The need for Critical Advocacy for the information Age

The nature and information generation has become increasingly complex. The amount of information generated and the pace of change have accerated hence,the education methods must change to better fit the times. It is essential to teach students a lifelong method of learning.
Several developments influence our need to rethink our education delivery methods. Firstly, more information than ever before is available. The sheer volume of data in existance is mind boggling to say the least. Increasingly,the mastery and use of information are the keys to success and positive social results.
Secondly,the pace of social change has quickened substantially and shows no sign of slowing. In previous generations,life would change little from one life time to another. Citizens were hence trained for specific tasks and roles with a fairy static kit of education skills and they achieved success with them. Vocation and life styles were passed down from one generation to another. In the 21st C, we have come to realise that we will need several different careers in a lifetime. We cannot assume that we can confine learning to the school years. and we cannot be sure that the job we trained for will be available to us in a corporate world. Increasingly we find it esssential to teach students methods they can apply to changing situations.
Thirdly, The interrelationships between events heightens complexity. Previously communities and nations existed in relative isolation from others. Now with global commerce,environmental stresses and information exchange,each community is influenced in powerful ways by events in other parts of the globe. In addition, many technological changes such as wireless communication,powerful portable computers and rapid transportation have sytemwide effects,influencing all aspects of society. Therefore understanding global systemic interelationships is a challenege to very citizen.
Fourthly,the effect of all the above points have led to a domination of discourse and decison making by so-called experts. While our parents may have strived to be "renaissance" persons,today specialised knowledge is highly prized. The result is that "talking heads" and quoted experts dominate most discussions. Increasingly,the role of average citizens is one of emotion,anger and grief at the occurence of social tragedies(police brutality,environmental poisoning,closing of locations of employment,injuries from a string of consumer product defects etc) while the deeper issues sorrounding such incidents and the public policies directed at them are discussed all too often almost exclusively by such "experts" and often in defence of their vested interests.
Lastly,the communication landscape is increasingly illogical. One wonders at the different between earlier advertisements,which focused on needs,use and features of products and the current focus on images,associations and often illogical connections that try to persuade citizens of a direct relationship between any number of products and basic social and sexual needs. Furthemore,while democracy has spread literaly to many countries,everywhere it remains increasingly shallow in terms of real citezen's awareness and participation. Increasingly,the so called "market place of ideas" rewards ideas that are stylish and hyped as oppossed to logically valid. Hence,the need to train learners to combat this trend by using logic as the first tool of analysis.

In defence of priestly celibacy

One of the requirements of the Roman Catholic Church for priests is that they remain celibate. Celibacy is the renunciation of sex and marriage for the more effective observation of chastity. This vow of celibacy has been propelled to the forefront of public discussion by the recent accusations of the church conspired to protect priests accused of child molestation. The vow of celibacy is seen by some as the cause of the pedophilia that seem s to be rampant within the Catholic Church in America. The Vatican has not changed its stance on celibacy in the wake of the controversy, but some have called for the elimination of the vow of celibacy.
Although the bible does not mandate celibacy, Jesus lived a celibate life. A celibate priest can devote all his time to his parishioners. The priest is set apart from the world, has a unique role and has offered his life to God’s people. A married priest on the other hand, must spend time with his family.
Furthermore, the celibate priest has a unique understanding of the power of self control and the giving of self, which are key ideas in marriage. The priest is married to the Church and can counsel couples and families using that knowledge.
Lastly, celibacy and pedophilia are not connected. Sexual abuse also occurs in religions where clergy are permitted to marry. Studies have shown that sexual abusers account for less than 2% of Roman Catholic clergy, a figure comparable in other denominations.

Right to self -determination

Self determination is a fundamental right that must be afforded to a native or national group. The UN generalassebly resolution 1514(The declaration granting Independence to colonial countries and peoples),the Helsink Act and the african charter of human rights all assert self-determination is an important right.
Some claims for self determination and independence were nourished in the soil of the ill-treatment of natives people by colonial powers and unfortunately exercabated by the post colonial dictorial goverments. The recognition of minority rights protects cultural identities that risk being diluted. The activities of terrorist groups should not undermine the political agendas of nationalist movements and the inerests of minority groups.
The state borders drawn by colonialists were completely artificial. Ethinic groups were split and divided.
Self determination is about representation,identity and choice,therefore no single individual or group of individuals has a right to determine or deny the destiny of another.

The futility of Beauty contests

Beauty contests are popular in many parts of the world. The biggest, Miss World, has been running annually since 1951. It attracts a worldwide audience of over 3 billion viewers. Are beauty contests relevant in the 21st Century when women want to be judged by intelligence and accomplishment rather than appearance? Do they perpetuate the subjugation of women?
Beauty contests promote an ideal of women beauty that most women cannot attain. Societal acceptance of this ideal can harm women by dieting, eating disorders and cosmetic surgery or simply by making them feeling inadequate and ugly.
Women in beauty contests are judged by their physical appearance rather than any other quality they possess. Judging women but not men, primarily on their looks contributes to the subjugation of women because other qualities such as intelligence are not seen as part of ideal femininity. The masculine ideal, while can also be damaging to men, tends to be expressed in much wider and less restrictive forms.
Beauty contests promote an image of female beauty that is culturally specific and western. No matter how many African or Asian women win the Miss world, they can only do so if they take part in the swimsuit competition which may not be considered appropriate dress in their culture. There were demonstrations in against miss world by feminists and Hindu nationalists when it was held in Bangalore, India in 1996, riots in Kaduna, Nigeria over Miss World in 2002 that left more than 200 dead and forced the contest to relocate to London.
Beauty contests fail to challenge harmful political attitudes about women. Despite paying lip service to feminist concepts such as empowerment, they do not further the liberation of women. Indeed by reinforcing looks as the most important female quality they harm women liberation.
It is important to note that the organizers of Miss World 2002 had no concerns holding the contest in Nigeria at the same time as a high profile case in which a woman was due to be stoned to death for adultery which in my view exposes the competitions’ hypocrisy.

In support of civil disobidience

Civil disobidience is the deliberate disobeying of a law to advance a moral principle or change goverment policy.When consience and law do not coincide,individuals have the obligation to promote justice by disobeying the law. Elections do not not give people sufficient opportunity to express their will. In certain circumstances,civil disobidience is a powerful method of making the will of the public heard. If a law is oppressive,it cannot be opposed by obeying it. It must be broken. Civil disobidience has a history of overcoming oppresive and unpopular policies where all other methods have failed. In fact, conflict with the authority, gives any protest its power and urgency and brings an issue to a wider audience.