en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/4233329 Comments by JaredPferg http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/10/voices-from-the-classroom-146/#IDComment338449748 During the first 15 minutes of class Sam started with exemplifying what it is like to live with fear in America. I feel as though for quite some time now Americans have been instilled with fear and have been oppressed because of it. All throughout the 20th century there has been fear regarding war, depression, and famine. This has been something that has affected every individual that live within America and even the world. When thinking about something like this, it isn’t very easy to conceptualize something like fear. Fear itself is not physical, it is something that is felt; like an emotion. So trying to figure out whether or not you are feeling fear or something else makes it difficult. To create a synonym for what Sam is talking about within this lecture I would use the word stigma and all the characteristics of stigma itself. Fear like stigma is something you cannot see or touch. Thinking about stigma it is something that negatively affects an individual indirectly. This has been happening for a while now within America. Immediately after 9/11 there was a huge influx in the use of the idea of “terrorism.” This terror or terrorism was blown completely out proportion by the media and all of the organizations covering the newly entered war. Since then, America has been showered with fear with regards the insurgence that is occurring within the middle-east. The truth being is the fact that we are at war for resources. Throughout human history war has only been waged based on three things; race, religion, and resources. With that being said, Americans have been instilled with this fear to further prolong the forward progression of the military. The military thrives on the fear of the nation to support the military through votes and taxes. I really enjoyed when Sam pointed out the fact that people would not let their child walk to school, even though the number of children abducted is right around 100. That is crazy that so many people think it would be wrong to let their child walk to school. When in fact there would be multiple life lessons that can be learned through something as simple as walking to school. I walked to school when I was younger and my parents thought nothing of it. What happened? People actually believe that their child would be abducted and hurt. When in fact okay there is a possibility of it, but as Sam pointed out you are more likely to be struck by lightning. To sum it up, be critical of the facts people tell you to be true. As hard as it is, the easiest way to learn is the hard way. Fear is instilled, it up to you to makes sure it doesn’t rule your life. Fri, 13 Apr 2012 22:27:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/10/voices-from-the-classroom-146/#IDComment338449748 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/01/the-saggy-pants-problem/#IDComment330119710 I completely agree with Sam in this point, if a white man was to introduce this bill there surely would be a hound of people attacking him for “racism.” Considering the fact that a black man introduced the bill shows that there must be an honest hatred for this style in Alabama. But when it comes to prioritizing I am quite positive that there are much better things state representatives can be doing to further benefit there state and community; instead of addressing the epidemic of “sagging pants.” Acknowledging the fact that this bill passed with full majority shows me that the true conservative side of this arguments come from the republicans. Talking terms of right and left wings, the man who introduced this bill was actually a democrat; obviously not too left wing. Looking in terms of race and ethnicity it is very important to understand that yes the “saggy pants” started among a primarily black community; but recently extending its reach into white suburbia. There are much more people of all colors wearing their pants below their “buttcheeks”; but should there be a law to prohibit this? Of course not, how does one determine what is appropriate and what is not. If this kind of wearing of clothing was even remotely associated with religion or spiritual beliefs there would not be one politician attacking this supposed “crisis.” I just don’t understand at what point in someone’s mind they decide that they are going to attempt to tackle the overwhelming problem of pants. Do you think that instead of this issue the politician attempting to tackle this problem would first look at the staggering numbers of homeless, unemployment, and foreclosures statuses? I am just completely baffled to hear something like this; maybe it should have went nationwide; maybe a white man should have introduced this so that more exposure could prove how insignificant it is to the overall crisis within America. I could put of a hat 10 more problems that are more important than this. Understanding that I am not an advocate for the “sagging jean” trend; I myself where jeans that fit and if they don’t I wear a belt or tie a rope or something to make my pants not fall down. With regards to the representative Alvin Holmes that decided this was his life goal to end the “saggy jeans” epidemic please take a look around and please wake up to understand that there are thousands of more important thing within this world, NOT how another person, not even yourself, where their jeans. Not to be too blunt; but please potentially mind your own business, and your business is the business of making your county or state a better place to live, work, and play. Mon, 2 Apr 2012 17:41:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/04/01/the-saggy-pants-problem/#IDComment330119710 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/27/voices-from-the-classroom-136/#IDComment326493856 Looking at the FOX video a little closer I find it very deceiving and misunderstood in terms of what the people who created the project were actually