Infectious Diseases within Inmate Populations Essay

Infectious Diseases within Inmate Populations - Essay Example The research has been carried out this way to give more of an interpretation on the realism of the prison environment and what is currently proving adverse and hard to control. The conclusion summarizes the main points and brings emphases to the strategies that have been implemented in the last few years to keep down the rate of infectious diseases among the inmate population. In just the past five years the amount of people being incarcerated in America has increased dramatically, topping the statistics of other countries who incarcerate individuals on a yearly basis. Because of this continuing problem disease has become eradicate in the prison environment and there are times when the attempt to control it is overwhelming to prison and public officials (Needels et al 2005). However, in years dating back to the mid 1900's, the spread of disease in prison was even more intensive than it is today. The only difference was the occurrence of disease was kept concealed and many people were exiting the prison system with infectious diseases without being aware of them. ... Therefore in order to appropriately detour disease in the prison and jail systems in the future there needs to be extreme precautions and remedies put into affect in today's time before this issue expels over into the community as an epidemic of disease related illnesses. Of course, one of the most difficult infectious diseases within the prisons in the United States is the wide spread illness of HIV. In fact it has been a difficult disease to try and combat for many years but this is due to the fact of the activities within the prison systems that can lead to the acquisition of HIV in the inmate population. For instance, many prisoners engage in activities such as homosexual acts, unsterilized needle usage for tattooing and drug use, unsanitary habits, etc; within the prison environment which leaves them open to contracting a major disease such as this one and therefore the contraction of it within an inmate population is extremely high and very difficult to keep at a minimal level. However peer education has proven to be an essential way to provide prisoners with literary materials that help them to understand how to protect themselves from contracting such serious illnesses like Hepatitis and HIV (UNAIDS 1996). Nevertheless, there are still many p rison and jail systems that are highly lacking in intervention methods to control infectious diseases. This poses many concerns for the officials who work inside the prison for not only are the inmates health issues a concern but the health of those trying to maintain law and order within the prison environment, and those who visit inmates from the neighboring communities becomes a major problematic area for health officials trying to keep disease to a minimum. This is why it was previously stated that

The Functionalism of Gangs in New Zealand Essay Example for Free

The Functionalism of Gangs in New Zealand Essay Gangs have been perceived as a predominant and rising social issue in New Zealand since as early as the 1950s. Associations of crime and deviance have been the focus of media and law enforcement throughout this time but the issues associated with gangs do not prevail singularly within the construct of the groups. It is too easy to point the finger to those on the fringes of society and say that they are the cause for social instability. It is harder to look at those ‘issues’ that seem to impede society and say that they actually have a function that keeps society stable. This essay will seek to underline the key influences of gang life in New Zealand and its effect on society from a functionalist perspective, employing Erik Durkheim’s theories, New Zealand sociologist expertise and other affiliated sources. The purpose is to explore the functions of gangs within the context of society as a whole to prove that they indeed have positive attributes that keep communities and society healthy. The three main areas this essay will be targeting are cultural breakdowns, economic instability and ‘unity and purpose’. The rise of gangs in New Zealand began as early as the 1920s but there was no systematic study of them until the 1950s (Gilbert, J. , 2013). The struggle for identity is one of the main causes for the increase in gang memberships during the New Zealand urbanisation that many Maori experienced in the 1960s. They suffered enormously from a break in traditional forms of their cultural structure as they migrated to the cities for work. The problem that arose from the exodus from rural to urban living was the breakdown of their cultural identity and traditional forms of power and hierarchy (Gilbert, J. . Cited by Turner (1973) in the European Journal for Social Psychology; ‘an insecure social identity for members of a low-status group would follow when they have some awareness that their inferiority is not completely inherent, fixed or legitimate’ (p304). This suggests that Maori who were part of the urbanization saw and noticed the change to their social status and took action to change their social inferiority. It was here gangs became