The Concept of Normality In Relation To Eating Disorders

Normality is a concept that can be understood in different perspectives. Sociologically speaking, normality can be differentiated from the norm which refers to the acceptable behaviors in a society. Normality refers to the adherence to the acceptable standards set by a society. Normality is closely guarded by the social constructions of a particular society in the sense that what is considered normal is determined by the forces of the society.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on The Concept of Normality In Relation To Eating Disorders specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This means that what is normal in one society may not be necessarily normal in another (Smolak, Levine Striegel-Moore, 1996). Therefore, issues of eating disorders can be understood from a social cultural perspective as the culture of a specific society determines its eating patterns, thus, influencing the possibility of either the existence or oth erwise of an eating disorders. This paper examines how the understanding of the concept of normality in the society affects conditions of the existence or otherwise of an eating disorder. The whole concept of eating disorders can be explained through the sociological understanding of the concept of normality. Among the dominant sociological understanding of normality that will be used to argue through the concept of eating disorders in this paper are the views such as; what is considered normal can be differentiated from the abnormal even if it may not be the norm, what is normal is a social construct that is imposed by the society, people struggle to fit to the ideals that are set by the society which may affect their eating patterns and lastly, how social change has contributed to the existence of eating disorders. Normality can be defined differently by different people since different things are normal in some communities and abnormal in others. However, different aspects of nor mal behavior can be used to indicate normality (Weiten 2010). However, this view is still directly regulated by the cultural belief of the society. The agents of socialization can be used to express the concept of normality in a number of ways. People grow in a structured society that determines what is normal against what is abnormal. The set standard influences the behavior of a person in all cultural facets as they determine what will be adopted against what will be transgressed. Eating patterns being a culturally controlled concept’s and directly affected by the cultures that exists in a specific society. According to Treasure, Schmidt and Furth, (2005), human beings evaluate their standards in the society based on specific societal standards. This means that a specific society has what it considers ideal as well as what it considers abnormal. These social standards run across a spectrum of measurements that affect all facets of culture. In such cases, there is what is co nsidered normal eating patterns. A good example of how societal ideals can influence the eating disorders can be the explanation of the importance that is placed on the concept of body size. According to Taylor and Muller, (1995), all members of the society should strive to ensure that they conform to the â€Å"normal† standards of their society.Advertising Looking for assessment on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Despite the fact that bodies have genetic differences that determines their shape and size, the need to strive to conform to the ideal body size forces many members of the society, especially women to adopt to specific eating habits that may characterize certain disorders (Sheridan, 2007). Another issue that is of paramount importance in understanding the concept of normality in regard to eating disorders is that normality or abnormality is a social construct (Morgan Bhugra, 2010). There are no universal standard to define what is normal or abnormal. Each culture has its own conceptualization of normality and abnormality, which makes something to be normal in one culture and abnormal in another. Similarly, the conceptualization of eating disorders varies from one society to the other as there are no strict universal disorders that run across the spectrum of societies. It is also evident that there are disorders that are associated with specific cultural basis due to the regionalization of specific food to specific regions (Wonderlich, Walsh and Mitchell, 2011). Normality as a social construct can be used to explain some eating disorders, especially those associated with teenagers. As noted by Hales, Yudofsky and Gabbard, (2008), teenage girls have a misconceived concept of ideal body shape and size where being extremely thin regardless of the means towards this course is seen as fashionable and ideal. The notion held by these teenage girls has forced most of them to del iberately avoid eating or to induce vomiting (Bloomfield, 2006). This behavior has led many teenage girls to adopt risky health paths in pursuit of what they conceive to be normal. Beside the identified issue that deals with teenage girls, the other group that is greatly affected by the societal constructs is that of the entire female gender where women may be classified as overweight while their male counterparts may pass without acquiring the label of being overweight, even when they are overweight in the real sense. Thus, more women will strive to conform to the society’s ideal size, a fact that has contributed to various forms of eating disorders. This shows that the concept of what is seen as normal or abnormal towards eating disorders does not necessarily need to be actually healthy, but a construct of the society (Harper-Giuffre and MacKenzie, 1992). Media as an agent of socialization has a lot of influence to the menace of eating disorders. As noted by Sheridan, (2007 ), the media plays a significant role in determining what the ideal body size is especially for women. These ideas that are transferred to the masses through commercials and other programs in the media influences the perception of people towards certain body sizes where contemporary cultures have viewed the slim bodies as the ideal ones.