The P2P Piracy Prevention Act Attacks Consumers Essay example -- Techn

The P2P Piracy Prevention Act Attacks Consumers Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have had a staggering growth in the past few years. Since Napster, dozens of P2P networks have been created in its imitation. Due to the growing accessibility of broadband, which increases the speed of downloads, P2P networks generate nearly 1.8 billion downloads per month. Popularity and acceptance is still continually growing. As many users see P2P software as just file sharing, entertainment industries and other big companies see it as copyright infringement and stealing from copyright owners without their rightful authorization or compensation. These companies complain that P2P file sharing threatens the survival of the industries and believe that there should be a law passed to protect the livelihood of the copyright holders. For some time now companies, copyright owners and Congress have tried to develop a security standard to protect copyrighted works from unauthorized reproduction and distribution, but they have not yet found a thoroughly effective solution. They know that shutting down all P2P networks is not the right response since file sharing is valuable to some extent since its method of sharing and transferring information supports a variety of efficient business models. Instead they want to deal with the copyright infringements that P2P networks facilitate. An option that copyright owners have considered toward protecting their works from circulating in P2P networks is to use a variety of technological tools to prevent piracy. Such tools would be capable of blocking, decoying and redirecting the connections of unauthorized copyrighted file transfers. However, federal and state laws such as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of ... ...ew models and adapting to newer ideas than trying to save their old ones. It is also up to the consumers to persuade these companies that they are willing to pay for entertainment as long as they can keep up with their demands. Works Cited Delio, Michelle. Wired News. July 27, 2002. The Dark Side of Hacking Bill. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,54153,00.html Frequently Asked Questions about the P2P Piracy Prevention Act http://www.house.gov/berman/p2p_faq.html Maguire, James. Opinion: P2P War Gets Nasty. Yahoo! News. May 13, 2003. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nf/20030512/tc_nf/21489 P2P Piracy Prevention Act. Be Spacific. http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/002639.html">http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/002639.html Regan, Keith. Report: Many File-Swappers Buying Legit Music. E-Commerce Times. May 8, 2003 The P2P Piracy Prevention Act Attacks Consumers Essay example -- Techn The P2P Piracy Prevention Act Attacks Consumers Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have had a staggering growth in the past few years. Since Napster, dozens of P2P networks have been created in its imitation. Due to the growing accessibility of broadband, which increases the speed of downloads, P2P networks generate nearly 1.8 billion downloads per month. Popularity and acceptance is still continually growing. As many users see P2P software as just file sharing, entertainment industries and other big companies see it as copyright infringement and stealing from copyright owners without their rightful authorization or compensation. These companies complain that P2P file sharing threatens the survival of the industries and believe that there should be a law passed to protect the livelihood of the copyright holders. For some time now companies, copyright owners and Congress have tried to develop a security standard to protect copyrighted works from unauthorized reproduction and distribution, but they have not yet found a thoroughly effective solution. They know that shutting down all P2P networks is not the right response since file sharing is valuable to some extent since its method of sharing and transferring information supports a variety of efficient business models. Instead they want to deal with the copyright infringements that P2P networks facilitate. An option that copyright owners have considered toward protecting their works from circulating in P2P networks is to use a variety of technological tools to prevent piracy. Such tools would be capable of blocking, decoying and redirecting the connections of unauthorized copyrighted file transfers. However, federal and state laws such as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of ... ...ew models and adapting to newer ideas than trying to save their old ones. It is also up to the consumers to persuade these companies that they are willing to pay for entertainment as long as they can keep up with their demands. Works Cited Delio, Michelle. Wired News. July 27, 2002. The Dark Side of Hacking Bill. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,54153,00.html Frequently Asked Questions about the P2P Piracy Prevention Act http://www.house.gov/berman/p2p_faq.html Maguire, James. Opinion: P2P War Gets Nasty. Yahoo! News. May 13, 2003. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nf/20030512/tc_nf/21489 P2P Piracy Prevention Act. Be Spacific. http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/002639.html">http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/002639.html Regan, Keith. Report: Many File-Swappers Buying Legit Music. E-Commerce Times. May 8, 2003

