Response

Response to http://leannemulloy.blogspot.com/2008/04/jeremy-kyle.html

I must admit that I do sometimes watch the Jeremy Kyle show and it is sometimes entertaining, this is not because I like to watch venerable people being exploited but because sometimes the reasons that people go on the show for are ridiculous! Yet even though I occasionally watch the show, I can not stand Jezza! He is dictating and arrogant, he is nice to his guests when the first come on to the stage and then starts having a go at them when someone else joins them! I have read in a newspaper before that the show often fuel the guests with alcohol before the show (even the alcoholics he is supposed to be helping) to make them more argumentative. I think this is disgusting yet these people are not innocent in all of it and I don't think that they are really exploited. If you consider the fact that the people who go on the show have actually rang up and asked to go on there also this means that they have seen the show before and therefore know what Jezza is like!

Final Blooog!!

-Age: 19
-Sex: female
-Degree: creative and professional writing combined with English
-I would say that this module is not really anything like any of the other modules I am taking.
-The module was not demanding but very thought provoking and I would say that it is of an appropriate level
-The topics covered were relevant to 'being bad'.
-Topics to include?- the only different topics that I can think of are more like 'being evil' than being bad.
-The class format was good but I think that people should have been made to sit closer together so that everyone can hear each other and to stop people who sit at the back talking through the lecture.
-The module team worked well and having different lecturers for each topic was good.
-I think that it would be better to have more class discussions and whole class debates to break up the lectures.
-I felt that the module was more based on personal opinion and point of view and less about hard facts although these are relevant. The interdisciplinary nature of the module is useful to present the opinions of others within literature.
-It would be good to see more modules with this type of subject matter.
-I will be taking 'It shouldn't be allowed'
-I would recommend the module to a friend.
-The blogs were a good form of assessment and were quite easy to do.
-I think it would be easier to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones.
-I have learned about peoples different ways of thinking on the topics discussed in lectures and how to think differently myself.
-I think that all parts of the module were useful.

Prostitution

At one time women went into prostitution to feed their kids, nowadays most prostitutes do it to feed there drug habits. Many women fall into prostitution as a last resort to gain money for drugs. Their habits push them to put themselves at greater risk as they are more willing to sell themselves in dangerous situations to get money for drugs. Prostitution is an ongoing problem and there is no solution for stopping it, therefore more should be done to deal with it. Prostitutes should be made more safe by legalisation of brothels and more should be done to take them off the streets. Some women go into prostitution because they 'have' to but what excuse is there for the men that use and exploit them? I think that using the services of a prostitute is 'being bad'. If you are unable to attract women then you should go without! Women and sex are not products and really should not be bought yet some men seem to get a thrill from paying for them. I have no idea why having sex with a stranger who probably does not want to do it with you, has done it many times before and is on drugs is sooo thrilling and attractive!

http://www.prostitutionreform.co.uk/

This site offers debate on the different aspects concerning prostitution.

response to coconut

I agree with your view that having a tattoo is not being bad! It is completely down to the person who is having the tattoo to decide whether they can live with it for the rest of there lives. My posting on tattoos emphasises the need to take the permanent nature of tattoos into consideration before having one. I think that the only other way that a tattoo can be bad is if it says or portrays something that could offend someone else and is visible to them. For example:


http://monkeyfeatures.blogspot.com/

Being too religious

I have complete respect for anyone who has a religion, whatever that religion might be and would never express an opinion against their beliefs. People have the freedom to believe what they want and I would not expect people to criticise me for my religious beliefs. This does not mean I want to be preached at by people who want to try and convert me. I don't know how to define what I believe in regards to religion, I am not a complete atheist because I believe that there is a God, but I am not devout or devoted to religion. I went to a Roman Catholic school and this meant that we had to pray several times a day and attend mass regularly. When I was at school I accepted this because I had chosen to go to this school and participated in the prayers and masses because we all had to. This does not mean that I disliked doing it because after a while it became the norm and the context was in which it was happening was right. Now that I have been away from this environment for a few years I felt that the prayer at the beginning of the lecture was not right for the time, place and people. It annoys me when people try to push their beliefs and don't understand why it is so important for some people to increase the amount of people who share their religion, I think that your faith is something that is personal to you and is between you and God, there is no need to preach to others if they are not interested.

