Contemporary Middle East History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Contemporary Middle East History - Essay Example While not completely Western but also combined with Islamic ideals, the Ottoman Empire presented different challenges for the Middle East than the British and French Empires. The Ottomans demonstrated a semi-Islamic influence in the region. This means that while initially embracing some Islamic ideals, the Ottomans later rejected others and according to Islamic perceptions in the Middle East, the Ottomans while at first more favorable than the British and French Empires were eventually seen as un-Islamic (Gelvin 2005; Khatar, 2004). While many in the region may blame so-called imperialists - (whether they be Ottomans, British-French or American) - for the conditions in the region, the failure of nationalist successive governments to take control of their own destiny is an inherent problem in the Middle East and until today needs to be adequately addressed and confronted (Huntington, 1996). As Huntington (1996) notes 'Western style democracy' in the Middle East has served to increase anti-Western political forces. The history of how and why this rage against Western style democracy can be seen in the social, political, technological and economic forces that have been imposed upon the Middle East via successive colonial administrations. The Ottoman Empire under the absolute rule of Sultan Seleyman had the responsibility of guaranteeing complete justice or adala among the governed. This idea has both Islamic and Turco-Persian aspects. Borrowing from Hebraic traditions, the idea of distributive justice is modeled after King Solomon in the Old Testament who according to Islamic political theory was a considered a seminal figure in distributive justice. This idea encapsulates the Western notion of justice hence the Western portion of political rule during the Ottoman Empire that regarding fairness and equity. Additionally and importantly, the Islamic portion of justice was that notion it be inclusive for all including the lowest individuals in the power structure. As stated within the Koran Allah admonishes the followers of Islam to act equitably "you who believe! Be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with justice, and let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably; act equitably, that is nearer to piety , and he careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely Allah is Aware of what you do" (The Dinner Table, 5.8). In terms of economic and social life the Ottoman Empire attempted to include all members of the Empire no matter how powerless. Although seemingly removed ideologically from the society the Ottoman Sultan followed a set of siyasa laws, which included the severe punishment of government officials if they were believed to have abused their powers. Such abuses included illegally taxing or forcing the labor of peasants, forcibly requiring them to give food to soldiers or forcibly staying in their homes (Khatar, 2004; Gelvin, 2005). The punishment for these crimes usually included the death penalty. In terms of social structure and relations, the Ottoman Empire can be considered one of the first to quantify public opinion and therefore demonstrates how public opinion was considered very important in legitimating the power of the Sultan. If the Sultan did not have favorable public opinion and more negative public opinion cultivated by its adversaries then the Sultan would be sure to fall. In order to cultivate and maintain positive favor among the public in support of the Sultan

Market structures in practice at Unilever deviate

Market structures in practice at Unilever deviate Market structure is the manner in which a corporation experience competition during the delivery of goods and services. The structures are very dynamic and both extremes do exist depending on the market in which one is operating and the type of goods being dealt with. The theoretically existing market structures are: perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and monopoly. Out of these existing market structures, it is not possible to single out one to be prevailing in the Unilever products market. This so because there is no clear cut differentiating between them. However, perfect competition is a far much distinct structure from the other three structures. Unilever has a wide range of its consumer products in distribution worldwide. The corporations complexities in organizational structure coupled with an expansive portfolio of products have made the Unilever company operate in all market structures except perfect competition. Perfect competition prevails when there are many sellers and buyers present in a market. This means that no single player will bring much influence in the entire market. The presence, withdrawal or change of strategy by a distributor in this market structure has an insignificant effect in price and demand. The market forces are left to take their full swing operation. In this market, the consumers view all products to be identical thus selection of a product to be purchased is indiscriminate. However, this is not case in most household consumer products. Consumers are very sensitive in the selection of such products, especially those that affect their health and general appearance. The earlier mentioned expansive portfolio of Unilever house hold products affects the final consumers health and appearance. This effects either instant or long term are evident in its advertising slogan; adding vitality to life. By considering the corporations profile, Unilever is not the type in which it s presence in the market cannot be felt by fellow competitors as well as consumers. Therefore, saying that a perfect competition is the kind of market structure in which Unilever is operating will be a complete fallacy. Monopolistic competition prevails when there are few restrictions to the entry of the market. The presence of a corporation in the market will therefore be determined by it creativity and ability to overcome the few existing restriction. Such restrictions may not necessarily be economic but rather anything which may retard the growth and performance of a player in that particular market. The many companies operating in this kind of market structure have little to influence since they have small market share. Unilevers market share cannot be generalized as