Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd ) - 2740 Words

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER Preview of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD for short, is a mental health state that is provoked by experiencing or seeing a horrifying event. Some symptoms of PTSD can include flashbacks, nightmares and anxiety. There are many types of PTSD that will be discussed. Along with the services these victims may receive, the various treatments they can get, and the outcome of each of these treatments. Often times people can experience emotional distress, hopelessness, anger, guilt or loneliness. In the behavioral aspect, an individual may feel irritability, social isolation, aggression, self destructive behavior or self harm. Psychologically they could have panic attacks,†¦show more content†¦This is when a healthy adult has been revealed to one single traumatic event in their adult life, that can cause them to experience extremely horrifying memories and being cut off from relationships. However, these individuals can fulfill completion of this in just a few weeks. Then there is the Acute Stress Disorder. This type of PTSD is eminent by panic reactions, mental confusion, suspiciousness, and being unable to manage basic self care and relationship activities. Individuals (victims) of this form of PTSD have gone through more than one traumatic event in order to have these symptoms, events that are a disaster, such as being revealed to a death, or the loss of a home or community. Next is the Uncomplicated PTSD, in which the victim experiences relentless reexperiencing of the traumatic event, emotional numbing, and increased arousal. Comorbid PTSD is next, this is of the more common PTSD. It is a stress disorder that has one other major psychiatric problem such as depression, some form of substance abuse, a panic disorder, or another form of anxiety. The last of the types of PTSD is Complex PTSD. This PTSD is sometimes called Disorder of Extreme Stress, is found in victims who have been exposed to extended traumatic situations. This form of PTSD happens largely during the childhood of the victim. And it causes the victims to be linked with antisocial personality disorder, behavioral difficulties, emotional difficulties, and mental

