Research Paper Examples On The Topic Is The American Dream Attainable Or Not
Friday, January 24, 2020
Importance of Life Revealed in Erich Maria Remarques All Quiet on the
Importance of Life Revealed in Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front à à Erich Maria Remarque's classic war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, deals with the many ways in which World War I affected people's lives, both the lives of soldiers on the front lines and the lives of people on the homefront. One of the most profound effects the war had was the way it made the soldiers see human life. Constant killing and death became a part of a soldier's daily life, and soldiers fighting on all sides of the war became accustomed to it. The atrocities and frequent deaths that the soldiers dealt with desensitized them to the reality of the vast quantities of people dying daily. The title character of the novel, Paul Bà ¤umer, and his friends experience the devaluation of human life firsthand, and from these experiences they become stronger and learn to live as if every day were their last. à The killing and death of WW I depicted in the novel desensitizes Bà ¤umer to the reality that death is now a regular and driving force in his life, and that each human life is no longer sacred and precious. Bà ¤umer feels great emotion and sadness when one of his childhood friends, Kemmerich, dies early in the war. Bà ¤umer expresses his emotional despair after Kemmerich's death, stating, "I become faint, all at once I cannot do any more. I won't revile any more, it is senseless, I could drop down and never rise up again" (Remarque 32). Because this is one of the first deaths that Bà ¤umer witnesses personally and because Bà ¤umer and Kemmerich were childhood friends, the emotional impact is even greater. However, not all the deaths of his comrades effect him in such a powerful manner. The fighting gets to a point at which Bà ¤umer... ... him. Death, which he once agonized over, is now a daily occurrence and seems commonplace to him. Life, which he once took for granted, is now cherished beyond belief, and holding on to it becomes his greatest preoccupation. These effects are not limited only to Paul Bà ¤umer, but extend to all the millions of people that are involved, directly or indirectly, in the war. WW I has far-reaching impact. It not only touches those in combat on the front lines, but also those who support the soldiers and help to make munitions and supplies on the homefront. Bà ¤umer, and the millions of other people involved in WW I, learn the difficult lesson that the most trying experiences in life, or in this case death, are what make us the strongest and what drive us to survive. Works Cited Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York: Balantine Books, 1928.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Country Lovers: a Reader’s Response
Country Lovers, Nadine Gordimer TLC 25 November 2012 ? Nadine Gordimer dramatically depicts the theme of forbidden love in Country Lovers, but more than just the depth of this love, the forbidden relationship between races during the years of apartheid. Gordimer brings forward very early the fact of racial division, ââ¬Å"the black children are making along with the bodily changes common to all, an easy transition to adult forms of address, beginning to call their old playmates missus and baasie little masterâ⬠. Gordimer, 1975) This short story powerfully demonstrates the ever present desire for that which is taboo and the often very tragic end for all concerned in an overtly subjugated society, race notwithstanding. She sets the story in South Africa on the farm owned by the white Eysendeck Family, early in the childhood of their son Paalus and the young black girl, Thebedi.The vivid descriptions or Local Color are depictions of culture and landscape within this setting allow the author to depict the atmosphere that shaped the characters moral values of individuals in a particular region. (Clugston, 6. 4) The use of setting, in this case the time and place of the story also illustrates Milhauserââ¬â¢s opinion, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ if you concentrate your attention on some apparently insignificant portion of the world, you will find, deep within it, nothing less than the world itself.The author also cleverly uses foreshadowing to allude to issues the characters may deal with, ââ¬Å"The trouble was Paalus Eysendeck did not seem to realize Thebdi was now simply one of the crowd of farm children down at the kraalâ⬠. (Gordimer, 1975) The overwhelming sense of cultural taboo was evident throughout the story and was recognized by both characters in their need to be secretive in their meetings. The use of foreshadowing and setting strongly supported the themes in the story, allowing Gordimer to bring the reader closer to the heart to the story.Although Nadine Gordimer grew up in South Africa during the enforcement of apartheid and attempted throughout her years of writing to bring attention to the under privileged; she and many other writers did not have the ability or desire to discuss the unfortunate issues that generations of the often over-indulged and morally corrupt class also had to face, ââ¬Å"I will try and carry on as best I can to hold my head up in the district. â⬠(Gordimer, 1975) The characters throughout this story were strong and richly developed.Both Paalus and Thebedi were similarly portrayed as equally developing young people in