Critically discuss the following statement What is marketing Easy its Essay

Critically discuss the following statement What is marketing Easy its what marketers do - Essay Example A series of theories has been gradually developed aiming to help the transformation of marketing in accordance with the current market rules. Current paper focuses on the examination of the context and the role of marketing within the modern market; the specific field is evaluated using relevant theories – as published in the academic literature. Moreover, efforts are made in order to present and explain the practical implications of marketing – as these implications are understood and handled by marketers. It is concluded that the current forms of marketing are difficult to be fully explored and evaluated – being differentiated within each commercial sector; however, the theoretical explanations on marketing – as identified through the relevant literature – can help to understand the actual role of marketing in the modern market but also its potentials for further transformation in the future. 2. Marketing – Description and functions 2.1 The context of marketing - definitions One of the key characteristics of marketing is its ability to be transformed being aligned with the market trends and demands. Initially, marketing was a discipline rather foreign to academic study; it had been rather considered as a series of practices used by professionals who deal with the promotion of products/ services within a pre-arranged market (also known as target market); the above issue is highlighted in the study of Baker et al. (1998) who noted that marketing gradually entered the academic field of knowledge; however, despite the fact that a wide range of studies has been developed in regard to the content and the role of market, still there are many of its aspects that are not clear (Baker et al 1998). Probably the reason is that the changes of the market are too quick and extensive, marketing’s rules and forms are transformed - in order to be aligned with these changes - but there is no adequate time for the phases of this t ransformation to be monitored and evaluated. From a similar point of view Viardot (2004) noted that the context and the role of marketing can be differentiated when having to enter a particular sector; reference is made, for example, to the term ‘marketing for high tech firms’ (Viardot 2004, 1); it is suggested by Viardot (2004) that marketing is described as follows: ‘putting on the market’ (Viardot 2004, 2) – a description which presents the practical use of marketing as a range of tasks focusing on the achievement of a particular target. Baker et al. (2007) use a similar approach; they note that marketing is still in a period of transition from ‘a pure professional practice to an activity explained through appropriate theoretical models’ (Baker et al 2007, 3). Kotler et al. (2010) give a different, more analytical, description of marketing; in accordance with the above researchers, marketing is ‘the process of building profitabl e customer relationships by creating value for customers and capturing value in return’ (Kotler 2010, 53). In the above description marketing is presented as being closely related to customers; in this way, the main priority of marketers is set: marketers should focus on the development of the relationship between the products/ services

Education vs. Non-Education Essay Example for Free

Education vs. Non-Education Essay There are two important stories called, Front Seat Brahman and Teachers of Import that have a common conflict. That common conflict is education vs. non-education. The character in Front Seat Brahman is Sushil Rao. He is from Bombay, India. The characters in The Teachers of Import are Amarel Collymore and Elke Walcher. Amarel is from Bridgetown, Barbados and Elke is from Austria. They all moved to Queens, New York for a particular reason. Sushil did not mention whether or not he went to elementary or high school. However, from the story it sounds like he took school lightly compared to Amarel and Elke. Sushil states, I went away to agriculture college to learn how to be a farmer, but they made me dissect frogs in a botany class so I quite. So I enrolled in a philosophy college. A year later, my father died and I was kind of out of control. I quite college and became a traveling hippie (Lehrer/ Sloan, 32). This proves that he did try to go to college, but was not dedicated enough to finish college. He thought there were better opportunities and prospects out in the world than just going to college. That was not the case for Amarel and Elke. Amarel was a college graduate and taught high school English. She had decades of teaching experience and decided to come to New York. Elke was also a college graduate and taught science. Both teachers came to teach in New York because there was a shortage of teachers and the New York City Board of Education was looking to recruit teachers from different countries. Amarel was not used to the students behavior the first week of classes. She states, In Barbados, if a student acts up, they get put out the door right away. When I first started teaching here I thought the kids were raging all the time. Then I