Hirschi Social Control Theory Essay Example for Free

Hirschi Social Control Theory Essay I agree with Hirchi’s Theory to a certain extent only. This is because I believe it is not applicable to all people and to all situations. Yes, it may be true that when a person, as early as his childhood, conforms to fit into groups and find his place, he will probably be a person who is responsible and law-abiding. While we still have our own self-interests and individuality, we all want to feel we belong and mould our beliefs and involvements to form attachments. Also, as stated by Hirchi’s Theory, conformity is formed by four variables which we develop through our interactions with family and school, the four being: attachment, commitment, involvement and belief. For me, attachment and conformity to different social groups in the society does not guarantee a person for him to be less ready in committing a crime. Yes, a human being’s personality is partly formed by the environment where he is in—may be the attachment and conformity with his environment helps in molding a righteous and morally-upright personality. But in humanism, a human being has the absolute control to his life. He has free will and it is up to him how he will react to the stimuli created by his environment. In addition, psychologically, the formation of personality is still debatable whether it is nature or nurture. Nature says that a human being’s personality is genetic and on the other hand, nurture says that personality is molded by his environment. I think that some criminals can still be counseled psychologically targeting areas where in he has not yet matured and where he is still fixated—some of these may be the lack of attachment to social groups.

Examining The Revolution Of Internet Usage Media Essay

Examining The Revolution Of Internet Usage Media Essay Internet usage has brought revolution in communication. In the recent past, there has been advancement internet technology making internet more accessible to many peoples. In business and institutions internet communication has brought major changes to how communication is made. One of the major effects of internet is making information more accessible to most people. Although this has been highly praised, it has brought questions on regulation on usage of internet. In the recent past families, organizations, institutions, interest groups and even governments have been calling for internet censorship. Internet censorship can have positive impact depending on context. New technological innovations have led to the introduction of internet services which play a major role in the world of communication. The internet provides an appropriate forum, where people can communicate with one another regardless of their geographical location. Due to minimal regional restriction on internet services, people from virtually all ages with internet knowledge in most part of the world can easily access it. Conventionally, internet was a communication tool that mainly consisted of e-mail service. Internet users still sign up for user accounts through which they receive and send e-mails to other registered users (Foerstel 120). Since the modifications of original internet user configurations, internet has significantly improved in its functions as it provides a wide array of options in both private and commercial websites with a lot of information. North Korea is considered among the top blog-unfriendly nations in the world due to internet censorship. It is only the foreigners and politically privileged people who are allowed to access the internet freely in the country. Consequently, there is no openly existent blog in leading to difficulties by North Koreans to access blogs. Journalists are allowed by the government of North Korea into the country on condition that they are followed around by watchers to ensure they do not indulge in suspicious activities. The government also carries out censorship on news before it is made public hence control over all information that the citizens receive (Icon Group International, Inc. 39). In Pakistan, self censorship by media companies started with the reign of General Zia who was both the president and army chief (Icon Group International, Inc. 48). In this form of censorship, press material is checked so that the governments credibility is not tarnished. All press material in Pakistan must favor the government of the day to ensure political serenity in the country. In Guilford County, North Carolina, initial plans to ban two books The Color Purple and Native Son that were used in teaching literature in the curriculum faced a petition to eliminate them from the coursework and won. This was as a result of a censorship policy which was aimed at using software and other means to restrict pornographic material from being accessed from online sources or school libraries, a move that was considered unconstitutional (Foerstel 207). School boards in Lima, Ohio and Jackson County in Ripley unanimously voted against this form of censorship by the year 1999. At the same period, The Color Purple was eliminated from the curriculum and libraries at Ferguson High School in Virginia (Foerstel 207) due to claims of vulgar language and explicit content. This form of internet restriction was received as an unappreciative move of eliminating library material for scholars. As a result of the censorship move gaining negative response, lawmakers prepared new and better rules that allowed scholars to obtain online information without the boundaries censorship caused as a result of preventing public obscenity displays through the internet (Foerstel 114). The internet came with a myriad of challenges and in some cases, unique set of unanticipated drawbacks also came forming its disadvantages. Based on extreme case scenarios, this essay seeks to argue against the application of censorship policies to information sources on the internet. It goes ahead to suggest the alternative need for better protection policies that favor both the users and controlling bodies before finalizing on the extent