The Psychological Affects Of The Holocaust Essays - Anti-communism

The Psychological Affects of the Holocaust The Holocaust was a tragic point in history which many people believe never happened. Others who survived it thought it should never have been. Not only did this affect the people who lived through it, it also affected everyone who was connected to those fortunate individuals who survived. The survivors were lucky to have made it but there are times when their memories and flashbacks have made them wish they were the ones who died instead of living with the horrible aftermath. The psychological effects of the Holocaust on people from different parts such as survivors of Israel and survivors of the ghettos and camps vary in some ways yet in others are profoundly similar. The vast number of prisoners of various nationalities and religions in the camps made such differences inevitable. Many contrasting opinions have been published about the victims and survivors of the holocaust based on the writers' different cultural backrounds, personal experiences and intelectual traditions. Therefore, the opinions of the authors of such books and entries of human behavior and survival in the concentration camps in Nazi-occupied Europe are very diverse. The Survivors of the Holocaust: General Survey Because the traumatization of the Holocaust was both individual and collective, most individuals made efforts to create a "new family" to replace the nuclear family that had been lost. In order for the victims to resist dehumanization and regression and to find support, the members of such groups shared stories about the past, fantasies of the future and joint prayers as well as poetry and expressions of personal and general human aspirations for hope and love. Imagination was an important means of liberation from the frustrating reality by opening an outlet for the formulation of plans for the distant future, and by spurring to immediate actions. Looking at the history of the Jewish survivors, from the beginning of the Nazi occupation until the liquidation of the ghettos shows that there are common features and simmilar psychophysiological patterns in their responses to the persecutions. The survivors often experienced several phases of psychosocial response, including attempts to actively master the traumatic situation, cohesive affiliative actions with intense emotional links, and finally, passive compliance with the persecutors. These phases must be understood as the development of special mechanisms to cope with the tensions and dangers of the surrounding horrifying reality of the Holocaust. There were many speculations that survivors of the Holocaust suffered from a static concentration camp syndrome. These theories were proved to have not been valid by research that was done immediately after liberation. Clinical and theoretical research focused more on psychopathology than on the question of coping and the development of specific adaptive mechanisms during the Holocaust and after. The descriptions of the survivors' syndrome in the late 1950's and 1960's created a new means of diagnosis in psychology and the behavioral sciences, and has become a model that has since served as a focal concept in examining the results of catastrophic stress situations. After more research was done, it was clear the adaptation and coping mechanisms of the survivors was affected by the aspects of their childhood experiences, developmental histories, family constellations, and emotional family bonds. In the studies and research that were done, there were many questions that were asked of the subjects: What was the duration of the traumatization?, During the Holocaust, was the victim alone or with family and friends?, Was he in a camp or hiding?, Did he use false "Aryan" papers?, Was he a witness to mass murder in the ghetto or the camp?, What were his support systems- family and friends- and what social bonds did he have? These studies showed that the experiences of those who were able to actively resist the oppression, whether in the underground or among the partisans, were different in every way from the experiences of those who were victims in extermination camps. When the survivors integrated back into society after the war, they found it very hard to adjust. It was made difficult by the fact that they often aroused ambivalent feelings of fear, avoidence, guilt, pity and anxiety. This might have been hard for them, but decades after the Holocaust most of the survivors managed to rehabilitate their capacities and rejoin the paths their lives might have taken prior to the Holocaust. This is more true for the people who experienced the Holocaust as children or young adults. Their families live with a special attitude toward psychobiological continuity, fear of separation, and fear of prolonged sickness and death. The experience of the Holocaust shows how human beings can undergo extreme traumatic experiences without suffering from a total regression and without losing

