My swear jar is full...

Is swearing bad?! My brother often gets told off for flippantly saying 'fuck' or 'shit' but in context can it really be seen as such a bad thing? If I broke my arm falling out of the tree screaming foul thing's is it more understandable? Obviously there is a time and place to swear, afterall.. thats why swearing can't be heard on tv till after 9! Yet sexual activity such a kissing, rubbing or suggestive actions can be shown. Is that fair?

I agree that swearing shouldnt be heard till after 9 on tv but swearing is ok in certain context. For me there is nothing worse than listening to someone swearing after each word.

There are also levels of swearing, some words are worse than others.. WHY? If they all define negative things why are there differences?

Learn how to swear in any language: www.youswear.com/

Gamble..

Gambling is usually enjoyed as a little entertainment. It is when it becomes a way of life that it can become a problem.. Putting a few bets on the grand national or lottery is all fun and games. But just like any risk taking entertainment, it can become an addiction. Obsessive gamblers usaually take pleasure and a high from winning a bet and become addicted to the money, anticipation then the success. They want it again and again causing them to not realise the consequences...

Do you believe that gambling is worse than any other addicition? In general it has the same effect on the user. But is it a bigger problem than alcohol or drugs?..

If you want to STOP gambling: www.gamcare.org .uk/gambling

Its Adam and Eve NOT Adam and Steve?!?!...... :/

Being homosexual is not BAD. It is part of the three MAIN sexual orientations... so why are people still homophobic?! Due to a better understanding of behaviour, social sciences, health and metal health, politics, media and culture it is now seen as a positive and normal variation in human sexual orientation.

It should not be something to be ashamed off, yet some people today often find it 'wrong' to be gay, this could be due to upbringing, culture, religion etc.

Everyone should be treated equally, even if you are attracted to the same sex or not. The attitude towards homosexual people have changed dramatically over the years for the better, they have been given the rights to marriage and civil unions, adoption and parenting, employment, military service, and equal access to health care. In the future I hope that the attitudes towards homosexual people continue to be positive and unpredjudiced.

Information about the relationship between homosexuals and the church: www.gaylife.about.com/od/religion/a/gayreligion.htm

Booze are us!

Drinking is a fun social event, which usually adds to the enjoyment of a night out or gathering. It can put you in a more social mood, make you more confident and happy.

SO those are the plus signs of drinking alcohol...

Drinking becomes a problem when it becomes to much for the individual to cope with. Too much alcohol can cause horrible health risks let alone the feeling of no control. Alcohol can highten your emotions so if you are in a depressive mood it can increase that emotion rather than giving you a happy/high mood.

Not only that but hanovers! You wake up in the morning in your own sick and clothes on from the night before, with loads of text messages and photos of the embarrassing night! So is it really a bad thing or just fun and games??

Want to know how much booze is?? = http://www.bargainbooze.co.uk/

Ink..

Body piercings and tattoos are becoming a popular thing, the range of styles and sizes are limitless. As so many people are getting these body modifications, it is now original not to have one!

There are many different reasons why people have tattoos and piercings, it could be for fun, sentimental reasons or be a symbol which represents a view or a group, or anything if it's meaningful to the individual. Usually they do not represent anything bad, although in some cases tattoos can often cause trouble when they demonstrate race hate symbols for example the swastika sign which represents hate towards others. This tattoo is shown in the film 'American History X', the picture above shows 'Derek' with a large swastika tattoo.

When tattoos and piercings represent hate this is when they are bad, also when they cause biological health risks such as an infection, is when I believe they are not good. They can also become addictive which can have detrimental effects on your psychological health.

A theory is that because tattoos and piercings have a high risk of infection it is actually a unconscious sign of strength if they are able to survive demonstrating a strong gene pool, therefore attracting the opposite sex to have children with them. Do you agree with this theory?!

The largest online tattoo gallery: www.tattoofinder.com/

Betrayal..

Betrayal is a strange topic, there are so many reasons to betray someone.. for instance if a woman was in a abusive relationship with her husband, then found happiness and love (has sex) with another man from work, could you see this act of betrayal as bad as a man with four kids in a loving relationship with his partner, who then randomly becomes sexual attracted to his wife's bestfriend and has a long term affair worse?.. so i guess what i'm trying to get across is that there are many levels of betrayal and people will judge it differently depending on gender, age etc.

There is usually a motive for an act of betrayal, possibly peer pressure, embarrassment, being scared, temptation etc. It is such a complex topic that you can not judge it on being bad or good. Although it may start off as a bad thing to do it could act as a catalyst for better things...

