Your Paycheck vs. Your Conscience Should you Turn Down Unethical Projects - The Writers For Hire

YOUR PAYCHECK VS. YOUR CONSCIENCE: SHOULD YOU TURN DOWN UNETHICAL PROJECTS? You’ve probably seen those documentary-style anti-tobacco ads – the ones where a slick and smiling executive grills a series of job applicants about their qualifications. The questions start innocently enough – there’s usually a discussion about the applicant’s previous advertising work or basic office skills like typing or filing and then the interview takes a disturbing turn. --> It’s an interesting approach – instead of going with the obvious, â€Å"cigarettes-are-bad-for-you† rhetoric, Truth.com (known for its edgy, satirical anti-smoking commercials) skewers the companies that produce them, putting a face – and immaculately sculpted corporate hair – on Big Tobacco. Smoking may kill you, the ads imply, But Mr. $200 haircut over here – and anybody who works for him – helps pull the trigger. As you’d expect, all of the applicants are horrified. Some say no; others, apparently too stunned to speak, just shake their heads and fidget, treating viewers to several seconds of uncomfortable silence. This approach makes a basic assumption about us and our work: We stand behind what we sell (or manufacture, or do the bookkeeping for, or whatever). We want to do what’s right, even if it costs us an opportunity or two along the way. It’s a principle that, I think, most of us would like to embrace. But, in reality, do we? And, in today’s economy, should we? What do you do if you’re in, say, advertising – and a client wants you to fudge some statistics about her product’s results? Or you’re a designer and you could make some big bucks if you design a logo for a political group you don’t see eye-to-eye with. Or – and this one really happened to us – if you’re a copywriter and a client asks you to write fake testimonials for his website. Wintress posted a comment about that guy a couple of weeks ago – she (diplomatically) turned down the offer. We could have done the work, and gotten the accompanying paycheck, but she decided to take the high road because she felt it was wrong. But are there gray areas? If so, where are they? Is it, okay, for example, to make a chart, but pick only the data you want a customer to see? After all, you’re only likely to post good news about your company, or good testimonials about your service. On the other hand, there does seem to be a line somewhere along the way that some advertisers cross: Like when they only post health data from the scientist the client paid – and discard data from scientists who have told the company that their product may be dangerous. So, what do you think? Could you work on a project you felt was wrong on some level? Should we, as professionals, cherry-pick our clients based on what they stand for, or should we just be happy for the work? Where do you draw the line, and what do you do if a client wants you to cross that line? Even better: Have you ever been in this situation? We’d love to hear about it.

Rhetorical Analysis Essays

Rhetorical Analysis Essays Rhetorical Analysis Essay Rhetorical Analysis Essay Dana Trimmer Rhetorical Analysis In Michael T. Klare’s â€Å"The Coming Era of Energy Disasters,† he seems to focus on the major risks off shore drilling the causes and the effect on the environment. The overall argument conveys that unless the oil industry and the consumer take an alternative route to dangerous oil drilling â€Å"more such calamities are destined to occur† (Klare 1). Klare is very vocal in criticizing of the BP executives concerning the Deepwater Horizon disaster. He proceeds to state the fact the chief executives of BP chose to call the accident and oversight â€Å"a fallacious, if not outright lie† (Klare 1). Klare’s article offers four scenarios that point to the escalating chances of major disasters if oil companies continue to pursue deep sea drilling. Klare contends that to continue to use the energy sources at the rate we currently use it will â€Å"guarantee the equivalent of two, three, four or more Gulf oil-spill-style disasters in our energy future† (Klare 1). In reference to Michael T. Klare’s background, he is a (PAWSS) Professor and affiliated with the Peace and World Security Studies and the School of Critical Social Inquiry. In addition, Klare is also the author of numerous books, and example, â€Å"Blood and Oil† (2004). Klare has written a number of articles in magazines such as Arms Control Today, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Current History, Foreign Affairs, Harper’s, The Nation, Scientific American and Technology Review (get Abstract). Most of the books and articles Klare has written in some way relate to the state of world affairs with most of them concerning the negative state of world affairs. Given Klare’s lifework and field of study, this creates creditability and a perfect environment with critical knowledge for the core