Bad Driving Blog.

Bad Driving.
Why is it that women are always blamed for bad driving by men, when we actually get cheaper car insurance as we proven to be safer drivers? Bad driving isn't necessarily about joy riding or people going while on the road, my friend is such a bad driver that every time my son gets in the car with her, we have to pull over as he feels sick! If someone knows they are that bad at driving, why not do something about it? Just because a piece of paper in your hand says you can drive, doesn't mean you are good at it! For more on this see; http://aint-gonna-take-it.blogspot.com/2008/06/ok-so-gadfly-has-been-off-line-for-few.html

Comments;

http://bjmbeingbad.blogspot.com/
Binge Britain.
I feel exactly the same as you Briony. I come to uni during the week, my friends either do the same or work, so on a weekend we out (or stay in) and have a drink together. We enjoy ourselves and don't cause any trouble, (not too often anyway) and I feel the term is scare mongering.
Homophobia.
Yes isn't it shocking that section 28 prevented anything that 'promoted homosexuality' from being shown in schools. Sadly the legacy of this legislation remains. When filming for my documentary 'Escape Homophobia' teachers would not talk on camera for us in fear of prejudice in their jobs. I just hope that the works by Stonewall and the new film FIT goes towards eradicating homophobia.
http://clairemcareebeingbad.blogspot.com/
Porn.
I loved your porn blog, how funny! I must say I have never been 'caught' watching porn either. One thing I do hate is when porn that is supposedly 'lesbian porn' is blatantly aimed at men! I wont go into too much detail but we don't like to suck! So why 'lesbians' in porn seem to enjoy sucking plastic is beyond me! And as for porn addicts...well, they are just w*nk*rs!
Football.
I went to see the tribute to the disaster at the Liverpool ground. It was a very moving experience. It all seems such a waste of life, such a tragic thing to happen and all to watch a game of football! Your blog goes into a lot of detail and the subject is obviously something which touched you and this really shows through in your blog.
http://random-speculations.blogspot.com/
Outlaws and Bandits.
I liked your blog despite the Tory joke (true blue speaking). I also found the aspect of the lecture about Robin Hood stealing from the poor to give to poor unbelievable! It sort of shatters part of what you always knew as a child. Truth is, humans have always been out for themselves and their own agendas, why would outlaws be any different?
Shoplifting.
I agree with the start of your blog which basically starts of your blog which basically states that anyone can shoplift, but I have to say, I don't know how anyone could blame peer pressure for shoplifting! Or the idea of people stealing from a store because they don't like it. Surely you just wouldn't go there???
http://kimsblog-x.blogspot.com/
Prostitution.
I am really not surprised that so many of the women involved in prostitution have been raped and are victims of abuse. It seems that people who slip into this way of life lay themselves in the hands of others. Most of the time, sadly this is all due to drug dependency. A recent t.v documentary showed the story of the Ipswich Murders and it went into this in some depth.
Infidelity.
I think you have taken a very judgemental views on cheating. Sometimes it just happens! You can still be in love with your partner and things happen that you never intend to. This doesn't however mean that the relationship is doomed to failure from there on out. Relationships can recover from such an event!

ASBO Blog.

ASBO

Asbo kids always seem to be in the press and it seems like a status symbol for many of the young kids that these are handed out to, as the picture shows;

But what about when it's not the kids getting them? The restrictions imposed by these new tools of the law are not exclusively for children. I know a woman who was having a 50th birthday party and was threatened with one of the orders for playing music too loudly during her garden party. It's not just load music and obnoxious language that gets these awards handed out either. A married couple were separated and the woman given an Asbo for their loud sex romps. Sorry but how imposing can it get? For the full story check out this link; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7494294/Neighbour-with-sex-Asbo-arrested-for-noisy-sessions.html

Booze Britain Blog.

Booze Britain.

