Aint nothin' but a blog

2004-01-13T20:38:00.000Z

Iain Wright had some good views on capital punishment, and I enjoyed reading his blog. He talked about issues such as, should capital punishment be allowed? It could be argued that if there was such punishment, it is possible that innocent people could be committed and killed for crimes they didn't commit, it has happened before. Although if there is irrefutable evidence against someone, and they are charged for murder then they should be killed. It is my belief that if there was such punishment, then it would dramatically decrease the number of murders in this country. It may seem a bit drastic but for such crimes to be insufficiently punished is putting the family of the victim through even more pain. Someone who has the taste for murder is not safe to be released back into societyThe evil in us all

2004-01-13T20:30:00.000Z

Nicola Williams raised some interesting ideas about bandits in her blog, titled 'It's good to be bad'. She spoke about Robin Hood, a legendary bandit. She raised the issue of, was Robin Hood really a bandit, after all he was stealing, yes this is true, but he was doing so to help those less fortunate. It raises moral questions such as 'isn't stealing wrong any way', 'if you are stealing for others is it ok?' No matter how you look at it, stealing is wrong, but Robin Hood did it with the best intentions I'm sure!Its good to be bad

2004-01-13T20:20:00.000Z

I enjoyed reading The views of Natalie Mckerrigan, she seems to have a great out look on life. Her views on religion are very similar to my own, and that is why I like her views I suppose. People who practice religion are no different to you or me and shouldn't be made fun of because of their beliefs. They deserve respect for the what they are doing, that is until they try to preach their beliefs and make others aware of them. People are free to believe what they want, but they shouldn't try to promote their religion, if someone wants to believe in something they must do it for themselves, not because someone tells them to. Come fly with me!

2004-01-13T20:10:00.000Z

Although I found Bens views on tattoos interesting I would disagree to an extent. He says that people are perfectly within their rights to have a tattoo or engage in a form of body modification, which I agree totally with, but he then states that this should only be taken to a certain level. Too many tattoos can be deceived as 'tacky', which I agree with also, but I don't feel he can say someone is within their rights to have a tattoo, but only when it is tasteful, surely someone is allowed to take it as far as they like, no matter how they are perceived by others. To me he is being a tad hypercritical. Bens blog can be found through this link Bens bad blog

2004-01-11T23:42:00.000Z

Evaluation

This last blog is my evaluation for the module just passed. I have enjoyed it. The work, and what was required of us was fairly understandable and in the main I had a fun time completing it. I enjoyed class discussions, although I didn't participate as much as I would have liked I enjoyed listening to the views of other people. It made the lectures more enjoyable and also helped in the learning process. I was always on my guard in case the situation arose when I would have to participate in a group discussion, I had no choice but to listen. Having said that I'm happy I did because I got something out of the module in the end.
Every lecturer that we had I appreciated the effort they put into researching the lecture topics and the help they offered throughout the module. On the whole it was a pleasant experience and I got something out of it. If I could have done one thing differently it would have been to manage my time better. It was a bit of a rush to complete the final blog entries towards the end of the module.

Questionnaire answers

1.20 2.Male. 3.BSc Psychology 4.Not really 5.Psychology I found to be more factual as opposed to opinionated 6.Appropriate 7.Yes 8.No 9.Yes, I enjoyed the class discussions 10.Very helpful 11.I thought the number of discussions was appropriate 12.Yes 13.Yes 14.Yes 15.Yes 16.Undecided 17.Yes, definately 18.Yes 19.Would have preferred two essay options rather than 1 creative piece and 1 essay 20.Being bad isn't always bad 21.Group discussions, getting to know people 22.None 23.Very enjoyable

2004-01-11T23:36:00.000Z

Guns

Should people be allowed to own guns. People argue that they are for self protection, but if no body had one then no one would have to protect themselves from guns. Even sports which include the shooting of guns are wrong. Any one who participates has access to guns and guns are only useful for one thing, destruction. I find it hard to believe that anyone who owns a gun has no intention of using it. Guns should be banned and taken off the market. Unfortunately until we learn to live in peace that isn't going to happen any time soon.guns

2004-01-11T22:52:00.000Z

Poverty

I still find it hard to believe that third world countries, such as Africa, are still in the position they are in. Every day is a struggle for survival. Children who are forced to eat food and drink water that is so dirty it may kill them. Countries such as Britain do offer their support, but is it enough. Monstrosities such as the millennium dome. The money it took to make that could have gone towards supplies for such countries, give the thousands of unfortunate people a chance to live a life that we take for granted.poverty

