Films are a form of art that involves presentations of moving images. Films originated from photography as they are motion pictures resulting from high level of creativity and innovation. Their presentation as moving pictures makes them unique with respect to other forms of art like paintings. Films, according to Plato are a representation of the real world- a notion that has been strongly disputed by some film analysts and theorists. Plato was a theorist who believed in realism. Plato argued that filmmakers ought to reflect the actual society, human behavior, culture as well as nature and not just produce films for entertainment as their major role in the society is to inform and educate thus should not exaggerate or alter actual facts. This paper assess the filmmakers’ ability to imitate nature in their films with regard to Plato’s theory drawing examples from Blow-up film by Antonioni, Nananook of the North, Workers Leaving Lumiere Factory by Lumiere brothers and The Plow that Broke the Plains.
The Perception of Reality in Documentary Films: Exploring the Relationship between Reality and Filmmaker’s Interpretation
Plato believes that art, films inclusive, reflects the actual society. Plato argues that filmmakers’ ideas as well as issues expressed in films are inspired by actual events in the society and nature. He believes that filmmakers’ intention ought to be to educate the audience by presenting issues that affects the society as imitation is an appropriate natural mode of learning morals as well as ethics. However, most filmmakers’ intention is always to entertain and in their attempt to achieve that purpose they end up exaggerating thus distorting the actual events. They delude the truth and use language to make the film captivating and moving hence cannot be assumed to be a copy of the real world as explicated by Buckland (2011). For instance, in the film Blow-up by Antonioni, the filmmaker paints an exaggerated picture of a day in the life of glamorous photographer.
Plato believes that art is the imitation of absolute reality such that every image depicted in film has an original form in the actual world. However, the signs used in films to signify events, culture and human behaviors are normally unclear thus ambiguous. In most cases the symbols used express varied meanings such that the meaning deducted by the audience may completely differ from the meaning the filmmaker had in mind. The signs could represent anything in the society depending of the audience’s extent of exposure and scope of knowledge concerning the subject matter. Therefore, filmmakers cannot be assumed to imitate reality in their films as described by Buckland (2011). For instance in the film Blow- up, Antonioni uses a car as a symbol which could be interpreted to signify the protagonist’s elegance, wealth or style which may not have been the filmmakers’ original significance as suggested by Kozloff, M. (1967).
Plato argues that films mirror nature and human behavior because they bring about culture and portray human behavior. However, culture is prone to human manipulation. For example in most cases human beings make rules and regulations followed and believed in culture and often give nature as reasons for their actions. Buckland (2011) claims that human beings can choose what to view as nature and the aspects of nature to include in their culture. Similarly, filmmakers can choose the aspect of nature to incorporate in culture and aspects that they want the audience to view as reality thus cannot be considered to be expressing reality. For instance, the images of Inuk and his family eating raw meat in Nananook of the North is unnatural in the real context as much as it is not entirely impossible but it is the extraordinary aspect the filmmaker incorporates as a culture of people experiencing hardship on their journeys but is not completely true for every individual who find himself/herself in a similar circumstance as implied by Matheson (2011).
In addition, Buckland (2011) suggests that filmmakers do present their own ideas, opinions and experience which depend on their own level of interaction with human beings, environment as well as nature. As much as Plato suggests that filmmakers’ ideas are inspired by events in the real world, their level of inspiration depends on their own context of experience with reality, interpretation of life events and their own perception of humanity, nature as well as life. Therefore, their ideas cannot be termed to represent the entire society as the audience may have entirely different experience of a similar situation that would not have any connection with the ideas and opinions of the film makers. For in instance in the film, Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory, the Lumiere brothers share their own ideas concerning workers’ behavior including their anxiety to get home and their extent fatigue after the days’ work but does not mean all the workers behave in a similar manner after work as illustrated by Allan, M. (2008). . Therefore, assuming that films imitate reality would be misguided as well as misleading since issues and ideas they present has no connection with the real world.
Buckland (2011) further suggests that the art of film production involves simulation. Filmmakers do reverse or recreate reality through simulation of real events. Therefore, they cannot be considered to be holding up to nature as the process of simulations alters the real world presenting the world in regard to filmmakers’ own image and liking. In the process of film production, filmmakers push things to their limit, modifying and manipulating them to achieve their own desires thus transforming reality such that the end results are models of reality which should not be mistaken to be real. They destroy the actual, making reality disappear since opposing deductions of a film are all true from the image they generate from. Thus tend to show events in the manner they did not appear in real life. Therefore as much as films have some aspects of reality in the resulting model they do not absolutely mirror the society. For instance in the film- The Plow that Broke the Plains, the events showed in the film are not the actual events instead are modeled with the assistance of the inhabitants of the plan to suit his intentions of informing the government of the suffering of the people as explained by Lorentz et al (2007).
Moreover, Buckland (2011) states that films are fictions hence cannot reflect the actual world. The process of film production does require creativity and innovation that employ imaginations hence films are illusions. In an attempt to make their work unique, outstanding and selling they incorporate a lot of imaginations mixed with reality. Their imaginations tend to reflect their own thoughts, desires or expectations of the society but should not be mistaken for real. For instance Antonioni’s Blow-up is a fiction story concerning the lifestyle of the protagonist who is a glamorous photographer thus cannot be real. Even documentary films of historical events do not imitate reality since in most cases filmmakers arrive at the scene after the occurrence of the event and attempt to recreate the events in the manner they imagined those events occurred originally with the help of eye witnesses thus liable to biasness as expressed by Eagleton (2003). .