I know there are some wonderful pictures that I could have taken from the web for this subject but I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to present one from my own collection (ewww). Some of the issues addressed during this lecture was quite interesting. The idea of alcohol being consumed instead of water during times of poor sanitation appealed to me. I feel the need to start some vigil anti group who destroy our water supplies in order to acquire free alcohol.

One point that did take my interest was the defence in treatment of men and women when it comes to alcohol. It is very true that there are differences. It is demonstrated in this article which focuses on the behaviour of women when drunk! http://www.mirror.co.uk/life-style/sex-health/2009/04/07/booze-britain-how-cheap-alcohol-is-turning-our-girls-into-drunken-hooligans-115875-21259206/

Graffiti Blog.

Graffiti.

Art or Shart? Graffiti is a much debated subject. When looking at the some of the pieces of art that are created by graffiti artists for this blog, it is hard to imagine how graffiti could be seen as anything but an art form. The problem rises from the places that this work is displayed, i.e private property which is in face being defaced and vandalized. The government have tried schemes in some areas, providing large boards in certain area, specifically for graffiti. But part of the thrill seems to come from 'tagging' the most dangerous of places. A 'tag' is left by the artist, something which assigns the work to them but is also anonymous to the authorities.

http://www.graffiti.org/ this web site shows some of the events and gatherings set up for people involved in the art form.

Nasty Comedians Blog.

Nasty Comedians.
When I read that we would be covering 'bad comedians' my instant thought was 'Roy "Chubby" Brown'. My heart sank as I pictured sitting in a huge lecture room having to watch clips of his so called 'humour'. I had the unfortunate experience of once going to see him live. It was on a family holiday and my step mum who loves the 'comedian' wanted to see him. I think I endured about ten minutes before walking out accompanied by my dad. I thought he was simply obnoxious. I'm not stuck up or uptight, I just do not see what is funny about a sweaty, obese man walking up and down a stage dressed like a jester on e's, swearing and shouting racist, sexist and just about any other 'ist' "jokes" you can think of. It was not an enjoyable experience. (Just incase you haven't experienced him; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj43fgBrbQY but be warned, he's vile! Don't bother if you're just about anybody and offend easily) Pauls lecture however differed to my expectations. It showed me how jokes and stereotypes are inground into all cultures, and was topped off with a great clip from Chris Rock.

Body Modification Blog.

Body Modification.
So, today was the day that Claire and I got to show off our tattoos and piercings. I had done a lot of research into tattooing for my essay and thought I already knew a lot about body modification but this lecture put a whole new slant on my thoughts. When the lecturer spoke about the tribes whose cultures and traditions are centred around the tattoos and other body mods that they have it opened my eyes to an ancient history that I had never before thought about. People from other cultures (such as the mowri tribe) feel so passionately about their facial tattoos that they are willing to kill in order to uphold their integrity.
My argument in my written piece on this subject was that tattoos are becoming more socially acceptable now due to many reasons, one being the hit t.v documentary style shows, Miami, L.A and London Ink. In her book on her life and the series, Kat Von D talks about the modern history of tattooing, about the change in recent years. She touches briefly upon the sentimental reasons that people have tattoos. One story which always stayed in my mind was that of the mother of Haylee Mazzella. This video shows the personal story behind her tattoo; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9UfyKVWrnY
There are more pictures of Kat Von D's work at http://www.katvond.net/tattoos.html

Gambling Blog

Gambling.