2004-01-11T22:38:00.000Z

Murder

Any one who commits murder or attempts to commit murder should be locked away from the world for the rest of their natural life in my opinion. To take the life of someone's son, someone's father, someone's friend is an unforgivable sin. There are cases where a murderer is released from jail after only a portion of their sentence, and to me that is putting the family of the deceased through even more torment. Murder is wrong. For it go sufficiently unpunished is just as bad.murder

2004-01-11T22:00:00.000Z

Truancy

I suppose there are two types of people who skip school. Those that are afraid to face school, and those that just don't want to be there. Children could be scared for a number of reasons. They don't want to fail, so they assume not going will prevent that. They are afraid for their safety, e.g. bullying, or they may be scared of social interaction. And then there are those that simply don't want to be there. They find school uninteresting, boring, so why bother? School has to appeal to children, and if the criteria doesn't, then the prospect of a good future needs to.classroom

2004-01-11T20:39:00.000Z

Alcohol

Alcohol is very much apart of the lives of the majority of the population. There are many types of drinkers; there are those that socially drink, those that binge drink, alcoholics, etc. Alcohol, although dangerous in vast quantities, is a means of bringing people together and can make people feel better about themselves. Having said that, people who take alcohol to the extreme can find them selves addicted and find it hard to cope without it. Drinking is perfectly acceptable, but you need to know your limitations.alcohol

2004-01-11T20:17:00.000Z

Drugs

There are many types of drugs. Most commonly, there are those that are used for medical purposes and those that are used for personal enjoyment. Drugs such as speed, majuwana or ecstacy are illegal, and are dangerous. People who do take these drugs do so for the effects they have. They can relax and enlighten, and take the pressure of a stressful life. Drugs that aid the healing process or numb pain, such as pain killers, are particulary useful. People who abuse drugs normally do so because of the stress of everyday life, and drugs are a way of escaping that stress for a short period of time.drugs

2004-01-11T20:01:00.000Z

Sexuality

Like racism, I believe that a persons sexual orientation/sexuality should not be held against them or subject them to prejudice. A person is free to live their life however they choose, and if they choose to commit to a relationship with someone of the same gender, who are we to judge. society has a way of making gay couples feel issolated, to the point where a child is ashamed to admit to their own parents that they are gay. Incidents where gay people are subject to physical abuse and torment is to blame. Same sex relationships should be socially acceptable, and to many they are, although there will always be some that are stuck in their ways. sexuality

2004-01-11T18:56:00.000Z

Being 'too' religious

The issue of someone, or a group of people being 'too religious' is one that I don't really have a problem with. Although when it comes to the point where someone in the street takes it upon themselves to tell me how great god is and how I'm going to hell if I don't do as he tells me, then I get a little annoyed. I respect what others believe and have no problem with a different point of view, but when people try to promote their beliefs (E.G. jehovaurs witnesses) then that is when I believe most people draw the line.cults

2004-01-11T18:34:00.000Z

Telling lies with integrity

After today's discussion I believe to tell lies with integrity you do have to have a certain ability. To make someone believe a lie you really have to believe it yourself, and to portray that belief through words and body language is very powerful. It can get you out of trouble (No, I've no idea who broke it.), get you a better job (Oh yes, I've got that qualification) and even spare people's feelings (You look great!). There is a certain art to lying and you need to be good at to make it believable. That doesn't make it right, of course.

2004-01-10T19:58:00.000Z

In response to Joseph Platels blog 'Very worrying', I found his views on smoking very true. People do take up smoking because of social influences, 'because all my friends smoke', is a common one among teenagers. Smoking can be a way of taking your minds off things, preoccupy your mind in a hope of relieving stress. Check out Joe's views on smoking, click on this link Very worrying

2004-01-10T18:25:00.000Z

Racism and Predujudice

Racism and prejudice exists today in all areas of the world, in all different cultures. There are those that still view themselves as superior to other races, for example the KKK, and those that form opinions of certain people before knowing them. People who believe they have superiority over others because of colour or ethnic orientation are wrong in their ways, and have probably had their beliefs enstalled from an early age. Equality and equal rights are common sense in my eyes, we are all human beings and someone should not be at a disadvantage because of their colour or where they come from.racism