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on The Concept of Normality In Relation To Eating Disorders specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, when this issue is juxtaposed with the commercials of food known to have high fat content such as fast food products and ice creams, the perception of healthy eating among the members of a population get distorted which forces majority of the people to indulge in unhealthy eating habits as they are â€Å"normalized† by the media. Social change is another aspect that affects or understanding of normality. In most contemporary societies, co nsumption of fast food is considered normal today than it was considered five decades ago (Gentile, 2006). The changing social forces such as the rise of the consumerism culture have led to the rise of the number of people who consume fast foods as well as other readymade meals offered in fast food restaurant. Although many people may have the notion of how unhealthy the fast foods may be to their health, they continue consuming them as the consumption of these products is seen as â€Å"normal† in the society. This means that the society understands that eating fast food is a normal issue, a fact that contributes to the current eating disorders. In conclusion, it is evident that the sociological understanding of the concept of normality can be used to explain various eating disorders. The paper has managed to explain the views of eating disorders in three perspectives, which are the perception of what is normal versus what is abnormal, normality as a construct of the society and finally, personal understanding of normality and eating disorders and how this personal understanding affects people’s conceptualization of their conditions. Reference List Bloomfield, S. 2006. Eating Disorders: Helping Your Child Recover. Oklahoma. Beat Publishers. Gentile, K. 2006. Creating bodies: eating disorders as self-destructive survival New York: RoutledgeAdvertising Looking for assessment on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hales, R, E. Yudofsky S, C. Gabbard, G, O. 2008. The American Psychiatric Publishing textbook of psychiatry. New York: American Psychiatric Publications Harper-Giuffre, H. MacKenzie, K., R. 1992. Group psychotherapy for eating disorders Carlifornia: American Psychiatric Pubbications Morgan, C. and Bhugra, D. 2010. Principles of Social Psychiatry. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Sheridan, K., E. 2007. Eating disorders as a case study of cultural maladaptation. California: American Psychiatric Publications. Shils M. and Shike, M. 2006. Modern nutrition in health and disease. Chicago: Lippincott Williams Wilkins Smolak, L., P., Levine, M. and Striegel-Moore, R. 1996. The developmental psychopathology of eating disorders: implications for research, prevention, and treatment. New York: Routledge, Taylor, J., and Muller, D., J.1995. Nursing adolescents: research and psychological perspectives. London. Wiley-Blackwell. Treasure, J., Schmidt, U. and Furth, E. 2005. The essential handbook o f eating disorders New York: John Wiley and Sons. Weiten, W. 2010. Psychology: Themes and Variations. Upper Saddle River: Cengage Learning. Wonderlich, S. A., Walsh, T. and Mitchell, J. E. 2011. Developing an Evidence-Based Classification of Eating Disorders: Scientific Findings for DSM-5. California: American Psychiatric Publications. This assessment on The Concept of Normality In Relation To Eating Disorders was written and submitted by user Derr1ck to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Trace Of Evidence

Trace of Evidence This article I chose was â€Å"Trace of Evidence† that was found on www.courttv.com. This article was about a serial killing taken place from 1979 to 1981 in Atlanta Georgia. Around the time of the killings, there had been found youths, more than 25 black men, some females and some as young as nine years old. They had all been strangled, bludgeoned, or asphyxiated. After police discovered these gruesome bodies they noticed that the only real clue the could notice was some kind of fiber threads and a few bore strands what seemed to be dog hair that were presence on several bodies and their clothing’s. Those specimens were all sent to the Georgia State Crime Laboratory for analysis, and technicians isolated two distinct types: a violet-colored acetate fiber and a coarse yellow-green nylon fiber with the type of trilobed qualities associated with carpets. The manufacture search was unsuccessful. The cases and discover of the fibers were showed on the news. The killer must have been watching every episode to keep up with what the police was finding out, shortly after police found bodies stripped and thrown into the river. Police thought that the killer must have thought that by throwing them into the water that it would wash away trace of evidence. The river killing was taken place at the Chatahoochee River. So police decided to do a steak out to see what they could find. On May 22, 1981, early morning hours, one of the police heard a loud splash. Leaving the river, police saw a white Chevrolet station wagon. When they pulled the car over, they learned that the driver’s name was Wayne Williams. He had indicated that he had thrown some old garbage into the water and the police let him go. After checking his story police found a 27-year-old man floating to the