Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Dubois Essay - 1170 Words

When it all comes down to it, one of the greatest intellectual battles U.S. history was the legendary disagreement between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. This intellectual debate sparked the interest of the Northerners as well as the racist whites that occupied the south. This debate was simply about how the blacks, who just gained freedom from slavery, should exist in America with the white majority. Even though Washington and DuBois stood on opposite sides of the fence they both agreed on one thing, that it was a time for a change in the treatment of African Americans. I chose his topic to write about because I strongly agree with both of the men’s ideas but there is some things about their views that I don’t agree with. Their†¦show more content†¦Washington was often looked at as an â€Å"Uncle Tom† because of the things he did, such as advising blacks to remain in the South and to avoid politics and protest in favor of economic self-help an d industrial education. He eventually became a powerful political boss, friend of white businessmen like Andrew Carnegie, and advisor of some presidents. Washington publicly accepted without protest racial segregation and voting discrimination, but secretly financed and directed many court suits against such proscriptions of civil rights. To Washington his ideas was obvious and clear, by earning the respect of whites they would either help blacks or deal with their crime against humanity that will eventually bring them down. To me it is obvious why many whites agreed with Washington and many blacks disagreed with him. I agree with Washington by not demanding our rights because making demands would be met with opposition and nothing will be done that is necessary to bring blacks up to the equality line. On the contrary, I disagree with the way that Washington believed that blacks should just ignore how whites treated us with violence then turn around and try to earn their respect. A frican Americans during this time wasn’t trying to hear this because just 3 years before his speech in Atlanta, 156 blacks were lynched in one year alone. To the blacks of that time, forgetting thatShow MoreRelatedBooker T Washington .vs. W.E.B Dubois1331 Words   |  6 PagesBooker T Washington and W.E.B Dubois offered different strategies for dealing with the problems of poverty and discriminations faced by Black Americans at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th Centuries. Using the documents and your knowledge of the period 1877-1915, assess the appropriateness of each of these strategies in the historical context in which each was developed. Kaamilyah Sabir In this time period, life was extremely hard for African Americans simply because they wereRead MoreBooker T. Washington vs W.E.B. DuBois Essay1390 Words   |  6 Pagesabout numerous similarities as well as differences between these two gentlemen. Their names are Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. But before I explain the differences between these two gentlemen, I will give you a more in depth background on each of them. This information that I will provide for you will give you a clearer thought on how they were raised and their beliefs. Booker T. Washington was born on the fifth of April in 1856, in Hale’s Ford, Virginia. Washington’s generation was theRead MoreBooker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Dubois Essay1189 Words   |  5 Pagesof the greatest intellectual battles U.S. history was the legendary disagreement between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. This intellectual debate sparked the interest of the Northerners as well as the racist whites that occupied the south. This debate was simply about how the blacks, who just gained freedom from slavery, should exist in America with the white majority. Even though Washington and DuBois stood on opposite sides of the fence they both agreed on one thing, that it was a time forRead MoreBooker T Washington And W. E. B. Dubois Persuasive Essay1326 Words   |  6 PagesPassive vs. Aggressive Fight for Rights There was no right to vote, no right to education, no freedom of speech or religion, no fair treatment by the law which means there was no equality. Even though these are rights and principles of the American Constitution, these did not apply to all races during the 19th and 20th centuries, especially African Americans. Even though these are rights that should apply to all people African Americans didn’t not apply to these laws, especially in the SouthernRead MoreBooker T. Washington vs W. E. B DuBois821 Words   |  3 PagesCleary ELA8H, period 7 11/12/13 Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B Dubois Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois were two famous African American leaders during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were both activists and wanted blacks to have an education; they also wanted to end discrimination towards blacks. These leaders both wrote great speeches which clearly specified what they thought was right for African Americans. Even though Washington and Dubois focused on the same social, politicalRead MoreBooker T Dubois Compare And Contrast Essay1110 Words   |  5 PagesCompromise vs. Conflict The stark differences between Booker T Washington and W.E.B. DuBois and their approaches to racism Do you believe that slow and steady wins the race, or that when talking about civil rights the sooner the better? Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois were two very influential people who fought for the rights of African Americans in the late 1880’s to early 1900’s. Although both men were fighting for the same thing, their views on how to approach equality and their personalRead MoreThe Clash Of Two Great Minds Essay1447 Words   |  6 PagesAlexander Hamilton vs Aaron Burr, Stalin vs. Trotsky Michelangelo vs. Da Vinci and of course Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B Du bois. Although both different ideologies, they were both trying to reach the same goal, equality. Although Washington was more economics based and Dubois was more ideology based they both wanted the same outcome, however Dubois approach seems more practical but both have successes and failures, and can be learned from today. The main argument of Booker T. Washington is that he wantedRead MoreBooker T. Washington Vs. Theu.s. B. Dubois : The Discussion Of Conformity910 Words   |  4 PagesBooker T. Washington vs W.E.B. Dubois: the discussion of conformity At the early turn of the 20th Century United States, there was a large debate about how the average American viewed African Americans or Negroes. As a result, white consensus geared toward putting Africans in a type of caste system, where they would consider below whites, women, and immigrants. By this point, most African Americans were just conforming to this way of life and did not seek to change this. While this occurred, manyRead MoreBooker T Washington Vs W. E. B De Dubois Essay1445 Words   |  6 PagesHow can two people that our similar but at the time have different ways of life come together to achieve the same goal?Imagine 30 years after slavery ended you because of the color of your skin are still being mistreated. During the time of Booker and W.E.B the Jim crow law was created to segregate blacks and whites. Because of the segregation blacks had their own society like community only dealing with each other. Blacks were separated from society, they had their own neigh borhoods buildings theyRead MoreA Comparison Of Booker T Washington And W. E. De Dubois1532 Words   |  7 PagesHow can two people that our similar but at the time have different ways of life come together to achieve the same goal?Imagine 30 years after slavery ended you because of the color of your skin are still being mistreated. During the time of Booker and W.E.B the Jim crow law was created to segregate blacks and whites. Because of the segregation blacks had their own society like community only dealing with each other. Blacks were separated from society, they had their own neighborhoods buildings they

Coming of Age in Mississippi vs. The Jungle Paper

Coming of Age in Mississippi vs. The Jungle Paper There is an argument that states that Anne Moodys tale in Coming of Age in Mississippi is a more optimistic tale then that of Jurgis Rutkis in The Jungle and vice versa. This is not the case. When you take the time to analyze both story, you come to find that both have the same pessimistic core. The only difference is the character Jurgis was optimist throughout most of the beginning despite his circumstances yet in the end he loses all hope while Anne throughout was a realist who was determined to succeed. I feel that Anne Moody story is a blunt open description of how hard live was for Blacks. Anne never minced words when it came to the events that took place in her life; a lot†¦show more content†¦She was determined to seek out equality. These realities started when she became aware of the differences in how Blacks are treated with in their race how light skinned were treated better than dark skinned. Raymond was going with a yellow woman at the same time he was going with Mama. All of his people wanted him to marry her. They didnt want him to marry Mama, who wasnt yellow and who was stuck with the three of us. This type of racism is prevalent in the south during the pre Civil Rights period. Ms. Moody learns how badly White People can treat Black by the death of Emmit Till. When faced with the facts of Moodys life, it is not hard to figure out where the inspiration and optimism comes in to play. A person can find hope when thinking about the dedication and diligence she took in being a good student from elementary through high school. The optimism comes from looking at how she scrapes together the money it took to go to college. Even though she might have grown up with a hard life, she fought for different ways to better it. Her diligence to have a better life is best described by her commitment to the Civil Rights movement. She was willing to go the distance to get the equal rights she felt was owed to her. Look at how Moody kept pressing to get blacks in Mississippi to register to vote. At the time, little more the 5% of African Americans in Mississippi were registered voters. This is in large partShow MoreRelatedAmerican History Eoc Study Guide5327 Words   |  22 Pagessame product. (pg. 468) 6) Armor Swift Meatpackers: Armor and Swift owned the two largest meat packaging plants during the cattle boom in Chicago. Armor was the first to can meat and Swift invented the refrigerated boxcar. 