Masterbation

Masterbation is seen by some as disgusting or in some way unnatural. It is a subject that is fairly tabboo and if discovered in some societies are treated like a disease that needs to eradicated. This leads to various practices that are very uncomfortable and may been seen as inhumane. On the other side of the coin masturbation is seen as a treatment for sexual disfuntion. Twice as many men masterbate than women and they also do it more frequently. But as the saying goes it you want something done right do it yourself.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/n4187061337642g7/

http://www.springerlink.com/content/h204278732u0x4gj/

Questionnaire

Age? 30

Sex? F

What is your degree subject (both if joint)? Creative and Professional Writing with Literature.

Does 'Being Bad'relate well to the other modules you are taking? Not really, but it will give me ideas for my creative writing.

If so, how? And if not, why not? Answered above

Have you found ‘Being Bad’ too demanding, too easy, or at an appropriate level? too many blogs.

Do you think the list of topics covered on the module was appropriate? yes

Are there any topics not included in the module that you would like to see included?Study of specific bad behaviour such as murder, but maybe murder is way more than being bad.

Do you think that the format for classes has worked well? yes

What did you think of the module team? A good mixture of people and ideas

Do you think it would have been better to have had more:Small group discussions? Yes.

Discussion and debate among the class as a whole? No

Information and talk from lecturers? Yes

The approach taken in the module is interdisciplinary (drawing on perspectives from English Literature, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Media Studies and Politics): do you think this a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module? it is useful way of dealing with material, but for some students with no experience of creative writing/scripts etc, making it compulsory to have 2 written assessments in different formats can be difficult. eg, I have no experience of creative writing, so am finding rationale and actual writing difficult, as a novice.

Do you think that interdisciplinary modules are a good idea? yes.

Do you think you have benefited from the interdisciplinary approach taken in the module? Yes

Would you like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter? Yes, it's life and it should be explored.

Are you planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn’t Be Allowed’ at level 2? Definately

Would you recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend? Yes

Do you think that the blogs (web logs) were a good idea? Yes but the volume is a bit much.

What did you think of the other assessments (e.g. would it be better to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones?)? It's fine how it is.

What have you learned from the module? To be more aware that what I condider to be bad is not the same for others and maybe be a bit more relaxed about some things.

What parts of the module have you found most useful and why? I think just looking at the different things like tattoos that some people think is bad and I don't. It was just looking our moral differnces and not being judgemental.

What parts do you think were a waste of time and why? I thought all parts were relevant, very interesting.

Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding ‘Being Bad’? It was a great module to do, interesting and thought provoking, Brilliant.

Infidelity

There are many reasons why people cheat. Some cheat to get away from their boring lives, others to feel empowered. Then there is simply instant gratification. Is it worth it to hurt the one that you are with. If you are married, you have made a committment to be with this person through thick and thin, so what possible reason could there be to betray that sanctity. Hell if I know i've never been married and don't really know if I want to be. There are too many stories of infidelity and having been cheated on myself I don't get the idea of being in a relationship if you really don't want to be with that person.

http://www.gregswensonphd.com/infidelity.htm#3

http://divorcesupport.about.com/od/infidelity/p/infidelity_type.htm

Lyeing with Integrity

Is there any good reason to lie? Is there any need for white lies as we call them?, little lies that are supposed to keep people's feelings from getting hurt. Maybe it is the consequences of these lies that we cannot or do no want to deal with. When people in positions of power such as Politicians lie, is it for our benefit or for theirs. Depends on the lie, I guess. If it's something like Bill Clinton's well publicised sexual indescretion then it's about his career. But if it's to do with discrepancies to do with budgets etc then it's the right of the public to know what's going on.

Whatever the reason may be it can at times be justified to tell certain lies in my opinion, but the big stinkers, no way, just fess up. In the end it all comes out.

Drugs

There are many people who become involved in drugs for differnt reasons. I have family members and friends who have smoked weed and done cocaine and pills. Everyone of them indulged for their own reasons, some use for recreation while others are trying to escape the reality of their lives. Some are influenced by celebrities who are constantly in and out of rehab. They are seen as cool and with it by some. As a society we need to make our own decisions and not be influenced by those who live in a totally different bubble than we do. Some drugs such as weed is widely used and this makes it in my opinion one of the most dangerous. I say this because of the mass amount of people that use it, they do not see it as harmful and many delude themselves by saying it is from the earth so it is natural and cannot harm them. This is rubish, I have seen first hand the negative effect it can have on people's lives. Wake up and smell the coffee, most drugs come from natural sources, this does not make them healthy.

http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/drug_guide/Marijuana

http://www.handbag.com/celebrity/Brad-Pitt-caught-smoking-weed/v1

Response to Sex Revisited-Wrong Doing

That is so funny. Personally I could never have sex in a public place. That's something that should be private and not for the world to see, unless you go to one of those special clubs.

