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Exit essay

REVISED:

Policemen are known to be the ones who should keep the country and the citizens safe, controlled, and disciplined. Many children dream to become a police officer one day. Unfortunately, numerous police officers in the Philippines exploit their powers. 

Citizens of the Philippines refer to the police officers as “Buwaya”, translated to crocodile in English. Crocodiles have the traits of a greedy person, thus they are associated with policemen in the Philippines. Filipinos despise these policemen that they are bashed and neglected on social media sites, mainly because of their abuse with their power.

An example of this is when a police officer stops you because you have violated traffic rules, they will ask for “hidden payments” as a compensation for you not to hassle on getting your license back from the government. This trait of policemen are passed from one generation to the next, although there are still those who use their powers to do good. 

Another act of abuse of power is when they use their power to get what they want. Recently, there was a news about a young boy that was seen via CCTVs that a police officer beat him up and shot him because the boy would not follow his orders. This was then followed by two reports with the same incident, hopefully this act by the policemen would not continue any longer. 

As citizens of a country, we could prevent their abuse of power by not simply ranting via social media, but instead, let us not tolerate their “Buwaya” attitude. If you were caught and accused of violating traffic rules even if you did not, explain briefly and report to authorities. If you know you violated a traffic rule, follow the law. Also, if you witnessed a policemen taking advantage or abusing his or her power, report immediately to authorities. 

When the right action is done, together we can improve the country, government, and our surroundings. Let the police officers know that they should set an example for the youth and uphold their duty as they are a part of the government body. They should not abuse their power.

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‘Body image and the media’

A research made on January 4, 2017 shows that the average person spends 60 percent of their time daily using social media and looking at their mobiles.The use of social media became a routine for people ages thirteen and above; moreover, social media served as an online platform for people to freely share whatever they want. Since social medias are accessible and can influence different groups of people, many companies and advertising agencies take advantage of what social media sites can do. Due to the increase of social media users, these companies cater to what people want to see, in which case creates conflicts between the reality and the ideal form.  One of the unending and controversial issues found in media is the idea of “a perfect body”. 

One fact that will always be present is that beauty sells and the ones who are truly affected with this reality are mostly women, which is why the negative body image of women is a strong and serious topic these days. Women try to cope up with the unrealistic beauty standards as shown in media, such as; having a small waist, long legs, smooth skin, fair complexion, and etcetera. This is known to be “false body image advertising”, and is widely used by advertising companies these days. 

False body image advertising makes most women feel ashamed and shy about their physical appearances, and having to deal with insecurities may cause great problems to the person. This may lead the person having insecurities to practice anorexia, one of the most common eating disorders. 

There are many more problems that false body image advertising may cause, that is why one should not limit their definition of beauty. Fortunately, the standards of beauty today are moderately changing. Clothing brands like Aerie, Modcloth, Floatswim, Nike, and many more have stopped “ airbrushing and retouching their models during photo shoots”. These kinds of advertisements may help restore women’s confidence and may eventually change the unrealistic standards of beauty. 

Body image have long been a controversial issue world wide for it greatly affects everyone and it is evident in media. Media repeatedly creates an unrealistic beauty standard for women that causes women to develop self-doubt, but when companies change their way of advertising to the public, It may change the perspective of their audiences online. 

Asano, E. (January 4 2017).  How Much Time Do People Spend on Social Media? [Infographic]. Retrieved on November 28, 2017 from https://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/how-much-time-do-people-spend-social-media-infographic 

Farrar, T. (2014). Body Image Of Women. Retrieved on November 28  2017 from  https://www.mirror-mirror.org/body-image-of-women.html

Geller, L. (March 8, 2016).  11 Body Positive Clothing Brands That Love You And Your Curves — Just The Way You Are. Retrieved on November 28 2017 from http://aplus.com/a/body-positive-clothing-brands?no_monetization=true 

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‘Power vs authority’

Power and authority may seem to be one and the same; however, these are two different concepts. Power is a pre-requisite in establishing authority, yet it is also distinct from authority. It is human nature to want to possess power and authority. But, how is power and authority different?