figured out its just normal for them to curse and swear (Lehrer/ Sloan, 55). This shows the differences between the way students act in Barbados vs. America. I think American students, depending on the school though; have very low respect for their teachers compared to certain countries. Elke had a different experience. She said, Its a prejudice Europeans have against blacks anyways. The movies give the impression that all blacks are criminals and they all live in the Bronx. I couldnt believe the class was half black. Most of the guys are wearing gang jackets and bandanas (Lehrer/ Sloan, 59). This proves that Elke was in for a big surprise and they were not like the Austrian students that she was used to. Sushil was more of a spiritual person rather than educational. For example Sushil says, You can live without food for days at a time. But water you need almost every four hours. Water is like diamonds. Our life depends on it (Lehrer/ Sloan, 36)! People know they cannot live without water, but I have never heard anyone phrase is quite like that. This shows that Sushil is such a deep and meaningful man. Sushil has such a great view of life and appreciates it so much more than the average American. The two teachers and Sushil make the education vs. non-education conflict have some similarities and differences. The two teachers take such great pride in their work as teachers. Just as Sushil takes pride in sharing his stories with people, cooking and his publishing company. He did not need college to succeed like Amarel and Elke, but the women definitely make education a big part of their lives. These are just two different views these people have. In a way, Sushil was teaching the people in the cabs about his country and his beliefs, just as the two teachers teacher their students. Sushil does not mention how education is portrayed in India, but according to Amarel and Elke teachers are very well respected and getting an education is very highly though of. The two teachers were not sure they wanted to stay in New York or go back home and teach. In the end, they did both want to stay. Amarel concludes with, Ive gotten accustomed to these kids. The Lord brought me here for something. I am not yet sure what it is. I know now if I hate to, I could teach anywhere. But Id like to teach here again next year if I can (Lehrer/ Sloan, 57). Elke concludes with, Teaching is a calling. If you do it just for the money you wont last. Especially in New York. Some of the teachers look at me like Im nuts whenever I talk with great enthusiasm for teaching (Lehrer/ Sloan, 61). This show that both teachers are now getting used to the idea that they can help these students and teach them to respect teachers more. They both succeeded in the end. Sushil also succeeded even though he did not go to college and education was not a part of his life. He was starting to make dinners for his friend and all his friends. Then Sushil and his friend started up a publishing company together. That proved he did not need a professional education. He was poetic and creative and that made him a success.

Access to Medicine in India

Access to Medicine in India For a health system to be effective, access to medicines is a critical component. Hence, it is necessary that good quality medicines are available and affordable to the people. However, many countries and regions including India face several barriers in expanding access to medicines. According to WHO these include: Inefficient and Iniquitous Financing Mechanisms Over the years India’s public health system is found to be under funded. This has pushed several people to rely largely on OOP to meet their healthcare needs. Currently, the share of public to private health spending in India is found to be 1:4, in which drugs alone contribute with over 71% of all OOP expenditure of households. Under-funded public health system resulted in acute shortages and chronic drug stock-outs at all levels of care making both poor and non-poor financially vulnerable. As a result of this, poor populations are pulled even deeper into poverty (poverty-deepening), while a large number of above-poverty line households are subsequently pulled below the poverty line every year. One can observe an extremely low public spending along with huge variation between states and across districts within a state. From the data of 2010-2011 it is evident that in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala about 10-12% of health spending is towards procuring drugs. Where-as in states like Jharkhand, Punjab and Rajasthan it is only 2-3% of health spending that goes into drugs. Though there is significant improvement in drug procurement in the state of Bihar due to steep rise in the allocated funds (NRHM) during the same period the per capita spending on the drugs is very less (Rs. 8 per capita). High Drug Prices From a state of very high drug prices due to heavy imports in the pre-1970 era, with the aid of effective drug policies there was a rapid growth of the indigenous drugs companies which resulted in increased production of drugs both the bulk drugs and the formulations. This has resulted in the improved local availability of drugs and relatively speaking with lowest drug prices