Prior to participating in prom I thought of Prom as something very hyped up. That is exactly what it was. This is not too say I did not have a great time or enjoy myself. However, prom as a transforming moment in someones life? not so much. Maybe this was because I did not follow all of the special tradition one is supposed to for their prom. However, there were a few things I noticed that seemed stupid at first that was much more understandable through experience. The entire reason for dressing up and buying all these luxury things for one night was something I did not understand too much. I had no real personal desire for this but in the spirit of prom and spending it with my classmates and close friends I followed many of these expectations. After 4 years of school work and knowing most people on a school centered basis, it is nice to have pure social time and feel like youhave worked hard to enjoy yourself. Basically although it is spoiling yourself, it would be a lie to say it isn't enjoyable. There i a certain feeling of accomplishment that is present at prom, and when people speak of the "magic" of prom, this was what most closely resignated with that for me. However, knowing all the hype around prom and in partiulare the different traditions of prom takes away someof the immature and exaggerated "special-ness" of prom.
Our thoughts and discussions on prom prior too the actual prom did have some sort of affect on people. It seemed like towards the beginning of prom people were pretty laid back and not dancing much. Maybe people saw some stupidity in the idea of prom. However, after a while people realized why prom is viewed at in the way it is and maybe although there is a lot of BS around it you should still enjoy yourself the most you can. Thats exactly what people did, everyone was dancing and having a good time. SOF also doesn't do prom king and prom queen, which also relieves alot of the traditional stress one may get at other prom's where traditions are more closely followed. By removing the traditions of king and queen it made prom less of a big deal, it simply did not feel like the social climax of my highschool epxerience, whcih is what it has been played up to be time and time again.
I definitely had a bit of cynnicism towards prom prior to it and actually experienceing it made me change my views in favor of prom a bit more. Although I was never against the idea of prom in anyway I saw it as stupid event put on by the school that people go to because, as is said with many things prom related, it is tradition. My views of prom changed slightly because the experience didn't feel so fake, as it is so often described or portrayed. The mixture of the way SOF held prom and actually eperiencing it made me think about the positives of prom, this was in contrast to my thinking prior to prom which was mostly focused on criticisms of the event.
All in all, while prom may not be some magical fairy tale experience, it is a fun time. The traditions maybe silly but following them isn't so bad. It is a somewhat serious somewhat silly type of fun. Seeing everyone dance together and laugh and simply talk was nice. School is always full of so much drama and while prom might not be the best thing to alleviate drama, this prom was fairly drama-free and was definitely a nice change of pace from everyday school life. The appeal of prom, for me, grew through the experience; however, my thoughts on the event of prom and how it is viewed in our society have not changed much.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
hw 57
Prom is supposedly one of the most enjoyable and special night in the life of a highschool student. How is it that this came to be though? There are so many traditions surrounding prom that people follow. It is obvious a big cause of stress, wheter it be making sure you have clothes, money, or a date for that matter. It's a day where material goods are highly valued. It follows so many shallow societal misconceptions of success.
However, no matter how concious someone participating in prom may be of the situation, it seems that we are stuck in a black hole of inevitable cliche-ness. Wheter you are trying to go against the norm or follow it, the decision is based upon and in response to what's expected of you. Prom really does mock a flase sense of success. Flaunting, excessiveness, and luxury are all components of prom and as many people fail to realize have little meaning now or later on in life.
So my questions so far are:
Is it possible to participate in prom with out following all the stupid cliches?
Why is it that prom is supposed to be a turning point in a highschoolers life?
How does someone who has money idea of prom compare to that of someone less fortunate?
However, no matter how concious someone participating in prom may be of the situation, it seems that we are stuck in a black hole of inevitable cliche-ness. Wheter you are trying to go against the norm or follow it, the decision is based upon and in response to what's expected of you. Prom really does mock a flase sense of success. Flaunting, excessiveness, and luxury are all components of prom and as many people fail to realize have little meaning now or later on in life.
So my questions so far are:
Is it possible to participate in prom with out following all the stupid cliches?
Why is it that prom is supposed to be a turning point in a highschoolers life?
How does someone who has money idea of prom compare to that of someone less fortunate?
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
HW 58
Interviews (younger than me)
For the interview with a younger person I decided to interview one of my friends little brother. He is in the 9th grade and 14 years old. I started off by simply asking him what he knows about prom. His answer was pretty standard and basically covered most of the typical prom traditions. He said it was important to dress up and find a date and buy her a corrsage, etc. He then talked about getting a limo and all the other things associated with prom. I then asked him why he thought all those things were neccesary for prom. He seemed stuck on the question and had no real answer. The best he could come up with was because that's what people always do for prom. Pretty simple answer, but I can't blame him it is not a simple question to answer. Basically our talk consisted of pretty standard answers but when asked for explanations of why the answers became much less clear.
Interview(my own age)
For this interview, I interviewed my friend who's little brother I interviewed. He is 18 and is currently a senior. His prom is not until next week. Again, I started by asking him his thoughts on prom. He said he. Didn't think it was too big of a deal to follow all the traditions but prom gives you a day to dress up and spend money and enjoy yourself with your friends. Basically the social situation that prom provides is what makes it worth it. However, the picture of prom portrayed in movies is not as valuable to recreate. I thought this was pretty interesting as I have found that especially in NYC people like the idea of prom yet are not as attached to many of the traditions, or at least don't view them as that big of a deal. However, the essence of prom seems to still be highly valued.
Interview 3 (older than me)
For this interview I decided to talk to a friend of the family who has now graduated college. I asked him what prom was like for him. He responded by saying it was one of the best nights he had in highschool. He got to spend time with his friends, spend time out of school with his classmates and just enjoy himself. I asked him how the people he went to school with values the traditions of prom. He said that people went all out with the limos and suits and such. But there were some kids who did not take it so serious.
Maybe it is a thing that teenagers like to go against traditions more so now than before or that has always been so. Yet there seems to be a trend of that with prom now. However, people are still into the idea of prom and why wouldn't they be, it gives people to live extraordinary for a night(even if its kinda stupid) before they go back to everyday life
For the interview with a younger person I decided to interview one of my friends little brother. He is in the 9th grade and 14 years old. I started off by simply asking him what he knows about prom. His answer was pretty standard and basically covered most of the typical prom traditions. He said it was important to dress up and find a date and buy her a corrsage, etc. He then talked about getting a limo and all the other things associated with prom. I then asked him why he thought all those things were neccesary for prom. He seemed stuck on the question and had no real answer. The best he could come up with was because that's what people always do for prom. Pretty simple answer, but I can't blame him it is not a simple question to answer. Basically our talk consisted of pretty standard answers but when asked for explanations of why the answers became much less clear.
Interview(my own age)
For this interview, I interviewed my friend who's little brother I interviewed. He is 18 and is currently a senior. His prom is not until next week. Again, I started by asking him his thoughts on prom. He said he. Didn't think it was too big of a deal to follow all the traditions but prom gives you a day to dress up and spend money and enjoy yourself with your friends. Basically the social situation that prom provides is what makes it worth it. However, the picture of prom portrayed in movies is not as valuable to recreate. I thought this was pretty interesting as I have found that especially in NYC people like the idea of prom yet are not as attached to many of the traditions, or at least don't view them as that big of a deal. However, the essence of prom seems to still be highly valued.
Interview 3 (older than me)
For this interview I decided to talk to a friend of the family who has now graduated college. I asked him what prom was like for him. He responded by saying it was one of the best nights he had in highschool. He got to spend time with his friends, spend time out of school with his classmates and just enjoy himself. I asked him how the people he went to school with values the traditions of prom. He said that people went all out with the limos and suits and such. But there were some kids who did not take it so serious.
Maybe it is a thing that teenagers like to go against traditions more so now than before or that has always been so. Yet there seems to be a trend of that with prom now. However, people are still into the idea of prom and why wouldn't they be, it gives people to live extraordinary for a night(even if its kinda stupid) before they go back to everyday life
Monday, May 23, 2011
hw 57
The bodies exhibit is one of the most interesting museums I have been to. Reflecting on such an experience after studying the care of the dead unit brings up many different questions and reactions. The bodies exhibit displays preserved bodies in different position assuming everyday tasks such as playing sports, etc. The method used for preserving these bodies is called platination, which is very similar to that used when a funeral director does an embalming. Therefore, on an environmental level does preserving these bodies cause the same environmental effects as embalmings due?
This exhibit, as expected, is quite controvertial. There are two main opposing arguments/controversies. The first one being the pure ethics on an exhibit like this. People have argues that it is simply unethical to display the bodies in such a way. Some people have argued that is disrespectful to the bodies being used and that the exhibit is like a carnival. In opposition to this arguement people stand by the educational value of such an exhibit. The exhibit allows you too see the inner body in a way most people have never been able to before. The structure of bones and muscle is truly fascinating and can be very beneficial as an educational experience.
Furthermore, there has been controversy over where the bodies were obtained from. Gunther Von Hagen, the creator of the plastination method of preservation and the creator of this exhibit has argues that the bodies have all been legitimately obtained. The controversy has arisen as suspicion that the bodies being used were executed Chinese prisoners. China, in fact has on of the highest execution rates for its prisoners. Von Hagen is now saying that all the bodies are from Europe and have been given consent before the people whose bodies are being used died. This switch was made because Von Hagen was afraid that the bodies might in fact be executed prisoners. However, this was not to his knowledge and he made this switch to avoid further controversy surrounding that issue.
The bodies exhibit is very interesting and donating ones body to science may be a very reasonable and more appealing option for some people. The bodies exhibit has many educational benefits and the arguement of ethics is based upon tradition of care of the dead which as proven through the care of the dead unit hold very little reasoning.
This exhibit, as expected, is quite controvertial. There are two main opposing arguments/controversies. The first one being the pure ethics on an exhibit like this. People have argues that it is simply unethical to display the bodies in such a way. Some people have argued that is disrespectful to the bodies being used and that the exhibit is like a carnival. In opposition to this arguement people stand by the educational value of such an exhibit. The exhibit allows you too see the inner body in a way most people have never been able to before. The structure of bones and muscle is truly fascinating and can be very beneficial as an educational experience.
Furthermore, there has been controversy over where the bodies were obtained from. Gunther Von Hagen, the creator of the plastination method of preservation and the creator of this exhibit has argues that the bodies have all been legitimately obtained. The controversy has arisen as suspicion that the bodies being used were executed Chinese prisoners. China, in fact has on of the highest execution rates for its prisoners. Von Hagen is now saying that all the bodies are from Europe and have been given consent before the people whose bodies are being used died. This switch was made because Von Hagen was afraid that the bodies might in fact be executed prisoners. However, this was not to his knowledge and he made this switch to avoid further controversy surrounding that issue.
The bodies exhibit is very interesting and donating ones body to science may be a very reasonable and more appealing option for some people. The bodies exhibit has many educational benefits and the arguement of ethics is based upon tradition of care of the dead which as proven through the care of the dead unit hold very little reasoning.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
COTD 3 (extra credit)
The bodies exhibit is one of the most interesting museums I have been to. Reflecting on such an experience after studying the care of the dead unit brings up many different questions and reactions. The bodies exhibit displays preserved bodies in different position assuming everyday tasks such as playing sports, etc. The method used for preserving these bodies is called platination, which is very similar to that used when a funeral director does an embalming. Therefore, on an environmental level does preserving these bodies cause the same environmental effects as embalmings due?
This exhibit, as expected, is quite controvertial. There are two main opposing arguments/controversies. The first one being the pure ethics on an exhibit like this. People have argues that it is simply unethical to display the bodies in such a way. Some people have argued that is disrespectful to the bodies being used and that the exhibit is like a carnival. In opposition to this arguement people stand by the educational value of such an exhibit. The exhibit allows you too see the inner body in a way most people have never been able to before. The structure of bones and muscle is truly fascinating and can be very beneficial as an educational experience.
Furthermore, there has been controversy over where the bodies were obtained from. Gunther Von Hagen, the creator of the plastination method of preservation and the creator of this exhibit has argues that the bodies have all been legitimately obtained. The controversy has arisen as suspicion that the bodies being used were executed Chinese prisoners. China, in fact has on of the highest execution rates for its prisoners. Von Hagen is now saying that all the bodies are from Europe and have been given consent before the people whose bodies are being used died. This switch was made because Von Hagen was afraid that the bodies might in fact be executed prisoners. However, this was not to his knowledge and he made this switch to avoid further controversy surrounding that issue.
The bodies exhibit is very interesting and donating ones body to science may be a very reasonable and more appealing option for some people. The bodies exhibit has many educational benefits and the arguement of ethics is based upon tradition of care of the dead which as proven through the care of the dead unit hold very little reasoning.
This exhibit, as expected, is quite controvertial. There are two main opposing arguments/controversies. The first one being the pure ethics on an exhibit like this. People have argues that it is simply unethical to display the bodies in such a way. Some people have argued that is disrespectful to the bodies being used and that the exhibit is like a carnival. In opposition to this arguement people stand by the educational value of such an exhibit. The exhibit allows you too see the inner body in a way most people have never been able to before. The structure of bones and muscle is truly fascinating and can be very beneficial as an educational experience.
