Over and out...

Well its over. The presentation was completed, however only by one member of the original three, me. It definately wasn't ideal. The organisation was poor, the delivery muddled and I forgot to say a few important things through being nervous at presenting alone to a room full of people. However all that was to be expected having been let down by my group, in particular the person who was responsible for putting together the final slides. Thankfully I predicted that I would be let down and prepared my own slides the night before to present to the rest of the class and lecturers. This at least ensured that I didn't fail and also showed that I have good character to carry on when circumstances are against me. I do in no way blame the presentation being bad solely on the rest of the group for not turning up though, because my grade will be determined by my part alone, which was not perfect by any sense of the imagination. I do however blame them for not having the decency to let me know they were not going to turn up. Although the possibility of the situation was discussed the night before, the last I heard they would be coming. I also blame them for putting me in a situation that caused a negative mind set and meant I forgot to say some important points during the assessment. Unfortunately ego's got in the way of delivering a presentation that wasn't perfect. 

If given the opportunity to do it all again I would most definately change a lot. I would ensure that I joined a group that didn't have so many complications, including one member that left university 2 weeks into preparing the presentation and 1 person that ignored all contact made to them until a week before the final assessment. On a personal level I would make more of an effort to make my section of the presentation as good as it could possibly be. Throughout this assignment I became very complacent and procrastinated when I should have been working on improving my work. Ultimately although the final presentation wasn't great I am still glad I had the courage to present alone. At least I didn't lose the respect of the rest of the class and lecturers like the other members of my group.  

Final Conclusion...!!!

" It is better to be controlled by someone else that by oneself " This was our presentation topic and having discussed it with Stephen and Richard we came to the conclusion that we have different opinions. My opinion is that it's good to be controlled in some level and know what you are allowed to do and what not although i admite that i also believe that being controlled doesn't help you find your individual identity. Stephen and Richard have about the same opinion, they believe that if you have to live under so many different rules that the law, the society and the religion sets for you then you become just what society wants you to be. If you have such rules around you in every day life than how are you going to be characterized as an individual?

I believe that all three, society, law and religion have too many rules that are set out for us and i think that they need to find a balance. But the difficult part is to find where do you draw that line?

Final Thoughts & Hopes for the Future...

Having thought about my aspect of the presentation, media and families, in more depth I feel much the same as Stephen about the big question. Ultimately no one likes the idea of being controlled, it makes us feel vulnerable as we do not like the idea of other factors being the driving force behind our destiny. However with the media in particular it is impossible to resist being influenced and controlled, therefore in order to live harmoniously we need to accept this truth and be wary not to believe everything the media produces. Through this way of living we will hopefully be able to regain some sort of control within our lives. Similarly, control in the family is something that will never be combatted. Even if a new generation of a family purposefully trys to stop being as controlling as a previous generation, they will in turn unconciously create a new type of control. Being controlled by someone or something else can have positive or negative implications, it would (for me) depend on the individuals and situations involved. I would say there is no conclusive answer to the statement that it is better to be controlled by someone else rather than by oneself, only that there are various pros and cons that can be applied to each situation.

Having thought about this in greater detail I feel that I am prepared to say enough in our group presentation to put forward a valid argument. Hopefully after our final meeting today everything will come together later this morning (I should really get some sleep) and our presentation will not be a complete failure. We shall know in a few hours time!! Fingers crossed everyone.

Control..good or bad ?

My personal opinion is that we all need some control in our life, we need to have certain boundaries and specific laws so we can leave in a balanced and healthy comunnity. So yes control is a good thing but if you are being controlled by someone and if you have to live on someones else decisions then how are you going to find your own identity? Thats when you need to find a good balance. In my opinion control is good but not when it starts to take over your life.

Feeling good...

After a group meeting to today I'm finally feeling good about our upcoming presentation. Although it most definately won't be the greatest piece of work either of us has ever produced, it will hopefully show that we have valid opinions on our chosen topic and can back them up with quality arguments. Todays meeting was much needed and we were able to put forward a solid structure for the presentation so that it is no longer a mash of different views on anything and everything. Everybody involved now knows what is expected of them and what needs to be done before the big day. So, even though I'm still dreading the assessment at least I know if we fall on our arses, we'll have done it with structure!!

Where's the freedom of choice...?

I just read an article on arranged marriages and the intersting part is that the article ended with the following question " Should the goverment be involved on arranged marriages?"

Is this for real? I'm sure that there some positive points in having arranged marriages but, it is bad enough that the couple that are getting married are not given the chance to choose, and they have so much preasure on them from their families but now also the goverment wants to be involved in this?