Whats on the Menu? Essay -- Health, Obesity, Food Industry

Title Muffin tops, Weight Watchers, Atkins, these are all among the jargon designated for the horizontally challenged today. These words and others are the runoff of a much larger problem, obesity. Americans today have made being inactive and feasting on junk food acceptable, thereby greatly increase the percentage of the population that is extremely overweight. Excessive eating is not the lone source for this disproportionate problem of obesity, there are a myriad of causes and as many solutions (Manson 1). No matter what the cause of obesity, the liberty to alter or wallow in their condition should remain the individual’s rather than the government’s. Obesity reduces the quality of people’s lives, consequently the government is concerned by this threatening issue. However, instead of limiting people’s food choice the government should foster a goal of health in all their citizens (Balko 1). The government currently vouches for responsible decision making, mo re exercising, and maintaining a wholesome diet (Manson 1). This cheerleading role that the government currently plays is most beneficial to its citizens. Given choices people decide what they want, and act upon it, but often a government regulation only cripples their resolve. People’s basic liberties give them the right to preside over their own health. A government has the duty to instill in its citizens a sense of responsibility for maintaining their health, rather than to regulate what they eat, because in most cases people can be more successful in creating a healthy lifestyle through self-discipline than through adherence to laws. Creating and enforcing public policy is a basic function of any government, however; public policy is not an all-encompassing category,... ...nment realizes that they cannot afford to ignore obesity. A couple hundred years ago Americans labored from sunrise to sunset farming, cooking, cleaning, and working. These Americans had no choice but to be fit, they had to work the land for the food they ate. These Americans knew how to appreciate and fully use their bodies. These men and women set a standard for the American work ethic. As society progressed, innovations allowed for more leisure time, and less hard physical labor. America looked to her past for a role of how to live, how to work, and somehow the proud work ethic survived a little over a century. Now America has the opportunity to re-inspire herself through the legacy of her past, or stomp on the hard work of her forebearers. Each American can choose to reclaim and maintain their proud physique, through their daily individual healthy choices.

Monsanto — Appointing, Legislating, and Lobbying Its Way to the Top

Interest groups are defined as an â€Å"organized group of people that makes policy-related appeals† and they can have a profound effect on our government and society (Ginsberg, Lowi, and Weir 419). These groups represent their interests in the political arena in a variety of ways; they can get government officials appointed to government positions, lobby government officials, and fund media to advertise their message to mobilize public opinion and sway voters. Businesses interest groups in particular utilize these strategies, because there is an economic incentive in passing favorable laws and conveying a good image to government and the public. One business interest currently benefiting from their interaction with the Obama administration is Monsanto. Monsanto is a billion dollar company responsible for genetically modified seeds, the chemical Roundup and its associated Roundup ready crops, the toxic chemical substance Agent Orange, bovine growth hormones (rBGH), and the synthetic sugar substitute known as aspartame—to name a few. As a business interest group, it has been a terrific success in using government to push its agenda, much to the dismay of environmental activists, scientists, and concerned citizens who want their government to regulate businesses and protect the public. This paper will examine how business interest groups like Monsanto have been able to further their agenda under the Obama administration through the appointment of employees to federal positions, lobbying, and use of media to mobilize public opinion. ) Appointment to Federal positions The appointment of employees in business to positions in government is a common occurrence today and is often referred to as â€Å"The Revolving Door†. This is the shuffling in and out of government and private sector jobs, and it is bad because it leaves these government officials with biases and the high chance of being favorable to their former employer. In the Obama administration, there are currently many revolvers from private industry (â €Å"Revolving Door†). One current revolver from Monsanto who is now making policy decisions regarding our food safety is Michael Taylor. Michael Taylor was named deputy commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration in January 2010 and is a former Vice President of Monsanto’s Public Policy(â€Å"Meet Michael R. Taylor, J. D. , Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine†). This obviously creates a bias when making decisions about policies regarding products manufactured by Monsanto, such as genetically