How Do Biometrics Affect Privacy?

How Do Biometrics Affect Privacy? Introduction The research question for this essay is going to be how Biometrics affects Privacy. This particular question is chosen because in the increasing number of biometrics systems that are emerging, which has increased the risk of invading privacy. The issue that is going to be discussed in this paper is that how increasing biometrics technology has raised concerns in relation to the protection of individual privacy and has the government took biometric technology a step too far in invading privacy. This issue is important because as more and more biometric technology comes into use, the protection of privacy is going to be taken away and individuals have a right to keep certain information about themselves anonymous and have the right to be left alone. The argument is that how can the government collect biometrics of individuals without having too much information, and unnecessary information. Businesses and organisations that hold information about their employees and other individuals, surely must be concerning on how safe the information is and how the business uses this information for the right reasons. Context Biometrics is being used more frequently in everyday life, they are used for verification as after 9/11 security has been tightened and more checks on people are being undertaken. More checks mean that more information is needed about individuals including biometric information, this leads to a whole new topic of should organisation should be allowed to collect biometric data? Is this not a step too far? All this talk about biometrics being used in various places, but what is biometrics? Biometrics is the collection of personal data such as fingerprints, iris, retina, voice, hand geometry etc. All these characteristics are stored on a centralised database where they can identify people who are criminals. This type of technology is used mostly everywhere now with the aim to cut down on crime. Biometrics are being used more by organisations and governments, because biometrics is accurate discrimination between individuals, Over the years, Biometric Technology has been considered as a measure of the highest security method. The primary reason for the use of biometric technology is to cut down on criminal activities, as Dr Ann Cavoukian says in the journal Privacy and Biometrics, that finger prints are used by the police to identify criminals. This, some would say is a encouraging move in order to prevent criminal activities, but on the other hand some would raise the question that, is biometric technology a step too far in invading individuals privacy?. The increasing use of Biometrics has raised concerns regarding individual privacy, as Prabhakar says in the journal Biometric Recognition: Security and Privacy Concerns Those who desire to remain anonymous in any particular situation could be denied their privacy by biometric recognition. Individuals have the right to protect their privacy and have control of what information others should have about them, in the paper Privacy and or as Freedom, Gos Hose in, says individuals must be allowed to choose what information is made available about themselves, and under which circumstances. Biometrics however, does not allow individuals to have an option on what information may be stored, as the databases have individuals, fingerprints, hand geometry, iris and also voice, many major companies have individuals personal details, but knowing that your personal features are stored away on a database can be somewhat of a concern. These concerns are all valid, as all this information can be hacked, or even leaked. Billy Hawkes, Data Protection Commissioner of Ireland said that Personal information might be shared with third parties, with or without a persons knowledge. There are always high risks, when personal information is stored of many millions of individuals, the main issue that concerns many people is that how safe is this information. Biometrics is used as a source of identification and verification by the police against criminals. Fingerprints are the most common use for indentifying criminals and the use of fingerprints date back to 1879, where a French policeman named Alphonse Bertillon suggested that people could be precisely identified by carefully measuring different parts of the body, but apart from fingerprints other types of biometrics are also used such as retina, iris and voice prints. All this information put together can create a personal profile of individual. The more extensive use of biometrics has caused privacy issues where there are organisations holding vast amount of data about individuals that may not be needed, in which case people should have control on what information is being stored and for what reason. People do not have a say on what information can be stored or not, there should be a law that individuals should have a right and a say on what information can be stored. Organisations ha ving this information about people, suggests that there is someone always keeping an eye on people and tracking their every move. This brings in the topic of big Brother. In the UK there up as many as 4.2million CCTV cameras, thats equivalent one camera per 14 individuals, which mean that each person in the country is caught on camera an average of 300 times daily. This statistics show that people in UK are being caught on CCTV up to 300 times a day, this affects individuals privacy in a huge manner, as the images captured on CCTV, they are stored on a database where the police can use the images to solve crimes. But the question here is should the capturing of images and storing them on databases be allowed? Most privacy advocates would be against this but people are who are for more security and crack down on crime wouldnt therefore mind these databases storing images. The increase in modern technology these days allows biometrics to uniquely indentify individuals. The ability of biometrics technology to do this has raised concerns regarding privacy even more than before. More and more biometrics is being used in everyday life, for example biometrics are use in school, colleges and organisations. By the use of biometrics in this way, individuals are likely to be monitored more and more. Biometrics affects privacy in a huge way, that it has made people and privacy advocates wonder that is there such thing as privacy in the modern day, with all the new technology evolving. The question many people are asking is that, can biometrics be used in such a way that it doesnt affect individuals privacy? Ann Cavoukian suggested that for authentication, there is no need to store biometrics on a centralised database; the individuals can be giving a card, which has a template of their biometrics stored on the card and it is on the hands on the individual, A template could be stored on a card, in possession of the individual, thereby putting the control over access in the hand of the data subject. This will reduce the threat of invasion in privacy considerably, since more biometrics data will be in the hands of the individuals and the thought of having that personal information about them with them, will make the public feel safer. Identity cards are due to be introduced in the UK either in 2011 or 2012. These cards will contain 2 fingerprints and