Discussion Around Inequality Of Income Inequality Essay

Discussion around inequality of income was considered taboo at one point in America’s history. Today, disparity is an important topic in politics and daily life. Financial factors are not the sole problem contributing to the proposed lag in transition time from childhood to adulthood. The literature poses a variety of problems for society and individuals affected by various disparities. Sarah Burd-Sharps and Kristen Lewis, both producers of works in popular media outlets who co-direct a group called â€Å"Measure of America† that strives to â€Å"stimulate fact-based dialogue† about social issues examine this phenomenon in depth in their article that looks beyond the income gap into other areas of inequalities. Burd-Sharps and Lewis observe that while income inequality used to be somewhat taboo, it is now an important and frequently discussed topic (98). They cite four areas outside of income inequality that should be focused on: health, environment, education, a nd wealth. According to Burd-Sharps and Lewis, children born into poverty are exposed to less prevention of harmful health behaviors and more harmful environmental pollution, given fewer educational resources that are needed to succeed, and often times have less net worth than rich counterparts. Inequality is a problem that presents particularly harsh consequences on children. Burd-Sharps and Lewis state, â€Å"[t]hese inequalities have a particularly pernicious impact on disadvantaged children, limiting their life chances longShow MoreRelatedEssay about Marxs Theory of Alienation1087 Words   |  5 Pagestakes place because the worker can only express this basic social aspect of individuality through a production system that is not communally, but privately owned (Marx, 2007). When applying Marx’s theory of alienation to the current issue of income inequality in the global world one can see how it is possible that capitalism has led to the issues at hand. Although not a new phenomenon, globalization is on the rise, and with that, the concentration of authority among few multinationals. By the earlyRead MoreIncome Inequality : The American Economy Essay1735 Words   |  7 PagesIncome Inequality in the Workplace The American economy has been in a constant rise since the economic decline earlier this decade and keeps on being the vigorous beast it was amid the twentieth century. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute concluded that the income wage hole between the wealthiest and the poorest one fifth of families is altogether more extensive than it was two decades prior. The middle class has not seen the advantages of this powerful AmericanRead MoreToxic Inequality Summary1042 Words   |  5 PagesToxic Inequality by Thomas M. Shapiro is a collection of short stories that follow different individuals coming from distinct economic backgrounds. In one scenario, a single mother named Patricia Arrora faces many challenges such as finding a job as an African American and facing residential segregation when trying to find a house. In another scenario, Cindy Breslin, a struggling widowed mother, was suddenly faced with a string of bad luck. Cindy found out she had thousands of dollars owed on creditRead MoreThe Inequality Gap Of The Rich And Poor1183 Words   |  5 PagesSome people would argue that the inequality gap of the rich and the poor does not affect our democracy. Others say the inequality gap is weakening our democracy. Either way, there is a wealth gap between the rich and the poor in the United States and as this gap between the classes expands, there is a debate over what should be done. On one side, people believe that great inequality between the rich and the poor is incompatible with democracy. Democracy is defined by the Oxford English DictionaryRead MoreUnited States Income Distribution867 Words   |  3 PagesMany years of stability has led to higher income inequality in America. While amongst many developing nations the inequality has also risen however it has been reported to be the highest in America. According to NewRepublic a political discussion website income inequality is happening worldwide however not uniformly. In their article they mention how until recently income inequality has been declining in France, Ireland, and Spain as now its declining in Turkey and Greece, and has been almost flattenedRead MoreThe Inequality Trap : Fighting Capitalism Instead Of Poverty1486 Words   |  6 Pagespoverty, or medicine, there are individuals around the globe looking for ways to improve our society and those who are merely making suggestions on how to impro ve it. Published in 2015, William Watson’s book The Inequality Trap: Fighting Capitalism Instead of Poverty is full of analysis and suggestion on what humanity can do to create a more equal society. The book glides through a series of arguments that attempt to conclude that the issues of inequality in our society are brought about by capitalistRead MoreThe Problem Of Income Inequality1159 Words   |  5 PagesIncome inequality is increasingly becoming a significant concern for many countries around the world. The income difference between the highly-educated, skilled, wealthy class and the poor, low to mid-skilled workers is growing larger and larger. In fact, the incomes of the rich are increasing significantly, while the low skilled workers’ incomes have been declining (The Economist, â€Å"Wealth Without Workers†). According to The Economist, real median wages have been decreasing since 2000 in half ofRead MoreWilkinson Picketts Spirit Level