Writing 2 Handout 4-5

Writing 2 Handout 4-5 revised

18. On may 16-th,2002 there took place another execution in Texas.

Ronford Lee Styron was executed, because he killed his 11-month old son. The mother seemed to be content after the execution.

On the one hand I can understand her feelings, and also families of victims wishing Death Penalty (DP) for this men, who brought so much grief to them. In their opinion he has, because of his action, no right to live anymore. But this only one reason, why supporters demand DP, another one could be that the past also showed that e.g. in England, where DP was abolished, 75 English citizens were killed by released killers.

Many supporters also think that an execution is cheaper than life inprisonment.But this is not true: In Florida an execution costs approx. 3.18 mill. $( two seperate proceedings, isolation of convicts, additional security...), life inprisonment "only" costs 516.000 $.

Have you ever noticed that most executed men came from a poor environment?! Convicts with a good financial background usually have enough money to take an good advocate on. Just think of the case ´O.J. Simpson.

If somebody killed my mother or father, I would not know, how I would react.

On the other hand, without being involved in a situation like Mrs. Styron , I am an opponent of Death Penalty, because of ethical and moral reasons. There shall be destroyed the indications, not the roots of crime. In my opinion the state fights violence with violence. Not a good role model- isn´t?! 250

18. On May 16, 2002 another execution took place in Texas.

Ronford Lee Styron was executed because he killed his 11-month-old son. The mother seemed to be content after the execution.

On the one hand, I can understand her feelings, and also the families of victims wishing the death penalty for this man, who has caused them so much grief. In their opinion, he has no right to live anymore, because of what he did. But this is only one reason why many people support the death penalty. Another one is that that they believe the record shows that it does not act as a deterrent. In England, for example, 75 people have been killed by killers who had served their time and then been released.

Many supporters also think that execution is cheaper than life inprisonment. But this is not true. In Florida an execution costs approx . $3.18 million. ( two seperate trials, solitary confinement, additional security), whereas life inprisonment costs "only" $516,000.

Most executed men come from a poor environment. Wealthy convicts have enough money for a good lawyer. Just think of the case of O.J. Simpson.

If somebody killed my mother or father, I would not know, how I would react.

On the other hand, even though I have never been involved in such a situation, I am an opponent of the death penalty, for ethical and moral reasons. We should attack the roots of crime, not commit crimes ourselves by murdering the murderers. This is simply the state fighting violence with violence.

19. Are we shaped by the media?

The media shape the people’s lives all over the world. Newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the Internet have become part of our society. On the one hand the media inform and entertain us and on the other hand the media influence our daily lives. Furthermore the media even shape our public opinion about general and relevant topics.

The media is present in all parts and situations of our lives. Nowadays almost everybody has a radio and television and many people use the Internet. We use the media at our jobs, our studies and in our spare time. The media have become a important part of our lives and I guess we would miss them. Many people are so used to the media, e.g. the TV, that they have to watch the news every day at the same time, like a ritual. Other people watch their favourite daily soaps and if they cannot watch them, they will have the feeling of not being up to date anymore. These daily soaps are also a main topic of pupils’ at schools. Especially the girls talk about the clothes of the actors etc. But they do not only talk about it, they also want to buy these things in order to become trendy and to identify themselves with the stars. So it is only too obvious that the media start shaping our lives already in our childhood.

Everyday, we are confronted with different articles, which are advertised on television. Afterwards we buy these articles, because we know them by advertising. It does not matter, that these articles are more expensive than others although they have the same function. They can be just as well, but they have not the name or label, which we know from the advertising.

In my opinion, fashion is supported by the media, too. We see trendy clothes in a magazine or on TV and then we want to buy such clothes, because we want to be up to date and stylish.

Another important aspect when talking about the media is the problem of violence. After a student ran amok in Erfurt, the society is now thinking about the student’s causes for this deed. One of several causes, which I won’t summarize and explain now, is the aspect of the media. You can find violence everywhere in the media. On TV you can watch brutal movies and in the Internet you can find websites, which show pure violence. Furthermore there are violent computer games, in which you can shoot on human beings. People, who play such games very often, begin to dull.

They do not think about what they are doing and so it becomes quite ‘normal’ for them. As far as I know, played the student one of those violent games. Summing up I might say, that the media also influenced the increasing of violence in our world.

Finally I would like to draw the conclusion, that the media are a very important part of our life. Without the media, we would not get so much information about the events in the world, we would not be entertained in such a varied way and life would be much more uninteresting and boring. So I do not want to miss the media. 548

19. Are we shaped by the media?

The media shape people’s lives all over the world. Newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the Internet have become part of our society. The media inform and entertain us, and shape our opinion on many topics.