a photo which will be encoded on a chip which will be on the cards itself. This method will be regarded as being safer by the public, as they will have their own biometrics with themselves and the information that is in the databases will be the same as the information that is stored on the chip. This will determine that only minimum information is known to other people. There are also drawbacks to this practise, as the identity card can be lost or stolen, which means that the persons biometrics are in the hands of someone else. Heathrow airport has launched the use of fingerprint recognition, when terminal 5 was opened back in 2008. This will be used to make sure that the right passengers are boarding the flight as well as being photographed. Is all this really necessary? For years airports have used passports for verification, so what is the need to use biometrics, collect personal information and invade people privacy. David Millward and Gordan Rayner said in the Telegraph that gathering personal information will make innocent people feel like criminals. Launching fingerprint recognition systems at airports is by all means breaching all rights to privacy for individual people. The fact of passengers being photographed when entering the airport and storing the images on their database in wrong, because passengers may not give permission for their photo being taken and storing them on the database. There is always a risk of these images and biometric information getting in the hands of the wrong people. There is always going to be that threat of privacy being invaded by various organisations and everyday activities. After all these threats to individuals privacy and personal information, where does this leave privacy in respect to individuals? Well, many people would say that all these organisations and government having personal information and also storing biometrics, leads to the individuals having no sort of privacy what so ever. In the paper Privacy and or as Freedom written by hoesin gus, there is a quote from William Pitt saying There are many other ways of defining privacy. In an early form, as me moved towards modern democratic systems of governance, privacy was considered as a protection from invasion. Privacy has come a long way over the years and still it continues to increase in terms of individual privacy. As the years have gone on privacy has got out of hand, in terms of what information should organisations and governments have about individuals. There is some inform ation that should be kept with the individual. Should organisations be allowed the have as much information as they wish? Or only information that they require? Information regarding individuals can be potentially dangerous because that information can be passed on to the wrong hands which can lead to identity theft. Biometric Technology has come a long way in terms of authentication and recognition, the question is that is are these systems safe. To build biometric systems the design of it has to be very good and a very safe system. Some say that biometrics is neither good nor bad for privacy, its how the public view privacy, and some people would be in favour of biometrics systems and some people would be against biometrics. According to Timothy Pilgrim, Biometric technologies are not inherently good or bad for privacy. They become good or bad for privacy depending on how they are designed, developed and deployed. Timothy Pilgrim suggests that biometrics is neither good nor bad for privacy, because it depends on how these systems are used and what people make of it. Biometrics has always been a subject of controversy, on how will it be used and how the information will be stored. The opinion on biometrics seems to be divided according to Pilgrim. The use of biometrics is bring piloted in the UK in the form of Identity cards. These identity cards will be handed out to every individual who live in the UK. These ID cards will have a chip on them that will hold personal information also including biometrics of that person. This is a good way of keeping biometric information safe, as this card will be in the possession of the individuals so they can keep their personal information safe. But the drawback is that if that card gets lost, or stolen then others will have your information. Are ID cards a step in the right direction in terms of biometrics? Well its a start, as the individuals will have their own information with them, as in the past that has not been an option. This ID card is said to be similar in look to a UK driving licence but holds more data, including two fingerprints and a photograph encoded on a chip Privacy is a sensitive subject over many years and the introduction of biometrics has not helped the case. Collecting biometric information has caused a lot of controversy in the world. Is it right to collect people biometric information and store it without their permission? Most people would say no and would protest about the fact that the governments and organisations are carrying out this activity. In 2001 at a superbowl game in Florida, they used facial recognition biometrics to identify known criminals and terrorists. This action has been introduced after the September 9, 2001 attacks. After that the biometric industry has been booming according to Privacy Today: A Review of Current (2002). Conclusion Biometrics is used all over the world now, from airport security to verification for an employer in an organisation. Biometrics is a part of life that is going to continue. Collecting personal information of individuals could not get any worse. Individuals have a right to protect their privacy, which include documents and their biometrics. As technology increases, biometrics will play a major part in authentication and identification. But collecting all this information and using biometrics for the above reason causes serious privacy issues. The individuals data is in the hands of someone else and there is always a risk of that information getting leaked and falling in to the wrong hands. There are a lot of disadvantages in using biometric technology, a lot of things have to be considered when using fingerprint and face recognition. Using these techniques can invade individuals personal space and collecting too much personal information about individuals is not respecting their priva cy. Biometrics has come a long way in terms of security and will continue to expand and used more around the world. All these biometrics being used, what can be done to protect individuals? How can information about individuals be more protected, this is a area which people need to think about, personal information about individuals should be kept with them and shouldnt be shared within organisations. So what does this mean for biometrics and privacy? Well the use of biometrics is going to increase, and is going to be used is most public places, how can organisations keep a balance between using and collecting personal information and respecting peoples privacy. In this article the topic of privacy has been discussed, and how biometrics is invading individuals personal space, by collecting personal information about them. To conclude, biometrics has its advantages, by catching known criminals and cutting down on terrorism, but at the cost of all this is to invade people privacy and personal space.