an effective tool within society to deal with the large numbers of individuals that were not coping within a functional system. Ill-equipped to deal with the many realities of city living, and with the breakdown of traditional forms of authority, young Maori faced with ‘multiple marginality’ formed gangs in unprecedented numbers. † (Gilbert, J. , p292). Gangs here have proven not only to become effective surrogate communities for those who have suffered from cultural breakdowns but also have actively provided a rise of status for individuals who had become marginalized. It is this function, creating identity and community, that gang membership has proven to be a staple for maintaining healthy individual lives. Emile Durkheim’s most famous work is his study of suicide which recorded and proved statistics of suicide in relation to crisis such as economic instability and people who experienced ‘anomie’ (lack of social regulation) or ‘egoism’ (lack of social integration) (Cree, p 10). His argument was that intensely personal decisions, such as suicide, were actually influenced by the functions of the community and society people are part of. If the functions and stability of those environments then breakdown, statistics recorded by Durkheim have shown that there is an increase in depression and suicide. A functionalist perspective would then argue that the provision of gangs recreated stability for many Maori during the urbanization period, and not only in ways of community and hierarchy. Gangs were also a provision for economic stability. â€Å"The faltering economy of the 1980s reshaped gang membership. With few employment options to entice members toward conventional lifestyles the gangs became not just vehicles of rebellion but a means to achieve social and material fulfilment. † (Gilbert, p 292) Economically gangs provided security through many forms of work, both legal and illegal. Even now substances like marijuana are an important economic aspect of communities facing decline in isolated and rural areas of New Zealand, such as the East Coast and Northland (Giddens, p 239). Although the work gangs provided was often illegal it was (and still is now) an essential component for those who were struggling during economic upheaval. If anything, even in modern New Zealand, the system of the gang actually controls and manages the illegal behaviour of the individuals within it, as they have to conform to the power structures and hierarchy. The structures of power within gangs were not only good for consolidating members into their communities but also for providing unity amongst its members through having a shared purpose. Through this unity they have evolved into more sophisticated entities and are commonly known as a significant part of certain communities (Gilbert, p286). The reason that this is so is because many gang members share common identities with the communities they are embedded in, on economic grounds as well as cultural grounds. In these communities gangs often provided security and a focal point for decisions and issues that surround the people. This security can be critical for specific communities, the majority of which face marginalization because of ethnicity or economic status. Emile Durkheim suggested in his 1895 work that ‘law and morality’ were the key components for individual happiness. â€Å"Durkheim thus insists that human happiness is realised, not through the satisfaction of individual wants and needs, but through the creation of social harmony,† (Cree, p 10). It is here we see and can begin to accept the importance of the unity of the gang. A functionalist at this point would argue that it is by the existence of entities such as gangs, who create social acceptance for those marginalized, that quells higher statistics of suicide within New Zealand. The gangs provide unity, hierarchy, purpose and social standing; all of the things Emile Durkheim believed were essential for individual happiness and a prosperous society. This essay has covered several different aspects of gang evolution within New Zealand which have significant and positive attributes that contribute to a functioning society. In this regards I would argue that gangs are not an issue that needs a solution within New Zealand, nor would society benefit from their eradication. In saying this this essay did not cover many of the negative aspects of gangs, including gang violence and rivalry. In its defence this essay would conclude, there is no social structure – whether schools, businesses, families or churches – that do not have negative attributes, but that does not impede them in terms of their function within a healthy society. Gangs within New Zealand society play a larger role for social stability than people realise. Society within New Zealand does not have adequate coping tools to deal with people who have been marginalized or faced with extreme identity crisis due to cultural shifts within their life. Gangs have proven with their structures of hierarchy, provision of security and accessibility within lower socio-economic communities that they have an important function within society and play an essential role in maintaining the social health of those drawn to their communities.

