Iraq War Was Wrong Essay Example for Free

Iraq War Was Wrong Essay The Iraq war was a horrible thing. It caused many things to happen. I’m against going to war with them because there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq as the US government claimed. One of the main reasons listed by George W Bush for the war was to secure Iraqs chemical and biological weapons, which did not even exist. Secondly, there were no terrorists in Iraq, and Iraq had no connection to Sept. 11. We should have focused our resources in Afghanistan where the real terrorists were. Thirdly, we were underprepared for the occupation of Iraq and couldnt deal with the insurgency that followed. And lastly, the war was a huge waste of resources which the US gained nothing from. The United States lost over 1,040 American soldiers fighting in this war that we got nothing from. The war has hurt our country economically greatly. Over $151.1 Billion has been out towards the war. I feel since from this outcome that we shouldn’t have gone to war with them. It’s a hard thing to put our country through. Iraq was attacked by the United States in the year of 2003. The US went to war with Iraq, because on either the administration or disinformation, and the started reason have changed over the time. The main reason given by the administration of George W. Bush was that Saddam Hussein the leader of Iraq was engaged in having nuclear weapons. Many thought that Hussein might use these weapons to attack against The United States. One of the main reasons for the attacks on Iraq was to disarm them of any weapons of mass destruction that they have. This makes sense to prevent future terrorist attacks, but no weapons of mass destruction were in Iraq. Iraq did use weapons of mass destruction in the 1980’s but not since then. Almost all of Iraqs weapons of mass destruction were destroyed or otherwise made unusable in the 1990s. Also, Saddam wanted to stay in power. Using weapons of mass destruction would mean a sure end to his power. This calls into question whether or not invading Iraq was justified because the Bush administration should have known that weapons of mass destruction in Iraq were effectively contained. Because Iraq is effectively contained, it was no longer an imminent threat to the United States or any other countries anymore. Saddam Hussein had never threatened to attack the United States or to use weapons of mass destruction offensively. Sure, Iraqs surrounding countries such as Kuwait and Iran hated Saddam Hussein, but they were not afraid of him. They knew that Iraq was the weakest country in the region. Iraq had been weak and under control since the Gulf War and has not troubled its neighbors. If Iraq is not a threat, there was no reason to be attacking them. Iraq was not involved in the September 11th attacks. So why did we go to war with them? Since, the war had continued, because the forces of the US were attacked by Iraqi guerillas. The US supported a new democratic government within Iraq, which was opposed by various Islamic groups that held power in the country. The US attempted to control the flow of oil from Iraq, one of the largest petroleum producers in the Middle East.

Plato: Patriot Or Dissident :: essays research papers

Plato, the Greek philosopher is considered to be one of the greatest thinkers in history and is called by one scholar â€Å"the fountainhead through which all western thought flows.† In his book The Republic he outlines what the perfect city-state would look like and how it would operate. Along his path of reason he makes no attempt to hide his disdain for other political systems. That includes democracy, a system he does not seem to agree with. In fact, from what I read, Plato obviously disagrees with democracy and its principals. Plato ranks democracy fourth out of what he considers to be the five major constitutions. Just barely ahead of tyranny! He even ranks it behind oligarchy; a constitution that he himself states in 552a of The Republic is the first kind of city to admit the greatest of all evils! Why does he believe this? Are all the freedom loving Americans with red, white, and blue bumper stickers on their gas guzzling cars wrong? If so, what are they missing? To understand Plato’s claim that democracy is nothing but a stopgap on the way to tyranny one must first understand Plato’s viewpoint. Plato is credited with developing a school of thought called Platonic Idealism. Platonic Idealism is based upon the assumption that the essence of the qualities you predicate to things is eternal. Examples of that are ideas such as justice, piety or equality. While we may not be able to readily define them we all know what they are and can identify them when seen. Plato contends that only through philosophy can we express those essences in language. Plato translates his assumption to mean there is something inside each and every person that is the same, it comes inborn, and contains those eternal principals. That inborn intellectual part of every person is what Plato calls the soul. Souls are like those ideas or essences they are eternal. However, if everybody has this greatest truth that is called a soul inside them, why do people do stupid selfish things or even make mistakes at all? Plato’s explanation is that the material part of us, the body stops the intellectual part from exercising the knowledge it has. The analogy that Plato uses is that of a clouded eye. It goes that the soul is like an eye that can see those eternal ideas and truths but the body and its desires cloud the view.