Criminal Justice and Your Constitutional Rights

Criminal Justice and Your Constitutional Rights Sometimes, life can take a bad turn. You’ve been arrested, arraigned, and are now set to stand trial. Fortunately, whether you are guilty or not, the U.S. criminal justice system offers you several constitutional protections. Of course, the overriding protection assured to all criminal defendants in America is that their guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. But thanks to the Due Process Clause of the Constitution, criminal defendants have other important rights, including the rights to: Remain silentConfront witnesses against themBe tried by a juryProtected from paying excessive bailGet a public trialGet a speedy trialBe represented by an attorneyNot be tried twice for the same crime (double jeopardy)Not to be subjected to cruel or unusual punishment Most of these rights come from the Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments to the Constitution, while others have come from the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court in examples of the five â€Å"other† ways the Constitution can be amended. Right to Remain Silent Typically associated with well-recognized Miranda rights that must be read to persons detained by the police prior to questioning, the right to remain silent, also known as the privilege against â€Å"self-incrimination,† comes from a clause in the Fifth Amendment which says that a defendant cannot â€Å"be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.† In other words, a criminal defendant cannot be forced to speak at any time during the detention, arrest and trial process. If a defendant chooses to remain silent during the trial, he or she cannot be forced to testify by the prosecution, the defense, or the judge. However, defendants in civil lawsuits can be forced to testify. Right to Confront Witnesses Criminal defendants have the right to question or â€Å"cross-examine† witnesses who testify against them in court. This right comes from the Sixth Amendment, which gives every criminal defendant the right to â€Å"be confronted by the witnesses against him.†Ã‚  The so-called â€Å"Confrontation Clause† has also been interpreted by the courts as prohibiting prosecutors from presenting as evidence oral or written â€Å"hearsay† statements from witnesses who do not appear in court. Judges do have the option of allowing non-testimonial hearsay statements, such as calls to 911 from people reporting a crime in progress. However, statements given to police during the investigation of a crime are considered to be testimonial and are not allowed as evidence unless the person making the statement appears in court to testify as a witness. As part of the pre-trial process called the â€Å"discovery phase,† both lawyers are required to inform each other and the judge of the identity and expected testimony of the witnesses they intend to call during the trial. In cases involving the abuse or sexual molestation of minor children, the victims are often afraid to testify in court with the defendant present. To deal with this, several states have adopted laws allowing children to testify via closed-circuit television. In such instances, the defendant can see the child on the television monitor, but the child cannot see the defendant. Defense attorneys can cross-examine the child via the closed circuit television system, thus protecting the defendant’s right to confront witnesses. Right to Trial by Jury Except in cases involving minor crimes with maximum sentences of no more than six months in jail, the Sixth Amendment assures criminal defendants the right to have their guilt or innocence decided by a jury in a trial to be held in the same â€Å"State and district† in which the crime was committed. While juries typically consist of 12 people, six-person juries are allowed. In trials heard by six-person juries, the defendant can only be convicted by a unanimous vote of guilty by the jurors. Typically a unanimous vote of guilt is required to convict a defendant. In most states, a non-unanimous verdict results in a â€Å"hung jury,† allowing the defendant to go free unless the prosecutor’s office decides to retry the case. However, the Supreme Court has upheld state laws in Oregon and Louisiana allowing juries to convict or acquit defendants on ten-to-two verdicts by 12-person juries in cases where a guilty verdict cannot result in the death penalty.   