en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3537434 Comments by NJPPennstate http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/12/02/voices-from-the-classroom-88/#IDComment231898860 On Thursday I attended Sam’s lecture on affirmative action, and wow did I learn a lot. I always knew affirmative action was flawed, but the lecture really opened my eyes to how useless it really is. So I will say I don’t believe affirmative action should be implemented and I believe the people who it was supposed to help don’t benefit from it at all. I believe affirmative action was first made as a way to look good on paper I mean sure it sounds like a great idea and a good way to try to even the playing field, but it actually doesn’t help anyone. White people actually benefit from affirmative action which is way the huge separation of wealth between whites and other races still exist after years of trying to balance things with affirmative action. So why do we still have affirmative action? Well if it wasn’t for Sam I would still be like the majority of the people of America and not see through the lies surrounding affirmative action. At first glance it looks like a brilliant idea, especially to those who it’s supposed to benefit the most. So this is why it still stands today because unless you’re very educated on the topic you don’t see through the phoniness. Also the biggest argument against affirmative action is why people should be hired just based of their race or sex. Well unfortunately for those who think that employers don’t have bias’s your wrong they do, but I still don’t think affirmative action solves the problem at all. Obviously it’s not helping the blacks or Latinos catch up to whites because whites keep equally growing and prospering too, keeping that gap just the same. Affirmative action was created to help certain races try to get ahead after years and years of being deprived and beaten down. But like Sam said the people who benefited the most from the policy are white women which is quite opposite than what the policy was expected to help. Now let’s think who are white women most likely going to marry? White men will marry white women, and if white women are now benefiting greatly off affirmative action, that directly helps and benefits their white husband, which in result is once again expanding the wealth gap between whites and other races. As you can see affirmative action is beyond flawed and the policy actually does quite the opposite than what it was intended to do. I do have to say though I’m sure there a few cases out their where affirmative action did benefit who it was intended to benefit, but for the majority it doesn’t. Which is why I believe that affirmative action shouldn’t be implemented today. Sat, 3 Dec 2011 00:15:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/12/02/voices-from-the-classroom-88/#IDComment231898860 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-78/#IDComment227361378 Everyone always says what you have learned. It seems that no matter what kind of situation you have at hand. The best thing to do is learn from it and move on. With all the recent buzz and craziness that surrounded this scandal and the Penn State community, it seems that no one has had time or thought to stop and think how can we learn from this and how can we grow. The answer to this question changes per person everyone will take something different out of this and some will be better than others. Obviously the lesson I learn will be completely different than what Sandusky learned. But I think what I’m taking from this is a lesson that most of my classmates should acknowledge as well. I did learn a lot about child abuse awareness, I learned how to keep optimistic in a time of great despair, but the biggest thing I realized and learned is how to handle yourselves and act like adults. This is pertaining to the student’s response to the firings of JoePa. After the riots and craziness dulled down I realized how wrong it was that there was damage done to the city, and how dumb it was for the students to dig themselves into a hole in the eyes of the media. This was the first time in the history of Penn State something like this happened so nobody should have expected the students to act in the best way possible. The students didn’t even know how to act at first; to mourn, to be mad, and to move on or what. And I think that’s where a huge lesson should be learned from and acknowledged by the student body, we as Penn State students didn’t respond in the correct way and didn’t act in the most proper manner. Individually I have learned that even the worst of times the best thing to do is stay composed and mature. If the football team could stay classy and composed I think the students should be able to ass well. As we all did love JoePa when it comes to the football team they were the one who truly were affected and put in a terrible situation. Also there are lessons to be learned from these victims who are the ones who need to be thought of the most. People must acknowledge the problem of child abuse and how it’s everywhere and anywhere. These poor children should be the best way to learn and grow from it. The awareness needs to be increased and people need to start speaking out. Nothing could be done with silence and I think that’s a huge lesson others who have been abused should learn. Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:36:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-78/#IDComment227361378 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-71/#IDComment220582141 The question is did and how much has social networking helped get these past riots going. In the last week there have been two large public riots. The streets of State College were filled with kids as well as some destruction occurring. When I first went out to see these riots I was interested to see exactly what was going on. I was okay with the situation until the destruction started. I was okay with the JoePa chants and open anger with the media. I was happy to see students who truly cared about the firing of one of the greatest coaches of all time. But this is when I believe the social networks make these riots take as turn for the worst. Nobody wants to update their facebook status or tweet about how they are standing around and watching. Everyone wants to pretend and show that they