Furthermore, there has been controversy over where the bodies were obtained from. Gunther Von Hagen, the creator of the plastination method of preservation and the creator of this exhibit has argues that the bodies have all been legitimately obtained. The controversy has arisen as suspicion that the bodies being used were executed Chinese prisoners. China, in fact has on of the highest execution rates for its prisoners. Von Hagen is now saying that all the bodies are from Europe and have been given consent before the people whose bodies are being used died. This switch was made because Von Hagen was afraid that the bodies might in fact be executed prisoners. However, this was not to his knowledge and he made this switch to avoid further controversy surrounding that issue.
The bodies exhibit is very interesting and donating ones body to science may be a very reasonable and more appealing option for some people. The bodies exhibit has many educational benefits and the arguement of ethics is based upon tradition of care of the dead which as proven through the care of the dead unit hold very little reasoning.
HW 56
Great post Devin,
You do a very good job of stating the current situation and evaluating the faults. The alternatives you provide are very insightful not only on a very literal level but they say a lot about our society. There are other reasonable option out there for us yet we hold our selves too basically only two. We are so influenced by tradition thee is no progression. I also really like your last paragraph where you talk about in a bigger picture kind of way. The entire post was strong you stated, analyzed, and critiqued the situation. The alternatives were clear your progressive view on care of the dead was also made very clear. Overall, great job
Sharif,
The compare and contrast you did between religion was informative and interesting. Not only did you separate religions and take about how that affected the way people care for the dead but you went even deeper into each religion. Although religion is a very broad topic you did a good job of making it pretty clear and understandable while still staying specific. As done in all good papers you provided new knowledge and explained it competently, you then provided a good analysis comparing all of the religions and comparing the idea of religion to care of the dead. Good job.
You do a very good job of stating the current situation and evaluating the faults. The alternatives you provide are very insightful not only on a very literal level but they say a lot about our society. There are other reasonable option out there for us yet we hold our selves too basically only two. We are so influenced by tradition thee is no progression. I also really like your last paragraph where you talk about in a bigger picture kind of way. The entire post was strong you stated, analyzed, and critiqued the situation. The alternatives were clear your progressive view on care of the dead was also made very clear. Overall, great job
Sharif,
The compare and contrast you did between religion was informative and interesting. Not only did you separate religions and take about how that affected the way people care for the dead but you went even deeper into each religion. Although religion is a very broad topic you did a good job of making it pretty clear and understandable while still staying specific. As done in all good papers you provided new knowledge and explained it competently, you then provided a good analysis comparing all of the religions and comparing the idea of religion to care of the dead. Good job.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
HW 55
It seems as if the funeral business has boomed without any questions to the practices we follow. It is quite obvious why the funeral business is so profitable. People die and people mourn, what better way to mourn then have a ceremony honoring a loved one who passed away. It seems very simple and straight forward, on the surface there isn't much to question. However, the more we explore, the more corruption is found. Our common practices our quite questionable when truly explored. The two most common practices to care for the dead are burial and cremation. Cremation is on the rise due to a few different factors, one of the most significant being it is much more economical then a burial. There are many different factors that go in to picking the type of care for ones family. However, there are also many option that one can choose from. Why is it that the overwhelming population chose a traditional burial. The average american funeral costs approximately 7000 dollars. So why is it that we are so attracted to this option. It is social influence that has caused this. After so many years of burials being the common practice, there have been more and more ways to exploit those paying for a burial and therefore even though it is such an expensive option it has stayed as the most common. So what is reason behind the most common practice being the least economical. As is true with much else in our society, profit is the incentive.
The inevitabliity of death traps people in to being in an easily exploitable situation. It is a very profitable equation: Inevitable fact of life(that being death), very emotional family members who are looking to care for loved dead ones, and funeral industry who is there to help those care for dead loved ones while reaping the economic benefits of their expertise in the field. We live in a society in which convienience is highly valued. This is why a burial is so common in our society. For a family looking to mourn and celebrate the life of a loved one who passed away it is much simpler to pay someone to handle all the aspects of such ceremonies rather then dealing with it themselves. When one takes into account the emotional impact of such an event as death it is understandable why the family would been even more inclined to pay someone to deal with all the technicalities and execution of having a competent funeral.
The situation that a mourning family is in is so easily exploitable and that is exactly what happens very often. This is not to say funeral directors do not have good intentions or are bad people at all. However, the basis of a successful business is profit and the easiest way to profit is to exploit. This is why funeral directors charge for every single action needed in having a traditional funeral for somebody. We are country based upon private business and profit motive. With every major institution corruption is evident; beneath that corruption there lies profit or something related to profit as the incentive for this corruption. We can change our daily lives, we can choose to follows certain social norms or not. However, until a systematic change is in place the same incentive will keep corrupting and exploiting everything it has a chance to.
The inevitabliity of death traps people in to being in an easily exploitable situation. It is a very profitable equation: Inevitable fact of life(that being death), very emotional family members who are looking to care for loved dead ones, and funeral industry who is there to help those care for dead loved ones while reaping the economic benefits of their expertise in the field. We live in a society in which convienience is highly valued. This is why a burial is so common in our society. For a family looking to mourn and celebrate the life of a loved one who passed away it is much simpler to pay someone to handle all the aspects of such ceremonies rather then dealing with it themselves. When one takes into account the emotional impact of such an event as death it is understandable why the family would been even more inclined to pay someone to deal with all the technicalities and execution of having a competent funeral.
The situation that a mourning family is in is so easily exploitable and that is exactly what happens very often. This is not to say funeral directors do not have good intentions or are bad people at all. However, the basis of a successful business is profit and the easiest way to profit is to exploit. This is why funeral directors charge for every single action needed in having a traditional funeral for somebody. We are country based upon private business and profit motive. With every major institution corruption is evident; beneath that corruption there lies profit or something related to profit as the incentive for this corruption. We can change our daily lives, we can choose to follows certain social norms or not. However, until a systematic change is in place the same incentive will keep corrupting and exploiting everything it has a chance to.
COTD 1
There is a very small cemetery by my house which is one of the ones I decided to walk around with. It is almost like it is out of a movie scene. I decided to walk around after work one night. There was unexplainable feeling of uncomfort as I walked around the cemetery. Although I like to think of myself as a rational person there is something about the idea of death and being surrounded by it that makes me uncomfortable. Maybe it is my lack of religious faith and my belief that once things come to an end, they simply end. Maybe it is the fact that I don't want to die. As a young man with much life left ahead of me the thought of death seems so distant and unreal that thinking about it scares me. Yet, I took a quick walk around the cemetery and then I stood by the gate and simply sat there and watched. It was such a small graveyard yet the feeling inside of me made me realize how truly influenced by society I was. Even though I am conscious of the fact it had the same effect on me and it was in this that I realized why some many people chose burials and handle the care of the dead int he way they do.
The second graveyard I took a walk in was the greenwood cemetery. It is a huge cemetery going down fort hamilton road in brooklyn. I was walking in this cemetery during the day. This cemetery has many huge tombstones and memorials. In this cemetery I had a completely different experience. I was much less attached emotionally. All I saw was excess. People dying to be remembered one way or another, no pun intended. Or maybe there is a pun intended. We do live our whole lives to be remmebered when we die, obviously there are different extremes and methods of doing so but essentially we are one in the same. The huge funeral and tombstones cements this. We know that we were special to some people and those people remember us and mourn us and celebrate us through these traditions. Although this is understandable, is this the way things should work? Is this the way we should live our lives? Is this the way we should care for the dead? It is hard to say whether our traditions are shallow or excessive, or maybe there are both. Regardless we all have to face death and deal with death, the question is whether the way we do so is truly meaningful.
The second graveyard I took a walk in was the greenwood cemetery. It is a huge cemetery going down fort hamilton road in brooklyn. I was walking in this cemetery during the day. This cemetery has many huge tombstones and memorials. In this cemetery I had a completely different experience. I was much less attached emotionally. All I saw was excess. People dying to be remembered one way or another, no pun intended. Or maybe there is a pun intended. We do live our whole lives to be remmebered when we die, obviously there are different extremes and methods of doing so but essentially we are one in the same. The huge funeral and tombstones cements this. We know that we were special to some people and those people remember us and mourn us and celebrate us through these traditions. Although this is understandable, is this the way things should work? Is this the way we should live our lives? Is this the way we should care for the dead? It is hard to say whether our traditions are shallow or excessive, or maybe there are both. Regardless we all have to face death and deal with death, the question is whether the way we do so is truly meaningful.
COTD 2
The movie Harold and Maude deals heavily with the theme of death and funerals. In fact that is where Harold and Maude meet, at a funeral.Harold has a very strange obsession with death. He constantly recreates different ways to die. It seems to be a hobby of his. I have now seen this movie twice and it still puzzles me why he does so. However, while studying death and caring for the dead I have come to more of an understanding.
Harold seems to be at peace with life. His mother is very snobby and traditional. She follows typical "high-class" cliches of the time period. Harold is a contrast to her personality. For a car he wanted a hearse. On this surface this seems very strange. However, the symbolism of why Harold acts in such a way says a lot about his confrontation of the inevitability of death. His very strange hobby of acting out fake detahs may also say something about his conciousness about death. He is not scared of it and he does not try to shy away from it. He is accepting of death and his families high class lifestyle and material obsession seems to be a cover up to cope with the fact that they to are mortal.
Maude's significance comes in the form of her "free-mindedness." She is very impulsive and "in touch" with nature. Her personality is the exact opposite and we see Harold attracted to this more and more throughout the film. Hence, my analysis of the dynamic of Harold's family and why he tends to rebel in the way he does. His acceptance and appreciation of death go hand in hand with Maude appreciation of life and therefore they attract each other. Life and death are both realities that we all deal with whether we are ready or not. Maybe death shouldn't be seen as such a tragedy since it is inevitable.
Harold seems to be at peace with life. His mother is very snobby and traditional. She follows typical "high-class" cliches of the time period. Harold is a contrast to her personality. For a car he wanted a hearse. On this surface this seems very strange. However, the symbolism of why Harold acts in such a way says a lot about his confrontation of the inevitability of death. His very strange hobby of acting out fake detahs may also say something about his conciousness about death. He is not scared of it and he does not try to shy away from it. He is accepting of death and his families high class lifestyle and material obsession seems to be a cover up to cope with the fact that they to are mortal.
Maude's significance comes in the form of her "free-mindedness." She is very impulsive and "in touch" with nature. Her personality is the exact opposite and we see Harold attracted to this more and more throughout the film. Hence, my analysis of the dynamic of Harold's family and why he tends to rebel in the way he does. His acceptance and appreciation of death go hand in hand with Maude appreciation of life and therefore they attract each other. Life and death are both realities that we all deal with whether we are ready or not. Maybe death shouldn't be seen as such a tragedy since it is inevitable.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
HW 53
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/nyregion/13burial.html
In the New York area there is a revival of Jewish practices for the care of the dead. These practices value equality and balance rather then excessiveness and profit. All people are buried in identical pine coffins. This is too have all people be sent to god in the same form. However, not only do they choose care for burial they prepare the dead body for its burial by bathing, dressing him/her prior to burial. It as if they are interacting with the body before they bury it rather than just simply caring for it. It is a much more intimate and humane way of caring for the dead
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21funeral.html?adxnnl=1&ref=funerals&adxnnlx=1305289314-Vt1IIHl/xm2QiW+niBhV7Q
Precis: Home burials are becoming a more popular alternative. Although they are not for everyone they have many upside. One of the biggest upsides is cost, the Roe family for example had a home burial and only spent $250. This is obviously a pretty significant savings, given the cost of a funeral for average american family. Home burials also offer a more natural and intimate experience for the family member participating in help care for a loved after death.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/nyregion/in-funeral-industry-womens-presence-grows.html?_r=1&ref=funerals
Ms. Dozier is a female mortician practicing in brooklyn. Females are very scarce in the world of the care of the dead. However, many women like Ms. Dozier have unique perspectives and idea that can be beneficial to a family looking to have a funeral for a loved one who died. Stylistically she can bring a woman point of view. Ms. Dozier has broken into a profession that is male dominated. This an ongoing trend with many different jobs, women are starting to assume more roles of power.
I like that all of these articles give different perspectives on the same topic. For example the first two focus on methods of caring for the dead, and in particular uncommon methods. There seems to be some sort of shift or wave of consciousness in our society as more and more people are turning to alternatives from the dominant social practices that so many of us don't even bother to question. The last article although focusing on a different subject within the greater topic, I found extremely interesting. It made me wonder why is that this profession is so male-dominated? Are people more comfortable with men when talking about funerals, etc?
In the New York area there is a revival of Jewish practices for the care of the dead. These practices value equality and balance rather then excessiveness and profit. All people are buried in identical pine coffins. This is too have all people be sent to god in the same form. However, not only do they choose care for burial they prepare the dead body for its burial by bathing, dressing him/her prior to burial. It as if they are interacting with the body before they bury it rather than just simply caring for it. It is a much more intimate and humane way of caring for the dead
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21funeral.html?adxnnl=1&ref=funerals&adxnnlx=1305289314-Vt1IIHl/xm2QiW+niBhV7Q
Precis: Home burials are becoming a more popular alternative. Although they are not for everyone they have many upside. One of the biggest upsides is cost, the Roe family for example had a home burial and only spent $250. This is obviously a pretty significant savings, given the cost of a funeral for average american family. Home burials also offer a more natural and intimate experience for the family member participating in help care for a loved after death.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/nyregion/in-funeral-industry-womens-presence-grows.html?_r=1&ref=funerals
Ms. Dozier is a female mortician practicing in brooklyn. Females are very scarce in the world of the care of the dead. However, many women like Ms. Dozier have unique perspectives and idea that can be beneficial to a family looking to have a funeral for a loved one who died. Stylistically she can bring a woman point of view. Ms. Dozier has broken into a profession that is male dominated. This an ongoing trend with many different jobs, women are starting to assume more roles of power.
