In James Loewen’S Book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, He Talks

In James Loewen’s book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, he talks about misconceptions in America school textbooks. Are these actually misconceptions though? What is the author saying about American history when details or whole event are untold? Lowen delves into these deep topics head on and gives examples as he goes. This book is not only intended for those who have read an American history book, but for those who have never heard the truth. Lowen wrote this book in order to uncover and educate; furthermore, this is important because events never told are now brought to light. Using detailed information concerning racism, governmental over watch, and the Vietnam War the author argues that the American history textbook has covered up things in†¦show more content†¦The American school systems has always made it seem as if slavery was widely frowned upon, but that was not the case. Northerners felt that, â€Å"†¦ black people were so hopelessly inferior that slavery was a proper form of education for them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lowen 144). Huge shocker here, like we understood that the north was jealous of the southern economy, but never thought they would agree with slavery. Lowen uncovers what the textbooks missed, which makes the American society look as if we are just terrible people. Growing up, the American population has always heard the phrase â€Å"big brother is watching† but did we know to what extent they involved themselves and their attempts to hide things? The government is always trying to make America seem as if we are just this great place that cares about everyone; furthermore, this has been called the â€Å"good guy interpretation†. In recent textbooks, it is claimed that the United States is the most generous nation and that we provide aid to anyone who needs it, unfortunately this is false. There are other eastern countries that donate much larger amounts to foreign aid. Why would these textbooks make a false claim? Thi s is the U.S. trying to be something it’s not in order to draw appeal to the United States. The textbooks have given light to some sensitive subjects such as plots to assassinate other world leaders, but these textbooks still find every motive affable and fine. HasShow MoreRelatedEssay on Lies My Teacher Told Me910 Words   |  4 Pagesin our past. This is where we get the misinterpretation of history. In chapter five of the book Lies My Teacher Told Me, these contradictions are brought into light and force us to look at them again. As I have learned in my history courses we can always question the accuracy of a story but we may never fully understand the truth. There have been three important times I have been through that have shaped my understanding of history today, specifically the part of history dealing with slavery and racismRead MoreSummary Of Lies My Teacher Told Me2933 Words   |  12 Pages The book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, begins with an introduction in which author James W. Loewen empathizes with the students. He discusses how History, specifically American History, is taught incorrectly. Loewen is able to share his understanding of why high school students think history is boring. He begins his argument with facts and numbers by saying that out of all the subjects in school, history is almost every students least favorite subject. He goes on to say that teachers also misrepresentRead More Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen Essay1948 Words   |  8 PagesLies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen High school history textbooks are seen, by students, as presenting the last word on American History. Rarely, if ever, do they question what their text tells them about our collective past. According to James W. Loewens Lies My Teacher Told Me, they should be. Loewen has spent considerable time and effort reviewing history texts that were written for high school students. In Lies, he has reviewed twenty texts and has compared them to the actualRead More Ed Zwick’s Glory - An Exemplary Model for Historical Films Essay example2155 Words   |  9 Pageshappens to have a brave young Boston Brahmin as the supposed leader of a colored battalion? Surely he does not have the license to create a film based on a heritage with which he has no affinity. Director Ed Zwick was apprehensive with the task and struggled with his entitlement to create such a film. I was afraid initially that a young, white, liberal, Jewish director would be presuming a lot to talk to them [African-American actors] about their slave antecedents. In fact, what I discovered in

Race and Religion in American Culture Essay - 1790 Words

