Public participation Essay Example for Free

Public participation Essay The end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the new millennium have seen the rapid growth of two undeniably related phenomena. They are the rise of international democracy and the explosion in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). â€Å"E-democracy† is the concept widely used and even sometimes misused. Crick (2002:93) defines democracy as the, â€Å"polity or political rule [that] strives to balance individual freedom, individual rights, and the common good. † In this paper I’m going to examine the impact of ICTs on the concept of democracy as presented by Crick. Conditions of modern democracy are the role of individuals, official doctrines, typical social structure, nature of the elite, typical institutions of government, type of economy, theories of property, attitudes to law, diffusion of information, and attitudes to politics. No doubt that ICTs have potential to expand democratic participation. Still the question whether ICTs facilitate and enhance democracy is surrounded by much controversy. Areas such as e-voting and e-consultation attract great attention of political scientists from over the globe. ICTs provide an excellent opportunity for governments to become more transparent, efficient and accountable. ICTs mean that people are provided greater services and opportunities online, and as a result become more informed, articulate and active in public affairs. Thus, ICTs have a significant potential to widen civic engagement. Much hype surrounds the newly created term â€Å"global civil society†. Norris (2001:6) poses an inevitable and burning question, â€Å"Will the Internet have the capacity to revitalize public participation in conventional politics, such as levels of party membership, electoral turnout, or activism in civic and voluntary organizations? † ICTs may create the possibility of reaching out to publicize political parties, solicit feedback, new ideas, and new members, energize party activists and build leadership cadres. Thus, ICTs may help to promote political pluralism and activism. Individualism becomes a core value in the ICT-driven society, and the role of an individual is the condition of modern democracy. Also we should keep in mind that e-commerce empowers previously economically disadvantaged strata, and type of economy is one of the conditions of modern democracy. Norris (2001:97) stresses the following fact, â€Å"The Internet may broaden involvement in public life by eroding some of the barriers to political participation and civic engagement, especially for many groups currently marginalized from mainstream politics. † So ICTs provide a perfect opportunity to increase youth participation, enhance women on the political arena, and include marginalized and disadvantaged groups. As Crick (2002:98) argues, â€Å"Participation is critical, for moral education and for the implementation of democratic government. † Still, Leslie David Simon (2002:36) argues that, â€Å"Participation fortifies democracies, but it is also a favourite tool of many totalitarian states. † But Norris (2001:101) states that, â€Å"the new opportunities for civic engagement and political participation on the Internet will serve primarily to benefit those elites with the resources and motivation to take advantage of [them]. † The nature of the elite is the essential condition of modern democracy, and today we can speak of â€Å"information elite† as well as of â€Å"information society. † Transparency of the government, both federal and local, is another possible consequence of democracy. Crick (2002:103) states that, â€Å"Democracies work better (can only work) in an atmosphere of trust. † Norris (2001:107) states that, â€Å"new technologies allow greater transparency in the policy-making process, wider public participation in decision making, and new opportunities for interaction and mobilization in election campaigns, but, critics argue, whether these potentialities are realized. † Attention to the protection of human rights through the use of new communication technologies is an area of growing interest. On the other hand, the implementation of more â€Å"technological democracy† will exacerbate the existing digital divide present within and between developed and developing countries. The explosive growth of the Internet is exacerbating existing inequalities between the information rich and poor. Also, as Norris argues, a so-called democratic divide is developing between the citizens who do and do not use ICT’s to engage, mobilize and participate in public life. Instead of promoting democracy, ICTs could be manipulated by political parties as tools of propaganda. With no Internet censorship it is becoming a widespread political phenomenon. Crick (2002:21) defines anarchy as â€Å"a central danger of democracy†, and cyber-pessimist perceive Internet as a totally anarchical environment. Leslie David Simon (2002:Front Matter) reminds the reader that, â€Å"Today we know that there is another side to the story. Those who hate democratic values and human rights have also learned to use the Internet. In the United States and abroad, neo-Nazis and other hate groups maintain Web-sites † Also e-democracy should be seen as enhancing, not replacing traditional forms of government-citizen interaction. Norris (2001:104) reminds us that ICTs should be used, â€Å"to promote and strengthen the core representative institutions connecting citizens and the state. In this regard, opportunities for public participation and civic engagement generated via new technology are important. † Analysing all the abovementioned, I came to the conclusion that the views expressed by cyber-optimist are more realistic. Personally I believe that ICTs are able and will promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law, and attitude to law is one of the important conditions of modern democracy. ICT’s bring more opportunity and freedom, and these two factors will gradually cause wider adoption and improvement of democratic governance. Certainly, I admit the existence of numerous dangers related to the spread of ICTs, but I believe that the growing political consciousness will prevent further misuse of this powerful tool. Open and transparent government as well as availability and circulation of information can guarantee democracy and participation, and diffusion of information is one of the crucial conditions of modern democracy. Making a final conclusion I would life to state once more that the rational use of the whole potential of ICTs can facilitate democracies worldwide. Sources: 1. Leslie David Simon, Javier Corrales, Donald R. Wolfensberger, Democracy and the Internet: Allies or Adversaries?, Woodrow Wilson Centre Press, 2002 2. Pippa Norris, Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide, Cambridge University Press, 2001 3. Bernard Crick, Democracy: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2002