Role of the Midwife as an Educator

Role of the Midwife as an Educator The researcher has used the terms â€Å"tutor† and â€Å"midwife† in an interchangeable format. Midwifery is about far more than delivering babies. The skills that a midwife needs to carry out her job successfully are legion. In this essay we shall specifically consider the role of the midwife as an educator, and her ability to impart information successfully to a group in a planned parenting session. In order to do this successfully it is obviously important for the midwife (or tutor) to appreciate how adults learn optimally in a different way from children. In this essay we shall explore both the theoretical and practical principles which underpin the delivery of a successful course for prospective parents. We shall also consider the importance of course evaluation in the construction and presentation of future courses. It is important to appreciate that adults learn optimally in a different way to children. The dichotomy is often refered to as pedagogy and andragogy. The fundamental difference between the two is that pedagogy is essentially the process whereby the tutor instructs the students and andragogy is the process which involves more of an interaction between the two, with the tutor guiding the students. (Cervero, R. M et al 1999) In the prospective parenting classes clearly the group are likely to be mainly young adults (the researcher states that they are making a number of assumptions here) and an alternative name for andragogy is experiential learning. This involves the tutor drawing out various experiences that the group, collectively, have had and using them as a basis for discussion and communal learning. (Donaldson, J. F et al. 2000) One could reasonably assume that the participants in the group have not had previous direct experience of parenting, but this does not preclude this method of teaching in this circumstance. They certainly will have observed friends, family and others bringing up their children and of course will have their own experiences with their own upbringing which will have formed a number of their opinions, expectations and values. These can usefully be explored and brought out in discussion for the whole group to use as a learning experience. It is likely that a typical group will include participants from different social backgrounds, ethnic groups and classes. This is also a valuable asset which can be exploited for the benefit of all. Specific examples could be the breast feeding and weaning habits of different ethnic communities and how they differ from what is currently considered to be best practice. Clearly this type of learning is quite different from that which could be used for children (pedagogy) who have very little life experience to draw on. (Johnson-Bailey, J et al 1997) Obviously the midwife will have their own professional learning and agenda together with a vast wealth of practical experience. This should ideally be presented in a sensitive but authoritative way, so that the group can have the opportunity to discuss, evaluate and adopt those elements that they collectively feel are or value and importance to themselves. (Ross-Gordon, J. M et al 2002). Although adults will clearly need to assimilate information – as this is a basic definition of learning – they are far more amenable to techniques which involve self motivation and self-directed learning. (Sheared, V et al. 2001). In this context it is important that the midwife, in addition to simply acting as a tutor and resource, should also suggest other sources of information. Local libraries, NHS leaflets, Local Authority pamphlets and of course the Internet, are all valuable resource options that the prospective parents can access themselves. Part of the information providing responsibility incumbent on the midwife, is the generation of interest which will allow the group members to feel empowered to make further exploration of the area themselves. (EHC 1999) The concept of metacognition is also important in this area. Traditionally a midwife might expect to give a talk on various important points of parenting and the prospective parents would sit passively and absorb the elements that they felt were important to them. The talk would finish and the group would disperse. Metacognition is the ability of the student to appreciate the overall context and content of what they are learning about. This is primarily a two way interaction between student and tutor. (Smith, M. C et al. 1998). If the midwife is able to establish a dialogue between herself and the group it is easier to evaluate and assess the gaps in knowledge and then to suggest strategies for filling them. Equally, it is a valid strategy to establish where the gaps are and then to encourage the student to find the information for themselves in order to bring back to the group for discussion on the next occasion. (Titmus, C 1999). When the tutor is constructing the course, if the andragogical approach is chosen as the most appropriate then they should: Encourage the group members to participate and put forward their own life experiences as much as possible in order to utilise them as exploratory and discussion tools for the group as a whole. Demonstrate to the group how their collective life experiences