Race and Religion in American Culture Race and religion are two concepts in American culture that can really tie people together, or clearly separate them apart. A group forged by strong common roots in both race and religion can be a powerful societal force, if it wants to be. The Nation of Islam is a small but growing religion in America that has become somewhat of a social movement because of its strong and radical ideas on race. In this paper, I will try to explore the beliefs of the Nation of Islam, and the ramifications it could and has had on racial relations in America. The Nation of Islam, or NOI, is a relatively new religion. The first temple of Islam was established in Detroit by Master Fard Muhammed in 1930. Much†¦show more content†¦Although the majority of black people in America do not consider themselves members of the NOI, the group still attempts to represent all black people. And, because of the strong messages of strength, unity, and betterment of the black race, the NOI reaches the hearts an d minds of many blacks as a driving social force, even if they don ¹t consider it their religion. Another major way the NOI impacts race relations is through the strong seemingly racist beliefs that are inherent to its theology. The NOI has always been open about its views. Not only have they always taught that the white man is the devil, but they believe that the battle of Armageddon will consist of a holy war between Islam and Christianity of which Islam will be the victors, representing the victory of black people over white people. (1) Jews are referred to as great enemies for no particular reason. The NOI has been viewed as a strongly anti-Semitic organization since the early eighties. (4) I think the NOI theology can best be understood as an example of power-conflict theory. First of all, the NOI is strongly against cultural assimilation for American blacks. They believe that black people should exist entirely apart from American (white) culture. Elijah Muhammed, an early an d extremely powerful leader who is now viewed as a deified human clearly taught against assimilation. (1) Since whites were inherently created as an evil andShow MoreRelatedRacial And Ethnic Identity : Racial Prejudice, Racism, And The Harsh Human Nature1306 Words   |  6 Pagesthe future. It will never change. Race, in a way, reinforces people’s identity. Most have manifested race as their own and as a unified group. This does not need to be a bad thing. If people can acknowledge their race as an opportunity to learn, think, and grow, they will realize and understand that having a post-racial word would be, in fact, a provocation to their cultural knowledge. The world will never reach a post-racial society because of culture, religion, and the harsh human nature. 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The Brothels And House Of Ill Fame - 1440 Words

The brothels and House of ill fame were a distinct working class creation in Eau Claire. Its raise from 1880 to 1920 depended on industry in Eau Claire, particularly the lumber industry. The success of the prostitution can be known by studying the number of brothels throughout these decades. Author examines the relationship between the lumber industry, and the working class in Eau Claire to make this argument. This article talks about how increase in lumber industry lead to increase in prostitution activity. After civil war the industry expanded dramatically and Eau Claire was a wealthy lumber town. But it was not only famous for that. Historians have said that hundreds of lumberjacks would move into town during each spring, after trees†¦show more content†¦As one historian has noted, that in lumber towns prostitution was often the first business established. During the 1860’s Eau Claire was a pioneer settlement with little or no police supervision; prostitution operated openly, subject only to occasional outbreaks of mob violence.† (Shucha. B, 1997). Since the beginning of time prostitution has been a part of our world s culture, and it is said that it is the world s oldest profession. Man has always been equally participated and felt the need to pay for services of a sexual nature since the beginning of time, whether it was legal or not. During 19th century woman who belonged to lower class family might have worked in order to support her family, in harsh times. During that time as farther away a woman moved from the mother and home, the lower her status became. Prostitution was clearly seen as disrespectful; the prostitute was at the bottom of society’s status chain. â€Å"During the late 19th- and early 20th century, the nature of society forced the working class women of Eau Claire to take advantage of any means to support themselves, including prostitution. Each woman had to decide herself which work option best supported her financially.†(Schaar.A) The wages these women earned were unbelievably low, and at tim es as much as 80% lower than the wages men earned. Back in those days there weren’t many jobs

Accounting Approaches - Constituents and Theory

