Islam Studies Jahiliyyah Essay

The essay shall explore the concept of the jahiliyyah and demonstrate the importance and impact it has to understand the origins and development of Islam. The Jahiliyyah is a core and critical part of the foundations of Islam, that certain elements of the jahiliyyah were borrowed, adopted and developed; whilst other elements were discarded as Islam evolved. It is important as aspects of the jahiliyyah period continues to have an influence after the advent of Islam. Elements of the jahiliyyah such as the geographical location; the political, social and religious life; pre-islamic literature, rituals of the Ka’ba and the role of Women have shaped the understanding of Islam. The term ‘Jahiliyyah’ means the period of ignorance or barbarism; reflecting the Arabian culture before the birth of Muhammad(Mvumbi, 2010). The concept reflects the period in which Arabia had no dispensation, no knowledge of Allah or one God and no revealed sacred text (Hitti, 1987). The Jahiliy yah represents a cultural milestone, as Muslims believe they transitioned from an period of ignorance to the period of knowledge and enlightenment (Armstrong, 1991). The religious situation of Jahiliyyah is important to examine in order to understand Islamic monotheism. The religious situation of pre-Islamic shapes one’s understanding of the origins and developments of Islam, as Islam is a civilization, culture and religion. The importance of the concept is because Islam developed and built on a previous Arabian religion. Firstly the understanding the geographical location and characteristics of that period would inform and shape one’s understanding of Islam and culture. The Arabian peninsula is covered with desert and divided in two sectors: the north and the south(Mvumbi, 2010). The geographical characteristics influences the cultural and religious situation.The northern part were a pastoral society and the southern part had permanent settlements such as Yemen and th e Bedouin lifestyle (Mvumbi, 2010). Areas such as Yemen were important because of its advanced civilizations, fertile land and rich agriculture. Most areas were hospitable, rich in food and water, and trades such as spice trades (Hoyland, 2001). The desert created a harsh environment with extreme conditions, the climate varied from north to south influencing people of the time to be nomadic (Brockelman, 1960). The nomadic lifestyle created sub-cultures which led to the diversity of languages. The trade, agriculture and linguistics are central notions that have had significant importance to Islam religion and culture (Goodman, 1999). . For example, it is believed that Muhammad was a trader who stimulated the growth of trade in Mecca (Goodman, 1999). It is strongly believed that Islam and arabian’s spiritual consciousness was born the vastness of the desert, this strongly emphasise why it is important to understand Jahiliyyah as the roots of Islam begin in this period (Mvumbi, 2010). The Arabians within that period believed in religion, were more polytheism focus than the monotheism perspective of today. They believed in deities, these deities were the daughters of Allah, the supreme God (Husayn, 1982). They built temples for their idols in particular at Makka it was the most religious place. These notions of Jahiliyyah reflect Islam; as the Islamic faith was first revealed in Makka and the fact that Arabians had the notion of a supreme one and only God prior to the rise of Islam (Mvumbi, 2010). The surrounding religion such as Judaism and Christianity whom had a monotheistic faith influenced the Arabians and Islam of today. This reinforces that Arabia prior to Islam shared unity of God before Muhammad (Mvumbi, 2010). These key principles demonstrate that Islam was a revival and continuation of Jahiliyyah and this stresses the importance of that concept. Another element of the Jahiliyyah period was the political and social life, such as the Bedouin society. The political structure was tribal based, that consisted of individuals who participated in larger groups (Weissleder, 1978). This tribal aspect reflects the adopted leadership of Muhammad; as tribal rulers were seen as an arbitrator than a ruler (Weissleder, 1978). This political structure influenced the Shura system. The legal system of this period was based on tribal or customary law which influenced the Islamic communities of today(Weissleder, 1978). This element reinforces why Jahiliyyah period shaped the origins and understanding of Islam. Similarly the social integration of pre-Islamic shapes our understanding of Islam. The no tion of social integration developed within the Byzantine and Sassanic period (Hoyland, 2001). The Sassanic dynasty influenced the Islamic administrative system, it was also the aftermath of the competition dwelling between the two dynasties (Hoyland, 2001). Although these dynasties were competitive they shared a common values such as being imperialists and harmony (Hoyland, 2001). The imperial commercial network meant that the leaders had to negotiate and political rapports were created with the empires and harmony prevailed. The Bedouins became the foundational symbol of Arab nationhood identity (Hoyland, 2001). They became the nationhood identity through their significant oral transmitted poetry and written Arabic literature, which became the basis and core language and humanity of Islam (Hoyland, 2001). The pre-Islamic poetry was very fine and unique, it became the linguistic standard of the interpretations of the Qu’ran. It is noted that the pre-Islamic poetry was a central aspect of tribal humanism and in a sense contributed to Islamic humanism (Hoyland, 2001). This once again support that the pre-Islamic period intertwines with key principles of Islam and shapes one’s understanding that Islam adopted foundational principles. Along with the highly praise Arabic poetry and language, is the adopted style of language such as Saj of Kuhhan. The rhyming structure a distinguishing feature of Saj became Arabic prose (Hoyland, 2001). The style of Saj is evident within the Qu’ran, by understanding the style one may understand the socio-cultural context that this emerged from; as well as how the pre-Islamic language has been adopted by Islam. Another adopted principle of the pre-Islamic period was the role of the Ka’ba and religious practices. It is important to explore the rituals of the Jahiliyyah concept to notice the similarities, adoptations and continuation of principles that is reflected in Islam. For example, during the Jahiliyyah, there was sacred truce period to the Ka’ba which occurred for three months, the annual pilgramage which is now the ritual of the Hajj for Muslims (Armstrong, 1999). The only other difference of the role of the Ka’ba was during that time within the Ka’ba there was three hundred and sixty idols of worship within the Ka’ba (Armstrong, 1999). The practice of Islam such as fasting could be reflected in the pre-Islamic practices however it was the exclusion of hunting and sexual activity (Armstrong, 1999). So rituals that were practiced throughout the pre-Islamic period were adopted and integrated into Islam. By examining these rituals it reinforces the importance of understanding the pre-Islamic period. By understanding the concept of Jahiliyyah one would understand the continuity, the improvements and changes of principles demonstrated within Islam. These changes, adaptation can be viewed through the ideals of women and marriage within the pre-islamic period and the ideals of women and marriage in Islam. For example, pre-Islamic period; endogamy, polygamy and polyandry were common. Whereas, Qu’ranic revelations indicates the focus on polygamy rather than polyandry; however it was revealed at the time where the socio-context had increased numbers of widows. Similarly, the idea of an temporary marriage, this within pre-Islamic period was instigated by a woman; however in the Shiite practice it is only permissible by the man. This notion parallels with divorce, women were allowed to dismiss their husbands; however with the Shari’s women are disadvantaged when in attempt to divorce. The gender inequality is reflect in women’s roles as well. Women in pre-Islamic period were given a status, they were involved in divination and had a religious function; they also had the status of entertaining. However, Orthodox Islam has rejected the principle of giving women status and equality. The role of women within the pre-Islamic period reflects how Islam does not always adopt the principles of pre-Islamic period, but rather rejects some notions. As the essay demon strated the period of Jahiliyyah has significantly contributed to the success of the Prophet Muhammad’s mission. Significant features of the Jahiliyyah such geographical location; the political, social and religious life; pre-islamic literature, rituals of the Ka’ba and the role of Women have shaped the understanding of Islam. These features have demonstrated the Islamic religion within context of it’s origins and development. By understanding the concept of the Jahiliyyah one can understand which features are adopted, integrated, improved and rejected as Islam evolved. References Armstrong, K, 1991. ‘Jahiliyah’ in Muhammad: A Western Attempt to Understand Islam. 1st ed. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd. Brockelman, C, 1960. History of the Islamic peoples. New York: Capricorn books. Goodman, D, 1999. Pre-industrial Cities and Technology. London: Routledge Hoyland, R, 2001. Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam. 1st ed. London: Routledge. Husayn, M, 1982. The life of Muhammad. Lagos: Academy Press. Mvumbi. 2010. Introduction to Islamic theology: A study of some major theological issues . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cuea.edu/mvumbi/images/stories/PDF/ClassNotes/INTRODUCTION%20TO%20ISLAMIC%20THEOLOGY.pdf. [Accessed 14 May 13]. Schuon, F, 1976. Understanding Islam. 1st ed.London: Unwin Paperbacks Weissleder, W, 1978. The Nomadic Alternative. Chicago: Mouton Publishers