Buckland (2011) says that nothing can absolutely reflect the real world since nature is complex, culture is dynamic and individual’s behavior is unpredictable thus nothing can exactly bring out the complexity of nature. Moreover, films are subjective hence cannot be taken as a representation of reality. Different inferences can be inferred from one film by different people hence films are not objective and those deductions would not be rejected as long as they are appropriately defended. Thus filmmakers do not copy the society because every individual has their own perception of reality just by the fact that we are unique in nature. Their interpretation depends on the audience hence the audience holds the vote concerning whether the film reflects reality or not therefore should not be coaxed into agreeing that the film imitate reality. For instance, in the film- Nanook of the North– the filmmaker documents the Inuk’s family’s experiences on their journey; showing the hardship they went through and the extent they went through to survive but those are not the challenges faced by every individual who at one point faced hardship on their journey as implied by Matheson (2011).
In conclusions, films are a unique form of art that express ideas or narrate stories by using motion pictures aimed at entertaining. The notion that filmmakers do imitate reality as claimed by Plato has been disputed and considered misleading. Filmmakers do not normally hold the mirror up to nature as they present their own perception of nature which is not entirely true given that every individual experiences nature and life differently. Besides filmmakers do not always present events exactly as they occur in the real world since they are clouded by their desire to captivate and impress the audience thus end up altering or exaggerating reality. In addition, films incorporate imagination of reality but that does not mean the events are real. The art of film production itself involves simulation of real events leading to reconstruction of reality thus the resulting models cannot be assumed to mirror the actual world. Therefore, filmmakers may attempt to express some aspects of reality but that does not mean they reflect the actual society as nothing can absolutely bring out the complexity of nature.
References
Allan, M. (2008). Deserted histories: The Lumiere Brothers, the pyramids and early film form. Early Popular Visual Culture. doi: 10.1080/17460650802150416
Buckland, W. (2011). Review of Richard Rushton, The Reality of Film: Theories of Filmic Reality. New Review of the Film and Television Studies. Doi:10.1080/17400309.2011.585876
Eagleton, T. (2003). After theory. New York: Basic Books.
Kozloff, M. (1967). The Blow-Up. Michelangelo Antonioni. Film Quarterly. doi: 10.1525/fq.1967.20..3.04a0060.
Lorentz, P., Stoney, G.C, Thomson, V., King, F., Gil-Ordonez, A., … Naxos Rights International Ltd. (2007). The plow that broke the plains: The river. United States: Naxos.
Matheson, S. (2011). The “True Spirit” of Eating Raw Meat: London Nietzsche, and Rousseau in Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North (1922). Journal of Popular Film and Television: doi 10.1080/01956051.2010.490074
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The identified practical issue the paper will address is the prognosis method of physical examination used in predicting fifth disease among children below the age of 15 years. Fifth disease is very common among children aged 5 years to 15 years and is characterised with distinctive red rash on the children’s faces. The red rashes then spreads to the other parts of the body such as the legs, arms and trunk. Health care professionals usually predict fifth disease by the unique rashes on the body or the face of the child. This is done by physically examining the body of the infected patient. However, studies indicate that fifth disease starts with headache, fever and mild cold like symptoms or the runny or stuffy nose. Eventually these symptoms disappear and the disease seems to have gone away until days later when rash appear. These bright red rashes normally start on the face of the child and days later it spreads and extend to the arms, legs and the trunk (yyyy, uuuu, gggg). Furthermore, noted that an individual with parvovirus infection is very contagious before the appearance of the rashes. This implies that before the appeared of the rashes on the body and face, fifth disease is very contagious during incubation (period before onset of symptoms after infection) and when the child is experiencing mild respiratory symptoms. The current method for prognosis of fifth disease depends on physical examination after red rashes has appeared. The method is useful only after the incubation period of the virus and after the patient has passed the contagious phase of the disease.
Also referred to as erythema infectiosum, the disease is usually mild and spreads through the respiratory droplets entering the air from sneezes and coughs of an infected person or through blood. According to (), fifth disease is a viral disease that most children quickly recover from without any complications. Various studies indicate that despite the fact that40%-60% of adults globally show laboratory evidence of having parvovirus B19 in the past, most of them cannot remember experiencing the fifth disease symptoms. Therefore, it is believed by the medical experts that most people infected with parvovirus B19 have no symptoms at all or have very mild symptoms (ffff,gggg.kkk). () pointed out that fifth disease occurs everywhere and mostly it tend outbreak during early spring and late winter. However, there could be some sporadic cases of fifth disease throughout a year. () noted that these rashes normally spares the soles of the feet and the palms of the hand. As the rashes begin to disappear, they takes on an appearance that is lacy net like. According to (), older children complain sometimes that the rashes itch. Moreover, certain stimuli such as the stress, exercise, heat and sunlight may reactivate the rashes before it fades completely. For the rashes to completely heal, it may take about 1-3 weeks. Other symptoms that occurs sometimes with fifth disease include red eyes, swollen glands, diarrhoea, sore throat and rarely skin rashes that appear like bruises or blisters.