Introduction to Consumer Behavior Essay

The totality of an individual’s thoughts and feelings about oneself Lifestyle How one lives, including the products one buys, how one uses them, what one thinks about them, and how one feels about them Situations and Consumer Decisions Consumer decisions result from perceived problems and opportunities. Consumer problems arise in specific situations and the nature of the situation influences the resulting consumer behavior Perception The nature of Perception- pg 278-279, Figure 8-1 Information Processing is a series of activities by which stimuli are perceived, transformed into information, and stored. Exposure- pg 279-283 Exposure Occurs when a stimulus is placed within a person’s relevant environment and comes within range of their sensory receptor nerves. Exposure provides consumers with the opportunity to pay attention to available information but in no way guarantees it. Types of Exposure 1) Selective Exposure The highly selective nature of consumer exposure is a major concern for marketers, since failure to gain exposure results in lost of communication and sales opportunities. Responses to Selective Exposure Product Placement: Branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows or new programs. Ex) Transformers’ and LFO’s Summer girls music video. Pop-up Ads Outdoor Display. Ex) M&M’ painted on concrete steps and money inside a security glass on the side of the street. 2) Voluntary Exposure Although consumers often avoid commercials and other marketing stimuli, sometimes they actively seek them out for various reasons including purchase goals, entertainment, and information. Responses to Voluntary Exposure Permission-Based Marketing The Privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them. Banner Ads. Ex) ads that pop up on the side or top of a website Real-time Chat Service. Ex) J Crew has a chat service Providing Highly Entertaining Materials. Ex) guy doing flips into jeans Attention- pg 283-284 Attention Occurs when the stimulus activates one or more sensory receptor nerves, and is the resulting sensations go to the brain for processing Most consumers are bombarded by a large number of messages or stimuli Consumer attention is selective Attention is determined by three factors: Stimulus Factors- pg 284-290 Physical characteristics of the stimulus itself Size Intensity Attractive Visuals Color and Movement Position Isolation Format Contrast and Expectations Interestingness Information Quantity Color and Size Color and Size attract attention A brightly colored package or display is more likely to received attention Larger stimuli are more likely to be noticed than smaller ones Position Is the placement of an object in physical space or time In retail stores, items that are easy to find or stand out are more likely to attract attention, such as end-caps and kiosks High impact zones in print ads in the U.S. tend to be toward the top left portion of the ad. Contrast and Expectations Consumers pay more attention to stimuli that contrast with their background Expectations drive perceptions of contrast. Ads that differ from expectations for a product category often motivate more attention Adaption Level Theory Suggests that if a stimulus doesn’t change over time we habituate to it and begin to notice it less. Individual Factors- pg 290-291 Characteristics which distinguish one individual from another. Example: Heineken Ad Motivation: A drive state created by consumer interest and needs Ability: The capacity of individuals to attend to and process information Situational Factors- pg 291 Include stimuli in the environment other than the focal stimulus and temporary characteristics of the individual that are induced by the environment Clutter: the density of stimuli in the environment â€Å"Less is More† Program Involvement: Interest in the program or editorial content surrounding the ads. Subliminal Stimuli- pg 293 Non-focused Attention Subliminal Stimuli A message presented so fast, softly or masked by other messages that one is aware of hearing (Progressive Ad) A subliminal as â€Å"hides† key persuasive information within the ad by making it so weak that it is difficult or impossible for someone to physically detect. Subliminal advertising has been the focus of intense study and public concern Interpretation- pg 293-294 The assignment of meaning to sensations Three aspects of interpretation: 1) It is generally a relative process rather than absolute, referred to as perceptual relativity 2) It tends to be subjective and open to a host of psychological biases 3) It can be a cognitive â€Å"thinking† process or an affective â€Å"emotional† process. Ex) Bud light Ad Interpretation is determined by three factors: 1) Individual Characteristics Traits: inherent physiological and psychological traits Learning and Knowledge The meanings attached to such â€Å"natural† things as time, space, relationships, and colors are learned and vary widely across cultures. Expectations Expectation Bias: Interpretations tend to be consistent with expectations 2) Situational Characteristics The situation provides a context within which the focal stimulus is interpreted The context clues present in the situation play a role in the consumer interpretation independent of the actual stimulus 3) Stimulus Characteristics Traits: specific traits of the stimulus such as size, shape, color, etc. Organization Proximity Closure Figure-Ground Changes Sensory Discrimination The physiological ability of an individual to distinguish between similar stimuli JND (Just Noticeable Difference) The minimum amount that one brand can differ from another (or from its previous version) with the difference still being noticed. Figure-ground- pg 299 Involves presenting the stimulus in such a way that it is perceived as the focal object to be attended to and all other stimuli are perceived as the background. Consumer Inferences Inferences: Knowledge and belief that are not based on explicit information in the environment. Quality Signals- pg 300 Price-perceived quality, Advertising intensity, Warranties, Country of origin, Brand, etc. Interpreting Images Missing Information and Ethical Concerns Price-perceived Quality Bottled water vs. tap water Country of Origin Wine, cars, TV’s, rugs, cologne Perception and Marketing Strategy Retail Strategy Brand Name and Logo Development Linguistic Consideration Branding Strategies Logo Design and Typographics Media Strategy Advertisements Package Design and Labeling Learning and Memory Nature of Learning and Memory- pg 318-319 Learning Any change in the content or organization of long-term memory or behavior Memory The total accumulation of prior learning experiences Difference between short-term and long-term memory- pg 319-321 Short-term Memory (STM) or working memory Is that portion of total memory that is currently activated or in use Long-term memory (LTM) Is that portion of total memory devoted to permanent information storage STM is Short Lived Consumers must constantly refresh information through maintenance rehearsal or it will be lost STM has Limited Capacity Consumers can only hold so much information in current memory Elaborative Activities Occur in STM Elaborative activities serve to redefine or add new elements to memory and can involve both concepts and imagery LTM Semantic memory (AKA Schemas) Basic knowledge and feelings an individual has about a concept Episodic Memory The memory of a sequence of events in which a person participated Schematic Memory- pg 323 A pattern of such associations around a particular concept Retrieval from long-term memory- pg 324-325 The likelihood and ease with which information can be recalled from LTM is accessibility. Learning under high and low involvement – pg 324-326, Figure 9-3 Conditioning (mechanism, classical, and operant conditioning)- pg 326-330 Conditioning Theories Classical Conditioning The process of using an established relationship between one stimulus (music) and response (pleasant feelings) to bring about the learning of the same response (pleasant feelings) to a different stimulus (the brand) ex) LMFAO’s Sexy & I know it for M&M Chocolate Operant Conditioning (or instrumental learning) Rewarding desirable behaviors such as brand purchases with a positive outcome that serves to reinforce the behavior ex) free sampling, discount coupon, loyalty card Cognitive Learning (iconic rote learning, vicarious learning, and analytical reasoning)- pg 331-332 Ironic Rote Learning Learning a concept or the association between two or more concepts in the absence of conditioning ex) Head-on ad Vicarious Learning (aka Modeling) Observing the outcomes of others’ behaviors and adjust their own accordingly ex) Oral B Brush-ups Analytical Reasoning Individuals engage in creative thinking to restructure and recombine existing information as well as new information to form new associations and concepts Memory retrieval failure and influencing factors- pg 334-342 Brand Image- pg 342-343 Brand image Refers to the schematic memory of a brand Perceived Product Attributes Manufacturer Marketer Characteristics Users Usage Situations Benefits An important component of brand image is the appropriate usage situations for the product or brand Product Positioning- pg 344 Product Positioning Is a decision by a marketer to try to achieve a defined brand image relative to competition within a market segment Perceptual Mapping- pg 345 Perceptual Mapping Offers marketing managers a useful technique for measuring and developing a product’s position Brand Equity and brand leverage- pg 347 Brand Equity Is the value consumers assign to a brand above and beyond the functional characteristics of the product. Strong Brand Equity enables: 1) Brand Leverage Often termed family branding, brand extensions, or umbrella branding, refers to marketers capitalizing on brand equity by using existing brand name for new products 2) Sub-Branding Creating a secondary brand within a main brand that can help differentiate a product line to a desired target group Motivation, Personality, and Emotion Motivation- pg 360 Motivation Is the reason for behavior A motive is a construct representing an unobservable inner force that stimulates and compels a behavioral response and provides specific direction to that response Consumers buy motive satisfaction or problem resolution Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs- pg 360-361, Table 10-1 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs A macro theory designed to account for most human behavior in general terms Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is based on four premises 1) All