reading Klare has chose to write about. Klare Trimmer 2 continues to argue that â€Å"drilling in unsafe areas and not pursuing alternative energy sources for the future, more such catastrophes’ are coming no matter how much the technology has advanced† (Klare 1). Setting the stage for his scenarios, Klare begins with the question â€Å"What will the next Deepwater Horizon disaster look like† (Klare 2)? Klare attempts to engage not only the public, those that have been somewhat exposed to the media, but the corporate and collegiate community as well. Klare having his articles posted on very liberal and technical news websites, such as Technology Review and The Nation, tend to reach more of an audience with higher levels of education and technical knowledge than the public in general. Klare’s writing style uses a sense of urgency, his strong use of words some even underlined to stress his point creates a sense of conviction for the topic he chose. Klare uses scenarios (real and fictional) to persuade his readers to believe there will be future energy disasters. He uses history to build his case on some of the scenarios he imposes on his readers. An example of this is in scenario number one. Klare describes the Hibernia platform off of Newfoundland. He goes to the extent of stating the cost, what the platform is made of and how many crewmembers are aboard the Hibernia. Klare chose to mention that the Hibernia platform owners insist the platform is capable to â€Å"withstand a blow from even the largest iceberg† (Klare 2). Klare seems to ignore or chooses not to explore the possibility that advanced technology and new regulations would make the Hibernia platform safer. He chose instead to discredit the owners and the extra safeguards used, Klare purposed to create a vision of impending doom or an oil catastrophe. Klare is trying to accomplish an awareness of supposed Trimmer 3 hortfalls in the oil industry that will ultimately lead to â€Å"future nightmares† (Klare 7). Klare transitions between real history and fictional, which makes the reading hard to believe it is creditable. An example of this is in scenario one. Klare writes first of the Hibernia owners then quickly moves into an imaginary scenario of â€Å"global warning advances and Green- land glaciers melting sending massive chunks of ice floating into the North Atlantic on a path past Hibernia† (Klare 2). While this is very plausible it has not appened to the Hibernia at the present time. Klare’s persuasive appeal tends to lean more on the readers emotions. His scenarios tend to try to spark anger by the reader. Klare uses scenario number two to raise the awareness that Nigerians are already impoverished and are being used by the government unfairly. Klare in one hand has his audience feeling poorly for the Nigerian workers and in the other suggests, do to â€Å"the pipeline vandalism, kidnappings and militant takeovers of oil facilities† (Klare 3) that America has reason to aid the military. Klare has his audience upset and emotionally unsure that simulates his imaginary scenario. Klare escalates the insurgence of the Niger Delta region, placing the Nigerian oil output down to a third of its capacity† (Klare 3). Klare angers his readers by having them believe they will be â€Å"paying $5 per gallon of gasoline in the United States and convincing them the economy is headed for another deep recession† (Klare 3). This is Klare’s strategy for all of his scenarios. It is interesting that throughout the article Klare is very anti-oil drilling and uses very harsh examples and words, but finishes his article on a softer note with a disclaimer. Klare reminds his intended audience that â€Å"while none of these specific calamities are guaranteed to happen something like them surely will † (Klare 7). He goes on to remind his readers to â€Å"take action to not depend on fossil fuel and speed up transition to a post carbon world† (Klare 7). After a short softer note, Klare reminds his audience to beware Trimmer 4 in addition, watch out for more calamities to come. After all, of the effort Klare used to expose the wrongs of the major oil companies, it would have been appropriate for Klare to offer some suggestions of alternative energy sources. get Abstract compressed knowledge, n. d. Web. 07 Oct. 2011. http://getabstract. com/en/summary/economics-and-politics/rising-powers-shrinking-planet/10141/ Klare, Michael T. â€Å"The Coming Era of Energy Disasters†. The