modified foods or the bovine growth hormones used in milk. When Monsanto employees like Michael Taylor get into these agencies, they are usually favorable to their former employer Monsanto when making decisions. They also ensure direct access for lobbyists to the agencies they are in control of; â€Å"many of Washington’s top lobbyists have close ties to important members of congress or were themselves important political figures, thus virtually guaranteeing that clients will have direct access to government officials† (Ginsberg, Lowi, and Weir 414). Taylor is a former lobbyist and current government official who now gives Monsanto full access into the decision making of many of American’s decisions about food. Unfortunately, he is just one in a litany of government officials who have vested interests in the private sector while still being allowed to make decisions affecting the health and safety of the American public. By getting employees into federal positions, businesses increase their chances of creating a strong iron triangle system that supports their interest group. The iron triangle is a â€Å"stable, cooperative relationship that often develops among a congressional committee, an administrative agency, and one or more supportive interest groups† (Ginsberg, Lowi, and Weir 418). This iron triangle system is powerful in creating favorable legislation and regulation for Monsanto; their good working relationship with legislative committees and executive agencies allows them to support their agenda and further their business by directly shaping policy outcomes. 2) Lobbying members of congress Lobbying is a critical part of how interest groups represent their agenda in government and seek passage of favorable legislation. A lobbyist’s goal is to influence policy in a certain direction by â€Å"mobilizing individual citizens to contact legislators (grassroots lobbying), testifying at hearings, submitting written comments to an agency or committee, press releases, and other activities† (Hasen 217). Lobbyists also take full of advantage of their direct access and â€Å"personal contact with legislators and taff members† to influence policy decisions (Hasen 217). Monsanto is incredibly adept in all these areas, and was the top lobbying client in the agribusiness sector with $8,831,120 spent in 2008 and $5,970,000 in expenditures in 2012 (â€Å"Annual Lobbying on Agricultural Services†). Business interest groups often lobby congress and the executive branch to promote their agendas and enact favorable laws and regulations. They do this by gaining dir ect access to members of Congress and federal agencies and making their interests heard. This is even encouraged by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) that â€Å"requires most federal agencies to provide notice and an opportunity for comment before implementing proposed new rules and legislation† (Ginsberg, Lowi, and Weir 434). This allows businesses like Monsanto to meet with agencies like the USDA, FDA, and EPA to weigh in on issues that affect them, such as the merits and safety of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s), discouraging labeling of GMOS’s, or enforcement rules on chemicals and pesticides. Research shows that business interest groups have gained legislative success through directly influencing the bureaucracy. According to research, the â€Å"significant trait in interest group influence is the privileged, institutionalized integration of some groups into public decision making† (Binderkrantz 177-78). Because of Monsanto’s high level of activity with government agencies and their ability to get access and lobby officials directly, their opinion is often integrated into public policy. Another way Monsanto lobbyists gain influence is through the information they have to offer the government. Research says â€Å"the most important factor governing the influence of a group was the ability of a group to provide lawmakers with both technical and political information† (Smith 235). Monsanto provides busy government officials with information about the issues that conveys authority and touts research backing, making policy decisions easier for a government official who may know nothing about the subject otherwise. In fact, many politicians say lobbyists are an essential part of government; in response to a 1978 bill expanding lobbying disclosures, Senators Edward Kennedy, Dick Clark, and Robert Stafford issued the statement that â€Å"Government without lobbying could not function. The flow of information to Congress and to every other federal agency is a vital part of our democratic system† (Ginsberg, Lowi, and Weir 431). This quote exemplifies how politicians rely on lobbyists as an essential source of information regarding policy issues. Lobbyist’s role as conduits of this information to government is crucial because they are in complete control of how information is presented—and thus how their agenda is received. One recent piece of legislation that Monsanto benefited from because of the information their ability to directly access lawmakers was House Resolution 933, an emergency spending bill passed to fund government operations through September and avert a government shutdown. The bill, signed by President Obama on March 26th 20013, will continue to protect this multi-billion dollar corporation from legal ramifications of the safety of its products. The budget