7) New Immigrants vs. Old Immigrants: New immigrants came from South and East Europe countries like Italy and Greece. They did not speak English and were Catholics, Jews, and Orthodoxies. Old immigrants came from North and West European countries like England and IrelandRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 PagesEdition Jones−George Driving Shareholder Value Morin−Jarrell Leadership, Fifth Edition Hughes−Ginnett−Curphy The Art of M A: Merger/Acquisitions/Buyout Guide, Third Edition Reed−Lajoux and others . . . This book was printed on recycled paper. Management http://www.mhhe.com/primis/online/ Copyright  ©2005 by The McGraw−Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publicationRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pages.............................................................................. 299 CHAPTER 10 Deductive Reasoning .......................................................................................... 312 x Implying with Certainty vs. with Probability ................................................................................ 312 Distinguishing Deduction from Induction ..................................................................................... 319 Review of MajorRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 Pagesor all caps. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Managing information technology / Carol V. Brown . . . [et al.]. — 7th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-214632-6 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-13-214632-0 (alk. paper) 1. Management information systems. I. Brown, Carol V. (Carol Vanderbilt), 1945T58.6.M3568 2012 658.4038011—dc22 2010048598 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN 10: 0-13-214632-0 ISBN 13: 978-0-13-214632-6 BRIEF CONTENTS ChapterRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 Pages11.4 Risk assessment 11.5 Risk responses (.2–.1.2) 11.6 Risk register 7.1.2.5 PERT analysis 7.1.2.6.3 Contingency reserves 7.3.3.4 Change control management G.7 Culture awareness 1.4.4 Project offices 8.1.2 Continuous improvement 5.1 Requirements vs. actual [5.3] Chapter 17 Agile PM 6.1.2.2 Rolling wave This page intentionally left blank Project Management The Managerial Process The McGraw-Hill/Irwin Series Operations and Decision Sciences OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Beckman

Regulatory Framework Faced by Mcdonald-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Evaluate the regulatory framework face by McDonald's in Australia. Answer: Introduction Multinational companies which operate their business in more than one country have to comply with various international requirements to ensure that firms are ethically operating their business. The governments provide regulatory frameworks that are necessary to comply by the international firm to operate their business efficiently. Treaties are the agreement between two or more nations to improve trading relationship by providing tax exemption or grant to the multinational firms. The treaties can affect a companys business in both negative and positive way; organisations have to analyse them to ensure they are able to take advantage of various expansions. This essay will evaluate the regulatory framework face by McDonald's in Australia and evaluate various laws apply by the company. Further, the essay will examine various treaties between Australia and other countries that influence the business of McDonalds. McDonalds McDonalds incorporation is an American multinational company which was founded in 1940; the company has a positive brand reputation which helps it becoming one of the most prominent corporations in Australia (McDonalds, 2017). McDonalds is known for their high-quality food and fast checkout services that expand the business of firm globally. The corporation offers various services to its customers in Australia such as online ordering, cashless transactions, drive-thru and others. In 2016, the corporation generated revenue of US$24.622 billion from their worldwide operations (McDonalds, 2016). In Australia, McDonalds is known as Maccas, and the company also embrace its nickname by changing its sign as Maccas for Australian day (Wang, 2013). McDonald's expanded its business by franchising its brand and giving local small business a chance to own McDonalds brand restaurant. The firm started its operations in Australia in 1971, and the established its first restaurant in Sydney suburb of Yagoona (McDonalds, 2017). The corporations have a reputation for offering affordable, fast food with high-quality ingredients and excellent services; the company maintains a level of similarity in their restaurants, so its customers feel familiar with their services throughout the world. Industry McDonald's operates in the restaurant industry, and it provides fast food services to its customers; it is situated in more than 120 countries and serves more than 68 million customers each day from more than 35 thousand locations. The corporation is situated throughout Australia in more than 869 locations, and it serves more than 1.7 million customers each day. The firms contribution to the Australian economy is equivalent to 0.2 percent of its GDP (McDonalds, 2012). Number of Employees The corporation has more than 375,000 