Critical Thinking Style-Persuasive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critical Thinking Style-Persuasive - Essay Example So much of what is accomplished in the workplace is a result of a person's attitude. A bad attitude attracts bad results. Excessive pessimism tends to put coworkers on edge. It all breeds contempt and an overly critical attitude. What people want in the work place is a positive attitude. They wants someone who greets them with a smile and can positively enforce the work that they do. Pessimism embraces the opposite goals. It leads people to be overly critical and even hurtful at times; it also assumes the worst about people and their motives. Someone who comes to work everyday with a frown on their face and an unkind word for the secretary lowers morale. It can overwhelm everyone (Hutston, 48). This is not the sort of attitude anyone wants in the workplace. Pessimism hinders and hurts a workplace. It is an attitude that is the opposite of optimistic and places serious limits on what can be achieved, often because it assumes those limits are very real. The truth is that businesses tha t approach their workplace environments in a more positive manner will be more successful. Work consulted Hutson, Harry, and Barbara Perry. Putting hope to work. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. http://books.google.com/books?id=JTOl3cSLAKkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Hutson,+Harry,+and+Barbara+Perry.+Putting+hope+to+work.&hl=en&src=bmrr&ei=AnlaTZ7GK8a1tgfghoCDDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Women's Suffrage Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Women's Suffrage Discussion - Essay Example With regards to nationhood, voting rights gives a person the opportunity to exercise citizenship of that particular nation it doesn’t matter whether a common history, culture or language is shared with others. Women’s suffrage brought new rights since women issues became political issues and the issues were put to law. There were still shortcomings as they didn’t get equal citizens to men. Items such as military issues were not gained with voting rights. International events contributed to womens suffrage as there was a great change towards women’s suffrage between the end of World War I and World War II. Dr. Woodworth-Neys finds a pattern to womens suffrage in the American West as most women had voting rights prior to the passage of the nineteenth amendment as they had more choices. Suffrage proponents argue women voting would not protect the status quo since more women voting would increase the population of black voters. The status quo could be protected by increased white vote by white women in places like Texas. Other activists advocated for right reforms such as equal economic rights, protection of properties, divorce reforms, better education and opportunities. Both Professor Kuhlman and Professor Woodworth-Ney pointed that women suffrage politicized women issues and gave them more right. However, Professor Woodworth-Ney sees a pattern in women suffrage in American West while Professor Kuhlman does not find it. For instance, enactment of women voting rights in Texas would restore the status quo in America. Other concerns presented included, better education opportunities for women, divorce reforms and property protection rights. The concerns were addressed by women suffrage as women got a political voice. Granting women the right to vote was

Processing Algorithm Developed by Google for Big Data Essay

Processing Algorithm Developed by Google for Big Data - Essay Example What does a scenario describe, and what may it also provide? According to Sharda, Delen, & Turban (2014), â€Å"a scenario describes the decision and uncontrollable variables and parameters for a specific modeling situation. (Likewise), it may also provide the procedures and constraints for the modeling† (p. 57). 3. According to Kassam (2002), business metadata comprise information that increases our understanding of traditional (i.e., structured) data. What is the primary purpose of metadata? The primary purpose of metadata should be â€Å"to provide context to the reported data; that is, it provides enriching information that leads to the creation of knowledge† (Sharda, Delen, & Turban, 2014, p. 46). 4. What are the three nonfinancial objectives of the balanced scorecard? The three nonfinancial objectives of the balanced scorecard are as follows: (1) to improve customer value, (2) to intensify internal business processes, and (3) for organizational learning and growth (Schmarzo, 2013). 5. Describe the role of the simple split in estimating the accuracy of classification models. Simple split reportedly â€Å"partitions the data into two mutually exclusive subsets called a training set and a test set† (Olson & Delen, 2008, p. 140). 8. What is the difference between white hat and black hat SEO activities? The difference between white hat and black hat search engine optimization (SEO) lies â€Å"within how an SEO expert conducts his back linking strategy. Black Hat SEO look for the quick and always wrong approach that gets you penalized. White Hat SEO approach looks at the long term approach that doesn`t get you penalized† (Goulart, 2014, p. 1). 9. What is the most common method for treating risk in decision trees and tables? The most common method for treating risk in decision trees and tables include simulation, use of certainty factors, and fuzzy logic.