Book Essays1401 Words   |  6 Pagesargues that not only does inequality affect the ones down the bottom of the ladder but everyone across the board. Affluent countries perform better when social indicators are more equal across society. This essay will assess the validity of Wilkinson Pickett’s conclusions by comparing the works of authors that support similar arguments, to the work of authors who disagree with them. A comparison of these different approaches, with a critical look at what and how inequality is being measured revealsRead MoreIs Philadelphia Environmentally Just?1615 Words   |  7 Pagesresidents of the area. As for a lesser known fact, the impacts of industry have often been unevenly distributed amongst social groups: Otherwise known as environmental inequality. Current theories on environmental inequality have commonly concluded that the phenomenon has two major factors, race and class. The effects of environmental inequality vary across time place and population. Bas ed on my research, mapping, and statistics I was unable to attribute this issue to a dominant factor. Like many citiesRead MoreIncome Inequality : The Perspectives Of Marx And Weber Essay1505 Words   |  7 PagesIncome Inequality in American Society: The Perspectives of Marx and Weber In the United States, income inequality is drawing more and more attention from the media, sociologists, politicians, and everyday citizens like us since the economic difference during the past decades became more pronounced than before. Karl Marx and Max Weber both discussed their ideas of social inequality and addressed the relationship between inequality and social structure as an important theme in their work. This paper

American US Alignment Free Essays

This research essay looks at the Latin American alignment with United States in the post cold-war era. Latin America has been associated with Soviet Union from the 1960s until the 1980s. Thus we will take a look on patterns in which US alignment has taken, taking in consideration political economic military and cultural connections. We will write a custom essay sample on American US Alignment or any similar topic only for you Order Now The essay illustrates factors reinforcing and causing tension for US-Latin America connection. Further will take look at the nature and extent of Latin America shift to leftward in the past decade as well as discuss the emerging alliances. From the findings it can be noted that United States hegemonic and coercive control transited to partnership and cooperation as a result of changes in the international system and limited resources of the United States. The factors contributing to this alignment include natural and human resources of Latin America; geophysical proximity and scarcity of resources in the world. It is concluded that this alignment have both beneficial and side effects to both involved. PATTERNS OF LATIN AMERICAN-US ALIGNMENT IN THE POST COLD-WAR ERA, CONSIDERING POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, MILITARY AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS According to Klaveren (1992) Latin America has been viewed as a marginalized and abandoned continent. It has had little or distant influence on global politics due its geo-physical isolation. The region has been relatively been calm except during the Central American crisis of the 1980s. Klaveren (1992) elaborates that although Latin America has been peaceful externally it has had a history of internal conflicts in which foreign countries have not been involved except the United States. Due to interdependence and emergence of new rules in the global arena, there has been a change in redefinition of security concept. The United States redefines it in terms of drug trafficking, environmental protection and migration flow (Klaveren, 1992, p.29). Klaveren (1992) notes that geographical, cultural and political proximity of Latin America to US makes it player in supply of specialized and non-specialized labor to the aging population of United States. As a result they alleviate labor shortage to the later and aggravate brain drain in the former (Klaveren, 1992, p.30). Latin America has had good political ties and values with United States for a long time since World War 2. However there has been shortcoming in relation to human rights violation and democracy (Klaveren, 1992, 30). Economically Latin America trades with United States on several commodities, whereby the U.S. is a major market for Latin America motor vehicle parts, capital commodities and agricultural products (Klaveren, 1992, 27). There have been cultural ties between the U.S. and Latin America. Currently there is an influx of migrants from Latin America. They are progressively becoming large population in the U.S., which definitely has effect on U.S. life (Klaveren, 1992, 30). FACTORS THAT REINFORCE AND CAUSE TENSIONS IN THE LATIN AMERICAN CONNECTIONS WITH THE US Latin America possesses vast natural resources, for instance, Brazil is ranked among 10 top most powerful economies of the world while Mexico is in the second lot (Klaveren, 1992, 26). Latin America is endowed with mineral resources such as oil that is critical to world economy. Since Latin America has relatively developed industrial sector it is able to exports products to U.S. with the likes of Brazil and Mexico. More so, because of geo-physical proximity to U.S. they are able to supply specialized and non-specialized work force to them (Klaveren, 1992, 26). On the other hand a couple of factors cause tension with the U.S. one being the diversification of Latin