in the world. But, due to the ineffective policy changes the coverage of drug price control has reduced from 90% of the market in 1970 to 10% of the market in 1995. Due to these relaxed regulations pharmaceutical industry took an advantage of reaping high profits through complex price setting activities. Research has shown that the price of a same pharmaceutical ingredient under a therapeutic category vary around 1000% between the most expensive and the cheapest brands. Further, the variation between the market price and procurement price of similar drugs could range anywhere between 100% and 5000%. Effectivenes s of price control is clearly demonstrated by the studies done in the past few years. From the study done by Sengupta et al. (2008) between the period of 1996 and 2006 it was found that there was nearly 40% increase in all drug prices. During the same period, there was a 0.02% rise in the price of controlled drugs while the price of EDL (Essential Drug List) drugs rose by 15%. Whereas, the prices of those drugs which were not controlled and were not included in the EDL increased by 137%. Hence, it is evident that the price control policies of the 1990s have resulted in significant increase of drug prices during the last 15 years. Defective and Incompetent Procurement and Distribution Systems Availability of drugs in the public health system is vital element in enhancing the access to medicine in the country. Hence, along with adequate allocation of funds it is very important to have an efficient and reliable drug procurement system to maintain the availability and to avoid shortages and stock-outs. Several procurement mechanisms were identified in different states in India. The states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala adopted a pooled procurement model, Chattisgarh is following a decentralized procurement system, whereas Bihar adopted a blend of the two. Over the last two decades the pooled procurement model of the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) was found to be the most efficient, reliable and transparent model that was replicated in few other states. The different procurement models will be discussed in detail later in this section. Essential Drug List (EDL) also has its effect in enhancing the availability in the public health systems. It was found that the physicians prescribed and dispensed irrational drugs in the states where the procurement and distribution systems did not follow EDL. This resulted in compromising the cost-effectiveness of procurement system which in effect resulted in shortage of drugs. In the state of Bihar during the period of 2008-09, out of 239 drugs procured, only 82 drugs (34.89%) were found to be on the state EDL (both in-patient and out-patient). Procurement of these eighty two drugs consumed about 71% of the state’s budget allotted for drugs. Form the overall state’s drug budget 43% was spent on procuring rate contract*(Rate Contract is a contract for the supply of stores at specified rates during the period covered by the contract) drugs and the rest 57% was spent on procuring non-rate contract drugs. This showed that funds were not efficiently utilized in procureme nt of drugs which has its effect on the availability of the drugs in public health system. Widespread use of Irrational Medicines Indian Pharmaceutical market is flooded with about 90,000 formulations with different brand names with uncertain distinction. As per the estimates from the Drug Control General of India (DCGI) in 2007 about 46 banned Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs were being sold in spite of the ban issued on them. It is the perquisite of DCGI to give the licensing approval for marketing of a drug, while the state drug controllers are only required to approve production and sale of these licensed drugs in the state. But the situation is different and the evidence shows that about 1067 FDCs are being freely marketed with the approval from the state drug controllers, but without the consensus of the DCGI. Most of the major drug manufacturers are involved in manufacturing and marketing the irrational medicines. For example, in the year 2004 alone around hundred new drug FDCs were introduced into the market which contributed to the market share of Rs. 130 crore. Drugs manufactured in this way are to be sold to the consumers. Hence, manufacturing companies spend a large amounts in promoting the irrational combinations which ad up to the cost of the drug. This results in the physician prescribing these irrational combination violating the standard treatment guide lines and thus increasing the cost of the prescription making dugs unaffordable and unapproachable. The evidence shows that during 2008-09 more than 25% of the industry’s annual turnover was spent on promoting the manufactured drugs when compared to meager 7% on research and development. Stringent Product Patent Regime After the agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) since 2005, India changed its pharmaceutical patent policy from process patent to product patent. This brought a lot of chaos in the price and access to medicine. The process patent enabled the manufacturing of most of the drugs and thus increasing the