en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3081977 Comments by Darrell2011 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170352668 Well I hope you get a job next year and good luck with graduation. But it's ashamed that we work so hard in college to get a degree and hopefully get the job we want. But we don't get that job because we don't know someone who works there or previously worked there. It's all about whom you know regardless if you are skilled or not. But to answer your question I think we should get rid of Affirmative action this is coming from someone who is black. I don't think it's fair to give someone a job because you want to meet a certain criteria of diversity, because the person may not be as qualified than the next person. I admit sometimes when I look for jobs that I know I'm qualified for; I hope that they hire me because that company wants to be diverse so they hire someone who is black. But if I do get hired for those positions in the back of my mind I wonder are they hiring me for my qualifications or my race. Wed, 6 Jul 2011 17:39:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170352668 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170348605 Being an African-American in the United States you always have this perception that you have to work harder than whites or even other races. Especially being a black man I feel like my back is against the wall with everything that I do. Everyone knows that whites get more advantages than anyone else because social status and race. Whenever I here about Affirmative action I always wonder does it better our society or make it worst. It’s funny how Affirmative action was designed to better minorities, but instead at times takes them back a notch. It didn’t surprised that white women are main beneficiaries of Affirmative action. It’s good that women are getting the same chances as men when it comes to jobs and schools, but it’s ashamed that minority women are not given the same chances. Without affirmative action white women already have advantages because of their race and because there is a good chance that their family is already well off. It goes to show that affirmative action does not always benefit minorities. Another good example of affirmative action is the NFL; they have something called the “Rooney Rule” where whenever there is a coaching vacancy every team has to interview a minority candidate. Out of the 32 teams there are probably only 7 minority coaches. I think we should get rid of affirmative action. One step to rid our society of social inequality is stop worrying about someone’s sex or race. For instance whenever we fill out an application for school or a job the last question is always “what’s your race or ethnic background?” It shouldn’t what our race is we should all have the same chances if you are qualified regardless of nationality. I think companies just hire women or minorities just so they can look good or say hey we have a diverse company. That person who is usually hired probably wonders if they were hired because of their race or because of their skills. I’ am applying for jobs now because I will be graduating this August. I have to be honest there have been times where I’m debating on whether to put my race on the application. Even if I meet the qualifications, I always think will my submission be skipped because I’m a black male or will I get a chance because the company is trying to go the more diverse route. I’m glad that we bought up Nepotism in this lecture because we are guilty of this. We all have this idea that we are flawless and everyone else are below us. This especially for people who have everything handed to them and don’t have to work for much in life. Wed, 6 Jul 2011 17:25:20 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170348605 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169432415 I think American is full of people who are overly patriotic and are too blind to see the big picture. We are quick to say this is America if you weren't born here and don't speak English get the hell out. Most of these people don't understand that this country entices illegal immigrants to come here. We boast around showing our skyscrapers, happy families, and corporate companies. If I was immigrants and seen all of this I would try my hardest to get here also. I totally agree guy like the "Loudmouth" is the problem with America. People like him could never take a class like this because he would be too blind to his own idiotic beliefs. He doesn't understand that here in the United States everyone has rights regardless of your birthplace… Sun, 3 Jul 2011 22:04:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169432415 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169428273 The land of the free, obviously this isn’t true. Everyone here in the United States are immigrates, this country was founded by someone who was not born here on this land. People who took over and murder the Native Americans, taking over their land as if it were ours, founded this country. I don’t understand why immigration is such a big deal, we are countries who always boast about come to the United States it’s the land of the free, and you can make a better life for yourself. But yet we are forcing immigrants to leave. I glad business and immigration was brought up in the lecture. Because illegal immigration is all about how it affects our economy. You always here people complain immigrants are taking all of the jobs here in America, then the other argument is they are taking jobs Americans don’t want. A lot of the jobs immigrants are taking include construction, carpentry, waste-management and bus boys. I think its dumb for people to say Americans won’t take these jobs, because everyone needs work here in the United States. Immigrants just get hired first because their labor will be cheaper compared to an American. Most immigrants charge low labor because they