American economies with inclusion of Japan and other developing countries. The lack of effective security measures in Latin America brings into fore the security concerns of U.S. with the increase of drug trafficking and proliferation of small arm (Klaveren, 1992, 26). THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF LATIN AMERICA’S SHIFT LEFTWARD OVER THE PAST DECADE. Latin America was formerly under American system from early 1960s but due to changes in the global economy it has moved from â€Å"natural segmentation to institutional integration based on geographic specialization† and has created their own niche so as to offer specialized services to the receiving end of the technological flow (Klaveren, 1992, 22, 27). Since the end of cold war, the influence of Soviet Union to Latin America  Ã‚   has declined. This resulted to difference in structural institutions of Latin America. For instance Brazil and Columbia had different positions on the liberalization of services in Uruguay Round (Klaveren, 1992, 39). Also, Klaveren (1992) notes that Brazil and Chile developed different alternatives to solve debt crisis after the 1980s Central American crisis. This gives us the complexity nature of Latin America in the post cold war era. The internal issues are as different as is the external. Therefore, only a collective action based on concrete and common interest (Klaveren, 1992, 39). Latin America internal issue could only be dealt on specific case by case and by sector to sector. This is observed when looking at how in the UN General Assembly, Latin America votes with other developing countries or in the third world. However, there is differentiation within the Third World countries that could make variation in the pattern of how Latin America will play in global power (Klaveren, 1992, 39). A number of challenges are yet to be tackled by Latin America such as â€Å"pleas for solidarity and just international order† which will seem to be unnoticed and changes in the international system will have a direct and long term effect on Latin America (Klaveren, 1992, 41). Thus the influence of the region to international system will depend on specific strategies, internal, economic and political environment in which the strategies will be based upon (Klaveren, 1992, 41). Each country will have to mobilize economic, political and strategic resources so as to impact the global system otherwise they will be isolated (Klaveren, 1992, 41). The individual country foreign policy must adapt to changing international system and that scarcity of resources demands careful and selective decisions on approaches and choices to make (Klaveren, 1992, 41). It is worth noting that although sound external strategies are good; they must be backed with domestic conditions for them to flourish (Klaveren, 1992, 41). THE EMERGING REALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE US AND LATIN AMERICA AND WITHIN THE LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES The new emergence in realignment comes in the wake of global changes and the different administration of the US over time. Varas (1992) explain that the gradual integration of Canada, Mexico and some Caribbean economies in the North American geo-economics space led to erosion of single Latin American region. The post Latin American will be characterized with sub region system with different economic, political and strategic weight. There foreign policy, he adds, that was once useful for hegemonic alliance is now obsolete and new paradigm is necessary to address regional and international changes (Varas, 1992, p.48). Within the Latin American countries should use broad based approach, which takes account of political, economic and cultural orientations.   The United States have now transited from a hegemonic and coercive control to partnership and cooperation control. In this regard, according to Varas (1992) the U.S. was no longer  Ã‚   dominant in the international system as well as had limited resources to control and support the hemispheric countries. Thus policies of free trade and decision-making were determined bilaterally in this new system. While the Latin America was agitating for liberalized world trade the U.S., advocated for open trade and cooperative approaches to international problems such as weapon proliferation, terrorism, international violence and environmental degradation (Varas, 1992, 51). The U.S. cooperation with Latin America is on security matters where it seeks to establish credible defense systems, which are effective in peaceful conflict resolution (Varas, 1992, 56). The U.S. is also helping to strengthen democratic institutions and human rights although democracy is still elusive (Varas, 1992, 67). More so U.S. is strengthening its ties with Latin America on socioeconomic issues, especially when considering immigrants to US. CONCLUSION The long-term effect of these developments will not lack the merits and limitation for either side. To the U.S. they will be consolidating their presence in Latin America and use low cost measures in ensuring security to its nationals especially when dealing with drug trafficking, greenhouse effect, terrorism and global violence. However, this is threatened by the increasing immigrants from Latin America to U.S. The U.S. will have to depend on immigrants for labor because of its low fertility rate and aging population. The Latin America will suffer brain drain although such scenario would provide employment opportunities for its emigrants. The Latin American countries will definitely have economy growth due to direct foreign investment, just international trade and transfer of technology. The emergence of new developed economies like Japan, China Korea and Taiwan add to long-term effects to Latin America. REFERENCE Klaveren, A. (1992). L. America international system. In   J. Hartlyn, L. Schoultz, A. Varas. (Eds.). The US Latin America in the 1990s and beyond (pp. 22-41). Latin America. UNC Press Varas, A. (1992). From coercion to partnership: a new paradigm for security cooperation in the Northern Hemisphere. In J. Hartlyn, L. Schoultz, A. Varas. (Eds.).   United States and L.   America. (pp. 48-67). Latin America. UNC Press. How to cite American US Alignment, Essay examples

