en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2440828 Comments by GOOSE376 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145271420 I found this video to be very interesting for a couple reasons. Not only did it show the development of war over the years, but it reflected the progress of technology as well as population growth. At first, battles were far apart and with relatively small explosions compared to the ones more recently. But one could see, that as time went by, the explosions became much larger and more frequent. This reflects an extreme development in technology and advancement in weapons over the years. For time periods like World War I and World War II, the entire continent of Europe was one big explosion. This wouldn't be possible with a dangerous advancement in the deadliness of weaponry. Also, as population grew, there were more soldiers to die in wars. This was also reflected in the video. Another thing I noticed was that most battles occurred in the same areas. The largest battles took place in Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. These have all been areas of extreme conflict over borders and natural resources. Something I also noticed was that it seems like there has been nonstop fighting for about the last one hundred and fifty years. This has been a wildly violent world, and with what is going on in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and more, it doesn't seem like there is any slowing down of the violence. This world is in a lot of trouble if war and violence keep increasing at the rate shown in the video. What will be left? The fighting over natural resources like oil is nowhere near its end. As these precious materials run lower and lower, nations will be more and more inclined to get their hands on them. We have been very fortunate that most of fighting has taken place outside of the United States. This is probably due to the geographical advantage our country has where we are positioned far away from enemies. But when the fighting reaches American shores, we are in a lot of trouble. I only hope that our politicians and leaders can find it within their hearts to give peace a chance and end the fighting once and for all. Where all in trouble if wars consume our planet and I hope I never see the day where my liberty is directly threatened by outside forces and the fighting reaches my front door step. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:16:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/18/war-through-the-ages/#IDComment145271420 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/war-vets-and-ptsd/#IDComment143276615 PTSD is a scary thing. It is scary to see how many soldiers suffer from this crippling disorder that has them in fear for a good part of their lives. It makes you think about how our military is runs things. Yes, they have many many programs trying to help these soldiers who suffer, but are they really effective? Sometimes. But some things cannot not be erased from the mind. Part of the military is taking away individuality so that the soldiers can become into within each other within their unit. The mentality that the military gives could be characterized as just a solider. That’s all they really see themselves as and I think this can be incredibly dangerous. You cannot take thing from a person that make them who they are, and this is just what the military does. I have considered joining the military and I am not completely against this tactic because it doe create a stronger working team that in the end is more likely to succeed. But what happens when the soldiers return home and they don’t have the sense of being part of a team that they had given everything up for, especially everything that they had been through together. I cannot imagine the stress that this would put on a person. There are so many words that descrtibe a soldier and the military all that deal with something bigger than oneself, because it is. But when you become alone again, the stress will get to you. I have talked to people with PTSD and I have no idea how they cope with it. I couldn’t imagine hearing a doorbell ring and jumping on the ground reminiscing about gunfire flying over your units head. The soldier really has nothing to fear, but there is sincere fear. This is hard for a person that has been told to be courageous and to do things for the greater good. Battling with the day to day struggles of PTSD can do more than just make you depressed and fearful, it can mentally cripple you for the rest of your life, and something needs to be done about it. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:59:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/war-vets-and-ptsd/#IDComment143276615 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment141160972 In the average world today people in different countries have different ideas of the typical white person in America. I think that white people vary in personality and style more than any together race and I think that’s why that it is this way. I enjoyed watching he video because the man it in was extremely awkward.. who wears a gun strap? That’s like wearing a phanny pack in public if your not at an amusement park. Also people are seen in different ways by the clothes that they wear. And white people always tend to have many many different styles. In the video the man looked like an average 40 year old dad in his daddys jeans and white polo. In the interest that some white people may find this offensive in ways.. it really doesn’t insult me at all. It doesn’t insult me because I know that some white people are just completely ridiculously awkward, and sometimes don’t really care. White people always tend to also say that black and asian people tend to look the same. Which I somewhat believe is true except for that stand out individuals. I could see how some think that we all look the same because there is a typical way that white people tend to act and dress. In the video, he goes to explain why he pulls down his pants below the waste line, but he had basketball shorts on which is considered acceptable. I also believe this because I do the same thing on almost a daily basis, in fact right now. This could be compared to the typical way that white people act, confidently awkward. I see people everyday that I think to myself look like they have no idea how to act in a social enviroment. Being at Penn State, I see the majority of the people are white, but I do not see people like that kid in the video everyday. Although, I do see others that you could categorize as the awkwardly confident individual. Overall, I do believe that it is wrong to stereotype someone, it is hard not to do so. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 03:56:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment141160972 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment138891921 Managing large numbers of people has been a major problem in the U.S. for the past few years. Whether it deals with evacuation plans or managing a large crowd to not start a riot, which has been a problem here at Penn State. I think the major issue when dealing with large crowds is finding a good evacuation plan to keep the people safe, and keep them from panicking. As far as nuclear plant meltdowns go, keeping the people calm is critical. Such as the Harrisburg situation. There should be a set evacuation plan for everyone within a 30 mile radius if a nuclear power plant were to meltdown. Every person needs to know the importance of the situation and not be kept in the dark. But this does not mean that these people will consider leaving because of sheer ignorance. Some people are to stubborn to consider all of the circumstances that they could be put through, and sometimes are to lazy to care. While as other people, go completely crazy and panic. This causes a huge problem because the mass of people that panics and panic at once, and this can cause an unorganized evacuation and maybe cost lives. Keeping the masses of people pleased is also very important. If you don’t have a well laid out plan, people will know and be angry at the people in charge. When leadership becomes irrelevant to the people other problems tend to rise. People will look for others to take charge and look for their own way out. When people decide to take different courses of action things become unorganized and things become worse. I think that Obama was right in saying that any nuclear power plant should make sure that they have good evacuation plan. The people should be aware of the evacuation plan and know that it is a safe, well-organized plan to get the people out to a safe place. When people are confident that they are taken care of, the panic element can be reduced and everything can run much smoother. Cooperation is key to any dangerous situation. Thu, 31 Mar 2011 17:43:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment138891921 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/m-s-story/#IDComment135943618 I think that compassion is a part of life that everyone needs to understand. Compassion to be would be considered the grey area of life. Instead of seeing the world as white and black you need to understand that some things are unavoidable and you cant control everything in life. In today’s lecture we talked about this very topic. Everyone has dreams as a child and aspires to be someone when they grow up, regardless of the the invisible strings. But could you imagine your life changing in a split second? Such as be an accessory to a murder that you didn’t know was going to happen. Such as in the story, where they broke out and returned one day, M not knowing what the other was going to do, but he was still put in jail for his entire life.. The unexpected events in life really determine how you live and what you think about your future self. A lifetime in jail would give a person a long time to think about their decisions in life. I guess that why the old heads in the jail systems are the mentors for the newcomers to look up to. They can help try and send a message to the new people that they need to be responsible for all the actions that they make and face the consequences if need be. These people have wisdom because they have seen so much through the jail system that they can be the providers for some of the people in jail. As was said in lecture today, Sam said he had not talked to one inmate that did not think that he deserved to be in the spot that they were, pacing their jail cell everyday. This is a hard life to live. This is why compassion is such an important part of life, lifers in prison cannot always be seen as monsters and killers, some people made one choice that changed their lives forever, and they accept that and try and make something out of what they have left. Although they are in jail, I think that it is good they take time to make something of themselves. Sat, 19 Mar 2011 00:32:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/m-s-story/#IDComment135943618 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/01/lighting-our-way/#IDComment132185758 The battle against Helsinkis’s darkness is an interesting story because many don’t understand how without sufficient sunlight how one can suffer throughout the day. You have less energy, which effects people in the workforce, and other such areas. I watched documentary before in other classes about how this affects people and it really relates to what we have been learning in sociology. Mainly, the invisible strings. In this case, the invisible strings are darkness. Darkness can affect a person in a multitude of ways. It makes them depressed, as one man pointed out, less energetic, and overall depletes your enthusiasm towards life. I think that the light boxes that Helsinki’s employers are starting to provide is a very creative and helpful way to keep people going, but are it enough? What about when you’re not In the work place? Can all people in Helskini afford this luxury? There needs to be a better solution to the problem of no sunlight. Not just in Helsinki, but other places across the world, such as Alaska for example, who has even less sunlight. The video does show, however, that there is hope. They are starting to form events such as the light festival, which can boost a person’s overall happiness. But I still do not think this is enough to get rid of the invisible strings that affect the everyday lives of the Helsinki people. These invisible strings, which can cause depression, can lead one to suicide, affecting others around them that already may not be in a good state of mind. For the kids, if the parent is constantly depressed and repressed about life how will they be raised in a positive light? I guess it all really depends on the person. A solution that I think may help is exercise, which releases endorphins that make a person feel a sense of euphoria. I