Obama by David Sedaris Essays

Obama by David Sedaris Essays Obama by David Sedaris Paper Obama by David Sedaris Paper The essay is a flashback from David Seeders time in France during the election in 2008 in the United States. Skin color. Our skin color is part of our appearance, but is it also a part of our personality? In America this question were discussed when Barack Obama was running for his presidential election in the year of 2008 2009. Many Europeans believed it was impossible to see a half-black candidate win the election in 2009, because they thought that any Americans would never vote for a black candidate. In David Seeders essay: Obama!!! , he explains, in a rather humorist way how prejudices can lead to huge misconceptions between different countries. The reader mostly hears about Seeders life in France. The essay focuses on the differences between European and American politics, when it comes to racism, race discrimination and sexual discrimination. One of the things David Seeders mentions is how much an American election all of a sudden becomes a world election. In the start of his essay, David Seeders describes how people he ivied among in Normandy did not take part of their national politics and local government affairs. However, when a black candidate is running for president in America, thousands of miles overseas, they wake up and are willing to be a part of the election even though they are not inhabitants. This can be interpreted as the importance American politics has in Europe. In this context the topping of the cake is when a black is leading the campaign for president in the ASSAI, which is host the famous Sucks Klan and also the Tea Party movement. This irony and sarcasm constitute the tone and style throughout he essay: Its not that I dont have opinions about these things; I just dont feel theyre in any way special. David Seeders uses a lot of humor, so that his message becomes more eatable for the reader. I does this to raise concerns about the topic in a humorist way, without it becoming frivolous. What allows him to talk about prejudices and racism is that he is a gay comedian, which is the ironic and humorist fact about David Seeders. This allows him to talk about these sensible subjects, because many in Europe and USA have prejudices towards gays and comedians. Seeders explains, which headlines here published in the French newspapers during the years before the election. Seeders writes: The farmer across the road from us, Robert Bob Greener was profiled in the late 1 sass. The Man who Truly Whispers to Horses, read the headline. The picture was Of him seeming to gossip into the ear of his Peppercorn, a dappled mare as solid as a dump truck. Then it takes a turn when people finds out that a black man is running for president. The story above is completely different from the stories during the American election in 2008-2009 it turns 180 degrees to a more global perspective. Seeders believes it is the skin color of Barack Obama which draws the attention and not his politic which makes the people of France interested in his campaign. During his time in Normandy Seeders describes how people approached him and told him that: Americans never would vote for a black candidate, because many in America are racists. This key point is, elaborated later in the essay. In this context, he also describes how his dad thought that people in France were hostile towards Americans and it was a dangerous place to for an American to be. By this, Seeders plants the thought in the adders mind that when a French individual thinks of a typical American, the individual bases his thoughts on a fictive stereotype. This also applies when an American thinks of a French or other Europeans. Seeders writes: I remember my dad calling after the Iraq war started and asking if I felt safe on the streets of Paris. He had the idea that Europeans, and specifically the French, had become openly hostile and were targeting Americans even throwing bottles at them. If that Was happening, I neither saw it nor read about it. In this passage, David Seeders tries to tell the reader that to judge n American or a European based on prejudices and stereotypes is wrong. This is seen clearly in the last sentence in the passage above, where he tells the reader that none of his dads prejudices is correct -and he is not experiencing any hostile behavior from the French people in the period during the Iraq war. Therefore, David Steadiers main allegation is that it is impossible to judge people without knowing them properly. In this context David Seeders is being rather objective because he criticizes both countries for having prejudices towards each other. This makes him very reliable because e has lived in both countries and experienced both cultures therefore it makes his allegations and conclusions reliable. Seeders moves on and tells the reader about his experiences with the European reporters during his travel through Europe in 2008-2009. David Seeders was surprised by the European attitude and he describes them as a people with many prejudices towards the American people. David Seeders says: The reporters in Greece, the ones in Australia and Amsterdam and Dublin, all of them assured me that the American people never would elect a black president. To this Seeders replies: Maybe, he said, but Ill bet you that half of America could elect a half-black president. By this Seeders means that around half of the American inhabitants are colored and therefore would be able to elect Obama. This consequently leads to David Seeders main point in the essay; David Seeders is surprised that many Europeans believe that inhabitants Americans would not vote for Barack Obama because of his skin color and not because of his politic program. The Americans are therefore accused of being more racists than the European countries. In this context, David Seeders wonders why France has a far-right political party, where the leader glorifies the Nazi-occupation of France during World War 2. This is an interesting point, because we often tends to forget how our own political system works when we compare it with other countries. In this case, the people that David Seeders talks with forgets all about how their own country works and looks in the eyes of none- inhabitants. They wanted Obama because he was black and because his politic was more like the European politic. The conclusion to the essay is that David Seeders explains how prejudices between different countries can lead to huge misconceptions between nations and how different political systems affect the minds of people in terms of judging other countries political system. Seeders also concludes that racism is still a part of our normal life; it has changed from the known Nazi-racism to a new form of racism. Throughout the essay David Seeders is being rather objective because he criticizes both countries for having prejudices towards each other. He does this in a humorist way, so that no one feels offended.