Morality And Ethics In Law Enforcement

Morality And Ethics In Law Enforcement Ethics is defined as study of moralitys effect on conduct: the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct. Morality is accepted moral standards; standards of conduct that are generally accepted as right or wrong. The paper will attempt to show dilemmas that law enforcement agencies face and why it is necessary for the law enforcement agencies to establish efficient and effective guidelines for law enforcement. It will show that it is also important to consider the ethical perspectives of the general public as well. The primary responsibility of the law enforcement agencies is to work for the benefit of the society and serve the community but law enforcement agencies have to make sure that their actions and policies are in conformance to the ethical standards of the society and do not violate any ethical or moral principle. Theories of Moral and Ethical Behavior Most ethical theorists start from a point which looks at what is being judged or evaluated as good or bad, right or wrong, and they usually look at one of two things: the inherent nature of the act and the consequences of the act. The theory of formalism was developed by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). Kants approach to ethics begins with an analysis of ulterior motives. Something could look good, and really be bad; and vice-versa, something could look bad, and really be good. Kant then proceeds to analyze the acts of Good Samaritans to see why they do good things for complete strangers. What is important is whether or not the Good Samaritan is doing the good thing out of the kindness of their heart or whether they expect payment, glory, or the return of a favor. Only if something springs from a desire to do well with no expectation of reward or benefit, can we truly say the goodness of an ethic has been achieved. The question then becomes: Under what circumstances will people sincerely d o good with no expectation of benefit? Kant says the answer is when people are doing their duty and the concept of duty becomes an important part of ethical formalism. Utilitarianism was developed by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832). Benthams approach to ethics makes extensive use of the pleasure principle which holds that humans are always predisposed to maximize pleasure and avoid pain. The root word in utilitarianism is utility which means useful. If something is useful in the short-run, then that is called act-utilitarianism. If something is useful in the long-run, then that is called rule-utilitarianism. Benthams second book (Bentham 1780) became a foundational document in utilitarianism and introduced the notion of a hedonistic calculus which was meant to distinguish things with social utility from things that are selfish. From 1791 to 1794, Bentham actively campaigned for his model prison based on what would become the philosophy of punishment known as deterrence. Deterrence is likewise divided into individual or specific deterrence and societal or general deterrence. Specific deterrence often takes the form of an older principle called incapacita tion. The idea is to make it impossible for an individual to commit another crime, at least while theyre in prison. Specific deterrence calls for inmates to be closely guarded and monitored at all times. In fact, Bentham proposed a type of prison system known as the Panopticon design. The principle here is that others will want to avoid criminal behavior because of the example provided by punishment. A person is punished not so much because they deserve it, but in order that others will not be inclined to do the same or similar thing. This kind of goal makes prisons as responsible for crime prevention as police are expected to be. Ethics in Policing The vast majority of police officers are honest and ethical but all of them pay the price for decreased public confidence and trust when there is little respect for police ethics. Public perceptions affect all of policing, go to the heart of police role in society, and involve ethical issues. Trust is the main ethical issue in this approach to police ethics, and in learning about trust, we also learn about other irrational forces in society, like fear. This kind of focus on police ethics is also a focus on societal ethics. Facts make little difference here, as it doesnt matter whether we can trace the roots of public mistrust to any specific event; what matters is perception, and how those perceptions influence the morality of a nation as a whole. An ethics code is an absolute necessity for law enforcement agencies. They provide an ethical and moral compass for personnel. An example of a well written code is the following: Criminal Justice is a scientific discipline and those who teach, research, study, administer or practice in this discipline subscribe to the general tenets of science and scholarship. They also recognize that the discovery, creation, transmission and accumulation of knowledge in any scientific discipline involves ethical considerations at every level. The Code of Ethics of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) sets forth 1) General Principles and 2) Ethical Standards that underlie members of the Academys professional responsibilities and conduct, along with the 3) Policies and Procedures for enforcing those principles and standards. Membership in the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences commits individual members to adhere to the ACJS Code of Ethics in determining ethical behavior in the context of their everyday professional activities. Activities that are purely personal and not related to criminal justice as a scientific discipline are not subject to this Code of Ethics. The General Principles contained in this Code express the values and ideals of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences for ethical behavior in the context of the professional activities of individual members of the Academy. The general principles should be considered by members in arriving at an ethical course of action in specific situations, and they may be considered by the Ethics Committee and the Executive Board of the ACJS in determining whether ethical violations have occurred and whether sanctions should be applied. The Ethical Standards set forth enforceable rules for the behavior of individual members of the Academy in specific situations. Most of the ethical standards are written broadly, to provide applications in varied roles and varied contexts. The Ethical Standards are not exhaustiveconduct that is not included in the Ethical Standards is not necessarily ethical or unethical. The Ethical Standards should always be interpreted in the context of the General Principle s. Violations of the Code of Ethics may lead to sanctions associated with individual membership in the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, including restrictions on or termination of that membership. (Code of Ethics, 2000) Personal codes of ethics are prevalent within the police community. This can be like a firearm; personal codes can be dangerous but have many benefits. An example of a personal code is the following: Therefore, my code of ethics would begin with the following statement. 1. Always maintain the highest integrity, honesty, and impartiality. 2. All current laws, be they federal, state, or local jurisdiction must be maintained and upheld. 