Category: Essay

Essays written for various purposes

The Pitbull Law

Published on by ashleighewest2 Comments

If dogs are said to be a man’s best friend, why is the Ontario government trying to cause the extinction of a specific dog breed? Many people love pit bulls, but that did not stop the government from passing the “Pitbull Law” which states that no pit bulls are to be sold, bred, or imported into the province of Ontario. Why is it acceptable to pass judgement on one type of dog breed when the same treatment would not be tolerated for humans? How is this law fair to the loyal owners that love the breed? Did the government consider that the dog’s bad behaviour could be a result of poor training? Overall, it is unfair for a dog breed to be banned simply because of a societal stereotype.

Everything comes in different shapes, sizes, and colours and it has been instilled from a young age not to judge based on those differences. However, the pitbull does not get that type of respect, as many people jump at the chance to judge them.  Just because the pitbull has a larger body and may appear scarier than most other dog breeds people assume that they are vicious
and simply want to attack. Jumping to that conclusion is like stereotyping a man with a bigger build as someone that wants to harm other individuals. We know this is not true, as most men that have bigger builds are very friendly. This realization of an obvious stereotype could go for pit bulls too, as most of the pit bulls are friendly and just like any other dog.  Unfortunately, unlike humans they are not considered to be equals with other dogs and are treated as if they are horrible
creatures that don’t deserve to live.

The treatment of the pitbull breed is unquestionably unfair to owners and breeders alike.  Most owners have grown up with pitbulls and
have a developed an attachment to the breed, and now are being told that they are not allowed to have them any longer. While many of the breeders are finding themselves having to make the choice between leaving their family and their home to move to a province that
allows pitbulls, or staying in Ontario and living without the dog they adore and losing the income that they were making by selling the puppies.  This is a very hard decision that these individuals should not even have to consider making, and yet they are still being forced to do so.

Although some owners take excellent care of their pets, there are some that should not have a pitbull or any other dog to begin with.  Many people that own a dog do not know how to properly care for them and they do not give them the attention they need. As a result, dogs start to develop bad behaviour and it is due to this behaviour that some dogs end up attacking. Even though other dogs are known to attack, pit bulls are the only dogs that are being punished, which is truly unfair. Since other dogs do attack it shows that it is not just pitbull, but rather the owners that have role in how their dogs behave. Therefore, it is inexcusable to put all the blame on the dog, while the owners do not get any punishment. The dogs are not the ones in control, and for this reason the owner is the one who needs to be punished.

Overall, pit bulls should not be banned from Ontario simply because of a societal stereotype.  It is unfair to the dog to be judged just
because they have a bigger body type, it is unfair to the owners that love and breed them, and it is unthinkable to punish a dog for an owner’s neglect. Therefore, for these, and countless other reasons, the pit bull ban should be dropped.

Child Labour- We must STOP it

Published on by vorsulak1 Comment

If I was the leader of the free world and I had my chance to address any issue, without a heartbeat I could make my choice. In the world today there are many erroneous issues such as war, poverty, abuse, animal testing, discrimination, global warming and much more, but the one that touches me the most is an issue which should have never started. It is something which young children from ages five to fourteen are involved in. Can you guess it? Child Labour. This is important to me because I do not believe it is right nor do these children deserve these conditions. Coming from a large family and realizing that all of my younger brothers could be working in a factory disgusts me. Although I do believe that young adults should gain a sense of responsibility, a feeling of a stable job, and some extra money. Not all forms of work display a positive effect on children. Around two hundred and fifty children in undeveloped and unstable countries are suffering from child labour in horrid conditions. It is exploitative and inhumane. It is a myth that child labour is only a problem in undeveloped countries, children routinely work in industrialized hazardous all over the world. Child labour is a global crisis. This issue needs to be spread and conquered.

To help overcome this issue I would let the public know more about child labour and immediately abolish it. It is not appropriate, or legal. The real cause of child labour is simple: poverty. There is no doubt that poverty is the primary cause of child labour. If we are to help countries further develop, we need to reduce child labour and support universal education. Education should be affordable and accessible to all children. Countries registering the highest rates of child labour are among the poorest. Most factors relate to each other, if we can overcome child labour we can overcome poverty. We first need to provide children and their families with another source of income, creating more jobs in their village’s  increases employment. Children work as slaves because they are forced; this is their daily family income. If these children had the chance not to work it would be possible for them to enrol in school.  To abolish child labour there will be a loss of thousands of jobs with no one to take their place. Giving the jobs of the children to their adult relatives benefits everyone, this way the family does not suffer, and indeed should be better off. Adult wages are generally much higher than child wages which benefits the whole family. Any company that has child workers will be banned and the company will be shut down. If they continue to survive boycotting their products will impact them. Economic incentives take a huge role in this industry.

