So what? After reading Bruce Alexander’s and Stefa Shaler’s essay “Addiction in Free Markets”, this would be the first reaction of many readers, as it was my reaction upon completion of the essay. Although Alexander and Shaler discussed a very important issue concerning ‘Addiction in Free Markets’, they do not provide sufficient resources or correlative research to prove their argument. Firstly, their thesis statement does not agree with many of the facts and statements that are being presented throughout the essay. Moreover, the essay sidetracks from what it is trying to prove to other aspects in life that are not related with the topic, and the transition of paragraphs is also not smooth. Also, the centuries of English and Native Canadians histories that are referred to extensively by Alexander and Shaler do not provide sufficient evidence to support their argument. Clearly they are maximizing the issue in a nutshell, but they are incoherently trying to get this point across, without much real meaning.
“Most people who cannot achieve a reasonable degree of psychological integration find that they must develop ‘substitute’ lifestyles in order to endure” (Alexander and Shaler 230), is the composition they are trying to prove throughout this essay. However, there are many instances throughout the essay in which the subject does not refer back to the main thesis or theory. Moreover, there are selections of phrases in the beginning paragraphs before the thesis is introduced without much real meaning. They are long-winded, unnecessary, and are not needed where presented. Although Alexander and Shaler provide a solid history and understanding of the issue, phrases such as “We’ve gone too far toward the free market extreme, and one o...
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...ion; more people are accustomed to what is going on today – rather than what was going on back in the 18th-19th centuries. It is not the dislocation that has portrayed this view upon numerous people – it is the changing time that has changed people, and the way that people think.
Ultimately, although the authors present an interesting argument, there are some flaws in their presentation and argument. The authors, often, fail to provide adequate references to validate their arguments. In addition, the arguments do not always lined up with the thesis statement. The authors tend to go off topic on several occasions. Lastly, the effects of colonialism arguments do not find base in concrete facts and statistics. Although “Addiction In Free Markets” does present knowledgeable information, it does not have the solidity to sway the reader’s perspective on the matter.
With this in mind, the era of disillusionment after World War I is completely different from the Progressive period before it. People
Unlike previous centuries, the eighteenth century was the dawn of a new age in Western Europe where intellectuals thrived, science was honored, and curiosity was encouraged; and the framework of how civil society was changed as a whole. From the dawn of the Enlightenment Western European culture was changing due to the revolutionary new ideas that were changing. With the social change going on, political change was as ever evident as time went on. With these changes rooted in social change went out, the effects of the Enlightenment can be seen over 18th century Western Europe and beyond.
David has a strong thesis. It states that since the early 1800's our society has not changed
“If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the new stand side by side...when the glories of the old can be compensated by the rich possibilities of the new era? This time...is a very good one.”
Bauman, Z, (1988) cited in Hetherington K, and Harvard C.(eds) (2014, pg.126,142). He further claims, “This is the characteristic pattern of inequality in our contemporary consumer society one that contrasts with the lines of class and occupational status that characterised the major cleavages in Industrial society”. Bauman, Z, (1988) cited in Alan, J. (2014 pg. 275). Moreover, consumerism encourages people to consume creating their own identities, replacing Identities centred on production and work. Furthermore, Hayek in the ‘Ordering Lives Strand’ claims “The market should be free of political intervention allowing individuals to be free to pursue their own interests” Hayek, F.A. (1976). cited in Clarke, J. (2014 pg.380). However, Allen. claims “The ability to ‘buy into’ a particular lifestyle actively excludes others from it on the basis of lack of income and those unable to do so will be seen as unworthy or inadequate” (Allen, J. 2014 P. 278). Thus constraints can be seen placed on people through lack of income, turning differences into inequalities with evidence indicating that ‘People’s values, beliefs and status are now shaped by ‘Consuming’ rather than as in Industrial times by work, politics and religion’, (The Open University, 2016). Therefore, differences which turn into inequalities are as predominant in today’s consumer society as they were in our industrial
The colony is not only a possibility in the geographical; it is a mental dominance that can imperialize the entire self. Entire continents have be domineered, resources completely dried, and at colonialism’s usual worst, the mental devastation of the indigenous culture has left a people hollow. Indigenous culture is no longer that. In the globalized world, no culture is autonomous; culture cannot breathe without new ideas and new perspectives, perspectives that have traditionally come from the people who have lived within the culture. But, the imposition of dominant cultures has certainly benefited from culture’s own vulnerability, as global similarities now exist throughout most different, yet not separate cultures. Postcolonialism is imperialism with a mask on, nothing less. As Franz Fanon puts it “that imperialism which today is fighting against a s true liberation of mankind leaves in its wake here and there tinctures of decay which we must search out and mercilessly expel from our land and our spirits.”
It's true that this desire for things is what drives our economy. The free market has given us great blessings, but it has in some ways also put us on the wrong path -- the path to a selfish, unhappy society. Michael Lerner, who worked as a psychotherapist to middle-income Americans notes that
McMahon, Darrin M. "The Market and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Society 43.2 (2006): 53-61. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 20 July 2011.
A true saying is “Colonization often does more damage than contribution.” Colonialism encouraged Africa’s development in some areas, but in many others it severely damaged the natural progress of the continent. If colonialism was never imposed on Africa, Africa’s developments would be significantly different and many of the problems that the continent faces now would not exist today. In conclusion, at first it seems that colonialism has both positive and negative effects, but the truth is it only damages the colonized nation.
Drug users rationalize that they would be unhappier if they were kept from addictive substance, therefore they increase drug use. Increased drug consumption displays what is labeled as addiction in this theory. A situation is created where high drug use becomes a daily problem. Harmful addictions have two properties: reduced welfare and increased need for the good (Henden, Melberg, & Rogeberg,
In all cultures it is easy to see the effects of change. Change can be a revolution, a new form of thought, or a new idea surfacing. No matter what these changes are, they often emerge from the minority. In several cases this results an uprising, turning the social system on end. Simple examples of this type of change can be seen in the French or American revolutions, and even in the hippie movement of the 1960's. These changes depict how an idea shared only by a select few can snowball into the mindset of thousands. Within A Doll's House and An Enemy of the People, Henrick Ibsen shows his standpoint on the benefits of social change, and evolution within a people.
Due to enlightenment, the conservative world changed into the modern world (Ritzer 2008).
Individuals began to increasingly celebrate their differences and become less amenable to compromising what makes them unique. This inclination represents a marked departure from previous times when predispositions were to "fit in."
... at which they can grow as a society. Also, in all instances, the consumers (western consumers) have turned their heads and allowed this type of activity and exploitation to continue. From 1600 – 1860, the consumer’s could have rejected slavery as a source of labor. During the next era, we could have chosen to receive our natural resources from non-colonized areas, or even pay a premium for such products to support the native workers. And in today’s society, as Awon as stated in class, we as consumer’s vote with our dollars. It is up to us to choose which multinational corporations to support with our dollars. If consumers choose to not support coffee shops until they offer fair trade coffee beans, then they will listen or else they will go out of business. It is up to scholars like us who are aware of this blatant exploitation to make a difference in our society.
Addiction has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, from my earliest memories of my father, until now as I am a licensed professional in the field of addiction as well as a person in long term recovery myself.