can be adapted and utilised within the framework of the current discussion (after Merriam, S. B et al. 1999). This is a difficult topic since evaluation is ultimately the most appropriate tool to assess whether the particular course has been successful. There are basically three appropriate viewpoints of evaluation – whether the tutor feels that they have delivered the course successfully, whether the student feels that they have benefited from the course and whether an independent assessor would consider the course appropriate. (Vaske, J. M et al 2001). There is not space to fully appraise all of these eventualities, but clearly it is utterly appropriate to consider the student’s appreciation of the course, whether it fulfilled their expectations and needs together with an assessment of the various areas where they felt that the learning experience was either good or lacking. This is clearly vital, not only from the point of view of deciding whether it is appropriate to continue delivering the course as a public service, but possibly more importantly, to provide feedback to the tutor on just how their delivery was perceived and received. There is obviously no value in presenting a course which is neither appreciated nor useful to the recipients (Tice, E. T et al 1997). Conclusions It is clear that the presentation of a successful adult-orientated course is not just a matter of chance and an informed professional standing up and presenting a series of facts. It is obviously important to optimise the impact and usefulness of the effort involved with an appreciation of the theory and practice of adult learning. The involvement of the audience group, particularly with an invitation and an expectation to share and learn from their own collective experiences, is clearly an important learning tool and should be maximally exploited by the tutor. It is also important to the overall optimisation of the learning experience for the student, that the tutor should develop clear and concise learning objectives for the group and tailor the structure of the group to those objectives. Central to that process is the formulation of an appropriate learning plan, which, in this particular format does not necessarily have to be a formal written plan, but can take the form of either notes or a mentally organised format by the tutor. (Taylor, K et al 2000). Cervero, R. M., and Wilson, A. L. 1999 Beyond Learner-Centred Practice: Adult Education, Power, and Society. Journal for the Study of Adult Education 13, no. 2 (November 1999): 27-38. Donaldson, J. F.; Flannery, D. D.; and Ross-Gordon, J. M. 2000 A Triangulated Study Comparing Adult College Students Perceptions of Effective Teaching with Those of Traditional Students. Continuing Higher Education Review 57, no. 3 (Fall 2000): 147-165. EHC 1999 Effective Health Care. Getting evidence into practice. York: University of York, 1999. Johnson-Bailey, J., and Cervero, R. M. 1997 Beyond Facilitation in Adult Education: Power Dynamics in Teaching and Learning Practices. In Crossing Borders, Breaking Boundaries. Proceedings of the 27th Annual SCUTREA Conference, edited by P. Armstrong et al. London: Birkbeck College, 1997. (ED 409 438) Merriam, S. B., and Caffarella, R. S. 1999 Learning in Adulthood. A Comprehensive Guide. 2d ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1999. Ross-Gordon, J. M., ed. 2002 Contemporary Viewpoints on Teaching Adults Effectively. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education no. 93. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Spring 2002. Sheared, V., and Sissel, P. A., eds. 2001 Making Space: Merging Theory and Practice in Adult Education. Westport, CT: Bergin Garvey, 2001. Smith, M. C., and Pourchot, T., eds. 1998 Adult Learning and Development. Perspectives from Educational Psychology. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 1998. Taylor, K.; Marienau, C.; and Fiddler, M. 2000 Developing Adult Learners. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2000. Tice, E. T. 1997 Educating Adults: A Matter of Balance. Adult Learning 9, no. 1 (Fall 1997): 18-21 Titmus, C. 1999 Concepts and Practices of Education and Adult Education: Obstacles to Lifelong Education and Lifelong Learning? International Journal of Lifelong Education 18, no. 5 (September-October 1999): 343-354. Vaske, J. M. 2001 Critical Thinking in Adult Education: An Elusive Quest for a Definition of the Field. Ed.D. dissertation, Drake University, 2001. ############################################################# Word count 1,611

church times :: essays research papers