the illustrations of their interactions with classmates and friends, an example being the gifts they exchanged on holidays and the joy they gained admiration of them. (Gordimer) Ms. Gordimer expertly executed the account of two young people that were lifelong friends and eventually secret lovers and the on pressures that society, class and race can have on those individuals.An incredible sense of despair is exposed in the passages discussing the issues faced by the characters, Thebedi and Paalus, both showed a feeling of loss of control of the situation when he stated, ââ¬Å"I feel like killing myselfâ⬠; she could not help but feel sadness for a man she likely still loved, ââ¬Å"her eyes began to glow, to thicken with tearsâ⬠. (Gordimer, 1975) This effort to bring the ominous mood to the reader is astonishingly effective. In the last portion of the story the dialogue of the main characters demonstrates the deliberate change in the characters.Paalus becomes very aware of the potentially catastrophic outcome of his and Thebediââ¬â¢s indulgences. The shift in characterization was brilliantly executed with the seemingly formidable white man becoming the pariah in the district where his family was well respected. The conflict or struggle within both characters became what to do with the baby who was the product of forbidden love in an unaccepting society. Lastly, the reader is made aware of several shifts that have shift occurred. The first shift being for Paalus and the Eysendeck family by being lowered in status ââ¬Å" left with his motherââ¬â¢s raincoat shielding his face from photographersâ⬠.The next obvious shift of the Judge in his statement in court actually raised Njaboluââ¬â¢s status, â⬠by commending the honorable behavior of the husbandâ⬠¦ and even provided clothes for the unfortunate infant out of his slender means. â⬠(Gordimer, 1975) The final line of the story provides insight on the outcome by bringing to light the fact that the girl ââ¬Å"in her own language stated that ââ¬Å"it was a thing of our childhood and they donââ¬â¢t see each other anymoreââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ The symbolic nature of this last line demonstrated the eventual movement forward of the young woman and her embracing her life as it was set in motion by time and society to be. REFERENCES: Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Milhauser, S. (2008). The Ambition of the Short Story. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www. nytimes. com/2008/10/05/books/review/Millhauser-t. html
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Structure, Theme and Convention in Sir Philip Sidneys...
Structure, Theme and Convention in Sir Philip Sidneys Sonnet Sequence The sixteenth century was a time of scientific, historical, archaeological, religious and artistic exploration. More attention was being allotted to probing into the depths of the human psyche and it was up to the artists and poets rather than the priests and scholars to examine and mirror these internal landscapes. The little world of man [1] was reflected through various artistic forms, one of which was the sonnet, which was conventionally used for dedications, moral epigrams and the like. Traditionally most sonnets dealt with the theme of romantic love and in general the sonneteer dealt with the over-riding concern of the self and the other, the latter ofâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Incidentally, although not a realistic autobiography, Stella is modelled on Penelope Devereux, who was supposed to marry Sidney but was then forced to marry Lord Rich, and phil in Astrophil is indeed an abbreviation of Sidneys first name, Philip. After finding out about Penelopes marriage, fate had i t that Sidney started to truly have feelings for her although by this time it was too late. Astrophils actions seem to be forgiven by some critics because he is after all driven by love. In fact Sidneys depiction of the male protagonist is one which makes some critics and readers empathize with him during his lamentations and praise of Stella. This may be because it is thought that Sidneys aim was to show readers how a man can let his emotions get the better of him, thereby leading him into eventual despair. It is through Astrophils mistakes and negative example that Sidney is able to inculcate morality. This is also another typical quality of sonneteers, who aim to morally instruct through their art. Beneath the witty surface of Astrophils lamentations, Thomas P. Roche seems to feel that Sidney is using Astrophils journey from hope to despair as a fictional device for the analysis of human desire in Christian terms. [2] Consequently Roche points out that in witnessing Astrophils despair the readers reaction is supposed to make them conscious of his limitations from a
Monday, December 30, 2019
Patterns in Classical China - Free Essay Example
Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1117 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/09/24 Category Advertising Essay Type Compare and contrast essay Tags: Government Essay Did you like this example? Compare and Contrast September 23, 2010, Compare and Contrast Patterns in Classical China. Three dynastic cyclesââ¬âthe Zhou, the Qin, and the Hanââ¬âcovered many centuries of classical China. The dynastic patterns begun in classical Chinese history lasted until the early part of the twentieth century. A family of kings called a ââ¬Å"dynasty,â⬠began ruling China with great vigor, developing solid political institutions, and encouraging active economies. Each dynasty over time grew weaker, tax revenues declined, and social divisions occurred as the population outstripped available resources. In addition, internal rebellions and sometimes invasions from the outside contributed to each dynastyââ¬â¢s decline. As the ruling dynasty began to falter, usually another one arose from the family of a successful general, invader, or peasant and the pattern started anew. The Zhou dynasty (1029-258 B. C. E. ) expanded the territorial boundaries of China by seizing the Yangtze River valley. The territory from the Yangtze to the Huang is often called the ââ¬Å"Middle Kingdom,â⬠blessed with rich cropland. They promoted Mandarin as the standard language. The Zhou did not establish a strong central government but ruled instead through alliances with regional princes and noble families. This led to vulnerabilities that plagued the Zhou: the regional princes solidified their power and disregarded the central government. When the Zhou began to fail, philosophers sought to explain the political confusion. One of these, Confucius, became one of the most important thinkers in Chinese history. His orderly social and political philosophy became an important doctrine of the Qin and Han dynasties. The next dynasty, the Qin, (221-202 B. C. E. ) was begun by the brutal but effective emperor Shi Huangdi. He consolidated his power, built the Great Wall, conducted a census, standardized weights and measures, and extended the borders of his realm to Hon g Kong and northern Vietnam. Upon his death, massive revolts broke out and by 202 B. C. E. , the Han dynasty (202 B. C. E. -220 C. E. ) was established. The Han rulers lessened the brutality of the Qin but maintained its centralized rule. Early Han leaders, like Wu Ti, expanded Chinese territory and set up formal training, based on Confucian philosophy, or bureaucrats. During a long decline, the Han faced invasions and eventually fell to outside forces, especially the Huns. By the sixth century C. E. , the Han too collapsed, but not before they had established distinctive political and cultural values that lasted into the twentieth century. Political Institutions. Throughout the Qin and Han periods, the Chinese state bureaucracy expanded its powers significantly. By the end of the Han dynasty, China had roughly 130,000 bureaucrats all trained by the government to carry out the emperorââ¬â¢s policies. Tax collections and annual mandatory labor services ensured the central gover nment held some power over almost every person in the Middle Kingdom, something no other large government accomplished until the twentieth century. Religion and Culture. Like many civilizations, China did not produce a unitary belief system. Confucianism and Daoism were two of the major systems that competed for the loyalties of various Chinese communities during the years of the classical period. Kung Fuzi (Confucius) lived from roughly 551 to 478 B. C. E. He was not a religious leader but rather saw himself as a defender of Chinese tradition and espoused a secular system of ethics. Personal virtue, he believed, would lead to solid political institutions. Both rulers and the ruled should act with respect, humility, and self-control. Classical China also produced a more religious philosophy called Daoism, which embraced harmony in nature. According to this movement, politics, learning, and the general conditions in this world were of little importance. Over time, individuals embr aced aspects of both philosophies and also Buddhism. Chinese art then was largely decorative, stressing detail and craftsmanship. Artistic styles often reflected the geometric qualities of the symbols of Chinese writing. The practical application of science superseded learning for learningââ¬â¢s sake. Chinese astronomers developed accurate calendars. Scholars studied the mathematics of music. This practical focus contrasted with the more abstract approach to science applied by the Greeks. Economy and Society. As in many societies, there were large gaps between Chinaââ¬â¢s upper class (about 2 percent of the population) and the peasant farmers. Officially there were three main social groups in classical China. The landowning aristocracy and the bureaucrats formed the top group. Far below them were the laboring peasants and urban artisans. At the bottom of society were the ââ¬Å"mean people,â⬠those who performed unskilled labor. Trade became increasingly important, particularly in the Han period. Technology is where the classical Chinese clearly excelled. Many developments of this era were centuries ahead of the rest of the world. Tight-knit family structures were similar to those in other civilizations, except that parents wielded much higher levels of authority over their children. Women were subordinate to men but had clearly defined roles in the family and in larger society. In Depth: Women in Patriarchal Societies. Agricultural societies were usually patriarchal and as they developed the status of women generally deteriorated. Marriages were arranged for women by their parents and husbands had authority over their wives and children. Later, law codes ensured basic protections but also featured limits to and inferiority of women. There were, of course, exceptions. The Egyptians had powerful queens and Jewish law traced descendence from mothers. Patriarchy responded to economic and legal conditions in agricultural civilizations and of