Black Actresses Speak Out About Colorism

Gabrielle Union, Tika Sumpter, and  Lupita Nyong’o have all been praised for their good looks. Because they are dark-skinned, however, they have all been asked to discuss how  colorism, or skin color discrimination, affected their self-esteem. These women and other actresses, such as Keke Palmer and Vanessa Williams, have all had unique experiences in and out of the entertainment industry based on their skin color. Hearing them discuss their encounters, or lack thereof, with colorism, sheds light on the hurdles that have yet to be overcome in race relations. Pretty For a Dark-Skinned Girl Actress Keke Palmer of â€Å"Akeelah and the Bee† fame discussed her desire to be lighter-skinned while sitting on the Hollywood Confidential Panel in 2013. â€Å"When I was like 5 years old I used to pray to have light skin because I would always hear how pretty that little light skin girl was, or I would hear I was pretty ‘to be dark skinned,’†Ã‚  Palmer revealed. â€Å"It wasn’t until I was 13 that I really learned to appreciate my skin color and know that I was beautiful.† The actress went on to say that African Americans need â€Å"to stop separating ourselves by how dark or how light we are.† Praying For Light Skin Palmer’s prayer for lighter skin sounds eerily similar to Lupita Nyong’o’s prayers as a youth. The Oscar winner revealed in early 2014 that she, too, begged God for lighter skin. Teased and bullied for her dark skin, Nyong’o desperately believed that God would answer her prayer. â€Å"The morning would come and I would be so excited about seeing my new skin that I would refuse to look down at myself until I was in front of a mirror because I wanted to see my fair face first,†Ã‚  she said. â€Å"And every day I experienced the same disappointment of being just as dark as I was the day before.† The success of dark-skinned model Alek Wek helped Nyong’o to appreciate her skin color. â€Å"A celebrated model, she was dark as night, she was on all of the runways and in every magazine and everyone was talking about how beautiful she was.† â€Å"Even Oprah called her beautiful and that made it a fact. I couldn’t believe that people were embracing a woman who looked so much like me as beautiful. My complexion had always been an obstacle to overcome and all of a sudden Oprah was telling me it wasn’t.† Colorism Still Affects Gabrielle Union Actress Gabrielle Union has no shortage of admirers but  she revealed in 2010 that growing up in an all-white town led to her developing low self-esteem, particularly about her skin color. Her white classmates did not pursue her romantically and she did not meet black boys until she, an athlete, headed off to basketball camp. â€Å"When I got to go to basketball camp and I got to be around black boys, I was like cool†¦until I got dumped†¦for a light skinned girl,† she said. â€Å"And then that whole thing started. My hair isn’t straight enough. My nose isn’t pointy enough. My lips are too big. My boobs aren’t big enough. And you start going through all of that. And I realize as I’ve gotten older a lot of issues that I was dealing with at 15, I am still dealing with today.† Union said that she’s also witnessed her teenaged niece confront the same issues with skin color and hair texture, leading her to believe â€Å"that there is a lot more work to do be done.† In Hollywood, where there’s a high premium on looks, Union said that she continues to grapple with insecurities. â€Å"In the business that I am in now, it is incredibly tough, and to be honest, sometimes it is hard to keep my head above the water, sometimes I feel like I’m drowning,† she said. â€Å"†¦You don’t get a job, and you immediately want to blame it on, if my hair was different, or maybe if my nose†¦or they just want to go with light-skin girls, and you start to doubt yourself, and the self-doubts and the low self-esteem starts to creep in.† Tika Sumpter Never Felt Less Than Actress Tika Sumpter remarked in 2014 that being dark-skinned never made her feel less than her five siblings, all of whom are lighter than she is. She said that her mother, who is lighter than her, and her father, who is also dark-skinned, always appreciated her complexion. â€Å"I never felt less than, so even growing up and getting into this business I always felt like well yeah of course you’re going to like me,†Ã‚  she told Oprah Winfrey. â€Å"†¦I never felt like, wow, the light-skinned girl—she’s going to get all the boys. Growing up I was like, yeah, of course I’m cute. †¦Of course I’m going to be the president of my class three years in a row. I was never made to feel less than, and it starts at home. It really does.† Hollywood Poses Challenges For All Black Women Actress Vanessa Williams, who has light skin and eyes, was asked in 2014 to discuss the success of Lupita Nyong’o and whether skin color poses a barrier for dark-skinned women. â€Å"Getting a good role is hard no matter what you look like, and Lupita did a phenomenal job,†Ã‚  Williams said. â€Å"She went to Yale School of Drama and this was the first thing she did out of her tutelage there and she’s a brilliant actress†¦ She’s amazing because she embodied that role and made you feel. â€Å"It’s hard to get good roles anyway, no matter how fair your skin is†¦no matter how brown your skin is. It’s up to you to make the best out of each opportunity that you’re given.†