Incident of the French Camp Free Essays

Incident of the French Camp Reference to Context Introduction These lines have been extracted from the poem Incident of the French Camp written by Robert Browning. The poem describes an act of chivalry, gallantry, patriotism and sacrifice on the part of a young French Soldier. The French Army had attacked the German city of Ratisbon. We will write a custom essay sample on Incident of the French Camp or any similar topic only for you Order Now After they had achieved triumph, the news of the victory was conveyed to the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte by that young soldier who was brimming with pride and glory although he was on the verge of death. Thereafter, the wounded soldier breathed his last. Lines YOU KNOW, WE FRENCH STORMED RATISBON: A MILE OR SO AWAY, ON A LITTLE MOUND, NAPOLEON STOOD ON OUR STORMING DAY; WITH NECK OUT-THRUST, YOU FANCY HOW, LEGS WIDE, ARMS LOCKED BEHIND, AS IF TO BALANCE THE PRONE BROW OPPRESSIVE WITH ITS MIND. Explanation In the lines given for explanation, the poet is describing the scene of the French attack on the German city of Ratisbon. Marshal Lannes led the French aggression in the year 1783. On that occasion, the French emperor Napoleon stood on a hillock just a mile away from the scene of the onslaught. He appeared to be in a pensive mood. He had his neck sticking out and his legs were wide apart. He had his arms joined behind his bark and a cloud on his brow was quite visible. It seemed that something very important was weighing upon his mind and he was perhaps working out his future strategy and line of action. Lines JUST AS PERHAPS HE MUSED, MY PLANS THAT SOAR, TO EARTH MAY FALL, LET ONCE MY ARMY. LEADER LANNES WAVER AT YONDER WALL,’- OUT ’TWIST THE BATTERY SMOKES THERE FLEW A RIDER, BOUND ON BOUND FULL-GALLOPING; NOR BRIDLE DREW UNTIL HE REACHED THE MOUND. Explanation These lines bring to light the contemplative nature of Napoleon, and the courage and enthusiasm of the young soldier who was heading towards him to convey the good news of victory. Napoleon was lost in his thoughts pondering over the events of the days to come. All his future planning depended upon his success at Ratisbon. He was eagerly waiting to see the French flag flutter over the German City. As he concentrated upon his future strategy, he observed a young French soldier rushing towards him, riding at top speed. The rider pierced through the blanket of smoke. He came straight to the place where Napoleon was standing and was waiting to receive the good tidings. Lines THEN OFF THERE FLUNG IN SMILING JOY, AND HELD HIMSELF ERECT BY JUST HIS HORSE’S MANE, A BOY: YOU HARDLY COULD SUSPECT – (SO TIGHT HE KEPT HIS LIPS COMPRESSED, SCARCE ANY BLOOD CAME THROUGH) YOU LOOKED TWICE ERE YOU SAW HIS BREAST WAS ALL BUT SHOT IN TWO. Explanation In the given lines, the poet appreciated the heroic behaviour of the young soldier. Although he was fatally wounded, he displayed extraordinary courage, confidence and self-control. He jumped off his horse and stood at attention before his chief. His mouth was full of blood but he had his lips so tightly sealed that not a drop of blood oozed out of it. He maintained his cool and composure, and with confidence and chivalry, conveyed the cheerful news of victory. One could never realize that the young soldier’s breast was shot into two unless one has very keen and observant eye on him. Lines ‘WELL, CRIED HE, ‘EMPEROR, BY GOD’S GRACE WE’VE GOT YOU RATISBON! THE MARSHAL’S IN THE MARKET-PLACE, AND YOU’LL BE THERE ANON TO SEE YOUR FLAG-BIRD FLAP HIS VANS WHERE I, TO HEART’S DESIRE, PERCHED HIM! ’ THE CHIEF’S EYE FLASHED; HIS PLANS SOARED UP AGAIN LIKE FIRE. Explanation In the lines given for explanation, the poet is describing the way in which the young soldier informed Napoleon of their success and the reaction of the Emperor to this good news. Although the young man was in intense pain and suffering, he finally opened his lips, and with a great sense of pleasure and personal pride, informed Napoleon of the annexation of the German City. Napoleon was delighted to learn that Marshall Lannes had reached the heart of the city and the emperor was eagerly awaited by the triumphant forces. The soldier felt a special kind of joy and pride in the fact that he, with his own hands, had flown the French flag over Ratisbon. The flag had the figure of a bird on it. Thus when the flag fluttered in the air, it seemed as though the bird on it. Thus when the flag fluttered in the air, it seemed as though the bird was flapping its wings. No sooner did Napoleon get the news of victory, a sparkle of joy and satisfaction came to his eyes. He once again started thinking about his future strategy. Lines THE CHIEF’S EYE FLASHED; BUT PRESENTLY SOFTENED ITSELF, AS SHEATHES A FILM THE MOTER-EAGLE’S EYE WHEN HER BRUISED EAGLET BREATHES: ‘YOU’RE WOUNDED! , ‘NAY’, HIS SOLDIER’S PRIDE TOUCHED TO THE QUICK, HE SAID: ‘I’M KILLED, SIRE! † AND HIS CHIEF BESIDE, SMILING, THE BOY FELL DEAD. Explanation These lines bring to light Napoleon’s loving and affectionate behaviour towards the young soldier who was about to breathe his last. The good news of success had brought to Napoleon’s eyes a special kind of glitter which faded away no sooner had he noticed that the soldier was fatally wounded. The feelings of Napoleon at that moment were just like those of the mother eagle who gets confused when she finds her young ones badly bruised and on the verge of death. She fails to understand how to save their lives. Similarly, that maternal affection surged up in Napoleon’s heart and he inquired whether the boy was wounded. The soldier proudly declared that he felt joy and thrill in giving his life for his country. There was a smile of pride and satisfaction on the young soldier’s lips as he fell dead near his emperor’s feet. How to cite Incident of the French Camp, Papers