ten deepened over time. In many societies, women held power through religious functions and had authority over daughters-in-law and unmarried daughters. How Chinese Civilization Fits Together. Chinaââ¬â¢s politics and culture were, to them, two sides of the same coin, especially after the Confucian bureaucracy developed, emphasizing order and stability. Classical Chinese technology, religion, philosophy, and political structure evolved with little outside contact. Political stability aided economic growth and the government took a direct role in agricultural and economic growth. Science focused on practical applications of technology that fostered economic development. Unsurprisingly, the Chinese saw their political and social lives as a whole. There was divergence, however, such as in the differing philosophies of Confucianism, Daoism, and eventually Buddhism. Despite these and other divisions, the synthesis of Chinese life accounts for the durability of Chinese values and fo r its general invulnerability to outside influence. Classical India was just as vital a civilization but didnââ¬â¢t weave its institutions into society as fully and produced a more disparate outcome. Global Connections: Classical China and the World. Chinese civilization was the longest lasting in world history and one of the most creative and influential. They created the best-run bureaucracy and a whole range of technologies, and they were the source of the worldââ¬â¢s largest trade network, the Silk Roads. Silk Road networks provided the framework for later global trading patterns. 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Sunday, December 22, 2019
I Am Thin, Video And The Two Studies On Anorexia Nervosa
After reviewing the ââ¬Å"Dying to be Thinâ⬠(2000) video and the two studies on anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) my view of these two disorders has been expanded and somewhat altered. The ââ¬Å"Dying to Be Thinâ⬠video looked at the history, triggers, medical complications and treatments. It documents the struggles of models, dancers and teenagers with the disease. The two studies on AN and BN asked patients in a therapeutic setting to write letters to their disorders from the friend and foe perspective. The results were interesting and merit further studies. The ââ¬Å"Dying to be Thinâ⬠video increased my knowledge of the historical and scientific aspects of these eating disorders. It followed the common theme of how our culture contributes to the increasing number of girls and woman affected by AN and BN. As an athlete I could relate to the struggles of the ballet dancers to conform to the weight requirements of the profession. I was told to lose weight by my tennis coaches at every stage of my professional development. My sister who is also a tennis professional struggled with anorexia. I was particularity interested in the scientific research revealed in the ââ¬Å"Dying to be Thinâ⬠video. It reinforced my belief that further studies of the brain will reveal previously unknown aspects of eating disorders and could lead to a cure. Scientist have found that elevated levels of serotonin are a marker for eating disorders. Increased serotonin levels reduces appetite. People withShow MoreRelatedThe Positive And Negative Aspect O f Their Disorder815 Words à |à 4 PagesWhen I first saw the title and abstract to the articles required for this class, I read with disbelief the idea that anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN) can be seen as having positive effects on an individual. To me, this was a foreign concept and had never crossed my mind. The exploratory studies required 18 (AN) and 30 (BN) participants who have been diagnosed with AN or BN to write two letters; one to their disorder as a friend and the other as a foe. From these letters, the researchersRead MoreEssay on Eating Disorders and the Media2815 Words à |à 12 PagesHypothesis: Media exposure creates an ideal body image that is not easily maintained by most adolescents and causes adolescents to be dissatisfied with their bodies and leads to unhealthy diet habits and other more sever eating disorders. Logic of Study: What if the media was limited to adolescents, would they be less likely develop an eating disorder or would they just in fact have there own thoughts creating the actual self. Adolescents tend to have their own perceptions of what they want theirRead MoreEating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa2131 Words à |à 9 Pages1. Using the cases of two eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa), or obesity, one can determine that health and illnesses are just as much of a societal and cultural issue, as they are a medical issue. Eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia are both mental illnesses. Anorexia nervosa involves starving oneself to avoid gaining weight, while bulimia involves binge eating followed by purging to avoid weight gain (Gerber and Macionis 2012). Both of these disorders stem fromRead More Eating Disorders: Just Dying to be Perfect Essay5629 Words à |à 23 PagesAs the ideal womenââ¬â¢s body has become progressively thinner over the past decades, the eating disorder anorexia has become progressively more prevalent. Anorexia is a disease in which a person eats nothing beyond minimal amounts of food so that her body weight drops dangerously. It is no wonder with all of the cultural messages of thinness being aimed at women, that 90-95% of anorexics are female, 25.7% of all female