en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3595104 Comments by PSUdubZ http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-75/#IDComment223449152 When learning about how prevalent this type of abuse is in our society today, it made me sick. The whole idea that anyone can take part in these types of acts toward children is horrifying and I really did not know how much of a large scale issue this really is. In response to the real question that was posed for this blog, I really have mixed emotions on how I feel about the possibility of someone in my family being abused in this way. Obviously if something like this was going on I’d be furious, sickened, and devastated by the act. The reason I am saying I have mixed emotions on the matter is simply my own desire to hold onto the hope and belief that no one in my family has ever been affected by such abuse. I want to believe that everything is okay and that this isn’t taking place to anyone in my family. But the fact is that because of how prevalent this issue is, there is a possibility and that really makes me feel terrible inside. To think about how people who commit such horrifying acts physically makes me feel sick. I also had no idea how prevalent this was, and sadly enough, probably never would have if this scandal at our school hadn’t taken place. It is so sad to me that tragedies must take place for people to really dive into an issue and talk about it. This especially, is an issue that is never discussed. I mean how can you talk about it, it is just so appalling. But yet it is something that we who are in Soc 119 now know needs to be talked about. It needs to be an issue for debate on how we as a society can act to stop such abuse from taking place. The fact that sexual abuse is such a large problem also worries me for the future. I am very much looking forward to the part of my life where I will be a dad and have a family. Looking at things from that light frighten me even more. If something like that ever happened to my own children it would be beyond devastating. As I am typing this right now, the thought literally is making me physically ill and I don’t know how to go about reversing the trend and how to make this issue affect less people. But what I do know is, talking about it is at least a start, and is way better than not talking about it. Problems like this need to be brought to the forefront of debate with the intent to better polices or whatever needs to be fixed to ratify this problem. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:30:31 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-75/#IDComment223449152 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-73/#IDComment220600402 I believe that this event or events of the past week have brought extreme negative light on us here at Penn State. The actions of so few will have a lasting effect on the opinions of the world on so many. I believe our name has been tainted with these allegations and how the situation was handled so poorly. The magnitude of the situation combined with the positions of the people involved makes this so much worse in terms of reputation for our school. There were too many people in high positions of power here at school that it just makes it look so much worse. Also, the fact that they all basically tried to cover it up and watch their own back instead of doing the right thing is just disgusting and if I see it as such as a student here, I can’t imagine how others aren’t looking at it in at least that same light. Now even with all of this going on, I think some healing could already be taking place in terms of our reputation of our school if it weren’t for the portion of the student body involved in riots this week. I say that because the board of trustees did what they had to do and got rid of the people involved, they still have work to do undoubtedly, but they made steps in the right direction. I believe the riot has put us many steps back in the eyes of the rest of the world. I would like to know what cause were the students involved in the riot there rioting for? It is a fact that Joe Paterno did nothing wrong in the eyes of the law, I understand that. But that does not hide the fact that he also did not do enough to try and help stop a terrible thing from taking place. The man is guilty of that, and I truly believe his firing is totally justified. He needed to do more. That is also how the rest of the world is viewing this incident, especially because that is how the media has been portraying it. With that in mind, how could students here go to riot to defend that man and that image? It was wrong and made us look so ignorant. Flipping over a news van, did that really make some kind of point or send a positive message in support of Paterno, NO! It didn’t send any kind of positive message, it sent the an extremely negative message and people from all over the country think all of the students here at Penn State are ignorant and insensitive. Those who were involved in the riot are such a small portion of the student body here, but their actions were seen by the rest of the world and through those actions people have and will make generalizations of the rest of us. Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:22:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-73/#IDComment220600402 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/30/only-white-students-guard-the-lion-shrine/#IDComment216340373 I think that this video was made to let people know of the tradition of homecoming week here at Penn State. Students from opposing schools for many years have come to try and deface our great shrine, and Penn State students over that same amount of time, have camped out to protect it. Groups of Students, highly motivated by the Penn State school spirit which we all feel inside us, chose each and every year to defend the shrine and our school. I love the idea and without the video I wouldn’t have known when to show up and support the cause. Bringing up the fact that there are only white people in the video is ignorant. By pointing that out, you completely missed the whole point of the video. The point of the video was not to stir up racial talks about how only white people want to guard the shrine or anything absurd like that. I hate how everything has to be over analyzed. Take that video for what it is. I wish I would have never read Sam’s description before stumbling upon that video because then I would have been able to watch it and just further love this