The African-American Odyssey Essay Example for Free

The African-American Odyssey Essay The emancipation of the African slave who was now disconnected from their traditions and way of life after nearly 300 years, is seemingly a great gush from the dam to the ebbs and flows of the struggle. The end of slavery as we know it, presented a ball of mixed emotions among the nation; North and SOUTH. Some slaves were grossly ecstatic to be free. For example, when a slave girl named Caddy, from Goodman, Mississippi found she was free, went to her mistress, flipped up her dress and told her Kiss my ass! On the contrary, some slaves were apprehensive of being free. For example, one elderly slave woman reportedly said, I ain no free nigger! I is got a marster and mistiss! Dee right dar in de great house. Ef you don believe me, you go dar an see. Though most slaves were detached from their families, many managed to regroup and find their love ones after their emancipation and constructed close knit families. Land was an viable means of survival in the minds of newly freedmen and the government was eager to deem lands to the ex-slaves . On January 16, 1865, General William T. Sherman told the freedmen that they will receive the land they were in search of. They were granted the head of each family would receive possessory title to forty acres of land. Sherman also gave the use of Army mules, thus giving rise to the slogan, Forty acres and a mule. Similarly in 1862 the Union military set aside land in Port Royal, South Carolina, which became known as the Port Royal experiment. The freedmen bureau was created to aid newly freed slaves in the transition from bondage to freedom in 1865. After Lincolns assassination the succession of his Vice president, Andrew Johnson, to the presidency meant that the white owners of the lands, that were given to the freedmen, would be returned. Sharecropping became a sort of ebb in the river of the African-American progression as far as freedom was concerned. Presented as labor contracts by white land owners, the institution of slavery was extended under a cloud of debt. In which, the black family, oft times became debtors due to the lack of honesty on the account of their white lender. Aside from family, among African-Americans, the black church became the most important institution. Not only did it fill deep spiritual and inspirational needs, it offered enriching music, provided charity and compassion to those in need, developed community and political leaders, and was free of white supervision. With the end of slavery, blacks who then had to attend services with white parishioners who treated them as second class Christians, could now organize and attend their own churches. The advent of the black church definitely brought about a flow in the river of struggle for African-Americans. Education was another flow in the river of struggle and a critical means of survival amongst people of color. It coincided alongside freedom. All who were versed in education of all sorts were summoned to teach the freedmen and their children. Teachers from all walks showed. Classes were held in churches, old slave markets, stables, taverns, homes, and former slave cabins. Funding came from various religious and political organizations and the Freedmens Bureau. Although white teachers helped a bit, black teachers were praised throughout the negro community because, as Rev. Richard H. Cain said , We must take into our own hands the education of our race Honest, dignified whites may teach ever so well, but it has not the effect to exalt the black mans opinion of his own race, because they have always been in the habit of seeing white men in honored positions, and respected. Most colleges and universities for blacks taught elementary and secondary level curriculum. The introduction of the historically black colleges and universities was formed from the idea of a higher education for people of color. In the midst of the newfound freedom, religious organization, and education of Negroes which was an obvious flow, a reoccurring ebb presented itself in the form of violence. Justice for the black man was never considered in those times. Thousands of innocent African-Americans were heinously murdered without a single conviction of a white perpetrator whom committed the acts. Atop the murders, black towns, businesses, churches, and schools were destroyed at the hands of the angry white southerners. The Failure of Reconstruction For the first time ever in history, a group of black men had concurrently became politicians. They were joined by the carpetbaggers of the north and the scalawags of the south in the Republican constituency. Of the 1,000 men elected as delegates to the ten state conventions, 265 were black. Collectively, they drafted new, striking constitutions that, unlike the previous constitutions, allowed all men to vote; even the ex-Confederates. Although, the Republicans displayed compassion upon their dealings with their opponents, the unruly Southern