Dante s Daughter

Their family is then forced to leave their home town of Florence Italy by the co instant dueling of political groups in the cities, between the white Gulfs, who opposed the p papacy influence and the black Gulfs, who supported the papacy. Dante, her father, also a white Gulf supporter, went to Rome on â€Å"business† to see Pope Boniface VIII, when the black Gulfs take over the CIA TTY, the Aligner family knew that they had to escape the city in fear that they would all be killed by ca use of Dent's political standing and the fact that he was not present in Florence.Antonio was to fool w her brothers out of the city and their mother would meet them later, they had to run out of the city, s he saw many gruesome events of war while she was fleeing the city, she saw the true chaos that came from people during times of war. Their family had to disperse amongst their relatives and some of her b rooters even went away to become apprentices Gina went to their Uncle Francesco, while P itter and Jackpot became ablates with the Dominicans at Santa Maria.As for Antonio she went to stay and help with her father's sister, Deviant, and her family, Disco her uncle who was a painter, and her cousins Margarita and Foe in Siena. As for her mother, she had went to work on her mother's farms. Antonio lived with her aunt and uncle for nearly five years. Her mother visited her as often as she could. She worked along with Disco in his shop learning to paint, and hell peed out with the housework with Deviant, Margarita and Lecturer, Disco's sister. She had SSH eared a bed with Margarita who was only a couple of years older than her and got to know he r real well.One day Notation's father sends a letter to her, inviting her to come along with him to P arise France since he will e studying at the university there, he already offered her brothers to come w tit but they could not. Shortly after Antonio receives the letter her father. Dante arrived so soon that Antonio had barely got ten to make up her mind, but she decided to go along with her father on this DVD endure. Through their travels Antonio gets a new understanding of her father. Antonio along with he r inattentive father travel from city to city spending their nights in either inns or with nobles, in their cash tiles. Pond their arrival to Paris, Dante immediately goes to into his studies in search h of new knowledge, while in the first couple of days Antonio is just sitting around the an. Eventually, Antonio met up with an old friend of her fathers, at a Beguine, a community of sings e women living under Nun like conditions but could work to make a living and could break free of an y vows and leave if they like. Antonio decided to stay with the women of the Beguine while her father r studied at the university.The three ladies Antonio stayed with, Claire, Mated, and Assess, worked as illumination, an art form done to liven up a page of a book or a document, Antonio helped with her prior knowledge f pa inting. Events quickly went downhill for the group of girls, Assess died, and later her mother Claire. As for Antonio, Dante decided that the knowledge he had sought, could d not be obtained at the University and they decided to head back to Italy. Antonio had returned to Siena to stay with her Uncle Disco's family again, who ill Dante had left her to work with the emperor of Germany and Italy.Disco was on a new commission that had made them much wealthier, and of course everyone was much older than the y were previously. Margarita was soon to be engaged with Pitter, and Antonio had also begun t experience her share of romantic relationships, first with Seeing a loving apprentice to Disco, then Tit ere to Farina, a young man who lived in Florence, when she had moved there to live with her mother r and uncle. Yet neither one worked out, she left Siena forgetting about Seeing, and when the emperor r failed at capturing Florence, the Aligner name meant little and was hated in Florence, so Farina a didn't want to marry her.Notation's Family was reunited and continued to live on in a house of their owe n in Vienna. Antonio struggled with what the true meaning of her life was to be with god. S he had gotten malaria, which she was lucky enough to surpass. Imbroglio, on of her best friends fro m back in Siena had came to visit her in her State Of illness and wanted to marry her, Antonio agrees and they live happily, until Imbroglio dies of plague. Antonio then decides, knowing her fate, to join the c invent of San Stefan Dogleg Alive.The Historical fiction novel, Dana?s Daughter had gotten many things right with barely any wrongful descriptions, the author, Kimberly Houston surely did their homework. Not only did she write this novel accurately she did it in SST of the different aspects of the book. Whether it was from their lifestyle of different social classes, like what they ate, wore and how they lived, the way they traveled, the events that happened in the time p eriod of the early fourteenth century, their beliefs, and even the fact that most of the characters actually existed in this time period.The author portrayed the lifestyles of the people in the book very realistically. The roles of women in the 1300†² in actuality was to stay home maintain the household, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children, which was the name roles the author portrayed, the mothers of different households always prepared their food and spent the day cleaning and tidying up the house. Younger girls like Antonio in the novel helped with such chores like the laundry. In the novel they did the laundry down at the river which was common in that era (McKay, John P. ). Antonio mother wore a turban when she would clean, which was also accurately explained.Clothing worn by characters was only described for the females, it was always gowns with different colors, always handmade by the mothers of the household, and silk as very dressy and expensive. In histo ry, it was common for families to make their own clothing and women only really wore gowns, silk was of the most valuable cloth in this time frame as well (McKay, John As for the common diet of Italians in the thirteen hundreds, consisted mostly of bread, which was the most important staple of their diet and stews, made of whatever ingredients they could get.Houston wrote about what they would eat, they would always eat bread with olive oil, and Notation's mother would always have the best soups made from the best ingredients she could mind, which would have been correct for the time period and the wealth of the Aligner family. Between the pair of Antonio and Dante, when they were traveling they had a mule and horse, which only the higher class could afford since many poor pilgrims could only travel on foot which was accurate for the time too.The Nobility that Dante and Antonio stayed with also had a very descriptive lifestyle differing from the Aligner family. The upper class lived in large palaces or castles and had feasts very often, in which they ate exotic foods, crayfish, eels in plum sauce, asparagus, cheese tarts, green beans eked in almond milk, roast venison with garlic, partridge stewed with lentils and shallots, chicken cooked with pears and brandy, tiny spring lettuces dressed with olive oil and perceive, junket, strawberry tarts, and many other dishes.The nobility also had the ability to house many subjects they sought useful for their skills. There were two major patrons of Dante, lady Cluenice, and Can Grandee. In history little is known about the true paths Dante had taken, there is no account of him staying with a lady Cluenice, but there is documentation of him staying with Can Grandee for the reason of Can Grandee's interests in the importance and reasoning behind The Divine Comedy, that Dante was writing the evidence is found in the letter that Dante had written to Can Grandee explaining the books (Aligner, Dante).Dante Aligner was a famou s poet in the time period who had written many books the three parts that make up The Divine Comedy, Inferno, Purgatorial, and Paradise, all mentioned in the book plus his writings of other books, and The Banquet, although over fifty poetic works are known from Dante. Antonio was very fascinated by the large structures of the gigantic cathedrals in Paris, mainly Notre dame. She was very intrigued, and found peace amongst its' large mosaics held together by lead.This account was very accurate, Notre dame is famous for its' large mosaics, and it started its construction in 1160 and finished in 1345, well within Notation's lifetime. Kimberly Houston portrayed the lifestyles of different social groups very accurately throughout the novel. There was one common disease that multiple people contracted throughout the happening of the book, and it was malaria, a disease carried by mosquito. Antonio had contracted it, and during the time it was almost a death sentence (McKay, John P. , yet sh e survived through it.Antonio had experienced immense pain and was deathly ill, for a couple of weeks, then would endure eight hour long fevers and intense pain that would go away and return two days later. Antonio went through series of pains much like the actual symptoms which were, headaches, fever, lethargy, chills, abdominal pains, sickness, muscular pains, diarrhea, and coughing fits. Kimberly Houston had shown the symptoms characters were experiencing accurately as they would be in the real world. The common scientific beliefs of people in the novel were also of accurate details in the novel.Accurately for this time, people in the story believed in the Ptolemaic system. Which stated that the heavens rotated on big crystal spheres around the earth. This was the common belief until 1 543, when Copernicus published On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, which proved the earth was not at the center Of the universe (McKay, John Many of the events that took place in the book h appened in real life. In the book, King Phillips armies had harried Boniface VII to death, and engineered Clement V into office, and brought the papacy into France.While written accurately, the papacy was stationed in Avignon, France in 1309, in the time frame covered in the book, and in fact it was King Philip IV that that is responsible for both moving the papacy and bringing in a tradition of having French popes. Another event including King Philip IV of France is that there is a scene from the book where the Knights Template and everyone associated with them are being arrested for the Kings' benefit. What the book failed to mention is the reasoning behind Philip Avis' actions and motives of this action.King Philip IV was very much in debt to the Template, whereas in the novel had explained it s the ‘Template were engaged in unnatural and illegal activities offensive to god†¦ † (Houston, Kimberley Burton), which was not true since the Template Were a strictly ran group, by the pope, to be a religious army, but King Philip did have them arrested in real history for his own benefit. The Template, described by Houston, were very large, muscular men, with the knowledge of scholars, which is an accurate description of the way the Knights Template would have been since they were knights.Antonio along with the other women of the Beguine, had done work for the Template illuminating comments, which would have been against the code of the Template to have any contact with women (Temporarily. Com). Another event that took place was the newly elected emperor Henry VII, who in the novel was convinced by Dante Aligner to march on Florence to capture it amongst his empire and to hopefully redeem the Aligner name in Florence, Italy.The holy roman emperor Henry VII of Germany historically had the support of Dante, and did wage war on Romancer since they were part of the Gulfs, both Dante and Henry VII were Gibberellins (McKay, John P). Yet another event tha t occurred in he book happened in Verona, Italy, it was that the palace that Can Grandee lived in was frescoed by an artist named Ghetto, nothing is known of his work in Verona, Ghost's Personality in the book was that he was very enthusiastic and compassionate towards art, he also had a very high pitch girl laugh, Not much is known of his personality although he did work on many frescoes.In addition, the Aligner Family was forced to leave their hometown of Florence by cause of the dueling political parties, the Gibberellins and the Gulfs, which were actual groups at the time which either liked the pope's influence on everything or despised it.Lastly, the fall of Rome to the Byzantines and barbarians who began to construct huge basilicas with large mosaics on the interior, was mentioned towards the latter part of the book, the Byzantines had actually built these large basilicas although it was really the decline of the holy roman empire that brought in these Byzantines and barbarian s to influence Rome (McKay, John The options a women could take throughout their life was described in the book as, if they did not get married, they could use their dowry from their parents to join a convent and become a nun, join a Beguine, or become a requisite.This statement made in the book by Antonio is not completely true, not only could women become housewives, nuns, or prostitutes, but they could also work as servants or join a Beguine. In the book none of the younger people had known about Beguines, and even when Antonio had found out she only thought that they existed in France. Although many of the surviving Beguines exist in Belgium albeit there was one in France, and many of the ancient Beguines had existed on the outskirts of Paris, the Beguine described in the book, sounded like it was nearly in the center OfParis, because it was within a short walking distance to important areas like shops and Dante could be there quickly to visit, plus there were buildings they wen t to on both sides of the Beguine. The tools and procedures used by the different artistic professions were described briefly in the novel, it had listed the linoleum, what processes they would make paints and glues for frames, and the different layers in a fresco. The linoleum was a moon shaped knife meant for preparing parchment by scraping the excess skin and hairs off of pelts.This linoleum knife was actually seed almost exclusively for illuminating because illuminating required a special type of medium to be written on (â€Å"Illumination parchment). Antonio had known the preparation steps to make this parchment from learning it from Disco he uncle, who was an artist, one would take calf skin stretch it out, scrape the excess skin and impurities from it, then split it into separate sheets until of desirable thickness, and then scrape it again with the linoleum to get rid of any shiny surfaces.This process of manufacturing parchment was common through the middle ages and into t he Renaissance (Differences teens Parchment, Vellum and Paper. ). When Disco was working on the Masses;, an actual painting done in sienna by the real Disco (Disco Did Obnoxiousness, Masses; Altarpiece), him and his apprentices, would always be asking for egg whites from the girls to mix with pigments from plants, and asking for cheeses which they would use to make their glues to put together frames. Egg whites were in fact used to make the popular paint tempera during the Renaissance, and so was cheese used inn glues during this time period.The base layers of frescoes described in the novel, by Houston, was Ricoh, and intonation, these were the easiest and required the least artistic ability out of the whole Fresco process, and they were the top finishing layer and the base starting layer (â€Å"Categories Terms†. ). The author had gotten every detail right, when it came to the tools and procedures that had been used in the making of the artwork in the story. The river syste ms as described in the novel were the Aaron River of Florence, and the Adage River of Verona.The Main character Antonio had described the Aaron River as Very muddy and not very navigable whereas the Adage River in Verona was better navigable and as a result had more trade coming in. The Aaron River in Florence has many tributaries which makes it harder to navigate and the Adage River does not making it easier to navigate. In Conclusion, the author, Kimberly Houston, did a very good job in the development of Dent's Daughter. She had gotten about ninety-nine percent of the detail, events and people right in the development of this book.She had made the fiction life of actual characters very accurate and convincing for the time period. She had gotten the tools and procedures for certain artistic jobs right or the time frame, the correct people doing the right events in the right year, correct descriptions of travel and the river ways, the ways certain groups acted, the food they ate, t he clothes they wore, the ideology of the common people, the side effects of malaria, artistic terms, and even the existence Of certain characters and their connection in history.