Power is the ability of an individual to influence and control the decision of the opposing party, it is both relative and situational. Authority, on the other hand, is a position entitled to a certain individual to exercise power over a group of people or a community. Power and authority are widely practiced in politics, business, and members of society. 

In politics, the use of power and authority are especially rampant during election season. Candidates running for presidency, vice presidency, and the senate exercise power by getting the citizens of a country to vote for them by persuasion in different forms such as promotional ads, charity for the poor, and even bribery. Authority in politics is seen in government bodies as people who have the right to make decisions, give orders, and enforce obedience. 

In business, power is used the same way as it is in politics, thru advertisements and the power of persuasion to get a deal with a business partner or a buyer. Once an individual established power to have more connections, the business tends to progress. Authority in the business aspect is seen through the company hierarchy where the decision makers are the chairman, CEOs and the manager of different committees. 

As for the society, it is obvious that power is within the hands of the upper class. The upperclass citizens are the ones who get to influence more compared to the working class and below. However, the authority is the law, the natural laws that control and prevent citizens to disobey. 

In conclusion, power and authority are connected, yet are different concepts evident in politics, business, and society at large. Power and authority are both important yet should always be used for good. Without power, there will be no authority. 

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Is racism within us?

Whenever someone mentions the word “race”, it is hard to ignore the fact that until today there are still issues about race- which is known to be Racism. In the bible, stated in Genesis 1:26-27, God created men and women in accordance with His own image to rule over all his creations. This verse also shows that everybody should be equal and no one should feel more privileged compared to others based on their physical appearances. 

Race helps individuals categorize themselves and others into different groups, based on their geographical location. And because of this concept of “race” , people started to think that they are superior than other races. According to Selfa (2010),in her research, people will always be uncomfortable and unwilling when they are with people of a different nation. “Racism is human nature” as for her assumption. Fortunately, she concluded that it is not part of human nature, mainly because of the fact that racism was not always present even before. 

Racism started to evolve in the sixteenth century when there was discrimination and separation between the Jews and the Christians. Followed by the renaissance period when Europeans had more physical contact with the people in Africa, America and Asians and started scrutinizing them. During the seventeenth century, the issues about “black slavery” rose, where in the blacks and whites were not allowed to be wed and are not allowed to conceive because the blacks are seen as inferiors amongst the whites. At this time, they were only good for slaves and laborers. In the nineteenth century there was still Institutional Racism and Socially Acceptable Racism,  Although the acts of racism lessen as centuries pass, its effect to the ones affected will take long until it completely vanish. 

In present age, there are still hints of racism being committed such as; Unintentional racism and personal racism, these are discrimination which are unintended but still arise and on going. The basic races of humanity as everyone knows of today are: Caucasoid,  Mongoloid,  Negroid, and  Australoid. These are composed of sub races and different ethnic groups.

To conclude, racism is a prejudice between different racial groups and is the separation of nations. The harsh practices of racism may be obsolete but it is still noticeable in the public and it can tremendously influence an individual’s experience.     

Selfa. L. (October 10 2010). The roots of racism. Retrieved on 11/17/17 from https://socialistworker.org/2010/10/21/the-roots-of-racism 

 Fredrickson. G. M. (2003). The Historical Origins and Development of Racism. Retrieved on: 11/17/17 from http://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-background-02-01.htm  

(January 29 2004). When did racism end?. Retrieved  on: 11/17/17 from  https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=575969

Shukla. I.C. (August 25, 2016).  A Detailed List of Human Races That is Informative and Revealing. Retrieved on: 11/17/17 from https://www.buzzle.com/articles/list-of-human-races.html  

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What is PTSD?

Post-Traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is what happens to the mental health of a person when he or she encounters a horrific event and it causes the person experiencing this condition extreme anxiety, flashbacks and nightmares about that certain traumatic event. This condition is treated very seriously, since numerous people are experiencing this disorder right now. Examples of situations that may cause an individual to have PTSD are as follows: having to lose a love one because of old age or illness, experiencing great pain brought by other people and experiencing great pain brought by natural causes.