ego rose once more against the ratification of the new constitutions. In due course, the majority did manage to ratify and in each state, black men were elected to offices. As time progressed, nearly 1,500 black men were in office around the throughout the south. Among those were the likes of Blanche K. Bruce, Hiram R. Revels, Joseph Rainey, Jonathan J. Wright, Francis L. Cardozo, Robert Smalls, and Ferdinand Havis. This was a flow that led to inevitable ebb in the river of fight for African-Americans. That ebb presented itself in the form of the gradual failure of reconstruction. Issues such as education, social welfare, civil rights, land, and businesses plagued the Republican frame of thought daily. The black leaders efforts to facilitate education throughout the black and poor white communities failed overall. Lack of funds is the greatest blame for the inconsistency. At the time, there were no segregation laws, but whites refused to let their children go to school with blacks. Though a valid effort amongst African-Americans was given toward civil rights, they did not receive the respect that every other law abiding citizen received. For example, they were not accommodated at hotels and on public transportation, nor were they served as paying customers at various businesses. The blacks who worked for the white landowners were being cheated daily as if they were still in captivity. White employers would either fire the worker before the harvest or make up outlandish fees and debts. Some just didnt pay at all! Black leaders grew tired of the robbery and made laws to eliminate such happenings. The distribution of land amongst landless, yeomen, farmers didnt happen in any other state but South Carolina. Over fourteen thousand black families and a few white families, received land. Black businesses, unfortunately, did not and could not flourish due to the lack of funds during the expanding of the railroad. Other businesses made handsome amounts of profit but the African-American business owners could not cash in. Black politicians laid the foundation for public assistance, education, criminal justice reform but, could not do anything that directly dealt with their people. Reason being, was that they were the minority in the Republican party and in fact, were not allowed to ratify their own agenda. Besides, they couldnt agree on most things because they came from different walks of life. Bickering throughout the Republican party sparked a high turnover in political leadership and the loss of that very economic security? This made for inexperienced leadership and added to Republican woes. Opposition came to the party in various ways; Such as, the conservative Democrats who continued to heckle blacks who in any way participated in the political process and the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan, was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866, by ex-confederate soldiers who were hell-bent on eradicating and/ or terrorizing anyone who didnt submit to southern culture. They used any means necessary to remove blacks from politics. The Enforcement Act of 1870 was passed to prohibit Klansmen from wearing their regalia in public and protected the civil rights of black citizens. The following year the Ku Klux Klan Act was passed and it made the interference of a persons right to vote, hold office, jury duty and equal protection a federal offense. The fifteenth amendment was passed in 1869, and later ratified in 1870. It clearly expressed the right to vote to all citizens but failed to address the literacy tests, property possession rule, or the poll tax that continued to plague voters. Radical Republicans and northern whites alike grew exhausted with the dependency of blacks, (as they saw it) and looked upon them as unfit to be involved in the political system. They thought that reconstruction had been a mistake. The Freedmens Bank was founded in 1865 and done well until the white board of directors foolishly invested in Washington, D. C. real estate. The Panic of 1873 brought about a significant loss in unsecured railroad loans. As a result, the bank closed in 1874. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was an act of good intentions, yet it was ruled unconstitutional by U. S. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Bradley who, wrote that the Fourteenth Amendment protected black people from discrimination by states but not by private businesses. The end of Reconstruction was as brutal and contentious as the beginning. Blacks refused to vote in response to the terrorism inflicted upon them by the southern Democrats. The withdrawal of the federal troops that were to protect the rights of colored people left the black citizens with no means of defense and they therefore had to bow down to the numerous massacres that were to occur. The compromise of 1877, in which, Samuel J. Tilden and Rutherford B. Haynes, ran for the presidency, brought about more violence towards blacks and grew worse as time passed.