humans acquire a similar set of motives through genetic endowment and social interaction 2) Some motives are more basic or critical than others 3) The more basic motives must be satisfied to a minimum level before other motives are activated 4) As the basic motive becomes satisfied, more advanced motives come into play Need for expression (one of the McGuire’s Psychological Motives)-pg 365 McGuire’s Psychological Motives A fairly detailed set of motives used to account for specific aspects of consumer behavior Need for expression (active, external) This motive deals with the need to express one’s identity to others. Discovering purchase motives (Manifest and latent motive)- pg 367-369, Figure 10-1 Manifest Motives Consumers recognize and will share these motives Latent Motives Consumers are unaware of these motives, or reluctant to admit them Substantially more complex than manifest motives Techniques to uncover latent motives 1) Projective techniques 2) Laddering (= means-end or benefit chain) Regulatory focus theory (Promotion and prevention-focused motives)- pg 372, figure 10-2 Promotion-focused motives Revolve around a desire for growth and development and are related to consumers’ hopes and aspirations Prevention-focused motives Revolve around a desire for safety and security and are related to consumers’ sense of duties and obligations Regulatory Focus Theory Suggests that consumers will react differently depending on which broad set of motives is most salient Personality- pg 373-374 Personality An individual’s characteristic response tendencies across similar situations Consumer ethnocentrism Reflects an individual difference in consumers’ propensity to be biased against the purchase of foreign products Need for cognition Reflects an individual difference in consumers’ propensity to engage in and enjoy thinking Consumer’s need for uniqueness Reflects an individual difference in consumers’ propensity to pursue differentness relative to other through the acquisition, utilization, and disposition of consumer goods Dimensions of brand personality and communication strategies- pg 375-378 Emotion and typology of consumer coping strategies- pg 379, 381 Attitudes Attitude and attitude components –pg. 392-398, Figure 11-1 Attitude An enduring organization of motivational, emotional, perceptual, and cognitive processes with respect to some aspect of our environment Attitude Components Cognitive component Consists of a consumer’s beliefs about an object Affective component Feelings or emotional reactions to an object Behavioral component Is one’s tendency to respond in a certain manner toward an object or activity Attitude component consistency –pg. 398-399 All three attitude components tend to be consistent. This means that a change in one attitude component tends to produce related changes in the other components Attitude change strategy for affective component-pg. 402-403 ELM model –pg. 404, Figure 11-3 Elaboration likelihood model A theory about how attitudes are formed and changed under varying conditions of involvement The ELM suggests that involvement is a key determinant of how information is processed and attitudes are changed Communication strategy for attitude formation and change Celebrity sources –pg. 408-409, Figure 11-4 Celebrity sources can be effective in enhancing attention, attitude toward the ad, trustworthiness, expertise, aspirational aspects, and meaning transfer. Effectiveness of celebrity sources enhanced when Marketer Match Endorser with Product and Target Audience Ex) Tiger Woods Comparative ads –pg. 412-413 Directly compare the features or benefits of two or more brands Value-expressive vs. Utilitarian appeals appeal-pg. 414-415 Value-expressive appeals Attempt to build a personality for the product or create an image of the product user. Utilitarian appeals Involve informing the consumer of one or more functional benefits that are important to the target market. Positive vs. Negative Framing-p. 415 Message framing Refers to presenting one of two equivalent value outcomes either in positive or gain terms (positive framing) or in negative or loss terms (negative framing) Self-Concept and Lifestyle Self-concept Defined as the totality of the individual’s thoughts and feelings having reference to himself or herself as an object. Its an individual’s perception of and feelings towards him or herself Interdependent/Independent self-concepts – pg. 428-429 Independent self-concept Emphasizes personal goals, characteristics, achievements, and desires. Individuals with an independent self-concept tend to be individualistic, egocentric, autonomous, self-reliant, and self-contained They define themselves in terms of what they have done, what they have, and their personal characteristics Interdependent self-concept Emphasizes family, cultural, professional, and social relationships. Individuals with an interdependent self-concept tend to be obedient, sociocentric, holistic, connected, and relation oriented. They define themselves in terms of social roles, family relationships, and commonalities with other members of their groups. Possessions and the Extended Self – pg. 429-430 Extended self Consists of the self plus possessions; that is, people tend to define themselves in part by their possessions. Our possessions reflect our beliefs, wants, and