I like that all of these articles give different perspectives on the same topic. For example the first two focus on methods of caring for the dead, and in particular uncommon methods. There seems to be some sort of shift or wave of consciousness in our society as more and more people are turning to alternatives from the dominant social practices that so many of us don't even bother to question. The last article although focusing on a different subject within the greater topic, I found extremely interesting. It made me wonder why is that this profession is so male-dominated? Are people more comfortable with men when talking about funerals, etc?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
HW 52
Precis: The way we deal with the care of the dead in this country is expensive, wasteful, harmful, to the earth, and overall unnecessary. There are more "green" and natural ways of caring for the dead. There are natural cemeteries in which people can be buried with out all the unnecessary extra accessories. There are also simple pine boxes which are bio-degradable, meaning it can decompose over time and thus is healthier for the environment. Alternatively, one can do a backyard burial which gives more freedom to the love d ones to treat the body as they wish and bury them as best fit.
Quotes:
"“He’d been moved, too, by the Jewish funeral rite he read about, in which the dead are buried in a plain, pine box, no matter what their station in life." (pg. 126)
"You'll come across no upright headstone or monument to the dead, no burial plot marked off with stone edging or linked chain. Nowhere will you find vases of perfect plastic flowers, live plants blooming in cellophane-wrapped pottery". (pg. 159)
Analysis: Similar to many of the other books, opposed to mainstream industrialized practices, that we've read this year this book took you through a series of steps. He explained the "nightmarish atrocities" that occur, gave many examples, analyzed and criticized, and the gave alternatives. The more natural way seems to be a much more reasonable, efficient, inexpensive, and more humane way to care for the dead. However, I find that my own "attachment" to the normal practices make me view these alternatives with a bit of uncertainty and uncomfort. Although I understand how these methods are better in many different ways, there is a feeling that is hard to explain of uncomfort. Maybe it is they way we have been taught to deal with death.
Quotes:
"“He’d been moved, too, by the Jewish funeral rite he read about, in which the dead are buried in a plain, pine box, no matter what their station in life." (pg. 126)
"You'll come across no upright headstone or monument to the dead, no burial plot marked off with stone edging or linked chain. Nowhere will you find vases of perfect plastic flowers, live plants blooming in cellophane-wrapped pottery". (pg. 159)
Analysis: Similar to many of the other books, opposed to mainstream industrialized practices, that we've read this year this book took you through a series of steps. He explained the "nightmarish atrocities" that occur, gave many examples, analyzed and criticized, and the gave alternatives. The more natural way seems to be a much more reasonable, efficient, inexpensive, and more humane way to care for the dead. However, I find that my own "attachment" to the normal practices make me view these alternatives with a bit of uncertainty and uncomfort. Although I understand how these methods are better in many different ways, there is a feeling that is hard to explain of uncomfort. Maybe it is they way we have been taught to deal with death.
Friday, May 6, 2011
HW 49
Harry,
You did a very good job at comparing your parents view points through the religious lens. You did a good job at showing how the difference of religion changes certain traditions. What I think you did best however was show a dominant viewpoint of american culture when it comes to post-death care. I have also found similar to your parents that most people pay little attention to or don't put much thought in to their funeral. They just want to have a simple traditional funeral which is pretty common. In general as a society we don't really question these practices.
Tamiko,
Great post. You did a very good job of getting out the answers that were actually insightful. The interview on Jewish practices was very interesting. Especially because they try to keep thr rich and poor's funeral the same. This is an extreme difference from the common American practices.
Dean,
I really like they way your post was organized. It showed a lot of thought went into your interviews. The questions you used also led to very interesting answers. They really allowed you to explore people true thoughts on the care of the dead. You also do a good job of introducing an alternative method, that being the donation to science. Although that is not to common it would be interesting to see what that entails and how it works.
Dean:
Omar,
I liked your blog because it was very similar to mine. I also interviewed my parents and what they said was almost identical to what your parents said. This made me wonder if this was a popular opinion based upon the fact that we are both living in New York City in the year 2011 or if it is just a coincidence that they said same things. I thought that your blog was very well researched and written but it would have been nice if you had interviewed more adults.
Dean
May 1, 2011 5:45 PM
Harry Alderson said...

Omar
Your post was well written and a made a very good point. There is a theme that is common throughout the units which is that the motive for profit screws up different systems in our society. I like the fact that you stated that cremation was also a popular option in the united states primarily because it is cheaper (i didn't know that before).
You did a very good job at comparing your parents view points through the religious lens. You did a good job at showing how the difference of religion changes certain traditions. What I think you did best however was show a dominant viewpoint of american culture when it comes to post-death care. I have also found similar to your parents that most people pay little attention to or don't put much thought in to their funeral. They just want to have a simple traditional funeral which is pretty common. In general as a society we don't really question these practices.
Tamiko,
Great post. You did a very good job of getting out the answers that were actually insightful. The interview on Jewish practices was very interesting. Especially because they try to keep thr rich and poor's funeral the same. This is an extreme difference from the common American practices.
Dean,
I really like they way your post was organized. It showed a lot of thought went into your interviews. The questions you used also led to very interesting answers. They really allowed you to explore people true thoughts on the care of the dead. You also do a good job of introducing an alternative method, that being the donation to science. Although that is not to common it would be interesting to see what that entails and how it works.
Dean:
Omar,
I liked your blog because it was very similar to mine. I also interviewed my parents and what they said was almost identical to what your parents said. This made me wonder if this was a popular opinion based upon the fact that we are both living in New York City in the year 2011 or if it is just a coincidence that they said same things. I thought that your blog was very well researched and written but it would have been nice if you had interviewed more adults.
Dean
May 1, 2011 5:45 PM
Harry Alderson said...

Omar
Your post was well written and a made a very good point. There is a theme that is common throughout the units which is that the motive for profit screws up different systems in our society. I like the fact that you stated that cremation was also a popular option in the united states primarily because it is cheaper (i didn't know that before).
HW 49
Harry,
You did a very good job at comparing your parents view points through the religious lens. You did a good job at showing how the difference of religion changes certain traditions. What I think you did best however was show a dominant viewpoint of american culture when it comes to post-death care. I have also found similar to your parents that most people pay little attention to or don't put much thought in to their funeral. They just want to have a simple traditional funeral which is pretty common. In general as a society we don't really question these practices.
Tamiko,
Great post. You did a very good job of getting out the answers that were actually insightful. The interview on Jewish practices was very interesting. Especially because they try to keep thr rich and poor's funeral the same. This is an extreme difference from the common American practices.
Dean,
I really like they way your post was organized. It showed a lot of thought went into your interviews. The questions you used also led to very interesting answers. They really allowed you to explore people true thoughts on the care of the dead. You also do a good job of introducing an alternative method, that being the donation to science. Although that is not to common it would be interesting to see what that entails and how it works.
You did a very good job at comparing your parents view points through the religious lens. You did a good job at showing how the difference of religion changes certain traditions. What I think you did best however was show a dominant viewpoint of american culture when it comes to post-death care. I have also found similar to your parents that most people pay little attention to or don't put much thought in to their funeral. They just want to have a simple traditional funeral which is pretty common. In general as a society we don't really question these practices.
Tamiko,
Great post. You did a very good job of getting out the answers that were actually insightful. The interview on Jewish practices was very interesting. Especially because they try to keep thr rich and poor's funeral the same. This is an extreme difference from the common American practices.
Dean,
I really like they way your post was organized. It showed a lot of thought went into your interviews. The questions you used also led to very interesting answers. They really allowed you to explore people true thoughts on the care of the dead. You also do a good job of introducing an alternative method, that being the donation to science. Although that is not to common it would be interesting to see what that entails and how it works.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
HW 50
Grave Matters
Precis: Jenny is a young college student who died. Her parents are at a funeral home trying to have a nice traditional, catholic funeral for their daughter. As they are meeting the funeral director he starts to pile on the costs. Everything that could possibly be charged was charged for the funeral. Picking up the body, transporting, embalming, etc. All the tricks of getting people to spend money at funeral homes are explored. The care of the dead is simply another business. Not only are people being exploited financially bt many of the practices cause highly toxic polution that is most times discarded in to the sewage system.
Quotes: "the average funeral in america runs to $10,000."
"Back upstairs, Fielding and the Johnsons come to the final selections. One concerns the "outer burial container," a requirement of Holy Savior (though not of any local, state, or federal law)
"Jenny has been cooling in his basement refrigerator unit since he retrieved her from the hospital last night."
Analysis: It is pretty obvious that the incentive is money, as it is a business after all. However, the amount of exploitation is unbelievable. It is the institutions we need most in this society that exploit us a screw us over the most. The food corporations, insurance companies, hospitals, funeral homes, all places where you think people would be treated with some kind of respect. The money incentive is so blatantly obvious that it is disgusting. The fact that a church requires additional costs with the "outer burial container" although it is completely unnecessary. It reminds me of a commerical is saw for a website called goddate or something along those lines. The website had the slogan "god will match you up." Even though thats pretty humorous it is the same thing that these funeral homes do.. They get you to spend money to have a truly traditional, religious funeral and burial.
Precis: Jenny is a young college student who died. Her parents are at a funeral home trying to have a nice traditional, catholic funeral for their daughter. As they are meeting the funeral director he starts to pile on the costs. Everything that could possibly be charged was charged for the funeral. Picking up the body, transporting, embalming, etc. All the tricks of getting people to spend money at funeral homes are explored. The care of the dead is simply another business. Not only are people being exploited financially bt many of the practices cause highly toxic polution that is most times discarded in to the sewage system.
Quotes: "the average funeral in america runs to $10,000."
"Back upstairs, Fielding and the Johnsons come to the final selections. One concerns the "outer burial container," a requirement of Holy Savior (though not of any local, state, or federal law)
"Jenny has been cooling in his basement refrigerator unit since he retrieved her from the hospital last night."
Analysis: It is pretty obvious that the incentive is money, as it is a business after all. However, the amount of exploitation is unbelievable. It is the institutions we need most in this society that exploit us a screw us over the most. The food corporations, insurance companies, hospitals, funeral homes, all places where you think people would be treated with some kind of respect. The money incentive is so blatantly obvious that it is disgusting. The fact that a church requires additional costs with the "outer burial container" although it is completely unnecessary. It reminds me of a commerical is saw for a website called goddate or something along those lines. The website had the slogan "god will match you up." Even though thats pretty humorous it is the same thing that these funeral homes do.. They get you to spend money to have a truly traditional, religious funeral and burial.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
HW 48
Interviews
Mom - I started by giving my mother an overview on the unit and topic in general and she had pretty good background knowledge on the topic already, so I kept the questions to a minimum and let her tell me her stance and ideas on the care of the dead. One thing she said that stood out to me the most was "it's like anything then can possibly charge you to do, they do." Then she talked about how even with a cremation they can charge thousands of dollars; they charge you separately to take the ashes out, give it you in a presentable way, transport the ashes and body, etc. Like she said practically anything you can think of. She then told me that the only way to get creamated and keep it relatively cheap is if you have them give u the ashes in a plastic bag. She told me about a friend who had the remains of his brother in a plastic bag. I then asked her how she would like to be cared for after she died. She said creamation, due to the fact that it's cheaper than a burial. She wanted top keep it simple and cheap. Makes sense to me.
Dad - My dad had a bit of a different take then my mom. My dad said he would like to have a burial. Although he did not want to have something fancy and complicated, not to mention expensive he wanted a simple burial. He felt that it is a way for people to hold on to memories or place people can go to remember him. He jokingly said he wanted a burial so people could come worship him.
Both perspectives and takes on death were pretty common. The two options most popular in the US are cremation and burial, I do not know of any other rituals practiced in US. I think my mom made a very good point pointing at the money incentives because after all the care of the dead is a business. This has been a reoccurring theme in all of our units, the incentive for profit screws up a lot of different institutions in our society. My Dad's take was also a common one although they both expressed the fact that spending so much money is pretty unnecessary. My families perspective is does not differ to much from the norm; However, there are not many option presented to us and therefore it is uncommon that someones care for the dead loved one in any other way then cremation or burial.
Mom - I started by giving my mother an overview on the unit and topic in general and she had pretty good background knowledge on the topic already, so I kept the questions to a minimum and let her tell me her stance and ideas on the care of the dead. One thing she said that stood out to me the most was "it's like anything then can possibly charge you to do, they do." Then she talked about how even with a cremation they can charge thousands of dollars; they charge you separately to take the ashes out, give it you in a presentable way, transport the ashes and body, etc. Like she said practically anything you can think of. She then told me that the only way to get creamated and keep it relatively cheap is if you have them give u the ashes in a plastic bag. She told me about a friend who had the remains of his brother in a plastic bag. I then asked her how she would like to be cared for after she died. She said creamation, due to the fact that it's cheaper than a burial. She wanted top keep it simple and cheap. Makes sense to me.