Human Nature Is A Complex System That Has Many Layers Of

Human nature is a complex system that has many layers of its composition. With this, we tend to often ask ourselves â€Å"what consistencies are evident in the activity of happiness?† Happiness is presented to us in a variety of forms that point us in the direction of having the same end result. Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Lewis each provided their own unique views on the accounts of happiness that are portrayed through human nature. With this, there are consistent principles of human nature that relate to happiness through being self-absorbed, finding pleasure, obedient, and moral. To begin, it is only natural that as humans, we are self-absorbed. When an opportunity provides itself for us to speak highly or of tragedy of oneself, we†¦show more content†¦Curiosity fuels the desire to know more, yet God is already knowing all (2, 6, 13). Also, Augustine was able to take sex and turn it into a vice. Augustine and his peers took pleasure in the act of sex and pleas ure in talking about it (2, 1, 1). These ways of pleasure blindly led Augustine away from finding a true happiness during his youth. Next, obedience is one of the complex layers of happiness within human nature. Obedience plays a major role in finding happiness with oneself and God. It was evident with Augustine that his mother, Monica, devoted her life to being an obedient wife, mother, and worshiper of Christ. Her obedience is a demonstration of her devotion to God. Also, Lewis believed that until you give yourself to God, you will not understand your real self. However, once you have discovered your true self, do not mistake this for ultimate power and place yourself in comparison with God (49). Obedience to oneself comes with the acceptance and following of God. Following, morality is something we as humans cannot control. As much as we would like to be in control of this, Augustine suggests otherwise. Morality is a social convention that disables us from judging others. This i s best understood when taught. (11-12). Moral virtues, as discussed by Aristotle, are the â€Å"disposition of desire, trained by habitual action, and in cooperation with reason, to act honorably and appropriately, as circumstancesShow MoreRelatedCentral Nervous System1222 Words   |  5 Pagesnervous system (CNS) is that portion of the vertebrae nervous system that is composed of the brain and spinal cord. Together with the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the other major portion of the nervous system, the CNS coordinates the bodys interaction with the environment. The CNS is contained within the dorsal cavity, with the brain in the cranial subcavity (the skull), and the spinal cord in the spinal cavity (within the vertebral column). 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Operations Management in Insurance Sector Free Essays