Tribal Women in Chipko Movement free essay sample

The women who participated in the Chipko meetings, processions and other programmes have become aware of their potentialities and are now demanding a share in the decision-making process at the community level. Apart from Reni, the events at Dongri Paintoli village indicated a new development in the movement. On 9th February, 1980 the women of Dongri Paintoli turned out in large numbers, held a Chipko demonstration and prevented any tree-felling. Nine days later, the Government ordered the forest-felling in that area stopped, and within a month a ban on any further cutting was effected. Subsequently, women leaders in the village were defamed and asked not to attend further meetings. The women in Reni took action only because there were no men in the village around to do so. Their â€Å"action† was to ask the tree-fellers to wait until their men returned so that some discussions could take place between the two sides (of men) as equals. Women took charge of the scene only in the absence of men, but once they did take charge, they succeeded. In Dongri Paintoli, by contrast, rather than merely taking a decision in the absence of men, the women stood up against decisions made by their own men. Although they faced opposition from men, they held to their conviction. This certainly marked a major step forward in terms of women’s role in the Chipko movement. In Gopeshwar, women have now formed a cooperative of their own, the Mahila Mangal, to ensure protection of the forest around the town. Its work is carried out regularly by watchwomen, who receive regular wages. Under this supervision, the extraction of forest produce for daily necessities is accomplished in a regular manner, so as not to harm the trees. Women or men violating these rules are fined, and these fines are deposited in a common fund. Those who do not obey the rules face the punishment of having their tools confiscated. It can only be said that the cases of Reni and Dongri Paintoli and the organization of women into the Mahila Mangal at Gopeshwar are indicative of the latent potentialities in the organization and mobilization of resources by women whose consciousness has been raised. Women’s participation in Chipko movement, however limited in numbers or in its impact on the general way of life, has implications for possible changes in gender relationships in the Garhwali tribal society. Since tribal women are the gatherers of fuel, fodder and water, it is they who feel the first impact of soil erosion. Women had repeatedly challenged administrators and politicians with their slogans: â€Å"Planning without fodder, fuel and water is one-eyed planning. † Their struggle against injustice brought them into direct confrontation with the men. Gaura Devi, the famous leader, had to tolerate continuous harassment. First the contractor tried to bribe her into letting his men enter the forest. When she refused this offer, the forest department personnel threatened to call the police and arrest her. The contractor in league with some villagers composed folk songs describing the arrest of Gaura Devi and her torture in jail. Chipko women activists are being accused of getting the villagers blacklisted. The men said that since the villages were blacklisted due to the behavior of women, the young men, most of whom were in the army, would not be given employment anywhere, and the villages would not be supplied with essential commodities like salt and kerosene. Also the villages would be deprived of a motor road, electricity, hospital. The women activists are being made the villains of the piece and rumor is being used as a weapon to isolate them. Everyday the men returned home and flinged accusations at the women. This constant harassment within the family caused the women immense mental agony. According to Gayatri Devi, the success of the Chipko movement demonstrates the intellectual superiority of the women over the men in the village. In 1980s, the Chipko movement subsided, with only a small section associated with Bahuguna continuing to protest against the construction of the Tehri dam. However, part of Chipko critique thinks that government policy in the Uttar Pradesh hills was insensitive to the region’s ecological and social specificity and was driven by the concern to maximize revenues which were appropriated by a bureaucracy based in the plains, formed the core of a movement for regional autonomy. 