Due to the difficulty of experience PTSD brought to its victims, many producers started to create films about this weighty topic to show empathy to those people. 

A list of ten films that delivers PTSD accurately:

1)      Fearless

2)      American Sniper

3)      Brothers

4)      Short term 12

5)      Iron man 3

6)      The hurt locker

7)      Reign over me

8)      Coming home

9)      The Bourne supremacy, and lastly;

10)   Ang Nawawala

The list above shows more of Hollywood films, since according to a recent survey; there is a higher rate of people experiencing PTSD in the US-- a total of 70 percent of American adults. However, the 10th on the list is a Cinemalaya film taken here in the Philippines.

Ang Nawawala, in summary, is about a family trying to move on from the pain of losing a child. Gibson, the main character has a twin brother who died in front of him when he was only 10 years old. In this film, Gibson experiences the symptoms of having to live with PTSD, such as; having flashbacks, creating a different reality and having to change drastically (not speaking with other people).

In conclusion, PTSD is a significant matter as of today for it not only target the adults but teenagers as well, it can occur to anyone. It requires professional help and is tedious to treat.

 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (October 25 2017). https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967

 PTSD Statistics. (N.d). http://www.ptsdunited.org/ptsd-statistics-2/

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Burnham v.s. Jo Koy

Bo burnham and Jo Koy a.k.a  Joseph Glenn Herbert are both popular stand-up comedians of today’s comedy central. The two comedians differ in terms of their culture, performance and humor. Culture is an important factor when a certain performer is delivering his or her message to a large audience because it will help the audience to relate to the speaker. Performance creates a first impression of the comedian performing and it helps the audience on what to expect during the show . And lastly, humor,an imperative for comedians because as a comedian, you should know the perfect timing to deliver a joke or an anecdote and each comedian has their own definition of humor.  A comparison between Burnham and Jo Koy shows that Filipinos are more entertained on how Jo Koy performs. 

Burnham grew up in Hamilton, Massachusetts and is an American stand-up comedian that was discovered ten years ago when he went viral on YouTube. Besides being a comedian, he is also a poet, singer, rapper, actor and musician. He is more inclined with the western culture, which makes his audiences mainly Europeans and Americans. Jo Koy, on the other hand grew up with a Filipino and an American decent. His mother is pure Filipino while his father is an American, he started as a performer in Las Vegas before he rose to popularity. Not only is he a comedian but he also appears on T.V. shows. Growing up with a Filipino mother and grandmother, he was able to associate the cliche experiences of Filipinos with his audiences; Therefore, lead him to more Asian audiences compared to Burnham.

Based on their style performance, Bo Burnham always introduce music to his audience, he performs most of his acts by singing, using a synthesizer, a piano, a ukulele and many more musical instruments. And for this reason, the audience can pretty much predict what is about to happen when he is on stage. As for Jo Koy, he plainly delivers his acts without using extravagant lighting and music, unlike Bo Burnham. He simply sits in his chair on stage and do an impromptu speech. His performance style caters to people who does not appreciate loud music and grand lighting.  

The last but not the least, the way they present humor. Bo burnham’s genre is more of  satirical, he uses irony and sarcasm to offend people in a witty kind of way. Also, he use funny sound effects and his musical skills to make his play more entertaining. Jo Koy is more straightforward about his witticism, he delivers in punchline after punchline mostly about Filipinos and their culture. He also is very fond of doing impressions on stage to entertain the audience even more.

From this comparison, between Burnham and Jo Koy shows that Filipinos are more entertained on how Jo Koy performs. Bo Burnham gives a lavish vibe when it comes to his performances given all the lighting and sound props, while Jo Koy wants to keep it plain and simple in his performances. The way each comedian delivers their humor is critical on their show because it is the main goal of their career, to make people laugh. Their style of humor caters to different audiences and that is why Bo Burnham’s audiences compose of mainly Europeans or Americans while Jo Koy’s caters to Asians, mostly Filipinos.            

