Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Ebay free essay sample
What are the best chances and dangers existing in eBays current outside condition? In the current outer condition the online deals are as yet a development industry there are a few open doors for ebay, the genuine worldwide financial emergency it could be an open door due the joblessness and the decline in the force buying equality and home loan emergency produces two impacts, first the purchasers are search for limits, and second the merchants by this channel could increments. The significance of the Latin foreigners in the US it turns as another market specialty, whose are progressively acquainted with the web culture and are searching for their local items through this channel. There is a chance to investigate new markets, due EBayââ¬â¢s experience and the virtual stage they could attack in new markets, for example, creating nation, developing in new innovations. Then again there are a few dangers to dissect, the worldwide emergency it could be too a danger in light of the fact that there is a decline of purchasers. This permitted them to enter new market spaces and pull in a scope of clients. The organization additionally extended globally and have been effective in certain markets.à eBay was viewed as an innovator in every one of its market with the aside from of Japan and China. eBayââ¬â¢s first endeavor into Chinaââ¬â¢s showcase was through the securing of a Chinese online closeout organization, Eachnet. They incorporated their worldwide methodology stage to Eachnetââ¬â¢s Chinese activities, basically changing how the site initially worked. From that point forward, the organization has lost the greater part of their piece of the overall industry to neighborhood contender Taobao. Following quite a while eBay then chose to cooperate with Beijing-based Tom Online. This showed eBay neglected to adjust to neighborhood needs and effectively rival Chinaââ¬â¢s online closeout showcase pioneer, Taobao. This shows eBay neglected to make a network impact in China as they did with their other universal markets through their worldwide stage. When eBay obtained Eachnet, their administration was running on a worldwide stage in San Jose, CA. Any choices or highlights to make for Chinaââ¬â¢s market would take more time to execute. This made an absence of adaptability and adjustment the Chinese market and they can't react to changes in the economic situations and needs immediately contrasted with their neighborhood rivalry. A potential answer for eBay to effectively contend in Chinaââ¬â¢s advertise is to improve their foundation withà eBay Style. The new stage will actualize a component which will permit clients to speak with one another by means of texting. This has demonstrated to be extremely viable with their adversary Taobao and it will permit the clients to associate with each other and make esteem and a feeling of network in Chinaââ¬â¢s showcase, which eBay already couldn't make. It will likewise improve the time it takes for clients to buy things from each other on their foundation. Another answer for eBay is to set up joint endeavors and accomplice more with neighborhood Chinese organizations to assist them with entering the enormous developing business sector. This system will give eBay the information and capacity to adjust to the nearby needs and make brand mindfulness all through Chinaââ¬â¢s advertise that they couldn't do previously. Through the acquisitions and associations eBay will have the option to broaden their item and benefits and build up a firm foot in the market and have the option to contend with existing nearby contenders. The prescribed answer for eBay is to set up joint endeavors and band together with progressively neighborhood Chinese organizations so as to differentiate their items and administrations customized to the nearby needs and catch a huge bit of Chinaââ¬â¢s advertise.
Saturday, August 22, 2020
Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Essay
Logical research has made considerable progress since the main utilization of human incipient organisms to treat and forestall maladies. The polio immunization was imagined in the 1950ââ¬â¢s from the utilization of human fetal kidney cells, hatchlings in uteri were utilized to create methods like amniocenteses and improving information about intrinsic coronary illness in the 1970ââ¬â¢s, and in the 1980ââ¬â¢s the transplantation of fetal tissue into grown-ups to help with genuine conditions like, diabetes or Parkinsonââ¬â¢s (Gold, 2004). While there has consistently been concern and contention over the utilization of human early stage cells, today the discussion is moral. This moral discussion exists in the demolition of human incipient organisms so as to utilize them for clinical research. This paper will discuss how two unique speculations; utilitarianism and relativism see this moral issue and the difficult it presents, just as my own perspectives on utilization of early stage undeveloped cell explore. The hypothesis of utilitarianism figures out what is best by taking a gander at the aftereffects of a demonstration. As per Mosser (2010, area 1. 7), ââ¬Å"utilitarianism contends that, given a lot of decisions, the demonstration we ought to pick is what creates the best outcomes for the best number influenced by that decision. When taking a gander at the utilization of early stage immature microorganisms for explore, utilitarianism takes a gander toward the final product. Undeveloped undifferentiated cells can possibly spare lives by relieving infections and using transplantation. While some utilitarianismââ¬â¢s may in any case see the demolition of these cells as the annihilation of human life they perceive that their latent capacity is a far superior decision, being that this exploration can conceivably help spare numerous lives. The resistance to early stage immature microorganism research may have a relativists see. Albeit one individual may see early stage immature microorganism inquire about as right, another may consider it to be off-base dependent on their own moral measures that have been given by their way of life or foundation (Mosser, 2010). The resistance of early stage undifferentiated cell explore see the incipient organism as an individual from the day it is imagined, in spite of the fact that it doesn't have any attributes of an individual, it will one day become an individual. The idea of decimating human life has brought up numerous significant issues that can't be replied by science. When does life start? Is a human incipient organism proportional to a human kid? Does a human undeveloped organism have any rights? Might the annihilation of a solitary undeveloped organism be legitimized on the off chance that it gives a fix to endless number of patients? Since ES cells can develop uncertainly in a dish can, in principle, despite everything develop into an individual, is the undeveloped organism truly crushed. (The University of Utah, 2012, para. 5) So what moral status does the human undeveloped organism have? To the relativist restriction, the inquiry must be replied by their own ethical perspectives. To more readily comprehend the discussion about undeveloped foundational microorganism investigate one should initially comprehend the significance of early stage undifferentiated cell examine. Early stage foundational microorganisms are pluripotent cells that are gotten from the internal cell mass of the human blastocyst (early undeveloped organism) (Hynes, 2008). Many miracle why the utilization of these cells is so significant in logical advancements. Undeveloped undifferentiated cells are fit for separating into a wide range of cells in the body. This permits scientists to utilize ES cells to make any kind of cell required for any patient. Many inquire as to why the utilization of grown-up immature microorganisms isn't sufficient. Grown-up immature microorganisms are undifferentiated cells found inside the body. These cells just can ââ¬Å"divide or self-recharge inconclusively and create all the cell sorts of the organ from which they originateâ⬠(Science, 2012, para. 1). Grown-up undifferentiated organism explore isn't disputable, as it doesn't require the pulverization of human life to obtain them. While grown-up undifferentiated organisms have been utilized to effectively treat things like leukemia and related bone/blood diseases, early stage undeveloped cells offer a more extensive assortment of treatment alternatives since they can form into in excess of 200 cell types in the body as long as they are determined to do as such (Science, 2012). The two sides of this discussion might be impacted by religion. There are a few religions that see a human undeveloped organism as having human status from the hour of origination while others state that an incipient organism doesn't have full human status before 40 days (EuroStemCell, 2011). The Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and preservationist Protestant Churches are against human early stage foundational microorganism examine, where Judaism and Islam take a gander at and underscore the significance of the result that undeveloped immature microorganism research can bring (EuroStemCell, 2011). Similarly as with any discussion the individuals who have a similar hypothesis may at present accept distinctively dependent on their way of life, childhood, and strict foundation. I locate that one could be of a specific religion (Catholic) and still view early stage undifferentiated organism examine as a superior arrangement than simply disposing of unused undeveloped organisms. The Catholic utilitarian may contend that the it is smarter to use the early stage undifferentiated organisms from a barrenness center for research to conceivably spare numerous lives than to dispose of the cells as though they were. Then again the Catholic relativist/utilitarian may contend this conflicts with their strict convictions and isn't what is best for the benefit of everyone. As should be obvious in this model an individual may practice more than one hypothesis in their lives. One may have been raised to see early stage immature microorganism inquire about, as off-base since it demolishes human life, however they may likewise see it is an approach to support the benefit of all. This is the point at which these sorts of choices, to be possibly in support of something, become an individual battle. Does one conflict with what they were raised and instructed to accept or do they do what they believe is directly for the benefit of everyone of society? Mosser (2010, Section 1. 7) expresses that, ââ¬Å"utilitarianism gives us what is by all accounts a reasonable and genuinely simple guideline to apply to moral issues thus decide the best activity in explicit cases. â⬠This might be the situation with regards to straightforward choices that are anything but difficult to clarify and legitimize, however with regards to an ethical choice among good and bad utilitarianism can only guide us and help explain these moral issues (Mosser, 2010). Shockingly this is the reason there is such a warmed discussion with undeveloped undifferentiated cell inquire about. What one sees as ethically right another sees as ethically off-base? The reasons might be unique, yet the final product might be the equivalent. For this situation one accepts the demonstration of utilizing human undeveloped organisms for research will help the benefit of everyone where the opposite side accepts not utilizing human incipient organisms for research will help the benefit of everyone in estimation of ethics and what status they see the human undeveloped organism. Relativism permits one the chance to oblige what their way of life accepts is correct or wrong. It keeps one safe, the same number of individuals are reluctant to communicate their own assessments and perspectives against anothers sees (Mosser, 2010). Similarly as with any moral issue, this hypothesis permits the individuals who don't think enough about it to remain safe and construct their perspectives and assessments dependent on people around them. This permits one to pass judgment on another dependent on a view that has been gained by shared characteristic as opposed to realities. This can go the two different ways with early stage undeveloped cell examine. In spite of the fact that the relativist view can be viewed as the ââ¬Å"popularâ⬠see it very well may be exceptionally amazing on the off chance that one puts together their view with respect to realities and information and not simply the social view. While their will consistently be contradictions about the utilization of early stage undifferentiated organism look into I find that their utilization if more helpful than it is damaging. While everybody is qualified for their own convictions, is it egotistical to restrict the utilization of undeveloped cells, which will be disposed of in any case, since it is viewed as the annihilation of life? I suspect as much. In the event that there is an approach to help another later on using undeveloped immature microorganisms, why not? I wind up in concurrence with the utilitarianism hypothesis on this issue. It is significant for scientists to proceed with their exploration to support the benefit of all. The exploration and specialists must have restrictions however.