The Significance Of Dreams In Richard III

The Significance Of Dreams In Richard III Richard III was written by William Shakespeare and tells the story of how Richard wants to become king and does everything in his power to get there by assassinating members of his family to do so, for example, the Duke of Clarence, Lord Hastings, Lady Anne, Lord Rivers, the Duke of Buckingham, Henry VI, Prince Edward, Prince Edward V and Prince Richard. In the following piece of writing, I am going to discuss the significance of dreams in the play and how they are related to the motif of the supernatural. Although a modern audience would find the motif of the supernatural in Richard III very strange and would react to it very differently we have to keep in mind that this play was written during the Renaissance period in which people were very superstitious and England on a whole was an extremely religious country; people believed in both God and the Devil and Heaven and Hell. They also believed in the supernatural, prophecies, curses and thus the events contained within Richard III must have seemed very real to a Shakespearean audience. The motif of the supernatural which is an extremely important aspect of the play consists of ghosts, dreams, Margarets prophetic curses, the allegations of witchcraft Richard levels at Elizabeth and mistress Shore and the continual association of Richard with devils and demons (for example, he is often called a hellhound). Shakespeare uses the dark aspect of the supernatural to create an atmosphere of dread and gloom which matches the evil of Richards inner self. In addition the motif of the supernatural helps highlight the aspect of foreboding as many a times in the play the prophetic dreams and curses come true giving the reader an idea of as to what is going to happen in the near future. There are three main instances of dreams present in the play. These foreshadow the forthcoming events by showing the similar characteristics between the dream itself and reality, for example, in Act 1, Scene 4 we bear witness to the first of these three dreams. This is when Clarence is imprisoned in the tower and he dreams that he is fleeing with Richard to France, but on the ship Richard stumbles and throws Clarence overboard causing him to drown, Methoughts that I had broken from the Tower, and was embarkd to cross to Burgundy; and, in my company, my brother Gloucester; who from my cabin tempted me to walk upon the hatchesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Methought that Gloucester stumbled; and, in falling, struck me, that thought to stay him, overboard, into the tumbling billows of the main. This dream foreshadows the near future as in reality Clarence is stabbed and drowned in a barrel of wine by the executioners who are sent by Richard. The second significant dream takes place in Act 3, Scene2 when Stanley receives a warning in a form of a dream. He dreams that a boar rips off his head, the boar had razed his helm. In this scenario the boar represents Richard as it is his heraldic symbol, Stanley tries to warn Hastings but he turns deaf ears to Stanleys advice. Later on in the play, we learn that Hastings was beheaded on Richards orders. This reminds us the similarity between the dream and reality itself and the extent of the resemblance between the two simply helps highlight the supernatural aspect of the play. The third and most important dream occurs in Act 5, Scene 3 right before Richard and Richmond head out for battle. Here, Richard and Richmond are visited by a parade of eleven ghosts (all those people who Richard had killed in the past). Some of these ghosts include, Prince Edward, King Henry VI, Clarence, Rivers, Grey, Vaughan, Hastings, the young princes, Lady Anne and Buckingham. All the ghosts follow a particular pattern They constantly curse Richard and discourage him by saying things like, Despair and Die. On the other hand, they praise and bless Richmond and encourage him by saying things like, Live and Flourish and they hope that he wins the battle and ends Richards gruesome reign. This is an extremely significant dream, as the element of foreboding is once again emphasized as true to the ghosts word, Richmond wins the battle by defeating Richard and becomes the new King of England. To conclude, dreams are a very important part of the play as they greatly contribute to the motif of the supernatural. In addition, I feel that the play is made much simpler for the reader by the existence of these dreams as he/she can predict the outcome of particular situations by evaluating these dreams and this helps the reader understand the play better. The extent of accuracy of these dreams simply heightens the motif of the supernatural and I personally believe that without the presence of these dreams, the play would be incomplete.

Causes of Prejudice and Discrimination

Causes of Prejudice and Discrimination Social categorization is very serious in TSW because the population structure in TSW is special. Excluding the rich ones from Hong Kong (HK) local living in Kingswood Villas and Home Ownership Scheme, most residents living in public hosing estates in TSW are new immigrants from mainland China and come from southern Asian countries like India and Pakistan. People divide the community into distinct categories on almost any basis and result in different perceptions of Us (named as in-group) versus Them (named as out-group).  [1]  Usually, Cantonese born, grow and live in local HK for a very long period of time are classified as in-group and treat other non-HK local born people as out-groups because cultural differences is the main reason for the formation of in-group and out-group. One of the cultural differences is language. Cantonese born and live in HK for a very long time can speak Cantonese (Guangzhou language) fluently and read Chinese as in-group. For out-group, new immigrants from mainland China, they may speak Guangzhou language in their homeland dialect or speak directly in their homeland dialect or even speak in Mandarin only. Another out-group is southern Asian (also named as minority ethnic group in HK). Although some of them can speak English and Cantonese, their main spoken language is Indian or Pakistan and most of them cant write and read in Chinese. Another cultural differences is custom. Even in the out-group, they also categorize in Chinese group (in) and non-Chinese group (out). For example, in Chinese taboo, Chinese dont