Is Death of a Salesman A Modern Tragedy? Essay

In â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, the main character Willy Loman is epitome of a tragic hero as he is surrounded by various elements of tragedy. These Elements strip him of his dignity as he struggles to clinch his rightful position in the world. Arthur Miller uses corrupted society, a bad view of success, and delusional dreams, to create a path to Willy’s downfall. Willy’s destruction is calamitous, and did not have to happen. He had many opportunities to live a good life that he just failed to grasp, and he would get lost in a moment of joy. The intercity of this tragedy comes from the actual viewing of these failed attempts in finding happiness and a good life. One of the main forces that destroyed Willy Loman, is Willy Loman himself. Despite all other elements of tragedy in the story, Willy ultimately destroys himself, as his tragic flow slowly kills his existence. Willy enormously cogitates the concept that connections, and linked pasts can provide him with the future, as he as a salesman desires. Willy’s perception of what he could be, or should be, contradicts what he actually is. He sees himself as a success. However, we see Willy as a tired old salesman with a vintage view of society. Willy’s entire identity is tied up with an image of what a salesman should be. One of the most important causes of Willy’s suffering is the great villain of most modern writing in the realist vein – Society. Willy Loman is constantly trying to find the key to progressing into a genuine success, but the society prohibits his discovery. He suffers from the obsession of how he is observed by other people, and he blames his lack of victory, and a diversity of shallow personal traits like his weight: â€Å"I’m fat†¦.a salesman I know, as I was going to see a buyer, I heard him say something about walrus.† The fact that people do not take him seriously: â€Å"I know it, when I walk in, they seem to laugh at me.† His wardrobe: â€Å"I know I got to overcome it. I am not dressing to advantage maybe. The control of the amount of talking he does: â€Å"I don’t k now why – I can’t stop my self – I talk too much. A man ought to come in a few words. One thing about Charley, he is a man of a few words, and they respect him. † He uses all those excuses to explain his failure. In all reality, much of his failure results from his inability to recognise he world for what it really is – the professional world no longer dependant on contacts, or smooth talking, but focuses on specially skilled knowledgeable citizens. Willy Loman is a dreamer caught in a society ruled by machinery, rivalry, and the standard of getting ahead at any cost. In Willy’s early years as a salesman, success could be achieved by personality, kindness, and honesty alone. In a later years of his career, a salesman’s success comes to all those who are equipped with training and specialty. This is what Willy claims. Because Willy does not recognise these changes in terms of success, and it is at loss for those qualities, he is doomed to a failure in a world that demands such qualities. For his customers he struggles to be jovial yet dignifi ed salesman. For his sons he tries to be the firm, yet indulgent and protective father. For his wife, he wishes to be ever dependable breadwinner. He feels that in order to make success, he must be responsive to the demands of others, and make a good impression. He longs to be not just liked, but well liked, and he thinks this is a key to success in America. He longs to be like Ben, his brother, who has a life story that consists of: â€Å"I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And by God, I was rich.† Willy looks up to Ben a lot, but this might be another one of his illusions, which he has created in his head. We never find that out. One of the saddest aspects of this play is even as we know Willy’s view of success is twisted, and distorted. Willy feels betrayed because he can not achieve the goals society has set for him. We see that especially in his younger years. Willy has never been able to achieve these goals and become successful. Linda tells us this as she reveals: â€Å"I don’t say he is a great man. Willy has never made a lot of money. His name was never in the papers. He is not the finest character that ever lived†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.A small man can just be as exhausted as a great man. Willy simply does not realise that personality and friendship are not enough to become who he dreams. This is evident as he is fired by his boss, and receives the information with disbelief: â€Å"I was just fired†¦.Imagine that†¦.I named him. Willy convinces Biff that anyone confident enough, gorgeous, and born leader, such as Biff himself has the right to set the rules in life. Willy is convinced th at he is famous because of his career. He talks of going to New England on a summer trip and explains to his boys that: â€Å"they know me up and down in new England. I have friends. I can park my car in any street in New England, and the cops protect it like their own.