en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2434384 Comments by Metz3006 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/do-you-think-any-stage-is-worse-or-better-to-be-in-than-another-is-the-goal-to-make-it-to-the-last-stage-119-blog/#IDComment137614416 We implemented affirmative action policies that seek to undo this very sort of activity. Affirmative action seeks to artificially compensate for this sort of racial preference and selection bias by making it worth for a school, institution, or employer to employee people that data says they would not normally employ. I think many people would see it as ideal to live in a world where an individual was what decided whether somewhat got a job or not. Where the skills and actions of a person were enough to get someone hired, not their skin color or national origin. This leads to the argument, how do we know when affirmative action is no longer required? Many have argued that the fact that we have a black president in the United States of America is enough of a justification to limit affirmative action. However, while things may be beginning to sort themselves out at the top, there is still certainly plenty of selection bias when it comes to job employment and college acceptance. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:59:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/do-you-think-any-stage-is-worse-or-better-to-be-in-than-another-is-the-goal-to-make-it-to-the-last-stage-119-blog/#IDComment137614416 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/do-you-think-any-stage-is-worse-or-better-to-be-in-than-another-is-the-goal-to-make-it-to-the-last-stage-119-blog/#IDComment137614387 I believe that, at least to some extent, that it is human to feel that you need to help your people before others. I think that in this day an age that many people who are not as racist as in the past designate "there people" based on national origin where previously people divided this barrier along racial lines. Like in the flip cam video inspiring this post, Karim mentions that he thinks of his people before others. I do not believe he is referring to people of his skin color, I believe he is referencing people from his home country. Perhaps the issue is not where we draw lines, whether it be along the lines of race, nationality or gender. Perhaps the issue is the fact that people draw these lines in the first place and it is irrelevant where they draw them. People always seem to draw these lines around a group with which they associate themselves. For example, I would imagine that an Asian child who was adopted and raised by black parents would take on traits and attitudes of their parents. Thus, they may draw their lines in a fashion where they would act preferable towards black people over people of other races. I had an instructor in a different sociology class who informed me that managers often choose to hire and promote people that look similar to themselves over credentials. Now we come to the million dollar question: Is this racism? I believe that while this sort of activity is somewhat normal that it is a slightly racist practice (as if there are degrees of racism). However, while this sort of activity clearly does go on, we have made strides in this country to counter such actions. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:59:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/do-you-think-any-stage-is-worse-or-better-to-be-in-than-another-is-the-goal-to-make-it-to-the-last-stage-119-blog/#IDComment137614387 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment135970120 Another source that contributes to peoples racial self image is mass media. When people see people of their race portrayed in a different fashion than people of other races how could they not see the world differently? Minority characters are certainly underrepresented in many television programs. When they are shown they are portrayed by racial stereotypes such as the "black inmate" or the "smart Asian". We also have beliefs about mass media and joke about such things. For example we joke about horror and action movies that the "black guy is always the first to die". We also have expectations that people in charge or in managerial positions are likely to be white within the realm of film. Sat, 19 Mar 2011 03:33:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment135970120 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment135970088 The second institution that influences our view of self is the school system. Many children of color find themselves in inner-city schools where they will not receive the same level of schooling as elsewhere. This could lead them to see themselves as dumb as compared to other people who were not taught in inner-city schools. Also, teachers that teach in these schools often are not as good at their job as teachers at better schools. They also may not seek to encourage students or even recognize them as being worthy of their time. One student within my discussion group went so far as to say that their school, which had two cafeterias, was actually segregated by cafeteria. The "black" cafeteria actually charged more for the same sorts of food as the "white" cafeteria. How could these children not see themselves as being absolutely different from each other when this sort of thing occurs. Sat, 19 Mar 2011 03:32:50 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment135970088 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment135970051 I believe that the messages and influences that come across to the people within our society come from numerous sources. The first source is the one that is the closest to the children when they