Final Blog...Yipee

I am a 19 year old female studying Criminal Justice and Sociology combined. In a way Being Bad does relate to some of my other modules, as there is some study as to how individuals behave, which relates to my sociology modules. I have found the module at an appropriate level, I personally found the two written assignments very interesting to do. The blog I found to be very time consuming but I think it is a good way of expressing views and opinions. The lists of topic covered I think were appropriate, however I think an interesting topic to discuss would be prostitution. The classes have worked well, but I hated that the lectures were in the evening. I think the module team was very good, the fact that the topics were taught by specialist of a partiuclar subject was very helpful. I think it would be better if there was more small group discussion as well as debate and discussion with the class as a whole. I am not sure whether more infomration from the lecturers wpuld be particularly helpful as I found the module to be more opinion based rather than gathering factual information. The interdisciplinary approach is a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module. I have benefited from the interdisplanry approach as I thinkk it goves a wider perspective of things as more than one thing can be looked at. I would like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter as I found it interesting and useful. If it is possible, I would like to take the folow up module PH2004 'It shouldn't be allowed' at level 2. I would certainly recommened 'Being Bad' to a friend as it is an enjoyable module. I definately think that the blogs were a good idea as it gave you a chance to comment on things we have discussed in class as well as things you wish to comment on, also reading other blogs I found interesting. I enjoyed doing the two assignments, however I did find it very challenging with the word limit. I think maybe people should have a choice of doing one longer assignment rather than two short ones, I personally would have liked to have done one long peice. I have learnt that there may be two sides to bad behaviour, certain things are done for reasons which may be understandable, however there are still things which are inexcusable. I found the blog the most useful tool as we were able to view the thoughts of others and comment on them. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed the module.

Speeding

What is the point in speeding? Have you not heard the advert-"There's a 30mp limit for a reason". The advert (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kQwdaKCvBc) is very extreme in order to have an impact on those who speed and make people think twice before they do it. I think people may do it for an adrenalin rush and possible to show off to friends. Also, when young people race is very dangerous, I suppose it's their age that makes them do certain things but that doesn't make it acceptable, especially when innocent people could get seriously hurt. I know people who speed and they really couldn't care less. This is an example of bad behaviour, and in my opinion fairly ignorant individuals which we have within society.

Alcohol

I drink alcohol to socialise, relax and have a good time! I don't think there is anything wrong with drinking alcohol, however I think it is important to know your limits. It can be dangerous if you drink too much, you can put yourself at risk if you are way over your limit. You can also make yourself look like a fool! It can be very unhealthy if you drink exessive amounts, so again, I think the key to drinking alcohol is knowing your limits. I think this is the case with many things in life. For more information visit: http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/mosby_factsheets/alcohol_abuse.html

Comment 4-Taking you own life

In respnse to:http://sereenabbb.blogspot.com/2008/04/comment-2-taking-your-own-life.html

I believe taking your own life is the cowards way out because the individual think that suicide would cure their own problems and do not think about the people they are leaving behind. From experience I can tell you that when someone is contemplating suicide they are not in a healthy mental state and often are suffering from depression and are not treated with the disorder so have unresolved mental issues. They feel at rock bottom and commit suicide as a long term sentence to a short term problem and the pain is underlying in their brain which is escalating and is why people should seek help before it gets too much for them to handle. I think suicide is wrong as they are using the wrong device to cure their problems. I disagree with you as you say suicide is courageous because for example someone addicted to alcohol should seek help rather than letting alcohol take over them which is more courageous than taking their own life because they are fighting back rather than giving in or if someone lost someone they loved and try and carry on with their own lives although this may be extremely difficult this is more courageous than taking their own.
Imagine if your son/daughter committed suicide, how would you feel? Guilty is what most people would say because they feel that they failed their child or if the person left children or grandchildren behind, they would feel something in their life Is missing which can have severe effects on they sub consciously, this feeling lasts a lifetime therefore the act is extremely selfish.
People do not open up and talk about their problems which reinforces the thoughts of suicide, especially men who usually bottle up their problems, people who commit suicide don’t understand the fact “there is always light at the end of the tunnel” and they believe that their life revolves around a certain problem and don’t understand there is more to it, people need to be educated about the value of life.

(This is a response to a response)

I agree to a certain extent that taking your own life is the cowards way out. However, the person who had committ suicide was not in a healthy state of mind, so really are they to blame? They are unaware of what they are doing and what their actions will do to their family and friends. Like the comment above stated many suicides are a result from thing such as depression, underlining my idea of them not being in the correct state of mind.

