en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/3087746 Comments by WhirledPeas13 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170521199 I agree with you for the fact that I too, took advantage of what I had available at my school. I was in the band, but I never really appreciated the wide array of instruments we had and the nice facility where we practiced. Our school was renovated for my last year there and was incredibly nice. After taking a glance at the urban school in the Oprah video, I am more thankful for what I had. I also agree with you about nepotism but I also know that it is an unfortunate fact of life where, ‘it’s not what you know, but WHO you know.’ It does suck but even so, I’m trying to know more people because of it. Thu, 7 Jul 2011 04:01:01 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170521199 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170520342 In watching lesson 14 on Affirmative Action, I was immediately thought provoked by the video experiment performed by Oprah where suburban and inner city school kids traded schools. It made me think about how inner city students are essentially screwed out of a successful education and life if something isn’t done to help them. The inner city schools have a very low budget, which in turn gives them a low amount of resources. They then can’t pay good teachers to give a good and challenging curriculum to the students. The students then give up on their education and may end up dropping out. After they drop out, they are then prevented from making a better life. So they stay in the inner city area and their kids go through the same cycle. So the cycle is never ending and it is the same way with the suburban school kids, who go through in cycle with more money and they end up having a good and successful life and their kids then go through the same thing. I think that the ‘poor cycle’ also occurs in rural areas. In a rural area where a lot of kids graduated from high school, but not many students attend or finish college. I spoke with a girl the other day, and she said that she is going to be the first college graduate of her family… and it is 2011. I just felt that her situation was wonderful and unfortunate at the same time. I feel that way because in many other families (suburban especially,) there are legacies of the grandparent’s college and the hope that the grandchildren will follow in their footsteps. And because of their extensive education and work experience, they were able to send their children and grandchildren to the college of their choice. My point is that in our society money determines education level and education level determines the amount of money you’ll make in some situations. So it is again, a never-ending cycle and unless the urban schools get more funding or better teaching, the present students will continue to move in the cycle throughout the rest of their lives for them and their children. I know that it isn’t easy for schools to get funding because in order to funding, they may have to do well on state tests like in Pennsylvania. But if they do not have the money to give the right education, how can they be expected to do well on the tests? Should they just be given more money and then monitored for success? How could we dig these schools out of the pit they have been in for years? Thu, 7 Jul 2011 03:57:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/30/week-8-%e2%80%93-lesson-14-affirmative-action/#IDComment170520342 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169492894 Wow, that is such a sad story of Dr. P. When you said about his Visa expiring, I like you, immediately thought that someone offered to marry him or something drastic to get him to stay. But to hear that people vandalized his house and treated him so badly just because of a label is so disheartening. I agree with how sad it is that we cannot give compassion to those who want to come to our country to do better for themselves and like your doctor, many immigrants would do a lot better for our country and their community. Mon, 4 Jul 2011 03:32:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169492894 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169492122 In this lecture, I was immediately interested in the fact that the original European settlers were the first illegal immigrants. I never thought about that before and I wonder how many other people think about that. It definitely was humbling, but like Sam said, we do not like to think about things that make us uncomfortable—especially if that means that we would think about the Native American’s land every time we walk around outside. Another thing that I thought about is that, we took the Native American’s land as terrorists essentially, and all we give them are pieces of land with barriers that we call their ‘reservations?’ I know that that is another issue entirely but it is definitely thought provoking. Why wouldn’t more people stand up for the Native American’s rights as original land-owners and let them have more rights? I know that it is just because the colonists thought that they were a threat because they were different and that the colonists wanted to only be around people like them. But what has changed in the last 500-some years? We still don’t want people in our country who are unlike ‘us.’ Who are not from our country or don’t speak our language or perform our customs. I do not condone illegal immigration, but I am not going to tell the people that they are unwelcome in our country. Why can’t they become legal? I would like to understand what holds these people back that they are prevented their citizenship but I know that they are certainly desperate to get away from the despair they are facing in their home country. It is unsettling to think that there are people literally dying to get into the United States. Why do they even want to come here? We give them horrible jobs and then complain about them taking those horrible jobs that American citizens do not want to do. Then we harass them, beat them, and finally take them back to their country of origin. And then they come back. Why? I think that if I were in their position that I would probably give up. Obviously they see the outcome as worth more than the price they have to pay for it. Again, I’m not saying that I think that they should come in illegally, but shouldn’t we as citizens of the country of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness share those values to others trying to attain them? These immigrants-legal or illegal are most likely trying to come here so that they can pursue their happiness and make the lives of their family, children, and