Intangible Assets for Trademarks and Business Methodologies

Question: Write about theIntangible Assets for Trademarks and Business Methodologies. Answer: Intangible assets are something that does not possess physical characteristics. Patents, copyrights, trademarks, business methodologies and other such corporate intellectual properties are considered as intangible assets. Intangible assets are further classified as indefinite or definite assets. For example, the brand name of a company is referred to as indefinite intangible assets as its existence is dependent on the operation of the company (Biondi and Lapsley 2014). On the other hand, if the same company goes in an agreement with another company without any extension, then it becomes a definite asset. As the name suggests, the intangible assets do not have any kind of physical value of such as factory or equipment but they tend to be valuable for a firm and liable for the success or failure. For example, the brand name of Nestle is not a physical asset but its business has become successful due to the recognition of its brand name. Although an intangible asset, brand name has a bi g impact on the sale and profit of Nestle since their establishment. However, if a business creates intangible assets then they do not need to write that on income tax return but if they attain it then the cost will be considered as capital expense (Castilla-Polo and Gallardo-Vzquez 2016). For this essay, it will need to be considered if the intangibles pass the definition and recognition tests. Assets are the expenditures which are made with an aim of gaining profits and cash flows in future. It is not difficult to differentiate between tangible and intangible assets. Tangible assets are inventories, land and buildings and intangible assets are investments, cash, etc. the assets which are obtained from outside the firm normally have individual costs and distinct benefits. But difficulty can arise while accounting such assets. Certain costs involved tend to have inconsistent approaches for recording, amortizing and revaluing of the assets. The internally generated intangibles are those that are developed within the firm but they face recognition problems (Christensen and Nikolaev 2013). They are developed in the internal structure of the firm, once ignored, is not given proper recognition when it comes to the financial statements. This negligence is due to the lack of connection between the costs and future revenue. Moreover, the issue in directing costs or value of intangibles and preference of reliability over relevance while discussing asset information demonstrates that self- developed intangibles are not generally recognized. Although the intangible assets existed long ago, but they were not identified and remained unknown until the creation of value (Crema and Nosella 2014). The controversial topic in the contemporary intellectual property right is the amount to which property rights conception, developed with the association of land and other such tangible products which can be approved to various forms of property as in, the rights in the spectrum and in copyrights or patents. In this essay, it can be explained that if the variations in the minimum duration of copyrights and patents are considered, then the leave of the basic property outset from the tangible to intangible assets should be encouraged (Kanodia and Sapra 2016). There are few instances, in which the concepts of property rights which are applicable to land can function better for intangible assets because of the complications in the designing of land- based system. If the patent has a short life span then it is an absolute necessity to make rules for handling the restraints on the time- to- time amendment. There are different e- commerce businesses which have limited the accessibility of i njunction to secure the select rights of patent use. It can be noted that the restrictions on right of alienation in the spectrum leads to key social loss, just like the use of patent exhaustion rule in the licensing of intellectual property (Lim, Macias and Moeller 2016). The Australian equivalent standard is AASB 138 Intangible Assets which is applicable to the following Australian interpretations- Interpretation 12 Service Concession Arrangements, Interpretation 129 Service Concession Arrangements and Interpretation 132 Intangible Assets- Web Site Costs. Development refers to the knowledge and findings about research are applied for planning and designing of innovative devices, systems, products and processes before its utilization (Madhani 2015). Identifiability of intangible assets are met when they are being capable of separation or division from their originality and sold, licensed, rented, transferred or exchanged with a similar contract, asset or liability. These arise from the legal and contractual rights whether they can be moveable or divisible from their originality or from other privileges and obligation. Intangible asset is such an identifiable non- fiscal asset which lacks any kind of material substance. It requires research of the orig inal and properly designed investigation which is carried out with the vision of achieving modern logical and technical knowledge and perceptive. If the intangible assets