of its applicability if deemed necessary. Sandra Hughes of CBS news reports of Robert Wise, an online sex predator who preys on a 14 year old girl and later on gets arrested for soliciting for sex from a minor unfolding the dangers of unrestricted online communication between different parties. The CBS reporter further gives an account of the story of Kyla Reed, a 15 year old who goes missing without a trace after being an active participant in MySpace. Investigations link her disappearance to her activities on the social network (Kreiser 7). The culmination of such stories is a likely reason that would arouse governments to conduct censorship of the internet. This would however not put an end to the activities of predators as they would carry them out elsewhere. It is a preferable option to innovate alternative means of preventing online predators. Various aspects of socialization can be attributed to interactions through the internet that have improved communication among different users of the web. This has been made possible by internet service developers inventing ways of configuring more sophisticated services such as voice over internet protocols and instant messaging services that pave way for the creation of highly interactive web sites. Presently, Face book, MySpace and Twitter are the leading social internet sites which use chats as the latest culmination of instant messaging service among other options for internet communication. Such web sites reflect on the need to have communication infrastructure which appreciates urgency and convenience, the limitations in the physical environment notwithstanding. Restricted internet use would bar intercommunication among people of different cultures thus deterring the build up of social ties and should be avoided where applicable. Internet usage is increasingly becoming a necessity to users who spend most of their time searching for information that is to be implemented in either personal or professional use. Internet also plays a fundamental role in the media fraternity as it is a means of sending and receiving both local and international news (Jones 19). Basing on this, communication is made much easier for journalists because they have access to vital information through the internet and a ready audience. CBS and other news networks have links on Face book, Tweeter and MySpace to keep track of its audience for information dissemination. With new innovations, there were introductions of updated journals in form of blogs which provided diverse information. Journalists are however criticized by scholars as being supposedly cynical in their work which brings about the claim of lack of professionalism. Jones weblog on Real and fake news shows the criticism reporters receive from the public and intellectuals for what they term as irresponsibility caused by bias in reporting. They brand this as the main reason for the young people being politically ill informed as a result of turning to non credible or single sided sources of information (Jones 20). Such political content in news makes authorities have reason to ground a basis for information censorship. Positively impacting sites include those which are educative and informative in terms of providing essential academic materials to users. In addition, many people use online services to communicate with people across the continent. At present, communication is much easier through the internet because people can easily chat from sites of social networks. Apart from education and communication purposes, the internet has gained popularity because of its entertainment nature as users can play games, download pictures, music and movies (Contrada 117). Despite the many benefits derived from internet use, there has been a realization of some setbacks. Internet can negatively influence users since it at times contains offensive and explicit materials. At a very rampant rate, sexual sites with pornographic content are frequently visited by people of different ages including underage children out of curiosity or ignorance. Regardless of parental monitoring, it is very difficult to control what children do while using computers. For this reason, there are controversies on what basis the internet should be censored (Farhi 5). Due to high levels of possible risks that vulnerable internet users are predisposed to, censoring online services is increasingly becoming a preference to authorities since it promises protection to its users from the proliferation of malpractices such as sexual exploitation. Censoring is seen as a probable solution that would therefore help parents who have difficult time in controlling their childrens access to pornographic sites that display distorting material oblivious of what their effects may be. Similarly, the degree of devastating effects that it has on the users is deliberately ignored by the hosts to the detriment of the society. Even though censoring of internet content may not have a major influence on the amount of responsibility adults practice on the vulnerable group, it is important to control unsociable internet activities like human trafficking (Chawki Wahab 1). People especially, women and children often fall into the trap of human traffickers who advertise themselves and conduct most of their practices through the sites. Without knowing many people are blindly lured into such illegal practices since it is sometimes difficult to judge the credibility of a given site due to their persuasive nature. To help curb these cases, censorship may seem to be a preferable option. However, governments involved should come up with new ways of monitoring the use of internet especially in criminal activities such as human trafficking (Chawki Wahab 4). In relation to e-mail services, censoring the internet would prevent users from illegally accessing unauthorized information. E-mail intruders would therefore have a difficult time in acquiring information once the internet is censored. In addition, censoring internet information will help detect and prevent behaviors and habits of users with malicious