The pool of potential jurors must be chosen randomly from the local area where the trial is to be held. The final jury panel is selected through a process known as â€Å"voir dire,† in which lawyers and judges question potential jurors to determine if they might be biased or for any other reason unable to deal fairly with the issues involved in the case. For example, personal knowledge of the facts; acquaintanceship with parties, witnesses or attorneys occupation which might lead to bias; prejudice against the death penalty; or previous experiences with the legal system. In addition attorneys for both sides are allowed to eliminate a set number of potential jurors simply because they do not feel the jurors would be sympathetic to their case. However, these juror eliminations, called â€Å"peremptory challenges,† cannot be based on the race, sex, religion, national origin or other personal characteristics of the juror. Right to a Public Trial The Sixth Amendment also provides that criminal trials must be held in public. Public trials allow the defendant’s acquaintances, regular citizens, and the press to be present in the courtroom, thus helping to ensure that the government honors the defendant’s rights. In some cases, judges can close the courtroom to the public. For example, a judge might bar the public from trials dealing with the sexual assault of a child. Judges can also exclude witnesses from the courtroom to prevent them from being influenced by the testimony of other witnesses. In addition, judges can order the public to leave the courtroom temporarily while discussing points of law and trial procedure with the lawyers. Freedom from Excessive Bail The Eighth Amendment states, â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.† This means that any bail amount set by the court must be reasonable and appropriate for the severity of the crime involved and to the actual risk that the accused person will flee to avoid standing trial. While the courts are free to deny bail, they cannot set bail amounts so high that they effectively do so.   Right to a Speedy Trial While the Sixth Amendment ensures criminal defendants a right to a â€Å"speedy trial,† it does not define â€Å"speedy.† Instead, judges are left to decide whether a trial has been so unduly delayed that the case against the defendant should be thrown out. Judges must consider the length of the delay and the reasons for it, and whether or not the delay had harmed the defendant’s chances of being acquitted. Judges often allow more time for trials involving serious charges. The Supreme Court has ruled that longer delays can be allowed for a â€Å"serious, complex conspiracy charge† than for â€Å"an ordinary street crime.† For example, in the 1972 case of Barker v. Wingo, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a delay of over five years between arrest and trial in a murder case did not violate the defendant’s rights to a speedy trial. Each judicial jurisdiction has statutory limits for the time between the filing of charges and the start of a trial. While these statutes are strictly worded, history has shown that convictions are rarely overturned due to claims of a delayed trial. Right to Be Represented by an Attorney The Sixth Amendment also ensures that all defendants in criminal trials have the right â€Å"†¦ to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.† If a defendant cannot afford an attorney, a judge must appoint one who will be paid by the government. Judges typically appoint attorneys for indigent defendants in all cases which could result in a prison sentence. Right Not to Be Tried Twice for the Same Crime The Fifth Amendment provides: â€Å"[N]or shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.† This well-known â€Å"Double Jeopardy Clause† protects defendants from facing trial more than once for the same offense. However, the protection of the Double Jeopardy Clause does not necessarily apply to defendants who might face charges in both federal and state courts for the same offense if some aspects of the act violated federal laws while other aspects of the act violated state laws. In addition, the Double Jeopardy Clause does not protect defendants from facing trial in both criminal and civil courts for the same offense. For example, while O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in criminal court, he was later found to be legally â€Å"responsible† for the killings in civil court after being sued by the Brown and Goldman families. Right to Not be Punished  Cruelly Finally, the Eighth Amendment states that for criminal defendants, â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.† The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the amendments â€Å"Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause† also applies to the states. While the U.S. Supreme Court has held that the Eighth Amendment forbids some punishments entirely, it also forbids some other punishments that are excessive when compared to the crime  or compared to the defendant’s mental or physical competence. The principles the Supreme Court uses to decide whether or not a particular punishment is â€Å"cruel and unusual† were solidified by Justice William Brennan in his majority opinion in the landmark 1972 case of Furman v. Georgia. In his decision, Justice Brennan wrote, â€Å"There are, then, four principles by which we may determine whether a particular punishment is cruel and unusual.† The essential factor is â€Å"that the punishment must not by its severity be degrading to human dignity.† For example, torture or an unnecessarily long and painful death.â€Å"A severe punishment that is obviously inflicted in wholly arbitrary fashion.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"A severe punishment that is clearly and totally rejected throughout society.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"A severe punishment that is patently unnecessary.† Justice Brennan added, â€Å"The function of these principles, after all, is simply to provide means by which a court can determine whether a challenged punishment comports with human dignity.†

