How African American Humor has Evolved and the Way We Look at Comedy

Professor Jim Gray of Sonoma State University defines culture as a means of survival. Going by this definition of culture the evolution of black humor has definitely been a foundation in the survival of the comedy in America. This paper will be a discussion of how African American Humor has evolved and for centuries has changed and continues to change the way we look at comedy. Before beginning this paper, I must stress the importance of humor for all races. Truly, the environment in which most humor takes place has helped American culture and people survive. According to Constance Rourke, humor is important because: â€Å"1. Humor is a part of the natural life process and is commonly taken for granted or not recognized as having serious importance. The fact that humor is a framework for `non-real' or `play' activity and not taken as a `serious' interaction allows messages and formulations to be `risked' within its framework which would not otherwise be acceptable or possible. 3. Humor allows the exploration of new ideas in situations of uncertainty or unfamiliarity. Similarly allowed are the negotiation of taboo topics, sensitive issues, and marginal serious content. 4. Humor performs a boundary function on both internal and external lines, policing groups in terms of membership and acceptable and competence behavior. 5. Humor can function as a coping device to release tension, allay fear, forestall threat, defuse aggression or distance the unpleasant. 6. Humor can represent an implicit contradiction, paradox or `joke in the social structure' made explicit. The `joke' constitutes a reversal within its boundaries of the patterns of control in the real world. 7. `Canned' jokes and `situational' jokes are not entirely separate. Canned jokes are not sealed from the situation in which they are told as they always affect it and incorporate interaction into their pattern; situation jokes always have some impact beyond their context. Langston Hughes says, â€Å"Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have it. Of course, you laugh by proxy. You're really laughing at the other guy lacks, not your own. That's what makes it funny-The fact that you don't know you are laughing at yourself. Humor is when the joke is on you but hits the other fellow first-Because it boomerangs. Humor is what you wish in your secret heart were not funny, but it is, and you must laugh. Humor is your unconscious therapy† (Hughes, 1966) Laughter for centuries has been the medicine that has helped to ensure the survival of African Americans. â€Å"Herded together with others with whom they shared only a common condition of servitude and some degree of cultural overlap, enslaved Africans were compelled to create a new language, a new religion, and a precarious new lifestyle. † (Joyner, 1984) As Africans were unloaded by boat and placed onto plantations, slave masters were completely enthralled by the way they spoke, moved, and danced. Out of slavery emerged a culture that would influence America's mainstream culture for infinity. Slavery created bondage for Africans and when it looked like they were going nowhere fast; they laughed, sang, and amused one another with riddles, jokes and animal tales from the homeland. Slave masters could not conceive why slaves in such a miserable state were so joyous, what they did not know was many of the songs, jokes and riddles were more than surface deep and many times about the master. The slaves made the best of the circumstances through humor and by laughing at the way the slave master treated them and their reaction to this treatment. They were laughing at the slave master and at the same time laughing at themselves. However, it did not take long before slave masters made slave merry-making public. Many times slaves were called upon to entertain master and their guests. Slave merry-making was also encouraged because it also increased the price of the slaves. â€Å"People took notice to the way slaves spoke and moved, out of slavery evolved Blackface Humor. (Watkins, 1994) Blackface comedy was when a person (white) painted their face with black makeup and acted like a slave (Sambo). Blackface humor gave whites the chance to lift African American Humor from its original context, transform it, then spotlight it as their own entertainment, amusement (for non-black audiences) it became popular for it is supposed originality. As blackface entertainment became more popular so did the actors. George Washington Dixion introduced â€Å"Coal Black Rose† (Watkins) one song â€Å"Sambo and Cuffee†, (Watkins) was a comic song about a black woman and her lover. Dixion performed this act all over the world; some would argue that Dixion was the first white blackface performer to establish a broad reputation. By the 1830's, blackface performers were everywhere becoming one of the most popular attractions of the American stage. Billy Whitlock, Frank Brower, Frank Pelham and Dan Emmett were also very popular blackface performers. Dixion created the one man, show but these men created a troupe of blackface performers. They also firmly established the image of blacks as happy-go-lucky plantation darkies, outrageously dresses and ignorant. Although there were other blackface performers before them, these men were the only ones who could give a real show from the makeup to the costume. â€Å"By the 1840's blackface performances had reached an unprecedented level of national popularity. â€Å"(Watkins) There were many performance troupes, even professional juvenile troupes. Each followed a standard; they had a three-act presentation. The first act opened up with a walkaround where the entire troupe came out made up in face paint and dressed in suits. They than gathered in a semicircle to alternate comic songs and