small globally but rather largely variable. It is dependent on geographical diversification characterized by expansion and venturing into emerging markets. The aspect of small market share may not be entirely dismissed but can be stated as a fairly potential scenario to occur. This is evident in the penetration in to the new markets already colonized by competitors as well as situations where others are proving too strong to eat int o the corporations market share. The products in this case are very distinct thus one can easily differentiate between products of different companies. The Unilever products can easily be identified and are available in a large sea of household products from which a consumer chooses from. The marketing strategists in Unilever must therefore apply non-price competition strategies. Advertising is the most common non-price strategy available for Unilever, where fellow market players have close substitutes of its products. Another tool in use by the corporation is the rolling out of an ambitious research and development program which has seen it deliver the most optimal innovative designs of products. All these characteristics describe a monopolistic competition which becomes one of the prevailing market structures. Oligopolistic market structure exists when a few firm dominate market and thus enjoys a majority of market revenue. This is evident in its market share which according to Fortune 500 list of large companies in Europe, it revenue was at $ 45,679 million which placed them at fifty-fourth slot in the year 2000. This commanding market share coupled with European Union stringent standardization rules makes it hard for new products to hit the market. The Monopoly on the other hand means that there is only one supplier. Therefore there is no competition expected. The sole supplier dictates the prices, supply quantities and the quality control. This hypothetical structure hardly prevails unless there are influences from regulators like governments and other authorities empowered by pacts and international agreements. There are high barriers making it totally impossible for other firms to enter the market. It is hard to experience this kind of a market structure currently. It can only be seen in specialized products distributed by the government due to their nature to influence the national security. We can therefore confidently dismiss this structure to be non-existing in Unilevers products. To sum it all, all market structures except monopoly are in practice at Unilever. However the perfect monopolistic structure carries less weight because the cumulative market share of this corporation is big enough to shake off potential high caliber competitor. Any organization interested in the manufacture and distribution of household goods can only do best by either franchising or merging with Unilever. The consolidation of European resources through European Unions elimination of trade barriers and restrictions has come up with far reaching opportunities as well as setbacks for main stream organizations. For Unilever, it is a great milestone as it is for other multinational organizations to see different regions get in to agreements of forming trading blocs. The usually complex management structure can be simplified through creation of regional offices. The basis of such regional offices is going to be the preset blocs. Relationship between market forces and Unilevers response Market forces are the demand and supply which is a reflection of all price-conscious sellers and buyers of the products available in the market. The desires of sellers and buyers are in the two extreme ends. Sellers will want the highest possible prices while buyers want to own the goods for free if possible. Since taking goods freely is not possible they are therefore asking for minimum prices possible. The price is expected to go up with an increase in demand while an excess supply will make the price to fall. Such varied desires constitute never ending market forces. It is worth to note that the market forces are only possible when there are no external interferences. The already mentioned rich portfolio of Unilever products can be put into the following categories: washing powder and detergents, beverages and butter and margarine. These products must attract many buyers as well as producers being the fast moving consumer goods demanded by buyers daily. In fact the demand is poised to rise given the ever rising populations of the world accompanied by rapid urbanization. It is the dream of every organization in business to make profit and reduce cash outflows as much as possible. Unilever being no exception has put in a lot of efforts to stay up beat so as to maintain and grow its market share both in Europe and global market. We are now exploring its response to such dynamic challenges accompanying variations in market forces, the actual effects in revenue and long term reputation of the corporation. The corporation has a deliberate effort to guard its market share. The main strength of Unilever is the expansive geographical diversification of its products. These will translate to the final returns because; the poor results of one region are likely to be cushioned by those of the other. To illustrate this, the corporation was in operation in eighty eight different countries in the year 2002. Management teams in every region were given decision making autonomy so that the products available for distribution in their respective regions are tailor made to just meet the consumer needs. This brilliant approach ensures the avoidance of obsolescence as well as delivery of the most relevant goods in the market. Paying attention to human capital offers enormous opportunity to the long term strategy of the corporation. This global organization believes that a highly motivated human capital is going to impact positively on the general outlook. It is this reason therefore that has made the company to invest on human resources development through recruitment and training of employees from varied disciplines and qualifications. To ensure that every talent in the society is utilized one can enter the companys amazing human resource through graduate trainee program or specialized skill direct entry. Another notable strategy which may look more of welfare based than economic is the formulation and implementation of a well detailed safety, health and