Gambling

Gambling used to be a word associated with working class people, who would put a bet or two on horse racing in the hope to gain a couple of pounds. However, in today's society, gambling has become more elite and places like casinos have a glamorous wealthy edge to them, with many mutli-millionaires and top businessmen frequently being portrayed as the "face of modern-day gambling." For example, John Prescott has been recently campaigning to transform the Millennium Dome into a "super casino" in a bid to attract tourism and wealthy gamblers from around the world into Britain. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5010808.stm Gambling now has a certain upper-class quality to it, and this aspect of it often makes it seem much more appealing to a wider range of people.

Recently, I was watching a TV programme and it showed the true extent of how much and how often people gamble. Rather than gamblers being the stereotypical old men in flat caps, or young men in suits, the amount of female housewives turning to gambling is on the increase. Many women were ringing in to this TV show telling of how they have turned to internet gambling, with sites such as www.gambling.co.uk and www.bet365casino.com providing an easy way to try winning money whilst not even having to leave the comfort of your own home, which is particularly convenient when you are a stay-at-home mother with young children. Most of these women's partners had no idea of the amount of debt they had already occurred, and the women argued that because they were gambling with money off their credit cards, it did not seem like they were gambling with real money, and so the full extent of how much money they had lost did not become apparent until they received their bills. Then the reality hit.

When I was younger i sometimes used to go to amusement arcades whilst on holiday, and used to get quite addicted to putting my coppers into the slot machines! Losing just small quantities of money like this taught me that there are no winners in gamblers, only the gambling tycoons who run the businesses. It can be VERY addictive, and i think it is worse if someone wins the first ever time they gamble, because this spurs them on to continue, but more than likely they just lose large amounts of money. It can send many people into enormous debt, which can lead to problems like turning to drugs, theft or prostitution in order to pay-off this money, but this in turn can create a vicious cycle. Some people get so deep into debt that they have to declare themselves bankrupt, they may lose their family and friends because it is such a destructive addiction, and quite often, gamblers commit suicide to escape all this. Buying the odd lottery ticket or two is harmless, but any more than these can cause a great deal of irreversible damage.

Domestic Violence

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/domestic-violence/

The Government defines domestic violence as "Any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality." This includes issues of concern to black and minority ethnic communities, such as so-called 'honour killings'.

http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/dv/dv01.htm

People who abuse others via domestic violence always have their reasons, but none of which are ever acceptable. The harsh reality of it is that only a very small percentage of domestic violence ever actually gets reported, and the majority of these reports are from women. Although many men are also victims, many feel too ashamed or embarrassed to report it, as they do not want the shame of admitting they are beaten by their wives/girlfriends. However, all acts of violence are wrong, and therefore men and women should be treated equally by the authorities, and effective measures should be taken on both parts - both sexes should be prosecuted for such horrific crimes, it just takes courage and strength for the victims to come forward and put an end to it. For good.

Theft

After being a victim of card fraud whereby someone spent £350 of my money in Hong Kong, it made me think about theft in more depth.

Firstly, apart with being rather annoyed, the thing that effected me most about it was the fact that my privacy had been invaded. Someone had gotten all my details illegally and behaved in a malicious, dishonest way, commiting a serious crime. The person stealing this money knew it would directly harm others, and yet they still did it; in that respect, the person is worse than the crime they committed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3256799.stm

http://www.answers.com/topic/theft

Bandits and Outlaws

Comments on other people's posts:

http://melissa-naughty.blogspot.com/
"Can bandits and outlaws ever be considered 'heroes' or the 'good guys'?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary Online, the term 'bandit' is described as "One who is proscribed or outlawed; hence, a lawless desperate marauder, a brigand: usually applied to members of the organized gangs which infest the mountainous districts of Italy, Sicily, Spain, Greece, and Turkey." Considering this, one may come to the conclusion that a bandit cannot be a heroic figure of any kind. However, if we look back in history to figures such as Robin Hood, some evidence and opinions contrast this opinion. This character was famous for robbing the rich to feed the poor and fighting against injustice and tyranny...therefore this points to him being the poor peoples' hero!
Similarly Jessie James and "Pretty Boy" Floyd are figures revered by the poorer people in society, those who feel they had injustice done against them. Floyd has been referred to as 'a folk hero to the people of Oklahoma who perceived him as a "Sagebrush Robin Hood", stealing from the rich banks to help the poor eat by buying them groceries and tearing up their mortgages during the robberies.'
In modern use though, the term 'bandit' is associated with 'gangster', which has negative connotations in today's society, because it isn't focused upon the needs of the poor, but criminal activities that often have little justification."