ballet dancers are anorexic, and that the percentages are similarly high for femaleRead More The Medias Influence on Body Image Essay4394 Words à |à 18 Pages Eleven million women in the United States suffer from eating disorders- either self-induced semistarvation (anorexia nervosa) or a cycle of bingeing and purging with laxatives, self-induced vomiting, or excessive exercise (bulimia nervosa) (Dunn, 1992). Many eating disorder specialists agree that chronic dieting is a direct consequence of the social pressure on American females to achieve a nearly impossible thinness. The media has been denounced for upholding and perhaps even creating the emaciatedRead MoreEssay about Gendered Media9688 Words à |à 39 PagesArticle 7 Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on Views of Gender Julia T. Wood Department of Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill times more often than ones about women (ââ¬Å"Study Reports Sex Bias,â⬠1989), media misrepresent actual proportions of men and women in the population. This constant distortion tempts us to believe that there really are more men than women and, further, that men are the cultural standard. THEMES IN MEDIA Of the many influences on how we view
Saturday, December 14, 2019
American and North Vietnamese Perception of War Free Essays
Austin Beeler American and North Vietnamese Perceptions of War To the American Soldiers and the NVA/VC soldiers, the Vietnam War was both very similar and very different. Most of soldiers in Vietnam went into the war with a purpose, and they had a very high morale levels. Both the Americans and the NVA soldiers left with many problems. We will write a custom essay sample on American and North Vietnamese Perception of War or any similar topic only for you Order Now The war left most soldiers with very severe cases of mental issues. There were also many things about the war that differed to the soldiers. One was the type of patriotism, and the other was the consequences of choosing to not fight. The American soldiers were fighting with a different type of patriotism than the communist soldiers. The Vietnamese soldiers were fighting for their freedom and to protect their homeland. The Americans were fighting for their government. They went into the war completely trusting their government no matter what they thought about the conflict. The war left both sides with huge wounds that would take a long time to heal. The American soldiers left for Vietnam knowing that they have been the victors in all of the other wars and conflicts they have been in. The morale among the soldiers was high at the beginning of the war. The Vietnamese soldiers had very high morale after beating the French in 1954. One American soldier wrote a letter to his fiance that was supposed to be given to her in the unfortunate event of his death. He told his fiance that he is proud that he was even able to fight for his country, and even though the war has taken his life, he wishes that she doesnââ¬â¢t hate the war because of it. The soldiers that were first sent over seas were proud of what they were doing. They believed in their country and they believed that the people back home would have their back. The Vietnamese soldiers had been victorious in beating the French empire just years before the American soldiers arrived. They were in high spirits and it gave them a sense of invincibility because they just defeated a huge power. The Vietnamese soldiers were fighting for their homeland. They saw the Americans as another colonial power that was trying to move in and take control again. The soldiers knew that they could navigate the land much better than the Americans and they carefully planned their attacks. Both of the sides were patriotic, but they were patriotic in different ways. The American soldiers were patriotic in the sense of they were serving for their government and their country. They were fighting because the government told them that they need to be over there stopping the spread of communism. For the Americans it was about making their country proud. The North Vietnamese soldiers were patriotic in a completely different sense. They were fighting for their freedom. They thought that if they didnââ¬â¢t fight, then they would be put back down to a lower level than the Americans. Just like the French had done to them when they were in control. The soldiers were fighting to protect their families back north and to save their land. They had an obvious purpose to fight, while the Americans couldnââ¬â¢t see how the war affected them back home. Both the Americans and the North Vietnamese soldiers left the war affected deeply. Many soldiers returned to their homes and they were severely affected by PTSD. In the book, Kein has nightmares every night that he tries to sleep. That includes the nights he was in the military, and the nights after the war was over. Kein was talking to one of this soldiers and he said ââ¬Å"their chaotic minds, their troubled speech, revealed how cruelly they were twisted and tortured by the warâ⬠(20). The NVA soldiers watched thousands of their fellow soldiers die right beside them. Throughout the war, the NVA/VC lost over a million soldiers. Seeing that many people die affected the soldiers greatly. One of the soldiers in Keins battalion is severely depressed and is thinking about deserting the rest of the soldiers and heading home. Kein tells him its suicidal and shameful. Can saying ââ¬Å"Suicidal? Killing myself? Iââ¬â¢ve killed