environmental policy. This has a lasting perspective and a wide focus beyond what can be immediately seen. However, there are short term benefits of this. An employee who is always safety conscious is going to deliver better results than the other who has no attention to safety. It is also worth noting that some economic blogs like the European Union cannot accept a companys products if there is not practical move to conserve and protect the environment. The most recent example is the black tea sourcing sustainability commitment which came by through the certification by Rain Forest Alliance. Among the immediate benefits of this tea sourcing sustainably, Unilever has been able to launch its Rain Forest Alliance compliant tea in the European market. The years of poor performances globally prompted the organization to embark on an ambitious path to growth strategy in the year 2000. The strategy has specific action points to be discussed next. First of all, the ambiguity surrounding the amorphous number of brands was eliminated through the reduction of brands to the four hundred most important core products. The unsuccessful brands were successfully removed from the market which led to the increase in sales of the top brands from 75% to 93%. The corporation has been able to also tap from emerging markets by penetrating those which are already colonized by the competitors such as; Procter Gamble, Nestle and Kraft Foods. Among the major advantages of Unilever is it ability to carry out research and identify the consumer trends of needs. With this information at hand, the response is efforts to cater for them. Just to illustrate this proactive approach, the major concerns in the world of late are nutrition and weight. Majority of the people are currently shifting their focus to ways of living healthier lifestyles. So as to move in tandem with this trend Unilever acquired Slimfast, an organization offering weight management services and nutritional consultancy. The intense competition faced worldwide has necessitated the Corporations top management to make acquisitions. The top acquisitions are Ben Jerry, Slimfast and Best Foods among other twenty worldwide. This ability to make huge acquisitions and conglomerate firms hav e put itself in a position to enable itself enjoy competitive advantage. The corporation saved EUR750 in cost and operating margins rise by 15.7 per cent in the first three quarters. The Unilever is carefully working together the Competition Commission so as to achieve a balance between their profits and legitimacy. Striking a balance has been a headache for both parties bearing in mind their varied intention of promoting competition. Competition Commission will always strive to provide a fair play ground for the players in a given industry. It ensures also that no one takes unfair advantage by punishing the final consumer. To achieve this, the commission closely monitors the interaction of competitors and partners in the market. The changes in businesses set up including concentrations through mergers and takeovers are very useful so as to eliminate the competition among the players in the market. The resent proposed acquisition of United States based Sara Lees body and laundry division by the Unilever is being reviewed in line with European Union Merger Regulation. The commission seeks to establish the ultimate effects of shelf prices of these products after th e elimination of competing suppliers of a good number of household cleaning products. Through such a strategy, the corporation is able to wade off expenses that could have resulted from competition and huge advertisement. However, if this is viewed as move to club together and drive others out of business it will be totally unacceptable and the commission is going to advice the relevant bodies accordingly. Sanctions and license suspension may the worst penalties that the company can get if found guilty. But leaving alone this pessimistic approach of the role of competition Commission, there are a lot to be achieved. The corporations expansion strategy has seen it adopt an earlier mentioned path-to-growth master plan aimed at growing it market share. Its unrivalled enormous infrastructure has played a paramount role in venturing into emerging markets. The other strategy has been the focus on the internal structures of management and building of global leadership. A well oiled management machine has been achieved through internalization of the concept of growth by every member of the management team. The history of this company shows us that it is a merger of two companies based in United Kingdom and the Netherlands. With this foundation, there has been need to cluster the two head offices resulting in a simpler organizational structure. A fast decision making and improved accountability can only be achieved through the continuous improvement of organizational structure. Importance of foreign international trade, economic integration and global markets in Unilevers business International trade is the exchange of goods and services through the borders. This type of business has formed the firm foundation in the modern business world because the manufacturers and distributors attempt to gain from a wider market rather than looking at their own borders. Each and every firm intending to throw its nets wide must focus on the globalization of its marketing and distribution operations. The foreseeable constraints of venturing into international trade are deeply rooted in the standardizations and trade barriers formed through economic integrations and blocs formations. Many economies have leant that they cannot effectively compete with the do-it-alone approach. Therefore there is a rise in regional economies coming together and forming a bigger economy. This grouping and regrouping of states have a huge impact on the social, political and most important economic dimensions of organizations. There many benefits that come along side this integrations as well as d emerits. Any organization in need of these benefits and willing to take the accompanying risks will surely take these challenges and reap from the goodies of global market. Just like any other multinational firm, Unilevers presence in the global market has helped in the continuous development of new market segment. In order to benefit from the economies of scale, the corporation shakes off the saturation in the European