College Sports Essays (1271 words) - Chauvinism, Discrimination

College Sports Brad Wilson Women Studies 4 page paper 10/13/00 We live in a republic governed not just by majority rule but also by law. We use law in our country to limit the power of majority rule. The basic reason that we do this is because society can be flawed. This ?flaw? can come from a variety of areas, but the one that I would like to focus on is sexism. In criminal law the courts are blind to the ideas that people are different. Every person is given the same privileges and limitations as the next person regardless of sex or race. We do not live in a system were there is a set of rules for men and a different set of rules for women. The application of these laws can be flawed however, because the means in which law is applied is done through human eyes. In theory law should protect every person in the same way, but the application of our laws falls short of this ideal. We live in a system where the law treats every person in the same way. The major argument against this is that race and sex do come into law because we use people to implement the law. This idea that the problem with law is that the people implementing it are sexist should not lead to the idea that law is sexist. Instead we should face the real problem that people are sexist. The law does not say to a police officer to treat one group of people different, but rather the law states that all people should be treated the same. Does that mean that if a police officer treats people different that there is a fundamental flaw in law or does that mean that there is a problem with this officer? The same situation can be brought out in the courts. Jury members not only decide a case on the facts of the case, but also from their own opinions. If there is a sexist jury member that jury member's opinion will affect the outcome of the case. Once again this should not lead us to believe that the law is flawed; instead that that jury member is. Our court system tries to make sure that any person that sits in the jury box can be impartial and fair. The courts also want a person that will decide the outcome of the case based on the facts. In reality is there any person that will not allow personal experience and opinions to effect their decisions. This still does not mean that law is fundamentally sexist. This simple means that people are. If there is a sexist outcome to a case there are really only 12 people that you can blame. Now I say that there are only 12 people that you can blame, but that is not exactly true. I believe that lawyers in our country have become very good at playing with the law and with the emotions of jury. Simple examples of this are the Rodney King case and the OJ Simpson case. In both of these cases a criminal trial was marred with stereotypes and opinion. In one case that King was accused of being on drugs and being the fact that he was black and from the ?wrong side of town? the defense attorneys used this idea to fog the facts of the case. In Simpson case the defense used the idea that police were trying to frame a black man. Both of these cases were decided on things other than the facts of the case. The question is, was it the racism of the jury, the layers, or the law? We will never know the answer to that question just the outcome of the trial. In both of these cases there was a racist outcome, but neither one of these cases shows that law is racist rather the member s of the court were. A great argument for the idea that law is blind is that most of the rights the women have received in recent history have been achieved through law. Women have been mistreated in our system for years, it has not been until recently women started

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buy custom Classical and Modern Liberalism essay Liberalism refers to the belief in the significance of liberty and equal rights (Alterman 2008). Liberals generally advocate for ideas like human rights, constitutionalism, capitalism, free and fair elections etc. The history of liberalism dates back to the commencement of the English Civil War and endures even after the end of the Cold War. Though the reign of liberalism dates back to the Middle Ages, it is worth noting that it started as a main doctrine in the 16th and 17th centuries as a reaction to the religious wars that were gripping Europe (Alterman 2008). Following the French Revolution, classical liberals, who mainly focused on the importance of civil liberties and free markets, dominated liberal history for more than a century. However, at the inception of the First World War, there was a change in trend towards a new liberalism, whose emphasis was on an increased role of the state in improving societal ills (Alterman 2008). This paper gives a description and analysis of th e main aspects of classical and modern liberalism (with reference to two authors), including their origin, features or ideas, and examples. Description and Analysis of the Main Aspects of Classical and Modern Liberalism Classical Liberalism Classical liberalism refers to the philosophy of commitment to constitutionalism, individual liberty, limited government, the rule of law, free markets, as well as