Operations Management in INSURANCE SECTOR Q. How to measure operational efficiency in service industry? Ans-Insurance companies use KPI indicators to measure operational efficiency and ensure optimum standards. The secret to success for an insurance company is providing the right product, having the right people selling and managing risks associated with it. We will write a custom essay sample on Operations Management in Insurance Sector or any similar topic only for you Order Now Insurance organizations use and act on metrics to avoid unnecessary risks. Following are the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that insurance companies use to measure operational efficiency. Policy Sales Growth Ratio It measures policy sales growth over a set period of time. It is increase in the number of clients over a specified period. It is helpful to gain insights into policy sales trend. The higher this percentage, the better it is. Policy Sales Growth = (Current period sales revenue – previous period sales revenue)/previous period sales revenue Claims Ratio It is defined by claims in a period divided by earned premium in the period. It helps to know the risk of claims and effectiveness of the policy. The ratio needs to be analyzed carefully to understand the risk associated. A higher ratio indicates too many claims compared to premiums and it isn’t good for the company. A lower ratio may indicate difficulty claiming which would lead to customer dissatisfaction. Claims Ratio = Total claims per period/Total earned premiums per period Percentage of Total Lapses It measures the total number of missed payments in a period compared with the policies sold. It helps in understanding why lapses are occurring and stop them from occurring at a high frequency. Read also Exam Operations Management A high percentage might be because of inefficient operations such as problems in the payment process. A company constantly improves its operations to decrease the percentage of lapses in each period. Percentage of Total Lapses = Lapses/Policies Sold Average Time to Settle a Claim It measures the time it takes settle claims. A decreasing trend is favorable. Lower time to settle the claim defines higher operational efficiency of the company. Average Time to Settle a Claim = Total no. of days taken to settle all claims/ Total claims Quotas vs. Production It measures the effectiveness of sellers and agents at meeting their targets. It helps in identifying when target sales are below and taking corrective action. A ratio below 1 means targets is not being met. A higher than 1 ratio means brokers are exceeding the target and it is favorable for the organization. Quotas vs. Production = Total Rs. Quoted Business/Total Revenue Top Brokers in Sales Revenue It ranks brokers based on sales revenue and no. of policies sold. It helps to identify top performers for each category of policies. It also helps to improve the performance of brokers who are lacking behind. Top Brokers in Sales Revenue = Rank top 3 or 10 brokers based on sales revenue Total Benefits as a percentage of premium It is an indicator of financial performance. This measure helps in pricing of insurance policies. It helps to know the risk factors associated with each policy and set fair premiums. Total paid benefits as a percentage of premium = Total paid benefits/Total premium earned Q. How to ensure quality in service business and how to enhance quality in service sector? Ans-There are several ways to ensure and enhance the quality of an insurance company. These are listed below. †¢Six Sigma concepts can be implemented to ensure quality and conform to consumer needs. Six Sigma concepts make use of statistical tools which makes measurement of results easier. †¢Dividing the company into departments based on different categories of insurance such as separate departments for car insurance and health insurance. This would provide better understanding of which categories of insurance should be improved by the company. Deciding on the maximum time to settle an insurance claim. This would allow to improve service and quality of claim processes as claims would be settled more quickly. †¢Online information should be used to provide policy holders with accounts that provide updated information regarding their claims and premium payments. †¢Insurance companies can get into an strategic partnership with mobile banking providers so that customer s can pay their premiums through mobile banking †¢A chart showing the updated rankings of brokers should be available to all brokers. This would increase competition and let the brokers know how much they are lacking behind others. †¢Incentives for top performing brokers should also be announced in advance to keep the motivation level high throughout and improve services. †¢Regular training programs should be conducted for brokers in order to increase their marketing and selling skills †¢A complaint center should be established in the premises to deal with the complaints received from customers. The complaints should be discussed and a corrective action plan should be develop to deal with problem. The action plan should be implemented and results must be analyzed †¢A maximum time to act on a complaint should be decided within that time the department has to act on the complaint. The corrective action taken should be documented and implemented within the specified time †¢External benchmarking with other insurance companies might also be helpful in identifying short comings and improving services †¢Define to brokers the criteria of quality customer interaction and to led them act on it How to cite Operations Management in Insurance Sector, Papers

Elements of music Essay Example For Students

Elements of music Essay A melodic phrase is a group of notes that make sense together and express a definite melodic idea, but it sakes more than one phrase to make a complete melody. 2. Form Every piece of music has an overall plan or structure, the big picture, so to speak. This is called the form of the music. Musical forms offer a great range of complexity. Most listeners will quickly grasp the form of a short and simple piece, or of one built from many short repetitions. It is also easier to recognize familiar musical forms. Musicians traditionally have two ways to describe the form of a piece of music. One way involves labeling each large section with a letter. The other way is to simply give a name to a form that is very common. . Rhythm Rhythm in music is dependent on the fact that humans recognize a beat occurring at a regular interval. Rhythm in music is more than Just a beat, however; it is the way that sounds with differing lengths or gaps between them and accents can combine to produce patterns in time which contain a beat. These sounds do not have to be particularly musical; rhythms can be made by striking almost anything, as long as there can be difference in accent. It is important to understand that the rhythm is defined by the pattern; the overall speed of it could vary from performance to reference, but the rhythm would still be the same. 4. Harmony Harmony is produced when two complementary notes sound simultaneously. Harmony is found in chords, or can be played along a main melody; see texture. Harmony is described as being vertical, since harmony is only achieved when notes are played at the same time. Harmony accompanies and supports the melody. In general, harmony refers to the combination of notes or chords played together and the relationship between a series of chords. 5. Texture Musical texture refers to the number of layers as well as the type of layers used in a elements of music By cascaras elodea line, polyphonic; two or more melodic lines and homophobic; a main melody accompanied by chords. Texture describes the complexity of a musical composition. The word texture is used because adding different layers or elements to music creates a musical tapestry. Texture can be simple or elaborate. Texture is the way the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic materials are combined in a composition. 6. Dynamics Dynamics are abbreviations or symbols used to signify the degree of loudness or softness of a piece of music. It also indicates whether there is a change in volume. Dynamic levels are not something that can be measured exactly. Italian words are used to describe musical dynamics. We use the Italian terms piano and forte to indicate soft and loud. They are usually abbreviated p and f. The important thing is that dynamic levels should be correct in relation to one another. Dynamics also refer to every aspect of execution of a given piece both stylistic and functional. 7. Timbre Also known as tone color. It refers to the quality of sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another. Timbre is the unique quality of an instruments sound. Timbre describes the difference between two tones played in the same pitch ND volume.