gdp's Comments

World In Conversation : Were you surprised by any of Basum's responses or his appearance and why?- 119 Blog

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 03:17:51 +0000

When I was shown basum he didn’t look like what I thought he was going to look like. I thought he was going to look somewhat like the extremist shown on TV and YouTube. He looked half white to me. He even dressed like people in the U.S.A. If you would have told me that he lived in the U.S.A I would believe you. I thought he would look like the stereotypical Muslim man from Iraq. What really surprised me was some of his responses. He was not hateful, he was the complete opposite. What really got me was when he told everyone to be happy and he said his good byes to everyone. Basum was very nice, helpful, and funny when he wasn’t trying to be. He also surprised me when he said he saw the world trade center. I thought people over there would be happy about it or other things not sad or scared. I think basum felt that way and not hateful because he lived in the U.S.A before. He lived and worked here, so he knows how people really are. I would like to hear from people that never been to the U.S.A or live in the U.S.A. I think they would really think different than him. I know if I stayed where he live for a long period of time, I would see how people are and I would know everyone is not like the extremist the media is making them out to be. I just wish the war would end so the killing will stop. Basum even said how everyone there have a bed time and the teenagers there go out to have fun but still have to be scared because at any time they can die. It’s just wrong. I know everyone in the U.S.A would be pissed and mad if it happened to us, so why are we doing it to them. Basum is a good guy and I hope there are a lot of people like him where he is at. Even though he didn’t answer the questions in details lol Im just happy he got on and gave us information because he didn’t have to do that. He didn’t have to do anything. I wish we could do more things like this, with the kids and teens like we did with Basum. I think that would be really great, so we can show them that we are all not like this and the same thing goes for us. But when we was talking to Basum I was more surprised that he was open with us and not just sugarcoating everything when we asked him do people where he live hate us.

World In Conversation : What does it say about our society if schools are more segregated now than in the 1970s?- 119 Blog

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:15:05 +0000

I think it’s kind of just a pop up if you ask me. If you think about it most black people rather stay in cities than rural areas. I know I rather live in a big city then in a small town where everyone knows everyone and it’s too quite. You also can think about segregation of neighborhoods. If you live in an all-black neighbor then guess what you’re going to see, all black kids. What about white neighborhoods, Asians, Mexicans. It’s the same for everyone, in the racial resident segregation measurement project they talked about how if we examine metropolitan areas; we find different types of neighborhoods. Some of them contain large homes with prosperous populations. Others are neighborhoods of modest or even run-down homes. In most suburban rings, there are areas where people live in manufactured housing and others with magnificent homes. One of the most important ways in which neighborhoods differ is in their racial composition. In the older metropolises of the Midwest and Northeast, there are many central city neighborhoods where most residents are African Americans but, in the suburban ring, you will likely find neighborhoods in which most residents are whites. This is everywhere no matter what state city or county. I know black people go where the houses are cheap but not too much. White people go where you have to pay a lot for your house so one and so forth. In Philly if you live near a school you have to go to that school. If there was a mix population then guesses what? The schools will be mix but there is not. I think 20% is about race and the 80% is about where people live. If I live in a black neighborhood I wouldn’t want my kid to go out his or her way just to go to a white or mix school. It’s just too much. People might yell and say “oh since that’s a all-white school then there are segregation. I would give it the benefit of a doubt and say probably half of the situation is about race but if I say that you also have to say the neighborhood housing the school is segregated too. This whole thing starts with the people living in that area. Why do people want to live near the same people as them? What some might answer is to be comfortable. I doubt a all-white family would want to move in a neighborhood with 80% blacks or 80% Mexicans. I rather live in a mix neighborhood than 80% mexicans running around. Im not saying I do not like Mexican but I don’t think I would be comfortable. But that is just my opinion.

World In Conversation : Did putting yourself in the shoes of the Middle Easterners change your views on the War in Iraq?- 11