availability in the market at a very low prices. Change over to product patent has its own vested interests in creating a market monopoly for the manufacturers and giving them the whole and sole right to the manufacturer to sell the drug. This has created a barrier to access the drugs by making them unaffordable and unreachable to the common population. These patented medicines do not even have close substitutes to treat the condition and hence, the consumer is forced to buy these patented medicines which are of high cost to meet the health care needs. These patented medicines are priced so high that even middle class people are far away from reaching these medic ines. TRIPS its self provides the rights to the nations to safeguard and protect the nations’ public health by providing flexibility in patent laws in the form of compulsory licensing. But India was not successful in utilizing the flexibility in the law until recently in 2012 where Natco pharma was given rights to manufacture the anti-cancer drug under the brand name Glievec patented by Bayers. Because of this the cost of the treatment has come down from lakhs to aroung nine thousand and later Cipla also started selling the product at a cost of about six thousand. Insufficient Research Development Focus Under-funding of public health research institutions, alongside a general lack of focus on priority diseases by private sector, hinders current drug research efforts in the country. The evidence shows that during 2008-09 more than 25% of the industry’s annual turnover was spent on promoting the manufactured drugs when compared to meager 7% on research and development. 1.3 Price control in India Price is an important component in determining the purchasing power of any good. This is true in case of most of the consumer goods. But, the prices of consumer goods like food, Pharmaceutical products (drugs), etc. with high public relevance are to be controlled in order to make them accessible to the general public. As mentioned earlier expenditure on drugs is the significant contributor to the total healthcare expenditure both in public and private healthcare. Studies also revealed high drug prices push households into poverty. Hence, drugs are one of the most important commodities whose prices are to be controlled in order to make them accessible. Drug price control in India has a long history. The first price control order was issued in 1963 in the wake of Chinese aggression to control the rising prices of drugs under the Defense of India Act. Next in the year 1966 another order was issued by the government introducing a system of increasing prices making it mandatory for the manufacturers to obtain approvals before hiking the prices. Drug price control order 1970 was a mile stone in bringing down the price of essential drugs by curbing the excessive profits and safeguarding the interest of consumers. Simultaneously, the product patents in 1970 brought an era of cheaper drugs in India. Since then DPCO was amended four times the last being in 2013. In 1979 DPCO was issued to fix the maximum sale price of the pharmaceuticals based on the concept of Maximum Allowable Post manufacturing Expenses (MAPE). In this 347 drugs were under control which were categorized into four categories, lifesaving, essential, less essential and non- essential drugs respectively. Later, in the year 1987 another amendment was made in the wake of drug policy 1986 where the number of drugs control were cut down to 142 with reducing the categories into two and increasing the MAPE to 75% and 100% respectively. Later in 1995 the number of drugs under control were reduce to 74. Due to the increase in the prices of medicines government took a decision of forming a body of experts to deal with the fixation of medicine prices which resulted in the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA). This authority was also given the task of reviewing the list of essential medicines which should come under the price control and also monitor the prices of drugs which are not under control. NPPA came into effect and became fully functional with effect from 29th Aug. 1997. Last amendment DPCO 2013 was made after several hurdles when government of India notified the new National Pharmaceutical Pricing policy (NPPP) 2012 which is based on the concept of market based pricing. The main objective of the policy as stated in the gazette released is â€Å"†¦.to put in place a regulatory framework for pricing of drugs so as to ensure availability of required medicines – â€Å"essential medicines† – at reasonable prices even while providing sufficien t opportunity for innovation and competition to support the growth of industry, there by meeting the goals of employment and shred economic well-being for all.† According to this, ceiling price of a drug would be determined by adopting the simple average price of all the brands having market share (on the basis of moving annual turnover) more than and equal to 1% of the total market of that medicine. Now the manufacturers would be free to fix any price below or equal to the ceiling price. This claims to reduce the prices of drugs and make the medicines available and affordable which may not be true in the practical sense.