Bad Cinema

What can I say about this film. It is disturbing and thought provoking, but that is exactly how it was meant to be. Larry Clark had something to say and wanted to get his poitn across as effectively as possible. Youth culture has changed significantly from the time our parents and grandparents grew up in. Children are behaving more like adults at an earlier age. This film makes the obviously clear. There is a deep message of what can happen to you when you have unprotected sex even once. It shows the choices kids can make if they have no parental guidance. It seems as though they all parent each other if you can call it that. The girls are not respected and are treated as objects while the boys assurt their dominance. In the end who is better off, HIV is being passed around like a can of pop and the film ends with Telly still not knowing he is infected and Casper also getting infected due to raping Jenny. Did he get what he deserved?

http://stevifeldkamp.com/artifacts/Urban_Adolescents.pdf

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,298032,00.html

Response to C.Scott-Why Being Bad

I also decided to take this module for similar reasons. I thought it would be interesting to look at what is deemed as being bad in respect to social standards and why some people think peeing in the pool is wrong and others don't.

Response to Shazza-Something Wicked This Way Comes

You are right. I think that there are people who do and those of us that don't, not because we are being judgemental but because for whatever reason we just don't feel confortable in certain situations. Can't answer the why but I question the why not? Meaning why is it so hard to throw caution to the wind and say why not do something or go somewhere we never thought we could?

Have Tattoos become socially acceptable.

If you watch programs such as Miami Ink you will see the vast cross section of people who are having tattoos. Teachers, lawyers and Doctors are participating in an act that in it's conception was considered to be only for sailors and vagabonds who were previously incarcerated. Tattoos are no longer seen as satanic or evil by most, they are rather embraced by society as an outlet of expression. I have had six tattoos and love each one. They all have significant meaning to me. The most important thing to know when getting permanent ink on your body is not to forget that it is permanent so you need to be sure it's what you want. Many people imitate their favourite celebrity and end up with a tattoo that they do not really want.

Historically tattooist were not considered to be artists, this has all changed today.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7034500.stm

http://www.powerverbs.com/tattooyou/history.htm

Bad Behaviour: Stalking

It's crazy to think how many people get stalked now a days and that there seems to be little done about it. I was stalked for months and in the end the police were not able to do much due to lack of evidence. In my case I was able to set a trap once I realised who the culprit was . For many the story does not end so well, like some celebrities their story ends in death. There needs to be tougher laws to protect innocent people from the sick and twisted mind of others who think its fine to invade and disrupt the lives of others.

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/53941

http://www.sexualharassmentsupport.org/Stalking.html

Bad Behaviour: Are We Setting A Good Example For Our Children?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/750257.stm

As a parent in today's society and someone who has worked in a school, I beleive there is an elemant of truth to those who say that parents and adults set a bad example for children. It is not hard to beleive that the most common reason for teachers to quit their job is down to bad behaviour. Although most parents work with the schools, the minority do not and this can cause problems when it comes to discipline.

Personally I think that kid's today are not exposed to the same values that our grandparents and their parents had. As parents we can only do our best to try and portray values that we hold dear, but those values are subjective, my values aren't yours. Does this mean that because we may have conflicting value systems, one is better than the other? I don't know, but the moral of this story is that there are so many outside influences that our children face daily, it would be great if they have a stable family structure (don't get me wrong stable does not necessarily mean a nuclear family) that helps them to make positive decisions instead on ones based on our short comings as parents.

Why do people smoke?

My mother has been a smoker since she was a teenager. I could never understand why she has never been able to stop successfully. Smoking is said to be one of the most difficult addictions to beat because Nicotine is so highly addictive. It is also believed that many people smoke because they simply cannot stop.Well that answers that question. However, why did she begin to smoke in the first place? Was it peer pressure to look cool or fit in? Was she bored or dealing with a bad situation? Some say that there can be a psychological dependency associated with smokers, for my mother I know this is true. She smokes more when she is stressed out and thinks that smoking helps her to calm down.

I have smoked a few years ago because I have seen my mom smoke for so long. I only smoked menthols and quickly gave up with no problem. I only wish that it was as easy for my mom to give up. It can be frustrating because she is a nurse and knows the ramifications, but I guess quitting is just not that easy for everyone.

www.wisegeek.com/why-do-people-smoke.html

Places Considered Taboo By Some

I've never been into a sex shop. Walked past a few and wondered what it would be like to go in and start browsing, but the prude in me always wins and I never go in. I'm curious to see how the toys are displayed and is the person behind the counter a plain Jane type or someone who might look like a porn star. I want to know why there is so much stigma attached to those that frequent these shops or discomfort for someone like me to who can't bring herself to go into one because i'm chicken. People have sex all the time, right? So what's the problem?