Buddhist website

The future exploratory study will identify how the multimedia factors contributing to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) – graphic usage, audio/video usage, merchandise section, etc. – affect Thai user’s attitude toward Buddhist website. The dissertation also seeks to determine whether the abovementioned factors make user to have either positive or negative or indifferent attitude toward the site. The study will employ a two-part qualitative methodology, and the results, it is hoped, will lead to more informed policies for the assessment of Thai user’s attitude toward Buddhist websites.This dissertation will employ heuristic and field research methodology to perform a high-level cultural analysis on Website design for the purposes of future research. The analysis of socio-economical and cultural issues (religion, Human-Computer Interaction, e-commerce, ethnography) relating to Website design is especially valuable from the perspective of the Thai-speaking Bu ddhist audience. Future research on the matters stated above is expected to clarify what kind of information people from the particular cultural region expect and how it should be designed.Literature Review Mayhew once compared a website to a book which anyone can display on The World Wide Web (WWW) which is â€Å"a repository of public information and transactions created by the public and accessible to the public via the Internet† (Mayhew, 2003, p. 3). The characteristics of the WWW are tensely linked to the ones of the website. Any website incorporates multimedia data such as text, static graphics, sound, animation, movie clips and virtual spaces arranged as hypermedia documents.These are the â€Å"documents that contain links to other pages of information† (Dodge & Kitchin, 2001, p. 3). The key issue about a website is its interactive, multimedia and hypermedia nature. The present research should be inevitably wrapped around the principles of Human-Computer Interac tion (HCI), user interface (UI) design, website usability engineering, and their influences on the website users. Alty defined the goal of HCI as â€Å"the efficient transfer of information between persons and computers† (2003a, p.100). According to Alty, HCI is [†¦] a generic term that describes all the activities concerned with the research, design, analysis, development, implementation and evaluation of the interactions across the interface between computer applications and human beings (often called users or operators) who are interacting with the application. (Alty, 2003b, p. 228) An authentic website should be constructed according to the principle of user-centered design.It means that â€Å"the needs, capabilities and limitations of the intended users [should be] properly taken into account during the design process† (Alty, 2003a, p. 100). Among the Internet user interface capabilities and constraints affecting users’ perceptions Mayhew listed modem speed, browser capabilities, browser controls and interpreters, installed â€Å"helper applications† or â€Å"plug-ins,† windowing, direct manipulation, and color (2003, p. 11).Within the context of HCI, a website utilizes output (text, graphics, sound, music, speech, color, animation, still pictures, moving video) and input (text [keyboard, handwriting], gesture [mouse, pen, dataglove, eye-movement], audio [voice or sound]) media to produce an effect on the user. Most literature investigates the tokens of user-friendliness in regard to a website (Mayhew, 2003; Mayhew & Bias, 2003; Opaluch, 2003; Boardman, 2004). Acknowledging the importance of this concept, Kurosu (2003) relied on cultural aspects of web usability such as â€Å"cultural variety† and â€Å"depth of culture† (p.48). The researcher utilized Suzuki's (1997) definition of the culture as â€Å"the response pattern shared by some specific group of people that is shaped through interaction with the environment† (Kurosu, 2003, p. 48) holding â€Å"the response pattern† as â€Å"how people will interact with the Website,† and â€Å"interaction with the environment† as â€Å"the interaction with the Website through the PC environment, including the browser. † Laney (1998) in his investigation of religious Christian Web sites relied on the Media System Dependency as well as uses and gratifications perspectives.Some researchers (Weeks & Goodman, 2003; Proctor & Vu, 2003) investigated HIC within the context of human information processing and perceptual-motor behavior, whereas the other group of scholars (van der Veer & del Carmen, 2003; Yoshikawa, 2003) emphasized the mental modeling as the core of HCI. Finally, Brave & Nass (2003) researched emotional implications of human-computer