The Craft of the Cover Essay -- Music Artist

There is nothing new under the sun. This could be considered to be the unofficial credo of the Postmodern movement, and it wouldn’t be an inaccurate statement to make. There are few universal themes; the pursuit of love, the satisfaction found in hard work, the youthful struggle against the status quo, the hatred of oppression and control being among those most often quoted, and there are only so many ways to package and repackage these messages in a fashion readymade for public consumption. Pop culture is like a melting pot for these ideas. It is a cultural stew brimming with themes and Grand Narratives. And yet the Postmodernists scorn the idea that there can be new themes discovered, and new modes of presenting those themes in a perfect, complete way. This struggle to discover new ways of revealing truth to the public has caused artists throughout history to turn to cover songs. And this use of covers has become emblematic of the Postmodern philosophy, whether due to the s tagnation of the creativity of young artists, or the nostalgia with which Postmodernists view the past. A cover song is a song that is played by an artist other than the original creator. If I were to start a band and play â€Å"Smoke on the Water† by Deep Purple, I would be covering their song. Performances of old hymnals and American spiritual folk tunes like â€Å"House of the Rising Sun† and â€Å"Where Did You Sleep Last Night?† are all covers, simply played by artists as a means of connecting with their audience through mutually well known songs. In the 1950s and 60s, however, the purpose of covers began to change. Record companies began having artists rerecord songs, â€Å"for the purposes of disseminating it among a broader or different section of the record-buying pub... ...he sun. Works Cited Dimaggio, Paul. "Cultural Capital." Encyclopedia of Social Theory 1 (2005). Print. Harvey, David. "The Condition of Postmodernity." The New Social Theory Reader (2001). Print. Dave Laing. "Folk Music Revival." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 5 Dec. 2010 . Natoli, Joseph P., and Linda Hutcheon. A Postmodern Reader. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993. Storey, John. Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2010. Print. Weisbard, Eric. "POP MUSIC; A Simple Song That Lives Beyond Time." New York Times 13 Nov. 1994. Print. Robert Witmer and Anthony Marks. "Cover." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 5 Dec. 2010 .

The Plains Indians Were Cruel, Blood-Thirsty and Uncivilised

It Is the story of all that is holy and good to tell and of us two legged sharing it with the four legged ND the wings of the air – all green things; for these are the children of one mother and their father is one spirit† Initially out first impression of the plains Indians from simply this source, is that they are peace loving, good natured folk with pure hearts and love and respect for all creatures, we find them referring to all creatures as equal.This In one way makes them appear more civilized from their white American brothers, as we know that the Americans did not believe that humans were equal to plants or animals. These beliefs of the plains Indians give us a first impression that causes us to disagree with the initial question. From source five on page thirteen, Black Elk describes his vision, this is probably where we, as historians may choose to question their level of civilization compared to the white American folk, and even us.We In the 21st century certa inly do not go about searching for visions and neither did the white Americans. So does this cause me to question how classed the plains Indians actually were? To be perfectly honest, no it does not. I believe it is just like if one were to question the religion of another person, the Indians did not quest for scions and talk to spirits because they were less developed and/or less civilized than us or the white Americans, it was simple their tradition and belief, much like Islamic belief In the teachings of Muhammad.This life of conversing with spirits and questing for visions suited them perfectly and does not change my opinions on them so far. Perhaps the second thing we encounter In this unit Is the various rituals and dances the plains Indians took part in, at first this does not seem to strange as it is another one of their beliefs and traditions, however after we have studied these in ore detail we might be somewhat shocked to learn the details of a few dances in particular, o ne of these dances (the sun dance) is considered rather horrific and brutal In my opinion.The sun dance involves an Indian brave, having gashes cut Into his back, and ropes latched onto the flesh Inside and hung from a tree, this young brave would then partake in dancing and praying to the great spirit (known as Waken Tank). This is one of the things that greatly shocked the white American people, to them it was considered horrific and taboo, they thought such beliefs of the plains Indians were ludicrous, and caused their opinions of the tribes to waiver, and think them bloodthirsty and immoral. Studying the tribes, I can say I agree.This was Just but another one of the Indians' traditions, they knew In their hearts that good would a bloodthirsty act, perhaps it was interpreted so by the white American people, but to the Indians it was Just a perfectly normal and customary tradition that bore no maliciousness or anything considered (to them) bloodthirsty. Moving on, we began to stud y in detail how the plains Indians hunted and gathered food, namely in the form f hunting buffalo. The main way, in which the Indians hunted buffalo was on horseback, using bows