are separately acquired then the cost will comprise of the purchasing price and other prices which directly attribute to preparation of assets for proposed use (Nakamura 2015). In accounting, the convention of conservatism which can also be referred to as the doctrine of prudence is a policy or procedure of predicting the feasible loss in the future but not the gain. This particular policy has a tendency to devalue and not overemphasize net earnings and resources which ultimately leads the companies to safeguard them. This principle includes a general theory of identifying the expenses and responsibilities as quickly as possible, especially when there is no assurance about the after effect but only requires recognition of revenues and assets only after receiving assurance. There is also conservatism constraint which means that when doubt arises, information should be reported which neither devalue the profits and possessions nor overestimate the operating cost and liability (Osinski et al. 2017). It comes into use when all the other concepts, principles, theories and presumptions do not succeed in providing the accountant with guidance. It is the final stag e of guidance for the accountant. It cannot be applied in those situations where no doubt is present about accurate accounting of asset or expense. For example, if there is doubt regarding the value of inventory, it is preferred to use a low market cost (Saunders and Brynjolfsson 2015). Fig- R D and economic growth Source- (Shalev, Zhang and Zhang 2013) Most of the developed countries these days support their financial growth on the making and use of knowledge. Knowledge has become the prime creator of competitive advantage for the companies and countries on a global market. Studying of knowledge as the main determinant of fiscal growth exists in the new growth theory. This theory has two of the most important criteria, endogenous growth models and evolutionary approach to delivering the composite of industrial change as a foundation of economic growth (Sinclair and Keller 2014). The common link is the attempt to derive a proper solution to the problem of what are the main drivers of complex technological changes. Endogenous growth models are based on the research and development, R D, following the creation of organized knowledge in generating financial growth. The base of these approaches is dependent on the idea of creative destruction. Perception motivates the individuals to involve in the R D activities so that extra profit c an be ensured. Earlier, the economic recession had a contribution towards the appearance and dissemination of evolutionary and institutional trends in financially viable theory. It has given rise to a notion that R D is important but not potent enough to develop technological change (Su and Wells 2015). IAS 38 Intangible Assets outline the accounting requirements of the intangible non- financial assets which are deficit in physical substance and easily recognizable. These are the assets which can meet the significant identification factors and are primarily calculated at cost by means of the revaluation model and amortized on an orderly basis over the useful lives. It was revised in March 2004 which is applicable to all the intangible assets acquired through business combinations or for the annual period held after March 2004. The objective of IAS 38 is to list the accounting treatment for intangible assets which do not deal with IFRS (Taylor, Richardson and Lanis 2015). It is required to set a standard of entity for recognizing the intangible asset if the specific conditions are fulfilled. It also denotes how to evaluate the carrying amount of intangible assets and demands some disclosures about intangible assets. The exception in IAS 38 are financial assets, exploration and evalua tion assets, expenditure on the extraction and development of resources, intangible assets of insurance companies and the intangible assets of other IFRS which are held for sale, lease assets, deferred tax assets, assets coming from employee benefits and goodwill. Under IFRSs, paragraph 21 of IAS 38 declares that intangible assets which are developed from within will be identified only the criteria are fulfilled (Teece 2015). If it is plausible that the assumed future benefits are attributable to the asset will flow to the unit and if the cost of asset can be measured with reliability. Under paragraph 63 of IAS 38, certain internally created intangible assets like mast heads, brands, customer lists and publishing titles are not identified as intangible assets if they are not purchased externally or obtained in a business combination. These assets are classified as being incurred in the phase of research or development because all research phase costs are expensed as incurred. Under paragraph 56 of IAS 38, the examples of research expense activities include those that are aimed at attaining new knowledge; the thirst for analysis and the ultimate selection of applications related to findings of research and other knowledge; the quest for alterna tives for the products, processes, services, systems, materials and devices; the formulation, estimation, plan and the ultimate selection of the available alternatives for the innovative