interaction. There is also a considerable body of research (Mayhew & Bias, 2003; Carey, 2001; Steinbock, 2000; Varey, 2001) dedicated to the issues of e-commerce a nd marketing relating to websites.Taken into account the field of the present research, reaction of Thai users towards Buddhist websites, the abovestated mechanisms and structures of HCI with a stress of user-friendliness should be analyzed within the religious and cultural context. The relation to culture in terms of geographical location is distorted and made complex within the WWW context (Couldry & McCarthy, 2004; Miller, 2004; Dodge & Kitchin, 2001; Kurosu, 2003). Geographical boundaries (the areas where people confess Buddhism, Thailand as a state unity) do not coincide with cultural zones (Thai cultural identity) and virtual areas (the WWW).On the one hand, Thailand is ready to enter the global community with its rather developed media network (Hamilton, 2002; Mccargo, 2002). On the other hand, the Thai national cultural identity is of introvert type with its â€Å"assertion of distinctiveness in relation to a powerful external world of ‘others’† (Hamilton , 2002, p. 153). One should also take into consideration the cultural elements constituting the religion of Buddhism. Haynes (2003) stated that over 90 per cent of the Thais are Buddhists.In Thailand Buddhism is â€Å"the sasana pracham chat, that is, the ‘inherent’ national religion† and constitutes â€Å"an ideological basis and political legitimacy† for the state (Haynes, 2003, p. 365). However, Haynes (2003) noted that the role of the state religion is flexible and â€Å"open to debate† (ibid. ). Swearer emphasized the unusual orientation of Thai Buddhism towards â€Å"[t]he cult of relics, images, icons, and amulets† (2003, p. 10). The religion in Thailand became more â€Å"secular and commercial† (ibid. ).The discussion seems especially interesting when religious issues are projected onto the virtual reality in the form of a religious website. Miller & Slater acknowledged â€Å"the coming together of a widespread interest in the spiritual implications of the technology, found in some of the cyberutopian literature, together with an interest in the use of the Internet on the part of established religions† (2000, p. 173). Laney (1998) noted that the simplification of web technologies and, thus, their cheapening contributed to the proliferation of religious websites.Unfortunately, the accessible literature concentrated on Christian websites with no comparison to other confessions. Last (2005) provided an interesting statistics on the Christian websites in regard to the goal of the website users in their accessing the religious websites. According to the source, 32 percent of the web-surfers are interested in religious news, 17 percent search for places to worship, 14 percent plan religious group meetings via the Internet, and 7 percent donate to charity with the help of the WWW.Besides, 11 percent of Internet users download spiritual music, 35 percent send online greeting cards, and 38 percent email spi ritual messages. Unfortunately, the statistics is rather modest in regard to Buddhist websites. Within the Thailand context, Hachigian & Wu observed such HCI problems as â€Å"the lack of IT access in rural areas where most of the population lives, lack of literacy in English/lack of Thai content, incompatible systems in different parts of the government, and inadequate training of officials† (2003, p. 88). Most of the Buddhist websites found by a plain search via search engines (Yahoo, Google, etc.) are written in English. Therefore, the present investigation is associated with difficulties in locating authentic sites for analysis. Problem definition It is true that literature about the WWW and general principles of website user interface (UI) design has grown lately. However, religious usage of websites is significantly underexplored. It is especially evident in regard to non-Christian religious websites. Religious website usage may contribute positively to the body of scho larly research on the motivations for religious Web use. The media being studied are Buddhist religious sites on the World Wide Web.Large investments are being made into the construction and development of religious websites on the Internet. A great proportion of Buddhist websites are written in English and seeks to meet cultural expectations of the Westerners. Laney (1998) once defined the problem for his investigation of Christian websites as the poorly researched motivations of the English-speaking visitors. The American scholar would be astonished at the â€Å"black hole† in regard to the motivations of Thai-speaking web-surfers whose driving desires