Germany and the Germans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Transformational leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Analysis of Plain Vanilla and Combined Option Strategies Essay

Analysis of Plain Vanilla and Combined Option Strategies - Essay Example Such buying or selling may take place on either a set date or a time before the date. The contract that enables such kind of financial trading to take place is referred to as option. There are several option strategies that may be used by the seller. Studies have actually showed that how careful a seller is in selecting an option goes a long way to determine the success of the transaction. This study gives emphasis to two of these option strategies namely plain vanilla and combined options. 1 Problem Definition and Objective The recent development of financial markets is connected with growing uncertainty of market participants. The current conflict in Syria, contrary expectations on the start of the Fed’s reduction of the quantitative easing program as well as mixed signs on economic growth in the US and Europe, are fueling investors fears. In this regard, investors are searching for strategies to manage market movements and minimize exposure to risk. Fortunately, there exist various market instruments that enable risk transfer to other more risk-tolerant market participants. Those instruments are called options and belong to the category of derivatives. Investors are able to trade in derivative instruments offering both – great potential returns and loss. Due to the large investment universe of derivatives, the author is going to reduce the complexity by analyzing the most common option strategies: plain vanilla and combined options. The goal of this project paper is to analyze and demonstrate motives using options in different market conditions to support investors in their investment decisions. Quelle zum ersten Satz 2 Course of the Investigation To introduce the topic of the analysis of option strategies, the theoretical fundamentals of options will be presented in the second chapter. First of all, the definition and delimitation of the term â€Å"option† are covered to give the reader a general introduction into the topic. A deeper in sight is going to be provided by characteristics and main factors influencing the option price. In this regard, the reader will get the main overview of the theoretical framework. To reduce complexity and give investors a comprehensive overview on common strategies, the author will start with the analysis of plain vanilla options. In the following chapter, the focus will switch to combined option strategies to increase the quantity of investors’ scenarios. In conclusion, all significant observations will be concisely summarized. In this regard, the author is going to break down an illustration with option characteristics 2 Theoretical Framework of Options 1 Definition and Delimitation of the term â€Å"Option† (des Optionsbegriffs) An option is generally a contract that gives right to a buyer to complete a buying or selling transaction on a specified date or before the date at a strike price (Frenkel, 2009). The rate at which financial markets are growing have given ri se to the use and availability of as many forms and types of options as

EFFECTS OF RELIGION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

EFFECTS OF RELIGION - Essay Example An example of this can be seen through the way in which Imperial Japan was able to use its religious fervor to require the kamikaze pilots to sacrifice their lives in suicide missions. Although the allies did not understand such an approach at that time, the theory behind this was simple. Sacrifice for the fatherland was a highly desirable form of sacrifice that ensured a firm link would remain between the ancestors and the current generations. This is a prime example of how a religious point of view helped to define a nation in the midst of wartime via a reliance on the traditions and shared religion that helped to define the group as a whole. Similarly, organized religion in Middle Ages Europe served to retard the process of knowledge acquisition and scientific discovery. The Catholic church exhibited such a high degree of control that the overall result was that human and scientific knowledge and development were delayed by nearly 400 years. In this way, it is easy to see some of the net effects of complete societal control by a religious entity. Although these two examples are both pejorative, there exist positive examples as well. However, these are usually with relation to an overall sense of morality and/culture that a societal interpretation of religion invariable

The Emergence of New Consumer Culture and Its Effect During the Turn-of-the-Century Essay Example for Free

