en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2430849 Comments by Hvc101 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment145269033 The fact that he is so far away from his family, has never met his daughter, and works hard all hours of the day, proves that he deserves to be in America and work here. He works harder than any American I know and he loves doing it. If he wants to make a better life for himself and his family that bad, who is anyone here to stop him? Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:03:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment145269033 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment145269012 I know a Mexican immigrant named Jose. He works with me at home over the summer at a country club in Pittsburgh. Jose was initially hired as a dishwasher. He was always so happy to be at work and worked so hard. He speaks very broken English but is getting better. He was so eager to work that they trained him to make salads at the salad station. Jose was there all hours of the day and night doing any job he could. Next thing I know, Jose is carving meat at a buffet for the members, laughing and joking with everyone in line. He is such a hard worker that was so eager to learn from the chefs that he worked his way up. Jose has a wife and two kids back in Mexico. He left them four years ago, before his younger daughter was born, and hasn’t seen them since. Every month he wires money to them. The country club provides him with meals and housing so he sends his entire paycheck to his family. Soon, Jose told me, his family will have enough money to come join him in the U.S. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:02:54 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment145269012 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment145268976 I think immigration isn’t a bad thing until it is excessive. People from Mexico want to come to America to make better lives for themselves and their families just like our ancestors did. American is supposed to be ‘the great melting pot’ and ‘the land of opportunity,’ so why should Mexicans not have that opportunity? I do think it is reasonable that if they want to come and live here, they should attempt to start learning English first so that they can pick it up easier and begin to speak it when they are here. But I don’t know how reasonable that is or how easy it is for people down there to learn English, they might not have access to it like other countries do. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:02:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment145268976 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment145268935 I think immigrants are portrayed so badly in our country mostly because people think they don’t have a right to be here. Americans think that because it is our land, immigrants shouldn’t be allowed to live or work here. Also, they are looked down on as poor people are looked down on because they have less than the average American. It doesn’t help that most of them, at least from Mexico, do not speak English or speak it very well. This reminds Americans that they are from a foreign place and many people have very little tolerance for people who live here but cannot speak the language. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:02:28 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/why-does-society-dislike-immigrants-and-why-are-they-portrayed-badly-119-blog/#IDComment145268935 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/13/dont-drink-the-water/#IDComment143278471 I had never heard this song before Sam played it in class and showed us the lyrics. The interesting part is how popular the Dave Matthews Band is and how many fans they have. This song has probably had a lot of exposure to their fan base but not many people take the time to listen to it closely and acknowledge the lyrics and what it’s about. I think it was very admirable of Dave Matthews or whoever wrote this song to acknowledge such a serious issue in their music. Most people don’t think about the history of Native Americans in our country and how impoverished they are now. It’s kind of like an unspoken thing that everyone knows but nobody likes to acknowledge. The fact that somebody as popular and well-known as Dave Matthews wrote and released a song about this serious issue is surprising and also really amazing. I hope that some people that listen to the song really listen to the lyrics and think about the powerful meaning and its link to our country’s history. The morbid message it sends: “Don’t drink the water, there’s blood in the water, don’t drink the water,” probably makes people feel guilty for what our ancestors did to the Native Americans, but that is exactly what I think the purpose is. People need to feel guilty or at least feel something. We can’t control or change what our ancestors did years and years before we were alive but we can’t exactly ignore it either since people’s lives are still being incredibly effected today. The fact that Native Americans were the first people on this soil long before any of our ancestors arrived and that they are the most impoverished group of people in American today is very shocking and sad. Yet nobody seems to be shocked because nobody talks about it or even thinks about it! If you’re not related to Native Americans or don’t have any of them in your area, the thought probably never crosses your mind. We learn about these things in history class but it seems like such a distant part of our “history” that it doesn’t matter now. I really wish there was a way to educate more people about the current status of Native American families in the United States and all the troubles they go through on a regular basis. The fact that they don’t have equal rights for housing or employment is so sad. People don’t care because it doesn’t have a direct effect on their lives but I think that something really does need to be done to help them, or just like we have been talking about with the Haiti projects, to help them help themselves. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:10:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/13/dont-drink-the-water/#IDComment143278471 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/did-putting-yourself-in-the-shoes-of-the-middle-easterners-change-your-views-on-the-war-in-iraq-119-blog/#IDComment141158753 Sams lecture on Tuesday definitely changed my perception on the War in Iraq. When he told us to place ourselves in the shoes of the Middle Eastern people and imagine things the way that they see them, it made me realize that we, as Americans, do not always see things the right way. We often think that our way is the right way and even the ONLY way, which is not true at all. I never thought this was true but now I realize how wrong it actually is. Of course the people of Iraq see the American soldiers as invaders and question why they are there. If they are happy with the state of their country, who are we to intervene? If the war really is partially about oil, which rightfully belongs to the Middle Eastern people whose property it is on, then of course they want to defend it and are angry about Americans trying to take it from them. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 03:43:33 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/did-putting-yourself-in-the-shoes-of-the-middle-easterners-change-your-views-on-the-war-in-iraq-119-blog/#IDComment141158753 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/did-putting-yourself-in-the-shoes-of-the-middle-easterners-change-your-views-on-the-war-in-iraq-119-blog/#IDComment141158270 Sam’s lecture on Tuesday definitely changed my perception on the War in Iraq. When he told us to place ourselves in the shoes of the Middle Eastern people and imagine things the way that they see them, it made me realize that we, as Americans, do not always see things the right way. We often think that our way is the right way and even the ONLY way, which is not true at all. I never thought this was true but now I realize how wrong it actually is. Of course the people of Iraq see the American soldiers as invaders and question why they are there. If they are happy with the state of their country, who are we to intervene? If the war really is partially about oil, which rightfully belongs to the Middle Eastern people whose property it is on, then of course they want to defend it and are angry about Americans trying to take it from them. When Sam kept showing us videos and saying “say your cousin sends you this…” and they are examples of rogue U.S. soldiers that are few and far between, I realized that Middle Eastern people don’t know that. They probably see those rare examples and think that all soldiers, and even all Americans, are like that. Of course they think that we are evil and of course they oppose U.S. invasion, that is all they see. Their media exposes them to these things just like our media exposes us to videos of extremists in the Middle East. The problem here is definitely the media. If the government controls the media, then it’s the government’s fault. We, as normal citizens, only know what we are exposed to. There is so much that we are not informed of and it is hard for us to get any further information. If we only hear and see things about the War in Iraq that the media wants us to see and hear, that is the only information we receive. We don’t get the whole story and therefore don’t understand the situation. That is what I think the government wants, for us to be in the dark. It’s easier for them if all the citizens don’t know exactly what is going on. If the war really does have something to do with oil, like the government never leads us to believe, that proves that they keep information from us on purpose. They want us to support the war so they say things like that it is a war on terrorism, or a war defending freedom. That way they have the people behind them but really it is only because we don’t know the truth. After this lecture, I think this is the same for people in the Middle East. The government and the media want them to think that Americans are evil. They even have more of a reason to think that about us than we do about them considering we are fighting on their soil. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 03:40:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/did-putting-yourself-in-the-shoes-of-the-middle-easterners-change-your-views-on-the-war-in-iraq-119-blog/#IDComment141158270 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/did-putting-yourself-in-the-shoes-of-the-middle-easterners-change-your-views-on-the-war-in-iraq-119-blog/#IDComment141158111 Sam’s lecture on Tuesday definitely changed my perception on the War in Iraq. When he told us to place ourselves in the shoes of the Middle Eastern people and imagine things the way that they see them, it made me realize that we, as Americans, do not always see things the right way. We often think that our way is the right way and even the ONLY way, which is not true at all. I never thought this was true but now I realize how wrong it actually is. Of course the people of Iraq see the American soldiers as invaders and question why they are there. If they are happy with the state of their country, who are we to intervene? If the war really is partially about oil, which rightfully belongs to the Middle Eastern people whose property it is on, then of course they want to defend it and are angry about Americans trying to take it from them. When Sam kept showing us videos and saying “say your cousin sends you this…” and they are examples of rogue U.S. soldiers that are few and far between, I realized that Middle Eastern people don’t know that. They probably see those rare examples and think that all soldiers, and even