Dad - My dad had a bit of a different take then my mom. My dad said he would like to have a burial. Although he did not want to have something fancy and complicated, not to mention expensive he wanted a simple burial. He felt that it is a way for people to hold on to memories or place people can go to remember him. He jokingly said he wanted a burial so people could come worship him.
Both perspectives and takes on death were pretty common. The two options most popular in the US are cremation and burial, I do not know of any other rituals practiced in US. I think my mom made a very good point pointing at the money incentives because after all the care of the dead is a business. This has been a reoccurring theme in all of our units, the incentive for profit screws up a lot of different institutions in our society. My Dad's take was also a common one although they both expressed the fact that spending so much money is pretty unnecessary. My families perspective is does not differ to much from the norm; However, there are not many option presented to us and therefore it is uncommon that someones care for the dead loved one in any other way then cremation or burial.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
HW 47\
Interview 1
For my first interview I talked to a close friend of mine. He is also in highschool and is 17 years old. When asked how he thought about how the dead were cared for, he like many other people did not have much to say about it. He said "that is one of those traditions you don't really question much." It was obvious he hadnt thought much about it. So when asked how he would want to be cared for after he died he didnt have much of a response. He thought for a while and then finally answered he would definitely not want to be buried. He then half jokingly started listing different alternatives. I asked other questions about his experience andhis ideas on burials, funerals, and other traditions and he thought that although the traditions dont make much sense he has never really thought about it.
Interview 2
For this one I interviewed an old friend I hadn't seen in a while also a senior. I asked him why he thought people were cared for the way they are after death. He responded by saying it was simply tradition. He then talked about religon. In his family they are very religious and therefore all the ceremonies are extremely important because of their religous ties and meanings. He then basically said he imagines his own post-death care being very similar.
Interview 3
For this interview I interviewed a friend who is a few years older then I am. I started by asking her some questions about the common traditions of the care of the dead and what she thought about them. She said she personally did not like the idea of funerals and a big burial, etc. She then said that it was simply traditions passed along. this was very similar to the other two interviews. She then said that she had no real preference as too what happened to her body after she died. She then mentioned maybe giving her body for science.
Basically what I found was that most people simply accept tradition as tradition, and many times the basis of the tradition is religion or family and therefore it is harder to break out of that tradition. What I would like to know is where the tradition for the common practices for the care of the dead were derived. Also, what are some other alternatives?
For my first interview I talked to a close friend of mine. He is also in highschool and is 17 years old. When asked how he thought about how the dead were cared for, he like many other people did not have much to say about it. He said "that is one of those traditions you don't really question much." It was obvious he hadnt thought much about it. So when asked how he would want to be cared for after he died he didnt have much of a response. He thought for a while and then finally answered he would definitely not want to be buried. He then half jokingly started listing different alternatives. I asked other questions about his experience andhis ideas on burials, funerals, and other traditions and he thought that although the traditions dont make much sense he has never really thought about it.
Interview 2
For this one I interviewed an old friend I hadn't seen in a while also a senior. I asked him why he thought people were cared for the way they are after death. He responded by saying it was simply tradition. He then talked about religon. In his family they are very religious and therefore all the ceremonies are extremely important because of their religous ties and meanings. He then basically said he imagines his own post-death care being very similar.
Interview 3
For this interview I interviewed a friend who is a few years older then I am. I started by asking her some questions about the common traditions of the care of the dead and what she thought about them. She said she personally did not like the idea of funerals and a big burial, etc. She then said that it was simply traditions passed along. this was very similar to the other two interviews. She then said that she had no real preference as too what happened to her body after she died. She then mentioned maybe giving her body for science.
Basically what I found was that most people simply accept tradition as tradition, and many times the basis of the tradition is religion or family and therefore it is harder to break out of that tradition. What I would like to know is where the tradition for the common practices for the care of the dead were derived. Also, what are some other alternatives?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
HW 46 (t/w group - comment on this one)
I have never really thought much about the care of the dead. I personally don't believe in an afterlife. Once someone is dead, that's is they are dead. Therefore the care of the dead is not so big of a deal to me. I believe when doing whatever rituals one chooses for the dead, as long as they do so respectufully it should be fine. Large excessive tombstones and big fancy funerals seem unnecessary to me. We spend thousands of dollars to care for someone after the die; but does funneling money into a funreal or burial or whatever it may be make much of a difference? To me, not really.
I was once at a funeral for an uncle I had never met. There was a big ceremony in a church. The casket was at the front of the audience. People were going up one by one and giving speeches. Some of them would break down and cry on stage and others would be fine. The environment was very emotional and seemed over the top to me. It just seemed unnecessary. I think back to that and I still don't really understand why these are the customs we have. Hopefully this unit will be able to break that down.
I am curious as too how exactly the dead are handled in terms of their funeral how they are buried, cremated, etc.
What are all the different options for care of the dead?
why do people invest in the care of the dead so much? what makes it so important?
I was once at a funeral for an uncle I had never met. There was a big ceremony in a church. The casket was at the front of the audience. People were going up one by one and giving speeches. Some of them would break down and cry on stage and others would be fine. The environment was very emotional and seemed over the top to me. It just seemed unnecessary. I think back to that and I still don't really understand why these are the customs we have. Hopefully this unit will be able to break that down.
I am curious as too how exactly the dead are handled in terms of their funeral how they are buried, cremated, etc.
What are all the different options for care of the dead?
why do people invest in the care of the dead so much? what makes it so important?
Thursday, April 14, 2011
HW 45
To protege and mentor,
Thank you for the feedback. I am glad you enjoyed reading my paper. I agree with the criticism that my paper lacked adequate sources. Adding more sources would have definitely improved my paper significantly. I also think a better foundation(outline, etc.) would allow me to be more organized in my thoughts: thus, allowing me to write a much clearer paper while being more concise and more detailed in my explanations. I believe all the ideas were here but they needed to be expanded in a more organized way. Thank you for the criticism and positive feedback. Much appreciated
Thank you for the feedback. I am glad you enjoyed reading my paper. I agree with the criticism that my paper lacked adequate sources. Adding more sources would have definitely improved my paper significantly. I also think a better foundation(outline, etc.) would allow me to be more organized in my thoughts: thus, allowing me to write a much clearer paper while being more concise and more detailed in my explanations. I believe all the ideas were here but they needed to be expanded in a more organized way. Thank you for the criticism and positive feedback. Much appreciated
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
hw 44
Comments FROM others
Mentor:
Omar,
your project was very interesting. You touched on many important points and your analysis of the situation was very in-depth. However, if you were to expand on all the points argued your paper would be much stronger. Using more sources and including more data would also help strengthen the paper. Overall, a good start and can easily become a very good paper with some additions.
"Protege":
Omar,
I liked how you took something that is already a topic that people don't talk about much and went deeper into it. You talked about why things were happening the way they were. My favorite part was were you talked about the cycles in hospitals and how the lead to c-sections. Its crazy how things work. If you made the paper longer it probably would have been better because it looks like you can write a lot about that specific topic. Good job.
Comments FOR others
Arden,
You did a very good job of explaining your entire topic. You started off with a very strong intro which was clear, concise, and showed significance. In fact my favorite line was from the intro, where you clearly summed up the basis of your paper: "Although we have come a very long way in the physiological understanding of both pregnancy and childbirth, there are still many lingering myths and common misconceptions about them in our society." You did a very good job explaining and then disproving many common misconceptions. Constructively, if you were to expand certain sections of your paper in which a deeper explanation or analysis would benefit the readers idea of maybe why these misconceptions exist would bring your paper to the next level. good job though
Tamiko,
your paper was very good, specifically the analysis of the birthing situation. It was obvious you understood the situation of misconceptions on a basic level. What made your paper good was that you showed a true analysis of the situation; Thus, bringing your basic knowledge of the situation to much deeper more sophisticated level. You do a very good job of explaining how the alternatives for birth are limited and what the incentives are for this. However, in terms of making your paper better cutting down on repetitiveness as well as better word choice in certain sentence would greatly strengthen your paper. In addition expanding on your idea would make for better expression of your ideas(obviously that can be said about practically everyones paper). Overall, good job
Devin,
Great project. I like that you focused in on a very specific and unexplored(at least in our class) topic. You did a very good job of clearly stating what you were studying. You then do a good job of laying out the common practice and then critiquing them using statistical data and other facts from credible sources. It shows the misconception in even something so simple as when to cut the umbilical cord. It is projects such as these that make us question the system we live under. great job.
Mentor:
Omar,
your project was very interesting. You touched on many important points and your analysis of the situation was very in-depth. However, if you were to expand on all the points argued your paper would be much stronger. Using more sources and including more data would also help strengthen the paper. Overall, a good start and can easily become a very good paper with some additions.
"Protege":
Omar,
I liked how you took something that is already a topic that people don't talk about much and went deeper into it. You talked about why things were happening the way they were. My favorite part was were you talked about the cycles in hospitals and how the lead to c-sections. Its crazy how things work. If you made the paper longer it probably would have been better because it looks like you can write a lot about that specific topic. Good job.
Comments FOR others
Arden,
You did a very good job of explaining your entire topic. You started off with a very strong intro which was clear, concise, and showed significance. In fact my favorite line was from the intro, where you clearly summed up the basis of your paper: "Although we have come a very long way in the physiological understanding of both pregnancy and childbirth, there are still many lingering myths and common misconceptions about them in our society." You did a very good job explaining and then disproving many common misconceptions. Constructively, if you were to expand certain sections of your paper in which a deeper explanation or analysis would benefit the readers idea of maybe why these misconceptions exist would bring your paper to the next level. good job though
Tamiko,
your paper was very good, specifically the analysis of the birthing situation. It was obvious you understood the situation of misconceptions on a basic level. What made your paper good was that you showed a true analysis of the situation; Thus, bringing your basic knowledge of the situation to much deeper more sophisticated level. You do a very good job of explaining how the alternatives for birth are limited and what the incentives are for this. However, in terms of making your paper better cutting down on repetitiveness as well as better word choice in certain sentence would greatly strengthen your paper. In addition expanding on your idea would make for better expression of your ideas(obviously that can be said about practically everyones paper). Overall, good job
Devin,
Great project. I like that you focused in on a very specific and unexplored(at least in our class) topic. You did a very good job of clearly stating what you were studying. You then do a good job of laying out the common practice and then critiquing them using statistical data and other facts from credible sources. It shows the misconception in even something so simple as when to cut the umbilical cord. It is projects such as these that make us question the system we live under. great job.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
42
ACOG is acronym for the American Congress of Obstetricians and gynecologists. ACOG is an organization comprised of obstetricians and gynecologist who have completed a two part exam and then are nominated by existing members. ACOG states on their website that they are a "private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization." (http://www.acog.org/from_home/acoginfo.cfm, about ACOG, 2011) Although they are a nonprofit organization the "recommendations" they make imply that profit is indeed their motive. ACOG is known to make medical recommendations regarding child birth, including both pre and post natal care. As Marsden Wagner covers in his book "Born in the USA" many of the recommendation made by ACOG are made to benefit Obstetricians and many recommendations are made although they lack sufficient evidence or statistical power. It is not much of a surprise that ACOG favors ob/gyn’s since that is what the organization is comprised of. Because they have such a monopoly over the world of child birth they have the ability to control many ob/gyn’s and how they practice. Not to mention the schooling required to become an obstetrician teaches one to become a specialized surgeon. This obviously implies that birth is not a natural state but rather a medical disease issue in need of curing. This is the mindset that has turned our child birth system in to what it is. With C-section rates in New York at over 30 percent it is obvious that those in power have implemented a system and way of thinking in which birth has become a medical issue rather than a natural occurrence. ACOG is in support of the current system and is opposed to the idea of home births and midwifery. Although, it is obvious that ACOG’s purpose is to help women deliver children their methods have become corrupt, are inefficient, and are causing many of the issue people seek to get away from.
Cesarean sections have been climbing at an alarming rate with some New York City hospitals with rates over 70 percent. So why is it that cesareans have become more popular. Simply enough it is the most convenient form of childbirth, for the obstetrician. Rather than letting birth take its natural course which can take a varying amount of hours and many times requires care into late nights and early mornings, it is easier to simply perform a surgery and be done with the birth. As explained very well in the documentary “The Business of Being Born” many of the reasons and problems that arise which lead to the necessity of a C-section is caused by the obstetricians and hospital staff themselves. It is very common for the drug Pitocin to be used to help induce labor when a woman is not dilating fast enough to fit the hospital staff’s wants. This is not surprising given the environment of a hospital, having a doctor or nurse yell at you to push or control your birth does not allow for much relaxation which is of course necessary in having a smooth, quicker delivery. Because the Pitocin causes the women to go into labor and have more rapid and extreme contractions a pain killer is usually needed to alleviate the pain. The most common form is an epidural which basically numbs the woman from waist down so she does not feel the pain of the fake induction. The epidural however slows down the contractions which then lead to the need of more Pitocin. However, once too much Pitocin is used and the contractions become too rapid and extreme the baby access to oxygen becomes compromised in which the doctors then deem it necessary to have a C-section. While the doctors feel heroic and have the mothers believe they “saved” her baby, many times they are the ones who cause the complication to begin with. This is not to say all C-sections are a result of this or all obstetricians practice in such a way. However, as seen in the documentary this is not in any way uncommon. One of the most moving scenes is in a hospital, in which a chart is showing of all women in labor. Practically all their names are marked with three letters “Pit”, which of course stands for Pitocin. It is quite unlikely that all these women could not induce the child naturally so one is almost forced to come to the conclusion that the impatience and insensitivity of the hospital staff is leading to much unnecessary complications.