Drugs

Cannabis is a very common drug. I know a lot of people who smoke it, they onbiously don't realsie the risks:

Affects short-term memory and ability to concentrate well;
Getting 'stoned' affects co-ordination, increasing the risk of accidents;
Impairs driving skills, so never get in a car with someone who is stoned;
It can make users paranoid and anxious, depending on their mood and situation;
Smoking cannabis over a long period of time may increase the risk of respiratory disorders, including lung cancer;
Many regular users find cannabis hard to quit;
There is some evidence to suggest a link between cannabis and psychotic illness.

http://www.thesite.org/drinkanddrugs/drugsafety/drugsatoz/cannabis

Many people fall into the trap of drug use through school, and many people are peer pressured into it. In some cases, people easily grow out of smoking cannabis, however in other cases, the class C drug can eventually turn into the use of much stronger drugs.

Body Modification

There are many things we do to modify ourselves, we don't even give it a second thought when we're doing it. A few examples: make-up, hair, clothes, manicures, henna.

I personally think it is entirely up to the individual what they wish to do with their bodies-it is their bodies after all. However, is cases where there is a child involved and their body modified without their say in it I think its quite sad. It is understandable as it is part of their culture etc, however, maybe parents sould wait until their children are at an age where they can make the decision?

There is the issue of regret after getting a tattoo. People tend to think about the future and what a tattoo will look like when they are older. However, if you are 100% happy with having the tattoo at the time, will it not just be a memory from the past? It marks a part in your life....STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE, LIVE IN THE PRESENT!! Also, I think it's dissapointing that in some cases having a tattoo or peircing in a visable place could affect your chances of getting a job. Sterotypes are made and I don't think thats fair.

Plastic surgery...

It's sad to know that people feel they need surgery to be happy with the way they look. I think they way you look adds character. BUT, if people are really down about a certain physical feature about themselves, and it really affects them, then it's slightly different. In this case I would say "go for it".

http://www.bodymod.org/home.aspx

Comment 3 - Underage Drinking

In response to: http://naughty6.blogspot.com/2008/04/underage-drinking.html
After watching one of those police programmes on TV, I have come to realise what a problem underage drinking really is and how many kids are doing it. This really is bad behaviour! Don't these kids parents have any control over what their up to!!
That said, thinking back to when I was around the age of 14 where was I ?? In the local park drinking cheap bottles of cider that some others had bought along!! He He!!
Anyway now that I am much older and wiser with kids of my own I can criticise other people for underage drinking!!
However, there is a serious side to underage drinking as this article points out and also gives some of the health implications:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/special-report-underage-drinking-744766.html



I have to disagree with the comment made about the childrens parents having no control over them. I don't think it is the parents fault at all, they are obviously lied to by their children (another form of bad behaviour). Parents have to trrust their children - however they probably know what their kids are getting up to anyway! Rebelling is part of growing up. I personally don't think there is anything the parents can do as their children are going to do whatever they want to do anyway, whether their parents are aware or not.

Skinny celebs

Some celebs are far too skinny! They are bad role models for young girls. I personally can’t see how tremendously unhealthy looking celebrities look in the mirror and think they look good? Furthermore, don’t think they are too skinny? This implies to me that not only are they physically unhealthy but perhaps mentally also? I can understand that there is a lot of pressure on them to look good, it is part of their job and if the whole world was looking at you surely you’d want to look the best you possibly could! But this doesn’t mean being as skinny as you can possibly be. It is even worse when someone is unnaturally skinny and suddenly becomes extremely skinny whilst denying they are unhealthy, or explaining how their body has just suddenly changed-it blatantly hasn’t. The best way of describing how unhealthy looking they is by using pictures, see for yourself.
http://theskinnywebsite.com/site/category/skinny-celebrities/

Hollyoaks...

(The photo above is Beth and Reece)

How on earth does Hollyoaks fit into this?

Drugs...
I am pretty much addicted to the television programme Hollyoaks. At the moment there is a story about two teenagers who are taking drugs and are becoming more addicted and have very recently taken a very heavy drug (I’m not sure what it was but it involved the drug users to inject themselves followed by collapsing and becoming unconscious!) It has been criticised for promoting drug use, which I have to disagree with. Although this is going to sound a bit daft, I think it is a positive thing for the producers of Hollyoaks to put this kind of thing into the programme. It has shown the effects of drugs effectively, it is evident by watching the characters on screen over time, that it has had some physical effect) on them, as well as mental and financial (the desperation for money to buy drugs. It has also shown highly important things being dramatically effected such as education, friendships and it hasn’t got as far as their families knowing but I’m sure they’ll figure it out in the next episode!
For more information on the effects of drugs: http://www.drugsline.org/site/pages/outreach_effects.php

Drug dealers...
There is then the character of ‘Ste’- a teenage father who is also an offender, and cannabis user. Oh, and his moms an alcoholic, and his step-dad beats him-the reason why he has left. He is finding it extremely difficult to find a job to support is daughter as well as his girlfriend and himself. He has therefore been forced to steal and when caught had to lie that his daughter has leukaemia (an everlasting lie). He has now resulted into selling drugs as he is desperate to get money for his family. I’m not sure whether I should feel sorry for him, but I do! It was clear throughout the soap that he was trying very hard to find a job but had no luck. It is also clear that he doesn’t want to deal drugs, he is just desperate for money. No child grows up wanting to become a drug dealer, the character of Ste was clearly forced into it. This has taught me to look at the world in a wider prospective.