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Word of the Week! Paradigm Richmond Writing
Word of the Week! Paradigm Richmond Writing Our blog is back from Fall Break. Has Fall Break become a paradigmatic part of student life? I suspect that I just misused an honorable academic word, as many others have done, so letâs look deeper. I learned the word from Thomas Kuhnâs 1962 book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, where the author notes: Attempting to discover the source of that difference [between debates in the sciences and other fields of study] led me to recognize the role in scientific research of what I have since called âparadigms.â These I take to be universally recognized scientific achievements that for a time provide model problems and solutions for a community of practitioners. Kuhnâs 1957 book, The Copernican Revolution, does an even better job of explained one particular âparadigm shift.â After we had a sun-centered model of our solar system established, we never really could go back. The adoption of Kuhnâs idea in the nearly 60 years since has been astounding, from boring corporate Powerpoints to often opaque, and occasionally silly, literary theory. Before Kuhn, however, what was the status of this overly popular term? The OED traces our word to post-classical Latin paradigma, meaning an example. Examples range back to the 15th Century. Im surprised that the entrys usage frequency is six of eight. The definitions clarify what sort or example a paradigm can be. Its closest to Kuhns notion as a pattern or model, an exemplar. Kuhns own usage for science gets its own set of definitions. I hope that this sense of the word endures. Kuhn, in defining paradigms, provides us with a paradigm for academic immortality, the best any scholar can hope to have in a busy world. Use our word carefully. I write a bit for Hemmings Motor News, and I and other readers recently sparred over misuse of the word iconic in regard to car designs. Now I think that some designs, say the Jaguar E-Type, are paradigms: they establish a pattern that every other maker of sports cars tries to capture. In terms of pronunciation, remember brother, can you spare a dime? from the Depression-Era classic? Thats your clue. Spare us a few words and metaphors useful in academic writing by e-mailing me (jessid -at- richmond -dot- edu) or leaving a comment below. See all of our Metaphors of the Month here and Words of the Week here. Image of heliocentric solar system courtesy of Wikipedia.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Physics Of Quantum Mechanical Experiments - 1337 Words
Weââ¬â¢ve already discussed some of the experimental phenomena that inspire competing interpretations or theories of whatââ¬â¢s going on in the real world during quantum-mechanical experiments. (In brief: Observing microscopic particles seems to either: cause them to randomly take one result or the other; create a branching world for every possible outcome; or require hidden variables and allow for faster-than-light, nonlocal communication. Particles seem not to take one path, not the other, not both, and not neither, and even act as if they ââ¬Å"knowâ⬠when weââ¬â¢re observing them.) In this final installment of a three-article series, weââ¬â¢ll look in very broad strokes at some of the philosophical implications of these views of quantum mechanics. I. Logic Standard logic is two-valued. That just means that each sentence in the logic is true or false, not both, and not neither. ââ¬ËMy catââ¬â¢s breath smells like cat foodââ¬â¢ is either true or false; it canââ¬â¢t both smell that way and not smell that way at the same time to the same person, and surely it either does or it doesnââ¬â¢t. But as weââ¬â¢ve seen, some interpretations of quantum mechanics might suggest adding in a new value.1 Perhaps Copenhagen-style interpretations indicate that we should have a value of neitherââ¬âa truth-value ââ¬Å"gapâ⬠ââ¬âand Copenhagen and many-worlds interpretations indicate that we should have a value of both: a truth-value ââ¬Å"glut.â⬠2 As it happens, there are independent philosophical reasons to explore three- or four-valued logics (andShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at DNA Supercoiling684 Words à |à 3 Pagesleft direction. The laws of Physics govern everything that happens in the world, including DNA coili ng in living beings. Some of the concepts in Physics that are involved in DNA coiling are quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. Quantum physics is a branch of physics that explores certain units of energy, which are called quanta. These units of energy are described by the Quantum Theory. The dictionary definition of the Quantum Theory is: ââ¬Å"Any theory predating quantum mechanics that encompassedRead MoreThe Physics Of Quantum Mechanics1076 Words à |à 5 Pages Quantum mechanics was developed over many decades ago,Quantum mechanics is science dealing with the behaviour of matter and light on the atomic and subatomic scale. It attempts to describe and account for the properties of molecules and atoms and their constituentsââ¬âelectrons, protons, neutrons, and other more particles. This type of physics beginning as a set of controversial mathematical explanations of experiments that the math of classical mechanics could not explain. It began at the turn ofRead MoreThe Theory Of Louis De Broglie865 Words à |à 4 Pagespassed away in March 1987. He achieved a degree in science in 1913 before being conscripted into military service from 1914 to 1918. After the war de Broglie continued his education specializing in theoretical physics in the study of quanta. In 1924, de Broglie delivered a thesis on the quantum theory earning him a Doctorate degree. The thesis contained a series of findings which were confirmed in 1927 by the discovery of electron diffraction. Electron Diffraction than served for the development ofRead MoreThe Physics Of An Experiment1509 Words à |à 7 Pagesin the EPR paper and later more eloquently describe by David Bohm. In the paper by Bohm, he shows how one could conceive of an experiment to mirror the conceptual situation put forth in the EPR paper, by examining the dissociation of a diatomic molecule whose total spin angular momentum is zero. 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However, after an experiment performed by physicist Ernest Rutherford in 1909, Thomsons Plum-Pudding Model would become outdated. Ernest Rutherford studied alpha particles or small pieces of positively charged matter. In an experiment, he fired alpha particles at a piece of gold foil, with a zinc sulfide screen behind it that would glow revealing the path of the alpha particleRead MoreThe Ultimate Test For Any Idea1401 Words à |à 6 Pagescompatible with reality. In physics, reality is the direct result of an experiment; thus, we are forced to think about reality as ââ¬Å"observable realityâ⬠. In fact, the distinction between reality and observable reality is extremely important, since as a consequence of this distinction, a logically correct theory may not necessary be correct while a logically non-satisfying theory may be completely correct (if it is also able to predict the result of a series of experiments). Reality can encompasses anyRead MorePhysics : Physics And Physics1859 Words à |à 8 PagesIn short, quantum mechanics is ââ¬Ëa mathematical framework that plays a huge role in modern phys ics and chemistryââ¬â¢. It was interpreted in many ways, however the Copenhagen Interpretation was the most widely held view, largely developed by Danish physicist Neils Bohr who worked in Copenhagen. The framework can be applied to different scientific phenomena and can be used to investigate the behaviour of the building blocks of the universe, all elementary particles. The complex mathematics is useful forRead MoreQuantum Mechanics And Its Effect On An Extremely Small Level959 Words à |à 4 PagesMegan Griffin Quantum Mechanics Quantum mechanics is an account of how things rendition on an extremely small level. ââ¬Å"Protons, Neutrons, and electrons are not balls of matter, but more like little concentrations of energy. According to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, if we look at or measure the position of an electron, then other crucial information about it is lost. Also, at the moment we observe it, it basically gives that electron a position and identity in the realm of the naturalâ⬠Read MoreQuantum Teleportation And Its Effect On Human Life1206 Words à |à 5 Pagesattempt have been made to practically implement Quantum teleportation. Quantum teleportation was first demonstrated with entangled photons[11] in 1997. Later, various developments have been achieved in laboratory, including the demonstration of entanglement swapping[12], open destination teleportation[13] and teleportation of two bit composite system[14]. Entanglement distribution has been shown with fiber links[15ââ¬â18]. In addition, ââ¬Å"practicalâ⬠quantum teleportation have been realized via fiber links[19
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Police Discretion and Domestic Violence Calls Essay
Police officers have a significant level of discretion when ethical decision making is incorporated in deciding how to respond to a domestic violence call. For example, officers exercise discretion by deciding how to respond to domestic violence when a situation involves a fellow officer. America is a country in which many believe in privacy within the household and often choose not to be involved in a domestic dispute because families should resolve their own problems. However, discretionary powers abused by an officer are used to dissuade the victim from filing charges against the officerââ¬â¢s colleague. Officers often do not choose to arrest in a domestic dispute because they believe the family, not the justice system, should resolve theâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Officers often explained the womanââ¬â¢s victimization to be the result of her own behavior and describe her as the instigator or cause of the ââ¬Ëmisunderstandingââ¬â¢ (Wetendorf, D. and Davis, D.L. 20 03:3). The responding officer would therefore fail to treat the wife as a victim who required police intervention but would redefine the situation as one of ââ¬Å"an Officer in Needâ⬠(Dwetendorf, 1998:4). As Dwetendorf (1998:5) puts it, ââ¬Å"the responding officers are likely to try to dissuade her from signing a complaint. They advise her to think about his career, think about all the good things she has, think about their kids. They assure her that heââ¬â¢s a good man and a good police officer, that heââ¬â¢s just under a lot of stress. They promise to talk to him, to straighten him out.â⬠When the off duty abuser is the main source of income for the family, his colleagues will not charge him with domestic violence and the wife is left with no recourse, which leaves the wife in a vulnerable situation because the violence is likely to be repeated. Women in this situation suffer higher levels of physical abuse because they are totally dependant on the husband as the provider (Wetendorf, 1998:2-3). Police departments have a poor record of dealing with domestic violence when the perpetrator is one of their own (Villa, 2002:1). For example, I interviewed Gerry Blair of the Flagstaff Police Department with concerns of disciplinary policyShow MoreRelatedPolice Officers Should Be Legal992 Words à |à 4 PagesPolice officers are charged with enforcing the law and there is a level of permissible expectation that discretion will be used when making an arrest. The use of discretion by police officers aid prosecutors in successfully prosecuting a trial. Police officers are the first ones on the scene of a crime and they are the ones who initiate the case of probable cause. Court systems are bursting at the seams with cases and the police officerââ¬â¢s ability to use discretion will help to alleviate some ofRead MorePolice Circumspection : The Definition Of Police Discretion?734 Words à |à 3 PagesPolice Discretion Police discretion is one of the most complicated topics. The general definition for police discretion is technically up to how one looks at it. Each police officer has their own discretion in handling every situation they go through, and of course there are guidelines on police discretion. Merriam-Websterââ¬â¢s dictionary definition of discretion is still broad but answers the missing parts, ââ¬Å"The quality of having or showing discernment or good judgment: the quality of being discreet:Read More Criminal Justice System Essay1123 Words à |à 5 Pages There are three significant issues concerning law enforcement, namely enacting the law, police discretion, and assessment of criminal behavior. Different entities create and enact laws that are specific for the societies those laws represent. In the United States the criminal justice system is broken down into two models, the Consensus model and the Conflict model. The procedure of achieving justice is comprised on three basic levels: policing, justice, and corrections. The two modelsRead MoreThe Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment1198 Words à |à 5 PagesIntroduction Looking at what we know about the prevention of domestic violence and studies that have led to more affective practices in eliminating and preventing domestic violence with repeat offenders. The Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment, was just that an experiment by police to determine the effects of arrest versus separation of individuals involved in a domestic dispute. The Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment also led to experiments in other cities including Omaha Nebraska, MiamiRead MorePolice Discretion1418 Words à |à 6 PagesPolice discretion by definition is the power to make decisions of policy and practice. Police have the choice to enforce certain laws and how they will be enforced. Some law is always or almost always enforced, some is never or almost never enforced, and some is sometimes enforced and sometimes not (Davis, p.1). Similarly with discretion is that the law may not cover every situation a police officer encounters, so they must use their discretion w isely. Until 1956, people thought of police discretionRead More Police Discretion Essay1354 Words à |à 6 PagesPolice Discretion Police discretion by definition is the power to make decisions of policy and practice. Police have the choice to enforce certain laws and how they will be enforced. ââ¬Å"Some law is always or almost always enforced, some is never or almost never enforced, and some is sometimes enforced and sometimes notâ⬠(Davis, p.1). Similarly with discretion is that the law may not cover every situation a police officer encounters, so they must use their discretion wisely. Until 1956, peopleRead MoreEssay on Police Discretion1425 Words à |à 6 PagesPolice Discretion Discretion, uncertainly, and inefficiently are rampant and essential in criminal justice. Nobody expects perfection. That would neither be good nor fair. Justice is a sporting event in which playing fair is more important than winning. Law enactment, enforcement, and administration all involve trading off the possibility of perfect outcomes for security against the worst outcomes. Policing is the most visible part of this: employees on the bottom have more discretion thanRead MorePolicing Styles, Watchman, And Service Style931 Words à |à 4 Pagesin a culturally and ethnically diverse community, by making arrest, keeping the peace and issuing citations. Question 2 In my opinion detectives should wear plain clothes for all their assignments due to the fact that detectives do not respond to calls where individuals are in need of their assistance so they do not need to be in uniform to identify who they are. Another reason is when detectives are investigating a crime or meeting with an informant, they donââ¬â¢t need the entire neighborhood knowingRead MoreDomestic Violence By Law Enforcement Officers1531 Words à |à 7 Pages Domestic Violence by Law Enforcement Officers: A Review on Police Brutality Joette Jackson Dr. Khalfani Sociology 101-008 April 1, 2015 Domestic altercation contributes the largest category of calls received by the po-lice annually. It is not surprising considering the vast number of womb who are abused by their significant others. Domestic abuse is a hard pill to swallow, it is a complex issue that plagues a society. Neither parties are likely to come forth with the traumaticRead MorePolice Discretion1548 Words à |à 7 PagesPolice Discretion David Gonzalez University of Phoenix Introduction to Policing CJA/370 Professor John W. Feltgen June 23, 2005 Abstract In this paper I will discuss police discretion and the use of these discretionary powers in the law enforcement workplace. I will explore the mythical aspects of police discretionary powers and the source of this myth. I will further discuss the control of discretionary authority. I will name instances of law enforcement officials using their discretionary powers
