en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/4233265 Comments by Contemporations http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/20/voices-from-the-classroom-154/#IDComment343832627 The amount of change I've experienced from this class is relative to the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop. What is the definition of an American? Is illegal immigration really a problem in this country… saying that Americans don't want to do the hard labor that immigrants are willing to do? This class has exposed me to the world of "white privilege" and the injustices in our society. It's the year 2012, yet we still have a racially biased justice system. The video about the white/black male stealing a bike astounded me… how racist people are, yet they deny it. I would rather have people be racist to my face and say "yes, I noticed that black kid stealing the bike" rather than hiding the fact that he was colored. Please, don't be colorblind. Everybody is racist. Race shouldn't be a taboo subject, it's okay to talk about race relations. Black people are better at some sports because their body is designed a little better. Cool. I am a mixed (black/white) male, so race is actually a subject I deal with on a daily basis, saying I'm mostly surrounded by white kids. I don't want handouts, but I don't want to be handicapped by my race. Pennsylvania is pretty old fashioned; sometimes, I wonder if I didn't get a job because I'm colored, or if they truly found somebody more qualified… this type of stress fills my head all the time. People are more open with interracial relations, yet for the most part I'm not sure if everybody is truly open about them. I went to a predominantly white school, I personally feel that my dating life hasn't been as great as it could be because some people aren't OK with dating a mixed kid. I guess they aren't worth my time. I feel that people still judge a book by it's cover, which angers me because like Sam said: genetics are only .01% different among individuals. It's a shame that such a small percentage causes such a raucous in our world. I'm sure black bears, brown bears, polar bears, and pandas can get along… My views on religion have completely changed from this class. I used to cling on to christianity, rarely questioning it's practices. It is weird that we wear crosses to symbolize Him.. I have separated from my religion. It's true, most people follow religion because of their parents, or their upbringing. IF you are a chrisitan now, and you were raised as a Jew, do you think you would be practicing Christianity right now? Probably NOT. Religious people are nice, but sometimes they go overboard. I think that it's annoying to discuss religion because people's beliefs are usually deeply rooted. I truly enjoyed this class. There was humor, there were interesting topics, and there were clicker questions/tweets. I love Soc 119. Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:23:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/20/voices-from-the-classroom-154/#IDComment343832627 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/10/voices-from-the-classroom-144/#IDComment337163409 When asked "would you speak up to the clerk?", it astounded me how many students claimed they would have(roughly 90%!!!). In all honesty, I'm in the 10 percent that probably wouldn't have said anything; my response to the whole situation is that I would have simply walked out of the store without buying anything. Now just because I did not express my opinion does not mean I don't have one. I personally believe that if this clerk want's to be an a**hole and not serve an AMERICAN citizen due to how she dresses, then I can take my business elsewhere and she could have also (if she wasn't a paid actress). It's a little easier to SAY you would speak up to the man when you're sitting in a race relations class… wanting to pick the "correct" answer. All of the 13 people who stood up for the muslim lady did the right thing. (You can tell the clerk is full of bullsh*t when a Muslim lady without the hijab on did not get any heat from the clerk). I also noted that the white girl who was with her friend was outraged to the point where it almost seemed fake and dramatic. "You sir, are disgusting… can't you see this is a culture!?!?". In recitation, we discussed this video and somebody made the point that if the clerk was mistreating a black lady, more people would have probably stood up in her defense because race relations amongst blacks are more concrete. With a little introspection, this point can be realized. American muslims are just that… AMERICAN. What scares me though is that of the 22 people who did not voice an opinion or take a side; how many of them would have sided with the clerk? I believe Texas is a pretty biased state to conduct such an experiment regarding culture; would we have gotten similar results California or New Jersey? I actually think I prefer the people who openly express their opinions over those who hide them behind a straight face. That way, I know who to avoid. Take for example, the guy who gave the clerk two thumbs up, then told the news host he wasn't American! Sure, the customer was back into a corner; his mentality is either "you're with me or you're against me", but if being born in America doesn't make you American… what does? Are Americans only white people? How about those who follow the strict image of America? I would guess that the people in the video never really experienced a type of situation like this, which is probably why some of them in the video were taken aback. Racism doesn't really happen so blatantly in our society any more… does it? Thu, 12 Apr 2012 02:11:55 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/10/voices-from-the-classroom-144/#IDComment337163409 