Rwanda Genocide Compared to Blood Done Sign My Name Essay -- literature

From April to July of 1994 terror struck Rwanda as Hutu members of the nation brutally maimed, raped, and killed around 800,000 Tutsi members, along with partial Hutu members. Leading up to the genocide, there was tension between both ethnicities. Over the decades, people of the Hutu ethnicity took power of the country, in fact, Major General Juvenal Habyarimana, a moderate Hutu, took office for over ten years (History.com Staff, 2009). Correspondingly, in years leading up to the Rwanda genocide, in another country called America, the ethnic group of Africa Americans was being harshly discriminated against. In the 1900s, slavery was no longer legal in the states; however, a few decades before the Rwanda genocide, Oxford, North Carolina took a toll against punitive decimation and homicide based on someone’s ethnic group. On May 11, 1970 (fourteen years before the Rwandan genocide), Henry â€Å"Dickie† Marrow was murdered by three white men who, at the time, were very well known men in Oxford. He was brutally beaten and shot before eventually dying while under medical care. Marrow was murdered strictly based on the color of his skin and the where he came from. Although the thirteen amendment was passed in the 1800s, (The Library Of Congress , 2014), it took over to a century for racial discrimination against African Americans to some to a slow. Unfortunately, in smaller areas, such as; Denton, North Carolina, there is still racial discrimination today. During this event, a white boy named Timothy Tyson was watching the events, he later grew up to write a book with stories from different people on what happened, to get the actual facts. The book is now called, Blood Done Sign My Name. The horror began in Rwanda when a plane carryi... ...cide ended when the Rwandan Patriotic Front took over the country. This was a group of Tutsi who were from Uganda and were trained fighters (Rosenberg, 2014). This is into comparison with when the blacks won and the Teel’s where sent to trail and charged. Works Cited Armenian Youth Federation. (2014). Genocide in Rwanda. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from United Human Rights Council : http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/genocide_in_rwanda.htm History.com Staff. (2009). History.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from The Rwandan Genocide : http://www.history.com/topics/rwandan-genocide Rosenberg, J. (2014). A Short History of the Rwanda Genocide. Retrieved 2014, from Rwanda Genocide. The Library Of Congress . (2014, April 10). Primary Documents in American History . Retrieved April 30 , 2014, from http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/13thamendment.html Rwanda Genocide Compared to Blood Done Sign My Name Essay -- literature From April to July of 1994 terror struck Rwanda as Hutu members of the nation brutally maimed, raped, and killed around 800,000 Tutsi members, along with partial Hutu members. Leading up to the genocide, there was tension between both ethnicities. Over the decades, people of the Hutu ethnicity took power of the country, in fact, Major General Juvenal Habyarimana, a moderate Hutu, took office for over ten years (History.com Staff, 2009). Correspondingly, in years leading up to the Rwanda genocide, in another country called America, the ethnic group of Africa Americans was being harshly discriminated against. In the 1900s, slavery was no longer legal in the states; however, a few decades before the Rwanda genocide, Oxford, North Carolina took a toll against punitive decimation and homicide based on someone’s ethnic group. On May 11, 1970 (fourteen years before the Rwandan genocide), Henry â€Å"Dickie† Marrow was murdered by three white men who, at the time, were very well known men in Oxford. He was brutally beaten and shot before eventually dying while under medical care. Marrow was murdered strictly based on the color of his skin and the where he came from. Although the thirteen amendment was passed in the 1800s, (The Library Of Congress , 2014), it took over to a century for racial discrimination against African Americans to some to a slow. Unfortunately, in smaller areas, such as; Denton, North Carolina, there is still racial discrimination today. During this event, a white boy named Timothy Tyson was watching the events, he later grew up to write a book with stories from different people on what happened, to get the actual facts. The book is now called, Blood Done Sign My Name. The horror began in Rwanda when a plane carryi... ...cide ended when the Rwandan Patriotic Front took over the country. This was a group of Tutsi who were from Uganda and were trained fighters (Rosenberg, 2014). This is into comparison with when the blacks won and the Teel’s where sent to trail and charged. Works Cited Armenian Youth Federation. (2014). Genocide in Rwanda. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from United Human Rights Council : http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/genocide_in_rwanda.htm History.com Staff. (2009). History.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from The Rwandan Genocide : http://www.history.com/topics/rwandan-genocide Rosenberg, J. (2014). A Short History of the Rwanda Genocide. Retrieved 2014, from Rwanda Genocide. The Library Of Congress . (2014, April 10). Primary Documents in American History . Retrieved April 30 , 2014, from http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/13thamendment.html