Sat, 9 Apr 2011 03:29:14 +0000

When Sam told us to put ourselves inside the shoes of the middle easterners I did and it showed me that I didn’t know what was going on. This class was a mind opener and I can remorse and see where the Middle East people are coming from. I felt a lot of hatred toward the western part of the world for the simple fact that they need our oil and want it so bad that they come over, kill and fight us for what is ours but yet go back home and act like we are the problem. They come all the way here and take our oil by force and try to make us change our religion because they feel it is right way of life, how do you know for sure that your religion is the right one. Muslims were Muslims for the longest, why do we have to go other to their country demanding that they change their religion. Now I understand why they come over to the United States and try to kill our people. If oil was the whole problem why can’t the U.S just ask for the oil or make a deal. After putting myself in their shoes I felt sorry for them. They are already poor and another country is trying to take the oil they need for themselves. Then when I saw the video with the solders running over one of the Middle Easterner’s car, I was pissed. Like they have no right to do that no matter where they are at and who did it. As you can see already, they need cars, they need whatever they can get and the solders over there are do not care. They think it’s funny but it’s not. We need to leave that country alone. The United States is like a child that when it doesn’t get its way, they throw a fit. What was really surprising was the statistic the Professor Richards mentioned that we, as a government and country, was okay with killing twenty-nine innocent civilians just to kill one, ONE “bad guy.” That is a lot of people just for one guy. Why can’t they just have someone shoot that person in the head then blowing them up? Because once you think about it how many children did they kill or are going to kill. This is just sad. I know everyone is not like that but just think about the ones who like to kill and doing the things they are doing. I do not support the war in the Middle East. People are dying not just there people but our people too. So far we have lost so many husbands, sons, etc. for what, for oil that is not ours.

World In Conversation : What factors in your race make it difficult to date outside your race?- 119 Blog

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 03:19:54 +0000

Since I am a black female it is really hard for me to date outside my race because guys from different race just don’t want to or known how to approach me. I would love to date I white or Asian guy but some guys are scared because everyone think, “oh black girls are wild and crazy” but not all black girls not. I have this one white guy friend that I text but that’s all it is. I just text him. Well I use to because when he see me, he always act like he don’t see me. When he with his friends, he put his head down 24/7 and never look my way. I just do not understand why he does that. Now I think he do that because he do not want his friends to know that we talk. He can text me but not be seen with me in public and that’s really wrong. But if a cute white guy ask me out on a date, I really would go because I think they are soooo cute. It’s just, the once that do want to date a black girl are probably scared to come up to them and talk to them. I know I am scared to ask a white guy out people I do not want to play myself. These goes for any other race too. I would love to date a Indian. Sometimes I wonder what they think about dating outside there race. I would love to sit down and have a chat with a white, Asian, and indian guy to see what they think and how they feel about dating a black girl. I guess I am just want to know. I think about it a lot because it would be great to know if I had a chance or not hahaha. The factors In my race is the way people think about black girls. How we are rude, loud and do not care about people feelings. But that is not true. All of us are not like that because I do not like loud people. Then it is also about where you grew up at. I am from philly. The hood part of philly and you don’t see a lot of white people everyday., You do not see white people, Asians, or any other race than black. In philly it would be very hard to find someone that is not your race because they do not live near you or go to your school. The only time I see people from a different race is when I go down town. But the thing about that is, I cannot just go downtown and say OH do you want to date me.

World In Conversation : What is your opinion of the black/white dolls video?- 119 Blog

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 00:24:18 +0000

I know I am not dark skin but I think I should talk about the video to. Just because I am not dark skin or as people say it African black don’t mean I do not have feelings about this video. I am the darkest out of my family because most of them are light skin. But the video is true, because when I was younger I felt the same way. I felt like if you were dark no one would look your way. This video really made me said because those little girls should not think of them self as bad or ugly because it is not true. From a young age you were learned that white people are different from you. White people are nice and white is good. Even though some people never tell you that, you can still see it. You can still seem the differences, from a white person and a black person. It is sad that it is that way but we really cannot do anything about it. That why we got to stand up and tell our self that we are beautiful because I know, I love my skin color and who I am. When I have kids I am going to tell them every day and show them why they are beautiful. I am not going to lie but my mom so do want me to marry a light skin guy or a good color African. My mom love her some darkkkk men but if the guy don’t take care of his face or look like he run the street then, she won’t like him. Even though the kids pick the white doll think about how many black dolls there really are out there. There is not a lot of black dollars to start with. One lady stated on a website http://diversityinc.com in a article called WHY DO BLACK GIRLS PREFER WHITE DOLLS, she said, “the problem we face is we dont even have black dolls the very few I've seen are the ugliest things ever created. My argument is non of the black dolls look like us (black people), so how can my child prefer it. Again should we be presented with a black doll in South Africa it will have to look like an African American that we see in the American music videos cause thats what our girls now identyfy as beautiful.” I know I am not African but African American, but I still understand what she is talking about. What about the Walt Disney princess dolls. None of them are black. They do have an Indian princess name Jasmine but that’s it. We just got out first doll in 2009 and that was the new Tiana doll. But you want to know something; this princess is still not a real Disney princess. Is she in the picture with the other Disney princesses NOPE, she is not.