materials, services, products, systems, devices and processes (Vetoshkina and Tukhvatullin 2014). If the entity is unable to indicate the phase in which the costs were incurred, it should be treated as if the expenses were incurred in the research phase of the project. Accounting for intangible products has become significant in the recent years because of the change in business environment. Their prime objective is to list down the accounting treatment which is not given specific attention in other accounting. The intangible assets accounting is the need of an enterprise to identify intangible assets if some of the conditions are fulfilled. Accounting Standard AS 26 which was developed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India deals with the intangible assets (Osinski et al. 2017). It should be applied by all the enterprises in accounting for intangible assets excluding those that are covered in other accounting standard such as non regenerative resources, financial asset, and the assets arriving from the policy holders in insurance companies. According to AS 26, intangible assets are recognizable non- financial assets without materialistic substances held for the use in supply and production of goods and services, for the purpose of rent and other administrative purposes. Monetary assets in AS 26 are the assets received on determinable amounts which do not satisfy the definition of intangible assets, the acquired expenditure or the expense when it is incurred (Su and Wells 2015). Intangibles are not something different from other non- economic assets because they are anticipated to promote the owner ahead of the existing working series of industry. Unlike other non- monetary assets, intangible assets do not exist physically as tangible products. These are the assets which cannot be seen, touched or felt; neither do they have any volume but hold the right to future benefits. Intangible assets are non- physical and non- current, provide future benefits but have a high degree of uncertainty about the value of future benefits. There are some intangibles which can be associated to the development and manufacturing of products while there are others which can be associated with the creation and maintenance of the product demand. Patents and copyrights reflect the former but trades and trademarks reflect the latter. Goodwill reflects both and represents valuations which cannot be assumed and not easy to relate to the revenue of specific period. Reference Biondi, L. and Lapsley, I., 2014. Accounting, transparency and governance: the heritage assets problem.Qualitative Research in Accounting Management,11(2), pp.146-164. Castilla-Polo, F. and Gallardo-Vzquez, D., 2016. The main topics of research on disclosures of intangible assets: a critical review.Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal,29(2), pp.323-356. Christensen, H.B. and Nikolaev, V.V., 2013. Does fair value accounting for non-financial assets pass the market test?.Review of Accounting Studies,18(3), pp.734-775. Crema, M. and Nosella, A., 2014. Intangible assets management and evaluation: Evidence from SMEs.Engineering Management Journal,26(1), pp.8-20. Kanodia, C. and Sapra, H., 2016. A real effects perspective to accounting measurement and disclosure: Implications and insights for future research.Journal of Accounting Research,54(2), pp.623-676. Lim, S.C., Macias, A.J. and Moeller, T., 2016. Intangible assets and capital structure. Madhani, P.M., 2015. A Study on the Corporate Governance and Disclosure Practices of Tangible Assets and Intangible Assets-Dominated Firms and Their Relationship.Browser Download This Paper. Nakamura, L.I., 2015. Advertising, intangible assets, and unpriced entertainment. InIntangibles, Market Failure and Innovation Performance(pp. 11-26). Springer International Publishing. Osinski, M., Osinski, M., Selig, P.M., Selig, P.M., Matos, F., Matos, F., Roman, D.J. and Roman, D.J., 2017. Methods of evaluation of intangible assets and intellectual capital.Journal of Intellectual Capital,18(3), pp.470-485. Saunders, A. and Brynjolfsson, E., 2015. Valuing IT-related intangible assets. Shalev, R.O.N., Zhang, I.X. and Zhang, Y., 2013. CEO compensation and fair value accounting: Evidence from purchase price allocation.Journal of Accounting Research,51(4), pp.819-854. Sinclair, R.N. and Keller, K.L., 2014. A case for brands as assets: Acquired and internally developed.Journal of Brand Management,21(4), pp.286-302. Su, W.H. and Wells, P., 2015. The association of identifiable intangible assets acquired and recognised in business acquisitions with postacquisition firm performance.Accounting Finance,55(4), pp.1171-1199. Taylor, G., Richardson, G. and Lanis, R., 2015. Multinationality, tax havens, intangible assets, and transfer pricing aggressiveness: An empirical analysis.Journal of International Accounting Research,14(1), pp.25-57. Teece, D.J., 2015. Intangible assets and a theory of heterogeneous firms. InIntangibles, Market Failure and Innovation Performance(pp. 217-239). Springer International Publishing. Vetoshkina, E.Y. and Tukhvatullin, R.S., 2014. The problem of accounting for the costs incurred after the initial recognition of an intangible asset.Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences,5(24), p.52.