Incest...
Also, Reece and Beth! Half brother and sister who didn’t know they were brother and sister and fell in love with each other and when finding out that they are brother and sister still continued their incestuous relationship. Now it is all out in the open and many people are hurt, Reeces family and Beths fiancé who is also Reece’s best friend! But, can this have been helped? You can’t help who you fall in love with. They found out after they were madly in love with each other so could their feelings have been stopped at that stage? Is this regarded as bad behaviour?
For a definition of incest http://www.crescentlife.com/psychissues/incest.htm

There is LOADS more I can go on about in Hollyoaks but this blog is long enough so I’ll leave it there.

Comment 2 - Views on LYING (excuses)

In response to:

Excuses or just being a liar?
Is it OK to lie if you’re giving an excuse?! Like if you’re a work and say ‘my alarm didn’t go off’ or at school ‘my dog ate my homework’ (or something more convincing)? If you’re trying to stick up for yourself and know the problems that could arise if you told the truth is this OK? Is an excuse just a white lie or is it easier to be completely honest and risk getting in trouble or facing serious consequences? If people keep using excuses (e.g. for being late) will they ever learn consequences? I don’t think there’s anyone who’s never gave an exaggerated excuse or ‘white lie’ so does this make it bad behaviour or, if everyone doe sit, is I acceptable in moderation? I’m morally split on this one!

http://danni-being-bad-blog.blogspot.com/2008/03/views-on-lying-excuses.html

Hmmm...I think these are interesting points. I personally think it depends on the circumstances - it depends on what your giving an excuse for, if it is simply lying about why you havent done home work, it seems like no biggy! But, if more problems would arise if the truth was told I think it is understandable for an excuse to be told, however I am one of these people who believe lies/excuses will eventually come out and maybe when it does, the problems that arise from it are ten times as worse than if the truth was told in the first place. I also think that people who keep making excuses will never learn as they will not have to face up to the concequences. I believe giving petty excuses has become a part of society, its become an everyday thing.

Oops...Oh my!!

A song about masturbation?

Whilst posting my previous blog I had a random brain wave of this song which I interpret as being about masturbation.

Tweets ‘oops, oh my’

I interpreted this as a song about female masturbation (if not about, it certainly involves/comments on masturbation). It hasn’t been said by the singer herself that the song is about masturbation, she claims it is a song reflecting how she feels about her body and skin colour, as she now feels proud of herself, whereas in the past was not so confident with herself. However, it has been suggested by others that it is about masturbation.You can view the lyrics at: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tweet/oopsohmy.html

Comment 1 - Stalking

In response to:http://rosies08blog.blogspot.com/2008/03/stalking.html

Is stalking bad? well I think it depends entirely on the degree it is happening. Someone just showing an interest and joining the same groups etc. (as we saw on that peep show clip) is acceptable. When an individual becomes personally involved ie constantly textin, emailing, following etc this becomes intrusive and begins to cross the line. Some people in our lecture thought that celebrities were stalked, I dont agree with this completely seen as some celebrities ie Paris Hilton etc. pose and pout at every opportunity if it means gettin in the lime light, however I do think already troubled celebrities ie Britney, Amy etc. should be left alone until their all better!!!!

Is stalking bad? well I think it depends entirely on the degree it is happening. Someone just showing an interest and joining the same groups etc. (as we saw on that peep show clip) is acceptable. When an individual becomes personally involved ie constantly textin, emailing, following etc this becomes intrusive and begins to cross the line. Some people in our lecture thought that celebrities were stalked, I dont agree with this completely seen as some celebrities ie Paris Hilton etc. pose and pout at every opportunity if it means gettin in the lime light, however I do think already troubled celebrities ie Britney, Amy etc. should be left alone until their all better!!!!

I completely agree with this comment made. There can be many things which are regarded as stalking, but I think it is pretty harmless unless it gets to a really extensive stage, then it just becomes really weird!!

I also agree with the comment made about celebrities, although I don't entirely agree with it, but it is part of the job, and there are celebrities who love the attention! However, when celebrities are in a posoiton of struggle, they should be left alone to deal with their issues.