Wow did I type the wrong word into my search engine. I guess I wasn't completely switched on when did a google search for 'gambling', but my computer certainly was, it offered 38500,000 results, the majority of which were flashing slogans and prizes and at me, telling me I had already won if I just clicked here...hmmm easy to see how people manage to get carried away on online gambling resources. Below all of these were organisations to help addicts, such as www.gamcare.org.uk. I narrowed my search using various means and came across popular documentary maker, Louis Theroux's piece on Las Vegas. I decided to take a look at this for inspiration and found out some amazing information. Louis looks at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas and discovers that the 15,000 sq ft apartment is available free of charge with complements to top gamblers!!! The room was amazing and is thought to be the biggest in north America. Freebies were however not exclusive to the top gamblers. Regular gamblers were taking full advantage of the free drinks available straight to your machine/table. Many 'sayings' were flung loosely around during the 1hour show, "Just bring what you can afford to lose." "If you can't afford it, don't do it," "I'm not addicted, I just enjoy it," but despite enjoyment being the main reason for most peoples trips, not many people seemed to enjoy being down on there luck and later admitted, "Gamblers never stop" and one man commented "They got the best of me, it's hard to get off the tables" after just loosing £24,000 in as many hours.

It seems that as with many addictions, gamblers seem to say that they do it because they enjoy it and they could stop if they wanted to. I remember being a child and playing the 2p machines in Blackpool...the rush you get when you win a handful of coins makes you put it all back in, desperate for more. In the end though, it seems that the only winners are the casino, arcade, bookmakers and web site owners, who organise the gambling in the first place.

Abortion Blog

Abortion.

Once again I come to write a blog on a 'being bad' topic and the main arguments against the action seem to stem from religion. Religious belief and morality seem to merge in our society creating an in-built taboo and bad feeling towards certain things without much prior knowledge on the subject at all. Personally, I always thought abortion was 'bad' and never really considered why, but my opinion was drastically altered due to experience. When I was eight months pregnant, perfectly happy and looking forward to the birth of my baby, someone very close to me approached me and told me that they were pregnant. I knew this person had recently split up with their partner and had a toddler already and no where to live. This was a bad situation for her them already, and another baby would have turned their lives upside down. It was very early in the pregnancy and this person wanted to terminate. I remember sitting in the clinic waiting for this person to come out...looking around there was a girl who barely looked like a teen waiting to go in, a couple who were very close waiting and another young girl and her friend. It struck me then that these people were not being cruel and 'killing a baby' it was just the wrong time for them and they had made an informed decision. So why are some people so against abortion?

Pro life believers view the moment of conception as the beginning of a new life

Pro Choice believers see that the fetus is completely dependant upon the mother until the moment of its first breath.

As my picture shows, the matter is so heavily debated because it involves us actually having life in our hands. I think every situation is different but the system we have in this country is right. Women should be told facts! The risks, with statistics, but also the support available if they choose to keep their baby. An informed decision can then be made by the person that will be most affected by it!

While researching this blog, I came across a website that is supposedly set up to help young pregnant girls. It cropped up with every search that I did so I had a look and read some of the stories. I was actually disgusted at it. Have a look and see what you think, but to me it seems like a very pressuring site that is so pro-life under a guise of 'wanting to help'. The girls looking at these sites are very vulnerable and seeing things like this could probably really mess with their heads! I had to post it as my link; www.standupgirl.com see what you think.

Infidelity Blog

Infidelity.

Tell the truth...how many of you felt a little uncomfortable during this lecture? (Claire aside) I bet most people in that room have cheated at some point. I know this isn't the greatest advert for myself, but I can honestly say that I've never been completely faithful in any of my relationships! There is no excuse, and I know it's crap...but still. You can't deny the rush!

One thing that did annoy me slightly about the lecture was how focused it was on heterosexual relationships! One was even, 'men and women must be just as bad as each other as it takes a man AND a woman to cheat!' HELLO!!!!!! Any gay person will tell you that 'the scene' is the worst place in the world for cheating (I am living evidence!) and that's also why I had to include this picture.
I has to include this link as I think it's hilarious, you just have to take a look. http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.spygadgets.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/infidelity-test-kit.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.spygadgets.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc%3FStore_Code%3D1%26Screen%3DPROD%26Product_Code%3DCHECKMATE&usg=__1fM56bk_DZ_8weLEyIIoNO-8uTw=&h=301&w=350&sz=41&hl=en&start=14&itbs=1&tbnid=GgoYwCPit4-XpM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dinfidelity%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1