don’t have to worry about taxes, Medicare and other expenses coming out of their pay. But Americans have to charge high prices for labor because they have so many expenses coming out of their pay. The unemployment in the United States cannot be necessarily blamed on illegal immigrants, this may sound weird but I think technology is the main reason for why Americans have no jobs not always immigrants. You go to the supermarket, what do you see self-check out and see less and less actual employees. You call a company or a store do you ever talk to a person no. We don’t see immigrants substituting Americans for jobs its technology. The stat that was shown during the lecture regarding the percentage of Immigrants whit college degrees was not surprising at all. I feel that immigrants work harder than some Americans because everything isn’t handed to them. Immigrants may have this mindset that I have to get my college degree because their back is against the wall. Where Americans think, I was born here I will automatically have more opportunities than anyone else. But that is not necessarily true. I think we, as Americans need to look in the mirror and say what would we do if we were placed in the same situation. Immigrants just want to make a better life for themselves, what do you expect them to when theirs a country who is known for people going from rags to riches. Sun, 3 Jul 2011 21:42:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169428273 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168131592 This lecture was very informative by showing the stats related to how different races want to live in more diverse communities. But nothing about those statics was surprising at all. I would expect someone Hispanic not wanting to live in more diverse communities because there might be a language barrier problem. These stats show how socially divided our society is. For instance you many notice that more Democrats are willing to live in more diverse communities than Republicans. This is because most Democrats are labeled as someone who is usually middle-class or poor and who is used to living in more diverse areas such as big cities. Republicans aren’t used to diverse area’s because we usually label republicans has someone who is well off in our society who are from, or usually live in communities that are majority white. So they would be less wiling to live in areas with more diversity. Another interesting stat was how HS grads are less likely to move to diverse areas compared to College grads. I think this is because most of us usually go to HS that are majority the same race as ours, for instance we sometimes go to all white schools or all black HS. I think HS graduates are stuck in that mindset they don’t want to leave their communities because that’s what they are used too. Where as College graduates have a more open mindset because they are faced with diversity at whatever university attend and that they take classes like this one and are able to have a better understanding of other races and their backgrounds. I’m glad that we talked about LGBT community in this lecture because this big part of our society today. I am a straight male, but I don’t consider myself a homophobic. I have been to a gay clubs before and I have had gay friends, because I’m ok with my sexuality. I think straight males who are huge homophobes may have something to hide, why treat someone who is gay like they are a alien their the same as you but just have a presence for the same sex. I have to be honest I do double take when I’m out and public and see two guys holding hands compared to girls holding hands. I guess we are so used to seeing women being friendly with each other so them holding hands isn’t really out of the norm compared to guys. Straight men are so homophobic to people who are gay because they always think a guy may have interest in them just because they are gay. I used to think the same way, but then I realized that is the same with straight girls. Some guys have to ask themselves this question. Do you think every straight girl is interested in you? Answer is Probably no, so why think that every gay person is. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:03:28 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168131592 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168002887 Responding to ae3407, I think being gay is something that happens at birth or at a very young age. We always see men on television who have been married had children and lived the life of a straight man. I don't think these guys work up one morning and said hey I think I'm gay, it's something that they were born with. These guys can live normal life's like a straight man because they want to be socially accepted. Maybe these men are scared to upset their families and friends by saying they are gay, so they cover it living a false life and finally they break by just admitting they are homosexual. One thing in common about these men is that they usually come out the closest when they are adults. I don't why this is maybe because they feel more self-dependent and more understanding of their feelings. I believe that if these men would have come out in closest in their young years people would just say hey you are going through different phases thats all. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:59:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168002887 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165644291 I'm surprised that you never knew of an all black university, most of the Historically Black Universities are located in most of the southern states. To comment on your statement that racism can be committed by people of color. Racism is committed by every race, I guess white people are labeled racist more than any other race because you are the majority and seen has the superior race. But racism committed by colored people is probably more prevalent within their own race. As we seen in the lecture about dark-skin blacks and light-skin blacks. It's a-shame that people of the same race would think someone is less prettier or smarter because they are darker. I was talking to my mother about this and she said while growing up she would attend parties where people would do a" brown paper bag test." The test is where someone at the party entrance would hold a brown paper bag to your face and if you are darker than the brown bag you weren't allowed inside.If you were lighter you would be let inside because you would be considered better looking. It's ashamed that people would segregate their own race because of skin tone. And yeah the guy responding to the video was over the top. lol Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:33:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165644291 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165641326 This lecture raised a lot of eyebrows on how people have different racial identities. It’s a lot of points in this lecture that caught my attention. First was when Sam said that some Asians consider themselves white. This coincides with the concept about racial identity, I don’t know if some Asians may feel that they are confused socially. But for some of them to refer to themselves as white, makes them feel that they are not the minority and they are seen as part of “us” and not part of “them” the minorities. I think most people go through different stages of racial identity wanting to be part of some race or lying saying I'm mix when your not. For instance I was watching MTV’S True Life, a girl on the show had a black father and white mother but she looked Costa Rican. She lived in an area that was mostly Hispanic, so she began to lie to everyone saying she was Costa Rican that’s so she can be accepted, because she was the minority in this situation. Another interesting thing in this weeks lecture was the doll test. It’s ashamed that children at such a young age are racially biased, that tells how are race runs our society. Even if parents raise their children to accept all raises they are still going to show racial bias. All over TV these kids see that white is good and black is bad. They see shows and commercials where whites are shown to be successful, have great families and are picture perfect sometimes. And where blacks are sometimes shown as drug dealers, criminals, and go through constant struggle. So its not surprising whether the child is black or white that they choose to pick the white doll. A good test to do would to have a black doll and maybe a Hispanic doll and see what doll would the children pick then. Sam brought up the point is Penn State to white. Being black and from the inner city of Philadelphia, your mindset is like while this is a very white school. I don’t have a problem with it but being from Philly I see more diversity than what I see up here. It’s weird sometimes where you are the only colored person in class. I thinks someone from rural PA, would have a different outlook on the whole situation. Because they are already using to an environment that is majority white, to them they may feel maybe PSU isn’t white enough. Some students here are from areas where there are hardly any minorities so coming here and seeing groups of Asians, Blacks, and Middle Eastern may be something for them to get used to. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:20:01 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165641326 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164075996 I like how this lecture really focused on how people don’t want to be perceived as racist. Everyday we try not to identify someone by his or her race. But sometimes it just happens unconsciously, where we say hey my friend is White, Black, and Asian. We don’t want to seem has a racist, but that maybe the only way to identify someone. I think people that always to identify someone by their race is some sort of racist. I say this because some white people say oh I have a colored friend “I’m not a racist.” But yet they kinda are, because why do you have to emphasize you have a friend of color; it doesn’t matter what their color is. I feel that some white people may only have friends that are minorities just so they can fit in or don’t seem all about their whiteness. We as people always care about race regardless if we are someone who doesn’t care about race. White people aren’t the only one’s that have to treat people equally to not be labeled has a racist. Regardless if you are black or white you should treat everyone equally. Race is something that is always brought up even if you’re not a racist. For instance say you are out with your friends and you are inviting another friends to come out. Majority people always ask the question, are they black or white? I guess people ask this question because they have to prepare how to act around a person who is a different race. I think this is more prevalent when it comes to a group of white people. I feel that white people may try too hard to make a person of another race feel to comfortable. I say this because some white people have this perception that black people suppose to act a certain way or a fulfill a certain stereotype, which sometimes makes situations uncomfortable. With white people feeling guilt, about the enslavement of blacks is partially true. I wasn’t surprised when Richards ask the class how many of white people feel bad that they are white. Hardly anyone raised his or her hands. White people may not feel guilt because, they may feel being friendly to minorities makes up for histories of hardships endure under white people. That video about the two twins who sing was disturbing, it shows that how racism is passed on to generation to generation. Goes to show that parents raise their kids to hate so early in their life. Parents that raise their kids to be white supremacist in this day and age have to realize that they are hurting kids. I think since that for you to be successful in this world you have to be able to coincide with all races not just your own. Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:23:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164075996 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164069750 I agree with you "race is slowly dying by generations". This is true on some aspects, since President Obama was elected a couple years I feel race tensions has raised a little since a black president was elected. Because I feel that some white people may feel that their race is not the most superior anymore, and that showing racism is the only way for them to feel comfortable, for instance my mother married a Italian guy about two years ago. His brothers and sisters were fine that our family is black, but his mother was the only who did not appreciate us being black it took her almost a year for her too finally accept us, she is from an older generation. But yes racism in our generation is dying you see more interracial couples, groups of friends that include whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics. I think our generation realizes that for us to get over racism we have to just look at people for who they are. Not what their racial background is. Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:02:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164069750 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment162973348 This was very interesting lecture, I’m glad that we started talking about white people instead of focusing on minority groups. I’m black so I don’t understand what it means to be white, but from what I noticed in my 22 years of living is that some white people have identity problems. Yes white people have a racial identity problem but I think every race does. White people never think about their race because they never go through the same hardships that other racial groups have experienced. Throughout history whites have been seen has the most prominent racial group, so minorities have had the chance to identified their races. For instance Blacks can identified themselves with some parts of Africa, Asians can relate to whatever country they are from in Asia, and the same for Hispanics. But for whites what can they identify with? I like everyone equally so I don’t have a problem with anyone’s race. Since I have been going to Penn State a predominately white school; I have noticed white people tend to flock to their own like anyone else. But there are some identity problems because some try to hard to be accepted by another group. Sam made a good point whites try to relate to another culture like Italians, but Italians don’t like to be considering white; we see white people fist pumping and calling them guides but they have no Italian in their blood. I believe that whites try to hard to be accepted by other because they may feel bad about past history between whites and minorities. There have been plenty of times that I have been to house parties here on campus that are majority white. Here at these parties I have noticed how white people try hard to gain some type of identity. For instance I can have at least 5 or 6 people come up to me during the party and say, “hey you want to put some rap on or something.” If I do put some Rap or Hip-Hop, constantly have being coming over to me giving me high-fives and head nods. To me this shows that some whites have no identity why all of sudden act like you into rap when someone who is black walks in. I was watching ESPN, First & Take today one of the shows host Skip Bayless made a good point relating to our lesson. He noted that white people have no one to identify with in this country. This was brought up because he happen to be talking about there are hardly any real white American athletes left in the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB. Most of the white athletes are not American; they are German, British, or Canadian. Whites have to try harder more than ever just to be able to identify themselves. Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:10:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment162973348 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment162870461 I agree with you that being Black we are reminded everyday of our race. I guess because we are in a country that’s majority white, and people are always point out that our skin color is different from everyone else and it’s really only prevalent in the United States. I went to a catholic school also from 5th grade until high school graduation. I went to a high school that was majority white, I don't care if someone is black or white but I did catch myself looking around for someone of the same color. I did this because someone else who is black can better relate to me. Sometime I think some white people are more comfortable around someone who is Asian, Indian, etc… but not comfortable around a black person. It’s all based on history, white people were taught to dislike black people for no apparent reason. Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:11:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment162870461 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160520103 I understand how you would be sickened by the whole situation. I would feel the same way if the roles were reversed. It's good that you realize that everything is part of a bigger scheme.Because in reality is no way that some people would want to live in those conditions, regardless if they are black or white. The way it is for black people is the same way for whites living in depleted trailer parks or living in poor rural areas, people just don't notice it has much for whites. I guess you are from the Silver Springs area so you may have heard of the successful show The Wire based in Baltimore. This was probably the only show that really focused on racial inequality and how blacks deal with inner city problems. And how some blacks only resort to sports or illegal activity to make it out these conditions not because they want to but because they have no other advantages not that I support illegal activity. I kinda agree with your statement that I have advantages because you have disadvantages. It's true for some blacks because some of them are born into poor families, probably have no chance to even go to college, chances to experience the world, or even have intelligent discussions like we are having Not making assumptions but you may have been born into a stable household with people who may have gone to college and have taught you how to be successful. Wed, 8 Jun 2011 04:35:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160520103 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160473241 This was probably one of the most interesting lectures since the start of this class. Inequality is an everyday part of our society and will continue to be. It amazes me how the history still affects us today, yes we may have more equality than ever before. But everyday someone is being affected because of inequality, and it doesn’t always have to deal with race. I’m not the kind of person who focuses on inequality, but in some circumstances I do tend to notice With inequality comes social norms or stereotypes, white people are always seen has the most superior. Blacks are either seen has an athlete or some kind of criminal. Some of theses stereotypes are necessarily true, but I never thought about how white people may have shaped some of these stereotypes. I’m black and from the inner city Philadelphia to be exact. So during the lecture when Sam talked about North Philly I can relate. I defiantly agree with the lecture that people should know their history before making judgment. Even though I’m from the inner city I still catch myself thinking how people can live like this in the poor areas of the city. If people knew the history behind some urban areas maybe there will be less judgment on those individuals. But I do agree with the kid Avery in the lecture who pointed out that people just have to work hard to succeed and that we can’t always blame history for their situation. people have went from rags to riches. When we think of poor in the United States, the first thing that comes to mind is black people in urban cities. But black people aren’t the only ones who are poor in the United States. White people are also poor but it isn’t usually portrayed in the media. So I don’t think inequality always has to do with race, but dealing more with social status. I say this because white people are consider the superior race but everyone in their race is not rich and well off. As pointed out in the lecture equality all depends on what family you were born into, where you were born and ancestry. Which is unfair just because someone is rich does not mean they should automatically be given more opportunities and does not always mean they will be successful. People who are usually born into wealth or have acquired some kind of inheritance they usually never have the same determination has someone who was born into a worst situation. You will be surprise how many CE0’S have came from poor backgrounds but have become successful because they worked hard to make a better living for themselves. Wed, 8 Jun 2011 00:05:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160473241 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment158406786 I agree with everything you said. I am black and I will probably think the white guy is wealthier it's ashamed to think this way but its true. Even without seeing this lecture I would have probably thought the same thing. We tend to think this way because of what we see on television, whenever you see someone rich and successful his or her always showed has being white. There usually not black, Asian or Hispanic. You probably think the white man is wealthier because most people know that white people are given a little more opportunities than any other race. Not saying you think this way but when people do see a wealthy white guy and black guy. Most people automatically assume the white guy is probably some kind of investment banker, doctor, or runs their own company. Then assume the black guy is an athlete, entertainer or involved in some illegal activity. Thu, 2 Jun 2011 03:44:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment158406786 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment158403911 It’s really ashamed that this country has so much inequality and to be perfectly honest it probably will always is that way. I am Black and watching this lecture made think that America is only for white people, I don’t usually think this way but looking at some of the statistics that was shown during the lecture was mind-boggling. It’s a shame that in every statistic that was show during the lecture white people lead and other ethnic groups are far from the top in home ownership, graduation rate and income per capital. The United States is suppose to be the land of the free with equal opportunities for everyone but is sure does not seem that way. I always tend to be optimistic about inequality but it does exist. Being black I feel that I won’t have the same chances presented to me compared to someone white. For instance I am an Economics major but if me and someone who is white who has the same major go for the position with exact qualifications. Majority of the time the white individual will get the position first. Inequality is also within the same culture, some races discriminate between themselves the most. When it comes to biology there is more inequality especially in the sports world. One racial group dominates every professional sport in the United States. The NFL is probably the only sport in the United States that has some equality. When it comes to biology and race in sports I don’t think it’s a big deal because we are