3. Be of equal mind when dealing with all of my duties whether enforcing the law, or teaching the application. 4. Will not discriminate against a person based on their, gender, race, religious credo, social background, or disabled status. 5. Will maintain confidentiality within the boundaries of the law. 6. Never use my position to garner favors, nor imply that favors could be gained. 7. Will support and follow the Bill of Rights and our constitutional rights as outlined by our founders. 8. Understand and recognize that this code of ethics is a guide to be able to create and maintain an atmosphere of safety for those involved in the Criminal Justice system. (Mathewson, 2008) Duty consists of the responsibilities attached to a role; discretion is the ability to choose between two or more courses of action; and discrimination occurs when a group or individual is treated differently for no justifiable reason. These three terms are discussed together because they shed light on the problem of what is the right thing to do when it is so often the case in policing that there is no flawlessly right thing to do. Ethics in Corrections Trying to imagine society without an established legal system of punishment is quite difficult. Inflicting pain may not be the best way to get somebody to change. To inflict pain deliberately, and to do it right, requires that some morally acceptable way be found of doing it. It is a must to raise important moral questions about the appropriateness of a punishment institution in order to reduce dilemmas. Prisons as an institution symbolize the ultimate punishment that society can impose upon anyone who breaks the law. However, the moral and ethical issues associated with prisons go beyond the law, and include the why and how of prisons. The why and how questions correspond to John Rawls two rules for justifying punishment. The assumption has always been that studying prisons reveals much about how a civilization is to be judged. As society evolves, it is expected that prisons will simultaneously evolve. Therefore, the social and moral issues associated with corrections are intimately connected with the social and moral issues that a society faces. That is one reason why there have been so many shifting and changing correctional policies. As societies change, corrections change. The key point here is that there are few standpoints to really judge the why of prisons morally or ethically. There are few ethical principles that truly allow the study of whole penal systems and their place in society. Take away the offenders and youve lost your rationale for punishment. On the other hand, there is no shortage of ethical systems which easily permit us to see criminals punishment as deserved. For us to see this, we usually need to see some how regarding the actions that occur in prisons. Ethical Leadership Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. One of the more basic ethical problems with leadership is the management-line personnel divide. This divide is basically a case of jealousy in organizations based on an underlying sense of unfairness in how others became managers. It is the problem of administrators being disconnected from the front line predicaments and little things at the bottom which causes administrative policies to be split from reality. This is the great divide that nobody talks about, and thats an ethical dilemma. Another great dilemma is the question is it better to be loved or feared? All organizations have a power dimension and an authority dimension. It is easy to see the authority patterns in such things as the chain of command, but it is not always easy to spot power patterns. Power can be defined as any leadership behavior which influences the values, beliefs, or climate of the organization. Power forces people to change their minds about something, not simply out of persuasiveness or force, but out of sheer, blind, realistic, accommodation to the fact that there is no other way. Max Weber, the famous sociologist, said there were three types of power: charismatic, traditional, and legal-rational. French and Ravens The Bases of Social Power extends that typology into five types of power: legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, and referent. Legitimate is based on a subordinates belief that the superior has the right to give orders, not just on the basis of rank, but on the basis of legitimacy, a sense of right, or socio-legal obligation. Reward is based on the a bility to bestow formal or informal rewards, such as pay, promotion, praise, recognition, special favors, or overlooking rule violations, personal idiosyncrasies, and ethical lapses. Coercive is based on the ability to punish, recommend punishment, or make punishment happen by engaging in rumor, harassment, mental abuse, or making someones work difficult or unpleasant. Expert is based on a subordinates belief that the leader is a true expert and one in whom confidence is placed without question because they have attained special knowledge and are also familiar with the tasks performed by followers. Referent is based on friendship, liking, respect, admiration, or the desire to emulate and be like the leader not just because of charisma but because of a belief that the leader will come to their rescue or aid at some time of great need. The delegation problem is perhaps the biggest problem in criminal justice leadership, since delegation is what allows lower-level employees to get things done. There is a right way and a wrong way to delegate as a leader. The most commonly repeated saying in textbooks is that you never delegate without giving away authority. When you delegate some of your administrative tasks to a subordinate, you are actually giving away responsibility. The problem often arises, however, that this subordinate doesnt have the authority or power to obtain the needed compliance or cooperation from co-workers. Thats a lack of authority. To get beyond this paradox, most modern principles of delegation say that you should only delegate things that are part of your subordinates professional development. According to Jack Kuykendall and Peter Unsinger, The Leadership Styles of Police Managers, not enough delegation goes on in criminal justice agencies. Subsequent research has shown it to be more commonly re placed by micro-managing. Basically administrators in criminal justice seem to prefer keeping their hands in just about everything. The most frequently used styles of leadership in criminal justice are the telling-selling style and the participating-selling style. The telling-selling style uses a little more two-way communication and the leader is concerned about employee buy-in to the decisions that have been made. The participating-selling style is frequently seen when the administration see the workforce as a whole demonstrating average levels of maturity, competence, and willingness. This style will not work, however, where there are regular disciplinary matters. In conclusion, there is no one right leadership style for all situations. Your perception of people and the organization will dictate your choice of styles. Leaders must be flexible, always assessing how important it is for the organization to be relationship oriented or task oriented. A lot of police administration wil l tell you that an administrator should not fraternize with the workers off-duty. It may be that in criminal justice what is needed instead is more getting together on and off the job, as long as the proper boundaries can be sustained.