Question: Describe about accounting approaches and constituents. What is positive accounting theory. Answer: 1. Accounting Approaches and Constituents Miller and Reading (1986, p. 64) highlights that in case the support of a community is critical before specific accounting approaches become personified in accounting standards. Nevertheless, this argument stimulates the questions of whether Miller and Readings argument trigger any implications for the neutrality as well as the representational faithfulness of reports produced in accordance with accounting standards. These two phrases can be simplified as the qualitative features that exist in innumerable conceptual framework projects globally. Another issue addressed in this paper relates to the heated debated about the mere discovery of a problem in an organization.[1] In my view, I am in agreement with the state which posits that a mere identification of a problem is insufficient to assure that the Financial Accounting Standards Board will assume its solution. The Boards attempt to get the solutions to such a problem faces such constraints as the existence of a suitably high proba bility that the Board can resolve the issues in a way that will be satisfactory to the constituency. Accordingly, in the absence of advance sense of the probability that members of the Board members will arrive at a consensus, it remains is generally unadvisable to assume a formal project.[2] The underlying factor here is that the board has to be sure of that there is a likelihood of consensus. In case, there is no prior likelihood of this consensus, any assumption by the Board to proceed and implement any project will be risky. Where the Board bypasses the contribution of the community, it means that there will be a high level of resistance on the ground thereby making the project implementation unattainable. It is also evident that Miller and Reading (1986) triggers an implication for neutrality and representational faithfulness of the reports created in compliance with the accounting standards. In other words, the practice must be founded on the inputs of the community since wher e the community support is critical to any adoption of accounting approach; it goes without a doubt that their concerns are part of the accounting standards. It means that any particular accounting approach should be within the confinement of the community concerns to trigger acceptance.[3] Doing anything contrary to the agreed upon would mean that the support or the contribution of the community is neglected, and this can be disastrous during the implementation of any project. The community anticipates nothing short of the representation of their views in the accounting practice since they are key stakeholders in the development of any accounting standard. Therefore, where a practitioner embraces an approach is not founded within the community viewpoint, the community tends to develop a negative attitude and rejects the same. However, this might be costly to the firm in case the approach had been used long before it became known to the community. The best practice, therefore, is to recognize and appreciate the place of the community in the formulation of accounting standards and the subsequent implementation of the accounting approaches purely within the confinement of the agreed upon standards. A mere identification of the problem is, therefore, apparently insufficient to assure that the Financial Accounting Standards Board will assume its solution. The decisions of the Board are limited to the approval by the constituent. Indeed, in cases where the Board may in its own wisdom decide to surpass the contribution of the constituent, war always ensues.[4] This means that even in cases that a problem is clearly identified, the Board has to start by explaining it to the community or the constituents to give their consent. The implication of this challenge is that the road to getting a solution to the discovered problem does not lie purely with Board, but the constituents. It is, therefore, my view that a harmonious working relationship between the Board and the c onstituent needs to be embraced through the inclusion of the community at every level of the Boards problem identification to minimize change resistance. It is argued that where the process of identifying the problems is inclusive of the constituents, they will be able to comprehensively acknowledge the impacts of such problems and appreciate the need for its urgent solution.[5] The consent by the constituent means that projects will not be rejected since their consent will always be preceding the implementation of any project. However, where a contrary is done, there will be a conflict between the Board and the constituents which always leads to a win-loss situation for the constituent. The Board, therefore, needs to remain privy to the position that the constituents play in coming up with the accounting standards and the implementation of any particular accounting approach. In fact, it is appropriate for the Board always to remain proactive in its undertaking to avoid leaving the constituents behind in its intended undertaking. It should work in handy with the constituents by soliciting the views of the community and frequently coming back to the constituents and giving a blow by blow accounts of how their views have are being incorporated into the practice.