Despite the fact that healthcare professionals majorly depend on physical examination of the patient as a prognosis method for fifth disease, there is limited understanding on the physical examination prognosis method for fifth disease before appearance of the red rashes. As such, physical examination variables for prognosis of fifth disease before the onset of the red rashes varies significantly between the physicians. Although the doctors beliefs and the characteristics of the patient likely account for some of the disparity, it is likely that many cases of fifth disease will need minimal examination of the red rashes if the disease is to be detected in its incubation period to prevent it from spreading. To examine properly the physical characteristics of fifth disease in its incubation stage, it is necessary to consider the following factors; physical characterises, the severity of the characteristics, and the duration the characteristics has manifested themselves.
Blood testing of the parvovirus B19 allows the doctors to detect the virus at its initial stage put adequate measures to prevent the spread of the disease and to better manage it during its incubation stage. Fifth disease is caused by parvovirus B19 which is a human virus, and is not the same virus that affects the pets like dogs and cannot be transmitted from animals to humans or from human to animals.
Aim of project: this project seeks to introduce blood testing for parvovirus B19 as the best prognosis method for fifth disease among children. The paper hope to achieve the following improved outcomes:
Reduced rate of spread of fifth disease among the children from the time of infection to the period of the onset of symptoms (incubation period). This will also be helpful in taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease
Reduce intervention time from the period the child is infected to the time the child begins experiencing the symptoms
PICOT Question
In children 5-15 years (P), how does blood testing of the parvovirus B19 (I)compared to physical examination the body (C) influence reduction in the severity and spread of the disease (O) over 4 days (T).
(P)- Population: This describes a group of patients and uses factors such as gender, age group, having a condition or disease, ethnicity. In the study, the population will comprise of children 5-15 years suspected to be ailing from fifth disease and who have not shown red rashes on their body
(I)-intervention: This describes the intervention being considered such as a diagnostic/prognostic test or treatment method. In the study, the blood of the subjects will be tested for parvovirus B19. The subjects will also receive physical examination prognosis done to the control group who will not be blood tested or quarantined
(C)- Comparison: This is the identified alternative treatment for comparison. In the study, a standardised comparative prognosis sheet will be used. All the participants regardless of the group, would be tested using physical examination for fifth disease symptoms. However, the active group will be tested for parvovirus B19 on their blood unlike the control group
(O)- Outcome: This describes the effect desired or the patient outcome. Changes in the number of newly reported cases of fifth disease will be measured from the quarantined blood tested subjects and the free control groups
(T)-Time: This is a specific period of time over which the population will be observed and the outcome measured. In the study the outcome will be measured after 1 week
The practical issue of physical examination as a prognosis of fifth disease is significant in numerous ways. First of all, the outcomes of the method is poor and unreliable compared to blood testing of parvovirus B19. The method cannot be used when the fifth disease is still in its incubation period or before the symptoms start manifesting themselves. However, cost wise the method is cheap compared to blood testing since it does not involve any costs. Furthermore, the method can be applied by anybody unlike blood testing of parvovirus B19 which needs qualified medical personal (). According to (), physical examination also does not require any equipment for testing. On the other hand, blood testing of parvovirus B19 requires laboratory equipment for accurate prognosis.
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Cooge Pavilion is a restaurant located in the heart of the city. It specializes on offering a wide variety of casual lunches and dining experiences for the patrons. The restaurant has been in the market for more than a decade now. It has been touted for its unique organist ion which includes three floors, that is the ground, the Mediterranean and the roof. Each of the floors offers its own unique dining experience depending on what the patron is looking for. Perhaps the greatest feature of the restaurant is the rooftop bar, which allows patrons to enjoy a scenic view of the beach as well as offers a wide space for fun including an interesting array of drinks.
Cooge Pavilion has adopted a differentiation strategy by offering a wide variety of experiences for the average diner. The ground floor for example specializes in pizzas and burger, children under the age of 18 can be accompanied by adults and enjoy this dining experience. On the other hand, the rooftop specializes in adult fun only, with a range of alcoholic drinks and an exciting social interaction environment.
Furthermore, whereas majority of the restaurants located on the beach are highly priced and especially for the boutique restaurants, Cooge Pavilion maintains an averagely priced menu for both drinks and food. This means that the restaurant therefore enjoys a wide variety of loyal customers. This restaurant for example shows a high level of local patrons how the business keep running even when the tourist are absent.
Management
The restaurant has a manager who handles all financial and day to day management decisions. The manger reports to the owners of the organization who then are responsible for the executive decisions. It is important to note however, that the manager often has an upper hand in the decision making. This is because he is more aware of the situations on the ground.
Cooge Pavilion prides itself in offering quality service and food. To ensure this policy is maintained, the restaurant has three executive chefs who are in charge of the kitchens in each floor. A unique aspect of this arrangement is that the chefs often operate on a rotational basis between the three floors. Each executive chef is in charge of ensuring the supply of the best and freshest quality of products. They often meet in the mornings to discuss the menus and supplies for the day.
Day to day operations
A typical day at the restaurant begins at five every morning and ends well into the night. Chefs often take shifts to allow for rest. The morning shift has to handle the breakfast menu which has taken root and is in high demand within the area. At eight o clock, the executive chefs meet with the manager to discuss the menus and any changes to be implemented in the daily schedule. Because chefs are in charge of their own kitchens, they are also expected to hire their own approved staff including the service personnel. This is because; as shown by (Scanlon 1993 ) they can easily identify talent and train them to ensure that quality is maintained in the restaurant. However, every hire needs to be approved by the manager for purpose of maintaining some financial control. At the end of the day, chefs and managers again come together with the supervisors to evaluate the day including challenges experienced with the service delivery and solutions that could be implemented for the future.
