The novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk Essay Example for Free

The novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk Essay The novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk is a Generation X classic, so it makes sense that the film became one as well.   Starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt as the two sides of the same brain, director David Fincher takes a critical look at the rampant consumerist world that drains the humanity from its victims and replaces them with robotic automatons.   The way the characters in the film deal with this problem, besides going crazy, is through violent confrontation with each other, in an attempt to purge their demons and cleanse their souls. Rather than just a slick film about a violent subculture, Fight Club is the interrelated critique of capitalism and its dehumanizing effects.   The central protagonists in the film, Jack and Tyler, represent two opposing views on consumerism. Jack is representative of a generation of men condemned to corporate toadyism, with emotional lives and investments mediated through the allure of commodities and goods.   No longer a producer of goods, Jack exemplifies a form of domesticated passivity, alienated, and without ambition.   On the other hand, Tyler represents an embodied freedom that refuses the seductions of consumerism, while fetishizing self sufficient production from soaps to explosivesthe ultimate negative expression of which is chaos and destruction, both products of late capitalism (Giroux 12). Consumerism in Fight Club is criticized primarily as an ideological force and existential experience that weakens and domesticates men, robbing them of their primary role as producers and relegating them to mere tools of forces that control them.   The importance of this is not lost on director David Fincher, but the director is less interested in fighting oppressive forms of power than he is in exploring the ways in which men yield to it. Freedom in Fight Club is not simply preoccupied with the de-politicized self, it also lacks a language for translating private troubles into public rage, and as such succumbs to the cult of immediate sensations in which freedom degenerates into collective impotence.   Moreover, consumerism, for David Fincher, can only function with the libidinal economy of repression, particularly as it rearticulates the male body away from the visceral experiences of pain, coercion, and violence to the more â€Å"feminized† notions of empathy, compassion, and trust.   Hence, masculinity is defined in opposition to both femininity and consumerism while simultaneously refusing to take up either in a dialectical and critical way. When not making a political statement, Fight Club functions less as a critique of capitalism than as a defense of authoritarian masculinity wedded to the immediacy of pleasure sustained through violence and abuse.   Survival of the fittest becomes the clarion call for legitimating dehumanizing forms of violence as a source of pleasure and sociality. Pleasure in this context has little to do with justice, equality, and freedom than with hyper modes of competition mediated through the fantasy of violence.   More specifically, this particular rendering of pleasure is predicated on legitimating the relationship between oppression and misogyny, and masculinity gains its force through a celebration of both brutality and the denigration of the feminine.   Fight Club’s vision of liberation and politics relies on gendered and sexist hierarchies that flow directly from the consumer culture it claims to be criticizing. The anti-consumerist theme and violent escapism of the film is described by New York Times critic Janet Maslin who says: â€Å"Fight Club watches this form of escapism morph into something much more dangerous.   Tyler somehow builds a bridge from the anti-materialist rhetoric of the 1960s†¦into the kind of paramilitary dream project that Ayn Rand might have admired.†Ã‚   The over-the-top rejection of enslavement to consumerism manifests itself in a dark, sometimes pointless orgy of violence. But, there is a point to it all and a method to the madness – freedom.   The ultimate goal of the narrator, Tyler, Project Mayhem is to liberate themselves from the bonds of conformity to a culture they view as shallow and erroneous.   Though this opinion may be shared by many Generation X’ers and children of the 60s, the methods used in Fight Club are cultural rebellion to the extreme.   The freedom they achieve is largely an illusion, but justified in the words of Tyler:   â€Å"Its only after weve lost everything that were free to do anything† (Fight Club).   The movie takes two hours of stark, violent, often sexist action to reveal its message of simplicity.   However, a viewer must look past the blood, acid burns, and bone-crunching punches to find it. Works Cited:    Fight Club. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. 1999. DVD. Twentieth Century Fox, 2000. Giroux, Henry. â€Å"Private Satisfactions and Public Disorders.†Ã‚   Penn State University.  Ã‚   (July 2000).   February 15, 2006.   http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/courses/ed253a/FightClub Maslin, Janet.   â€Å"Fight Club: Such a Very Long Way From Duvets to Danger.†   The New York Times.   October 15, 1999.   February 15, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/101599fight-film-review.html.