Response to Sarah Thrope's response

These blogs are not meant for people to be rude. Do you honestly think that when you are a full time university student you can get a job that pays enough to rent a flat and still complete all of your assignments to a good standard! I have a part time job and there is no way I could afford to move out! If you know of a way that this is possible I'm sure that all young students would like to know.Also why is it that you think I should move away from someone who smokes I am not the one who is causing a problem and could be potentially damaging other peoples health. You may be a 'considerate' smoker but not everyone else is and that was the point of my post. There is reasons why smoking has been prohibited in public places, it is becuase it is a problem! It is unfair for non smokers to have their health put at risk because of someones elses addiction.

http://sarahsblog79.blogspot.com/

Drugs

The funny thing about drugs is that some can destroy your life and some can save it! The effects of hard drugs like heroin and cracked cocaine can have devastating effects on people's lives and health. Yet less demonised drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes can have equally devastating effects and are legal! I think that some restrictions should be put on the sale and consumption of alcohol as 'in 2005/06, there were 187,640 NHS hospital admissions among adults aged 16 and over with either a primary or secondary diagnosis specifically related to alcohol. ' (http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/healthand-lifestyles/alcohol/statistics-on-alcohol:-england-2007-%5Bns%5D). Alcohol can ruin a life as much as a class A drugs can yet there is no law against it! Some drugs that are thought to be can be seen as bad and some drugs considered to be bad can be seen as beneficial. Medication prescribed to patients for pain relief such as dihydracodiene are highly addictive and result in patients who have been prescribed them long term,becoming dependent and the need to fulfil this dependency can lead to the consumption of other drugs. The debate concerning the legalisation of cannabis may stem from the fact that many people use it as a means of pain relief from conditions such as MS and arthritis. This easing of suffering that comes from smoking cannabis puts a positive spin on the drug yet many people are often unaware that cannabis has many bad side effects such as extreme paranoia and memory loss. When categorising drugs as being either good drugs or bad drugs things become difficult and there is no clear line separating the two.

body modification: tattoos- with you for life!

I often consider having a tattoo but in the back of my mind is the idea that I would n ever be able to get rid of it, I imagine myself when I'm old and wrinkly and I've got a tattoo that once looked great but now looks ridiculous. Another problem with the permanent nature of tattoos is when you want to get a job. The connotations surrounding certain tattoos are bad and this can hinder your chances of getting certain jobs. People often associate big visible tattoos with crime and deviance, I'm unsure as to why this is, maybe the image of bikers who are often have more tattoo than plain skin! Tattoos can't be taken off like clothes or taken out like earrings and this is an issue that people should seriously consider before putting needle to skin! When my uncle was an adolescent punk rocker, he thought that it would be a good idea to have 'I HATE MARGARET THATCHER' tattooed on his forearm. Now he is a successful business man and often is embarrassed when staying at posh hotels and when meeting business associates because of his tattoo. I have no problem with tattoos and think that some can look really good if I were to have one it would have to be somewhere where it could be easily concealed.
There are hundreds of websites available that exhibit loads of tattoos all over the body, this is just one of them:

http://www.tattoostation.co.uk/totm.html

Response to flames-beingbad.blogspot.com

Infidelity is good for you?

