en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2425035 Comments by KatieBassett http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170328860 Many of your thoughts were the same as mine, I also learned from this lecture that white women are the ones that benefitted the most from affirmative action and also thought that the the schools video was very interesting. It was crazy to look at the numbers of the students that graduated from the rich school and compare then to the numbers from the poor school. It really did prove that students in the richer schools have a better opportunity which in turn helps them to learn and like to learn and graduate with a good education from high school. Wed, 6 Jul 2011 16:23:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170328860 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170326993 It tough to say that affirmative action is a bad thing once you’ve gotten to a great place or job because of it. Personally, I have received two of my job because of nepotism. My first job at a golf course I got because I knew the manager, my internship with NBC I got because I knew someone who knew someone that mentioned my name and helped me be recognized when the company was going through the resumes. I cant count the number of times I’ve heard the “you have to know someone” and in our job market today its seemingly true. People come out into the real world and are praying that they know someone or meet someone that can help them get the best job because they are scared of not having one or not making enough money to survive and can you blame them? No, because no one wants to be in a bad situation and if you knowing someone can get you to a good place in life you will probably take it. I liked nepotism when I got my job and internship. I applied to Starbucks and got a call back and offered the job and was extremely surprised because I didn’t think applying online was really going to get me the job but it did. When I graduate next year I am not going to like affirmative action because I’m coming out hoping I can get a good job in my field and I don’t want someone to take the position that I’ve been working so hard towards my whole college career just because they knew someone and aren’t as skilled or qualified. So, is it a bad thing? Yes and no. No one in the class would stand up after they got a job because of affirmative action and say that it wasn’t fair that they got this job. The Oprah Winfrey video about the schools is something that I’ve wondered about before. My high school wasn’t equipped with a pool or computers for every student, it wasn’t the type of opportunities that we should have received and immediately after my class graduation my school was torn down and a huge new beautiful school was built in its place that now has all of those things, and it makes me jealous because I feel like the kids graduating now have more opportunity to a better education than I did. It was a shock to the kids in the video when they went from the poor school to the super nice school because they saw everything that they could have in a highschool and what they were missing out on, and its just because of the area they lived in. It’s sad to see the numbers in comparison of graduates from the poor school to the rich school because it just proved that the school with the more equipped things is giving those students a better education and a better environment to want to learn and succeed. This lecture was great, I enjoyed listening to all the comments at the end and agreed that most of this should be common sense to people. Wed, 6 Jul 2011 16:16:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170326993 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168167135 I liked your response to the other side of the argument and I agree that there could have been another point of view included in the lesson. I too think that other cultures are intriguing and taking french for 6 years I know that there are many differences in the world between our country and other countries. It is important to stay open minded about other things because whether or not you enjoyed it in the end you are closer to a more clear opinion of the world for yourself. I too have experienced living with someone of a different race and although there were differences we learned that we were more similar than we both thought. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:07:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168167135 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168165751 I see these numbers and I could have guessed that they would look that way from the first part of the class. I don’t really understand the point of showing these numbers. As Dr. Richards was talking about Republicans and Conservatives not wanting to live in a more diverse community I was thinking that there is another side and more to the reasons for this happening. Basically I think the biggest part it comes down to is that it is just the nature of things and the nature of people to want to be around others that are like them. Immigrants who come to this country to make a life for them should want to become an American and enjoy the customs and accept the culture that we have built. No one can make those people drop their cultures and accept new ones and many times they don’t. It is just the way things are; right or wrong. I would have been more surprised I think to see the map of Hispanics in the country to be equally spread across the country. Last week a topic was brought up about people wanting and feeling more comfortable living with people of the same race. As one of the students said, while she works with the apartments in student life they try to place the black students together, because its where they want to be. I agree that people shouldn’t care who lives next door to them, and you obviously cant force people to live in certain places to make a place more multi-cultural. I think it is definitely a positive thing to take in and understand other cultures because there is nothing to lose by doing so. Languages can only make you more valuable and knowing more about another culture is in many cases like a whole new world to most people. I don’t think Republicans are racist, and I don’t think that most are non-conservative. Maybe some people are just afraid to be called racist because I think the majority of people that go to Penn State especially live in a community where the majority of people around them are the same race, I know I have seen it many times while traveling all over. As for the LGBT lesson, I have gained some knowledge. I do not disapprove, avoid or dislike people that identity with LGBT. Although, my religion ma not approve of it I have always accepted anyone into my life. I agree that most people do sin and nothing is thought of it, and it is interesting as to why we don’t acknowledge those sins as much as people aren’t accepted for being LGBT. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:00:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168165751 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165609941 I think that everything you said is true and was in realtion to a lot of the points that I was trying to make. People dont always think about the way that children learn or how easily they can think one way when the turth is opposite. I too was surprised at the video of the black children being asked the questions with the babydoll and how society reflects their decision making. The adoption point was also interesting, a close family friend adopted an american indian child recently and he is being raised as a white person. He doesnt realize that when some of the other children look at them they call him brown because his skin is darker than theirs because his parents are white and he sees no racial differences in himself yet or in others. All of this is very interesting to me to see how the lectures relate to our lives in so many ways. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:08:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165609941 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165487086 Being white it was very interesting to listen to this lecture about color and the racial identity differences and similarities. I think the most important topic on stages in the stage 2 awakening stage, when people figure that there is a difference between themselves and other, the fact that there is an "us" and a "them." When Dr. Richards was talking about people of color finding whites and the majority annoying to them because they are the majority along with people that haven't moved into the awakening stage. This is completely understandable, I can see how annoying and angry people can get or feel when they are the minority towards the majority because they feel as though they have to protect themselves and their race against the "them." Race and equality is a large topic and many people feel angry towards others, it's not that it is a bad thing but you can understand why their is a positive side and a negative side to the awakening stage. I can understand that white people don't understand their "whiteness" because I am white, and I live in a majority white society. But when I go down to inner city Baltimore for my internship every other day where it is a majority of colored people I feel like the minority in many situations and I get a little taste of that medicine that I haven't really experienced before. I think that in itself has helped me move out of the pre awakening stage. As Dr. Richards said blacks are thrown out of it very early, and whites can stage it in for a longer time. The study done by the high school student where she tested whether or not small children would pick up the white baby or they would pick the black baby was something that I don't think most people realize what is going on. Who knows where these children were from but what it proved was that these kids are learning at a very young age that the majority is white, and they see it through their eyes as being "good" and so they want to play with that white baby. When asked the little girl picked up the bad baby and it was black; i'm sure she didnt know why she made that choice but that is what has been taught to her by society and by watching others in the world. I know that i've grown up always having white baby dolls, I probably didn't even realize why until I was a little older. I think that we all just need to realize that you can't have hatred towards others without knowing where they are coming from and what their base ground is like and how they have grown up and lived in their society, because you cant blame someone for their beliefs or their race, they might not even fully understand themselves why they think that way or what has made them who they are today. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:43:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/22/week-6-%e2%80%93-lesson-10-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165487086 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment163388339 I would agree in saying this lecture was an eye opener.I enjoyed all the different topics mentioned in this lecture, especially racist card part. It is worse to dig yourself deeper and deeper by arguing and instead when you can just bow your head and just say okay whatever and not be afraid of the anger of someone calling you racist when you know that is not what you are. It is definitely up to the person to decide what may be racist and when they should stick up for their thoughts. I also feel that white people are afraid to just ask and address issues because they are feared of being called racist, no one wants to be labeled in that way and so people just completely avoid it all together. Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:39:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment163388339 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment163387179 Another great lesson that had me saying “Yes, that’s true!” Everything that Dr. Richards was saying made complete sense to what I have seen going on in the world. He hit the nail on the head when he was explaining when it is okay to use and how to use racial identifiers. I know I am in a point in my life where I am still trying to figure out when Im not always completely sure when it is okay to bring someone’s race into a situation and it was kind of nice for him to go through situations and just say it is okay to use it here and isn’t in this situation. I understand that people are learning, but I can see that people are possibly afraid to call someone black for example; if they’ve been in a situation and called someone black and been turned down from using that word or scolded in some way then they are going to tip toe around that concept for a long time after that and not be sure when it is politically correct or an acceptable situation to bring race into a situation. It is true when the anchor said that poem during the video about the little kids being taught at a young age what to believe and when Dr. Richards explained that children learn