It was a cold winter's day that > > >> > >>> > > Sunday. The parking lot to the > > >> > >>> > > church was filling up quickly. > > >> > >>> > > I noticed as I got out of my > > >> > >>> > > car that fellow church members > > >> > >>> > > were whispering among themselves > > >> > >>> > > as they walked to the church. > > >> > >>> > > > > >> > >>> > > As I got closer I saw a man > > >> > >>> > > leaned up against the wall > > >> > >>> > > outside the church. He was > > >> > >>> > > almost laying down as if he > > >> > >>> > > was asleep. He had on a long > > >> > >>> > > trench coat that was almost > > >> > >>> > > in shreds and a hat topped > > >> > >>> > > his head, pulled down so you > > >> > >>> > > could not see his face. > > >> > >>> > > > > >> > >>> > > He wore shoes that looked 30 > > >> > >>> > > years old, too small for his > > >> > >>> > > feet with holes all over them, > > >> > >>> > > his toes stuck out. I assumed > > >> > >>> > > this man was homeless, and > > >> > >>> > > asleep, so I walked on by > > >> > >>> > > through the doors of the > > >> > >>> > > church. > > >> > >>> > > > > >> > >>> > > We all fellowship for a few > > >> > >>> > > minutes, and someone brought > > >> > >>> > > up the man laying outside. > > >> > >>> > > People snickered and gossiped > > >> > >>> > > but no one bothered to ask him > > >> > >>> > > to come in, including me. > > >> > >>> > > > > >> > >>> > > A few moments later church > > >> > >>> > > began. We all waited for > > >> > >>> > > the Preacher to take his

The Hunters; Scarce Resources in the Kalahari

The Kung bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa are one of the few bands of hunter-gatherers left in the world. They survive by foraging for their meals while traveling, never settling in one specific area. Hunting and gathering was the primary mode of survival until about ten thousand years ago. Anthropologists have made assumptions about the hunting and gathering lifestyle of current populations because it seems like a precarious method of living. Moreover, the Kalahari area where the ! Kung live in was perceived to be baron because it is a desert.However, a study done over a period of years beginning in 1960 led by Richard Lee disproved the common misconception of the life of these foragers, proving that they were not the uncultivated society that they were perceived to be. The ! Kung people live in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa where there is minimal rainfall, and they are physically isolated from any agricultural societies in the area. They do their fieldwork in an area with eight permanent waterholes that were about 125 miles away from a river. They do not cultivate agriculture, nor do they have livestock nor are under any heavy government authority.The ! Kung people rely solely on hunting and gathering for their survival because in the area that they live in, there is no other logical means of survival. Because of all of these observed setbacks, anthropologists of the 1960’s saw these bush people as a group living solely to find food for survival. This was not the case however. When anthropologists of the 1960’s went to study these people, they found that their perceptions were wrong. Although the people lived far away from other societies, and although they did not cultivate the land, they lived meaningful lives.Despite not having close neighbors from other societies, there was a relatively large population of other camps of hunter-gatherers that were associated with the waterholes. In addition, although the desert is a rid, there are many sources of vegetables that the people live consume. Despite what anthropologists believed, the author proved that the people did not have to live for the sole purpose of finding food. There was a six-mile radius near each of the waterholes that had copious vegetation and an assorted source of meat. This suggests that in order to obtain food, the people only needed to go a certain walking distance.It was not necessary to travel for long periods to get a small portion of food, as anthropologists thought. However, there was never a surplus of food, which could allude to the fact that there was not enough food for a surplus. This was a misconception because the bush people had more than enough food to live off, so there was no need to obtain a surplus because there was no need to store food when it was readily available. Another misconception anthropologists had was that the bush people had to hunt often for sustenance but this was invalidated.The Bushmen go out to c ollect food around every third day throughout the year. Anthropologists thought when they went out to get food, the ! Kung people went hunting. This was not the case. It was proven that around 60 to 80 percent of their diets were comprised of vegetation from the area surrounding the camp. This can be partially attributed to the fact that the men are not always successful when they go to hunt, and it also involves the fact that there is a large variety of vegetation available to the people.Previously, anthropologists thought that in a hunter-gatherer society, there was primarily hunting done to sustain the population because not much waste was found in the camps, however, the primary types of animals hunted are small and vegetation does not leave much waste. There is never a shortage of food for the ! Kung, they have their pick of what types of vegetation they wish to consume, partially based on the season, and they occasionally eat meat. The people do not have to scour for food and settle for whatever they can find, as anthropologists thought.There is actually an assorted variety of foods the ! Kung people choose from. And not every type of edible food is consumed. The people are selective in the types of food they want to eat, and sometimes settle for certain unpopular foods due to reasons such as drought. There is always food for the people to consume, but during certain times of year, the bush people have to travel farther to get to it. There is a shorter