Here is a link to Jeremy Kyle's webpage (he deals with it eveyday!): www.itv.com/lifestyle/jeremykyle/

In response to Sangeetha's blog about stalking..

Yes it is weird that some people choose to stalk! In most cases there is some sort of abnormal mental issue surrounding the stalker. All stalkers are obsessional, they often create a schema about their victims for what can be years. But not all stalkers fit the criteria for serious psychological disorders.

Though for those that do have a mental disorder, it can be the catalyst for their stalking. Diagnosis can range from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder to a delusional disorder. It's often noted that the victim is usually someone with a higher socio-econonmical status than the stalker, which is why celebrities often fall victim to the stalker as their life is usually presented over the media for the world to see and for some.. want to get involved with.

I good website I found on stalking- http://www.officer.com/ (search stalking)

Im no superwoman!

When reading through stories and myths, most if not all have some kind of underlying message about good and bad. The heroe and the villian. But when taking a closer analysis at the heroe, are they not applying bad behaviour to beat the villian, yet they are still seen in the positive light?

When watching films like Batman or Robin Hood, they are usually using violent methods to reach the villian. So what is the seperation between the two?

The villians are usually commiting the offence for selfish reasons, whereas the heroe is acting to stop the villian for the general publics safety. But does that mean that the individual has any right to stop them? Robin Hood's aim was to steal from the rich and give to the poor! And stealing is bad! Yet Robin Hood is viewed as the good guy.. fox.. thing.

It seems that the general view on heroes is that they are commiting a selfless act to the general public, often risking their own safety for others.. which if you put it like that.. you can see why they are not seen as being bad at all!

If you want to be a superheroe- http://www.simonsaysdressup.co.uk/

Drugs..

Drugs are not good... but does that mean they are not fun?!

If I have to give a quick conclusion about drugs I would probably say 'they are dangerous', not only physically but mentally- which therefore to me... makes them BAD. Drugs are not only dangerous to those that take it but to those around them.

Not all experiences with drugs are 'dangerous', but the mental effects it can have on brain behaviour can be suttle to the extreme. People often compare alcohol to drugs, then try and argue that drug's are 'safer' than alcohol... but really they are both dangerous in different way's!

Back onto the topic of drugs.. for instance marijuana is often described as a sedative or a narcotic. But it effects part of the brain that controls memory, emotions and judgment, it can cause a long lasting effect on retaning and retrieving memory in the future. Which.. if you compare the pro's and con's of smoking 'weed' then im sure there is a obvious deviation between the two.

I think it's very easy to forget how serious drug taking is, not only in itself being dangerous but highly addictive from being close to someone who still suffers from the affects today 20 years later. Really does make you question, is it worth it?

A useful website on info about drugs: www.briansource.com/brain_on_drugs.htm

Bashing the Bishop!

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Everybody lies?!...

I do not believe lying is WRONG, everyone tell's simple white lies everyday to get by smoothly. For instance if im walking to the shops and bump into a friend and they ask 'how are you?'. I may have woken up with a terrible stomache ache, bashed my toe on the door then found out i had failed an assignment. Then for me to quickly say 'im fine' so i can get to the shops quickly!

However for MAJOR lies, for instance about illnesses etc are morally bad. I think any lie that causes emotional stress for either the liar or the person who is being lied to (if they find out), is form of betrayal.

In other cases people may not even realise they are lying, if people have experienced trauma in the past but claim it didnt happen or the sequence of events have changed, it may be because the person has repressed the memory so it does not harm them psychologically. These sort of unconscious defence mechanisms such as repression, denial etc act to protect the persons mental health.

So even if people are not even aware that they are lying would the world even be a better place if we all decided to tell the truth? Personally the thought of telling the truth in everyday life experiences would not be such a 'great' thing to do. Rather than lying i believe most people just don't go into the details of the information they are giving out rather than actually giving false evidence. Alot of people usually give a general over-view of what they want the other person to hear. But does that even fall into the same category as lying..??

A website on how to detect lies through body language (which may help or hinder any situation): www.blifaloo.com/info/lies.php

Im watching you...

Stalking is not only bad morally but is also a criminal offence and in many cases described as harassment. There are many different methods of stalking and each with different motives. In today's society stalking is also becoming a easier crime due to social networking sites, transport etc.