at a very young age that race is a touchy subject, I’ve seen this first hand. My Mom runs a daycare and the kids between the ages of infants-9 yr olds and I see them wondering about it, sometimes asking what race is, maybe even watched them in situations where they are scolded by their parents because they’ve said something racial, which they don’t understand, and not understand why what they said was wrong. The question of guilt is interesting, because I have been in situations where I feel guilty for being white. I’ve never really though of it to an extent but being in a situation where people of a different race are struggling because of their race or aren’t offered the opportunities that I am make me feel guilty for being white, but I am also thankful for what I have in life. Guilt does work, my parents have used it against me in different situations before and it has worked in their benefit. I have thought about most of what he has mentioned in this lecture, but never really heard someone go through and tell me what these feelings mean and what they actually are. White guilt is there and a lot of people tend to ignore it and think that it may be silly to feel guilty for something that happened hundreds of years ago when their ancestors lived because they weren’t the immediate person involved. Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:31:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment163387179 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment162907021 I enjoyed reading your comment because it was different than many of the others. I also dont immediately say "white" when someone asks me to identify myself and I feel that the people that aren't the average Joe do have more to identify with because they are not the norm of our society. It is a weird concept to think about and when I have thought about being white it is hard to understand how people of a different race may see me, and then I cant understand why when I try to accept and be the nicest person I can to everyone I meet there are still such a defining thought in the back of many people's minds about them being different from me just because of their skin color. Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:44:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment162907021 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment162905247 What it means to be white is a lecture topic that I’ve never heard before. It immediately grabbed my attention because I am white and although I live each day as a white person, I don’t know what it means to be white. It isn’t something that I have spent time thinking about or acknowledged the thought of what that means. Dr. Richards is right, I don’t think about being right handed ever or the fact that I am 5’3 but someone who is left handed and 7 ft. might think about this more because they may have to worry about things like a having a right handed glove or desk, or walking into a place that the ceilings are too low. It was an interesting way to look at the world. The first example about how Dr. Richards had to help the handicapped boy go to the bathroom was an experience that I have never known or even thought about. It is an experience I’ve never dealt with so I didn’t know about all the things that these disabled people deal with. I did a research study in one of my communications courses about how the media affects disabled people and how they are portrayed to the public. I learned a lot from that study about the disabled population that people overlook. Most times disabled people are seen in the media as being the hero, or the Through examining different mediums, people with disabilities fall into separate categories, including heroic figures, pitied by outsiders, victimized, or content with their conditions. The videos shown about “whiteness” and how people that aren’t white see people who are were funny. It is true I’m sure for people who aren’t white see the things that white people tend to do as different or funny. I laughed at the video with Carlos Mencia because it is true everyone knows that that sign is depicting a Mexican family running across the border, but no one wants to come out and make a statement saying that is true. It just goes to show that there are so many things in this world that we overlook each day and don’t even think about how messed up that really is. We just go along with it because for many of us it doesn’t affect our daily lives so we don’t need to do anything about it or think about what it means to the world in general or to the people of that race and ethnicity. I really enjoyed this lecture. It was probably my favorite so far, it made me laugh many time with the videos and examples Dr. Richards showed and it made me think about who I am and what that really means. Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:37:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment162905247 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160654953 Everything seems to be connected in this world and you've really touched on that here with the rates of crime and how they are connected to unemployment, and the homeless. It makes you wonder if these people didnt have the luck of birth and never had the chance to be the king of the mountain. I agree with your example with the movie Dick and Jane. When people get desperate it is understandable that they may go to desperate measures to keep themselves and their families safe and alive. Wed, 8 Jun 2011 15:14:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160654953 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160654201 My grandma was telling me about a study done to ask people what the first thing thy notice about someone when meeting them. The study found that the first thing women notice is whether the other person especially if it is a woman, is whether they are fat or not. As sad as that is that our society thinks that way it was easy enough for me to understand why this might be. Magazines, the media, television, etc. has an image in our brain that the person at the "top of the mountain" should be a thin person. Along with that study comes the race/ color of the person. The strings that Dr. Richards talk about is exactly right. You cant choose the family you are born into, you are immediately born with strings that are going to place you in a certain spot in the way society views you. The luck of birth and sociological factors and forces are playing the part in how someone gets to the top of the mountain. Those people that dont have the luck of birth always