The Emergence of New Consumer Culture and Its Effect During the Turn-of-the-Century Essay The Emergence of New Consumer Culture and Its Effect during the Turn-Of-The-Century Period People living in the period from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century witnessed a huge industrial change in American society. This change led to the â€Å"opening up of huge factories, the development of electricity in the 1880s which augmented factories more than ever, the revolution in mass communication, the invention of telephone, the construction of railroads, the incredible rise of population with the rushing of immigrants into this country† (Cassuto and Eby, 2004, p. -3). More importantly, this turn-of-the-century period marked the emergence and the development of mass production and consumption, which was considered as a new kind of culture that bore fantasy to many people, especially women of all different classes, at that time. Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945), an American novelist, and Kathy Peiss, a history professor at University of Pennsylvania, are both interested in this aspect of change in the society. As a result, they both published works to depict the inner lives of Americans in response to this change. Sister Carrie and Cheap Amusements are two best representations for their works. Interestingly, through reading those two novels, readers can easily tell that both Dreiser and Peiss pay more attention to young working class women when examining the new consumer culture. Sister Carrie is a novel written by Theodore Dreiser and published in 1900. Through this novel, he told readers a story about a girl named Carrie Meeber who was born into a poor family and came to Chicago to make her American dreams come true. There, she stepped into a struggle in the society where people’s social statuses were recognized through the items they had on themselves. It can be said that consumerism developed and played an important key in each of the American life from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century. It cannot be denied that mass consumerism is a good indicator of the development of the industry of the country; however, consumerism indirectly makes the gap between the rich and the poor become much bigger. Production of goods definitely needs consumers. But not everybody can afford those goods. Consequently, just by looking at these goods, people could distinguish the poor from the rich and vice versa. In other words, social classes at that time were categorized based on material things. Coming from a small rural town and a poor family, the young girl Carrie was totally fantasized by the mass consumerism world she was entering in. There, she got the chance that she never had before to experience what the modern American culture looked like. Specifically, she got the chance to see what were called â€Å"genuine† products such as â€Å"real† shoes, â€Å"real† bags, and â€Å"real† clothes. Of course, she knew that these products were totally different from her outfit on her way to Chicago that â€Å"consisted of a small trunk, a cheap imitation alligator-skin satchel, a small lunch in a paper box, and a yellow leather snap purse† (Dreiser, 1982, p. 3). And just like any other young poor girls, Carrie could not resist the temptations coming from these â€Å"genuine† products. She felt jealous of higher class women who could afford enticing objects that she always dreamt of. Those kinds of feelings provoked her endless human desires. When Carrie first came to Chicago and looked for a job in a department store, she was mesmerized by â€Å"the dainty slippers and stockings, the delicately frilled skirts and petticoats, the laces, ribbons, haircombs, purses† (Dreiser, 1982, p. 23). And even when her life got better, her obsession with clothing did not cease. Instead, it was built up: Fine clothes to her were a vast persuasion; they spoke tenderly and Jesuitically for themselves. When she came within earshot of their pleading, desire in her bent a willing ear. The voice of the so-called inanimate! Who shall translate for us the language of the stones? My dear,† said the lace collar she secured from the Partridge’s, â€Å"I fit you beautifully; don’t give me up. † â€Å"Ah, such little feet,† said the leather of the soft new shoes; â€Å"how effectively I cover them. What a pity they should ever want my aid. † (Dreiser, 1982, p. 106) In other words, it is the consumer culture that led Carrie to ambition for a luxurious life. The more the consumer culture developed, the more ambitious Carrie got. Indeed, Carrie left her sister, the only person she knew in Chicago to move in with Drout, a stranger she talked to in the street. The reason behind is that she got so tired of the life in which all the money she made was just merely enough to pay for the rent of her sister’s house. She could not even afford a pair of shoes for herself. She was unsatisfied with the life that suppressed her from good clothes and decided to challenge her fate. But Carrie refused to work hard; instead, she chose to use Drout as a tool for her to get things she wanted in life. Later, she was disappointed when she found out that Drout was not â€Å"genuinely† rich. She then got into an affair with Hurtswood, a married manager of a saloon in Chicago. She had high hopes that this guy could bring her a wealthy and stable life because Hurtswood did not look as â€Å"fake† as Drout. Unfortunately, one day Hurtswood collapsed. Carrie recognized that Hurtswood was not a reliable source of wealth for her anymore. She left him and continued her path of chasing after luxury by becoming an actress. So it can be concluded that Carrie manipulated both Drout and Hurtswood to climb up her life ladder. Here, Dreiser attacked on the materialism, the key character of this turn-of-the-century period. According to Dreiser, materialism destroyed what is called â€Å"humanity† at that time. Through the character Carrie, Dreiser indirectly criticized the society in which the mass production and consumption took control for bringing down the values of morality and ethics. He said, â€Å"not evil, but longing for that which is better, more often directs the steps of the erring. Not evil, but goodness often allures the feeling mind unused to reason† (Dreiser, 1982, p. 256). The â€Å"coldness† of the consumer culture is also represented through other characters in Sister Carrie. The revolution in industry and technology put pressure on each of the individual so that they had no choice but lived coldly and heartlessly. In order to survive, the relationship between family members, friends, and strangers meant nothing. Carrie’s sister and her husband took away almost all of the money Carrie earned to pay for the rent of their house. They did not even care about their younger sister when she left them and lived with a stranger. Meanwhile, to Hurtswood, his wife Julia was nothing more than a means of creating the illusion of a happy marriage, which in some ways consolidated his social status in front of other people. Another key feature of the consumer culture is that clothing was considered as an indispensable confidence booster. Carrie believed that material could bring her happiness. For an instance, Carrie assumed people living happily just by material things she saw: She imagined that across these richly carved entrance-ways, where the globed and crystalled lamps shone upon paneled doors set with stained and designed panes of glass, was neither care nor unsatisfied desire. She was perfectly certain that here was happiness. (Dreiser, 1982, p. 122) It can be inferred that in Carrie’s eyes, people without good clothes were living miserable lives. This explains for the fact that Carrie did not show any reluctance when she left her sister to move in with Drout or when she got into the affair with Hurtswood. Impressed by their appearances, Carrie regarded them as her superiors. In the first chapters of the novel, Dreiser carefully portrayed Drout in the way through which readers can easily recognize the impact it would leave upon Carrie: His suit was of a striped and crossed pattern of brown wool, new at that time, but since become familiar as a business suit. The low crotch of the vest revealed a stiff bosom of white and pink stripes (Dreiser, 1982, p. 4) Without this outfit, Drout would be nothing. Apparently, human values during that period were all about material things, especially clothing. In the consumer culture, clothing is the sign for not only for happiness but also beauty and success as well. Kathy Peiss, in her book Cheap Amusements, illustrates different forms of leisure activities of young working class women in New York from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Even though clothing and department stores are not as focused in this book as in Sister Carrie, Peiss is somehow still able to express her attitudes towards the rise of mass produced clothing. She shares Dreiser’s perspective in the sense that clothing characterizes identity, â€Å"It was in leisure that women played with identity, trying on new images and roles, appropriating the cultural forms around them clothing, music, language to push at the boundaries of immigrant, working-class life† (Peiss, p. 2). Just like Carrie, young working class women in Cheap Amusements believed that expensive clothes could really change their fates, at least making them feel like they belonged to a higher class and washing off the dirt coming from their poverty. Peiss wrote, â€Å"For newly arrived immigrants, changing one’s clothes was the first step in securing a new status in America† (Peiss, p. 63). Again, Peiss emphasizes on the strong correlation between the appear ance and social status in the consumer culture. In conclusion, both Dreiser and Peiss use their words to convey their disagreements about the American society during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Consumer culture, besides speeding up the development of the society at that time, caused people a lot of sufferings from their â€Å"unceasing voice of want† which dominated their â€Å"voice of conscience† in most cases. As a result, morality and ethics became overshadowed by materialism.

How it Relates to Greek Religion and Culture Essay Example for Free

How it Relates to Greek Religion and Culture Essay Ancient Greeks believed in a series of myths, which explained nature, set the moral code for the Greek people, and some were just entertaining stories. These myths turned the Greek world from a world of fear into a world of wondrous beauty. Many of these gods and goddesses were associated with a particular task or activity (Buxton). The Greek people believed that the gods were incorporated into every aspect of their lives. The Ancient Greeks, being a polytheistic culture, created many extravagant myths regarding 12 gods and goddesses that they believed to rule all aspects of their lives. These myths were an early science. They were the result of the Greeks trying to explain the world around them. The Greek people created their gods in their own image, naturally making heaven an enjoyable and familiar place (Hamilton). In Greek mythology the Gods did not create the universe, but instead, the universe created the gods. The mythology of the people of Greece begins with Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey. It is in these epic poems that Homer tells the stories of the many gods and hero’s of Greece. We now know who and what the Greek gods were, but how are they relevant to the Greek Religion? It is important to know that the Greeks did not have a word for religion. Also they did not have any written text or scripture. When we talk about Greek religion we mean their ritual behaviors and their beliefs in sacred items, beings, and places (Cline). We also must remember that Greek mythology is not the same as Greek religion, though they are closely intertwined. The only requirement of the Greeks for their religion was to believe in the gods and perform sacrifices to them. These sacred acts, sacrifice and festivals, were the root of the Greek religion (Buxton). This seems to be a rather relaxing way to carry on in life, but not so. The Greeks attributed anything good happening to the gods being happy with them, also when something bad happened, for example, an earthquake, famine, or the loss of a battle, it was attributed to the gods being displeased with the Greeks (â€Å"Ancient Greece†). The Ancient Greeks were an extremely religious people, who spent their lives trying to please the gods through their sacrifice, festivals, and unwavering belief in them. Sacrifice was one of the most important ways to please the gods; they were thought to be gifts to the gods. The people of Greece would give a sacrifice not only of animals, but also bloodless sacrifices, such as food, grasses, grains, and incense (Christman). Each city had a temple erected to their patron god. In Athens they had built the Acropolis, with its main temple being the Parthenon, which was dedicated to Athena (which whom Athens was named after). Athena was Zeus’s daughter, and it is said in the myths that she was born from his head. Athena is known as the Goddess of war and the defender of the towns. She is usually shown in art dressed in full armor. Also associated with her is Nike the symbol of victory (Hamilton). These temples were not for worship, but they were believed to house the gods for which the temple was built. The only people who were allowed inside were the priests and priestesses, and that was only to keep it clean and take care of the god’s statue (â€Å"Ancient Greece†). The focus of the temple was no only the god or goddess but the sacrificial alter. Each temple had an alter outside for the worshipers to place their offerings. The sacrifices the Greeks made to their gods were their way of ensuring that they would be allowed to lead a normal happy life. The Greeks also took part in religious festivals and for further reassurance of their pleasing the gods went to oracles. We know that the Greek people participated in many religious festivals, but the details of these festivals are unknown. The main festival that the Greeks partook in was the Olympic games, in honor of Zeus. Zeus was the most powerful of all the gods, his power alone was greater than all of the other gods combined. He was the God of the Sky, bearing his thunderbolt, at which he would throw to earth striking anywhere he wished. His faults, however, entertain the idea that he is a man. Zeus is portrayed as falling in love with many women and trying to hide his infidelity from his wife Hera (Hamilton). The Olympic game festival occurred every fourth summer. Throughout Greece a truce was proclaimed so that all Greek citizens could come and participate (â€Å"Greek Religion†). The exception to this was women, they not only could not participate, but they could not even watch (Buxton). The Olympic games were held at the Stadium of Olympia, and the main event was the pentathlon, where the participants competed in five different events. This arena was also the very first monument of Greek Classical art (Kleiner). Another part of the Greek religion was the oracles. The most famous oracle was the Oracle of Delphi. The oracles were believed to be the messengers of the gods. But not any normal person could understand their messages, only the priests and priestesses could. The Greeks believed that the gods spoke in riddles, because the gods were more complex than the humans, and so the could not reply as the humans did (â€Å"Ancient Greece†). The festivals and the oracles were an important part of the Greek life. The Greek gods even found a place in the everyday life of a Greek citizen. Hestia, Zeus’s sister. She plays no part in the myths but was very important to the Greeks. She was the Goddess of the Hearth. Every home in Greece had a hearth dedicated to her where the fire was not allowed out go out, along with each city (Hunt). When a new town was founded the people would light a torch from the mother town and carry its fire to the hearth in the new town. Sound familiar; this is the proposed beginning of the Olympic torch. Also, when a child was born the family had to walk the newborn baby around the hearth before it was to be accepted into the family (Hamilton). Also, according to Hunt, boys were trained to have healthy strong bodies, not only to fight in the armies, but to be strong competitors in the Olympic games. Boys and girls were taught from very early ages about the gods and goddesses. They were taught how to respect and please them in their daily lives (â€Å"The Ancient Greeks†). Also most Greeks made some sort of sacrifice to the gods daily. This was to try and keep the gods happy and bring good fortune to themselves. There were many different ways that the people of Greece tried to keep the thought of their gods present in their daily lives. Religion impinged on the warfare of the city-states in a number of ways. The commanders frequently saw themselves as walking in the footsteps of their gods and heroic predecessors (Buxton). No where in the Greek city-states did they go into battle without first sacrificing. To do this was unthinkable. The soldiers of Greece usually sacrificed to either Ares or Athena. Ares was the God of War, but isn’t mentioned much in the myths. He has no distinctive attributes and is difficult to identify in art. Hamilton says this is probably because the Greeks thought of him as â€Å"hateful†. Again, Athena is known as the Goddess of war and the defender of the towns. But then on the opposite end was the honoring of Aphrodite, who was the Goddess of Love and Beauty, but also revered for pleasure and procreation. Women of the towns and city-states would honor and sacrifice to Aphrodite, to ensure the safe delivery of a baby, or to be pleasing to their future husbands (Atsma). I Greece all marriages were arranged to keep or raise a family’s social status, so many brides did not ever meet their husbands-to-be until the wedding day. Whatever men or women did in their daily activities was relevant to the influence of the gods. The Greek mythology played an important role in the every day lives of the Greek people, and even more important one in the development of their religion. Greek mythology was a way for the people of Greece to explain the â€Å"why’s† and â€Å"how’s† of their world. Their religion and their mythology were very closely intertwined. This was shown through their various ways of honoring their gods through festivals, sacrifice, and using the oracles. Also through the passing of the beliefs from one generation to the next. The importance of the gods was shown in their magnificent temples also. These Myths for the Greeks changed their world from the unknown to kind and beautiful. Works Cited â€Å"Ancient Greece. † Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2008. Sept. 14, 2008. . Atsma, Aaron J. â€Å"Theoi Greek Mythology: Exploring Mythology in Classical Literature and Art. † The Theoi Project. 2008. Sept. 14, 2008. . Buxton, Richard. Ancient Greece. Ed. Paul Cartledge. United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press, 1998. Christman, Zachary and Alfred Hanssen. â€Å"Greek Religion: Religion and Death. † 2002. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Sept. 14, 2008. . Cline, Austin. â€Å"Ancient Greek Mythology, Religion, Art† Sept. 14, 2008. . â€Å"Greek Religion. † Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Sept. 21, 2008. . Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York. Back Bay Books, 1942. Hunt, Dr. Patricia. â€Å"Roles of Men, Women, and Children. † Richmond University. Sept. 16, 2008. . Kleiner, Fred and Christian Mamiya. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages. 12th ed. volume 1. California. Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, 2005. â€Å"The Ancient Greeks. † 2002. Sept. 16, 2008. . Wilkinson, Philip. Dictionary of Mythology. New York. DK Publishing, 1998.