motives. This is likely to save the society a lot of social problems that lead to loss of moral wellbeing. The main reason is that all undesirable information is crushed automatically when the internet is censored. Furthermore, users are protected from hate mails or any other information from the populace that leads to negative effects. Censoring the internet can be beneficial since it will ensure control of the kind of material that people access such as government information. These administrative bodies are usually strict when it comes to secrets and will always try to conceal vital records from the public. Although there are ways of concealing information, some individuals will work out ways of accessing such records through the web. Arresting such people may not be a permanent solution because others might continue with the trend. Effective innovative ways to detect and prevent these malicious acts would be a useful remedy to the governments since the public will not succeed in acquiring any secrets (Drezner 34). Although censoring the internet can be advantageous, it may deny non-targeted individuals the opportunity of accessing important information (Contrada 83). Internet should not be censored because it may prevent people from getting vital information. Such information as educative content, scientific information based on recent studies may lead to new ideas that could be hidden from users. Therefore, censoring internet sources is likely to hinder innovation and new discoveries because the means of acquiring new and supportive information is complicated. Censoring the internet can also be a disadvantage to individuals as they would not get the opportunity to express themselves. Internet is a place where people can openly express themselves to other people. Furthermore, it is also a place where people can learn about the views of others. By restricting online services, free interaction would be hindered. To a certain level, a particular government can benefit from internet restrictions although it would be at the expense of its citizens (Contrada 64). This means that internet censoring is seen as only benefiting the government while its citizens suffer. Such a government risks being viewed as overly oppressive. In most cases, censoring internet sources may appear like denying citizens the right to information. People have the need to acquire knowledge about all changes that are happening around them and in other places. Restricting online services will also prevent them from knowing important information about the government. It is not fair to put people in the dark especially when there are difficulties in the country. Societies are part of a country and so should be updated of various issues within the nation (Contrada 32). Moreover, censoring the internet would prevent the media from accessing and conveying essential information to citizens by the government. There should be freedom of the press whereby journalists can express themselves without any restrictions. Once online services are restricted, journalists may be unable to even access international news. In America, restricting the internet would go against the 1st Amendment right which states that there should be freedom of speech and press (Drezner 33). Globalization is increasingly changing the world of communication as there are new technologies which make interactions much easier. Internet communication is considered as one of the major sources of information to the media fraternity both locally and internationally. Censoring the internet may therefore limit the manner in which the media sends information to its target consumers and limit intercultural communication which is widely done through the web. Journalists are frequent internet users as they receive and convey information through different sites. Journalists prefer using blogs because it is a quick method of information dissemination especially when conveying urgent and important information. Through blog sites, journalists are able to discuss a wide range of topics which including politics, economy, environment, finance and many more. More often, journalists use online services to publish political issues that may affect their country or other countries. If the internet is censored, it would not be possible for people to acquire certain information about political issues. Online services should not be censored because it would prevent journalists from hosting and visiting blog sites that are very essential to them. Apart from blogs, journalists normally visit social networks which they use due to their fast nature and popularity in information conveyance. Journalists also prefer the site especially for stories that are changing so fast such as the development of a report on survivors of a plane crash. Mainstream media depend s on such information since collection and encoding can be done fast. (Farhi 3). Primarily, internet plays an essential role in the world of communication. Through the internet, people are able to communicate with one another regardless of their geographical locations. Online service is therefore one of the major source of information to media fraternity. (Rosen 3). Although internet is very useful to genuine users, it also has limitations since it is characterized by sites that contain sexual materials. Censoring the internet has been made necessary owing to the need for keeping unauthorized individuals at bay through blocking access to sites by users who cannot practice self censorship as a result of ignorance or curiosity. The demerits arising from liberal internet use can however be curbed by coming up with monitoring policies that protect and prevent vulnerable groups. This is mainly because censorship would deny genuine internet users the opportunity to acquire information from a variety of sources. A better recommendation would be to develop alternative internet policies that permit users to access specific sites on the internet. This would protect vulnerable groups from exploitation by malicious people thus enhancing the security of the state.

Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe - King of Nothing :: Defoe Robinson Crusoe Essays

Robinson Crusoe is said to be the first realistic novel ever, an it is written by Daniel Defoe. In this novel we meet Robinson Crusoe who is stranded on a uninhabited island. In the topical excerpt called "the print of a foot" Crusoe sees a footprint, and he starts wondering if the island really is uninhabited. Though Robinson Crusoe is stranded on a island in the middle of nowhere without any facilities, he is not a desperate man in any way. He sees himself as a king or an emperor, an feels kind of free, despite the limited geographical space. Crusoe also says "I had neither the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life. I had nothing to covet, for I had all that I was now capable of enjoying". The fact that the environment around Crusoe has been changed completely, has also changed his way of thinking. Women has been less importaint, which is naturale since there are no women around. But we can also see how the lack of material things, forces Crusoe to focus on other tings and get other values. He starts thinking and reflecting about life and his own surroundings. Crusoe becomes pleased with the fact that he has everything he needs on the island, and he uses only what is needed; nothing more. The religious aspect of Robinson Crusoe should be mentioned. Crusoe t hinks a lot about God and the Devil. He looks upon every positive ting, such as the rich nature, as gifts from God. Crusoe is very thankfull to this, and he is happy that he is able to consider what he enjoed, rather then what he wanted. But also the Devil was something he beleaved existed. This shows when Crusoe one day sees the footprint in the sand, and first thinks that it must be the Devil. After some time though, he concludes that this can not be right. It must have someother explanation... Of course Robinson Crusoe can be seen as "an ideal of individual enterprise empire-building". Crusoe fights the nature and manage to live well on a island all by himselfe. He also take care of the environment in a good way. But in all this, I also think there is a fundamental thought of power, which we can be critical to.

Recreation and Power vs. the Environment :: Free Essays Online

Recreation and Power vs. the Environment The emptying of Lake Powell has now been an issue for years. The sierra club strongly supports the draining of the lake for environmental issues. One side of the debate argues for recreation, water and power supplied from the lake. The other argues for the saving of an environment that is now being destroyed by the existence of the lake. Both sides carry strong support, and the debate sees no clear end coming any time soon. Lake Powell was created in the 1950’s with the building of the Glen Canyon Dam, as part of the Colorado River Restoration Project. This dam was built to support a power plant to power parts of Northern Arizona and Southern Utah, and to ensure the steady water supply of the Colorado. It filled Glen Canyon with water. The lake now crosses into both states and is a recreation area for sightseers, cliff divers, swimmers, fisherman, and boaters. The making of the lake brought about the building of the city of Page, which raises 500 million dollars per year of tourism revenue. This man-made lake now delivers power and water to over 22 million people. But does this power come at a cost? Lake Powell has come as such a cost that does not prove worthwhile. Its draining will help to fix the ecosystem, and the state of the southwest. The water in Lake Powell is now dropping at an enormous rate. The rivers that feed the lake cannot sustain the levels they once had. The lake has dropped over 100 feet. Creating this lake made a water mass that was very susceptible to evaporation; it evaporates at a rate of a million and a half acre feet per year. This would be stopped with the draining of the lake, and letting the river be restored to its original state. With the making of the damn, very important fish and plant habitat was destroyed, some of these being important and endangered species. It also prevented the flow of fish to different part of the river, as there are now 11 dams along the rivers.

Nature Versus Nurture Essay

Nature versus Nurture The nature versus nurture debate has been one that has been around for centuries. This debate was spawned from the idea that nature and nurture are both pieces of the human puzzle. Are we as humans shaped because of our genes only or are we influenced by our peers and environment? The opinion of this writer is that a person is who he or she is based on both principals of nature and nurture. Personal Thoughts My thoughts on nature and nurture have never been explored until now. I have always assumed that I am who I am because God made me this way. Now that I have learned a bit more about this debate, I find that I am a product of both nature and nurture. I am tall, have brown hair, wear glasses, and speak with a country accent because of my gene structure given to me by my parents. The way that I act and my thought processes come from influences in my environment and the teachings of my family. â€Å"We are a product of nature and nurture, but we are also an open system† (Myers, pg. 167). This means that even though genes and culture are influences in a person’s overall structure, a person can defy each. For example, as a teenager, I was always pressured to go with the crowd and conform to their ways of thinking and acting. I wanted so badly to fit in and found it difficult because I was tall, lanky, and had acne which was all given to me by my nature or genetic structure. Growing up in a smaller town, teenage drinking was a pressure of my social group and while I knew it would be the â€Å"thing to do†, I opposed what culture was telling me was okay. I chose not to go with the crowd and for that, I enjoyed my high school experience in my own way. I was taught by my parents the consequences of right and wrong and knew that making such choices were wrong for me which was instilled in me through the nurture part of my makeup. God says â€Å"Train up a child in the way in which he should go† (Prov. 22:6) which must have been a very important verse as I was growing up. My parents and grandparents have always been influential in making me a self-respecting, confident adult who can make conscious decisions on my own. History The nature versus nurture debate first began in the 13th century in France. Our genes give us our internal imprint that tell us what color our eyes are, how tall we will be, and how big our feet will be. Our genetic structure makes us unique. Psychological influences refer to our beliefs, feelings, and expectations of life experiences. These characteristics are based on the â€Å"gene-environment interaction† and can give us â€Å"responses evoked by our own temperament, gender, etc. † (Myers, pg. 167). Finally, social-cultural influences are how society influences our development. These can come from our parents, friends, culture, and even gender. A person’s social-cultural influences can cause them to see people differently than they normally would. I could see this being the state where racism is influenced. Unfortunately, I see this becoming a bigger influencing factor in the years ahead and we, as a society, have many different cultural groups in our everyday lives. Conclusion In conclusion, the nature versus nurture debate can take on many different forms in how it is perceived. One could see that they are who they are based on their heredity while another could see it from an environmental viewpoint.