Proposed Innovations
Cooge Pavilion has maintained a strong hold in the market. However, with changes in technology, there is need for the restaurant to take into consideration some of the following proposed changes which will allow efficiency in delivery of services.
Electronic menus
For the past decade, all businesses are attempting to go electronic for many reasons. Cooge Pavilion has three floors, with more than a hundred tables for the patrons. While electronic menus may seem luxurious, for this large restaurant they can help speed up the service delivery by handling backlog. Simply, each table will be fitted with an electronic menu which in turn feeds to the main menu an order schedule in the kitchen. The menu will include, what is available in all three restaurants. Each patron will be given the chance to peruse the menu, scrolling through majority of the beverages and food items available. They can then place their order directly or through a service waiter.
Service waiters will be available for any clarification and to assist the patrons in placing their orders. Because the restaurant is taking on a chef driven approach towards the menu creation, the available orders may change from time to time. However, the electronic menus will include as much information as possible on what is available.
Tablets for table and restaurant management
During busy hours, supervisors and chefs are often pressed with regard to the demands that have been put by patrons. Often, confusion reigns and leads to wastage especially where orders are not handled properly. Tablets input with the right software will allow the supervisors to keep track of the tables, the patrons and the orders. This will also minimize chances of waiters and service staff absconding with the payments and fees charged to the patrons. Through this system, the supervisors will keep track of the orders placed in a particular table and can also be alerted of any delays so that he can calm the patrons. The system also sends orders directly to the kitchen. Therefore, service staff do not need to enter and crowd the kitchen space. They can continue taking other orders, and only appear to take their orders when they are ready.
The system is very simple to operate. The menu for the day is input and during installation the placements of the tables is also input. Waiters have access to the system at various vantage points from which they can place their orders. The order is catalogued and immediately sent to the kitchen with an estimated wait time. The supervisor can track all this through the tablet. Once the order is complete, a delivery note is published by a press of the button. The delivery and receipt of the order are published together and prepared awaiting final approval. In case an order has delayed, an alert is immediately sent to the supervisor so that amendments can be made. In addition, chefs can confirm the orders easily through their own system ensuring that the service delivery is quick. The system is completely software, although hardware for operations are needed. It is also as unique as the restaurant itself and can therefore not be duplicated by competitors. Maintenance can be done easily, although professional knowledge of the operations system is required.
Effect of innovations on day to day operations
Electronic menus will increase the efficiency of service provided to the customers. As indicated before, Cooge Pavilion prides itself in quality service provision. With an electronic menu there are less chances of making mistakes and a higher chance of introducing customers to a wider variety of dishes and services in the restaurant. (Gordon and Brezinski 1999) state that often the service delivery staff do not engage customers in trying out the new products available. Because customers are unaware there are newer versions and a variety of more dishes available, they are less likely to try them out.
Both innovations will introduce Cooge Pavilion into a unique possibility. They will allow immediate interaction between the three categories of the restaurant. Bringing together these components has been a matter that the restaurant has considered for a long time. The electronic menu will allow the customers to view all menus including those of other restaurants. They can also order from these menus to compliment the food they are ordering from another restaurant. Supervisors can use the tablets to keep track of the different orders and the location of such orders. This will give the restaurant a new marketing opportunity. For example, families who have come with their children need not confine the choice of their menu to the ground floor because children are not allowed to the other floors, they can order drinks from the top floor to compliment their food.
Effect on management
Perhaps the greatest effect of the innovation will be with regard to ease of cost control and reduction of the same. Because clients can order directly using the electronic menus, fewer service delivery staff will be needed in the restaurant. This will greatly reduce the cost of service delivery while at the same time increasing the efficiency of service provision. Orders can be dealt with quickly and efficiently, yet the number of staff on the floor has been greatly reduced. This reduction will also increase the ambience of the restaurant which is often crowded with service delivery staff carrying trays or rushing to the kitchen to place orders and collect payment.
Secondly, it will be easier to keep track of finances, that is, items sold and payments made. (Mill 2001) states that majority of the restaurant losses come from miscalculations where clients are wither overcharged or undercharged. When clients are undercharged, it means the restaurant directly loses income. On the other hand, overcharging may lead to a bad reputation and loss of clientele who become disoriented with the restaurant. Tablets for table management will allow easy tracking of sales and payments. In addition, the automatic calculation means there are fewer chances of overcharging and disgruntlement. The tablet allows both the chefs and the supervisors to keep real track of the tables at any particular moment.
With this system in place, each order can be confirmed with the delivery and receipt in real time. In addition each item placed on order can be tracked to the individual who placed the said order. This will make the staff highly accountable and responsible for any orders in their name. There is expected to be a significant increase in profits and operational income once these systems are in place and the losses accruing have been handled.
References
Gordon, R. T., & Brezinski, M. H. (1999). The complete restaurant management guide. Armonk, N.Y: Sharpe Professional.