[6] This method will ensure that the constituent becomes closer to the problem identification stage and understands the underlying factors behind the problems and the possible interventions proposed by the Board. Indeed, this will ensure that the views of the constituents are considered at the earliest time possible such that the policy generated will reflect these views making the practice or the approach familiar to the constituents.[7] The stage by stage incorporation and the inclusion of the constituents increases the ability of the Board to predict the likelihood that the constituents will approve the decision made. This way, the Board will be more efficient in making the decisions on whether to cont inue with the project or cancel to avoid the huge losses it is eventually rejected by the constituents. Thus, it is my view that in the absence of an advance sense of the probability that members of the Board will arrive at a consensus, it inadvisable to assume a formal project. 2. Positive Accounting Theory (PAT) I am in total agreement that that Positive Accounting Theory (PAT) represents an abrogation of the academics duty to serve the community that supports them. The criticisms against PAT are reasonable and justified in my view. The focus of my argument is that Positive Accounting Theory does not provide a prescription of the method of accounting to be embraced by the firm. The failure to provide the prescription is a leeway for the alienation of the academic accountants from their colleagues within the profession. An abrogation of academics duty to serve the community that supports them is manifested by the unwillingness to tackle policy issues by the PAT accountants.[8] Alongside other activities, the PAT practitioners are more oriented to a day-to-day basis with the question of which particular accounting policies they should embrace. Academics have in the past acted as commentators and reformers on these normative matters. By focusing much on positive questions, it is apparent that a cademics are at high risks of neglecting one of their critical roles in the community. PAT is also sensitive with the prediction of actions such as the choices of the policies by firms and how firms will react to the proposed emerging accounting standards, but it is quite silent on which particular methods of accounting should be adopted by the firm. As indicated by Watts and Zimmerman (1986, p. 7) PAT main concerned is to explicate the accounting practice. It is purely designed to explicate and predict which companies will either use or not use a certain accounting method, however, PAT says nothing regarding which method a company should implement. This is a clear representation of an abrogation of the academics duty to serve the community which offers immense support to these academicians. It is apparent to me that PAT does not meet the eventual goal of helping these firms to choose a given accounting method. In this regard, PAT fails to perform what is required and, only tends to leave many firms in dilemmatic situations. By purely focusing on the positive side of the practice, the PAT practionares will tend to abrogate their duty to serve the community that gives them massive support. It is required that an individual looks at both sides of the coin to discover both pros and cons. A valid decision only results when either pros or cons overweigh the other.[9] However, the Positive Accountant Theory seems to leave the work unfinished by only highlighting the positive side of a particular accounting method but suddenly leaves at the discretion of the firm to choose the method it requires. A wrong choice of the method of accounting for a given firm will water down the efforts of the PAT in its bid to illustrate the method to be chosen. It could have been more appropriate that PAT moves a notch higher to help a given firm to select accounting method which is relevant to it since not all the methods of accounting will prove relevant to every firm. In this case, it is clearly that PAT shifts the burden of choosing the particular method of accounting to be used by the firm, rather than take the full responsibility to suggest the best method a given firm should embrace. This is a clear abrogation of duty to serve the community that supports these academicians.[10] A community is a given left struggling to wander through the methods of accounting to get any that may serve them best yet they have supported the academics who understands these methods and can easily and appropriate make good choices for them. The failure of the Positive Accounting Theory to give prescription makes it abrogative since another entity has to take up the role that the academics ought to have played to see its completion. In this case, PAT fails to provide a mechanism for improving the accounting practice. It is a value-laden rather than being a value-free and the underlying issues that PAT address have not displayed in significant development. In this case, PAT tends to abrogate the duty to serve the community since it solely explicates as well as give a prediction on what the firm might undertake, thereby neglecting the altogether on what they should undertake. PAT stimulates the abrogation of the duty to serve the community in that it totally fails to state what is required to occur, instead the theory describes as well as predict what needs to happen which remains inefficient.