bill, now dubbed the â€Å"Monsanto Protection Act†, inserted an unrelated provision that grants Monsanto against legal injunction for the next year and the ability to continue planting seeds and harvesting crops even if there are problems found with genetically modified organisms. Because they were trying to rush this bill through to avoid government shutdown, these shady provisions were able to sneak through. The Missouri Senator who added in the bill, Roy Blunt, admits he worked with Monsanto in creating the details of this legislature (â€Å"New Law Spurs Controversy, Debate Over Genetically Modified Crops†). This piece of protective legislation shows how corporations can use their direct access to government officials to alter policy changes. Because of this advantage of access and authority, business interest groups like Monsanto are extremely successful in transforming their agenda into public policy. Overall, research does indicate that there is a bias towards businesses. When comparing comments from business to nonbusiness commenters in federal agency hearings, there was a clear winner in policy outcomes. Agencies are more likely to be persuaded by lobbyists for business interests because of â€Å"the number of comments coming from business interests† and the fact that the â€Å"comments from business-related interests provide more information and signal a greater level of commenter expertise, causing agencies to respond to the requests made†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Webb 128). This research shows business interest groups have the advantage both in the amount of input, and the sense of credibility the information has coming from a large industry. Monsanto educates these government officials through their company’s own agenda and thus often succeeds in getting the policies it wants passed. This bias towards businesses undercuts the effectiveness of pluralism. Pluralism is the theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government, with the outcome of this competition being compromise and moderation. The idea is that people will belong to interest groups that affect them and let their voices be heard by government, so that their needs can be met. Unfortunately, business interest groups often have a much greater voice than other interest groups through their existing ties to government via federal appointments and because of their financial power to fund lobbyists. Because they have a greater presence, the corporation’s needs are met while the needs of the public become secondary. While â€Å"interest group pluralism presumes that public policy outcomes are determined principally through a contest for influence among organized pressure groups†, we can see that it isn’t a very fair contest when Monsanto’s lobbyists have millions more dollars to spend. Stephenson and Jackson 7) It is clear that there is a negative implication of lobbying when legislation begins to favor elite interests rather than the public good. Because business interest groups are able to influence government in a disproportionately higher rate than citizens, â€Å"legislative outputs no longer reflect the outcome of reasoned deba te, promoting the common good, or the preferences of the median voters. Instead, public policy reflects the preferences of lobbyists’ clients† (Hasen 219). 4. Mobilizing Public Opinion Through Media Monsanto, like other interest groups, often uses media to further its cause. It can be used to rally support for the products it makes or it can be used to oppose policies that could affect the company negatively. Because it is a multi-billion dollar company, it is able to spend an inordinate amount to advertise their agenda and gain public favor more easily than companies that are not as well off financially. Research shows the effectiveness of an interest group’s use of media is correlated to its money and size: â€Å"the best predictor of an interest group's ability to use the mass media as a political tool is the level of organizational resources (money, members, staff, etc. it enjoys† (Thrall 417). This shows that the advertising messages the public receives is determined by who has the most money to market themselves, and companies like Monsanto are obviously a dominant influence due to their resources. A recent example of Monsanto’s use of the media to further its agenda was the attempt at labeling genetically modified organisms (G MO’s) that failed because of Monsanto’s supreme ability to mobilize public opinion. The California Proposition 37 added to the ballot in 2012 was an initiative to label foods that contain genetically modified organisms. Even with mounting concerns about public safety, Monsanto was able to control this issue through media and advertising and ensure that California voters would not let the proposition pass. They were successful because large companies were able to out fund non-profits and other groups who donated a fraction of Monsanto’s budget. Because of their resources and ability to advertise, Monsanto and other agribusinesses were able to easily sway voters with their carefully crafted ad campaigns. By paying to run millions of dollars on ads that threatened rising food costs if food labeling was required, they swayed many Americans worried about tough economic times. Their use of the media convinced citizens that labeling genetically modified foods was against their self-interests financially, and this threat prevented many people from voting the proposition through. It was a big comment on the state of consumer affairs in the country that a simple labeling law could not be passed; though the administration could follow many other countries leads and mandate GMO labeling, Monsanto is left deciding the fate of food with its money, power, and influence. 