en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2448258 Comments by Luke5049 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment143235536 It is only natural for humans to be jealous of others who have more than them, even if it is someone as close as a family member. In almost all of the stories mentioned in the article, family members and friends of the winner asked for money and gifts for various reasons. If the person with the money gives that money away, they feel like people are taking advantage of them. But if they refuse, their family and friends become angry, causing strain in their relationships. So it is almost a certain lose-lose situation for someone coming from a lower class, especially since their friends and family are most likely also in need of money. Not to mention the ever-present threat of burglary or even murder, as stated in the article. Greed and jealousy also causes these people to attack lottery winners in order to steal thier money. Obviously, I would still want to win the lottery, but after looking at it from this perspective, it does not seem quite as desirable. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:23:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment143235536 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment143235491 Material possessions can bring happiness to a certain point, as mentioned in the article, but just because someone has the money to buy anything they want does not mean that those goods will make them happy. Happiness and joy come from relationships with others much more than it comes from wealth. And in most occaisions, when a person wins the lottery, their relationships actually become worse off than they were before, mainly from jealousy and greed. These are the other reasons for the misfortunes of people who have won the lottery. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:23:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment143235491 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment143235385 .I believe that most of the problems that these people face are a direct result of their inability to shift from one social class to another. It is very difficult for someone of lower class to suddenly try to take on the lifestyle of an upper class citizen. They try to spend their money on large houses and expensive cars, in an attempt to fit in to the upper class. But although they may get a good feeling from spending all that money, once they realize that the rich lifestyle is not what they thought it would be, they often become depressed and sometimes wish they had never won the money in the first place. As they always say, money can't buy happiness. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:23:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/28/the-lottery-as-a-blessing-or-a-curse/#IDComment143235385 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/how-do-you-feel-about-president-obamas-use-of-money-in-comparison-to-haiti-119-blog/#IDComment141128614 However, no one in Congress wants to see this happen, for the most part because many of them depend on these same companies to finance their campaigns. Because these members of government feel the need to reciprocate the bribe they took to get into office, they fail to realize how much good this money could do if it was used for other things. if the four billion dollars that Obama wants to take out of subsidies could be used to research alternatives to oil, we would undoubtedly be able to develop a cheap way to provide energy that would save us the trouble of having to rely on oil as our main energy source. Not to mention the people who are negatively affected in a negative way by the oil companies, such as people who's wells have become contaminated by chemicals used in the drilling process. It seems as if the only ones benefitting from this are members of Congress and the oil company executives. But as long as our government is run by a system of legalized bribery, as described in class, problems like this will continue to arise and cannot be avoided. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 00:52:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/how-do-you-feel-about-president-obamas-use-of-money-in-comparison-to-haiti-119-blog/#IDComment141128614 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/how-do-you-feel-about-president-obamas-use-of-money-in-comparison-to-haiti-119-blog/#IDComment141128605 In the eyes of Americans, oil is the most important resource in the world. The more oil we have, the better, and our government will do just about anything to control as much of the resource as possible. Over the past decade, we have had a continuous militarty presence in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan (obviously the first few years were in response to the September 11th attacks, for which the response was needed) and newly added to the list, Libya. Of course, as they always say, the reason we need to have so much influence in the region is to spread democracy, and to stop terrorism. But most of us know that the ulterior motive here is that the government wants to get more oil. Everyone has seen the effects of these actions overseas, but now this want for oil at all costs is starting to affect us at home. This article talks about how President Obama wants to cut the subsidies going to oil and natural gas companies in the United States. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 00:51:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/how-do-you-feel-about-president-obamas-use-of-money-in-comparison-to-haiti-119-blog/#IDComment141128605 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment139236379 There are so many invisible factors that contribute to someone's sexuality, and this video makes the argument that being raised is a homosexual environment is not one of the major factors. The speaker also talks about how his family was similar to normal, traditional families. His argument inspires one to wonder what he woud actually be like if he had been raised by heterosexual parents. As mentioned before, I believe that his unpbringing in a homosexual household was one of many factors that made him who he is today. There have been so many other factors in his life, ones that we cannot see or understand, that affected him in other ways, and that he would probably have turned out very similar if he had been raised by heterosexual parents. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 00:28:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment139236379 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment139236347 Although this is only one case, he speaks for millions that have been treated unequally because others know that their parents are homosexuals, when they would have been treated equally if no one knew that they were a child of a gay couple. Many say that children who grow up in a homosexual setting are more likely to become gay themselves, versus growing up in a regular heterosexual family. But as we learned in class, these children are not more likely to become gay simply from growing up in a household of gay parents. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 00:28:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment139236347 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment139236218 The speaker in this video makes a very compelling argument as to why same sex partners should be allowed to raise children in our society. He cites many examples of his accomplishments as proof that he was uneffected by the fact that he was raised by two mothers. The most interesting argument he makes, from my point of view, is that he had never been confronted by someone who had independently realized that he was a child of same sex parents. I find this so interesting because this man has undoubtedly met countess numbers of people in his life, many of whom probably despise and speak out against gay partners' raising of children. So, if these people who are so against the raising of children by same sex partners can't even distinguish a child of gay marriage from other heterosexually raised children, how could they possibly say that this could hurt our society? If we cannot tell if someone was raised by gay parents, then we obviously find these people to be quite as norman as ourselves, and they should be treated that way. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 00:27:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/15/lgbt-families-theres-a-lot-of-fear-out-there/#IDComment139236218 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment137605367 The politicians using the r-word are not trying to offend those with mental disabilities, they are trying to insult someone else. However, since they apparently haven't been informed that the r-word is no longer accepted as politically correct, their insults towards political opponents are seen as insults towards mentally handicapped people. I am not trying to defend these politicians in any way, I am simply stating that everyone needs to be better informed about the hurt that this word can cause and that we should all avoid using it completely. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:54:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment137605367 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment137605348 But now that we have entered a new age of political correctness, new terms are being used to replace old words that have become known as negative statements. It is similar to the way that there have been many "politically correct" terms for homosexuals in the past that are now considered to be offensive. People who consider this word to be offensive, myself included, only think this way because society tells them to think this way. I agree that the word should be considered as offensive and that its use should be avoided as much as possible, however, I am also saying that most people who use this word have little or no idea how offensive it actually is. The examples in the video show this. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:54:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment137605348 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment137605291 Watching the video and reading this article about the use of the r-word in today's society sheds some light on the reality of the negative impact of the word. So many people go around using the r-word without even thinking twice, and obviously they do not understand how hurtful it can be to those who have mental disabilities. It has recently caught so much attention because up until recently it was not necessary considered to be a derrogatory term by sociey. As Sam described in the first lecture of the semester, slang terms and swear words have changed over the years, giving new meaning to words that had previously been thought of as politically correct. For example, I have heard my grandparents use the r-word on multiple occasions with absolutely no bad intentions; it is simply the word they were taught to use to descrube mentally challenged individuals when they were growing up. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:53:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/the-r-word-and-the-oblivious-others/#IDComment137605291 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/i-too-am-free/#IDComment128962589 I believe this to be true as well. In jail you are no longer under the constraints of society, and many of the invisible strings that were attached in a free world are cut, giving the prisoner a totally different outlook on life in his mind. If we could learn to have this mindset, completely free from worrying about what others think, we would live much happier and much more free lives, whether as inmates or free people. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:22:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/i-too-am-free/#IDComment128962589 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/i-too-am-free/#IDComment128962473 In jail one is told what to wear and how to wear it, where to go, what to do, and when to talk. This inmate reflects on all the liberties he once possessed, and although they may seem unimportant to us, they make a world of defference when they are no longer available. If we oculd live the life of an inmate such as this man, if only for one day, I belive that we would all have a greater understanding of what it means to be free, because living that way would give everyone an appreciation for the everyday freedoms that we take for granted. However, these actions and liberties that we have outside of prison are only external freedoms, that can occur outside of our own minds. One can make the argument that living in prison for an extended amount of time can actually make someone more free. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:22:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/i-too-am-free/#IDComment128962473 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/i-too-am-free/#IDComment128962407 So many people take all of their freedoms for granted, failing to see how fortunate they are to have the ability to do simple, everyday things, such as the ones mentioned in this article. They go about their lives, worrying about trivial matters instead of realizeing how lucky they are to live their lives the way they want to. For example, a normal person doesn't wake up and think to himself, "I am so lucky that I have the freedom to wear any shirt I want" or "I can't believe that I'm allowed to go on a walk around town." This ignorance may seem like a bad thing when you think about it in this way, but it is simply a result of the society we live in, and because we live this way every day of our lives, it is no one's fault that we take for granted our numerous freedoms. However, as it is made clear in the article, when these freedoms are taken away by something such as being put in jail, it is only then when we realize how important they really are to us and how fortunate we are to have them. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:21:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/i-too-am-free/#IDComment128962407 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/19/rise-in-national-guard-and-reserve-suicides-whats-it-all-about-soc-001-blog/#IDComment124440437 The things that these soldiers experience while in combat are so traumatic that veterans feel as if they cannot even talk about them to anyone. And those memories can cause such psychological distress that they often lead to soldiers suicide, however they are not the only factor. The issue is also raised in the video that returning soldiers are not getting enough psychological help before returning to normal society. They need to be eased into their lives at home, perhaps by meeting with psychologists frequently, rather than simply being thrown back into their old lives. I believe it is this movement from one extreme of combat and fighting to the other extreme of a simple life that causes the majority of suicides among soldiers upon returning home. They are not ready to accept the social standards of normal society after being so conditioned in a life of extreme discipline and organization. Anyone who experiences a clash of social standards like these would lead them to question whether they still want to continue with their lives, and we see this in the recent number of suicides among veterans. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 00:27:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/19/rise-in-national-guard-and-reserve-suicides-whats-it-all-about-soc-001-blog/#IDComment124440437 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/19/rise-in-national-guard-and-reserve-suicides-whats-it-all-about-soc-001-blog/#IDComment124440410 This video shows how combat can psychologically effect a person, this obviously being proven by the increased number of soldiers who commit suicie. The most revealing part of the video was the part in which the soldier was explaining how he would rather deprive himself of sleep than sleep and dream about what he had experienced while fighting overseas. This example shows how intense post traumatic stress disorder can be, and its effects on one's mind. As we discussed in class, the military is one of the most organized and tightly connected institutions a person can be a part of. Instead of thinking of themselves as individuals, soldiers realize that they are part of a unit. That would lead us to think that soldiers should have a lower suicide rate. This is true while a soldier is with his unit, but as the video says, it is when they return home that the rates of suicide greatly increase. They are so used to the tight knit organization of the military that once they return home, they feel alone because no one can relate to their experiences like their fellow soldiers can. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 00:26:49 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/19/rise-in-national-guard-and-reserve-suicides-whats-it-all-about-soc-001-blog/#IDComment124440410 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment122906542 Although the people that commit suicide in this forest have decided in their own minds that they are going to end thier life, they are also strongly affected by the social aspect of life. Because these people have lost their jobs and money, they are so strongly encouraged by the social factors that they think they no longer serve a purpose and have no other way out than to kill themselves. They do not realize that because they are going through a rough period they simply need to get back on their feet and continue living their lives. Instead they believe that all is lost and they feel no need to continue to live, so they take the easy way out by commiting suicide. The main point is that suicide is an action taken that is larger than a single person, it is a building up of outside forces that lead a person to such a decision. People who do not understand this think that everyone is totally in control of their mind, and that the decision to commit suicide is purely their own. If these people understood that suicide is an effect of other forces in the world that we cannot control, the act of suicide would probably be much less common. Sat, 22 Jan 2011 03:09:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment122906542 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment122906522 Suicide is often thought of as a person's choice, made purely in one's mind, to end their life. It is the most permanant decision a person can make, literally a choice of life and death. Many people believe that the only aspect that affects the decision to end one's life is that person's mind, and this is why it is thought to be the most psychologically private rooted action one can take. While the latter statement is true, there are so many other factors that contribute to suicide, and most if not all of these factors are outside of the person's control. This video proves that suicide is not simply one's choice to kill themselves, but instead a combination of the person's psychological outlook and, in this case, negative effects of the economy such as loss of jobs. Sat, 22 Jan 2011 03:09:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment122906522 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ct%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122573366 Soc 001 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:34:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ct%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122573366