Carnival Major Aspect Of Trinidadian Culture Social Policy Essay

Carnival Major Aspect Of Trinidadian Culture Social Policy Essay What is culture? According to La Belle and Ward (1996), a current definition of culture encompasses the shared attributes which delineate one group as separate from another ( p. 28). A slightly more specific definition for this very broad term comes from Frantz Fanon who says that a â€Å"culture is first and foremost the expression of a nation, its preferences, its taboos, and its models† (2004, p.177). From this standpoint we will examine Trinidadian culture or more specifically the significance of Carnival, an integral part of Trinidadian culture, as an outpouring of expression which originated with the French Roman Catholic aristocracy and later was influenced by slaves and former slaves. We will also examine the role it plays in inspiring national pride and uniting the Trinidadian diaspora. According to Mr. Walcott we have lost much of our historical legacy and it is from this loss and the consequent necessity for something to fill that void that the innovation of our cu lture (i.e. Caribbean culture) materialized (Walcott, 1974, p. 6). I disagree with Mr. Walcott on this point. I believe that a great deal of history was lost yes, whether it is because it was irrelevant as he says or not is in itself immaterial for the purpose of this discussion. It is my opinion that culture was not simply an upwelling of inventiveness due to large gaps in historical memory, but also an amalgamation of what historical heritage was left behind regardless of the fact that it was in tatters. If we take Carnival as an isolated part of culture, this point can be proven as we examine the origins of Carnival and see for ourselves that it began in Trinidad with a French Roman Catholic tradition of the aristocracy (Zavitz & Allahar, 2002) in the pre-emancipation era as a last prelenten celebration, which symbolized the abandonment of propriety. It was transformed with the advent of emancipation from a celebration in the form of masked balls, song, drama and dance which indi rectly, covertly and subversively confronted issues of social restrictions of class and race, since most wore masks, into a fusion in the post-emancipation period of West African religious practices and beliefs and the pre-existing French celebration (Nurse, 1999). The initial celebration of Carnival by the recently freed slaves was in the form of re-enacting a scene that they had become all too familiar with and which they had named ‘Cannes Brulà ©es’ or burning cane (Carnival). This is one instance of creation such as that which Mr. Walcott speaks of, however we can clearly see that the entirety of the Carnival practice, once taken as a whole, contains old and new elements, old from both French and African historical celebrations separately and new from the synthesis of new ideas based on experiences and the mixing of two cultures together, one forcibly oppressed for many years, and the other, living in extravagance comparatively. Let us now take a look at what Carni val is, what it symbolizes presently for the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. Carnival as seen by the spectator and masquerader alike is not viewed as anything static. â€Å"It is a dynamic and fluid process† (Green, 2007, p. 206). It is a vibrant, exuberant, triumphant, colourful display on the one hand of freedom from one’s inhibitions as passed down from the originators of this festival, in which fast-paced, up-tempo music urges revelers to jump and gyrate in time with the syncopations of the melodic ‘soca’ music (Green, 2007, pp. 207-208). Feathers, beads, staffs, headbands, bright dramatic make-up, sequins, beads and all manner of shiny things bob and weave with the rhythm of the uninhibited who proudly bare their costumes and newly fit bodies for cameras and tourists alike. Big music trucks patrol the streets with thousands cavorting to the tune reverberating from the massive speakers that take up the entire truck-cab and face in all directions. This maddeningly spectacular display of peacock-like feathers, glitter and lithe bodies strutting to the beat, begins on Carnival Monday morning with ‘J’Ouvert’ which means opening of the day and continues right through into ‘Las’Lap’ on Tuesday night until the stroke of midnight (Scher, 2002, p. 461). This is the part of Carnival that is marketed, packaged and sold to the masses every year. The package includes the enticement of watching steel-bands vie for the title of champion in the Queen’s Park Savannah, during Panorama, the most renowned steelpan competition during the Carnival season. It is not to say that this is all that Carnival consists of, however when considering the diasporic culture of expatriate Trinis, as they are called, and their descendants, these are the images that bring to life that longing for the homeland and have inspired stirrings in the soul to return to Trinidad, just to participate in this festival of colour an d unadulterated elation. The term diasporic mentioned refers to the dispersion of a community away from its homeland to more than one peripheral region, which remembers or has some cultural connection to the homeland and is not fully acknowledged as a member of the current country (Clifford, 1994, p. 304).