employees worldwide, who perform dedicatedly to satisfy the requirement of its customers and provide them high-quality services. McDonald's has more than 90 thousand employees in Australia which are equal to 7 percent of the total working population in Australia in restaurant, food, and caf service industry. The firm works along with 9 thousand suppliers that provide them food material; it also has 258 franchises in Australia. In terms of global employment, the company is a second largest employer in the private sector, right after Wal-Mart (McCarthy, 2015). Location of Global Headquarters McDonalds global headquarters is situated in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States; the main head office is responsible for managing its franchise, offers, and other food-related services. It is expected that company will move its head office to Chicago (Garfield, 2017) Regulatory Framework Being a multinational corporation, McDonalds is required to comply with various regulatory frameworks provided by the government in different countries. These frameworks ensure that company is ethically performing its duties. Following are examples of regulatory frameworks that apply to the operations of McDonald's. Corporate Tax: In Australia, the companies are subject to a corporate tax of 30 percent on its profits before distributing them to the shareholders (Australia Taxation Office, 2017). McDonald's pay the amount of tax on the profit it generates from its Australian operations. The tax contributes to the economy of Australia and government use it to increase the facilities of people. The corporation tax is favorable for the Australian government, but it has an adverse impact on firms business since it reduces its profits. Fair Trading Act: This act has been implemented by the Australian government to ensure that equal trading opportunity is received by each company whether small or large. The act provides and promotes the trading opportunities for small and medium companies to ensure that the large organisation does not crush them (Business, 2017). The act reduces the monopoly of large corporations to provide equal opportunities to SME because they contribute to the countrys economy. The government can take legal actions against a company for noncompliance with fair training act; the government has taken legal action against Woolworth and Coles for noncompliance with the requirements of fair trading act. Disability Discrimination Act 1992: McDonald's has to maintain a positive reputation in the Australian market to attract a large number of customers; the company comply with the necessary requirement and promote local communities development to maintain their positive reputation (Austrlian Human Rights Commission, 2017). The corporation is also known for establishing a strong connection with different stakeholders that assist them smoothly operates their business in foreign countries. The top-level management of McDonald's focuses on establishing diversity into their workplace, and they promote and support a positive organisational environment which is free from nepotism and discrimination. The initiatives of the company provide equal opportunities to each worker, and it also focuses on improving their performance. The corporation complies with the regulation of Disability Discrimination Act 1992 to ensure that they are establishing a diverse environment by avoiding discrimination ba sed on race, colour, caste, gender, and disability. Product Liability Regulation: These regulations are enforced by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over different companies. The regulations provide guidelines that are necessary to comply by the corporations while handling tangible products (International Comparative Legal Guides, 2017). These regulations determine the liability of firms regarding protection of tangible products. Food Safety Requirement: The corporations which deal in food products can be held liable for casually handling the quality of food products; proper safety standards should be maintained by the firm to ensure that the food did not cause any health issues to the consumers. The regulations of food safety provide necessary security standards that are maintained by restaurants or fast food chains to ensure that their products are not detrimental to the health of customers. McDonald's was sued by the government in 2012 for not maintaining appropriate standards for foods safety, and the company had to pay a penalty of $180,000. The corporation failed to maintain safety standards for food storage, cleanliness, and presence of pests (Thomson, 2012). Goods and Services Tax: Australian government started levying GST on companies from 2000; the current rate of GST in Australia is 10 percent (Australian Taxation Office, 2017). The GST applies to food services and consumer products offered by the companies to their customers. It provides a uniform tax rate system for restaurant industry which makes it easier for them to levy taxes on different products. Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999: The requirement of environmental products regulations is growing, and multinational companies have to comply with such requirements to maintain their reputation (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2017). This act requires every domestic and foreign firm to maintain appropriate measure for disposing of the waste caused by them. McDonalds operates in the food industry, and they deal with a significant amount of food waste, the company has to ensure that proper guidelines have been established for waste disposal system, so they are no pollution their local environment. Impact of Treaties, Conventions, and Agreements Treaties are agreements between two or more countries with an objective to promote trade relationship by providing various exemptions and grants to multinational companies because it assists in improving the GDP of both countries. The Australian government has entered into various treaties and agreements that influence the business of McDonald's. The government of Australia and New Zealand entered into a treaty to regulate the food quality standards in both the countries; the treaty is called Food Standards Australia and New Zealand Act 1991 (Fletcher and Bartholomaeus, 2011). This act provides regulations regarding the food quality standard that is necessary to be maintained by the companies which operate in this field. The provision of this treaty applies to food corporations such as KFC, Subway, Hungry Jacks, McDonald's and many others. The treaty enables these companies to sell their products and offer their services without complying with strict government regulations, and they can improve their performance in both countries. McDonald's is required to comply with the provision of this treaty carefully since it provides policies regarding food safety that improve the quality of food to ensure it is according the food safety standards provided by the government. Many countries such as China, Malaysia, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and USA have entered into Free Trade Agreement which assists McDonald's in providing its services in these countries without complying with strict legal requirements. The agreement enables McDonald's to provide its services and buy supplies at low costs. The agreement between US and Australia enable US-based companies such as McDonald's to enter into and operate their business in Australian markets easily. The China Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) assists corporations such as McDonald's to easily offer their product and services in the countries, and it increase their operations without hassling with complicated legal requirements (Jiang, 2010). The agreement between US and Australia provide various grants and exemptions to multinational companies such as tax evasion, double tax, and fiscal evasion; in return, the companies contribute to countries economy, increase their national income, create em ployment and establish a competitive market. The government of India and Australia entered into a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) for the benefit of both the countries. The agreement promotes the business of multinational enterprises between the countries to create new business opportunities for local firms (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2017). The McDonalds Australia Enterprise Agreement 2013 provides various provisions that are necessary to be fulfilled by the company; it provides structure for the operations of McDonald's (SDA, 2015). The agreement includes various policies, structure, and guidelines that are compiled by the firm to ensure that it is performing its operations ethically. The agreement provides guidelines for working hours, shifts, weekly hours, working condition and others. It also ensures that enterprise is performing its operations with a high level of objectivity and transparency. The government provide tax exemptions to multinational corporations to attract them into a country; the treaty between Australia and US provide various tax exemptions to the company which resulted in increasing its profits. The corporations can distribute a large number of dividends by getting tax exemptions which resulted in increasing their shareholders. Therefore, companies such as McDonald's are required assessing various treaties to ensure they get benefits from them. Conclusion In conclusion, multinational companies have to comply with various regulatory framework impose by governments to ensure that they perform ethically. In Australia, McDonald's comply with various regulatory requirements such as corporate tax, disability discrimination act, GST, food safety regulations, environmental protection and biodiversity conservations act and many others. McDonalds is required to access the regulatory framework which applies to its operations to ensure that it did not breach any legal requirements. Effective compliance with regulatory framework result in improving the reputation of the company in public and people prefer to use its services or buy its products. The Australian treaties which affect the business of McDonald's include McDonalds Australia Enterprise Agreement, Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand, and many others. McDonald's benefit from the treaties of Australia because it provides them various tax e xemptions; it is also easier for McDonald's to expand its operations in other countries due to treaties of Australia. The treaties and agreements assist McDonald's in operating its business effectively, and it also helps in sustaining its future