Questionnaire

Age? 18

Sex? Female

What is your degree subject (both if joint)? Sociology and Philosophy

Does ‘Being Bad’ relate well to the other modules you are taking? Philosophy modules

If so, how? And if not, why not? I do Philosophy and its nature is to question different issues.

Have you found ‘Being Bad’ too demanding, too easy, or at an appropriate level? At an
appropriate level

Do you think the list of topics covered on the module was appropriate? Yes

Are there any topics not included in the module that you would like to see included? No, as you could include your own in the blogs.

Do you think that the format for classes has worked well? Yes

What did you think of the module team? Very interesting as new lecturer every week

Do you think it would have been better to have had more:
Small group discussions? Definitely

Discussion and debate among the class as a whole? We did this every week.

Information and talk from lecturers? Had enough information from lecturers

The approach taken in the module is interdisciplinary (drawing on perspectives from English Literature, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Media Studies and Politics): do you think this a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module? Yes, it didn't limit people, drew on other perspectives.

Do you think that interdisciplinary modules are a good idea? Yes

Do you think you have benefited from the interdisciplinary approach taken in the module? Yes

Would you like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter? Yes

Are you planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn’t Be Allowed’ at level 2?
I think so

Would you recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend? Definitely

Do you think that the blogs (web logs) were a good idea?
Defiantly, allows discussion and to put opinions you didn't manage to say in lecture!

What did you think of the other assessments (e.g. would it be better to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones?)? No, it was fine how it was

What have you learned from the module? I've learnt a lot included my own opinions i never new i had through the blogs.

What parts of the module have you found most useful and why? The blogs

What parts do you think were a waste of time and why? None

Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding ‘Being Bad’? Should be more lenient with heading for stories and titles etc.

Comment 5 - xxxxnishaxxxx.blogspot.com (Anisha)

Anisha's blog:

"Body Modification is about changing the body from its natural state. People choose to modify their body for various reasons for example to look nice, religious reasons, fashion etc. I would not have linked body modification with religion but as I have learnt, body modification can be a part of a person's religion for example, circumcision. I related body modification to changing the body for example tattoo's and piercing and as I have learnt there is more to it. Plastic surgery can also be apart of body modification because you may be changing what you have. People choose to modify their body for a various reasons, however sometimes it can cause infections which can also lead to death. People who choose to modify their body may sometimes be forced or it may be their own choice. Modifying the body like tattoo's can look nice but can be painful also. It should be a individuals choice if they want to change their body, as they should be aware of the risks involved."

My comment:

Although, I agree with some of what you point out I think that people who do not like themselves etc should just resort to body modification they should try on work on loving themselves. Is this a weak point of body modifications such as piecing as it creates a false happiness when happiness should first come from within? You say people should have a chose but do think there should be an age restriction to that? I don't think people have body modifications just to look nice but has a much larger statement to make. Some people go 'over the top' with modifications to put a middle finger up to mainstream society especially to those Barbie and Ken wannabes. People also have body modifications without chose for instance circumcision is practiced in Islam and Judaism.

Comment 4 - www.gorillabull.blogspot.com
(Kartik Joshi)

Kartik Joshi's blog:

"From action man to action games and from action in cartoons to action packed films. The media has definitely added to the contribution of kids and teenagers living 'action packed' lives. Kids nowadays act a lot more grown up then what the previous generations have done and their are strikingly shocking correlations between how technology influences our society to how the future generations are turning out. It is often difficult to find a culprit for this rise in adolescent violence. As much as parents would like to blame the games industry for providing such violent games the games industry would much prefer if the blame went on to the parenting. As the games are coded with age restrictions but some parents don't seem to adhere to them. Or moreover maybe its the case that kids are more persuasive and parents are a lot more lenient."

My comment:

I completely agree with you as I made similar comments on my gun crime blog, however, it's not fair to say that parents are being lenient as it's almost impossible to adhere to age restrictions because of the point you made earlier 'kids nowadays act a lot more grown up', and this is not just because of video games but music and fashion industries which portray it to be 'cool'. Parents are humans to and drawn in by this. This is the aim of the media, to use parents are a scapegoat! In my opinion, its parents buy them violent video game (which is just seen as normal, parents don't really know, its different generation) - kids are stubborn if they want something they will try anything even stealing- or its they run wild on the streets smoking 'pot' and drinking alcohol (not to say all kids do).

Many games i.e. Nintendo DS have been proven to improve concentration amongst youngsters...so it has its up points! I think films has a much higher correlation, remember Jon Venables and Robert Thompson who murder James Bulger after watching Child's Play?

Comment 3 - www.heebswithwings.blogspot.com (Habiba Rasool)

Habiba's blog on 'CIA MIND CONTROL' (Drugs):

"The CIA mind control and chemical interrogation research program, run by the office of scientific intelligence, that began in the early 1950s and continued through the late 1960s suggests that the project involved surreptitius use of many types of drugs as well as other methods such as to manipulate indibidual mental states and to alter brain fucnctions. the project itself was baught forward to the public in 1975. however the CIA Mk-Ultra-type experiments have been abondanded. i personnaly feel that the CIA mind control was a way to minuplate people, therefore people became addicted with the chemicals and since this day many people find it hard to let go of these chemicals."

My comment:

I don't think that the CIA's MK ULTRA experiments are not abandoned since they have been known to deny the allegations before, making all us 'stupid' people believe that they have not been experiments since the 1960's when the have been accused for putting drugs in run-down predominately black areas such as Harlem. However, I agree on your point that people who have survived from these extreme mind control manipulations will determine the next generation future i.e. if they born with birth deficiencies and 'crack babies' etc.