4) Conclusion: reaffirms your thesis statement, discusses the issues, and reaches a final judgment: your conclusion based on your research and your reasoning. Business interest groups are a powerful force in the decision making process of our country and will continue to exert force over policy as long as they have resources and access. To make their interests known and accepted, they utilize the attainment of federal positions, lobbying, litigation, and funding of media. To get their agenda expressed through the government, they use federal appointments in a process called the â€Å"Revolving Door†. This leads to biased decision making throughout branches of the government that can negatively affect policy outcomes for the public. If this continues, citizens will become alienated and distrusting of the federal government which seems to be only serving the elite interests of corporations. Lobbying is another way that citizens are rightly beginning to lose trust in the system. While in theory all interest groups are supposed to be able to lobby the government, only those interests with large amounts of money, access, and connections will have a good chance at having their interests be heard. Though there are regulations on how much lobbyists can spend and laws requiring them to register, it is still clear that lobbyists for billion dollar corporations are experiencing a higher level of success than public interest groups with little funding. This shows that in government, those with the most money and access will prevail. Unfortunately when â€Å"businesses and trade associations make up more than half of the Washington lobbying community†, it is unlikely citizens will fare as well as corporations (Baumgartner 1194). This has major implications when research shows that â€Å"some special interest lobbies frequently influence legislation and regulation in ways that†¦are detrimental to the public good† (Baker 53). Regulations made from information presented by lobbyists doesn’t serve the public good—it serves Monsanto’s. The use of the media is another area in which Monsanto has dominated its competition. It was the highest contributor in advertising against Proposition 37, and the over seven million dollars poured into the cause was effective in squashing the issue of labeling genetically modified food. When a group like Monsanto is able to pour that amount of funds into mobilizing public opinion, they have complete control over the issue and how they want it to be seen and voted on by the American public. With enough money they were able to assuage concerns over the safety of genetically modified foods and managed to convince people it would actually go against their own self interests in terms of cost. The elite team of advertisers Monsanto has the funds to hire enables them to spin their issues in any way they need to in order to gain both governmental and public support for their agenda. By gaining support they can ensure individuals vote to Monsanto’s benefit and don’t actively oppose the company, leaving their profit motive as the single determiner of important public policy.

Mtv : Target Market and Demographics Essay

1) MTV has become the icon of cable stations across the country. Their success has been analyzed and reported for many years. MTV began as a venue for record companies to show music videos to advertise their artists. Today, the channel reaches over 70 million United States households. MTV was the first 24-hour, seven-day-a-week commercial channel, because the music videos were seen as advertisements that ranged from artists and record labels to clothing and attitudes. There are many reasons given for MTV’s success throughout its lifetime. What MTV aimed at was to capture the teen audience. They did this by means of eliminating adults from shows. MTV gives teens a feeling that they are the center of the universe: that they are powerful, and cool. When someone signs up to work for MTV, they are basically signing up to become 21 years old. This immerses them into these young adults’ music, style, and reality. MTV also uses many techniques like changing styles and introducing new music to keep teen viewers hungering for more. MTV’s tactical development of targeting the teen audience has been a positive maneuver and is the dominating force in the rise of the company’s popularity. Presented here are three major motives that highlight MTV’s fame. First, after ratings fell in the 1990s, MTV managed to bring itself back to the top of the ratings by certain marketing ploys. Second, MTV educates and familiarizes today’s teenage culture with the changing society. Thirdly, MTV devotes all of its programming to serve the interest of the public demographic. There are many reasons why MTV is aiming to capture the teenage audience. First, today’s teenage culture bases their agendas around the mass media. It is very common for teenagers to arrange their plans around certain shows, so they do not miss viewing the latest and the funkiest reality cum fiction shows provided by them.