growth. References Australian Taxation Office. (2017). Corporate Tax Rates. Retrieved from https://www.ato.gov.au/Rates/Company-tax/ Australian Taxation Office. (2017). GST. Retrieved from https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/GST/ Austrlian Human Rights Commission. (2017). A brief guide to the Disability Discrimination Act. Retrieved from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/disability-rights/guides/brief-guide-disability-discrimination-act Business. (2017). Fair trading laws. Retrieved from https://www.business.gov.au/info/run/fair-trading/fair-trading-laws Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. (2017). Australia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. Retrieved from https://dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/aifta/pages/australia-india-comprehensive-economic-cooperation-agreement.aspx Department of the Environment and Energy. (2017). Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Retrieved from https://www.environment.gov.au/epbc Fletcher, N. and Bartholomaeus, A., 2011. Regulation of nanotechnologies in food in Australia and New Zealand.International Food Risk Analysis Journal,1(2), pp.33-40. Garfield, L. (2017). McDonald's suburban hometown is worried because the company is abandoning them for Chicago. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.in/McDonalds-suburban-hometown-is-worried-because-the-company-is-abandoning-them-for-Chicago/articleshow/59687622.cms International Comparative Legal Guides. (2017). Product Liability 2017. Retrieved from https://iclg.com/practice-areas/product-liability/product-liability-2017/australia Jiang, Y., 2010. China's pursuit of free trade agreements: Is China exceptional?.Review of International Political Economy,17(2), pp.238-261. McCarthy, N. (2015). The World's Biggest Employers [Infographic]. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/06/23/the-worlds-biggest-employers-infographic/#538b3137686b McDonalds. (2012). Our Business. Retrieved from https://mcdonalds.com.au/sites/mcdonalds.com.au/files/CH2_McDonalds_CRS_OurBusiness.pdf McDonalds. (2016). 2016 Annual Report. Retrieved from https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/content/dam/AboutMcDonalds/Investors/2016%20Annual%20Report.pdf McDonalds. (2017). Maccas Story. Retrieved from https://mcdonalds.com.au/about-maccas/maccas-story McDonalds. (2017). Our History. Retrieved from https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/about-us/our-history.html SDA. (2015). McDonalds Australia Enterprise Agreement 2013. Retrieved from https://www.sdansw.org.au/mcdonalds-australia-enterprise-agreement-2013 Thomson, C. (2012). Serial offending Rockingham McDonalds. Retrieved from https://www.oneperth.com.au/2012/10/06/rockingham-mcdonalds/ Wang, R. (2013). WATCH: Australias McDonalds Gets a New Name. Retrieved from https://newsfeed.time.com/2013/01/09/watch-australias-mcdonalds-gets-a-new-name/

The slacker genre and post-modern condition in the films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset Essay Example

The slacker genre and post-modern condition in the films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset Essay Those movies categorized under the Slacker genre break away from conventional Hollywood style in many respects. The very term ‘Slacker’ is taken after a Richard Linklater movie of the same name released in 1991. Made as an experimental project, the film became a cult classic and impressed the critics as well. It is not often that a movie would spawn a genre of its own as Slacker did. Starring Linklater himself in the lead character role, the movie lays aside well-trodden, formulaic plot and structure. Instead, it adopts a ‘scatter-brained’ narrative style, characterized by frequent shifting of focus from one character to another, seemingly at random. But behind this apparent chaos is an orchestrating directorial mind at work. (Jardine, 2010) And its appeal is not easy to grasp at the outset. The postmodern basis of the genre is also evident in the apparent moral apathy of the characters in the film. In Slacker and other movies of the genre such as Mutual Appreciation and The Puffy Chair what’s at play is youthful resistance to social conformity and discipline. By not assimilating themselves into the corporate world of work and by assuming a casual (bordering on lethargic) attitude to everyday existence, the characters in the film show irreverence toward the concept of work ethic. This attitude is also evident in Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, albeit manifest in a more sophisticated manner. The apparent lack of values and virtues should not be evaluated using prevailing social norms (or their representations on-screen). Instead, seen from a post-modern stance, there are indeed virtues and values in the choices and actions of the slackers. An acquaintance with the writings of influential post-modern philosopher Frederic Nietzsche and his formulation of morality, virtue and value will elucidate and help appreciate the beauty behind the film’s amoral universe. Also, another definitive character of the slacker genre, which both the movies exemplify, is the lack of materialistic ambition on part of the male protagonist. As Linklater observes in one of his interviews, this attribute of the slacker is meant