5 Facts About Police Killings and Race

5 Facts About Police Killings and Race The absence of any kind of systematic tracking of police killings in the U.S. makes it difficult to see and understand any patterns that might exist among  them,  but fortunately, some researchers  have undertaken efforts to do so. While the data they have collected is limited, it is national in scope and  consistent from place to place, and  thus very  useful for illuminating trends. Lets take a look at what the data collected by Fatal Encounters and by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement show us about police killings and race. Deaths by the Numbers Fatal Encounters is an ever-growing crowd-sourced database of police killings in the US compiled by D. Brian Burghart. To date, Burghart has  amassed a database of 2,808 incidents from across the nation. Though the race of those killed is currently unknown in nearly a third of the incidents, of those in which race is known, nearly a quarter are black, nearly a third are white, about 11 percent are Hispanic or Latino and just 1.45 percent are Asian or Pacific Islander. While there are more white than black people in this data, the percentage of those who are black far out-paces the percentage of those who are black in the general population- 24 percent versus 13 percent. Meanwhile, white people comprise about 78 percent of our national population, but just under 32 percent of those killed. This means that black people are more likely to be killed by police, while white, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Native American are less likely. This trend is corroborated by other research. A  study conducted by  Colorlines  and  The Chicago Reporter  in 2007 found that black people were over-represented among those killed by police in every city investigated, but especially in  New York, Las Vegas, and San Diego, where the rate was  at least double their share of the local population. This report also found that the number of Latinos killed by police is rising. Another report by the NAACP focused on Oakland, California found that 82 percent of people shot by police between 2004 and 2008 were black, and none were white. New York Citys 2011 Annual Firearms Discharge Report shows that police shot more black people than white or Hispanic people between 2000 and 2011. All of this amounts to a black person being killed by police, security guards or armed civilians in an extra-judicial manner every 28 hours, based on data for 2012 compiled by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement  (MXGM). The largest proportion  of those people are young black men between the ages of 22 and 31 years old. Most People Killed Are Unarmed Per the MXGM report, the vast majority of those killed during 2012 were unarmed at the time. Forty-four percent had no weapon on them, while 27 percent were allegedly  armed,  but there was no documentation in the police report that  supported the presence of a weapon. Just 27 percent of those killed possessed a weapon or a toy weapon mistaken for a real one, and only 13 percent had been identified as an active or suspected shooter prior to their death. The NAACP report from Oakland similarly found that no weapons were present in 40 percent of cases in which people were shot by police. Suspicious Behavior and Perceived Threats The MXGM study of 313 black people killed by police, security guards and vigilantes in 2012 found that  43 percent of killings  were prompted by vaguely defined suspicious behavior. Equally troubling, about 20 percent of these incidents were precipitated by a family member calling 911 to seek emergency psychiatric care for the deceased. Just a quarter were facilitated by verifiable criminal activity. Per the MXGM report, I felt threatened is the most common reason given for one of these killings, cited in nearly half of all cases. Nearly a quarter were attributed to other allegations, including that the suspect lunged, reached toward waistband, pointed a gun, or drove toward an officer. In just 13 percent of the cases did the person killed actually fire a weapon. Criminal Charges Are Rare Despite the facts stated above, the study by MXGM found that only 3 percent of the 250 officers who killed a black person in 2012 were charged with a crime. Of the 23 people charged with a crime after one of these killings, most of them were vigilantes and security guards.  In most cases, District Attorneys and Grand Juries rule these killings justified.