have the "dream story" if they make it big as a celebrity or singer etc. It is surprising to the society when someone from a poor place in the country gets to a successful place in life and people like to hear their story. Someone who comes from a rich part of town and has the luck of birth wont get that media attention because they are somewhat expected to make a good life for themselves. People don't want to hear their story because they are already born with their breaks in life, they arent competing on a level field in life with the people who start out in life without the luck. Its hard to compete in this world and like Dr. Richards was saying, Native Americans, Blacks, and other races don't have the chance that whites do. Our society is derived off of our ancestors and as hard or easy as that makes it for our lives many of us has to push ourselves in this world and work hard for what we want. Everyone has to be a go-getter because it is so easy to lose what you have in a blink of an eye. Wed, 8 Jun 2011 15:11:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160654201 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159828080 i agree with you about communication and that we need to speak more about race relations to help move along the fixing of this problem, social inequalities can be seen everywhere today and people need to be more aware of that problem. Mon, 6 Jun 2011 03:55:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159828080 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159827263 Social inequality is a common misunderstood trend by many people. Without realizing it we go about our day living, and being accepted by different things and people because of our social class. Many times you do see a correlation between race and social status , which in turn may lead to many inequalitites. In my Women Studies class we did a test where we all started out in a straight line and the teacher asked us questions that had to deal with out social status'. There proved to be a relation between race and social inequalities. It was interesting to see where people ended up in relation to the starting line. There were more blacks and people that were from cities towards the back and more whites in the front where social status was better. It is also very true that social inequalities deal with sports. In my Kines 141 class we looked at race in relation to the positions of the players on the fields in sports like football and found that in the stronger center positions were more blacks, and in the more logical positions i.e quarterbacks were more whites. Social inequalities are all around us in the world and as hard as they are to understand they are happening daily. Mon, 6 Jun 2011 03:52:20 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159827263 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158243320 I agree with what you said above. I think it is important to open our minds and understand other cultures in our world as hard as that can be. Everyone is biased towards their culture because that is what they are used to and comfortable with and what their parents and family have taught them and they have grown up with. I know it's hard for me to understand other cultures unless I am put into a situation where I have to. Most people find that they enjoy and learn a life lesson by experiencing these other places and cultures in the world and that makes it all so beautiful. Wed, 1 Jun 2011 16:27:54 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158243320 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158241765 The topic of ethnocentrism is very interesting. Many people like to travel the world or say they like to travel the world and see different places and experience different cultures but usually while there they end up just visiting the places they travel too and not fully experiencing the culture for themselves, if you put yourself into that culture and really fully understand how people live you can further accept the culture and better understand it. It reminds me of the show that Jessica Simpson use to have called "The Price of Beauty" where she would travel around the world and experience differnt cultures and how they expressed their beauty. She went to a country in the Middle East and the women that she met with were very angry and disgusted with Jessica because she was wearing shorts and showing her legs, but she tried to explain that it was her culture and that is how Americans show beauty. The next day she did dress and the women in that country and understood how they use their eyes as beauty and didn't need to show their skin. As far as hunting and how it is ethical, I completely agree. My father and brother are hunters and do keep the meat, so I don't see it as a cold killing of animals practice, it is a way of life. On the other side factory farmed meats are disgusting when you know about it, but many farmers will tell you it is a way to make money and mass produce these meats for the high demand. I would like to jump to the Christian Crusaders video now because I was shocked watching the podcast, at some points I think anyone could have said my name and I wouldn't have looked up because I was so drawn to the pictures and the terrifying video played. That video is exactly why I would never be allowed to travel to the Middle East today. I would love to practice Ethnocentrism and experience their culture because I think it is beautiful and interesting because it is so different from my culture. It is sad for the people in those countries to live in that poverty, and deal with the mass chaos that goes on. Wed, 1 Jun 2011 16:21:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158241765 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156048966 I agree with all of what you have said in your entry. I also was surprised about the Lummean's theory and I guess I have never thought about how many different categories of race there are. Most people don't think about the difference in ethnic backgrounds and consider that as different races, Lummean took what he saw immediately, the skin color, and threw it into three different categories. Also, I never understood why asians have slanted eyes either I found that fact very interesting! Wed, 25 May 2011 17:15:55 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156048966 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156047153 As interesting as this lecture about race was, it was also very surprising to me. I have never heard of Carlous Linneaus categorization of race by color before