Summative Blog

Age?
19 years

Sex?
Female

What is your degree subject (both if joint)?
Philosophy and Sociology

Does ‘Being Bad’ relate well to the other modules you are taking?
Yes, it does.

If so, how? And if not, why not?
It relates to the other philosophy module I am taking as well as some of the work I have done in sociology

Have you found ‘Being Bad’ too demanding, too easy, or at an appropriate level?
I think that it hasn’t been demanding or too easy. It was just right.

Do you think the list of topics covered on the module was appropriate?
I do. I think we covered topics that people would associate with being bad.

Are there any topics not included in the module that you would like to see included?
There are a lot of things that we could have covered, but then the course would have gone on for years!

Do you think that the format for classes has worked well?
I do think that it has worked well.

What did you think of the module team?
The module team were wonderful

Do you think it would have been better to have had more:

Small group discussions?
We already did because people discussed things with the small groups that they were sitting with.

Discussion and debate among the class as a whole?
No, there was too many of us. People ended up just talking over one another and nobody really got heard.

Information and talk from lecturers?
No, I think we got all the information that we needed.

The approach taken in the module is interdisciplinary (drawing on perspectives from
English Literature, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Media Studies and Politics): do you think this a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module?
Yes, I do.

Do you think that interdisciplinary modules are a good idea?
Yes, I do.

Do you think you have benefited from the interdisciplinary approach taken in the
module?
Yes, I have benefited from the approach taken.

Would you like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter?
Yes, I would.

Are you planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn’t Be Allowed’ at level 2?
Yes, I will be taking it

Would you recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend?
Yes, even if they were not studying philosophy, I would recommend it

Do you think that the blogs (web logs) were a good idea?
Yes, I enjoyed doing them. It was very different

What did you think of the other assessments (e.g. would it be better to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones?)?
I think the other two assignments were great. It was nice to do something other than writing a single essay, and I think one essay would have been too much.

What have you learned from the module?
I have learnt that ‘bad’ is a matter of perspective in some cases and that sometimes, we get it wrong. There is more to people than we think.

What parts of the module have you found most useful and why?
I haven’t really found it “useful” per say, just incredibly interesting.

What parts do you think were a waste of time and why?
I don’t think any of it was a waste of time

Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding ‘Being Bad’?
No, I don’t believe there is.

Response To Nicola

I agree that foul language is becoming more and more accepted in today's society. I think it's becoming too common everywhere. I hear it all the time, mothers using it when talking to their kids, people swearing when they're on the phone. I even hear young children using it to their parents! I don't mind if people want to use it in their homes either, but I think to use it all the time, as though its part of the everyday English language is a disgrace. If we don't stop it now, before we know it it will be acceptable in schools, in Foreign Language classes and in Church! Okay, maybe I'm overreacting, but I do believe that if we don't put a top to it, it will end up as part of the curriculum in schools. Maybe not any day soon, but eventually it will.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2008/apr/14/dowecareaboutswearinganym

Does The Media Have Too Much Of An Influence?

The media is something that can have a lot of influence over us. But does it have too much of an influence? What we see on the media can have a huge effect on us. We see stick thin models and acresses, then we feel that we have to be that way too. We see in the newspapers that crime is getting worse, and it increases our fear. We become scared ofg things that we really dont need to be scared of. We see people who have committed crimes get off much more lightly than they should, and it can influence others to commit crime because they too will not be stentanced as they should. I think the media had way too much influence on us, and it can be dangerous.

http://www.decision-making-confidence.com/media-influence-our-decisions.html

Response To Faith

I too, believe that the Internet can be a bad thing, which probably makes me a hypocrite too, since I spend a lot of time on my computer. But I think that the Internet has caused a lot of problems. Isn't that how paedophiles find their victims half the time? Through the Internet? And look how the internet has spread child pornography and pornography in general. It's also making us lazy. E-mail means that most of us dont even know how to write a letter anymore. It will become lost. Then there's the text speak. Are we so lazy that we cannot even type out the full word? Will the English language be lost because of text speak? Instant messaging servies mean that we dont even have to speak to people. Will we lose our ability to socialise? It could happen. The internet can be a good thing, but too much of anything can be a bad thing.

