The best way to influence the government by ordinary people Essay

The best way to influence the government by ordinary people - Essay Example make sure that the government listens to the views of the ordinary citizen, and in recent times social networking sites and blogs are proving to be an excellent pathway. The great advantage of social networking sites like facebook, or even twitter, is that they can reach a large number of people very quickly. When an idea takes hold on the internet and is passed from person to person, then it is called a â€Å"viral† process, because it spreads like a virus through the contacts that are made. We can see in the so-called â€Å"Arab Spring† that dissatisfaction with government performance has resulted in protests all across North Africa and the Middle East. Demonstrations and rallies are co-ordinated by facebook, in the large cities at least, and this means that many voices can be heard at the same time, forcing the government to take notice. This has resulted in violence on some occasions, because of the strong feelings of the protestors and the harsh reaction by the governments concerned. Violence, however, is not the best way bring about change. People suffer because of it, and many become bitter, resulting in a cycle of destruction t hat helps nobody. A more effective use of social networking, and one which is used in the United States, is to make concerns public on the internet, and to draw attention to issues that a lot of people would like to change. Many pathways from the twentieth century like writing letters to a member of Congress, or drawing up a petition, or even lobbying key politicians, can now be done online in the twenty-first century. The issue of climate change has many different dimensions, and an ordinary citizen can choose social networking sites for different types of action. For local issues, it is possible to join a local lobbying group, and to participate in meetings, for example to protest about any environmental damage being done by a local factory. Dates and times can be published on the protest group’s web, or blog, or facebook page,

My experience of studying abroad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My experience of studying abroad - Essay Example Therefore, our expectations from the government were really high until the day I was denied admission in prestigious universities because of not having the `right` contacts or connections in high positions. This unfair treatment, not only affected me, but my entire family as well. â€Å"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere†. This is a saying by Martin Luther King Jr, a strong promoter of equal rights, who believed that the entire human network is bound together and if one individual suffers, then it affects the entire human race (Injustice Quotes, Web). What is injustice? It is the violation of the rights of other individuals, by treating them unfairly or not giving them their rights (Injustice Definition, Web). Every human being is entitled to a fair, just and an equal treatment and it is the responsibility of a country`s government to make sure that no prejudice is taking place Being denied admission in one of the most prestigious colleges of Russia, I am one of these countless victims who suffer from discrimination worldwide. Since childhood, my parents have encouraged me to work hard in order to fulfill my dreams. Education has always been an important part of my life. I strive for academic excellence, always willing to make the most of it. Along with studies, I have been involved in extra-curricular activities like sports, public speaking and even voluntary services. All of these made me an excellent candidate for this college and I had my hopes high. All my family and friends were sure that I would get in as I fulfilled all the criteria of this college. As this was a public college, my education would have been for free and my parents were happy about it. When half of my classmates were accepted, I was just waiting for my admission and my teachers were sure that I my admission letter was on its way. But I kept waiting and waiting. My professors and colleagues told me not to give up hope and assured me that there had been some mistak e. I wondered whether I had made some blunder in submitting my application and started blaming myself. After much pressure from my instructors and family, I wrote to the college again and asked for the status of my application. The very next day, there was a letter in my mailbox from this college. My family became really excited knowing that it was my acceptance letter. As soon as I read it, tears filled my eyes. Thinking that they were tears of happiness, my family started hugging and congratulating me. The pain that I felt at that particular moment was the worst of its kind. I did not know how to tell my parents about the truth, knowing that it would ruin the perfect smiles on their face. But I knew I had to tell them, there was no other way. With much courage, I told them it was not an acceptance letter and was a rejection one. The expressions on their faces made it worse for me. Thinking that their ears were deceiving them, they took the letter from me and realized that I was sa ying the truth. They embraced me and assured me that this college was not worth having such an outstanding student like me. But whatever they did, I know that my life-long dream had been destroyed. But why was I rejected? I fulfilled their criteria then what possible reason did they have for rejecting me? The answer was clear and obvious. My parents did not have high contacts in the government and that was the highest criteria that any candidate should fulfill before getting accepted in this college. Not just this particular college, but every other public college here. Many of my classmates were rejected because of this reason only. My instructors understood this but there was nothing they could do and they advised