jokes. Here is a common type of joke many used; it is called; Mr. Bones: â€Å"Does us black folks go to hebbin? Does we go through dem golden gates? † Mr. Tambo: â€Å"Mr. Bones, you know the golden gates is for white folks. † Mr. Bones: â€Å"Well, who's gonna be dere to open demm gates for you white folks? † For many of the white people watching the show the most funny and exciting part was the joke telling. In the second act-the â€Å"olio or variety segment†- was the stump speech speaker. This occured when one member performed a comic, black version of a topic. Topics would range from, emancipation, women's suffrage, education or another current political or scientific topic. The goal was to show how blacks could not comprehend nor interpret sophisticated ideas. The third and final part of the show was a slapstick plantation skit, featuring song and dance with costumed men and women dressed as slaves. After the Civil War, blackface troupes hired on free black men and women to perform with them. White audiences became upset and angry at many troupes. After the war and emancipation – during the reconstruction period constitutional amendments were passed to assure civil rights and voting rights for former slaves and some blacks were elected members of the House and Senate; Whites wanted to be assured that blacks were still inferior and blackface troupes were not showing this by continuing to hire blacks. Therefore, audiences depleted, and many troupes that had incorporated blacks started to perform on circuits like the â€Å"Chitlen circuit,† which hit most black owned theaters. Blacks who were part of the troupes started to branch off and start their own troupes. In doing this, they altered the usual blackface performance routine. First, they altered song lyrics, instead of singing songs that downgraded blacks; songsters would play on white fears and mock them. Many blacks took off the face paint and introduced musical comedies. Black musical comedies made many black performers successful. White already loved black music so the musical comedy fit right into the market. Still many of these comedies were on the circuit, and confined to black theaters. It was not until later that musical comedies were featured on Broadway. When musical comedies appeared on Broadway â€Å"Lyles and Miller a very successful team created a whole new approach to the comedies. â€Å"(Watkins) They presented at the end of their acts a group of women who danced and sang with the stereotypical attitude many felt black urban women had. This simple addition astounded Broadway and critics raved. Eventually, every black troupe evolved to use this form. Black Musical Comedies took blacks to another level of comedy yet, they were unable to shake the sambo stereotypical image given to them by white blackface performers. Licensed radio was introduced in 1920, because of the low budget and inadequate facilities, news shows and music provided by local groups dominated the airwaves. By 1922, there were over 522 licensed stations and radio sales increased from $1million in 1920 to $400million in 1925. By 1929, one in every three homes owned radios ten years later there was a radio in almost every home. Radio was a medium where its listeners could hear concerts, comic monologues, sporting events and political speeches as they happened. â€Å"(MacDonald, 1981) Radio at first initially ignored blacks, as in the blackface performance days they were imitated by whites. In 1925, Freeman F. Gosden and Charles J. Correll a minor duo debuted as musicians on a radio station in Chicago. They played at this radio station for a while and later moved to a station owned by the Chicago Tribune. There they were approached by management about doing a broadcast edition to the comic strip â€Å"The Gumps. † The two refused the offer but suggested an alternative, a black – dialect show. Gosden and Correll made a series based on two black names â€Å"Sam ‘N' â€Å"Henry†, which would later become known as â€Å"Amos ‘N' â€Å"Andy†. Sam ‘N' Henry debuted on January 12, 1926 (Dunning, 1925-1976) The characters Sam and Henry still depended on the stereotypical images of blacks created during the blackface (minstrel) performance years. Blacks were superstitious, naive, easily influenced, lazy, ignorant and conniving. On March 19, 1928, three months after the â€Å"Sam† ‘N' â€Å"Henry† show had been cancelled, â€Å"Amos† ‘N' â€Å"Andy† mysteriously appeared on a rival station in Chicago. Gosden and Correll had come up with the idea presented it to the station and it was accepted. This show was far more successful than Sam and Henry; Amos N Andy was recorded and leased to forty other radio stations. In August 1929, Pepsodent became the first major sponsor of a black comedy show. Amos N Andy was the number one show in the country. By 1935, 70 percent of American home (40 million) listeners tuned in each night. Sayings from the show hit the streets â€Å"Ain't dat sumptin',† â€Å"Splain dat to me',† and â€Å"Holy Mackerel† became popular. Even with its popularity, the show had a down time. Radio stations modernized their broadcast methods; comedians were no longer forced to work without an audience. This is when variety shows begin to take the market. In 1943, Gosden and Correl returned to the air with a thoroughly revamped half an hour version of â€Å"Amos† ‘N' â€Å"Andy†. The show was performed before a live audience and featured an orchestra and chorus. â€Å"Amos† ‘N' â€Å"Andy† represented a breakthrough for black comedians on radio and television as well. Although one-person acts were not popular during the variety show period, Moms Mabley set the stage for many comedians that would come after her. Jackie â€Å"Moms† Mabley. Born in North Carolina in 1897, Mabley grew up in Cleveland Ohio, by the time she was sixteen she had became a stage performer. She