A Safe Society Going Risky Sociology Essay

A Safe Society Going Risky Sociology Essay Nothing worth having in life is ever attained without taking risk (Nansen, 1927 p36). Nansen; a great Arctic Explorer and Nobel peace prize winner said this in his speech about the human need for excitement. Not only this man, but up to 50% of Norwegian people are willing to take risks in life (Norwegian national survey, 2003). The number of people participating in extreme sports seems to be growing (sportbusiness.com, xtremesport4u.com), as is the number of championships in these sports. It seems there is more news about extreme sports and there are more advertisements. An example of a recent risk taking event that made the news in the Netherlands is a thirteen year old girl who wishes to sail around the world on her own. The news of this girl became prime news and many different institutions interfered with the girls plan. The Dutch child protection tried to stop her. Eventually they succeeded; the girl was not allowed to execute her plan by court order. The example in the last paragraph shows a paradox; the contrast in risk-seeking behavior and the risk avoidance or risk minimization in national policies. Modern policies are aimed on risk avoidance, all risks should be minimized (Beck YEAR, Giddens YEAR, Breivik YEAR). Modern societies do this very obviously. Clear examples; bridges, car, airplanes, nuclear reactors, elevators, toys and electrical devices, all should be safe. People all need to behave according to guidelines (i.e. laws) if you do not you will end up in jail. Different kind of examples but good examples nevertheless are an organizer of a raft event was sued for being negligent when in 2007 two young women died when their raft slipped of a dam, insurance companies giving a discount on their insurance if enough smoke detectors and other safety equipment is present in a house, or the building of gas stations outside of urban areas and dozen more examples could be given. What these different exemplifies is a seemed tensi on between the deeply rooted need for excitement on one hand and the risk avoidance policies by societies nowadays. Where could this seemed tension come from? Elias and dunning (YEAR) write in their book -Quest for Excitement: Sport and Leisure in the Civilizing Process- that modern society constitutes of routines and relative lack of risk. The comparison is made between Greek wrestlers and Roman boxers to modern ones in order to exemplify the extraordinary violence permissible in antiquity and the soft and rule controlled society of present time. There are also empirical data which raise questions about the theory that the quest for the excitement of sports is an escape from the routines of modern life. This data shows a difference between the ‘richer and the ‘poorer side of society. Poorer, more often the most routinized people (i.e. factory workers), seem less prone to look for excitement in sports than the less routinized richer people of society. On the contrary of this empirical data that thrill seeking, risk taking, sensation seeking and all other synonyms of people looking for excitement has been found to be a personality trait and therefore has genetic roots. The genes involved in this trait are closely related to major personality dimensions like extraversion and psychoticism (Eysenck Eysenck, 1977). A paper by Fulker, Eysenck, Zuckermann (1980) discards sensation seeking almost as a disease. ‘Sensation seeking was found to relate to both extraversion and psychoticism but not to neuroticism. The general pattern of relationships to other trait tests suggests that sensation seekers are impulsive extraverts, but not necessarily neurotic or anxious (Fulker et al., 1980 p262). There does not seem to be an at hand answer to the question: Does a safety-orientated society make people want to look for excitement in for example extreme sports? This is the research question for this paper. We hypothesize that a safety orientated society makes people want to look for excitement in for example extreme sports. This paper is a review of articles present about the raised topic and will try to get an insight in if, why and how people are looking for excitement nowadays. In the first chapter we described what we mean by a safety orientated society. In the second a definition is given of excitement and in the thirth excitement is related to risk. The fourth chapter explores whether extreme sports are truly sports. In paragraph one this is done from the perspective of autonomy, and in paragraph two from institutional embeddedness as proposed bij Tamboer Steenbergen (2007). Chapter five gives an answer to the question why people participate in extreme sport. The last chapter mentions in what way extreme sports are influenced bij our safety orientated society. In the conclusion we give answer to our main question. We do this literature study as an assignment of the Sport and Society course as a part of the Master Human Movement Sciences but the outcome of this paper could be meaningful to others interested in the human need for excitement. 1. A safety-orientated society As mentioned in the introduction the safety-orientated society does play a major part this research. Many examples have been given of this supposed risk avoidance society. But what is it and is the society that different than we world we lived in, in the past? Ulrich Beck, a respected sociologist, wrote about the risk society in 1998 (Beck, 1998; Kelman, 2003). Beck describes a risk society as risk avoiding because everything in daily live seem to be focused on risk. Society wants to know everything about risk and want to avoid every risk. All risks should be controllable, calculable and predictable. In other words each task, each product or each activity is at least statistical analyzed for hazards. Although this definition is useful to understand the term ‘risk society Beck and Giddens decided in a collaboration paper to extend the term risk society into six parameters of risk society. Every parameter is interconnected. The parameters are: the omnipresence of risk, risk is ev erywhere. At the very core reflexive modernity is characterized by an awareness of living in a society of increasing vulnerability to the unpredictable, unfamiliar and unprecedented risks manufactured by modern science and technology. Different understandings of risk, the proliferation of the risk definitions, the reflexive orientation to risk and risk and trust. These six parameters make the definition is more comprehensive, because †¦ Besides this cooperation between Giddens and Beck they did not agree completely. Giddens didnt settle with the first short definition. He insisted that ‘risk is not the same as hazard or danger. Risks refer to hazards that are actively assessed in relation to future possibilities (Giddens, 1999). Further contributions of the definition of risk have been made by Wells, Douglas, Luhmann, Joffe and Fox. They represent different disciplinary approaches to risk. To mention all these different approaches would be beyond the purpose of this paper . But the scope of the different authors may be clear. Modern society is a risk society because societies are focused on risk. Although we completely understand the point of view of the different authors we strongly believe that society is, for the same reasons as proposed by the authors, focused on creating a safe society. The reason why we chose for this contrast is based on our point of view. We have a propensity to look at this society as a safety-orientated society, because we feel that societies aim on safety. From this save society we look into the risks of extreme sports. This contributes to the contrast between these factors. Hereby we presume that a person who starts doing extreme sports started his live in this safety-orientated society (i.e. a predictable and therefore maybe boring society). The people who step out of the safety-orientated society to participate in an extreme sport; what are they looking for? 2. Excitement Zuckermann (1983 and 1994) wrote that some sports activities might provide a method by which sensation seekers satisfy their appetite for excitement. Potgieter and Bisschof took it a little further and proposed that sensation seekers are not interested in low risk and low excitement activities such as marathon running (Potgieter, Bisschof 1990). But what is this need for excitement? This chapter will provide a definition for the need of excitement and explain the sub factors that come forward from this definition. In his paper Sensation seeking: Beyond the optimal level of arousal Zuckerman provides a definition which fits seamless in this paper. He states the need for excitement as: ‘Look for excitement is a trait defined by the need for varied, novel, and complex sensations and experiences and the willingness to take physical and social risks for the sake of such experience(Zuckerman 1979, p.10). Between 1979 and the present there has been done much research on this topic. Other researchers added some dimensions and that is why (Zuckerman 1994, p.26) came with a new definition for looking for excitement: ‘sensation seeking is a trait defined by the seeking of varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences, and the willingness to take physical, social, legal and financial risks for the sake of such experience. Although this better defined definition there was still the need to define it into four sub factors which are: Thrill and Adventure seeking represents the desire to engage in sports or other physically risky activities that provide unusual sensations of speed or defiance of gravity, such as scuba diving or skiing. Experience seeking involves seeking of novel sensations and experience through the mind and senses, as arousing music, even psychedelic drugs, art and travel. Disinhibition describes the seeking sensations through drinking, partying, gambling and sexual variety. Items of this scale indicate seeking of stimulation through other persons. Boredom susceptibility items indicate intolerance for repetitive experience of any kind including routine work and boring people. 3. Excitement related to risk Can we relate look for excitement to risk? Is it a relation? Or can you have excitement without taking risks? If you relate excitement to extreme sport you can answer this question with yes. Besides this perspective, (Highhouse 1996) showed a view from the perspective of society. He uppers that risk could also be taken by threats and opportunities. Threats are related to loss and opportunities are related to gain. (Highhouse 1996) Present an interesting empirical study. This study concludes that people want to take risks but there is a clear leverage beneficial to threats. This basically means that i.e. Program A 400 people will die. Program B 1/3 probability that nobody will die 2/3 probability that 600 people will die. According to Highhouse people will chose for program A. The results typically reveal a framing effect with choices involving gains revealing more risk aversion. The example shows that not always excitement can be related to risk. This test clearly showed that people are risk avoidance. They dont grap the excitement to win 400 lives in fact they chose for not loosing another 200 people. According to (Zuckerman) sensation seeking is always related to risk he wrote biosocial trait of sensation seeking as a predictor of risk-taking behavior. There are good reasons for this as the sensation-seeking motive can illuminate why some people take risks and others do not, and several studies have shown the validity of the concept in this field. Zuckerman related to this concept , behavioral expressions of sensation seeking have not only been found in various kinds of risk-taking behaviors such as driving habits, gambling, health, financial activities, alcohol and drug use, sexual behavior and sports but the trait was found to be also involved in vocational preferences and choices, jobs satisfaction, social; premarital and marital relationships, eating habits and food preferences, creativity, humor, fantasy, media and art preferences and social attitudes. This list of Zuckerman covers all the four sub factors of the definition ‘look for excitement. 