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Favoritism of Celebrities with Legal Sentencing

The most corrupt corporation, in my book, might not even be considered as a corporation to most: the justice system. However, according to Dictionary.com it is defined as:

     Within the court system today it seems as if celebrities can pretty much get away with murder (thank you O.J. Simpson) without paying the price as every other person in America would. I think everyone is affected by this problem, some in a good way and others not so much. The lawyers are being paid very well so this is a good thing. The famous people are getting away with all kinds of crimes so they too like things as is. On the other hand, the victims (if any) and other people around the country are not so lucky. The victims and families of those victims are usually paid off to not talk or receive no sort of retribution from what they have gone through. Those “regular” people might have committed the same crime as someone more known, but will receive incredibly harsh punishment while the pop star walks away with a slap on the wrist.

     The problem has been around for as long as anyone can remember, since the beginning of time. There are even stories of unfair treatment because of wealth back in the bible days. The reason that this problem has never been solved is because people are afraid to stand up and say anything. Instead of trying to start a movement or make an appeal, every person thinks “well I’m just one person, I couldn’t make a difference.” The consequences of not fixing this are endless. As if celebrities do not have the money and the opportunities to commit crimes and do drugs, but once they realize they will hardly be punished- well there will be chaos.

     I propose that court hearings become anonymous. No one knowing who the prosecutor or defendant is, just the whole case written out nice and neat along with testimonies and witness’ accounts if need be. Although it seems time-consuming, reports are already written up by both parties so it would not be much of a stretch. This way, no one can be at an advantage because of their popularity.

This is the most moral and just way of evaluating an offense. In addition to all of that, it also allows the victim to not be paid or to be too scared or threatened to come forth. Once again, I state that this time of court hearing should come into play because the benefits are endless and there are no drawbacks. The consequences are all good in this sense. As I close, I would like to just say that the people involved with the justice system should make court hearings anonymous because it eliminates all of the clouding bias and leaves the people involved only with facts. This could lead to all court hearings being anonymous, which will (in a way) get rid of the judge and jury voting innocent or guilty based on a person’s appearance and nothing else. 

courtesy of Balaji B. via flikr

"Corporation | Define Corporation at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/corporation.

"1.an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members," (Corporation par., 1). 

Targeting Consumers

Have you ever heard that ads on your television are supposed to be targeted towards your personal demographic? Then, quickly realized it’s not accurate in the least... I am in no need of a Topsy Turvy to grow tomatoes, Bosley hair plugs, or even ExtenZe male enhancement pills. Quite frankly, I am incredibly offended that marketing companies think of that being relevant to my demographic. While surfing the web I came across a personal webpage discussing just this! According to this post, the television provider DirecTV is giving the consumer the option to choose this new type of commercial-watching. Boris states that if the consumer opts-in, the television provider will use your shows you watch, etc to better match commercials rather than paying a company millions of dollars as they are currently doing (and not so well) (Boris par., 1). As crazy as it sounds, it would be like picking your own commercials. If all goes well this might just become a smash hit and very helpful to companies getting their products shown to viable people. However, how much information is too much? It is scary that they use your personal information and how much will they be able to get a hold of just for these targeted commercials. After reading I find I ask you readers the same question…

“Would you object to targeted ads if it meant giving personal data to your TV signal provider?” (Boris).

Boris, Cynthia. "DirecTV Close to Rolling Out Targeted TV Commercials." Internet Marketing News | Marketing Pilgrim. 20 Dec. 2010. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2010/12/directv-close-to-rolling-out-targeted-tv-commercials.html>.

This photo courtesy of Napalm filled tires

TOMS Shoes

Have you ever heard a cynic say that one man can’t make a difference? Well when people say things like that, I want to prove them wrong. As far back as I can remember I have heard people telling me to be “realistic” and that I can’t change everything- but that is definitely not the case.