Marine Debris in the Hawaiian coast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marine Debris in the Hawaiian coast - Essay Example Solid material found in the marine environment is called marine debris. The common misconception is that it involves just a few pieces of harmless rubbish scattered along the shores of the ocean. Plastics are the most common types of marine debris with at least two hundred and sixty seven species having suffered from either ingest5ion or entanglement with these items. 5the scale of contamination is quite high with many attempts to address the issue including legislations and campaigns. There are various sources of marine debris all of which are categorized into four. First is tourist related litters that include beach toys, beverage packaging and cigarettes. The second category is sewage related debris including water from storm drains and water overflow from discharge waste during rainfall. Then there is fish related debris including fish pots, fishing lines and strapping bands from bait traps that are either lost in commercial fishing or dumped deliberately. The last category is waste from ships and boats that are mostly deliberately dumped (Laws, 2000:62). Marine debris washes up almost on a daily basis on the Hawaiian shores. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the collection area of marine debris from the Pacific Ocean covering an area twice the size of USA. Currents, winds, and waves bring the debris to the Hawaiian island of Hawai`i, Kauai, Oahu, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Niihau, Molokai, and Maui as well as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Most of this debris is plastic hence do not biodegrade. Although plastic later photo degrades, the process creates smaller particles that form smaller particles of plastic, which pose potential harm to marine life (Andrady, 2003:241). Harm to marine life The harm to marine life is twofold through either entanglement or ingestion and other miscellaneous factors. Ingestion Marine debris poses so much harm on the marine environment. Researchers found that 100% of albatrosses feed their chicks plastic. The adult

Crime and punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Crime and punishment - Essay Example Absence of punishments in a criminal justice system not only makes the criminals brave and fearless but also encourages them to commit crimes repeatedly. Here, I would like to say that punishment alone is not a very effective method for reducing the number of crimes because where it injects a sense of fear into the minds of the criminals; it also injects a sense of revenge in them, which is very harmful for the peace of whole society. A good method is to make use of reformation along with punishment because reformation changes the behavior and attitude of a criminal. Professional psychologists attempt to alter the behaviors of criminals by doing their psychotherapies and guiding them towards the right path. Therefore, I would say that although punishment is effective in reducing the number of crimes but it should be accompanied with reformation process in order to transform the criminals into peaceful citizens. To What Degree Punishment is Effective? The effectiveness of punishments depends on the type of punishment and the motive behind the punishments, which are given by the judges to the criminals. There are different types of punishments for different types of crimes. ... Punishments are very effective because they not only stop the criminals from committing crimes without any fear but also play a vital role in establishing and maintaining peace in a society. Punishments are very effective in reducing the number of crimes because it injects a sense of fear in the minds of the criminals, which stops them from committing any form of crime in future. The goals of punishments and one’s belief about the purpose of sentencing play a critical role in making punishments an effective tool for crime reduction. Decisions for punishments are only effective when they are based on merit because if a judge punishes a person without any solid proofs or by ignoring the ground realities, it injects a sense of revenge in the mind of that person, which makes him/her a real criminal once he/she comes out of jail. Therefore, I would say that the efficacy of punishments is deeply related with the merit-based decisions and with the purpose behind the punishments. Is C orporal Punishment Or The Death Penalty Justifiable In Any Sensible Way? Before going to describe whether corporal punishment and death penalty are sensible ways of punishments or not, let us get a better understanding of what corporal punishment and death penalty actually are. Corporal punishment means using physical force on a person as a form of punishment for a crime, whereas death penalty means sentencing a criminal to death because of some form of crime, which he/she commits. Both forms of punishments are given to the criminals in almost every country depending on the nature of crimes. I personally think that although corporal punishment is a harsh punishment, still it is a much better way to punish the criminals as compared to death