http://www.designnine.com/news/node/226

Child Women

After reading an article in todays daily mail, I decided to write a blog on it. The article was about girls, as young as ten, wanting plastic surgery and breast implants. These girls are little more than children and yet they are already acting like women. They care too much about their appearence, wearing make up when they shouldnt even know what it is. Dressing up in clothes made for women instead of the jeans and t-shirts they should be in. And they're on diets, watching their weights and figures when they should be moaning about not being able to eat chocolate like they want to. What sort of society do we live in when we find this acceptable. The childrens parents see no harm in it, but I do. These are children. How can they be thinking about breast implants for Gods sake? Being a child is more dangerous than it used to be, and we are forced to grow up quicker, but isnt this a little too quick? They spend money that their parents havent got on clothes and shoes and handbags. And by letting them, their parents are telling them that it is okay to basically be a little diva. Childrens films nowadays also give the same message. Films like High School Musical. At ten, I was still playing outside with my friends, pretending we were superheroes and such. At ten, I was still watching Disney films like Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast, and watching tv shows such as Scooby Doo instead of America's Next Top Model like girls of that age are watching today. It's a disgusting state of affairs when we let children grow up too fast and act like women when they are no more than children.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1174626/Rise-child-women-The-new-breed-girls-young-dream-manicures-diets-breast-implants.html

Vandalism

Vandalism. It's one thing that I really cant stand. The mindless violence and destruction of property that has no rhyme or reason, and no logical explanation for it. I mean, what exactly is the point? Does it give them some sort of kick, some sort of high? Do they take delight in knowing that someone will cry over what they have just destroyed? Do they like it when the obliterate something that someone has worked honestly and hard for? Some sort of sick pleasure that they have destroyed something that person has rightfully earned? I seriously cannot see the point in destroying and defacing things that don't belong to you. You want to do something like that, destroy your own property, not something that someone else owns, has worked for and cares for.

http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/vandalism01.htm

Response To Ruth

I agree that Jade's death should not have been aired on TV. I too have had someone taken away by cancer, more than one person actually, and I too, did not want the constant reminder. In the few weeks before Jade died, we found out that my uncle had cancer, and that it was terminal. It felt as though my uncle didn't matter, because Jade had cancer, and she was dying, and she was the only person suffering from it, which of course is not true. Yes, she has raised awareness of the disease, which could save many lives, something which I suspect many people will be grateful for if it prevents death. But really, you were right. It was like someone had put a price on death, something which I find totally immoral. Seeing her, that way, it reminded me of things I'd rather forget. I suspect that this may have been the case for many people. It was something that someone should of thought of when they made the decision to show her deterioration and death on TV.

http://i-wish-philosophy-was-pink.blogspot.com/

Religion

It's not something that many people would consider bad, but if you think about it, religions done some pretty bad things, caused some bad things and been used as an excuse for bad things to happen. There have been countless wars in the name of religion. Destruction and bombings of places that do things that religion doesn't agree with, such as the abortion clinics in America. There have been killings in the name of religion, people claiming to do Gods handiwork, committing murder in His name. Then there's the acts of terrorism, again, done in the name of religion and God. Religion is meant to be good, its supposed to be a way to worship God, so why are so many atrocious acts committed in the name of it? If its used to justify all those horrific acts, then there's nothing good about it to me.