Atomic Bomb In World War 2 Essay Example For Students

Atomic Bomb In World War 2 Essay Atomic Bomb In World War 2 Essay During World War II the United States government launched a $2 billion project. This project, known as the Manhattan Project, was an effort to produce an atomic bomb. This project was taken on by a group atomic scientists from all over the world. The first atomic bomb was not tested at all. It was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 killing over 80,000 people and almost completely leveling the entire city. It destroyed more than 4 square miles, or 60% of the city. The flash of the blast was so intense it discolored the pavement and left imprints on the ground cast by the shadows of building and people. By studying these shadows scientists pinpointed the exact detonation point of the bomb. The second atomic bomb was dropped just three days later on Nagasaki, Japan. 1/3 of the city was destroyed and 66,000 people were reported killed or injured. A memorial now marks the spot where the bomb exploded. During the initial blast the A-bomb released about 85% of its energy as intense heat followed by a supersonic shock wave that is felt as a highly destructive high pressure air blast, which can easily demolish tall buildings, not to mention people. After the initial blast radiation covers the area, causing people, animals, and structures to practically disintegrate. Even years afterwards people were still dying and having health problems related to the radiation they were exposed to long before. There were many people that were strongly opposed to the using of nuclear weapons on Japan. But invading the is land instead of bombing would have taken perhaps 1 million us soldiers lives. After 1945 the US made thousand of atomic bombs and a wide range of small size nuclear weapons like, land mines, missiles, and grenades. By 1965 the larger countries of the world had also developed atomic weapons. Today nuclear warheads are smaller and more efficient than ever before. Now a bomb that could fit in your hand would be just as devastating as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. This bomb was created over 50 years ago, so just imagine the destructiveness of todays weapons. This is one reason that the United Sates of America still remains the most dominating, and feared military nation in the world. .

Essay Topics - Easy Ways to Choose Topics for Explanatory Essays

Essay Topics - Easy Ways to Choose Topics for Explanatory EssaysEssay topics are important. The essay will be used to present information and make a good first impression, so it is important that you choose topics that will interest your audience and make them feel they understand your topic.You'll need to be sure your essay topics are interesting to your audience. If they aren't, they won't read your essay, much less remember it. Be careful not to get too bogged down in subject matter.Some topics for informative essays are useful and engaging; others are harder to understand. If the topic is difficult to understand, the essay will fail in its purpose. Choosing your essay topics carefully will help you avoid this pitfall. Make sure you also find ways to incorporate easy topics into your essay that will draw readers in and make them want to continue reading your essay.You can find many types of essay topics online. Simply search for online essays and choose topics that will appeal to your audience. If you choose to publish your essay in a classroom setting, it will help if you write essays that are short but informative. Choose topics that are interesting to your audience and will grab their attention.When choosing your essay topics, think about who you are writing the essay for. If the audience will be your professor, the essay needs to be easy to understand. If it will be published, the essay will need to be concise and use some in-text citations.If you need to think about the audience, you can also consider what information is most important to them. You should be able to talk about facts that are easy to understand and can relate to the topic. If the topic is too hard or too technical, it will lose its appeal to the audience.Choose topics that will make people want to read your essay. Make sure your essay is interesting and entertaining and provides an accurate picture of the topic at hand. If you've done your research, you can see if people need to know mor e about the topic. Then, you can build in more information.You can write a descriptive essay that can be read and understood. It should include key points. Make sure the topics are easy to understand. This is the point of your essay.

Women in Media Today free essay sample

A look at the portrayal of women in the media today compared to the time when Susan J. Douglas book on the topic, Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female With the Mass Media, was written. An essay discussing how the portrayal of women has changed in one segment of the media (music, TV, film, advertising) from the early 1990s when the book Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female With the Mass Media by Susan J. Douglas was completed. Discussed are the commonalities between women currently important to American pop culture and the women examined in the book, the differences or changes that have occurred, whether conditions have improved for women, and whether there has been a continued backlash against feminism in American popular culture over the last decade. Murphy Brown was a powerful intelligent female character who had great clothes, however, she did not look like a waif and her clothes were not skimpy. We will write a custom essay sample on Women in Media Today or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Roseanne was an over-weight working wife and mother who dealt with family problems that had never before been portrayed on a television sitcom. And Ellen came out of the closet on one episode to tell the world that she was a lesbian (Timson 1995). This would certainly have not been witnessed on a sitcom television program twenty years ago.