all Americans, are like that. Of course they think that we are evil and of course they oppose U.S. invasion, that is all they see. Their media exposes them to these things just like our media exposes us to videos of extremists in the Middle East. The problem here is definitely the media. If the government controls the media, then it’s the government’s fault. We, as normal citizens, only know what we are exposed to. There is so much that we are not informed of and it is hard for us to get any further information. If we only hear and see things about the War in Iraq that the media wants us to see and hear, that is the only information we receive. We don’t get the whole story and therefore don’t understand the situation. That is what I think the government wants, for us to be in the dark. It’s easier for them if all the citizens don’t know exactly what is going on. If the war really does have something to do with oil, like the government never leads us to believe, that proves that they keep information from us on purpose. They want us to support the war so they say things like that it is a war on terrorism, or a war defending freedom. That way they have the people behind them but really it is only because we don’t know the truth. After this lecture, I think this is the same for people in the Middle East. The government and the media want them to think that Americans are evil. They even have more of a reason to think that about us than we do about them considering we are fighting on their soil. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 03:39:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/did-putting-yourself-in-the-shoes-of-the-middle-easterners-change-your-views-on-the-war-in-iraq-119-blog/#IDComment141158111 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/did-putting-yourself-in-the-shoes-of-the-middle-easterners-change-your-views-on-the-war-in-iraq-119-blog/#IDComment141157616 Sams lecture on Tuesday definitely changed my perception on the War in Iraq. When he told us to place ourselves in the shoes of the Middle Eastern people and imagine things the way that they see them, it made me realize that we, as Americans, do not always see things the right way. We often think that our way is the right way and even the ONLY way, which is not true at all. I never thought this was true but now I realize how wrong it actually is. Of course the people of Iraq see the American soldiers as invaders and question why they are there. If they are happy with the state of their country, who are we to intervene? If the war really is partially about oil, which rightfully belongs to the Middle Eastern people whose property it is on, then of course they want to defend it and are angry about Americans trying to take it from them. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 03:37:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/05/did-putting-yourself-in-the-shoes-of-the-middle-easterners-change-your-views-on-the-war-in-iraq-119-blog/#IDComment141157616 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/for-the-white-females-would-you-ever-date-a-black-guy-119-blog/#IDComment137604625 I would definitely date a black guy, or a guy of any race or color. I have found in my dating experience that I am pretty much colorblind. I don’t go out seeking black guys or white guys, whoever’s personality catches my attention is who I’m attracted to. I have found that I am often attracted to black guys, and even more often I am attracted to brown guys. But at the same time I have been attracted to a lot of white guys. This is my proof that I have no racial preference! I do think, however, that there is a big difference between being physically attracted to someone and dating them. The reason for me is because of my family. My parents are strict, white, and catholic. Although I went to a very diverse high school in a multicultural town, my mom always voiced her opinion that she would be very unhappy if I brought home a guy that wasn’t white. All through high school I had a white boyfriend so this wasn’t a problem, but I would always joke that I was going to go to college and find me a nice black boy. Little did she know that was half a reality. Last year I started dating a brown guy who was Dominican. I didn’t tell my parents for a while until it started to get serious and first I told my mom. Of course, she wasn’t happy. But I made it clear that I could do what I wanted. My dad had never voiced his opinion on me dating a guy of another race but still I didn’t think he would be pleased. My grandparents were all raised very racist and raised my parents the same way. Since I am afraid of my dad, I didn’t tell him for a long time. Finally one day I broke the news to him and he took it so much better than I expected. He told me I could date whoever I wanted as long as they treated me good and made me happy. This was a very pleasant surprise. Now that I know my parents don’t care (or do care, but aren’t going to stop me), that won’t hold me back from dating whoever I want of any race. I think that this does hold a lot of girls back. Even if they are attracted to a black guy, they won’t act on it because they know their family wouldn’t approve or they were just brought up being told to date someone of their own race. The truth is I don’t have a preference. For some reason, I am physically attracted to black and brown guys. I can’t explain it! So in the future it is very possible that I will date one or more guys of different races. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:48:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/22/for-the-white-females-would-you-ever-date-a-black-guy-119-blog/#IDComment137604625 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-do-you-think-of-the-diversity-at-penn-state-119-blog/#IDComment135891208 I think that Penn State has always had the reputation of being a predominantly white university. They try very hard to attract people of different backgrounds and ethnicities but still the statistics show that mostly white students attend Penn State. Still, I feel like as I walk around campus I see all kinds and races of people. There might be one black person or Asian person for every four white people, but I feel like there are still a lot of minorities. I am a white persona and I never really feel like I am the majority race on campus, even though technically I am. The diversity at Penn State didn’t really play a big role in me choosing to come here as a high school student. I always wanted to attend Penn State since I was little since my dad went here. When I was looking into schools, I did look at the diversity statistics but I didn’t focus on them too much. I would never want to go to a school that was like 95% white, I like being around people that are different than me. And I suppose I would never really want to go to a school that was the other extreme where it was only like 15% white and I was the minority. Something in between is what I wanted. I am glad I go to a school that is at least semi-diverse. I like meeting people from different places and different backgrounds. I think they are so interesting. If I went to a school with a bunch of white people that had similar backgrounds to mine, that would be more boring. I think that Penn State is doing all that it can to try to become more diverse. They offer minorities more scholarships and financial aid in order to try to get them to come here. At the end of the day if they just don’t want to, there’s nothing else the university can do. But they are definitely trying hard to get them here. A boy from my high school that was half black and half white got a full ride to Penn State. My grade point average and SAT scores were both significantly higher than his and I was also involved in way more extracurricular activities. My family even has a lower income than his family does. I barely got any financial aid. In the next 25 years I think Penn State will be more diverse than it is now and it will slowly become more and more diverse over the years. No matter what though, I think it will remain a dominantly white university. Like Sam said in class, Pennsylvania is a dominantly white state and a lot of students that go here are from Pennsylvania. Hopefully, potential students (especially minorities) don’t see that in a negative light and as a reason to not come here. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:21:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/what-do-you-think-of-the-diversity-at-penn-state-119-blog/#IDComment135891208 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134031560 As soon as I saw this headline, I knew I wanted to respond to it. This is an issue that I have become more conscious of very recently. The “R-word” has been used in my vocabulary since I was a young kid. I remember always calling my siblings retards or us calling something we didn’t like or something that was dumb ‘retarded.’ It isn’t an adjective I use as frequently anymore now that I am older and more knowledgeable, but it still slips out sometimes. Sometimes I describe something as retarded without even realizing it, it’s just another descriptive word that I use. This year I became close friends with somebody who works with special needs kids at a camp over the summer. This job is very close to his heart and has led him to many other volunteer opportunities. He feels strongly about spreading awareness about things like Down’s syndrome and mental retardation, and he absolutely hates it when people use the R-word. He has told me a lot about working with these people and what it has taught him, and how they are very normal people with tons of intellectual ability. I started to become more aware of my usage of the “R-word” and made sure I never said it around him. I didn’t want it to slip out and offend him or for him to think I was ignorant. Also, I no longer wanted to use the word. I couldn’t see why I ever did and thought it was time to ease it out of my vocabulary. Over the past couple of months, I’ve used it less and less. Every now and then it slips out but I notice it like I never used to. If I catch myself saying it, I correct myself. I want to get to the place where I never, ever say it anymore and I know that soon I will. This is what I think everyone has to do. They need to hear something or someone that makes them realize that they shouldn’t use the word. Not only is it politically incorrect, but why say that when you can use another word that doesn’t offend anybody? It’s just unnecessary. I think that most people that use it are like me, they just don’t think about it or don’t think about its real meaning. The fact that politicians let words like that slip out to the media is disgusting. They should know better and have any such words out of their vocabulary. There are better, more politically correct ways to say what they want to say. This is true with anyone who uses the R-word. It is very interesting that I saw this news clip because last week, my same friend had posted a link about this campaign on his facebook page. His profile picture said “Spread the word to end the word” and I asked him what it meant. He said it was a campaign to spread awareness about the R-word and prevent people from using it so loosely and frequently. I was glad that I had personally made this change and become more aware recently. I never want to be in the position where I offend somebody, especially when it can so easily be avoided. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 03:23:03 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment134031560 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/is-the-data-on-native-americans-socioeconomic-status-truthful-for-their-own-choices-119-blog/#IDComment127372318 At the beginning of class, the majority of people said that they though that free will was the main determinant in your future and your current situation. After Sam’s lecture, many people changed their minds. It seemed to be true that the choices you make can only do so much for you in the end. In the case of Native Americans, the ones that live on reservations have few rights and resources and hardly any money. If they made a decision to better their situation by leaving the reservation, where would they begin? They have no money to buy a home, it would probably be extremely difficult to find a job, and they would experience prejudice anywhere they went in the outside world. Their ‘choice’ to improve their life would only be the beginning. They would face many challenges and hardships and probably even end with failure. In this case, saying ‘I’m going to make something for myself’ may not be enough. Putting all your hard work and effort into it may still not be enough. I do not think that free will plays a huge part in this situation, if any part at all. Other examples Sam gave also reflected this. He talked about parents’ income in relation to SAT scores. Statistics show that children whose parents have a higher income score higher on their SATs, and therefore get into better schools, and therefore get better jobs, and therefore make more money, and the cycle continues. This is not to say that someone with a far worse socioeconomic status cannot someday be successful. But the person with the rich parents kind of has a ‘head start.’ All the factors are working in their favor, which makes things easier for them. Somebody who comes from nothing first of all has nothing, and then has so many more challenges to overcome along the way. How do I do well on my SATs if I go to a bad school? How am I going to go to college if I can’t afford it? How am I going to get hired if I can’t buy a suit for my job interview? The odds are against them, no matter how determined they are and what choices they make. How can you say that with free will, they could achieve whatever they wanted? It’s nice to think that in this world, anyone can succeed with hard work in determination. But I think many other factors come into play. If the universe is working against you, success can be difficult or even impossible. Free will and decision making can only get you so far. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:50:10 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/08/is-the-data-on-native-americans-socioeconomic-status-truthful-for-their-own-choices-119-blog/#IDComment127372318 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/do-you-think-race-can-stop-being-an-issue-in-the-future-119-blog/#IDComment126050621 Race has been an issue in our country for a long time, because people make it an issue. I don’t see this lasting forever because of how integrated our country, and the world, is becoming. In a few hundred years, I think that there will be hardly anyone left that is only one race. Once everyone is three or four races, how can anyone discriminate against others? Surely you have a part of that race or someone else close to you does. There should be no more prejudice against color, language, culture, or race. There really shouldn’t be now either but people find reasons to dislike people that are different than them and develop stereotypes. Even if the world doesn’t integrate into one giant, equal race, I still think race will become an issue less talked about in the future because times are changing. Our generation is less focused on race than the one before us, and far more than the one before them. If we keep raising our children in a way to not think about race than eventually the issue will become obsolete. Children these days are exposed to many different races so therefore they are more likely to accept them. Nowadays, they are more accustomed to have kids that look different and are different colors in their classes and what not. People are more likely to marry someone of a different race and have kids with them. Even if this is not normal for everyone, more and more people are seeing it that way. As long as that number continues to increase, the issue of race will continue to decrease until finally… it vanishes. Along these same lines, I think other issues of inequality such as language and religion will also continue to decrease in the world. There is no way that people will continue to think with such closed-minds when there is so much education on other races available and there are so many other races, languages, and religions we intermix with. Basically, I think race remains in issue in the world because people are able to look at someone else and say, “you are different.” The more our cultures merge together and people mix together, the less likely it is that people will be able to say that. Even if someone looks different, they may look like your husband or your sister or your best friends, so you don’t see them as that different after all. I like to think that this is what the world will be like someday for future generations and I think we are working positively towards that kind of world now. Sat, 5 Feb 2011 01:54:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/03/do-you-think-race-can-stop-being-an-issue-in-the-future-119-blog/#IDComment126050621 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124453311 I think that people associate with people from their ethnicity or race because it comes naturally. You naturally associate or surround yourself with people like you. People even hang out with people from their major, because it serves as a common ground. If you have classes together and are working on the same projects; that is something to build a friendship off of. If you have the same culture or are from the same country; that is also something to build a friendship off of. Anytime you become friends with someone it usually roots from somewhere or some type of common ground. I am not surprised that