Atrocities Exposed in Amazing Grace :: Amazing Grace Essays

Atrocities Exposed in Amazing Grace  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      god bless mommy. god bless nanny. god, don't punish me because I'm black. The above is an excerpt of a prayer taken from one of the saddest, most disheartening books I've ever read. Jonathon Kozol based this book on a neighborhood in the South Bronx, called Mott Haven. Mott Haven happens to be not only the poorest district in New York, but possibly in the whole United States. Of the 48,000 living in this broken down, rat-infested neighborhood, two thirds are hispanic, one third is black and thirty-five percent are children. Not only is Mott Haven one of the poorest places, it is also one of the most racially segregated. The book itself is an on-going dialogue between Kozol and the neighborhoods residents, interjected every so often with thoughts from Kozol. He covers a spectrum of topics from AIDS, drug addiction, prostitution, crime, poorly run and funded schools, white flight from schools to over-crowded hospitals and the amazing faith in religion and God that many of these people have. Kozol makes several trips to Mott Haven and speaks with a myriad of people, children and adults alike. For instance, Kozol develops a rapport with a twelve year old hispanic boy named Anthony. Anthony is clever and loves to write stories. Some day he hopes to become a novelist. He also has a great faith in God. He makes some very poignant remarks pertaining to his neighborhood and life in general. For example, one day Kozol and Anthony are discussing if anyone in the neighborhood is truly happy and Kozol pints out that some of the children seem cheerful playing in the school playgrounds. Anthony quickly points out that cheerful and happy are not the same. Then as they are walking, Anthony stops and waves his hand around him in the neighborhood. Then he asks, "Would you be happy if you had to live here?" The only answer can be, NO. Kozol also speaks to many of the church leaders in the different communities of the South Bronx. In particular, he speaks often to Reverend Overall, known as Mother Martha to Anthony and the other children that attend her church. What is most amazing about Rev. Overall is the fact that she gave up a productive career as a lawyer to serve the people in the poorest community in America. Atrocities Exposed in Amazing Grace :: Amazing Grace Essays Atrocities Exposed in Amazing Grace  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      god bless mommy. god bless nanny. god, don't punish me because I'm black. The above is an excerpt of a prayer taken from one of the saddest, most disheartening books I've ever read. Jonathon Kozol based this book on a neighborhood in the South Bronx, called Mott Haven. Mott Haven happens to be not only the poorest district in New York, but possibly in the whole United States. Of the 48,000 living in this broken down, rat-infested neighborhood, two thirds are hispanic, one third is black and thirty-five percent are children. Not only is Mott Haven one of the poorest places, it is also one of the most racially segregated. The book itself is an on-going dialogue between Kozol and the neighborhoods residents, interjected every so often with thoughts from Kozol. He covers a spectrum of topics from AIDS, drug addiction, prostitution, crime, poorly run and funded schools, white flight from schools to over-crowded hospitals and the amazing faith in religion and God that many of these people have. Kozol makes several trips to Mott Haven and speaks with a myriad of people, children and adults alike. For instance, Kozol develops a rapport with a twelve year old hispanic boy named Anthony. Anthony is clever and loves to write stories. Some day he hopes to become a novelist. He also has a great faith in God. He makes some very poignant remarks pertaining to his neighborhood and life in general. For example, one day Kozol and Anthony are discussing if anyone in the neighborhood is truly happy and Kozol pints out that some of the children seem cheerful playing in the school playgrounds. Anthony quickly points out that cheerful and happy are not the same. Then as they are walking, Anthony stops and waves his hand around him in the neighborhood. Then he asks, "Would you be happy if you had to live here?" The only answer can be, NO. Kozol also speaks to many of the church leaders in the different communities of the South Bronx. In particular, he speaks often to Reverend Overall, known as Mother Martha to Anthony and the other children that attend her church. What is most amazing about Rev. Overall is the fact that she gave up a productive career as a lawyer to serve the people in the poorest community in America.