To conclude, this issue is important and should be addressed because child labour needs to be defeated for all the trouble it has caused to the millions of children. The public deserves to know more about this important issue and it needs to be conquered.

Re-socialization In Cults

Published on by libbyenglish1 Comment

Cults are groups in society that are seen as authoritarian, exploitive and sometimes, dangerous.  Cults recruit their members by luring individuals who are at a vulnerable point in their life.  Cult leaders look for smart, spiritual and idealistic people who can be easily convinced to join them using mind control, manipulation and deception to persuade them.  A successful initiation of an individual into a reckless cult displaces one’s former self and replaces it with a new one.  There are many key aspects to a cult: mind-control, exclusivism, intimidation and censorship.  Effectively using these techniques to control their members will successfully re-socialize an individual.

The main way that a cult manipulates its members is through mind-control, built around a strong authoritarian leader who gives their members unconditional love, acceptance and attention.  Controlling information they feel the members should know, and more importantly, not know.  If the members really knew what was going on, then they wouldn’t be members, they would be fleeing.  Cult leaders make their members feel as though they are a part of an exclusive club.  Leaders tell followers that they are the lucky ones who will be “saved” through membership in the organization.  Character assassination is used to make the individual feel belittled instilling guilty and false reasoning for their past choices and looking towards the leader for support.  Belittlement  allows leaders to advance their mind control tricks since the members are so beaten down to a vulnerable state.  Controlling a person’s identity allows leaders to gain full access to member’s minds, making the process of re-socialization a lot easier and quite effective.

Cults break down the members minds, making them easier to control.  Once a cult has fully brainwashed a member’s mind, the process of re-socialization becomes easier, and consequently quite difficult to reverse.  Members will be brainwashed to the point where they believe leaving the cult will result in something horrible happening to them.   At this point a cult will invoke fear into members, telling them that bad things will happen to them if they have impure thoughts towards the cult, question their beliefs or consider leaving.  The re-socialization process is critical to the effectiveness of the cult.  By re-socializing cult members they become mere pawns at the leader’s disposal.  A cult must re-socialize properly or they risk losing followers and, consequently, baring the truth of the cult’s manipulation.  Shortly after entering a cult the re-socializing process begins and bringing someone back from re-socialization is nearly impossible.

It is obvious that the sole purpose of a cult is to manipulate its members’ minds.  The only motive that a cult truly has is to brainwash its members and to use them in harmful ways.  Cults effectively control the minds of their members and by doing so, they re-socialize them.

Works Cited

Langone, Michael D. “Cults: Questions and Answers.”  15 October 2011

http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_articles/langone_michael_cultsqa.htm

Hexham. “General Information.” 15 October 2011

http://mb-soft.com/believe/text/cults.htm

“Who Joins Cults?” 15 October 2011

http://www.letusreason.org/Cult18.htm

The Success of a Shopaholic

Published on by briecroteau2 Comments

The Success of a Shopaholic

Brianne Croteau

Everyone has dreams and aspirations. Some dream to thrive in their personal lives, while others aspire to do well academically. Regardless, a defined set of skills is required in order to face challenges on the way to success.  I have acquired the skills necessary for my success through shopping. Being a regular consumer has developed my multi-tasking, creativity, and motivation.

Multi-tasking while shopping has promoted my success. Shopping can be extremely time-consuming, not leaving much room for homework or the gym. Making transactions helps me build my budgeting skills for accounting class, leading to my academic success. Shopping has also lead to my physical achievements. Parking far away from the door and taking the stairs enables me to fit in a brief cardiovascular workout while at the mall. Not to mention, trying on clothes can also work up a sweat. Since it is equally important to perform strength exercises, I am sure not to delegate the dreadful task of carrying heavy shopping bags. If you are like me, you purposely buy several pairs of shoes to add up to a significant weight. Hence, multi-tasking while shopping has resulted in my academic and physical success.