domestic market by gathering for the needs of international buyers. International trade is also important bearing in mind the corporations portfolio resources and products. To tap from these undoubted benefits of international trade, Unilever utilizes the various available options of internationalization. The earlier stated concept of mergers and acquisitions has given the corporation a huge milestone in venturing into international trade. Among the many firms that has entered in a n international partnership with the corporation are: Pepsico which works together to market and distribute Lipton a ready-to-drink tea, Inmarko which is the leading ice cream corporation based in Russia and the imminent acquisition of Sara Lee division of body and laundry production. In a nutshell, the company has been able to secure a total of twenty acquisitions Unilever can therefore be said to be a global corporation based on the attributes described before. This is justified by its presence in many nations and the use coordinated brands in global market. It however has one centralized office in the United Kingdom which manages the entire strategy. The European Union policies which affect tariffs and free trade agreements are going to have a final trickledown effect on the revenues and operations of Unilever. The elimination of trade restrictions and barriers within the European market means that the revenues are going to rise because of easy penetration to domestic regions. The removal of all tariffs on trade is one of the major benefits enjoyed by the corporation. Economic implications emu in the United Kingdom The economic monetary union is the adoption of one currency by the European Union member countries. This move has been achieved through the development of one European Central Bank and formulation of a common monetary policy. Such adoption of single currency has elicited a series of mixed reactions due to the economic implications. Some school of thought may argue that the adoption of EMU is irrelevant because it focuses strictly on the financial services sectors. The critics of Economic Monetary Union claim that putting together economies of different sizes is going to be detrimental. This will mean that the entire Europe economy will be the least common denominator. In simpler terms this will mean that the economic muscle of the member states is going to be achieved through striking a balance between the participating economies. The poorly performing economies are going to pull down the perceived successful ones. Despite this pessimistic view of EMU, there will ultimately be a lot of attractiveness of euro financial assets due to eliminated exchange risk and improved liquidity. In addition the stability in macroeconomic environment is very instrumental in reduction of financing and investments risks. It is no doubt that the introduction of euro as the common currency in the European Union has improved prices transparency. There are no fears by someone using euro resulting from using different currency. The firms in the Unions territory are able to comfortably compare prices without worry of actual value being distorted by conventional highly volatile exchange rates. From an external point of view, the consolidated EMU area is in a position to be self sufficient and independent of the Asian or American influences. Thus partnership has a political effect. The mutual relationships between nations are going to be fostered since the bad blood is eliminated by continually partnering in the formulation and improvement framework of the common market policies. The Eur opean Union firms, in which our organization of discussion is part, are going to increase their profitability through elimination of currency exchange transaction costs. Other trade focused proponents of this worth project claim that no cent will be lost on the fluctuating exchange rates. Trading as a bloc makes Europe compete effectively with other giants in the Far East and America.

How The Adams-Onís Treaty Affected The Growth Of Our Nation :: American America History

How The Adams-Onà ­s Treaty Affected The Growth Of Our Nation Americans were interested in further expansion and looked to the weak Spanish provinces of East and West Florida. The Spanish were reluctant to give up what is now Florida, but in the end they worked out an agreement called the Adams Onis Treaty. In this essay I will describe how the Americans eventually got these provinces, the set backs of the signing of the treaty, and how it effected the economic growth of our nation. Americans living in West Florida between the Iberville and Perdido Rivers declared their independence, and President Madison ordered the Governor of New Orleans Territory to take control of the independent land. The Americans now had control over half the territory they wanted but this did not satisfy them, this only made them more eager to gain control of East Florida. Almost two years after this event peace concluded, but Spain still had possession of East Florida. This time Spain only had two solutions to avoid a shameful political break down over this region. One was to gain support of a European ally, and the second was to get some form of honor in this event by winning some of the United States best land else where in North America. The first plan fell through, Britain and other European nations refused to help Spain. They eventually fell to having discussions with the United States. The American government was entirely willing to have discussion of the East Florida issue become the end result of all Spanish-American boundary questions. John Quincy Adams was the Secretary of State and was the person taking care of all discussions between the U.S. and Spain. He saw that this was a perfect time to try to extend the boundary to the Pacific Ocean. Luis de Onà ­s was the minister of Spain at the time and he was the Spanish representative to the U.S. His instructions from the Spanish government was to transfer the Florida's to the United States in return for the American settlement west of the Mississippi. Onis was also to get a promise that the United States would not give material aid to, or recognize the independence of Spain's colonies in South America because of their lack of cooperation. Difficulties came up over negotiating a satisfactory boundary in the West and also over the command to put American military in East Florida in 1818.

