The interpretation of original Islamic texts paints a far liberal and feminist picture than what is made of it in the centuries to follow. What we see in today’s Islamic world is a lot of injustice to women. Women are oppressed under the false pretense of upholding Islamic virtue. The present system “keeps people locked…
Category: Society
Two African musical themes and their musical, social and cultural relations.
One of the predominant themes in African music is the close relationship between music and language. For instance, “African tone languages, with their inter-syllabic relational pitch structure, manifest a musical aspect that in turn constrains melodic contour. Second, the popular and popularizing phenomenon of talking drums, the idea that drums (and other speech surrogates) “speak”…
Can Social Psychology Save Humanity?
Introduction: The modern human history is studded with technological advancements and economic growth. But, does this overall betterment in standards and conditions of living made human beings a happier lot? The answer is “no”. Surveys after surveys have pointed that beyond basic necessities, more affluence does not translate into more well-being. In this context, it…
What sorts of support did people get from religion in the ancient world?
Mythologies as Information Dispensers: In the ancient world as is so in the modern world, myths have been an essential component of religion. In ancient societies, word of mouth stories were very significant because they explicated human and divine nature. In an era when the written script was not yet invented, this was a valuable…
Groucho Marx and the progression from vaudeville to movies, to radio and to television in the history of popular culture.
The youngest of the Marx Brothers trio, Julius “Groucho” Marx, was also the most popular and versatile of the siblings. Groucho Marx’s place in the American comedy canon is undisputed and he is regarded second only to Charlie Chaplin in terms of his status in the comedian fraternity. While most comedians of his generation were…
Language Development and Socioeconomic Status
Abstract: Parent’s education level which is a reasonable measure of their SES is found to influence language proficiency of their children. Substance abusing parents from low SES tend to be negligent of their children, which affects their language development. Ethnic and racial minorities, especially whose first language is different from the dominant language of the…
Reggae does not simply describe an experience, but politicises it through creating symbols for listeners to identify with.
The most common themes of Reggae music include poverty, politics and Rastafarianism (which is a set of spiritual and cultural beliefs with wide ranging interpretations). Other subjects like love, sex and socializing also find mention in the lyrics although social criticism is the predominant theme. The music is also known for criticism of materialism, political…
The case for and against Euthanasia
Euthanasia is deliberate killing of a seriously or terminally ill human being, apparently for his/her benefit. The important word here is “deliberate”, meaning, to act upon a conscious decision. Euthanasia is also referred to as “mercy killing”. Euthanasia can be either voluntary or involuntary. Euthanasia is usually applied for terminal patient cases where there is…
The Socio-economic Consequences of Landmines
Introduction: Landmines have profound social and economic consequences to civilians. Although landmines are meant to curb enemy access to terrain, they affect the local civilian populations quite severely. They depopulate entire regions of the country, get in the way of agricultural production and interfere with transportation. They also bring down the economic infrastructure and kill/maim…
The Negative Effects of Music Videos on our Youth
Abstract: Several studies indicate a correlation between music videos and violent behavior of adolescents. The findings also show a connection between the imagery displayed in the videos and inappropriate sexual attitudes and conduct. The lyrics tend to have a significant corrupting influence on the youth. Particular genres such as hip-hop, gangsta rap and heavy metal…