began as a dancer and singer and dabbled in comedy. During the 1920's, she was performing on the chitlen circuit in Dallas, where another teams saw her act and helped her get better bookings. Like many performers, she appeared in skits with other performers at first. However, Mabley did not like this and she was one of the first comics to turn to monologue humor. She appeared on the stage with oversized clodhoppers, tattered gingham dresses and oddball hats she acted like a typical down to earth older black woman. Mabley worked with many performers but she did her best when she was alone. She was famous for her costume and her shuffle, she would sing some comical version of a popular song, tell stories or just stand there and the audience loved it. Mabley foreshadowed the shift to direct social commentary and stand up comic techniques that would dominate humor and comedians to come. Dick Gregory, Flip Wilson, Redd Foxx, Steve Allen, Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldburg, Eddie Murphy, and many other popular black and white comedians have evolved from the history of comedy. The images that were passed on from slavery still thrive at the root of jokes many comedians of today tell. Black comedians have finally gotten away from the white interpretation of black humor and created original black humor from an African American perspective to the world. Black comedy has come to be the voice of the struggle, pain, and joy African American people have gone through and are continuing to going through. Humor will continue to be a driving force to bring people of all ethnicities together to laugh at the good and bad times of our country. Without humor, would we really survive?

Ocean Noise Pollution

For millions of years, the oceans have been filled with sounds from natural sources such as the squeaks, moans and clicks of whales and dolphins, the snapping of shrimp, the sound caused by wind upon the surface and even the occasional rumble from earthquakes. Over millions of years, the ocean's marine species have developed into what they are today, with their own specialized acute hearing abilities, communication skills and echo location abilities at natural sound levels.Hearing is generally as important to many marine creatures as sight is for humans. The oceans once referred to as the â€Å"The Silent World† by Jacques Cousteau, has now become an increasingly noisy place since the industrial age. According to Wikipedia, Noise Pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life. Noise pollution could also be defined as a type of energy pollution in which distracting, irritatin g, or damaging sounds are freely audible.As with other forms of energy pollution (such as heat and light pollution), noise pollution contaminants are not physical particles, but rather waves that interfere with naturally-occurring waves of a similar type in the same environment. Thus, the definition of noise pollution is open to debate, and there is no clear border as to which sounds may constitute noise pollution. In the narrowest sense, sounds are considered noise pollution if they adversely affect wildlife, human activity, or are capable of damaging physical structures on a regular, repeating basis.Hearing is the universal alerting sense in all vertebrates. Sound is extremely important because animals are able to hear events all around them, no matter where their attention is focused. Sound travels far greater distances than light under water. Light travels only a few hundred meters in the ocean before it is absorbed or scattered. Even where light is available, it is more difficu lt to see as far under water as in air, limiting vision in the marine environment It is similar to looking through fog on land.So, the best opportunity for long-range vision underwater especially in murky water is to swim beneath objects and see their silhouettes. In consequence, most marine animals rely on sound for survival and depend on unique adaptations that enable them to communicate, protect themselves, locate food, and navigate underwater. Animals change the rate of sound production and the structure of the sounds to send different messages. Underwater sound allows marine animals to gather information and communicate at great distances and from all directions.The speed of sound determines the delay between when a sound is made and when it is heard. The speed of underwater sound is five times faster than sounds traveling in air. Sound travels much further underwater than in air. Thus marine animals can perceive sound coming from much further distances than terrestrial animals . Because the sound travels faster, they also receive the sounds after much shorter delays (for the same distance). It is no surprise that marine mammals have evolved many different uses for sounds. Marine mammals, such as whales, use sound to identify objects such as food, obstacles, and other whales.By emitting clicks, or short pulses of sound, marine mammals can listen for echoes and detect prey items, or navigate around objects. This animal sense functions just like the sonar systems on navy ships. It is clear that producing and hearing sound is vital to marine mammal survival. Whales and dolphins are celebrated for their sounds, but many species of fish and marine invertebrates also use sound. Fish produce various sounds, including grunt, croaks, clicks, and snaps, which are used to attract mates as well as ward off predators.For the toadfish, sound production is very important in courtship rituals. Sound is produced by the male toadfish to attract the female for mating and is especially important in the murky waters that toadfish inhabit where sight is limited. Fishes also produce sound when feeding. When a fish eats hard food, such as coral, it will produce a sound. Fishes sometimes gnash their teeth without the