4. Extreme sports Many philosophers have askes themselves the questions: ‘what makes sport sport? and ‘what makes sports populair? Like ‘normal or ‘mainstream (Rinehart, 2005) sports, ‘alternative or ‘extreme sports are described by the use of these words while they are never clearly defined. In literature there has not yet been a comprehensive definition, although some have tried. Tamboer Steenbergen (2004) have proposed that sports can be seen from two different perspectives: from its autonomy and from its institutional embeddedness. For the use of this paper the difference between sports and extreme sports is explored by using these perspectives. Extreme sport and its autonomy Bernard Suits describes sport as similar to game and play, and he came up with the following definition (Meier, 1988): ‘to play a game is to engage in an activity directed towards bringing about a specific state of affairs (1), using only means permitted by rules (2), where the rules prohibit more efficient in favor of less efficient means (3), and where such rules are accepted just because they make possible such activity (4). This somewhat philosophic definition can be clarified by an extreme sport example. In downhill mountainbiking a competitor has to follow a specified set out course (1), he is only allowed to use a mountainbike which is approved by the competition organization (2), the course set out by the organization is more difficult than the easiest way down (3) but all competitors apply to these rules because this is the game/sport they are playing Meier (1988) wanted to distinguish sport from game and added a fifth element to the definitions. This fifth element is the demonstration of physical skill. Extreme sports can even better be described by this definition (i.e. think of all the extreme sports with a jury like halfpipe snowboarding, skateboarding, BMX, freestyle windsurfing), but there remain some characteristics which could make extreme sports different from other sports. Most sports that people call extreme are associated with taking (physical) risk. Extreme sports are about the mastering of a skill (Willig, 2008) to overcome the risks mostly caused or provided by the environment. Mastering a skill is highly individual and this makes extreme sports very indivually aimed sports. There is not even a need for an opponent in most cases because it is about the person mastering a skill or overcoming the dangers of the environment, the environment can be seen as the opponent. In extreme sport there are less rules then in many other sport. The natural surroundings make obstacles. This makes the second element in Suits definition of sports less appropriate for extreme sports (i.e. offpiste skiing or snowboarding this is often the most efficient way down). The risk that is associated with extreme sports could be a factor that makes these sports more exciting or more sensational than other sports (or other activities). Also the environment in which these sports take place can account for the feeling of excitement and therefore be a reason to do an extreme sport. Extreme sports and its institutional embeddedness The national and international championships that are organized for many kinds of extreme sports show that there is an institutional embeddedness. Mountainbiking and windsurfing are even at the Olympic sports and are regularly seen on TV. According to Rinehart (2003) extreme sport is mostly developed by young people who are looking for excitement. After this first phase entrepreneurs starting to get in the sport by two ways: firstly businesses develop gear and products, which reduce the risk of an extreme sport. And secondly the sport becomes popular by magazines and TV programs. The results of entrepreneurs who enter the extreme sport is that it becomes popular in general and possible to do for the safe society. A second distinction between extreme sport and a mainstream sport is that the persons who are doing extreme sports aligning themselves with sport in addition to a lifestyle. Which again opens a new market for business ventures and entrepreneurs i.e. clothes and drinks such a s Red bull. These institutions want something to say about the sport. They all profit when extreme sports becomes bigger. There will be more media attention, more sponsors, and more people to buy their products. Extreme sport is highly dependent on expensive material, so as for instance in cycling good material is a never ending business. Could this be the reason for the problem Elias and Dunning proposed? As mentioned in the introduction extreme sports are often done by the ‘richer members of society. This is easily explained by the highly dependence of expensive materials. The members that can afford to escape the routinized boring society. Extreme sport is surrounded by the concept of lifestyle. Extreme sport is not just participating in the sport activity but also in de kind of life that is a part of this sport. In many of these sports, but for instance bicycle motorcross (BMX) and surfing, ‘chilling is a part of the lifestyle. This lifestyle can be seen in de clothe s that people wear, the drinks, the shoes, sunglasses and caps or scarfs. 5. Participation in extreme sports Because it seems extreme sport has become very populair but is also associated with risk (for physical harm or even death) there is the question: ‘Why do people want to participate in extreme sport? Extreme sport seems to distinquish themselves from other sport because of the risk involved. Could it be possible that participators do so because of the risk? And do they need this in order to escape our (boring) safety-orientated society? Taking risk is associated with thrill- and sensation-seeking behavior. This would mean that people are taking risk because of the excitement that comes with it. As mentioned before, in Zuckermans definition of sensation risk-taking behavior is not an essential part, people are only willing to take the risk to experience the sensation. It is possible to experience excitement without risk. Whether people want to experience excitement with or without risk is dependent from the situation. Highhouse (1996) showed risk is perceived as an opportunity when in a loss position, but as a threat when in a gain position. Perceptions of threat or opportunity could have effects on risk taking (Highhouse, 1996). Catar (2006) proposes there is a difference between real risk and perceived risk. Real risk a numerical estimation of the likelihood of an event and perceived risk is influenced by cultural factors. In adventure tourism (activities like bungeejumping, raften, paragliding, etc.) 94% of the participants found there was a very low or non-existent possibility for los, which ment that almost everybody thought the activity was without risk (Catar, 2006). Besides this, the participants evaluate the activities in relation tot the risk of everyday experiences, like driving a car at high speed (Catar, 2006). There can be concluded that de perceivement of risk is dependent on situational factors, and that people do not seek risk but the experience of sensation. Catar (2006) states: ‘Although participants are safe in this knowledge of an outcome, there is no knowlegde as to what the experience might feel like, which is where the attraction really lies. This experience might be so different from everyday experiences, and in combination with an outstanding environmental view the reason for people to participate in extreme sport. At this point rises the question wheter extreme sport is still extreme without the risks involved. And do the experience and environment make extreme sport different from other sports? There are also empirical data which raise questions about the theory that the quest for the excitement of sports is an escape from the routines of modern life. If this is the case, and it certainly seems plausible, how can we explain the well-attested fact that the advantaged rather than the disadvantaged members of society are more likely to do and to watch sports? In other words, those whose lives are least routinized, e.g., professionals, are more likely to seek excitement in sports than those whose lives are most routinized, e.g., factory workers. Perhaps the answer lies in the kinds of sports that are popular with different groups of people. Before people participate in new activities there are two very important elements that must be met. First, people have to be aware of the existence of the activity and the possibility to participate. And, secondly, people have to be in the circumstances that it is possible for them to participate in terms of time, skill, and money. Most extreme sports are quite new and many people are probably unaware of the existence of these activities. By television, advertisments, and stories from friends they become acquinted with the new sports. But before people decide to take part in these sports they have to be in de right circumstances to do so. Most material is very expensive, and there are many sports that cannot be done anywhere. For mountainbiking their have to be tracks or a natural environment, for skiing snowy mountains are needed, for surfing their have to be big waves etc. People who are looking for these circumstances can probably be called sensation-seekers. Donnelly (2006) point out that the way in which research has been done on extreme sports often only includes the core participants. Their mode of participation has come to be called ‘authentic in contrast to the participation of so-called wannabes, posers and nonparticipants. Their relationship with extreme sport is a commercial one. The identification with extreme sport relies for a big part on the adoption of the related lifestyle (Donnelly, 2006). This points out what big influence media, advertisements and groups have on people. And it shows that there are very different kinds of people who participate in extreme sport. Of course this is also the reason why there isnt a simple answer to the question why people do extreme sport. Extreme sport may be so popular in contrast to other sport because most participants are attracted to the lifestyle, the products and may not even be practising the sport itself. 6. Are extreme sports under influence of the safety-orientated society? It could be concluded from chapter 5 that there is a safety-orientated society because people are looking for safety. It is not only our society, but people arent looking for the risk of death of great physical harm. When there are many people who want to take part in extreme sports, safety has to be guaranteed. But when extreme sport becomes safer, there will be more people who want to take part. It seems extreme sport has a very succesfull image which has been made by media and companies. Advertisements and the way the media shows extreme sport make it sound very exciting. But these sports also have a lifestyle that is known as chilling and relaxing. Not only the sport itself but also the special places to go for participating in that sport make it also special and exciting. In this way extreme sport mirrors our safety orientated society. Because the risks have decreased, and physical safety is assured, people can seek their needed thrills and sensation in extreme sport. Conclusion Does a safety-orientated society make people want to look for excitement in for example extreme sports? Our safety-orientated society makes it possible for all kinds of people to seek excitement in extreme sports. Implications Government: If you want excitement then please do an extreme sport instead of experimenting drugs and alcohol because being physically active keeps you healthy and thats safe! References Donnelly, M. (2006). Studying extreme sports: beyond the core participants. Journal of sport and social issues, 30, 219 Elias, N. Dunning, E. (1986). Quest for Excitement: Sport and Leisure in the Civilizing Process. Oxford, Basil Blackwell Fulker, Eysenck Zuckerman, M. (1980). A Genetic and Environmental Analysis JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 14, 261-281 Highhouse, S. Yuce, P. (1996). Perspectives, perceptions, and risk-taking behavior. Organizational behavior and human decision processes, 65, 159-167 http://www.xtremesport4u.com/extreme-sport/extreme-sport-growing-in-popularity/ http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/143916/surge-in-popularity-of-extreme-sports Meier, K.V. (1988). Triad Trickery: Playing With Sport and Games. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, XV, 11-30. Nansen (1927) ‘Adventure, in G. Breivik, THE QUEST FOR EXCITEMENT AND THE SAFE SOCIETY, journ. Safety science Potgieter, J., Bisschoff, F., 1990. Sensation seeking among medium and low risk sports. Perceptual and Motor Skills 71, 1203_/1206. Stranger, M. (1999). The aesthetics of risk. A study of surfing. International review for the sociology of sport, 34 (3), 265-276 Tamboer, J. Steenbergen, J. (2004). Sportfilosofie. Nederland, Budel: Uitgeverij DAMON. Willig, C. (2008). A phenomenological investigation of the experience of taking part in extreme sports. Journal of health psychology, 13, 690 Zuckerman, M., 1983. Sensation seeking and sports. Personality and Individual Differences 4, 285_/292. Zuckerman, M., 1994. Behavioral Expression and Biosocial Bases of Sensation Seeking. Cambridge University Press, New York. Zuckerman, M. (1979): Sensation seeking: Beyond the optimal level of arousal. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Ruch, W. Zuckerman M. ( ). Sensation seeking in adolescence. 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Children and Gangs Essay -- Gang Essays