Art and Philosophy - Meinongian Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Art and Philosophy - Meinongian Issue - Essay Example In Meinongan issue, there is an in-depth examination of several issues that arise in view of the connection that there are actually some things and factors which are actually non-existent. Philosophers normally seek to examine the following questions in determining if an object or certain subject is actually not existent: What is the basis or reasons for declaring that certain objects are in fact not existent? Assuming there are any nonexistent objects, what are their kinds and how are they determined? What are the criteria of the characterization of these objects as nonexistent? The position brought by fictions takes a story telling dimension. While a story teller is telling a fictional story the characters are actually his creations. As objects of his creation, a storyteller has the power to give the characters of his story qualities whose existence are not existent in the real world. The imagination of a person normally remains mere imagination. The objects just exist in abstracti on. The theory of intentionality as discussed later normally tells how we can intend our mental ability to view some objects differently. It is a fact that fictional story telling is a narration full of hyperbolic instances and can be said to be an act of pretence. The fictional discourse is discussed further below. Nonexistent objects as a concept Some philosophers, for example, Hume are of the opinion that the concept of nonexistent objects is in itself a paradox1. This stems from the idea that for anything to be declared not to exist is dependent on the fact that it had been initially presupposed to have existed. Such philosophers believe in what can be termed as positive identification of objects. This is to say that we can only identify what we can prove and substantiate. We can never talk of something as nonexistent yet we do not have proof of that. Other philosophers (Kant) explain that whatever exists is actually a real predicate2. He went ahead to explain this using Godâ₠¬â„¢s existence as an analogy. He inferred to the existence of God out of â€Å"ontological proof†. This is out of God’s perfection in creation. He also used other qualities of God such being omnipresent to cement his argument of existence as a real predicate. Assuming that these philosophers are right, this means then that the concept of nonexistent is not real. This is because it can never be a real predicate. Proving nonexistence evidentially is impossible. This therefore draws a conclusion that the concept of nonexistent is to a greater extent a self contradictory concept. In fact some philosophers state that the concept is actually and to some extent a violation of logical semantic flow of grammar. In order to believe in the concept of nonexistent there is need to ignore to some extent the views put across by some philosophers regarding this. Here the view that is adopted depends heavily on the predicate of individuals. This is stemmed from personal conception and what views a person may be having concerning the existence or non existence of an object. For instance, this can be illustrated by sentiments such as â€Å"some white elephants do exist†. From the statement it is inferred that not all white elephants are actually in existence. There are some particular white elephants that do not exist. The idea being stressed here is that in order

Establishing a legitimate business enterprise in the UK Assignment

Establishing a legitimate business enterprise in the UK - Assignment Example A brief description of the type of venture to set up This is a proposal for forming wedding planning company that will be based in London. This company will be aimed at organizing wedding events. The aim of this company will be to ease the burden and hustles experienced by the couples while organizing a wedding event. Through this company, couples can go ahead with their daily activities as the company organizes the ceremony for them. With this wedding planning service that the company, the couple just has to specify their preference for the wedding and the company will provide all the other services before, during and after the wedding ceremony (New York: Cengage Learning, 2004), 37. The other aim of the company will be the need to introduce decorum in this industry that has not been taken seriously (New York: Cengage Learning, 2004), 25. The company will offer an extensive range of services as required by the clients. It will therefore act as a full service planner that handles all the requirements of the wedding from the beginning to the end according to the client’s preferences on color themes, scene, timeline and budget. From the beginning through advice and consultation, the company will assist the clients prepare a timeline schedule for the event to identify the dates and time. It will then assist the client in budgeting for the wedding by advising them. The company will also assist the clients organize the actual wedding ceremony, this will involve activities such as selecting the most appropriate date and