The Roots of Colorism, or Skin Tone Discrimination

The Roots of Colorism, or Skin Tone Discrimination How does  colorism  play out in America? An old children’s rhyme captures the definition of colorism and its inner workings: â€Å"If you’re black, stay back;If you’re brown, stick around;If you’re yellow, you’re mellow;If you’re white, you’re all right.† Colorism refers to discrimination based on skin color. Colorism disadvantages dark-skinned people  while privileging those with lighter skin. Research has linked colorism to smaller incomes, lower marriage rates, longer prison terms, and fewer job prospects for darker-skinned people. Colorism has existed for centuries, in and out of black America. Its a persistent form of discrimination that should be fought with the same urgency as racism. Origins In the United States, colorism has roots in slavery, because slave owners typically gave preferential treatment to slaves with fairer complexions. While dark-skinned slaves toiled outdoors in the fields, their light-skinned counterparts usually worked indoors at far less  grueling domestic tasks.   Slave owners were partial to light-skinned slaves because they often were family members. Slave owners frequently forced slave women into sexual intercourse, and light-skinned offspring were the telltale signs of these sexual assaults. While slave owners didnt officially recognize their mixed-race children, they gave them privileges that dark-skinned slaves didnt enjoy. Accordingly, light skin came to be viewed as an asset in the slave community. Outside the United States, colorism may be more related to class than to white supremacy. Although  European colonialism has undoubtedly left its mark worldwide, colorism is said to predate contact with Europeans in Asian countries. There, the idea that white skin is superior to dark skin may derive from ruling classes typically having lighter complexions than peasant classes. While peasants became tanned as they labored outdoors, the privileged had lighter complexions because they didn’t. Thus, dark skin became associated with  lower classes and light skin with the elite. Today, the premium on light skin in Asia is likely tangled up with this history, along with cultural influences of the Western world. Enduring Legacy Colorism didn’t disappear after slavery ended in the U.S.  In black America, those with light skin received employment opportunities off-limits to darker-skinned blacks. This is why upper-class families in black society were largely light-skinned. Soon, light skin and privilege were linked in the black community. Upper-crust blacks routinely administered the brown paper bag test to determine if fellow blacks were light enough to include in social circles. â€Å"The paper bag would be held against your skin. And if you were darker than the paper bag, you weren’t admitted,† explained Marita Golden, author of Don’t Play in the Sun: One Woman’s Journey Through the Color Complex. Colorism didn’t just involve blacks discriminating against other blacks. Job advertisements from the mid-20th century reveal that African-Americans with light skin clearly believed their coloring would make them better job candidates. Writer Brent Staples discovered this while searching newspaper archives  near the Pennsylvania town where he grew up.  In the 1940s, he noticed, black job seekers often identified themselves as light-skinned: â€Å"Cooks, chauffeurs, and waitresses sometimes listed light colored as the primary qualification- ahead of experience, references, and the other important data. They did it to improve their chances and to reassure white employers who†¦found dark skin unpleasant or believed that their customers would.† Why Colorism Matters Colorism yields real-world advantages for individuals with light skin. For example, light-skinned Latinos make $5,000 more on average than dark-skinned Latinos, according to Shankar Vedantam, author of The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars and Save Our Lives.  A  Villanova University study of more than 12,000 African-American women imprisoned in North Carolina found that lighter-skinned black women received shorter sentences than their darker-skinned counterparts. Research by Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt found that darker-skinned black defendants were twice as likely as lighter-skinned black defendants to get the death penalty for crimes involving white victims. Colorism also plays out in the romantic realm. Because fair skin is associated with beauty and status, light-skinned black women are more likely to be married than darker-skinned black women. â€Å"We find that the light-skin shade as measured by survey interviewers is associated with about a 15 percent greater probability of marriage for young black women,† said researchers who conducted a study called â€Å"Shedding ‘Light’ on Marriage.† Light skin is so coveted that whitening creams continue to be best-sellers in the U.S., Asia, and other nations. Mexican-American women in Arizona, California, and Texas have reportedly suffered mercury poisoning after using whitening creams to bleach their skin. In India, popular skin-bleaching lines target both women and men with dark skin. That skin-bleaching cosmetics persist after decades signals the enduring legacy of colorism. Sources Golden, Marita. Don’t Play in the Sun: One Woman’s Journey Through the Color Complex. Anchor, 2005.Staples, Brent. As Racism Wanes, Colorism Persists. The New York Times.Vedantam, Shankar. Shades of Prejudice. The New York Times.