school and the pride instilled in me just by going here. Honestly, everything isn’t about race, but race is always around us so someone has to bring it up and bring what is a perfectly fine video under fire for not being politically correct. There was a group of students who wanted to make a video and they were white. What were they going do, go up to people of color and be like; “hey we, ugh…we need some diversity for our video. The people in our group that decided to make the video are all white so we need to add people of color to make it politically correct so we don’t get in trouble.” That would be shedding negative light on the matter, not helping it. It’s unfortunate that everything has to be looked upon in such a controversial light. I feel like this has nothing to do with any racial issue, but now it is a huge issue because people are making it that. Now, with all that being said, there was one point that I agreed with from Sam’s point of view. He brought up how on mostly all other Penn State promotional videos, the people or students who are portrayed are very racially diverse. This is of course to show how diverse this university is and that is one of the best parts of going here in my mind. So it should be emphasized and shown off. That’s also another reason why I think it is a little ridiculous to point out in this one video that there is a lack of racial diversity. I just don’t think the lack of racial diversity in one video should get so much attention. Thu, 3 Nov 2011 15:51:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/30/only-white-students-guard-the-lion-shrine/#IDComment216340373 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/26/arizona-senators-vote-to-allow-college-clubs-to-refuse-members/#IDComment213031317 After reading the article about the new policy in Arizona over student clubs and organizations at universities, I was a little shocked. I feel like everything in this country is about attempting to reach equality and to eradicate any and all discrimination. This policy decision has come from out of nowhere in my opinion, and raises many questions and concerns about what message is being sent. That being said, I believe there are two main sides to this issue. The first of which being that in some cases the ruling just flat out makes sense. If you join a club at school you can be joining for a few reasons. You may just want to further expand your network of friends, or maybe you really strongly support the beliefs and actions of that club. Letting clubs deny access to becoming a member allows for certain clubs to grow and become strong. They are able to then screen people on the criteria laid out in their club or organization, and if an applicant does not possess any of the skills necessary or doesn’t share a strong enough belief then they would weigh down the club. This method does then hurt those students who are just trying to branch out and meet new people, because they may not share such strong beliefs. Those same students would be interested in the club or what the club stands for, at least you would think so because they are showing initiative to join, but may not have as strong of feelings for the group as other members. Students like that will have no interest in attempting to join a group that has no relevance to them. The second side to this issue, to me, is that it opens the door to a wide range of discrimination. It puts power in the hands of college students to make decisions on who is admitted where no other governing body has a say. This can lead to possible denial of membership based on race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or gender. I thought, this country as a whole, was striving away from anything that encourages this type of discrimination or the possibility of it. I think it could be very dangerous putting this type of power in the hands of students. Looking at the example of a Catholic student club excluding Jews or anyone who has different religious beliefs, I believe is where the line gets a little fuzzy. Why would you want to join that group if you weren’t Catholic? To me, for this case, denying admittance makes sense. For the most part though, I believe this won’t be an issue because people will look to only join groups they truly believe they belong in. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:34:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/26/arizona-senators-vote-to-allow-college-clubs-to-refuse-members/#IDComment213031317 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-48/#IDComment210554339 I think that my friends definitely do influence me when it comes to my stage and how I see things. Before coming to college I was probably in stage three. I had been exposed to plenty of situations where I interacted with people of other races, but I was a little close minded. This class and especially our discussion group have definitely led me out of stage three and into stage four. I love talking about and exploring this dynamic of race. So much so that I have tried to bring these discussions back to my friends and see what more and more people’s thoughts are. This leads me to my point of how my friends definitely influence me and where I am at. I have tried to talk about some race issues with my friends recently and the conversations have not really gone over too well. They have been some of the more awkward conversations I’ve ever had, honestly. I believe this happens because most of the people I have tried to talk to have been at a lower stages than me. They either aren’t quite comfortable enough yet to talk about race, or just have not been exposed to it like I have recently through Soc 119. This has helped to further push me in the direction I have been on. It intensifies my curiosity about race and racial issues that no one really talks about. I love talking about things like that, maybe it’s just me, but hearing points of view from all over the spectrum on any kind of controversial topic is something that I value. That being said, by how awkward it was when I tried talking to my friends, I am now more interested in why they felt that way and if they are interested in changing that. I try and bring issues or questions up about race more often now to attempt to help them become more comfortable with the subject and talking about it is the only way to accomplish that. This class has really helped me a lot to open up my mind and how I think about race. These kinds of experiences and self growth are exactly why I chose to come to Penn State. For me, I was thrown into a whole new world with so many people of all different cultures and race. You can take one of two paths when faced with culture shock like that, to go into your shell (the shell being your own race) or you can branch out and explore and meet new people and be open to new ideas. That second part is how I attempt to look at life and the opportunity here in hopes of someday reaching stage six. Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:49:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-48/#IDComment210554339 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-36/#IDComment207484959 This is a question that we just recently discussed in my discussion group this week. I found it very interesting to hear what the girls had to say about the matter. Being a guy, I don’t mind seeing the girls dressed in this way, short (really really short) skirts, some skimpy or revealing shirt and heels, but I also don’t really get why they dress like that either. After about the first month and a half of school, it starts to become frigid in state college and these girls are wearing nearly nothing and braving the elements to go frat hopping. What seemed to be a common theme among the girls in my discussion group was that dressing like that, makes them feel better about themselves. When they finally find that perfect outfit for the night, they feel confident and more excited about the night to come. I’ve also heard from a lot of girls that they dress to impress not for the guys, but to look better and compete with other girls. Us guys just reap the benefits of this ongoing competition between each and every girl on campus. In terms of why they think that will be treated with respect when almost wearing no cloths…isn’t that a no brainer? Girls, you are going out to frats, bars, apartments, and wherever else and drinking and interacting with guys who are also drinking. Most guys are thinking and hoping to score each and every night they go out and party, and you dressing in that way sends the message that so are u. It’s a form of non verbal communication that is letting everyone else know where you stand. So when some of you can’t understand how guy after guy tries to make a move on you, just think about what it is that you are saying, without saying it. I was saying this to the girls in my discussion class this week about how some guys really do try to be respectful and act “right.” But they have to keep in mind that we are still guys, and being respectful (in terms of looking at their eyes and not other places, that type of respectful), especially when we are drunk and at a party is still rather difficult. When you are out at a party, drinking, and dancing there is a certain mindset I believe most guys have. I just think that if girls have a problem or don’t like how they are treated when they go out, they just need to make better decisions with how they dress, or they need to realize what they are doing and where they are going and be realistic with their expectations. Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:51:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-36/#IDComment207484959 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classroom-31/#IDComment203911936 I love these ABC what would you do videos. They really put people’s word to the test. A lot of people say they would do something to help another person, but when you actually are faced with a situation, you never know if people will step to the plate. This particular scenario is one I was faced with when I was in high school. When I was much younger, I didn’t understand the concept of being gay and so it made me uncomfortable. Then, when I got my first job one of my co workers came out of the closet. This kid also went to my high school. One day in my high school a friend of mine saw the kid I worked with who was gay walking into school. He started bashing him just because he saw him. The kid did nothing to provoke this behavior other than the fact that he was gay. I happen to have a problem with keeping my mouth shut in these kinds of situations, so I let him know what he was saying was wrong and that he should probably shut his mouth. I know I didn’t stand up to someone pushing him around but I did what I thought I should then. My point is that there were a lot of other people around that day hearing this kid just bashing on the poor kid and didn’t do or say anything. That kid ended up becoming one of my good friends. I learned one thing from that friendship that has helped me accept people who were gay; plenty of guys who are gay are just normal dudes. They like sports and a lot of the same things I do, just at the end of the day, they are gay and I am straight. I’m not really sure why it’s looked at as much more than that. I think the main thing that causes bullying or even fear towards people who are gay is just a lack of knowledge. If you have never met anyone who was gay, then that is a foreign or abstract idea in your head. This is not nearly a good enough reason to justify the cruel punishment gay people receive during their lives. People need to be more open to accepting people; we have so many other things we could worry about rather than worrying about sexual preferences of OTHER PEOPLE. What they do, does not affect you in anyway. These kinds of issues are why I wanted to take this class, we talk about them, learn about them, and hopefully to those people who are in the class and have never been exposed to any of these things they can get a true perspective on things and then be able to form educated decisions for themselves. Thu, 6 Oct 2011 15:42:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/02/voices-from-the-classroom-31/#IDComment203911936 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-18/#IDComment201372997 The experiment taking place in the bike video is really interesting to me. The only thing that they didn’t account for is that the same exact people weren’t reacting to each of the situations. I would have liked to see that because then you could really get a sense for if the race of the two guys played a part in how the people reacted. That being said, I think it’s safe to say that everyone had an idea for how the video was going to play out. The white kid stealing the bike got the least attention, the black kid the most, and the girl basically received help from anyone that came across her. The saddest part about the whole experiment was that the actors were basically telling the people