freedom of speech, religion, and press, etc. (Alterman 2008) Classical liberalism developed in Europe in the 19th century. Since the early 19th century up to the World War I, classical liberalism was the dominating theory in the United Kingdom, with its outstanding victories being witnessed in the Reform Act of 1832, as well as the Corn Laws repeal in 1846 (Alterman 2008). It is worth noting that despite classical liberals wanting limited government participation, they, however, accepted state involvement in the economy at the beginning of the 19th century during the enactment of the Factory Acts (Alterman 2008). Benjamin Disraeli, the then UK Conservative prime minister, totally rejected classical liberalism, and instead, advocated for Tory Democacy. It was apparent in the 1870s that classical liberalism was no longer the reigning ideology (Alterman 2008). Due to the changes in the social and economic conditions in the 19th century, there was a split between social and neo-classical liberals, who agreed on the significance of individual freedom, but sharply differed on the states role. While social liberals supported government participation, neo-classical liberals laid emphasis on limited government. The Great Depression led to a change from classical liberalism to modern liberalism (Alterman 2008). Classical liberals ideologies include belief in the fact that individuals create the government to protect them against ills committed by their fellow citizens and foreigners, as well as to maintain public works and institutions (Krugman 2007). In addition, they believed in individual freedom to pursue their interests without societal restraint (Krugman 2007). With regard to free markets, classical liberals believed that capital and labor should be rewarded highly, and there should be efficient organization of production to meet the demands of consumers (Krugman 2007). Notable authors, who have greatly contributed to classical liberalism, include John Locke, who dwelled on themes, such as religious toleration, individualism, the importance of property etc (Krugman 2007). According to Locke, it is the people who select a government, and therefore, it derives its authority from its subjects. Lockes writings include A Letter Concerning Toleration and Second Treatise of Government, among others (Heywood 2007). Another author is Adam Smith, whose book, The Wealth of Nations, provided numerous ideas on classical liberal economics. Some of the issues he discussed are wealth distribution, motivation for economic activity, and policies that help the state to maximize wealth, etc. According to Smith, self-interest is the motivating factor in production of goods and services (Krugman 2007). Modern Liberalism Modern Liberalism is a modified form of classical liberalism that developed in the 1930s in response to the Great Depression (Diamond 2008). It developed as a form of social liberalism rooted in progressive principles that shows support for the welfare of the state via a competitive mixed economy and social justice. Modern liberals value the rule of law, democracy, and civil liberties. In addition, they believe in the existence of liberty when access to basic needs, such as health care, education, etc., is availed equally to everyone (Diamond 2008). Modern liberals see the state as an instrument that helps to promote the general welfare of the society via participation in social, cultural, economic, and political activities that are in the interest of individual people, and supports the regulation of the economic life of the society by the state to alleviate diseases, hunger, etc. They also believe that individual liberties and rights are created by the state, which has the privilege of restraining them if they hinder societal welfare (Diamond 2008). Among the notable writers who contributed to the philosophy of modern liberalism are Herbert Croly and Keynesian etc (Heywood 2007). Through his book, The Promise of American Life, Croly advocated for economic planning as a means of improving the general living standards, formation of a society based on brotherhood, as well as increased expenditure on education. Keynesian, on the other hand, argued through his Economic Theory book, that national prosperity necessitates the management of economy by the government to maintain high growth and low unemployment rate (Diamond 2008). There are two types of liberalism, i.e. classical and modern liberalism. Classical liberalism supports commitment to constitutionalism, individual liberty etc. Classical liberalism developed in Europe in the 19th century. John Locke and Adam Smith are among the classical liberalism authors (Scott 2009). Modern liberalism, on the other hand, is a modified form of classical liberalism that developed in the 1930s in response to the Great Depression. Its supports ideologies like the regulation of the economic life of the society by the state to alleviate diseases, hunger etc. Herbert Croly and Keynesian are examples of modern liberalism writers (Scott 2009). In comparing the two types of liberalism, I support modern liberalism because it advocates for government intervention to promote the peoples welfare. Buy custom Classical and Modern Liberalism essay