top. He had been dredged up about a mile from the bridge, and despite his murderer’s carefulness , a single yellow-green carpet fiber was foun... Free Essays on Trace Of Evidence Free Essays on Trace Of Evidence Trace of Evidence This article I chose was â€Å"Trace of Evidence† that was found on www.courttv.com. This article was about a serial killing taken place from 1979 to 1981 in Atlanta Georgia. Around the time of the killings, there had been found youths, more than 25 black men, some females and some as young as nine years old. They had all been strangled, bludgeoned, or asphyxiated. After police discovered these gruesome bodies they noticed that the only real clue the could notice was some kind of fiber threads and a few bore strands what seemed to be dog hair that were presence on several bodies and their clothing’s. Those specimens were all sent to the Georgia State Crime Laboratory for analysis, and technicians isolated two distinct types: a violet-colored acetate fiber and a coarse yellow-green nylon fiber with the type of trilobed qualities associated with carpets. The manufacture search was unsuccessful. The cases and discover of the fibers were showed on the news. The killer must have been watching every episode to keep up with what the police was finding out, shortly after police found bodies stripped and thrown into the river. Police thought that the killer must have thought that by throwing them into the water that it would wash away trace of evidence. The river killing was taken place at the Chatahoochee River. So police decided to do a steak out to see what they could find. On May 22, 1981, early morning hours, one of the police heard a loud splash. Leaving the river, police saw a white Chevrolet station wagon. When they pulled the car over, they learned that the driver’s name was Wayne Williams. He had indicated that he had thrown some old garbage into the water and the police let him go. After checking his story police found a 27-year-old man floating to the top. He had been dredged up about a mile from the bridge, and despite his murderer’s carefulness , a single yellow-green carpet fiber was foun...

Orientation Phase of Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 17

Orientation Phase of Nursing - Essay Example The stages of interpersonal relationships were initially four that include orientation, identification, exploitation, and resolution phases. However, the steps later reduced to three after further studies and analysis. The second phase now combined both the identification and exploitation phases. These two aspects combined, therefore, became known collectively as the working phase. This paper, however, only discusses the orientation phase. This is the first phase of the interpersonal process as was explained by Peplau. It is at this stage where the patient first meets the nurse. At this point, the nurse and patient are still total strangers. This first meeting always brings with it a lot of anxieties, from both the nurse and the patient. It is the nurse’s responsibility to alleviate the anxiety that grips them before proceeding any further (Boyd, 2007). This is important in establishing a therapeutic environment. Mary Boyd states that this is the session where the nurse discusses the patient’s expectations and explains the purpose of their relationship. It gives a clear definition of the roles, goals, and limitations of the relationship. In short, the nurse sets limits that have to adhere to throughout the relationship. The boundaries are however subject to flexibility depending on the situation. In practical situations where the nurse has to draft a session attendance schedule for the patient, the nurse should also spell out the guidelines on how to handle cases of missed sessions and lateness.  Ã‚   The handling should be in such a way that it alienates the patient. The nurse should understand that this could be a means by which the patient tests the relationship (Boyd, 2007). It is important to gain the patient’s acceptance and develop trust. This is achieved by maintaining consistency and continually encouraging the patient, both verbally and non-verbally, to express themselves.

Strategic Planning of Amazon.com, Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Strategic Planning of Amazon.com, Inc - Essay Example The paper gives detailed information about Amazon.com Inc. It conducts its business in various fields such as internet services, online retail, and the Kindle ecosystem. Amazon provides its services as Amazon Prime which has the facility of free of cost shipping within two days. It provides a free access to the kindle library (Johnson, et al., 2013). The other internet services provided by Amazon are referred to as Amazon Web Services and it is a side business as the company decided to lease out its services. Amazon is most commonly known as a low-cost retailer and provides its customers with wide range of products. The company started its online bookselling business and rapidly expanding the business to music as well as movies. It also offers online services in household goods as well as electronics (Johnson, et al., 2013). The retail strategy of Amazon also involves the company to act as a channel for the other retailers and earn a portion of revenue with the sale of the products. Amazon has also introduced the sale of used products in order to compete with the competitors such as eBay (Johnson, et al., 2013). The advertising strategies adopted by Amazon attract the customers in the global market and they are able to choose the products from their websites. The kindle ecosystem is part of their business model which is newly launched by Amazon as an electronic book reader and the company is confident that the customers will purchase enough electronic books (Johnson, et al., 2013).