that they were stealing the bike when asked. I assumed a lot of people would just act like they didn’t see anything and move on. If you actually did go up to the actors and ask them about what they were doing and they told you that the bike wasn’t theirs, how could you not do something? That was the most disappointing part to the whole experiment. People worked up the courage to see what was going on, and when they found out a crime was being committed, they just walked away and did nothing. It is disturbing that people can see something wrong taking place and not act. The effect race had on the experiment was obvious, the black actor received tons more attention than either the white guy or girl actors. I just don’t understand why that happens. I honestly would have reacted the same way to both, because both are wrong. I always look at things as if the action taking place were happening to me. For instance, if that was my bike being stolen, who stole wouldn’t play a role in how mad or upset I was about it. I’d just be pissed off that my bike was stolen, so whoever is doing the stealing should be stopped. I think if everyone tried looking at things like that we would have less of this happening. Wrong is wrong no matter the color of the person doing it. I just really don’t have an explanation to why people care so much about color, but it is everywhere. Yesterday in class when Sam was showing the pictures of gay and straight people kissing and holding each other as part of the presentation, two black guys were in one of them. There were three black girls sitting in front of me at the time, and I heard one of them say “why do they have to be black guys?” Why does that matter; its one picture of two people used as an example, nothing more. But she looked right to color, the color issue is everywhere. I’m just glad those of us in Sam’s class are able to discuss the issue and bring further awareness to it. Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:58:25 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-18/#IDComment201372997 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197685689 The Haiti project is something I had no idea about before today. Looking through the information that is provided I am both excited and eager to help as well as a little nervous and confused on what it is that we can actually do to help. Thankfully we will be collaborating with our discussion groups and I have a great deal of confidence in my group that we will be able to come up with a good idea to assist in some way the Haitian people. Just looking through the information and being reminded of the natural disaster that took place last year in the form of an earthquake really puts into perspective the kind of help these people really need. Over two hundred and fifty thousand people died as a result of the earthquake and one and a half million others were left homeless. The damage that was caused is almost impossible to overcome without the assistance of some outside force. This class and this project give us the opportunity to be a part of that cause. Looking on the website through the lists of entrepreneurs and groups in Haiti a few interested me. First, Noel and his current business ENERSA make solar powered street lamps that also have phone charging docks on them. The company got its star through HPCD, (Haitian Partners for Christian Development), another Haitian organization geared to create job opportunities in Haiti. Both of these companies or organizations are taking the necessary steps to be successful. Both really have come to almost a standstill to further grow and expand without the help of some outside entity. Noel employs thirty five employees at his main warehouse and has more employees at other varies locations. His employees make each and every part from nearly scratch, having just the raw materials to start. Buying raw materials in bulk is a major problem for Noel and many other entrepreneurs because the materials pass through too many hands before reaching Haiti, making them much more expensive. He could purchase already manufactured parts and save money, but he would have almost no use for most of his employees and the whole point is to create jobs, not eliminate them. If there was a way to implement a loan system in which Noel and his company could pay back the initial investment back over time then maybe he could get the raw materials he needs while at the same time continue to grow his company and offer more job opportunities to others in Haiti. Perhaps, using a system similar to the one Sam was proposing in the videos he is in with Clorene and her sister. They are unable to front the money at first, but would be capable of paying it back in small increments over time. If we were able to find an investor and present a business plan to them, we may be able to get Noel the money he needs. Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:46:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/20/everyone-respond-to-this/#IDComment197685689 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/15/voices-from-the-classroom-11/#IDComment197672373 Since I was a freshman in high school I have wanted to be a Penn State student. I applied to four schools my senior year, and as soon as I got my acceptance letter in the mail I knew this was the place I was going to be for the next four years. I might as well have not applied anywhere else. I came here for a plethora of different reasons. None of which were because of social status or connections. People that get privileges because of daddy or mommy bothers me so much. By no means am I poor, but my parents didn’t save for me to go to college and don’t have enough money to help me out with any of my loans really. Once I graduate the burden of college loans and debt will be on me. I work as a server while I’m here at school because I need to make a certain amount of money a month just to stay here. Sorry, that is just a something that I feel very strongly about. I have a much tougher time here at school because I have more responsibilities than most kids. On another note, race was a reason that I came to this school. I grew up in a small town with mostly white people if I can be completely honest. I came to this school because it is massive in size and in student population. Everywhere I go I have the chance to meet not just one new person, but many. Of those people, they all have some kind of different background and story to offer. That is the beauty of this school. I wanted to come here because I knew I’d get to experience something I had never been exposed to before. One of my best friends, who I met here at school, is from Venezuela. I would have never met him or anyone like him if it wasn’t for Penn State. I am only in my sophomore year, so this is still relatively new to me and the wonders of this school still amaze me. The atmosphere here is amazing, almost addicting. The way that everyone here just loves Penn State so much, just like I do, is something I love about this place as well. School spirit is encouraged, and being crazy passionate is normal. The best part about it is that no matter how different we are, we are all a part of this school and its rich history. No matter what your race is, or where you are from, or what you like to do, or almost anything else, you can find a sense of belonging here at Penn State. That is why I came to this university, and that’s why it will always be a huge part of me. Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:13:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/15/voices-from-the-classroom-11/#IDComment197672373 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/08/voices-from-the-classroom-4/#IDComment191670500 In my eyes, being Jewish refers to religion and culture. My father practiced Judaism as a kid. His whole family is Jewish. He went through all the stages of the Jewish religion such as going to Hebrew school to learn to read the language, celebrating Hanakkuh every year, and becoming a man in the eyes of his religion by having a bar mitzvah. His experience through the Jewish religion doesn’t make me Jewish as his son, it just makes me the son of a man who believes in the Jewish faith. I think it’s rather obvious that it’s a religion, and doubt anyone would say it isn’t. They believe in a god, have a book of worship, and their own holidays to celebrate their beliefs. If that isn’t a religion I need to figure out what is. I also believe, as I said earlier, that being Jewish can refer to culture. I think that you can’t really have one without the other. You can experience and be around the Jewish culture if you aren’t Jewish, but you never truly will fully understand it if you don’t follow it as your own religion and accept it as part of your lifestyle. A good portion of my dad’s side of our family is Jewish, in the sense of religion and then therefore in my eyes culture as well. Some of his relatives live in Jewish communities, some don’t. All of them actively practice their faith in Judaism. Which again, I think is the essential part of being Jewish. The culture side of it is the most intriguing part in my mind. There are different Jewish communities all over the country. People always seem to flock together when they have many similarities. Living in a community where you are surrounded by people that share very similar beliefs and ideals makes people feel comfortable. Through these neighborhoods and communities, those people develop their own way of living and interacting with one another in many different aspects of life. That right there is basically the definition of culture. I left the idea of being Jewish as a race thing till the end because I wasn’t really sure what I thought about it. Through writing this entry and really thinking about the idea, I believe it could be considered a race. Unlike culture and religion, you could be Jewish in the sense of race without necessarily practicing the Jewish faith. The reason is simple, if you have blood of the people that were actually born in Jerusalem; you are Jewish in terms of race. I mean why can’t it be considered a race if every other race is literally referring to your bloodline, if you have blood relatives from Jerusalem you are Jewish. Just like someone who has African blood is African. Fri, 9 Sep 2011 22:33:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/08/voices-from-the-classroom-4/#IDComment191670500 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/how-do-you-feel-about-interracial-dating/#IDComment189212297 I personally prefer white women, I guess because I am white. However I am not opposed to dating outside my own race. I find plenty of girls attractive from other races; I’ve just never actually dated any of them. One thing that helps me that I’ve seen a lot of other people posting about, is wondering if their parents would care. I am sure that my parents wouldn’t have a problem with me dating a girl of another race. That gives me confidence in other people to be able to have that same understanding. In my mind, because of my parents mind set, if there was ever a problem with a girl’s parents we would be able to try and work it out. Kids with parents who may be against the idea of them dating someone of another race may not share my opinion I can understand that. That dynamic I think is a main contributor in a person’s preference of who they would date. I believe that many people are like me in the sense that they prefer to date people of their same race. I think that a person’s preference is developed over time with many different things influencing it. I think maybe how or where you were raised are two of the biggest factors. I grew up in a very country town, populated mostly with white people. My high school may have had like ten black, Hispanic, or Asian or any other kind of race in it, and I’m talking the entire high school student body. Basically for everyday of my whole life I’ve lived surrounded by people like me. It becomes, perhaps, like a norm in your life. It’s not that I am opposed, as I said before, but I’ve never really been exposed to it. That is one of the reasons Penn State was the only school for me, its gigantic, with so many students of all different backgrounds. It is something that I have never been exposed to before in my life. I hang out with people of all different upbringings now at school and I love that as a part of my life. On the other hand, if I had grown up in more of an urban setting where people of all shapes and sizes live together, my preference might be completely different. I could have had kids of all different races in my high school, sitting next to me in class, working with me, and perhaps as my neighbors. I definitely believe that if that was the case, it would just be a lot more common to see interracial couples. Those thoughts aside I would not feel awkward dating someone of another race. Sat, 3 Sep 2011 02:36:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/how-do-you-feel-about-interracial-dating/#IDComment189212297