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Meditation Free Essays
Meditation is believed to have originated from the followers of Buddhism.à Buddhist teaching of Nirvana or the end of suffering may be attained by cultivating within oneself the values of morality, mindfulness and wisdom.à The means to Mindfulness is through Meditation, the ancient Buddhist ritual. We will write a custom essay sample on Meditation or any similar topic only for you Order Now Meditation has been with the world for thousands of years.à It has evolved from its spiritual origin and is practiced today for health, therapeutic and wellness reasons as well.à They have several techniques like, Breathing, Transforming, and Transcendental.à à The basic components that must be present in meditation are:à a quiet place, a relaxed posture, deep concentration, and open mind. Apart from the religious relevance of Meditation, it also has its practical importance in our modern and daily existence.à à Life these days can be so rushed.à Most of the time, our energy is sapped and we are over-fatigued.à We work more, relax less.à Our health can be negatively affected.à If we stop for a few minutes and do Breathing Meditation we will calm our nerves and reduce our stress. Meditation helps change mental attitudes.à When our minds are troubled, we are generally unhappy.à With Transforming Meditation we focus on pleasant thoughts and become individuals with peaceful and happy dispositions.à Transforming Meditation is a common spiritual exercise of the Buddhist religion. Worldly concerns fill our minds with worries.à We need to relieve our minds with this mental garbage and unwanted burden.à Then and only then will we truly be liberated and in the process find peace of mind and gladness of heart.à Even if we have the best things in life, these Page 2 3/31/2017 would not necessarily make us happy.à It would be inner calm and quiet that would make for lasting and real joy, even in the most challenged situations.à Such state could be attained if we are trained in the ways of Meditation. Controlling the mind is difficult.à The mind is pliant that it goes with the flow of circumstances.à When everything goes the way we want them to go, then we are pleased.à If it is contrary to how we want things to be, we feel bad.à These things, pleasant and unpleasant, affect our disposition in life.à Our being happy or sad depends on the occurrences in our daily existence.à With Meditation we will learn to control our mind and consequently our heart, the seat of our emotions.à Meditation creates an inner balance in us and it enables us to take both the difficult and smooth times with equanimity. Meditation drives away negative attitudes that cause us misery.à When we resort to meditation as a routine we train our minds to focus on the positive.à This way, we always see the bright side of life. Most wellness clinics promote the practice of Meditation.à Wellness through Meditation relaxes the body, calms the mind and soothes the soul to combat diseases and illness.à Research is also ongoing to find conclusive health benefits of Meditation. à They are optimistic that Mediation may help find cures for certain diseases and medical conditions.à ââ¬Å"Meditation for health purposes is a mind-body practice in complimentary and alternative medicineâ⬠¦..à There are many types of Meditation.à A conscious mental process using certain techniques, such as focusing attention or maintaining a specific posture ââ¬â to suspend the stream of thoughts and relax the mindâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ (NCCAM, 2007). As an alternative and complement to conventional medicine, Meditation may be used to heal mind and body maladies.à Health and medical practitioners study the relationship of manââ¬â¢s brain, mind, body and his behavior and their reactions to each other.à They are hoping to use the mind to influence the other body functions.à Some health problems are caused or associated with the emotional, mental, social, spiritual and behavioral state of the individual.à Examples of these ailments are:à anxiety, pain, depression, low self-esteem, mood swings, stress, insomnia and the physical and emotional pain of heart diseases, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Meditation helps patients handle their medical condition better through awareness and acceptance.à While meditating, a person concentrates on his body experience minus the distractions.à à à The person is allowed to experience the sensation without the deductive reaction.à The body is allowed to calm down, rest and relax. Managing stress, ability to cope, and therapeutic relaxation complement cure for disorders accompanied by pain like arthritis.à In other cases and disorders, prior to surgery, patients are made to undergo relaxation procedures that may lessen pain and shorten recovery time.à Studies continue to find how mind-body interventions may be applied to the psychological part of treating patients with chronic ailments and as well as that in need of palliative care. Meditation is many things to many people, a practice that has been handed down through generations.à It promotes the concept of mind power in combating ailments, in de-stressing, in enhancing oneââ¬â¢s spirituality, conquering pain, training the mind and heart to things positive, and self-healing.à The benefits of meditation extend from the spiritual, mental, psychological to the physical circumstances of people.à They have calm, happy, positive and healthy outlook in life. Generally, meditators were transformed and have transcended. References Dharma. (2007). Meditation and Mental Culture.à Retrieved September 9, 2007 Dharma. (2007). The Noble Eight-fold Path.à Retrieved September 9, 2007 from http://dharma.nef.ca/introduction/truths/NobleTruth-4html How to Meditate.Org. (2002-2003). How to Meditate.à Retrieved September 9, 2007 from http://www.how-to-meditate.org/ NCCAM. (2007, August 22). Meditation.à Retrieved September 9, 2007 from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/ NCCAM. (2007, August 3). Meditation for Health Purposes. Retrieved September 9, 2007 from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm NCCAM. (2007, July 13). Mind-Body Medicine: An Overview. Retrieved September 9, 2007 from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/backgrounds/mindbody.htm à à à How to cite Meditation, Essay examples
Meditation Free Essays
Meditation is believed to have originated from the followers of Buddhism.à Buddhist teaching of Nirvana or the end of suffering may be attained by cultivating within oneself the values of morality, mindfulness and wisdom.à The means to Mindfulness is through Meditation, the ancient Buddhist ritual. We will write a custom essay sample on Meditation or any similar topic only for you Order Now Meditation has been with the world for thousands of years.à It has evolved from its spiritual origin and is practiced today for health, therapeutic and wellness reasons as well.à They have several techniques like, Breathing, Transforming, and Transcendental.à à The basic components that must be present in meditation are:à a quiet place, a relaxed posture, deep concentration, and open mind. Apart from the religious relevance of Meditation, it also has its practical importance in our modern and daily existence.à à Life these days can be so rushed.à Most of the time, our energy is sapped and we are over-fatigued.à We work more, relax less.à Our health can be negatively affected.à If we stop for a few minutes and do Breathing Meditation we will calm our nerves and reduce our stress. Meditation helps change mental attitudes.à When our minds are troubled, we are generally unhappy.à With Transforming Meditation we focus on pleasant thoughts and become individuals with peaceful and happy dispositions.à Transforming Meditation is a common spiritual exercise of the Buddhist religion. Worldly concerns fill our minds with worries.à We need to relieve our minds with this mental garbage and unwanted burden.à Then and only then will we truly be liberated and in the process find peace of mind and gladness of heart.à Even if we have the best things in life, these Page 2 3/31/2017 would not necessarily make us happy.à It would be inner calm and quiet that would make for lasting and real joy, even in the most challenged situations.à Such state could be attained if we are trained in the ways of Meditation. Controlling the mind is difficult.à The mind is pliant that it goes with the flow of circumstances.à When everything goes the way we want them to go, then we are pleased.à If it is contrary to how we want things to be, we feel bad.à These things, pleasant and unpleasant, affect our disposition in life.à Our being happy or sad depends on the occurrences in our daily existence.à With Meditation we will learn to control our mind and consequently our heart, the seat of our emotions.à Meditation creates an inner balance in us and it enables us to take both the difficult and smooth times with equanimity. Meditation drives away negative attitudes that cause us misery.à When we resort to meditation as a routine we train our minds to focus on the positive.à This way, we always see the bright side of life. Most wellness clinics promote the practice of Meditation.à Wellness through Meditation relaxes the body, calms the mind and soothes the soul to combat diseases and illness.à Research is also ongoing to find conclusive health benefits of Meditation. à They are optimistic that Mediation may help find cures for certain diseases and medical conditions.à ââ¬Å"Meditation for health purposes is a mind-body practice in complimentary and alternative medicineâ⬠¦..à There are many types of Meditation.à A conscious mental process using certain techniques, such as focusing attention or maintaining a specific posture ââ¬â to suspend the stream of thoughts and relax the mindâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ (NCCAM, 2007). As an alternative and complement to conventional medicine, Meditation may be used to heal mind and body maladies.à Health and medical practitioners study the relationship of manââ¬â¢s brain, mind, body and his behavior and their reactions to each other.à They are hoping to use the mind to influence the other body functions.à Some health problems are caused or associated with the emotional, mental, social, spiritual and behavioral state of the individual.à Examples of these ailments are:à anxiety, pain, depression, low self-esteem, mood swings, stress, insomnia and the physical and emotional pain of heart diseases, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Meditation helps patients handle their medical condition better through awareness and acceptance.à While meditating, a person concentrates on his body experience minus the distractions.à à à The person is allowed to experience the sensation without the deductive reaction.à The body is allowed to calm down, rest and relax. Managing stress, ability to cope, and therapeutic relaxation complement cure for disorders accompanied by pain like arthritis.à In other cases and disorders, prior to surgery, patients are made to undergo relaxation procedures that may lessen pain and shorten recovery time.à Studies continue to find how mind-body interventions may be applied to the psychological part of treating patients with chronic ailments and as well as that in need of palliative care. Meditation is many things to many people, a practice that has been handed down through generations.à It promotes the concept of mind power in combating ailments, in de-stressing, in enhancing oneââ¬â¢s spirituality, conquering pain, training the mind and heart to things positive, and self-healing.à The benefits of meditation extend from the spiritual, mental, psychological to the physical circumstances of people.à They have calm, happy, positive and healthy outlook in life. Generally, meditators were transformed and have transcended. References Dharma. (2007). Meditation and Mental Culture.à Retrieved September 9, 2007 Dharma. (2007). The Noble Eight-fold Path.à Retrieved September 9, 2007 from http://dharma.nef.ca/introduction/truths/NobleTruth-4html How to Meditate.Org. (2002-2003). How to Meditate.à Retrieved September 9, 2007 from http://www.how-to-meditate.org/ NCCAM. (2007, August 22). Meditation.à Retrieved September 9, 2007 from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/ NCCAM. (2007, August 3). Meditation for Health Purposes. Retrieved September 9, 2007 from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm NCCAM. (2007, July 13). Mind-Body Medicine: An Overview. Retrieved September 9, 2007 from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/backgrounds/mindbody.htm à à à How to cite Meditation, Essay examples
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Biblical World View free essay sample
Genesis chapters 1-11 depicts four great events that explains the creation of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. The creation and the fall of man. It explains how sin enters into human nature and man loses his relationship with the creator. It tells how God judges man because of sin, although sending a great flood to destroy His creation, He preserves a remnant because of His compassion for what He had created. In this essay I will explain my worldview on how these events have impacted the natural world, human identity, human relationships and civilization. Chapter one of Genesis tells us that the earth and all that is in it exist because God said ââ¬Å"let there beâ⬠¦. â⬠The earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the fish in the ocean, the animals on the land, the birds in the air, even down to the creepy crawling things God said ââ¬Å"let there beâ⬠. We will write a custom essay sample on Biblical World View or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Then it tells us that God created man in His own image and gave him also a help mate and gave them dominion over all that He had created. The author tells us that God did all this in six days, and on the seventh day He rested and reviewed all His work and declared it to be good! As I look around and notice all the trees, the flowers, beaches, oceans, watch a sunset or the rising of a full moon, all the things nature has to offer, I must agree with God that it is good. In fact, as I look around me the explanation given in Genesis chapter one is the only one that makes sense. The Holy Spirit within me confirms this explanation. The author says that God made man in His own image. That means I am somewhat intelligent and a big bang theory or theory of evolution insults the intelligence that God has ingrained in me as a part of Himself. God has given us so much of Himself and we have allowed the enemy(satin) to deceive us to the point we are lost even with the specific instruction manual that God has given us. Chapter three of Genesis tells the fall of man from the grace of God because he was deceived by the serpent(satin) who knew that God had created man in His likeness and that meant he had free will to make choices and decisions. They were deceived by the twisting of Godââ¬â¢s words and straight out bold face lies. They got played like monopoly with false dreams and hopes being tempted by the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. The same way we are tempted to this day. God gave Adam and Eve specific instructions when He placed them in the garden, ââ¬Å"do not touch the tree in the middle of the garden lest you dieâ⬠. The serpent