The media are everywhere. Nowadays almost everybody has a radio and television, and many people use the Internet. We use the media in our jobs, our studies and in our spare time. Many people are so used to the media, e.g., TV, that they have to watch the news every day at the same time, like a ritual. Other's have to watch their favourite daily soap operas, and if they cannot watch them, they become depressed and irritable. Soap operas are also a favorite topic in school. Girls, especially, talk about the clothes of the actors, their hair-dos, etc. But they not only talk about it, they also want to buy the clothes and get the hair-dos in order to identify with the stars..

Every day, we are confronted with articles which are advertised on television. We buy them, because we know them. It does not matter that they are more expensive than others of the same or better quality. What counts is they have not the label we know from the advertising.

Fashion is largely determined by the media. We see trendy clothes in a magazine or on TV, and then we want to buy these clothes, because we want to be up to date and stylish.

Finally, and most problematically, the media may encourage violence. After a student went on a shooting spree in Erfurt, many Germans think one of the causes of this boy's behavior was violence in the media. People who expose themselves to the depiction of so much violence may become desensitized to the effects of real violence.

21. Death sentence penalty is not the best solution to punish violence! I stand totaly against execution as a way of punishment. I don't think that the death sentence could serve the purpose of punishment to the criminal. The law is there to ensure a peaceful society, where each criminal pays for his crime in a way that makes him reconsider and think about the wrongs he has done and be a reason to prevent him from repeting them. Killing a criminal serves no purpose other than whatever small satisfaction it may possibly give the victim's family. I don't think it's going to give them real closure. We feel with the victim's family but it won't fill a void there. It will just creat one for the criminal's family. We are human beings and have as much evilness in us as goodness. People show their dark sides only when they are provoked. I don't believe that any person is born whicked. Characters are developed depending on the environment one raises up in. Violent and criminal characteristics could develop in a person depending on psychoogical terms as well. Some people have been abused in their childhood others have grown up with a father or mother or in a neighbourhood in which violence is the way to live. Sentences like lifelong prison or prison with hard work could be ,in my opinion, a good punishment. It makes criminals really pay for their crimes and have enough time to think things over and they may come out as better people. God gave us souls and he's the one who has the right to decide when to take them. Those criminals who may have killed someone didn't have that right either. So they have to pay for that, but not in the same way. Execution tells the world that there are no second chances in the eyes of justice, and it tells our children that in some instances, in some cases, killing is right. 329

21. I am against capital punishment. The purpose of punishment is to make the criminal reconsider and think about the wrongs he has done, as well as prevent him from repeating them. Killing him or her serves no purpose other than to give some small satisfaction to the victim's family. I don't think it gives them real closure. It doesn't fill their void. It just creates another one, in the criminal's family. We are all human beings and have as much evil in us as good. I don't believe that any person is born wicked. Character depends on the environment one is brought up in. Some people have been abused in childhood. Others have grown up in families or neighbourhoods where violence is a way of life. Lifelong prison sentences , on the other hand, are a good punishment. The convicts have enough time to think things over and may become better people. God gave us our souls, and He's the only one who has the right to decide when to take them back. True, murderers do not have that right, but we don't either. Every execution tells the world and our children that we do not believe in second chances, and that in some instances, killing is right.

22. Engel, Matthew. "It’s official, global warming does exist, says Bush." The Guardian, 4 June, 2002.

After having refused to sign the Kyoto protocol, the Bush administration has admitted now that there is a global warming and that an adapting to the changing climate is inevitable. However, the USA are not willing to take any action against it. Susanne Moser of the union of concerned scientists said that "there’s a recognition of the dire outlook, so it’s a step." To my mind, the attitude of the United States is not a step forward, but incomprehensible and reckless.

In negotiating the Kyoto protocol, the USA hinder the efforts of other countries who have it. In order to ratify the protocol, 55 parties need to join, including industrialised countries responsible for 55% of their total combined carbon dioxide emissions in 1990. Since the USA alone are responsible for 36.1% of the emissions, it is difficult to meet the second condition. Despite that fact, the rest of the industrialised world decided to go ahead and aim to reduce emissions.

We have not got the time to "adapt poorly" to a changing climate. Scientists forecast a rising of the global average temperature of up to 5.8 degrees Celsius by 2100. This may not sound much, but one should consider that the last ice age was caused by a fall in temperature of only some five degrees. A rise in temperature of 5.8 could melt glaciers and Greenland’s ice sheet. In consequence, the sea water would rise and submerge island nations, to say nothing of the immense health dangers global warming implies. Scientists warn that the consequences of a changing climate could happen faster and sharper than expected. That requires quick actions, especially on behalf of the United States, the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter. I do not understand at all their statement "it’s true, it’s happening and it’s going to be bleak, but we’re not going to do anything against it. Although the US government knows about the facts, they risk to destroy nature. 324

22. Engel, Matthew. "It’s official, global warming does exist, says Bush." The Guardian, 4 June, 2002.

After having refused to sign the Kyoto protocol, the Bush administration has admitted now that global warming exists and that something has to be done about it. However, the USA is not willing to take any action against it. Susanne Moser of the Union of Concerned Scientists says that "there’s a recognition of the dire outlook, so it’s a step." But to my mind, the attitude of the United States is not a step forward, but incomprehensible and reckless.