Bullying Speech

Imagine getting beating up every day at school for no reason, by your classmate or maybe by some senior guy you don’t even know. Or maybe even by an adult. You come home in bruises and cuts and dried up blood. Can you imagine that? Or can you even image getting punch at and getting pick at, calling you names in class and threatening texts every minute whether you are in class or at home and you’re friends wouldn’t help you out because they are too scared of the bully and the bully would followed you home and wouldn’t you feel scared. Can you imagine that? There are people who experience this in their day to day life.When you bullied someone especially for a long time whether it is physical, verbal, social or cyber, it would make the person’s life very miserable and in some very bad cases it might lead to killing themselves because they just can't hand the pressure or the humiliation they face every day. I am going to tell you about bullying and why I think it is bad to bully someone. There are four types of bullying: Physical, Verbal, Cyber and Social. Physical bullying as you know is when the bully punches, kicks, hits or any other types of physical attacks. Then there is verbal bullying.Basically what verbal bullying is, when the bully uses words to hurt or humiliate you. Verbal bullying includes names callings, racist’s comments and insulting. Social bullying is when the bully is spreading rumours, ignoring or even rejecting you. Social bullying is a strange type of bullying because it kind of links with verbal bullying. Finally there is cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is when you are threatened, humiliated, harassed by the bully using the internet. There is no limitation of cyber bullying because there is so many things you could do in the internet to cyber bully.You could get cyber bullied in facebook, bebo, msn etc or in some cases, the bullies can cyber bully you by making a website just for you. Also the thing wi th cyber bullying is that it is a new type of bullying because if you go back 50 years, there wouldn’t be any internet, or any mobile phone, therefore no cyber bullying. Personally I think that physical bullying is the least dangerous type of bullying because when you get physical bullied there will be scars or marks and your parents will know that you have been bullied where as in verbal, yber, social there is no scar or marks and your parents wouldn’t know you have been bullied. Also when you get physical bullied you know your injures will heal where as in verbal, cyber, social you wouldn’t know when it will go away. For example: You won’t know when the bully will stop calling you names etc. Some of you might still argue that some bullying at young age can be good for you because it will make you have to overcome problems and you will develop some social skills and learn that life is unfair.I disagree with this because most of the victim’s wonâ⠂¬â„¢t stand up for themselves and how would you develop social skills if people are rejecting you. Everybody learns that life is unfair not through bullying but from maybe getting blame from things they didn’t do or having to do chores at home every day, or maybe even through your parents always picking on your younger brother and sisters side and not yours. So what do you think of bullying now? Good or Bad? I hope you agree with me.

Critical Thinking - 2485 Words

Borough of Manhattan Community College City University of New York Department of English THE NOMADS OF LANGUAGE by Ariel Dorfman I believe it was Gabriel Garcia Marquez who told me the story of entire Columbian villages that were migratory. Fleeing from catastrophes, plagues perhaps, or recurrent floods, or merely the desolation of being caught in the middle of civil wars, inhabitants of these villages decided, at some point in history, to uproot themselves, moving to a remote location in search of peace. As they packed every belonging that could be transported, they did not forget what was most important to them: their dead. According to Garcia Marquez, these villagers, on the verge of becoming nomads, dug up the bones in the†¦show more content†¦The opposite of this solution is the rejectionist model: I have seen Chilean compatriots of mine who, twenty-five years after they were first banished from their land, continue in a stubborn refusal to learn more than a few words of the host country’s language, their faces and their hearts nostalgically fixed on a remote country, their tongues repeati ng colloquialisms that, in fact, have fallen out of use back home. It is not necessarily a tactic doomed to failure. They plan to return to Chile someday, and – like so many Kurdish and Moroccan, Indonesian and Korean, Nigerian and Mexican à ©migrà ©s in a similar situation – indulge in a tactic of cultural survival that holds on to the native language as a pure and intact entity, a bridge, a down payment on that ticket home. These two strategies, assimilation and rejection, represent the two extremes with which monolingualism, its temptation of immaculateness, tugs at the heart and mind of every potential migrant attempting to avoid a Janus-like existence. Of the two, assimilation is the more powerful. Influential and effective institutions align themselves behind this monolingual alternative, first and foremost the nation-state, with all its resources brought to bear on creating and enforcing borders and boundaries, imposing them on geography and bodies, on flags and hymns, asShow MoreRelatedCritical Thinking And Critical Thinking753 Words   |  4 Pagesaway from the normal. We begin the critical thought process of thinking outside the box. Critical thinking is the process of evaluating your decisions, providing positive or negative feedback, and researching conclusions. At the point when used correctly, it reduces the issue of complacency in how we carry on with everyday activities. 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