presence of food, which may be a way to scare away predators. As you can see, sound is very important to its underwater inhabitants.It allows them to navigate, to hear approaching predators and prey, and is a way of communicating with other members of the same species. There are a lot of sources of noise in the marine environment. Naturally occurring noises include underwater volcanic eruptions and storms. Background noise in the ocean is produced by breaking waves, wind and rain, and by the huge number of small crustaceans and other animals. A typical background noise level is about 100 decibels (dB), which is about the same in energy terms as 40 dB in air.Wind and waves in storms, and choruses from fish and invertebrate can increase this level to about 120 dB. Measurements show that the Pacific Ocean is still relatively quiet and that most of its background noise is produced by wind and by marine creatures. This is in contrast to the Atlantic Ocean, where most of the background noise is from the churning propellers of ocean-going ships. There are also several man-made (anthropogenic) sources of ocean noise, some of which are the unintended by products of human activity (e. g. essel propulsion), while others are produced for a specific purpose (e. g. military sonar). Whales, dolphins and porpoises today face a wealth of man-made threats including hunting, ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear and issues arising from climate change. However, one man-made threat that is not as commonly acknowledged as others is ocean noise pollution. This is partly due to the fact that it is not a visible threat, so can be easily overlooked. The noise becomes problematic and highly hazardous when it is man-made.In the past several year s many studies have shown that man-made ocean noise emanating from such sources as are military sonar equipment, ship traffic, and underwater drilling, commercial shipping seismic surveys for oil and gas exploration, mineral and aggregate extraction, construction (e. g. drilling, dredging and explosions), acoustic deterrent and harassment devices(e. g. pincers on fishing nets used to deter predators) and recreational activities(e. g. boating). Noise pollution in the oceans has been shown to cause physical and behavioral changes in marine life, especially in dolphins and whales, which rely on sound for daily activities.However, low frequency sound produced by large scale, offshore activities is also suspected to have the capacity to cause harm to other marine life as well. It can also cause hemorrhage or other trauma to the marine mammal’s auditory system, sometimes leading to permanent hearing loss, and, indirectly, death. It also causes displacement from their natural habita t, disruption of feeding, breeding, nursing, and other behaviors vital to the species survival. Some of the sounds produced by these man-made sources can travel for hundreds of kilometers in marine environment, potentially affecting many marine animals over a huge are.The growing amount of human noise pollution in the ocean could lead fish away from good habitat and off to their death, according to new research from a UK-led team working on the Great Barrier Reef. Noise pollution might also severely affect the distribution of fish, and their ability to reproduce, communicate and avoid predators. For example, some studies have reported that Atlantic herring, cod and blue-fin tuna flee sounds and school less coherently in noisy environments. That could mean that fish distributions are being affected, as fish avoid places polluted by man-made noise.Not only can squids and octopuses sense sound, but as it turns out, these and other so-called cephalopods might be harmed by growing noise pollution in our oceans—from sources such as offshore drilling, ship motors, sonar use and pile driving. Giant squid, for example, were found along the shores of Asturias, Spain in 2001 and 2003 following the use of air guns by offshore vessels and examinations eliminated all known causes of lesions in these species, suggesting that the squid deaths could be related to excessive sound exposure.The effects of noise pollution on whales depend, among other things, on the distance the whales are from the source of the noise. If the sound is very powerful and close to the animals it could well bring about permanent ear damage, internal injuries, and even death. Even sounds less powerful can induce temporary deafness, as was shown by studies carried out on seals, dolphins and belugas in captivity. Knowing just how dependent whales are on sounds, there is much cause for concern.During March of 2000, at least 17 whales stranded themselves in the Bahamas and the population of beaked w hales in this region disappeared. A federal investigation identified testing of a U. S. Navy active sonar system as the cause. There are many things we can do to decrease ocean noise,† Ocean Link, an organization dedicated to ocean education, says on its website. â€Å"The first would be to simply recognize that there is a noise problem in the oceans, which some governments have begun to do. With formal recognition, it may be possible for national and international agencies to work together to help reduce this problem.For any new policies regarding ocean noise, scientists should follow the precautionary principal to ensure that no further harm will come to marine mammals. From this perspective, governments should adopt legislation with the habitats of marine mammals in mind, ensuring that important areas would receive the least impact possible. † While these may come too late for hundreds of sea animals that have already been damaged by underwater noise, with the right and concerted action, the seas may resonate with the sounds of whale songs, not the human-produced lethal noises of engines and machinery.