commute in the summer while in the spring, there is much more distance that needs to be covered to get food.The mongogo nut is a staple in the diet of these people because of its good nutritional value. This nut is attributed to around 50 percent of their diet of vegetation based on weight. This is a staple to the bush people, compared to rice or corn of other societies. The nut is hardy and drought resistant so it is always abundant throughout the year, and only of a fraction of it is actually cultivated. This is because of how selective the ! Kung people are with the types of food they consume. The more favorable fruits are usually consumed first, and then staples such as the mongongo nut are eaten.Anthropologists and others also believe these people eat animals such as rodent and insects because they are included in literature about the people, but the bushman actually despise these animals as food and do not consume them. Moreover, gathering never results in all of the available vegetations’ depletion. There is always food available, so the bush people do not go long without food. It was once thought that the people were malnourished because of their location, but that was not true. The bushmen eat relatively balanced diets that include enough of each food group to be healthy individuals.It was believed that the hunting and gathering way of life was harsh and rigorous, so the people who followed this lifestyle were quickly worn out and died at an early age. Some anthropolo gists even assumed that the average age a bush person would reach before they died was around 45. This was definitely not the case after research was conducted. It was also perceived that the bush people abandoned their old and sick members because they cannot provide for themselves or for the camp therefore were deemed useless. The ! Kung bush people do not adhere to any of these prior assumptions.In the population of bush people, there were a percentage of people over the age of sixty that was comparable to the percentage of those over sixty in industrialized societies. Elders were respected and were considered leaders of the camp, they were not abandoned and considered futile as once thought. Senile individuals were rare but they, along with crippled and disabled individuals were cared for and valued for skills they had. The elderly were taken care of by their children when they could no longer provide by hunting or gathering.Anthropologists also had the notion that people began hunting and gathering at a young age, so that enough food could be provided. It was discovered however, that there is a late age of assumption of adult responsibility, and that young people were not expected to provide until marriage. There was a large portion of the population that does not provide food by hunting and gathering, and there was a small population that provide for themselves and those that do not work. It was discovered that children and the elderly lead considerably simple lives.Although there is a small population of people that actually search for and gather the food, their time is not completely preoccupied with finding food. It is true that finding food is the most important activity, but that is also important to most other societies, especially agricultural societies. The people devote around twelve to nineteen hours of a traditional seven day week in search for food. The other time is used for leisure and recreation. As stated earlier, the Bushmen do not have a surplus of food, so there is no need to have rigorous seasons of work in search for food because it is usually always readily available.They obtain food to appease their necessary caloric intake and after that, their time is used for other purposes besides the search for food. Woman spend their time doing activities such as embroidery, resting, taking care of her children, visiting other camps, or entertaining visitors. A woman would also be required to take care of the home and kitchen routines. These activities include cooking, or collecting water. Men usually are involved in visiting, entertaining guests or dancing. Hunting is irregular and it is influenced by the hunter’s luck.For example, if a hunter is having bad luck for a certain period of time, they could stop hunting and participate in leisurely activities. It was assumed that everyone has to go out to get food, but that is not the case because some men can go longer than a month without hunting if their luck does not get better. Although they have large periods of time devoted to leisure, there is usually always a steady supply of vegetation and meat. Based on prior assumptions of a hunting and gathering lifestyle, anthropologists of the 1960’s thought hunter-gatherers lived â€Å"brutish† lives where all they did was search for food.With Richard Lee’s research of the ! Kung through the 1960’s he disproved these assumptions. Foragers were not barbaric individuals that lived solely off of meat and they lived for more than just finding food. Lee suggest that the â€Å"view of both modern and ancient hunters ought to be reconsidered. † And that hunting and gathering was â€Å"a persistent and well-adapted way of life. † The ! Kung of the Kalahari were an example of a set of foragers who lived lives with more meaning than just to survive through hunting.