speak death in Chinese lunar new year but people in southern Asian countries do not know or have this taboo. In other words, people in southern Asian countries do not mind to say dead during Chinese lunar new year or makin g Chinese friends. On the other hand, Pakistans like embrace during visiting their friends and relatives but Chinese do not have too many body intimate contact. Moreover, the negative perception and behaviour of new immigrants from mainland China and minority ethnic group also cause HK local people to discriminate these two out-groups. For example, Chinese new immigrants do not have queuing habit when waiting some services and like to spit everywhere so that HK local people think them rude and unhygienic. People from southern Asian countries have blacker skins than Chinese yellow skins and the male of southern Asian countries have more body hair than male of Chinese so that HK local people feel them dirty and spread bad smell. Some HK local people prefer to choose another seats to separate when one Pakistan sits next to HK local people in a bus or a train. The feelings and beliefs are sharply contrasting between the members of in-group and out-group. In in-group, members feel favourable and positive traits but feel negative views to out-group.  [2]  Most residents living in public hosing estates in TSW are new immigrants from mainland China and come from southern Asian countries (out-group) and their social status are low because their education level are low or even have no education. They cant find any jobs in HK. Even though they are fortunate to be employed, they can only find low salary jobs like cleaning workers and coolies. Some of members of out-group receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) from Social Welfare Department. HK local people (in-group) think that people who receive CSSA are lazy and unwilling to find a job to do. This sentence becomes prejudice and gives negative label to CSSA receiver because CSSA resource is very limited and it should not be abused. At the end of 2004, a couple living in TSW c heated CSSA to travel to Thailand and came across great tsunami. Although the wife was saved luckily, HK local people did not pay any sympathy to her and discriminated CSSA receiver. At the same time, HK local people (in-group) has positive view that they would earn their living (self-sufficient) hardly more than applying CSSA. As more and more poor families live in public housing estates in TSW, the limited resources of CSSA are taken away quickly and drastically by out-group and make heavy tax burden of in-group. The realistic conflict theory can explain why competing for limited CSSA resources between in-group and out-group as a source of prejudice.  [3]   Furthermore, the social identity theory suggested that individuals seek to feel positively about the groups to which they belong, and part of their self-esteem depends on identifying with social groups. It is because people who are identified with their group are most likely to express favouritism toward their own group and a corresponding bias against out-groups, valuing our own group has predictable consequences for prejudice.  [4]  HK local people feel proud and having pride of the positive core values like hard working and high degree of freedom that they like to live in HK and recognize their HK local identity. They form their own social networks. The influx of members from out-group to TSW would destroy positive impression of local HK people. Methods to Reduce Prejudice Eliminate Discrimination Re-categorization in TSW is one of the method to reduce prejudice by shifting the boundary between HK local people and new immigrants from mainland China. It was a fact that a huge number of Chinese refugees came to HK from China mainland after the end of World War II. Why this generation of HK locally born people forget their parents and grandparents whom were immigrants from mainland China before and live in HK for many decades ? However, there was no prejudice and discrimination of Chinese immigrants within Chinese living in HK from 1945 to 1980 but adding many barriers to new immigrants from mainland China in recent years. All living Chinese in TSW and even in whole of HK should be treated equal. Another way to reduce prejudice is contact hypothesis. Mr. Shafi, the chairman of Mutual Aid Committee of one public housing estate in TSW, comes from Pakistan and he has Chinese name called Tak Brother. He was born in HK and speaks Chinese, English and Pakistan language fluently. He likes to visit the neighbour including other Pakistans, new Chinese immigrants and HK local people. When they have troubles, he likes to help them voluntarily.  [5]   Moreover, social learning is also important to reduce prejudice because holding prejudice attitude would have less enjoyable life. HK local people can appreciate the positive value of new Chinese immigrants and minority ethnic group like saving of materials. We can say no to prejudice and discrimination when some HK local people scold to new Chinese immigrants and minority ethnic group as a rubbish! Social education against prejudice is very useful. Mr. Shafi is holding a social inclusion programme in TSW that Indian or Pakistan can learn Chinese culture. On the contrary, HK local people and new Chinese immigrants can learn how to make Indian curry and cuisine. Cultural exchange can shorten the distance between in-group and out-group.  [6]   On the other hand, the mass media should take social responsibility that not to report the negative news happened in TSW and dont use the term city of sadness anymore. More positive news about TSW should be reported like the Asian Game Exhibition of 2008 would employ hundreds of temporary staffs who live in TSW at the first priority.  [7]   For eliminating discrimination, the government is now formulating the law against racial discrimination in HK. Some racial discrimination minds and behaviour like saying à ©Ã‹Å" ¿Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ® to Indian or Pakistan should be banned. Conclusion Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination are the obstacles between the relation of different social groups. The barriers are easily built but hardly to demolish because different social groups need a long period of time to understand the other groups. On the other hand, prejudice is not inevitable by increasing communication channels between different social groups.

