The question of gentrification has been raised for decades and continues to bother many people who live in such neighborhoods as Brooklyn. The conundrum of gentrification and the role of demand in modern society serve as the reason why I want to share my position on this issue. Though zoning is a helpful tool to keep simple things together and apart regarding their size and shape (Center for Urban Pedagogy, What Is Zoning 10), it is characterized by multiple concerns. Gentrification should not be the question of affordable housing and zoning only. It touches many lives with their stories, either bad or good, and challenges human feelings (“Brooklyn, We Go Hard”). Therefore, it is wrong to believe that gentrification is a possibility to meet the demands of the middle class. This discussion has deep roots, and my task is to solve the riddle of urban change in Brooklyn.
The peculiar feature of the chosen topic is that despite numerous investigations and opinions, it is still hard to create one common opinion and understanding of the matter. On the one hand, gentrification is a positive process that helps poor and working-class people to deal with the consequences of disinvestment and crime violence (McGee). It is a chance for the less fortunate people to improve the “ugly” place they try to call their home (Anderson). However, I cannot agree with such statements, as all these decisions are made by people who have never lived in the neighborhood. On the other hand, people have already heard about the idea of affordable housing and realized that they could never afford that type of housing (Center for Urban Pedagogy, What Is Affordable Housing 11). Gentrification is an attempt to make “money off black people’s pain” (McGee). Still, not all people in the neighborhood can understand the true worth of urban change and effective planning.
One may say that gentrification is necessary to identify and meet human needs. I agree with Angotti, who states that even if zoning is defined as free and comfortable for the American population, it remains to be under the control of rich experts with a serious deficit of democratic discussions about the future of the neighborhood (20). The rich are eager to fix the crime and violence problems of people, intruding into their lives and houses without even getting permission. The main question that bothers me at this moment is not about the ethics or morality of this conundrum but about the author of this permission. Can America call itself a free and democratic country when so many decisions are still made by rich people?
Gentrification in Brooklyn gives the answer to the above-posed question. “Black faces are disappearing as white ones take their place” (McGee). Therefore, the conundrum of gentrification is not about human needs or the necessity to improve living conditions anymore. It is about profitability, race, and the color of skin that is inherent to the middle class. Brooklyn’s story is not a single example. There are many neighborhoods with similar stories and debates.
To conclude, I want to underline that to be successful for people, gentrification has to be equal and fair. It is not enough for central and inner areas to use their geographical priority in order to satisfy the demands of the middle class. It is more important to listen to the middle class and evaluate if something good can be done on a free-will basis, considering the opinions of all people, those who can invest, and those who have to live.
Works Cited
Anderson, Kelly, director. My Brooklyn. My Brooklyn Movie, 2012.
Angotti, Tom. “Land Use and Zoning Matter.” Zoned Out! Race, Displacement, and City Planning in New York City, edited by Tom Angotti and Sylvia Morse, Terreform, 2016, pp. 18-26.
“Brooklyn, We Go Hard.” There Goes the Neighborhood. 2016, Web.
Center for Urban Pedagogy. What Is Affordable Housing? New York, 2009.
Center for Urban Pedagogy. What Is Zoning? New York, 2013.
McGee, Maura. “People of Color Are not Props: Black Branding and Community Resistance in Gentrifying Brooklyn.” Metro Politics. 2018, Web.
Tuition Fees In Public Universities And Colleges
One of the problems facing higher education in contemporary American society is the high tuition fees in public universities and colleges. By the time students are graduating, they have debts that will take decades to clear, and this aspect affects their financial wellbeing for the most part of their adult lives. In this paper, I explain my position that tuition fees in public universities and colleges should be abolished.
One of the arguments used to justify higher student debt is that by acquiring higher education, learners increase their earning power and human capital. Consequently, the financial advantage that comes with having a higher education is a good return on investment. However, this market-based thinking is a wrong approach towards education. First, education is a public good, which should not be evaluated using market logic. The principal purpose of education is not to allow individuals to have increased lifetime incomes but to understand the world around them and offer solutions for progressive communities. Any civilized society should be in a position to offer students an enabling environment to learn in ways that accelerate imagination and invigorate creativity. Consequently, such educated students can come up with solutions to problems that affect their natural and created environments. Once students learn to offer solutions to societal problems, increased monetary rewards become an outcome of the process.
The current structuring of student’ loan repayments is punitive, and one would question the purpose of funding in the first place. For instance, as opposed to other forms of debt, student loans cannot be discharged in cases of bankruptcy. Additionally, the majority of these loans cannot be refinanced. This aspect means that if a student got a loan in the 1990s at an interest rate of 8 percent, he or she has to repay at the same rates even in the contemporary times where the rates have gone down. In addition, when an individual fails to make payments for student loans for over 9 months, he or she is deemed to have defaulted. The Education Department then pays a fortune to private debt collectors to pursue the defaulters. The money used to pay these debt collectors can be used to finance free college education in public schools.