Bad Cinema

I was so shocked at the film ‘Kids’. It was awful!! Some of the events that took place were really disturbing. It would be a huge wake up call to parents who don’t know what their children are getting up to. It’s full of sex, drugs, under aged drinking and violence. Larry Clark has pushed the boundaries of controversy enormously within this film. For more information and reviews on ‘Kids’ http://www.greencine.com/webCatalog?id=4661

Masturbation

I didn’t expect most of the comments made on the handout given in the lecture to be made by women. I was shocked! I tend to associate masturbation with males rather than females. This may be because it is more acceptable for men to openly talk about masturbation, whilst woman may be criticised more for it, therefore don’t openly admit to it. Similarly to how it is more acceptable for men to sleep around, but when women do it they’re stereotyped as hoes! I found an interesting article on whether it is now acceptable for woman to masturbate. www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/nov/21/gender.uk

Is shoplifting and theft the same thing?

I personally believe theft and shoplifting are different. Theft is much more personal and there is a direct victim involved. On the other hand, shoplifting from a large company does not affect an individual directly and there are fewer risks-not to say it is right!


However, I can understand if people shoplift food in order to survive-again I am not saying it is morally right, but do they have much of a choice? I don't think so.
I found an interesting article on why people shoplift, which can be found on: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4477596.stm

The Smoking Ban

Apart from the obvious of doing less passive smoking, the smoking ban has not really affected me much. I occasionally keep my smoker friends company when they go out for a cigarette but that’s about it. I do know of smokers who have benefited from the smoking ban-because smokers have to now go outside to smoke, they do not smoke as much in places where they would have constantly been smoking, for example, pub/bar/club. So, surprisingly they think it is a good thing.
I think it has achieved the main aim it was introduced for, which is to lessen passive smoking. However, passive smoking still occurs, and will continue to do so until the amount of smokers decrease.For more information on the smoking ban: http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk/

Pregnant Smokers

I am not a smoker myself, but I am not one of these non-smokers who cannot stand being around smokers. However, I do find it extremely annoying when people smoke around their children or even smoke when pregnant! I do know people who do it, and they don’t seem to realise the effects it has on their unborn baby.

It also really annoys me when people smoke right outside schools when picking up their children, not only are they putting their children at risk but others too.

To see the effects smoking has on unborn babies visit the link: http://www.helpwithsmoking.com/smoking-and-pregnancy/effects-on-foetus-pregnancy.php

Cheryl and Ashley

On the topic of infidelity, the latest public example I can think of is Cheryl and Ashley Cole.

Of course, no one except Ashley, Cheryl and Aimee (the stupid woman who claims to have slept with Ashley) know what really happened, but if the information found on http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/2701_cheryl_and_ashley_cole.shtml is anything to go by, then I can safely say I really feel for Cheryl.

I honestly can’t believe the things people do for money! She has put Cheryl through hell by selling her story to the papers. What kind of role model is she for young women? In my opinion, she is a perfect example of ‘bad behaviour’. It makes me angry! Of course, she isn’t the only on to blame-Ashley is too.
I admire Cheryl for her bravery and for trying to make her marriage work. I hope she gets through it.

Tales of Adultery

After reading the article Tales of Adultery (which can be found on: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2002/oct/16/features11.g2) I can say I feel stronger against infidelity. Reading how others were affected was upsetting, and I feel for them.


Surprisingly, I do feel a slight bit of sympathy for the 'mistress', as her previous marriage was a bad experience for her-she felt comfort from her married lover, and she didn't have this in her marriage, which suggests why she grabbed her chances with her married lover while she felt she could...However, I do still hate the idea of infidelity. All the gossipping she faced from her work colleagues she deserved and I'm glad she felt guilty-it would have been heartless of her not to.

Infidelity

I personally disagree with cheating on your partner and I can't stand being lied to or lying myself!! Being unfaithful is a selfish thing to do. Those who are unfaithful to their partners don't seem to think of the concequences it has on others who are afftected. It can be heartbreaking, and there is always some part of your life which is destroyed after being a victim of infidelity. I don't think there is ever an acceptable excuse for it. People tend to use the excuse of no longer being happy in their relationship, but cheating on your partner is not the answer.
Honesty is the best policy! (cheesy)
I think that less heartache would occur if the relationship ended in the right way, for the right reasons, if you know what I mean?
I have never personally experienced it myself and would never want to! I do know people who have experienced it and have seen how it has hurt them-it's awful to see them like that, let alone be in their position.
The website below shows true stories of infedility and the affects of it:
http://www.chatcheaters.com/cheating-stories/cheating-stories.html

Field Trip

I think we should visit a prison for our field trip. Here we can see the result of bad behaviour and the bad behaviour which occurs within the prison. It would be interesting to see what a prison is like in reality, as well as the behaviour that goes on there.

Fot more information about prisons, you can visit: http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/prisoninformation/