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.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
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
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