Legislation is NOT the Best Way to Ban Smoking :: Argumentative Persuasive Example Essays

Legislation is NOT the Best Way to Ban Smoking A market represents the private forces of demand and supply. Consumers aim to consume goods and services with lower prices and greater quantities while producers want to maximize their profits. A market diagram uses demand and supply curves to show the relationship between market demand and supply. These demand and supply curves are labeled as â€Å"private demand† and â€Å"private supply†, that is, the private benefits and the private costs. But those private activities always affect others, both positively and negatively. Those positive and negative effects are not represented in the market model; they are external to the market, known as externalities[1]. There are two kinds of externalities: positive externalities and negative externalities. In the extract, cigarettes are negative externality, which means they have bad effects on others and those effects are not paid by the producers. For example, when people smoke, especially in public places, e.g. restaurants and department stores, they pollute the air rounded and threaten others’ health. No one pays for the bad feelings caused by smokers and cigarettes. In this way, â€Å"market failure† exists. If the external costs could be measured and valued a new supply curve could be drown to present this. In this figure, the social costs have been added to the private costs to produce a new supply curve. The private supply curve shifts to left. When the supply curve shifts from Smpc to Smsc, the market prices increase from pp to ps and the quantity traded is reduced from qp to qs. Cigarettes are demerit goods which cause negative externalities. Because of their characters, producers get huge profits from them. So they are overprovided in the market, just like alcohol. The consumption of cigarettes always has negative effects on other people. It causes cancer, and may cut down human life-span. In order to internalize the negative externalities, government should interfere in the market. There are several ways to do that. One method government may employ is negative advertising to reduce private demand for demerit goods. People will consider the bad effects caused by demerit goods before purchasing or reduce the consumption on such goods that means private demand curve will shift to right. On the other hand, the supply curve shifts to left because of the costs of bad effects added to the factor costs of the products. The transaction of that goods decreases. After government applying negative advertising to public, the total transaction will decrease again because demand decreases. According to the diagram above, the quantity transferred in the market drops from qp to qs first, and then, to qt. This method is very common nowadays, especially for Legislation is NOT the Best Way to Ban Smoking :: Argumentative Persuasive Example Essays Legislation is NOT the Best Way to Ban Smoking A market represents the private forces of demand and supply. Consumers aim to consume goods and services with lower prices and greater quantities while producers want to maximize their profits. A market diagram uses demand and supply curves to show the relationship between market demand and supply. These demand and supply curves are labeled as â€Å"private demand† and â€Å"private supply†, that is, the private benefits and the private costs. But those private activities always affect others, both positively and negatively. Those positive and negative effects are not represented in the market model; they are external to the market, known as externalities[1]. There are two kinds of externalities: positive externalities and negative externalities. In the extract, cigarettes are negative externality, which means they have bad effects on others and those effects are not paid by the producers. For example, when people smoke, especially in public places, e.g. restaurants and department stores, they pollute the air rounded and threaten others’ health. No one pays for the bad feelings caused by smokers and cigarettes. In this way, â€Å"market failure† exists. If the external costs could be measured and valued a new supply curve could be drown to present this. In this figure, the social costs have been added to the private costs to produce a new supply curve. The private supply curve shifts to left. When the supply curve shifts from Smpc to Smsc, the market prices increase from pp to ps and the quantity traded is reduced from qp to qs. Cigarettes are demerit goods which cause negative externalities. Because of their characters, producers get huge profits from them. So they are overprovided in the market, just like alcohol. The consumption of cigarettes always has negative effects on other people. It causes cancer, and may cut down human life-span. In order to internalize the negative externalities, government should interfere in the market. There are several ways to do that. One method government may employ is negative advertising to reduce private demand for demerit goods. People will consider the bad effects caused by demerit goods before purchasing or reduce the consumption on such goods that means private demand curve will shift to right. On the other hand, the supply curve shifts to left because of the costs of bad effects added to the factor costs of the products. The transaction of that goods decreases. After government applying negative advertising to public, the total transaction will decrease again because demand decreases. According to the diagram above, the quantity transferred in the market drops from qp to qs first, and then, to qt. This method is very common nowadays, especially for