Mill, R. C. (2001). Restaurant management: Customers, operations, and employees. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Scanlon, N. L. (1993). Restaurant management. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
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Over the past three decades, Christopher Lasch has established himself as a perceptive analyst of modern culture and the socio-political life of the Americans. As a great historian, his writings have combined shrewd evaluations of culture and politics through a robust examination of historical antecedents. This review is based on Lasch’s “The Culture of Narcissism” lamenting to diminishing confidence and loss of resolve found in contemporary American life. Further, the debates of assertions of Lasch perhaps persistent among the liberal have remained alive well beyond his death in 1994. Social critics, intellectuals, and historians have condemned and commended the role of the book in social critic, criticized his nations, and applauded his efforts to explain the problems of the diminishing American culture. This paper has described the assertions by Lasch regarding the loss of American culture from chapter to chapter and later provides an evaluation of the book wholly based on reflections of the outstanding chapters.
Book Review: Culture of Narcissism, American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations
Introduction
Christopher Lasch is an exemplary public writer in the field of sociology in the United States. Based on his focus on the socio-psychological change in the US, he contributed to the field of sociology by documenting the Culture of Narcissism. Lasch explained that the Americans had emerged “pessimistic” and had lost confidence as a result of the loss of the Vietnam War, the fear of depletion of natural resources, the slowed economic situation, and general fatigue after the tribulations of the sixties and that the pessimism led to the loss of resilience and creativity to comfort challenges of contemporary life. As such, he defined “narcissism” as the “psychological dimension of resilience on experts resulting from the loss of reproductive functions and productivity of the family. Perhaps, the use of productive functions, he referred to skills needed to meet material needs and reproductive function in having and raising children (www.labri.org/england/resources/…/AF03_Narcissism). The author took a narrowly clinical term and employed it to diagnose a pathology that appeared to have spread to all corners of American life. Notably, through his vigorous appraisal of contemporary American life and the combination of formidable intellectual grasp, and moral conviction, the book provides insights into personality in a stunning social context.
Chapter Summary
Chapter 1: The Awareness Movement and the Social Invasion of the self
In this chapter, Lasch reflects on the early political structure of the sixties where the Americans had retreated to personal preoccupations. The author emphasizes the American lives and indicates that the Americans had no hope of improving their lives, and people had convinced themselves that the element of psycho self-improvement is the fundamental thing that matters. As such, he writes that the Americans created awareness movement and social invasion of self by getting in touch with their feelings, taking lessons in ballet, and eating healthy food (p. 12). Further, Lasch provides notes in this chapter that the American’s sense of social invasion through authenticity and awareness reflects the retreat from politics as well as a repudiation of the past. Fundamentally, the chapter outlines the development of psycho self-improvement through awareness movement and to live for the moment is the prevailing passion.
Lasch observes that numerous commentators have seized on the resemblance of awareness as a means of understanding the contemporary cultural revolutions. Yet, this ignores the features that distinguish it from past religion. The chapter provides insights into the rise of therapeutic climate and notes that the authority of the poverty on America’s families: Assessing our research knowledge. Journal of the family has been wasted away. (Baron Larry. (2010) The Reproduction of managing the business. He has 34 years of experience in vehicle maintenance in the military in Florida, so has vast experience in its regional culture and personality: a critique of Christopher Larch. Sociological Spectrum (Vol 3) pgs 297 paragraph 2 and 298 paragraph 1 and 2)- can be found on the Tandfonline site
The author observed and described the emerging power of a new industry that supplanted the lost functions previously contained inside of the nineteenth-century family structure. He notes that schools, the juvenile court system, and child advocacy organizations providing parent education were promoted to the regulators of every dimension of child welfare with parents reducing to subordinates (www.reviews.ctpdc.co.uk/lasch.htm) (p. 16).
Chapter 2: Narcissistic Personality of Our Time
Lasch writes of criticism of narcissism which he described metaphorically and reflected that the new critics confuse the effects and causes of narcissism. Lasch underscores that narcissism presented as a way to overcome the repressive conditions of the past that are aimed to forget the past and establishment certain levels of happiness in the hopeless world. Lasch’s view of narcissism is from a clinical perspective and used descriptions found typically in the fields of psychology and sociology to describe this phenomenon. He observed that to fully comprehend narcissism, as a social and cultural phenomenon, it was essential to look at the expanding corpus of writing that addressed it (p. 31). The culture of narcissism described in this chapter provides robust details regarding clinical narcissism found in contemporary clinical studies and literature and imparted a description of Freud’s research works into human personality and behavior (https://launiusr.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/reflecting-on-christopher-lasch-and-the-culture-of-narcissism/). The chapter highlights that the theoretical precision about narcissism is significant since the idea is readily susceptible to moralistic inflation and the practice of equating narcissism with everything disagreeable and selfish militates against historical specificity (P. 33). Lasch describes the role of socialization in narcissism and indicates that it has led to new social forms that require new forms of personality, new ways of organizing experience, and new modes of socialization. (https://launiusr.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/reflecting-on-christopher-lasch-and-the-culture-of-narcissism/)
Chapter 3: Changing Modes of Making It
In this chapter, Lasch recounts the heightened levels of stress that accrued from personal accomplishments, occupational achievement, in particular. The story of success witnessed in the American society alongside the self-made respect is hugely present in the American society. Quoting two great sociologists, Philip Brief, and Robin Williams, Lasch demonstrated the American meaning of work ethics based on the myths of the capitalists. Lasch criticizes the American economy and highlights that there is excessive erosion of investments and savings by the growing inflation. According to him, American society is characterized by violence, lawlessness, and unpredictable situations that a denied Americans the hope to prosper. Moreover, Lasch’s view of success achievement is based on the development of credible power realities through policymaking and the pursuit of the administration based on objectivity (p. 61). Proper government structures, he observes constitute the necessary, yet sufficient cause of upward mobility. He observes that the current government structure is based on single-mindedness to the task and hand, and there is robust performance rhetoric, efficiency, and productivity that fails to provide mechanisms of hard work. According to him, the Americans had lost the capacity for spontaneous feeling and have embarked on social survival. The decline of individualism and lack of proper social structures symbolizes the issues that trouble American society.