also think that this could help the obesity problem that is also apparent in Helsinki. If there was an easy solution, I am sure that one smart scientist would have found it by now. The invisible strings of darkness are dangerous and can lead to all sorts of unknowns. At least the people are trying to make a difference, and that’s what matters. Thu, 3 Mar 2011 20:29:54 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/01/lighting-our-way/#IDComment132185758 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment130657708 I believe that this article really helps people understand how freethinking is a big part of our lives. People should be able to make decisions for themselves no matter the circumstances. The government should not have power of the decisions that we need to make especially for our children. The breast feeding topic is definitely a personal choice that a mother should make for her children. If the government had control over things like that I think that there wouldn’t be much personality in the world and it would take a away creativeness and free thinking. I think that Michelle obama made the right choice because she was standing for her beliefs. She shouldn’t be criticized because it a personal choice. If the government could control something like that it would take away our freedom and choice. I think that the government has enough control over things as it is through tax payers money and controlling on military spending and other things in that area. You cant tell a person that’s a constant smoker to quit smoking. That is just simply taking away our freedom. Some good examples that government could control is cutting down costs on something such as condoms, this would influence the people to have safer sex. Or for example, increases costs on smoking so that people would slow down, but this is my personal opinion because im sure this would anger many people. The social and economical aspects of this situation are very different. The social aspect of this article is that you need to be able to choose whatever you like for your personal life. Economically, this is wrong. The government does have a right to step in and stop something that is wrong, but breast feeding? That’s not there choice. Also, people that are not as wealthy as other may not be able to afford the same commodities. If the government could provide for these people I believe it would be alright. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:00:59 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment130657708 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment128840855 I personally thought that this video was very funny. Especially the kid that did everything step by step almost immediately. I guess that you really never see that power of conformity until you do an experiment like this. If I were to step into an elevator an have everyone to that to me.. I think before doing something I would say something to the people, although I have never been put into the situation so I guess I would never know. I feel like I would have the power to not conform and realize what they are doing is dumb. This experiment does show how social groups could for in high school or college. To be a part of a certain group, you need to start doing the same thing as those people, and before you know it you barely think for yourself aka groupthink. I think that conformity is damaging to our society because it destroys our individuality and doesn’t allow us to think on our own all the time or make our own decisions. Most people have been conforming to something their whole lives so they can have some kind of sense of comfort in their groups. No one wants to be an outcast in society, everyone wants to be accepted and have friends, be able to do things on the weekend.. etc. This all requires for people to conform to something. The demonstration shows that people are eager to conform (especially the third guy) so that they do not feel awkward and are accepted. Little did they know that the joke was on them. The other reason that I think this experiment worked so well is because in the business world no one really wants to stand out, especially if you do not know if the person ext to you could be your superior o someone that you may need something from in the future. Conformity is a funny thing that basically decies how we live our day to day lives. Understanding that conformity is almost a necessity for things to run smoothly is an important part of the way we live. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:26:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment128840855 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment126930684 I am shocked to find that so little people travel, I have been given the opportunity to travel a lot because of my parents at this helped me experience the world in a whole new way. Some people may not see the need to leave the United States and therefore done even get their passports, hence such the low percentages. If more people from America would start traveling we wouldn’t lack such interest for others to come to the United States. You could say that we have everything we need right here, but you would be wrong. Although, we do have the beaches, mountains, deserts, etc.. that every other country may have, but other countries landscapes are 10 times more magnificent then the United States’. From my experience in Ireland, I saw thing that I would never imagine ever seeing in the United States, I will also never forget the people that I met while traveling pub to pub during our stays in several different cities. New Zealand, and the UK’s promotion to take a year off in between major life phases sounds like what every person needs. A year off to go explore wherever and whatever you want. Money shouldn’t really be an issue for this because travbeling in some cases is actually very cheap. I have read several articles of people backpacking across different countries only spending around 200 dollars a month. This could be a real opportunity for anyone with someone who can obtain 200 dollars. Work culture, is another story. I could see some being scared to travel to countries because of thing they have heard from the news, etc.. Most foreigners that I have met even in the dirtiest of places are more welcoming than you could imagine, and there is always somewhere safe for you to be. All in all, the people of the United States need to start opening their