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Student: B00227358 University of the West of Scotland Issues Surrounding the Role of Innovation in the Economic Growth Process Introduction The modern world economy shows that the scientific and technological knowledge and innovation are key factors for sustainable economic growth. Much of the competitive advantages that the country holds today derives from the use of scientific knowledge and applied technology become the corporate level to develop new products or services through the management of technological innovation, marketing, and organizational.The world globalization highlights the urgent need for business organizations that produce goods and services for domestic or international market recognize the strategic value of innovation and incorporated into its business management as an instrument or tool that is part of your corporate culture. Innovation is an essential element for any organization in order to survive, grow and significantly influence the direction of any indus try.Development does not; however, guarantee success, but most be followed up with successive streams of innovation and change, from the incremental to the radical. Discussion The most reliable way to be successful in the industry is to innovate better and longer than the competitor, leading companies develops innovation portfolios that they can use to help sustain growth over the long term. Innovation and change is an essential part of any business activity, but only some people recognize its importance and significance.Companies recognize that key factors such as productivity, competitiveness, and productive marketing and organizational efficiency, depend increasingly implement suitable mechanisms to change from the stage knowledge generation (Science and Technology), or import and assimilation of it to the stage of practical application through the process of innovation. In the recent years, entrepreneurship has become the most successful innovation to increase the economical gro wth of the country. Entrepreneurship has long een briefly viewed as a foremost vehicle for financial development and it has captivated investigators from a kind of disciplines with very varied analytical approaches. Audretsch & Thurik, in their paper â€Å"What’s new about the new economy? Sources of growth in the managed and entrepreneurial economies,† demonstrates the change which is being made in the OECD countries. According to them, the reason for this change is the entrepreneurial economy (Audretsch & Thurik, 2001, 267). The paper is an attempt to articulate and identify the differences between the new emerging entrepreneurial economy and the managed economy.According to this paper, there are a total of 14 trade-offs that confronts these two economies. The major economic benefits of European integration will come not through economies of scale, but rather through economies of diversity (Audretsch & Thurik, 2001, 308). The countries that have adopted the entrepren eurial economy have been successful in making additional growth. In another paper, â€Å"Linking entrepreneurship and economic growth,† Wennekers and Thurik looks at the link between the entrepreneurship and the economic growth of a country.The paper concludes that entrepreneurship really matters for the prosperity of a country. In today’s modern world of economics, entrepreneurship plays an essential role in the growth of economy. According to the paper, ICT-revolution and globalization implies the need for a structural change which requires a considerable reallocation of the resources, this increases the demand for entrepreneurship (Wennekers & Thurik, 1999, 140). The Schumpeterian tradition of the analysis which concerns the form, innovation and entrepreneurship is examined in the paper, â€Å"Innovation, entrepreneurship and the firm: a post-Schumpeterian approach. Burton proposes a post- Schumpeterian framework as a remedy for the defects in the Schumpeterian fra mework. The framework presented by Burton is based on four main elements Diffused Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Management; Collaborative Business Arrangements for Knowledge Creation; Knowledge Protection; and Knowledge Creation (Burton, 2001, 7). We can look take assistance from this framework to strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. Furthermore, in â€Å"Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Growth: Evidence from GEM data,† demonstrates the occurrence of the high growth prospective of the new emerging firms.There are different rates of economic growths which have been observed in the country. Not every entrepreneurial start-up contributes to the generating economic growth. It shows that other factors also influence the economic growth of a country. Innovation in science and technology is also an essential part in contributing to the growth of economy in a country. Economic growth is a process through which knowledge is transformed into qualit y goods and services that satisfy human needs (Wong et al, 2005, 335).The companies are the means through which scientific and technological knowledge is applied in a practical way through the production process, and is transformed into goods and services increased level or better quality, which contributes to the economic and social transformation. Organizations need a change of approach, which involves focusing attention on existing technologies that when used on a widespread basis through processes of innovation, can have a significant impact on the UK economy.Most countries recognize the importance of science and technology as tools for economic growth, but many developing countries focus exclusively on the generation of knowledge in basic research support. Countries must adopt strategies to improve the infrastructure of basic services, so that the appropriate level of the same foster technological development necessary to achieve sustained economic growth: Without a decent infr astructure of basic services it is not possible to develop major applications of technology.Many developing countries have made the mistake of not giving enough importance to the training of technicians and technologists, and artisans, which are home to many small and medium enterprises. Today most of the curriculum and curriculum of universities in developing countries have become obsolete (Murray & Blackman, 2006, 132). In an increasingly globalized world requires changes in national policies to incorporate science and technology in the design of economic strategies, in order to achieve: 1. The use of existing technology, using the strategy of â€Å"shadow and fast â€Å"using ICT (information) than is available in the world, 2.Attracting Foreign Direct Investment in technological capability and seek to promote links with other firms in the chain, 3. † Upgrade â€Å"of existing technological capacity in the business sector, 4. Identify market niches and incorporated into the chain 5. To promote