to have positive connotations. The dialogues written for Jesse certaininly capture this spirit, making his character stand out from the express heroism of typical Hollywood fare. We will write a custom essay sample on The slacker genre and post-modern condition in the films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The slacker genre and post-modern condition in the films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The slacker genre and post-modern condition in the films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In Before Sunrise, the two lead roles are played by Ethan Hawke (Jesse) and Julie Delfy (Celine). Their chance meeting in a train from Budapest leads them to spending the night walking the streets of Venice and talking about love, life, politics and beyond. What makes their conversation exceptional is the broad range of topics they touch upon – something which conventional Hollywood fare cannot afford to have. In this context, it helped Linklater’s cause that he was a self-taught director, â€Å"Luckily, this means that no one ever taught him to rely on the cliches and emotional manipulations of most Hollywood romances. We’ve become so used to the shorthand version, even in good films, that we no longer notice what we’re missing. These days it usually goes something like this: cue the song on the soundtrack, played over a montage sequence of three or four inter-cut activities—laughing over dinner, talking animatedly while strolling through the park, maybe a cute messy food fight. In short, a music video. (The Naked Gun serves up the definitive parody, if one were even needed.) Before Sunrise lapses into this mode briefly only once, but earns it, since the segment immediately follows the film’s most delicately observed scene, the play of glances in the record listening booth.† (Syngle, 2004) The irony lies in the fact that as against derogatory usage of the term ‘slacker’, these two twenty-somethings come across as thoughtful, perceptive, politically aware and have their own rational philosophies of life. Based on these qualities, the audience is forced to re-evaluate negative connotations of slacking. Herein lies the artistry of the genre, whereby, beneath apparent rootlessness, confusion, purposelessness and apathy shown by the characters, there is a well-formed personality to go along with well-informed life-style choices. Upon realising this fact at moments in the passage of film, the audience adjust and readjust their understanding of who the on-screen characters are. This is a far-cry from run-of-the-mill productions from major American studios, where the emphasis is more on plot, suspense and eventual denouement as opposed to character exploration and open-ended narrative threads. Divergent as the slacker genre might be from well-trodden genres, it is a testament to its authenticity that its legacy continues even today. Reviews of the film that appeared immediately after its release tended to bracket it along side such popular genres as Date Film or Chick Flick. But what dismantles such convenient classifications are later (more detailed) analyses from young and old critics alike of diverse sexual orientations and political persuasions. All of them were able to concur on the originality and innovativeness in the film. (Wood, 1998, p.324) Critic Eric Syngle’s analysis of Before Sunrise is full of heart-felt appreciation for the ingenuity of the project – much of which applies to the sequel as well. In Syngle’s case, his critical appraisal is colored by his own subjective personal experience of watching the movie as a teenager. But that does not dilute the validity of some of the observations he makes. The following words written by Syngle serve as a suitable summary of Richard Linklater’s contribution to the creation of this exciting new genre: â€Å"As Richard Linklater’s name rose to general recognition, it came tied (and still is, to some extent) to the American Independent scene. With time, however, it has become clear that his links to that school of filmmaking aren’t nearly as important as his divergences, especially in the sensitive humanist ethos that guides his films and his complete disregard for the juggernaut of hipness—whether trendsetting or trend-chasing—that plagues so many filmmakers. (â€Å"Slacker† may have been a Gen-X buzzword in the early Nineties, but that’s as far as it went.) Before Sunrise is a blend of poetic realism, Nouvelle Vague youthfulness and spontaneity, but mainly classical Hollywood plotting and construction must have seemed about as cool as Pat Boone in comparison. Who, young or old, Hollywood or indie, made films this embarrassingly sincere anymore, or this unabashedly romantic?† (Syngle, 2004) Works Cited: Wood, Robin (1998). Sexual Politics and Narrative Film: Hollywood and Beyond. Columbia University Press. p.324. Dan Jardine (January 11th, 2010), Before Sunrise and Before Sunset: Laden with Happiness and Tears, published in Film Erik Syngle (Summer 2004), ‘Love Me Tonight?’, published in Before Sunrise Reverse Shot’s Richard Linklater symposium. Before Sunrise (1995), Feature film Produced by Castle Rock Entertainment, currently distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Before Sunset (2004), Feature film Produced by Richard Linklater, distributed by Warner Independent Pictures.