Language and Culture Essay Example for Free

Language and Culture Essay Language and culture reciprocate a fluid relationship. They both interact and shape the structure through which individuals can mediate their lives within a social context. Language and culture are immanent forces that help to define and open up the way we understand various dimensions of our lives, whether through the mass media and advertising, science and technology, slang, diverse vocabulary, changes of meanings. This essay will aim to break down the specific forums through which language is useful to culture and how culture forms the mechanisms and strategies through which we use language. I will begin with a discussion of the relationship between language and culture and then move on to the different paradigms that contain specific uses of language. To begin, it will be helpful to lay a framework upon which to build a working definition of language. According to the University of Princeton’s online dictionary, language is â€Å"a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols† (Language). This is straightforward enough for us to understand that language acts as a medium for communicating. The key terms to highlight here are systematic as well symbols because they stretch the function of the definition to include the power that institutions have over language as well as the way that language can shift and change through semiotics. As a system, language relies upon a specific and formal set of rules in order to function. Grammar, syntax, slang, and meaning are all elicited from the rules of language. The institution of a particular language also varies greatly depending on socio-economic factors as well as through educational strategies. For example, with the rise of information technology and the internet as well as through global capitalism, the English language has taken center stage as a pseudo-global language due to its far reaching capacity and its prevalence in scientific and technological innovations. It will be interesting to see how the role of English changes as the world becomes smaller through interconnectivity and the rise of other global languages such as Chinese. Different cultures, through different languages, create different modes of expression and understanding that give rise to cultural diversity. Cultural diversity relies upon the comparing and contrasting mechanisms through which meaning is ingrained. Semiotics is the realm of language that is concerned with signs and signification. Language is the tool through which we identify particular signs and accord them a meaning, or a signification. This is important because through the sign, or symbol, a culture places specific connotations beyond the traditional denotative structure of language. Language both identifies and distinguishes. This is where varying mediums play a significant role on the way cultures digest and create their lives through language. To illustrate how this works, I will next discuss the role that the mass media has on both the language of culture and the culture of language. The dominance of mass media and advertising over the realms of cross cultural communication cannot be underestimated. Through advertisements, newspapers, television, radio, and the internet, people across the world have instant access to a constant stream of information that shapes the way we live our lives. This can have both positive and negative impacts. On the positive side, mass media acts a vehicle for cross cultural dialogue. It provides people with a common language and a common set of terms through which to discuss the pressing issues of the day. The information presented is current and has a specific point of focus. Depending on a person’s cultural condition and through which avenue of mass media they travel on the information highway, the meaning of the information changes dramatically. In this way, two people from different cultures can watch the same news clip and come away from the experience with two completely different understandings from the same language and information. On the negative side of mass media we can point to what cultural theorists beginning with Antonio Gramsci have termed cultural hegemony. This names a dual process through which competing ideologies are struggled out on the stage of culture and through which subversive or outsider paradigms are brought into the dominant arena of culture in order to assimilate and therefore neutralize the conflict of interests (Chandler). This applies to our discussion of language and culture because it helps explain how the role of the media frames certain issues in order to parlay a particular point of view. For example, here in America hegemony can be witnessed through the way