Outlaws and Bandits Blog

Outlaws and Bandits

So we started off talking about a literary legend that most of us would have grown up knowing well. Among other memories one thing about Robin Hood that stands out from my child hood was the fact that "Everything I do" from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves was number one for 16 weeks! How can we forget that? We quickly moved on from that however, briefly touching upon other famous Outlaws such as Bonnie and Clyde before settling on Jesse James. I think the thing that struck a major cord in my mind was the information about the economic circumstances that seem to breed Outlaws and Bandits. It seemed to be the exact kind of climate we are currently experiencing in this country at the moment. Not meaning to make any of you nervous but...watch this space!

I think the strange obsession we have with Outlaws and Bandits is exposed by websites such as this one; http://www.blacksheepancestors.com/uk/blacksheep.shtml which allows you to search your own family history for any ex-cons which may be lerking in your ancestoral closets. Strange!

Drugs Blog

Drugs

I thought the ideas that we discussed during this lecture were great. The quotes at the beginning about our bodies constantly inhaling substances that alter our state gave pause for thought and I think we all got very involved when it came to whether or not some drugs should legalized. It just so happened that in the news, some of the points we discussed came up as a new drug with the street name 'meow' has come to light after causing 3 deaths in a week. The drug which is actually legally sold as a plant feed is completely untested and very little is actually known about the affects it has when consumed by humans. The argument that was posed in the news was; how can we ban a drug and make it class a, when we know nothing about it? On the flip side, how can we leave this drug to be bought legally when it has already caused 3 known deaths? What do you think?

Below is a link to a web page that has some interesting stories regarding drug use in America.

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.houstoncriminallawjournal.com/uploads/image/drugs2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.houstoncriminallawjournal.com/articles/drug-possession/&usg=__mS7ix_MQRkrYb0GLKy__M1sbnZo=&h=315&w=450&sz=19&hl=en&start=1&itbs=1&tbnid=WZL6BnV04Zg2eM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddrugs%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1

Bad Cinema

Bad Cinema.

The film 'Kids' by Larry Clark was viewed for our, so called 'bad cinema'. Kids is a film that I have seen before when I was a young teen. It was being shown on television, and after watching the start whilst flicking through the channels in the early hours, I was hooked and ended up watching the entire film. It was something which stayed with me for a few weeks and kept cropping back up in my mind. I don't think however that it was because of the under age sex, or the violence, or for any of the reasons that the hype around the film exists, it was the irony that did it for me. Not only is the girl who has only had sex once the one who ends up contracting HIV, but she ends up being just minutes too late to save an even younger girl from the same fate, and it's all due to Telly, a character who is so easy to hate! Not only because of his character but because the actor (Leo Fitzpatrick) just had one of those faces you would love to slap.

After learning of all the controversy surrounding the film and watching it again, I honestly can't see what all the fuss is about. It is what being a teen is like and the people I sat with at the cinema agreed. Perhaps it's just the fact that this faced up to the reality of what actually goes on for the first time in cinema.

When thinking of films that 'Kids' reminded me of, I thought of 'Bully' and was surprised to discover that this was also a 'Larry Clark' film. Other titles that are similar to kids that I have watched are 'Kidulthood' and 'Adulthood' by Noel Clarke (maybe it's a Clark(e) thing!) which address real issues faced by teens.

Interview with Larry Clark; http://www.harmony-korine.com/paper/int/lc/commotion.html

Masturbation

Masturbation.

Let's be honest, this was the lecture we were all looking forward to the most in this module. We all giggled about it amongst friends and wondered what would be covered but in actuality (once the laughs at the comical nick names there are for masturbating were out of the way) the history of why the subject is so taboo, turned out to be very intriguing. How can one topic evoke so many mixed emotions and differing views when in actuality, we all do it!