are being socialized into our society: the family. The family is the place where we learn literally everything about society and the world around us when we are children, before school. Many people in class eluded to the fact that their family members influenced them in a negative fashion when they were children. Some people talked about their parents saying that they wished the child's hair was more straight, or that they did not know what to do with their child's hair. These sort of messages from within one's own family would be very demeaning and would encourage that child to view themselves as being not proper or "bad". The family is the factor that most helps us determine who we are and where our place is in the world when we are young, if not properly encouraged, people will not see themselves as being complete people. Sat, 19 Mar 2011 03:32:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/18/where-do-the-messages-come-from-119-blog/#IDComment135970051 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134280166 He doesn't use slang and leave any room up for interpretation. He also repeats himself to eliminate any sort of confusion, especially in regard to where to position the device. It is almost like he is insisting you do things his way and that if you don't, you are doing it wrong. He also dressing in what may be a white fashion in that he tucks in his shirt, which is white. The rest of his outfit consists of blue jeans and a simple belt in what I would call a very "Hank Hill" kind of ensemble. Perhaps the very fact that he is talking about a firearm product conveys his whiteness. His message is obviously not banned from Youtube. He is advertising a product that is likely not legal everywhere and that is meant to hide a pistol on his body for some surprise use. Imagine if a black person made the same clip, talking about having quick access to their concealed firearm. Would that sort of clip still be on Youtube? I would wager that sort of clip would be seen as one where the black person in the clip was showing others how to commit a crime by hiding their weapon. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:44:54 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134280166 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134280117 I think it is interesting that this post made it to the top of the world in conversation site as I am going to try to dissect what it is about this man and clip that makes him appear to be a "really white" guy. Obviously, the product that he is demonstrating within this video is designed for holding a pistol. Two thoughts come to my head when I think about gun stereotypes. Many people think about people who use guns outdoors for hunting our target shooting. The majority of these shooters are white people in the United States. The second group of people I think of with access to guns are people usually within cities that use firearms to commit crime or have firearms for gang related reasons. While I don't mean to insinuate that every criminal or gang member with a gun is a person of color I would certainly say there are more people of color in this group than the outdoor gun use group. Through this disparity I typically associate pistols more with inner city use over outdoors use. Through that logic I would think of carrying a concealed weapon as not being something that is quintessentially white. Perhaps a black gang member using this product would be laughed at as wasting money or something because they could just use the waste of their pants for a similar use. One thing the guy in the clip does that makes him seem more white to me is that he tries to talk very clearly and articulating things precisely how he wants them to be interpreted. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:44:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/09/what-would-make-this-guy-less-white/#IDComment134280117 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment130740173 It is interesting that the government chooses to control people through a means that is somewhat indirect. They choose to target people in an area that they cannot resist: their wallets. When people are hit with monetary sanctions or the opportunity to save money for doing a specific action they are much more likely to do what it is that the government wishes them to do. Money moves the masses to the action of government. I believe that it is true that the government while under the control of democrats has expanded social programs and offered money in return for compliance. Democratic governments have traditionally expanded the federal government as they feel that controlling people is the proper way for a functioning society to operate. Republican governments have typically made an effort to diminish government and spending, except perhaps for defense spending. I am inclined to agree with this article when it states "This is very consistent with where the hard left is coming from," Bachmann told Ingraham. "For them, government is the answer to every problem." She makes a good point that majority of people are likely to be able to feed their babies without the aid of contraptions funded by the government. It is interesting to see that the government is using people like Michele Obama as spearheads to their goals. Either that or Michele Obama has great influence within the government and can cause policy change based on her personal beliefs. Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:41:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment130740173 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment130740129 I believe that this article is correct in stating that there is always a balance to be struck between government control and personal freedoms and responsibility. Sometimes I personally believe that government over exceeds its bounds, and that it is not always done for the good of the people as it is so often justified. In the first example offered within the article I feel it is the responsibility of the individual to chose whether they wish to ingest a product know to be unsafe or not. We all have the right to do what we wish with our bodies as long as it does no harm others. Then again, now that we have universal healthcare it is possible to argue that the negative health actions of one individual are being paid for by all of society, not merely the individual and their family. However, if it is the government that creates the problem for society how can they claim that they are the construct that should get the opportunity to fix the problem. I apologize to no one, I feel that the individual has the right to cost some society so money in exchange for the ideal that we hold above all else within this nation, freedom. A person has a right that cannot be taken away to do as they please. Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:41:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/17/how-much-government-do-we-need/#IDComment130740129 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/dont-be-spreadin-the-love-around-here/#IDComment129007398 It was a bit odd that the government decided to focus only on their Muslim citizens. It makes it appear to me that they simply do not care about the morality of their citizens that do not align themselves with the majority. I also think it was a bit odd that university students were the target of this campaign. Perhaps it seems odd to me as I think of most college students as being sexually active and unmarried. Perhaps this is also the case in Malaysia and they simply chose to target the most affected area in their minds. However, as I read on I found a stronger link for these Muslims hating this holiday than the immoral behaviors of college students. The Muslims seem to claim that their dislike for this holiday is also very closely linked to their disdain for Christianity. The feel valentine's day is directly linked to Christianity and should thus be shunned. I also thought it was very interesting that they still chose to celebrate mother's and father's day. Thus, it seems like the big issue could be that valentine's day promotes unmarried sex not that it is western. Of course they chose to administer their vaccine against western society via that most secure means: the clergy. This makes certain that the messages get to ears that will listen to them. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 03:07:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/dont-be-spreadin-the-love-around-here/#IDComment129007398 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/dont-be-spreadin-the-love-around-here/#IDComment129007347 When I first read through this article I can't say that I was terribly surprised to see something like this crop up. There are many religions around that globe that condemn the idea of underage sex. I know from some Christians that I have talked to that it is also a rather hot button issue within many Christian communities. It is not a large surprise that a country would try to play around with the idea of banning holidays that are not in line with their agendas. People in positions of power often try to stop things that they do not agree with. In many cases that is why they tried to get into power. For example, Penn State and the State College borough decided that they did not like the State Patties day celebration that college students invented. Thus, they elected to team up with local bar owners and law enforcement to try to put a damper on the activity they disapproved of. I do not see it as being an action by a governing power much different than that talked about in this article. I am not sure that I have heard of State Patties day being referred to as a "trap" as this article claims of valentine's day, but I still see similarities. A difference to make note of is there are no laws against this valentine's day celebration while there are laws against underage drinking and public drunkenness in State College. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 03:06:46 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/dont-be-spreadin-the-love-around-here/#IDComment129007347 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/reflections/#IDComment127225980 Because this individuals life was of high enough quality, which he blames on his father, he does not believe he turned to drugs to escape a poor quality actual life. His family was not one that used drugs and he cites others achievements in college as examples that people from his area could succeed regardless of drugs. Once again this does not mention if this is the majority of people. In fact through all of his thought's this man cannot seem to find a blame for his incarceration. This individual begins to see his faults when he starts to consider the years he became sexually active and started lying to his family. He starting going to bad locations as a means of obtaining sex. He even started obtaining drugs or booze to make sure things happened for him sexually. He ends up determining that his sexual promiscuity was the cause of all his issues, and ultimately blames this for all of his problems. In the end I am still surprised that it would take a man who seems fairly rational twenty years to break down the barriers that hid the root of his issues from him. I would have to say this man must have some sort of addictive personality or control issues as I personally believe that most individuals can have healthy sexual lives before marriage sans the life sentence. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:26:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/reflections/#IDComment127225980 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/reflections/#IDComment127225944 I was first a bit surprised to by the opening paragraph where this inmate is considering his situation after twenty years of incarceration. My thoughts initially were that if you were a life inmate you probably confronted issues about how you came to be a lifer early on in your sentence. The man does not seem to be an individual with a mental disorder, at least not one that is immediately recognized through his though process as he seems to think rationally and articulates his reasoning well. I think it is interesting that his first location to turn to for blame is his father and the Vietnam war. A lot of people seem to have used the Vietnam war, along with other wars, to explain their problems. However, this inmate disproves his father's involvement in his troubles and moves onto another likely cause: location. The individual in question grew up in a location that is known to produce criminals and he questioned whether his location growing up caused his criminal behavior. He ends up suggesting that it does not explain his past as he says many good people came out of his area, channeling their aggression into boxing. However, I believe that location had a greater affect on him than he realizes. Also, he fails to consider that the amount of people who did constructive things from his area may be well outmatched by the number of people that turned to violence or crime. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:26:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/16/reflections/#IDComment127225944 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/from-hundreds-to-a-billion-i-dont-get-the-joke/#IDComment126006080 7. You consider television dangerous, but routinely carry explosives in your clothing. You may be a Muslim Again, insinuating that all Muslims are suicide bombers while also insinuating that Muslims restrict television viewing as a means of suppression. This statement also neglects the censoring that is occurring in other countries such as China, or greatest trading partner. 8. You were amazed to discover that cell phones have uses other than setting off roadside bombs. You may be a Muslim This statement sticks to the suicide bomber theme while also insulting the intelligence of Muslims as they were "too stupid" to figure out the use of a cell phone. 9. You have nothing against women and think every man should own at least four. You may be a Muslim Again, a statement insisting that all Muslims are polygamous while throwing in the idea that women are only property to Muslim. While women may be undervalued in some Muslim cultures we can certainly look to our own culture for a society that doesn't treat all citizens fairly. 10. Your cousin is president of the United States. You may be a Muslim Here is a shot at Barack Obama, who is "obviously" a Muslim trying to usurp the power of the United States. 11. You find this offensive or racist and don’t want to forward it. You may be a Muslim Finally, A shot at me, the reader. Obviously, anyone who reads this email and questions the validity of the claims made or thinks the entire email is nothing more than simple racism and propaganda is obviously in cahoots with the "dangerous, suicidal, drug trading, gun toting, poor, polygamous, dirty, bacon hating, jihad declaring, ignorant, democracy suppressing, sexist, and power hungry" Muslims. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 22:30:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/from-hundreds-to-a-billion-i-dont-get-the-joke/#IDComment126006080 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/from-hundreds-to-a-billion-i-dont-get-the-joke/#IDComment126006025 2. You own a $3,000 machine gun and $5,000 rocket launcher, but you can’t afford shoes. You may be a Muslim First of all, this point comes out mocking the poverty in which many Muslim's live. This statement also makes it seem as if many Muslims have these sort of weapons when in fact that is obviously not the case. 3. You have more wives than teeth. You may be a Muslim This is another two part insult which insinuates that Muslims have both poor dental hygiene and that every Muslim practices bigamy. I did some light research and according to Islamawarness.net, "Qur'an is the only religious scripture in the world that says 'marry only one' Qur'an is the only religious book, on the face of this earth, that contains the phrase 'marry only one'. There is no other religious book that instructs men to have only one wife. In none of the religious scriptures like the Vedas, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, the Geeta or the Bible does one find a restriction on the number of wives. According to these scriptures one can marry as many as one wishes. It was only later, that the Hindu priests and the Christian Church restricted the number of wives to one." I feel this is a valid point and I don't believe that Muslims practice bigamy with more frequency than other religions. 4. You wipe your butt with your bare hand, but consider bacon unclean. You may be a Muslim Making fun of Muslims for considering bacon as unclean is also nearly an attack on Judaism for its practices when it comes to foodstuffs. Also, the way many Muslims use the bathroom is perfectly acceptable as long as one cleans one's hands afterwards. 5. You think vests come in two styles: bullet-proof and suicide. You may be a Muslim Once again, a generalization that all Muslims are either combatants or suicide bombers. 