international technology partnerships, 6. Using technology foresight methodology in the various sectors (Murray & Blackman, 2006, 132). Among the various fiscal and policy instruments that can be implemented to stimulate technological innovation and boost business ties between the actors.We need to promote intellectual property, promote international cooperation in technology transfer, and promote co-financing for technological innovation and venture capital funds for technological innovation. Other than that encourage the creation and development of small and medium enterprises to promote business development centers and technology incubators, implement technology parks; enhance the technological links with companies in free zones are also very important. There are many issues involved in the role of innovation.For many years, we have tried to understand the relationship between innovation and development in global and in particular its economical dimension. This interest has increased significantly. While this issue has been addressed in the literature at least since the 60's and 70's, is the late 80's and 90's in that discussion has intensified in part by the new avenues that are opening the economy informational. A new technological revolution based largely on information, and spread through the global economy, affects the spatial conformation of economic activities (Uljin, 2003, 15).This is due to the characteristics that result from different combinations of endogenous processes such as fixed capital investment, research and development, education, the advantages in the use of technologies, the economies of scale, the allocation of resources, and a variety of institutional factors that vary between countries. This applies not only within countries but even between regions. The industrial map is diversified, resulting in regional differentiation based on the vocation of the places on those parameters.Innovative industries of the ne w technological revolution do not show a generalized spatial dispersion. On the contrary, are located in regions where they meet the requirements for innovation. Three issues deserve particular attention. First, it increases the importance of knowledge and intelligence as the basic factors of the system. They are the key for access to and ownership of information that feeds the dynamics of innovation by enabling technological transformation and modernization of the economy (Uljin, 2003, 15). Second, it involves growing interdependence among various actors and resources.Among them are companies that make up the economic structure of a region, universities, local government, the labor market, community, entrepreneurship, infrastructure and funding sources. Conclusion This is particularly important as the playing experience with innovation policy has become a panacea for a variety of problems. It is clear that the contexts in which they have successfully implemented these policies cont ain factors that are areas of opportunity for action and that lessons should not be isolated without context.Third, the information economy, enhances the integration between regional and global networks. The paradox of the twentieth century is that, in a global economy, regions and cities become increasingly important, even when they have less power than national governments and are always in constant competition. The regions have enormous advantages to compete globally; from greater flexibility to adapt to changing conditions at the national level can be tackled only with painful effort behind. References Audretsch, A. D. and Thurik, A. R. 2001), â€Å"What’s new about the new economy? Sources of growth in the managed and entrepreneurial economies,† Industrial and Corporate Change, Vol. 10, No 1, Pp. 267-309 Burton, J. (2001), â€Å"Innovation, entrepreneurship and the firm: a post-Schumpeterian approach,† International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovatio n Management Vol. 1, No. 1, Pp. 7-29 Murray, P. & Blackman, D. (2006), â€Å"Managing Innovation through social architecture, learning, and competencies: a new conceptual approach,† Knowledge and Process Management, 13, 3, Pp. 32-143 Uljin, J. (2003), â€Å"Cultural Conditions of Championing Innovation in International Technology-Driven Firms: Ways of Conceptualisation and Assessment,† ECIS Reseach, Pp. 15-19 Wennekers, S. and Thurik, R. (1999), â€Å"Linking entrepreneurship and economic growth,† Small Business Economics, Vol. 13, No 1, Pp. 140-149 Wong, K. , Ho, Y. P. & Autio, E. (2005), â€Å"Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Growth: Evidence from GEM data,† Small Business Economics, Vol 24, Pp. 335 – 350

My Economic Philosophy - 1004 Words

In modern economics there are two major schools of thought in regards to how the economy should be run; socialism and libertarianism. As with the issue of prohibition in the 1920’s, how our government should interact with our economy has been a polarizing issue in American politics for decades. Both sides carry valid points and support different ideals. I will walk you through a brief history and explanation of libertarianism, highlight a fundamental economist who really developed the ideals behind libertarianism and give the pros and cons. I will then do the same for socialism. I will attempt to share this knowledge with you in as unbiased a way as possible. First we will discuss libertarianism. The main ideal of libertarianism is that the individual or business should be regulated by the natural flow of the economic market. Some of the ideals of libertarianism include deregulation of many of the economic, social and legal practices that our government has established. Libertarianism advocates the practice of free enterprise where governments have little to no input to how businesses function. They believe that individuals can and should regulate themselves; that business should be regulated by the flow of the markets, not the manipulation of the government. Libertarians believe that the economic market will, over time, regulate itself and that government shouldn’t interfere. The most prominent founder of libertarianism is Friedrich August Hayek. Hayek was born in AustriaShow MoreRelatedEssay on Personal Philosophy of Nursing707 Words   |  3 PagesPersonal Philosophy of Nursing Melissa L. 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