Asian American Study

Asian American Study Both Choy in ‘Empire of care: nursing and migration in Filipino American history’ and Yano in ‘Airborne dreams: â€Å"Nisei† Stewardesses and Pan American World Airways’ present the Filipino nurses and Japanese American flight attendants in the late twentieth century as victims of racism in their respective careers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Asian American Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Filipino nurses in America were subjected to racial discrimination at their places of work. They were treated with a lot of suspicion by their American counterparts. Choy gives an example of the 1975 incident in which Filipino nurses Narciso and Leonora Perez were falsely accused of poisoning veteran American patients in a Michigan hospital called Ann Arbor. Due to persisted acts of discrimination, the nurses eventually formed a union to fight against discrimination while at their pla ces of work (Choy 18). Similarly, the Japanese American stewards popularly known as the ‘Nisei’ were subjected to various forms of discrimination due to their Japanese American descent. During their employment, they were supposed to avoid pregnancy; delay marriage and their images were used in sexist advertisements. The Nisei had no option other than to comply because they were eager to secure employment with the Pan American airlines. However, while the Filipino nurses retained their social status of expatriate nurses in America, their Japanese American air attendants were able to gain the status of first class citizens of the United States (US).Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This, they achieved through their well paying career and the nature of their work, which involved intermingling with first class American citizens. As Yano argues, some went to the extent of getting married to white Americans (Yano 34). In both cases, that is that of the Filipino nurses and that of the Japanese American air attendants, the United States’ political and economic dominance shaped the nature of their representations to a great extent. The Philippines were colonized by the US. During the colonization, the Americans started nursing schools in Philippines, which culminated in a mass exodus of trained Filipino nurses to the US to seek employment as well as higher social status. In recruiting the Japanese American air attendants, the Pan American Company was driven by the desire to win Asia’s support during the cold war. The idea was to present the US as a country with a global image and therefore win the support of many countries, especially in Asia where the Russian led socialism was gaining momentum. Community bazed organizing refers to the mobilization of communities into formal or informal groups to address a particular issue which is of in terest to them. The Asian American labor history is that of casual laborers employed by Americans to work in mines, farms and in the construction of railroads. Generally speaking, Asian Americans found their way to America through slavery and human trafficking by colonialists.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Asian American Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Due to their low social and economic status, early Asian immigrants in the US suffered great discrimination, abuse and humiliations at the hands of their white employers. This discrimination provoked them to think of ways of uniting against their common enemy. Most of plantation workers in Hawaii were of Asian origin. They found themselves working in the sugar plantations owned by the white man in Hawaii, where they worked to earn a decent living after they had fled their homes in China, Japan and Philippines due to poverty and lack of employment opportunitie s. These workers were grossly abused by managers in the plantations through doing hard work under unfavorable working conditions and poor payment. As a result, they managed to form informal groups and founded a common language known as the Hawaiian Pidgin, with an aim of communicating easily in order to resist the cruelty of the plantation managers. However, their attempt to unite against their employer did not succeed because the managers quickly noticed the same and reacted by organizing the Asian workers into castes in order to weaken their newly found unity. The castes were incited against each other and therefore there was no way they could have pushed for a common agenda (Jung 23).Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The garments union on the other hand was formed by women employed in various industries in US and especially in the global factory. Most of the members were of Asian origin. The union, just like that of the sugar plantation workers was formed to resist dictatorship by their employers. However, the garments union was registered under the name ‘The International Ladies Garment Workers Union’ and was therefore recognized by the US government. The union was also allowed to picket and organize strikes whenever they felt that their labor rights were abused by their employers (Louie 75). The second generation Japanese Americans were the grown up children of the first Japanese Americans to live in the US. They were the first to be employed as flight attendants by the American airline known as Pan American airlines or simply as Pan Am. They were recruited as part of the airline’s strategy of giving itself a cosmopolitan image. They were also preferred because there was an increase in the number of passengers from the Asian continent and therefore the airline wanted to create a market niche for itself especially for Asian passengers. The relationship between the Japanese American flight attendants with that of the Pan Am was characterized by racism. The flight attendants were sometimes subjected to long working hours and other tough requirements during recruitment such as avoidance of marriage. However, the attendants managed to change their social status after interacting with white Americans. The discrimination eventually weathered away. The immigrant women garments workers in the global factory were women working to the US based factory. Their work was to make garments and get paid in wages. Most of these women were of Asian origin and they found themselves working in the global factory to earn themselves a living. Just like their Japanese American air attendants, the women were highly discriminated against by the managers of the global factory. T hey were also subjected to hard work and poor working conditions as well as low wages. However, they did not have the