay to give into temptation.  Sometimes we don’t have the time to make something real quick or just are too lazy to do the dishes afterwards. They provide celebrities and other icons that draw attention and better relate to what they are watching.  Most of the time the media draws attention by showing something totally irrelevant to what they are trying to market.  The commercial could start off with two people playing basketball who when finished drink a Sprite to quench their thirst. Once we censor the media [censor the audit?] and become educated on the media we can begin to see real change when it comes to many of the problems we face.

Children who have bad eating habits will end up turning into overweight teenagers and end up becoming obese adults with health problems.  There is a trend of poor health and it all start with what families feed their children at home. Another big impact on what children eat is at school. Eating healthy isn’t fun, but a big reason is because the media made it seem that way and parents have said anything that goes against it. Americans have glorified going out to eat; a luxury not everyone can afford it. Where a person goes to eat is very important. What child does not love getting to go to McDonalds for lunch?  The media targets children with toys, happy meals, and even play houses. We should begin to glorify cooking together what we see on television except with real food, healthier food that benefit not only our children but our pockets. Eating healthy should not be looked at as a punishment, but being obese should be looked at as a crime. The fact that obesity in children is rising is a major problem that should not be taken lightly.  It’s time we create punishments for parents who fail to recognize their children’s health as a big deal and if they are failing to realize that then they are failing as a parent.

Works Cited

Wang Y, Beydoun MA. The obesity epidemic in the United States—gender, age, socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and geographic characteristics: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis. Epidemiol Rev  2007; 29: 6–28.

Klein, S., Allison, D. B., Heymsfield, S. B., Kelley, D. E., Leibel, R. L., Nonas, C. and Kahn, R. (2007), Waist Circumference and Cardiometabolic Risk: A Consensus Statement from Shaping America’s Health: Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention; NAASO, The Obesity Society; the American Society for Nutrition; and the American Diabetes

Reilly John J, Armstrong Julie, Dorosty Ahmad R, Emmett Pauline M, Ness A, Rogers I et al. Early life risk factors for obesity in childhood: cohort studyBMJ  2005;  330 :1357

Definition Rewrite–childishharambe

“This Needs a Title”

It’s so bad but so good.  Junk food is broadcasted everywhere it is as if we can’t get away from it no matter how hard we try.  It’s even worse when it feels like it’s your only option depending on your circumstances for example like when you go to a sports game and have to choose between which concession stand you choose to eat at and most of the food you see on display is not always as good as it looks.  This is a double whammy as it can be unhealthy and not taste anything above mediocre at best.  “Unlike school lunchrooms, which must meet USDA regulations, high school concession stands remain mostly exempt from government health intervention, which many groups fear would decrease concession stand sales and customer satisfaction.” (Food&BrandLab, pg.1)  The reason that the issue on food choices has never been resolved is because it is thought that sales would plummet.  It is obvious profit has taken more precedence than our health.  Obesity has been a big problem which affects all ages, genders, and races.  Sports games make it easy to decide on getting a cheeseburger, candy, or a sugary soft drink or maybe all of the above mainly because you do not really have a choice unless you eat before but there is no fun in that.  Most of the time you eat the premade food because it is apart of the experience at least that’s what they trick you into believing.  Their job is to promote options which they can profit the most off of.  Its time we begin to demand immediate change and a call to action on the food being served at concession stands.  They do this because they know they are going to make money off you whether you like it or not.

It is not bad enough that you cant watch television for ten minutes without having a Sprite commercial come on but it is also integrated into events such as Super Bowl halftime shows “Brought to you by Coca-Cola grab one today”.  I do not remember the last time I went to an Eagles game where I didn’t feel pressured into buying a beer, Pepsi, or a cheesesteak.  Since I bought one maybe my brother, or my sister might do the same thing or one up me and buy a large combo instead of the medium.  It is time we bite back at obesity and start fighting obesity.  Changing what we put in our body starts at home and carries over into the rest of our daily lives.  Being healthy is only as hard as we choose to make it.  Once we realize there is healthy alternatives real change will begin to commence.  Eating junk food is a fabricated luxury just as eating healthy is a made up myth.  The more educated we become as a whole the quicker we will see results and light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the ongoing fight with obesity.