6. You can’t think of anyone you haven’t declared Jihad against. You may be a Muslim The actions of a few Muslims declaring religious holy war on some has lead many people to believe that Muslims hate everyone, and wish to kill everyone. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 22:29:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/from-hundreds-to-a-billion-i-dont-get-the-joke/#IDComment126006025 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/from-hundreds-to-a-billion-i-dont-get-the-joke/#IDComment125994461 My first thoughts on this email are that it bothered me as it makes massive generalizations about an entire religious group based on the actions of a very small minority. My second thought(and fear) was that many people who get this email probably believe its contents to be both humorous and accurate. When people make such generalizations on the actions of a few people who are more visible from a religion or culture terrible things can be done in response. Perhaps, as we discussed in class, the worst of news coming out of the Middle East is televised which leads to these generalizations being more accepted. I have heard one story in particular that this email reminded me of. My brother was watching a movie in a local movie theater and a dark skinned couple from the Middle East came into the theater. The couple apparently became offended by the movie after approximately fifteen minutes and when they left the theater they left behind one of their bags. My brother and his girlfriend both became concerned by this and alerted an usher before the couple realized they had forgotten their bag. It caused quite the commotion and was obviously the product of my brothers fear of the Middle Eastern people, whom he rarely interacted with. That being said, I would like to point out my thoughts about each of the "jokes" from the email. 1. You refine heroin for a living, but you have a moral objection to liquor. You may be a Muslim This point assumes that consuming alcohol is a totally acceptable practice, though many more deaths result from alcohol use than heroine use each year. Also, this statement neglects the fact that much of the heroine trade is from outside of the Middle East and that there are thousands of legitimate jobs performed by Muslims each year. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 21:30:51 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/from-hundreds-to-a-billion-i-dont-get-the-joke/#IDComment125994461 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/21/body-image-issues-119-blog/#IDComment122870289 Body Image Issues: I believe that some people would certainly feel better about their appearance if they understood why they look the way that they do. People obviously only feel bad about how they look because they are told that they do not look the proper way, as dictated by society. If no one ever told someone who was Jewish that they had a Jewish nose or told someone that their lips were too big would they not see their own nose or lips as if they were normal. At the very least they would see themselves as acceptable and they would not believe that they were unattractive based on their traits that are not the norm. Thus, if people had a better understanding of where these traits actually come from then they would likely be less likely to try to make people feel poorly about the way the look. Through understanding where their own traits come from they would understand how other people came to look the way they did. My thoughts on this assume that people are originally not going to be dissatisfied with their own body image because they will see themselves as looking just fine and they will likely not be told they are ugly for being different in appearance until later in their lives. It also assumes that those in the society who see themselves as attractive and the norm are going to tell those who are not the norm that they are unattractive. In truth I believe that people who are moderately normal in appearance or even those who are considered outside to these norms even police themselves. They police themselves because they wish to be closer to the societal norms and society shows them how to look and act and one of the actions is to make others feel bad about their non-normal body forms. Now that I think more about this subject I am not even certain that people would become more accepting even if they did learn where their traits came from. Many people are so hard wired to the norms of society that they would likely still choose to harass people over their looks. Some people would become more accepting, but I believe that the majority of society would still function in the way it always has. Since the beginning of human time I believe that people have always acted in a tribal fashion, favoring those that look similarly to themselves: the people within their tribe, and acting in a negative fashion to those who look differently to themselves: the people outside of their tribe. Perhaps if this is something hardwired into our DNA it would explain why we act favorably to those who look like ourselves and cruelly to those who look differently. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:30:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/21/body-image-issues-119-blog/#IDComment122870289 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cm%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122082316 Soc 119 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:20:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cm%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122082316