Merry Prankster Len Kesey (author of One flew over Cuckoos) volunteered for the experiment. Who on earth with the right mind do that? He promoted drugs and substantially invented the hippie culture! Even the hippie culture may have been 'invented' to control the masses as a new 'cool' subculture, different from the rest of society, but essentially to map out people 'fate' or 'destiny'. People never really question the origins of cultures. Maybe the hippie culture was invented to distract people of the immoral things the government were doing in their participate with the 'secret society'. Maybe the 'urban' culture is intentionally updated replacement of the hippie culture by the media? Big icons like Jay-z are known all over the Internet to be involved with plans of the secret society to corrupt the youth. Or maybe I'm just gullible!

Lying with Integrity

This was an interesting debate. I realised just how much people lie day to day, whether its a little 'white lie' to your boss' at work or denying something at the cop shop. There was even debate about whether people lie or deceive themselves, especially with the mass consumption of make-up. Do people lie to themselves my wearing make-up and think that they look attractive?

More seriously, people may lie foe a number of reasons; to protect people, they may need to tell a lie in order to save someones life etc. But does this make it right? Should politicians lie about the truth? The truth is people lie to manipulate others, to either avoid a particular reaction i.e. anger or gain a reaction i.e. pleasure or even both. For example, a man might look at porn without telling his wife as in the article provided below, to avoid anger and judgement from his wife. Some people thrive for the impulse they get from things like cheating because they get addicted to the 'rush' or adrenaline. I personally think people should avoid lying as much as they can. It is difficult not to tell your parents or family little white lies now and again, especially where cultural constraints are involved.

http://www.medicalpoint.com.au/why-do-people-lie.asp

Comment 2 - http://nemo040589.blogspot.com (Nealofer Abier)

Nealofers blog:

"Most of us tend to enjoy lisenting to comedians who can be a bit mean sometimes.Humour and comedy is a mixture of real life experiences of urself and other people.Although racist or sexist comments are a very serious issues when it comes to comedy these are the topics that people enjoy.I think because it gives us chance to speak about these things lightly and without the fear of anyone taking it personally."

My comment:

I totally agree with you! Comedy has an element of truth, which is why people are appreciate so much. For this reason I can also see why people might not like certain comedies as it can appear racist or sexist...but maybe they should get a sense of humour since the art of comedy is to lighten real issues in society so that people aren't so uptight when taboo issues are brought up.

Suicide

Many people generally consider suicide as 'bad' however some may think that we have so many chooses in life; Isn't one of them the decision to live? It is found that 'women are three times more likely to attempt suicide, but more men are successful in their attempts, as they're more likely to use a method with a greater potential to kill'.

People commit suicide for many different reason...some of them we may not even be able to comprehend. If they can not cope with life's struggles, to much stress to deal with or even if they are getting bullied not just children but adults may resort to suicide. We can't really judge another persons situation and their perspective on it. It just a valid as ours when though philosophically or religious it may be false.

Suicide is something very person like masturbation! Although at the same time I think that people should (in an ideal world) be the absolute last resort i.e. if there was an immediate decision to make; either they burn alive in a trapped building or they jump out the window.

Personally, I believe suicide is a very selfish act. Just because we humans have the ability to think about certain things like contemplating suicide does it mean we should do it? Everyone has there ups and downs in life and as most of us have learnt to 'deal with it'. There plenty of help available and people to talk to whether that's a councillor or people in the same situations. Not only do they affect their souls (in Hinduism they believe that once some commits suicide they will reincarnate seven times ending their life in this way!) they are also 'most importantly' hurting their friends, family and people that just knew them.

Check this information on suicide out!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/suicide1.shtml

Comment 1 - Rachel Simmond's Blog: http://peshwarisimmonds.blogspot.com/

In response to:

"I think todays 'Gangsters' are held in high esteem by some younger members of the public.The 'Bad Boy' image is something they can latch onto to make themselves look hard,but these gangsters usually have dodgy backgrounds-look at Tupac Shukur,he was jailed for a serious sexual assault but that doesn't tend to get mentioned when the record company is releasing his twentieth posthumous album!!"

My comment:

I agree on your point in regards to young people putting 'gangsters' on a pedestal and imitating the 'bad boy' image but I disagree with the point you make about Tupac Shakur. It was newspapers etc which promoted that he sodomised the woman, however the court even stated they had no evidence that he sexual assaulted the woman but instead there was more evidence that he didn't! There was 'no proof of semen, no bruises on the 'victim', no finger prints on the gun and no gang'. The police force tried to blame him for anything they could - don't forget racism was not fully gone. He was a strong figure in the black community and this was strengthened by the fact that his mother Afeni was a co-leader of the Black Panther Movement; even she was given 300 years (life) in prison where she carried her soon Tupac before advocating herself in court and being freed. Tupac never claimed to be a gangster, he just fought for what he believed in - fought against racism, sexism etc. So why would he go against everything he and his ancestors have ever believed in? Is it not strange that when they couldn't prove him to have sexually assaulted the woman he was shot 5 times the next day, claiming it was West coast vs. East coast gang rivalry? There was obviously a bigger force that wanted to get rid of him? Maybe it's because he made songs against the government and stuck up for the poor, giving then hope, strength and influence to fight back?

Most bandits refuse to answer questions but Tupac answered every question he was faced with openly, even when he had no prospects left. It is easy to latch on to what the media present as the truth...Perhaps a better example of a gangster would 50 cent, like many other commercial rappers, he glamorises guns, misogyny and drugs and youngsters hold them in high esteem.

Here's a 11 minute link. Its part of a longer program called the 'Illuminati project' but this one focuses on Tupac Shakur in particular.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W49An2ryPZw