are in this huge intense riot. Also it’s a lot easier to spread the word about riots when people have 2 thousand friends on facebook or twitter word travels much faster. The other thing kids want is to look cool and pictures of broken lights, flipped cars, and large groups attract a lot of attention on facebook. So the social media makes a huge impact on these riots. If wasn’t for kids trying to show off on social networks and also if it wasn’t for the instant communication social networks make available I don’t personally think it would have been half as bad. I also think the media feeds off social networking I would not be surprised if they don’t use the pictures and information posted on social networks to drive their reports or find specific locations. A social network gives everyone first hand pictures and information on what’s going on. It’s the easiest way for bad information or pictures to spread. But no student thinks about that as they document or video tape the flipping of a van. All they are thinking about is how many likes they could get on their status or how many comments they could get on their pictures. And that’s a huge problem with our society and generation now that these social networks are a major part in our lives many kids look to social networks for gratification and a self esteem boost. It seems like nowadays young adults need to be liked on social networks and need to be gratified from them. So to sum things up these riots would not of formed so quickly or have been so popular if it wasn’t for social networks also if it wasn’t for the need for young adults to appease others with their social profiles, I don’t believe it would have been so destructive. And I think anyone could agree that if it wasn’t for the mass amount of pictures loaded to social networks it wouldn’t be so openly known. Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:26:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-71/#IDComment220582141 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-66/#IDComment216980994 The last two lectures Sam has given pertained to immigration, we discussed the benefits and the negatives of immigration. Also we watched multiple videos that helped me gain understanding of the topic. Before these lectures whenever I heard illegal immigration I instantly thought to myself how negative it is. But after sitting through these last lectures I’ve realized how much these illegal immigrants actually help America and its economy. Now personally I believe the fact people praise immigrants for being low wage workers isn’t exactly a good thing. I don’t believe liking a group of people because you can cheat them and make them work for cheap is a good thing but it does sure help the American economy. We watched a video about the Alabama farmers. The story was that once Alabama implemented very strict immigration policies many illegal immigrants left which resulted in a huge loss of workers for Alabama farmers. So large that they actually couldn’t harvest all their crops and majority was rotted. The farmers said they couldn’t fill the shoes of the immigrants with Americans because Americans don’t work as hard and can’t handle the hours and physical fatigue. Why is it that these immigrants are physically dominant when it comes to hard labor? I believe a lot of it has to do with the mind set of Americans, I believe Americans believe they are above doing work like that or too superior to be on their hands and knees all day. After immigration really started booming there began a stereotype of certain jobs are for immigrants especially the extremely physically demanding ones. These jobs shouldn’t be for immigrants it should be for people who want to help support a family. Also I believe immigrants are here trying to start a new life so they will deal with the terrible working conditions and deal with the hours just because they need work and to them it doesn’t matter what kind of work. I believe that especially the Mexican people take great pride in that the man should support a family, I have noticed through videos and discussion a Mexican man who can’t support a family is very wrong in their culture. So the majority of immigrants which are Mexican take whatever job they can get to be able to send whatever kind of money to their family. This idea is what plays a role in Americans having this new ego. An ego that prevents them from thinking they should be in hard labor, why would Americans do it if we have illegal’s to do it. Unfortunately that’s a lot of Americans mindset and that’s why they can’t work these tough jobs. As you can see Americans will never be able to take over the spots of immigrants, because of their own ideology, and also because they don’t possess the drive to support their family no matter what, like many cultures of immigrants do. Fri, 4 Nov 2011 21:23:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-66/#IDComment216980994 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-55/#IDComment213576318 The United States of America, by definition, is a nation founded by immigrants. The evidence showing where we came from is everywhere. Our country is a melting pot of dozens of ethnicities, all which add different flavors to the stew that is America. I believe that since our nation has progressed so far due to immigrants, we should welcome everyone with open arms. However, I do believe that if people do wish to immigrate to the United States, they should try to do it through legal channels. Personally, I have no issues with immigrants. We all descended from immigrants and therefore I believe we shouldn’t judge others. When my great grand-father came here from Italy about a century ago, he was greeted with strong opposition. It made the transition or Americanization process very hard. There was widespread hatred towards new immigrants. Many businesses simply refused to hire Italians for no other reason since they were new to the country. I believe that there are a lot of parallels between what the Italians faced in the late 1800s and the current wave of immigrants now. I think we all should strive to make their assimilation process as easy as possible. As United States citizens we pride ourselves on upholding the ideals of our country, such as patriotism, hospitality, and kindness. We should all try to adhere to these ideals by trying to welcome immigrants. To answer