† When he refers to his yet to come funeral, he proudly insists: â€Å"That funeral will be massive. They’ll come from Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire. All the old timers with the strange licence plates – that boy will be struck. He has never realised – I am known.† The truth is that nobody showed up for his funeral, but his family and two friends. Willy even gets caught in a delusion of forming his own business one day: â€Å"Someday, I’ll have my own business, and I’ll never have to leave home any more.† For a disillusioned salesman in his sixties who can hardly complete simple tasks such as driving the mile down the road, this dream is on a brink of impossible. Willy refuses to realise that his sons are not all he has envisaged. Even as Biff tries to tell his father that he has failed miserably at an interview with Bill Oliver, Willy refuses to believe him, and even conjures up on imaginary lunch date to finalise Biff’s â€Å"success.† Eventually it is Biff who develops a keen understanding of his father, and urges Willy to drop the dreams which are holding him back, and threatening to destroy his life as he cries: â€Å"Willy you take that phoney dream, and burn it before something happens!† Willy is broken by what is false within him. He has been betrayed by the dreams that he invented for himself, but can not achieve. Every dream he has ever made for himself seems to have been pulled out from underneath him, leaving him floored and desperate. He longs for something to hold on to in life. He longs for something to make his life worth living. Willy spends much of his life dreaming, and though he brings much of his terror on himself by his dreams, a piercing sympathy rips through one’s heart as he completely lets go of life. After his death, Charley attempts to justify Willy’s constant and unrealistic dreaming by remarking â€Å"Nobody dast blame this man. You don’t understand: Willy was a salesman. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory† In the end, Willy’s tragedy lies as much in the bringing down of his dreams as in the bringing down of the man. In some curious way, his dreams just might have been the best part of the man. Willy’s other son, Happy, determines to make his fathers dreams come true one way or the other as he boldly states that â€Å"I’m gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream. It’s the only dream you can have – to come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I’m gonna win it for him†. There is a bit of truth to this statement: Willy Loman did not die in vain – not completely anyway. Even though Willy was truly ready to lay down his own life, his death is seen as a triumphant revenge upon the dreams that have broken him. On his funeral, those who loved Willy, take a moment to pay a tribute to him. Biff proclaims the mistakenness of Willy’s ambitions. Having learned from his fathers sacrifice, he decides to head west again. Happy, as feeling in duty to his father, will stay behind in the hope of licking the system on its own terms. Charley rhapsodises the meaning and value that survives the defeat; and Linda utters the simple human grief of one who, without thought, loved. Linda is traumatized by Willy’s death. His suicide has baffled her; She cannot understand why he ended his own life. Just as Willy, she has struggled in life as she continuously attempted to keep the family together with what little money Willy brought home. She spends much time and effort adding up bills, encouraging Willy to ask for a â€Å"well-deserved† raise, and overall making ends meet. She has finally managed to pay off the house payments as the play draws to a close. â€Å"Help me, Willy, I can’t cry. It seems to me that you’re just on another trip. I keep expecting you. Willy, dear, I can’t cry. Why did you do it? I search and search and I can’t understand it, Willy. I made the last payment on the house today. Today, dear. And there’ll be nobody home. We’re free and clear. We’re free. We’re free†¦ We’re free†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . It seems that Linda, like the reader, understands that Willy’s disintegration did not have to happen. She realizes that the downfall has been tragic, just as Willy’s life. She knows that the joy and the promise of the right way of life were there for Willy, and she knows that he just missed it. But, despite the grieving done by his family, Willy finally achieves one of his numerous dreams as he is remembered, loved, and a guide for people. Though Willy’s life was a life of frustrated hopes and unfulfilled dreams, it is why we revere this tragedy in the highest. Tragedy is the most accurately balanced portrayal of the human being in his struggle for happiness, and that is why tragedies truly portray us. And that is why tragedy must not be diminished: It is the most perfect means we have of showing us who and what we are. As we watch Willy struggle for himself throughout this tragedy, we come to understand what we must strive to become.