The problem of gangs is growing, and not only in major city centers. The Justice Department says there are now 30,000 gangs with more than 800,000 members. The National Youth Gang Centre (NYGC), which conducts an annual survey that is funded by the Justice Department, concedes that every town of 250,000 people now has a gang problem. Many young adults who join gangs may do it for the following reasons: - Gangs may offer kids a powerful group identity and a kind of recognition they cannot get at home or elsewhere. - Protection - If there are many gangs in an area, joining one of them may offer protection from rival gangs. - Feeling of Belonging - Gang activity may offer a feeling of being a part of a "family" that is missing in the child's home. The child becomes loyal to the gang's values, rather than those of the home. - Intimidation - Threats and violent beatings may be used to force youths to join. - Excitement - Gang activity may seem attractive to kids who are bored, lack interests and direction, or do not feel good about themselves. The media has glamorized gangs in music, movies, and video games. This adds to the excitement associated with them. - Peer Pressure - Kids are pressured to join gangs if others around them are gang members. - Financial Benefit - Kids see being in a gang as an easy way to gain money and new possessions. - Lack of Knowledge - Kids, especially young ones, do not realize the true dangers of being in a gang. So how d...

Essay --

Chris Nguyen Xxxxxx Xxxxxx 27 December 2013 Socialization and Stigmatization of HIV/ AIDS in Developing and Developed Societies: A Comparative Survey of Selected Recent Literature Introduction In the last thirty years the social perception of HIV/ AIDS has changed dramatically in the public conscious. The disease itself has shifted from being a baffling virus in the 1960s and 1970s, to the offensively termed â€Å"Gay-related immune deficiency† or GRID, to finally being termed the Human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the 1980s. Despite scientific advances in modern medicine, the perception of the illness is still highly sexualized and carries a deeply negative stigma, especially in economically developing societies. In this paper I will analyze a selection of current literature to gain understanding of how HIV/ AIDS first came into existence and how it was initially perceived in the public conscious. From this same pool of recent literature I will examine sub-Saharan African societies, specifically cases in Tanzania and South Africa, as well as the socio-politic al context surrounding HIV/ AIDS governance in present-day China. In contrast, I will also draw from an article that discusses stigma experienced by HIV-positive women living in Canada- a developed society. Despite the reams of scientific literature on the subject, public consciousness about living with HIV/ AIDS and preventing its transmission in developing and developed societies remains low. Cultural and Socio-political Perceptions of HIV Infection Modern perceptions of HIV and AIDS are driven by archaic and outdated social stigma that has existed since the discovery ... ...gical sense. Obviously people observe different cultures and norms across all of the world’s societies. In order to address a common problem across uncommon environments, problem-solvers must seek-out culturally appropriate means and methods for confronting any given issue. HIV and AIDS- related stigma is a problem that has plagued social society since the discovery of the illness. Even the most developed societies like Canada are not immune to prejudice and bias. As such, much responsibility falls upon educated people to share the importance of sexual and reproductive health with those who may not have access to the same level of quality education. While history has already written bias and stigma into the lives of those who have lived and continue to live with HIV or AIDS, the phenomenon of bias can be understood. And with understanding comes the hope for change.