Han vs Roman Attitudes Toward Tech

Kimberly Giron AP World history September 27, 2012 World History DBQ Han society had positive attitude towards technology as some saw it as beneficial to society and others considered it a gift. Roman society had more of a supportive yet demeaning attitude towards technology. There is no doubt that things that benefit people and gift are considered positive. A Han government official (Document 1) wrote to local officials in order to advise them on how to use their technology to prevent floods, showing his interests in maintaining the empire so that it doesn't fall.Not only that, Han Guan, another government official (Document 2) goes against the way the government is monopolizing the making of technology and that technology should be made by the people, since government made technologies are brittle and costing the government more money as not much salt is being produced. It is very interesting that an official would speak against the government, but it may be due to the fact that th e scarcity of salt is costing this official money.Both officials may also be looking to maintain their positions or get higher ones once the emperor sees how well they are looking after the empire, which can only be maintained with the help of technology. Others in Han society consider technology as a gift from enlightened leaders. Huan Tan, an upper-class philosopher (document 3) mentions that Fuxi invented some technology which was efficient and beneficial to society. Fuxi, is said to be a wise enlightened emperor which means that since Fuxi made it, it is no doubt a great gift.There is also some government sponsored history (Document 4) which characterizes Tu Shih as a just and commoner loving man who developed technology in order lift some of the burden of labor off the people. Technology was Tu Shih's gift to the people and Tu Shih, was considered a Fuxi. Therefore this government sponsored historian also considers technology a gift. Roman attitude towards technology was that i s was necessary but that it didn't take much intelligence to make such technology, or in other words, a demeaning attitude.Cicero, an upper-class politician leader (Document 5), considered technology as something for vulgar common folk,not gentlemen. He believed that skill wasn't required to use such thing but, he never mentioned that technology was useless. Seneca, a philosopher and adviser (Document 7) also believed that it doesn't take brains to come up with technology but never attacks it's use in society as he sees that it doesn't matter who made it, but its use that matters.Their attitude must be influenced by the fact that technology was made by the lower class and acknowledging lower class work would mean lowering their pride. Other Roman attitudes were that technology was needed to create beauty. Frontius, a Roman general (Document 8) gives a glowing report on how beautiful technology has been able to make the empire's aqueducts, far more superior than structures in Greece and Egypt. Plutarch, a high official in Rome (Document 6) gives another positive report on the beauty of Roman roads created by Gaius Gracchus which was built with the help of their technology.Therefore, technology is practical, is essential for making things beautiful, but looked down upon as it is used by the lower class. Despite the different societies, it is clear that in each empire government officials and upper-class philosophers tend to share attitudes towards technology. It would be interesting to see the attitudes of common workers and women towards technology as they are the ones who make more use of it.Workers may be most affected by technology as they are the ones whom upper-class Romans consider to be the vulgar people who work with it and brainless people who invent it. In Han societies they would be the ones who produce the salt and also need the protection given by technology. The opinions of women would also provide information on how women were involved in technol ogy and how it affected gender roles. The documents above only provide a view for one class in each society therefore not giving a clear overall attitude on technology in each society.