Chapter 4: Banality of Pseudo-self Awareness
Lasch describes the theatrics of the politics of and everyday existence. According to him, the modern class of managers, professionals, and bureaucrats has gained increasing power in society. As such, he indicates that approach to serious social and political issues sometimes. Satire gets used to ridicule, expose and highlight human, political life has become a form of theater and entertainment. The politicians speak to the public through stage-managed events, advertising, and propaganda. Lasch (p. 72) writes that in the simpler time, advertising has called attention to the product and extolled these advantages. The Americans have found that public life has become distant, and they emerge powerless to participate in public activities. According to him the social sciences have significantly promoted politics and industry, providing innovative techniques to persuade, motivates, control workers, and manipulates workers, consumers, and citizens.
The professional and managerial class has aggressively expanded its power and influence suppressing the less affluent societies. The chapter outlines one of Lasch’s project based on the idea that expert judgments on the process of human social living are desired and highly attainable. The managerial class, he explains, discredits common sense, tradition, and personal judgments. Therefore, he indicates that this has led to the erosion of democracy and disempowerment of the American ordinary citizens. For instance, he highlights that the overexposure to manufactured illusions by the managerial class has destroyed the representational power of the citizens (p. 87).
Chapter 5: Degradation of Sport
Lasch observes that sports have also been subjected to corruption. He takes the critics of sports to a task for using elements of extreme statements in which the old-fashioned coaches defend sports as a route to Americanism and manliness, to describe the entire sports profession. Lasch writes that sports affiliates would wish to abolish competition and eliminate the standards of athletic excellence. The broadening of possibilities for participation in sports, Lasch observes, represents a decline in the standards only because there is a reduced multifaceted nature of sports to a single element. He describes this as the display of “virtuosity” by a superior artist before an audience. According to his critics of sports, that might the only significant aspect of sports, however, he eliminates other elements such as participation in intramural sports alongside activities such as hiking, jogging, swimming, and a competitive sport whose intent is to develop physical fitness (p. 105). The chapter equates the widespread of increased sports participation demands with a call for therapy and provides that physical fitness is an ulterior purpose that leads to degradation of sports and excludes a wide variety of sporting activities encompasses today. The chapter focuses on the development of athletic programs in private schools and colleges and ignores the developing body of literature that the effectiveness of sports in Americanization and regulation of leisure activities of the working class.
Chapter 6: Schooling and New Illiteracy
In this chapter, Lasch underscores that the schooling system has led to the development of an elite class of managers, professionals, and bureaucratic that has gained increasing power. According to him, individuals cannot speak for themselves and much less come to an intelligent understanding of their well-being and happiness. Schooling has created a valueless world for the less affluent, only accepting those of the market hence the education system has failed (p. 126). The market has universalized itself, and it does not necessarily coexist with institutions operating based on the antithetical principles to itself. Lasch observes that universities and schools, newspapers, and magazines have been absorbed by the market. (http://zgm.se/files/Lasch_Christopher_The_Culture_of_Narcissism.pdf) Besides, it puts an irresistible pressure on the daily activities to justify that itself is the only term it recognizes. The current schooling has turned the market into entertainment, and scholarship into professional careerism, and social work into scientific management of poverty.
Chapter 7: Socializing Reproduction and the Collapse of Authority
The social structures of small communities and families, in which children learned the business of being human from interaction with trusted adults, according to Lasch, have been disrupted and massively discredited. Many times, the adults interact with their peers in workplaces while the children are sent to school where they interact with one another and few selected adults. Moreover, the chapter outlines the degrading changes in acquiring literacy were at home, the interaction with adults is minimal and is largely organized in the consumption of commodities. Such commodities, he outlines include entertainment from movies, TV, and games (p. 160). Thus, the family bonds are strained, and the role of parents in the education and socialization of children has been minimized. Besides, the parental authority has been radically undermined. In his view, adults are culturally sanctioned for failing to fulfill the wishes of their children and for hurting the feelings that have reduced them to negotiating with their children and bringing them to embrace good behavior. He concludes that the adults have failed the parental tasks of socializing children, and they have become insecure tyrants. (http://www.eiu.edu/historia/Scott.pdf )
Chapter 8: The Flight from Feeling: The Sociopsychology of the Sex War
The short chapter starts with the claim that the modern dream of the capitalists or wealthy individuals’ erotic, satisfying and emotional relationship is an illusion. The chapter outlines that personal relations crumble under the emotional weight whereby the rich are burdened. He underscores that love is based on trust, and the United States (Arroyo, 2001). The Japanese culture of narcissism makes it difficult to trust anyone in the culture of narcissist people. Therefore, people are so vulnerable, isolated, so fearful that they can’t even establish and maintain satisfying emotional relationships (p. 193). Lasch observes that the sexual revolution has not allowed people to become more intimate, contrary to the hopes of the liberationists of the 20th century. Thus, love has simply made us promiscuous. Besides, Lasch writes that the degradation of work and the impoverishment of communal life has forced Americans to turn to sexual excitements to satisfy their emotional needs (p. 193-194). There is a sense of togetherness where men and women acknowledged each other’s inadequacies without making them the basis of causal relations with their own sex and ideological alternative to love.