Eric Saties Socrate Essay -- essays research papers fc

Introduction Erik Satie began work on Socrate in 1918. Having been absorbing the scandal of Parade and becoming quite popular in the Salons of the high-society of Paris, he started planning new works. Perhaps Debussy’s death in the spring of that year was the final liberation he needed in order to be able to express himself seriously, for sarcasm is frequently a mask for over-sensitiveness and insecurity. But that spring finally brought Satie great joy. He was invited everywhere, and was well respected by fellow musicians. He was receiving a fair amount of commissions, and no longer had to write cabaret music, which he loathed. Satie took on Socrate, commissioned by the princess de Polignac, with complete seriousness: ‘†¦I’m frightened to death of bungling this work. I want it to be as white and pure as antiquity.’(1) Satie was charmed with Socrates since his school days. He must have identified with the Greek philosopher, having also chosen a plain life, despising wealth and materialism, and living by the principles he preached. ‘I always wanted to do something on Socrates,’ he remarked to Darius Milhaud. ‘It’s such an unjust story!’(2) Satie was a composer who was constantly looking for new directions in his art and re-examining the cultural excesses of the 19th century. Having abandoned the impressionistic harmonies he pioneered in the Sarabandes (1887) for a more dry style, centered around melody and delicate counterpoint, he formulated his aesthetics in 1917: ‘Do not forget that the melody is the Idea, the outline; as much as it is the form and the subject matter of a work. The harmony is an illumination, an exhibition of the object, its reflection†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢(3) The first performance of Socrate was given on June 24th 1918, at the home of Jane Bathori, a singer of modern music, followed by a performance at the home of Comte Etienne de Beaumont and other private performances. Stravinsky attended one of these and remarked: ‘†¦The music of Socrates’ death is touching and dignifying in a unique way†¦ [After performing Socrate] he [Satie] turned around at the end and said in perfect Bourgeoisie: †Voila, messieurs, dames.† †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢(4) The first â€Å"official† performance of Socrate was given in January 1920. The music raised hot arguments between those who loved it and those who thought it ridiculous. Satie’s reaction: â€Å"Those who do not understand are requested by me to assum... ...y that was the real reason he was executed. 8 Importance here is used 9 Louis Aragon, Traità © du Style, trans. Alyson Waters (Lincoln & London, University of Nebraska Press, 1991) 10 By â€Å"Icon† and â€Å"Iconize† I mean the process of associating a musical object with an external object, or a cultural image. Debussy creates musical textures which correspond to certain concrete things, such as the sea, the snow, etc. - a highly luxurious and sophisticated version of word-painting. That is the reason why his music can be conceived as programmatic, just like the expressionists, except he deals with nature rather than personal drama. 11 I believe this is the reason every writer who wrote about Socrate sees it completely differently. 12 Ornella Volta, Satie Seen Through his Letters (London, Marion Boyars, 1989), pp. 154. 13 This is best exmplified in his 1914 work for piano, Sports et Divertissements. 14 Louis Aragon, Irene (l’Or du Temps, 1968) 15 Jacques Attali, Noise: the Political Economy of Music (University of Minnesota, 1985, trans. Brian Massumi) 16 Pierre-Daniel Templier, Erik Satie (Cambridge & London, MIT Press, 1969, trans. Elena L. French and David S. French), pp. 102 1