twists Godââ¬â¢s words and tells them ââ¬Å"you will not surely die, but become like Himâ⬠. He shows them how beautiful the fruit was (probably a big red juicy Georgia peach just ripe for the picking)lust of the eyes, he tells them how the fruit of the tree will make them wise(you want to be like God donââ¬â¢t you? )lust of the flesh, He does not want you to be like Him the pride of life. As I look at my own life everything that has kept me out of the will of God has been centered on this method of temptation. If it looked good I wanted it(lust of the eyes), if it felt good I did it(lust of the flesh), and there was nobody who could tell me I could not have it(pride of life). It is this very nature of sin that makes us not want to be told what we can and cannot do. It has been manââ¬â¢s downfall since the Garden of Eden. God confronts Adam and Eve about this choice of disobedience and they played the blame game because now they were wise and they knew what guilt and shame felt like. Adam blames the woman who You gave to be with me(ultimately he was blaming God), Eve blames the serpent for deceiving her. Whenever trouble arises everyone always looks for someone else to blame. It causes people to lose their jobs. It causes marriages and families to breakup. Wars are started and people even lose their lives playing the blame game. The same guilt, shame and fear that Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden of Eden has been passed down to every generation since. God dealt harshly with Adam and Eve casting them from the garden and imposing punishment on them and their descendants indefinitely. Because that sin would be passed down through their offspring man progressively became more and more sinful to the point Genesis 6:5 says Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. It goes on in verse 6 to say that The LORD was sorry that He had made man. He then made a decision to destroy His creation. But there was one that had found favor with God. Gen. 6:9 says Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. God has great compassion for His creation, in fact John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. God spared Noah and his family to preserve the creation that He loved. After the flood God blessed Noah and said be fruitful and replenish the earth. He made a covenant with Noah that never again would He send the floods to destroy the earth. But in preserving Noah He also preserved the sin nature that had been passed down from Adam and Eve. God knows this and He puts stumbling blocks in our paths to slow us down as did He to the people of Babel confusing their languages and scattering them over the earth so that they could not be so quick to conspire together against the will of God. Genesis 1-11 teaches us who we are, how we came to be and whose we are. It teaches us who God is and what He expects from us. Micah 6:8 says, He has told you O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God. It also teaches us who the real enemy is and shows us his intent, the weapons that he uses and the end result. I am convinced in my mind and in my heart that if there were no consequence for sin and we could do what we wanted with no one telling us what we can and cannot do, we would not have atheist in the world. He shows us this in His word and in our hearts. The people want to have a god, but not one who has rules and punishment for disobedience. The lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life refuses to let us be completely obedient to a loving God that is just and sovereign.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
East Of Eden Book/Movie Comparison Essays - East Of Eden
East Of Eden Book/Movie Comparison East of Eden: Book / Movie Explanation John Steinbeck's epic tale, East of Eden, is portrayed very accurately in Elia Kazan's film adaptation of the novel. Though the screen adaptation of East of Eden is an excellent portrayal, one of the most probable reasons for deleting sections of the book were constraints of time and money. Apparently the director's choices to delete certain sections of the book obviously did not affect the movie or the book's plot line too greatly. The director most probably felt that the backgrounds of Adam or Kate were not necessary since in this movie the main theme circulated around Cal and Aron's fight to win their father's love and attention. Elia Kazan probably also felt that the role of Lee, Samuel Hamilton, and other supporting characters were not essential to the screenplay. I do think that the director should have added a little insight and background to Adam's family such as his feeling of respect and not love toward his father Cyrus and, like his own son's situation, his brother, Charles', jealousy over his father's affection. The last moments of the movie sum up and bring all the emotional conflicts of this dysfunctional family to a heads in climatic and dramatic fashion. Cal believes that he will finally aquire the love, appreciation and respect that he has craved for from his father, through his gift of money. His father's rejection only serves to convince him that further attempts to gain his father's approval are futile and that he truly must be evil as everyone suspects. His brother's rejection confirms his decision and he reacts by revealing his mother's identity to his brother Aron. Aron subsequently enlists in the armed forces and is killed in Europe. Crushed by his favorite son's death, Adam suffers a stroke and is rendered comatose. In this passive state Cal is finally free to care for his father without fear of rejection. As in most cases a movie adaptation of a novel is never really as good as the book, especially a book that is considered an epic and written by an author with such a high caliber as Steinbeck, but this is one of the few examples where there is an excellent effort and portrayal of all of the characters and of the central theme of the book. Supporting characters such as Lee, Sam Hamilton, Charles, and other background information would only have enhanced the film but were not essential. Book Reports
Friday, March 6, 2020
Most Notable Women Lawyer
Most Notable Women Lawyer Erika Riggs Named ââ¬Å"Notable Women Lawyer in Michiganâ⬠We are excited to let you know that our very own Erika Riggs has been named a Notable Women Lawyer in Michigan. Erika works hard every day to fight for those in need of Social Security Disability Benefits and Veterans Disability Benefits.Erika founded the 313 Project, which is a non-profit dedicated to public service, mentorship and scholarships for at risk youth throughout Michigan. She volunteers regularly as a mediator in Macomb County where she oversees a wide-range of disputes.She is extremely passionate about her work and is committed to helping others. Whether she is volunteering as a mediator, supporting local non-profits, mentoring students or overseeing the 313 Project, she is always helping others.Notable Women Lawyers in Michigan is a feature in Crainââ¬â¢s Detroit Business magazine profiling leading female lawyers in their workplaces and the community.Keep an eye out for the 2017 publication of the Notable Women Lawyers in Michigan on December 11th.Congratulations aga in Erika, we are so proud of you!Disability Attorneys of Michigan. Compassionate Excellence.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
The First Arab-Israeli War and the Palestinian Refugee Problem Essay
The First Arab-Israeli War and the Palestinian Refugee Problem - Essay Example After American abandonment of Israel, a Jewish state in the midst of Arab and Palestinian enemies, I agree with you in claiming it was inevitable for Israel to militarize in order to realize and sustain their interests in the Middle East. Finally, even though Israel had to militarize fast, the motive of partitioning remains unknown, and I agree when you claim the war resulted from a multiplicity of factors at local, national, and international levels. For many years, the Middle East has been a region of frequent conflicts, and even today violence beginning with the Arab revolution spread throughout the region with unimaginable consequences of their social, political, economic, and cultural organization. Many wars in the Middle East could be avoided, but local, national, regional and international interests make war inevitable, and I agree when you employ this applies to the first Arab-Israeli War. It is true Palestinians were ill prepared for the war and these questions the motives for the war. I believe the war resulted from differences between Britain and America over the fate of the Middle East. Considering the arms embargo, Americaââ¬â¢s abandonment of Israel, and disunity between Arab countries about the Palestinian crisis, I agree when you claim Britain, America, and Arab countries were concerned about gaining territorial possessions than they were about the crisis in Palestine. Therefore, the fate of Palestine was influe nced by the interplay between various factors.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
A preliminary analysis of a Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
A preliminary analysis of a - Essay Example (Leon C. Metz, 1993) El Paso stands on the Rio Grande over the outskirt from Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The two urban areas, plus Las Cruces, structure a joined global metropolitan territory, in some cases alluded as the El Paso Juarez Las Cruces, with in excess of 2.7 million individuals. The El Paso Juarez locale is the biggest bilingual, binational work compel in the Western continent. History of Elpaso El Paso County was secured in March 1850, with San Elizario as the first district. After the Civil War's decision, the town's populace started to develop as Texans proceeded to move into the villages and soon turned into the larger part. Mining and different businesses slowly advanced in the zone. The El Paso and Northeastern Railway was sanctioned in 1897, to help remove the characteristic assets of encompassing territories, particularly in southeastern New Mexico Territory. The 1920s and 1930s saw the rise of real business advancement in the city. The Depression period in general hit the city hard, and El Paso's populace declined through the closure of the Second World War with the vast majority of populace misfortunes originating from the white neighborhood. Regardless, whites remained the larger part to the 1940s. Immigration As far as movement, the climbing entrances of legitimate and illicit settler laborers and suburbanite specialists from Mexico add to work energy development and further weaken abilities levels. About 43 percent of El Paso County's populace development between 1970 and 1990 stemmed from universal relocation, helping at any rate an extra 50,000 specialists to the work power. Worker laborers added an alternate 20,000 to 25,000. A key figure in the city's surpluses of low aptitudes and low laborer desires has been the dangerous development of the work energy. A 3.4 percent twelve-month development between 1974 and 1990. Double the national rate, this development came up from conditions like those working in Mexico in the meantime: fast p opulace development, swollen associates arriving at working age, and higher support rates around Hispanic ladies. Breaking this cycle will be troublesome. The intensely Hispanic outskirt environment abates the move to English and obstructs osmosis. Their nonstop increase into the under-financed state funded schools disengages English-insufficient Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, blocking quick cultural assimilation and quality training. Mexico's blasting work power will proceed to break into US fringe work markets. El Paso must enhance instruction and work preparing abilities and work to draw in higher esteem included commercial enterprises. In the interim, the city and area must do what it can to abate the expansion in low-ability laborers and press Washington for better authorization at the fringe and against managements of ineligible outsiders. Schools Regarding schools, El Paso is home to the University of Texas at El Paso, the biggest state funded college in the district. It was as of late stacked up as the seventh best school in Washington Monthly's 2013 National University Rankings, just behind Stanford and in front of Harvard. Likewise, the college's School of Engineering is the country's top maker of Hispanic designers with advanced degrees. The El Paso region people essential go to state funded schools in four school areas, El Paso Independent School District, Ysleta Independent,
Monday, January 27, 2020
Development Of Psychological Thought In The Philippines
Development Of Psychological Thought In The Philippines If people lived in total isolation from other people, there would be no reason to study the effect that other people have on the behavior of individuals and groups. But human beings are social creatures. We live with others, work and play with others. We as Filipinos are full of extraordinary but amusing traits and attitudes. Filipinos love interaction and relationship within the society that is why we and the society are one. It is important because it is about us, the Filipinos. The way we influence, think and influence others. Secondly, it can help in educating and providing awareness in understanding the nature of people and experience. Thirdly, problems that we are facing nowadays such as societal problems, can be solved purely but this requires shift in human behavior. Lastly, it is important because it aims to deconstruct the Filipino minds way of thinking. It will serve as an eye opener for each and every Filipino. We personally expect that through this study we can understand the nature and causes of Filipino social behavior. The objectives of this paper are to know what gave rise to this field particularly its history? What are the concepts of social psychology associated with our daily life and what are its applications in the Filipinos. The scope and limitation of this study is within the context of the Philippines but some concepts were adapted from the West. It started during the 1980s. In the context of Philippine colonial education, Filipinos believe that scientific psychology came from the West. Murray Bartlett, an American established undergraduate psychology courses in the College of Education, University of the Philippines. American textbooks and English language were used as the medium of instruction. The good thing here is that literary writing was in Filipino language that was in dominance. Francis Burton Harrisons policy of attraction was also introduced during this time.à [1]à Early American Psychology in the Philippines and the colonial culture on Philippine Psychology was because of Agustin Alonzo. The Filipino term psicologia was already a part of laymans vocabulary.The works of del Pilar, Jacinto and Pardo de Tavera were rich sources of psychological theories even though they were propagandists and not psychologists. Even Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo mentioned the term Psicologos del verbo Tagalog in his speech. They were not title holders in Psychology but they still have this innate nature. The English language and the American system of Education were the instruments used. During the twenties American psychology teachers were replaced by Filipinos.à [2]à The Philippine objection to uncritical importation of Americans Psychological models challenged some of the Filipinos. The first attempt was done by Sinsiforo Padilla who took over from Alonzos position as a chairman at the University of the Philippines. Nevertheless, it was his colleague Manuel Carreon who took the cudgels for appropriate relevant psychological testing. On 1926 the Philippine Studies in Mental Measurement was published.Some understood part of Carreons message were modified to fit the Philippine context. change-apples-to-bananasà [3]à 3 Isidoro Panlasigui identified the new culture of Psychology. The third generation of American brainwashed Filipino psychologists like Panlasigui. Due to this, Panlasigui admires America and it was clearly showed when he wrote about the psychology of the Filipino as he fought for the colonial language to be used. Alfredo V. Lagmay and his colleagues were sent to the United States not to neutralize the department. During that time, the Department of Psychology in the University of the Philippines was part of the College of Education. It was him to transferred it to the College of Liberal Arts. The U.P Department of Psychology was perceived as behavioral orientation form the 50s up to early 70s. His students continued some remarkable and significant studies in the field.