Gift Giving in Japan

Anthrop 525 Term Paper Yi Min Yeng ( Leon ) Katherine Rupp began the study of Japan and Japanese when she was an undergraduate at Princeton University as noted in the Acknowledge portion of the book, Gift-Giving in Japan: Cash, Connections. Cosmologies. After that she had her graduated training in the University of Chicago funded by the National Science Foundation and the University itself, including one year of support from the Committee on Japanese Studies. Before the writing of this book, Katherine Rupp took twenty months of field work In Japan which is funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education.She finally completed the manuscript of Gift-Giving in Japan as a postdoctoral associate of the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University in the Anthropology Department (Rupp 2003). Much like Mauss, Katherine Rupp is interested in the cultural effect of the gift giving and exchanges in Japan. She too believes that there is a social and cosmic order, much like Marcel Mauss’s total social phenomenon that it influences people but is also shape by the individuals. She focuses on the content of gift giving considers historical changes in gift exchange practice and differences in giving among groups.Like Mauss, provokes thought on our own practices of exchange, gift and otherwise (Citation). She spent eighteen months of intensive scientific field works in Tokyo metropolitan area and also short term research on other parts of Japan by interviewing experts such as authors of gift giving books, Buddhists and Shinto priests, departmental and funeral home employees, workers and different classes of families. All these because she seeks to understand multiple questions such as â€Å"Why do people give as much, as often, and in the particular ways that they do? Why do some people reject giving and receiving?How do attitudes towards practice of giving relate to considerations of age, class, gender, geographic area, occupation, and religion? †¦ In What ways ca n these study of gifts in Japan contribute to the field of gifts and exchange in anthropology? † (Rupp 2003:2). Other than that, she conducted observational studies on festivals, election rallies, house building ritual and other kinds of ceremonies with gift giving integrated in it. Besides using comparative methods, the use of statistic is also incorporated such as recording the amount and value of gift received and purchased on different events.She believes that the recent anthropological attention of the strong contrast between commodities and gifts are not distinctively unrelated but are interconnected (Rupp 2003:182). The Gift Giving in Japan can be separated into six chapters. The book first emphasized the importance of gift giving in various ways such as pointing out reasons and giving the enormous examples of gift giving. People in Japan feel obligated and burdened when they receives gifts, some even avoid visiting their hometown or decide not to enclose the informatio n to people when they do.Gift giving on the other hand is very crucial to the macroeconomic level as well as departmental stores earn most of their profits during ceremonial festivals throughout the years such as ‘gosekku’ the five seasonal celebrations, new year, Christmas eve and Valentine’s day (Rupp 2003:2,119). Rupp too focused on examples of gift giving such as wedding gifts and returns sent to Mrs. Ueda, Mr. Hoshino’s house building ceremonial gift and returns, Mr. Ishiyasama’s father’s funeral gifts and returns, Mr. Tanabe declination of gifts and lastly gift categorizing of â€Å"meaningless† gifts, travel gifts, and seasonal gifts from Mrs.Inoue. All these examples raise questions of relationships, the level of gratitude, and the influence of class between giving and receiving that will be explained on further chapters (Rupp 2003:33). Second chapter focus on the question raised previously with the emphasize in strength of rel ationship, gratitude and hierarchy. The value of the gift varies with the strength of the relationship. At times of celebration, those who bring enormous gifts are usually close friends or relatives and those who hardly brought anything are superficial friends or unfamiliar relatives most of the time.For example during the house building ceremony people that are Mr. Hoshino’s true friends gave more than his superficial friends. And that those who gave a higher value of gift in order to create stronger relationship can be precarious as sometimes it can distant one from the receiver causing a backfire (Rupp 2003:36). Secondly, gift value can increase enormously as a form of gratitude to show appreciation for the receiver. For example, Mr. Hoshino received a large sum of money during his house building ceremony from his cousin because his wife had been taking care of his mum (Rupp 2003:41).Lastly, the social class of a person can influence the value of gifts. A person with a hig her hierarchy is obligated to give a higher value of gift compared to a lower one. On the other hand, they are also able to receive higher value of gifts as well. During Mrs Ueda’s son’s wedding, his superior in the company who made the decision to hire him gave them a gift worth a hundred thousand yen which is compared to be higher than average, yet he received three hundred thousand yen in return as a form of gratitude also because of his superior ranking.In order to understand and interpret the meaning of gifts it is crucial to understand the three main factors which are relationship, gratitude and hierarchies that influence the value of gift giving (Rupp 2003:50). Gifts are not only given in considering of value, as not all items with high values symbolize auspiciousness for certain events. Gift giving practices are implemented during life and seasonal cycle practices and are considered highly important.These rites of passages vary in places and modern cities such as Tokyo considers these practices burdensome, old fashioned and irrelevant where else people in Warabi observed these practices for generations (Rupp 2003: 53). There are three important life cycles which are birth, marriage and death which all three will be given bowls of rice packed into a mound sphere shape symbolizing total consumption and breaking of relationship and it was considered inauspicious not to do it. For the birth of a child, it