Works Cited

Laroche, Helena. “Concession Stand Makeovers: A Pilot Study of Offering Healthy Foods at High School Concession Stands.” Food and Brand Lab |. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.    

Laroche, Helena. “Concession Stand Makeover.” Food and Brand Lab |. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

Rebuttal Argument–childishharambe

It’s as if people would rather be comforted with a lie than blasted with the truth.  “You look great!” as they take another bite of the greasy cheese steak when is enough..enough? Instead of teasing our youth with eating out, and unhealthy regularly we should stop this bad habit before it even starts.  One thing is for sure and that is what you eat when you are young is something you need to really think about devouring when you are older.  According to conventional wisdom “your resting metabolic rate tends to drop as you age because you lose a small amount of muscle each year.”  As you age whether you realize it or not your metabolism changes drastically over time.  You also get weaker as you get older.  This is why you see professional athletes retire when they no longer have the energy or muscle endurance they did just a few years back.  For example older people tend to have a lower metabolic rate, and also eat and exercise significantly less.  Instead of letting them face the consequences later lets start a healthier habit before an unhealthy one even starts.

Children, and adults are both fall victim to peer pressure but children are more easier to manipulate then adults for the most part.  According to SFgate “The old adage “you are what you eat” couldn’t be more accurate in an age where unhealthy food is far more accessible than healthy choices for many American children. Over one-third of American children are now overweight and at risk for various associated diseases.”  Most children nowadays go home after school eat what they find in the fridge and wait until their parents get home for work or are tasked with another block of instructions.  Majority of parents, like their children would rather prepare or eat something quick compared to something healthy and beneficial to their bodies.  For children a big reason for this is because it is either easier accessible, or it is just what his or her parents said they were going to eat and if they do not eat what is given they most likely will not eat.  The parents should be held responsible for their child, and childhood obesity should be considered a crime because if they are dependent on their parents they have no control of what they eat.

It is time parents are held responsible for their child now more than ever.  Not only does unhealthy eating habits affect them in their youth but carries on to cause serious health problems down the road.  Just like that a bad habit and more times than not an unhealthy tradition is started or continued.  Unhealthy can be prevented more times than not and it should be the parent’s responsibility not only to acknowledge this but to act on it.  The media targets children in more ways than not.  Moynihan a medical faculty member at the University of Newcastle states “In a study of 4–7-year-old American children, Galst & White (1976) showed that the more commercial television that was viewed, the more food requests were made to the parent.”  The media whether you like it or not can be manipulating.  Whether it is a commercial for television or a billboard on the highway little things like this can impact your decision.  Media isn’t all bad lets get that straight but something should be done to start promoting healthier living or getting out more and active compared to today where every other commercial is a fast food, or just anything quick, and cheap.  Sounds pretty American to me.  For example you may be driving back from class or work you want to get food but do not know what to get.  You flip the radio on and hear a sprite commercial with Lebron James telling you to buy it, just as that happens you drive past a Mcdonald’s billboard and suddenly that sounds really good.  The thing is that it’s not and obesity is a serious problem that is affecting way more people than it should.  With that being said parents should be responsible for their child and assist them in living a healthy lifestyle.  Perpetrators who fail to meet these requirements should face some sort of punishment.  Possibly a rehab for weight loss or take a personal training class and pass so they can be a better parent.  Being heavy is not the problem being unhealthy is.  It’s time we do something to reduce this increasingly big problem the United States faces currently today.

Works Cited

                           “Sound Body Sound Mind, Los Angeles, CA.” Sound Body Sound Mind, Los Angeles, CA. UCLAhealth, n.d. Web. 21 Nov.2016.         

I’m having trouble citing the google scholar cites I chose I will ask for feedback in class class                 

                                     

 

Causal Rewrite – darnell18

The Dark Truth About Driving

When it comes to police officers pulling over minorities for discriminatory reasons, the causal chain that follows has proven to be extremely controversial and sometimes even fatal. These looming problems could be non existent if officers used their authority properly on a consistent basis. The specific issue at hand exists in the first place because police officers in today’s society do not always use their discretion to pull drivers over simply for issues relating to the law, but rather because of their discriminatory mentality. Christopher Ingraham claims that “approximately a two percent higher amount of blacks than whites are actually not even given a reason for why they have been pulled over when they get stopped,” in his article, “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show.” Two percent may not sound extremely high, but when the percentage of whites not given a reason is only at 2.6, then it is almost double the amount of blacks that go through the same thing.