attempting to do. I feel as though the individuals who created this film did not intend to make an immensely controversial racial video. I believe that the individuals who created this bit were intending to show how uninterested the Asian culture truly are in terms of football; which is in fact a very American cultural sport, not that they were attempting to portray the lack of competency in speaking English. In fact, almost all of those individuals were capable enough to express speech and thought through the English language well enough to be understood. So therefore, I come to the conclusion that the intended message was the incompetency of the language but in fact the lack of cultural assimilation. After the discussion I really thought about why the white man in the classroom got so ridiculed due to his “comedic” preferences. There are many things in this world that come very close to the line of offensive; but we all just move on. Taking many of these things so personally to me seems a little sensitive. I truly do understand now that it is inappropriate for an individual of one culture to oppress another individual of another culture; with that being said, I feel as though this was a little over the line. Understanding the comedy that is involved in the bit leads me to believe that the people who created the video were not specifically intending to offend or hurt anyone. I found it very interesting to hear some of the individuals who are Asian say that they though the video was funny. But when I heard the young Asian lady speak about how uncomfortable the video made her feel really made me think that many of these touchy subjects are very personal for some individuals, as well as, completely irrelevant to others. One can watch Comedy Central and find many of their shows riddled with racist and prejudice comments; with that being said it also easy to identify what demographic of people are actually watching the show. Comedy Central itself is a business; directly relating to the marketing directive of many companies advertising their products to a certain demographic (black teens.) In the world we live in today feeling overwhelmed and offended by this type of comedy shows me that by holding on to your beliefs, values, and morals will show that if something is offending to you then don’t watch it; that is all. Thinking about this a little further shows me that by understanding that some of this comedy material is indeed funny. For an individual being in stage 6 of the race spectrum shows me that if you are indeed in this stage you would just thinking nothing of the comedy other than the fact that those individuals creating the comedy are not specifically attempting to offend you but instead just trying to make you smile and laugh. Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:18:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/27/voices-from-the-classroom-136/#IDComment326493856 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/18/benefits-of-being-bilingual/#IDComment320459789 After reading the bilingual and monolingual reading regarding the effectiveness of bilingualism shows me that by understanding two languages greatly affects ones cognition and intelligence. Understanding this concept also leads me to believe that by learning another language would overall leave you off better than you were before. It is obvious to think that if you can speak more than one language you are smarter than a lot of other people; in a sense this is true, but looking at some of the factors such as learning the language at such a young age greatly encourages your ability to actually learn the language itself and to be able to speak it fluently. I wish that when I was younger I was more exposed to these alternative languages and I am certain that I would be in a different position in life right now, potentially not even living in America. Understanding that hindsight is always 20/20 helps me cope with the fact that if I were interested in learning another language now it would be strikingly more difficult than it would have been had I started at a much younger age. Considering my degree and my career as a counselor I can only imagine the marketability of myself if I were bilingual; being able to provide consumer of a much more diverse background as opposed to a monolingual and single culture world. With no regrets I can only take this information forward and try to learn another language before it is too late. After reading the segment regarding diminishing the onset of Alzheimer’s and Dementia I greatly do believe that this could be a potential outlet for individuals who are studying the brain and the neurotransmitters that are associated with these different types of disorders . Looking in to the health field there needs to be much more research to fully understand the correlations between this bilingualism and the decreasing age of onset for Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Indeed this is very interesting stuff, for those individuals out there who are bilingual they need to be advocating for a more positive social and cultural outlook to this bilingualism; pushing for more bilingual classes within schools, universities, and even a community based classes that could be offered in a form of vocational training. Thinking in retrospect leaves me to believe that by learning another language or multiple other languages could potentially describe an individual’s ability to use their mind and to cognitively examine their environments and surroundings. Living in America today one can easily recognize that in the not so distant future many more English speaking Americans are going to be demanded to use other forms of language with the growing rise in the “melting pot” and multicultural communities and cities that are essentially taking over the work and labor forces. Sam’s Tip: you don’t want Spanish speaking individuals to take your jobs; so learn Spanish. Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:11:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/18/benefits-of-being-bilingual/#IDComment320459789 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/12/voices-from-the-classroom-118/#IDComment316834441 Thinking about the world in the view of economics and racism I find that there are definitely some disparities that are being brought to our attention through government. Understanding the world class system and the understanding that there are poor countries, middle class countries, and rich countries leads me to believe that this certain cast system is being played out in our everyday lives. By living in one of the richest countries in the world gives me this certain power or prestige, per say. By acknowledging that these factors are actually happening makes me believe that to reduce this sort of cast system would mean a world socialism idea. With the global economy affecting all countries poor or rich shows that within the world today there are many differences and similarities among these many diverse nations. When same brought up the point of subsidies on rice within our country shows me that the richer the country you live in the better of things will be. In much sense this is true; but, without looking into it deeper with racism and race inequality shows me that this is also true among the world’s elite. By America subsidizing its own agriculture in order to make a profit shows me that the free market system is failing us in some kind of way; only making the rich richer and the poor poorer. Understanding these concepts and structures is very difficult as well as demanding. Looking in terms of the civilian casualties Sam has noted about in class baffles me. How can one person or multiple people even justify the value of another human being’s life? In any way shape or form how does one individual decide how much your life is worth? This question has been swirling around in my head for a couple of days and I myself have family and friends that are currently serving within the armed forces and I do believe that there life should be spared in order for the greater good, or on the other side their life should not be spared for the greater good. They all sign up knowing that there is a possibility of death. With this in mind I still do feel that 29 civilian individuals should not be killed to spare the life of one person. I feel the exact same way Sam does; I would not spare my own life for the death of 29 innocent women and children. Where and when did this type of decision even play out and how has it greatly affected the way we produce and run war within the world. These two concepts are very deeply rooted within each other in terms of economics and the global economy. This scenarios play out in real life with much complexity; truthfully I feel as though there is truly not one answer to this equation, but multiple variables that need to be discovered, examined, and determined to be influential or not influential. Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:16:16 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/03/12/voices-from-the-classroom-118/#IDComment316834441 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/23/voices-from-the-classroom-115/#IDComment304777978 Looking at the issue of racism within the workplace it is very noticeable that these kinds of things happen every day. Understanding the concept that if a women with the name of Tashika entered their resume to a company and never received a call back, but a women named Katelyn submitted their resume to a company and did get a call back; as well as, including the fact that both resumes were exactly the same helps further delve into this idea that racism is occurring within systems and organizations that cannot be stopped. How do we change the way people think? How do we manipulate the system to make it fairer for all individuals? I believe that by educating individuals regarding race and race relations just scrape the surface of what has been instilled in all of us. Knowing that the person who has a “white” sounding name is 50% more likely to receive a call back baffles me, and makes me think that for what reason is this occurring? Sam made an amazing observation by understanding that, “sure this is happening, so why don’t you just change your name?” This within itself is problematic. Why should anyone have to change their name in order to be more qualified for a job? Understanding this concept greatly produces this idea that sure “political correctness” is playing a part, but how is this racism still be playing out through society? Using these twin studies sociologist have a great empirical foundation for which many of these theories and understandings can be brought to life. By knowing that an individual is 50% less likely to get a call back from employer is racism within itself and is only condoning racism more. The fact that even people of “brown” and “black” color find themselves contributing to this idea of racism within the workplace; only leads me to believe that in some sort of way this is “white privilege.” Using the determinism idea of free well helps a little further understand why people of “brown” and “black” color still do this makes me wonder for what reason would they be racist toward their own race? That within itself is baffling. So what should we do? How do we promote a more positive change within this small microcosm of racism? Sam makes an extraordinary point with regards to this topic and makes me believe that as a whole this topic is widely misunderstood and extensively abused. I find myself on the ropes with this topic, specifically because I am white and I am a male. I find myself not truly grasping this topic of affirmative action; as well as, not fully being able to relate because in my life affirmative will never advantage me, it will only hurt me. Understanding that affirmative action will only hurt my advantages of obtaining a job make me believe that the whole affirmative action is a policymakers dream, masking the true ideas of the national government. Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:50:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/23/voices-from-the-classroom-115/#IDComment304777978 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/22/voices-from-the-classroom-110/#IDComment299104511 After Sam introduced the slide regarding individuals SAT scores and their family income, quickly I realized that there is definitely truth behind this information. It is easy to identify that if a family has a higher income; then expectedly the offspring should have a higher IQ. But what is the reasoning behind all of this? Is it because the offspring of the wealthy people give their children more advantages or are they just biologically or genetically superior? Looking deeper into this question, I find that the truth may lie within white supremacy and white privilege. Considering that the world today is shaped and guided by forces that are unseen, it easy to identify that maybe these unseen forces are shaping wealth and commerce. Who says that this statement cannot be true? Taking a step back, I wonder whether or not individuals who come from a wealthy family still end up being worthless and insignificant? This question baffles me to the extent that I believe that those individuals still may have a high IQ but prefer to do nothing with it of any sort. Maybe, a lack of motivation, hardiness, and drive can lead to expected results of failure. On the other hand, I think there is definitely something to say for individuals who come from the working class and still make something of themselves. I do believe that race and ethnicity have something to do with how much money people make; but I also feel as though there are many other driving factors that can lead to an individual’s success. Looking at myself, I believe in some ways I am privileged; being white and upper-middle class backgrounds. But for the instances of white privilege I feel as though it would be my own dumb mistake to not take advantage of these certain advantages. Noting the example used by Sam, “Individuals who are from Kenya, and more specific from the Rift valley of Kenya have a more prone advantage to become an Olympic sprinter.” By making this assumed generalization that all individuals from Africa are fast is horribly ignorant. The same can be true for individuals, including wealth and prosperity among a family. White privilege may be set in, but there still are ways to change the stereotype threat that all individuals of which whom are virtually not white or Asian endure. I do not feel that there is an exact answer to the question, but I do feel that there can be some kind of educational and/or social-political movements that can be made to further benefit the people of the minority. Understanding many of these concepts and ideas; helps me leads further in the right direction towards my own future as well as helping other individuals within my profession of rehabilitation to a better future and a better overall quality of life. Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:25:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/22/voices-from-the-classroom-110/#IDComment299104511 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/15/voices-from-the-classroom-107/#IDComment293250436 This topic has been swirling around in my head for some time now. Ever since I began my adolescence I have always had the question, for what purpose are we here; or even if there is a purpose? Many of these questions, I have found it is not easy to identify the answer. The lifelong question is; where did we come from? Have we evolved? Have we just arrived on this planet; in a Star Child sense? A lot of these questions can be easily answered by individuals who have faith. I on the other hand feel as though I am lost within a spiral. To only be stuck between faith and fate. As an optimistic person I want to think that when I die I will go to some other form, existence, and/or life. But the truth in fact is, I will never know; until I die. Sam always says, “what does it matter, you are going to die anyway.” In a sense, I feel where he is going with that; maybe the purpose of life is simply experiencing it; in its many shapes, forms, experiences, emotions, and many more adjectives that can describe life as a whole. This question that Sam has posed is by far one the hardest questions to answer. For many people it is easy; for example, Sam’s guru has told him that yes there is a god and I will see him in the afterlife. But once again the notion that faith over fate has taken a toll. Looking at some of the information Sam has presented me regarding creationism, theological aspects, and evolutionism; I find that it is very difficult to firmly believe in one or the other without having faith. Maybe, the fact is one must have faith. Maybe, that is the sole underlying purpose of our existence; to believe that there is something more and told hold strongly to ones convictions and belief’s. Every person is their own unique fingerprint and personality; no two people are the same. With that being said, I figure that for the greater good of the human species, it is important to have faith, it is important to have fate, as well as alternating ideas and beliefs. These notions make the mark for what humanity is today. To benefit the further progression of us “monkeys” we must understand that it is very important for all individuals to reach adulthood and search for their own understanding and beliefs about these topics. Creating diversity creates knowledge. Looking at the fact that many individuals believe in whatever god their parents believed in; I find it remarkable that these individuals would not want to search and find their own meaning of existence. Is that not the sole purpose of life, to experience all of life’s mazes and marvels. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:14:27 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/15/voices-from-the-classroom-107/#IDComment293250436 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/08/voices-from-the-classroom-99/#IDComment287265305 Sam made an unusual gesture in class by saying that white people shy away from race relations and race conversations. After he said that he then identified the fact that white people are taught that color doesn’t matter/exist. With this being said, it is easy it identify that even I have been taught that race and color doesn’t matter and it is all what’s on the inside. In my life I cannot recall a certain situation where I feel as though I have been “put on the spot” per say in a race relation or race discussion. Even if I was put in this spot I feel as though that I would have reacted in the same manner that Sam has portrayed in class. I probably would withdrawal myself from the conversation and put little to no effort in moderating or facilitating the conversation. After Sam identified this factor to me I was quick to understand why. Knowing that most white people do not like to talk about race, I feel it is because white people feel that the blame would be put back on them. For a long time it seems as though “white supremacy” has shaped and altered our thoughts, perceptions, and ideas throughout time. With this being said, I feel as though since “white supremacy” has shaped these different things, should I now feel bad or some sort of way about that. The truth is yes, throughout my life race and color has never really been an issue. Maybe this is because I have never been put in a situation where race and color mattered. I would not want to say that I am ignorant to the fact, but in this case I feel as though that might not be true. I have had some international experience, but not enough to fully conceptualize this idea that white people don’t like to engage in race relations. I can understand why Sam has said that, but I cannot understand what is happening subconsciously. What exactly is going on in people heads when they shy away from this engagement? I do not believe that anyone or anything is to blame for this, but I do feel that there should be some kind of education in society teaching white people that it is okay to talk about race and race relations. “One first must understand themselves, in order to understand others.” There are many things in the world today that are deemed not comfortable for certain people, but I feel that there should be social movement and progression to remove this race relation and race conversation away from the image that it is not comfortable. Looking to the future, I hope that all white people do the exact opposite of this, engage themselves in a kind, friendly, and respecting way so that other individuals don’t feel as though “white people” just don’t have anything to say. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 18:53:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/02/08/voices-from-the-classroom-99/#IDComment287265305 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-93/#IDComment281957375 While looking at the aspect of whether or not individuals should learn another cultures language that have immigrated to America, I believe that it is important as a society to understand these concepts and to look to the future with regards to how productive society can be. When I think of the aspect that I should learn Spanish to accommodate these individuals who are migrating here leave me with much concern. Should I be learning Spanish? In a sense I feel as though I should, just as one would say “change with the changing of tides.” I feel that it would be important in my profession to understand why I should learn to speak Spanish. But does this actually need to happen to all individuals who live in America, No. There are certain instances that I can think of that strongly relate to this concept. It would be very beneficial if I could learn how to speak Spanish, but should I? As a professional I feel that it would be in my best interest to learn how to accommodate these individuals and to understand their dialect and reasoning. As a prospecting counselor I feel that it would greatly increase my ability to obtain work by understanding and learning how to speak Spanish. But, wouldn’t this go the same exact way that potentially I should learn how to sign? All of these concepts swirl around in one’s mind to completely understand why that is important. Looking to the future, I can understand within a short time European-American (white) individuals will soon become the minority. Knowing this, I firmly believe that it would be important to change with the tides. Although, on the other hand I feel that if individuals aren’t going to make an effort to learn English, then why should I make an effort to learn Spanish? It is difficult to answer this question due to the fact that truly how many times in my daily life would it be to speak Spanish? I can answer this question honestly and say that never would I absolutely need to speak Spanish in my everyday life. Now if I were to move to a place where everyone spoke Spanish I could understand that this would be important. But the fact is until I am put in that particular position I feel that I probably will not learn how to speak Spanish. Looking at some of the inquiries online, especially the one regarding fire fighters and the management having to speak Spanish for liability concerns and so that individuals won’t get hurt while on the job; I feel that yes it would be important for those individuals to be bi-lingual. This is an obvious thing, understanding the depending on your own culture, belief’s, values, interpretations, opinions, and overall worldly understanding could leave me to believe that yes it would be very beneficial to speak Spanish, and many other languages. So why don’t we just learn all of the dominant languages throughout the world? Thu, 2 Feb 2012 16:58:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-93/#IDComment281957375 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/26/voices-from-the-classroom-92/#IDComment276068089 While looking into the past events that have unfolded throughout the past months there are a lot of things that need to be recognized and confirmed for one to make a judgment. Throughout my lifetime