Chapter 9: Shattered Faith in the Regeneration of Life
Lasch introduces the dread of old age and Lasch shows that there are two problems of seeking prolonged life and improving its quality and the medical problem (p. 207-208). He indicates that both approaches rest on hope and the powerful aversion to the prospect of bodily decay. Old age inspires apprehension, moreover, not because it represents the beginning of death but because their condition has deteriorated in modern times. He writes on the social theory of aging and depicts that the dread of age originates in the cult of the self rather than the cult of the youth (p. 217). The chapter has emphasized the significance of subjectivity to teaching, and the entire process of education. The significance of subjectivity that is inseparable from the social when people are together in solitude leads to the reconstruction of the relationship in the society to restore the “shattered faith in the regeneration of life. The emergence of narcissistic personality reflects the drastic shift in the sense of historical times of the Americans. The chapter introduces the theory of aging and indicates that the dread of aging originates not in a “cult of youth” but in a cult of the self (p. 217).
Chapter 10: Paternalism without Father
Lasch observes that paternalism has risen from the ruins of the old paternalism of priests, kings, authoritarian fathers, and landed overlords. People have been thrown into slave and feudalism then outgrown in their own familial and personal form. The capitalists have evolved a new political ideology, welfare liberalism that absolves individuals of moral responsibility and treats them as victims of social circumstance (P. 218). The managerial and the professional class continue to be the ruling class which has taken inherited advantages for granted (p. 221). According to him, capitalism has removed the family heads from the home to go for work and the care for the children outsourced to other institutions. The author conservatively criticizes the elements of bureaucracy that have so far remained imprisoned in the assumptions of the 18th century. The reason behind it was political liberalism, which objects to the cost of maintaining a welfare state (p. 232). (Kathy Smolewska & Kenneth Dion: Narcissism and Adult Attachment: A Multivariate Approach. Self and Identity: volume 4(1), (pg 63 and 67): found on and online. Com)
Evaluation
Lasch’s “The employee engagement is not an activity that is to be ticked off in the calendar of change. It is to become an everyday part of the organization Culture of Narcissism, American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations” emerged as the best selling sociology textbook when it was first published in 1979. The book stands as one of the most distinctive works of commentary and social criticism of the last three decades. The metaphoric use of the term narcissism is indeed an experimental venture, and it is filled with well-addressed social theories that made the book become of the catchphrases of popular psychology. The iconoclastic Lasch observes that Americans in the 1970s had developed a specific form of narcissism that obligated most citizens to constant external validation. According to Lasch, this resulted from the post-World War II of the liberal government and politics, economic wealth, spiritual bankruptcy, and persistent and unsuccessful attempts to establish self-actualization (Roweton 1980, p. 149). In essence, the author established evidence of utopianism stemming from the long-term social disintegration through the aforementioned actions. Further, this led to self-transmuting in the 1970s and the endless search (http://users.telenet.be/jan.de.vos/narcissism%20and%20the%20dsm-v%20JAN%20DE%20VOS.pdf) for personal growth that again was completely fruitless and increasingly elusive.
Notably, the book provides a robust exploration of the rising of the individual to the level of iconography that has permeated the very dimensions of American culture. According to Roweton (1980, p. 151). Lasch viewed the development as the ultimate detriment of American culture. Notably, the book provides considerable effort in characterizing the evidence of narcissism as the result of an organized kindness and its respective manifestation of seeking humanity’s constant external validation. The aspects of development through a variety of priorities and representations traced in the book provide the readers with the knowledge of the quest for wealth and fame that existed in their culture. Characterized as “making it”, the highlights on the popularity self-awareness, the rise of celebrity and people becoming famous, and the turning of politics into a spectacle, educational transformation provide a range of the objectives that constituted the American culture. ( www.ahalmaas.com/system/files/…/culture_narcissism.pdf)
(http://users.telenet.be/jan.de.vos/narcissism%20and%20the%20dsm-v%20JAN%20DE%20VOS.pdf, Despite some aspects of Lasch’s arguments sounds like personal grousing from a curmudgeon than reason, the book offers a complex analysis of the American culture and its priorities. The author, according to Roweton (1980), was a fundamental critic of mass society. The documentations of the book, Culture of Narcissism, is pivoted at the modern psychic development n the rise of masse production, with its destruction of economic independence, the professionalization of education, social welfare, management, and concomitant deskilling of workers. Besides, the book provides a strong sense of alongside a deep concern about the trajectory of America as it leaves the reader with anticipations of the current ills of the American nation. For instance, the discussion of the women’s rights movement portrays the current ills of America. Lasch laments on the treatment of role in their general health. For instance, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and childbirth only affect women against women as the primary causes of discrimination and sexual danger that women get exposed to in society. As such, the book enables the readers to understand the resentment of men against skeletal muscles. In a study conducted by (), the findings indicated that HRT improves the functions of muscles in women since men still control most of the wealth and power the American society, yet they still feel threatened ( Lasch 1979, p. 205). Notably, the irrational power and wealth juxtaposition and intimidation analyzed in the book are supported by another theme.