World In Conversation : How conscious are you of your seat in class before and after today's lecture?- 119 Blog

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:24:37 +0000

When sam told the girls to sit where they want to, I knew mostly everyone was going to sit next to the Asian. I thought that because like sam said in class, people feel safe around Asians. I know if they told me to sit next to someone then I would sit next to an Asian. When I come to class I don’t think about whom I want to sit next to, I look to see if there is any open chairs. When I do think about it, I sit next to the person who I think will be comfortable to sit next to me. When I do sit next to white people some of them don’t want me to sit next to them. They make funny faces and when I try to make conversation I can see that me talking is not welcomed. In soc 119 I don’t think about those kinds of stuff because I have friends in that class. When I look for a seat I look in the middle of the aisle, in the second row and try to look for 3 empty seats for me and my friends to sit. I think people do think about who they sit next to if they are alone but if they know people in the class then they will sit next to them. In psych 100 I am always alone, but I mainly sit next to Asians. I feel as though Asians are easy to talk to. Well not all Asians. If I had to pick I would say Chinese girls are easy to talk to. No matter what class I go to, there always this one Chinese girl that wants to help me or talk to me and I appreciate that because none if the white people really want to talk to me. Sometimes I feel less than them because of it. Everything sam say in class is true and no matter what you cannot do anything about it. I do not care what race or religion a person is, I still will be that person’s friend. This all go back to people feeling comfortable with people of the different race. If you’re not comfortable then you will not sit next to the person. If you have a deep feeling about something then you’re not going to do it. I know if I do not feel comfortable sitting next to someone then I will not do it. And the only people I know I don’t feel comfortable with are people that look mean all the time. If you are a angry person then I do not want to sit next to you no matter what. I rather sit next to a white person then to sit next to an angry black person.

World In Conversation : How do you feel about the way people live in America compared to other places around the world?- 119

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:05:12 +0000

I feel sad for everyone who lives in a poor country. These people have it harder than anyone else in the world. I can say that I am poor but if I go to a poor country I might be rich. All round the world people do things just to get by and live another day. I can’t say the way people live in America is wrong people America is much different from different countries. I am really happy that I was lucky enough to be born in such country even though I am considering as poor. I know for such America is a money hungry country. We live off of what’s in style and upgrades every couple months, but we can’t help it. What I do know is there are people in America who does want to help and who does help every day. I might not help out other countries like I want to but every month I give away 3 big bags full of clothes, shoes, and other things. America and poor countries are so different. These countries been poor mostly since the beginning. I’m not going to say America rich but we do have jobs and a lot of things to help our people get up on their feet. America is land of opportunity that’s why people come here. To get all the opportunities there country did not supply. America working word and another country working hard is two different things. Some countries cant around to have their kids go to school so they have to let their kids work. In America we can pay for everyone to go to school and if they choose too then they can work. I do understand that a homeless man is still better than living in Haiti because a homeless man still have the hope that he can get up off his feet. No matter where you come from, everyone think about their selves first. Like the 15 dollar thing from Wal-Mart or the same thing but 30 dollars. I know I would rather go with the 15 dollar Wal-Mart thing because I might not have the money. I have to think about should I buy this 15 dollar thing so I can save money to buy something else I need or just pay the whole 30 dollars. Even though you by that 30 dollars thing, you don’t know if you’re making a difference. In class he said don’t stop buying it, start buying move of it so they can pay the slaves.” My thing is how you know they will pay the slaves. Just because they get money in don’t mean they are going to say, “Oh, I have more money so I can pay these people now”

World In Conversation : How do you feel about the way people live in America compared to other places around the world?- 119