meant it means separation from the world of the dead.A woman consumes bowls of rice symbolizing separation from her side of family and lastly the dead is separated from the live world when a bowl of rice is given to the deceased. But as time passes, history changes and most of the people do not implement some of these traditions and nor do they consider as inauspicious as before. Life cycle events are divided into happy and sad occasions. During happy occasion such as birth and marriage, bills should be new and shiny while facing up in an el aborately decorated envelope where else sad occasion such as death, bills given should be old and crumbled while facing down in another kind of envelope.Also, certain colors and method of tying a knot are used in happy and sad occasion with different meanings. For example, black or white ‘musubikiri’ knots which are knots that cannot be undone are used for funerals and red, white or gold butterfly knots are used for marriage. Returned gifts too are carefully considered as it is inappropriate to return inauspicious gifts as different items symbolize different meanings (Rupp 2003: 59). Besides life cycles, most gifts in Japan are given in related to seasonal cycles with yearend and midyear gifts with the highest percentage also there are festivals such as ‘bon’, ‘Gosekku’, ‘Higan’.Throughout the history, traditions in festivals have changed especially when the Meiji government changed most of the ritual to the worship of Shinto God i n order to bolster State Shinto and the emperor’s position (Rupp 2003:123). The book then describes the auspicious decorates people put up for each traditional festivals such as the zigzag white flags during New Years and Carp banners during ‘Gosekku’ festival, and people send auspicious gifts such as long noodles during the New Year which symbolize one life’s will extend like the long noodles (Rupp 2003:117).Other than that, gifts will be offered to the dead on ‘bon’ festival in the form of gratitude. Relatives will visit their families and company employees will visit their superiors during New Year and they will be given auspicious gifts or snacks such as the two rounded rice cakes similar to the rounded bowl rice thus reinforcing the hierarchy of their relationships (Rupp 2003: 122). Besides traditional seasonal festivals, Japan do celebrate Western holidays such as Christmas Eve, Valentine’s day, Father’s day and Mother†™s day. Christmas Eve is quite unique in Japan as it is strongly associated with romance.Heart shape decorations with bells will be decorated in the streets and young men are willing to pay over one hundred thousand yen for a date during Christmas Eve. Even though men think Valentine’s Day chocolate gift as absurd but at the same they would be secretly delighted if received. Yet these western festivals still requires return gifts similar to the traditional festivals. Interestingly enough, unlike traditional festiavals which benefits men more than women, western festivals are the only festivals that it is women who have the upper hand (Rupp 2003: 144-154).The practice of gift giving has variations of attitudes and it â€Å"vary according to regions, occupations, education, class, family background, gender, religion, and personality† (Rupp 2003:155). For example, most funerals in Warabi region returns a fixed value of gift yet funerals in Tokyo returns records each rec eived gift and returns the half value of it after forty nine days. Also, most people studied in Warabi region did receive higher education in the middle or lower class. They are straight forward and do not concern with politeness and will assume people from Tokyo are calculative concerned with ranking.Other than that, it is an assumed social fact that women have perfect knowledge in gift giving and that they are responsible for the gift giving between their husbands or other households as well. If a women who was from another region married to a men in Tokyo and do not know the region’s practices, she would be sanctioned yet people would not fault the husband which could have told her. By giving gifts from women on behalf of their husband, it â€Å"softens† the gifts and saves face for men as it is unusual for men to offer gifts to the people who are superior over them (Rupp 2003:159-161).Thus this type of gift giving system reinforced the hierarchy of men and women an d the subordination of women below men. Besides hierarchy between men and women there are practices between other subordinates and superior such as tenant and landlord, patient and doctors. People send gifts to their land lord or doctors as a form of gratitude even though there is a contract between them which the tenant or patient has already fulfilled. Interestingly enough even though hospitals forbidden gifts for doctors, patients still send cash gift certificates from high ranked departmental stores to the doctors’ house.It seems to be a bad custom according to Mrs. Inoue, yet everyone abides by it and they do not consider it as a bribe (Rupp 2003: 164). Even with people like Mr. Tanabe who declined a valuable live shrimp gift from his customer as he felt burdened are uncomfortable of calling these practices bribery (Rupp 2003: 166). Due to these norms, there is a rising of abuse of the system and forming an example of forced giving by doctors throughout Japan. There are cases that if no valued gifts are given to the doctors as a form of â€Å"gratitude†, the quality of the patient’s care will decrease dramatically.In the conclusion of the book, Rupp emphasizes that the Western concept of gift and market cannot be in the same realm and should not be applied in Japanese culture. Rupp uses Mauss’s theory of reaching back into history to seek explanation and highlight that Western culture have once been like Japanese culture which when gifts are not separated from the realm of buying and selling (Rupp 2003: 181). Japan is a place that challenges the stereotype of Western capitalist societies which are characterized almost exclusively by the commodity form with the circulation of independent transaction as alienable objects.Rupp brought up multiple reviews on Japan’s gift giving practices and evaluates those who critics it as irrelevant and misleading. Japan is a major capitalist society, yet gifts and commodities are not two different realms but entangled together. In