Homosocial and Homosexual Desires in “My Fair Lady” Essay

Today, relationships are hard to define. With the newfound acceptance of homosexuality, the border between male homosocial relations and homosexual relations has become fuzzy. The distinction between male homosocial and homosexual desires are what I will be exploring in My Fair Lady. In the classic movie My Fair Lady the relationship between Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering displays both homosocial and homosexual characteristics, and models the triangular desire defined by Eve Sedgwick. Higgins invites Colonel Pickering to his house and then the next morning invites Eliza to his house. This action of inviting Eliza to stay over after inviting Pickering can be explained as having both homosocial and homosexual characteristics. The homosocial interpretation of this situation is Higgins feels a strong friendship towards Colonel Pickering. Rather than having him pay for a hotel while visiting London, he invites him to stay at his home because it is the friendly thing to do. Higgins then sees it might be awkward for two confirmed bachelors to be living together, however temporary it may be. Uncomfortable with implications some people may draw, he invites Eliza to stay in order to maintain his masculinity and not have people speculating about his homosexuality. When arguing his actions as homosexual, his invitation to Pickering is not motivated by friendship but by his desires to have sexual relations with Pickering. Having Pickering live with him would be the easiest way to accomplish a discrete relationship. Creating a faà §ade, Higgins invites Eliza so society will not discover his true intentions. After bringing Eliza into the house and suffering through a few problems Higgins sings Im an Ordinary Man to Pickering. Listing some negative qualities of women in his song displays both homosocial and homosexual characteristics. A homosocial standpoint sees this as Higgins, like many men do, telling his buddy about all the drama a woman brings into his life when having a relationship with a woman. Just like women get together with their girlfriends and gossip about the silly things men do, Higgins and Pickering are doing the same thing. The two laugh about the silly behavior of women and can relate to one another because both have had similar experiences, bonding in a strictly same-sex, non-sexual manner. Higgins is also promoting  his own masculinity by noting the flaws in a womans character, expressing his views on why males are more superior then females. However, at the closing of the song, Higgins declares, I shall never let a woman in my life, implying his homosexuality. Rather than listing the faults of women jokingly, his song can be interpreted as a justification for his choice of a homosexual lifestyle. He even states, Why Cant a Woman Be More like a Man, implying women should lose all their female characteristics and become men, thus, making them appealing to him.Again, Higgins is declaring man the superior race and because men are superior, he has a sexual attraction for them which he may not share for women. Higgins focuses so much attention on Eliza while refining her and this attention can be viewed as his romantic feelings for Eliza, meaning his relationship with Pickering is strictly homosocial, or that his feelings for Eliza are a displacement of his homosexual feelings for Pickering. The homosocial viewpoint sees Higgins, transforming Eliza from a measly flower girl into a beautiful lady, his ideal woman. He felt an attraction to Eliza when he found her in the gutter but due to social restraints, he knew it was not socially acceptable for him to date a woman of her class. After her transformation, he is now free to love her. Ironically, the women he creates is goddess-like, statuesque, untouchable to the common manHiggins and Pickering strike a bet with one another on whether or not Higgins can pass Eliza off as a duchess. Higgins will have to teach Eliza proper English, dress her in high fashion, and train her in the appropriate manners of society. In my experience, not many straight men find giving a woman make-over to be very fun which is why Higgins actions can be viewed to have homosocial and homosexual motivations. A homosocial attitude on the situation would explain this as two men competing in a bet, meaning Higgins is only participating in activities categorized with the homosexual stereotype to win. The two are able to bond over the experience and in the process; Higgins can shape Eliza into the kind of woman he desires. Instead of directing his motivations for playing real-life Barbie on the premise he is only doing this to win a bet, the homosexual interpretation would focus on the primary action; taking a girl from drab to fabhomo. Lets face it, while this is a huge generalization, most men in Western culture dont care  about fashion, let alone womens fashion. If any two confirmed bachelors today were to do these same action, singing all through the house, designing high fashion clothes, and showing up at an event sharing one girl amongst the two of them, (with their kind of money they could get two or more girls for each of them) suspicions of homosexuality would be inevitable. This three way relationship between Eliza, Higgins, and Pickering forms a model of Sedgwicks triangular desire. Both men feel affection for Eliza but feel a stronger connection for one another. When celebrating their victory of passing off Eliza as a duchess, Higgins and Pickering completely forget about Eliza and celebrate amongst themselves. As Eliza becomes more of a lady each day, she becomes less of an actual person and more of a symbol of their creation, their relationship, until she completely fades out of the picture. Thus, Higgins constant displacement of his homosocial and homosexual feelings on Eliza are finally directed on Pickering, the person they were originally intended for. Homoerotic relations are present in several other movies, television series, and literature. Currently, when men wish to express emotions and love for their friends, in a strictly homosocial way, they are blocked by homophobia, fearing if these emotions are projected, they will be labeled homosexual. Breaking down current sexual beliefs and behaviors, I believe the entertainment industry is the most accepting medium for the varying degrees of male relations. I believe as more homosocial works are produced, men will find it easier to express their emotions and still maintain their masculinity and heterosexual identity. Bibliography â€Å"My Fair Lady† Directed by George Cukor. Warner Bros. Studio. California 1964