AFRO-Americans Health hygiene Essay Example

AFRO AFRO-Americans Health hygiene Paper AFRO-Americans Health hygiene Paper This article by Hawthorne basically talks about how people have a tendency to take diabetes for granted. Diabetes can be a very serious disease. It effects more than 16 million Americans. Of these 16 million, 3 million are Blacks. Diabetes is the seventh-leading killer in America, and is the number one cause for blindness, kidney ailment and non-traumatic amputations in Blacks. One in four Black women over 55 and one in four Black between the ages 65 and 74 are affected by this disease. Diabetes is defined as the body’s inability to produce insulin. There are two major types of diabetes: insulin dependant, and non-insulin dependant. Non-insulin dependant is the most common in adults. African-Americans over 45, persons overweight, and those who have a history of this disease in their family are most at risk. Hawthorne then explains that doctors do not know why Blacks are more susceptible to this disease. They feel that heredity and diet have a great deal to do with it. The author then talks about how anyone over 45 should be tested at least once every three years. African-Americans should begin earlier and more frequently. These people should take care of themselves and watch out for the warning signs such as excessive thirst, extreme hunger and irritability, and unexplained weight loss. I feel that the author did a good job of explaining the causes and ways to prevent the disease. I felt that that he could do a better job of explaining or giving more reasons that African-Americans are more susceptible to diabetes. Hopefully in the future science can understand the reasons why this happens and come up with ways to prevent or help the effects of diabetes.

Television Impact on Children Essay Sample

Television Impact on Children Essay Sample The Impact of Watching Television on Children Essay The Impact of Watching Television on Children Essay Watching television is steadily evolving into the most preferred pastime, irrespective of viewers’ age and gender. However, despite its unlimited entertaining and informatory opportunities, viewing television entails both positive and negative outcomes. Specifically, this activity is detrimental to language development in young children. Watching Television and Language Development Currently, television greatly influences the formation of children since their birth (Pagani, Fitzpatrick, Barnett Dubow, 2010, p. 426). Moreover, â€Å"The average amount of screen time increases with age† (Duch, Fisher, Ensari Harrington, 2013). Numerous research studies indicate that enormous children’s exposure to computer games, TV-based entertainment, playing programs, and television reduces their level of critical consciousness (Christakis et al., 2009; Tomopoulos et al., 2010). Moreover, such activities change their perception of the world, transform moral and ethical values, deteriorate their abilities to analyze and synthesize information, and retard language development (Christakis et al., 2009; Tomopoulos et al., 2010; Duch et al., 2013). In spite of the presence of insightful and educational programs, television does not promote sustained interest to the world, other people, diverse phenomena, and so forth. It evokes natural curiosity, which is immediatel y satisfied with superficial, distorted, or even completely incorrect information. The inner world of young children is still in its infancy; everything that they receive from communication and activities shared with adults plays a significant role in shaping their identity (Pempek, Kirkorian Anderson, 2014). Uncontrolled consumption of media information characterized by poor quality and inappropriate content prevents the formation of speech and articulation; it does not provide children with incentives necessary for the formation of motor skills and senses. Those who watch television too often are at a great risk of remaining without knowledge of the world. They experience difficulties in distinguishing reality from fiction, acquiring new knowledge, reading, and writing. Moreover, they are sometimes characterized by increased anxiety in conjunction with spontaneous aggression. In accordance with recent research studies, such as those by Christakis et al. (2009), Pagani et al. (2010), Duch et al. (2013), Pempek et al. (2014), frequent and long-term television viewing has multiple negative effects, replacing concrete sensual experience and hindering the development of language skills in young children. A child’s early involvement in watching television adversely affects one’s development, significantly lowers curiosity, and makes one passive (Pagani et al., 2010, p. 426). Children learn to speak by communicating with people not television. Their developing brain does not handle television speech with the same intensity as a conversation with a living person. Successful language development depends on a child’s psychophysical health, including one’s state of higher nervous activity, mental processes (attention, memory, imagination, and thinking), as well as physical (somatic) state. Prolonged TV viewing is fraught with slower devel opment of language, depletes vocabulary, worsens figurative speech, and decreases abilities to accurately articulate thoughts. In addition, watching television is associated with a sedentary lifestyle, which potentially leads to overweight, obesity, and other disorders. Furthermore, when a person utters words, all one’s body is involved in the process of speaking, making certain micromotions. Engaging one’s entire being (literally and figuratively) in the process of communication, an infant learns to speak at the level of consciousness, uttering various imitative sounds: cooing, babbling, to list a few. Before he or she promotes one’s first word, a baby trains the muscles of his body and face and learns to coordinate