Japan, calculation of value on an item might not always be related to the economic realm compared to the Western societies. She concludes that the practice of gift giving in Japan is not so much in relation to an individual level as it is the shaping and solidification of the social order, which then influences the individuals. Notes for review:On gift giving guan xi : purpose of Gift giving is shifting from its original meaning. Nowadays coporate gift givings are mainly aimed for illicit payments, corruption and pursuit of self interest instead of the building of ‘guan xi’ which means relationship or even providing social solidarity in macro levels. Understanding gift giving in japan page 20 the practice of gift exchange encompasses a wide range of social and cultural implications. Many purposes are served, such as fulfilling a sense of obligation to return a favor, reciprocating a favor, cultivating rapport, and enhancing a willingness to share sad and happy occasions.When the Japanese practice gift giving, they always have some reason why they wish to give a gift to another. A gift without reason is not acceptable For example, when one company in Japan wishes to do business with another company in Japan, a salesperson from the first company will visit the prospective client company and take a small gift, perhaps sweets or candy valued 1,000 yen The ‘Social Death' of Unused Gifts:  Surplus and Value in Contemporary Japan page 396 it is the sentimental value we attribute to things we have had a long-term relationship with that keeps us from disposing of them.However, my ? eldwork suggests that in Japan the propensity for not throwing things away is more affected by a feeling of duty than emotional attachment. The duty people felt towards objects is grounded in an awareness of the interrelatedness of human and nonhuman entities. In other words, things offer their service to people who, in return , should be thankful and treat objects respectfully Many people receive excessive quantities of these gifts because of the overall increase in af? ence since the economic growth of the 1970s that has led to an acceleration of the scale of the Japanese gift economy. Because the surplus of value embodied in unused gifts can only be recouped through sociality (Henderson, 2004), many tried to re-circulate their ‘unused goods’ through intimate, personal networks. These data thus question accounts that depict Japan as an hierarchical, formal society primarily grounded in ritualized gift exchange. GIFTS BRIBES AND GUAN XI page 399 Clearly guanxi can be used for instrumental purposes, and this usage is recog- nized by members of the society.However, it is referred to as the art of guanxi, be- cause the style of exchange and the appropriateness of the performance are critical to its effectiveness. The style and manner of gift exchange is not optional; rather, it is fundamental t o its operation. Although a relationship may be cultivated with in- strumental goals foremost in mind, the forms must be followed if the goals are to be achieved. The relationship must be presented as primary and the exchanges, useful though they may be, treated as only secondary.If, instead, it becomes apparent that the relationship involves only material interest and is characterized by direct and immediate payment, the exchange is classified as one of bribery Gifts, bribes and solicitions: page 522 In traditional Chinese society, relationships, quanxi, are moderated and balanced by renqing, obligations of reciprocity (Hwang, 1987). A patient receiving service from a doctor may feel obligated by renqing to reciprocate with an informal payment or gift. Alternatively, patients who desire new or continuing care from a doctor may give a gift or payment as a way of ‘‘seeking relationship’’ (Lyckholm, 1998).The rules of renqing dictate that if the keeper of a r esource accepts a petitioner’s gift, he or she now has an obligation to provide a service (Hwang, 1987). The implementation of Taiwan’s system of national health insurance (NHI) in 1995, and the introduction of concepts of consumer rights into Taiwanese culture, created tension with the tradition of informal payments (Ensor & Savelyeva, 1998). The premises of NHI—that the health care system had an a priori obligation to provide care and that doctors’ fees would be set and paid by a third party—stood in sharp contrast to the premises of renqing.This study examines how the meaning of informal payments (red envelopes), as an integral part of the doctor–patient relationship, evolved during the process of healthcare reform in Taiwan. The red envelopes discussed in this paper differ from traditional gift-giving. ‘Red envelopes,’ in the context of the doctor–patient relationship, imply the transfer of money or valuables from pat ients to doctors in return for an enhanced or improved medical encounter Dagang Write gift giving and mauss idea Good field world Then say about bribery Then conclude bribery is not same with gift giving. Why Conclusion

Essays on World Mythology

1. The battle within the individual between the greater good of the community and personal desires is just about as old as time itself; the decision that Gilgamesh made to leave his kingdom unattended while he pursued the gift of eternal life for his friend, Enkidu, could have had disastrous consequences, but he decided to do it anyway. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest works of literature that we still have today, and the same battles rage within us today. Many of the myths and tales that we have read show this to be true as well. In particular, the greed of Paris when tempted by Helen, the desire of King Menelaus for revenge and the desire of King Agamemnon for personal prestige brought tragedy on themselves and others in Homer’s Iliad, the telling of the Trojan War. According to all accounts, Helen was the most beautiful woman on the planet – even more beautiful than Aphrodite, at least in the opinion of Paris. While the resulting jealousy on Aphrodite’s part allegedly had a lot to do with the next decade of death for the Greeks and Trojans, the decisions that the major players made also were primary factors. First was Paris’ decision to take Helen away with him. Despite the fact that he had to know that war would ensue, the lust that Paris felt for Helen overwhelmed the other factors in the