à [4]à The History and Lines of Filiations in Philippine Psychological Thought Psychology-Academic This aspect of psychology became part of university curriculum under Francisco Benitez during 1922. It was first taught in the University of the Philippines as a part of the education curriculum. During the year of 1954, Joseph Goertz established the Department of Psychology and used English as the medium of teaching. On the other hand, in the midst of its growth in Manila this discipline was also introduced as a course in the University of St. Louis in Cordillera. It was facilitated by Fr. Evarist Louis a missionary priest.à [5]à Psychology-Academic Philosophy However, Psychology-Academic Philosophy was established first at University of Sto. Tomas by Spaniards and improved by the Jesuits. This aspect was older than the aspect mentioned before. It started and founded in many universities like UST (University of Sto. Tomas) and other Spanish institutions like San Ignacio and San Jose. In such institutions the medical and philosophy courses started. The ideas and written records on that time were seen to be related to Psychology. In a deeper analysis those can contain the way of life before. It includes the language , how the indio perceive the concept of self ,its criticisms and the activities of the ancient civilization. 4Ethnic Psychology The third aspect of Psychology known as Ethnic Psychology. It originates from the Filipinos and through the influence of other countries. It is not only older but also much complicated compared to the previous aspects. It has many strands to be entangled and one of those is the psychology that came from the Filipinos themselves. An indigenous psychology that is owned or influenced by other countries. The language is a cone attributing factor especially those activities that can show the collective experiences of Filipinos.à [6]à Social Psychology The study of Social Psychology is defined as a systematic study of the nature and causes of human social behavior. Primarily, its concern is about human social behavior. It includes a lot of matters regarding the individuals impact on other people, the processes of social interaction and the relationship that exist between individuals in the society. It is not just concerned with the nature of social behavior but also with its causes. It relies on methodologies, findings, experiments and surveys. In asking what the study is all about its 4 main concerns were also considered as a means of knowing it clearly. Basically it is about the impact that one individual has on another, the impact that a group has on its members then vice versa and the impact of a group to another group. In the context of the discipline in a working definition. Psychologists focus their attention in understanding the behavior of individuals within the context of society. It is primarily concerned with the understanding of the how and why individuals behave, think and feel as the way they do. In dealing with behavior we mean feelings and thoughts as well as overt actions. Consequently, it is defined as a scientific study of how a persons behavior, thoughts and feelings are influenced by several factors that can be real or imagined in the form or the presence of others. The field looks at behavior and mental processes including the social world in which we exist, as we are surrounded by other whom we are connected and by whom we are influenced in so many ways. It focuses on influence.à [7]à 5An interview from Ms. Leslee Natividad from the Department of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines, Los BaÃââ⬠os First we have to define first what Social Psychology is soà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦Social Psychology is the study of how individuals affect the society and how the society is affecting the individual .If were going to relate Filipino into that on how the Filipino is affected by the society that we have here in the Philippines and maybe in the world in general. Now the world and the Philippine society affect the Filipino individual. As a person, everything that we are experiencing around us. Things that we are seeing, things that we are hearing, things that are affecting each and every moment of our lives that is part of Filipino Social Psychology. All of our behavior is shaped by the kinds of experiences that we have.à [8]à 3 Main Areas of Social Psychology Social Influence It is the way in which other people affect our behavior. It is a process through which the presence of others can directly or indirectly influence an individual. These are ways in which other people affect our behaviors through thoughts and actions. How we are raised by certain people to whom we interact can affect our behavior. It varies with Conformity, Compliance and Obedience. Social Cognition It is defined as the ways how people thinks about other people and how they act toward other individuals. It varies because of attitudes which consist of the way a person feels and thinks as well a person behaves. Impression formation is also a part of cognition which is forming the first knowledge or judgment about a person seen for the first time. Attribution is the process of explaining self behavior or others. They use this to make sense of the social world through mental processes.à [9]à 6 What was once called the objective world is a sort of Rorschach ink blot, into which each culture, lack system of science and religion, each type of personality, reads a meaning only remotely derived from the shape and color of the blot itself.à [10]à Social Interaction It is a way of knowing the positive and negative aspects of behavior. It is the area of Social Psychology which involves interaction and relationship between people. It includes prejudice which happens when an individual holds an unsupported and negative attitude towards other members of the society. It also varies with discrimination as treating people differently because of prejudice. Liking and loving, aggression were also developed here.à [11]à The liking and loving in our society known as interpersonal attraction is widely observed. Each one of us is attracted to some personalities in our society. It can be influenced and proved by the similarities, position, physical appearance and familiarity of both sexesà [12]à . According to psychologists they have identified three types of aggression. Firstly, is the Person-oriented aggression wherein the main goal is intentionally hurt someone. Secondly, is Pro active aggression when an aggressive behavior is done to achieve some desired outcome like gaining possession of an object. Lastly, is Reactive aggression is the reaction of an individual to an aggressive act.à [13]à In a positive way one of the best examples of pro social behavior is Altruism. It is a helping behavior that is costly to an altruistic person. It is a desire to help even there no 7 possible reward. It is always expected to depend on empathy. Empathy is the ability to share emotions and understand another person.à [14]à The Bases of Filipino Psychology Primarily, Prior knowledge of Psychology was the first basis of Filipinos for it involves important parts of Filipino Social Psychology. The knowledge of psychology Babaylan or Catalonan for the native Filipino people was an important part of Filipino Psychology. The Babaylan was the first Filipino psychologists. Aside from this were the prayers and whispers of various ethnic groups in the Philippines. Those were rich sources and stream of Filipinos prior knowledge of Psychology. We were also used in the psychology of the Filipino literature, even if it was expressed in oral or written way. It includes proverbs, stories and legends. The values and attitudes that Filipinos inherited were significant bases of Psychology. It includes most of Ethnic Psychology.à [15]à Man and his Thoughts The second is the basis of man and his thoughts and it denotes giving importance to man and his or her ideas. This is where Filipino Psychology and Psychology in the Philippines met. Filipino psychology was a part and always been a part of the worlds psychology. This basis has a clear influence of rational psychology that has been developed and improved in the University of Sto. Tomas. This was considered as traditional philosophy rooted in the ideas of Descartes and written works of Aristotle. Psychology is an aspect of Filipino Psychology as an academic discipline in some universities in the Philippines.à [16]à Period of changing mind It was the third basis because it is associated with Filipino personality. There were a lot of bases seen in this period. Particularly, this basis was evident in the written works of some Filipino writers like Pedro Serrano Laktaw and Isabelo delos Reyes. Even before the psychology of language was seen in written outputs produced by Filipinos. It somehow showed the shallow orientation of Filipino in terms of experiences in researching and conducting studies. Filipinos should not dampen their spirits instead they should hope for some improvements. 8Period of giving value to societal problems The time of giving importance to societal problems was the fourth basis because this serves as a witness of the society. Hartendorp is one of the American psychologists who become interested in our Psychology. The theory of Osias in 1940 is about the relation of language to the society and in connection of the knowledge of paralanguage in the actions of the individuals. However, his period is also the time of some Filipino psychologists. In such a way Filipino Psychology have this sure basis and it includes the works of Isidoro Panlasigui, Sinsiforo Padilla and Alfredo Lagmay who all gave importance to the acts and capabilities of an individual.à [17]à Societal problems Problems in the society were the fifth bases because it gave value for improvement and development. Aldaba- Lim is known for giving high value in societal problems. He often encourages Filipino psychologists to listen to the problems of the society. All doubts in his dedication will vanished if a person will examine all his efforts and contribution in some of his researches in Psychology. The period of Activism served as a witness of this basis. Language, culture and Point of view Language, culture and Point of view were the sixth bases because it is the most fundamental of all bases.Filipino language and dialect is very significant because it is a witness in the many studies conducted and translated into foreign language. The field must still use medium, system and ways to guarantee the wide scope of study. Regarding culture there are none or very few Filipinos who still doubt about the language and culture of the Philippines. According to some professors and psychologists there was this acquiescence effect in the can be seen in a scale used and answered by Filipinos. The American perspective was used in analyzing this. It must be done primarily in a Filipino oriented point of view.à [18]à 9 The Concept of Language The concept of local language as a source of concept for Filipinos is a helpful tool because it gives a clear connection to their culture. Language is not just one effective way of communication but also a rich source of information. It is an affluent basis for the better understanding and orientation of culture. It is suggested to formulate a certain Filipino concept from the broader and wider scope it has. Language is the primary source in the study of Social Psychology of Filipinos. The native language is a rich source of concepts meaningful for and significant to the local culture. As a source of insight, some concepts were proven to be important in understanding the Filipino personality, worldview and behavior. Some of those were the concepts of hiya(shame), utang na loob(debt of gratitude) , pakikisama(yielding to the will of the leader or the majority, bahala na (fatalism) and amor propio (sensitivity to personal affront) which even some American psychologists attempted to study those. It still preferable to use the language as a main resource.à [19]à The Concept of Kapwa The concept of kapwa in Filipinos is an important aspect of Filipino social life. Kapwa is reflected because interaction among other individuals especially in the Philippines is an essential aspect of social life. Language reveals a lot about Filipino nature. For this reason, social interaction should be an evocative core of analysis in the process of classifying the concept of kapwa. The Filipino language in this notch, gives a conceptual division in several levels and modes of social interaction. Santiago and Enriquez identified eight in Filipino. 100The Levels of Interaction Interaction of Filipinos were categorized into levels namely pakikitungo (transaction/civility with), pakikisalamuha (inter-action with), pakikilahok (joining/participating), pakikibagay (in- conformity with/ in- accord with), pakikisama (being along with), pakikipagpalagayan/pakikipagmalagayang-loob (being in rapport), pakikisangkot (getting involved) and pakikiisa (being one with).à [20]à The concept of Kapwa as a shared inner self turns out to be very essential psychologically and philosophically speaking. While pagtutunguhan (dealing with/acting toward) is another term which can be used to refer to all levels of interaction. Besides, pagtutunguhan also connotes the most superficial level of interaction: the level of amenities while pakikipagkapwa refers to humanness at its highest levelà [21]à On the other hand aside from the concept of kapwa According to Russell, In 1922 there were several explanations in essay forms about the high Filipino Self Concept. One of the most ordinary is it being the character of race as Filipinos got from the Malays. In 1965 Fox said that this is a trait of Filipino culture that is paid to be in the social context because of its fortitude to produce close family ties. .à [22]à The Concept of Human Interaction The concept of Human Interaction includes the distinction between (Pakikisama or Pakikipagkapwa?) It is an essential part because it is very consistent in Filipinos. Aside from the good sides of interaction, previous work on Philippine values pointed our three evil characters in Philippine interpersonal relations. These are the walang pakisama (one inept at the level of adjustment); the walang hiya, (one who lacks a sense of propriety and the walang utang na loob, (one who lacks adeptness in reciprocating by way of gratitude. 110 11 In a deeper analysis some studies were conducted, It was argued that pakikipagkapwa is more important for Filipinos. In the Philippines we usually gave more importance to pakikipagkapwa than pakikisama. We probably want a person without pakikisama than a person without kapwa tao. Pakikipagkapwa is really important.It includes all the other mentioned modes and levels of interaction. In fact pakikisalamuha is even closer than pakikisama in meaning to pakikipagkapwa.