more than a hundred of muscles involved in articulation, focusing on adults. On the contrary, when he or she hears speech from TV loudspeakers, his or her body does not react to sounds. In the process of young children’s language development, live communication and interactions with family members cannot be substituted with watching television. During viewing television, children’s mentality is more directed towards visualization than verbalization (Christakis et al., 2009). Children watch TV silently; they do not communicate with others or practice speaking. Moreover, viewing television not only prevents the formation of speech and articulation. It blocks spontaneous creative games and natural movements, not giving children incentives, much-needed for the formation of motor skills and senses. A child develops through his or her bodily experience. A TV screen is an imaginary reality that cannot turn into a tangible experience necessary for the development. Unlike statements, television images cannot be confirmed or denied; they are visually presented to a viewer and not reality-oriented. Broadcasted information is designed for the anonymous audience since it does not require selective, logic, and critical thinking, appealing directly to emotions and abilities to recognize patterns. TV programs are often stereotypical ly constructed and do not encourage a child to develop one’s own imagination and creativity. Stories represented by animated cartoons do not encourage children to dream. Therefore, children’s vocabulary becomes scarce. They predominantly use exclamations, such as those occuring in TV comics, disjointed fragments of phrases, and ridiculous imitations of noise, accompanying them with robotic movements. Insufficient diversity of external stimuli can lead to the deficiency in the formation of brain functions. Being caused by watching television, language delay entails far-reaching detrimental ramifications (Tomopoulos et al., 2010, p. 1106). Language development is inextricably linked with the formation of cognition and thinking abilities in young children. Human cognitive skills and abilities to think conceptually form in the process of language development (Owens, 2010, p. 97). Speech, emanating from TV screens, remains a poorly understood set of strange sounds. According to research findings provided by Tomopoulos et al. (2010), long-lasting infants’ exposure to television results in worsened language development (p. 1108). Such an outcome negatively influences further development of young children. The researchers state that â€Å"lower effects on expressive compared with receptive language tests may reflect limited expressive language at age 14 months; it is possible that greater effects on expressive language might be seen for older children† (Tomopoulos et al., 2010, p. 1106). Researchers have identified that television affects the development of language skills because watching television dramatically distracts parents from communicating with their children (Christakis et al., 2009; Duch et al., 2013; Pempek et al., 2014). Communication is a â€Å"process of encoding, transmitting, and decoding signals in order to exchange information and ideas between the participants† (Owens, 2010, p. 436). As a result of redundant television viewing, children constantly experience the lack of communication at their early age though it is essential for the development of all mental processes, including speaking. Children’s development is characterized by their active exploration of the world and acquisition of practical and informative activities. In early childhood, communication with parents is vital and plays a key role in children’s cognitive development. Numerous research studies have confirmed that communication with parents and other family m embers positively affects the development of children’s speech (Christakis et al., 2009; Pagani et al., 2010; Duch et al., 2013; Pempek et al., 2014). Furthermore, cooperative games help a child fully realize his or her abilities and talents. Psychologists point out that parents should take part in games with their children instead of watching television. A child’s verbal behavior (language acquisition) evolves due to one’s interactions with family members and, thus, language is a product of verbal statements selectively supported within the first years of life. Beginning with simple forms of babbling in infancy, children’s verbal behavior gradually develops until it reminds adults’ language. According to Christakis et al. (2009), parents do not communicate with infants in a perceptible way, and television frequently leads to â€Å"significant reductions in discernible parental word counts, child vocalizations, and conversational turns for childre n 2 to 48 months of age† (p. 556). A recent research by Pempek et al. (2014) has estimated that background TV also makes detrimental impacts on language development in young children. For two years, scientists have closely monitored and analyzed the development of language skills in young children exposed to background noise of television. The researchers have obtained persuasive evidence that exposure to television violates the natural development of language skills in young children. According to Pempek et al. (2014), even if a child does not watch TV, he or she experiences difficulties in perceiving parents’ words due to extraneous sounds produced by background television. Parental teaching is interrupted by television noise and not effective. The study has confirmed the fact that the duration of dialogues and the number of words and phrases uttered in a television program do not promote language development. Childhood is associated with high emotional responsiveness to external sounds. Background television noise, especially speech, results in children’s slower reaction and lower concentration: a child cannot focus on communication with parents or other