grandchildren worthwhile and better. Maybe they just need some help and compassion? Mon, 4 Jul 2011 03:28:34 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/26/week-7-%e2%80%93-lesson-13-immigration/#IDComment169492122 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168168880 I completely agree with you on the question of nature or nurture with what kids play with or how they dress. I feel that it would be nature for a little 3 year old boy to try on his sister’s dresses, but I feel that it is nurture then for the parents to put the dresses in the 3 year old boy’s closet for him to wear everyday (like what parents did for a boy I babysat for before). I feel that the parents should have let the boy try on the dresses if he wanted to, but I felt that it was too far for the dresses to actually be put in his closet (unless he asked for it—but he’s three—what 3 year old knows what he wants?) I feel that what those parents did is similar to making a little boy only play with trucks. That boy from my story only had dresses in his closet—so to me, it was like the parents were almost making him dress like a girl. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:17:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168168880 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168168028 For lesson 12, I found it immediately interesting and intriguing when Sam posted that Liberal Democrats are more than twice as likely to want to live in a ‘diverse’ community than Republicans. I wondered if the Liberal Democrats were truthful when they were surveyed or if they were saying what they felt they were supposed to say. Due to political correctedness the Democrats could have been stating that they want to live in a diverse community just because they didn’t want to offend someone or be looked down on. Another question that Sam posed is, what is a diverse community? I see a diverse community being a place where all races of all SES come together and live. However, in our country, very rarely does this happen and we either have cookie-cutter suburbs or run-down communities filled with crime. I feel that whether the Liberal Democrat truthfully desires to live in a diverse community rests upon their SES (Socio-Economic Status). If the Liberal Democrat is of high SES than, I see them living in a suburban area where it would be safe, more affluent, welcoming to families and a good place to raise children with nice schools. They may say that they would want to live in a diverse area but do they really mean it? What if we would treat the situation like the show, “Secret Millionaire?” On that show, affluent members trade in their mansions for a run-down studio apartment or a cardboard box. If we would put some of the democrats of higher SES in this situation, would they change their minds? My point is, that many lies are stated due to being politically correct. What if the liberal democrat would have been truthful and say, “Yes I believe that all should be fair and equal, but in reality, I do not want to live in a diverse community.” I think that the democrat probably would have been ‘thrown’ out of liberal democracy. On this subject matter, I personally do not feel that I would like to live in a diverse community because in reality, I tend to think of a dangerous place when I think of a diverse community. No, I do not want to live in a place where it is made up of one race, but I also want to live in a harmonious place, which will probably not be in an urban apartment, but in a house in the suburbs. I’m sure that many disagree with my stance on this issue, but because I’m being more blunt and not politically correct, I do hope that many will understand and perhaps think that others may think this way too. Everyone wants their children to be safe and grow up in a nice area—that may or may not be diverse (however you may define it.) Speaking of which, how do you define the word, diverse? Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:13:01 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/23/week-7-lesson-12-multiculturalism-lgbt/#IDComment168168028 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/16/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165979199 I thought that as well (about Asian's skin color), and then I remembered that they are called "Olive" :) Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:14:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/16/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165979199 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/16/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165277638 This is very interesting! I too was thinking, “Of course Penn State doesn’t segregate the students,” however I remember that my floors were always filled with white students and the Asians always roomed together and there was only a few minority students on my floors. I’m interested to look at my floor this fall to see if that statement remains true once again. I wonder if predominantly black schools do the same thing for white students (who would be the minority)? Did you get any ‘special treatment’ at your high school? I will definitely be looking for this issue as I’m on campus this Fall. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:01:45 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/16/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165277638 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/16/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165277519 This is very interesting! I too was thinking, “Of course Penn State doesn’t segregate the students,” however I remember that my floors were always filled with white students and the Asians always roomed together and there was only a few minority students on my floors. I’m interested to look at my floor this fall to see if that statement remains true once again. I wonder if predominantly black schools do the same thing for white students (who would be the minority)? Did you get any ‘special treatment’ at your high school? I will definitely be looking for this issue as I’m on campus this Fall. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:01:09 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/16/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165277519 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/16/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165276519 In response to the lesson 10 lecture, I found various things interesting and thought provoking. First I found Sam’s opening analogy to be very interesting and it was something that I’ve never heard before. The analogy was about a two-legged amphibian and the white fish. The two-legged amphibian represented people of color and was to represent how they live in both worlds. They live in ‘water and land,’ like amphibians. People of color go through the pre-awakening stage early in life and come to know their history and their family and culture sooner than white people. White people are the ‘white fish’ in the story and they only live in one world or the water. It takes much longer for them to go through the pre-awakening stage where they recognize their ‘whiteness.’ I enjoyed Sam’s story of how he discovered his whiteness at age 17 or 18. I would say that I discovered my whiteness—that I was actually a white person, in high school as well. I just remember, similarly to Sam, that I was looking in the mirror after watching television or something with people of color on it. I just remember thinking, “I’m white.” and “I wonder what it is like to be black.” So like always, I wanted to learn more about whatever I was thinking about and so its beneficial that I’m taking this class where I can learn even more about different races. I also found it interesting that a person can be in more than one stage on any given day. For instance, one day they could be in the revisioning stage, and the next day they could be back in the pre-awakening or awakening stage. However, they still remain in the averaged stage and stay around where they are normally. It was also astounding to me that Asians consider themselves white. I wonder if this is true for native people of Japan too, if they say that they’re white. I also wonder if this is related to the fact that many Asians (like my foreign exchange student from Thailand), use skin-whitening creams. Is it because they want to actually be able to identify themselves as white? And do they then ever leave the pre-awakening stage? Do they forever see themselves as white and not another skin-color or race? I know that the foreign exchange student that I had from Thailand sand that people are looked down on in her country if they are dark-skinned. So they strive to be ‘white’ or lighter and that is probably they tell people that they are white as well. I also wonder if the issue of staying in the preawakening stage is constant in all Asian countries or if it is only found in a few prevalent countries. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 02:56:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/06/16/week-6-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-people-of-color-stages-1-4/#IDComment165276519 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164367935 I agree with you that guilt influences a lot of how we react in life. Guilt makes us give sentiments or condolences. Guilt also makes us give back money or donate clothing, recycle, or give blood. It is too bad that guilt has us react to certain things instead of the drive and desire to do something good for someone. However, I know that many people do good things and charity without feeling guilty and are truly happy by making others happy. The guilt, however, also silences white people about speaking out about races and if they would speak out, they would be labeled racist Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:27:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164367935 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164362444 For the lesson nine lecture, I was most intrigued when he brought up the concept of racial identifiers and it really made me begin to think more about the topic. For years now, it has always bothered me when people use the term ‘gay’ to describe something stupid and I think that is also a type of racial identity. For people to look at something inanimate and say ‘that’s gay.’ It is very hurtful to people who have worked through many issues in their lives and have gone through torment and hatred for being gay and for all of their hardships to go under the rug by calling something inanimate ‘gay’ or stupid. I also began to think about the fact that we refer to someone on a daily basis as being ‘my gay friend,’ or ‘my gay neighbor,’ instead of saying ‘my friend Gary,’ or ‘my neighbor Irene.’ What makes us think that we can just refer to people based on their sexual orientation? We don’t go around saying, ‘my straight friend is getting married or adopting a child.’ Why should we talk that way about people that we know who are gay? Another racial identity that we often use is to talk about a person just for being Asian or Black or another race. When talking about another, we often say, ‘our Asian friend is getting a new car,’ why not just say ‘Melissa is getting a new car.” My point is, that a person has a name for a reason and that they do not need to be labeled on their race or sexual orientation or another distinguishing factor… unless the person who is talking cannot for the life of them remember the other person’s name. Another interesting point from the lecture is when Sam mentioned how white people learn not to talk about race. This is due to the fact that white people learn to treat everyone equally. Of course all white people must feel some amount of guilt based on the fact that white people are living well based on their ancestors and slavery. However, I feel that it is difficult to prove that everyone’s ancestors were involved in slave ownership at one point or another, except of course for buying slave-made products in today’s market. Because of the guilt, white people do not even talk about race even with other white people so that they do not look to be racist. I feel though, that if white people would talk about race that they could look more accepting of race and would open up to having more discussions about race and in-turn, learning more about race relations. However, even if white people would talk about race openly, they could seem racist and it would just be a never-ending cycle. Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:03:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-9-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-3-4/#IDComment164362444 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163055324 I feel that I also took the third path. Many other people in our class probably did as well due to the fact that we signed up for this class. I also agree with you that it is disturbing that people would actually choose to act as though they were in a better or higher race than others. They decided to hold onto their 'whiteness' and not accept other races. It makes me feel sad as well. Although, it is impossible to live in world where everyone accepts one another for who they are, it would certainly be nice. I also realize that that sounded like a Miss America speech. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 03:24:30 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163055324 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163054321 In this lesson, I especially liked when he brought up the fact that right-handed people don’t think about being right-handed. But left-handed people think about it all the time. After hearing this, I went to my sister who is left-handed and I asked her if being left-handed affected her daily life. She said it didn’t, but growing up she did a lot of stuff with her right-hand and so she was kind of forced to adapt to her environment. She bats left-handed but catches a ball with her right-hand. She shoots a gun with her right-hand (realize that she only weighs 100 pounds and she is tough). Anyways, her handedness didn’t change how she thinks about her world. I also thought it was interesting when he mentioned how we don’t realize something until we experience something else like being disabled. For instance, you don’t realize that you’re disabled until you are next to someone who is and you almost feel guilty and it is perhaps the same as white people feeling ‘guilty’ when they are in a group of another race. I also couldn’t believe that he helped that guy go to the bathroom, but what else was he supposed to do? I couldn’t imagine turning a paralyzed person down when they need help—no matter how embarrassing it would be. No one even thinks of how to react in a situation with a paralyzed person unless they get in that situation. The final part that I thought was interesting was that white people are stuck in the pre-awakening stage in the media. That white people are dumb and have no knowledge about the world of race and culture. They also don’t think about what it is like to be white and also that only whites do ‘white things.’ This is humorous due to the context that Sam put it in, however, it is probably true that many white people don’t have many problems that are solely associated with their race. The ‘white and nerdy’ song was also hilarious and it was interesting to me how the white race is probably one of the only races that everyone can laugh at—and no one gets in trouble. For instance, white people don’t care about being called ‘crackers.’ As a whole, I found this lecture interesting in a fact that it focused on the ‘whiteness,’ and how it isn’t always thought of or discussed. In fact, I was surprised that we were discussing being white at all. This is just because I find that the white population are sometimes forgotten and only other races are the desired topic of the discussion. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 03:20:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/07/week-5-%e2%80%93-lesson-8-stages-of-racial-identity-%e2%80%93-white-people-stages-1-2/#IDComment163054321 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160828179 I am interested in your “luck of birth” idea and I too feel fortunate for the family that I was born into. Not for solely for financial reasons because I am paying for ¾ of my education through loans. I feel lucky just for the fact that I live in a nice house and not a trailer park in a nice community and I grew up with a lot of love. I know that my birth has influenced my life and the choices that I make and its amazing how much a situation and your family influence you and your entire life. Thu, 9 Jun 2011 03:21:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160828179 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160827333 It’s interesting to me of what Sam said the reasons for why black people have the second lowest incomes in the United States. That white people in the north who controlled land, income, loans, etc controlled them. The white people didn’t want the competition from the slaves for their jobs. So the whites left the cities and went to the suburbs and the poor people went to the cities. That is embarrassing that a lot of the whites supported the end of slavery but they didn’t want to help the blacks to start their lives. And it is also embarrassing that many blacks want to get a loan to get a nice house and they are denied for the loan just because of their race. Of course, the banks would use the excuse that the applicant didn’t have enough experience or their credit score was too low, but what if the bankers told the truth. Would change take place with the result being that perhaps the cities wouldn’t get so run-down because people would take better care of the their homes because they would have the money? Also, what change could have taken place if Black GI’s could have gotten loans for homes after World War II? The GI Bill excluded black and brown people from the GI Bill, which gave loans to veterans. If those veterans were given the money, they could have gotten a house and their children would have had better lives to change life how it is today. It is shocking and once again, sad that history was that way and that a simple vote of the past changed race relations today. Another point though however, is that people who are in a negative situation while living in the city cannot blame their problems on their past. The reason that they’re not affluent is also because of the decisions they make. I think that they could study and go to school and find their way in the world. It reminds me of the movie The Pursuit of Happiness, which is based on the true story of Chris Gardner who was at one time homeless and became a multi-millionaire by working hard and not accepting his ancestors past decisions. He didn’t just say, “My grandfather didn’t get a GI Bill and that’s why I’m homeless and I’m never going to go anywhere in life.” The problem though is that many people who try to ‘work harder’ encounter so many boundaries and problems that they give up. It is almost like a never-ending cycle that people struggle and so they work hard but they still struggle and so people give up and begin to accept the card that they have been dealt instead of picking up another one. Thu, 9 Jun 2011 03:17:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/06/02/week-4-lesson-6-race-and-ethnic-inequality/#IDComment160827333 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159829788 For lesson five, I was interested that we were able to go deeper in the fact that just your race could contribute to your overall wealth. It was interesting how Asians were more likely to have a higher income. Asians tend to live communally with different generations living in one house. The different incomes of those living there are added together and so if you were to take an Asian family consisting of just immediate family, the