à [23]à Application of Filipino Social Psychology Filipino Culture The Social, Cultural and Ideational dimensions are diverse into aspects which were exhibited by Filipinos. The study of the customs and beliefs of Filipinos serves as a function of social and economic dimension of Filipino culture. The Philippine culture is such very rich. It was very evident in the following ways. In courtship and marriage most of the Filipinos regard this as a process of love as a parental affair. The marriage is the family affair which is measured as a success based on the number of children. Filipinos also believe in Babaylans and Catalonan which were said to posses supernatural powers to supplicate God. They were also fond of charms and they believe that when they perform their rites particularly on the Good Friday they will gain magical powers like anting-anting, lucky cards, stones and other stuffs. As a part of their social life they celebrate feasts to commemorate important events like Fiestas, Holy Week, New Year, Christmas and etc. It really played an ess ential role in the economic security and social solidarity of Filipinos. They are also known for their superstitious beliefs which are greatly connected to their rituals and ceremonies. In connection to supernatural beings they follow these beliefs to avoid bad luck. It was seen in birth, illness and death which control the psyche of Filipinos. In religion when Christianity was introduced by Spaniards, it became a driving force to the life of the Filipinos. They were also thoughtful especially when someone is sick and in need. They are afraid of what other people might say. Some of their practices include giving dowry, carrying of guns, choice of padrino and carrying bow and arrows, sibat and kris. During the time of our ethnic groups laws were also made with regards to property ownership an settling arguments.à [24]à 12 Filipino Family The study of Filipino Family is valuable because they value family relationship. They have this behavior of close family ties. In an article written by Carlos P. Romulo entitled What Filipinos have Done and are Doing to the Family, The family will remain and prevail in spite of world cynicism and anxiety. The tradition must be preserved even in these modern times. He pointed out that this is one of the many serious challenges our society must face today. The people must also focus on improving and giving concern with our family life. It deserves the same amount of concern just like other sciences. The study of Phenomenology of the Filipino Family states that In Philippine society, the family is the dominating influence with its value of socio-economic security. This value leads to an individualistic attitude towards ones family which is manifested in doubt of hope, lack of commitment or lack of social awareness. The Future of Philippine Culture The future of Philippine culture is still questionable. The Philippine culture is still standing despite some changes imposed and caused by colonizers. Is there a Filipino Psychology? Due to reason of great confusion of racial heritages, Filipino nation is full of differences and intertwined particular observances, creeds and traditions dominant in native groups. The making of a credible treatise on Filipino Psychology will require lots of analytic research. Any scholar who will try must sort out individual as well as social traits. Particularly, the native, dominantly native but colored by foreign influences and dominantly foreign adapted traits. It is not yet finished because the source and influence must be differentiated.à [25]à 13Marginalization of Filipino Identity The hiding and denigrating of Filipino identity and values was sarcastically introduced by thanking Gov. Claveria who was the one who imposed in giving Filipinos surnames. In such a way the personality of Filipino was concealed in his very name. Felipe de Leon examined the way Filipino names describe the people and how names can hide Filipino identity. The disparagement of Filipino personality is continued and taught in schools reinforced by media. Remember the legend of Juan Tamad, the concept of Filipino time, Manna habit, to talangka /crab mentality and even innate criminality and distortion of Filipino squatters, barkadas, stupid yayas, maids and drivers. The Americans assumed that Filipinos were ethically mediocre and they should be educated in an American way because of their indolence.à [26]à Marginalization of Filipino Literature Marginalization of Filipino Literature was realized because of the concept that Filipinos did not have a body of literature which is not true. Filipinos might really be fortunate if they can escape the disparaging remark that Filipinos do not have an indigenous body of literature. The mere fact is that Filipinos have it. Similarly, they have written literature and unwritten oral tradition. Filipinos also enjoy not published outputs, but no less real and valid. A sense of psychological tradition apart from a published psychological literature. 14Marginalization of Filipino Theatre and Film Marginalization of Filipino Theatre and Film is done by being refused as the world second big producer of film. The success of Filipino cinema and its influence on Philippine life and culture are grossly underestimated. The colonial responsiveness of the elite refuses to recognize the Philippines as the worlds second big producer of films. They cannot detain how a Tagalog movie can hold its own even against the most known popular grossed movies from Hollywood. They tremble in disbelief when confronted with the box office record of the original and authentic Rambo in person of Fernando Poe Jr.à [27]à The generalization goes like this. We as Filipinos are thus faced with the questions about the mystery of our identity but through the study of Filipino Social Psychology we can unravel those. The study as a summary proves one thing and only one thing and that is the fact that even before, Filipinos have a rich culture and tradition. We have own knowledge and system but during the time of the colonizers they blot out all the memories of our cherished identity. Nowadays, the Filipino concepts of Language, Kapwa and Human Interaction can be used as a means to improve better human relationship. The Application of Filipino Social Psychology is truly a reflection of what we are right now as Filipinos. It can be seen in the Social, Ideal and Cultural dimensions that we Filipinos are actually creating and improving from our history up to the contemporary period. The Filipino identity is marginalized but as long as we have this study to guide us it will 15 always make a point about Filipinos way of life that will lineate our past to our present and even to our future. This study can be a means in forging development. Development is not just concerned about progress. The logic must be it is about the Filipino people and for the Filipino people. Through, the help of this study we will become aware of the nature and causes of our attitude and behavior. The problems that our country is currently facing can be solved purely by different ways but it requires shift in human behavior. Therefore, we must inculcate positive Filipino traits and values perhaps change the negative ones. In the end, it is not only us who will outlive the legacy of Filipino Social Psychology but even our children of tomorrow. Changes may occur but it will always remind us of who, what, when and where we are today as Filipinos.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Masculinity in the Philippines Essay
In the imperial age, the military shaped society to suit its peculiar needs. Modem armies are complex, costly institutions that must ramify widely to mobilize the vast human and material resources their operations require. Since the armed forces demand the absolute obedience and, at times, the lives of ordinary males, the state often forms, or reforms, societyââ¬â¢s culture and ideology to make military service a moral imperative. In the cultural encounter that was empire, colonial armies proved as surprisingly potent agents of social change, introducing a major Western institution, with imbedded values, in a forceful, almost irresistible, manner. As powerful, intrusive institutions, modem armies transformed cultures and shaped gender identities, fostering rhetoric and imagery whose influence has persisted long after colonial rule. Above all, these armies, colonial and national, propagated a culture, nay a cult of masculinity. Recent historical research has explored the ways that rising European states reconstructed gender roles to support military mobilization. To prepare males for militaryà service, European nations constructed a stereotype of men as courageous and women as affirming, worthy prizes of manly males. In its genius, the modem state-through its powerful propaganda tools of education, literature, and media-appropriated the near-universal folk ritual of male initiation to make military service synonymous with the passage to manhood. Not only did mass conscription produce soldiers, it also shaped gender roles in the whole of society. Modern warfare, as it developed in Europe, was the mother of a new masculinity propagated globally in an age of empire through colonial armies, boysââ¬â¢ schools, and youth movements. As a colony of Spain and America, the Philippines felt these global cultural currents and provides an apt terrain for exploration of thisà militarized masculinity. Like the other colonial states of Asia and Africa, both powers controlled their Philippine colony with native troops led by European officers, an implicit denigration of the manliness of elite Filipino males. For the all-male electorate of the American era, Filipino nationahm thus came to mean not only independence but, of equal importance, liberation from colonial emasculation. Over time, a cultural dialectic of the colonial and national produced a synthesis with symbolism and social roles marked by an extreme gender dimorphism. When Filipino leaders finally began building a national army in the 1930s, they borrowed the European standard of military masculinity with all its inbuilt biases. By exempting women from conscription and barring them from officerââ¬â¢s training at the Philippine Military Academy, the Commonwealth exaggerated the societyââ¬â¢s male/female polarities. Once set in 1936, these military regulations and their social influence would prove surprisingly persistent and pervasive. It would be nearly thirty years until the armed forces recruited their first women soldiers in 1963; and another thirty years after that before the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) admitted its first female cadets in 1993 (Hilsdon 1995, 48, 51, 89; Duque 1981, vii). If we accept what one historian has called ââ¬Å"the emancipated status of Filipino women in the 19th century,â⬠then the prewar nationalist movement, with its rhetoric of militarism and male empowerment, may have skewed the gender balance within the Philippineà polity. In a Malay society with a legacy of gender equality-bilateral kinship, matrilocal marriage, and gender-neutral pronouns-this aspect of nationalism seems socially retrogressive.ââ¬â¢ Understandably, postwar historians have overlooked this glorification of masculinity and military valor in their sympathetic studies of prewar Filipino nationalism. Nonetheless, mass conscription shaped gender roles in the first half of the 20th century and fostered a rhetoric that pervaded Philippine politics in its second half. In deploying Europeââ¬â¢s cult of masculinity to support mass conscription, the Commonwealth introduced a new element into the countryââ¬â¢s political culture. Indeed, this engendered social order-propagated through conscription, education, and mass media-fostered imagery that would shape Philippine politics at key transitional moments in the latter decades of the 20th century. For well over half the fifty plus years since independence, the Philippines has been ruled by presidents who won office with claims of martial valor and then governed in a military manner. COMMONWEALTH A N D MASCULINITY The Philippine acceptance of this Euro-American model of masculinity provides strong evidence of the paradigmââ¬â¢s power. The successful imposition of this Westernized masculinity, with its extreme gender dimorphism, upon a Malay society with a long history of more balanced roles, makes the Philippines a revealing instance of this global process. Within twenty years, the span of a single generation, mobilization and its propaganda, convinced a people without a tradition of military service to accept conscription and internalize a new standard 1 of manhood. When tested in battle during World War 1, the generation of Filipino officers formed in this mobilization proved willing to fight and die with exceptional courage. Models of Masculinity During the two decades of this extraordinary social experiment, prewar Philippine institutions used two complementary cultural devices to indoctrinate the young into a new gender identity: a mass propaganda of gender dimorphism and a militarized form of male initiation. Among the many schools that participated in this experiment, t w v t h e University of theà Philippines (UP) and, a decade later, the Philippine Military Academy (PMA)-would play a central role as cultural mediators in constructing this new national standard for manhood. To translate a foreign masculine form into a Filipino cultural idiom, the cadet corps at UP and the PMA appropriated local traditions of male initiation, using them as a powerfully effective indoctrination into modem military service. Scholars of the Philippine military have often noted how the ordeal of the first or ââ¬Å"plebeâ⬠year serves to bind the PMAââ¬â¢s graduates into a class or ââ¬Å"batch with an extraordinary solidarity. The half-dozen doctoral dissertations on the Philippine military argue, in the words of a Chicago psychologist who observed the PMA in the mid-1960~~ that cadets form ââ¬Å"lifetime bonds. . . in the crucible of the hazing pro~ess.â⬠~ What is the meaning of this ritual with its extreme violence? Hazing, seemingly a small issue, has embedded within it larger problems of masculinity central to armies everywhere. In fieldwork around the world, anthropologists have discovered the near universality of male i n i t i a t i ~ nAround the globe and across time, many societies view .~ manhood as something that must be earned and thus create rituals toà test and train their adolescent males. Observing these rituals in the remote Highlands of Papua-New Guinea, anthropologist Roger Keesing offers a single, succinct explanation for the prevalence of harsh male initiation: warfare (Keesing 1982,32-34; Herdt 1982,5741). Similarly, at the m a r p s of the modem Philippine state, young men have long been initiated into manhood through ritual testing of their martial valor. In the 20th century, Muslim groups in the south have formed all-male ââ¬Å"minimal alliance groupsâ⬠to engage in ritualized warfare, while the Ilongot highlanders of northern Luzon require boys to pass ââ¬Å"severe tests of manhoodâ⬠by taking ââ¬Å"at least one headâ⬠in combat (Kiefer 1972; Rosaldo 1980, 13940). From an anthropological perspective, hazing becomes the central rite in a passage from boyhood to manhood, civilian to soldier. Filipino plebe and New Guinea adolescent pass through similar initiations to emerge as warriors hardened for battle and bound together for defense of the ir communities (Gennep 1960, vii, 11). Recent historical research has explored the ways that rising European states reconstructed gender roles to support mobilization of modern armies. By marrying anthropologistsââ¬â¢ universals to the historianââ¬â¢s time-bounded specifics, we can see how European nation-states, by making military service an initiation ritual, primed their males for mass slaughter on the modem battlefield. After Britainââ¬â¢s dismal performance in the Crimean War of the 1850s, headmasters at its elite ââ¬Å"public schoolsâ⬠began hardening boys for future command through sports. Indeed, Harrowââ¬â¢s head proclaimed that ââ¬Å"the esprit de corps, which merit success in cricket or football, are the very qualities which win the day in . . . war.â⬠A half-century later in South Africa, British troops faced difficulties subduing Boer farmers, raising questions about the military ââ¬Å"fitnessâ⬠of ordinary Englishmen. Responding to this perceived crisis, Lord Baden-Powell organized the Boy Scouts in 1908 ââ¬Å"to pass as many boys through our character factory as we possibly can (Mangan 1987, 150-53; 1981,2241; 1986, 33-36; Rosenthal 1986, 1-6). In his study of the cult of war in nineteenth-century Europe, historian George Mosse asks: ââ¬Å"Why did young men in great numbers rush to the colors, eager to face death and acquit themselves in battle?â⬠Simply put, they volunteered because the modern nation-state, through its poets and propagandists, made the passage to manhood synonymous with military service. To become a man in Victoriaââ¬â¢s England or Bismarckââ¬â¢s Germany, a young male had to serve. In the first months of World War I, this cult of war achieved a virtual florescenceà as young idealists hurled themselves into the slaughter. After 145,000 German soldiers died at Langemarck in 1914, one poet wrote: ââ¬Å"Here I stand, proud and all alone, ecstatic that I have become a man.