and emotions relating to Buddhist websites are unexplored even to a greater extent.The present project seeks specifically to provide an exploratory study of Buddhist Thai-speaking website users and their motivations for using the religious Buddhist websites. Cultural theory as well as Mental Models theory and HCI theory const ruct a complex framework important for the present analysis. In order to investigate Thai users’ attitudes toward Buddhist websites the following theoretical framework was constructed. Three issues taken as independent variables are taken: graphics usage, audio/video usage, and e-marketing strategies in regard to Buddhist religious items.The first two issues are the types of output media whose effect on the user has been empirically proved. The issue of e-marketing is still being explored mainly from the perspective of user-centered design. A lot of elements may enter this concept including technical (e. g. , modem speed), user-oriented input (text, gesture, audio media), cultural (language, religion, country/nation) and other issues. The aforestated independent variables are supposed to affect (either positively, or negatively, or neutrally) the variable of website user’s perceptions.It is supposed here that graphics and multimedia elements do correlate with web-surfe rs’ emotions and attitudes. The second hypothesis is that religious background of a user (Buddhism) reinforces his/her positive/negative attitude toward Buddhist websites. In an effort to determine the presence/absence of correlation between website user design elements and Thai Buddhist users a revisit of previous implications of HCI and cultural paradigms is necessary. This research will attempt to provide a description of Thai Buddhism website usage.An additional purpose of this study is to identify the website design elements which positively/negatively affect the users of Buddhist religious websites. This study is an exploratory step in growing research on religious websites usage and the motivations for its use. Numerous studies will be required to obtain sufficient knowledge to fully understand this audience’s motivations and preferences for utilizing the most modern form of mediated religion. It is hoped that the present project will provide a starting point an d contribute to the growing body of knowledge in regard to the Internet and its cultural and social significance.Bibliography 1. Dodge, M. & Kitchin, R. (2001) Mapping cyberspace. London, Routledge. 2. Mccargo, D. (2002) Media and politics in Pacific Asia. London, Routledge. 3. Boardman, M. (2004) The language of websites. New York, Routledge. 4. Dennis, C. , Fenech, T. & Merrilees, B. (2004) E-Retailing. New York, Routledge. 5. Steinbock, D. (2000) The birth of Internet marketing communications. Westport, CT, Quorum Books. 6. Varey, R. J. (2001) Marketing communication: An introduction to contemporary issues. New York, Routledge. 7. Miller, D. & Slater, D.(2000) The Internet: An ethnographic approach. Oxford, Berg. 8. Hachigian, N. & Wu, L. (2003) The Information Revolution in Asia. Santa Monica, CA, Rand. 9. Mayhew, D. J. (2003) The web as software. In: Ratner, J. ed. Human factors and web development. Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 3-19. 10. Kurosu, M. (2003) A cult ural comparison of website design from a usability engineering perspective. In: Ratner, J. ed. Human factors and web development. Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 47-59. 11. Mayhew, D. J. & Bias, R. G. (2003) Cost-justifying web usability.In: Ratner, J. ed. Human factors and web development. Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 63-87. 12. Opaluch, R. (2003) Usability metrics. In: Ratner, J. ed. Human factors and web development. Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 101-122. 13. Hamilton, A. (2002) The national picture: Thai media and cultural identity. In: Abu-Lughod, L. , Ginsburg, F. D. & Larkin, B. ed. Media worlds: Anthropology on new terrain. Berkeley, CA, University of California Press, pp. 152-170. 14. Swearer, D. K. (2003) Aniconism versus iconism in Thai Buddhism.In: Heine, S. & Prebish, C. S. ed. Buddhism in the modern world: Adaptations of an ancient tradition. New York, Oxford University Press, pp. 9-25. 15. Alty, J. L. (2003a) Databases, know ledge management and information retrieval. In: Feather, J. & Sturges, P. ed. International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science. New York, Routledge, pp. 100-101. 16. Alty, J. L. (2003b) Human-computer interaction. In: Feather, J. & Sturges, P. ed. International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science. New York, Routledge, pp. 228-230.

Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students

Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students A tiered intervention is one of the most powerful techniques used to both prevent and overcome students behavioral problems. While a Tier 1 intervention presents only basic instructions, the following ones address a certain person and certain problems. Such kind of individualization allows to determine the core of a problem and succeed in solving it.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A Brief Summary of the Article Kern and Wehby (2014) describe a tiered intervention aimed to improve a behavior of one of the students of Highland Middle School, named Isaac. Firstly, teachers try a Tier 1 approach, which is school-wide (Kern Wehby, 2014, p. 45). Since the students behavior does not improve, they supplement Tier 1 with new instructions and proceed to Tier 2. Finally, the last one, a Tier 3 intervention is presented an d proved successful.  According to Kern and Wehby (2014), Isaac has both academic problems, (refuses to do his homework, appears unprepared for lessons, etc.), and difficulties getting along with his peers, which usually lead to aggression and even fistfights (p. 45). The first phase of intervention was based on Highland High Five Expectations, which were Be Ready, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Safe and Be Kind (Kern Wehby, 2014, p. 46). The students were encouraged to meet those demands, as well as aware of the consequences of not meeting them. However, Isaacs behavior remained the same, so a Tier 2 intervention was developed. As Kelley and Goldstein (2014) claim, a Tier 2 intervention is not a replacement of Tier 1, but a supplement. At this stage, personal information is also investigated. So, firstly, all students every day and after each period had to get points (from 0 to 2) for their adherence to each of Highland High Five Expectations. Secondly, the support team studi ed which of these expectations were the most difficult for Isaac and expanded the list for him. Nevertheless, he still managed to gain only the half of the possible points.  Finally, during a Tier 3 intervention, all of Isaacs problems were examined in details. He had to train his organizational skills, solve math problems and attend the homework club. He also got a specific schedule and was taught how to solve conflicts with his peers without any aggression. Finally, the support team members even managed to encourage Isaac to do all of these by letting him attend the sports team. As a result, Isaacs behavior improved, he showed better results in education and stopped having fights with his peers.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Article Analysis The student Isaac, whose story is described in the article, is fictional. However, his behavior model and the problems he faces ( both academic and social ones) are very common. Kern and Wehby (2014) explain how these problems can be solved even in the most difficult cases. As it is stated in Ephesians 6:4, Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. In other words, discipline is everything. Students should always be led by right teachers in order to develop their best qualities.  The approach presented by Kern and Wehby (2014) is supported by more than ten sources, including previous studies made in this area, what makes the information reliable. Article material is presented clearly and understandably and also sustained by several tables. I assume, an idea to show how intervention plans work on a particular example is very well-turned because it helps to understand the concept better. Finally, the information presented in this article is valuable since it can be applied to many other cases. As it was already mentioned before, a tiered int ervention is one of the most efficient methods of solving behavioral problems. References Kelley, E., Goldstein, H. (2014). Building a Tier 2 Intervention: A Glimpse Behind the Data. Journal of Early Intervention, 36(4), 292-312. Kern, L., Wehby, J. H. (2014). Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students. Teaching Exceptional Children, 46(4), 45-53.

Women in the French Revolution essays

Women in the French Revolution essays The French Revolution of 1789 was a time of change for many people of France. In particular, the women of the revolutionary period participated in diverse activities which included protesting high food prices and joining women's societies and clubs. Women were deemed dependent upon the men in their lives because they were passive citizens and the harsh economic conditions of the time period resulted in a multitude of suffering for them. The women of the French Revolution agreed with the basic universal goals of the French Revolution. After the Revolution, women sought to achieve economic as well as familial equality. Yet, basic principles spawned by the revolution continually crushed any attempts made by women to attain their goals. As seen in Susan Voilquins memoir, A Daughter of the People, and Jeanne Bouviers, My Memoirs, both post-revolutionary writers valued the change in society, but were unable to overcome the hardships placed upon them early on and improve the quality of thei r lives. The economic conditions in post revolutionary years helped fuel women to seek to change their living status. The women wanted to be able to seek opportunities to improve their lives and their sense of self worth. The heightened demand placed on their families increased the strain their families were already experiencing as a result of the food shortages. For example, Voilquin describes the poverty that struck her family after her father lost his business as a, longtime acquaintance, [that] came once again to knock at our door. She goes on to describe poverty as a woeful visitor [that] weighed above all on my mother, who shouldered the greater part of the burden. (Voilquin, 101) In order to feed their families, women were pushed into the workforce. Bouvier began work at the age of eleven in order to help her mother provide for her family. She describes the actions taken in her situation as though it were the...