I personally agree with this post, as even the terms of "bandits and outlaws" have changed in context over time, where in the past they were often associated with people who stole from the rich to feed the poor, but nowadays, they are words associated with crime and, very often, illegal drugs. <http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-OutlawGangsList.html>

''I wasn't the leader of any gang. I was for Billy all the time."
-- Billy the Kid to a Las Vegas reporter after his capture at Stinking Springs.

Alcohol

In small quantities, alcohol can be harmless, but if a large amount is consumed in any one time, such as binge drinking, it can even lead to fatality. There is a teenage binge-drinking culture in this society, and although many people may just view it as harmless drunken fun, the consequences of doing so will not become apparent for many years to come, and then the problems can become irreversible.
Whilst drunk, people can become very vulnerable, and many people are raped, drugged or beaten-up. Alcohol can give you an added confidence and can make you do things that you would not normally do. It is an addictive drug and can lead to liver disease and eventually death.

For Buddhists, drinking alcohol is the worst possible thing to do, because you lose control of your body and mind and can end up committing many sins which you may not have done if you were not under the influence.

http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_abuse_and_alcoholism/article.htm

Being Too Religious

I personally do not believe that anyone can be "too religious," as long as they do not try to impose their beliefs on other people. If someone wants to sit in a public place and read from the Bible or the Qu'ran, then I think that's perfectly acceptable, but if they decide to start chanting the verses out loud, then yes, I do think it is possible to be too religious, and in this instance, it is partly due to lack of respect for other religions. On the subject of imposing religion upon others, although one of the duties of being a Jehovah's Witness is to knock on people's doors and talk to them about their religion, I think this is being a little too religious.

Recently, there has been much controversy over people wearing religious clothing or symbols in the workplace. For example, British Airways tried to sack an employee because she wore a crucifix necklace as a sign of her Christianity, sparking a huge media debate over whether people should be free to wear religious items. However, whilst the necklace was very small and could be worn under the employee's uniform, there were a few Muslim employees who wore headscarves, which questions why some religions are discriminated against whilst other religious practices are deemed acceptable. Either way, I think all people should have the freedom to wear religious items of clothing if that is what their religion requests, or even simply to remind the individual of their beliefs.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=G2OBU32YMOXZNQFIQMGSFFOAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2006/10/14/ucross.xml

Prostitution

"Prostitution describes the act of sexual intercourse in exchange for money. However, its definition may be extended loosely to include any sexual act for any type of remuneration; depending on the location where the act occurs. In different regions around the world, punishment for prostitution varies from the death penalty to complete legality. A woman who engages in sexual intercourse with only one man for support is a mistress.
The term is used, loosely, to indicate someone who engages in sexual acts that are disapproved;[1] whether acts outside of marriage, or as a means to an affluent life style or the status associated with the customer. Cultural usage varies widely, and the use of the term as a pejorative indicates acts that are not formally considered prostitution in a cultural context."

(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution>)

Although I think that prostitution is wrong, I can see why people turn to selling their body. If times get hard or money is scarce, it is an easy way to earn money if you are able to emotionally disengage yourself. If someone is homeless, they are unable to obtain a job due to having no home address, but as prostitution is illegal, no legal documents are needed. Earning money this way can often save someone's life, as they don;t have to go to sleep hungry.

However, many prostitutes often turn to drugs due to their lifestyle of living on the streets, and this can lead to a vicious cycle, often involving their sexual clients. The problems that prostitution initially solved are deepened as money becomes vital to pay-off drug dealers.

I think prostitution is especially wrong if the person has children, as this can have a huge impact on their lives and may eventually lead them along the same path. I read a magazine article recently about a married mother who prostitues herself because she does not feel wanted by her husband, but does not want the complications of embarking upon an affair. However, I think prostitution is much worse than infidelity.

Prostitution in adults is not always a voluntary choice, but it is not as bad as child prostitution, where the children are forced into it, and have no means of escape. Adults take advantage of their vulnerability, and it is a form of paedophilia, except worse, because the people actually pay to have sexual intercourse with children.

""For a great part of 1992 I lived in a beautiful apartment on Capitol Hill. I drove my expensive car. I bought lovely clothes and travelled extensively out of the country. For the first time in my 20 years as an adult woman, I paid my own way. There was no need to worry about affording my rent, my phone bill, all the debts one accumulates simply by living month to month. I felt invincible. And I was miserable to the core. I hated myself because I hated my life. All the things I came to possess meant nothing. I could not face myself in the mirror. Working in prostitution lost my soul."" Survivor interviewed by Debra Boyer, Lynn Chapman and Brent Marshall in Survival Sex in King County: Helping Women Out (1993), King County Women;s Advisory Board, Northwest Resource Associates, Seattle.