Free sample - Abuse of elderly. translation missing

Abuse of elderly. Abuse of elderlyIntroduction This paper defines abuse of elderly giving its categories. It also gives risk factors of elderly abuse, the causes of the abuse and the consequences of elderly abuse. Abuse of elderly This is any act occurring in a relationship where there exist an implication of trust resulting in harm to an older person if form of financial, physical social or sexual abuse and neglect in community or institutional care (Saunders L.2008). Categories of abuse include physical, emotional, sexual, financial, neglect and abuse by system as explained hereunder. Physical abuse is the infliction of pain (injury), physical coercion, or physical or drug induced restraint to an older person. Emotional and verbal abuse is the discrimination based on the age, insults as well as hurtful words, denigration, intimidation, false accusations, psychological pain and distress. Financial abuse is extortion and control of pension money, theft of property and exploitation of older people to force them to care for grandchildren or it is the illegal or improper exploitation or use of funds or resources of the older person. Sexual abuse is incest, rape and other types of sexual coercion or it is non-consensual sexual contact of any kind with the older person. Neglect is the loss of respect for elders, withholding of affection, and lack of interest in the older person’s well-being. Accusations of witchcraft are the stigmatization and os tracization to elderly person. Abuse by systems is the dehumanizing treatment older people are liable to suffer at health clinics and pension offices, and marginalization by the government. (Abuse of elderly) The risk factors for elderly abuse Individual factors: physically aggressive abusers have personality disorders and alcohol-related problems than the general population .Cognitive and physical impairments of the abused person are strongly identified in early studies as risk factors for abuse. Relationship factors: The studies involving caregiver stress, Alzheimer disease and elder abuse suggest that the nature of the relationship between the caregiver and the care recipient before abuse begins is an important predictor of abuse. Stress is a contributing factor in cases of abuse. Community and societal factors: The systems of patrilineal and matrilineal inheritance and land rights affect the distribution of power; the societies’ view the role of women; the erosion of bonds between generations of a family, caused by rural to urban migration and the growth in formal education and the loss, through modernization, of the traditional domestic, ritual and family arbitration roles of older people. Domestic settings: ev idence from studies in developed countries show that a higher proportion of abused elderly people suffer from depression or psychological distress than do their non-abused peers. Other symptoms associated with cases of abuse include feelings of helplessness, alienation, guilt, shame, fear, anxiety, denial and post-traumatic stress. This mistreatment can cause severe interpersonal stress leading to death. Institutions: various people are responsible for the abuse in institutions: a member of the staff, resident, a voluntary visitor, relatives or friends where the prevailing regime of the institution itself is abusive or negligent. (Elder mistreatment). The spectrum of abuse and neglect within institutions spans a considerable range, and are to the following: The provision of care for example, resistance to changes in geriatric medicine, erosion of individuality in the care, inadequate nutrition and deficient nursing care, problems with staffing for example, work-related stress and staff burnout, poor physical working conditions, insufficient training and psychological problems among staff, difficulties in staff ,resident interactions   for example, poor communication, aggressiveness on the part of residents and cultural differences, environment for example, a lack of basic privacy, dilapidated facilities, the use of restraints, inadequate sensory stimulation, and a proneness to accidents within the institution, organizational policies for example, those that operate for the benefit of the institution, giving residents few choices over daily living; bureaucratic or unsympathetic attitudes towards residents; staff shortages or high staff turnover; fraud involving residents’ possessions or money; and lack of a residents’ council or residents’ family council. Anecdotal evidence from India suggests that institutional abuse is often perpetuated by staff through a system of unquestioning regimentation. (Abuse of elderly). Complex factors contributing to elderly abuse include factors such as drug or alcohol problems in the abuser, negative attitude towards the older person, the history of family violence, high dependency of older person on others for their care, intergenerational family violence and stress of ill equipped and poorly supported career (Saunders L.2008). Causes of abuse Social isolation or lack of support can contribute to abuse or neglect; the sufferers of abuse in these situations are unwilling to join programs that encourage social interaction. The role of ageism, discrimination against and stigmatization of older people can cause elder abuse. The marginalization of the elderly is a contributory factor. Prevention strategies Measures that may be useful include the following:   the development and implementation of comprehensive care plans; training for staff; policies and programs to address work related stress among staff; the development of policies and programs to improve the physical and social environment of the institution. (Abuse of elderly) The consequences of elder abuse Older people are physically weaker hence more vulnerable than younger adults since their bones are more brittle and convalescence takes longer. Minor injury can cause serious and permanent damage. Many older people survive on limited incomes hence the loss of even a small sum of money can have a significant impact. They may be isolated, lonely and troubled by illness in which case they are more vulnerable as targets for the fraudulent schemes. (Catherine C. 2006). Indicator of elderly abuse Physical indicators include complaints of being physically assaulted, unexplained falls and injuries, burns and bruises while behavioral and emotional indicators are: change in eating pattern, sleep problems, fear and confusion.   The sexual indicators are complaints of being sexually assaulted, frequent complaints of abdominal pain and unexplained vaginal or anal bleeding and genital infections. (Abuse of elderly) Conclusion The problem of elder abuse cannot be properly solved if the essential needs of older people such as food, shelter, security and access to health care are not met. The nations of the world must create an environment free of abuse and exploitation to elderly people gives them opportunities to participate fully in educational cultural, spiritual and economic activities.