Finance and Company Essay

So Wrigley has to make decisions on whether or not to borrow $ 3 billion for recapitalization. Question Based on the above situation, there are few questions that arise as seen below: ? Whether the recapitalization would be good for the company’s development in the long run? ?After borrowing $ 3 billion dollars what would the impact on the company’s debt rating be? ?What’s the impact on the company’s share value; would the recapitalization increase the company’s share value? ?What’s the impact on the company’s WACC, an increase or decrease? Would recapitalization increases the EPS of the company? Hypothesis Before capital restructuring due to not having any debt, return on capital and operating income as a percent of sales can be used based on exhibit 2(it is $513,356/$2,429,646= 21%) which is the A to AA range of investment grade. After recapitalization, the company’s debt rating will fall to a BB/B rating which reflects a higher risk and lower debt rating that will cause higher yields. According to Exhibit 7’s given information, the yield is between BB (12. 753) to B (14. 663) to obtain a cost of debt. Impact on share value If the company chooses to repurchase the stock, the WD will be 22. 89% (3,000,000/13,103,000), the WACC will be 10. 19% (22. 89% (1-40%)*13%+77. 1%*10. 9%). Both 10. 32% and 10. 19% are lower than the WACC before recapitalization, which indicates that after the recapitalization the company will have a lower minimum rate of return for the company that it needs to earn on its investments to maintain its wealth. Impact on Voting Control If the company is using the dividend plan to do capital restructuring, there will not be any impact on voting control. However, if the company is using the stock repurchase plan, it will have an influence on the voting control. The current Wrigley family ownership includes 21% of common shares and 58% of B shares. The total numbers of shares outstanding for Wrigley consists of the sum of the common shares of 189. 8 million and class B shares of 42. 641 million (10 votes each), a total of 232,441 million shares. So the company will have 46. 6% ((189. 8*21%+426. 41*58%)/616. 21=46. 6%)voting control before recapitalization. After the recapitalization the voting control will increase to 49% [(179. 22-42. 641)*21%+426. 41*58%]/ (136. 58+426. 41) =49Based on the above analysis, my suggestion is not to borrow $ 3 billion dollars, or if the company insists in doing a recapitalization I would suggest for them to not borrow as much and to make some investment on assets instead of it all in equity. For the Wrigley Company I think they should keep their debt below 50 percent. Because after recapitalization, it will have negative impacts on EPS, debt rating, share value and it has a slightly positive impact on WACC and voting control. The results of impact on EPS analysis shows that EPS will drop from $ 1. 61 to 0. 46 and, the debt/ assets ratio will be 169% which will increase the company’s risks. From a debt rating aspect, after borrowing $ 3 billion dollars, the debt rating of the company will decline from AA/A to BB/B which means that the company will have a higher interest rate, more interest expense and a lower credit rating in the future. This is not good for the company’s future development. From a long term prospective, I believe it’s important that the company be careful in determining whether they should pursue a dividend or stock repurchase strategy. If the company chooses to use the $ 3 billion to pay dividends now, it might increase the investor’s satisfaction in the short run but once the dividend has been paid, the investor will expect the same amount of dividend in the future and a lower dividend might disappoint investors and that might affect the company’s stock price in the future. The stock repurchase is temporary as well, so after the repurchase the ending stock price might drop and it may hurt a potential new investor who made a purchase during the repurchase period. All things considered as long as Wrigley keeps an eye on their long term goals and continues to look at the big picture whilst making good solid financial choices for their company they should be most successful.