so often it wont mean a thing if I kill myself. As for the shameâ⬠¦ In all my time as a soldier, Iââ¬â¢ve never seen anything honorableâ⬠, shows how desensitized the soldiers are. They donââ¬â¢t care about death anymore. Many of them embrace it because they know its coming. The American soldiers were just as scarred by the war. One of the soldiers that reflected on the war in 1984 basically said that depression kills you faster than a bullet to the head. It ââ¬Å"eats away at you inner being. It eats away at everything that you ever learned (5). â⬠The soldiers with depression didnââ¬â¢t get help from anyone. The only people they got help from were the psychiatrists they paid to go see. Both sides used drugs to help cope with the sorrows of war. The Vietnamese soldiers smoked the Rosa Canina flower, and the American soldiers smoked marijuana and used heroin. The drugs helped the soldiers deal with the depression of war. The war was a very tough place for both sides. Both countries had a very hard time recovering from the war, but the people who had to overcome the most were the soldiers. They went through so many things in war that they left Vietnam with ââ¬Å"young shoulders that bore rather old heads (2). â⬠How to cite American and North Vietnamese Perception of War, Papers
Friday, December 6, 2019
Limitation of Managerial Economics Essay Example For Students
Limitation of Managerial Economics Essay E conomists are a paragon of virtue, rationality and common sense amidst a sea of ignorance, superstition and irrationality. They are probably right, but, sometimes it is good to state a case in strong terms, to make people think. However, I feel there is a need to redress the balance and point out the many mistakes and limitations of Economics which are stated below. Economics is difficult John Maynard Keynes said economics is very difficult and many people underestimate how difficult it is. In Maths 2+2 always equals 4, but in economics it usually depends on countless variables almost too difficult to take into account. To give one example, the link between the Money supply and inflation. The quantity theory of money MV=PY or MONEY TIMES VELOCITY EQUALS THE PRICE LEVEL TIMES OUTPUT. This equation can be used to define a link between money growth and inflation that depends on the evolution of money. Velocity of money suggests there is a correlation between the money supply and inflation. (As most non economists would tell you if you print money you will cause inflation). But, in practise the growth of the money supply is influenced by so many variables such as technological change, velocity of circulation and consumer behaviour that M3 growth statistics became almost meaningless. MV=PY is great in theory but in practise it is difficult to make anything out of it. Forecasting the Future It is difficult to forecast the future; yet in economic policy making, it becomes important. Go back to May 2007 and how many economists were predicting a fall in UK house prices of 25% and the deepest recession since the war? I wasnt and certainly not one of the treasury economists, who were predicting stable growth of 2% and a reduction in the governments borrowing. Of course, there were people predicting a house price collapse and they have been proved right. (Though some of them started predicting a house price collapse back in 2000. ) Difficult in knowing where you are One of the great challenges is knowing the current state of the economy. For example, Chinas growth and unemployment figures are always viewed with suspicion. There is great debate about what the US inflation rate is it depends which model you use. Recently, the US GDP statistics were revised meaning that the economy was in recession much earlier than previously thought. How can you make good policy when you dont even know what happened in the past? Let alone predict the future. Using Old Models In a way, this recession is unusual in that it wasnt preceded by an inflationary boom. The government felt that as long as inflation is under control, the economy must be sustainable. However, the mistake was to ignore an asset and lending bubble. The problem is that it is not sufficient to rely on previous experiences. As the economy develops old models become less relevant as they stick to old traditions and data which is useless. Ideology A good economist would be free from ideology and have a willingness to revise theory in light of empirical evidence that doesnt match up to their beliefs or expectations. However, in practise many dislike evidence which doesnt agree with their point of view. For example, some economists place great faith in the virtues of the free market and therefore take a lazy attitude in assuming free markets will always lead to increase economic welfare. The problem is that free markets can often be beneficial. But, at the same time, there will always be exceptions; you cant make generalisations that free markets are always best nor can you make generalisations that free markets are always wrong. Another example of ideological economics could be the assumption that if privatisation works in one country it must be good for other countries too. Free trade is another example. Most economists will tell you free trade is beneficial. But, this doesnt necessarily mean developing countries should always stick to the free trade mantra. There can be exceptions to every rules, for example the infant industry argument.
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