You made some interesting points in this blog but I have to say that I disagree with what you say about cheating becoming acceptable in society. I don’t think that cheating would ever be perceived as acceptable because of the way it makes those who have been cheated on feel. If people thought that cheating was acceptable then relationships would be pointless. I think that people are exposed to infidelity a too much in the media. Every soap, chat show and newspaper frequently consists of stories of infidelity. Your point about people knowing the consequences of infidelity and still doing is a very good one. I can’t understand why people cheat if they know what can happen it’s a mind boggler! I can’t really comment on the gratification gained from infidelity because I haven’t done it but it must be considered by some as worth taking the risks that come with cheating.

http://flames-beingbad.blogspot.com/

Stealing: part 2

When considering the topic of theft you must take into account the different types of stealing. These include shoplifting, mugging, fraud, burglary, armed robbery/bank robbery, car theft, and the list goes on! My question is which is worse? In my opinion none are acceptable but some cause more damage and trouble than others. I think that shoplifting is the least harmful of all the types of theft , this is because when it occurs it is usually items that are not too expensive that are stolen and no one is physically confronted by shoplifters as the whole object of it is to avoid being seen. Theft such as mugging, burglary and armed robbery/bank robbery are in a different league to shoplifting. I say this because most of the time these kind of stealing involve other people. Not only can others get hurt and become traumatised but also can lose personal possessions that mean much more to them than some make up taken from a department store does to the owner. Although fraud does not involve people in the same way that mugging does it still can have a huge affect on a person’s life. I recently saw a programme on TV that showed exactly how badly identity theft which is a common type of fraud, can affect someone. This programme is available to view on the BBC iplayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/

Stealing: shoplifting

I must admit that then I was much younger I went on a sort of crime spree! This consisted of me and a couple of friends going into town on a Saturday aged around 12, and shoplifting!! This shoplifting carried on for a few weeks and the longer we went without being caught, the braver we became and the fear of being caught diminished. We were not seeking thrills or anything like that, we just wanted stuff that we couldn't afford. In reality a lot of the stuff we stole from shops was not expensive and we did not need it but we did it anyway. This spree came to an when the inevitable happened, we got caught!! This was a shock to our systems and we never dared shoplift again! Nowadays I would never have the balls to steal anything!! Not that I would want to, now that I'm older I like the fact that I am able to earn my own money and buy all of the things that I want. I think that a lot of shoplifting occurs because people simply can not afford the things that they need or want. When I think back to my short lived life of crime I feel bad with myself for stooping low enough to shoplift and think that it was a good thing. Yet I don't feel guilty to the stores that I stole from, I think this is because I know that the few things that we did steal would not make a huge difference to them of affect them personally. When I consider the other more brutal and personal types of stealing my feelings on this are reinforced. But there is no need for shop owners to get too worried as the Internet offers loads of websites containing tips on how top prevent shoplifting, including this one:

http://www.nrps.com/community/shoplifting.asp

Infidelity: assignment 2

For my assignment I decided to do a short story that raised questions about infidelity.

“Do I know you?”

The bar was unusually crowded that afternoon. Daniel had already finished his second pint of beer and was heading over to get his third. He was alone and bored. Whilst at the bar a girl caught his eye and he recognised her from somewhere. Being fuelled with booze and the confidence that came with it, he approached the girl. They got talking and soon realised that they went to school together.
Daniel didn’t know whether it was just the alcohol but he felt that there was a definite connection between them. After some persuading the girl agreed to sit and have a drink with him. The drinks were flowing and they sat talking for hours. Even though it was only drunken nonsense, Daniel could not believe his luck, he thought she was amazing. He staggered over to the pub toilets with a foolish drunken smile on his face. After rushing in the toilets Daniel made his way back to their table. He noticed that she was on the phone and then promptly put it down on his return.
“Who was that?” he asked,
“Oh, umm, no one” she shrugged.
Daniel thought for a moment that this was strange but he was so drunk that he could barely care. For a while after the phone call the girl seemed distant but as the drinks kept coming she eased up. She had eased up so much that somehow they ended up kissing. The kissing soon progressed to much more and before he knew it and they were in a taxi on their way to her place. When they had finished he dropped into a deep blissful sleep. Daniel woke up to shouting.
“Rob no! Put the knife down, I’m sorry” the girl screamed.
Once his eyes were fully open Daniel saw a man’s furious face bearing down on him and felt a heavy thump in his side. Stunned Daniel moved his hand onto his side. He lifted it into the light and realised it was covered in blood.