venue for the wedding, finding people to officiate the wedding ceremony, choosing the music preference and obtaining all the legal requirements for the wedding to take place. Other services will include contracting other stake holders for the wedding such as florists, caterers, photographers, stationers and car hire companies among others. In addition, the company will also offer advertising services for the wedding through bridal fairs and med ia advertising. After the wedding ceremony, the company will offer the services of advising clients on an ideal destination for their honey moon and clearance of the wedding venue (New York: Cengage Learning, 2004), 64. The legal set up of the venture. The wedding planning company will be formed as a private limited company considering its liability protection, flexibility as well as favorable taxation policies. The company will be registered under the United Kingdom because it will be based there. Therefore, it will operate according to the UK policy governing private limited organizations. The company will be registered to the registrar of companies in the UK for the purpose of monitoring and taxation. In Private limited companies, the owner is not personally held responsible for the liabilities and legal accountability of the company. This factor will be an advantage because in case of liabilities, the most the proprietor of the proposed company will lose is the company and its a ssets. The company will be established in one of the cities of choice so as to serve clients from a wide range of regions and backgrounds. Furthermore, considering the high populations in the cities, there is likely to be more clients there. It will be situated in a presentable place where that will be facilitated with sample decorations, wedding gowns and other materials. After the success of the first establishment then venture

Media production Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Media production - Essay Example The film opens with a school boy, Shaun, starting a fight after one of his classmates, Havey, jokingly hurls an insult. Harvey annoys Shaun by insulting his father who had earlier passed on during the Falklands war. Shaun later leaves school and meets a group of skinheads among them Woody who pities Shaun and welcomes him to join in the crew. With time, Shaun finds comfort under the umbrella of this crew after Woody offers him a shoulder to rely on. A striking feature among the group is the only black skinhead, Milky, who seems quite pleased to share with the group despite all the others being white. As the film advances, more characters such as Meggy, Trevy, Smell, Kes, Kelly and Woody’s girlfriend Lol are revealed as members of the group (Meadows, 2006, Para. 1-2). An old skinhead member of the gang, Combo, has just completed a jail sentence and returns to the group with a new member, Banjo. Combo, a rather transparent character, expresses the differences between English nat ionalists and the racists as a way of inspiring leadership within the group. Resultantly, the group breaks into two and Shaun is attracted into Combo’s group as he regards Combo as an image of change and a mentor. Together with Combo, they attend meetings that are meant to sensitize the whites against the existing prejudice. Those who are opposed to the political ambition of this group, like Pukey, are rejected by the group (Fradley, 2006, para 5). As the group wages a war against racism, they have a chance to face harsh members of the nation such as the likes of Mr Sandhu who had warned Shaun against visiting his shop. This war against racism marks the climax of the film as the members of the Combo’s group fly the flag of change high despite Woody’s group remaining apolitical. At the denouement of the film, Combo suffers from depression after his old love, Lol, turns him down at such a critical time. To cure his stress, he buys bhang from Milky and they both pa rty under intoxication and learn more about one another. When Combo learns that Milky has a rich background, he develops bitterness and beats Milky to a coma when he invites him for a family gathering. The sense of guilt wears Combo up and he resolves in violence and fights his friends including Banjo and Meggy. As he and Shaun drag Milky to hospital, they lose their calmness and cannot avoid crying out of fear (Ferreira, 2000, para 1). Later, the camera catches up with Shaun as he laments over the whole experience and his Mother, Cynthia is the only icon of hope as she assures him that Milky will recover. As the film ends, the disappointed face of Shaun cannot be mistaken as he roams near the Sea beach where he throws the Saint George flag. Themes In the film â€Å"This is England† a number of themes are well pronounced by the vivid and lively coverage of the various scenes in the film. The main theme of this film is cultural bias or racism as pointed out by its main charact ers. The antagonist of this film is Combo as he organizes a gang that would fight against the racial prejudice that is exhibited by characters like Mr Sandhu who denies Shaun the right to buy in his shop. The words of Combo â€Å"this is England†