horizons to traveling and experiencing new things outside of our country. So go get your passports, take that year off, and go backpack across some beautiful country spending a minimum amount of money and have the time of your life. Wed, 9 Feb 2011 16:07:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment126930684 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment125817858 From a sociological perspective suicide depends on your societal background and how you were raised and what environment. In Japan one would think that the suicide rate is high because the quality of life there isn’t that great in general just from what I know. The idea of a suicide forest just boggles my mind because its weird that people would go to the same forest to kill them selves. Although I do believe that the phone booth idea is a good idea because it can help a person through a hard time and make the right decision to not take his or her own life. If a person was in that deep of a gap in their life they should seek help from someone eventually to help cope with the situation They should go upon it themselves to find help in this kind of situation. I would tell the person to take a step back and look at the good things in their life. Evaluate why they would want to do such a thing and commit a mortal sin like that. In Japan there are many other factors that could play into someone’s life that would make it different for some in the United States. Such as if someone in Japan loses his or her job, it basically means the end of his or her income for quite sometime. This can have a harsh psychological affect on someone in Japan, I guess this is why the suicide rates are so high. Japans culture almost implies that suicide is alright because it happens so often in their society. This outlook on suicide could influence people to think that it is alright and therefore make the suicide rate higher because people don’t really care that much about it. Overall, the thing that I think I would say to someone in Japan that is thinking about suicide is to get some help or find some way to get to America where life is actually much better. Although this seems harsh, I feel that it would be a good alternative to ending their lives because there are many opportunities in the world that could make someone happy. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 03:08:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment125817858 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/i-too-am-free/#IDComment124173141 I couldn’t imagine losing my freedom, every one of those things is something that I take for granite and have not really thought about. This entry got me thinking about how fortunate I am to spend time with my family everyday, eat delicious food whenever I want, and pursue my passion anytime of the day. It really makes you sympathetic for the people in prison that could have been wrongfully accused or don’t really deserve what they were giving. In essence its really stripping away the most important part of someone’s life, and people may not understand the everyday struggle of a prisoner missing the things that he once did whenever he wanted. People need to stand back and appreciate the things that they take for granite everyday. For instance, watching the snowfall on the ground is a pretty enjoyable thing, but people either hate snow, or under appreciate the beauty of it. Becoming the person that you want to be requires an appreciation for life and your everyday luxuries. Another important aspect of freedom is the people that allowed us to live the way we do today. The work that they put in to give us our freedom in my opinion is under appreciated, and that’s not OK. If I could personally thank those people I would.. because of them I can do what I love most, to fish and to play sports. I couldn’t imagine not being able to take a boat out into the ocean or walk into a river to catch some fish. This is an everyday event for me in the summer and something that I took for granite before and have not truly thought about. Also given the freedom to play any sport that I want to, in a very nice facility that could provide anything you would need to have the ultimate experience. These are all things that I would miss greatly if they were ever taken away. I am very fortunate to live the life that I do today, and I need to make the most out of everyday. I will try and spread the word to respect, enjoy, and remember how lucky we all really are. Thu, 27 Jan 2011 20:09:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/i-too-am-free/#IDComment124173141 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/04/21/letter-from-an-inmate/#IDComment122885416 Compassion will always need to be present to keep a world running smoothly. Without it the world would be a cold heartless place. It shows a lot that two enemies even in prison can overcome their differences in a time of need and for a short moment have support of one another. This was an interesting article to read because it gives you and inside perspective of a "lifer" , in prison. The person explains to us that not all people in prison are monsters like many think. Letter from an inmate can help people expand their mines and help convince them that not all in prison systems are inherently evil people. I think that the compassion part of this article shows what people are really capable of when it comes down to it. Two strangers should be able to come together in a time of need and support one another. I am not saying that these people should be given a second chance, but they should not be viewed as evil people. They made a mistake at some point in their life that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives, which in some cases could be even worse than life in prison. Maybe some people should show some more compassion for the people in prison because they really have no idea what they have to live through everyday of their lives. The importance of compassion for one another is a crucial part to getting along and creating a livable society. Sat, 22 Jan 2011 00:41:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/04/21/letter-from-an-inmate/#IDComment122885416 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cd%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122879972 SOC 001 Sat, 22 Jan 2011 00:14:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cd%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122879972