I think that the story raises questions and makes people think about the more dangerous aspects of infidelity. What makes this issue even more real is the fact that this short story is based on a true event.

Amazingly some people actively seek meetings to cheat on their partners on the internet:

http://www.meet2cheat.co.uk/

maybe if they considered some of the real consequences that can be associated with it they would think twice!

Infidelity- what is cheating?

To my knowledge I have never been cheated on, well I'm young there's still time! Despite this the thought of it happening to me turns my stomach, to me it would be the ultimate betrayal! There is also the question of what is infidelity, what line has to be overstepped before you are cheating? Some people believe that cheating starts with kissing but to me many more smaller things would constitute cheating. If i were to find out that my boyfriend had been texting another girl (or boy!) inappropriately, had danced with someone, had gotten some one's number, had met up with someone etc etc then I would be furious and on the verge of dumping him and if it had gone further onto kissing or more then he would be a goner (in more ways than one)! This may seem like a strong reaction but to me it is the right one. When you are in a relationship you should have enough respect for your other half to never do anything like this and if you had the urge maybe you shouldn't be in a relationship and finish it before you pursued these urges. Staying with someone who has cheated on you is a fools game, trust would be completely destroyed and letting them get away with it would make them think that they would get away with it again. For some people trusting someone is one of the hardest things to do and if someone trusts you then you should be grateful and never abuse it. What do you think is cheating? Are my views too extreme?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080313.wlgenex13/BNStory/lifeFamily/

This article questions they the difference between cheating that is physical and emotional and whic is worse. People may think that cheating is purely physical but this article suggests that emotional infidelity is much worse, somehow cheating is worse when your partner has real feelings for the person that they are cheating on you with than when it is just mindless sex.

Smoking

I hate smoking and have been subjected to living with smokers forever! What really annoys me is not all smokers, just those who have no respect for others especially non smokers. The fact that my health is at risk because I unintentionally inhale the second hand smoke of others is not right and not fair. Figures show that passive smoking can be very bad for people's health, a passive smoker is at least 20% more likely to develop lung cancer than someone who is not exposed to smoke!

http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/html/health_news/270503smoke.html

The smoking ban was one of the best things that has happened in the past few years, you can now go out clubbing and not have to come home with your hair and clothes stinking of smoke! The smoking ban was introduced to try and get people to give up smoking but I think much more needs to be done. Some people just can't be bothered to give up. My brother smokes about a million fags a day and doesn't care who's around when he does it. When suggesting to him that he should try to give up smoking he always says that he doesn't want to because he enjoys smoking. To me this is just an excuse the only reason he enjoys smoking is because he is so addicted and when he has a cigarette his cravings are fulfilled.

I don't understand what makes people want to smoke, it makes you stink and you have to go outside to smoke and we live in England!! it's cold!! What is it that attracts people to smoking? Some say that the media makes smoking look attractive and peer pressure plays a big part in it. This is true, but not for everyone. The amount of people trying to quit is on the up and hopefully it will keep rising!

Masturbation: Man in the Bushes!!

When recently walking my dogs on a field, I looked over into the small bare woods and I saw a man. I thought this man must be crazy sitting out in the cold in shorts. As I continued walking with the dogs I came closer to the woods and realised that the man was not actually wearing shorts but was sitting on a log with his pants around his ankles having a wank!! I instantly felt sick, it was so strange and horrifying! The worst thing was that you could easily see him, a lot of people were walking by and there was a children's play area on the field and children playing on it! Masturbation is something that is supposed to be private and I think that people should keep it that way! Masturbation is mostly something that is quite natural and normal but when people do it in public it becomes something seedy and wrong. Maybe this was his way of getting thrills but the question of whether this could escalate into something much worse is then raised. Masturbation should not be seen as wrong but when put into this context it is! Yet masturbating in public seems to be very popular, when researching it I found many websites on which people had said how much they enjoy doing it in public?

http://www.mymasturbation.com/male/public.htm

am I the only one who thinks it is wrong? Is it something that can be seen as acceptable?