â⬠Recalling this battle in Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler said: ââ¬Å"Seventeen year old boys now looked like men.â⬠Similarly, during World War 11, U.S. Army researchers found that American soldiers fought hard to avoid ââ¬Å"being branded a ââ¬Ëwoman,ââ¬â¢ a dangerous threat to the contemporary male personalityâ⬠(Mosse 1990, 15, 72; Stouffer, et al. 1949, 131-32). Not only did mass conscription produce soldiers, it also shaped gender roles in the wider society. To prepare every male for military service, European nations constructed a stereotype of men asà courageous, honorable, and physically formed on ââ¬Å"borrowed Greek standards of male beauty.â⬠By the 1920s, w omen were, through this century-long process, ââ¬Å"transformed into static immutable symbols in order to command the attention of truly masculine men.ââ¬â¢I4 Rhetoric of Colonial Masculinity Although the American colonial regime eventually played a central role in the formation of a Filipino officer corps, the US Army was initially hostile to the idea. During its first decade in the islands, the US Army was absorbed in a massive counterinsurgency campaign, and, like colonial armies elsewhere, denigrated the masculinity of its subject society. In little more than two years after their landing in 1898, the U.S. Army learned the same colonial lessons that the British and Dutch had distilled from two centuries of using ââ¬Å"native troopsâ⬠in India and Indonesia. Asian soldiers were, from an imperial point of view, welladapted to withstand the rigors of service in their own country. But only a European had the character required of an officer. As the editor of Englandââ¬â¢s Statesman wrote in 1885, educated Indians were ââ¬Å"wanting in the courageous and manly behavior to which we justly attach so high an importance in the culture of our own youth.â⬠Colonials often found dominant lowland groups both ââ¬Å"effeminateâ⬠and insubordinate. But certain ââ¬Å"martial racesn-such as the Gurkhas, Ambonese, or Karens-were thought capable of great courage under fire and fierce loyalty to their white officers5 In effect, there was an imperial consensus that certain native troops, when drilled and disciplined by European officers of good character, made ideal colonial forces. From the outset, the American commander in the islands, General Elwell S. Otis, felt, like most Americans of his day, that elite Filipinos were unfit for command. In an essay for a U.S. military journal in 1900, one American officer dismissed the typical officer in General Emilio Aguinaldoââ¬â¢s revolutionary army as ââ¬Å"a half-breed, a small dealer, a hanger-on of the Spaniards.â⬠Thus, when the US Army formed its colonial forces, the Philippine Scouts, the soldiers would all be Filipinos, but their officersà were to be white Americans selected from ââ¬Å"the line of the Regular Armyâ⬠(Woolard 1975, 13, 225; Franklin 1935). In sum, Americaââ¬â¢s high colonial rhetoric celebrated the special bond between American officers and their Filipino troops, and, by implication, denigrated elite Filipino character and capacity for command. Writing from retirement at the end of the US rule, one American veteran, Constabulary Captain Harold H. Elarth, offered a succinct version of this rhetoric. ââ¬Å"By fair dealing, unusual sagacity and confirmed courage,â⬠young American officers, ââ¬Å"pacified and controlled tribes that for 300 years had continuously warred with the Spaniards.â⬠This success, he explained, came from ââ¬Å"the psychology of the Malayâ⬠which inspired Filipino soldiers to follow their American lieutenants with ââ¬Å"adorationâ⬠(Hurley 1938, 298-99; Elarth 1949, 14-15). Nationalist Response In the early years of American rule, Filipino nationalists rejected this emasculating colonial rhetoric and made the training of native officers a central plank in their campaign for independence. By demanding officer training, the all-male nationalist movement challenged colonial assumptions that native men were, by racial character, unsuited for command. In the political rhetoric of the day, military drill would advance the nationalist cause by training officers for a future army and hardening the fiber of the countryââ¬â¢s youth. To assert their manhood, nationalist leaders seized upon any pretext for military drill, even service under the colonial flag. Only a few years after the Philippine-American War, certain colonials and nationalists began to cooperate in building a Filipino officer corps. In 1907, the fledgling Constabulary School at Manila graduated its first Filipino officers from a short, three-month training course and then moved to permanent quarters in the mountain city ofà Baguio for a more rigorous six-month curriculum. A year later, the U.S. Congress authorized the admission of Filipinos to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In 1914, the h s t Filipino cadet, Vicente P. Lim, graduated with an academic rank of seventy-seven among 107 cadets-an event of suchà significance that the Philippine Resident Commissioner, Manuel Quezon, made a special trip from Washington, DC.6 When America entered World War I, the Philippine Legislature voted overwhelmingly to raise a Philippine National Guard division and Senate President Quezon crossed the Pacific to lobby personally for Washingtonââ¬â¢s authorization. Even the War Departmentââ¬â¢s determined effort to block its mobilization until 11 November 1918, the very last day of war, could not dampen the Filipino enthusiasm for military service. Over 28,000 men volunteered. With bands playing and banners flying, the Philippine National Guard drilled for three months until it was disbanded in February 1919 (Woolard 1975, 170-84, 196). During the 1920s, the American colonial regime, in fundamental change of policy, began training Filipinos for command. After taking office as governor-general in 1921, General Leonard Wood, a career officer, mobilized the resources of the US Army to open officer training programs (Hayden 1955, 734-35). To train a first generation of Filipino officers, the US Army loaned instructors, rifles, and bayonets to the newly-formed military science departments at Manilaââ¬â¢s colleges and universities. Along with the weapons, these programs also borrowed an American model of the military male. Though the program spread to many schools, the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at the University of the Philippines (UP) remained, for over a decade, the largest and most influential. UP Cadet Corps Drill began at UP in 1922 when its Regents funded a Department of Military Science and Tactics, retained an active-duty U.S. Army captain as its chairman, and authorized an armory. Five years later, UP President Rafael Palma, a prominent nationalist, praised the Department for establishing ââ¬Å"the nucleus of a future national military organizationâ⬠(Panis 1925, 14-15; Palma 1924; Peiia 1953, 1-2). As Palma predicted, the ROTC program grew rapidly, adding field artillery in 1929 and machine guns six years later. After passage of the National Defense Act in 1935, the university acquired another 2,000 Springfield rifles and doubled its cadet corps to 3,304 trainee officers by 1938. Beyond drill and marksmanship, the program indoctrinated its cadets into nationalism. ââ¬Å"We need to make . . . our youth . . . so proud of their race and their democracy that they will die fighting for it,â⬠President Quezon told the UP cadets in 1937. ââ¬Å"We have all been trained,â⬠wrote the Corpsââ¬â¢ cadet colonel a year later, ââ¬Å"with patriotism ever so carefully engraved in our hearts by our military instructors, we are proud to say, as they would have us say, w e are ready.07 Other Manila universities followed these leads. While the publiclyfunded UP had the largest cadet program, the elite, Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila was proud home to the countryââ¬â¢s top drill corps. The 1923 Manila Carnival featured a drill competition by cadets from San Beda, the National University, and, of course, Ateneo and the UP. Along with basketball and baseball, close-order drill contests would remain a high point of inter-collegiate competition until the war. These parades, featuring what one UP cadet called ââ¬Å"thousands of virile young blood[s]â⬠¦rifles on their shoulders, gallantly marching to the time of their music,â⬠drew large crowds and sparked school ~ p i r i t . ~ By the early 1930s, a decade of reserve-officer training had encouraged an ideal of military masculinity among cadets at Manilaââ¬â¢s universities. At the UP, trainee officers articulated an ideology that equated masculine strength with national defense. ââ¬Å"A nation stands or falls, succeeds or fails, just in proportion to the . . . manliness of each succeeding generation,â⬠wrote a cadet in the 1931 yearbook (Viardo 1931, 381). Cadet sergeant Fred Ruiz Castro, a future Supreme Court chief justice, explained that military training helps ââ¬Å"engender the proper citizenshipu-notably ââ¬Å"courtesy to all especially to the old and to the weaker sex.â⬠In the 1935 UP yearbook, Castro and his comrade Macario Peralta, Jr., a future defense secretary, co-authored an essay arguing that drill molded the masculine virtues necessary to build the nation: ââ¬Å"From the Corps, graduate men steeped in patriotism . . . men who know their duties both to country and to God . . . men who are sound thinkers, strong hearted â⬠¦These are the men the country needs to cope with new problemsâ⬠(Castro and Peralta, Jr. 1935, 345). Reinforcing this gender dimorphism, UPââ¬â¢S all-male cadet companies barred women from drill but recruited them as ââ¬Å"sponsorsâ⬠to appear in formal, frilly gowns at full-dress parades. Illustrative of this imbalance, in theà late 1920s one of these sponsors gave the Corps a ââ¬Å"colorful orationâ⬠titled ââ¬Å"The Woman Behind the Man Behind the Gunâ⬠(Castro 1932; 355; Quirino 1930, 427). By 1936, the UP cadets had expanded their Corps of Sponsors toà forty coeds such as Miss Eva Estr ada, the muse of the Second Artillery Battalion and a future senator. On National Heroes Day, the UP cadets staged a mock battle in the cityââ¬â¢s main park, the Luneta. ââ¬Å"Planes sweep down from the clouds to drop their deadly bombs,â⬠wrote the college yearbook, ââ¬Å"men shoot, advance, fall . . . beneath the smoke the unseen drama of war with its horrors and victories.â⬠As male cadets littered Lunetaââ¬â¢s smoking battlefield, ââ¬Å"the Nursesââ¬â¢ Corps recruited from the ranks of the Sponsors rush to the field to give aid to the wounded and the dying.â⬠Among these all-male cadets, appeal to women, the defining opposite within this dimorphism, was deemed an essential attribute of future military leadership. ââ¬Å"The girls go for him in a big way (very big way),â⬠said the 1937 UP yearbook of cadet Major Ferdinand Marcos, ââ¬Å"so much so that most of the time he has to put up the sign ââ¬ËStanding Room Only.ââ¬â¢ Claims his heart is impregnable to feminine allure, and insists on calling guys who fall in love inebriated weaklings.â⬠Marcos himself internalized this gendered duality to write, after the war, of sacrificing his manhood to defend a feminized nation he calls Filipinas. ââ¬Å"We cursed ourselves . . . for having given up our arms and with them our manhood. . .,â⬠Marcos wrote of their wartime surrender to Japan on Bataan. ââ¬Å"Filipinas had welcomed us in spite of the disgrace of our defeat in Bataan. But it seemed that although she had smiled at us through her tears, she would not bind up our wound^.â⬠^ Harsh male initiation also became part of officer training at UP. Cadet Sergeant Macario Peralta, Jr., the future defense secretary, noted in the 1932 yearbook that the Corps had faced difficulties in ââ¬Å"breaking in the new cadets,â⬠but made sure that troublesome plebes ââ¬Å"receive sundry other polite attentionsâ⬠(Peralta 1932, 358). Peraltaââ¬â¢s yearbook biography, published two years later when he was cadet colonel, revealed the meaning of this euphemism. ââ¬Å"O ne year after the Colonel sprouted in the University campus, he commenced hazing the plebes and beasts with unrelenting inhumanity. He isà still at itâ⬠(Philippinensian1934, 396). Commonwealth Army In 1935, national defense suddenly became the most critical issue facing the Fhpino people. In Washgton, President Franklin Roosevelt approved the creation of the Philippine Commonwealth as an autonomous, transitional government with a ten-year timetable to full inde-à pendence. Under the National Defense Act, President Quezon made mobilization his top priority and committed a quarter of the budget to building a national army that would, by independence in 1945, have 10,000 regular soldiers backed by reserves of 400,000. In April 1936, some 150,000 Filipino men registered for the countryââ¬â¢s first draft and, nine months later, 40,000 reported for training. Within three years, over a million schoolboys were marching.I0 From its foundation in 1935, the Commonwealth, through military mobilization, intensified this process of gender reconstruction-encouraging a reinforcing array of national symbols, militarized masculinity, and domestic roles. With only a decade to prepare for independence and the burden of defense, the Commonwealth tried to fashion a masculinity that would sustain mass conscription. As it mobilized in the 1930s, the Philippines imported a Euro-American form of manhood along with the howitzer and the pursuit plane. To build popular support for a citizensââ¬â¢ army, the neophyte Philippine state deployed a gendered propaganda with men strong, women weak; men the defenders, women the defended. Just as the new nation was personified as the feminine ââ¬Å"Filipinasâ⬠in currency and propaganda, so young men were conscripted to defend her and her defenseless womankind. The government, in this transition to independence, slullfully manipulated public rituals and symbols to make a polarized gender dimorphism central to a new national self-image. We do not have to read against the grain to tease gender out of the Philippine Army, as if from some recondite cultural text. The key actors+ezon, Army Headquarters, and the cadets themselves-were quite self-conscious in their use of such imagery. The impact of militarization upon gender roles was most evident at the Manila Carnival-a grand, pre-war festival celebrating the fecundity of the land and the glories of its people. Like other pre-Lenten festivals across the Hispanic world, Carnival was a mix of the serious and frivolous, of celebration and reflection. Located at the heart of Manila, the sprawling Carnival enclosure held elaborate displays of provincial products such as rope or coconut. The two-week whirl of spectacle, society, and sport culminated in the crowning of the queen and her court at an elaborate formal ball. With the Philippines on parade, elite actors gained a stage to project images of nation and society before a mass audience. Before conscription, the queenââ¬â¢s coronation had been a lavish, highsociety affair-with eligible bachelors as escorts, whimsical Roman orà Egyptian themes, and matching costumes for court and consorts. Since the cityââ¬â¢s elites selected the carnival queen by jury or press ballots, winners were women of wealth, prestige, and intellect. At the 1922 Carnival, for example, Queen Virginia Llamas was escorted by her future husband Carlos P. Rom ulo, later president of the UN General Assembly. The queenââ¬â¢s consort at the 1923 Carnival was Eugenio Lopez, later the countyââ¬â¢s most powerful entrepreneur, just as 1931 queen was Maria Kalaw, the future Philippine senator and UN delegate (Nuyda 1980, 1920, 1922,1931). With the launching of the Commonwealthââ¬â¢s army only months away, the 1935 Carnival saw revelry and whimsy giving way to military symbolism and a serious debate about gender roles. To accornmodate its greatly expanded display, the US Army occupied ââ¬Å"an entire section of the Manila Carnival Groundsâ⬠for 400 linear feet of military exhibits and a replica of a World War I trench warfare complex (Tribune, 3,9 February 1935). The cadets of Manilaââ¬â¢s universities were honored with a large military parade, treated to guided tours of the military exhibit, and featured as the queenââ¬â¢s escorts. In this martial spirit, gender was on the march. At her coronation ceremony, the Constabulary band played a march while Queen Conchita I-walked between ââ¬Å"two files of University of the Philippines cadets with drawn sabersâ⬠to a throne where the US Governor General placed a crown of diamonds on her head and the ââ¬Å"admiring throng applaudsâ⬠(Tribune, 16, 21, 22 February 1935). On their night in this Carnival Auditorium, Far Eastern University students staged aà spectacular revue called ââ¬Å"Daughters of Bathala,â⬠with males forming an outer, protective circle while women in gowns whirled about in a ââ¬Å"grand finale . . . symbolizing the types of modern Filipino women from the suffragettes and debutantes to the thrill-girls of the cabarets and the boulevardsâ⬠(Tribune, 3 March 1945). Instead of the usual frivolous rhetoric about feminine beauty, the 1935 Carnival launched a national debate on womenââ¬â¢s rights. Speaking before the convention of the Federation of Womenââ¬â¢s Clubs, Senate President Quezon announced that the Constitutional Convention had just approved compulsory military service. He urged the nationââ¬â¢s women to assume ââ¬Å"the duty to mould the character of . . . youth that we may build up here a citizenry of virile manhood capable of shouldering the burdens of our future independent existence.