Now let me introduce you to Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS Shoes™. Back in 2006, this entrepreneur found himself in Argentina and noticed most of the children there had no shoes. As if this was not bad enough, the children were not allowed to go to school without having shoes—then it occurred to Blake that he had to help! Not being one who knew much about charities, he stuck with his strengths: starting a company (One par., 1). TOMS Shoes™ have a “One for One” motto which means that for every pair of shoes that you buy, the company will donate a pair to a child who cannot afford them. Since this is for-profit company, the purchased shoes allows for another pair to be made and also to help keep his business thriving! (TOMS par., 1).

Blake’s out-of-the-box thinking and fresh eye paid off big time! The company has given away (as of last September) over one million pairs of TOMS to children in need (TOMS par., 4). So as much as I would like to continue to pessimism, not only can one person change the world…. But it’s happening right now!

photo courtesy of my iPhone

"One for One Movement." TOMS Shoes. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. <http://www.toms.com/our-movement/movement-one-for-one>.

TOMS Shoes. TOMS. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. <http://www.toms.com/our-movement/movement-one-for-one>.

Nike's Controversy

Over the past three or so decades there has been talk about Nike’s sweatshops. Even though it seems ludicrous for there to be such a thing, Nike unlike many other companies is actually doing something about it but it was not always this way. Nike built companies in areas of the world desperately needing work and places that have laws against unions. This helped them from getting looked at too closely. A couple of their shop did in fact get shut down, only for them to open a few more elsewhere.

From the very beginning Nike said they were selling shoes not manufacturing them and that they have no control over the means by which they are made. However, when the public did not accept that then Nike changed its strategy. The company created shops and monitored what happened in them- once they found out that there was in fact labor misuse they shut it down.

Nike was defensive towards these claims saying they are doing more good than harm. However, EFJ has reported otherwise saying “Now that Nike has admitted that its factories are places where physical and sexual abuse, extraordinarily low wages, restrictions of bathroom use and other human rights abuses happen on a regular basis,” (EFJ par., 15). The places where these shops are built are often very, very poor countries where any job is better than the no work that most of them have. There are lines of people just wanting to work at these shops just so they would have any sort of income. In addition to that, no one is forcing them to take the job or continue to stay there- it is even an opportunity because they would otherwise not have any money. Although it may seem harsh and yes Nike should pay them minimum wage, it could be worse- at least they are making some money.
            The Nike brand has been getting into trouble so often that many people have started to take notice and take a stand. The Educating for Justice website focuses solely on the wrongs of companies or any type of wronging regarding business, which is stated on their homepage as their mission statement (EFJ). When looking at the site there are countless attacks proving that Nike is slipping up but also that advocates for the cause are finally being heard. So whose fault is this? Nike’s for letting it happen or the public for not doing more to prevent it…

"EFJ Campaigns: Stop Nike Sweatshops." Www.educatingforjustice.org | EDUCATE - ORGANIZE - ACT. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.educatingforjustice.org/stopnikesweatshops.htm>.

found via / photo: http://korrekte-klamotten.de/

More Shop, Less Go

Courtesy of BrianJMatis

Surprising, February’s shopping sales were up from what anyone have expected. According to the NY Times, it was because of the weather. Staying inside from the bad weather at the end of January and beginning of February really caused shoppers to spend more than usual when they finally came out mid-February for the holidays proceeding. Although gas prices lately have been on the rise it states that most stores are preparing for when gas hits the four-dollar mark, that is when they expect the amount of shopping to decrease heavily.

Later on in the article it talks about why gas prices are on the rise: “turmoil in the Middle East” which isn’t news to anyone really but it’s hard to believe that something that affects every person in this country was because of the few people that have a say. No matter who tries to tell me otherwise, it is the previous president’s fault that things are how they are. If America didn’t, as they always do, stick its nose into someone else’s business we wouldn’t be in the situation that we’re currently in. and I find this incredibly irritating. Not that I do not appreciate my country or those who are fighting for my safety everyday- I just thing we rushed into the decision to fight this war and now we really aren’t fighting for anything and we’re far too proud to admit we messed up and come back home. But that’s just how we are: proud, invasive, and we push or thoughts and feelings onto everyone around us but we wonder why other countries hate us…?

To me, if we just settle things gas would be cheaper and I could buy more clothes. A girl can dream, right?

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