Argument English Paper

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English 121 Paper

The topics I have chosen to focus and narrow on are racism and sexism and advertising. Racism is the discriminative treatment of people based on their race. Sexism is the discriminative treatment of people based on their gender. Advertising is a marketing activity where a company creates public awareness for the brand using various avenues such as media. The problem issues include is justice racially biased? And is advertising portraying a sexist view of the women? These two have been contentious issues in the society.

There have been many claims of the racial prejudice in criminal justice system, especially against people of color. Several movements such as the #BlackLivesMatter came up to protest against the police brutality against the people of color. Many studies have shown that the population of colored folk in prison is much higher than their white counterparts. This coupled with practices of racial profiling has led to the urgency of addressing this social issue, which puts the society at the brink of a racial war.

Cole, George F., Christopher E. Smith, and Christina DeJong. The American system of criminal justice. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.

The book talks of the American Criminal Justice System. It evaluates the challenges that the criminal justice system faces in dispensing justice to the people. It illustrates examples of how the criminal justice system has indeed shown some racial prejudice against some members of the community. The book evaluates all aspects of the criminal justice system, giving a clear cut picture of what ails the criminal justice system. The book gives an impressive view of the racial prejudice in the criminal justice system. It shows how the laws and practices of the different criminal justice departments tend to become racially prejudiced. The use of clear real world examples also serves to strengthen their arguments better. I have learned that indeed there is some racial prejudice in the criminal justice unit and that some of it are caused by the federal laws we have. This source is valuable as it gives me points for my argument that indeed there is racial prejudice in the criminal justice system. It, however, does not consider the opposing view which is what I will look for in the other sources.

Travis, Jeremy, Bruce Western, and Steve Redburn. The growth of incarceration in the United States: exploring causes and consequences. Washington, District of Columbia: National Academies Press, 2014. Print.

The book gives an analysis of the incarceration rates of people in the US. It looks at the background of these people and gives a clear cut image of the demographics of the US prisons today. The book argues that the rate of incarcerations has increased over the last couple of decades. The book also analyses the causes and consequences of these incarcerations on the American folk. The book gives a great analysis of the demographics of the prisons and the causes of the increased rate of incarceration. Its argument is backed by research which makes it believable. The book has helped me learn about the rates of incarceration and the target groups of this practice. The book is very important to me because it will support my argument on the fact that more colored folk are found in prison or are more likely to be imprisoned at a time in their life. It, however, does not have an opposing view of the topic which I will source from another book.

Banks, Cyndi. Criminal justice ethics: theory and practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2013. Print.

This book gives an overview of the criminal justice system. It uses empirical data to analyze topics such as victimization of the minority groups by the criminal justice system. The book has been able to relate a high crime rate among the disadvantaged and certain racial groups as the reason for the constant run-ins with the criminal justice system. The book has been able to dissect the reasons for the disparities in the treatment of the different racial groups by the criminal justice system. The book has enabled me to understand the opposing view of my argument. It has helped me catalog some of the reasons that cause the difference in how the races interact with the criminal justice system. The book has helped me learn that there are some policies that the criminal justice system uses that could be taken as a form of racial prejudice. It has also helped me understand why there are more colored folk in prison. The book is valuable as it illustrates the opposing side of my argument clearly and backs it up with empirical evidence. The book has helped provide all I needed for my research.

Advertising is essential for businesses to get a larger market share. The mode of advertising used however raises some moral questions. Some of the adverts used by companies illustrate a sexist position which is unethical. Some adverts have been banned for having sexist messages, for example, the Dolce and Gabbana ad for their perfume in 2007. This raised a social question, does advertising promote a sexist view of women. This question needs to be addressed urgently.

Otnes, Cele, and Linda Zayer. Gender, culture, and consumer behavior. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.

The book gives a clear cut view of the use of gender in advertising. The book addresses the contentious issue of the use of gender stereotypes in the advertising promotions. It analyses the practice of using the woman’s sexual appeal to sell products and the ethical implications of the use of such advertising among the companies. The book has given me insight on my stand on the social problem. It has enlightened me on how sexualizing the women to sell products degrades them and disregards their dignity. It has also helped me understand that the portrayal of the women in a degrading light serves to promote sexism in the community which is unethical. The book has, therefore, helped me build up my argument. I have learned that people use degrading images of the woman not to purport sexism but to increase the sales. I have also learned that the frequent use of such pictures gives the public a distorted image of the roles and dignity of a woman. The book is valuable as it has given me points backed with empirical evidence to support my stand on the topic. The book, however, misses out on giving me a strong opposition to the topic which I will find in the other source.

Botterill, Jackie, Iain MacRury, and Barry Richards. The Dynamics of Advertising. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013. Print.

The book gives a definitive view of how advertising is carried out by the companies. The book argues that advertising does not present an unreal depiction of the world, but shows an exaggerated version of real life. The book, therefore, argues that the idea that advertising promotes sexism is wrong because it only provides an exaggerated picture of an already sexist community. The book provides compelling arguments on the notion that advertising promotes sexism. It has provided me with a sound opposing argument. I have learned that people conducting advertising look at what is happening in the society and then give an exaggerated perfect picture of it in an ad. Therefore the sexism seen in advertising is due to deep-rooted sexist nature of the society, and the ad does not support sexism. The book is a valuable source as it has given me an opposing view to my argument. I now have all I need to tackle the essay.