Disparate vs Desperate

Disparate vs Desperate Disparate vs Desperate Disparate vs Desperate By Ali Hale Two words that sometimes get confused are â€Å"disparate† and â€Å"desperate†. They have quite different meanings, but they can sound very similar in some accents, and if you’re using autocorrect, you might find that you get the wrong one. What Does â€Å"Disparate† Mean? Disparate is an adjective that refers to things that are separated in some way – and perhaps even incompatible with one another. Dictionary.com defines it as meaning â€Å"distinct  in  kind;  essentially  different;  dissimilar.† It comes from the Latin â€Å"disparatus†, meaning â€Å"separate.† Here are a couple of examples of â€Å"disparate† in use: Perhaps Labour’s most significant  proposal in its manifesto was for a national education service (NES), a scheme to join up the disparate elements of education, providing free lifelong learning from nurseries through schools to universities and adult education. (From The Guardian) To understand patriotisms uneasy place in Nigeria, you have to go back to 1914 when the Southern and Northern protectorates and Lagos Colony were brought together to form a single country. In the process about 250 disparate groups including the three major ones of Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba were welded together in a Tower of Babel of sorts. (From the BBC.) While â€Å"disparately† is also a valid word (it’s an adverb), it’s rare to come across it being used. What Does â€Å"Desperate† Mean? The word â€Å"desperate† is, like â€Å"disparate†, an adjective. â€Å"Desperate† has the same route as the word â€Å"despair†, and it is used for several different purposes: Wanting something very badly (e.g. â€Å"I’m desperate for a cup of tea.†) Indicating that something is very serious or bad (e.g. â€Å"Our situation is desperate. We are completely out of supplies.†) Being willing to do something risky or extreme (e.g. â€Å"The rescuers took desperate measures to reach the stranded children.†) As an adverb, â€Å"desperately† can be used to modify a verb (e.g. â€Å"She desperately needed to sleep.†) Here are three examples of â€Å"desperate† in use: In a study of 872  acquisitions  made by 401 firms, the authors found that managers who were desperate to show growth- as measured by their firm’s weak growth as compared to that of comparable companieswere more likely to overpay for an acquisition. (From Inc.com) If you approach your job search with the mindset I dont care what kind of job I get  -   I just need a job!, that desperate energy will radiate from you in waves and everyone around you will feel it. (From Forbes.com) Period poverty  is pushing women in  Zimbabwe  to desperate measures  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ and the  homeless are bearing the brunt of the crisis, according to campaigners. (From The Independent) If you’re struggling to know which you should use at any given time, remember: Disparate can usually be replaced in a sentence with the word â€Å"separate†. Desperate can usually be replaced in a sentence with the word â€Å"wanting† or the word â€Å"extreme†, depending on how it’s being used. In most situations, especially in informal writing such as social media posts, the word you want is likely to be â€Å"desperate†. Don’t trust your autocorrect if you end up with â€Å"disparate† instead. Desperate vs Disparate Quiz For each of the following sentences, select the word that makes the most sense: 1. When I finally finished the run, I was [desperate/disparate] for a drink of water. desperate disparate 2. This program of study combines several [desperate/disparate] elements. desperate disparate 3. In these terrible times, we must take [desperate/disparate] measures. disparate desperate 4. I am [disparately/desperately] keen to work in the tourism industry. desperately disparately Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should Know35 Genres and Other Varieties of FictionCareful with Words Used as Noun and Verb

The study of motivation in consumers which stimulates them to purchase Literature review

The study of motivation in consumers which stimulates them to purchase luxury goods despite the steep and increasing price - Literature review Example Again during 2004-2007, when the luxury industry was expanding and emerging into other markets, the CAGR was 8 percent (Amatulli and Guido, 2011). The growth of luxury goods market was caused by two important factors. Firstly the economic growth all throughout the world has lead to the creation of new class of rich people (Vigneron and Johnson, 2004) and secondly, the increase in the demand and range of products of luxury goods (Silverstein and Fiske, 2003). However, the sales of luxury goods were predicted to ease in 2013 due to the lower growth rate in China and subdued spending in Europe (Reuters, 2013; Wendlandt and Binnie, 2013). The sales are expected to hover around 4 to 5 percent as compared to the 5 percent sales in the year 2012 (Bain & Company, 2013). It is also expected that the revenue generated from the luxury market will rise 50 percent faster than the global GDP and the annual average growth rate will be around 5 to 6 percent in the year 2015 (Bain & Company, 2013). T he four main categories that come under luxury goods are Jewellery and watches Spirits and wines Cosmetics and perfume Fashion that includes accessories, ready-to-wear and couture (Jackson, 2004). Recently some other categories were also added like airlines, home furnishing, private banking, tourism, hotels and luxury automobiles (Chevalier and Mazzalovo, 2008). Fashion luxury goods include perfume, jewellery, watches, shoes, handbags, accessories and apparels, the display or use of which only brings prestige for the owner and functional utility takes a back seat (Vigneron and Johnson, 2004). Some of the research scholars have previously tried to highlight on the profile of the buyer and understand the reason behind the consumption of luxury goods (Dubois, Czellar and Laurent, 2005; Husic and Cicic, 2009; Summers, Belleau and Xu 2006; Wiedmann, Hennigs and Siebels, 2007). Some others have focused on the role of brand in the consumption of luxury products (Fionda and Moore, 2009; Kap ferer and Bastien, 2009; O’Cass and Frost, 2002; Phau and Prendergast, 2000; Tsai, 2005). More specifically Vigneron and Johnson (1999, cited by Amatulli and Guido, 2011) has focused on the presence of interpersonal and personal motives behind the consumption of luxury goods. In this section the focus is on luxury branding, pricing and issues that influences buying behaviour. 2.2 Meaning of luxury The word luxury has been derived from the Latin word â€Å"luxus†, which signifies the pleasure of senses irrespective of cost. Vigneron and Johnson (2004) have created a framework that consists of five components, which provides the meaning of luxury. High quality is associated with luxury goods, which is perceived as a fundamental attribute. Quality signifies craftsmanship, utility, sophistication, technology, design and material etc. Origin and tradition of the product along with the perceived superiority and excellence of the products acts as the reassuring factors which is a motivating factor for the customers who are buying any luxury goods. Semiotics of luxury has identified hedonistic value, which signifies the emotional responses linked to the consumption of luxury goods like excitement, sensory gratification and aesthetic beauty. Consumption is about the experience and feeling of pleasure that the consumer gets from the ownership of the goods like self-indulgence, fulfilment and personal reward. Conspicuous is another value attached with the consumption o