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/04/voices-from-the-classroom-142/#IDComment332520681 I think watching the video with the group of young men who came from Sudan was an eye opening experience for me. It's not often that I think about the United States from the perspective of a foreigner. The comment of how American's don't even talk to each other hit home. I've lived in this house here in State College for almost an entire year and I do not know anything about any of my neighbors. You can walk on the street or walk to campus, and nobody says hi to you, smiles, or even acknowledges your presence. If I were to start randomly talking to somebody who's waiting for the "safe to walk" sign by the sidewalk... I would probably be deemed as a weird (of course it depends on what I say!). Americans stuff their faces with food which has been processed so much, it's ridiculous. When was the last time you've eaten a raw fruit or vegetable? We cringe when people of other nations eat things like chicken heads, frog legs, ox tail or snails, when in reality, we eat pig intestines (sausage), chicken nuggets (processed chicken innards), and American cheese (ever think why it has that plastic texture, waxy coat, and unnatural color?). Americans are weird. In addition, we are all so fat that if you go to another country, our definition of "chunky" or "chubby" will be their definition of fat. Why do Americans drive such large vehicles? I sat outside my house one day and counted how many trucks/jeeps/vans/buses passed by versus how many cars. Twenty-five out of fifty vehicles were "large". Then people have the audacity to go out and complain about gas, when the real problem is that they only get 15 miles to the gallon. Do you REALLY need a mini-van to comfortably move you, your spouse, and your two kids? Do you REALLY need to drive that pick-up truck to the grocery store? Do you REALLY need a truck for work, or do you just use it once or twice a year...? Americans are so nationalistic that it's scary. Freedom? Liberty? Support our troops! "I'm Proud to be an American, for at least I know I'm free." Why is it that we have to do the national anthem before sporting events, concerts, and other random events? Why is it that every day in elementary, middle, junior high, and high school do we do the pledge of allegiance? Why is it that we follow a document, over 200 years old, to make laws which relate to modern day. The founding fathers were all white, Christians, some of which owned slaves! There are probably just as many interpretations of the constitution as there is the Bible! Speaking of old documents, why do Christians follow a document so old that it has probably been altered hundreds of times? Do you need a book, written by humans, to tell you the "word of God"? Rant Complete. Thu, 5 Apr 2012 19:48:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/04/voices-from-the-classroom-142/#IDComment332520681 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/27/voices-from-the-classroom-136/#IDComment326591822 I was thinking the same thing at one point during the lecture! I feel that people disregarded the Asian American's comment because he has Asian ancestry.. however, once the white classmate voiced his opinion, all hell broke lose. I just want to add that I personally did not find the interview funny at all, and I'm not white or asian so these words are pretty unbiased. With all that being said, people decided to comment after the white classmate and yet they personally attacked the kid! Wtf? What happened to voicing one's opinion? I could see why he wanted the microphone back to "defend himself" a little. In all reality, he shouldn't have had to defend himself. Everybody who demanded the microphone soon after had joined the "this is a horrible video" bandwagon. Yet, after checking the twitter feed a bit, I did see that people were on the complete opposite end of the spectrum and were flabbergasted to why everybody was getting so offended. I think it's a little low to be "grading" other SOC119 classmates as to where they are on the racial comfort scale, but people mentioned that they got to see a bunch of "three's" in class that day. During that entire video, I quickly noticed that all the students they showed being approached appeared to be Asian's who either were new to America or were not fully assimilated into the culture yet. I was a tad bit angry that these guys ever thought it was funny to do such a thing, these kids were just normal students minding their own business and were approached by some dude with a camera asking questions about god knows what. Football is a huge deal at USC, so I could see where it would be strange that people weren't into football but in all reality... there are white and black people who are just as clueless about football as those asians in the video! Those asians in the video must have signed some sort of waiver saying they could be aired on TV, so they also probably got what they deserved. In reality, I think I got so offended because I am an avid French learner and I placed myself in the Asian's position. Imagine if I was used in some sort of mockery like this? What if a French news crew came up to me because I was a visible American tourist and they asked me questions in French only to be secretly laughing at me trying to formulate good French sentences. Empathy is hurtful. One person's perspective of comedy is essentially another person's viewpoint of racism. Where does this imaginary line stem from? These are all questions which Sam said he would save for another lecture now... but I believe that students are really whirled up and ready to go with this new topic of racism in comedy. Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:02:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/27/voices-from-the-classroom-136/#IDComment326591822 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/22/voices-from-the-classroom-131/#IDComment323058824 There are several pros and cons when race is discussed at an early age. Let me start with the cons because they are more salient in my mind. SOC119 is a prime example of people's inflexibility at an older age when their childhood has been shaped by certain beliefs. If a young, white child learned from his grandparents that black children are not "good" people, then that kid's childhood will be shaped significantly. A child's mind is mailable; when they learn something, they don't really have much logic to oppose the ideas of the teacher. In this instance, the child may then start to ostracize other black children, not intermingle with them, or even start the psychological process called the "confirmation bias". This bias is created when you look at others with some sort of pre-created schema in mind, THEN you will observe them and confirm your bias when correct OR discern the observations when they do not correspond with your original bias. This one-sided strengthening of brain circuitry is vital to discrimination. The pro? If a parent tells his or her child the only difference between them and "Michael" or "Susie" is the color of their skin, they may open themselves up to the white/black kids because there is no more "fear" of why they look different. People make friends with those who are like them some way; skin color is unfortunately one of those blatantly obvious things that separates people. I think that personally I've been affected at a somewhat young age with race. I'm not white, but I'm not black - I'm both. My school system was predominantly white. I was the only "colored" individual in the two social circles I was involved with, and I feel that I was personally the most disconnected from all my friends. They had no problem talking with me, having me sit at their lunch table and all, however when it came to events outside of school - I never seemed to get an invite. You may be saying, "What type of friends are they"; and now that I look back onto my high school years, I am wondering the same thing. I don't blame people for wanting to "date within their race"... but I am a fairly attractive young male. It hurts when somebody tells you they aren't interested in you because of your skin color, and I feel like that type of stuff is engraved into people's mind from an early age. I've heard stories from my white friends that if they bring a colored kid home as a date, their parents would frown upon it. I'm not sure if it's because Pennsylvania is still very "traditional" in it's beliefs, or if this stems further out than PA. Sat, 24 Mar 2012 01:25:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/22/voices-from-the-classroom-131/#IDComment323058824 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/13/voices-from-the-classroom-119/#IDComment316381651 First of all, I was completely taken a back when people started clapping for the girl who attacked Sam and finished with "The American Army does good things too." I was sitting right in front of Sam; we exchanged a look of bewilderment which read: "this girl was not even listening to half the lecture". When people are in disbelief, they first question the facts that Sam presents us in class. Then, people get so defensive because they are ignorant and close-minded. Calling Sam a liberal and leaving the class is taking the easy way out of the entire lecture. Sam Richards NEVER uttered the words "I don't support the military" or "the United States Army only does horrible things to other nations." What he did say was that American soldiers are told by our corrupt government to go over to the Middle East to pillage the land for oil. This entire war was masked under the vise of removing Saddam Hussein, ridding the land of Al-Qeuda, and restoring peace. Civilians die in war, but how is it fair that an arbitrary number such as 29 civilians from another country are worth one American life? Image this. Small arms fire is erupting from a small mall in Iraq; two American squads (roughly 20 soldiers) are under heavy fire and request air support. The American Air force estimates there are ONLY 500 Iraqi civilians inside the mall. According to the numbers Sam presented us in class, the Air force would bomb the entire mall because there is less than the arbitrary number of 29 to 1 soldier. What if you were inside that mall simply doing your daily shopping? People in this country are so brainwashed to think that those people in the Army are only looking out for our best interests. Sure, there is the stigma that you are defending America, "the greatest country in the world". But nowadays people enlist so that the government pays for college, gives them work experience, or build up their resumé because they skipped college and can't find work elsewhere. I know a lot of dumb kids who join the military - I'm frightened to know they are armed with heavy caliber rifles. Other nations call US the terrorists for going to the Middle East like a bunch of bullies; pissing on dead corpses, massacring innocent civilians, and burning the Coran. Who gave us the right? "Hold on John, only a small minority of American soldiers actually do those horrific acts." you may be saying. Now, let me say this… only a small minority of Middle Easterners are muslim extremists planning on destroying the West. Yet we have the audacity to call THEM terrorists? People need to be less defensive. God Bless America. Thu, 15 Mar 2012 01:11:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/13/voices-from-the-classroom-119/#IDComment316381651 