ACOG being comprised of obstetricians obviously supports hospital child birth. One of the most effective and common tactics they use in persuading mothers is fear. As they state in one of their recommendations “Women inquiring about planned home birth should be informed of its risks and benefits based on recent evidence. Specifically, they should be informed that although the absolute risk may be low, planned home birth is associated with a twofold to threefold increased risk of neonatal death when compared with planned hospital birth.” (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Issues Opinion on Planned Home Births, January 2011) Although they say they respect a woman’s choice they use scare tactics to influence an anti-home birth mentality. In one of their other recommendations Dr. Richard Waldman is quoted saying “As physicians, we have an obligation to provide families with information about the risks, benefits, limitations and advantages concerning the different maternity care providers and birth settings.” However, the bias in the information being provided greatly benefits ob/gyn’s. The risk of midwifery and home birth becoming mainstream means fewer patients for ob/gyn’s and in turn less money. Therefore, having all recommendations made by an organization that is looking to benefit its members, which is understandable although unethical, does not truly give women a fair informed decision. ACOG is indeed a nonprofit organization but their motive is still profit. Although the profit is not for the benefit of the organization it is for the benefit of the members. Therefore, in having such a biased system it is essential that women be provided with objective information about the risk of home birth, but more importantly the risk of hospital birth.
1. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Issues Opinion
on Planned Home Births, Jan. 2011
2. (New ACOG Opinion on Home Birth Touts Rights, Nixes HBAC and CPMs, Jill Arnold, 2011, http://www.theunnecesarean.com/blog/2011/1/21/new-acog-opinion-on-home-birth-touts-rights-nixes-hbac-and-c.html)
3. C-Section Rates Continue To Climb Across City, kafi Drexel, 2008, http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/health/84398/c-section-rates-continue-to-climb-across-city/
4. About ACOG, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2011
Cesarean sections have been climbing at an alarming rate with some New York City hospitals with rates over 70 percent. So why is it that cesareans have become more popular. Simply enough it is the most convenient form of childbirth, for the obstetrician. Rather than letting birth take its natural course which can take a varying amount of hours and many times requires care into late nights and early mornings, it is easier to simply perform a surgery and be done with the birth. As explained very well in the documentary “The Business of Being Born” many of the reasons and problems that arise which lead to the necessity of a C-section is caused by the obstetricians and hospital staff themselves. It is very common for the drug Pitocin to be used to help induce labor when a woman is not dilating fast enough to fit the hospital staff’s wants. This is not surprising given the environment of a hospital, having a doctor or nurse yell at you to push or control your birth does not allow for much relaxation which is of course necessary in having a smooth, quicker delivery. Because the Pitocin causes the women to go into labor and have more rapid and extreme contractions a pain killer is usually needed to alleviate the pain. The most common form is an epidural which basically numbs the woman from waist down so she does not feel the pain of the fake induction. The epidural however slows down the contractions which then lead to the need of more Pitocin. However, once too much Pitocin is used and the contractions become too rapid and extreme the baby access to oxygen becomes compromised in which the doctors then deem it necessary to have a C-section. While the doctors feel heroic and have the mothers believe they “saved” her baby, many times they are the ones who cause the complication to begin with. This is not to say all C-sections are a result of this or all obstetricians practice in such a way. However, as seen in the documentary this is not in any way uncommon. One of the most moving scenes is in a hospital, in which a chart is showing of all women in labor. Practically all their names are marked with three letters “Pit”, which of course stands for Pitocin. It is quite unlikely that all these women could not induce the child naturally so one is almost forced to come to the conclusion that the impatience and insensitivity of the hospital staff is leading to much unnecessary complications.
ACOG being comprised of obstetricians obviously supports hospital child birth. One of the most effective and common tactics they use in persuading mothers is fear. As they state in one of their recommendations “Women inquiring about planned home birth should be informed of its risks and benefits based on recent evidence. Specifically, they should be informed that although the absolute risk may be low, planned home birth is associated with a twofold to threefold increased risk of neonatal death when compared with planned hospital birth.” (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Issues Opinion on Planned Home Births, January 2011) Although they say they respect a woman’s choice they use scare tactics to influence an anti-home birth mentality. In one of their other recommendations Dr. Richard Waldman is quoted saying “As physicians, we have an obligation to provide families with information about the risks, benefits, limitations and advantages concerning the different maternity care providers and birth settings.” However, the bias in the information being provided greatly benefits ob/gyn’s. The risk of midwifery and home birth becoming mainstream means fewer patients for ob/gyn’s and in turn less money. Therefore, having all recommendations made by an organization that is looking to benefit its members, which is understandable although unethical, does not truly give women a fair informed decision. ACOG is indeed a nonprofit organization but their motive is still profit. Although the profit is not for the benefit of the organization it is for the benefit of the members. Therefore, in having such a biased system it is essential that women be provided with objective information about the risk of home birth, but more importantly the risk of hospital birth.
1. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Issues Opinion
on Planned Home Births, Jan. 2011
2. (New ACOG Opinion on Home Birth Touts Rights, Nixes HBAC and CPMs, Jill Arnold, 2011, http://www.theunnecesarean.com/blog/2011/1/21/new-acog-opinion-on-home-birth-touts-rights-nixes-hbac-and-c.html)
3. C-Section Rates Continue To Climb Across City, kafi Drexel, 2008, http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/health/84398/c-section-rates-continue-to-climb-across-city/
4. About ACOG, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Hw 41
(James Henderson, Hospital birth vs. Home birth: a debate on choices, 2010, http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/labor_birth/article/hospital-birth-home-birth-debate-pg8)
James Henderson is an advocate of midwifery. He tries to keep his opinions on the matter as objective as possible given that he is in disagreement with the opposing side. In this case the opposing side is obstetrician Dr. Jay Dileo. While Henderson does not discredit hospital birth he discredits the argument of Dileo against home births. Dr. DiLeo tries to persuade people to avoid home births by using scare tactics, something quite common amongst obstetricians. He discredits DiLeo's arguments by calling him out on not having accurate statistical evidence to support his claims as well as showing the flaws in the logic of his arguments. Henderson says it quite well in his article " On a purely intellectual level, this makes no sense whatsoever." What precedes this quote is Dr. DiLeo saying that home birth is not safe, (more anti-home birth propaganda), etc. He follows this up by saying people who chose home births are generally more educated and "knowledgeable" on the birthing process. Those statements obviously contradict each other. You would expect a more logical argument from someone who went through such extensive schooling. The lack of logical arguments is not Dr. DiLeo's fault because truthfully home birth is AT LEAST AS SAFE as a hospital birth and therefore saying it is not so is factually incorrect and arguments against is are opinion based with little statistical fact to back up the opinions.
(Marsden Wagner, Born in in The USA, 2006)
In this book Wagner argues for alternative birthing options. He starts by showing the corruption in the system that obstetricians and obstetricians soon to be go through to become professionals in their field. He points out the flaws in the system rather than making all obstetricians out to be bad. He also does not let obstetricians off the hook by pointing out how they look the other way and ignore wrong doings although they are aware of them. This book not only shows the flaws of hospitals births but brings to light the reality of alternative options (ie. birthing centers, home births, etc)
(WISCONSIN SECTION - AMERICAN COLLEGE OF OBSTETRICIANS AND GYNECOLOGISTS, Position Paper on Midwifery Licensure, 2005)
This is an article put out by ACOG on their stance on licensure for midwives. At one point in the article the talk about how much they should keep the public from making unsafe birthing choices, etc. This insinuates that home birth is unsafe even under a certified midwife. Their statistical backing for this is that in the last 4 decades infant mortality rates have decreased. I would hope so, if it was other wise regardless of the method there would be serious issues. The complete disregard models from other countries that are less expensive and much safer and effective. A very biased article but necessary in arguing and disproving the opposing side.
(Marsden Wagner, MD, MSPH, What Every Midwife Should Know About ACOG and VBAC: Critique of ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 5, July 1999, “Vaginal Birth After Previous Cesarean Section”)
Marsden Wagner discredits ACOG's recommendation to only have VBAC(vaginal birth after cesarean) in hospitals. Their recommendation has no statistical evidence and is purely opinion. This is not uncommon in ACOG recommendations. He also shows how many VBAC's performed in hospitals have led to uterine rupture due to induction drgus used such as oxytocin. He also shows how ACOG lied about the true statistics in saying no statistics showed oxytocin caused uterine rupture when in fact it did. Although this conclusion could not be drawn from the single data collection because it lacked statistical power. Therefore regardless the conclusion from the data would not be accurate enough to make a medical recommendation. This shows the true nature and incentives of ACOG's "recommendations. It is a good article to use when arguing anti-ACOG.
James Henderson is an advocate of midwifery. He tries to keep his opinions on the matter as objective as possible given that he is in disagreement with the opposing side. In this case the opposing side is obstetrician Dr. Jay Dileo. While Henderson does not discredit hospital birth he discredits the argument of Dileo against home births. Dr. DiLeo tries to persuade people to avoid home births by using scare tactics, something quite common amongst obstetricians. He discredits DiLeo's arguments by calling him out on not having accurate statistical evidence to support his claims as well as showing the flaws in the logic of his arguments. Henderson says it quite well in his article " On a purely intellectual level, this makes no sense whatsoever." What precedes this quote is Dr. DiLeo saying that home birth is not safe, (more anti-home birth propaganda), etc. He follows this up by saying people who chose home births are generally more educated and "knowledgeable" on the birthing process. Those statements obviously contradict each other. You would expect a more logical argument from someone who went through such extensive schooling. The lack of logical arguments is not Dr. DiLeo's fault because truthfully home birth is AT LEAST AS SAFE as a hospital birth and therefore saying it is not so is factually incorrect and arguments against is are opinion based with little statistical fact to back up the opinions.
(Marsden Wagner, Born in in The USA, 2006)
In this book Wagner argues for alternative birthing options. He starts by showing the corruption in the system that obstetricians and obstetricians soon to be go through to become professionals in their field. He points out the flaws in the system rather than making all obstetricians out to be bad. He also does not let obstetricians off the hook by pointing out how they look the other way and ignore wrong doings although they are aware of them. This book not only shows the flaws of hospitals births but brings to light the reality of alternative options (ie. birthing centers, home births, etc)
(WISCONSIN SECTION - AMERICAN COLLEGE OF OBSTETRICIANS AND GYNECOLOGISTS, Position Paper on Midwifery Licensure, 2005)
This is an article put out by ACOG on their stance on licensure for midwives. At one point in the article the talk about how much they should keep the public from making unsafe birthing choices, etc. This insinuates that home birth is unsafe even under a certified midwife. Their statistical backing for this is that in the last 4 decades infant mortality rates have decreased. I would hope so, if it was other wise regardless of the method there would be serious issues. The complete disregard models from other countries that are less expensive and much safer and effective. A very biased article but necessary in arguing and disproving the opposing side.
(Marsden Wagner, MD, MSPH, What Every Midwife Should Know About ACOG and VBAC: Critique of ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 5, July 1999, “Vaginal Birth After Previous Cesarean Section”)
Marsden Wagner discredits ACOG's recommendation to only have VBAC(vaginal birth after cesarean) in hospitals. Their recommendation has no statistical evidence and is purely opinion. This is not uncommon in ACOG recommendations. He also shows how many VBAC's performed in hospitals have led to uterine rupture due to induction drgus used such as oxytocin. He also shows how ACOG lied about the true statistics in saying no statistics showed oxytocin caused uterine rupture when in fact it did. Although this conclusion could not be drawn from the single data collection because it lacked statistical power. Therefore regardless the conclusion from the data would not be accurate enough to make a medical recommendation. This shows the true nature and incentives of ACOG's "recommendations. It is a good article to use when arguing anti-ACOG.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
hw 39
In the second hundred pages of "born in the USA" by Marsden Wagner he builds on his main topic from the first hundred pages but he also explores a different method of birth delivery. Organization-wise Wagner reffered back to obestetrics practice in explaining the benefits of a midwife facilitated birth throughout the section. Although there was big focus on midwifery this section was not as exclusive to one topic as the first section was in talking about obstetrics. In comparing obstetrics to midwifery Wagner makes the essential distincition between the placement of power in the two different types of birth. The obstetricians are in control of the birth when in the hospital, he has many stories to show obstetricians using their power for their convinience. However, with midewifery the focus is more on the mother, she is in control, she in empowered and the attention and care is both for her and her child. Wagner also strengthened his arguement by showing how obstetricians use their power to manipulate patients. They often make "medical recommendations" to keep on a convinient schedule, c-section rates makes this pretty obvious, and although the patient may legally refuse the doctors instill fear in them by telling them the baby could die and it would be solely their fault; although as we have seen many of these "medical interventions" are what cause complications to the child.