German 1000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

German 1000 - Essay Example It is a good idea to have different monuments for the different groups. Although all the groups were victims of the Nazi, they were murdered for different reasons. As such, it was a good idea to have the monuments of the different groups separate. It is a good idea to have an underground place of information on the holocaust memorial. This information centre lists the names of the Jews who were killed in the holocaust. It is a good idea to have the names of the victims for commemoration purposes, educational and research purposes (Blumer 67). The name â€Å"memorial of the murdered Jews† singles out the Jews that were killed by the Nazi. It does not include the Jews who died of old age and diseases in the concentration camps. I think a better name for the memorial would be â€Å"a memorial for the holocaust victims†. We have a holocaust museum in the United States, but we do not have a single museum fir slavery or genocide in the country. I think this is because while the Americans did not perpetuate the killing of the Jews, they helped end it and that is why we have a holocaust museum. However, in the case of slavery, the United States perpetuated slave trade and does not have a slavery museum. I think Americans want to wash away this part of their history. There have also been numerous arguments that Africans were both the perpetrators and victims of slave

Two articles summary ( one page for each) Article

Two articles summary ( one page for each) - Article Example He gives the example of the episode, â€Å"A Streetcar Named Marge.† The episode uses allusions to A Streetcar Named Desire, Ayn Rand, The Great Escape, and Hitchcock’s The Birds. Matheson argues that these allusions are not for satire, but to capture deep meanings and to connect them to the story and the characters. These allusions are successful in keeping the humor tight and meaningful in The Simpsons. Apart from quotationalism, hyper-ironism shows the bleak humor of the show. Matheson asserts that modern society has â€Å"a pervasive crisis of authority,† which the show also describes through its undercutting of moral positions, including its own cynicism. He says that hyper-ironism is present in how The Simpsons attacks itself for its lack of strong and clear moral values and direction. Matheson argues that The Simpsons is funny because of its combination of quotationalism and hyper-ironism that see the society as it is, filled with cold and lost people tryi ng to hang on to traditional values while adapting new ones. Walter Benjamin provides a general history of the evolution of art. He asserts that changes in the economic structure have created changes in art. Like the economic structure, art is losing its essence, or â€Å"aura,† the inner force that comes from art’s uniqueness. He argues that mechanical reproduction has destroyed art by reinforcing oppressive socioeconomic systems. Benjamin explores the loss of art in the modern mechanical age. His first main point is that technology removes the purity of art. Technology makes art reproducible or mass-produced, which destroys art’s aura. Aura is lost in mass production because authenticity cannot be reproduced as it leads to the lost authority of the original maker. His second point is that art is as oppressive as the economic structure. Art is oppressive because it puts the masses in their controlled position, as they consume symbols and images that protect