Fox News presents its conservative political agenda against the way that Comedy Central portrays its progressive politics through shows like the Daily Show. The language presented and used in media relies upon subtle ideological functioning in order to suggest at an agenda or viewpoint instead of simply communicating said purpose. As mentioned before, language both identifies and distinguishes. As in the previous example of news presentation, we can see how Fox News identifies its audience through its conservative ideology. By identifying as they do, they also distinguish themselves from the liberal-leaning Daily Show audience. It will be interesting to see how much, if any, influence Fox News can have during the Obama presidency and the rise of liberalism after relying so heavily upon Republican and conservative politics through the Bush administration. The shift in the power of balance in American politics will sway the tide of public opinion in the arena of culture that hegemony frames. We can also witness the way science and technologies rely upon specific uses of language in order to elucidate communication and meaning. Perhaps this arena of culture illustrates the example best. Science and technology create paradigms of knowledge. By this, we can see how biochemists almost literally speak another language than nuclear physicists in their professional lives. Again, this is not a positive or a negative situation; it is a cultural practice that plays itself out through particular frameworks of understanding the world. Another interesting example of how science and technology play out in the realm of language is to consider the macro level. As hinted at earlier, science and technology, with their innovations originating largely from the United States and Japan, have consisted and evolved through the language of not just professional jargon, but specifically and nearly exclusively through English. In his innovative essay, Translingual Travel: The Discourse Practice of Cultural Hegemony, Chinese cultural theorist Dai Xun writes of the impact this phenomenon has in China, â€Å"The primary premise in the rise of cultural hegemony is the advantages and control western countries enjoy over science, technology and information (Xun). This is another form of cultural hegemony that phases out periphery languages at the cost of integrating English into the global vocabulary as well as forming the unbalanced socio-economic relationships of our age. Language is utilized for specific purposes through systematic controls and symbolic gestures. That being said, language is not a monolithic and static entity. Although language relies on specific grammatical and syntactical rules, cultures have always innovated and bent the rules of grammar in an effort to assert their unique cultural conditions. The rise of slang is one of the most important and culturally reinforcing tactics that marginal groups use to coalesce and self-identify. Slang is a part of language, and it follows that it serves again to identify as well as to distinguish. One of the most striking examples of slang can be witnessed in hip-hop music. Hip-hop is rapidly becoming a global phenomena and it goes beyond just the music to include fashion, dancing, music making and lifestyle. In this way, the slang the hip-hop community uses separates them from other groups while also helping them to identify with like-minded people. Hegemony in the realm of hip-hop can help explain how power relations work themselves out through culture. In its infancy, hip-hop was a culture unique to African-Americans in inner-city America. With its popularity and rise through mass media, white, middle-class teenagers are adopting hip-hop into their lifestyles and trying to identify with the conditions that gave rise to it. This is how dominant culture integrates what was previously a subversive and politically threatening subculture into the mainstream. Now we see hip-hop artists in children’s cartoons, at suburban schools and in the malls. In conclusion, language and culture maintain mutually reinforcing relationship. Both dominant and subversive forms of communication are played out on the arena of cultural hegemony. This condition goes beyond the traditional positive/negative paradigm of culture. What is important to some cultures can have very little significance to others. Works Cited Chandler, Daniel. (2000). Gramsci and Hegemony. Marxist Media Theory. Retrieved December 22, 2008 from http://www. aber. ac. uk/media/Documents/marxism/marxism10. html Language. (2008). Wordnet. Princeton University. Retrieved December 22, 2008 from http://wordnetweb. princeton. edu/perl/webwn? s=language Xun, Dai. (2008). Translingual Travel: The Discourse Practice of Cultural Hegemony. Southwest Normal University. Retrieved December 22, 2008 from www. ln. edu. hk/eng/staff/eoyang/icla/Translingual%20Travel