The Issue Of Authority And Res :: essays research papers

The issue of authority and respect has been and will be an ongoing issue between youngsters and their elderly. In the story Red Dress by Alice Munro and the movie Rebel without a Cause by Nicholas Ray the issue of authority and respect comes up many times through the character actions. Authority and respect is directly linked to one another. It is very hard to obey supremacy if you have no respect for authority. In both the works we have studied, all the characters have trouble dealing with the issues of authority and respect for themselves and for others, they do not show respect to their parents and therefore does not look upon them as authority figures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Alice Munro's the Red Dress, the narrator and her best friend Lonnie have two totally different relationships with their respective guardians. The narrator, without the mention of her father, is in care of her mother, whom she thinks butts in too much into her business. She sort of resents her mother for being so too close and nosy about her private life. Her mother's stories, which at one point seemed interesting to her, is now 'become melodramatic, irrelevant, and tiresome'. She knows that her mother only means well but sometimes she wishes she could be like Lonnie. Lonnie is in care of her father; her mother had passed away some time before. Her father never notices her and does not show his affection for her, she is pretty much on her own. The narrator considers her as a 'Blue-Baby' and privileged. The narrator also sees her mother as 'shameless and obscene'; she tries to direct her friend's attention away from her mother as much as possible. In the story, we are told by the narrator that she was 'never comfortable for a minute' in high school and 'was close to despair at all times'. She hated being called upon to do anything in front of an audience, whether it is the class or just the teacher. She reveals that she hasn't accepted herself as who she is, always wishing to be like someone else, she hasn't learned to respect herself as a growing teenager which makes it hard for her to understand the relationship between her mother and herself. Since she lacks the proper understanding and respect for her mother and herself, the narrator has trouble seeing her mother as an authoritative figure, which makes her less tolerant to the other authoritative figures in her surroundings.

Essay --

Why should Philippine government invest in Nuclear power? What is Nuclear energy? Nuclear energy is the energy released in two different processes, which is nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Fission is the process of splitting a large atom into smaller atoms while fusion is the process of fusing smaller and lighter atoms into a large atom. The number one use of nuclear energy is to generate electricity. Electricity is generated through a Nuclear Power plant or a Nuclear Reactor. Nuclear reactors produces electricity in a much similar way with other power plants produces electricity. The process on how a nuclear reactor produces electricity is that it produces and controls the release of energy from splitting the atoms of certain elements then the energy released is used as heat, which turns water into steam, and then later on the steam is used to generate electricity. The difference of a nuclear power plant to other power plants is in the process on how the heat is created. Other power plants that run on fossil fuels, burn oil, coal or natural gases generate heat. While in a nuclear power plant, it generates heat by splitting the atoms of certain elements like uranium. Nuclear energy requires a large capital for emergencies, storage systems and containment but it has a lot of benefits and the best energy source in the long run. With the depleting sources, nuclear energy is the only energy source that can satisfy global demand, effectively replace fossil fuels and it is more sustainable than other energy sources. Nuclear energy has no greenhouse or acid rain effects and the fuel is inexpensive. Nuclear energy also provides environmental safety because the process on how nuclear energy is generated is that it is one of the clea... ... of energy is coal and recently the government approved to build 17 coal plant more in addition to 15 existing coal plant. But there are so many bad sides of using coal and there is better alternative for coal, the nuclear power. Since energy from coal is not affordable for many people in the Philippines and cost tremendously to environment through causing greenhouse effect and destroying ozone layer. Even though nuclear power is not risk-free like the event in Fukushima’s failure of nuclear plant, however the danger of climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions may be more urgent -- and thus make nuclear a better choice than coal form the environment. Even for waste disposal, a typical coal-burning power plant creates over 300,000 tons of waste ash and sludge each year while a typical nuclear power plant generates 20 metric tons of radioactive waste annually

Respecting Teachers Essay