opportunity to change their social status because the nature of their work did not give them enough money to live a decent life. These two studies enable us to better understand the position of the US in the international economy in that the US played the role of the employer in the two cases. The US is portrayed as having the means of production with other countries having the human capital in form of employees. Through the two studies, we are able to understand that the US was an economic giant in the globe due to its advanced technology and infrastructure. The nature and site of the workplace greatly shapes people’s relationship to their labor. It does so through shaping their lifestyle, thinking, perceptions and class formation. What this means is that the nature of work simply determines the nature of their life. Lavish work environments may socialize wor kers to live lavish lifestyle while unfriendly work environments may socialize workers to adopt miserable lifestyles. Taking the example of the plantation workers in Hawaii, the work environment was not very friendly. The nature of the work done by the Asian immigrants was purely manual with a lot of physical strain and in very unfriendly working conditions. The wages paid to the workers were also very low. As a result, they lived in deplorable housing conditions. They also suffered occasional illnesses due to bad whether in the plantations. Their low incomes did not allow them to interact with their American counterparts. The managers in fact established a caste system which categorized the workers in castes which were synonymous to social classes. The work environment of the Japanese American stewardesses on the other hand was of lavish nature. Their work was very light and involved less physical strain as compared to that of the plantation workers in Hawaii. They were not poorly remunerated and this enabled them to secure themselves decent housing and health. Their work involved interacting with the American elite mostly during flights. This enabled them to copy the lifestyles of first class American citizens even though they were second or third class citizens in the US. Due to their improved social status and reasonable income, some were able to get married to white Americans. Their improved status also made their employer stop some discriminatory practices against them such as the requirement to delay marriage or lose their jobs once they got married or when they became pregnant. A family is a social institution established by one or more individuals of the same or different gender. Family concerns for workers include marriage, relationships, children, spouses and family welfare in general. Every worker is a social being because he or she comes from a family. Most workers work to get some income so as to take care of their families. Family concerns there fore are very central to workers and cannot be wished away. So far we have studied a variety of workers, most of who are of Asian origin. The Japanese American stewardesses for instance were recruited while young. In fact, most of them did not have their own families but were lived with their parents. Their employer however had some discriminatory criteria for their recruitment. One of the requirements was that they were not supposed to be married or pregnant. This practice was carried for a while, but with time, they formed unions of airline attendants to champion for their labor rights. One of the issues which they were fighting for was the removal of the laws which prohibited them from getting married or becoming pregnant while at work. This was an indication that they were not only concerned with their pay or work environment but were also concerned about their family life and welfare. The immigrant garments workers on the other hand were exposed to hard working conditions by th eir employer. Due to their immigrant status, they were usually overworked and underpaid. The nature of their work therefore separated them with their families for prolonged periods, prompting them to form a union to champion for their rights including the right to get offs from their work so as to meet with their families. They also agitated for better pay so as to take good care their families (Louie 75). One of the prominent features in our discussions is race and nations of origin. Race is a prominent feature because the history of the Asian American is characterized by elements of racism. The Asian American first arrived to the United States as laborers and were therefore discriminated against by their white employers. They were also very poor and therefore not able to resist the discrimination for a long time. Most of the Filipino nurses moved to the United States to look for employment in US hospitals after being trained in Philippines nursing schools established by the US dur ing colonization. Since the US had colonized Philippines, it considered the Filipino nurses as nothing more than racial elements who were not capable of doing anything for themselves without the assistance of the US. They were therefore discriminated through low wages. They were also denied some employee rights such as the right of association and also the right to belong to employee unions. Just like the Filipino nurses, most of the plantation workers in Hawaii were of Asian origin, a race considered by the European Americans as good for nothing except for prostitution and superstition. The plantations where the Asian workers worked were owned by the white Americans, a situation which was very conducive for racism to thrive. The workers were subjected to all manner of discrimination based on their race. The managers categorized them into groups according to their countries of origin, with a view of preventing them from forming movements to resist the discrimination by the white man agers. Unlike their Filipino nurses counterparts, the plantation workers were not able to organize themselves into unions. This made their employer to treat them like mere slaves by increasing the levels of exploitation, purely on grounds of racism (Jung 23). Choy, Catherine. Empire of Care: Nursing and Migration in Filipino American History. Durham: Duke University Press, 2003. 18. Print. Jung, Moon. Reworking Race: The Making of Hawai’s Interracial Labor Movement. New York: Columbia University Press, 2010. 23. Print. Louie, Miriam. Sweatshop Warriors: Immigrant Women Workers Take on the Global Factory.Cambridge: South End Press, 2001. 75. Print. Yano, Christine. Airborne Dreams: â€Å"Nisei† Stewardesses and Pan American World Airways. Durham: Duke University Press, 2011.34. Print.