Josh Hamilton the Baseball Player Essay -- biographies bio biography

â€Å"I'll never forget Opening Day in Cincinnati. When they called my name during introductions and a sellout crowd stood and cheered, I looked into the stands and saw Katie and our two kids, Sierra who's nearly 2, and my 6-year-old stepdaughter, Julia, and my parents and Katie's parents. I had to swallow hard to keep from breaking down right there. They were all crying, but I had to at least try to keep it together†(Tim Keown). This is a reaction that nearly passed by All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. Josh Hamilton grew up knowing and loving only two things in his life, his family and baseball. With a steady head throughout high school Hamilton earned success on the baseball diamond. Attaining such honors as being named Baseball America’s High School Player of the Year, USA Baseball’s Amateur Player of the Year, and twice chosen as North Carolinas Gatorade High School Player of the Year (Josh Hamilton). "I guess not going No. 1 wouldn't have totally destroyed me, but there's prestige going No. 1, and I'm certainly happy to be No. 1.† Said Hamilton after being drafted number one overall on June 2, 1999 in Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft (My Josh!). Things would soon become more daunting for the young 18 year old. After a Spring Training game in 2000 Hamilton and his parents were involved in an automobile accident. His parents departed for Raleigh soon after to recover, yet Hamilton was left alone to rehab on his own. â€Å"I'd been the Devil Rays' No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft, supposedly a five-tool prospect. I was a big, strong man, and I was supposed to be able to handle my problems myself† (Tim Keown). Imagine having to stay away from the one thing that brings you enjoyment for an extended amount o... ...>. Hamilton, Josh. "Josh Hamilton - I am second." Interview. Youtube.com. 22 Jan. 2009 . Hamilton, Josh. "Josh Hamilton." Interview. Youtube.com. 22 Jan. 2009 . "Josh Hamilton Larry King Live." Interview with Larry King. Youtube.com. 22 Jan. 2009 . "Josh Hamilton." Player Info. MLB. 22 Jan. 2009 . "My Josh." Sports Illustrated 2 June 1999. 22 Jan. 2009 . Ray, James L. "Josh Hamilton comes back to life." Suite101.com. 3 June 2008. 22 Jan. 2009 . Josh Hamilton the Baseball Player Essay -- biographies bio biography â€Å"I'll never forget Opening Day in Cincinnati. When they called my name during introductions and a sellout crowd stood and cheered, I looked into the stands and saw Katie and our two kids, Sierra who's nearly 2, and my 6-year-old stepdaughter, Julia, and my parents and Katie's parents. I had to swallow hard to keep from breaking down right there. They were all crying, but I had to at least try to keep it together†(Tim Keown). This is a reaction that nearly passed by All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. Josh Hamilton grew up knowing and loving only two things in his life, his family and baseball. With a steady head throughout high school Hamilton earned success on the baseball diamond. Attaining such honors as being named Baseball America’s High School Player of the Year, USA Baseball’s Amateur Player of the Year, and twice chosen as North Carolinas Gatorade High School Player of the Year (Josh Hamilton). "I guess not going No. 1 wouldn't have totally destroyed me, but there's prestige going No. 1, and I'm certainly happy to be No. 1.† Said Hamilton after being drafted number one overall on June 2, 1999 in Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft (My Josh!). Things would soon become more daunting for the young 18 year old. After a Spring Training game in 2000 Hamilton and his parents were involved in an automobile accident. His parents departed for Raleigh soon after to recover, yet Hamilton was left alone to rehab on his own. â€Å"I'd been the Devil Rays' No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft, supposedly a five-tool prospect. I was a big, strong man, and I was supposed to be able to handle my problems myself† (Tim Keown). Imagine having to stay away from the one thing that brings you enjoyment for an extended amount o... ...>. Hamilton, Josh. "Josh Hamilton - I am second." Interview. Youtube.com. 22 Jan. 2009 . Hamilton, Josh. "Josh Hamilton." Interview. Youtube.com. 22 Jan. 2009 . "Josh Hamilton Larry King Live." Interview with Larry King. Youtube.com. 22 Jan. 2009 . "Josh Hamilton." Player Info. MLB. 22 Jan. 2009 . "My Josh." Sports Illustrated 2 June 1999. 22 Jan. 2009 . Ray, James L. "Josh Hamilton comes back to life." Suite101.com. 3 June 2008. 22 Jan. 2009 .