http://www.mwillett.org/atheism/religion-good-or-evil.htm

Abortion

Abortion. It's a subject that sparks furious debate; some people agree, and some people dont. But they can be so dedicated to their views that it can be taken too far. In America, abortion clinics were destroyed using bombs. In one case, a polica man was killed. His only crime was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those against abortion cared nothing for the people inside the clinic. The only thing that mattered was destroying the clinic and the means to terminate a pregnancy. So why do people feel so strongly about abortion? For some, its a case of religion. Most religions disagree with abortion, though some will allow in serious cases, like if the mothers life is in danger. However, for some, abortion is seen as murder. Those who believe that life begins at conception are strongly opposed to abortion. Others feel that its the womans choice, that sometimes it is better to terminate a pregnancy than to have the child and then neglect it because it is unwanted. At the moment, the limit for an abortion is still 24 weeks. How long that will last, cannot be said. There is a lot of call for it to be lowered. However, in the end, it is ultimately the womans choice, and lowering the limit will not stop abortion.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/

Capital Punishment

Although the death sentance has been abolished in this country, it is still done in some parts of the world, including some states in America, a so-called civilised country. More than 60% of the worlds population live in a country where executions take place. These countries include the People's Republic of China, India, United States and Indonesia. It is unlikely that any of these countries will outlaw capital punishment soon. The execution of criminals is something that every society has done. Crimes that resulted in capital punishment included murder, treason, espoinage. In some countries, it also included rape, adultary and incest. Religious crimes can also mean the death penalty. Around the mid 1800's, countries around the world began to ban the death penalty. The United Kingdon banned it in 1973. The only exception was treason. It was abolished completely in 1998. The most recent country to ban the death penalty was the Repunlic of Burundi in 2008.

We live in what we like to call a civilised world. So why then, do we still find it okay to execute people? There is nothing civilised about that. I supposed that some believe in an eye for an eye. But that makes you as bad as they are. You've taken their life against their will. That amounts to nothing more than murder. And what if they've made a mistake? What if they have the wrong person? People have been esecuted before and it has turned out that they were innocent. Could we really do that? Condem someone to death, not knowing if we really have the right person? The death penalty should be banned in every country. We call ourselves civilised? Humane? We're nothing more than murderers.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/international-death-penalty/death-penalty-statistics/page.do?id=1011348

Mixed Wards In Hospitals

Unless you have experience with a mixed ward, you cannot understand how bad they are. Mixed wards are horrible. They can strip a person of their dignity, of their self-respect and make you cower in your bed like a frightened child. I have had such an experience. At 16, I was moved to the adult clinic. That meant that when I was taken into hospital, I was put on an adult ward. A mixed ward. To get to the toilet, I had to walk past men in my short pyjama's. You're not allowed to close the curtains around your bed becuase the nurses have to be able to see you. Patients are allowed to wonder free, meaning that you can be approached by anyone, which is terrifying, especially at night, when the nurses aren't really paying attention. It is humiliating, frightening, degrading and down right disgusting. It is something that should be stopped. For me, and for many people out there who have been on a mixed ward, its enough to make sure you never go in hospital again if you can help it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-408854/Two-patients-enduring-mixed-wards.html

Too Old For TV

In today's society, we are obsessed with looking young, with the people we watch looking young. So when a woman become too old to be on tv? Actors dont have this problem. A person is never too old to be an actor. The same can be said of music artists. If the music business were obsessed with being young, then artists such as Cher, Tina Turner, David Bowie, Tom Jones and other such artists would have been out of a job long ago. But on tv, it is different. The people who read the news, tell us the weather and present some (not all) tv shows are mostly young. Perhaps the producers believe they will appeal to a younger audiance. But no one (or at least no one should) watches the news to see a pretty face. They watch the news to find out what is happening in the world today. What message are we sending out to children? "Dont get old, because if we see a single wrinkle we'll replace you with someone younger?" That is practically saying that plastic surgery is a must-have if you want to make it on tv. We have become much too obsessed with looking young today that I think we have forgotten that it doesnt matter what you look like, it's as long as you can do the job they ask you to do.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1169080/No-Im-old-TV-golden-girl-Selina-Scott-culture-ageism-society.html