occupations. Audible speech of background television does not cause any images and sustainable experiences in young children. In conformity with the research findings, background TV is not only â€Å"distracting and disruptive to infants and toddlers, but it also reduces the quantity and quality of parent-child interactions† (Pempek et al., 2014, p. 219). Television has become an integral part of life for most of average families around the world; many parents do not consider it necessary to turn it off while communicating with their young children. The longer a TV set is on, the less attention parents pay to communication with their children. Background television can negatively affect the dynamics of language development and diminish the quality of relationships between parents and children. Therefore, the researchers s trongly recommend that parents turn off TV sets when they interact with their children (Pempek et al., 2014, p. 220). Contemporary studies have determined that, irrespective of their age, children spend a larger part of their vigilance on watching television in comparison with all other occupations, including homework assignments, communication with family members, and games with peers (Christakis et al., 2009; Pagani et al., 2010; Tomopoulos et al., 2010; Duch et al., 2013). Anyone who has turned out to be immobilized by television since one’s infancy will be silent while growing up. Verbal communication creates necessary conditions for the development of various forms of activity, cognition, and participation in teamwork, contributing to human successful socialization. Moreover, information obtained from TV programs does not promote the expansion of young children’s outlook. On the contrary, it is often extremely counterproductive, complicated, striking, or banal. In conclusion, although modern life is impossible without watching television, this extremely popular occupation is associated with both positive and deleterious consequences for young children. Recent research studies, such as those by Christakis et al. (2009), Pagani et al. (2010), Tomopoulos et al. (2010), Duch et al. (2013), have determined that the average amount of time spent on viewing TV programs increases with age, posing a threat to the development of children in general and their language skills in particular. Prolonged young children’s exposure to television decelerates their language development, impedes meaningful communication with family members, and diminishes cognitive abilities. Even background television is detrimental to language development. Taking into consideration the necessity for children’s harmonious development, it is essential to monitor and thoroughly control their exposure to television. Children Who Watch Television Spend Less Time Reading or Drawing Than Children Who Do Not It has always been thought that family plays the most important role in a child’s life; however, the situation has recently changed, and much influence is made by television. It is hardly possible to find a household without a television; usually there are even more than one screen in a house. Many children have TV sets in their rooms and consider sitting in front of a screen to be much better way of spending time than any other activity. In his article, Hoffman (2003) mentions that â€Å"the average American child spends every day about 3 hours in front of television and only 45 minutes he or she devotes to reading†. A six-month old baby can also stare at the screen without understanding anything. Baby’s attention is drawn by a number of changing pictures accompanied by sounds. By the age of seven-eight, watching television becomes more comprehensive; the child is able to realize what is real and what is not. At the age of eleven, the child is able to make concl usions, correlate deeds of characters with his/her own deeds, in other words, to distinguish good from bad and analyze the situation. However, it is necessary to be aware of the fact that if to allow watching television from the early childhood not limiting time, the child will spend the whole day in front of TV. As a consequence, it will be difficult for the child to distinguish reality from television story. Today’s children grow up with a stream of entertainment, and there is no space for reading and drawing. There are emerging concerns regarding time children spend watching television since it can make a huge effect on the development of a child’s perception. According to David (2013), in 2005, there were 40% of children, who read daily; however, in 2011, the percentage has reduced to 30%. It is caused by the fact that children’s eyes are glued to different devices. Children are no longer interested in reading books. However, we cannot blame them for spending time in front of screen rather than reading a story or drawing. In his article, Shapiro (2013) claims, â€Å"parents do not provide children with good reading behaviors, children do not feel comfortable with books†. There is no doubt that if parents start buying books and start reading themselves, this will encourage children. It is also necessary to add that drawing also plays a very important role in children’s development. With the help of drawing, children are taught to express their emotions and become more confident; however, within time, they lose enthusiasm for drawing, so it is vitally important to encourage them to draw. Since parents are usually very b usy and do not have enough free time to spend with their children, they are also expected to be busy; thus, this gap is filled with screen time. In her research, David (2013) claims, â€Å"children who read and draw for pleasure, have good memory, confidence, greater self-esteem and general knowledge. Reading and drawing build empathy, improve imagination and language development†. In the time of technological progress, parents should preserve the art of reading and drawing for