and arrows in order to kill the game and being back the carcasses for food, and many other uses.This would seem normal to them, however to the white Americans it could be somewhat frowned upon and seen as uncivilized, again I disagree. When the Americans learned that the buffalo was used for more than Just meat one can imagine their reaction, they were not used to such treatment of animals, normally the American people would Just take the meat and possibly the did. However the plains Indians used almost every single part of the beast, including many of the organs and bones.Naturally the Americans who would obviously be afraid of their cultural differences saw this as ‘bloodthirsty when of course the Indians were Just being practical, rather than uncivilized. I can empathic why the Americans might have thought the way they did though, I mean wouldn't you be surprised if your neighbor started using dung as a form of fuel for their car? Continuing on to another significant point of reference was the family life of the lain Indians; this is probably where the white American folk acquired all their assumptions of the plains Indians.To being with, the Americans probably frowned upon the fact that the Indians were always moving, I can understand why as the American people were probably settles, happy and content with where they lived, however the plains Indians always being on the move might have caused them to seem somewhat homeless, like a vagrant on the streets to the Americans perhaps? I disagree with this because I believe that the plains Indians thought the whole plains s their homes, not Just one little settlement.Source nine on page twenty five, an extract from a book by George Cattail explains that women who are giving birth pass through the painful process with ease, although there is little evidence to show this, perhaps this was also thought uncivilized by the American folk, this might be because the women, who were simple giving birth with no huge amount of suffering, leads us to believe they encounter such labor in daily life, or have adapted to such conditions, the Americans clearly could not cope with child birth in the same way that he Indian women could so they may have thought that their lives were a lot more physical, stressful and tiring compared to theirs. This however is not true in my opinion because the Indians Just went about their lives in the way that they did, and this somewhat of an adaptation was a mere side effect of their nomadic lives (being on horseback often).Another reason that causes me to disagree with the statement is the way that children are treated, it is said on page twenty five that the children of the tribe were very rarely misbehaved, and were taught to respect all living things ND elders from birth. They were also ra rely punished, and in extreme cases they merely had cold water thrown on them. This seems a lot less harsh than the way modern man deals with children and also the how the American folk did too. This is another reason that makes the Indians seem more civilized in a way, as their children seemed to be a lot better behaved, despite being breast fed for longer. Moving on to and cruel.The whit American folk would care for their elders, put them in homes so they could be treated to help them live longer and keep them happy. However old people often were Just left behind when they became too weak to travel, to die on their own. Or some even went off to die by themselves. This I must admit seems rather cruel, but it was usually by the elder's choice and so it does not seem as bad as it initially seems to be. Widows also, seemed to be dealt with in a strange manner compared to today, when a brave was killed in battle, the widow would soon be married to another man, to keep the woman protect ed, and also so more children could be conceived.Moving on once more, I think that in terms of how law and order ere kept, the Indians were a lot less organized, however this worked for them very well. In source two on page twenty nine, we find that the Comanche tribe elect chief in a very unconventional way, it is said â€Å"No one made him such; he Just got that way'. This suggests that the actual chief of the tribe was not selected because of diplomatic, politic or people skills, he Just simply seemed a goof man for the Job. This would give an impression of uncivilized behavior toward said white Americans, but once again, to them it seemed normal and thought well of. As we move on to talk bout battles, this is probably where all the accusations of blood thirst and cruelty matter most.The Indians had very different beliefs and ideas about battles and bravery, the most prominent example of this is of course, ‘scalping. Scalping is the art of literally, cutting off an enemy's scalp in the midst of battle, now this seems very harsh at first look, the poor victim doesn't necessarily have to be dead to receive this treatment, so why does it happen? What makes these people so cruel? Is it because they are indeed, bloodthirsty and malicious? After careful study of various source, I o not believe so. Although to the victim, and to the historian who observes this act for the first time, it seems that this is simple bloodless in the heat of battle, the plains Indians have very different reasons for this treatment.You see, within a tribe there are various ranks of men, these ranks are determined by how brave the particular warrior performs in battle, to touch and enemy, to steal a horse, to kill a man is all counted toward the Indians honor, to bring back an enemy scalp is not a thirst for blood or an act of cruelty, it is a prize of honor, and proof to the tribe that the airier is skilled in battle. These scalps are