Defending Liberal Arts Essay

William Butler Yeats is accredited with once saying â€Å"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.† It seems this idiom no longer rings true; today’s preferred education encompasses the regurgitation of technical jargon in the hopes of finding a job. People now deem Liberal Arts degree worthless; it’s too expensive and impractical in today’s job market. The sciences and career colleges are where the jobs lie. In the battle over higher education, through his iconoclastic article â€Å"The New Liberal Arts,† Sanford J. Ungar stands as a lone crusader against an onslaught of â€Å"misperceptions.† I for one agree with and applaud his effort, although he could use some additional support in presenting some of his counter arguments. Unger first battles the misperception of the value in a liberal arts degree for first-generation, lower income college students; these degrees are for the elite upper-class. As Ungar’s imagined antagonists put it, â€Å"A liberal arts degree is a luxury that most families can no longer afford. ‘Career education’ is what we now must focus on† (191). Ungar contends that although skyrocketing tuition makes it increasingly difficult to pay for a college education it is now a more prudent investment than ever before (191). Continuing his crusade against naysayers by suggesting that â€Å"the career education bandwagon† (191) is not a smart investment, asserting that â€Å"It is far wiser for students to prepare for change—and the multiple careers they are likely to have—than to search for a single job track that might one day become a dead end.† (191) Ungar shows the pitfalls of having a narrowly focused education. Moreover, Ungar seems utterly disgusted with the notion that an education in the liberal arts is one for the upper class, the rich and the privileged; those who are not of this stratification are better suited implementing the ideas of the elite, not coming up with ideas of their own (192). He brands these accusations as â€Å"condescending† (192) and â€Å"prejudice† (193) and rejects the idea that the lower-class’ only duty is to implement the ideas of the upper-class. I believe that Ungar is correct on these assertions; however, Ungar’s argument would be better served if he acquiesced to the fact that a college education, much less one in the liberal arts, is not right for everyone. Higher education is not a one size fits all discipline. There has to be some to fill the factories, work the land, pave the roads and power the service industry. Unger is accurate in saying that the liberal arts should be available to everyone and everyone could benefit from this type of classical education; nonetheless not everyone is suited for such an education. The misperception that the liberal arts are for the elite is one that has been heard before but not nearly as much as the old â€Å"employers do not want to hire people with useless degrees† line which Unger obliterates with his next argument. Ungar continues his defense of a liberal arts education by refuting the claim that employers no longer hire someone with a â€Å"useless† degree, such as French. Showing how not only a specific degree such as a foreign language is one that is wanted by employers but the usefulness of other liberal arts degrees, emphasizing â€Å"A 2009 survey for the Association of American Colleges and Universities actually found that more than three-quarters of our nation’s employers recommend that college-bound students pursue a ‘liberal education.’† (192) Ungar deals with this common misconception methodically by first stating â€Å"what people believe† and then contesting that belief with facts diversified with his own opinions. Although he is correct and he brandishes documented facts to back up his assertions Ungar may have missed the mark by not including actual job numbers. By displaying irrefutable proof that those who have a liberal arts degree are more likely to get a job in any field and by showing those jobs are more lucrative for degree holders than those who are not, Ungar could put the nail in the coffin naysayers. For his next dose of perception breaking, Ungar skirmishes with the following idea: Liberal arts degrees are antiquated, the Sciences and Career colleges are where the smart money is, and the STEM fields are much better suited for today’s economic reality. Ungar contests this misperception by showing that a degree in liberal arts also includes the sciences. He illustrates that a traditional liberal arts degree includes the sciences: â€Å"the historical basis of a liberal education is in the classical artes liberales, comprising the trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music)† (193). Many of Ungar’s points are valid; his handling of this misperception is deft and detailed. However, I feel that Ungar is stretching with his response to this argument. Although a liberal arts degree does offer some glimpses into the STEM disciplines, it is not comparable to a degree in those specialties. A student wishing to become a chemist would not be well served pursuing a degree in History. In showing that these misperceptions are just that, Sanford Ungar single-handedly makes the case for a classical liberal arts education. He does a wonderful job tackling the misperceptions being thrown around today about a college degree in the liberal arts. He takes each one of these common misconceptions and thoroughly disproves each claim skillfully and without hesitation. By doing so he reopens the door to higher education. Perhaps if he and others like him continue to confront the onslaught of misinformation doled out upon the masses we can return to a world where a traditional liberal arts education is once again commended and no longer forsworn. Works Cited Ungar, Sanford. â€Å"The New Liberal Arts.† â€Å"They Say I Say†: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: with readings. Eds. Gerald Graff, Kathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Company Ltd, 2012. 190-196. Print.