Gender differences are beginning to appear in the content men and women are downloading to their mobile phones. Games are mainly downloaded by men, while women are leading the current craze for ringtones. The findings form part of a quarterly survey of mobile usage commissioned by mobile marketing firm Enpocket. The research also found that 3G video is slowly growing, though services are only being used by a small proportion of UK mobile phone owners. Less than 3% use 3G, up from just 1% a year ago. The research also found that 3G video is slowly growing, though services are only being used by a small proportion of UK mobile phone owners. Less than 3% use 3G, up from just 1% a year ago. Young audience Mobile gaming is proving more popular, with 1.9 million people (5.8%) downloading a game to their phone in the last three months. It is predominantly men – 58% – that are keen to play games on their phones, with the majority being under 34. Young women on the other hand are getting into ringtones. They make just more than half of the 5.9 million people who downloaded a ringtone to their phone in the previous three months. Most pop hits are available as ringtones, costing between  £1.50 and  £3.50 per download. It is estimated that  £70 million worth of ringtones were sold in 2003. They are becoming so popular that accountancy firm KPMG is to release a fortnightly chart on the 20 most popular ringtones. The fact that people are prepared to spend money and time downloading content to their mobiles is great news for mobile firms. â€Å"Mobile owners are getting to grips with the more advanced features on handsets, beyond SMS,† said the chief executive of Enpocket Jonathon Linner. There are some things for companies offering 3G services to ponder though. As well as the low number of people using existing services, the survey found that less than 40% of those that own a 3G handset were actually using 3G services.

Vioxx Recall

IntroductionMerck, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical markets, had enjoyed a long reputation as one of drug companies that prioritize ‘ethical and socially responsible’ as their company’s main core values. They once had been recognized as â€Å"most admired company† for unbelievably seven successive years by Fortune magazine and also persistently listed as one of best companies to work for. With their flawless and honorable reputation, no wonder Merck ranked fourth in sales, fifth in assets and market values, and first in profits; where they earned $7.33 billion in 2005 (Lawrence, 2006).However, no one would have thought that someday, this company’s stability will be in questioned. That’s what happened in 2004. The company’s best-selling prescription painkiller, Vioxx turned out from a â€Å"blockbuster drug† to â€Å"blockbuster disaster† when it is believed that it increased the risk of heart attacks and st rokes. Consequently, Merck had to deal with many challenges; the plunge in the stock’s price, lawsuits, investigations and others. Until, in September 2004, Merck had to pull Vioxx off the market to focus on taking responsibilities for every trouble they have caused. This report will discuss in summary about what had happened; the behavior of  Merck towards risk associated with Vioxx, safety measures that should have been taken, the recall of Vioxx and some recommendations; which all will be explained further later on.Socially Responsible and Ethical MannerThis section will focus on the action of Merck; whether they have acted ethical and socially responsible with regard to Vioxx, and these actions will be addressed in terms of drug development and testing, marketing and advertising, relationships with government regulators and policy makers, and the handling of the recall. Also, this section will provide a few suggestions; what could or should Merck have done differently, if anything. George W. Merck, the company’s long-time CEO once said that, â€Å"We try never to forget that medicine is for the people, not for the profits. As long as we remembered that, the profits will follow; they never fail to appear†. This statement then decided to be set as their priority and guidance for every of their actions. However, did they really have acted ethical and socially responsible towards this value? No, they’re not. Why?Drug Development and TestingLet’s take a look at the situation first. Back in the old days; before the drug was approved, there are some doubt on the safety of prescribing Vioxx. Although it is still in the early stage, research made by Merck scientist suggests that there are high cardiovascular risks associated with the prescription of Vioxx. This was confirmed as stated in an e-mail by Dr. Alise Reicin (one of the Merck scientists), according to The Wall Street Journal. In the e-mail, she expressed her concerns in the possibility of cardiovascular events prior to prescribing Vioxx.She also had planned to communicate those results to her senior management; however, nothing’s happened. In 2000 (when Vioxx already in market), a research financed by Merck was conducted. This study; code-named VIGOR was designed to study gastrointestinal side effects by comparing it with the effects of taking naproxen (Aleve). The results of VIGOR later suggest that although Vioxx are easier on the stomach compared to naproxen, it also contribute to risks of suffering heart-attacks fives time higher.However, they denied the risks inherent in Vioxx by simply stating that the findings were in favor of the  heart-protective effect in naproxen. In 9 March 2000, Dr. Edward Scolnick; the company’s research director finally admitted the