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:04:28 +0000

World In Conversation : How Do You Classify Yourself?- 119 Blog

Sat, 5 Feb 2011 01:24:15 +0000

I classify myself in some ways and other people gave me classifications. For my race and gender someone else gave me them classifications. I did not choose to be African American and a woman. But I choose be classified as straight. With religion, I have no idea what my classifications are unless I say unidentified. So I classify my religion as unidentified because I do not know if I am Christian (Baptist) or Muslim. I am trying t find out what is best for me. I think the whole different religion thing is crazy. Why can we not just have one religion? It’s too much to have 30 different kinds of Christians and other different religions. If everyone is the same why do we so call have different religions? For me I choose to me classified for a lot of things like being a psych major, loving victoria secret, and being a Penn state student. These classifications define me. It shows people who I am and what I like. These classifications are labels and these labels help people find out who you really are. They also pull you apart from other people your race, religion or gender. I am person who loves any twilight fan fiction, and anime cartoons. Just by knowing that I am about 70% different from any other African American. I listen to classical, RnB, jazz, Hip-hop, and country. Just by my music that pulled me up to 75-80% different from any other African American. Just by knowing these little things make me different from the rest. I make my own classification and sometimes they change from time to time depending on how I feel at that very moment. At this very moment I am a twilight fan fiction freak, I like RnB, and I am thinking about playing tennis for PSU. I’m on Facebook and twitter everyday. You can also call me a procrastinator too. Tomorrow it will be something totally different because I am classified as someone who changes his or her mind. I am aloud to do what ever I want because I want to live my life and try new things. You can also put me in that classification too, someone who like to try new things. I’m a dreamer so one who dreams about does any and everything. Someone who looks pass the sky and trying to see stars. I IMAGINE what it would be like do be any thing and do anything. I do not want to stay at one place for a long time. I want to see the world, and meet new people. I am classified as me. The only thing I can not classify myself is what I was born as and that is a African American female.

World In Conversation : Why Do We Associate With People of The Same Race and Ethnicity as Ourselves?- 119 Blog

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 02:51:13 +0000

I think people hang out with their own race and ethnicity because they feel comfortable with them or the other race doesn’t talk to them. This argument can go two ways. One way people feel comfortable because they have similarities and you don’t have to trying to impress them or make conversation because it will just come up. The similarities can be looks and backgrounds. For me I hang around all African Americans because no one else will talk to me but Asian girls here and here. For now I stick to what I know and who I know. I would love to hang out with other races but it is just hard. That is how some people is. The other argument is that other races do not look your way. For me I can only hang out with black people because white people do not look my way. On the first couple weeks of school I tried to talk to other people but they would look at me and turn around. No one would even take a seat near me in lecture classes but the Chinese girls. I felt so bad and lonely that I gave up and just start hanging out with people my own kind. And till this day I do not have any friend in penn state that’s a different race than me, sometimes I wish I did. I think it would be cool because I have been around African Americans all my life. I know if English is not your first language and you dont know other people then you are going to talk to the first person who speaks your language. That like the saying when you walk in the room full of people not your race and you dont know but you spot only one person from your race, then you’re going to walk over there and talk to that person. With foreign exchange students, they don’t anything but there land. They are new to the place and when they see people just like them in the same situation, they tend to stick together.It is hard for people to step outside there comfort zone and get to know people of a different race. That’s why some people never do it. Now don’t get me wrong I think everyone, no matter what race or ethnicity should meet new and different people. But also I think it’s more as a type of ease feeling when you are around people like you. Only for the simple fact that different people have a different since of standards and might be judgmental toward you if they do not understand you completely people tend act different with people they can’t relate too.

World In Conversation : How Would You Identify Them? - 119 Blog

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:49:02 +0000

This is a very good video. No one can really tell if they know each other or sisters. I know one of these girls but not both of them. Even though I know the girl on the right, I do not know her background. Looking at both of them, I would identify them as Black and Asian or Indian. The female on the right has the eyes of an Asian and skin like an Indian. The female on the left of the camera look half black and half Indian. From my point of view I do not think they are related at all, but they just might have the same background. Just by looking at them I would think that but if I really think about it, even though she have the so called “Asian eye” do not mean she have Asian in her. I have a feeling both of these girls was born in America. There complexion is a little lighter than average brown women but everyone is different and there are some light skin African American. But they still do not look full African American. If I can just pick one race I would just pick middle easterners because the brown of their skin and how their eyes and nose are. In class I couldn’t believe that they were sister. They look so different of each other. I can see they have same shaped head but that’s it.I can’t judge by the way they look because me and my sister have the same mom and dad but we look the total opposite. My sister is tall and I am short. My sister is high yellow (light skin) and I am brown skin. I have big eyes and she has “Asian eyes”. The same thing goes with the nose. In my family I have the white person nose and my sister has the black person nose. Outside we are totally different but our voice, our laugh, and the way we act sometimes are the same. So that goes to show you that no matter how different a person look you can never really tell their background. These sisters made me think about the sister in the photo of the twins. The one white and one black twins. I think it’s pretty cool that something like that happened. I know that throughout the girl’s life they are going to have to keep explaining to people how they are twins. If you go past the color of their skin then you can see the likeness but for real no one is going to look past their skin color. I’m not going to lie; I love this class because it gets you to thinking how the world really is.

World In Conversation : Last Name Begins with "W"

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:31:56 +0000

Sweet

World In Conversation : Last Name “W” – Intense Debate

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 01:36:47 +0000

Soc 119