It seems (as with many topics) that the majority of 'bad press' with regards to masturbation stems from religion and religious beliefs. As demonstrated by my picture, (link below) Christianity takes the stance that masturbation is a form of adultery (???) (maybe its just me, but aren't you only cheating yourself if you don't?) I also looked into female genital mutilation which is often done on religious grounds. Girls are thought to be calmer, smarter, taller, cleaner and more beautiful if they are circumcised (which involves the removal of the clitoris, often without anesthetic). I have included a link to a documentary on this subject below but it's not comfortable viewing so be prepared.
Picture from; http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://proudatheists.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/hand-copy.jpg&imgrefurl=http://proudatheists.wordpress.com/2009/01/31/is-masturbation-a-sin-too/&usg=__Dxi8SVphst0dSmQjnWEQ0D2TT1k=&h=471&w=400&sz=195&hl=en&start=185&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=st292GXaONBTDM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmasturbation%26start%3D168%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4SUNC_enGB363GB365%26ndsp%3D21%26tbs%3Disch:1

Documentary; http://www.thecutdocumentary.org/

Telling Lies.

Telling Lies.

During our lecture on lying with integrity, the question was raised; is lying an important part of human nature? In short my answer to this would be most definitely yes! No one ever teaches you to lie, yet we can all do it, as it is a skill that has been acquired for survival. If you think about any conversation you have had this week, some part of it will based around lies. Even something as simple as someones reaction to what they have been told has to be judged as we are suspicious by nature. we gage what people are really thinking and feeling and deem these judgements as more truthful than anything we are told. Would conversation exist at all if everything told was truth? I don't think there would be much substance to conversation at all if it wasn't based upon 'the art and science of lie detection.' All in depth conversations are analytical in style, and what could we analyse if everything we ever heard was out and out truth? Everything is exaggerated, or expanded or glorified, and we converse to find out what we believe to be true. I understand that this all sound very philosophical, but I don't mean to be, it's just that I've never really given lying much thought and when I did, it all seemed very simple to me.

So when does lying become a problem? This website looks at medical problems assosiated with lying, http://www.mental-health-matters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=89

Shop Lifting Blog

Shop Lifting.

As with some of the other subjects covered by this module, shoplifting and theft come under the restrictions of the ten commandments; thou shall not steal. Christianity is however not the only religion which looks down upon stealing. In most religious guidelines it is frowned upon, and in some countries is punishable by the loss of fingers! If you've ever been a victim of theft, you would probably agree with this punishment at the time, but after calming down I think most can see that this is a little extreme to say the least.

I was however surprised in the lecture to see that so many people were willing to admit to having stolen something in their lives. The question raised that made me think the most was is shop lifting different to any other kind of theft? To which my judgement was yes. Larger stores will have provisions for shop lifting and although I still think it is wrong to steal no matter what the scenario, less people are affected by this form of theft than any other. It is not like mugging a little old lady in the street, or breaking into someones home. The personal and social affects of these types of theft are much more prevalent. This story tells of one such case; http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-15140304-pensioner-fights-for-life-after-mugging.do

Prostitution Blog

Prostitution.

Why as a society do we view prostitution as bad? If an exchange of a service for money takes place between two consenting adults and no one gets hurt, why should it be such a taboo? The truth is, the 'bad' aspect of prostitution comes from the things that it entails, not the act itself. Prostitution is linked to drug use, STD's, abuse and murder. We hear about severe cases in the media regarding these and our minds tarnish the 'profession'. In Amsterdam where prostitution has been legalized, things seem much more positive. Areas of the city are designated establishments to promote prostitution safely, so violent crime is much less common and if people don't want to see it, they just don't go there. Protection is compulsory and readily available in the establishments and employees are required to undergo regular STD and drugs testing thus reducing other risks. These factors help to take the taboo out of the subject as the 'bad' elements are removed.

Prostitution combines the two basic human desires, the desire to live and to procreate. Although procreation is not usually a result of prostitution, the desire for sexual pleasure stems from this and the workers desire for money to live on drives them (and I'm sure you've all heard the phrase 'sleeping your way to the top'). It is a subject which has been around as far back as the history books go. In ancient Rome the festival of Floria introduced around 238B.C was associated with prostitution.