presence of cardiovascular risks inherent in Vioxx. Then, they considering to reformulate Vioxx by adding an agent to prevent blood clots (in the meantime, might reduce c ardiovascular risk), but somehow, they dropped the project. Analyzing from the situation above, clearly that Merck have not acted ethical and socially responsible in the Vioxx’s development and testing.Why? Here are the reasons. At first, if Merck already knew about Vioxx’s dangers and defects, especially in the development phase, they should never ever try to even put the drug in the market for prescription. Instead, they should finance and urge their research or scientist team to try reformulating the drug so that the harmful side effects can be removed, or at the very least, minimized. As for the results of VIGOR; where Vioxx was already there in the market, they should not denied whatever test or research that have been made and was proven to be true. Alternatively, Merck should have taken the drug off the market right then and explored other options to improve the drug. 2.2 Marketing and advertisingAs a fact, the advertising technique used by Merck and other drug companies at that time was Direct-to-Consumer (DTC). Granted by the FDA in 1997, this technique allows companies to directly advertise their prescriptions to respective target customers. To seize the opportunities, Merck then employed tens of thousands of sales representatives; mostly attractive young men and women. These people will then go to promote the drugs; often around the doctors’ offices where they will talk about the drugs and give out free sample.Aside of that, Merck also snatch the occasion by placing numerous ads on television, magazines and newspapers. One example of famous ad for Vioxx will be the ad featuring Olympic figure skating champion, Dorothy Hamill. In the ad, she slither elegantly across an outdoor ice rink, and later telling the commercial viewers that she would not let arthritis stop her. By all means, Merck did not act in an ethical manner in this term too. Why? Firstly, it does not communicate the full aspects of the products well enough; no messa ge regarding the safety precaution. This is illustrated in the Dorothy’s commercial, where the ad did not convey their message strong enough about it safety.It is afraid might exposed patients to prescribe  without having knowledge about the medicines, whether it is safe or not. Thus, what Merck could do differently is that, they should disseminate the full features about the drug, especially if the drug does inherent some risk in prescribing it. In addition; they can also convey the message simply by labeling or tag the bottle of the drug with some safety and precaution measures. In terms of DTC advertising, they should not put pressures on the doctors, because this might forced these doctors to recommend drugs that might not suitable for the patients. One way to deal with this approach is to forbid companies from giving gift or other forms of briberies in attempt to persuade doctors to bring their drugs to the attention of patients; since this is what Merck do behind the door.Relationships with government regulators and policymakersBack in the United States, the main body that regulate and conduct clinical trials to measure the safety and effectiveness’s of a drug before it can be sold to the public was the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To relate with this context, one of the reason why Merck became the leader in pharmaceutical industries is because it’s strong influence â€Å"at the top†. By lobbying, Merck and other drug companies consistently donate large sums of money to political parties, and this benefits them in terms of influence they had over some superiors, even at the FDA.The unethical actions of Merck were demonstrated during the â€Å"one-by-one† discovery of Vioxx’s bad side effects; where Merck keeps ignore the findings over and over again with various excuses. It is undisputable that such actions might be simply because those influences they thought they had over the regulators. If analyzed ca refully, their actions in handling the controversy might be influenced by the notion of â€Å"bribe† they have done over the past years; where they donate money to political parties. Thus, the act of so-called â€Å"donation† should be prohibited (fortunately, it was banned in 2003).Handling of the recallThough Merck consistently irresponsible socially and ethically in the way they dealt with the Vioxx situation, the handling of Vioxx recall from the pharmaceutical market seems to be managed appropriately and in a professional manner by Merck. On September 30, 2004, Vioxx was officially withdrawn from market associated with Merck press conference. In addition, Merck also revealed that the Vioxx issue was being investigated by the US  Justice Department, the Securities Exchange Commission and the US Congress. In this context, the only thing that Merck should have done differently is that whenever they found out any risk associated with their drugs, they shouldnâ€℠¢t wait any longer, even for one week, to withdraw their drugs out of the market.Rate of stakeholdersIn this section, the focus will be converged on the best ways to protect consumers of prescription medicines. This section also will outline what are the specific roles of stakeholders available in assuring the safety and effectiveness of