inner desires. Extended self = Self + Possessions Tattoos can become a part of one’s extended self Mere ownership effect (AKA the Endowment effect) The tendency of an owner to evaluate an object more favorably than a non-owner Using Self-Concept to Position Products – pg. 432-433 Lifestyle – pg. 434-435, Figure 12-2 Lifestyle How a person lives. It is how one enacts his or her self-concept Influences all aspects of one’s consumption behavior Is determined by the person’s past experiences, innate characteristics, and current situation Ex) Brett Favre’s Wrangler commercial and Tom Brady’s Smart Water commercial Measurement of Lifestyle – pg. 435-436 Psychographics Attempts to develop quantitative measures of lifestyle Measures include: Attitudes- Evaluative statements about other people, places, ideas, products, etc. Values- Widely held beliefs about what is acceptable or desirable Activities and Interests- Non-occupational behaviors to which consumers devote time and effort, such as hobbies, sports, public service, and church Demographics- Age, education, income, occupation, family structure, ethnic background Media Patterns- The specific media the consumers utilize Usage Rates- Measurements of consumption within a specified product category; often consumers are categorized as heavy, medium, or light users or as nonusers. VALS– pg. 439, Figure 12-3 VALS (Social Value and Lifestyle) Provides a systematic classification of U.S. adults into 8 distinct consumer segments Core premise: an individual’s primary motivation determines what in particular about the self or the world is the meaningful core that governs his or her activities. Three Primary Consumer Motivations: 1) Ideals Motivation These consumers are guided in their choices by their beliefs and principles rather than by feelings or desire for social approval. They purchase functionality and reliability. 2) Achievement Motivation These consumers strive for a clear social position and are strongly influenced by the actions, approval, and opinions of others. They purchase status symbols. 3) Self-Expression Motivation These action-oriented consumers strive to express their individuality through their choices. They purchase experiences. PRIZM – pg. 444 Define every household in the U.S. by distinct lifestyle types, called â€Å"segments†, to provide you with a comprehensive picture of who lives where and what they are like. The underlying logic: Geo-Demographic Segmentation People with similar cultural backgrounds, means and perspectives naturally gravitate toward one another. They choose to live amongst their peers in neighborhoods offering †¦compatible lifestyles. They exhibit shared patterns of consumer behavior toward products, services, media and promotions. 4 major social groups of PRIZM: Urban- Major cities with high population density Suburban- Moderately dense â€Å"suburban† areas surrounding metropolitan areas Second City- Smaller, less densely populated cities or satellites to major cities Town and Country- Low-density towns and rural communities

Non-conformity in The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the...

Non-conformity in The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, Medea, and The Stranger We are constantly being affected our surroundings. As a result, our attitudes and personalities are a product of our experiences and the various environments in which they occurred . Furthermore, the society we live in presents to us a set of standards, values, and givens that we may or may not agree with. In literature, the society plays a major role in affecting the characters thoughts and actions. In The Sailor who Fell From Grace with the Sea, The Stranger, and Medea, the characters are affected by their society, and their actions reflect their conformity (or non-conformity) to it. Ultimately, non-conformity in these works create the†¦show more content†¦His character expressed an indifferent view of the universe, with a tasteless, emotionless approach to everyday tasks. Being indifferent, he cared for nothing and no one, thus being a potential threat to society, if anything. If anything is high on the list of criteria for being a non-conformist, its being a potential th reat to society! In Euripides Medea, the characters live in a mythological society, which for the most part reflected the ideas and values of ancient Greece, with the exceptions of Gods and Goddesses. Since witches have always been a symbol of evil and mischief, it is assumed that Medea, a witch, does not conform with the society she exists in. Besides that fact, Medea takes place in Greece while Medea herself comes from a distant land, considered savage by Greek standards. With that burden, she fills no other role than non-conformist, and the position inspires her actions which make Medea into a tragedy. The non-conformists in these works all seem to defy society to the point of a common act(murder), with the exception of Fusako, whose actions and lifestyle play a role of indirectly inspiring the act while not committing the act herself. In this perspective her function as non-conformist is less significant than the others. The widowed mother of Noboru, Fusako has adapted to many western ways. In her room are shiny brass beds from New Orleans and European perfumes like eau de Cologne(Mishima 4-5).