It is significant to underscore that Lasch establishes the use of liberals and conservatives used in a culture of narcissism to support their individual societies deem as normal gender roles. Gender is personal, part of everyone’s developing identity and web of relationships, but it is also political agendas since the 1970s. Lasch enables the readers to understand the demise of traditional values in the history of the republic as this evidently led to the modernization of families and the community. Indeed, the work of Lasch in The Culture of Narcissism has addressed significant social and existential themes, thus drawing on a deep vein of commentary about alienation and anomie from various authors. Reading the book, seemingly, is both a rewarding and challenging experience. The biting critics drawn from a particular time and place provide wisdom most applicable.
Conclusion
Narcissism refers to ungrounded, weak, insecure, defensive, and manipulative self that represents the psychological dimension of dependence. Undoubtedly, in the “Culture of Narcissism”, Lasch has potentially uncovered the problems of the 20th-century American life arising from the aftermath of the turbulent 1960s and the narcissistic tendencies born this pessimism, which expanded corporate and industrialization control of all dimensions of human life. However, most of the writings are well-supported by data. Throughout the chapters, the central incident denotes that Americans have isolated themselves from the past, and, therefore, have lost a sense of responsibility for posterity. The analysis of the book is well informed by psychoanalytic and social theory alongside historical learning that significantly influences the moral-intellectual climate of American society. In a nutshell, Lasch had hopes that intellectuals would lead America to democratic socialism as the Americans were not achieving true democracy and freedom.
References
Lasch, C. (1978). The culture of narcissism: American life in an age of diminishing expectations. New York, Norton.
Roweton, W. E. (1980). Lasch, C. The culture of narcissism: American life in an age of diminishing expectations. New York: W. W. Norton. Psychology in the Schools.17, 141-156.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
Kao Kalia Yang, the author of The Latehomecomer, is an American in several ways; first, legally by the fact that she acquired American citizenship, embraced the American system, culture, and dream by embracing American education as she schooled until she became a professor- through assimilation- and lastly the fact that America is the only place she can ever call home as she was born in 1980 in Thailand refugee camp. She has lived almost her entire life in America-growing up, schooling, and currently works in America as a professor besides being a writer and an activist. Therefore, Kao Kalia Yang is an American as much as an émigré.
Kao Kalia Young is an American citizen legally. Hmong families realized that America was the only country they had traveled farther from and knew they would live in America longer than in any other country.[1] Therefore, to live peacefully in America on the right side of the law as they had felt safe in America since there was no open violence, thus conducive to bringing up children. Besides, they were tired of running and realized it was difficult to find a place to sleep without a country to stand by them[2]. Thus, the Yang family decided to pursue citizenship, which gave them exclusive American membership rights and privileges to enjoy its resources to enhance their living standards. Citizenship also gave them a sense of belonging and a permanent place to call home.
The American system is money-oriented, and this culture made Kao Kalia dislike her as home at first. Watching her family wallow in abject poverty- her parents working several jobs to settle bills put decent food on the table, and take them to schools forcing her sister and her to take care of their siblings[3], a rough experience for a child. Adapting to the American system was difficult as they had spent most of their time depending on donors and ratios at the refugee camp. However, she started being positive when she realized the only way to harness opportunities in America was to become one of them by embracing the American culture and dream. With time she accepted her new home, adopted their culture, and became one of the Americans. Therefore, she is an assimilated American.
Hmong families, Yang’s family inclusive, did feel safe after a long time on their arrival in America. Given their rough experiences of being on the run and spending their time in crowded camps, they found America a place that allowed them to live a normal life. Kao Kalia acknowledges that her people were grateful to America[4] not because life was easy but because their lives as refugees and in a hostile environment where guns and killing on the grass was the order of the day, with women being captured, tortured and raped[5] was finally behind them. Kao narrates her people’s story during and after the silent Vietnam war. Though she found it hard to accept America, she realized that that was the only place where she and her family were safe and comfortable enough to put up a home, given that Hmong families had been searching for a home[6] for a long time and they found one in America. Therefore, Kao Kalia is an American, as that is the only home she knows.
Moreover, Kao Kalia Yang has most of her life spent in America since leaving the refugee camp at a tender age. She has grown, is schooled, and is currently working in America. Her entire life has been in America, where she feels safe. America is what she has grown up calling home, and she had the opportunity to explore her potential, capabilities, and abilities and chase the American dream through education[7]. Learning English showed her acceptance and eagerness to start afresh in America, and she developed dreams since she went to school until she became a professor, writer, and activist, as a normal American child would say, regardless of the challenges she faced, like financial problems.[8] Therefore, Kao Kalia Yang is an American since her actions from when she was young reflect an American citizen as she valued and participated in the American dream.
In summary, Kao Kalia talks about the experiences of her family and the circumstances that led to her becoming an American in her book, The Latehomecomer. In it, she discusses her family’s painful earlier encounter with a hostile, violent environment during the Vietnam War that made them flee their ancestral home in search of a home they later built in America. Life in America was challenging, but with time, they learnt to keep up, embraced the American system, culture, and dream that motivated Kao to school, and later became a professor, an activist, and a writer after the family decided to apply for American citizenship. Thus, Kao Kalia Yang is legally an American citizen and given that America is the only place, she can confidently call home.
Reference
Yang, Kao Kalia. The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press, 2008.
Kao Kalia Yang, The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir (Minneapolia: Coffee House. Press. 2008), 139 ↑
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
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