[11] To this end, PAT does not meet its main goal of predicting what should happen since the prediction is left hanging as firms are not given a clear roadmap on how to achieve these predictions.[12] The Positive Accounting Theory, therefore, complicates the practice since firms are only given insufficient prediction based, but they have nothing given to achieve these desired outcomes. It would have been appropriate PAT could have explain to the firms, the necessary steps required to achieve the prediction by prescribing the strategies that if implemented will see the f irm accomplish these goals. However, PAT is found in a contradictory situation where on one end it highlights the destination, but fails to outline the paths followed or techniques required to hit such a destination. In fact, PAT abrogates a greater proportion of its duty to the firms since it is hard to achieve a given goal set out by another without understanding the nitty gritty about the problem. The Positive Accounting Theory tends to hoard a lot of information to the firms by merely highlighting the needs to happen without accompanying it with the road towards its accomplishment. It is, therefore, in my view, that PATs practitioners purely abrogate the duty to serve the community which supports them. Bibliography Escaffre, Lionel, and Olivier Ramond. "Toward an understanding of the IAS 39 derecognition principles: An application to the factoring transactions' reporting." In EUFIN Workshop on Accounting in Europe. 2007. Gaffikin, Michael. "Accounting research and theory: the age of neo-empiricism." Australasian Accounting Business Finance Journal 1, no. 1 (2007): 1. Gaffikin, Michael. "The critique of accounting theory." Faculty of Commerce-Accounting Finance Working Papers (2006): 41. Hornby, D. Brock. "Delegating Authority to the Community of Scholars." Duke Law Journal 1975, no. 2 (2010): 279-327. Humphrey, Christopher, and Peter Miller. "Rethinking impact and redefining responsibility: The parameters and coordinates of accounting and public management reforms." Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal 25, no. 2 (2012): 295-327. Kabir, Humayun. "Positive accounting theory and science." Journal of Centrum Cathedra 3, no. 2 (2010): 136-149. Lynde, Russell DuBeau. "The ethics of criticism: J. Hillis Miller and the metaphysics of reading." (2012). Qiong, He, and Du Jianjun. "Research on Critical Issues in Contemporary Accounting." In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Innovation Management. 2011. Watts, R. L., Zimmerman, J. L. Towards a positive theory of the determination of accounting standards. Accounting review, (1978):112-134. Watts, Ross L., and Jerold L. Zimmerman. "Positive accounting theory: a ten year perspective." Accounting review (1990): 131-156. Watts, Ross L., and Jerold L. Zimmerman. "Positive accounting theory." (1986). Whittington, Geoffrey. "Fair value and the IASB/FASB conceptual framework project: an alternative view." In Accounting and Regulation, pp. 229-268. Springer New York, 2014. [1] Escaffre, Lionel, and Olivier Ramond. ("Toward an understanding of the IAS 39 derecognition principles: An application to the factoring transactions' reporting." In EUFIN Workshop on Accounting in Europe. 2007).pp. 67 [2] Gaffikin, Michael. ("The critique of accounting theory." Faculty of Commerce-Accounting Finance Working Papers (2006): 41).pp.34 [3] Qiong, He, and Du Jianjun. ("Research on Critical Issues in Contemporary Accounting." In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Innovation Management. 2011).pp. 57 [4] Watts, Ross L., and Jerold L. (Zimmerman. "Positive accounting theory." (1986).pp. 54 [5] Lynde, Russell DuBeau. ("The ethics of criticism: J. Hillis Miller and the metaphysics of reading." (2012).pp.65 [6] Kabir, Humayun. ("Positive accounting theory and science." Journal of Centrum Cathedra 3, no. 2 (2010): 136-149).pp. 140 [7] Watts, R. L., Zimmerman, J. L. (Towards a positive theory of the determination of accounting standards. Accounting review, 112-134. 1978).pp.120 [8] Hornby, D. Brock. ("Delegating Authority to the Community of Scholars." Duke Law Journal 1975, no. 2 (2010): 279-327).pp. 315 [9] Humphrey, Christopher, and Peter Miller. "Rethinking impact and redefining responsibility: (The parameters and coordinates of accounting and public management reforms." Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal 25, no. 2 (2012): 295-327).pp.300 [10] Gaffikin, Michael. ("Accounting research and theory: the age of neo-empiricism." Australasian Accounting Business Finance Journal 1, no. 1 (2007): 1).pp.56 [11] Watts, Ross L., and Jerold L. Zimmerman. ("Positive accounting theory: a ten year perspective." Accounting review (1990): 131-156).pp.52 [12] Whittington, Geoffrey. ("Fair value and the IASB/FASB conceptual framework project: an alternative view." In Accounting and Regulation, pp. 229-268. Springer New York, 2014).pp.240