exchange students stick together. No one else can really relate to their culture change or their ethnicity except other exchange students. It’s not that they are opposed to becoming friends with Americans, it’s just easier for them to relate to people who have a similar culture-changing experience. I can easily be friends with someone from a different country, but I could never pretend to understand their experience or what it is like for them to be so far from home in another country. It’s something I’ve never been through and something I can’t relate to. Naturally, an exchange student would want to surround themselves with at least some people that understand that culture shock. Also, perhaps people are afraid of experiencing racism or hate towards them. If you are a Chinese person moving to America, you may not know what to expect. You may fear that people will discriminate against you or not understand your accent. I’m sure it is comforting to surround yourself with people who completely understand your culture. Other people from China, or even Asia, have similar experiences as you and are going through a similar change. It is like a little piece of home. If you are in this big country that is foreign to you, a little piece of home is probably more than comforting. I don’t think people always associate with the same race or culture to set themselves apart from other races, but simply because it comes naturally. I never think a black person would be friends with another person just because they were black, even if they treated them horribly. But if that person was able to relate to them and their experiences, it helps that they are of the same racial background. Personally, I am white and I would have to say that a majority of my close friends are white. But that does not mean that I chose friends strictly that are white. I love meeting people of different cultures and think that becoming friends with them makes me a more educated and well-rounded person. A good friend of mine is Dominican and he teaches me new things about his culture all the time. I love that I am friends with him because otherwise I would not learn much about non-white cultures. I recently met a girl from Kenya as well who I think is fascinating and also just a great friend. I don’t conserve myself to people who are white I just tend to be friends with them more naturally. When I become friends with someone of a different culture, I think it is rare but also a blessing. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 01:59:23 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/26/why-do-we-associate-with-people-of-the-same-race-and-ethnicity-as-ourselves-119-blog/#IDComment124453311 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122644727 People who follow stereotypes don’t seem to know where they come from. If they believe that something is true, without knowing why or how, they are ignorant. Since most stereotypes don’t have factual evidence behind them, they continue to exist in the minds of people who don’t care about finding out the facts. Or they know the facts and refuse to believe them for their own personal interest. I think that most stereotypes come from an inferiority complex. Ignorant people like to look down on other people. It’s easy to do in large groups that are different from them. That’s why they believe them without bothering to check the facts. It’s terrible to think that some people will look for any reason to look down on others. If they took the time to think about it, they would realize how similar we all are. That’s why I think stereotypes exist because people WANT them to exist. People who refuse to acknowledge the truth, and that others are equal, keep stereotypes alive in our modern society. I also think a reason that stereotypes continue to exist, even when often proven wrong, is because they are passed down through generations. Stereotypes seemed to be much more prominent in older generations. People from these generations talk about these stereotypes to their children and grandchildren who then come to accept them as true. That is why I think there are less people our age that strictly believe in stereotypes, but some still do. I know that my grandparents believe in stereotypes against African-Americans and imbedded them into the minds of my parents. I believe them so much less because I went to a high school with a lot of African-Americans who proved many of these stereotypes wrong. When I try telling my grandfather that many African-Americans work hard to earn a living for themselves and their families, he doesn’t want to hear it. He thinks that most black people are lazy and uneducated. I told him specifically about a friend of mine from Penn State whose father started his own business and now their family is very wealthy. Again, he doesn’t want to hear it. He believes this is an extreme case that is very rare, but it’s because he closes his mind to the possibility and closes his ears to what I tell him. This ignorance and stubbornness, which I think may be the most prominent in older generations, is what keeps many stereotypes alive and thriving today. I am hoping our generation and the ones after us continue to filter stereotypes out of society. Classes like this one help to educate us on the falsities of stereotypes. If we don’t believe them, and we don’t pass them onto our children and grandchildren, soon the world should exist without any stereotypes at all. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:03:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/14/why-do-we-still-have-stereotypes-blog-1/#IDComment122644727 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cc%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122635996 Soc 119 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 02:08:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cc%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122635996