Wagner also introduced alternative birthing centers. This was one of the alternatives he believed to be healthier than hospital birth, and with the nightmarish stories from hospital births he seems to be correct. In a hospital women are under almost complete control of the doctor and a lot of the birth is often done at the doctors convinience. However, birthing centers offer, baths, birthing chairsn candles, etc. In short the woman is allowed to create an enviornment she feels comfortable in. She is given control, she is more relaxed, and subsequently her birth should be relatively easier, less painful, and natural. Birth is a natural process and for 90 to 95 percent of births no surgical intervention or induction is neccesary yet this is how we treat birth. The alternatives being presented are much better options. The incentives in OBGYN handled hospital births are not always doing what's best for the baby. Often the agenda of the hospital or even the individual obstetrician is above that. There is obvious corruption and malpractice that is jeopardizing the health of much too many children each year. This in itself is a huge problem. Furthermore, the fact that many of the fatal or disabilitating decisions made by obstetricians are so easily avoided with patience and compassion make this problem that much more unethical, immoral, and inhumane.
Wagner also introduced alternative birthing centers. This was one of the alternatives he believed to be healthier than hospital birth, and with the nightmarish stories from hospital births he seems to be correct. In a hospital women are under almost complete control of the doctor and a lot of the birth is often done at the doctors convinience. However, birthing centers offer, baths, birthing chairsn candles, etc. In short the woman is allowed to create an enviornment she feels comfortable in. She is given control, she is more relaxed, and subsequently her birth should be relatively easier, less painful, and natural. Birth is a natural process and for 90 to 95 percent of births no surgical intervention or induction is neccesary yet this is how we treat birth. The alternatives being presented are much better options. The incentives in OBGYN handled hospital births are not always doing what's best for the baby. Often the agenda of the hospital or even the individual obstetrician is above that. There is obvious corruption and malpractice that is jeopardizing the health of much too many children each year. This in itself is a huge problem. Furthermore, the fact that many of the fatal or disabilitating decisions made by obstetricians are so easily avoided with patience and compassion make this problem that much more unethical, immoral, and inhumane.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
HW 39
The book "Born in the USA" by Marsden Wagner deals with the heirarchy and elitism of the OBGYN sector of doctors in the US medical system. The profession of OBGYN is highly regarded in the medical field. The beginning of the book tries to give the reader insight into the pride and cult like society that comprieses the OBGYN profession. Wagner emphasizes greatly the loyalty of this specific medical field as well as the status that accompanies it. However, the essential question this book deals with is the reform and reconstruction of a medical profession which is set up for failure in dealing with normal births. Wagner tells stories of neglectful and unsympathetic OBGYN's who are not compassionate with patients, make unneccesary interventions and put their own schedules over the needs of the mother or the baby. However, he makes a very distinction between a cartoony view on the situation and a realistic view. Although he aknowledges the wrong that many people in this profession are guilty of he places the blame on the system more so than individual. Wagner shows how the impossible amount of work and the OBGYN specialties conflict with many of the patients they deal with who have normal births. OBGYN's are surgeons who are taught to make incisions and "cut first when in doubt". The conflict here is obvious, birth is a natural process and OBGYN's are surgeons. Birth is not a medical problem that needs to be fixed by doctors. A more effective healthy way is assisting with the birth rather than trying to control. This is where the pride and loyalty in the profession restrains change. It is hard for doctors to admit they are doing things incorrectly or make mistakes because they are viewed as the experts who are all knowing on the subject, when in reality the are humans and they are bound to mess up as well.
The biggest message I have extracted from the book was that the problems we face are very easily solvable however the system in place is very resistant and restictive against change. There is a strong sense of traditionalism even though sientific evidence opposes many of the practice deemed normal by OBGYN's. Wagner has expertly stated his opinions and used very concrete, relative, and influential evidence to back it up. He used a number of personal stories, stories from patients, and numerical data to back up all his opinons. Besides the point he is trying to prove being pretty obvious, he does a good job of explaining the complexity of the issue and why it hasn't been solved already. Once again it is the system, ideals, and tradition that are holding us back from progressing and bettering the way we deal with birth.
The biggest message I have extracted from the book was that the problems we face are very easily solvable however the system in place is very resistant and restictive against change. There is a strong sense of traditionalism even though sientific evidence opposes many of the practice deemed normal by OBGYN's. Wagner has expertly stated his opinions and used very concrete, relative, and influential evidence to back it up. He used a number of personal stories, stories from patients, and numerical data to back up all his opinons. Besides the point he is trying to prove being pretty obvious, he does a good job of explaining the complexity of the issue and why it hasn't been solved already. Once again it is the system, ideals, and tradition that are holding us back from progressing and bettering the way we deal with birth.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
HW 36
Interview 1
From the first interview the interviewee had a relatively "easy" birth. One point that she reiterated was that she was so scared going into labor from all the terror stories she read and her friends told her. Although the birth was painful she had her husband to help her relax and that made a very significant difference. She found the birth process much easier to handle when she focused on relaxation. Although she had her birth in a hospital she refused the epidural. She made a point of the importance of her husbands help and the difference that made in her situation.
This story was very different from many of the terrible stories that one many times associates with birth. The fact that the birthing process was less painful then she expected reflects a lot on our society's persepective on birth. Howevern of course every woman's experience is different so although she found relaxing helped her significantly that is not the case for everybody. Birth is a difficult subject to study and categorize since experiences vary so drastically. However, one thing that can be studied in a more concrete way, or at least more accurate, is society perspective on birth. This story showed the transformation of birth as a natural process into something that is medical. The fear and the medicalization of birth could be a coincidence, but I believe they are not. As is many other things connected woth medicine. Much of the fear of birth is warranted as so much can go wrong during birth. However, in the end if birth is a medical process more drugs can be used, hence creating more profit. As we learned in the illness and dying unit those in charge of the health care and hospitals in this country are very insensitive to human issues and feelings. I don't see why birth would be treated any different in the eyes of those in power.
Interview 2
Interviewee 2 had a relatively "easy" birth as well. However, she did not make as much of a point of emphasizing the difference in her birth from stories she read/heard. Her birth was still very painful, in fact it was the most pain she ever felt. She talked about focusing on breathing and relaxing. She also gave birth in a hospital. However, the relaxation seemed less theraputic for her. She was able to make it through the birth by keeping in mind the outcome and the reward of the process. She was so excited to be a mother that this became her drive during the actual birth.
With this interview I got much less insight on societal views in relation to birth. However, there seems to be a common theme between this interviewee and the last one. They both had something to push them through, something to use a drive to make it through the birth. They also birth described their birth as fairly easy s o it seems this is a pretty good method. Or maybe they are just lucky
Interview 3
Interviewee three had a very different birth from the first two. She, like the last two interviewee's gave birth in a hospital. Similar too the last two she also wanted to have a birth without the epidural. She seemed to follow many of the same things that helped alleviate the pain of the last two women. Unfortunately this was not as helpful for her as she gave in and got the epidural. She seemed fine with getting the epidural and although the birth was very difficult she emphasized that it was not as scary as it was made to see.
This last interview was most interesting to me because although she had a very difficult birth, especially compared to the last two interviewee's she also emphasized that the stories she heard/read had her overly scared. Once again the societal views on birth have shown to have a big impact on the mother emotionally. It can not be helpful to have someone go into a painful experience believing the experience will be in some cases will not be as painful. The mindset someone has will greatly affect the way the feel and react, and ultimately have some impact on the way the birth goes.
From these interviews the biggest point I extracted was that a womans mindset going in to birth is very highly correlated with the severity of pain and stress she feels during birth. Furthermore, societies perspective on birth has not shown to beneficial for woman as in general in our society birth is viewed as a medical issue doctors have to "fix" rather than a natural process that should take it's course naturally.
From the first interview the interviewee had a relatively "easy" birth. One point that she reiterated was that she was so scared going into labor from all the terror stories she read and her friends told her. Although the birth was painful she had her husband to help her relax and that made a very significant difference. She found the birth process much easier to handle when she focused on relaxation. Although she had her birth in a hospital she refused the epidural. She made a point of the importance of her husbands help and the difference that made in her situation.
This story was very different from many of the terrible stories that one many times associates with birth. The fact that the birthing process was less painful then she expected reflects a lot on our society's persepective on birth. Howevern of course every woman's experience is different so although she found relaxing helped her significantly that is not the case for everybody. Birth is a difficult subject to study and categorize since experiences vary so drastically. However, one thing that can be studied in a more concrete way, or at least more accurate, is society perspective on birth. This story showed the transformation of birth as a natural process into something that is medical. The fear and the medicalization of birth could be a coincidence, but I believe they are not. As is many other things connected woth medicine. Much of the fear of birth is warranted as so much can go wrong during birth. However, in the end if birth is a medical process more drugs can be used, hence creating more profit. As we learned in the illness and dying unit those in charge of the health care and hospitals in this country are very insensitive to human issues and feelings. I don't see why birth would be treated any different in the eyes of those in power.
Interview 2
Interviewee 2 had a relatively "easy" birth as well. However, she did not make as much of a point of emphasizing the difference in her birth from stories she read/heard. Her birth was still very painful, in fact it was the most pain she ever felt. She talked about focusing on breathing and relaxing. She also gave birth in a hospital. However, the relaxation seemed less theraputic for her. She was able to make it through the birth by keeping in mind the outcome and the reward of the process. She was so excited to be a mother that this became her drive during the actual birth.
With this interview I got much less insight on societal views in relation to birth. However, there seems to be a common theme between this interviewee and the last one. They both had something to push them through, something to use a drive to make it through the birth. They also birth described their birth as fairly easy s o it seems this is a pretty good method. Or maybe they are just lucky
Interview 3
Interviewee three had a very different birth from the first two. She, like the last two interviewee's gave birth in a hospital. Similar too the last two she also wanted to have a birth without the epidural. She seemed to follow many of the same things that helped alleviate the pain of the last two women. Unfortunately this was not as helpful for her as she gave in and got the epidural. She seemed fine with getting the epidural and although the birth was very difficult she emphasized that it was not as scary as it was made to see.
This last interview was most interesting to me because although she had a very difficult birth, especially compared to the last two interviewee's she also emphasized that the stories she heard/read had her overly scared. Once again the societal views on birth have shown to have a big impact on the mother emotionally. It can not be helpful to have someone go into a painful experience believing the experience will be in some cases will not be as painful. The mindset someone has will greatly affect the way the feel and react, and ultimately have some impact on the way the birth goes.
From these interviews the biggest point I extracted was that a womans mindset going in to birth is very highly correlated with the severity of pain and stress she feels during birth. Furthermore, societies perspective on birth has not shown to beneficial for woman as in general in our society birth is viewed as a medical issue doctors have to "fix" rather than a natural process that should take it's course naturally.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
HW 34
Birth is something that has changed over the years as technology and medicine have advanced. Many times you hear stories of older home births in which it was much more dangerous and it was quite possibly fatal for the mother. However now that we industrialized hospitals we have taken away a lot of the danger related to birth. Drugs play a big part in alleviating the pain that comes with birth. However it is not that uncommon to hear of somebody having a "natural" birth, meaning they don't use drugs. The reasons for this can vary from person to person but I would like to explore are there any proven scientific advantages to a natural birth? What effects do the drugs given to the mother have on her child?
Birth is a very special process in our society but how has it really transformed over the years? How has the industrialization of our hospitals affected how women give birth? (Other than the drugs, maybe focusing more on the process.). I also think it would be interesting to focus on the males role in assisting a woman before and during birth. Have these customs changed over the years? Are they better/worse? What would be the best way a male could help?
Birth is a very special process in our society but how has it really transformed over the years? How has the industrialization of our hospitals affected how women give birth? (Other than the drugs, maybe focusing more on the process.). I also think it would be interesting to focus on the males role in assisting a woman before and during birth. Have these customs changed over the years? Are they better/worse? What would be the best way a male could help?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Extra credit
It is very strange the way life works. We go from needing constant attention and help to being independent and if we are lucky enough to live a long life we go back to needing constant attention and help. I went with Arden to visit her grandparents. Her grandfather suffers from alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is a type of dementia in which you suffer from memory loss amongst other things. Although this is not an uncommon issue I had never saw or experiences the affects of alzheimer's first hand. As we walked into Arden grandparents house, having already met her grandmother, she introduced me to her grandfather. He then waited for her to introduce herself and I realized that he had forgotten who she was. It's quite obvious how this can be a difficult disease to deal with for the person dealing with as well as the friends and family.
Due to the fact that alzheimer's causes not only memory loss but also affects behavior, thinking, etc. Arden's grandma felt that her husband needed constant care. Even as she had came to pick us up from the train station she had asked her neighbor Rose to come over and watch her husband for her. This showed the amount of care needed to competently take care of Arden's grandfather. They couldn't leave him home alone, he could not drive, and worst of all he forgot much of his family.
Diseases such as this are very sad and I believe this story much like many other stories of people dealing with the illness that many times comes with old age provides a few implication about illness and dying in general. We don't focus enough on prevention. Although alzheimer's is a disease linked with old age scientist are not really sure what the cause of it is. This is a disease that one in every eight people over the age of 65 get and yet we don't truly know the causes. There is obviously not enough focus being put on prevention. We find ways to help the elderly live with their illnesses and we give them the attention and help they need, hopefully at least. However, there is very little focus on leading a healthier life so that when you are older, although you are more susceptible to illnesses and disease than when you were younger, you are more likely to avoid many of the common illness that accompany old age. Another implication I took from this experience is that we have a very strange system of dealing with life. As a baby we need care, as an adult we want and usually have independence, but as we get older and sicker we need that same care again, almost as if we were babies. I am not sure whether or not this is an inevitable cycle of life but we surely are not doing our best to explore other option and other ways of life, and we surely aren't doing are best to try to disrupt and prevent this cycle.