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/29/what-more-do-you-want-to-think-about/#IDComment305505516 First, I would like to say that cutting an onion in a low-light setting whilst not paying attention to the task could result in a cut finger SAM. I really enjoyed this class thus far. Our talks about evolution versus creationism were interesting BECAUSE people typically hang around those who are like them. Using this logic, they may not have had such a great exposure to the ideals of another side. When Sam said that Jesus doesn’t really look like what everybody thinks he looks like – it was not only a revelation to me but hundreds of other Christians in the room. WAKE UP PEOPLE; this class is showing you that whites alter history, our own images of god, and our ideals based on the WHITE race. Jesus most likely resembled some middle eastern, TAN-SKINNED Arab (that is if Jesus even existed). But no, we want to worship a higher being that looks like us; not some tan-skinned sand nigger – so, we go ahead and make Jesus a good looking, 6-foot, young white male with a luscious brown beard. Another thing I like talking about in class is subtle, modern racism. A lot of white kids I know act as if race does not exist, or matter. Then, you (a black person) leave the room and those same white kids who were oh-so impartial about race become the next-gen racist (oh, those black people are so loud; oh, why do all those Asians drive nice cars!?). Everybody’s “color” monitor is always running. If somebody during lecture (SOC119) gets the microphone to talk to the entire class, everybody quickly takes a glance to see who is making a point, to see what race has the floor. “Oh, it’s just some black girl ranting” they would say. This is why during lecture, I don’t turn my head and see who’s talking because quite frankly – it’s IRRELEVANT. Now, I realize I’m just going off on a tangent, so let’s bring it back to the original question. I enjoyed the facts that Sam displayed: “A white person with criminal charges is more likely to get a call back from an interview than a black man with a clean record”. The reason I like this stat is because I am a resident of Pennsylvania – one of the whitest states in America. I have a black friend back at home; he goes to college and can’t find a job. My friend applied to over 20 places or so and only received one call-back (Weis grocery store, he did not get the job). Has my friend ever attributed his lack of job-finding success to his skin color? No, probably not. SHOULD my friend have to assess his skin color when going to get a job that is supposed to be based on equal opportunity? No, he should not. Should my friend be worried when the job interviewer is white, and making assumptions that he’s a “lazier” worker than a white counterpart? Unfortunately, yes he should. That’s why this world is fucked up – I feel like everybody in the U.S, no… in THE WORLD should take Sociology 119 with Sam Richards. Unfortunately, that’s not possible. Thu, 1 Mar 2012 15:18:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/29/what-more-do-you-want-to-think-about/#IDComment305505516 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/22/voices-from-the-classroom-110/#IDComment300012344 First off, let me start by saying that wealth is a clear factor to how smart people become. If you were/are a white trash kid reared in the poor slums of Pennsylvania - then you'll be incredibly stupid. It's not a matter of being black, brown or white - it's a matter of your environment and your upbringing. It doesn't cease to amaze me how some people in Soc119 think… If Einstein had kids, it does not mean they will be graced with their father's genetic brightness and instantly become prodigies of science and mathematics. Development of children does have a slight genetic influence to it - but the majority of things which influence a child's intelligence is based off of ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. Income plays a huge role in how smart humans are these days. "Bad" neighborhoods typically have poorer educational systems. Private schools usually offer a "better" education - thus they require more money.The SAT scores Sam showed us, could be skewed because the rich people have the luxury of sending their kids to $2,000 Kaplan or Princeton review sessions - giving them a slight advantage over the underprivileged. Going to college, which is something we all take for granted (because we are all students here), requires a tremendous amount of money, money in which a lot of smart people that I know cannot afford it. Imagine if you had to pay for college, all by yourself. I doubt you would be running over to an out-of-state private university who is asking for $50,000 a year. No, you would be enrolled into a community college, most likely part-time, while the rest of your time you would spend working. No offense, but community college education is pretty limited and not what I would call stellar. Thus, unfortunately some groups get the lower end of the stick (aka, blacks, hispanics, and native americans). Let me add though that intelligence and learning is also dependent on the individuals. Those who strive for excellence, keep trying, stay away from gangs and drugs, and actually are motivated to something in the world have a lot better chance than those people who feel as if they have nothing to live for. I am a rather bright fellow, despite being half black and half white. My GPA is stellar, I can play various instruments, and I can speak 3 languages. I contribute all of these things not only to my will to learn, but to my parent's money. My father makes well over $150,000 - he can send me to France (so I can practice my French) on a whims notice. He spoils me with material goods if I perform well in school. Above all, my father told me that I am going to college and I DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. Do you know how stress-free I am from a financial aspect of college? My parents are setting me up to be a rich, wealthy, well-rounded individual. That's all because I grew up in a wonderful neighborhood with parents who tell me they are proud of me, they tell me to stay away from the "wrong crowd", and influence me to not do any drugs or criminal acts. To have great parents is a privilege that everybody should get. The same is true for education. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:44:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/22/voices-from-the-classroom-110/#IDComment300012344 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/15/voices-from-the-classroom-105/#IDComment293531516 "there is no way that we have more in common with monkeys than two elephants have in common together". Those elephants may both appear like elephants but they are more distant genetically. THERE IS a way, and if you took basic biology at ANY POINT within your life... maybe you'd realize that. I personally think that you calling our professor an "idiot" is un-classy. He may not have the extensive knowledge to back up every fact - but he just wants to do a thorough job to cover both sides of the argument. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:52:54 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/15/voices-from-the-classroom-105/#IDComment293531516 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/15/voices-from-the-classroom-105/#IDComment293469777 If somebody did not believe in my religion and did not bother reading any scripture regarding my faith - I wouldn't really care. Why? Because quite honestly, I have not read the Bible either. There are so many branches of Christianity that I don't even know the difference between the Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant, Lutheran, or Roman Catholic branches of Christianity. Although it would be a better world if everybody completely understood every other religion, I don't really expect other people to. I was born and raised in the Roman Catholic Church. My father is a strong believer in god; my mother on the other hand, supports that my brother and I go to church but is not a believer herself. I'm sure it's quite obvious that I've went through all the hoops (Baptism, CCD, Communion, and Confirmation), but I never was particularly a strong believer in Christ. In fact, I'm pretty much an atheist nowadays. Sam said that college and an education change people's viewpoints towards the world. Well, I am a biology major and the theories of evolution are just too well supported for me to continue putting faith into a being that most likely doesn't exist. Plus the fact that the Bible (and related religious works), have no definitive backing; being copies of copies of copies of copies from a document that was said to exist thousands of years ago. Look at me, I'm "ignorant" because although I've been brought into this world with a Christian background - I never really assimilated myself into the religion. So technically, I AM the person who does not believe in other people's religions and I don't bother reading the scripture. Not only would it be a waste of my time, it wouldn't prove anything to anyone. It's not like I go around trying to convert people to my religion or try to tell them why their beliefs are unwarranted. Religion is something that I seldom talk about, and people rarely would change their opinions or viewpoints. I've heard that "I'm going to hell" from my extreme Christian friends which doesn't bother me one bit. However, they are the ignorant ones who don't even do any research into Islam, Judaism, or any other large religions. What if all the Christians in the world had it wrong… what if GOD was really ALLAH from Islam - then they are all ****ED. The joke will be on them when they realize they wasted countless hours, days, years of their lives following something that logically doesn't make any sense. People these days typically follow the religion of their parents; they don't think for themselves, at least not for a while. Not to mention, they hang around those who share their beliefs. Sam told us about the story where the dad refused to go to his son's wedding because it wouldn't be a marriage under his religion. Stuff like that is absurd to me. Imagine going to war for your religion. These are mystical beliefs and you're willing to kill your fellow man for an imagination in the sky. These are just some thoughts of mine; I'm nothing more than an ignorant fool. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:57:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/15/voices-from-the-classroom-105/#IDComment293469777 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/08/voices-from-the-classroom-99/#IDComment288151013 "It is sad to think that numerous decades after Martin Luther King Jr. made his speech, that racism is still going on in today’s society. We are all human beings and we should all be treated the same, there honestly shouldn’t even be stereotypes. It honestly disgusts me when people categorize people, or criticize someone for having a relationship with someone of a different race. It is all so unnecessary and I hope as time goes on racism becomes less of a problem." Well said. We are all humans so it SHOULDN'T matter who we have relationships with. In addition - Martin Luther attempted to abolish this type of racially separated country; he may be happy with how far we've come, but he certainly would not be fully satisfied. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 19:03:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/08/voices-from-the-classroom-99/#IDComment288151013 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/08/voices-from-the-classroom-99/#IDComment288147063 Since I live in Pennsylvania, I have a ton of white friends. Although I have tan skin, my one friend never censored what he said about race. I think the reason I liked Kevin so much was because he was so open about being racist, even around me. Where most white people wouldn’t make a comment about the black kid on the bus, Kevin would make it known that his "black ass should shut the **** up". He would insult our black president, he would make comments about those "niggers" and "spicks" in our school. Kevin accepted me as his friend, and although the stuff he said was always offensive, he was a fun guy to hang out with. I liked to be around Kevin because as a kid of color, I was subtly trying to be THAT exception, that smart, cool, educated, colored kid (granted there are a ton of smart, cool, colored kids, but Kevin never really associated himself with minorities so he might not realize that). I personally believe that white people shy away from race all the time. Now, that statement is a large generalization because there are regions in this country (AKA, the South/Arizona) where white people make it clear they do/do not like other races. I know that when white people are all together in their "comfort zone" they tend to express their racial comments or observations. Yet, the second you introduce a minority (asian, hispanic, black, etc…) this response is turned off. They become more sensitive to what they say ; they begin to filter their thoughts and only mention what is politically correct. Why ? Well white people HAVE a right to be so conscientious about this. Because, as it was said in class, they typically do not want that stigma of being the "racist" in the room. You’ll lose friends, benefits, and even professional positions these days if you were marked as a racist for some point of your life. Imagine trying to run for office and the media finds out you were a member of the KKK, or in a less extreme case, you were cited at work for « racial derogatory comments ». How much of a vote do you think you would earn these days ? Do you think your boss would still be willing to give you that promotion if he found out you were a racist ? Everybody is conscious about race, but here in the United States, the white man is the only race getting any heat for expressing their opinions. It’s as if the white man of today must pay retribution for what has happened during the last 150 years of this country. White people ARE racists, but then again EVERY race is racist. Hopefully when I reach a ripe old age, racism (subtle and overt) will not problem in this country. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 18:58:25 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/08/voices-from-the-classroom-99/#IDComment288147063 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-93/#IDComment281283189 I personally think that Americans should only learn Spanish if and only if they believe that the language will be useful to them. There is no point in spending time and effort to learn another language that you won't embrace. I had a choice to either take French or Spanish classes in high school, I choose French because I have family and France and I truly loved how French sounded. I did not say, "Oh, a ton of people in the United States speak Spanish, and it will be a great resumé builder!". I go to France, I speak to my cousins, I take French classes here in college; I use the language daily. You don't know how many people I know who took Spanish in high school but never followed up with it, they do not remember more than the basic phrases. On the same topic, I have no problem with people who only speak Spanish and don't want to learn English because I just won't associate myself with them. I think that Americans should just stop trying to fight this "integration" of Spanish into our society. You can't stop immigration in general; people will always be challenging the "ideals" of this nation. To Spanish speakers, Spanish is a part of the United States because the U.S.A is a beautiful country that does not care about nationality, religion, or creed. I believe that Spanish speakers should take the effort to speak English (because they came HERE), it shouldn't be the other way around. Yet, if you don't want to take the effort to learn Spanish then you are just as bad as the "lazy" Spanish people. Sam brought up the point one time that Spanish speakers who just immigrated were at the lowest percentage to learn English. However, the percentage of their children to become bilingual (i.e, speak BOTH languages) was near 100%. Then 99% of the grandchildren from the initial immigrants ended up speaking English fluently. So, people are learning English, it's just taking time. If you are 65 years old and you moved to America, you don't have the cognitive ability to learn English effectively. My grandmother is from the Middle East, she's 69 years old and recently got her green card to the U.S. She lives here 6 months out of the year; I can confidently say my grandmother does not know more than 10 words in English. It may hinder her when she's here but she gets by. I don't expect her to learn English. So, in conclusion, I think people should either accept Spanish as an emerging language in America or ignore it! Ignorance is bliss. Either way, you can't really change much because immigrants will continue to come to the U.S and speak whatever language that pleases them. I hope people realize there is some sarcasm in my opinion. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 00:15:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-93/#IDComment281283189 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/20/questions-from-class/#IDComment275280873 The American dream still exists. However, some Americans never truly realize how well they have it; you don't know what everybody else has to go through day by day until you visit other parts of the world. There are parts of the world without roads, clean running water, or even bathrooms. Imagine walking miles to the river to get dirty water to bathe your family; imagine getting sick but not seeking medical attention because there are only 100 doctors the country. There are countries in the world where you walk outside and fear getting killed, there are parts of the world with starving children. America is so vast that people do struggle and have it tough, but the large majority of us are living well. Like Sam said in class, we (those in the classroom) are part of the world's elite. We are in the upper echelon of the world's wealth - yet it doesn't seem that way because we are surrounded by one another. America is the norm; here it's normal to have a car, food, and clean clothes. As the son of two immigrants, I know that they strove for the American dream. My father left a war torn country and my mother was looking for a better education. They found each other here, in America. They moved to the suburbs, they built a house, they worked hard. My father would wake up at 4AM and commute to New York almost everyday. He never complained, he always got home late, but he got home. My brother and I would always talk to him on the phone and ask when he would come home. My mother had to balance work and the household, I know it was a challenge. Now my parents have it made; they are sending me to college, financially wealthy, and emotionally happy. After visiting other parts of the world, I realized how spoiled I am, how fortunate I am to be nineteen and have a brand new car. I know how it feels to have parents that give me whatever I want when I want it. My family inspired me to achieve the American dream. I feel that many of us have lost sight of what life is about, it's not about making millions of dollars (as awesome as that would be), it's about being happy. I'm sure that to somebody else, the American Dream will have a different definition, but to me, the dream of living in America is happiness. I want to leave college, find a job, get a house, and have a family. I want to provide my children with everything my wonderful parents provided me. We take this for granted, America is a beautiful place. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:54:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/20/questions-from-class/#IDComment275280873 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/16/voices-from-the-classroom-33/#IDComment266893114 I would like to say that it's hard for me to self identify myself due to my mixed background. My father is an Arab and my mother is nearly black. This mixing actually gives me somewhat light/tan skin… so, I usually just enter the "white social circle" and call myself white. My skin color doesn't correlate to my ethnic background, which is why people often ask me "What are you?…" "Well, I think I'm human," I would respond sarcastically. I hate to say it, but race (or skin tone) is a fairly simple way to identify yourself with other people. In psychology class we often learn that our minds like to take short cuts because it cannot devote too much energy to every specific task at hand. Sometimes we look at someone's race and assume they are like us. For example, if I were black then I'd probably assume that the black guy next to me likes Little Wayne and I'd instantly start to like him a little more. This self identity question personally takes me back to High school, where there was a clear cut "black section" and a more diverse but rather concentrated "white section". I often heard comments in lunch that started off with "Oh those black kids are causing a raucous again…", and without thinking, everybody at the table knew where to turn their heads. Because I am a mix of "white" and black, I associated myself with the white kids more often, but I do still have 2 good black friends back at home. Now that I'm at college, I see about 1/10 of the white kids I've associated myself with during high school… they probably never really accepted my "white" self-identity, and neither do I. There are some pros and a ton of cons to ethnic and racial grouping. The only PRO I can think of right now is that you may feel more comfortable around those "like you". If you're white then I assume most of your family is white, so you've spent many years living around white people, so you know what they are all about. Several cons off the top of my head are that you don't get to experience how other cultures/races live differently or what they cherish/value more. A huge CON is that you will hold specific cognitions against a certain race and you WON'T HAVE ENOUGH empirical evidence (field testing by actually interacting with these people) to self-correct your views/opinions about people of a certain race. Remember, your brain probably automatically processes that black people listen to rap music.. UNLESS you hang out with Joe, Maurice, Samantha, and Bill who all are black and all listen to classical music - you will continue to see the world in this manner. Please, go out right now and diversify yourself.. I know I will continue to do so. I want to figure out my true identity, it's never as clear cut as "I'm white"… it's a compilation of who you truly are. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:02:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/16/voices-from-the-classroom-33/#IDComment266893114