â⬠And how was such a radical social reconstruction to be accomplished? Men would be called away for ââ¬Å"training in patriotism,â⬠but women,à Quezon said, should stay home to ââ¬Å"bring up upstanding, courageous and patriotic youngsters.â⬠Instead of being lulled by the ââ¬Å"sentimental glowâ⬠of his oratory, the Federationââ¬â¢s president, Mrs. Pilar H. Lim, the wife of General Vicente Lim (USMA ââ¬â¢14), co nfronted Quezon, demanding that he redress ââ¬Å"the injustice done . . . through the failure of the constitutional convention to insert a provision . . . granting the women . . . the right to vote.â⬠Quezon assured Mrs. Lim that he has ââ¬Å"always been in favor of granting this right to women.â⬠Indeed, two years later, under his presidency and through Mrs. Limââ¬â¢s leadership, a plebiscite on womenââ¬â¢s suffrage passed by an overwhelming margin.â⬠Over the next three years as mobilization intensified, each carnival accentuated the military symbolism and its supporting gender dimorphism. When President Quezon opened the towering gateway to the 1936 Carnival city, a full battalion of Philippine Army troops formed an honor guard while he ââ¬Å"severedâ⬠the ribbons with a specially-made native sword. In its Carnival coverage, the Sunday Tribune Magazine juxtaposed photo-essays of the military review (ââ¬Å"the steel helmets of the U.P. cadets glaring in the afternoon sunâ⬠) and the 1936 Fashion Revue (ââ¬Å"models resplendent in shining silver and satin.â⬠) For their night at the Carnival, the UP studentsà presented a richly engendered historical pageant, written by Dr. Carlos P. Romulo, featuring a cast of one thousand students (ââ¬Å"including seven hundred girlsâ⬠) and starring a woman student as ââ¬Å"Filipinas,â⬠the feminized symbol of the nation (Tribune, 15 February, 1 March 1936). Theme: After the establishment of the Republic, the nation will meet with difficulties and dangers, but it will overcome them all and thereby become stronger . . . Book of Time Revealed. Spirit of History ascends the stage from stage right and writes ââ¬Å"Commonwealth.â⬠111. Trumpets. Filipinas enters from stage left followed by people, including agencies, soldiers, dancers . . . IV. Spirit of Prophecy ascends from stage left . . . and . . . writes ââ¬Å"Republic.â⬠V. People cheer, bells ring, salute of guns . . . VIII. Invasion-all to arms. Battle. XI. Mourning dance. Filipina rises from the center of the floor, flag over her. National hymn is sung by all. I. 11. Despite such military inroads, the coronation of Queen Mercedes I featured the usual ââ¬Å"fantasy numbersâ⬠such as ââ¬Å"Parisian Laceâ⬠and the ââ¬Å"exotic South Sea Wastes.â⬠Her escorts were still society bachelors in white-tie and tails. A year later, the military symbolism was triumphant. At the 1937 Carnival, the queenââ¬â¢s escorts were now uniformed ROTC cadets. The queen now became ââ¬Å"Miss Philippinesâ⬠and her coronation, as its libretto indicates, was a martial drama of male soldiers rising to her defense as the engendered symbol of the nation. Scene I Triumphal entrance of the Army of Miss Philippines, sovereign of our cultural and economic progress, composed of officers and soldiers who will stage a military exhibition. Scene I1 Entrance of the Drum and Bugle Corps which will go through some military evolutions. Scene 1 1 1 The Drum and Bugle Corps will announce the arrival of Miss Philippines and her Court of Honor . . . Miss Philippines will be preceded by a group of pages carrying the crown and other presents, and another group of pages carrying her train . . . Scene IV The Drum and Bugle Corps announces that all is ready for the coronation of Miss Philippines. Scene V Ceremonies of the coronation of Missà Philippines, placing of the crown by His Honor, The Mayor of Manila . . . Scene VI Gun salute to Miss Philippines by her Army. Entrance of Foreign Envoys-Royal offering, etc. Scene VII Military evolutions by the Army of Miss Philippines and the Drum and Bugle Corps. Beyond the ballroom, the Carnivalââ¬â¢s sporting contests and the ROTC drill competitions proliferated in celebration of a physical, martial masculinity. Before a crowd of 40,000, for example, the Schools Parade featured girls in gowns riding on flower-covered floats while high school boys stepped past in ââ¬Å"uniforms and snappy marching [that] thrilled the watching t h o ~ s a n d s . â⬠~ ~ By the 1938 Carnival, the military parade had been transformed from a procession of students in their toy-soldier uniforms into an awesome spectacle of military might. With thousands of spectators packed along the boulevards, armed columns of Philippine Army, Philippine Scouts, and college cadets tramped past the Legislative Building as tight formations of bombers and pursuit planes ââ¬Å"roared overheadâ⬠(Tribune, 15, 16 February 1938). After its establishment in 1936, the Philippine Army deployed a similar dualism to build support for conscription among a people without a tradition of military service. As the date for draft registration approached, the Commonwealth plastered public spaces with recruiting posters. One depicted a statuesque Filipina, neckline cut low and bare arms outstretched for the embrace, calling on ââ¬Å"Young Menâ⬠to ââ¬Å"Heed Your Countryââ¬â¢s Call!â⬠Another asked, ââ¬Å"Which Would You Rather Be . . . this or that?â⬠-and then showed a snappy soldier smiling at two admiring women while a civilian male skulks in the rear, hands in pockets-a universal sipifier.I4 Then, at 8:30 A.M. on 15 May 1936, each provincial governor supervised an elaborate ritual to select the first conscripts for basic training. Before the public, the governor, flanked by military guards, placed the registration cards for all twenty-year old men in two large jars. ââ¬Å"Two young ladies, not over eighteen years of age, shall . . . make the drawing,â⬠read the Philippine Army regulations. ââ¬Å"These young ladies shall be blind-folded and shall wearà dresses with short sleeves-not reaching beyond elbowâ⬠(Commonwealth, Bulletin No. 17; Meixsel 1993, 301). So strong was the appeal of military training that four of the countryââ¬â¢s leading legislators, including presidential aspirant Manuel Roxas, volunteered for the first Reserve Officersââ¬â¢ Service School (ROSS) in mid-1936. In this commencement address to this class in September, President Quezon explained that officers were to serve as the nationââ¬â¢s models for patriotism and new, virile form of citizenry (The Bayonet 1936, 94, 98). The good officer. . . , wherever he is, . . . spreads the doctrine of loyalty, of respect for law and order, of patriotism, of self-discipline and education, and of national preparation to defend our country. . . . Our whole nation will become more firmly solidified, more virile, more unselfishly devoted to promotion of the general welfare, as our officer corps grows in quality and strength, and the results of its efforts permeate to the remotest hamlet of our country. Philippine Military Academy Forming such an officer corps was the most difficult part of this mobilization. As Quezon put it, ââ¬Å"the heart of an army is its officers.â⬠Along with buying rifles and building camps, the creation of this army required, as the president was well aware, the construction of officers as exemplars for a new image of the Filipino as warrior. To form such leaders, the Defense Act provided for the establishment of a Philippine Military Academy at Baguio for the education of career officers. This academy was, in the words of the Commonwealthââ¬â¢s vice-president, ââ¬Å"the foundation stone of the entire military establishment,â⬠providing ââ¬Å"the leadership necessary to knit together a scattered and loosely connected citizen army into one whole, living, pulsating, homogenous machine that can fight with courageâ⬠(Scribe 50; Osmefia 7-8, 10). In establishing his new academy, Quezon, through his military advisers Douglas MacArthur and Dwight Eisenhower, chose the US Military Academy at West Point as its model. Transporting the West Point system, with all of its peculiarities, from the bluffs of the Hudson to the mountains of Baguio entailed cultural adaptation. From the perspective of the PMA staff, the new academy would socialize the cadets through its formalà curriculum and a four-year progression from neophyte to command. To succeed, however, these formal processes rested upon rituals and symbols that would make the academyââ¬â¢s abstractions meaningful to teen-aged Filipinos. Drawing upon the countryââ¬â¢s culture of masculinity, cadets used rituals of male initiation and group solidarity to reinforce the PMAââ¬â¢s institutional imperatives. Through a fusion of the West Point curriculum, faithfully reproduced by the PMAââ¬â¢s staff, and informal innovations by these Filipino cadets, an American academy became a viable model for a Philippine institution (Love11 1955, 316-21; Wamsley 1972, 399-41 7). To ensure that its cadets would be archetypes of masculine beauty, the academy barred applicants with ââ¬Å"any deformity which is repulsiveâ⬠or any who suffered from ââ¬Å"extreme ugliness.â⬠Medical examiners had to insure, moreover, that an applicantââ¬â¢s face was free from any ââ¬Å"lack of symmetrical developmentâ⬠or ââ¬Å"unsightly deformities such as large birthmarks, large hairy moles, . . . mutilations due to injuries or surgical operationâ⬠(Commonwealth of the Philippines 1937). To mould these exemplary males, the PMA became a total institution that would, like West Point, leave a lasting imprint upon everyà graduate (Janowitz 138; Goffman 1961). The PMAââ¬â¢s 1938 yearbook thus described the Tactical Department and its drill instructors as ââ¬Å"a veritable forging shop in which the raw and crude materials are . . . purified of their undesirable qualities.â⬠In their song P.M.A. Forever, cadets celebrated their academyââ¬â¢s capacity to make men (Sword 1938, 46-48, 104). Within the walls of old and glorious P.M.A. Theyââ¬â¢re molded to the real men that they should beMen who can face the bitter realities of life With courage even in the midst of bloody strife. As centerpiece in the nationââ¬â¢s gender reconstruction, the PMA indoctrinated its Filipino cadets into a Euro-American ideal of military manhood. With its alien curriculum, the PMA, more than any Philippine institution of its era, aspired to a cultural transformation, a remalung of its cadets on a European model of mascuhity. The academy made its imprint through a program of moral formation through body movement, incessant supervision, and formal in doctrination. In its own words, the PMA taught ââ¬Å"soldierly movements to inculcate prompt obedienceâ⬠inà daily marching; ââ¬Å"knowledge of ballroom ethicsâ⬠with weekly waltz lessons; and ââ¬Å"self-reliance, poise, initiative, judgment, enthusiasm, and disciplineâ⬠in gymnastics (Commonwealth 1938,1619). Filipino cadets reshaped imported values through their own culture of masculinity, malung hazing the PMAââ¬â¢s central rite of passage-from civilian to soldier, from plebe to cadet. Entering plebes arrived at the academy from communities with their own rituals of male initiation and expectations for manhood (Rosaldo 1980, 35-37). In many lowland villages of the 1930s, adolescent males passed through an initiation, such as circumcision, and had elaborate codes for masculine friendship epitomized in peer groups called barkada. In the villages of Central Luzon, for example, Tagalog males who joined tenancy unions during this decade were tested in an elaborate midnight ritual that branded each on the upper arm with a poker plucked white-hot from a raging bonfire (Fegan 1995; See also Blanc-Szanton 1990, 350). Growing up in such poor communities, many future members of PMAââ¬â¢s Class of 1940, the first products of this new school, were familiar with these masculine rites of testing and bonding. One classmate, Francisco del Castillo, recalled in his autobiography for the classââ¬â¢s 50th reunion Golden Book, that he often missed class in high school to join ââ¬Å"youth who did nothing but form gangs to fight other gangs for su-premacy in the municipality of Vigan.â⬠In a later interview, he added that his reputation as ââ¬Å"a local championâ⬠in ritualized knife fights, attacking with the right hand and defending with a towel wrapped tightly about the left, made him the ââ¬Å"leaderâ⬠of the townââ¬â¢s west-side gang. Asked if his gang practiced any sort of initiation, del Castillo replied that ââ¬Å"you let him do a certain errand and see how brave he isâ⬠(Mendoza 1986, 178; del Castillo 1995). For PMA cadets, hazing and the broader experience of plebe initiation served as a transformative traumaââ¬âcoloring the subsequent academy experience for individuals and uniting a new class through shared suffering. During their first months, plebes were subjected to an unbroken regimen of running, recitations, and drill under nameless, powerful upperclassmen. Arriving during summer recess when the main activity was their initiation,à incoming plebes faced the harsh, unwavering attentions of the second-year cadets, or ââ¬Å"yearlingsâ⬠-still aching from their own humiliations that had ended only weeks before. After the initial ââ¬Å"beast barracks,â⬠the hazing subsided into a constant, low-level harassment that continued for another eight months until the upperclass ââ¬Å"recognizedâ⬠them as full members of the Corps. Surviving this abuse left cadets with a strong sense of personal pride and class identity. Writing in the Golden Book, Class ââ¬â¢40ââ¬â¢s Cesar Montemayor recalled their plebe year as ââ¬Å"a one-year initiation period full of rites, rules and requirementsâ⬠that instilled ââ¬Å"desirable manly and military qualitiesâ⬠(Batch 36 Golden Book, 110-11). In showing how the Commonwealth constructed a new masculinity at the PMA, we cannot ignore the impact that this mobilization and its prop aganda had upon ââ¬Å"the whole orderâ⬠of gender roles in an emerging nation (Morgan 1994, 169-70). Despite its isolation in the mountains of Baguio, the PMAââ¬â¢s training of these young males had lasting implications for the whole of Philippine society. The school served, in effect, as a social laboratory, a crucible for casting a new form of Filipino masculinity. Through hazing, study, and drill, the academy pounded young males into a foreign mold of military manhood. By parading before the masses in Manila and acting in Tagalog films, these prewar PMA cadets projected this image of masculinity into an emerging national consciousness. Only a year after the PMA opened, a Manila film crew shot a two-reel documentary, titled The West Point of the Philippines, which, the cadet yearbook reported, was ââ¬Å"now being featured at the Ideal Theatreâ⬠and was ââ¬Å"taking Manila by storm.ââ¬
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