Due to the fact that alzheimer's causes not only memory loss but also affects behavior, thinking, etc. Arden's grandma felt that her husband needed constant care. Even as she had came to pick us up from the train station she had asked her neighbor Rose to come over and watch her husband for her. This showed the amount of care needed to competently take care of Arden's grandfather. They couldn't leave him home alone, he could not drive, and worst of all he forgot much of his family.
Diseases such as this are very sad and I believe this story much like many other stories of people dealing with the illness that many times comes with old age provides a few implication about illness and dying in general. We don't focus enough on prevention. Although alzheimer's is a disease linked with old age scientist are not really sure what the cause of it is. This is a disease that one in every eight people over the age of 65 get and yet we don't truly know the causes. There is obviously not enough focus being put on prevention. We find ways to help the elderly live with their illnesses and we give them the attention and help they need, hopefully at least. However, there is very little focus on leading a healthier life so that when you are older, although you are more susceptible to illnesses and disease than when you were younger, you are more likely to avoid many of the common illness that accompany old age. Another implication I took from this experience is that we have a very strange system of dealing with life. As a baby we need care, as an adult we want and usually have independence, but as we get older and sicker we need that same care again, almost as if we were babies. I am not sure whether or not this is an inevitable cycle of life but we surely are not doing our best to explore other option and other ways of life, and we surely aren't doing are best to try to disrupt and prevent this cycle.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
hw 32
The illness and dying unit was very interesting because there are so many aspects to illness and dying which is something we tend to ignore in general. There are so many practices and processes that we follow almost roboticly with out really learning about what we are doing. Because we learned about the healthcare system I felt I was able to understand illness and dying and the handling of this in our society. I always thought of the doctor and medicine and the healthcare system in general as something that was obviously corrupted but could be effective if it was actually for the benefit of people. There is much more to it than this, by studying what the healthcare system actually focuses on as well as all the incentives of, and relationships between those in power really opened my eyes to how terrible our healthcare system truly is.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Hw 31
From abdul:
For Omar, Your most beautiful line was, " We are focused on fixing the problem after it has happened rather then trying to prevent the problem from happening in the first place." I personally believe this is so true, our healthcare system focuses way to much on "fixing" ( which I don't really see) the problem. If we hadn't set the healthcare system to be about profit in the first place we probably wouldn't be in the predicament that we're in now. I feel like as Americans we have this weird proud ego about our country and things that we have, we really shouldn't though it turns out not only does a our food system suck, but so does our healthcare. I'm very curious to learn what else are we doing bad in compared to other countries, besides education of course.
Abdul,
My favorite line was: "this system is flawed because the incentives for the HMOs are all about maximizing profit which can't happen if they pay for everyones healthcare. The less money they spend on procedures in general no matter how important they may be the better it is for them." To me this is the most important part when it comes to paying for healthcare. The incentives of HMO's go directly against the need of people seeking medical care. This obviously leads to some clash between the two. I think you did a very good job of showing this. In addition, by using your uncle to show how truly inhumane the healthcare system can be you gave the post not only factual evidence but a personal reality to open up the eyes of people who aren't really aware of these situations. Well done.
Younger:
"The US is the wealthiest country in the world at the moment(1). It would only be logical for one to think that they would have the best resources for their citizens."
I like this line because it is very true to me. If we are the wealthiest country in the world, there is absolutely no reason for anyone that lives in this country to not have Healthcare. It just makes no sense. Why is it that in England there is free Healthcare for everyone but in the U.S. there isn't? Seriously? This country's government really needs to improve and show us that they care about us because it doesn't seem like they do.....Politics as Usual.
-John Mejia
Older: be up soon
For ben:
Ben,
Your project was very interesting since you decided to explore a subject untouched during our unit. I think you did a very good job of breaking down a few foreign healthcare systems and showing how they were better than the US system and what their flaws were. I think that incentive is the essential point here. Our healthcare incentive is different thatn that of a country with socialized medicine. Your project did a good job at comparing the two. well done.
For Arden:
My favorite line was "An ending you simply cannot escape, death is inevitable. We like to think we are immortal." I think it is a pretty good summary of a feeling most people share in common. You did a very good job of making your blog post feel personal to the reader. I also think that breaking it up into section strengthened your project. good job
For Omar, Your most beautiful line was, " We are focused on fixing the problem after it has happened rather then trying to prevent the problem from happening in the first place." I personally believe this is so true, our healthcare system focuses way to much on "fixing" ( which I don't really see) the problem. If we hadn't set the healthcare system to be about profit in the first place we probably wouldn't be in the predicament that we're in now. I feel like as Americans we have this weird proud ego about our country and things that we have, we really shouldn't though it turns out not only does a our food system suck, but so does our healthcare. I'm very curious to learn what else are we doing bad in compared to other countries, besides education of course.
Abdul,
My favorite line was: "this system is flawed because the incentives for the HMOs are all about maximizing profit which can't happen if they pay for everyones healthcare. The less money they spend on procedures in general no matter how important they may be the better it is for them." To me this is the most important part when it comes to paying for healthcare. The incentives of HMO's go directly against the need of people seeking medical care. This obviously leads to some clash between the two. I think you did a very good job of showing this. In addition, by using your uncle to show how truly inhumane the healthcare system can be you gave the post not only factual evidence but a personal reality to open up the eyes of people who aren't really aware of these situations. Well done.
Younger:
"The US is the wealthiest country in the world at the moment(1). It would only be logical for one to think that they would have the best resources for their citizens."
I like this line because it is very true to me. If we are the wealthiest country in the world, there is absolutely no reason for anyone that lives in this country to not have Healthcare. It just makes no sense. Why is it that in England there is free Healthcare for everyone but in the U.S. there isn't? Seriously? This country's government really needs to improve and show us that they care about us because it doesn't seem like they do.....Politics as Usual.
-John Mejia
Older: be up soon
For ben:
Ben,
Your project was very interesting since you decided to explore a subject untouched during our unit. I think you did a very good job of breaking down a few foreign healthcare systems and showing how they were better than the US system and what their flaws were. I think that incentive is the essential point here. Our healthcare incentive is different thatn that of a country with socialized medicine. Your project did a good job at comparing the two. well done.
For Arden:
My favorite line was "An ending you simply cannot escape, death is inevitable. We like to think we are immortal." I think it is a pretty good summary of a feeling most people share in common. You did a very good job of making your blog post feel personal to the reader. I also think that breaking it up into section strengthened your project. good job
Sunday, January 16, 2011
HW 30
Healthcare has been one of the biggest topics for debate over the years, as it is one of the most essential things that people need. Somehow we still find that a large population of the country is insured and those that are insured are not being provided substantial care. It is obvious that the US has the money to provide healthcare for all, so how come our healthcare system still has so many flaws. By studying the spending on healthcare a greater understanding of why our healthcare system is not effectively taking care of our population medically.
The US is the wealthiest country in the world at the moment(1). It would only be logical for one to think that they would have the best resources for their citizens. However, this doesn't seems to be the case. According to the World Health Organization, the US ranks 37th in the world for it's healthcare system(2). One would think that wealth and the quality of a countries healthcare system would correlate, but we see they do not. The US spends approximately 2.2 trillion dollars a year on healthcare(3). This is a little over 10 percent of our entire economy(3). It is obvious that our government is funneling an ample amount of money into the system, but how this money is spent is a different story.
Approximately one third of the governments healthcare budget is allocated in administrative costs(4). This means that over 600 billion dollars of our countries healthcare budget is not being spent on medicines, doctors, and any other forms of actual care for the people who this system is supposed to serve. The reason for this enormous expense in our budget is insurance companies. Insurance companies have been able to exploit the people of this country. By having people pay high premiums and denying as many claims as possible they have been successful in increasing their profits incredibly. The downfall to this is of course worse coverage for their clients which in turn leads to a worse healthcare system. As Michael Moore showed in Sicko the more denials an insurance company makes the more profit they make. Most insurance companies are privatized businesses whose sole motive is profit. Therefore, what they are essentially trying to do is make their clients pay in as much as possible on their monthly payments while minimizing the amount that they have to pay for care.
Insurance companies seem do whatever they can to avoid paying for healthcare although that is the service that they are offering. Whether it be denying people because of pre-existing conditions or whatever other reason they can find, they try their hardest to take your money with our reciprocating any services. Michael Moore's documentary SICKO provides a very good example of this. Laura is a middle aged woman who got into a head on collision while driving. The crash knocked her unconcious and she was taken by an ambulance to the hospital. She did have health insurance however they denied her coverage for the ambulance ride, an expensive ride, because it was not pre-approved. Although she was unconscious her ambulance ride was denied because she did not call to get it approved. Stories like this show the unhumane nature of the insurance companies our healthcare system revolves around. However, a third of our entire healthcare budget goes insurance companies like the same ones that denied Laura coverage on an ambulance ride. We are obviously not spending our money as efficiently as we can.
So now it is understood where a third of our budget is allocated, but where does the rest go? Ten percent of our budget is spent on prescription drugs(5). A little bit over 20 percent is spent on physician services, and a bit over 30 percent is spent on hospital care(5). These are the most substantial expenses as all other expenses do not surpass 10 percent of the budget. Spending a large amount on hospital care and doctors makes sense but the culture of healthcare in our society reveals a different story and provides some implication as to why our medical system is ranked so poorly.
Our government is not spending an ample amount on prevention. Therefore, a large amount of our money is going to hospital care. This means we are paying to help people after they get sick rather then taking effective cautionary steps to try to prevent sickness. We have very little programs that teach prevention and in turn we have fallen into a system that is focused on helping the sick after there sick, which is very important, rather than helping people not get sick. This culture not only leads to a massive amount of spending on hospital care but coincides with the grotesque amount of money being paid for administrative services. If less people got sick less administrative services would have to be paid. By increasing the allocating of our budget in the prevention category, which is now a measely 3 percent of our budget, we would not only decrease the amount of people getting sick but we would cut the amount needed to spend on taking care of the already sick, which is of course our biggest expense. Ken Thorpe, a professor at Emory University stated it quite well "Seventy-five percent of what we spend in health care is linked to chronically ill patients; less than 3 percent [is spent] in prevention, we do a great job of taking care of people after they're sick, we do a mediocre job of preventing people from getting sick."(6) Although it is questionable whether we do a great job taking care of the already sick it is obvious that we have too little focus on prevention.
Our country has the money, we have the resources, yet we still don't have an adequate healthcare system. We are spending more than enough money, but we are spending it inefficiently. It is our healthcare culture that is our biggest downfall. We are focused on fixing the problem after it has happened rather then trying to prevent the problem from happening in the first place. It is essential that we make an effort to prevent sickness as it is the only way we will really provide effective and efficient healthcare for all.
1.(International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, october 2010, Nomial GDP list of countries)
2. The world health report 2000 — health systems: improving performance. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2000.
3. President Obama's Fiscal 2010 Budget, Transforming and Modernizing America’s Health Care System, Whitehouse.gov
4. Costs of health administration in the US and Canada, woodhandler, september 21
5. US healthcare costs, Kaiseredu.org
6. US cancer costs in 2020, Lauren Cox
The US is the wealthiest country in the world at the moment(1). It would only be logical for one to think that they would have the best resources for their citizens. However, this doesn't seems to be the case. According to the World Health Organization, the US ranks 37th in the world for it's healthcare system(2). One would think that wealth and the quality of a countries healthcare system would correlate, but we see they do not. The US spends approximately 2.2 trillion dollars a year on healthcare(3). This is a little over 10 percent of our entire economy(3). It is obvious that our government is funneling an ample amount of money into the system, but how this money is spent is a different story.
Approximately one third of the governments healthcare budget is allocated in administrative costs(4). This means that over 600 billion dollars of our countries healthcare budget is not being spent on medicines, doctors, and any other forms of actual care for the people who this system is supposed to serve. The reason for this enormous expense in our budget is insurance companies. Insurance companies have been able to exploit the people of this country. By having people pay high premiums and denying as many claims as possible they have been successful in increasing their profits incredibly. The downfall to this is of course worse coverage for their clients which in turn leads to a worse healthcare system. As Michael Moore showed in Sicko the more denials an insurance company makes the more profit they make. Most insurance companies are privatized businesses whose sole motive is profit. Therefore, what they are essentially trying to do is make their clients pay in as much as possible on their monthly payments while minimizing the amount that they have to pay for care.
Insurance companies seem do whatever they can to avoid paying for healthcare although that is the service that they are offering. Whether it be denying people because of pre-existing conditions or whatever other reason they can find, they try their hardest to take your money with our reciprocating any services. Michael Moore's documentary SICKO provides a very good example of this. Laura is a middle aged woman who got into a head on collision while driving. The crash knocked her unconcious and she was taken by an ambulance to the hospital. She did have health insurance however they denied her coverage for the ambulance ride, an expensive ride, because it was not pre-approved. Although she was unconscious her ambulance ride was denied because she did not call to get it approved. Stories like this show the unhumane nature of the insurance companies our healthcare system revolves around. However, a third of our entire healthcare budget goes insurance companies like the same ones that denied Laura coverage on an ambulance ride. We are obviously not spending our money as efficiently as we can.