pleasure. However, even though children spend not much time in front of television, it is necessary to control the quality of the programs. American Academy of Pediatrics (2010) claims that â€Å"even innocuous children’s programs use specific effects to concentrate children’s attention†. Usually, children who watch much TV are not able to concentrate since there is often much noise and silly voices on television. While watching television, little concentration is required. However, if you are reading or drawing, it is necessary to maintain attention for a long time. Concerning age peculiarities, children under 2 are not recommended at all to watch television. At that age, it would be much better to explore the world around and socialize with people. Nowadays, children have to teach to be still – to have a still mind and be able to concentrate on a story. The rhythm of life is really fast; as a result, children simply do not have a habit to read or draw. In such a s ituation, it is necessary to control time children spend in front of television. What is more, it is vitally important that parents review all the programs their children watch. Undoubtedly, there are some educational TV programs that make a positive impact on language development. Owing to this, children enlarge their vocabulary and become able to express their thoughts. It is recommended to stick to 2-hour limit, but it is also necessary to offer children alternatives to watching television. For example, children can be offered listening to music, reading, drawing, or even playing outdoors. The American Academy of Pediatrics (2010) consider †amount of time spent on watching television interferes with time spent in activities, that have positive influence on the children’s health and development, such as interacting with parents, reading, drawing, doing homework and active playing†. The ease of watching television is undoubted; as a result, children prefer being glued to television than engage into creative play. To play some games inside, children are required to prepare for the game and clean everything after. Regarding watching television, everything is much simpler: turning on and off. There is no doubt that watching television deteriorates children’s creativity. The research proved that children brought up in the community with no television were much more creative than those who had a TV set. It is necessary to engage children in appropriate activities. Again, it all depends on parents, because very often when they are under stress, they l ack desire to interact with children and simply put them in front of television. However, it would be much better if the parents devoted more time to reading or playing together with children; otherwise, there might occur such social ills as children’s lack of attention and concentration. At the same time, it is necessary to emphasize on the fact that electronic media is not always related to the amount of time spent on reading or drawing. On the contrary, television has not always contributed to television watching. In reality, there is a thought that the time children have spent on watching television has remained almost the same, but children started to read more. Viewing television in its turn makes an impact on the following media use: going to the cinema, listening to the radio, and reading comics. It means that children prefer spending little time reading and drawing. Reading for fun can be triggered by parents’ encouragement to read books, children’s motivation and intelligence. Undoubtedly, American children are not reading a lot; however, there is no chance to make children read and draw more by unplugging computer. It is important to mention that our culture is a text-based culture, and parents need to encourage reading in all possible ways. T he affordability and availability of different gadgets turned reading into a fun activity. Watching television has become an American national pastime. However, it is a well-known fact that there are a lot of activities that would make much better impact on children’s well-being. Television viewing is considered to interfere with such activities as interacting with parents, reading, drawing, and playing. It is easier for the child to perceive and remember the information he or she saw on screen than the information he or she heard. There are usually visual images on the screen. However, a lot of parents are confused about the fact that their child does not want to read, does not listen to the teacher in the class, and does not interact with other children. The explanation is very easy: the child is not interested in it, he or she is not used to creating his/her own images, and analyzing the situation on his or her own. It is also difficult to make decisions and a choice. Every person has to possess such skills and abilities to develop successfully. It is necessary t o encourage children to create their own show for the family audience. Children should be taught to do and create rather than be a consumer. A lot of children are no longer interested in arts and crafts since they got used to spending hours viewing bright entertaining commercials, which are trying to convince that happiness comes with the things they buy (Huffman, 2013). In that situation, it is recommended to expose children to a different type of entertainment that is not influenced by advertising. Billions of dollars are spent on marketing, which is aimed at making children loyal to their products. However, if the child spends too much time viewing television, then the risk of damaging brain is very high. According to the research, unlike reading and drawing, watching television does not advance cognitive functioning to a higher level.

10 Examples of Carbohydrates

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Nursing Contribution to Patient Recovery from Anesthesia Essay

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