In What Ways Did Sport Reflect Amercian Society in the 19th Century

In what ways did sport reflect American society? This essay will concentrate on looking at the ethnic and class divide within the sports subculture of American society, and how it reflects American Society as a whole. When examining any society there is a always a broad area to cover, while looking at America’s society I will be looking at the arguments that it is the ‘land of the free’ a ‘new nation’ which immigrants flocked to start a new life in a country of much ‘opportunity’. I will be using the sport in the 19th century to examine just how much America was a land of opportunity and of the free, and whether it differed from the attitudes in countries from around the rest of the world. When looking at sport in American society in the 19th century, first we must look at the origins of the sport and games that were played, to see how they were seen within a new growing society. Before the birth of the American colonies, it has been argued that sport in America was a cultural practice for the most part associated with Native American ceremonies and religion, colonisation brought the idea of sport and games for leisure. The English brought with them recreational ideologies, it was not just the particular games and sports but the attitudes and practices in which leisure activities were rooted. The Native Americans had many sports/games similar to that of Europeans before colonisation but they had independent cultural contexts that gave them different meanings. Often the activities accompanied fertility ceremonies, burial rites, healing practices, and attempts to control the weather. It was reported in the American Anthropologist (1890) by James Mooney that Cherokees who played stickball (Also known as Lacrosse) must not engage in intercourse for a month before a game. Also, prior to games they would build fires and dance to the sound of drums, rattles and sacred chants. Players were prepared before games with prayer’s, pipe smoking, body painting and many other rituals designed more to enhance spirituality rather than to ensure them victory. Participation in these games was not voluntary as the reasons they were played were for crucial tribal concerns. Indeed, the English who came and colonised America also played games for similar cultural reasons, though these reasons were not as crucial of a concern for the whole nation, but for smaller areas of society. In general, the British played for leisure, in Europe this formed the counterpoint to the necessity of daily labour, and the ideal of playing sport for leisure is still very strong today all over the world. The English leisure ethic more so than its work ethic became idealised by Virginian plantation owners. They acted like English gentlemen, followed English press, fashion and played English sports such as Cricket, they did this in search of a class distinction. It was mainly for this reason that sporting displays became a big preoccupation among the Virginian gentry; they were some of the few that had the time and money to occupy themselves with such tasks. Due to this, leisure became a very class restricting custom, and the English educated gentry endeavoured to keep it this way. One such example of the class distinctions at this time within American society is that of James Bullocke who was a tailor, he defeated Mathew Slader a ‘gentleman’ in a 1674 horse race on which each man had placed a bet of two thousand pounds of tobacco. However, after this victory the county court told the men that it was â€Å"contrary to law for a labourer to make a race being a sport for Gentlemen†, and fined him one hundred pounds of tobacco. The court also confined Slader (the gentleman) to the stocks for an hour for his loss to a working man. A leading factor in the pursuit of leisure for whites was that slavery made it difficult for them to value hard work, and easy for them to appreciate sport and games. The logic of this was simple, if enslaved blacks had to work; play was proof of freedom and elevated social status. Labour was a burden of blackness, leisure was the prerogative of whiteness. The institution of slavery, in fact, compelled the vast majority of African Americans to â€Å"steal† time for leisure and recreation, just as they stole a certain kind of knowledge when they learned to read and write. The civil war however painful it was, had a good side to it as well, this being that it helped to bring a stop to slavery. This meant freedom, citizenship, and constitutional protections from the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments, however this did not mean too much to America’s black population. The good that came from the end of slavery was overshadowed by institutionalised racial segregation and repression that treated African American’s as second-class citizens. Many African Americans turned to sport and leisure to help cope with the racial discrimination, however this was not as easy as one may think it to be. Sport was used as a point of interest that brought many blacks together, Baseball was one of the most unifying of sports for African Americans with many early Black baseball teams, one of the earliest being the Pythian Baseball Club of Philadelphia, they consisted of four teams with players coming from the higher ranks of Black society. The Pythian's played other black teams from around Philadelphia, including one of the most famous, the Excelsiors (the oldest black team in the city). The Pythian’s played for the unofficial â€Å"Colored Championship of the United States† in 1871, they carried a race’s pride when they played all be it separating themselves from the lower and middle classes in the African American society. This showing that although it became more acceptable for black players to play white sports, they were separated out from the white’s and class was still a divisive factor amongst players. So, ‘land of the free’ of ‘opportunity’ it does not look like it, when we see the divide between the players of this sport. Black athletes were involved in almost every