I have heard things about child sex abuse, but no real information has been given to me. With this being said it is very difficult for me to connect my emotions and thoughts to this event. I can only view the event from a “business” or “ethical” point of view. At first when the information was released to the public I felt myself having much anger at Joe Paterno, but never really understood why. Knowing that I had no real idea of the situation Joe Paterno stood leads me to believe that yes there was much more he could have done. But as Sam stated in class, “good people make mistakes.” Understanding this concept leaves more room to empathize, as well as understand the course of action that was taken. Joe in my mind was confident that this would be taken care of by administrative action. Therefore I do believe that the actions Penn State has made, forcing the resignation of Graham Spanier, as well as the firing/resignation of the two other officials Tim Curley and Gary Schultz has been justified by the actions they have represented. Penn State as a whole should hold these officials with the highest of standards. There is much human discretion that was missed throughout this entire process. As stated by the CEO of Nike in Joe Paterno’s memorial on Thursday, January 26 2012, “The villain doesn’t lie within Joe, the villain lies within the investigation.” I believe that this type of information that is presented by an individual held with much prestige leads me to believe that others within America and the world will soon understand that “not everyone is perfect.” Joe even said it himself, “I could have done more.” With this being said I do agree with many of the individuals that are still angered by the events that have occurred, this being because I understand that the victims have never really been represented in this entire investigation, much of which is kept under wraps. With all of this information swirling within my head I feel that words on paper don’t describe what people are truly feeling within this community. Many individuals are hurt, misrepresented, misunderstood, discouraged, and even a sense of pride lost. For the future success of this community I feel that there must be much change done, whether this change be administrative, communal, or simply information revealed leads me to believe that as an individuals of this community I will surrender my thoughts and emotions to others ideas as well. Leaving an open mind to the events that happened and the events that are to come. Let’s all just sit back, watch, soak in the information, and after all of this use hindsight to understand what has happened. We all must keep pushing forward to further benefit the progress and success of The Pennsylvania State University. With Pride, A student Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:24:55 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/26/voices-from-the-classroom-92/#IDComment276068089 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/17/voices-from-the-classroom-90/#IDComment268098723 After the lecture there were many things that came to mind with regards to Native Americans and the way they have been treated and perceived by society. After learning more about the genocide that has occurred and the discrimination these people have had to endure, I feel that there needs to be more education and knowledge being thrown around by society to educate individuals of which whom have no ideas that this has actually taken place. For the so called “white America” I feel that one can learn a substantial amount from history just by looking at what happened at 1492. Considering the fact that all of us who live here in America, who have jobs, and live happy lives; all of us need to bring more attention to this issue of immigration. Knowing that none of us would be here without immigration brings this notion that this ridicule and discrimination that is happening to Native Americans need to be stopped. From the statistics shown in class one can recognize that there is a serious disturbance among the individuals who define themselves as Native American. Knowing that Native Americans who live on reservations have the highest reported amount of alcoholism, teen suicide rate, and live in substandard housing leads me to believe that somewhere along the way we have seem to forget, no better yet, push aside these individuals as if they aren’t even human. Knowing that these types of actions are being stricken upon these individuals, lead me to believe that my father, my grandfather, and my great grandfather have really done nothing to advocate for these individuals. Now the question is presented, what can we do? As a White, middle-class, heterosexual male I have learned that I have much power in the world today. So what can I do as an individual to put a stop to these cruel intentions. If anyone has an answer it would be greatly appreciated. But the truth reluctantly is that, I have little to no power to change the way Native Americans are perceived in the world today. The only advantages America has given these individuals are the reservations, and unfortunately their ability to create casinos; which in turn have already been overrun by organized crime. So the question is still posed, what can we do? While looking at previous references and learning more about Native Americans I find myself to believe that the few numbers of Native Americans still residing in the American are under-represented due to the diffusion of the numbers. It seems as though America wanted to completely erase Native Americans as a whole, not only in their numbers but in the political power they hold. Understanding that world isn’t fair, and probably never will be is there any way that individuals of which whom hold power can create change, can create a better living environment, and provide services to the individual of which whom need them? Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:55:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2012/01/17/voices-from-the-classroom-90/#IDComment268098723