Media publications can manipulate the news using a variety of strategies that can alter the readers' perception. Publications can navigate their audience through what it feels is potent and viable concerning a specific topic. The factors that can contribute toward an altered point of view are the publication’s audience, their lifestyle, interests, and its level of sophistication. But, there are more contingent variables that create a divergent representation of objective truth. Such catalysts include manipulation of the text through diction, tone and the articles’ actual credibility. Through this, the media has the power to persuade its audience's point of view.
There are two articles that can serve as an archetype for this notion. Both The Miami Herald and The St. Petersburg Times discuss a recent controversial issue concerning gay adoption in the state of Florida. In 1977 the state passed a statue prohibiting homosexual men and women from adopting children. Florida, Mississippi and Utah are currently the only states that do not legalize any form of adoption by same sex coupled parents. Then in 1999, lawsuits were filed by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) in the interest of various gay couples whose desire was to become adoptive parents but were restricted by the law. After months of heated debates in Florida's U.S. District court, on Thursday August 30 Judge James Lawrence King ruled in favor of the state’s ban on homosexual adoption. The decision caused a variety of feelings. These contrasting sentiments are evident in the press' misappropriation of the news in both articles.
After examining "The Miami Herald" article, one can note that the article pleads to the reader's emotions by conveying a message that men and women with homosexual tendencies are being unjustly discriminated against. It is clear that this article speaks to a relatively liberal audience, which includes a very active gay community. Due to the fact that Miami is populated with a plethora of divergent opinions and behaviors, it is no surprise that the city's major publication would take such a supportive stance towards the gay community. In referring to specific individuals, such as Judge Lawrence, and their views, the journalist used phrases such as, "the now apologetic lawmaker"; statements such as these portray the publicat...
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...rticle that affirm, “the court found [that] the law does not violate the equal protection clause of the Constitution…” The article ends on a disappointing note for homosexuals by quoting a Florida state representative saying that the only way the law could be changed is through the legislature, which she says, will “…have a hard time getting a hearing.”
Through both media sources from Florida, a reader obtains critically varied information that constructs two contrasting views of the subject. The ban on gay adoption is actually a topic that affects many people both directly and indirectly. The lack of information from these articles does not educate the reader on the massive problem with it is actually being faced. Newspaper media tends to socialize its audience and therefore becomes propaganda versus actual news.
According to the ACLU, gay/lesbian parents are raising about 8-13 million children. In fact 21.6% of lesbian homes and 5.2% of male homosexual homes have children present. Given the current hostile attitude toward gay men and lesbians, it is justifiable to be concerned about losing one’s children based solely on orientation, and not on the best interest of the children.
Through manipulation and lies, media manages to modify objective news into biased news in order to convince the public of what the media wants them to believe. The article, “How the Media Twist the News”, by Sheila Gribben Liaugminas discusses the major influence that news has on readers based on their choice of stories and words. “How the Media Twists the News” has borrowed from multiple other texts such as the books like Public Opinion and Liberty and News, news magazine writers such as Ruderman, and news networks like CBS through Bias, A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News and CNN to make her arguments valid and prove that the news is biased and that it does influence readers significantly because of it.
As with all Supreme Court cases, the meaning of the Lawrence v. Texas will deepen when in the process of its interpretation as well when it is cited by the lower state courts and The Supreme Court itself. In any situation, the decision in the case contains the brave declaration of the dignity and freedom of choice of all homosexual individuals. It was celebrated by the homosexual activists fighting for the equal rights in the hope that the future legal advances may follow. Social conservatives have deplored the decision for the same reason. Nevertheless, the ruling of the Court was neutral, therefore it was fair.
- Sexual abuse, which is common in childhood histories of borderline patients, happens more often to women than men.
In the future, awareness of borderline personality disorder and other mental illnesses is critical.We need to be rewired to say the least. Our society needs to better informed on mental illness.These clients should not be ashamed of something they cannot choose to change. As healthcare professionals, we need to become more involved and lend a helping hand to those suffering from mental illness.
Discrimintaion and equality in society is faced amongst people every day. One certain subject that seems to get most of this attention is whether or not homosexual couples should be able to adopt. Same sex couples should be able to adopt children for many reasons. Children that are raised by same sex parents are predominantly taught to be more open minded, have a greater sense of tolerance, and are thought of to be role models for equality in relationships and life. Most would say that these children will face issues regarding their parents sexual orientation, but this is not so. Children of same sex parents have studied to show very few differences in achievement, mental health, and social function as a child that is raised in a heterosexual household. Same sex parents will allow their child to express themselves through different talents and other attributes that there child seems to be indulged in. These children are often showing more loving, nurturing ,and outgoing behaviors that is exposed to them through gay parenting.
Same-sex marriage has been one of the most controversial topics in the United States, and gay couples have been facing harsh judges by others. Gay marriage is very important because it challenges our values on freedom, and this will affect the next generation’s understanding of marriage. In “The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage,” the author uses historical facts trying to convince his audience that same-sex marriage should be protected under laws and granted respect by people. On the other hand, the author of “Prop 8 Hurts My Family-ask Me How” uses incidences of how homosexual couples are being harassed and discriminated by others to show how they were unequally treated after prop 8 was passed. They both use the rhetorical strategies effectively
Prognosis for Borderline Personality Disorder is not easy to determine. This disorder is chronic in nature but the individual can improve with gradual and long-term work. Personality traits are extremely difficult for anyone to change, but the symptoms of BPD can be reduced in intensity when worked on with a therapist. There have been cases of people who have overcome the disorder without any treatment at all. Typically long term treatment is mandatory. It is likely that someone diagnosed with BPD will live with it for the rest of their life. They will most likely live a life consisting of unstable relationships and trouble maintaining a job. It is important for people with BPD to get the diagnosis and treatment they need. This is an important step in improving the life of an individual with BPD.