In negotiating the Kyoto protocol, the USA hinder the efforts of other countries who have it. In order to ratify the protocol, 55 parties needed to join, including the industrialised countries, which were responsible for 55% of all carbon dioxide emissions in 1990 . Since the USA alone is responsible for 36.1% of these emissions, it is difficult to meet the second condition . Despite that fact , the rest of the industrialised world decided to go ahead and aim to reduce emissions.

We have not got the time to "adapt poorly" to a changing climate. Scientists forecast a rise in the average global temperature of up to 5.8 degrees Celsius by 2100. This may not sound like much, but one should consider that the last ice age was caused by a fall in temperature of only some five degrees. A rise in temperature of 5.8 could melt the glaciers and Greenland’s ice sheet. In consequence, the sea level would rise and submerge island nations. , to say nothing of the immense health dangers global warming implies. Scientists warn that the consequences of a changing climate could be felt faster than expected. Thus quick action is urgent, especially by the United States, the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter. How can they say,"It’s true, it’s happening, and it’s going to be bleak, but we’re not going to do anything about it"? They know the facts, but are nevertheless willing to risk destroying our natural environment.

23. Documenta 11, the „most important exhibition of contemporary art", has begun now. As the curator Okwui Enwezor states, art which is politically and socially critical plays a fundamental role in this Documenta, the focus has been set on the consequences of imperialism and globalism.

And we, inconspicuous students of the university of Kassel, have the unique possibility to live right next to this ‘most important exhibition‘. Costs for adults: 50 Euro (for a season ticket). Costs for students: also 50 Euro!

To my mind, it is questionable whether people who do not have a certain degree of general education and thus do not have easy access to many of these artworks, or who simply can‘t afford the sum that easily, will have enough motivation to pay this amount and have a good look at the works exposed at this Documenta.

I simply can’t imagine that the organizers of this exhibition dealing with enourmous sums of money can‘t afford to make lower prices at least for students when even museums like the Louvre or the Uffizi offer even a free entrance for students of fine art.

The fact that the entrance tickets are that expensive gives me the impression that this exhibition somehow wants to remain an exhibition of an elite for an elite. But to my mind, art which claims to be political and critical of society as in this Documenta at least has to be democratic.

Nevertheless, there are fortunately also artists who don’t want to belong to this self-made elite, as there are also parts of Documenta which you can visit free of charge.

To give an example, I would like to mention the artist Thomas Hirschhorn with his "monument to Georges Bataille". His work not only can be visited free of charge, but Hirschhorn also tries to make his work accessible for everyone. Therefore he has not built his monument in a museum, but in the Friedrich-Wöhler-Straße, a street situated in a working-class area of Kassel; furthermore, a hot-dog stand, a small library with books about Georges Bataille, and wokshops with teenagers are integrated into his monument, and on the opening day, you could even get ‚Döner‘ and chips for free. 365

23. Documenta 11, regarded by many as the most important exhibition of contemporary art, has begun now. As the curator, Okwui Enwezor, states, art which is politically and socially critical plays a fundamental role in this Documenta, and the focus has been set on the consequences of imperialism and globalism.

We, mere students at the University of Kassel, have the good fortune of living right next door to this most important exhibition.

But the entrance fees are the same for students as for other adults (50 Euro for a season ticket). I simply can’t imagine that the organizers of this exhibition, who have enormous sums of money at their disposal, can't afford to offer lower prices for students, since museums like the Louvre and the Uffizi do, and even let students of fine art in for free.

The fact that the entrance tickets are so expensive gives me the impression that the organizers want this exhibition to remain an exhibition of an elite for an elite. But to my mind, art which claims to be political and critical of society, as this Documenta does, should be exhibited to the public at affordable prices.

Fortunately, there are also artists who don’t want to belong to this elite, and there are parts of Documenta which you can visit free of charge.

For example, Thomas Hirschhorn's "Monument to Georges Bataille" can not only be visited free of charge, but Hirschhorn built his monument not in a museum but in a street in a working-class area of Kassel, and next to it set up a hot-dog stand, a small library with books about Georges Bataille, and workshops for teenagers . On opening day, you could even get ‚Döner‘ and chips for free.