and I found it funny how it described the different groups. It is crazy how people back in those days did not understand really the difference between race, it is like they were only seeing what is right in front of their eyes instead of trying to look and understand what is really going on. If that were the case then I think that Linneaus would have categorized the different races in a different way including a much wider variety of other races and not just the three general colors he saw before him. I have heard people of a different race than myself say before that they think all white people look the same, and I never really understood how in the heck they would think that, because of all the different hair colors, and facial features, etc. I just thought that there was a significant difference in looks among the white race, but when I look at other races for example, the orientals; like in the video, I do not see much change other than their hairstyles. Without having spend much time around orientals I have only really noticed the similarities in them such as the dark/black colored hair and brown eyes, their skin color, and smaller body types. It is not that I am trying to say that they are all always this way, but from not being around that race often it is easy to generalize with what you first notice. The activity where the 4.0 guy tried to categorize the 15 different people was entertaining but it also showed that you really cant take a group of people and just group them by their color. It’s hard to do that first of all, but these people in the video were from countries all over the world, and as much as some of them looked alike, they were from completely different places that would never be categorized as the same place. Moving on to the second video, where evolution is kind of introduced and skin color is assessed around the world, it is all very mind-boggling how knowing that certain areas of the world are different skin tones because of their relation to the equator. Yes, it makes sense that skin needs to be darker to survive near the equator. I am personally not someone who believes in evolution, but I do think that yes, the sun darkens our skin and this is why these natives of the land closer to the equator have the darker skin tones. All in all, I found this chapter of the class to be very informative and interesting, because I do think that the way people see each other based on the different races is something that people need to fully understand, instead of just looking at a person and immediately placing them into a category without knowing their ethnic background. Wed, 25 May 2011 17:09:25 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/22/week-two-lesson-2-intro-to-race/#IDComment156047153 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/week-1-lesson-1-whadya-know/#IDComment155111185 Being a journalism major, I have done many lessons about young women being pressures by advertisements and photos in magazines along with watching celebrities and the power the media has on them. I was almost positive that would have been the answer to the question about suicide. I was also shocked to find out about the hispanic females high attempted rate, and also shocked at the other numbers between the other groups of people for suicide rates. I agree that I don't hear a lot in the media about hispanics committing suicide nor the much about them at all. Mon, 23 May 2011 02:31:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/week-1-lesson-1-whadya-know/#IDComment155111185 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/week-1-lesson-1-whadya-know/#IDComment155109719 Getting me to think about many different ideas about how the world works and deciding how I personally see the world intrigues me more than almost anything. I enjoy thinking deeper about what the true meaning behind the world is and how it works, and understanding new ideas that I didn't know were there before. In this first lecture I found out quickly after taking the "Whatd'ya know?" quiz that I really did not know as much as I though I did. We all see the world differently, I think this is one of the main things that the lecture taught me. It is hard to understand that not everyone can see the world the same way you do. You are raised a certain way to see the world and branching outside of this is hard to do and accept. The topic of being wealthy I found very interesting. Most people compare themselves and their wealth to other people around them. My grandmother has always said, "you have to be happy with what you have because there is always someone in the world that has it way worse than you do" I find this statement to be very true after hearing that the poorest 10% of the US population is better off than 2/3 of the worlds population. I was shocked to hear that it would take 4 planet earths for everyone in the world to live like an average American. It is hard to sometimes realize how wealthy you are when everyone around you is about the same or may have a little bit more money than you or your family, but it just goes to show that you should always stop and think about the millions of people around the world that don't have anything. Each topic that Dr. Richards spoke about caught my attention, especially the topic of languages. Immigration is a popular topic is our world today and the strong stereotypes that go along with it have been going on for years. I found it interesting that he brought up the fact that the founders of the US didn't walk through the door and immediately want to change their language to the new American way. Many immigrants bring their culture to our country and that should not be a problem, it should be something that our country grows upon and learns from. After this topic, the topic of slavery arose and that was probably the most shocking portion of the lecture. I think many people know that there are slaves in the world still today, but most people choose to ignore the fact that many of their possessions are made by slaves. I had no clue that the number of slaves was 27 million. I didn't know because no one talks about it, you don't this in the media everyday along with the other topics of the world. Race relations should be spoken about more. I wish I would have known these statistics about the world that I obviously had no clue about before this lecture. I cant wait to learn more about each of these topics, and better understand each of them. Mon, 23 May 2011 02:22:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/14/week-1-lesson-1-whadya-know/#IDComment155109719