all made equally. If you think about it Africa Americans did not originally dominate the NBA and the MLB wasn’t dominated Latin Americans. Whites dominated both if these sports, almost less than 30 years ago so I believe that recruiters started to venture out to other cultures and neighborhoods to look for athletes. I don’t think biology plays a huge role in what sport an individual will play. Thu, 2 Jun 2011 03:32:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment158403911 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158273446 I agree with you that when people visit other countries they don’t try to experience the full effect of that culture. Most people think just going to different countries and eating their food understands the culture. Once we visit other countries we still have this tunnel vision because we cannot escape the idea of our own culture. This is the same for every culture not just Americans, other cultures come here to America but they don’t always try to live the full experience of being American, they still practice what they belief in. Yes you are right that we don’t try to fully understand other cultures but no one really does because we only focus on what we have been taught. Wed, 1 Jun 2011 18:40:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158273446 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158095941 I have heard of the word ethnocentrism before this class but really did not understand the meaning of the word. After watching lesson four I have come to the realization that ethnocentrism is what this world is all about. Whenever we turn on the television we constantly see cultures putting down other cultures. The best example of this is America and the Muslim community. We look at the Middle Eastern community like their aliens, people protest outside of their mosques. Fox News only show news feeds from Iraq and Afghanistan were their people are always rioting or doing something not normal to American culture. I believe that ethnocentrism in today’s society is huge especially with constant bickering between countries. People are just going bye what they see and read about other cultures and not getting the full experience of that different ethnic group. I will admit after 9/11 may perception of the Arab and Muslim world changed, I bet you that many other Americans views changed that day too. Ten plus years later I am still skeptical about the whole Muslim culture but I’m starting to realize that not all Middle Eastern are terrorist and hate America. This lesson really opened my eyes, about how blind the U.S. media is. Yes, certain individuals from the Middle East killed thousands Americans on 9/11 but we cannot continue to look down upon their culture. Yes, some of the Muslim traditions are not acceptable for instance the treatment of women, stoning of men and woman and how children are put to war at a young age. Like I said before the media is the reason for Ethnocentrism in the United States. Why? Hardly on TV do you see Arabs/Muslims in a positive manner and it’s probably vice versa for the Middle-Eastern media the video of the U.S. soldiers that was shown during the lecture should be sent to FOX News and CNN, because it may give Americans a different perception. The video shows soldiers in a different light, yes they are heroes to us and are fighting for our freedom. Even has an American that video made not proud to be from this country? From a Muslim perspective it makes U.S., soldiers look like bullies and a#@holes, we shoot and destroy a person’s car for stealing wood. Not knowing what hardships they maybe going through, they also just run a random person car off the road. I think if Americans seen that video maybe we wouldn’t be so unsure about their culture. Oil has too be majority of the reason why the U.S. went to war with Iraq. Yes, Hussein was a terrible dictator and committed war crimes. But honestly he had nothing to do with the U.S. at the time. I personally believe that the invasion of Iraq was a diversion to get the nations mind of Osama Bin Laden because we were unable to find him at that time. The control of oil in Iraq was more important that killing Hussein. Wed, 1 Jun 2011 06:09:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158095941 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/intense-debate-registration-id/#IDComment158077431 Hi Wed, 1 Jun 2011 04:54:27 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/intense-debate-registration-id/#IDComment158077431 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/week-1-lesson-1-whadya-know/#IDComment156560264 What I really learned from this first lesson is that as Americans we tend to only focus on black and white. Whenever you turn on the news you always here the first black president, or a white individual being accused of something racial. This lesson had me understand that we really don't know too much about the other races that live in this country, I say this because the "Whad'ya Know" ? Quiz mean was an 26.4%. One question that stood out to me is what group is most likely to commit suicide majority of the class choose young white females and LGBT community. I think people choose young white females because they are stereotyped as being weak and they are usually are the ones that are shown on television when it comes to suicide. It really surprised me that hispanic females lead this category. Another question that raised my eyebrow was that there is 27 million people live as slaves. Slavery today is probably more prevalent today than it probably was 200 years ago and slavery does not only involve black and white. I am Black and I believe that most people in the U.S. are not aware that slavery isn;t just between blacks a white. It involves a whole slew of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Fri, 27 May 2011 02:51:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/week-1-lesson-1-whadya-know/#IDComment156560264