2004-01-08T11:31:00.000Z

Masturbation

Today's lecture was about masturbation. Prior to the lecture I had doubts about how I would respond to such a lecture, it being my first time partaking in such a class discussion. By the end I felt a little easier about discussing masturbation, as did a number of people sitting near to me. Masturbation is a natural part of everybody's life and is nothing to be ashamed of. We looked at slang terms for masturbation and it was clear to see why the topic is rarely talked about. 'Beat it', 'whack off', 'spank the monkey'. All of these terms don't really associate with what masturbation actually is, and are fairly violent. They don't portray what masturbation is, 'self satisfaction', they refer away from it and portray it as a bad thing. If you had never come across the term 'beat it' before, would you have any idea it referred to masturbation? Society refers away from the subject, views it as a private act, and in that I agree.

2004-01-08T02:26:00.000Z

Suicide

I would hate to think that anyone close to me would be driven to the edge, and believe the only way to escape is suicide. When someone finds life so difficult, whether it be stress, financial trouble, relationship problems or anything else along those lines. Strong family bonds, along with close friends can be the only thing that stops someone from commiting suicide. Suicide bombers

2004-01-06T18:19:00.000Z

Football hooligans

Unfortunately, football hooligans and those that provoke trouble at football matches take the majority of the headlines in today's game. You only have to look at recent events such as a champions league group game had to played at a neutral venue due to the risk of crowd trouble. There was a stage when there was a real possibility that the England football team would not be allowed to compete in Euro 2004 because of the reputation of the English fans.
There are fans that simply attend football matches in the hope of having a fight or provoking a fight. It's a very, 'us against them' mentality when it comes to football support, and some take it that bit too far.hooligans

2004-01-03T23:08:00.000Z

Stealing

To steal from someone takes a special kind of person. A person who steals has no respect for other people and should therefore warrant no respect from anyone else. To knowingly take something that isn't yours is low, but to steal from a family member, or someone you know is lower than low. To discover someone you know is stealing from you, would be unpleasant to say the least.

2003-12-19T20:53:00.000Z

Bandits

Bandits. People who commit crimes and run from the law. For cinematic viewing the concept is an exciting one, but to be caught in the middle of a crime in everyday life can be quite frightening, i can imagine. Movie bandits such as Bonnie and Clyde will forever live on as legends for what they accomplished.

2003-12-08T14:23:00.000Z

Smoking

Smoking. I still have to ask myself why people smoke, but after today's lecture I can understand why people smoke and will continue to smoke. Smoking, like tattoos and body modification can create an image and an identity. Movie legends such as Bruce Willis in the Die Hard movies and James Bond are famous for smoking cigarettes. Smoking creates a certain appeal, make someone look sexy and dangerous, where as sometimes it can work against someone and make them look shifty or 'up to no good'. Smoking is bad for you, that is a fact, but people who smoke are aware of the dangers that come with it therefore I can only assume they enjoy it, having never smoked before myself. Having said that, the majority of young people that smoke do so due to peer pressure and to be accepted in most cases. They may not enjoy it but it means they are part of a group, and to most people, never mind children, that is the most important thing. Smoking is easy, saying no to it or giving up is the hard part.smoking

2003-12-01T14:33:00.000Z

Body Modification

There are many forms of body modification and many reasons why people choose to do it. Body modification is a form of self-expression, people may do it to feel good about themselves (aesthetics), it could act as a form of rebellion (different to social norms) or religious reasons/religious representation. Fashion is probably the main motivator in body act, tattoos do look cool and create an image. A tattoo can symbolize your personality, what kind of person you are. Football fans may have the badge of their favorite football team tattooed somewhere on their body which they feel associates them with that team. They can create an identity for example, the facial tattoos of the Maori tribes of New Zealand, they symbolize the name of the particular person, and what family they belong to. As I said before, tattoos are a form of self expression.tatoos

2003-11-22T12:31:00.000Z

Infidelity

Infidelity, or 'being unfaithful'. In this lecture we discussed what infidelity actually was, and to what degree someone can be considered 'unfaithful'. The discussion was centered around topics associated with infidelity such as affairs, sleeping around, adultery and even flirting.
There are many forms of 'being bad' involved in infidelity, including selfishness, lying, scheming and taking advantage of someone. To commit yourself to your partner is to be exclusive and to remain faithful to that person. But why do people cheat? The temptation of something new, the excitement of trying not to get caught, boredom. None of these are valid reasons to cheat on someone. Couples should be honest with each other and be true to one another. infidelity