prescription medicines. And by the term ‘stakeholders available’, explanation of the roles will be viewed from four perspectives of pharmaceutical companies, government regulators and policymakers, patients and their physicians and the court system.Pharmaceutical companiesNot just Merck, other pharmaceutical companies also should realize that they have a huge responsibility to ensure the safety of their respective customers, so that it can benefits themselves in return. As for Merck, who having â€Å"try to never to forget that medicine is for the people, not for the profits† as their touchstone of core values, they should have b een a better pharmaceutical companies in protecting their consumers. How? There are various ways to do so.First and foremost, and the most basic one is to remember the idea that medicines is for people, not for the profit. As long as they put people first, it is possible that customers will keep their loyalty with the company. Aside of that, companies also should realize that they are accountable to conduct more research and testing on their drugs before it can be placed in a market; so that nothing bad happened to their customers in the future. In addition, if their drugs do possess some risks in consuming it, at least put some warning or safety labels so that patients aware of that risk before prescribing it. 3.2 Government regulators and policymakersThis might be harsh, but the fact that all the problems occurred in the case of Merck and Vioxx are not just because of them alone, but the FDA too. If  FDA pays more attention, awareness and inspect on the safety of Vioxx more rigo rously, Vioxx may not be in the market at all, and thus might save people’s life. As a lesson, the following recommendations might help government to not let the same thing happened.First, drug-area regulators should ensure all new drugs that are going to be released to the public have been tested long enough and proven to be safe. In addition, all government regulators and policymakers in the field of pharmaceutical industries also should bear in mind that they have a huge responsibility in protecting the public against any harmful and risky drugs, so that they will not go easy on the companies that do not abide the law.Patients and their physiciansAside of government and pharmaceutical companies, consumers also should know their responsibility in protecting themselves against various harmful and risks associated with prescription medicines. One way to ensure the effectiveness and safety of a drug before prescribes it, is by looking for extra information about the prescripti on medicines. Consumers can do that by asking for opinion from their physicians and other experts, or even by accessing Internet. This way, patients will have the knowledge whether the drugs is harmful or not. On the other hand, physicians should be more aware against any types of bribes and kept in mind to avoid it no matter what, and be more honest to their patients to guide them about the safety of prescription medicines.The court systemTo protect consumers of prescription medicines, what the court system can do is to be more strict in the jurisdiction against any company that do not abide the law in assuring the safety of drugs, and zero tolerance with those who attempt to involve in briberies.Suggestion for ImprovementsPrior to this case study, it can be said that the main reasons why there are so many risky and harmful drugs in market are because the pressures put on the FDA to approve new drugs faster by consumers and drug companies alike. This led the FDA to sometimes overlo ok the risk and safety of certain drugs because of the pressure to meet the demands for these medicines. In this context, one of the changes that can be made is the FDA should extend the  time of approval of new drugs so that any necessary research can be made. This thus led to a better knowledge about the safety of the drugs before it can be sold into a market.Aside of that, DTC advertising system also need to be monitored continuously so that any acts of bribe such as gift, donation, etc. can be avoided. Lastly, it is suggested that all present system that regulates the law and policy of pharmaceutical industries to put some restrictions and even punishment for those companies that simply do not comply with the standards set.ConclusionThrough the case study, it can be said that Merck was indeed a successful company in their time. Although their low-point period was kept â€Å"in the eye of the storm† more than whatever success, honors, and recognition they did achieved be fore, Merck should be more appreciated for whatever great things that they have done in the past years. If only Merck do patience a little bit and not to rush with the introduction of Vioxx; instead they spent a longer time in minimizing the risks inherent in Vioxx to a much more safer, it is possible that Merck might continue to be one of the most successful company in today’s world.Unfortunately, the past cannot be changed. What was left for Merck now is to build back their image, but it’s all depends on the company itself. Should or shouldn’t they? Of course they should. Everybody deserved a second chance. Yes, Merck did not act socially and in ethical manner before, but if they do get back to do what they were used to do; of course, without all those illegal and immoral behavior, comeback sure to follow.