The May 6, 2010 Flash Crash Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The May 6, 2010 Flash Crash - Essay Example On the contrary, the contemporary market is characterized with higher demand as compared to the supply. Financial innovations enable changes in the financial market by introducing new ways of trading assets. One of the newest financial innovations entails trading from computer to computer through use of complex mathematical algorithms that are hard for humans to comprehend. The recent financial crisis resulted in increased unemployment, which is an indicator of the increased inefficiency of the stock market. This paper agrees with Stiglitz opinion that that Flash Crash will lead to less investment in information, which is harmful to the markets price discovery function hence the financial market. The paper will oppose the opinion that Flash Crash could be a positive feedback loop of the trading environment. Computer trading has become a common phenomenon, which has increased the speed of trading making it impossible for humans to intervene in times of occurrences such as flash crash. Additionally, the explosive trading speed results in undermined efficiency since the market becomes incapable of allocating resources efficiently. Flash Crash entail trading from computer to computer through use of pre-programmed algorithms. ... During the Flash Crash, a contract could be traded for more than 27,000 in a period of about 14 seconds (U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission & U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, 2010; Stiglitz, 2012). According to the SEC report, computer generated algorithms, which are used for high frequency trading comprise more than 70% of trading in U.S. equities. On the SEC joint report on the flash crash of 6 May 2010, the American shares fell by 10% within a few minutes, which resulted in many questions regarding the credibility of nanosecond trading, which characterizes computer to computer trading. The computer based trading does not make use of price discovery but uses algorithms that makes it possible for dealers to extract information regarding expected price of securities through observing patterns of prices and trades. The dealers are thus incapable of making sound decisions. High frequency trading undermines the stability of the market. During the flash clash, high frequency trading firms started by absorbing sell pressure but eventually started forceful selling, which resulted in increased orders in the market and creation of feedback loop. Eventually, the high frequency trading firms began to buy and resell to each other e-mini contracts resulting in decreased net buying irrespective of the increased volume of e-mini contracts. Buyers using traditional trading methodologies refused to buy the extra E-minis resulting in the fall in trading funds. This was because dealers could not comprehend the transactions and feared taking risks. Therefore, computer based trading is inapplicable since there are no clear models on how it operates (Stiglitz, 2012; Mackenzie, 2006). High frequency trading resulted in liquidity crisis when automated trading systems

Using writing for meaning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Using writing for meaning - Essay Example Living in poor families decreases a child’s expectations of their life. This may lead to a cycle of poverty whereby generation after generation lives in poverty. As adults, these children are likely to be unemployed, homeless and involved in antisocial behaviors like crime and substance abuse. In order to break this cycle, there is need to invest in education through which development of skills is possible. Children who live in households with an income of less than 60% of the national average (below poverty line) are referred to as poor children. However, child poverty should take into account whether a child has access to a good education, good home and a stable family. Child poverty constitutes the greatest threat to the well being of children and families. This is because it affects the social, educational and personal development of a child. In the UK, about 3.5 million children are estimated to be living in poverty. Poverty Unemployment, low paid work and inadequate benefits are the causes of poverty in the UK today. According to Child Poverty Action Group; in 2009/10, 42% of all families below UK poverty line contained no working members while 58% contained at least 1 working member and jobless individuals entitled to benefits and tax credit only received 65% of the amount they required in order to live above the UK poverty line (n/d). Statistics show that a child is likely to be at risk of poverty if they live in a household where there is only one parent. This could be attributed to the possibility of the parent feeling isolated and stigmatized by the community. They are also likely to be in poor physical and mental health leading them to be socially excluded. Children from ethnic minority groups are likely to be poor as majority of these families have no working members. Disability is also a cause for child poverty. This is because it is costly to take care of a disabled member of a household and i t is therefore