decision, and he spirited her away at the end of a diplomatic mission. King Menelaus, Helen’s (much older) husband, obviously took exception at what he viewed at the theft of his wife, and raised and army throughout the Argive lands to go and get his wife back. While one could argue that Menelaus would no longer have commanded the respect of his people if he had not gone after his wife, the fact remains that it was his choice to g ather the other Achaean kings for war, and it was his decision to chase Helen across the Aegean Sea. Agamemnon, Menelaus’ brother, also put personal desires over the good of others. When he had to give the young woman Khryseis back to her father, in order to appease the gods and get the winds going so that the Argive ships could head to Troy, he insists on getting the woman whom Achilles had claimed from their prior war, Briseis, as compensation, feeling that a king should not have to give up any privileges just to appease the gods. Achilles is so angry about this, though, that he refuses to fight on the Greek side well into the war, which means that there were many more casualties than there might have been otherwise. Agamenon’s selfishness extends the tragedy of Troy much longer than it needed to be extended. 2. A true hero must have an actual quest, and that quest must both be worthwhile and must allow the hero to prove himself or herself. The hero must show courage in accomplishing the quest as well. Odysseus, the central character in Homer’s Odyssey, thinks that he will be able to make his way back from Troy to Ithaca simply, but his refusal to acknowledge Poseidon’s role in helping the Greeks carry the battle means that he will spend the next 20 years fighting against Poseidon to cross the sea back to his home. Odysseus faces and passes many tests along the way, such as avoiding the trap at the island of the Sirens, evading the snare of Circe, defeating the Cyclops, and overcoming the loss of the Aeolian winds. Also, Odysseus grows in character over the course of the story, going from the brash braggart boasting from the ramparts of Troy to the proud yet humble man who, upon finally arriving on the shores of Ithaca, takes on the trappings of a beggar in order to return t o his former splendor on the throne. Lancelot had many heroic qualities, but he ultimately failed to meet the definition of a hero. He was brave, and he did complete many quests, but his ethical failing that results from his affair with Queen Guinevere keeps him from possessing the true title. An actual hero would have remained true to his king, no matter what the temptations; while heroes do exhibit flaws throughout literature, they ultimately overcome them. Instead, Lancelot is drawn into intrigue with Mordred to overthrow Arthur, and it is this treachery that keeps Lancelot from holding the title of a true hero. Many heroes in modern popular culture come from the world of sport. For many baseball fans, as well as former addicts, the professional baseball player Josh Hamilton fits the definition of a hero. He has great talents (which is often another sign of a hero), but his quest is internal rather than external – to overcome the demons of addiction to alcohol and painkillers. In 2004, he faced the loss of any opportunity to play baseball as a career, but he finally decided to set drugs aside and return to the game that he can play just about as well as anyone else on the planet. The closer he gets to completing his internal quest, the better he will be able to play. For those who follow his career with interest, watching him take up the mantle of hero, that he had almost cast aside while falling prey to his addiction, will either confirm his status as a hero, or mark him as a failure who threw opportunity after opportunity away. 3. Most of the ancient creation myths have several commonalities, and the same is true for the Hebrew, Greek and Seneca stories of the origin of the universe. For example, all three stories begin with an emptiness or void that is waiting to be filled. In the Seneca and Hebrew myths, all that is in the darkness is water; in the Greek and Seneca myths, birds are the only creatures that exist before the creation of the world. In the Hebrew myth, the spirit of God is hovering above the waters, instead of a bird. In the Seneca myth, there is a heaven already; in the Hebrew myth, the existence of a heaven is implied by the fact that God felt the necessity to talk in order to bring items into creation – the implication is that there is an audience to hear the things that God has to say. The purpose of creation is the most intriguing in the Seneca myth. The daughter of the mighty chieftain (the ruler of heaven) was sick, and the only way to cure her was to send her through a hole dug near a massive tree, sending her into the void below. The waterfowl below saw her falling and caught her, but wearied from her burden. Conspiring with the turtle and the toad, they created land, and the woman soon conceived a child. That woman’s daughter would give birth to the twins who would start life spreading on the planet, before one slew the other. This is similar to the Hebrew myth in a couple of ways. First, there would be a pair of brothers who would come into conflict, and one would kill the other. Also, the idea of conception without sexual union is part of the Hebrew story, but not until much later, when, according to the New Testament, Jesus was conceived without sexual union. The Greek myth also features a pair of brothers bringing forth people and animals onto the planet, as Prometheus made people and Epimetheus created the animals. Both the Hebrew and Greek myths contain the element of there being a transgression that would damage the fellowship between the gods and their creations. The decision of Adam and Eve to try the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ended their stay in the Garden of Eden. Two similar events happened in the Greek creation myth, as Prometheus decided to give man the gift of fire, which led to Prometheus’ eternal punishment. Zeus also gave Pandora the gift of curiosity, as well as a box that she was never to open. When she opened the box, all of the evils in the world spilled out of it, leaving only Hope behind. Both myths explain how evil enter the world; in the Seneca myth, the possibility for evil is already present in the boys.