income levels may by lower. Families with higher SES may have valued education over having a lower-end job to start their lives. Instead of graduating from high school and working at Wal-Mart for the rest of their lives as a cashier, the high school graduate probably valued education as was taught by their educated parents—or their uneducated parents who wanted more for their children. Maybe the children’s parents valued work and didn’t believe in education but wanted their son or daughter to find their own success and make it happen without going into debt first. Another realm would be that the parent didn’t have their child work hard at a job or study hard and instead had them practice sports everyday at the hopes of an athletic scholarship or that their child would be discovered. Either way, I believe that each parent wants their child to be successful, no matter which road they take in life. My parents had me focus on academics and I didn’t have my first job until I was 18 because my parents wanted me to focus on school first. However, I still feel that I have a great work ethic. I do not like to say that black students tend to work more blue-collar jobs or Asians work more white-collar jobs, because I feel like I’m discriminating. However, I think that the point of the lecture was to get us more uncomfortable with the topic of race coupled with the equally uncomfortable topic of money. It really made me think of why members of a certain race follow with what they think they’re supposed to do as a member of that race and tie themselves down. For instance, why do more Asians go to college and not just be a welder at the local factory? Why are more Black men all-stars of the basketball team? Why aren’t there more black men like Tiger Woods who rebel against the social norm and play golf? If people would just do what they want instead of what they feel they are supposed to do, the SES of different races may change. However, we would still feel the need to categorize the world according to race and money and so even more categories would be created like Asians and rebellious Asians. Mon, 6 Jun 2011 04:00:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159829788 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159427926 The low percentage of college graduates was shocking to me as well. I think that many times, students drop out of college because they are unable to pay for their schooling. They may drop out with the goal to come back in a year after saving money, but once they are making money, they decide to not go back to school. I also agree with you that many times success comes to those who know the right people. My dad always says, “Its not what you know, its WHO you know, “ and he was able to get a few jobs offered to him by knowing the right people. However, he was only offered the job because those people knew of his prior successes. Sun, 5 Jun 2011 07:03:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-5-social-inequality/#IDComment159427926 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158411133 I appreciate your thoughts on the death penalty in regards to different cultures and I agree with you that the cultures view different crimes with different aspects of seriousness. I personally do not quite know how I feel about the death penalty, but I know that a serial killer deserves something more serious than a shoplifter. Perhaps in the cultures where they stone adulterers (Where is that?), they do not have more serious crimes like mass murders and so they adjust their judicial system accordingly. I also had a strong reaction to the pictures that were shown about Iraq. When Sam said about the family who wanted their picture taken so American families could see them, it almost made me cry. I feel saddened for the innocent people in Iraq and Arab nations who are suffering because of the Jihad and the United States. Thu, 2 Jun 2011 04:06:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158411133 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158409910 After viewing the lecture and reading the articles, I had strong reactions to many things. The first thing that disturbed and angered me is the fact that so many innocent Muslims and Arab Americans have been discriminated against. These are the people who came to our country and worked hard to make a life for themselves and their family and much of it is taken away simply because of where they are from. 1,700 abuse incidents occurred against Muslims in the first five months following 9/11. One example from the article describes where an innocent five-year-old Arab girl was taunted and called a “terrorist,” at school. The article explained this fear as xenophobia. However, do we need an excuse such as a phobia to explain America’s hatred and prejudice of Arabs and Muslims? I think that many Americans need reminded that we are one nation. There are Muslim and Arab soldiers who are likely fighting their country of origin to be loyal and prove themselves for America. Are we thanking them and making them war heroes? Many times, I seldom hear about U.S. soldiers of Arab descent because perhaps this would lighten America’s hatred for them. An alarming quote from article 10 states, “A majority of Muslims are gravely concerned about religious extremism and terrorism. No wonder: since they have been the primary victims.” Another part of the lecture that enlightened me was when Sam said that members of Islam want to convert everyone to their religion and that is not true. It is true that they are called to lead other to the religion, just like Christians are called to spread the gospel and lead others to Christianity. However, many Muslims and Christians alike go to church or the mosque and then they go home. Not many Muslims or Christians are radicals where they try to convince every person they meet to join their religion. Muslims do not want to seem foolish anymore than we do. Finally, I found the video of the Jihad to be disturbing. It is true that members of the Jihad would kill an American just for being an American. It is also true that they are a malicious group striving world domination. However, Muslims have been confused with being part of the Jihad. This confusion has led Muslims to being discriminated against. We need to fix this confusion and make others know that they are not part of the same group. Muslims in Iraq want to be like those in America and they want to be safe. It is our job to inform others of this so that we can make sure that they are safe against hatred. Thu, 2 Jun 2011 03:59:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/05/25/week-3-lesson-4-ethnocentrism/#IDComment158409910