Despite therapy sessions she thought were helpful, her behavior continued. At 22, she was admitted into a psychiatric hospital for the eighth time. She had terrifying episodes of feeling like her body wasn’t real and sometimes would cut herself to inflict pain so she knew her body was real. Her psychiatrist noticed she was flirtatious, asked inappropriate questions, angry, loud, and used abusive language. Out of anger, she would say things she didn’t mean and break meaningful personal items and would regret her actions, but despite this, she couldn’t gain control of her anger and still believed she wasn’t self-destructive. After three weeks of believed improvement, the therapists were ready to discharge her until she told them that she had been secretly been giving other patients street drugs. No therapy attempts had a lasting impact on Amanda and it didn’t seem like she could ever be independent and it was likely she will be in a state hospital
Same sex marriage has been a controversial issue since homosexual couples started to petition for their civil and marital rights. Even though homosexuality existed long before our society labeled it, it is still not socially accepted by many groups as well as individuals. As a result, people tend to be biased when reporting facts concerning homosexual marriage. Biases can be hidden in many literature works like books, journals, magazines, and articles. Through these documents writers try to provoke an emotional response from their readers in order to influence their view of a usually highly debated matter. An example of this would be three articles through which the rhetors dissimilarly influence the opinion of their audience by omitting or emphasizing certain facts about the legalization of gay marriage in New York State.
Being for or against gay and lesbian marriage has been the topic that has started a great amount of controversy in the U.S. for the past few years. In some states gay marriage has been already been approved, but in others it has been denied. The next hot topic in the U.S. refers to the approval of gay and lesbian adoption. There are many negative and positives to this subject, whether society is for, or against gay and lesbian marriage. The act of gay and lesbian adoption should not be allowed because, yes its true we don’t get to choose our parents but we should at least be able to have a father and mother, not two fathers and or two mothers. It is also not fair for an innocent little one to get put on the spotlight and get dirty looks from others because of the adults’ choices. The embarrassment of not having a mother or father can be so overwhelming on such children that it could unfortunately lead them to taking bad actions.
What is Borderline Personality Disorder? Is heredity the cause or is it a person’s surrounding environment? What are its effects? Are there any treatments available for it? Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD is a serious illness that causes a person to experience instability in moods, exhibit impulsive, quite often aggressive, behavior and creates severe self-worth issues. BPD is usually not a “stand alone” illness and typically is accompanied by other disorders such as Dysthymia, Bipolar Disorder and Substance Abuse. Although BPD can be extremely dangerous to those affected by it and those surrounded by them, it is quite often not given enough attention or taken as serious as it should be. As well, BPD is commonly misdiagnosed as other disorders such as Bipolar and Schizophrenia have many of the same symptoms. This is one reason why BPD may not get enough attention; if it is being diagnosed as something other than what it truly is, the entire illness and it’s affects are not fully then being treated. If a person is not being treated for BPD as a whole, the chances of them dealing with it in a positive way are slim. Causes, symptoms and treatment of BPD are things we must thoroughly understand to grasp exactly what the illness is and why it is so difficult for those affected to live with.
Homosexual couples should be granted the same freedom to adopt children like heterosexual couples because there are so many children in the foster care who need a nurturing home; it is narrow-minded to think that only heterosexual couples have the capability of raising a child properly; and it is prejudice to exclude homosexuals from adopting a child based on their sexuality. A parent-child relationship may be one of the most sacred and cherished gifts in life but it is also a privilege. The main purpose of adoption is not just for the satisfaction of a couple, regardless of their sexuality—ultimately, it is for the well-being of the adopted child.
In recent years, same-sex relationships have become more encompassing in US society. State legislation is changing such as accepting gay marriages, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and legal gay adoptions; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community is becoming public. Gay-headed families, like heterosexuals, are diverse and varying in different forms. Whether a created family is from previous heterosexual relationships, artificial insemination, or adoption, it deserves the same legal rights heterosexual families enjoy. Full adoption rights needs to be legalized in all states to provide a stable family life for children because sexual orientation does not determine parenting skills, children placed with homosexual parents have better well-being than those in foster care, and there are thousands of children waiting for good homes.
One consistent fact about the children of homosexual parents is that the kids are going to be planned and wanted. This is Because for most of those parents, it 's a miracle for them to have children in the first place. It is a challenge to conceive, adopt, or find a surrogate. Most adoption agencies find homosexual parents to be "unfit" and many states like the state of Texas won 't allow homosexual couples to legally co-adopt children. Actually, only 15 States in the US will allow same-sex parents to co-adopt ("LGBT Adoption Statistics", lifelongadoption.com). Despite this difficulty, homosexual couples are, as Actor and Chef David Burtka put it, "becoming the new nuclear family" (qtd. in Winfrey,
Families headed by gay and lesbian parents are just as diverse as families led by heterosexual couples (Thompson 36). The only difference in these families is there are two mothers or two fathers. They are seen as “unnatural” by most conservatives and religious organizations and their affiliates (Gateway Child Wellfare Information). The media usually portrays same-sex couples as “white, middle-class, two-parent families who have been together for many years. In actuality, these families are a small percent of the larger LGBTQ family community”. Because of the cultural and societal views of what makes an “ideal family” in the United States as “one mother, one father, and two children,” it is difficult for others to accept those that have two mothers or two fathers. These families are usually started by one parent who “came out” as lesbian or gay after divorcing a husband or wife. Additionally, blended families, which consist of one parent who remarried and the step-parent adopted the child or children that way, through artificial insemination and surrogacy, and there are couples who adopt children from the foster care system and adoption agencies (Thompso...