Shopping has built my creativity, helping me to succeed. I have been relentlessly told that I can be anything I want to be, and shopping allows me to truly feel that way. Trying on the perfect blazer transforms me into a prime businesswoman, and the right pair of stilettos dares me to feel like a celebrity. This creativity leads to my success, as I am able to imagine scenarios that are often outside of my comfort zone. Though, choosing outfits is hardly the only way my imagination is provoked when shopping. Most shopaholics would agree that their closet is one of their greatest companions. After a trip to the mall I am forced to find innovative ways to store purchases in a closet whose size is less than satisfactory. Being able to creatively solve problems easily transfers into everyday situations. Therefore, the creativity developed through my shopping endeavors enables me to think outside the box and problem-solve to help me succeed.

Shopping drives my motivation to be successful. Knowing a shopping spree awaits me, I am determined to achieve my goals at work and school alike. At my part-time job, I am continuously accepting extra shifts and taking on additional responsibilities. This work ethic is rewarded with more scheduled hours, promotions, and the title of employee of the month. These are all opportunities that provide me with more spending money. This extra cash flow, used for shopping, inspires me to be an outstanding employee at all times. Likewise, at school I am motivated to achieve a high level of academic standards to secure a promising future. This future will consist of employment that comes with a hefty paycheck to finance my constant need to shop. My motivation of shopping allows me to succeed at work, school, and ultimately at life.

Evidently, the skills I have obtained through shopping are crucial for my success. Multi-tasking, creativity, and motivation are skills not only necessary for a bright future, but for everyday occurrences as well. Bearing all the strengths I have developed through shopping in mind, my name is Brianne Croteau and I am proud to be a shopaholic.

Education to End Teen Suicide

Published on by natashaahammond2 Comments

24%. That’s the death rate of youth aged 15-24 that die from result of suicide. 90%. That’s the amount of young adults within this age group that are suffering from a mood disorder at the time of their suicide. And finally, 0. That is the initiative which seems to be shown in schools to reduce the “third leading cause of death among teenagers” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The solution to this extreme and growing issue lies within the education system. By targeting teenagers attending high school through speakers and assemblies as well as directed curriculum in regards to this issue, teenage suicide rates will certainly decrease. High schools should have more education techniques and strategies in place to inform students of depression and it’s symptoms in order to minimize teen suicide.

To reduce the high rates of suicide at such a young age, high schools could utilize speakers and assemblies in order to inform teenagers of this important issue and symptoms which can be recognized prior to a person committing such a final act of depression. There are many signs that someone is suffering from a mood disorder, and high school students should be taught how to notice symptoms and therefore seek help for a friend or classmate before the situation worsens. These assemblies could also target students dealing with depression and mood disorders themselves, by encouraging these individuals to seek help and informing them on how and where to find such. Relatable and sympathetic speakers whom teenagers can look up to would be key speakers to use, so that teenagers can look up to these examples and respect and listen to them and therefore further gain information on the subject of teenagers who believe suicide is their only option.

Another effective method to limit teenage suicides could be to incorporate the symptoms, rates, and effects into the education system. This idea would prove most effective if this information was added into a course which is mandatory so that every student will be informed. In grade nine, physical education is already a compulsory credit, therefore if teen suicide and the effects and warning signs of depression and mood disorders were further explored within this curriculum all teenagers would be aware of this information at a young age and therefore could carry it with them throughout the rest of their years as a young adult.

The high suicide rates, more specifically among teenagers and young adults between the ages 15 and 24 must be targeted and minimized by informing the people affected through the use of the education system within high schools. Teaching students of the effects and essential facts regarding depression and mood disorders could be accomplished through speakers and assemblies as well as being integrated into the curriculum as a mandatory credit. Through the years suicide among youth has become more and more common, and the effects on the rest of society are devastating. When someone takes their own life, they are not only affecting their future, but the future of those who love them such as family and friends. Suicide is not a final solution to deal with a temporary problem, and maybe if more people were aided in this realization, such an extreme, horrific and upsetting act could be better avoided.

Works Cited

“About Teen Suicide .”KidsHealth – the Web’s most visited site about children’s health. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2011. <http://kidshealth.org/parent/e

Program. “CDC – Injruy – Youth Suicide.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2011. <http://www.cdc.gov/violencepreve

statistics, learning about, suicide rates, and teen suicide.. “Suicide Facts and FAQs.” Sympathy words, gifts and resources to comfort the grieving.. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2011. <http://www.comfortyourheart.com/suicide-facts.html&gt;.