Stalking is an invasion of someone else's privacy, stalking is usually connected to celebrities in which random strangers are described as becoming obsessed with them. Personally, I believe a negative invasion on anybody's home or personal space which is not wanted, is bad. I think that stalking can also be easier due to the methods of communication people can have over the world. I do not believe that there is ever a 'reason' to stalk someone or to justify that sort of behavior. There are so many methods of stalking that some people may not realise that they are stalking or even being stalked! Sending unwanted gifts, telephone calls, emails, letters can in cases be considered as a method of stalking..

All these types of methods made me question.. is watching big brother stalking behaviour?! Im not a fan of the programme myself, but for those that watch it all the time...would that account for some sort of stalking behaviour?





An interesting website on this topic: http://www.stalkingbehaviour.com/

Red Lights...

Should performing a sexual act on someone else really be classed as illegal if you both consent?

There is a large skeptical view on prostitution, in most countries it is classed as illegal, whereas in other it is seen as a 'profession'.

Are the women who are hired for sexual acts really 'being bad' or are they trying to make a decent living (avoiding taxes!) doing something they are good at?

I have mixed thoughts on the topic myself, i honestly believe that performing sexual acts for money is not right, however if it is performed in a controlled environment, both consent and safe is there really a problem?

What may cause the negative view on prostitution is the topics surrounding it, like its connections with drugs, child abuse etc.

A feminist view of prostitution: www.fcap.btik.com

The Costs of Stealing...

There are many different types of Shop Lifting behaviour. Some people may label young children pinching a few 'one penny' sweets as shop lifters. Working at a super market myself, i am aware that most thiefs are amateurs often taking small items, although some can make a living from this bad behaviour, stealing a vast amount of produce.

I believe 'theft' in general has the same foundation, that you are taking someone else's property without permission yet i believe there are different degrees of theft. Obviously i wouldnt account stealing a bag of sweets at a shop, the same as burglary or fraud, although i do believe that any sort of theft is wrong.

Apart from the thrill of getting something for nothing, I had a close friend in the past that confided in me about his habit of stealing clothes. He explained that it wasn't so much the actual clothes that he wanted, it was actually the excitement and rush of being bad. And although he was actually caught on many occasions and had a decent job at the time, he still continued to steal. This emotional rush from stealing seem's to be the case for most thief's, even when they have money.

There are also many different punishment's for stealing around the world, in most cases the thief is kept in the store room until the police arrive and arrest them. Although in Germany theft is legally commited only if you hide the item!! Which in my opinion is the aim of most of stealing!

If you would like more information on deviant behaviour -www.beyond-the-pale.co.uk/shoplifting.htm

Im not really a heavy smoker anymore. I only get through 3 lighters a day now..

I recall having my first cigarette at a rock club at the age of 10. 'Back then' I thought that I was making a rebellious statement. Since then I havent smoked again. It was only until recently when I have been up town with friends, that i've had the occassional cigarette, this sort of behaviour is usually reffered to as 'social smoking'.

Consequently in this generation smoking is not associated with the 'cool, rebellious' movie icon. If anything we are going through a stage in time in which everyone is self obsessed with looking immaculate and postponing growing old natutally. And as everyone is aware, smoking increases ageing of the skin, yellow teeth, yellow skin etc which is not a desired look to have. With help from the media the increasing pressure to look younger for longer and the internal health risks advertised has turned itself into a catalyst, as more people each year have stopped smoking. Afterall do we smoke cigarettes thinking that we are going to turn into Angelina Jolie or turn into the next Marilyn Monroe?

Along side the ban of smoking inside public place's non-smokers can now enjoy going to pubs and clubs. I recall coming back from a night out stinking of stale cigarettes with sore eyes, afterall.. do we throw beer over those who do not wish to drink alcohol? So is it really right to inflict your own health risks onto someone else? Are cigarettes that do not cause side effects in personality any worse then alcohol or drugs, so why is advertisment not placed on beer cans?

For those that do wish to stop smoking http://www.smokefree.nhs.uk/

Week 12 Field Trip suggestion...

I believe Camden in London would be an excellent place to visit for the field trip in week 12. Not only would transport be easily accessible from Wolverhamton, Camden would offer a fun day out. When brain storming what sort of trip would connect to the topic of 'being bad', I addressed the behaviour which we discussed in the first lecture. Camden covers alot of behaviours which can be seen as disgusting such as immoral behaviour like swearing, blasphemy, smoking, tattoos, drugs, sex and rock n' roll. Although most places can cover those behaviours, I think Camden would demonstrate it in a more obvious way, the controversial culture of Camden screams out to me 'being bad'. The alternative dress sense and line of market stools and pubs would offer really offer a great day out and I am certain it would bring out the dark side in us!

www.camdenlock.net