Sex; A Taboo Subject

Sex. It's something that people don't really talk about, and when they do, the conversation is punctured by guilty giggles and red faces. Why? Sex is natural. It's something that everyone will do in their lives. So why do we find it so hard to talk about? Is it because it is private? That may be the case, but in this day and age, our lives aren't as private as we would like to think. We live in a world where sex is pretty much everywhere; in books, films, comics, on TV. It's readily available and easily accessible on the Internet. So surely then, we shouldnt find it so hard to talk about. Yet we do. Why? Why is that?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/4176425/Sex-still-a-taboo-subject-in-the-home.html

Homosexuality

Homosexuality. 40 - 50 years ago homosexuality was illegal. Not only was it illegal but it was considered unnatural. For some, it is still unnatural, especially within come religions, especially the Catholic Church. But is it really bad? If we follow the religion route, then we are all Gods children, created by Him, in His image. So why then, does religion claim that homosexuality is unnatural? Why would God bother to create a person if He knew that they were going to be a homosexual? To me, homosexuality is not wrong. It is something that is perfectly natural to me. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3735668.stm

http://www.conservapedia.com/Homosexuality

Incest

Incest is considered one of the most disgusting things in the world today. We considered gays and lesbians disgusting 40 years ago, and eventually it was excepted and made legal. Incest is one thing that will never be made legal.Sigmund Freud came up with a theory called the Oedipus Complex. This involved a child having feelings for their parent of the opposite sex. Freud got the name from the myth about a Greek hero, who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. Freud used the term to describe the unconscious feelings that a child has towards their parents.I, and probably most people, cannot see or understand how you could be attracted to your own flesh and blood, whether it be your sibling, parent or child. It is wrong. A step-parent or step-brother/sister, then perhaps that wouldn't be so bad, because they're not related in anyway, by blood at least. But to have a relationship with someone who is in your immediate family? It is an old crime, dating back to Henry VIII, and it is still considered as wrong and disgusting today as it was then.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6424337.stm

Lies

Out of the many things that people consider bad, lying is perhaps the worst. It is the absence of truth, deliberately with-holding the truth from someone.Everyone has told a lie, even if it is only a small white lie, and every one has their reasons for telling lies. Some are good, and some are bad. Some do it to protect someone, others do it because they want to hurt someone. Would the world be a better place if everyone told the truth? Maybe, maybe not. But lying is something that most people consider bad, no matter what a persons reasons for lying or the consequences of lying. As Sir Walter Scott said; "O what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/lying/lying_1.shtml

Bad Music?

In today's society, there is a lot of music about. It has grown in popularity rapidly over the past half a century, particularly in the past 3o years. Since the 70's there has been an increase in music that many class as Rock. Rock has developed into many different genres of music, including grunge, punk and emo. The genre known as emo is seen by many, particularly parents, as dangerous. It is believed that those who like emo music are prone to harming themselves, harming others, wearing dark clothes and committing suicide. It was really the Daily Mail who started this common belief, labelling bands as death cults, claiming that all those who follow will eventually commit suicide because that is what the songs tell them to do. One band in particular has been targeted a lot over the past couple of years; My Chemical Romance. Other bands targeted include Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Linkin Park. When a girl of thirteen hung herself, the music she listened to was blamed. She listened to My Chemical Romance. The Daily Mail said that Hannah Bond killed herself because she believed she would go to The Black Parade, a place that emo's believed they would go when they died.
Can music have such an influence on people that they would commit suicide? Do the lyrics contain hidden messages that convince fans to kill themselves? There are many people out there who believe that yes, they do. The Russian Government believe it so much that they plan, or plan to try and ban rock, emo and goth music.
Music does have an influence, but has that influence been exploited and taken too far?
www.freemuse.org/sw29040
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-564611/Girl-13-hangs-obsessed-Emo-suicide-cult-rock-band