the question more directly, I have no bad feelings for immigrants. They add many benefits to society. They work very important, but sometimes undesirable, jobs that no one else wants. I come from a public High School where many of the newest children of immigrants attend. It’s say to say that I consider many of my good friends to be offspring of immigrants and there’s nothing weird about that in my opinion. Some people still hold a stigma towards immigrants for some personal reasons. However, like I said before, from my personal experiences I believe immigrants do nothing but benefit society. As a nation we should strive to stay away from becoming complacent and immigrants help to bring about new ideas, foods, and culture. Although it might appear that I’m very accepting of immigrants across the board, I’m not as supportive for illegal immigrants. The current immigration system was put in place for a reason. If someone has to maneuver around the formal means of becoming an immigrant I believe that should raise red flags. Illegal immigrants are impossible to be accounted for and it adds unanticipated strain onto public institutions such as schools and social services. Overall, I am wholly supportive of those individuals who wish to come to the United States and start a new life. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:44:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-55/#IDComment213576318 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment210694252 What is a “poser”, from my understanding a poser is someone who pretends to be part of a group they shouldn’t be in, or someone who tries’s really hard to fit in with people of difference. Looking at this definition then someone who hangs out mainly with people of a different race should be considered “being a poser” These people fit the ideal definition of what a poser is, but Are they actually posers? In my opinion I think no. I think that posing is trying to follow some sort of behavior or cultural feature. I don’t think skin color would have anything to do with posing. Maybe if the dark colored people I hung out with were ghetto, so I tried to be ghetto I would be a poser. But if I just acted the same way as I always have and just had black friends that’s not what a poser is. Now as Sam discussed a lot of races take offense to situations like this, for example if a black kid hung out with all white kids, maybe his black friends would consider him a traitor or not even black. Alternatively if a white kid hung out with all black kids he would be frowned upon by some of his friends and instantly stereotyped as a wigger. In case you didn’t know a wigger is a white man acting black. But who are his friends to make the decision he’s a wigger he could be the whitest kid and still have a lot of black friends. It’s not the group your with that decides if you’re a poser or not it’s your actions. Yes trying to act ghetto or trying to act preppy is being a poser. But the majority of the time people act the same; they just associate more with different races. My question is why does there need to be a negative term like “poser” to describe someone who is educated in race relations and comfortable enough to be able to have a lot of different colored friends. I know from experience it’s hard to approach a black person the first time, not because their scary or anything like that, but there was always a thought in my head, that maybe this person doesn’t like white people. I think the people who force themselves to just hangout with one race are posers themselves. They try to act like those around them and don’t broaden their horizons to the people around them. So to sum it up no I don’t believe that anyone who has a particular race of friends especially if it’s a different race from their own is a poser. Color has nothing to do with posing it’s about the way you act, if you’re not true to yourself and pretend to be something else than yes you’re a poser. I believe friendship with those who aren’t of your same race is essential for America to keep going further and a n essential for the world to be at peace. Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:35:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment210694252 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-45/#IDComment207521929 The question is how does my race shape my view of the world. Well to begin I guess I need to state my race, which is white/caucasian. My view of the world is a very positive one I enjoy my day to day activities and I believe I have quite a nice life. When it comes to the world as a whole I believe it is not perfect obviously. But I also don’t think it is that bad, at least in America I believe it’s a very nice life for people. I think it’s a world of opportunity and chances, it’s a chance for people who aren’t wealthy to become wealthy, and it’s a place where anyone can be anything. I also believe I have an opportunity to achieve and have anything I want. But I know that this outlook on the world is through a white mans perspective. After many lectures from Sam I have realized the topic of race in the world is much more complex than I ever could have thought. There’s much more racism in the career world and much more “invisible strings” on people of minority than I could have ever imagined. So yes, I believe my race makes a huge difference on my view of the world, I believe a minority my have a much more negative view on the world because of all the bumps and challenges they have to succeed. I believe from what I learned in Soc that being a minority in fact does make it much more difficult to succeed in your life. So I believe that myself being white affects my view of the world by making it naïve in a way. As I was I believe the majority of white people are naïve and clueless to the problems of the world and the restrictions the world put on minorities. Also I believe my outlook would be much more positive of then someone of different color or someone of poverty, because those people feel like the world has forgot about them. As you can see my race makes a huge difference in my view of the world I have no limitations’ on my life and I believe many other people unfortunately do. Also I have “white privilege” that Sam talks abut in class, which is that being white makes the world easier for me. I think the white privilege also strongly shapes the way white people feel about their life and the world. Its obvious whose going to feel cheated the guy who ahs everything he wants or the person who is in poverty or struggles due to racism every time he wants to get job. So I would say that my race makes my view of the world into a very naïve and optimistic view. Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:37:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-45/#IDComment207521929 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-36/#IDComment204536454 I think this question is a lot deeper and has a vast array of answers. I will say that the girls of Penn State do have a very “particular” dress. This is not to bash any girls or to bas all girls it’s just my opinion on how to explain this. I don’t believe that the girls dress the way they do to turn boys on or to say “Hey I’m a whore”. Girls are pressured into this look at the media and society; guys get away with jeans and a t shirt to pretty much anything and any party. Society has developed a duty for girls to always look good and to always be dressed to favor a man’s eye. I really enjoyed Sam’s lectures and points about the world being in a man’s perspective because it really is. These girls shouldn’t be treated differently or judged by the people around them. Its not the girls trying to look like sluts or skanky it’s just the atmosphere in college and the pressure of college that shapes them. Doesn’t mean they should lose their rights or respect because they follow the norm. So the next question everyone will argue is “Don’t they have a choice”, well yes they do just because the majority of girls dress like that doesn’t mean everyone has to. But anyone our age knows what it’s like to crave popularity and attention it’s what drives the majority all of our lives. And also it is very difficult for a girl to not fit in, and in reality the girl at the party who isn’t dressed up and all dolled up will stand out more than those who are. So the question shouldn’t be why girls dress the way they do, and then expect to be treated differently. It should be why men think just because a girl is dressed like that they want sex. The majorities of them most likely aren’t even like that or have that in mind. It’s the sex driven minds of men that create these subconscious thoughts and ideas. Girls should be able to dress however they want and not be judged, as guys should consider themselves lucky that they don’t have this constant pressure to always impress and look good. Fri, 7 Oct 2011 22:20:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-36/#IDComment204536454 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197623966 When the Haiti project was first introduced in class I was more than interested. It’s not very often that you get the chance to actually help or aid somebody in real life. Usually its theoretical situations, but finally my group and I could make a difference in somebody’s actual life. I began to look into all the guidelines and ideas behind the Haiti Project and it seems like this is really going to be a fun and life changing project. I am more than excited to get into the project and really get to work and hopefully have a great result at the end of the project. I also like how Sam isn’t stressing the grade on this because this project shouldn’t be done for a grade, it shouldn’t be all about getting an A this project is real and should be about making a difference. After viewing multiple videos about the entrepreneurs’ in Haiti I’m inspired and touched. These people are true genius’s and are truly great at what they do. Anybody could make a business with unlimited resources, but these Haitians are doing it with nothing and that’s remarkable. The three that really caught my eye were Figaro, Sonia, and Suze. Figaro was very touching because not only was this talented woman helping to get food spread around her town she also created jobs for four other people. I believe that’s huge for Haiti having a job that creates more jobs for others. Figaro had nothing no blenders or mixers but yet created these great pastries from hand just trying to earn a little profit and support her family. Talented people like Figaro need to be helped there needs to be some sort of aid or plan going to her because she has the opportunity to really get something going in her neighborhood that would have 100’s of benefits for everyone. Sonia I believe is one of the most talented people I’ve ever seen created such fascinated and perfect lunch boxed from a crappy sewing machine. Get her more sewing machines this woman has a gift and can truly have a good business in Haiti. And Suze is very inspiring trying to distribute cheap food and peanuts products to school and people to try to help people to eat. These entrepreneurs’ aren’t just trying to help themselves they are also trying to help their neighborhoods and those around them. These are truly gifted people who with the right plan or help could be a large step to helping Haiti. It’s these little hometown businesses like theirs I believe is a key stepping stone to success in Haiti. Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:24:03 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197623966 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/15/voices-from-the-classroom-15/#IDComment194215251 Last lecture in class pertained to “free will’ and “determinism” also how these affected people and society, Sam went over multiple statistics about different races and how they do in school and on standardized tests. Also we discussed stats on welfare rates income and wealth. A lot of these statistics really opened my eyes to modern day life for many people. I also realized how fortunate I am in my life and how unfortunate some people have it. The question Sam presented to us was why are these stats the way they are why do certain races and ethnicities struggle compared to others. Which led us to discuss “free will’ free will is the idea that anybody can do anything and if they are struggling or failing its due to their own personal choices. Then we discussed ‘determinism” this means that some people can’t help to struggle and that their culture or environment shapes them and influences them. So the next question is what I believe in, I am on the ‘free will’ side of the spectrum. I believe peoples choices are the greatest influence