Leadership from Genghis Khan Essay

In 1165, a child was born in the heart of Asia. It is said that when he was born, he was clutching a blood clot-a sign from Heaven that he was destined to be a great warrior. His name is Genghis Khan, meaning â€Å"Universal Ruler†. The word Khan is not a name, but a title. It means emperor or king. This word had been used by different tribes or nations in various forms in central Asia. Genghis Khan is the most greatest among those Khans.(Abbott, 1902) His life was about to become a legend in human history. Many people believe that his story is full of butchering people and some scholars even compared him to Hitler. The real character of Genghis Khan, however, is far more intriguing. How did this illiterate outcast turn the feuding tribes of Mongolia into a powerful nation? And how did he transform the Mongol hordes into a ruthless and disciplined fighting machine? Snapshot of Genghis Khan Genghis Khan was born with the name of Temujin in 1165 on the banks of the river Onon. When he was 9 years old, he met his father’s death, poisoned by Tatars, who were the dominant tribe in eastern Mongolia at that time. None of his father’s followers want to be led by a 9 years old boy, but neither did they want to kill Temujin for fear of starting a feud with his father’s relatives. His father’s followers left Temujin and his mother by the clan, who are afraid of him succeeding to his father’s position. After that, Temujin began survival. He became the youth who fought for survival of him and his mother, abandoned by his father’s followers after the murder of his father. (Historic World Leaders, 1994) When he was 14, he was taken prisoners by the Taichi’uts. However, he escaped successfully. Then he soon married to his first wife, Borte. Unluckily, his wife was later captured by his enemy. He then united Jamuka, who is his blood brother, and Toghrill to rescue his wife. But after this rescue, the gap between Temujin and his blood brother was becoming more and more large because both he and Jamuka are persons who are eager to be the leader of clan. They both want to be the Khan who can unite the Mongol. They cannot stand to become the leader assistance. In 1185, he Mongol princes acclaimed Temujin as their ruler. After that, he experienced tremendous setbacks and overcame. (Historic World Leaders, 1994) In 1206, Temujin united all the tribes in Mongol, he was proclaimed to the emperor of all Mongols, and given the title Genghis Khan, which means † Universal Monarch†. After that, Genghis Khan began his conquering to Asia and Europe. During the followed two decades, Genghis Khan would lay the foundations for the largest empire ever known. (Xu, 2002) In 1213, the Mongolian crossed the Great Wall, spreading out to northern part of China. Genghis Khan’s army sacked Beijing in 1215. In 1219, He began his bloody slaughters, moving westward. In 1227, it is said that he died because the internal injury suffered after falling from his horse. At that time, the land he conquered was from the borders of Turkey to Russia to northern India to China.(Schlager and Lauer, 2001) However, it is undeniable that Genghis Khan is a slaughter when he was conquering. It is said that every time his army conquered a city, they would kill all the men whose height is over the height of wheel and put all the women, elderly, and children into slavery. There is a statistics states that the Mongolian army led by Genghis Khan killed 30 million people in China, 200 million people in total including Asia and Europe. In 1122, there are 93.47 million people in China. However, in 1274, when the Yuan dynasty was established by Genghis Khan’s descendants, there were only 8.87 million people in China. () There was once a rumor, which proved to be not real, said he killed 1,748,000 people in one hour. (Qing, 2011) Leadership Traits Genghis Khan has a majority of leadership traits, which does not change as him moves from situation to situation. I will analyze three aspects traits of Genghis Khan, which are physical or background traits, personality of ability traits, and task or social traits. Physical and background trait From the perspectives of physical and background trait, he is always being an energetic person. He spent his whole life on integrating different tribes in Mongolia and conquering lands as large as possible. When he died, his emperor controlled a region that stretched from the borders of Turkey to China to Russia to northern India. However, he is illiterate all his life, not ever educated. Personality or ability trait From the perspective of personality or ability traits, Genghis Khan is the person who has a unique personality and charisma. He is a very creative person. The nomadic tribe was a backward tribe at that time. The weapons they mainly used are bow-and-arrow and sword. Genghis Khan developed different kind of technology during the conquest. He invented central Asian compound bow, which had the same power as to the European crossbow. He combined powder to the arrow, which did a great contribution to destroy the heavy European armour. Also, He invented the Mongol military tactics and organization helped the Mongol Emperor to conquer nearly all of continental Asia, the Middle East and parts of eastern Europe. In many ways, it can be regarded as the first â€Å"modern† military system. (May, 2007) He is self-confidence, but not ego. He did not need any comments on his self-confidence because when one third of the world is under your control, you did not lack for self-confidence. As a tactician and strategist, he was initiative and superb at seizing opportunities. He was also flexible in adapting to change situations. Genghis Khan once saw the new needs of his policy he had created, he responded. Social trait From the perspective of social traits, he is famous for cooperating with his followers to come up with the strategy or new inventions. His inspirational leadership made his followers loyal to him. Genghis Khan has excellent organizational skills and he is talented in sociability. He is a disciplined person, same as his army. Because of his organizational an strategic skills, he created one of the most highly effective armies in history, he was given birth to administrate this army. (May, 2003) Leadership Behavior A good leader is someone who does not make plans for the group, but to influence the group members toward the achievement of group goals in which the members view the influence as legitimate. A good leader is not only organizing the group, but to unite the group members to generate great effectiveness. Throughout Genghis Khan’s life, he used several leadership behaviors to influence his followers. Directive Leadership Behavior Genghis Khan has a vision that defines and articulates clearly where he wants to go. He sets goals for followers, planning and coordinating followers’ work. As a commander and a statesman, he is always far-sighted strategic thinking. For example, Genghis Khan’s ultimate goal is to conquer the central part of China. However, after establishing his own regime in eastern Mongolia, contrary to expectations, he did not to attack the Jin Dynasty, which took over the northern part of China during that time by Jurchen people. Because he knew that even if he could win in the beginning, he would be attacked by other tribes in the middle west of the Mongolia. So, he did not attempt a direct attack on northern China, but to desire to concentrate on integrating Mongolia.(Qing, 2011) Charismatic Leadership Behavior I think the own charismas of Genghis Khan is the key reason why he could become success. Genghis Khan has a unique personality and charisma. It has been remarked that one of Genghis Khan’s greatest assets was his personal charisma, what R. P. Lister called â€Å"the power to arouse exaltation in his followers, so that they are no longer moved entirely by thoughts of self-preservation, but become slightly mad.† (Historic World Leaders, 2011)It is surprised that all his comrades showed long time loyalty to him, no one ever betray him. He never doubt about his comrades’ loyalty. After every time success, he always awarded his ministers. He never killed them in order to gain more power, but to assign the power to his ministers. Leader Reward and Punishment Behavior One of the obvious leadership behaviors of Genghis Khan is that he reward success. He advocated that if they defeated the enemy, everyone should be assigned spoils. He always rewards those people who have done great contribution to success. He punished those people who disobey his law or rules. Every followers need to clear his rules, and rigorously obeyed. For example, if a soldier deserted his troop, he was executed. If a soldier failed to stop to help a fellow warrior whose baggage fell from his horse, he was executed. If two or more members of a troop made a great advance, but were not supported by their comrades, the latter were executed. (Man, 2009) Participative Leadership Behavior Unlike other rulers, Genghis Khan involved in conquest every time. He spend all his life on conquering, even to his death. In history, there are few rulers who can participate in the conquest as he did. He is also good at taking counsel from other people. He shows great respect to people who counsel. He always involve followers in the decision-making process. He can always get the right people, and use them well. For example, during his early years conquest, he had simply killed everyone who stood in his way. A former official of the Chinese emperor told Genghis Khan that they could pay him valuable tax money to finance further warfare if he would not continue killing people in the lands they conquered. Genghis Khan accepted this advice. (Schlager and Lauer, 2001) Genghis Khan’s Leadership Behavior in Hospitality Industry As a ruler of the empire which had the largest territory in the world ever. Genghis Khan’s greatest assets was his personal charisma. How can I use Genghis Khan’s leadership traits and behaviors for my career in hospitality industry? Can his leadership traits and leadership behaviors be used in hospitality industry? In the following paragraph, I will mainly analyze on how to apply his charismatic leadership behavior and his leader reward and punishment behavior in hospitality industry. There are mainly three attributions of Genghis khan’s charismatic behavior have strong influence on his follower’s attitudes, behaviors, and values. First, Get a Vision. In hospitality industry, even the same as the other industry, it is a great deal for a leader to have a vision. Genghis Khan has a great vision ability, he always clear what to do next. When Genghis Khan began to conquer the Mongol, he had a vision that unity could defeat any singles. In the end, his tribal unity threatened all his rivals. With time going on, his vision is becoming larger and larger: unite nation, build up an empire, even conquer the world. (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 1998) The general manager, as a leader in a hotel, needs to have a right vision and influence followers to dream it up. A general manager of a hotel should analyze the hotel objective, and then have a vision that what this hotel needs most at this time. A hotel general manager should have a vision by considering questions like these: How to use the efficient administration to ascend the RevPar? What kind of marketing strategy does the hotel need to have under the specific circumstances? Do customers enjoy our services? What is the relevance stuff between the needs of employees and the needs of the hotel. A hotel general manager should also have the vision changed with situation goes on. Second, employ the best, use the right person. One of the most charismatic traits of Genghis Khan is that he is brilliant in using people, no matter who they are. For example, he once found one of his prisoners, who has the administrative skills he lacked, but needed. His companions are people from different places, including Mongolian, Jurchen, Chinese, Jin etc..Choosing the right man, Mongol or non-Mongol, was one of Genghis’s supreme talents. (Shelton, 2005) However, in nowadays world, so many leaders do not like the people who are better than them because they are seen not as an asset but a threat. In hospitality industry, since the service is intangible, perishable, inseparate, and variable. Customers valued the hotel not only from the scales, but also the service. It is very essential for a leader in hospitality industry to use the right person in different positions to expand the profits. Employ good employees is only the first step for a manger to go, the more significant is to use employees well. Moreover, the turnover rate in hospitality industry is usually very high, employees always change jobs because of not satisfy with their jobs. Employees would not make commitments to employers if managers do not treat the relations with employees well. Managers should recognize that every employees need to be satisfied with their basic demands, which are not the money, honors, or high-positions, but to discover their own value. Third, perseverance. During Genghis Khan’s childhood, he risked for survival. When he was grown up, he kept on conquering till the last day of his life. Genghis Khan focus on one purpose in his life, which is to see his enemies brought to justice. He insisted on achieving this purpose all his life. He was never distracted by a desire for possessions or wealth as he became more powerful. In nowadays hospitality industry, perseverance also plays a significant role to a leader. In China, hospitality industry is a fast developing industry in recent years. Those international hotel brands, such as, Marriott, Hilton, and Carlson, are increasing star-scale hotels in China every year. Though there are a majority of opportunities in this industry, a lot of people choose to leave this industry but contribute to other industry, such as, finance or accounting. As a hotel leader, or even the employees in basic unit, persistence in hospitality industry can make you success. Because there are more opportunities in this industry than others. For example, the finance industry is almost saturated, it is very hard to move forward in this kind of industry. In China, a hospitality major student may start a basic salary, which is usually lower than other industry, in a hotel. However, this industry is having a lot of opportunities and less risky. In the same uncertainty situation, choose less risky industry would bring more return. So, it is necessary for a hotel manager to hold on consistently and persistently in this industry. Genghis Khan’s leader directive behavior can be applied well in hospitality industry. Genghis Khan has a great vision of what he and his Mongol hordes need to do. Genghis Khan made clear and firm rules for his hordes. Everyone has to obey the rule, even the royal family. This is also a significant step in establishing Genghis Khan’s hold over all the people and aligning them in support of his expansionist policies. He distributed different work to his followers and all of his followers made great commitments in return. In hospitality industry, the reason of some of the employees’ bad performance of services is that they are nor clear for their goals or not clear about the rules. At this time, a directive leader is certainly needed to pursuit followers, make a task-oriented, and specify rules. Also, Leader reward and punishment behavior is needed in hospitality industry. Hotel managers or supervisors should clear about the merits and achievements of their followers. They can build up a salary system to reward and make theLeaders should distribute fairly to followers so that followers will follow them loyally. Conclusion Genghis Khan was not only a ruler, but a unifier. Because of his conquest, he build up his empire stretching from Korea to Western Russia in the north and from Burma to Iraq in the south, opening up the road from eastern world to western world. Even, he made the foundation of the Eurasian history. Due to Genghis khan, the travel between East and West became relatively safe, which had not been exist for a very long period. However, he was also know as a harsh and mercilessly conqueror in history. In terms of leadership, Genghis Khan is a charismatic leader. He was exactly clear of his purpose, having a great vision, and insisting on that. He was humble, accepting criticism. He has a great ability of using the right people. His strategic and organizational skills created one of the most highly disciplined armies in history. Even in the hospitality industry, his leadership behaviors and traits can also be applied, and have contributions to it. People could learn from him in order to gai n the benefits in their career.