dried out and hung, or used to adorn the warr ior's body to show what a skilled warrior he was. However as white Americans believed bravery was achieved by simply standing and fighting until you died for your country, naturally this reaction was probably one of fear, and perhaps disbelief.These accusations of being uncivilized and cruel are by no means true in my opinion, I believe it is down to ignorance of the white Americans who observed the Indians, it is not that they are bloodthirsty, but the clash and blatant differences in the cultures ads the more ‘civilized' in to believing so. If one was in a situation where you Were' in one of these Indian tribes, you would by no means think you are bloodthirsty, uncivilized and cruel. So to conclude, I disagree with this earlier statement because I believe the Indians were Just behaving in a way which seemed normal to them, and I strongly think that the Indians did not believe that they were cruel. Which I believe is what matters most. These rituals and battle procedures were important, spiritual and normal to them, and that in my eyes does not make them bloodthirsty or malicious in

Religious and Ethnic Groups

Islam religious groups differ from other religious groups in different ways. Islam is the belief that the purpose of their existence is to love and serve god. They believe that Jesus, Abraham and Moses are prophets and that is what makes them clash with other beliefs. There god is Allah and they believe that they should pray only five times a day at certain times. Islam and Christianity have not had very good experiences. Muslim followers do not get along with Christian followers because of beliefs. Muslims believe that Jesus was only a prophet but Christians believe that he is the son of god and worship him as god not as a prophet. These beliefs have led to many problems in the Middle East where Muslims prosecute Christians because they are Christian and do not share the same beliefs. Islam has contributed to the American culture by showing everyone that it is okay to be different and to believe in different things. Everyone knows that Muslims were responsible for the 9/11 event. I think ever since then Muslims have been looked at in a different way and have been discriminated because of this event. 9/11 was a very tragic event and it caused a lot of pain and suffering for America. I understand how that can leave Muslims to be treated differently and discriminated against but regardless not every Muslim person is bad and deserves to be treated differently because of this event. No one should have to pay for someone else’s mistakes. Also the Boston marathon bombing was another event that Muslim was involved. Not necessarily a Muslim from the Middle East but still a Muslim follower. People associate them with violence and bombing and that they hate America, but not everyone that falls within that group is a bad person and follows this route. Being able to learn more about Islam groups helped me understand more about their people and culture. I understand their beliefs and why they choose to do the things they do. The racial/ethnic group I chose was African Americans. These are people that are of African descent. They differ from others because their ancestors were slaves and they were discriminated against for a very long time because of their skin color. African Americans had to fight for their freedom and break away from slavery. They were treated badly and discriminated against to the point where people became prejudice against them. African Americans have many contributions to the American culture. They have taught us that no matter your skin color we all deserve to be treated the same. They have provided us with great talent such as sport talent , musical talent , leadership etc. some of the greatest people in history were African American such as martin Luther king Jr. , Michael Jordan, Rosa parks, president Obama and the list can go on forever. All of these great icons each contributed something to our society and made it what it is today. The prejudice and discrimination was a part of African Americans lives. They were slaves for many years and treated so horribly by slave owners and people in general. Their ancestors suffered on a daily basis and were treated as if they were not humans and do not deserve to live. Thankfully that has past but I still do believe that because of those events people still to this day don’t always accept African Americans. Some people are still prejudice against them; typically find these people in the south which is where the slavery mainly took place. All that I have learned about this group has helped me to understand them and appreciate them even more. A lot of my close friends are African Americans and to know that I am friends with such great people is an honor. I would never treat anyone differently because they don’t look like me no matter the circumstances everyone should be equal. The prejudice and discrimination that both Islam and African Americans experienced is somewhat similar. I believe that they are both discriminated against because of the idea and stereotypes that society has created for their groups. These two groups also are discriminated against because of the way they look and their skin tone. They are different because Muslims are discriminated against because of certain actions that other group members have decided to take part in. African Americans were discriminated against because their ancestors where slaves and they had no control over that because that’s how it was in the past. Discrimination from what I can see is mostly about skin color and differences in cultures and in origins. These groups are perfect examples of this.