sport by the end of the nineteenth century, however, boxing was one they had a larger representation and became most prominent in. Black athletes were more acceptable in boxing as it was believed that it was more suitable to the black athlete’s abilities and there was also a negative stigma attached to the sport. While in baseball black players were cultivating themselves a separate coloured league, boxing was a predominantly white organised sport and black boxers suffered the wrath of much of the white population as well as some from the black population too. A successful and controversial figure in boxing was Jack Johnson, the first American black heavyweight boxing champion, from a white point of view he showed many of the personal qualities disliked of blacks, Johnson was defiant, ill-mannered and incorrigible. Also, he married three white women and he was successful capturing the symbolism of Anglo-Saxon white superiority, the heavyweight boxing crown. Johnson was not just disliked by the whites for his behaviour, many in the black community thought that his actions hindered the progress of the race. He was a hero to many, but also was considered an embarrassment as he refused to act subservient. The way Johnson lived his life could be argued that he was a true pioneer of the ‘American dream’, an operator in the ‘land of the free’ that has taken the opportunity given to him and made it work. His boxing career was a quest for freedom, he formed his own unique style of fighting and his success gained him many of the material things many blacks craved but they would never achieve. Examining boxing, one could argue that this sport showed a truer interpretation of American Society than any of the others, America was supposed to be a ‘land of opportunity’ where people could emigrate, to achieve things that they would not be able to do in their homeland. However, was this sport mirroring American society or one of very few things that actually fell in line with the belief of the ‘American dream’? This being the story of one man, who ac hieved his own dream, at the cost of being disliked by many, surely a ‘land of the free’ would encourage his success. In conclusion, it is hard to fully understand American society from how it affected sport, whether it be racism, gender or class distinctions. One thing that is obvious to any historian looking at this subject, it is that these problems, however much people believe them to no longer be a problem in society, they still are. Class is no longer much of a problem within sport anymore, unless it is stopping you from joining the prestigious tennis of golf club, though these days money will buy you whatever class status you want. However, whether it is gender arguments such as prize funds at competitions such as Wimbledon, or the racism provided by fans to players of all different sports around the world, these problems will never go away. So is it wrong to judge America for its sporting/sociological crimes of the past? When looking at American society now it is still divided between sports which are seen as black and white, white sports such as ice hockey played in the northern states, and NASCAR in the southern states, black players are few and far between while Basketball is predominantly filled with black players. The truth is sport will always divide, the most recent divide in sport has come with homosexuality, David Kopay, was one of the only American Footballers to come out as gay in 1975. After he retired he was considered for many top coaching roles though he believes he never landed one because of his sexuality. Kopay is now on the board of the Gay and Lesbian Athletics Association, an organisation whose purpose is to increase acceptance and visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender athletes in the professional, amateur, and recreational athletics communities. You could use this argument to show that sport does not reflect society as whole but more secular groupings. Modern day racism, homophobia, sexism are all hot topics but society overall is not reflected as any of these things, yet sport still is. To say that trends in sport reflect overall society can be strongly refuted, such as in the army, police force and many working environments these problems have become institutionalised and are a representation of a few minds, not a whole society. However much sport in American society separated and segregated people, the fact is that it has eventually brought everyone together to provide a more sturdy society. America proved itself for a small period of time to be a ‘land of the free’ a ‘new nation’ in which if an athlete was good at a sport it didn’t matter if he was different, the opportunity was still there. It may have taken over a hundred years but the class divide has gone and the divide between race and gender is being depleted. Sport is a catalyst for cohesiveness, and it has helped in the development and the creation of American society as we see it today. Bibliography Books Jable, J. Thomas. Sport in Philadelphia’s African American Community, 1865-1900. Eisen, G. ; Wiggins, D. (1994) Ethnicity and Sport in North American History and Culture. Praeger Publishers. Gorn, E. ; Goldstein, W. (1993) A Brief History of American Sports. University of Illinois Press. Chicago. Wiggins, D. ; Miller, P. (2003) The Unlevel Playing Field: A Documentary of the African American Experience in Sport. University of Illinois Press. Chicago. Vincent, T. (1981) The Rise ; Fall of American Sport: Mudville’s Revenge. University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln. Wiggins, D. (1995) Sport in America: From Wicked Amusement to National Obsession. Websites http://www. glaf. org ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Pg6. Gorn [ 2 ]. Pg5. Gorn [ 3 ]. Pg5. Gorn [ 4 ]. Pg22. Gorn [ 5 ]. Pg21. Gorn [ 6 ]. Pg 7 Wiggins and Miller [ 7 ]. Pg157 Eisen and Wiggins [ 8 ]. Wiggins and Miller pg 34 [ 9 ]. Eisen, G & Wiggins, K. Pg 134 [ 10 ]. Eisen, G & Wiggins, K. Pg140 [ 11 ]. Eisen, G & Wiggins, K. Pg141 [ 12 ]. http://glaf. org/team_bios. html