Charles Murray Essay Example for Free

Charles Murray Essay The New Right came from the work of the American Sociologist Charles Murray who viewed welfare payments has causing lone parenthood which in turn created an underclass. Charles Murray visited the UK in 1989 and said it has a developing underclass. Murray said: â€Å"the underclass are defined by their behaviour. Their homes are littered and unkempt. The men in the family are unable to hold down a job. Drunkenness is common. The children grew up ill-schooled and ill-behaved and contribute to a disproportionate share of juvenile delinquents† Murray saw underclass as behaviour a lifestyle choice, a disease which infects certain groups of people. ‘When I use the term ‘underclass’ I am indeed focusing on a certain type of poor person defined not by his condition, for example, long-term unemployment, but by his deplorable behaviour in response to that condition, for example, unwilling to take jobs that are available to him.’ This shows how members of the underclass define themselves as different by their own behaviour. Murray singles out three forms of behaviour that define underclass status: * Parenting behaviour * Criminal behaviour * Labour market behaviour Specifically, it is illegitimate births to young women, habitual crime and particularly violent crime, and the refusal of young working class men to enter employment that determines the existence of an underclass. ‘If illegitimate births are the leading indicator of an underclass and violent crime a proxy measure of its development, the definitive proof that an underclass has arrived is that large numbers of young, healthy, low-income males choose not to take jobs. (The young idle rich are a separate problem).’ (Murray, 1990) Since, in his analysis, it is the poor themselves that are to blame for their poverty, because they either choose to act in a certain way, or are conditioned to do so by over-generous government welfare, the policy solutions that flow from this analysis are, not surprisingly, aimed at changing the behaviour of the poor. The alternative, improving the effectiveness of the welfare programmes, is not considered. Indeed for New Right theorists, the welf are state is a major part of the problem. What such theorists would seek is the dismantling of the welfare state, and a situation set up that would make it dysfunctional for individuals to act in deviant ways. David Marsland Sociologist David Marsland has adopted the new right approach and does not believe that poverty is as bad as others are making out. He claims that groups such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation purposely confuse poverty with inequality and completely exaggerates the extent of poverty. He argues that there is only absolute poverty and that relative does not exist. Marsland is very critical about universal benefits and services such as health care, education and child benefits. He believes that people who are on low income are results of the state being too generous in their benefits and services rather than the individual’s inadequacy to work (Haralambos & Holborn, 2008). A quote from Marsland : â€Å"the expectation that society, the state, the government, â€Å"they†, will look after our problems tricks us into abdicating from self-reliance and social responsibly† (Marsland 1989). However, Marsland has been criticised by Bill Jordan who says that he is wrong to b lame the culture of dependency to universal welfare provision. He argues that selectively means testing benefits can trap people in a life of poverty. It often turns out that people are better off on benefits than they would be in work. It also can exclude the individual from the rest of society and make them feel ashamed and embarrassed that they receive benefits. Also, if education and health care are private then people with disability and unskilled workers may not be able to afford or find work. Jordan also claims that societies that rely upon means-tested benefits and private health care, tend to develop a large underclass, who have little chance of escaping from poverty; this is the case in countries such as America. Jordan states that poverty is a result of societies being too harsh. He argues that the only way to break the cycle of poverty is by universal benefits that are at a high enough standard so people can afford to work and get back up on their feet (Haralambos & Holborn, 2008). Despite this, the New Right approach has been influential across Western countries, and the Conservative party is in power in Britain today. Charles Murray. (2016, Mar 23). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Experience in achieving goals and professional growth Essay

Experience in Achieving Goals and Professional Growth - Essay Example This unique background has given me several advantages in my personal life and professional activities. I am able not only able to adapt quickly to new environments, but also am able to help others make the best out of their differences. My unique background has enabled me to integrate groups of people from different cultures and countries.My family owns a Company that exports Persian Carpets to Europe and some other countries. My professional work started when I was 23 years old when I decided to work for my father in his company in Tehran. In the early stages of my work experience I mostly dealt with our customers in Europe. My ability to speak three languages helped me to build a relationship with our suppliers and customers abroad. By the age of 25 I was the sales manager of the company and we also had opened offices in Germany, Sweden and Dubai. As a company's representatives, I have attended many International Exhibitions abroad and have gained international experienced that ha s equipped me with the skills necessary to deal with foreign suppliers and customers.It seemed inevitable that we began to lose business due to the high expenses of logistics, a poor inventory system and the lack of IT technology in our operation, this became a larger and larger problem as time moved on. However, I continued to attack the problem even as others had given up hope. Finally, after consulting with an IT engineering team, we launched a new IT system for the whole operation. The results were tremendous, and ultimately the project was successful: we surpassed our saving objectives and I received an early promotion. In 1996 we started a business in Italy, but this time we had diversity of products and were ready to target a larger market in Europe. I moved back to Stockholm and was working as a representative in Europe. However, the market in Scandinavia was not what we expected to be, the demand for our product was quite lower than we had hoped. Therefore we needed to find a new market with a quite good purchasing power. In 1999 finally we started our trade with Japan and in beginning of 2000 we opened our office in Osaka, Japan. Now my father runs the entire operation in our head office in Tehran, my brother in Japan and myself in Europe. Although my multicultural background and my international experiences have helped me to achieve my goals during my career, I have always wanted to get a degree in business. Finally, in 2004, I decided to go to UK and get a degree in International Business. As a mature student there are some advantages and disadvantages, and I used my experiences from the real world to tackle the problems that arose during my degree. However, it was not an easy task to go back to college at this age. However, I stuck it out, and I am now in my final year. It seems that I could accomplish my degree with an MBA programme, I also believe that an MBA programme can help me develop other vital skills essential to my standing as a professi onal. For example, I will benefit from the opportunity to further polish my public speaking ability and hone my skills as a negotiator. Now our Business is very successful and the experience was satisfying, clearly, the skill I developed from running a business was beneficial. However, I feel that the initiative and entrepreneurial effort were the most important things I took from my work experience. Essay Two I embarked on a journey towards MBA when I earned an undergraduate degree in International Business at The Manchester University. An MBA will provide the impetus and setting for honing my skills in the areas of negotiation, persuasion, inspiration, and professional articulation. I also see the MBA as a rare opportunity to gain heightened insight into other lifestyles.

Marcel Duchamp's readymade Fountain(1917) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marcel Duchamp's readymade Fountain(1917) - Essay Example Fountain was rejected in 1917 despite the obvious advancement it made to the contemporary art movement in America. Not everybody then, or even now looks at a urinal and thinks of it as a fountain. However, if you look closely at the design it is a fountain. A fountain provides clean water. A urinal also provides clean water to wash away urine. Duchamp wanted viewers to look beyond the purpose of the urinal and into a natural beauty. The gleaming white porcelain, gracious curves, and geometrical shape of holes in the back are all beautiful when taken into consideration by themselves. Duchamp wanted his readymade to be a contradiction. A thing normally thought of as disgusting could be beautiful and a piece of art. Today Fountain is seen as one of the most influential pieces of the 20th century. Fountain also can be viewed in a historical context. This piece was displayed during World War I. While many men were dying in trenches in Europe, rich men were using urinals without a thought. While men were dying in their own urine and feces wanting a drop of water, men were flushing these objects without a thought away from the war. Duchamp was showing the differences between a poor soldier and a rich businessman.