The causal chain that tends to occur in this situation is that discriminating police officers pulling over a higher number of minorities than any other group, then leads to these minorities resenting police officers because they abuse their authority. In addition to that, whether the driver or officer are being particularly way too difficult at the time, things have taken an abrupt, violent turn for the worst.

The Constitution begins by stating that “all men are equal”, yet the society we live in has proven that although it is in The Constitution, it is still far from true. In relation to discrimination by officers potentially turning violent, it is important to understand that the discrimination does not just stop when the car is pulled over. Much like how The Constitution states that all men are equal but still are not treated equally, the 14th Amendment provides equal protection and not allowing discrimination while driving, but that is also not applied consistently. As a nation, we cannot be oblivious and neglect the fact that regardless of what The Constitution may say, law enforcement does not faithfully abide to it. Minorities are referred to as such because there are less of them in our country than whites. Nevertheless, more blacks are pulled over than whites. Minorities making up the majority of people pulled over is a staggering statistic that should not be overlooked.
Just a few months ago, an African-American man named Philando Castile was shot and killed by a police officer in his car in Minnesota. The car was pulled over for a broken taillight, which is understandable. Nevertheless, the man had a 5 year old girl in the back seat when the officer shot him. There was a woman in the passenger seat that started recording the situation on her phone after shots were fired, and her statement explaining the killing was that, ”he let the officer know that he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet and the officer just shot him in his arm,” Elliot McLaughlin reports in his article, “Woman Streams Aftermath of Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting.” He had a permit for the gun and went out of his way to make the officer aware he had it. It may not be known how this would have unfolded had the driver been white, but taking into consideration that the society we live in today is full of discrimination and hate, most people would believe that this officer was slightly more on-edge and trigger-happy due to the color of the man on the opposite end of the barrel.

The issue does not just begin and end with a simple traffic stop, either. “The racial disparity isn’t just limited to stops. Other police-driver contact — searches, tickets, arrests and license suspensions — show similar racial skews,” according to Kim Soften in “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers.” This is what leads to the majority of these minorities resenting and not respecting the authority. Many of them may have to deal with ensuing legal issues after getting pulled over, that would not have happened had this epidemic been a thing of the past.

As far as the anticipated rebuttals to this argument go, it is clear that not everybody shares a similar viewpoint on this topic. If everybody had the same mindset about it, it probably would not be a problem. Some rebuttals are indisputably true as well, such as the fact that African American police officers pull over black people as well, so it is unlikely a man would discriminate against someone the same color as him. Nevertheless, with that being said, that does not account for every single traffic stop. It is an exception to the discriminatory pattern of white against black, but yet it cannot be ignored that the percentage of those occurrences is minuscule in relation to the typical white cop, black driver scenario.

In conclusion, as much as our nation would probably like to say that discrimination was a thing of the past, it is not. These are real issues and racism is still alive. Just because it does not come in the visual form of segregation in the early 1900s, does not mean it is gone and over with. It is clearly unknown what it will take to change the discriminatory mindset of the people in our society today, but at this rate it looks like we are on pace to set our country back 100 years and something must be done about it. Yes, we have had a black president, but it is as if we took one step forward and two steps back by now electing a man who openly makes racist and discriminatory remarks in many of his debates and press conferences. There were actually riots when Obama was elected. This shows that a good amount of this country was not ready for a black president. If racial profiling still happened under a black president, they certainly will not improve or just go away under the government of a man who sustains a discriminatory mentality.

Works Cited

Soften, Kim. “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers” The Washington Post. 08 July 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016<

Ingraham, Christopher. “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show” The Washington Post. 09 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016

McLaughlin, Elliot. “Woman Streams Aftermath of Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting” CNN. 08 July, 2016. Web. 06 Nov. 2016