So now it is understood where a third of our budget is allocated, but where does the rest go? Ten percent of our budget is spent on prescription drugs(5). A little bit over 20 percent is spent on physician services, and a bit over 30 percent is spent on hospital care(5). These are the most substantial expenses as all other expenses do not surpass 10 percent of the budget. Spending a large amount on hospital care and doctors makes sense but the culture of healthcare in our society reveals a different story and provides some implication as to why our medical system is ranked so poorly.
Our government is not spending an ample amount on prevention. Therefore, a large amount of our money is going to hospital care. This means we are paying to help people after they get sick rather then taking effective cautionary steps to try to prevent sickness. We have very little programs that teach prevention and in turn we have fallen into a system that is focused on helping the sick after there sick, which is very important, rather than helping people not get sick. This culture not only leads to a massive amount of spending on hospital care but coincides with the grotesque amount of money being paid for administrative services. If less people got sick less administrative services would have to be paid. By increasing the allocating of our budget in the prevention category, which is now a measely 3 percent of our budget, we would not only decrease the amount of people getting sick but we would cut the amount needed to spend on taking care of the already sick, which is of course our biggest expense. Ken Thorpe, a professor at Emory University stated it quite well "Seventy-five percent of what we spend in health care is linked to chronically ill patients; less than 3 percent [is spent] in prevention, we do a great job of taking care of people after they're sick, we do a mediocre job of preventing people from getting sick."(6) Although it is questionable whether we do a great job taking care of the already sick it is obvious that we have too little focus on prevention.
Our country has the money, we have the resources, yet we still don't have an adequate healthcare system. We are spending more than enough money, but we are spending it inefficiently. It is our healthcare culture that is our biggest downfall. We are focused on fixing the problem after it has happened rather then trying to prevent the problem from happening in the first place. It is essential that we make an effort to prevent sickness as it is the only way we will really provide effective and efficient healthcare for all.
1.(International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, october 2010, Nomial GDP list of countries)
2. The world health report 2000 — health systems: improving performance. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2000.
3. President Obama's Fiscal 2010 Budget, Transforming and Modernizing America’s Health Care System, Whitehouse.gov
4. Costs of health administration in the US and Canada, woodhandler, september 21
5. US healthcare costs, Kaiseredu.org
6. US cancer costs in 2020, Lauren Cox
Saturday, January 8, 2011
HW 29
Paying for Medical care
Our country's medical insurance system does not match up with our wealth. We have been spending enormous amounts of money on healthcare however, there are still approximately 50 million people without healthcare insurance(Sicko, Michael Moore). Healthcare has become expensive to even those with coverage many times driving them down into debt such as what happened to a family showed in the movie Sicko. Our healthcare budget is being misused. We are throwing money into the system but not using it efficiently. Although we are spending over a 100 billion dollars on our healthcare system we are ranked 37th in the world for healthcare, that should is simply inexcusable for a country that has as much wealth and resources as the US does.
The process of dying
There are different ways of dealing with death. Death is something that we many times would rather ignore. It shows us that we are mortal regardless of what we believe. For this reason we many times refuse to accept our illnesses and pretend we are completely healthy until we reach the point where denial is inevitable. For example Beth's husband had cancer and was feeling very weak but only until his symptoms were at the extreme did he decide to go see the doctor. In our culture we are not taught to deal with death even though it is an inevitable part of everyones life. It is only logical that we will have to deal with death, yet we don't know how to act around people who are ill and dying.
Isolation
Being ill is already very difficult to deal with however the isolation that people many times feel when they are ill makes it even harder. The article "stigma and social identity" by Erving Goffman shows that someone who does not meet certain standards or has something "different" about them are not seen on an equal level by their "normal" peers. This is something that very often happen subconciously. People who are ill are often babied or, in which ever form it may be, are treated different then they normally would. In nursing homes people are confined to a building in which they are surrounded by doctors and nurses, they often can not take care of themselves and need others to do so for them. According to Goffman's article it would only make sense that those taking care of the patients who can't do for themselves would not view them as equals and would not have the same respect for them although they are human. Those people who are taking care of the patients now will eventually need care themselves.
Our country's medical insurance system does not match up with our wealth. We have been spending enormous amounts of money on healthcare however, there are still approximately 50 million people without healthcare insurance(Sicko, Michael Moore). Healthcare has become expensive to even those with coverage many times driving them down into debt such as what happened to a family showed in the movie Sicko. Our healthcare budget is being misused. We are throwing money into the system but not using it efficiently. Although we are spending over a 100 billion dollars on our healthcare system we are ranked 37th in the world for healthcare, that should is simply inexcusable for a country that has as much wealth and resources as the US does.
The process of dying
There are different ways of dealing with death. Death is something that we many times would rather ignore. It shows us that we are mortal regardless of what we believe. For this reason we many times refuse to accept our illnesses and pretend we are completely healthy until we reach the point where denial is inevitable. For example Beth's husband had cancer and was feeling very weak but only until his symptoms were at the extreme did he decide to go see the doctor. In our culture we are not taught to deal with death even though it is an inevitable part of everyones life. It is only logical that we will have to deal with death, yet we don't know how to act around people who are ill and dying.
Isolation
Being ill is already very difficult to deal with however the isolation that people many times feel when they are ill makes it even harder. The article "stigma and social identity" by Erving Goffman shows that someone who does not meet certain standards or has something "different" about them are not seen on an equal level by their "normal" peers. This is something that very often happen subconciously. People who are ill are often babied or, in which ever form it may be, are treated different then they normally would. In nursing homes people are confined to a building in which they are surrounded by doctors and nurses, they often can not take care of themselves and need others to do so for them. According to Goffman's article it would only make sense that those taking care of the patients who can't do for themselves would not view them as equals and would not have the same respect for them although they are human. Those people who are taking care of the patients now will eventually need care themselves.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
HW 28
For abdul:
I think the best part of this HW was that you showed the actions of someone receiving sufficient medical care, which is a situation we hardly dealt with in this unit. It was interesting how you talked about people reactions to her even after she was out of the hospital and how she reacted to that. The lack of knowing how to act around the ill or recovering is still awkward regardless of the medical treatment they receive. Good job at focusing on a topic we went into little depth about. Maybe there is some relation between the patients behavior and their health for example if your cousin was still sick would they like to be babied or not, how would their wants change depending on their situation.
From abdul: I think the best part of this HW was that you showed the actions of someone receiving sufficient medical care, which is a situation we hardly dealt with in this unit. It was interesting how you talked about people reactions to her even after she was out of the hospital and how she reacted to that. The lack of knowing how to act around the ill or recovering is still awkward regardless of the medical treatment they receive. Good job at focusing on a topic we went into little depth about. Maybe there is some relation between the patients behavior and their health for example if your cousin was still sick would they like to be babied or not, how would their wants change depending on their situation.
From younger:
From older:I liked this passage the best because the effective description you offer sets up the analysis later in the essay to be more powerful. Even though you give the reader a vivid picture of what daily life in the home is like but the small errors in your English discredit your work, make it harder to take seriously. This is not a small problem as you move toward college and find yourself wanting to make points that professors will not like, perhaps. Don't make it easy to dismiss your work as the product of someone who's not serious. I also put your run on sentences below in black. Don't try to stuff too many discrete ideas into one sentence. Give each idea room to breathe.
I think the best part of this HW was that you showed the actions of someone receiving sufficient medical care, which is a situation we hardly dealt with in this unit. It was interesting how you talked about people reactions to her even after she was out of the hospital and how she reacted to that. The lack of knowing how to act around the ill or recovering is still awkward regardless of the medical treatment they receive. Good job at focusing on a topic we went into little depth about. Maybe there is some relation between the patients behavior and their health for example if your cousin was still sick would they like to be babied or not, how would their wants change depending on their situation.
From abdul: I think the best part of this HW was that you showed the actions of someone receiving sufficient medical care, which is a situation we hardly dealt with in this unit. It was interesting how you talked about people reactions to her even after she was out of the hospital and how she reacted to that. The lack of knowing how to act around the ill or recovering is still awkward regardless of the medical treatment they receive. Good job at focusing on a topic we went into little depth about. Maybe there is some relation between the patients behavior and their health for example if your cousin was still sick would they like to be babied or not, how would their wants change depending on their situation.
From younger:
From older:I liked this passage the best because the effective description you offer sets up the analysis later in the essay to be more powerful. Even though you give the reader a vivid picture of what daily life in the home is like but the small errors in your English discredit your work, make it harder to take seriously. This is not a small problem as you move toward college and find yourself wanting to make points that professors will not like, perhaps. Don't make it easy to dismiss your work as the product of someone who's not serious. I also put your run on sentences below in black. Don't try to stuff too many discrete ideas into one sentence. Give each idea room to breathe.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Hw 27
Although I did not visit an unwell or ill person over the break I can recall me experience this past summer working at a nursing home and with my new insight analyze it differently.During this past summer i worked at a primarily Jewish nursing home in williamsburg. It was a pretty depressing place. A building full of people who were sitting around waiting to die. They had to get passes to leave the building and the majority of them hardly left their floor. The floors had a very strong stench from patients who refused to shower, the rooms had to be cleaned daily, there were constantly spills throughout the building. Half of the patients were in wheelchairs and could hardly get around on their own. Then worst of all were the patients who were to sick to even leave their room. They would lay in their bed and watch T.v and sleep all day, food would be bought to their room, and they hardly got any interaction with other people, besides the housekeeping and the doctors. The quality of life was pretty bad to say the least however that was not the worst part of living in this nursing home.
That attitude of the entire staff as well as almost all of the patients was by far the most depressing thing about the place. The patients were used to being dependant on everybody you could tell there was a sense of shame, a sense that they felt beneath the nursing home staff. The nurses yelled when they got frustrated, the staff seemed disinterested in their problems, and people hardly took the time to interact with these people as if they were people. The staff seemed fed up with the patients, this is not to say that the staff were bad people because the patients were very irratating at times, but it seemed that many people lacked the compassion that these people deserve. It was as if society was throwing these people away and waiting for them to die and overall thats how they were treated.
This situation stems out of social practices more so than mortality and human vulnerability because although these people do need a large amount of help in taking care of themselves, the way we deal with people who are no longer "productive" components of society is very inhumane. It is one thing to help someone and another to look down on them for needing help. We must understand that those lucky enough to it to such an old age will need to be taken care of in some form or another and that this is not something to be looked down upon but simply a part of life. I think there is a big correlation between what a person can contribute to society and how they are treated. A working adult is treated with much more respect and usually seen as an equal by his peers however and old man or a young child is seen as someone who has to be taken care someone less deserving of the respect you give a middle aged adult. Not respect in the sense of being polite but respect in the sense of being treated as if they were a human being and as if their live was of value, because after all these are both true.
That attitude of the entire staff as well as almost all of the patients was by far the most depressing thing about the place. The patients were used to being dependant on everybody you could tell there was a sense of shame, a sense that they felt beneath the nursing home staff. The nurses yelled when they got frustrated, the staff seemed disinterested in their problems, and people hardly took the time to interact with these people as if they were people. The staff seemed fed up with the patients, this is not to say that the staff were bad people because the patients were very irratating at times, but it seemed that many people lacked the compassion that these people deserve. It was as if society was throwing these people away and waiting for them to die and overall thats how they were treated.
This situation stems out of social practices more so than mortality and human vulnerability because although these people do need a large amount of help in taking care of themselves, the way we deal with people who are no longer "productive" components of society is very inhumane. It is one thing to help someone and another to look down on them for needing help. We must understand that those lucky enough to it to such an old age will need to be taken care of in some form or another and that this is not something to be looked down upon but simply a part of life. I think there is a big correlation between what a person can contribute to society and how they are treated. A working adult is treated with much more respect and usually seen as an equal by his peers however and old man or a young child is seen as someone who has to be taken care someone less deserving of the respect you give a middle aged adult. Not respect in the sense of being polite but respect in the sense of being treated as if they were a human being and as if their live was of value, because after all these are both true.
HW 26
Sicko - The drug and insurance companies have a tight grip over our healthcare system and are exploiting the american people for profit.
Near Death - even good medical care is not always that good because doctors are trying to save people who are already very sick instead of trying to prevent these sicknesses before they happen.
Mountains beyond mountains- There are alternative ways of dealing with medical issues for the poor but it seems that a clear cut solution is almost impossible due to the clash between profit and healthcare
Beth- People are reluctant to seek medical care. This is a reoccuring theme in our society.
People seem to only seek medical help when it is absolutely neccesary and doctors are there to provide help to those who are already sick. Maybe there should be more emphasis on preventing illness. I think the most important part to study is the healthcare system and it's relationship to the insurance/drug companies because they are outright exploiting people and leaving them to die for their own profits. It's murderous and easily preventable.
Near Death - even good medical care is not always that good because doctors are trying to save people who are already very sick instead of trying to prevent these sicknesses before they happen.
Mountains beyond mountains- There are alternative ways of dealing with medical issues for the poor but it seems that a clear cut solution is almost impossible due to the clash between profit and healthcare
Beth- People are reluctant to seek medical care. This is a reoccuring theme in our society.
People seem to only seek medical help when it is absolutely neccesary and doctors are there to provide help to those who are already sick. Maybe there should be more emphasis on preventing illness. I think the most important part to study is the healthcare system and it's relationship to the insurance/drug companies because they are outright exploiting people and leaving them to die for their own profits. It's murderous and easily preventable.
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