Zinoman, J. (2016, June 3).Bo Burnham, Discovered on the Internet, Now Challenges It. Retrieved on October 28 2017 from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/arts/television/bo-burnham-discovered-on-the-internet-now-challenges-it.html 

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“I Louvre you”

A survey from Business Insider concluded that the most visited country by tourists as of the year 2014 is France, with a total of 81 million tourists annually. A more recent study conducted by Alex Salamanca  in the year 2015 shows that the number of visitors in France rose to  83.7 million per year. Therefore, we can say that France has numerous tourists spots that lead the country to its title and one of the famous tourists spot is The Louvre Museum which is known to be one of the largest museums in the world.

The Louvre Museum or in french “Musée du Louvre” was built in the year 1200 under a residency named Philip Augustus,  it was continually reconstructed until the year 2011; overall, the museum took  652,300 square feet of land. It consists of two structures, the Colonnade which is the east face of the Louvre museum and the glass pyramids which are structural icons. The Louvre Pyramids was built in the year 1988 which allows sunlight to enter the underground lobby of the museum and with its architectural design by architects Pierre Lescot, Louis Le Vau, and Claude Perrault it serves as a central landmark of Paris, France. 

The artworks inside  Musée du Louvre includes Egyptian, Roman and Greek antiques from the middle ages to the year of 1848. And of course, Mona Lisa, the well-known painting of the famed artist Leonardo Da Vinci can also be found inside the Louvre museum. The artwork is only 21 by 30 inches in size, is protected by a bulletproof frame and armed guards because it was reported to be stolen in the year 1911; fortunately, it was retrieved in 1913. Other artworks that attract tourists are the Winged Victory sculpture, The Dying Slave by Michelangelo, Bathsheba at her bath, The Venus de Milo sculpture, and many more. 

The Louvre museum in France, being the world’s most famous and largest art museum contributes to the increase in the tourist percentage of France. With its Baroque architectural design and notable artworks inside the museum, it will be no surprise if the number of visitors in France increase year after year. 

References

Kelley,M.B. (2014, February 26). Business Insider: MAP: The Most Popular Countries in the World to Visit. Retrieved October 20, 2017 from http://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-countries-in-the-world-to-visit-map-2014-2

Salamanca, A. (2015 November 21). 25 Most Visited Countries in the World. Retrieved October 20, 2017 from http://list25.com/25-most-visited-countries-in-the-world/

Louvre. N.d. History of the Louvre From château to museum. Retrieved October 20, 2017 from http://www.louvre.fr/en/histoirelouvres/history-louvre/periode-4#tabs

Encyclopedia Britannica. N.d. Louvre Museum. Retrieved on October 20, 2017 from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Louvre-Museum

Szalay, J. (article contributor). (2013 May 10). The Louvre Museum: Facts, Paintings & Tickets. Retrieved on October 20, 2017 from https://www.livescience.com/31935-louvre-museum.html

The Telegraph. (2017 February 12). Travel|Destinations: The 20 greatest treasures in the Louvre. Retrieved on October 20, 2017 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/galleries/Louvre-Museum-the-20-best-paintings-and-things-to-see/louvre6/

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“Progress needs motivation”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVz_Ku1_FQE  

The motivational video attached above is a compilation of quotes to help people achieve their goals. It motivates students who are in need of help on finding their motivation to work hard now for a better future. Also, it shows the progress I made for these past few weeks regarding my reading and writing skills in my Englcom class. In my case, I am progressing by finding my motivation not to procrastinate but to start doing things as early as possible.

"Never do tomorrow what you can do today, procrastination is the thief of time”,  “I’m not telling you it is going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it” and “All glory comes from daring to begin.” are the top three quotes that are included in the video that struck me the most. Success really comes from your persistence to begin and to continue what you aim to do or doing. As for my personal experience, I wanted to improve my skills in writing and reading; therefore, I started reading more books and writing more often as soon as there is time available. It is really not easy, but it is possible.

To summarize the motivational video, it delivers the message that as a student, I should do my best not to prolong my tasks , instead do it ahead of time. I also need to continue reading more books to improve my reading and writing skills not only for my Englcom class, but for myself as well.

Jasmia(compiler). (2015). MOTIVATION TO STUDY- students must watch! [videotape]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?yVz_Ku1_FQE