4 This movement for a separate state raged throughout the 1980s and 1990s and was marked by a series of public protest rallies and demonstrations, some of which were violently suppressed by the state (most notably the brutal assault on women protestors at Muzaffarnagar in 1994). The state of Uttaranchal was finally carved out of the hill districts of Uttar Pradesh in 2000. The Chipko movement inspired Vandana Shiva for the development of a new theory called as ‘Ecofeminism’ which specifically explains the link between the ‘women and ecology’ which were in great demand in the market. To be clearer, Vandana Shiva’s Ecofeminist Movement brought imperialism inscribed in the colonial practices, into the centre of the Environmentalist debate. Vandana Shiva’s narratives of Chipko centre on women. She draws the village women of Garhwal into her narratives by binding them to Himalayan forests and nature, not because they are their birthright but through the ‘feminine principle’ which exists in both Women and Nature. She has presented the village women of Garhwal as exploited by colonialism and threatened by modernization and economic development. Chipko is, for Shiva, a women’s ecology movement, a resurgence of women’s power. Chipko women were in against of exploiting forest for timber because they valued forests for providing their simple subsistence; they did not care for economic gain. Forests, for them, provide soil, water and pure air. In 1977, she states, the two paradigms of forestry, one life-destroying (commerce-oriented and masculine) and the other life-enhancing (subsistence-oriented and embodying the feminine principle), clashed, following which Chipko became â€Å"explicitly an ecological and feminist movement†. Shiva asserts that Chipko women are against development, modernization, and economic rationality. According to her, they expect nothing from so called ‘development’ or from the money economy. They only wanted to preserve their autonomous control over their subsistence base, their common property resources: the land, water, forests, and hills. Chipko movement is thus very much a feminist movement. It not only has brought forth in a dramatic manner greatly increased understanding of the divergent interests of local communities and state bureaucracies in the management of local resources; it is now finding that the interests of men and women within the same community can differ greatly. As long as the Chipko movement remains sensitive to this learning process, it is bound to grow in strength. Ramchandra Guha is widely regarded as one of India’s leading environmental historians. In his well known book5 he argues that while Chipko may have involved women, adopted Gandhian non-violent strategies, and raised popular awareness towards environmental problems in the Himalayas, it is neither an environmental, nor Gandhian, nor feminist movement. He holds that, in Uttarakhand the participation of women in popular movements dates from the anti alcohol agitations led by Sarvodaya workers in the 1960s. However, despite the important role played by women, it would be simplistic to characterize Chipko as a feminist movement. In several instances, especially the early mobilizations at Mandal and at Phata, it was men who took the initiative in protecting forests. Women came to the fore in Reni, when in the contrived absence of men folk they unexpectedly came forward to thwart forest felling. In other agitations, such as Badyargarh men, women, children have all participated equally. Dongri-Paintoli is the only instance of an overt conflict between men and women over the management and control of forest resources. As such, even at level of participation Chipko can hardly be said to constitute a women’s movement. Undoubtedly, the hill women have traditionally borne an extraordinarily high share of family labour –and their participation in Chipko may be read as an outcome of the increasing difficulty with which these tasks have been accomplished in the deteriorating environment. Interestingly, Chandi Prasad Bhatt does believe that women are capable of playing a more dynamic role than the men who, in the face of growing commercialization, are apt to lose sight of the long-term interests of the village economy. On the other hand, it has been suggested that which they are the beasts of burden as viewed through the prism of an outside observer, hill women are in fact aware that they are the repository of local tradition. In the orbit of the household women often take decisions which are rarely challenged by the men. In the act of embracing the trees, therefore, they are acting not merely as women but as bearers of continuity with the past in a community threatened with fragmentation. Chipko movement as a constructive resistance to ecological struggle is played out in Nina Sibal’s Yatra: The Journey. The protagonist, Krishna Kaur, embarks on a pilgrimage for environmental justice that takes her through the area where the Chipko movement is active; there she received the secret of angwaltha from the Chipko women, their spirit of love reaching her as she walked through the Deva Bhumi of Uttarakhand and her padyatra. The novel begins with Krishna’s return to India from an activist-business trip to London: her short visit had been useful in terms of the contact she had made in the Forestry Commission and an international environmental foundation has committed funds for an important river project in the Garhwal hills. But environmental concerns are rarely mentioned by the author. The novel foregrounds gender issues in the Chipko movement. It says –â€Å"After all, at its heart, the Chipko Movement is very feminist. It consists essentially of a string of spontaneous confrontations triggered and managed by women of the region, in which none of the so-called leaders were present. In some cases they were struggling against their own men who saw their immediate economic interests tied up with the decisions of the district administration†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..