David Blunkett says that he wants to break the terrible tensions that exist when people feel trapped between two different backgrounds. Since the goverment shows that they care so much about this subject, instead of getting involved and trying to control this personal subject they should just concider of maybe banning arranged marriages. It's your choice who you are going to stay with for the rest of your life and no one should try to control this.

Response to Richard about "contol...can be good?"

I must say that the statement that i made before about nothing good can ever come out if you are being controlled by others wasn't clear and it came out wrong. Because as Richard said " we are ultimately controlled by our modern societies, laws and goverments." So in a way, every single person is controlled by someone else on a specific area. I agree 100% with Richard that the society, the laws and our goverment plays an important part to what our beliefs are. What would happen to our world if we didn't have someone to control us?That means that everyone would be able to do whatever and whenever they wanted without having any boundaries. So in a way we already are contolled by others even if we don't actually realise it. We do need that someone, that is going to set rules about what is allowed and what is not. But what about in our personal life? After a certain age and after all those beliefs that you have been taught from your family and your friends, when you are about to make a decision that can change your life or even label you, do you do what you really feel or do you do what they expect you to do?

Did someone say....witch?

I've just read a really interesting quote from a book called Damnation and Deviance by Mordechai Rotenberg, it goes like this - "....To describe deviant behaviour throughout the ages. It is nevertheless important to note that primitive theories of 'demon-possession,' 'object intrusion,' or 'loss of soul' all implied an etiology of specific intervention caused by an external power. Since this influence could be removed, no label was necessarily attached to the person. On the other hand, assigning the label 'witch' to the deviant shifted the focus from external causes to the person himself, who is then depicted as the source and carrier of the evil seeds. The difference, therefore, between the concept of 'casting out the devil' and that of the 'outcast-devil' is a very significant one." My interpretation of the quote is that by giving deviants a label such as 'witch' or 'demon-possessed', all blame for the way that person behaves is lifted from the society that spawned it. They are simply that way because they are a witch, not because they were influenced by external influences. I find it refreshing that our modern society has now moved away from such primitive behaviour and now excepts some responsibility for the individuals it creates, without a witch hunt.

Control...can be good?

I agree with alot of what you said in your post Alexia, however I do not believe your view that nothing good can ever come out of being controlled by someone else. On a grand scale I am sure you would agree that we are all ultimately controlled by our modern societies, laws and governments. They generally shape our beliefs and influence our concious in there own ways whether we realise it or not. Although I would say some of the laws and practices, that Britian in particular, has recently adopted has taken political correctness too far. I would imagine that our world would be in dire straits if people were trusted to control their own lives. Ultimately, we need to have expectations and rules set out by others in order to live or lifes well and to know who we want to be or what we want to accomplish. Without some degree of control, we would be lost.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding...!!!

I'm definetely sure that everyone knows about the movie that i'm talking about...It's called My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The movie is about a Greek family that runs a traditional Greek restaurant in New York. The reason for choosing to write about this movie, is because it is related to our presentation topic " It is better to be controlled by someone else than one self". When the Portokalos got married they moved to America and they opened this restaurant by themselves and they were running it together with their son and their daughter.

The father's dream is to see his children to run the restaurant one day by themselves, but what happens when his daughter wants to go to college and follow her own dream? A big mess and confusion starts to take place, lies are reviled, their family trust is ruined, hearts are broken and the result is only one . And just like the daughter said to her father " it takes a strong woman to break away from the role she is placed in, do not underestimate me."

This movie leads me to believe that being controlled by others is wrong and nothing good can come out of it, even if you do what the others want, someday, somehow you will find yourself rebelling towards the people that you love just because they didn't give you a chance.

Neighbours...

So, having watched the mighty aussie soap today I've realised it adds an interesting aspect into our groups presentation topic - "It is better to be controlled by someone else than by oneself". A recent story line in the show has brought to my attention the aspect of being controlled by the wishes of family, and more specifically, parents. In the show one of the characters is a Vet & is passionate for his son to follow in his footsteps and join him in a family practice. Although the son seems to have a genuine passion for the career, he is extremely reluctant to give in to the fathers wishes because throughout his life he feels the father has shaped his academic choices and pushed him towards a veterinary career. Therefore he is purposefully rebelling against his father by following a completely different path in journalism, which he is clearly less passionate about.
This situation leads me to believe that being controlled by others can easily back fire and may not be in the best interests of everyone involved. If you are the type of person that does not appreciate being influenced or dictated to, then you may ultimately reject an option that is best for your lifestyle through stubborness and the need to rebel against a constant controlling parent or family member.