Acting like a lady

Acting like a lady Essay So You Want To Act Like a Lady?For years women have been waxing, plucking and beautifying themselves for one reason and one reason only; because they think that is beauty. A woman is only classified as a lady if she can walk, talk and dress the part. The way that society has viewed femininity has changed immensely over the past hundred years, but acting like a tomboy or, heaven forbid, being strong and independent is looked down upon in the eyes of men and other women. Certain standards of ladylike demeanor have become outdated in todays society, and women should be looked at as beautiful when strong and independent. But what defines a woman to be ladylike, and can it be defined as a single type? I believe that standards of beauty have changed, and standing out is what will get you ahead in society today. Stereotypes of the ideal female must be brought down to work on achieving inner beauty and internal happiness. Since the 1950s, women have been seen as very dainty and sensitive creatures who are meant to be silent partners to their mates. A womans place was in the home-cooking, cleaning and watching after her children. Women were to get up every morning and prepare lunches for their breadwinning husbands, as well as wake and dress the children for school, cook breakfast, do housework and have a hot meal on the table when her husband was to return home. Women have stepped down to their traditional roles as housewife and caretaker, and it has raised many issues in society today. It was considered a womans job to be a good cook and be a whiz with a broom, in fact, it is what made them so darn attractive. Times, they are a changing. In fact, the U.S Department of Labor states that in the year 2008, women will make up 48% of the work force. That means that more women will be going to college and getting and education, as well as heading out into the workforce to make a name for themselves. Being a lady also means dressing like a lady. But since when has the portrait of a woman relied on what she wore? I have been told all my life that high heels are a womans best friend, and a true treasure is finding just your shade of lipstick. The pain that women endure for a small amount of vanity will be forever a mystery to me. Hours spent in the bathroom with irons, curlers, pokers, prodders, waxes and powders, and for what? So you can pretend you enjoy it and wake up the next morning and do it all again. The first test in becoming ladylike lies in a womans outer appearance. Not long ago, it was considered beautiful to run around in tightly yanked corsets and ballroom gowns, but now we must wear high heels that look like some sort of torture device? Running late to the market in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt is completely unacceptable, if you a true lady that is. I remember growing up watching reruns of shows like The Brady Bunch and The Wonder Years and in every episode the women were dressed in ridiculous looking dresses and jumpers. They never looked comfortable, and they sure as heck couldnt throw around the football! To find a woman in a pair of jeans and a do-rag was permitted only while working in the yard or cleaning the house. I grew up my entire life in a t-shirt, jeans and a pair of softball cleats, and I consider myself very much a lady. I would have much rather scored the winning run than play with my sisters Barbie bake oven, thats for sure. READ: Fears and Phobias EssayTo be a lady also means to act like a lady. This means no spitting, swearing, farting, cursing, hitting, name-calling or getting dirty. It is completely impossible for any one person to go their entire life without performing at least one, it not all of these acts, repeatedly. Why hide the fact that you just ate a medium pizza and then drank a 2 liter of Coke? Let out a little belch. And in someones unwritten laws of being a woman, it was decided that women must be dainty and sensitive to matters of decorum. I know that most men take comfort in the fact that they must provide for their wives and perform difficult tasks to show their manhood, but what about those few precious women who can get things done by themselves? Men are in charge of manual labor, heavy machinery and getting a little dirt underneath their fingernails. Because, we all know that dirt would never find its way into a ladys fingernail, or it would just be extremely hard to see under t heir pastel pink fingernail polish. To be a lady means to never to be one of the guys. And women participating in sports are completely out of the question. A woman wasnt allowed to play rough and be tough because they would never find a man, get married and have children (supposedly every womans fulfillment in life?) Women are meant to be the cheerleaders standing off to the side at a baseball game, looking adoringly into their little mirrored compact and asking who just scored a touchdown. Do men really find, ditsy, uneducated women attractive? Do they really want a woman to rely on their every move and hang on their every whim? Empowered women, to me, are the epitome of beauty, and if that means ripping a worm in half, sticking it on the hook and catching dinner, then so be it. Up until just recently, women have been content being looked down upon by powerful men in society, but in my eyes, for gender inequality to go on any longer would be a travesty. Women today need to realize that they no longer need to fit some ridiculous cookie-cutter mold that insecure men have formed for them. It infuriates me that at one time, women werent allowed to play professional sports, let alone vote! It all turned around though, just eighty five years ago when women were allowed into the voters booth. To think that resources were once unobtainable to the women before me, only motivates me to take advantage of all I can in the time that I have here on earth.