The viability of my proposal to abolish tuition fees may be questionable. However, such approaches have worked in other countries, such as Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark, and they can be realized in our society (Karay and Matthes 4). Additionally, Tennessee abolished tuition fees in 2014, and the program has been a success. Therefore, the federal government can borrow insights from places where free tuition for public colleges and universities have worked and implement the same across the country. One of the best outcomes from such a move would be the reduction of the rampant societal inequalities caused by the current system of financing college education (Perna et al. 1740). Contemporarily, students from rich families are more likely to access quality education as compared to their counterparts from poor backgrounds.
In summary, the value of education should not be evaluated using market-based logic. Students should be prepared to become responsible citizens and problem-solvers for a progressive society. Free college tuition programs have worked in other areas, and the government should follow the same strategies and come up with solutions to the current debt crisis facing university students.
Works Cited
Karay, Yassin, and Jan Matthes. “A Study on Effects of and Stance over Tuition Fees.” GMS Journal for Medical Education, vol. 33, no. 1, 2016, pp. 1-15.
Perna, Laura, et al. “Free College: A New and Improved State Approach to Increasing Educational Attainment?” American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 61, no. 14, pp. 1740-1756.
The Concept Of Postpartum Depression
Introduction
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a range of emotional and physical changes that the majority of new mothers go through. Immediately after delivery, mothers experience a sharp drop in hormones, and this chemical change may cause depression. Additionally, social and psychological changes that occur after getting a baby may cause this condition. One in every 10 new mothers experiences PPD (Chojenta, Lucke, Forder, & Loxton, 2016). Postpartum depression is a common condition involving psychological, emotional, social, and physical changes that many new mothers experience immediately after giving birth, but it is easily treated using medications and therapy. Postpartum depression is a common condition involving psychological, emotional, social, and physical changes that many new mothers experience immediately after giving birth, but it is easily treated using medications and therapy.
Types
The common form of PPD is “baby blues,” which is mild and it affects almost every new mother. Normally, after delivery, new mothers are likely to experience sudden moods, which may lead to irritability, anxiety, loneliness, restlessness, and sadness. These changes may last for two weeks. PPD is prolonged and frequent baby blues’ symptoms with depressive characteristics, and it can occur several weeks or months after delivery. A new mother suffering from depressive symptoms should visit a health practitioner for treatment using medication and therapy. Postpartum psychosis is a severe form of PPD with full-blown symptoms of depression. New mothers suffering from this condition lose touch with reality together with having delusions, hallucinations, insomnia, agitation, and restlessness. Treatment is recommended using therapy and medications.
Symptoms
The common symptoms include mood changes, loss of appetite, and extreme fatigue, which are common signs after delivery. Other new mothers may experience loneliness, restlessness, agitation, and anxiety. In extreme cases where postpartum psychosis is involved, some individuals may experience symptoms such as suicidal thoughts, feelings of despair, and ineptitude, which are pointers to depression.
Predisposing Factors
A new mother with a history of depression even before pregnancy is highly likely to suffer from PPD. Additionally, having many children may cause depression in new mothers, especially in cases where there is not enough financial support to take care of the kids (Chojenta et al., 2016). Young age at the time of pregnancy predisposes new mothers to PPD as they figure out how to deal with their new status. Finally, marital conflict and limited social or family support are risk factors because new mothers under such conditions lack the requisite backup that they need to deal with motherhood (Ghaedrahmati, Kazemi, Kheirabadi, Ebrahimi, & Bahrami, 2017).
Treatment
Treatment depends on the type and severity of the condition. Psychotherapy is used to guide the patient on how to cope and overcome their depression and other related conditions. The commonly used drugs are antidepressants to alleviate depressive symptoms. In cases of psychosis, a patient may be admitted to a hospital, and antipsychotic drugs are used for treatment (Ghaedrahmati et al., 2017). Social support is also recommended as a coping mechanism.
Conclusion
Postpartum depression is a common condition affecting one in every ten new mothers, and it comes in different forms such as baby blues, PPD, and postpartum psychosis. Symptoms differ depending on the type of PPD being experienced. The main predisposing factors include a history of depression, age, marital conflict, and lack of social support. Treatment is done through psychotherapy and antidepressant medications. Antipsychotic drugs are used in cases of postpartum psychosis.
References
Chojenta, C. L., Lucke, J. C., Forder, P. M., & Loxton, D. J. (2016). Maternal health factors as risks for postnatal depression: A prospective longitudinal study. PLoS ONE, 11(1), 1-9. Web.
Ghaedrahmati, M., Kazemi, A., Kheirabadi, G., Ebrahimi, A., & Bahrami, M. (2017). Postpartum depression risk factors: A narrative review. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 6(60), 1-21. Web.