Bandits- Robin Hood, Bad or Good?

The legend of Robin Hood is one of the most famous in the UK, but if people knew the truth about what bandits were really like back in the day would they be so interested? People are oblivious to the fact that in reality Robin Hood was not so heroic and altruistic, me included. Maybe I was fooled by the wonder that is Disney! When learning the truth about bandits in Robin Hood's time, I was surprised but it didn't disappoint me too much as the legend is so popular it has become that it has become part of British heritage, especially in Nottingham. Nottingham being were Robin Hood was from means that in the modern day, even though there is no room for bandits nowadays, he is part of what makes Nottingham. Having family from Nottingham means that I am very familiar with the legend and was taken to a place in Nottingham dedicated to it time and time again.

http://www.robinhood.uk.com/

Maybe the thought of people being kind enough to rob from the rich to give to the poor is what makes the legend so popular because in society today people are not so generous. Maybe the legend has become loved so much because in today's society people know that a person could never become a bandit and there is no danger of it.

bad cinema: 'Kids'

Arrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhhh is the first thing I want to say about this film. The film really disturbed me and I found it really difficult to watch. Yet an even more disturbing aspect of the film is that it is a reflection of reality. Usually in films and the media the issues raised in the film, such as sex and drugs are glamorised, yet in real life things don't usually happen the way that they do in Hollywood films. 'Kids' gives a gritty and brutally honest view of the lifestyles of some of the kids from New York. The question of whether the film is 'bad' and is rightly branded as NC-17

http://www.filmratings.com/questions.htm

or is relevant and eye opening?. On one hand the film is an eye opener for parents who want to know what their kids might really be up to or teenagers wanting an insight into how others live. Yet on the other the film may worry parents who may fear for the safety of their kids and could give teenagers the wrong ideas. In my opinion it would be good for parents to worry about their kids rather than not caring, if parents are aware then they can do something towards keeping their kids more safe and aware of the risks of drugs and sex. If you want to remain blissfully unaware of how some children's lifestyles can be then I would not recommend watching the film! There is a British film that covers some of the issues raised in 'Kids' called 'Kidulthood'. 'Kidulthood' is much easier to watch than 'Kids' and is much less gritty but still puts across relevant themes and ideas related to the lives of young people in London.

http://www.kidulthood.co.uk/

Stalker, the ultimate accessory?

To some people the thought of a stalker might seem flattering and harmless yet I think that it all depends on the degree of stalking. It is hard define what stalking is, when observation and admiration crosses over to something more sinister? I believe that you are either stalking or you are not, there is no cross over between the two. Once the line between the two has been crossed there is no way of trying to say that it is not stalking just because it isn't the most extreme form of it. If you like someone and have taken an interest in them which may include asking others about them, viewing their online profiles and admiring them from afar then this is not stalking. Anything beyond this is. Stalking is far more extreme than taking an interest in someone and can be quite disturbing. If you found out that you were being followed, your underwear had gone missing or someone had a collage of secret photos of you on their bedroom wall then you wouldn't feel flattered! This video clip is taken from the channel 4 drama 'Skins' and is an example of what stalking and its extremes.
http://www.channel4.com/video/skins/series-2/episode-2/maxxies-morning-glory_p_1.html

being bad field trip

I think that for our field trip we should all be dispatched to various police stations and then become undercover officers for the night! Then we can bust some criminals for 'being bad'! Just in case we are unable to become undercover officers another idea would be to go to the 'Jeremy Kyle Show'. At this show we would be able to witness many forms of being bad like lying, drugs and infidelity.
http://www.itv.com/jeremykyle/