in your life, and the statement Sam made about always having a choice is actually exactly how I feel. I believe no one can blame someone else or something else for their life it’s their life and their choices and it’s up to them to make things work. I live my life through the choices I make, and if I fail or have hardship I blame myself. I believe anyone can change their life, for example if s black kid is growing up in the ghetto most will say he won’t make it out of college or get a good job. Determinist will say his environment and family will hold him back. But I don’t believe in that I believe with the right choices he can make it out of the ghetto and get a good job. He will always have the choice to say no t those who hold him back, he has the choice to not get involved in drugs or crime, he has the choice to be the only one out of his family to go to college. So that’s my views on ‘free will’ and I don’t belive in ‘determinism’ at all, I think it’s an excuse. Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:32:52 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/15/voices-from-the-classroom-15/#IDComment194215251 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/08/voices-from-the-classroom-6/#IDComment191711057 A popular topic in our Soc class is race, and how race is thought of and categorized. The President of our United States is said to be the first African American president ever. This is obviously huge step for America and a huge step for equality. But even after this phenomenon there are questions arising about Obama’s race, what he really is and how it is effecting people. I for one don’t care what he is, he’s a human and a persona and in my personal opinion a pretty qualified guy to run this country. But, even though there’s controversy about his race. In the midst of a war in the Middle East people began to jab the fact that he is Middle Eastern. Visually Obama is black, his skin is black and last time I checked he was African American. That is how I categorize Obama, and that does not affect my opinion about him. Yellow, red, or purple it should not influence peoples opinion, the man is the President. He should be judged off how well he’s running the country, his opinion and policies, and the ways he’s trying to improve America; that is what shapes my opinion of Obama. Then the question of what else is Obama viewed as what other races are in him. He’s a mixed race just like 90% of America, nobody knows fully what every root is in their body, so what does it matter what else he is. Even if he was Middle Eastern or something else what difference should that make, he still is an American born in America, last time I checked that was the requirement to be a President. Also no matter what race people categorize him as he still is “history” he broke the race barrier in the US presidency. He has done something nobody else has been able to accomplish, he was able to create a big enough following and influence enough people to win his presidency. That’s how he should be categorized as a man who is great someone who is different; black, Muslim or whatever he is shouldn’t even be in the conversation. It reminds me of my opinion on women candidates for Presidency. It’s a very similar situation to women running, I don’t care if a woman was President, but what I do care about is that they receive votes because of what they work for and their values, not because of her sex. I believe this applies to Obama I hope he won due to his policies and ideas and not just because he was African American. Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:20:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/08/voices-from-the-classroom-6/#IDComment191711057 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/why-not-just-american/#IDComment189128104 The question at hand is why “Americans” don’t answer the question of what their ethnicity with the response American. My first thought when I hear this is to establish what does American mean, what is American? American isn’t a race or ethnicity it’s a term used to describe where we live in my mind. America is considered a melting pot of all different races, cultures, ethnicities, and religions all brought together living as one. Well we try to live as one but sometimes that’s very difficult. I personally was born in America and come from an Italian, German and Syrian heritage. Most likely if someone asks me what I am my response will be Italian, because I believe those features and cultures are the biggest in my life. My family follows many Italian traditions and ideas so to me I’m Italian. So to answer the question of why I don’t answer with American is because American doesn’t mean anything. America was started by immigrants; America was built by many different cultures. America has been shaped around thousands of different races and ethnicities, so how could anyone consider themselves American. I believe no one should ever forget where they came from and where their family is from. My life is lived in America and I am influenced by American ways, but by no means am I only American. The next question is that by not considering us all as one and “American”, does that make us weak compared to like Japan and Russia. I believe it’s quite the opposite, I believe living as one united country , but yet keeping our traditions and cultures close to us makes us stronger and better than countries who force their citizens to forget about where they came from and become one solid unity. No one is this world can truly tie themselves to one place, those from China aren’t just Chinese, people from Germany aren’t just German. There are a lot of twists and crazy cultures people can be tied to actually. I learned in class that anyone no matter how they look or what color they are can be from anywhere. And I believe everyone needs to respect those before them, because their ancestors are the reason they are here. So when asked what you are I believe your response should never be “American”, you could say that you are from and live in America. But you should proudly yell out where your cultures come from, and where your ancestors are from. Because those ancestors are the reason you can answer that question and the reason you live in America. Fri, 2 Sep 2011 20:06:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/why-not-just-american/#IDComment189128104