'When Flora, through the practise of prostitution, had come into great wealth, she made the people her heir, and bequeathed a certain fund, the income of which was to be used to celebrate her birthday by the exhibition of games they call the Floria' (Insit. Divin. xx, 6)

Although we cover the topic of prostitution in a module entitled 'Being Bad' do you really think it is all that bad? Could our distaste for the subject be based purely upon doctrine, and what we have been lead to believe by our society?

Sites used; http://www.bayswan.org/ http://prostitution.procon.org/viewresource.asp?resourceID=000115 http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_prostitutionnotes.htm

Stalking Blog

Stalking.

When does a concerned interest in someones activities become stalking? Well I believe that it is a very fine line, but if you are going to extremes to find out things about another person or their actions, so much so that you wouldn't want them, or other people to know, you're stalking! These days it is much easier to find out what other people are doing when many choose to post their actions and whereabouts on websites such as facebook (http://www.facebook.com/) and twitter (http://www.twitter.com/). For a funny story reguarding this, follow this link; http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&ref=mb#!/photo.php?pid=3728593&id=311998897982&ref=nf

Some interesting questions that can be raised by stalking are, is a worried parent following their child stalking? Are we all stalked by Big Brother in today's society?

Homophobia Blog

Homophobia.

I am not going to say too much in this blog as I believe that the video explains why homophobic bullying is a form of 'bad' behaviour and also includes relevant statistics on the topic. Working with the charity Stonewall, (http://www.stonewall.org.uk/ )myself and Dani (other speaker in the video) made this video to use as part of a workshop which we have hosted in schools. The workshop aims to tackling homophobic bullying by showing the knock on effect it has on not only LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people, but on heterosexual people as well. Please comment on my wall as I can use all your feedback in my campaign. Thank you and enjoy.

Smoking Blog

Smoking.
Well, some of you may have seen this news report not so long ago. Police were looking into the case of the smoking baby. The picture was posted by a young mother on facebook and had later been reported to police. The picture evoked mixed feelings from 'friends' of the mother. Some people stating that she need not worry as she was a good mum, and others questioning what chance the child had in life with a mum like her. The question it raised in my mind was, why would you do this in the first place? The only possible reason I can think of is a cheap laugh! No one who is raising a child (sanely) wants anything but the best for them. Whether or not you are a smoker yourself, you never want your child to smoke. I smoke but hope my four year old son will develop a hate for it, rather than a love!

One topic which was addressed during the lecture was smoking while pregnant. I smoked before my pregnancy, completely quit during, and hated even the smell of smoke, only to start again shortly after giving birth. This was never a conscious decision, it just happened! If the situation arose again, I don't know if I'd choose to quit. My sister however chose to smoke throughout her pregnancy, but will not smoke around her son now that he is born! Strange.

You can't say people try smoking because of peer pressure or, people quit for health reasons. These comments are too general. I think smoking is a personal choice and is always based on circumstance.

(Photograph and story can be found at; www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1244351/Police-probe-baby-cigarette-photo-posted-Facebook.html )

Week 12

Week Twelve.

Well...I know this may be a bit extreme, but I think that in week twelve we should go on a field trip to the throbbing pulse of being bad! The city of XXX. No I'm not sending kisses, I'm talking about Amsterdam! Its only a short flight and after going late last year I commented on how it could be done in a day! There, many of the worlds wonders can be sampled legally within the vicinity of one street. We would be touching upon at least three of the subjects we have studied and how many more you look into on the day would be your choice! With a vast array of smoking and sex memorabilia, there would be gifts at hand to bring back, and with fascinating museums and shop windows, we would be sure not to get bored or miss an opportunity to learn something new.
And at risk of sounding like a travel agent; for more info please go to www.viator.com/amsterdam